social philosophy

ORDER AND HARMONYIN SOCIETY

ORDER AND HARMONYIN SOCIETY

ORDER is closely allied with HARMONY, indeed "harmony may be the most sensitive expression of order, and may indicate order when other measures are not available or the complexity of the order defeats normal cognition.

ORDER AND HARMONY IN SOCIETY

SOCIAL VALUES

Social philosophy of classical realism advocates the end value of common good in which peace, equality and liberty exist. To achieve this end value, the means value pursued is the good and virtuous life.

Social values are certain qualities and beliefs that are shared within a specific culture or group of people. These traits can be religious, economic, political, etc.

The social values of modern democratic societies in Europe, the Americans and Asia were influenced by the democratic values of France, England and the United States.

SOCIAL PHILOSOPHERS

Montesquieu – a French social philosopher who emphasized the social values of equality and freedom.

John Locke(1632 – 1704) – an English philosopher who laid the foundation of democratic social values with his treaties that focused on the right of a people for self-determination limited only by the respect for the same right of others.

Locke’s principles:

Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of the human rights of the governed, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it and institute a new government.

On July 4, 1776, the United States adopted the most important document of democracy, the Declaration of Independence, which recognized the right of the people to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

SOCIAL CONTROL

Social control refers generally to societal and political mechanisms or processes that regulate individual and group behavior, leading to conformity and compliance to the rules of a given society, state, or social group.

Informal social control

It is exercised by a society without explicitly stating these rules and is expressed through customs, norms, and mores.

informal controls reward or punish acceptable or unacceptable behavior.

Informal controls are varied and differ from individual to individual, group to group and society to society.

This form of control usually takes the form of government action.

Government and organizations use law enforcement mechanisms and other formal sanctions such as fines and imprisonment.

Formal social control

LEGITIMATE FORMS OF GOVERNMENT

MONARCHY- is one-man rule that allows unity of command and decisiveness.

ARISTOCRACY- advocates rule of an elite group that allows selection of the best.

POLITY or Constitutional democracy- this allows individual freedom and economic equality.

FASCISM - advocated the binding together of a group of people under an all-powerful leader.

Mussolini pursued fascism in Italy and Hitler in Germany.

According to them, Believing in the theory of Hobbes that sovereign power is the only basis of an effective government .

The bitter lessons of fascism called attention to the truism that power and authority are in hierarchical order emanating from the highest, the supreme being, and delegated to a lawful government which aims at the common good.

Government is established by people through an act of association and ascribe authority to the government as agent of the people’s right. This is influenced by The Social Contract which was written by French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau.

written by French philosopher

LAW AND RIGHTS

Law is an ordinance of reason promulgated by a duly constituted authority for the common good.LAW AND RIGHTS

Law is an order of reason, it is founded on natural law and

consequently on natural right.

FOUR LEVELS OF LAW:

1.ETERNAL LAW - is law emanating from the Supreme Being, the Creator and is printed on all His creations.

2.NATURAL LAW– is directed towards common good, universal peace, order, and happiness.

3. HUMAN LAW - is promulgated by human societies.

4.DIVINE LAW – addresses a person’s quest for eternal salvation.

Rules are specific interpretations of law applied in various human relations and activities. Law consist of rules recognized and acted upon by courts of justice. Through many generations rules have been proved to be projections into the future.

MEANING OF RIGHTS

Right gives a person’s power to act or to possess.

Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people, according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical theory.

TYPES OF RIGHTS

1.Inalienable rights – are rights which cannot be given up by a person.

2. Alienable rights – are rights that can be freely given up.

DUTY AND OBLIGATION

DUTY - refers to something that a person must do as a result of societal, social or familial expectations.

OBLIGATION - refers to a responsibility--one that a person claims or is given.DUTY & OBLIGATION

MEANING OF DUTY

An agreement made between one person and another party, without the individual’s knowledge. An agreement that is placed upon a person without his or her consent, and requires the use of coercion or force to execute.

MEANING OF OBLIGATION

The choice of an individual to enter into a contract or promise with another. The conscious decision to enter into an agreement without coercion or force.

Social Authority is the legitimate or socially approved use of power. It is the legitimate power which one person or a group holds over another. The element of legitimacy is vital to the notion of authority and is the main means by which authority is distinguished from the more general concept of power.

The ideal government is that the general purpose it supports will embody individual purposes. The good of the individual cannot separated from the good of others.Citizens are obliged to obey government because government is their own act and preference.Government may use force to preserve life, liberty and estate but it may not enforce religion.

IDEAL FORM OF GOVERNMENT

JUSTICE

MEANING OF JUSTICE OF JUSTICE

Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair. Justice is the attribute of a law.Justice in fact, is the most satisfactory consequence of a law. Justice is the structure in which individuals are protected and encouraged to respect each other’s life, liberty and estate.

Plato refers to justice as the ways in which the various elements of society: economy, law, beliefs, members, intermingle and affect one another in coherence and harmony.

JUSTICE

Aristotle, on the other hand, refers to justice as the mean(middle ground) between deficiency( too little and excess(too much).

JUSTICE