INTRODUCTION: It Has Never Been Self-Evident

Not Self-evident is inspired by an idea captured in the Declaration of Independence.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are

endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty

and the pursuit of Happiness.

In the 1700's the founders were inspired by Enlightenment Era ideas about individual liberty and freedom, but whether anyone at the time fully grasped the potential these ideas offered for an entirely new form of human governance is doubtful. Indeed, the extent to which that potential is understood today remains in question. That's the purpose of Not Self-evident: to understand why protecting the rights of each individual is essential for supporting human prosperity and happiness, why honoring the sanctity of individual freedom and liberty is the primary purpose of governance in a society of free individuals, and how we can realign our efforts towards that enlightened vision of civilization. 

That the founding fathers were able to plant this idea firmly into the Declaration was a major victory for human progress. Like most innovations it was ahead of the times. Perhaps we were not intellectually prepared back then to grapple with the concept of a government regulated by its citizens and the notion that a proper form of human self-governance was one which allowed citizens to coexist while protecting each other’s right to make the most of their life and seek their individual happiness. Perhaps we're still not ready to think or govern that way. Intellectual rigor and engaged governance are not broadly practiced in our popular culture. Though we take pride in expressing that we value freedom and individualism:

• How many of us understand why freedom is necessary to support happiness?

• Why happiness is necessarily an individual pursuit?

• How unchecked democracy and other forms of majority rule are often contrary to our individual pursuits for happiness?

• And how governance has to be limited and constantly checked to protect our right to pursue happiness?

Why is freedom valuable and essential to human happiness? Understanding that is where our pursuit begins.