Thought assignments are a tool to help build up your thought process. They encourage argument and social interaction through thought. Remember: An idea that is never spoken might as well have never existed at all.
This week we are taking a look at society and its foundation. We live under the idea of a social contract. That is, we give up certain freedoms in return for a stable, policed, fair government. But where does this idea of a social contract come from in your opinion? Do we "sign" this because if we did not we would all turn to violence and chaos? Or is it simply a more organized way of cooperation?
If you do not any arguing buddies where you are, feel free to argue here. Post a comment and jump in to the debate.
3 comments:
WOOT! FIRST POST!
Well, lets start with something we all know: People are social animals. They literally NEED other people.
This goes straight back to our origins.
Back at the beggining of humanity People lived in small family groups. They did this for mutual protection,for mates, to help gather food, and just generally improve their chances for survival.
These people could trust the others in their group completely - they where, after all, family. This sort of life-or-death absolute trust and dependence between family members is both hard-wired into our brains and reinforced by our culture, although the cultural reinforcement is weakening somewhat in modern society.
Anyway, to put a long story fairly short, when people started living in groups that weren't all family members i.e. when the started to live in cities, something had to keep them from killing each other. First there was (still is in plenty of places) the fear of vengeance from the victim's family. The constant threat of lethal reprisal actually worked pretty well keeping order, but it did generate a lot of chaos and violence.
Enter the government - originally established to keep the irrigation systems in order and guard the granaries, and usually run by a bunch of priests, whose spiritual authority (intimidation through threat of lethal supernatural reprisal) allowed them to get away with a lot. They used this to establish a monopoly on the legitimate use of force in their area - or at least a controlling stake.
People put up with this for two reasons, I reckon. First, because they did NOT want to piss of the gods, and second, because, dammit, order is a hell of a lot better than chaos.
Long story even shorter: we signed the social contract for the sake of peace and public order. Only we recently have we renegotiated it (guns in hand).
Good essay. I think David F. nailed it.
Count Sneaky
I follow the more libertarian point of view that the less government there is the better off we are. Sure it makes sense that humans were originally violent and crazy but I believe that through the ages and with the discovery of religion we have "evolved" to the point where we are capable of governing ourselves. All the government has to do is keep order. The rest should be left up to the free market.
The social contract is now not just being made with the governments but with other entities as people turn away from the idea of a strong central government.
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