Throughout the history of humanity, human beings have searched for the answers to the most bewildering questions of our existence. These questions range from the cliché “what is the meaning of life?” to the more specific, yet still difficult to answer, questions such as “what is the right way to live?”. Many have attempted to answer these questions, only to later discover their answer lacks in some critical manner. On the other hand, segments of these arguments do provide a basis in establishing a foundation for a more general and clearly stated morality. When analyzing and comparing the ideologies of Foucault and dialogue, Dewey and democracy, Martin Luther King Jr. and justice, and finally ...view middle of the document...
Next, on a broader scale, Dewey wished to identify the components that make a true democracy. Contrary to the widely held opinion, democracy is not just a system that citizens of a society follow, according to Dewey “it is a way of life” (Dewey Notes 1/22). Another important aspect of Dewey’s democracy is the “freedom of thought” (Dewey Notes 1/22) which allows the spreading of ideas and the freedom to question everything around one’s self. Stemming from this is another critical aspect of Dewey’s democracy which is equality. “Equality is not sameness” (Dewey Notes 1/22) according to Dewey, rather a legal and political equality with “equality of possible development” (Dewey Notes 1/22). More specifically, equal opportunities for education and work amongst the individuals within the democracy. Dewey’s democracy also requires a broad participation from the individuals. This allows relative equality in regards to representation of certain populations in the democracy, formation of broader values, social welfare, and individual development. Another major aspect of Dewey’s democracy is trust. The citizens of the democracy invest their trust into representatives that will represent the citizen’s opinion in economic, social, and political matters. The key is to not break this trust between citizen and representative.
Thirdly, Martin Luther King Junior’s discussion of justice could be seen as a subset of Dewey’s democracy. King discusses an equally important notion of distinguishing what is just and un-just. King suggests that man’s law should “square with the moral law of God” (MLK Notes 1/27) and should “uplift the human personality” (MLK Notes 1/27). Justice, according to King, should follow a democratic process in which laws are put into place by the majority vote. The issue King indicates with this, especially during the Civil Right era, that some laws pertain only to the minority. These laws are not just for the “majority must follow the same laws as the minority” (MLK Notes 1/27). The relationship established between the majority and the minority should not be an “I, it” relationship, but rather an “I, thou relationship” designating an equality amongst human beings rather than a human being and an object relationship. King also separates the three levels of how justice pertains to all individuals. The first level, self-interest, is the mere fact that injustice does not discriminate and could affect anyone. The second level, state, is if one “limits the progress of a group, that particular group can not contribute to society as a whole” (MLK Notes 1/27). Finally, the third level, humanity, is if another “human being loses the right to be human, humanity as a whole must stand as human to abolish the laws or policies that permit such an action” (MLK Notes 1/27). In sum, according to King “injustice anywhere, is a threat to just everywhere” (MLK Notes 1/27).
Furthermore, Royce’s philosophical moral insight suggests that humans are no more than...
