Exceptionalism

I've been giving a lot of thought lately to doctrines of exceptionalism, which I'll provisionally describe as the notion that some one or set of differences-- in historical origin, ideology, or creed of an individual, group, or institution--justifies distinct treatment of that individual, group or institution.

The big headliner of late has been the doctrine of American exceptionalism--which is usually presented as a fact claim about America's unique status in the world, but is more commonly used as the supposed (justifying) antecedent for America's ability to exercise some right or authority on the world stage that we would not willingly grant to any other nation state.

A number of the features of the many doctrines of exceptionalism intrigue me, but what I find most striking is their ubiquity. Claims to exceptionalism are problematic not least because they tend to rest on either false or distorted fact claims; they also tend to be used mainly in the attempt to justify actions or policies that are blatantly unfair.

But they also bear, like most such stories, some resemblance to reality, which is part of what makes them so seductive. I'll try in successive posts to pick out a few cases of exceptionalism for more detailed treatment.