KARACHI:
The philosophical principles of morality and justice help shape the political landscape of a nation. Pondering over such key notions not only shapes democracy within society but also help in constantly rethinking it.
In this regard, many people have turned to Aristotle’s principles as the most suitable philosophy for the current age. He, as one may know, emphasised strongly on the role of government in lecturing the citizens on the principles of morality. On the other hand, however, many have criticised this viewpoint and believe that Immanuel Kant philosophical premise is more apt. Kant confined the role of government to the territory of protecting individual freedom and preventing it from the infiltration of intruders, which could be an individual or a group.
According to Aristotle, the purpose of the polis or the state is to shape characters, to cultivate the virtue of citizens, to inculcate civic excellence and to make possible a good way of life. For Kant, on the other hand, the purpose of law or the point of the polis is to set up a fair framework of rights within which citizens may be free to pursue their own conception of good for themselves. Here we see a clear difference between both conceptions.
Since society plays a critical role in the democratic process, it makes it binding upon the ruler to secure its trust almost every time. In Pakistan we see that political opponents engage in a bitter exchange of words or political mudslinging to secure the trust of the public. In the process, the problems of the downtrodden never see a light of rectification. Apparently, it seems that our government is no more interested in protecting the individual right to life, liberty and property. A serious reworking of moral principles needs to be conducted in order to keep our house in order.
Muhammad Tayyab
Rawalpindi
Published in The Express Tribune, March 11th, 2021.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
