Newell-Fonda High School
Newell, Iowa
Teacher: Connie Doonan
Ideal Society
By: Bryan Arndorfer
12th grade
According to the definition given by Dictionary.com, an Ideal Society is one that is regarded as a standard or model of perfection or excellence. The ideal society is absolutely perfect. This society is a place where everyone is happy, and there is no need for people to disagree. [People] think about the feelings of those around them and [do] not center their [lives] on themselves. The ideal society should consist of four basic points: …politics, money, environment, and the meaning of life.
The ideal society should contain no money. Money is a driving force in our world today. The money is a separator; it releases information such as
social class, education, and occupation. This information releases whether
they are lower or higher on the social scale. In the world today there are
few places where people are hired for what they know, the employers are
looking more at whom they know. The people of the ideal society would be
working to better themselves. They would work instead to move people ahead
in technology, knowledge, and cures. The people in the ideal society would
not have money or objects to make others resent them. The group would
instead be thinking how to help the majority.
The government would be a fair government. It would define rules that
stepped on no oneís toes. The government would need to signify that no
matter what race, religion, dialect, or history, the people of that society
would not be discriminated against in any way. The laws would apply to
everyone and not exclude certain individuals due to their status. Just
because a person is well known, or often seen on television, doesnít mean
that they get to have a break and not deal with the law. The people who
represented the majority would be elected in a way much like the United
States. The majority, however, would elect the person who was over them
all. This system would work because the people of this society would care
who was in charge of their defense, law, and major decisions.
There would be no need for pollution control. Companies will have thought ahead and put their air cleaners in place before they began operation and destroyed the ozone. The lumber companies would have thought ahead, about…the environment ..[and] also realized that eventually they will run out of trees to cut down. The car companies would be trying to build more efficient, less pollutant vehicles. They may even just skip the fossil fuels step and go straight to what is called today “alternative energy”.
The people in the society would believe in diversity. They would all have the same opportunities, but only use the opportunities that they are interested in. They may have…similar objects, but they may use certain objects more than others. The society would be diversified because they would see each person as an individual. Each individual would have [his/her] own personality ….
Schooling would consist of five years of advanced general learning. Once
Completed, [students] would be able to go into a more specific area. They could choose their eventual career at that point or continue with general education. None of the schools would be under funded because funding would have no meaning. The teachers, which are the backbone of any society, would not feel underpaid or disrespected, because what [now] sets them apart would not be in place. The teachers would know that they are teaching the old stuff, so that their students can find out new stuff, to make the society better.
Any society needs to have its people feel as though they are important. …In the depression, one of America’s presidents pushed for families to plant gardens. Many did it to feel as though they were helping…their country. In order to feel…part of…society, the people need to take part in…government. The government [w]ould not have to force its wishes. Instead the government could ask for it, and the people could respond at their own pace. When [people] feel included, they are normally happier and more likely to benefit the group.
The ideal society would affect four major issues. It would change the way people think about money, government, environment, and…lifestyle. The ideal society would be there to help the citizens…progress and break barriers of impossibility, in the hope of making the [society] better…. It would not be everyone thinking and acting the same way, but rather a considerate diversity. The ideal society is not a difficult idea to imagine…; it is, however, difficult idea to [enact].
Answers To Questions Re: The Required Reading
Peter Gabel
Q1 - Number the fault lines mentioned in paragraph one, #1 to #7 according to your personal priorities.
#1 - Health Care
#2 - Welfare Reform
#3 - Gun Control
#4 - Abortion
#5 - Taxes
#6 - Environmentalism
#7 - Role of Government
Q2 - In paragraph three, what is meant by defeat of community?
People are thinking more about themselves, than others. They are thinking only how to make things better for themselves, stepping on
whoever’s toes they need to, in order to accomplish their goals.
Q3 - Do you sense the pain of isolation in the adults in your community?
Explain
Yes, there are many in our local community that have everything they want, but one thing; something they cannot buy; it is only something they can earn, but yet have not put the time into earning it. They do not have a social life consisting of friends, acquaintances, and close friends.
Q4 - Discuss your feelings about the SAT in light of paragraph six.
I feel that the SAT can not measure everything we know. Our intelligence can not be measured by mere standardized test. Our intelligence goes further than just knowing what a book says, it goes into
life experiences. Also, how can aptitude be measured? It is by definition the naturally acquired capacity or ability. Some people will acquire more, where as others will have more ability. A simple test can not simplify it down to numbers. No group of people should be compared by numbers derived from a standardized test, because it does not give a fair representation of what the individual knows.
Q5 - In considering a future career, what are your prime motivations?
The prime motivations for my future career are a job I like, a tolerable work environment, and enough money to live a rich life. I think
the basis of deciding my future career is not based on money, but on something that I would like to do for my life. The work environment can also decide whether or not a job is worth pursuing. If the work environment is not tolerable, then the job I feel is not worth pursuing, even if the money is good. I also say that I want to live a rich life. A person would first assume that I want a lot of money. I, however, do not want a lot of money, I would prefer to have a life that has a fast paced beginning, and then I would like for it to slow down. I want to be able to live with all the necessities, and work for the fun objects.
Q6 - What do you think about a less objectified legal system?
I disagree with Peter Gabel. I believe that we need to have an objectified legal system. It helps create a fair playing field for the majority, and for the minority. It allows everyone to be treated as an equal, as it should be.
Q7- Would you describe yourself as an idealist? Why or why not?
I would not describe myself as an idealist. I look at things more logically. I do not see impractical solutions, only simple logical solutions that make sense. The unrealistic answers do not work for me; I tend to look for something more concrete, an answer that has evidence to back it up.
Q8- Share an anecdote about a local idealist over age 40.
Some children couldn’t dress up in Halloween costumes. The family, instead, went to Church on Halloween. The family didn’t believe in it because they felt it was to do with the devil and the witches.
Roger Scruton
Q9- How does Scruton describe the differences in political culture of Islam and the west?
He describes the differences in political culture of Islam and the west as the West basing its rule of law on a social contract, which binds all the citizens in an area to each other. The Islam political cultures are based on a rule of law that does not separate religion from law. The people do no have a choice; they are to follow the predetermined laws.
Q10- What does Scruton suggest are the prerequisites in Western societies
for citizenship?
The prerequisites would be that all citizens follow the laws. The people should recognize that the nation is set up to run without a set end.
Q11 - What is the danger to the Western social contract that Scruton identifies in the last paragraph? Do you think the Western social contract involves patriotic self-sacrifice? Should it do so, in your opinion? Why or why not?
Scruton identifies the danger to the Western social contract is if the people of a nation should not feel as though they are a part of the country, then they lose their [desire] to help and be a part of the nation.
Ayn Rand
Q- Comment on the quote taken from Ayn Rand’s Book, Atlas Shrugged. Do you agree with it? Why or why not?
I agree with most of the quote. I do not get happiness from showing others up, or by making others feel good, I get my happiness by doing things for myself. My values all agree with my desires. I do not expect what I have not earned, but I do desire what I am working on earning. So, I then do not take what I do not deserve.