Independence, Jefferson, and Reason

Jefferson, in the Declaration of Independence, is clearly engaging in an Enlightenment project of Reasonableness - or, that he (and Congress) thought that it was important to share the reasons for his views that could be understood and collectively justified and debated - rationally. (R. Goldstein (2014) uses the concepts of Reasonables and Unreasonables to discuss the epistemological problem that Plato and all the Rationalists grappled with - how to share an account that can be reasoned with objectively).  

So, it turns out, the most important phrase of the DOI, comes very early on: “a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” Therefore, the rest of the document is just those reasons or “causes” of why Independence is the “right” thing to do - which is offering an attempt at an objective assessment of the current reality.  

The fact that this document was seen as just an instrument for what was really important (i.e. debating about the logistics and diplomacy of the independence act), shows that Jefferson was engaging in an act of rational humility to the rest of the world and to Britain.  In other words, he thought that they were not rebelling because of some divine feeling that you “just know,” but that there are reasons everyone could understand and (practically) other countries should help (it was basically a press release). Even "self-evident" truths are cognitively rational - Descartes didn't say "I got a gut feeling - therefore I am."

It turns out, that Independence was won (not to simplify too much) on Diplomacy and Reason (A simple counter-factual shows that without France - it would not have happened - but that is not good history).  

The Trump Administration does not follow, carry on, embody, and worse, subverts this spirit of the American project “started” by Jefferson.  To use more rhetoric, in the “Spirit of Independence Day” Trump is unpatriotic:  his project is to overturn the project of reasons, civility, rational (epistemic) humility and truth. Do you need to know the reasons?