My question is: Is one a patriot by virtue of being proud of the progress of a nation as a distinct body separate from other nations, and is this pride ethical?
This question is a bit complex, and probably requires at least some initial explanation. What I mean by being proud of the progress of a nation as a distinct body is being proud of a nation, or the people of a nation, for the progress they have made in comparison to earlier states they were in as a nation - for example, one could be proud of America not in comparison to other countries (which often results in ethnocentrism, and is besides not necessarily merited, particularly in America's case) but in comparison to America thirty years previously. A person with such a viewpoint might think something along the lines of 'America, while not as advanced socially as other countries (such as some Scandinavian countries) has come a long way from the rampant sexism and racism of the early twentieth century. It still has a long way to go before it reaches anything close to a utopia, but it has certainly improved.'
I think that such a viewpoint would be, at least in some senses, patriotic. Furthermore, I do not think it is unethical, although I do think it is unnecessary. I would personally rather be proud of humanity in general, or of individual people, than a near-arbitrarily selected group of people. If I had to be proud of a group, I would rather be proud of a group which unanimously worked towards a goal, rather than a group containing many apathetic or outright opposing viewpoints. Nevertheless, if someone wished to be proud of their country for its progress, I would not find them immoral.
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