What is being human? / Wat is de mens? (15)

Is the world the result of a foolish imagination?

In the past three weeks I've been posting translated sentences of the Dutch historical political-philosophical book [1], which I'm currently in a process of translating into modern languages (English and Dutch). The book underlies the first Dutch constitution and is written by the chairman of the first National Assembly in The Netherlands (1796), named Pieter Paulus. This meeting was held during the Batavian Revolution in The Netherlands and the purpose was to establish democracy in order to break through the absolutist regime of the feudal rulers.

The eighteenth century was the period of Enlightenment in the Western society. The American War of Independence, the French Revolution and the Batavian Revolution in The Netherlands were the kick-off of the modern Western world. Mobilized by the ideals of Enlightenment, like human freedom, equality and fraternity, our so far theocratic and feudal society changed into a secularized and rationalized world, focussed mainly on facts and science. The thoughts about religion, philosophy, art, science and politics changed dramatically. It concerned the dream of a free-thinking world.

It was the moment that the seperation of church and state was implemented and it was the beginning of democracy as our new governmental form.

What happened afterwards, in this transition to the modern Western world? In what way has the development of our democracy dealt with the human ideals of freedom, equality and fraternity?

I hope my postings and translated quotes will contribute to reflecting on these questions and on global events concerning the foundation and development of our modern Western world. The content of the book is about the equality of people and is divided into two parts, namely 1. The equality of people in their natural state and 2. The equality of people in their civilian state. Currently I'm posting sentences of the first part.

Please enjoy the next translated quote below and feel free to reply.

We are all made out of the same and return to the same. Worldly institutions, demonic-sounding titles and privileges, which are far superior to others and which we might have imagined foolishly, are unable to exempt us from this general rule in the most or in the least.

Wij zijn allen uit hetzelfde gemaakt en keren tot hetzelfde terug. Wereldlijke instellingen, demonisch klinkende titels en voorrechten, die ver boven anderen verheven zijn en die we ons misschien dwaselijk verbeeld hebben, zijn niet in staat om ons van deze algemene regel in het meest of in het minst uit te zonderen.

[1] Pieter Paulus, 1793, Verhandeling over de vrage: in welken zin kunnen de menschen gezegd worden gelyk te zyn? En welke zyn de regten en pligten, die daaruit voordvloeien?Link.