SOCIAL POWER IS NOT A GOAL BY ITSELF. SOCIAL POWER EXISTS SO AS TO SERVE THE (IMMORTAL) HUMAN SOUL AND ITS EVOLUTION
We may have to remind to ourselves, in this economic crisis, the basic operating principles of the current societies.
THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF THE CURRENT HUMAN SOCIETIES
"The reality of the experience of life, is based on a system of spiritual and perhaps subconscious (implicit) or explicit beliefs. Changing these beliefs will result in changing our reality and changing our fate. "
1) THE PRINCIPLE OF THE FREEDOMS OF THE INDIVIDUAL
This principle is crucial, as it determines that the society is to function without violating civil liberties. The seven basic personal freedoms are
1.1) The spiritual freedom (freedom of religion)
1.2) H freedom of political decision (Democracy, or rather direct-democracy)
1.3) The freedom of he creative-expressions (freedom of speech)
1.4) The moral freedom (freedom from fear)
1.5) Economic freedom (freedom from want)
1.6) The physical freedom (actions, activities).
1.7) The freedom of private property (having).
(Here Roosevelt is stating 4 of the essential freedoms
2) THE PRINCIPLE OF (IN)EQUALITY
Because of 7th individual freedom of private property, it is necessary the use of some form of money (not necessarily banking money). It is the nature of money and of the free market to create economic inequalities. If there was no private property, then we would not need to use some form of money and the economic and living standards inequalities would not be inevitable. Only political power , especially direct democracy can tame and reduce economic inequalities. Not the oligarchic economic power itself. Inequalities in society (economic, authoritarian, other social power etc.) is a source of misery, unhappiness, crime, lack of trust, mental illness, etc. The current social inequalities are not identical with the actual psychic meritocracy. A society with many inequalities has slower evolution and is a less advanced civilization, compared to a society with fewer inequalities. E.g. the killing capacity inequalities for survival in the jungle is a system of most slow collective evolution. From this principle it follows, that a monarchical or oligarchic society evolves more slowly than a democratic society. And at least for this reason democracy is preferred. Money and the economic power, can not unite people and bring prosperity, because it is in the nature of money to create inequalities. The political power, particularly of direct democracy can tame and control the economic inequalities with laws and institutions and bring more justice. The principle of equality applies also on to that all citizens are equal as far as the laws are concerned.
3) PRINCIPLE OF SOLIDARITY-BROTHERHOOD
This principle suggests that the primary treatment of each of our fellow man is positive and not negative. The morality of mercy, compassion, and positive empathy is a key element, creating equality and the ability to combine up individual talents into a collective civilization of the society, so that conversely each person can benefit at maximum from the society.
4) THE PRINCIPLE OF THE SOCIAL POWERS AND THEIR PRIORITIES.
The power is not only the political power i.e. the legislative and the executive, but there are very significant other powers, such as economic (private sector), military, religious, and the authorities of the function of the state (public authorities, and services, justice, police, etc. ). To these we can add the more impersonal, like th power of science and technology.
Furthermore we may distinguish the powers to
1) From people to people
2) From people in inorganic physical reality.
Based on the principle of equality, the second type of power is ore appropriate and ideal for the humans compared with first type.
The powers have priorities and reversing these priorities can and has became a source of misery , unhappiness and crimes. E.g. The economic power (the private sector) should not take precedence and override the political power, or the political power to succumb and bend to the oligarchic economic power. Political power has the top priority among all. Money and the economic power, can not unite people and bring prosperity, because it is in the nature of money to create inequalities. The political power, particularly that of the direct democracy can tame and control the economic inequalities with laws and institutions and bring more justice.
BUT every form of power, and the political also, exists so as to serve the human (immortal) soul and its evolution. Power is not an end in itself.
5) THE PRINCIPLE OF CONSISTENCY (Justice, education etc.)
Society would be neither serious nor viable, if it did not practice the principle of consistency. This means does not mean only that law should be enforced with justice. E.g. in education, the principle of consistency means that, all the knowledge that is essential and crucial for the survival of the civilization, must pass across the totality of the new generation. Not only the basic and elementary knowledge while the rest and more advanced to a minority only. This maximizes survivability and the successful continuation of the civilization.
6) THE PRINCIPLE OF PARTICIPATION.
According to this principle, every individual has not only rights in society but also obligations. The basic obligation of each person which is also a virtue, is the participation in society and its functions. The person should tend to be social. Each individual is offering to the society according to his abilities, and is receiving from the society according to his needs. On the other hand, this principle, pushes the society to participate in wider sets of other societies, based always on the respect of the above principles.
7) THE PRINCIPLE OF THE SIMILARITY OF SCALE AND SUBSIDIARITY.
According to this principle, the small organizations (municipalities, local government, enterprises, universities, etc.) should tend to operate, in decision making, as the political democratic decision-making in the large scale public sector, and not vice versa.
The large scale, undertakes to decide only what the small scale is not in a position to decide (subsidiarity). The larger the size of a society, the greater the opportunities, of a common person, to benefit during the mortal life from the society more than what he himself is able to offer to the society.
