On Patriotism, Telephone Companies, and Gratitude

Dr. Christopher Kaczor addressed the distinction between the modern state and a mere service provider in an article for Word on Fire. He responded to a claim by philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre, who suggested that being asked to die for a modern state is comparable to being asked to die for a telephone company.

Kaczor argued that reducing a nation to a bureaucratic service provider fails to account for its history, culture, and creed. He noted that private companies like AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile did not organize the Allied victory in the Second World War or establish a government based on the principle that all people are created equal.

The article stated that MacIntyre called for extraordinary gratitude toward those who died to defeat injustice during the Second World War. Kaczor agreed, stating that these individuals died to defeat extraordinary evils rather than for simple utility or service.