If you were given a chance to create an ideal society, what would it be?

Résumé du document

It always seems dangerous to talk about an 'ideal society' because this is exactly what all the totalitarian and authoritarian regimes have been looking for. It has also been the ultimate purpose of all politics since Antiquity and one of the biggest dream of humankind. First of all, an ideal society needs to be based on the definition of strong values like equality, freedom and justice. It has to respect and promote human rights but it has to go further by setting up specific conditions to man's self-fulfillment . The Socialist Experiment in the 20th century in Russia was an attempt to create an ideal society based on the idea of straight equality among men. The main reason for failure was lack of freedom of the citizens. On the other hand, today, we live in a free market economy, and since the end of the cold war, the capitalist ideology has never been so powerful. But the last economic crisis and its repercussions demonstrated that we are far from living in an ideal society and that some improvements have to be made.

Extraits

[...] It can for example concern the Public Services. To conclude, according to me an ideal society would be a happy medium between socialism and capitalism. Mainly because of the Cold War, both ideas are always shown as perfect opposites but I think each one can regulate and prevent some excess: social insecurity or economic inefficiency. This society would be based on strong ideological principles mainly equality, justice and freedom and focused on a strong Welfare State providing services for every citizen. [...]

[...] As they have to be organized and centralized by an institution, only a powerful state can accomplish it. These fundamentals principles lead us to the more pragmatic definition of the roles of the state. First of all the State would never intervene directly in the economy. There would be no soviet “petty tutelage” for the companies: they would have to evolve according to the law of the free market for the production of goods and the fixation of prices (laws of supply and demand) because it has proved to be the most efficient way. [...]

[...] Then one of the fundamental principles of the ideology would be equality among men both politically and economically. Political equality is now recognized by almost everyone as a necessity. It is not only a theoretical principle; it has to be proved in the facts. For example equality between genders or ethnicity means that everyone has the same political rights but we also have to face the obstacles of political representation. People would also benefit from a complete freedom of worship and of political opinion, far from the coercion and propaganda of the Soviet Regime. [...]

[...] That is why if I was given a chance to create an ideal society it would be a kind of mixed economy between today-capitalist-economy and some features of the socialist ideology. It would be based on a capitalist economy - a free market economy based on the laws of supply and demand - well known for its efficiency; but ruled by a quite interventionist state which can guarantee some socialist principles. Indeed the society would be oriented to the pursuit of social justice/fairness thanks to the development of social services guaranteed by the state and preserving economic efficiency. [...]

[...] It led to the inexorable development of corruption and of black markets which curbed the economic efficiency. But the biggest problem raised is a loss of freedom. Indeed people can't choose, they just have to comply with or they would be prosecuted. The Soviet Regime succeeded in reaching the perfect equality among people: the companies and the shops were state-owned so everyone was a state employee and as a consequence received the same wage (which is really important because according to the Marxist Theory differences in wages are the basis of class structured society). [...]