i still prefer the original official motto: E Pleribus Unum - From many, one - for it speaks to the true power of our people united in common cause and the very real danger of our division.
How precise is this translation?
I’ve also heard “From many, one”, which can be taken two ways: the same celebration of the individual (presumably over other individuals), or that the many come together as one, which is a much clearer call to action.
I prefer the Voltron version.
There’s not much distinction. Either translation would be appropriate. I’m many years away from high school Latin, but I think the direct translation would be, “out of many, one”. However, that’s awkward in English, so it is often written as “one from many”.
I’m sure there are at least one or two who do, so I think you mean you don’t like a pedant and feel like most people agree with you.
I like to read the correct spelling.
It explains stuff better and makes positive connections to other things I have learnt in the past.
When enough people stop caring about the details, for long enough, the results of science shall degrade into superstition, as the underlying science will be lost. And so the cycle revolves.
Also has a secondary interpretation: out of the many countries in the world, one of them. Putting the US on equal footing with the nations of old — despite not having a king with a divine right to sovereignty.
I like this interpretation because anno 2024 it also counterweights US exceptionalism.
Not American, but here’s my 0.02 euros:
The strength of the country was always in its’ diversity and the fact that motivated people came together to build better lives.
Nowadays there are people who hate the former and in terms of the latter, immigration is pretty hard and the H-1B is a lottery that unfortunately favors sweatshops (and yes, I’m salty because I’m a software engineer with no formal education so y’all don’t want me).
I get that there are legitimate reasons for limiting migration (your own people do want to work too, of course), but it does also limit economic growth and influx of different cultures.
Being from a small country in the EU that nobody’s heard of, the EU and its’ open borders are sorta doing the same to us now: Don’t get me wrong, it’s still primarily other white people migrating here, but at least they’re people of slightly different cultures, with different experiences. It benefits everyone because we all have something to learn from one another.
