Medieval and contemporary theorists have advanced a myriad of sociological and philosophical theories of society. Regardless of how practical a theory is, the full results of the implementation of the ideas that the theories advocate for can only be attained in ideal circumstances. In this regard, it is common to witness people stating that a project failed despite being underpinned by a well-thought-out theoretical model. Contextually, the theories of society have failed to yield projected results because the concept is not adopted in an ideal scenario. In this regard, my idea of a perfect society is based on the recognition of what is important, aspects that are necessary to warrant happiness for a greater number of people, and what needs to be tweaked to arrive at such an outcome. In this regard, my ideal society is one that addresses problems currently being experienced in health care, security, education, business, and economic policies.
Happiness has been defined differently by both medieval scholars and modern-day philosophers. For the purposes of this paper, explicitly defining happiness will be integral. Philosophers that explore the subject of happiness tend to align their arguments to either of the following positions: happiness as a state of mind or happiness as a life that is satisfactory for the individual that is leading it. For successfully addressing the research question that this essay attempts to debunk, happiness is defined as a life of contentment for the one who leads it. In this accord, what gives an individual a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment can be perceived as a promoter of happiness. Given that my ideal society seeks to guarantee the happiness of the a greater number of people, the philosophical principle of utilitarianism will be invoked in this paper.
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The utilitarian theory implies that an act can be regarded to be justifiable and ethical if it warrants happiness for the highest number of people. According to Riley (2010), utilitarianism is an ethical theory that judges whether an action is right or wrong based on the outcome. To be precise, utilitarianism holds that an ethical choice is one that “produces the greatest good for the greatest number.” Utilitarianism has been vastly used in justifying military force and brutality. However, since the proposed ideal society will be devoted to guaranteeing the happiness of the majorities, making policies based on the utilitarian moral framework would be appropriate.
The Free Education Policy
The first aspect of consideration in the creation of an ideal society is the education sector. It is an irrefutable fact that economic prosperity is propagated by an educated population, which is capable of making vital corporate, domestic, and developmental decisions. Educated people can not only perform their roles at work, but they can also spearhead economic development by creating employment for others. Therefore, a barrier that hinders students from accessing college education would be an impediment to economic development. According to Page and Clawson (2019), the initiative to make K-12 schools free has proven to be good for society and the students. In this accord, the benefits of free education on the society, economy, and the wellness of the students can be magnified by implementing policies that make higher learning affordable for all. In a bid to improve the chances of students from poor families to survive the stiff competition for employment spots in the current economy, it is imperative that barriers to accessibility of education are alleviated.
Former President Barack Obama, during his tenure, proposed that community college education should be free. Although the assertion will improve student’s access to education, bright but needy students will be barred from accessing quality education that can only be obtained from Ivy League colleges such as Harvard, Yale, and so forth. Therefore for my ideal society education would be free.
Statistical projections reported by the White House in 2015 stated that by the dawn of 2020 about 35% of all job openings would require a bachelor’s degree as a minimum qualification and 30% will state that a college associate degree is mandatory. From the statistic, it is clear that the workplace is evolving and what employers expect from an employee is changing. Hence, allowing students to access quality education for free will be instrumental in ensuring that a population of young professionals will be available to fill the job openings.
It is irrefutable that poverty is a far-reaching problem in society. However, it is absurd to expect a child to salvage his or her family from extreme poverty without an education. Therefore, allowing bright students, regardless of their socioeconomic background, to pursue courses of their liking and later clinch well-paying positions will endow them with the tools needed to disentangle from poverty. The crime rate will also be reduced if a large subset of the population can either get employment or create an employment opportunity for others. In this accord, providing free higher learning to all will be economically and socially beneficial to society.
However, the lingering question is how the free education policy will be implemented without creating budgetary strains. The underlying assumption is that an educated population that is earning a monthly income above the stipulated minimum wage has a high purchasing power. Therefore, by increasing the value-added tax for goods that are bought for prestige such as vehicles, planes, high-end accessories, and land along the beach, the government will be able to accumulate enough revenue to foot the educational expenses. The taxation will still maintain the happiness for the majorities because the tax increments will target the affluent. Ideally, this education policy will be instrumental in reducing the economic disparity in the population.
Cost-sharing of the Cost of Health Care
Health care is a particularly delicate aspect; hence, it must be accorded priority in the ideal society. In respect to health care, the goal is not merely to avail care to the entirety of the population, but to ensure the quality of care is improved and standardized across the board. In the United States, health disparities exist because the poor are unable to access quality care, and excellent care is only at the disposal of the rich, individuals that can pay for high-end medical attention ( El-Jardali & Fadlallah, 2017) . However, a massive gap between the quality of care that the rich and the poor receive affects the national health wellness index of the population. When a huge subset of the populace cannot afford high-quality medical attention, it is likely that the general wellness of the populace in such a nation will be low. As a result, standardization of care and eradication of discrimination in the dissipation of treatment on the basis of inability to pay will be addressed in my ideal society.
It is irrefutable that the cost of health care is relatively high when the equipment and technical prowess of the medical practitioner needed is above average. Therefore, the proposed cost-sharing health care policy aims to sustain quality while reducing the out-of-the-pocket cost. Ideally, people do not fall sick and require medical attention simultaneously. Hence, pooling resources through a health insurance scheme that obliges all citizens to pay a standardized premium will be instrumental in improving the quality of care across my ideal society ( El-Jardali & Fadlallah, 2017) . The policy will specify a monthly premium that is affordable for all citizens, including those that are living below the poverty line. Therefore, by pooling resources from the entire population, the insurance company will be able to foot the medical bill of any insured individual regardless of the cost of care. Since the policy eradicates discrimination based on the ability of the patient to pay, the quality of care received by the rich and the poor will be high, thus, improving the state of health care in my ideal society. Typically, the stratagem will guarantee happiness for the greatest number of people.
Security
The security of the state determines the social, economic, and political wellness of a nation. However, the biggest impediment to the success of security personnel is the opposition of the very people they are expected to protect. In this accord, it is imperative that security is perceived as a collective responsibility rather than a task that is expected to be performed by security personnel alone. Although most states have created outreach programs to bridge the gap between law enforcement officers and members of the public, the full success of the community policing strategy can be attained if the cause of the resentment that officers receive from members of the public is determined.
My ideal society, just like any other country will have a diverse group of people. The diversity will be along religious, nationality, cultural, and ethnic lines. Since the entire population can be culturally competent only in an ideal situation, people in the real world tend to judge those in different social groups based on their individual experiences, what they have been told, and prevalent stereotypes. In this accord, if the divisions among members of the public are not properly addressed, they may result in marginalization of certain groups of people. The marginalized groups would then feel alienated from the fellow citizens. Typically, such an alienated group may feel less inclined to indulge itself on matters of national security. Therefore, successful implementation of the community policing policy can only be attained if police officers act objectively and desist from counterproductive measures such as racial profiling.
Racial profiling is a counterproductive practice that encompasses making an arrest, frisking, and stop-and-search decision based on an individual’s skin color. The decision to profile a particular group of people is usually based on the prevailing narrative in society. For instance, the assumption that black people are aggressive, however flawed it may be, is used by an officer as the basis to make an arrest or frisk an individual. The other flawed approach to policing would be to assume that Islamic jihadists who are causing havoc worldwide are Muslims, then all Muslims are somehow involved in terrorist activities. Therefore, when law enforcement officers base their decisions on such skewed and unfounded notions, the victimized population tend to perceive security personnel as enemies; hence they will not be compliant with the community policing programs.
In a bid to pave the way for successful implementation of community policing, this policy seeks to criminalize racial profiling, discredit evidence obtained as a result of racial profiling, and invoke severe penalties on security officers that indulge in such practices. Therefore, the key to the indulgence of the community in matters pertaining to security is to ensure that law enforcement officers act indiscriminately.
Leveling the playground: Business Policy
White collar jobs cannot provide employment opportunities for all people in a nation. In this accord, a nation can improve the quality of life of its citizens by creating an environment that is conducive for the growth of the private sector, especially small businesses. In the current economic spectrum, it is not uncommon to see a small business operating in a similar environment and competing with a multinational corporation ( Boyd, 1988) . More often than not, the multi-billion establishments suffocate the small business, pushing it out of operation. In the case of my ideal nation, the government will intervene as a means of modifying the market environment and yield fair competition.
Fair competition and the development of small business can be warranted by providing tax exemptions for a business that report annual revenue of less than $100,000. The bottom line here is that small firms can benefit from alleviation of the extra-burden in the form of business taxes. Therefore, such companies can lease back their profits into the business and grow. While huge corporations have to endure high taxation, the high revenue accrued by such entities reduces the impact of the increase in expenses. Ultimately, the proposed adjustment will give small business a lifeline for survival in today’s fiercely competitive market.
The advantages of the tax exemption for small business will be profound. Empirical studies elucidate that more than 50% of start-ups go under due to mismanagement or high operational costs ( Boyd, 1988) . In this accord, granting small business a tax exemption alongside business training will allow them to survive the turbulent economic environment. Typically, the policy will create an environment that gives start-ups a fighting chance against established multi-billion firms. Therefore, people who have not been able to get formal employment can engage in business as a way of gaining a livelihood; Hence, guaranteeing happiness for the majorities.
Active Government Involvement in the Economy
Although a myriad of market models exist, I believe my ideal society will be better served, and a majority of the people will be happy if the government is directly involved in commerce. While the government may pursue privatization of public companies in a bid to get the public engages and foster fair competition that improved the quality of goods and services availed to the public, it is imperative that the government remains involved in the economy and retains control of delicate goods ( Boyd, 1988) . Typically, goods that can be deemed as sensitive because the nation will be worse off if they are hoarded or oversupplied would be controlled by the government of my ideal society. Firstly, the responsibility to supply power and electricity will be reserved for the national government. The government will set low prices for both electricity and water to ensure the two essential commodities are available to all at an affordable price ( Boyd, 1988) . Living such sensitive goods at the hands of private companies may be disastrous because such establishments may strive to make profits at the expense of the wellness of the public. The government will also be actively involved in who is allowed to purchase a firearm. Firearms at the hands of wrong people could be calamitous for the nation because it would trigger a wave of homicides and crime.
In conclusion, my ideal society that warrants the happiness of the greatest number of people is one in which education is free, the cost of health care is shared, security personnel do not engage in racial profiling, small businesses stand a chance against multinational entities, and the government is directly involved in the economy. Although the ideas proposed in this paper may not be applicable in a real-life setting due to logistical issues, the policies will warrant education for all, quality care for all citizens, fairness in the mannerism in which law enforcement personnel interact with people of different socio-economic classes, a thriving chance for small business, and the entire population will be able to obtain water and electricity at affordable prices.
References
Boyd, R. L. (1988). Government involvement in the economy and the distribution of income: A cross-national study. Population Research and Policy Review , 7 (3), 223-238.
El-Jardali, F., & Fadlallah, R. (2017). A review of national policies and strategies to improve quality of health care and patient safety: a case study from Lebanon and Jordan. BMC health services research , 17 (1), 568. doi:10.1186/s12913-017-2528-1.
Leibold, M., Mengistu, B., & Pindur, W. (2015). Community Policing in a Multicultural Community Environment: Marketing Issues for a Police Service, with Specific Reference to South Africa. In Proceedings of the 1998 Multicultural Marketing Conference (pp. 211-215). Springer, Cham.
Page, M., & Clawson, D. (2019). It’s time to push for free college. NEA. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/home/62740.htm .
Riley, J. (2010). Mill’s extraordinary utilitarian moral theory. Politics, Philosophy & Economics , 9 (1), 67-116.
