In Plato’s Republic, the ruler has no private wealth, he can’t take a trip, and he can’t have a mistress, or do other things that make people happy. “They work simply for their keep and get no extra wages as others do.” Socrates responds to this complaint by stating that the goal is to have a city full of happy people, not just one particular group.
This concept seems really interesting to me because in modern society, those with the most power also have the most privileges. In a capitalist society, those who work the hardest and have the best education are normally the ones who prosper financially. That is a good thing, though. It motivates people to work hard and move up in society, and most people who do that, have many opportunities to succeed. In America, even an innovative idea or the right lottery numbers can make people lot of money.
Another interesting point is that money and position really aren’t what give people happiness, as Socrates leads us to believe. Some of the richest people are the unhappiest and some of the poorest are the happiest. I think it’s really gratitude that makes people happy, and that has nothing to do with how much you have, but has to do with how thankful you are for it. When you are unthankful and always jealous of what others have, you can have a lot and still be miserable.
Socrates was right that when the leaders have more than the others, some of those they are leading get bitter. This seems to be the case especially if leaders take advantage of their position by using taxpayer dollars for their own vacations and mistresses. The people rebel. A case in point is Senator John Edwards. His personal life is all over the news right now. He has used his position to get his mistress a job, a home, and monthly child support payment, all in order to make himself happy at the expense of the taxpayers and those who voted for him. Another example is that President Obama used Air Force One, at enormous cost to the tax-payers, from Washington DC to New York City to take his wife to a Broadway play and dinner. Both of these leaders have gotten very bad press lately and both are scoring lower and lower in public opinion polls.
I wouldn’t want to live in a society where all people have the same amount of money and luxury. There would be no need for serving each other, or to get up every day and work toward a college degree, or work hard on my new internship, or to practice my musical skills. I’m not doing it all for money and position, but if I happen to get either of those things, I will not abuse the privilege.
You're topic is a very good decision of ethical decisions. A person who is rich has the ability to do many things, but many times they become rich by being unethical. When government officials use tax dollars to go on a leisure trip, they should realize that they are not only having a pleasurable experience, but also harming the people around them. Should they be treated with justice or should they be able to get away with this?
ReplyDeleteThere are benefits to a society where everyone has the same amount of money, but in exchange you lose that sense of individualism. But even though it would cease, I think people would become more of a community because they would HAVE to work together to survive. At the same time, it would feel like there is nothing to work towards. I think overall I like our society as it is but if you didn't know any better, the way the City in Speech works definitely has its benefits.
ReplyDeleteI dislike the idea of where a society has the same amount of money. Each individual is so different from the other, with completley different work ethics. I would hate to know that I worked extremely hard for my money and the other individual did absolutely nothing & we recieved the same amount of money. Each individual was lose his/her own individualism.
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