Reflexões sobre o patriotismo II

Deixo aqui um excerto do artigo que vos recomendei no post anterior. Trata-se de um duplo convite — à consulta desta fonte bibliográfica, e, sobretudo, à reflexão sobre estes assuntos, em particular num momento histórico em que se assiste na Europa ao recrudescimento de movimentos de extrema direita, como atestam os resultados das eleições para o Parlamento Europeu (vejam este artigo do Público intitulado "Fascistas e anti-semitas: os eleitos mais à direita que Le Pen").

"Patriotism is not but another extension of the duty of concern for others; it is a special concern for my country because it is my country, for my compatriots because they are my compatriots. Unlike Mother Theresa and Doctors Without Borders, whose concern is for all destitute, sick, dying persons they can reach, the concern of the patriot is by definition selective; and the selection is performed by the word “my.” But the word “my” cannot, by itself, play the critical role in an argument showing that a certain stance is morally valuable. If it could, other types of partialism, such as tribalism, racism, or sexism, would by the same token prove morally valuable too.

(...) We all have various preferences for places and people, tend to identify with many groups, large and small, to think of them as in some sense ours, and to show a degree of special concern for their members. But however important in other respects these preferences, identifications, and concerns might be, they lack positive moral import. They are morally permissible as long as they are kept within certain limits, but morally indifferent in themselves. The same is true of patriotism."

Vs.

"[An ethical] patriot (…) would not express his love for the patria by seeking to husband the country's resources and preserve its natural beauty and its historical heritage, or make it rich, powerful, culturally preeminent, or influential on the world scene. Instead, he would seek to make sure that the country lives up to moral requirements and promotes moral values, both at home and internationally. (…) He would also be concerned with the country's past moral record and its implications for the present. He would support projects exploring the dark chapters of the country's history, acknowledging the wrongs perpetrated in the past and responding to them in appropriate ways, whether by offering apologies or making amends, and by making sure such wrongs are not perpetrated again."

Primoratz, Igor, "Patriotism", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2013 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = <http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2013/entries/patriotism/>.