Hypothetically, would a perfect society be the result of a perfect system or perfect people?

Question

Is it the system that enables the people to become perfect, or is it the people who make the system work perfectly?

Could perfect people make any system work perfectly?

Could the perfect system make any people perfect?

Are peace, love, happiness and success better achieved by implementing external systems (Laws, incentives, consequences, etc.) to push people in the right direction, or are they better achieved by helping people to become internally motivated by love, kindness, consideration, etc.


By "System" I mean external structures like government, economics, religion (in some cases), ect.

By "Perfect" I mean hypothetically the best possible system or the best that people can be.

Answer 1

if both wern't perfect, it would not be a perfect society, but I guess you are a what came first chicken or egg kind of question, whether a perfect government would create perfect people or perfect people making making a perfect government, I'd say perfect people making a perfect government, nonetheless both would have to end up perfect for a perfect society.

Answer 2

Wow! Way to go with the operational definitions! Personally I think you'd need the combination simply because it would be extremely difficult to have one without the other. You could have the perfect system, but if the people are corrupt, it loses it's perfection. You could also have perfect people, but if they have no government system or one that doesn't function well, the society would not be perfect that way either.

And I'm personally an advocator of the intrinsic motivation, but you can't force it on people and there will always be those who NEED external motivation. It's really a shame.

Answer 3

My perfect society would do away with federal governments and empower states to decide how they tax, what they pay for and what kinds of laws/agreements they wanted to live under. In my perfect world there would be communal societies and capitalistic societies that reflect their people's diversity in opinion about the the best way to live. Governments would not invest 68 cents on the dollar on the military and defense because governments would not meddle in the world's affairs, but its people would give charitably to the poor and struggling in their country and around the world. Everyone would contribute to the best of their ability, be fairly compensated for their work and have a decent clean standard of living. People would respect racial and religious diversity, cherish social bonds and view money as only a tool to get what you need and not a symbol on which to judge and wealth would be based on contributions to society and not on inheritance. Produce would be pesticide free and not genetically engineered, foods would have a maximum of 1 preservative and be essentially all natural, with no chemical additives. Children would not be given Ridlen at school. Health care would be affordable and drive no one into bankruptcy. Homes would not take 20+ years to pay for when they take roughly 3 months to build. Above all people would value each other as their greatest asset and live in harmony with the other animals and respect Mother Earth.

Answer 4

Systems are an odd thing. True 'open loop' systems seem to be a natural impossibility: these 'dissipative structures' survive by operating in a state of seemingly constant imbalance--and yet they exist (whirlpools and the human body's electro-chemical responses are examples) and even thrive.
As such, I do not believe that perfection is either achievable or even desirable. Perfection is the end of all striving, all effort, all doubt, all romantic notions of flawlessness. To paraphrase an old euphemism: the pursuit of the goal is often more desirous than the achievement of the goal itself. Would you be willing to sacrifice this, the very pursuit of humanity?

Answer 5

I don't believe that there is a perfect person. However, perfect organizational systems enable imperfect people to become as perfect as that individual person can be.

The perfect organizational system must take into consideration many factors: however, culture is probably the most important. Culture influences how people see motivational factors.....which is more important (intrinsic vs. extrinsic).

So to have the perfect society, one would have to have the perfect organizational system for the perfect "target" culture. Different systems are or "more perfect" for different cultures.

Answer 6

In BF Skinner's Walden Two people are encouraged by their social structure to become perfect people.

There is not real difference in internal motivation and external motivation. What is said to be internal is simply the more distant and harder to perceive past experience of a person.

Answer 7

The only perfect society is a society without emotion. Clearly with free will and the need for freedom I don't think there will ever be a perfect society.

Answer 8

I think that If the system would work for us the hard working "middle class" the ones who the govenment takes all of our money in taxes from and gives it to people who do not want to work and do drugs all day, neglect their kids and get rid of welfare for the people who abuse the system. Make random drug testing for welfare recipents and kick them off for being dirty(this will not take up too much money because on the first test it would be dirty for almost all) I am tired of the system scerwing me and the people like me who are expected to get by on pennies every month while people take all my hard earned money for drugs and get away with it. so in short to answer your question i think that the system is a long way from making thins perfect