Introduction
As described in Fordham.edu, the given men desired a society where no one in society, state, or the world at large should let their personal ambitions infringe on the freedoms and well-being of the other.
What Is Best For Society According To These Men?
Montesquieu in describing what is best for the society he stated that there are three types of power in every government. The three types of power include the executive, the judiciary, and lastly the legislative power. He described an ideal society as one where there is political liberty. According to him, liberty involves a tranquility of mind of the subject.
In particular, Voltaire: Patrie tries to make the reader of his particular work think critically about what is one`s fatherland. He goes further and asks what would be the ideal fatherland so that one would feel proud of it. He notes that for centuries, man has not been able to govern himself perfectly and that men usually harm others to make their fatherland great ("Internet History Sourcebooks"). He goes further and suggests that in bringing harm to the other then one ceases to be a citizen of the world. He concludes by stating that the ideal citizen of the world is one who does not wish anything more or less of how he or she found his fatherland.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau states that there comes a time in life when the challenges to man`s preservation become more difficult than he can bare individually ("Internet History Sourcebooks"). In such a state, as Jean describes is when a man comes to associate with other men, and this brings about the social contract that every man must respect and uphold. According to Rousseau, the best for society is when everyone respects the terms of the social contract. The terms of the contract require everyone to be conscious as a member of a single body politic that exists for the mutual benefit of every individual.
How Can We Make This Ideal Society A Reality?
As reported in Fordham.edu, Montesquieu wrote that every person should have an opinion on his or her safety. The only way to achieve this is through ensuring that each arm of government operates independently from the either two ("Internet History Sourcebooks"). When the legislative and the executive are one, it potentially leads to tyrannical legal rules and a dictatorship. Further, the liberty of subjects ceases to be objective and becomes subjective when the judiciary and legislature are indistinct. Lastly, a magistrate or judge may become an oppressor when the judiciary becomes one body with the executive.
Voltaire: Patrie cautioned individuals against the danger of focusing one`s fatherland/own country. He challenged individuals to be citizens of the world and forget about the notion of the fatherland. As he noted, one country cannot be greater without making another smaller or richer without making another poorer. Therefore, the ideal state is achieved by not wishing one`s country to be richer, poorer, smaller or greater in his words.
In addition, Jean ideal world is where there exists a social contract; it becomes a reality through a number of ways as he explained. First, subjecting one`s individual will to the general will of the whole community. Secondly, understanding there is one indivisible and inalienable sovereign will in the state. Thirdly, there exists no such thing as citizen representation but citizen participation in the affairs affecting everyone in a country. Lastly, the state must have a civil religion that binds everyone in the country regarding general rules of morality.
In conclusion, many successful nations and countries have embraced to some significant degree the ideals stipulated by the stated men, while at the same time unstable societies and failed states have ignored the said ideals.
Work Cited
"Internet History Sourcebooks." Sourcebooks.Fordham.Edu, 2017, http://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1752voltaire.asp.
"Internet History Sourcebooks." Sourcebooks.Fordham.Edu, 2017, http://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/rousseau-soccon.asp.
"Internet History Sourcebooks." Sourcebooks.Fordham.Edu, 2017, https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/montesquieu-spirit.asp.
