ABSTRACT
George Kateb’s critique of patriotism is an important contribution to debates about virtuous partiality. In Patriotism and Other Mistakes, he develops a trenchant critique of patriotic sentiment, arguing that the commitment to individual rights must not be corrupted by loyalty to a nation or country. This chapter summarizes Kateb’s critique and then demonstrates how the principles supporting his anti-patriotism are shared by many contemporary critics of patriotism. Kateb’s views will be critiqued by drawing parallels between his arguments and those of the early Protestant Reformers, with special focus on the concept of sola scriptura and Kateb’s analogous position. His views are then examined in light of historian Brad Gregory’s assessment of the long-term negative impacts that sola scriptura as a guiding principle has had on governments’ ability to uphold core individual rights, arguing that the same problems beset Kateb’s anti-patriotism. Finally, this chapter ends by defending a form of patriotism tempered by Kateb’s critique but responsive to the problems besetting his position.
