An Essay for World Civ. Ignore the length...
Pericles, Confucius, and Socrates were three thinkers from the first millennium b.c. who not only had substantial influence over their contemporaries, but upon the history of philosophy to the present day. Each had his own idea of what would constitute an ideal society.
Gleaning from Pericles’ funeral oration for soldiers in 431 b.c., we can learn what he thought was an ideal Athenian society. One of his main emphases was equal opportunity for all citizens. He argued that everyone is capable of benefiting the state; even the poorest should not be considered waste or baggage to the community. Pericles said of this, “Neither is poverty a bar, but a man may benefit his country whatever be the obscurity of his condition.” Of the rich and the well-known, Pericles said, “…When a citizen is in anyway distinguished, he is referred to the public sector, not as a matter of privilege, but as a reward of merit.” In other words, the only difference between a poor man and a rich man is not that the latter is inherently better, but that he earned that position.
Pericles believed that, as with any freedom, citizenship comes with responsibilities. Pericles desired that the citizen would be faithful to obey the laws of the country, and suggested that “we are prevented from daily wrong by respect for authority and for the laws…” He also wanted the citizen to assume an active role in public affairs: “An Athenian citizen does not neglect the state because he takes care of his own household, and even those who are engaged in business have a very fair idea of politics.” Pericles even proposed that not to be involved at all was unacceptable: “We alone regard a man who takes no interest in public affairs, not as a harmless, but as a useless character.”
Another of Pericles’ ideals was that the people would have such patriotism and love for their country that they would willingly if not eagerly serve in the military: “If then, we prefer to meet danger with a light heart but without laborious training, and with a courage which is gained by habit and not enforced by law, are we not greatly the gainers?”
Pericles imagined a country that is fair to all and whose citizens in turn offer their individual influences in the political sector. This ideal state would be such an upstanding and noble institution that to serve it, even to the point of sacrificing one’s life, would be a privilege.
Considering these criteria, Pericles would find our society too little involved in the public sector for his taste. He would realize that by and large we have a selfish society, but he would applaud our commitment to militaristic duties and our strong patriotism in times of crisis.
Another philosopher, Confucius, lived around 500 b.c. in China. Although he wrote little, his students faithfully recorded many of his thoughts on various matters. From one of these documents, The Analects of Confucius, we can discern to some extent Confucius’ vision for an ideal society.
Confucius said to one of his students, “Devote yourself to the proper demands of the people, respect the ghosts and spirits, but keep them at a distance – this may be called wisdom.” Confucius admitted a supernatural world, but preferred to stick it on the back burner, for his real concern was in developing humanity.
Confucius had strong moral standards for human action: “The gentleman cherishes virtue; the inferior man cherishes possessions.” He believed the good man would do right despite the consequences, and would consistently work toward a higher and more respectable level of humanity.
Confucius also believed that if “the powers that be” ruled honorably this would be enough to lead a society. When asked about government, he said, “If a ruler himself is upright, all will go well without orders. But if he himself is not upright, even though he gives orders, they will not be obeyed.” It is evident that Confucius thought the human was basically good, and with effort, would be able to rise above the evils of life, and live in a selfless and moral fashion. Once, a student asked him, “Is there any one word that can serve as a principle for the conduct of life?” Confucius said, “Perhaps the word ‘reciprocity;’ do not do to others what you would not have them do to you.”
We can see that Confucius envisioned a society in which government was pure, the people were respectable, and humanity was working toward perfection. Were Confucius to live today, he would find government unacceptably corrupt, with a low standard of honor. He would be disappointed in the general public’s mindset of self-interest and lack of “reciprocity,” as he so ably put it.
Socrates, like Confucius, composed few literary works, if any; however, his disciple, Plato, recorded his speeches and discourses. By examining a few of these works, namely Apology (399 b.c.) and Crito (360 b.c.), we can see that Socrates believed the greatest thing one could have was wisdom. He did not want common opinion to rule the day, but rather for each individual to search himself and the ideas he encountered, and to judge their validity for himself. During the trial which decided his death, Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” He believed that the human life was ultimately a search for truth, and everything we do is a result of either our ignorance of truth or our knowledge of it.
Socrates also deemed it necessary for one to be a good citizen. This included being faithful to obey and uphold the laws of the land. He believed this literally to the death, and became a prime example of an honorable citizen when, after receiving the death sentence, he refused to let his comrades free him unlawfully. He knew that if he forsook the very principles he had lived to teach, the impact of his life’s work would greatly diminish.
Were he to analyze today’s society, Socrates would be himself and search for the truth. Although he would be disappointed in the widespread immorality, he would be happy that it is becoming easier than in the past for one to consider diverse information on any given subject and develop a personal opinion.
Pericles, Confucius, and Socrates were all influential characters in their times and each developed strong ideals for his society. Their philosophies revolutionized the way life and the world are viewed and have been the foundation for what we know as modern philosophical thought.
