Topics Justice

Question A lot of thinkers (Martin Luther King, religious leaders and Jesus Himself were in my mind) have claimed that one day humanity will reach a higher plane, where all people will live in peace and brotherhood. It seems like some individuals would be capable of participating in such a Utopian society, but is it realistic to suppose that the whole of society could one day be transformed to this peaceful, cooperative way of living? Additionally, do you think that we should aim towards this Utopian ideal? Thank you- I’m looking forward to hearing your opinions!

Accepted:
August 14, 2007

Comments

For myself, I hold onto some hopes.Rather enormous changes have occurred before. They could happen again. Consider the change of status of women, the abolition of slavery, industrialization, etc. It's difficult to imagine France and Britain going to war again, even though they were combatants for centuries. If peace can be achieved between them, why not others, why not all? So, I think a warless world possible. How likely is it? Would it be possible to establish a lasting or even perpetual peace? The probabilitiies at the moment look law given the high levels of consumption demanded by modern economies. That is, modern societies are engineered for war. It will be difficult to change that, but I think it's possible. I also think working towards that goal not only morally desirable but even morally imperative. That is, it's really a duty of all civilized people to try to achieve a peaceful and just world. That's because the sort of mass killing, waste, and destruction charcteristic of war are intolerable.