{"id":444,"date":"2013-07-26T16:18:53","date_gmt":"2013-07-26T20:18:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/fys\/?page_id=444"},"modified":"2013-07-26T16:18:53","modified_gmt":"2013-07-26T20:18:53","slug":"on-community","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/fys\/assignments-and-rubrics\/writing-assignments\/on-community\/","title":{"rendered":"On Community"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Final Paper (4\/29)<\/p>\n

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The final paper is an opportunity for reflecting on the \u201cbig picture\u201d and uniting the various streams of thought we have been exploring this semester. In your paper, please address the following questions:<\/p>\n

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\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Why do human beings live in community?<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 How do we help communities progress and people flourish?<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 How do we ensure that communities do not become dystopian?<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Is the perfect community possible? Will we ever achieve perfect social justice? Why or why not?<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What would the ideal community look like?<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What role might faith, doubt, and reason play in avoiding dystopia and striving for the ideal community?<\/p>\n

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The paper will be between 10 and 15 double-spaced pages long and must incorporate at least the following:<\/p>\n

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\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Two religious texts (the Ten Commandments, Amos or Micah, the Beatitudes, King texts)*<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Two philosophical texts (Plato, Freud, Marx and Engels)<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 One dystopian text (Orwell or Atwood)<\/p>\n

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* Each of these will count as one text. In other words, you may not use the two versions of the Ten Commandments, the two prophetic books, the two versions of the Beatitudes, or two of the King texts as your two religious texts. You must pick two different groups of texts (e.g. the Ten Commandments and King, King and Amos or Micah, the Beatitudes and the Ten Commandments, etc.) for your two religious texts.<\/p>\n

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Additional texts from the course may be used. Please cite biblical texts by book, chapter and verse, and all other texts by author last name, title, and page number.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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F<\/b>YS 120<\/b><\/p>\n

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Final Paper<\/p>\n

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Community is the essential yet potentially destructive glue that binds humans together. The ultimate goal of an ideal community is perfect social justice and human flourishing.\u00a0 The adhesion of various talents and strengths in community can help accomplish this goal by forming a solid structure of innovation and progress. \u00a0If power and corruption seep in, however, a thriving community can easily crumble into a dystopia.\u00a0 The citizens of a community are responsible for preventing the emergence of a dystopian society through education, relationships, and involvement.\u00a0 Faith, doubt, and reason play a particularly important role in this prevention by distinguishing genuine ideals from idolatry, encouraging questioning of authority, and promoting motivated, engaged citizens.<\/p>\n

Human beings live in community because it is a necessary establishment to control human nature and a fulfillment of human desires. \u00a0Human nature can be reflected as two sides of the same coin\u2014the dark, destructive side and the loving, life-promoting side.\u00a0 This double sidedness gives humanity both the capacity and necessity to live in community.\u00a0 The multiple aspects of the human personality \u201cpresent the struggle between Eros and Death, between the instinct of life and the instinct of destruction\u201d (Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents<\/i>, 82).\u00a0\u00a0 The life force, Eros, is the part of humanity that makes civilization possible because it involves loving, cooperative, and altruistic qualities that enable people to positively interact and support one another.\u00a0 The human ability and desire to love makes it possible to be in relationships that can ultimately grow into community.\u00a0 Freud notes that \u201ccivilization is a process in the service of Eros, whose purpose is to combine single human individuals, and after that families, then races, peoples and nations, into one great unity, the unity of mankind\u201d (Freud, Civilization and Its<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Discontents<\/i>, 81).\u00a0 The opposing, dark side of human nature, however, is what makes civilization necessary.\u00a0 Humanity\u2019s destructive, aggressive, and selfish instincts are untamed without the reigns of society. \u00a0Freud explains that \u201cman\u2019s natural aggressive instinct, the hostility of each against all and of all against each, opposes this programme of civilization\u201d (Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents<\/i>, 82). \u00a0Civilization is the means to control the instincts of human nature that seek to destroy it, making it a necessary establishment.\u00a0 Freud believes that humanity formed civilization for two reasons:\u00a0 \u201cthe compulsion to work, which was created by external necessity, and the power of love, which made the man unwilling to be deprived of his sexual object \u2014the woman\u2014, and made the woman unwilling to be deprived of the part of herself which had been separated off from her\u2014her child\u201d (Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents<\/i>, 55).\u00a0 The mastery of nature due to the desire to work and the regulation of relationships due to the influence of love show how humanity\u2019s capacity to form civilization is related to the necessity to do so.\u00a0 Human beings live in community because it both subdues their evil desires and utilizes their unique ability and desire to be in relationships.<\/p>\n

Another reason that human beings live in community is because it showers benefits on its inhabitants.\u00a0 A significant benefit of community is that humanity is stronger in civilization than alone.\u00a0 Humanity can accomplish more through politics, is more efficient and productive through technology, and can establish rules and regulate relationships through law. \u00a0Advanced civilizations also present benefits such as art, beauty, order, and intellectual pursuit.\u00a0 According<\/p>\n

to Freud, however, people living in community must sacrifice some happiness in order to gain this protection and order: \u00a0\u201cCivilized man has exchanged a portion of his possibilities of happiness for a portion of security\u201d (Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents<\/i>, 73).\u00a0 By living in community, humanity also must sacrifice freedom and tame its natural instincts.\u00a0 Freud explains<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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that \u201cIf civilization imposes such great sacrifices not only on man\u2019s sexuality but on his aggressivity, we can understand better why it is hard for him to be happy in that civilization\u201d (Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents<\/i>, 73).\u00a0 Freud also believes that \u201cthe price we pay for our advance in civilization is a loss of happiness through the heightening of the sense of guilt\u201d (Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents<\/i>, 97).\u00a0 He believes that guilt is a socially constructed device to control humanity, thus revokes more freedom from civilized people.\u00a0 The pessimistic view of Freud is that people are unhappy living alone, but will also be unhappy giving up freedoms for civilization.\u00a0 People living in community can gain security and productivity at the expense of freedom and happiness.\u00a0 Because of all of the things that Freud believes we gain and lose by living in community, the question arises over whether the benefits outweigh the costs.<\/p>\n

People continue to live in community because the advantages of living in community with others are definitely worth the negative consequences.\u00a0 The benefits gained by civilization sufficiently combat the costs and would provide the best chance for individual happiness. Because suffering and unhappiness will affect human beings whether they are in community or alone, it is better to go through the hardships together and help each other through the pain.\u00a0 The joys that come from being in relationships with others are far greater than any negative consequences.\u00a0 Relationships teach us about true love, and there is no greater feeling than helping another person.\u00a0 The innovation that has developed as a result of humanity\u2019s teamwork<\/p>\n

has brought immeasurable vitality to humankind.\u00a0 Not only has life expectancy increased, but we have also developed things like beautiful infrastructure, amazing technology, and unique culture. Education is also a development of civilization that brings insight, inner joy, and intellectual pursuit that cannot be acquired alone.\u00a0 To have all of these benefits, one must be willing to release some freedom and tame aggressive instincts.\u00a0 This is not completely negative, however,<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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because relinquishing freedom will contribute to the common good, and the tamed instincts would be otherwise destructive.\u00a0 Negative things like environmental degradation, war, and prejudice also come from civilization.\u00a0 However, because the benefits of civilization, such as education and technology, can be used to combat the negative aspects, community is worth the costs. \u00a0It is impossible to be genuinely happy without experiencing the love of others in community.<\/p>\n

Community progression and flourishing depends on the involvement of citizens and the proper utilization of the tools that civilization provides. Both benefits and costs are the inevitable outcome of living in community; therefore, it is important to work towards maximizing the benefits and minimizing the costs.\u00a0 Freud agrees that people need to work towards this goal, stating that \u201cwhen, with unsparing criticism, we try to uncover the roots of its imperfection, we are undoubtedly exercising a proper right and are not showing ourselves enemies of civilization\u201d (Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents<\/i>, 74).\u00a0 An important thing that can help maximize<\/p>\n

benefits and minimize costs is involvement and education. \u00a0If people are not ignorant, but instead enlightened about humanity, they can learn to work together for the common good.\u00a0 Education can make people more empathetic by revealing insight about people\u2019s differences.\u00a0 Education<\/p>\n

can also teach people about the negative effects, such as war and pollution, which can arise from things like technology and religion.\u00a0 This can prevent people from letting these negative things occur.\u00a0 Education alone cannot solve the problems of civilization.\u00a0 There needs to also be involvement, engagement, and motivation. \u00a0If society utilizes people\u2019s passions in combination with their talents, motivation to make a change would be the result.\u00a0 People will work toward progression and human flourishing if they are passionate about it and can see the benefit to the community as a whole. \u00a0Religion could also be a tool to maximize benefits and reduce costs<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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because it provides like-mindedness, reduces selfishness, and allows people to focus on the same ultimate goal.\u00a0 Education, motivation, and religion are tools that could be very helpful in helping communities evolve and people thrive. \u00a0By creating engaged citizens and utilizing beneficial<\/p>\n

tools of society, people will become closer to the ideal community.<\/p>\n

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The ideal community would be composed of citizens who are devoted to the common good, and perfect social justice would be established as a result.\u00a0 The citizens in an ideal community would exemplify complete selflessness and devotion to the common good. \u00a0In order to maintain focus on the common good, citizens should not be greedy or envious:\u00a0 \u201cYou shall not covet your neighbor\u2019s house; you shall not covet your neighbor\u2019s wife, or male or female slave,<\/p>\n

or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor\u201d (Exodus 20:17).\u00a0 This selflessness should include not only material possessions, but also how the citizens love one another:\u00a0 \u201c\u2019But I say listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those you curse you, pray<\/p>\n

for those who abuse you\u2019\u201d (Luke 6:27-8). This sort of unselfish love would create a community of cooperation and unity. \u00a0If citizens live by the saying \u201c\u2019Do to others as you would have them do to you,\u2019\u201d peace and harmony would be established in the civilization (Luke 6:31).\u00a0 An ideal<\/p>\n

community would be composed of morally sound people because \u201c\u2019No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit\u2019\u201d (Luke 6:43).\u00a0 Moral soundness could be maintained<\/p>\n

by a shared moral vision and genuine devotion to the common good.<\/p>\n

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Perfect social justice would also be established in the ideal community.\u00a0 This justice would mean guaranteed dignity, value, and equality for every human being.\u00a0 All laws and institutions in an ideal community would reflect this emphasis on human worth and equality in order to maintain justice. \u00a0As Martin Luther King Jr. puts it, \u201cAny law that uplifts human personality is just.\u00a0 Any law that degrades human personality is unjust.\u00a0 All segregation statutes<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. \u00a0It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority\u201d (King, \u201cLetter from a Birmingham Jail,\u201d 5). \u00a0In the ideal community, people would also be focused more on existential than superficial things:\u00a0 \u201cI have a dream that my four children will one day<\/p>\n

live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character\u201d (King, \u201cI Have a Dream Speech,\u201d 3).\u00a0 Justice would be possible if people put<\/p>\n

judgment to the grave and focused on the important qualities of people. The ideal community would also use education to destroy ignorance and encourage understanding and social justice among citizens.\u00a0 Educated, selfless people would create the foundation for a perfect, just community.<\/p>\n

Plato\u2019s community, Kallipolis, in his book The Republic <\/i>exemplifies many aspects of an ideal community. \u00a0For example, happiness is defined in Kallipolis as seeing the city flourish and working towards the good of the whole.\u00a0 The law is not trying \u201cto make any one class in the city outstandingly happy but to contrive to spread happiness throughout the city by bringing the citizens into harmony with each other\u201d (Plato, The Republic<\/i>, 191-2).\u00a0 Also, the rulers of Kallipolis receive education and training that makes them very well equipped for the job.\u00a0 The people who do not want to rule are in charge, \u201cfor if they don\u2019t, the lovers of it, who are rivals, will fight over it\u201d (Plato, The Republic<\/i>, 193).\u00a0 The selfless government of Kallipolis extols wisdom and virtue, and its sole goal is the good of the community.\u00a0 Specialization in Kallipolis makes sure that everyone\u2019s strengths are being best utilized, and working towards a common goal promotes equality and like-mindedness.\u00a0 The rulers exhibit the virtue of wisdom, the guardians display courage, and the producers show moderation.\u00a0 With these three virtues working together in harmony, Kallipolis shines the fourth virtue of justice. \u00a0Plato\u2019s imagined<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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community comes close to resembling an ideal community; however, this is not a plausible achievement.<\/p>\n

The perfect community is not possible and perfect social justice can never be fully achieved because of evil side of human nature. \u00a0Even an optimist would have to admit that human nature, although mostly good, has a destructive side.\u00a0 Community is a collection of humans, and a collection of imperfect things can never form a holy, impeccable structure. \u00a0It is also said that everything constructed must inevitably fall. \u00a0Because civilization is a human constructed institution, it can never be flawless and will eventually fall to ruin.\u00a0 This has been proven countless times in history when powerful civilizations always come to an end.\u00a0 A perfect community is also impossible because the presence of any injustice taints the entire community. According to Martin Luther King Jr., \u201cInjustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.\u00a0 We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.\u00a0 Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly\u201d (King, \u201cLetter from a Birmingham Jail,\u201d 1).\u00a0 Because humanity is connected, unless every form of injustice is completely eradicated, a perfect community can never exist.<\/p>\n

Although a perfect community is not fully possible, people should never stop striving for this ideal. \u00a0Steps can definitely be taken to approach a perfect community. \u00a0Human nature is malleable and should be constantly evaluated for personal growth and improvement.\u00a0 The moment humans stop striving for perfection, all innovation will cease.\u00a0 Progress is the result of commitment to bettering oneself and one\u2019s surroundings.\u00a0 People should relentlessly strive for justice until it becomes a reality: \u00a0\u201cNo, no we are not satisfied and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream\u201d (King, \u201cI Have a Dream Speech,\u201d 3). \u00a0If humanity does not strive for this, dystopian communities could result.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Sometimes dystopias are nearly impossible to prevent because of uncontrollable environmental conditions and the power of fear. \u00a0When this happens, the citizens of the community must resist because oppressors will never freely give up their power:\u00a0 \u201cWe know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed\u201d (King, \u201cLetter from a Birmingham Jail,\u201d 3).\u00a0 Even in the darkest of dystopias, there is hope for resistance and that freedom and dignity can again be asserted.\u00a0 The hope of internal revolution in Oceania seems to be ruled out as because \u201cits enemies, if it had enemies, had no way of coming together or even identifying one another\u201d (Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four<\/i>, 71).\u00a0 Also, outside invasion seems almost impossible because \u201cthe fact that there is <\/i>no danger of conquest makes possible the denial of reality which is the special feature of Ingsoc and its rival systems of thought\u201d (Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four<\/i>, 202).\u00a0 Secret organizations do give some hope of resistance in Oceania and Gilead.\u00a0 The \u201clegendary Brotherhood\u201d was assembled in Oceania, but \u201cit was inconceivable that its members could ever assemble on larger numbers than twos and threes\u201d (Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four<\/i>, 71).\u00a0 The \u201cMayday\u201d organization also gives hope to Offred in Gilead, but the reader never knows how successful the organization is.\u00a0 The reader never gets to find out how Oceania or Gilead fell to ruin. The reader can only see the personal resistance strategies of the oppressed individuals.<\/p>\n

Individual resistance comes in many forms and can help ensure that communities do not become dystopias.\u00a0 One way to resist dystopian conditions is simply by making sure one\u2019s story is heard.\u00a0 Offred argues, \u201cBy telling you anything at all I\u2019m at least believing in you, I believe you\u2019re there, I believe you into being.\u00a0 Because I\u2019m telling you this story I will your existence. \u00a0I tell, therefore you are\u201d (Atwood, The Handmaid\u2019s Tale<\/i>, 268).\u00a0 By educating others about the dystopian conditions, the narrator is ensuring that his or her story is not forgotten or overlooked,<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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which will ideally prevent the dystopian conditions from returning in the future. \u00a0Individuals can also resist in subtle, sneaky ways by evading the control of the rulers.\u00a0 Remaining mentally conscious or preforming hidden illegal acts are methods of resistance. \u00a0In Oceania, sex is a form of resistance against the Party:\u00a0 \u201cThe sexual act, successfully performed, was rebellion.\u00a0 Desire was thoughtcrime\u201d (Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four<\/i>, 70).\u00a0 Julia prefers these small acts of rebellion, causing Winston to call her “only a rebel from the waist downwards\u201d (Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four<\/i>, 291).\u00a0 Winston, on the other hand, prefers mass rebellion for the sake of all of humanity.\u00a0 The consciousness of mind is also a form of resistance in both Oceania and Gilead.\u00a0 Winston says of the Party, \u201cTo die hating them, that was freedom\u201d (Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four<\/i>, 291).\u00a0 Similarly, Offred finds the phrase \u201cNolite te bastardes carborundorum<\/i>\u201d written on the floor, which means \u201cDo not let the bastards grind you down\u201d (Atwood, The Handmaid\u2019s Tale<\/i>, 52).\u00a0 This quote urges people to not allow those in power to control them and have the final say. \u00a0If people do not let society overtake their mind, they have internally resisted and will die mentally free.\u00a0 This will only bring individual success and will not produce change in the dystopia as a whole. \u00a0Individual success, however, is better than no resistance at all and can encourage others to do the same.\u00a0 Regarding the society of Gilead, the historian notes, \u201cOur job is not the censure but to understand\u201d (Atwood, The Handmaid\u2019s Tale<\/i>, 302).\u00a0 When learning about dystopias, one should not judge the society, but instead learn from it.\u00a0 This is one of the reasons why it is so important to study history\u2014so that bad things do not repeat themselves.<\/p>\n

To ensure that communities do not become dystopias, people need to maintain both individuality and unity. \u00a0Individuality guarantees that rulers cannot have the final say or the complete power of conformity.\u00a0 Unity is also essential in preventing oppression.\u00a0 King notes, \u201cBut whenever the slaves get together, something happens in Pharaoh\u2019s court, and he cannot<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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hold the slaves in slavery.\u00a0 When the slaves get together, that\u2019s the beginning of getting out of slavery.\u00a0 Now let us maintain unity\u201d (King, \u201cI See the Promised Land,\u201d 2). \u00a0People in community must be committed to sticking together and the betterment of the whole in order to prevent dystopian conditions from arising.<\/p>\n

Faith, doubt, and reason can also play an important role in avoiding dystopian societies and striving for the ideal community by promoting a discerning and engaged mind set among citizens. Faith, doubt, and reason play a key role in the potential resistance to dystopias. If people realize the true meaning of faith as \u201cultimate concern,\u201d they will be less likely to submit to the idolatrous faiths of dystopian communities and allow the ideology to control their<\/p>\n

minds.\u00a0 Also, resistance will be possible if people utilize their ability to doubt and reason.\u00a0 Doubt ensures genuine faith, and reason creates engaged citizens.\u00a0 People should constantly doubt those in power and hold them accountable for their actions.\u00a0 By logically thinking through the societal conditions using reason, people will stay motivated and engaged to make a change.\u00a0 Resistance<\/p>\n

in dystopias develops through questioning, staying engaged, and maintaining individuality.\u00a0 All of these result from education on the purpose of faith, doubt, and reason.<\/p>\n

Understanding the true meaning of faith ensures that a community is not focused on idolatrous ideals but instead on a common existential emphasis.\u00a0 An ideal community holds a common understanding of faith. \u00a0In his book entitled Dynamics of Faith<\/i>, Paul Tillich summarizes faith as \u201cthe act of unconditional, infinite and ultimate concern\u201d (Tillich, Dynamics of Faith<\/i>, 10). Taking a stand for the existential involves having a \u201cpassion for the infinite\u201d (Tillich, Dynamics of Faith, 11).\u00a0 This passion requires sacrifice and surrender of a person\u2019s whole being.<\/p>\n

According to Tillich, faith can be described as \u201can act of the total personality\u201d (Tillich,<\/p>\n

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Dynamics of Faith<\/i>, 5) and \u201cthe most centered act of the human mind\u201d (Tillich, Dynamics of<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Faith<\/i>, 4).\u00a0 This view of faith is very different from the view held by most communities and could establish much more tolerance for religion and diversity within communities.<\/p>\n

Doubt is an essential part of faith and is very important in preventing the emergence of a dystopia.\u00a0 Clifford writes that \u201cit is wrong, always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence\u201d (Clifford, \u201cThe Ethics of Belief,\u201d 5). \u00a0Everyone owes it to mankind to investigate his or her beliefs, and no one \u201ccan escape the universal duty of questioning all that we believe\u201d (Clifford, \u201cThe Ethics of Belief,\u201d 4).\u00a0 Through investigation and questioning, people can check the power of those in charge and prevent brainwashing.\u00a0 Ren\u00e9 Descartes\u2019 Meditations <\/i>also proposes a unique way of approaching doubt that can prevent a dystopia from forming. \u00a0Descartes argues, \u201cBut reason now persuades me that I should withhold my assent no less carefully from opinions that are not completely certain and indubitable than I would from those that are patently false\u201d (Descartes, Meditations<\/i>, 13).\u00a0 Descartes decides to doubt everything because he realizes that he has believed false things in the past and wants to determine what he can know with absolute certainty. \u00a0Because so many things are unreliable and have let him down in the past, Descartes decides to implement methodic doubt and discard anything that can be doubted:\u00a0 \u201cI will accomplish this by putting aside everything that admits of the least doubt, as if I had discovered it to be completely false\u201d (Descartes, Meditations<\/i>, 17). Through this extreme doubting, citizens can explore every aspect of their community and be sure that they believe in its ideals.\u00a0 By tearing everything down with doubt, people can use reason to build up and strive for an ideal community.<\/p>\n

Reason is an important aspect of continually striving for perfection.\u00a0 Tillich describes two types of reason: technical reason and existential reason.\u00a0 Technical reason is used \u201cin the sense of scientific method, logical strictness and technical calculation\u201d and \u201cgives the tools for<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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recognizing and controlling reality\u201d (Tillich, Dynamics of Faith<\/i>, 86).\u00a0 Technical reason can be used to stay aware of reality and develop methods to make a community better.\u00a0 The other type of reason that Tillich describes is a new approach to reason for most.\u00a0 Existential reason is uniquely human and \u201cis identical with the humanity of man in contrast to all other beings\u201d (Tillich, Dynamics of Faith<\/i>, 86).\u00a0 This type of reason \u201cis the basis of language, of freedom, of creativity\u201d and is involved in making sense of things, establishing meaning and order, and being aware of the infinite (Tillich, Dynamics of Faith<\/i>, 86). Existential reason utilizes the human<\/p>\n

capacity for creativity to encourage human flourishing. \u00a0It also helps establish freedom and order in community, which contributes to ideal social justice.\u00a0 Faith, doubt, and reason are all<\/p>\n

important to understand because people with find peace and deeper fulfillment in life when they properly understand them.\u00a0 Education about the concepts of faith, doubt, and reason is essential in avoiding dystopias and working towards an ideal community.<\/p>\n

Living in community is an essential, yet potentially destructive establishment of human beings. \u00a0Inhabitants can reap many benefits from the institution of community; however, if the system is not constantly evaluated and citizens do not stay engaged, a dystopia can result. Citizens can prevent their community from spiraling into a dystopia by utilizing faith, doubt, and reason.\u00a0 Although an ideal community is not humanly possible, people should never give up on the fight for perfection. \u00a0If this happens, complacency and corruption will reign over communities.\u00a0 However futile one\u2019s efforts may seem at times, humanity can never stop trying until the world is a perfect place.\u00a0 As King puts it, \u201cNow, let me say as I move to my conclusion that we\u2019ve got to give ourselves to this struggle until the end\u201d (King, \u201cI See the Promised Land,\u201d<\/p>\n

4).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Final Paper (4\/29)   The final paper is an opportunity for reflecting on the \u201cbig picture\u201d and uniting the various streams of thought we have been exploring this semester. In your paper, please address the following questions:   … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1509,"featured_media":0,"parent":252,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-444","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/fys\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/444","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/fys\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/fys\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/fys\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1509"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/fys\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=444"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/fys\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/444\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":445,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/fys\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/444\/revisions\/445"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/fys\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/fys\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}