Thursday, July 19, 2007

The Thursday Post: Week 11: A Political Theory

There are three major aspects of mankind which a political theory ought to be concerned about: man as he comes, man as he is, and man as he could become. Or rather, it ought to deal with man at his birth, untouched by culture and civilization, man as he is after a life (or even simply a few years) of experience in this world, and man as he could be in an ideal world.
First, man at birth. Men are born with a sense of free will. However, this liberty does not give man the right or the ability to be God, because we are bound by conscience. We can do and think whatever we will, but since we have been given the knowledge of good and evil, we are also given the choice to obey the good, and shun the evil. We are not physically handcuffed, but mentally; ever haunted by a hovering sense of morality.
As part of this free will, we are given several rights at birth. For example we are given the freedom of belief, since no man can stop thoughts, save by stopping the physical brain. We are given the freedom to defend that which we are responsible for, be it our possessions, our friends or neighbors, or ourselves. There are many more “rights” given to us by human institutions, but even these cannot be used to justify evil. Like everything else that we as humans do, our rights are governed by conscience: they are only good if conscience makes them so.
Secondly, a political theory must also deal with how man is. The expectations for humanity are hardly lived up to. We are given consciences, but we rarely use them. It’s simply human nature: we are bred to disobey. Thus, we have laws. Laws govern and protect man by attacking the vices of society. Rights, on the other hand, protect man by defending virtues. A society ought to have a strong set of laws and a clear view of human rights, and a strong government to enforce those laws and rights, so as to protect the people. Yet, the government must also be understanding. A nation with a ruler who does not listen to his or her people, is little better than a nation without a ruler at all.
A political theory ought to also take these first two points, the nature of man at birth, and the nature of man during the course of his life, and use them to form a third point, dealing with what a man, or man in general, ought to be like. The problem with society is the rooted in the people who make it up. If man in general is corrupted, as he is by sin nature, then it naturally follows that that which he builds cannot, and will not, be perfect. In order to create a good society (simply a good society, since a perfect society is, I believe, unattainable), one must first reform the people living in that society. And, if it is true that we have been given the knowledge to discern between good and evil, and we have a problem making that discernment, then the problem must be based at the human conscience.
Now, many would simply call this stating the obvious, but I believe that “the obvious” needs to be stated. Whenever we attempt to make a cultural difference, it seems as if we spend more time changing the standards of society to fit the people, rather than changing the people to fit the standards of society. The problem lies within us, and following our hearts will only get us into trouble.
Now, most people, especially in this country, argue vehemently for the separation of Church and state. I am basing my argument upon a rather Christian world view, especially since I cite the problem of human nature, but I believe that many would be able to agree with what I am pointing out. The problem remains: what can change the conscience of a man, if the conscience is indeed what needs changing? Religion can. This will no doubt be unthinkable to many, but think of it: a good, moral framework comes most easily with religion. Religion gives man a standard to which he can compare his life. My apologies Mr. Lenin, religion is necessary to the survival of society. Religion allows man to recognize his conscience and obey it, and thus he can make better use of the laws which government sets in place to protect him. Religion is the key which has the potential to unlock the secret to a good, stable society.

2 comments:

Serena said...

I've been thinking a good bit about government since reading Brave New World and it seems that it is a catch 22. You just can't win. If you safegaurd the rights of the people, you get mob rule. If you try to keep the people safe and happy by doing everything for them, you get dehumanizing dictators. Both personal and impersonal government lean toward despotism, it its various forms. However, I think one of the problems we get into in government, perhaps its main problem, is often we think it is instituted for our happiness. Sort of like the way we think about God. If you follow this to its end, you get Brave New World - or Modern America. So I suppose the foundational question is what is the goal of government? I'm afraid I can't answer that. I suppose it would be to assist men in their purpose of glorifying God and enjoying Him forever.

E. Salvatore said...

So this has nothing to do with the post, but I'm just curious, you have a link to Colby Eliot's photos and Mrs. Bartel's photos, but not to mine?

The Creator