Free Minds for a Free and Moral Society: A Critical Exposition of the Deceits of Utopian Régimes

A Critical Exposition of the Deceits of Utopian Régimes

Abstract

Lord Action's aphorism "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely"[i] (Lazarski, 2012) conveys plenty of humanistic connotations all in all. It not only includes forewarnings to democracy and freedom lovers; but also to those who prefer aesthetic and existential pursuits. Moreover, it is also why the above aphorism has been conveyed and affirmed by many thinkers in various ways. Adding to it, who has access to 'corrupted absolute power' other than the so-called State and is not unaware of any form of government's atrocities? Of course, many of us would come up with specific instances to show that not all states are corrupted and may consider it to be a partial truth to generalize the State as a corrupted agency. Surprisingly, some dreamers are more often optimistic about the ideal State than others are. Nevertheless, following the evidence-based studies and philosophical approach, the present paper's author asks whether it is a matter of fact or simply based on an unjustified belief. In short, the author aims to propose questions to those who still hope for an ideal state despite knowing the darkest human history of how great utopias and political ideologies of ideal states were rehabilitated into catastrophic dystopias no matter what form of government we have established. Considering such encounters, we aim to provide a counter-narrative regarding the idea of an ideal state to philosophize what sort of challenges we need to overcome to achieve the values we assume should be achieved via state formation.  

[i] Lazarski, C. (2012). Power Tends To Corrupt: Lord Acton's Study of Liberty. Germany: Cornell University Press.p. 11