I studied English Literature in college, and part of the reason I studied English Literature is because every time that I read a novel, a short story or a poem, I feel humbled. Total mastery of a text is impossible. There are always different things that a reader can bring to a text, always different things to be seen, always different insights to be made.
But reading with humility flattens the array of possible interpretations by in a way granting legitimacy to all readings.
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A lot of my parents' friends in the United States, being Taiwanese or Taiwanese-American and being staunch supporters of Taiwanese independence, vote Republican. Why? Because Republicans and neoconservatives usually hold a harder line against the Communists on the other side of the Taiwan Strait. They back up their "globalization" or "democratization" project with force, and that bodes favorably for the fledgling democracy in Taiwan.
This makes me ask, On what basis should voters make their decisions? Let us say, for simplicity's sake, that Republican foreign policy is better for the future of Taiwan, but let us say that I like the more liberal domestic policies of the Democrats. Do I base my decision as a voter on the single issue of foreign policy towards Taiwan? Do I vote with my personal interest in mind or with national interest in mind?
If I vote according to personal interest, then I can hope that the aggregation of all self-interested votes will result in the best mixture of policies for the nation, much in the same vein as Adam Smith's idea of the Invisible Hand. Plus, if a voting bloc can be organized around the single issue that I care most about, then that single issue will gain political momentum.
On the other hand, if I vote according to national interest, I run the risk that my personal interest will be sacrificed for what I deem to be the greater good, and that the single issue I care most about will lose political steam. So it isn't immediately clear to me: Do I vote for what is immediately best for me? Or what I think is best for the country?
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If you practice humility in your life, it becomes much more difficult to hold strong opinions. After all, in how many subjects are you an authority? Along the same lines of logic, practicing humility often paralyzes, handicapping action. Let us say that you want to help in the fight against global warming, and that you think about buying a hybrid as your personal contribution. But then you read an article that the additional carbon emissions from the production of the hybrid far offsets the benefits from switching cars. What do you do? How do you determine the net benefit or cost of your ultimate decision?
I've always struggled with the idea of decision-making under the conditions of uncertainty. Surely, there is a way to reconcile humility and decision-making; otherwise, there really is no way forward.
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3 comments:
The idea that Republicans are any more "pro-Taiwan" than Democrats is something of a myth. Clinton was just as generous in his authorization of weapons sales to Taiwan as W. Bush has been. That being said, I don't think many leaders on either side of the aisle appreciate the issue enough to have a truly nuanced grasp of cross-strait relations.
Voting according to personal interest does not necessarily benefit the national interest. Voting for national interest will always, eventually, benefit your personal interest.
Vote Democratic and get a job. You clearly have too much time on your hands if you're writing blog posts like this one. Of course, if you get a job like mine, you'll have enough free time at work to read and comment on blog posts like this one...
Hmm Clinton was forced to be generous with Taiwan due to the Republican Congress. Clinton was actually quite mad that President Lee visited the U.S. due to the invitation from Congress; he did everything he can to prevent the sending the invitation, but to no avail.
The Republicans are historically closer to Taiwan, and many of McCain and Bush's top advisers are lobbyist for Taiwan. On the other China, the Democrats' China policy is dominated by "China specialists" who have little interest in Taiwan, according to James Kurth.
Yes, pro-Taiwan constituents should vote for McCain if their care for Taiwan overshadows their worry about the economy, their distaste of the evangelicals and their impatience with the dragging war in Iraq.
To me, your 'problem' is more about conflicting identity rather than the discordance between personal and national interest. Is your Taiwanese identity more important to you or your American identity when there is a conflict?
Oh well, you are the lucky guy who has the time to think about this question! I have to stop procrastinating and write my application essay for grad school now...
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