Ideal Society

Political Philosophy Assessment 2020

Creative writing (pt1) and Justification (pt2).

ARCHIVE JOURNAL OF BOSTON NGUYEN

FIRST Entry I have been asked to contribute a written project to the cargo carried by the spacecraft Pol oculus, set to launch within the year. The hope is that these works, by honourable men, might encourage a continued sense of connectedness for the persons upon this voyage, as they rapidly move further from Earth. I have no plan for this task, but… [continue]

SECOND Entry I suppose I should describe the cornerstone of the Circle. Sauda DeWolf, a witty parliamentarian, coined the phrase, “Revelation, Reason and Responsibility.” By Adonai, it has almost become the nation’s mantra. DeWolf was unusual, in that she chose to do good work through politics, rather than via the honourable works of full-time motherhood, but she was undoubtedly a great and intelligent leader. She inspired many women to participate in the broader community, alongside their foremost duties as a mother. I should clarify that duty to the family unit is the role of both man and woman. What is a society without noble fathers? Indeed, if the family should not flourish, why should any other relation between us? While the husband loves his wife, and the wife honours her husband, the fundamental societal unit can succeed. Both man and woman have roles in which they thrive and are complimentary, though either might be called to additional vocations… [continue]

THIRD Entry Glen returned home intoxicated last night. The shame he feels must be awful. It is a dreadful thing for the head to set such a miserable example for his family. He had confided in me, as an honourable friend, that, under Adonai’s sight, he had shouted at his wife unjustly. Seeing that he feels great responsibility for his deeds, we know to be soft toward him and expect better. My wife, Cosette, is gentle and was quick to support Glen’s family. We are all children of Adonai, and as such, it is our duty, as fellow persons, to watch over both those who stumble and those who are affected… [continue]

FOUTH Entry I am an economist and advisor for the Floretsland district parliament. The goal is to develop the local industry so that there are plentiful stable jobs for citizens, and we might thereby support the wellbeing of the family unit through our most moral means under Adonai. Last year, a parliamentarian of another district attempted to incite a sort of sexual revolution. This was met with great protest (impacting district trade) and the majority populous was quick to cast shame upon him. While such ideas make for fascinating moral conversation, to go ahead and actually petition for such a large risk to the security of the family unit is unthinkable and detestable to Adonai. The role of the family unit in loving and mentoring the next generation is invaluable and a most honourable endeavour… [continue]

FIFTH Entry It has come to my attention that the reader might not understand why I refer to “Adonai.” The Circle understands that mankind needs a sense of purpose-beyond-self, grounded in something great and unchanging, in order to have a truly content life. Adonai is the Provider, the All-Knowing, and the Absolute. Our purpose is simply to show gratitude through our lives. In every home and workplace, there is a Book of Logos, which describes Adonai’s fundamentally ineffable nature and Adonai’s commands and plans for mankind. Adonai calls us to our duty and purpose, that is, to do what is honourable in His eyes and be fully human. Whether or not a person believes in Adonai as being, all honour His word and understand that mankind, and his institutions, is tragedy without a foundation to which he is accountable… [continue]

SIXTH Entry Cosette and I had a pleasant meeting with district representative Lincoln Assad today. Our kids enjoy his company. Every household is annually visited by a district representative in order to maintain a more relational governance. As with educators and law enforcers, parliamentarians must be persons of noble reputation under Adonai, but particularly must be persons known to be grounded, gracious and eager to seek counsel. Lincoln is also a Synod member, and therefore represents the Floretsland district at the national level, though national governance has less influence than the local – the Synod Governor is more of a diplomatic figurehead… [continue]

SEVENTH Entry As a society, we value life, liberty and the pursuit of contentment. The perfect user of liberty is one who utilises reason under Adonai, and therefore understands that his freedom entails a continual virtue and responsibility to mankind. This year was the Seventh Year, when one might petition to have their debts cancelled. It is the income-earners continual generosity which allows the Synod to save on welfare and make this opportunity possible – as all know, there is only so much wealth needed in order to enjoy a content and prosperous living. Of course, there are those who might save to excess, and while they are indeed responsible for the distribution of their own income, greed is a shameful trait… [continue]

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JUSTIFICATION

The society described by Boston Nguyen (“the Circle”) is ideal in that it meets the human person as a social, rational, teleological, and fallible animal that is capable of good.[1] The Circle is deeply relational, and duty based. It emphasises human responsibility and the idea that, though mankind is inclined to be selfish, it was intended to be virtuous, especially in relation to the family and communal unit. This understanding is grounded in belief in a creator god-figure, Adonai, whose general and absolute will is known through His Book of Logos.[2] The principles of liberty and security must be interpreted through this lens of ideas.

Reflected in legislation is the understanding that humans are rational and teleological. The Circle merges three approaches to authority: divine law, natural law and popular sovereignty. A fourth approach, authoritarianism, is only manifest in Adonai. This means that the public will is sovereign providing it follows reason, and reason is sovereign providing it works within the limits of divine command (solely Adonai’s decree). Because human opinion/reason is fallible, there is a boundary on how liberty might be exercised at the political level. As Thomas Paine posited, “law is king,” and in the Circle, Adonai is law. Given one abides by this law, one is fully encouraged to exercise their reason. This objective truth in Adonai is what gives substance to the pursuit of honour/virtue – members of the Circle can find purpose in their duties toward their fellow man[3] and creation as a whole.[4]

Being so centred around Adonai, one may find that if His existence (as both being and principle) were rejected, the Circle would lose its focal point and the social security it fosters. The hope is that continual and open discussion would prevent this. John Stuart Mill argues, in On Liberty, that debate is important both in the case of being wrong and in the case of being right. For the Circle, if Adonai were discussed often, the idea of Him would not be enfeebled and made vulnerable to poor arguments later. The belief in God is both a reasonable[5] and practical[6] one, and so Adonai’s place at the centre of the Circle should be firmly established by continued conversation regarding Him.[7] Additionally, open and free discussion satisfies the rational human person.

The Circle also understands humans as fallible creatures who are capable of virtue, and to realise this virtue is very much expected according to the designs of Adonai. The pursuit of virtue is supported by a collectivist “shame culture,” in which members are predisposed to view themselves interdependently. Shame arises when one acts in a manner that is negatively assessed by others, while guilt is a negative assessment of the self. In practicing shame cultures, guilt is seen as a component of shame.[8] Shame is viewed as an appropriate emotional response to immoral behaviour and as a step toward self-improvement. Being more collectivist, members are more likely to take personal responsibility for their actions and talk about shameful experiences with others. Members are expected to act according to virtue under Adonai, as well as that which is appropriate to their particular social roles. An honourable person can be known via the condition of their neighbours, as they are inclined to have a good reputation and influence. Shame culture, accompanied by the belief in an omnipresent moral judge, shape the way liberty and security is realised – liberty within the bounds of social and divine moral standards, and security primarily for the sake of thriving human relations. Discipline is security. In the making of a society, culture is just as important, if not more important, than politics. Many central political figures have been recorded as having said that virtue is essential to liberty,[9] and it is culture which empowers this virtue.

Members of the Circle are deeply concerned with how they are assessed by Adonai and others and are held morally accountable by both state law and community expectation (under Adonai). Members would rather be honourable slaves than shameful freemen. In the Circle, an honourable person can be trusted with many important duties and is regarded favourably. Happiness (life satisfaction) is found in the pursuit of virtue under Adonai. Greed, pride and selfishness are shameful traits, while charity, humility and responsibility are honourable. Entrepreneurs are expected to be especially charitable, just as leaders are expected to be humble, and law enforcers are expected to be wise. While the intelligent are appreciated/recognised, it is the moral who are honoured. Uniqueness and diversity are fostered under this central pursuit of honour.

The defender of liberty might argue for Mill’s “harm principle” and the idea that any action solely harmful to the individual is morally allowable. However, the Circle being such a collectivistic society, an interdependent view of self suggests that no action can ever truly harm the individual alone. As such, legal liberty has many social and divine limits.

Finally, humans are social animals. Strong relationships are central determinants to human well-being and happiness. The Circle is profoundly relational, and family focussed.[10] It is honourable to be a good parent and to provide a safe, stable and nurturing environment in which children might be allowed to flourish. In the Circle, the ideal family is one in marriage that is headed by a loving father supported by a respectful mother, as opposed to single-parent, polygamous, or families built outside of wedlock. One can imagine that programs be offered (or even mandatory) so that relationships may be healthy and enduring. In the Circle, gender roles empower married couples to be harmonious and strengthened by one another – each’s role being different, complimentary and of equal worth.

Many decisions are oriented to encourage the family to thrive. The Circle is a society in which parents rarely miss their children’s soccer games and dance recitals. The economy is largely protectionist and inward focussed with the aim of developing national industry and increasing job opportunities. In this sense, the Circle resembles a kind of distributism-type welfare state. Legal work hours are designed to facilitate a healthy work-life balance. The Seventh Year[11] would be an opportunity for honourable families/individuals to be freed of an unfortunate debt. To ensure that this cannot be exploited by irresponsible members, government representatives foster a relational local parliament by engaging with citizens under their care.[12] As a collectivistic society, in which district parliamentarians visit households annually, anonymity is essentially unachievable. Citizens are furthermore very engaged with their governance and are more able to keep leaders accountable.

This relational parliament is made possible if districts have a relatively low governor-to-governed ratio. This implies that most political decisions are performed at the local level. These small communities and lack of centralisation may be viewed as a risk to security. However, there is indeed a national parliament which has power to gain prominence during times of crisis.

First duty of the state must be to ensure the well-being and full humanity of all its members – anything else is to dehumanise. There is a clear sense in which social stability is the core good, though it may be more accurate to understand the pursuit of virtue/honour (under Adonai) as the foundation of the Circle. In a more political sense, this society is ideal because it strives to unite liberty and security (as understood through its particular cultural lens) in order to meet different aspects of human essence.[13]

[1] Both Aristotle and human history promote this (hos epi to polu).

[2] Consider Christianity.

[3] All humans are of equal worth as Adonai’s creation. Racism no longer problematic (eg “Sauda DeWolf" - DeWolf family part of the slave trade, Sauda a traditional Arabic name means "black").

[4] Man as environmental steward.

[5] Anthony Kenny’s interesting approach – agnosticism as default, “A belief may be reasonable, though false.”

[6] In a social contract theory sense. Humans are more naturally cooperative/social.

[7] Includes discussion regarding knowledge/interpretation of Adonai’s will (ie originalism and the Book of Logos). Members are more inclined to believe that man’s ability to know reality is limited, not reality itself.

[8] External standards inform/influence personal standards.

[9] Largely Enlightenment statesmen (reference in bibliography).

[10] The family as the root of human relationships (Aristotle).

[11] Based upon Jewish Sabbath and Jubilee Years.

[12] Greater democratic representation.

[13] Ceteris paribus.

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