Carol Nicholson considers the arguments for patriotism offered by conservative and liberal thinkers, and concludes that they don’t work.
https://philosophynow.org/issues/47/Why ... _A_Patriot
Why I Am Not A Patriot
Re: Why I Am Not A Patriot
I wrote this before the war in Iraq began, but having seen the outcome, I think I was too easy on Rorty. It is now clear to me that patriotism is not a virtue, an Aristotelian Golden Mean between extremes, but it is itself a dangerous extreme. If I may be permitted to offer an analogy in the tradition of my predecessors, patriotism is more akin to the plague than to filial piety or honor among business partners. Fixing love on an abstraction such as ‘country’ leads to the erroneous conclusion that one’s country is better than all others, which is a recipe for intolerance, hate, and war. People do not need to be patriotic in order to vote, participate in their communities, work for common goals, and hope for the future. Fanatical delusions about the superiority of their country and their leaders can only get in the way of people’s ability to make intelligent, independent decisions."Philosophy Now wrote:Carol Nicholson considers the arguments for patriotism offered by conservative and liberal thinkers, and concludes that they don’t work.
https://philosophynow.org/issues/47/Why ... _A_Patriot
The author mistakes chauvinism for patriotism. She really objects to the former.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/patriotism