Is Patriatism Morally Acceptable - 898 Words

In many places, patriotism is seen or has been seen as a value, as a quality that people of high morality have. But is patriotism a morally acceptable position? Alasdair MacIntyre looks at patriotism through a communitarian point of view; he considers that patriotism indeed is morally not only acceptable but also central to any moral system. For him, patriotism is legitimate because one must build one’s moral values within a certain community. Being born in a certain country makes you automatically belong to it, and according to MacIntyre, you should be a patriot toward it. Others favor a more moderate view of patriotism. It is the case of Stephen Nathanson who points out the fact that loyalty must not necessarily be toward a country but can be toward another entity. As for Igor Primoratz, he considers that patriotism is morally permissible when it is kept away from nationalism. Others simply totally reject patriotism. History has shown us that patriotism can easily bring extreme behaviors: people start war in the name of patriotism. Patriotism is thus often linked to nationalism and militarism: a military is often seen as a patriot par excellence. So is patriotism really a virtue, does it bring about good things to humanity? For George Kateb and Leo Tolstoy the answer is no. They consider that patriotism goes together with hatred of other countries and therefore brings about hostility and international tensions. Besides, Tolstoy argues that patriotism is stupid because it