I’ve not made much of a dent in the stack of books I’ve purchased this year, though I’ve recently begun reading The 5000 Year Leap . It’s a book that reveals some of the principles of freedom that our founding fathers shared.
There is a great quote from John Adams early in the book outlining why it was so important for people to be prepared for service in politics. In a letter to his wife he wrote:
The science of government is my duty to study, more than all other sciences; the arts of legislation and administration and negotiation ought to take a place of, indeed to exclude, in a manner, all other arts. I must study politics and war, that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history and naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.
Wow what a profound and forward thinking statement! I’m looking forward to reading through the rest of the book to discover the 28 principles of freedom our founders said must be understood and perpetuated by every people. I think the key word there is “perpetuated”.
