Philosophers and Controversial Concepts
Philosophers provided several explanations to events and phenomena that could not get an immediate explanation by the common man. The concepts of freedom, good life and becoming a good person in the society was highly controversial since people could not agree on their meanings to life. For instance, while others believed that man is born free, others firmly believe that freedom and happiness can be achieved even if you were born otherwise. While Jean-Paul Sartre argues in "Existentialism is a Humanism" that nothing dictates an individual's character but himself and Beauvoir asserts in "Ethics of Care" that interpersonal relationships are responsible for our attitudes of being a good person, Karl Marx describes good life through his "Communist Manifesto" as the differences between classes in the society.
Freedom and Determinants of Character
Human beings are usually born free. Before anything else, a baby is born as a free being into the world. The environments that you are born in, however, might determine the character, which defines the freedom of the human being. According to Sartre in her existentialism theory, she provides the argument that the existence of a person is before his or her essence, which significantly implies that an individual's character, freedom, and goals in life are not pegged to any other phenomenon, but the individual himself (27). Therefore, if you were born free and strived hard to become a free, happy, and good person, you can make this aspect of life a reality. However, the lazy people often believe that they rely on others to determine their destiny. A free person is capable of making proper decisions in life. These decisions include motivating other members of their environment to become successful as well.
Responsibilities and Ethics of Care
Human beings are never satisfied with their status quo. Nevertheless, in pursuit of the better things in life, they must always take responsibilities for their actions. This responsibility also includes the feeling of guilt for other members of the society. This is where the ethics of care comes into play. According to the principles of this theory, human beings are interdependent on one another and that the consequences of the choices made by an individual make him and others vulnerable in the society (32). This summarizes the aspect of being a good person. As a human being, in order to achieve your goals, you also rely on the actions of other members of the society as they also strive to achieve their goals. This interdependence defines the reason why people try to take proper actions, which are believed to be responsible. Irresponsibility and carelessness are what constitutes doing wrong. An example of this philosophy is the fact that in a society, institutions are interdependent. Organizations rely on schools to produce graduates that work on the product development among others. The government also expects these organizations to pay their taxes so that learning institutions can receive adequate government support.
Good Life and Conflicting Interests
Good life, however, does not necessarily imply being a good person. Good life takes into consideration the fact that people sometimes have a conflicting interest. The conflict of interest makes people clash on their aspirations to achieve more things in life. People who have accumulated wealth always want to add more to their properties. For instance, once the material; needs such as housing, clothing, and food are taken care of, people want to keep more for themselves and their future generations. According to the Kantian communist manifesto, class struggles in which one social class strives to exploit the others are the motivation behind the developments in history (25). Class relationships are the reasons why people differ in the society. While the lower class members of the society serve their masters, the latter strives to accumulate more property and wealth as they impoverish their servants. The classes of the society have not only structured the way people related across different social structures. For instance, in an organization, employees are categorized into different levels according to their education, responsibility, and seniority in command.
Freedom and Interdependence in Society
Whether you desire to have a good life or to become a good person, your freedom depends on your actions. While taking into consideration the fact that people have conflicting interests, and that people are interdependent, drawing the lines between good and evil becomes even more comfortable. Nevertheless, the society is not always fair in a way. The wealthy communist societies often give a chance for the rich to accumulate more wealth. This is the reason, needy members of the social revolt against the rich ones, resulting in societal misfits such as thieves. However, sometimes the society rewards hard work in pursuit of good life. If you work hard through the levels of experience, your efforts will be rewarded, and you will be responsible for the happy life that you live. Nevertheless, it is essential to take care of the fact that the interdependence among people brings the interrelated interests together for a better society. If we have a better society, achieving our dreams will be a little easier than if people always revolt.
