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0 pointsbeat7y ago0 comments

Sure, if you don't care about art, or national pride, you might not get it.

Put it this way... would you run into a burning building to try to save the Declaration of Independence? (Assuming you're an American) Would most firefighters? Seems reasonable to me. The art inside the Notre Dame is on that level of importance, to France and to civilization itself.

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WalterBright7y ago

> would you run into a burning building to try to save the Declaration of Independence?

What matters about the DoI are the ideas, not the original piece of paper.

Markoff7y ago

isn't it just a piece of paper already scanned it very high quality? by burning it you are not really opposing any information value

no piece of paper/art and especially national pride is worth someone's health

I live in fourth most visited city in Europe and I couldn't care less if most touristy church burned down, it's just church, people are overly dramatic, most important it's nobody died and whatever will be outcome life will go on tomorrow and in two weeks nobody will remember about it in news

beatOP7y ago

Most people would disagree with you. Many would act at risk of their own lives to save treasures that they feel are part of their national identity or human civilization.

Just because you don't feel that way doesn't mean they're all wrong.

Markoff7y ago

I guess most of those people you describe are childless minority or people too young without children mumbling idealistic phrases

any sane parent would think twice risking his life over a THING. risking life to save other (strangers) lives it's questionable, risking life to save things it's just stupid

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philwelch7y ago

The Declaration of Independence isn’t just a historical artifact; it’s an expression of ideas and beliefs that Americans have always fought and died for.

Notre Dame is...was...a medieval Roman Catholic cathedral in a postmodern secular country, desecrated rather than revered by the revolutionaries who built modern France.

Raphmedia7y ago

There are reports of people gathering around the site and singing. It was more than simply an old catholic building for the population.

philwelch7y ago

I’m not claiming the French people don’t care about Notre Dame. I’m merely observing that the analogy to the Declaration of Independence is significantly flawed. Notre Dame embodied ideas that modern France has repudiated rather than upheld.

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crooked-v7y ago

It's also literally the center of modern Paris, as there's a point just in front of the building that all distances in the city are measured from.

kakwa_7y ago

Identity is a complex construct, and it needs symbols like that. Even if as a symbol of Church it's no longer relevant, it is still at least a past achievement to be proud of.

And we are talking a building that has survived the French history, the Revolutionaries didn't destroy it, the Communards didn't destroy it (and the destruction in this event were quite extensive http://paris1900.lartnouveau.com/paris00/commune_destruction...). It's a testament of the culture importance of the building and the fact it far exceeds its religious function.

Disclaimer: French and living in Paris (I've not seen the fire however).

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

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WalterBright7y ago

> would you run into a burning building to try to save the Declaration of Independence?

What matters about the DoI are the ideas, not the original piece of paper.

Markoff7y ago

isn't it just a piece of paper already scanned it very high quality? by burning it you are not really opposing any information value

no piece of paper/art and especially national pride is worth someone's health

beatOP7y ago

Most people would disagree with you. Many would act at risk of their own lives to save treasures that they feel are part of their national identity or human civilization.

Just because you don't feel that way doesn't mean they're all wrong.

Markoff7y ago

I guess most of those people you describe are childless minority or people too young without children mumbling idealistic phrases

any sane parent would think twice risking his life over a THING. risking life to save other (strangers) lives it's questionable, risking life to save things it's just stupid

2 more replies

philwelch7y ago

The Declaration of Independence isn’t just a historical artifact; it’s an expression of ideas and beliefs that Americans have always fought and died for.

Notre Dame is...was...a medieval Roman Catholic cathedral in a postmodern secular country, desecrated rather than revered by the revolutionaries who built modern France.

Raphmedia7y ago

There are reports of people gathering around the site and singing. It was more than simply an old catholic building for the population.

philwelch7y ago

2 more replies

crooked-v7y ago

It's also literally the center of modern Paris, as there's a point just in front of the building that all distances in the city are measured from.

kakwa_7y ago

Identity is a complex construct, and it needs symbols like that. Even if as a symbol of Church it's no longer relevant, it is still at least a past achievement to be proud of.

Disclaimer: French and living in Paris (I've not seen the fire however).

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse