Introduction
Romanticism and Enlightenment, as artistic and philosophical directions and styles in the history of the world’s thought, turned out to be the breaking points in the development of human society because they changed the attitudes of people towards their rights and freedoms. This change resulted in artistic styles and directions that became more human-oriented, and also in the sphere of political and social life. The brightest examples of the results Romanticism and Enlightenment brought o mankind was the French revolution and numerous reactions of other countries to this event when people understood that they could have more freedom than monarchs would ever allow them to have (Reiss, 2000). Thus, the current paper will focus on the political situation in the USA in order to analyze the Romantic and Enlightenment-based points in the policy proposals by the Presidential candidate’s John McCain and Barack Obama.
Romanticism and Enlightenment
Human beings came in their development from the acceptance of the institution of slavery up to the admittance of equal rights for both sexes and condemnation of racial discrimination. During the history of mankind such directions of human thought as theology, racism, Nazism, and many other opposite directions dominated the world outlook possessed by ordinary human beings at the same time being the tool for authorities to control their nations (Reiss, 2000). However, the development of mankind brought some unexpected, but on the other hand, natural change to the state of things. People were tired of being constantly oppressed by the church or royal authorities who exercised their powers without any regard for their citizens’ needs and demands. The ideology of the church was that people should obey the religious dogmas because it was said to them by God and no one had the right to violate this rule. The motivation of the royal power was that it had been given to monarchs by divine powers in order for them to represent the divine force on the Earth. So, people should have also obeyed and fulfilled all the orders and demands of their king or queen. Nevertheless, people believed in the state of things being natural for long centuries before the realization of the rights of every single person became clear to them. At this breaking point of the history of mankind, the works and ideas by such famous writers and scholars as Goethe and Rousseau played a crucial role.
As far as those scholars and prominent philosophers were the representatives of Romanticism and Enlightenment in European literature, culture, and politics, these directions are rightfully considered to be of crucial importance for mankind. Romanticism, as the phenomenon born by the movement of the Enlightenment, propagated the ideas of the clever person’s domination in all the spheres of social life. The major point of the Enlightenment was the denial of the church or monarchical powers for the sake of the individual freedom of the human being as the highest creature by God. The importance of education was also stressed by the representatives of the Enlightenment as the basis for people who want to control their own lives and not to allow others to play with them. Moreover, individual freedom and striving of people towards having equal rights with the rich and the powerful, led to uprisings against conservative monarchical regimes in many countries among which France was the brightest example with its Revolution and falling of Bastille (Reiss, 2000).
Obama
However, having considered the major reasons for the emergence and development of Romanticism and Enlightenment, and also having understood the main points of these movements it is necessary to adjust the policy proposals of the US presidential candidates to these principles (Reiss, 2000). To start with, the policy principles proposed by Barack Obama seem to be the perfect combination of Romantic and Enlightenment ideals. The steps Mr. Obama proposes to take to change the situation in American society are rather rational and evidence-based. For example, the civil rights initiatives by Mr. Obama aim at reducing inequality or racial and sexual groups in respect of their social and employment opportunities: “Obama and Biden will work to overturn the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that curtails racial minorities’ and women’s ability to challenge pay discrimination. They will also pass the Fair Pay Act to ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.”
Moreover, Barack Obama proposes such initiatives as educational reform, child care system, state defense, and issues of foreign policy connected with the war in Iraq. First of all, being a specialist in early education for children, Mr. Obama wants to make their care better by increasing its funding and leaving their parents more time for their work. Also, such steps as Zero to Five Plan, Reform No Child Left Behind, Address the Dropout Crisis, Support College Credit Initiatives, and many others are aimed at reforming the educational system whose task is to prepare new members of the society who will, according to principles of Enlightenment and Romanticism, be aware of their own rational thinking rather than of the orders and remarks of others (Obama, 2008).
Further on, the points concerning state defense and war in Iraq are also proposed to be solved in Mr. Obama’s political initiatives. These points are considered as Enlightenment and Romanticism are concerned with the issues of national identity and protests against oppressions. Thus, the propositions by Mr. Obama to increase the budget of the State Defence System and stop immediately the war in Iraq are quite reasonable. They are also credible and possible for fulfillment as they need the exchange of funding. In other words, money spent each year on the unnecessary war in Iraq will be spent on the improvement of the defense system. All this shows that Mr. Obama’s proposals combine the most rational and actual principles of Enlightenment with the reality of today.
McCain
As contrasted to Mr. Obama’s program, proposals presented by John McCain seem to lack credibility and rational nature in their formulation. For example, in the issues of education in the USA McCain’s program is rather abstract displaying no actual specific steps to be taken to change the situation and carry out necessary reforms: “John McCain will place parents and children at the center of the education process, empowering parents by greatly expanding the ability of parents to choose among schools for their children. He believes all federal financial support must be predicated on providing parents the ability to move their children, and the dollars associated with them, from failing school.” (McCain, 2008)
Also, in Mr. McCain’s policy proposals, there is no actual attention to the individual freedoms and only the statement about the necessity of the continued war in Iraq which finally has to end with the American victory. This aspect of Mr. McCain’s program is contradicting to the principles of Enlightenment, as they demand keeping to the rational point of view of people. So, if Mr. McCain aims at continuing the war, he ignores the opinions of millions of Americans who realize the uselessness and danger of the war. Lack of Mr. McCain’s attention to the issues present in the social sphere and in the area of civil rights is also a drawback of his program which can be called rather Romantic in its direction at reaching the fantastic goals by fantastic means rather than the presentation of factual issues and methods of their solution. As Romanticism’s only difference from the Enlightenment is being based upon artistic images, power of imagination, and some fictional aims and results, proposals by Mr, McCain can be called more Romantic in their nature (Reiss, 2000). Moreover, the major emphasis of the program by Mr. McCain on the economic issues does not reflect the full picture of what the ensuring of people’s individual freedom presupposes. Civil rights, employment opportunities, increase of wages, and social equality of races and sexes are those issues that bother the society most of all, and their ignoring is the mark of, so to put it, “unreality” of the proposals under consideration.
Conclusion
To conclude, the political proposals by the American presidential candidates both contain elements of Romanticist philosophy and ideas of Enlightenment. The proposals by Mr. Obama present the perfect combination of both directions and display credibility and a strong basis of steps necessary to put these proposals into practice. At the same time, Mr. McCain’s proposals display a higher degree of Romanticism in them as being rather difficult to implement and based on wishes and loud claims rather than being reasonably grounded. Thus, Mr. Obama’s proposals combine Romanticism with Enlightenment, while Mr. McCain’s program is Romantic rather than rational.
Works Cited
McCain – Palin. “Country First: Reform.Prosperity.Peace.” John McCain Election Campaign Official Site. 2008. Web.
Obama – Biden. “Thank You. Change Can Happen.” Barack Obama Election Campaign Official Site. 2008. Web.
Reiss, Hans. ed., trans. H.B. Nisbet “Kant’s Political Writings”, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000), pp. 54-60.