Rockridge High School
Taylor Ridge, Illinois
Teacher: Barbara Downey
The Achievability of the Ideal Society
By Josh Wood
12th Grade
What can be considered as a physically ideal society? Would it be one without crime, malevolence, or wars, with all of its citizens content? How would this society be achieved, as man’s inherently sinful and egotistical nature would be a grave hindrance?
The true answer to the problem of the ideal society has plagued philosophers for ages, as it is a matter of assessment, wherein all variables and perspectives must be taken into consideration and scrutinized. The notion of an ideal society is thus variable as it depends upon which items are considered. By missing certain items in the analysis, the so-called ideals upon which the ideal society was founded can become corrupt. In spite of this, the true ideal society would be a realistic, feasible world with logic as its foundation and mutual, altruistic concern as its keystone.
Socrates often asked people he met questions such as, “What is the state? What is a ruler over men? What is a ruling character?” These questions were the basis for Socrates’ postulate that there exists in the world two divisions: the realm of knowledge and the realm of appearance. Furthermore, he stated that a ruler who would be able to discern the difference between those two realms would be one who would be able to discern good and evil, thus achieving the ideal society. Socrates’ student, Plato, elaborated on this idea by saying that such a society would have emulated castes in which people were placed according to their abilities: unintelligent, boorish people in the slave caste and philosophers and enlightened thinkers in the ruling caste. According to him, the people, after being placed in their respective castes, would be able to achieve their true potential and be content with the state.
Plato’s illustrious student, Aristotle, somewhat shunned his predecessor’s tenets. Aristotle denounced a caste-based system while still embracing the idea that the individual is subordinate to the state. He believed that subordinating oneself to the state would in turn produce good citizens. These citizens’ contentment would be the determining factor of the reality of the ideal society.
Plato and Aristotle’s principle of submitting oneself to the state has recurred today with Scruton’s view in The West and the Rest. Scruton states that it is one’s duty to submit to the state, most notably the all-binding social contract, the framework for the state. The preservation of the social contract would require a “sense of patriotic spirit,” or patriotic self-sacrifice. Furthermore, Scruton fears that rampant multiculturalism and the willingness of society to cater and tend to other cultures will cause the abandonment of Westernist nationalism and identity, leading to the eventual downfall of the social contract and the state.
On a similar note, Ayn Rand, through the objectivist philosophy subtly presented in her work Atlas Shrugged, shows her disdain for multiculturalism, as it is a direct impediment to her belief in individualism. By catering to all cultures, compromises must be met and the Platonic group is embraced over her individualism. Conversely, her egotistical philosophy of one achieving all of his/her goals by his/her own effort and not by relying upon others to do so is an alternate version of the ideal society, in which the ideal society does not exist in its stereotypical definition but rather exists in the fulfillment of the individual’s physical and metaphysical goals. Rand is thus a fervent supporter of capitalism – a system of economics that rewards effort and ability rather than doling out affluence to the swindlers and the undeserved.
Peter Gabel, unlike Rand, is an anti-capitalist; he feels that the capitalist economic system is not a “machine organized for profit” but rather a means by which societal alienation and the “pain of isolation” can be expedited. Furthermore, he supports the Socratic teachings of the importance of knowledge by denouncing the abstract, out-of-context SAT test of intelligence. Gabel therefore calls for a “spiritual renewal” within the worldwide community that he believes will reform social and political life and create a new, voluntary social contract. This voluntary social contract and its repercussions, he believes, will be the instrument that brings about the just and perhaps even the ideal society.
In my opinion, the danger in hypothesizing an ideal society is basing it upon stereotypical ideologies and a priori knowledge, both of which distort its true meaning. An ideal society, to have any valid authority and base, must defy stereotypes and depend upon a posteriori knowledge. An ideal society would be, accordingly, a complement of the opinions from the Ancient Greek philosophers along with the views held by the Gabel, Scruton, and Rand. In this compilation, all of the negative effects and hypothetical interference of the differing views would be overcome and outweighed by profound good that the society would ensure. The society would therefore be one in which the prevalent purpose of its citizens would be to pursue the Socratic postulate of being able to discern knowledge and appearance, good and evil. From this discernment, the voluntary, empathetic society that Gabel desired would be realized and logic would become the society’s adhesive. By knowing the difference between good and evil, people could, in theory, refuse their selfish, evil desires, and a permanent ideal society could perhaps be achieved.
This
ideal society, while perhaps being realistically unfeasible, could conceivably
be achieved by a dualistic action of mutual empathy along with the upholding of
logic and reason. Subsequently, Gabel, Scruton, and Rand’s ideas of the just and
ideal society converge upon the foundations to this ideal while maintaining the
ideas established by the Ancient Greek philosophers. In the years to come,
perhaps the Nietzschean concept of man’s “will to power” could be used as a
means by which those philosophical principles can be put into practical use,
improving the chances of the achievability of the ideal society.
Questions
Peter
Gabel
Q. 1 Number the “fault lines” mentioned in paragraph one, #1 to #7 according to
your personal priorities.
A. 1
1. Abortion
2. Taxes
3. Health Care
4. Welfare Reform
5. Gun Control
6. Role of Government Itself
7. Environmentalism
Q. 2 In paragraph three, what is meant by “defeat of community”?
A. 2 The defeat of community is a direct cause of the suppression of the need for social connection. Furthermore, it is expedited by the lack of willingness of people to help others – the destruction of altruistic concern. The “defeat of community,” in some senses, goes hand in hand with Gabel’s “pain of isolation.”
Q. 3 Do you sense “the pain of isolation” in the adults in your community? Explain.
A. 3 Within our small communities, the “pain of isolation” is greatly diminished, as everyone seems to know, in a sense, everyone else. There are cases, however, where this does not hold true. For example, shut-ins who are unable to leave their homes can possibly experience this pain of isolation. In addition, those people who are unable to communicate with others and are social introverts can also experience this pain of isolation. Therefore, wherever one takes a sample from the population, the pain of isolation will be existent, despite the population of the community from which the sample was taken.
Q. 4 Discuss your feelings about the SAT in light of paragraph six.
A. 4 Albeit the SAT may “force” students to think in an abstract, alienated, and out-of-context manner, thus not measuring the student’s true intelligence, the lack of a standardized test such as the SAT would make colleges’ estimations of students’ college ability, preparedness, and intelligence itself quite difficult. These tests provide a means by which the colleges can assess their incoming student body, since all of the students would have to have been subjected to them. Furthermore, such tests are also used to examine the quality of education in certain secondary schools, giving the local, state, or national governments a decent approximation of that quality. This quality, consequently, is the means by which they can decide whether or not to allocate funds to those schools. The test, despite all of its downfalls, is a necessary evil.
Q. 5 In considering a future career, what are your “prime motivations”?
A. 5 My prime motivations are the significance my job has upon the world, the capability of my job to fulfill my intellectual pursuits, and how the job and its ethical pretexts affect my spiritual life.
Q. 6 What do you think about a less “objectified” legal system?
A. 6 A less objectified legal system, while being good in theory to the rest of society, infringes upon rights established within the Bill of Rights in the United States Constitution. By infringing on these rights without hindrance, all of the other basic rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights can, theoretically, go out of the window. This would in turn destroy all protection the citizens have from the government, causing governmental power to go unchecked. The consequences of this action are, in the worst case scenario, the eventual crumble of democracy and the reign of tyranny supreme. Therefore, objective justice is necessary in order to hold true to the foundations of the U.S. Constitution and the nation as a whole.
Q. 7 Would you describe yourself as an idealist? Why or why not?
A. 7 I often analyze things in the logical, scientific perspective. If my sociological framework and interactions cannot be analyzed by quantitative and a posteriori principles and tests, then I look for a means by which they can be altered to fit these principles, or I try interacting with different people in different sociological situations. Therefore, I am constantly searching for a valid, truth-filled world, making me scrutinize all details about my interactions while giving me a pessimistic outlook. I thus feel that I could never be an idealist, as it requires concepts that do not mesh with my personality.
Q. 8 Share an anecdote about a local idealist over age 40.
A. 8 The idealist that comes to my mind is a man by the name of Aug E. Kerres. He, in all situations, is content and never gets angry. Despite the afflictions life gives him, he is eternally optimistic and always looks for the good in things. He is renowned for this optimism, and everyone is willing to know him and perhaps be his friend. Thus, one of the prerequisites of being an idealist is to be an optimist. The optimistic view on life for Aug E. is manifested through a few simple and subtle gestures. For example, when driving my school bus, no matter what was going wrong in his life, he would always take the time to wish each person good morning and good night along with waving to everyone on the road. Occasionally, he would sing to everyone on the bus. These things, though they do not appear as much, carry significance and his idealism becomes consequently apparent.
Roger
Scruton
Q. 9 How does Scruton describe the differences in
political culture of Islam and the west?
A. 9 He states the Western rule of law is based upon the social contract, wherein the citizens are in obligation to each other and to the state. This ubiquitous social contract requires that there be no discerning factors amongst its members, for they create schisms and the downfall of the contract. Furthermore, he states that religious institutions presiding within this societal framework are still subject to the laws of the state while still being the governing factor in its members’ spiritual lives. In the political culture of Islam, however, all government is subject to Islamic holy law. There are no obligations to a so-called social contract, since all Islamic citizens are subject to Islamic law and to God. Therefore, ideologies such as the social contract and “patriotic self-sacrifice” are very different in Islamic culture, and, in many cases, are inexistent.
Q. 10 What does Scruton suggest are the prerequisites in Western societies for citizenship?
A. 10 He suggests that the prerequisites for citizenship in Western societies be a sense of patriotic spirit (patriotic fervor), public spirit, and a commitment to the preservation of the social contract.
Q. 11 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?
A. 11 The danger to the social contract is the lack of patriotic and national unity which is the foundation that holds the ubiquitous social contract together. The social contract requires patriotic self-sacrifice at times, for it is composed of many people from many differing backgrounds, all of which are bound by that patriotic fervor. The lack of willingness to defend this contract against its enemies would cause it to be consumed by them and perhaps could cause it to be destroyed.
Ayn
Rand
Q. 12 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?
A. 12 Ayn Rand’s quote manifests her philosophy of objectivism, that is, applying selfism to both governmental principles and to one’s personal life. By “supporting one’s life by their own effort,” egotism arises and consumes the person. Therefore, Rand is against all multiculturalism, as it contradicts her individualistic ideas. However, the ideas of the social contract and its required mutuality are somewhat shown through Rand’s trader – a person whose effort is earned by him/herself and without any work done by anyone else. Yes, I have read Atlas Shrugged.