Newell-Fonda High School
Newell, Iowa
Teacher: Connie Doonan
The Ideal Society
By: Josh Jensen
12th
Grade
The problems that are evolving in today’s society are occurring on a daily basis, and the consideration of an ideal society is losing its grasp. Many people don’t realize that our society is weakening and that not just one person can fix the problems. To create an ideal society would be to create a perfect world, which is not even imaginable. However, a well-balanced society may be reached with effort from each individual. An ideal society can only be achieved by improving many areas of our society from their current states.
Our society is being corroded by a failure to communicate. Gabel says that people are causing our society to break apart by our need to succeed more than anyone else. Gabel's views show the true reality of our society’s rudeness towards each other. Where as Scruton believes that a commitment to one another through friendship will create a better society. I believe that Scruton's idea is right, mainly because there has been a break in our way of helping one another. With both comments on society, an image is put into our heads that tell us there is a need for improvement.
There are a lot of physical aspects to an ideal society; one that comes to mind is tax money. Many people do not see the importance of taxes and what they help provide for our nation. Taxes will be needed for an ideal society since they provide money for schools, roads, health benefits, military safety, and unemployment. Though in an ideal society I would like to see everyone with some kind of employment. There will also be those who cannot physically work, which would bring unemployment benefits from taxes to these people. Taxes also pay our US officers salary to protect and make benefits such as retirement and health funds for all people. It just goes to show how important taxes really are for our attempt to create an ideal society.
Health benefits are an important thing that all people should want in a society. Without health care people would be stuck paying large amounts of money to doctors. Operations are not getting any cheaper, and many people do even come close to having the ability to pay doctor bills without health care. Health is most important to older people, as they need medications. [The Government] gets Medicare and other programs involved to help pay for these medications.
Abortion is a very sensitive issue to a lot of people but must be solved to create an ideal society. Over the past decade, there have been complaints and protests against abortion. It is a woman’s legal right to have an abortion, yet many believe that it should not be a right provided. Abortion must be stopped for one reason only; it is considered murder in the eyes of many people. There comes a lot of responsibility as well as happiness with having a baby. Saying that, I can’t see why abortion would be an answer for any woman. It is not right to take a baby’s life away; in an Ideal society it seems necessary to put a stop to any type of abortion.
Another major impact on our society is gun control. With the widespread availability of guns, many lives are at danger. In an ideal society, there would be gun control laws against all people. Hunters and gun collectors would have to get gun permits through enforcement. This way no one with a criminal record could purchase a gun. Guns cause more than a fourth of all deaths each year, which shows a major problem in today’s society. Guns were not meant to murder people for fun but to help protect a person. Other than hunting and practice shooting, there should be a gun control policy placed on all guns.
In the end an ideal society just seems too good to be true. People can and probably will try as hard as they want to make perfection in society, but the dream will never come true. There are, however, ways to make our society the best we can by focusing on the problems of today. I would like to see people work together to create a society where everyone has a chance to achieve goals. And everyone helps each other and rises above their own self need. The matters of our troublesome society can be fixed but not perfected, and it seems necessary that something be done. I believe that our society is not all that bad from looking at other country’s societies.
Answers To Questions Re: The Required Reading
Q1: Number the "fault lines" mentioned in paragraph one, #1 to #7 according to your personal priorities.
1) Health care
2) Abortion
3) Welfare reform
4) Gun control
5) Taxes
6) The role of government itself
7) Environmentalism
Q2: In paragraph three, what is meant by "defeat of community"?
It means that he feels that all people are worried more about themselves then the well-being of others and there are no longer truly strong bonds between people not only in a community but also in the world in general.
Q3: Do you sense "the pain of isolation" in the adults in your community? Explain.
No, because adults in my community go out and aren't isolated at home by themselves; they are out and about with others enjoying themselves.
Q4: Discuss your feelings about the SAT in light of paragraph six.
I feel that the SATs are simply a way of finding out how well educated students are, I don't see it as a dehumanizing thing as Gabel puts it.
Q5: In considering a future career, what are your "prime motivations"?
My prime motivations for choosing a future career are what I feel I would enjoy doing when I get older and get into the real world; also money has a small factor. Mostly my prime motivation is what I feel I would be able to get up every day and go do for the rest of my life and not get sick of it.
Q6: What do you think about a less "objectified" legal system?
I think if there was a less “objectified” legal system then there would not be as much order as there is today. People would do as they please whenever they please.
Q7: Would you describe yourself as an idealist? Why or why not?
No, because I do not idolize any one.
Q8: Share an anecdote about a local idealist over age 40.
My dad when he was younger he idolized Elvis Presley so he attempted to gel his hair like him, but couldn't figure out how to do it.
Q9: How does Scruton describe the differences in political culture of Islam and the west?
Describes them as though the political culture of the west is wrong, as Islam is right, as though the west should follow the path, politically, that Islam took.
Q10: What does Scruton suggest are the prerequisites in Western societies for citizenship?
A sense of patriotic public spirit, and a commitment to the preservation of the social contract.
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?
An erosion of national unity. Yes, I think the Western social contract involves "patriotic self-sacrifice". Should it do so? Yes in a way simply because if it did not then there would be no one to defend the country and the people would not be sacrificing themselves by choice, but being forced to sacrifice themselves.
Q12: Comment on the quote taken from Ayn Rand's book, Atlas Shrugged. Do you agree with it? Why or why not? Have you read Atlas Shrugged?
I believe that this is a very well thought out quote, as whomever is saying it feels that they should not make his or her happiness another’s problem just as he or she wouldn't want somebody else to make their happiness his or her problem as well as the many other things listed, so yes I do agree with it. I agree with this quote because I support my life by my own effort so I want to make myself happy and not have to require somebody else to make me happy just as I don’t want somebody to require me to make them happy. No I have not read Atlas Shrugged.