How Should Society Be Organised?

[Philosophy Now]

The following answers to this vital question each win a semi-random book.

https://philosophynow.org/issues/105/Ho ... _Organised

[spike]

It would have been interesting to hear from someone who wants to restore the Caliphate in the Muslim world. Now that is a very different way to organize a society. The only thing is that kind of social organization would be a step backwards. That system depends on something like a philosopher king, which in today's world is impractical since solutions to societies problems come from a variety of sectors and not from one supposedly know-it-all leader.

A contributor mentioned that society is fraught with contradictions, as though it shouldn't be. But if a system of governance does away with contradictions it loses its energy and dynamics. Communism initially tried to do away with society's contradiction by trying to make all society equal. But eventually it grew corrupt, stagnant and atrophic due to its eradication of contradiction. (The Caliphate would also deny the existence of contradiction and thus it too would eventually fail.) The best way to go is to work with and balance the contradictions we have, like societies that have organized under liberal democracy, which, as it happens, is essentially the combination of two contradictory ideas of human governance, one embracing the idealism of the human spirit and the other, the one that address our material needs.

Marx knew that for a society to survive and continue it had to be revolutionized periodically in order that it could rejuvenate and renew itself. But a society can't revolutionize itself if it doesn't have some inner contradictions and conflicts that occasionally throws it off balance, forcing it to reengineer and reestablish its equilibrium. So it is ironic that Marx was the inspiration for a system of governance, communism, whose goal was to eradicate all social differences and contradictions so that people might live in harmony.

[spike]

This can be a nice pastime, thinking about how society should be organized. Plato had a heyday with it. He thought society should be organized on the principle of organs, like in the human body, that everybody should have their assigned task and know their place. Religion and traditional societies were organized on that principle. But in the end History found them wanting, hence their decline as social organizers.

What I have noticed about the comments made on the subject is that they are subjective, based more on personal feelings than on externalities. It is generally the external world that influences how society is organized. For instance, none of the suggests made have taken into account the butterfly effect and the variables of the world that can upend the best laid plans.

The world with its people is not an easy place. But people here tend to think it is, and easily malleable. But don't stop dreaming.

[henry quirk]

"How Should Society Be Organised?"

'How should folks organize themselves?', is the better question.

The answer, of course: however they like and can.

For myself: I would prefer if each simply minded his own business and kept his hands to himself (and let the organizing chips fall where they may).

[spike]

"How Should Society Be Organised?"

'How should folks organize themselves?', is the better question.

The answer, of course: however they like and can.

For myself: I would prefer if each simply minded his own business and kept his hands to himself (and let the organizing chips fall where they may).

That's all very well and fine (full of bravado) but you also need connecting bits that allow individuals to coexist and flourish. You need an umbrella organization for those things to occur, which is called society. Society supplies the morals and ethics that guide individual behaviour and encourages them to interact with each other in order to attain best results and be mutually beneficial.

[Impenitent]

the leeches should continue to cripple the producers...

wait...

-Imp

[henry quirk]

Spike,

"you...need connecting bits that allow individuals to coexist and flourish. You need an umbrella organization for those things to occur, which is called society."

I disagree (with your idea and with your apparent definition of 'society').

All you (really) need: individuals 'transacting' (economically and culturally) within the context of 'mind your own business and keep your hands to yourself (or die)'.

#

"Society supplies the morals and ethics that guide individual behaviour and encourages them to interact with each other in order to attain best results and be mutually beneficial."

If the 'society' you strive for is communitarian, then -- yeah -- you're right.

Being sumthin' other than communitarian, I can't help takin' your above description as hobbling (another example of how 'we' should trump 'I').

##

Imp,

HA!

[spike]

Society is the benefactor here, not the individual. Our society has organized itself so that people like us can go around freely strutting our stuff and say how independent we are.

[henry quirk]

"Society is the benefactor here, not the individual."

Again, I disagree with your apparent definition of 'society'

As I see it: 'society' is nuthin' more than individuals in (relatively) close quarters who refrain from butchering one another.

You seem to see 'society' as sumthin' apart from the individuals who comprise it, and -- apparently -- you believe this entity (society) is more important than the individuals who comprise it.

As I say: you're a communitarian ('we' before 'I').

I -- again -- am not.

[spike]

To tell you the truth, the individual and society constitute a symbiotic relationship. Neither can live without the other, if it is to be a meaningful existence.

[henry quirk]

Please, define 'society'.

[HexHammer]

Please, define 'society'.

Stop asking for silly self explanatory things, if some office clerk asked that, this person would be fired.

[HexHammer]

Most western countries has a ok organization of society, tho there should be a decent minimum wage so people don't have to take 2 jobs.

Communism tried to organize but it ended totally catastrophic, so we shouldn't try to shoe horn things into idyllic ideals, but into reality and it's needs.

[henry quirk]

"Stop asking for silly self explanatory things, if some office clerk asked that, this person would be fired."

Spike has a particular notion of what a society is. I want him to define it.

And: as I'm not an office clerk, I ain't got nuthin' to worry about.

[HexHammer]

"Stop asking for silly self explanatory things, if some office clerk asked that, this person would be fired."

Spike has a particular notion of what a society is. I want him to define it.

And: as I'm not an office clerk, I ain't got nuthin' to worry about.

But what he says is true, it's a mutual beneficial relation ship, and needest not be further explained, it's sufficient.