The Good Ghanaian Society While the end of that search [of the Good Society] remains elusive, I am convinced that the search itself isn’t illusive. –James O’toole What constitutes a good society to each and every individual within that society would be a different answer. This is because we speak different tongues, desire different ends, and have different basic assumptions about where the Ghanaian society, and the corporations we work in, should be heading. Despite this kaleidoscope of opinions, fortunately there is a unifying point of agreement: ‘the task of every legitimate government is to secure a good society for its citizens.’ Nearly every political and economic philosopher from the time of Aristotle to Max Weber has agreed that the provision of a good society is the ultimate purpose of government. Once the role of government has been defined, it thus becomes imperative to further define how this good society would be established and it is at this point that all the great thinkers whose works are sandwiched in the library between Aristotle and Weber, defined it differently. To Aristotle, the Good Society permits some of its members to live the good life. To Hobbes, it provides sufficient order to allow material progress. To Locke, it guarantees life, liberty and prosperity. To Rousseau, it preserves as much as possible the conditions of liberty and equality that humankind enjoyed in the ‘state of nature’. To Adam Smith, it has nearly absolute economic freedom. To Thomas Jefferson, it consists of people who live in small- scale, rural communities characterized by high quality of life. To Alexander Hamilton, it consists of people who live in modern industrial cities characterized by a high standard of living. To Marx, it ha... ... middle of paper ... ...ndon: Print. Okun. (1975). Equality and Efficiency : The Big Trade Off. Colorado : Brookings Institution Press . O'Toole, J. (1993). the Executive Compass . New York, Madison : Oxford University Press. O'Toole, J. (1993). the Executive Compass . New York : Oxford University Press . Rousseau, j. J. (1762). The Social Contract . unknown : unknown. Schumacher, E. F. (1973). Small is beautiful . London : Harper and Prow Publishers Inc. Smith, A. (1776). An inquiry into the nature and causes of the Wealth of Nation . Chicago: Chicago University Press . Smith, A. (1776). An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations . Scothland : W. Strahan and T. Cadell, London. Sophocles. (n.d.). Antigone . Sumner, W. G. (1914). the Challenge of Facts and other essays . New York : Yale University Press . Wiredu, K. (-). the Akan Perspective of Human Rights . Accra : -.
Throughout history there have been significant debates, theories and agendas set forward as to what the best form of government is. Many of those individuals and groups who have written on the topic have their critics because they offer points that are highly controversial in theory and problematic when put into practice. John Locke and Publius, which is the collective name for Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay, both published essays with regards to the nature of government and largely championed the notion of democracy. With Locke writing on constitutional government in England and Publius writing on and essentially establishing governmental mechanisms in the United States, both parties inspired the rise of liberalism and democratic government in the modern world (Tinder, 67). However, there are questions to be asked of them and indeed comparisons to be made. This essay will examine the arguments set forth by Publius and Locke with a view to proving that they do indeed champion strong government and arguably exclude arbitrary governmental traits that may constrain attempts to do what is best for the individual rather than the people as a whole. In effect, the constraints they put in place in their texts established a balance of power that had its limits and weaknesses but ultimately appeared to be fair.
Thomas Paine begins his article by first exploring the differences between society and government. He explains that, “society in every state is a blessing, but government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil.” (Frohnen 179) What he means by this is that to have society and community is a privilege, because we as humans are designed to have a need for human interaction, while government on the other hand is only a necessary evil, simply because we as humans are also designed to be inherently evil, and therefore government is a necessary evil to have in order to monitor wrongdoing, or to keep us from our own vices in other words. This emphasizes the Classical Christian Anthropological principle of duality, which is the inner struggle that we as humans have between amor sui, the love of self, and amor dei, the love of God. This struggle springs from the fact that evil is found within man, and we must mak...
2Andrew Dawson, Reassessing Henry Carey (1739-1879): The Problems of Writing Political Economy in Nineteenth Century America
A longstanding debate in human history is what to do with power and what is the best way to rule. Who should have power, how should one rule, and what its purpose should government serve have always been questions at the fore in civilization, and more than once have sparked controversy and conflict. The essential elements of rule have placed the human need for order and structure against the human desire for freedom, and compromising between the two has never been easy. It is a question that is still considered and argued to this day. However, the argument has not rested solely with military powers or politicians, but philosophers as well. Two prominent voices in this debate are Plato and Machiavelli, both of whom had very different ideas of government's role in the lives of its people. For Plato, the essential service of government is to allow its citizens to live in their proper places and to do the things that they are best at. In short, Plato's government reinforces the need for order while giving the illusion of freedom. On the other hand, Machiavelli proposes that government's primary concern is to remain intact, thereby preserving stability for the people who live under it. The feature that both philosophers share is that they attempt to compromise between stability and freedom, and in the process admit that neither can be totally had.
...equality. While it is a nice notion that there should be a society free of jealousy, war, and inequality, it is not accomplished by a government imposing laws which regulates its citizens’ success (even if that law if from the people). This type of social structure, where everyone is treated equally discourages work because minimal effort will reap the same results. Rather, the ideal government is a limited one; one where commerce and capitalism is encouraged.
...downfall.Mostly societies fall due to whoever is leading them, like in Athens they were told to retreat inside of the walls which lead to an outbreak that killed ⅓ of the city’s population.Although trying to make a “perfect” society never ends up working out, we can learn from our mistakes and always try to make ours better. As I once said, “It is not possible to create a perfect society for imperfect beings.”
________. 1981. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. Indianapolis: Liberty Fund. [1776]
Smith, Adam. "CHAPTER XI OF THE RENT OF LAND." An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. Oxford: Clarendon, 1976. 161. Print.
Smith was heavily influenced by his mentor, Francis Hutcheson, and his friend, David Hume. Apparently, Smith was almost expelled from Oxford for having Hume's work in his room (Heilbronner, 1999). And Smith's A Theory of Moral Sentiments is a rework of “Hutcheson's theory of a moral sense” (Herman, 2001). Heilbronner writes about The Wealth of Nations that “there is a long line of observers before Smith who had approached his understanding of the world: Locke, Steuart, Mandeville, Petty, Cantillion, Turgot, not to mention Quesnay and Hume again. Smith took from all of them: there are over a hundred authors mentioned by name in his treatise...The Wealth of Nations is not a wholly original book” (1999). Rima disagrees to some extent saying that it “contains remarkably few references to the writings of other authers and that Smith was perhaps less scholarly in...
Through this examination of ideas, a conclusion may be made concerning the ideal form of government to preside over society today. In his famous writing, “The Leviathan”, Thomas Hobbes explains that the natural condition of mankind is when a society lives together without the rule of a common authority or power; this creates a “dog-eat-dog” world in which the citizens live in a perpetual state of utter chaos and fear. The fears experienced by the citizens are not only of the unequal distribution of the power of others, but also fear of the loss of their own power. In Hobbes’ state of nature there is complete liberty for society in the idea that each member may do whatever he or she pleases without having to worry about infringing upon the rights of the rest of society; in other words, one is allowed to do whatever necessary to pursue their own happiness. However, there is no guarantee of safety and protection from that same power which is granted to every other member of society.... ...
Government, according to Paine, is a means of regulating societies’ sins. By portraying “society” as a form of prosperity, the reader gains an insight into his claim. Furthermore, Paine’s interpretation of society is a means of survival, a way for people to work together and prosper. However, in order for Paine to persuade the audience he relates their reasoning. “Let us suppose a small number of persons settled in some sequestered part of the earth, unconnected with the rest, they will then represent the first people of any country, or of the world....
Pettinger, Tejvan. “Pros and Cons of Inequality.” Economics Help. 18 Oct. 2011. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
Is the purpose of government today, similar to that of philosophers of the past, or has there been a shift in political thought? This essay will argue that according to Machiavelli’s The Prince, the purpose of government is to ensure the stability of the state as well as the preservation of the established ruler’s control, and that the best form of government should take the form of an oligarchy. In contrast, in his book, Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes argues that the purpose of government should be to preserve the peace and security of men and, that the best form of government would be an absolute monarchy which would sanction such conditions. This essay will utilize themes of glory, material advantage, peace and stability to illustrate
Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations, published coincidentally the same year as the Declaration of Independence, is considered by many economic scholars to be the early framework of capitalism. Capitalism is an economic system based on the exchange of goods and services in the marketplace. Supporters of capitalism are convinced that the economic integration of globalization is rooted in the Wealth of Nations. Adam Smith’s “invisible hand” metaphor explains how the entrepreneurial motivation of the individual, a strong workforce and a decentralized market are the driving forces for economic prosperity.
Ghana: The Gold Coast of Africa The Gold Coast, now known as Ghana, is one of many civilizations of Africa. It was a British Colony until March 6, 1957, when it became independent as the State of Ghana. In 1471, the Portuguese invaded this area and became involved in gold trade, giving the region the name, The Gold Coast.