The Doctrines Of Necessity And The End Justifying The Means
R.M.B. Senanayake
The Opposition has leveled various allegations of corruption and financial irregularities against the President, The President has not responded to them but instead at the recent Momentum Forum argued that he should be judged only by results- the results of the development activity he engaged in. He also added that corruption was a necessary part of the process of development. Do we accept this view?
Should the individual be sacrificed for the good of the society?
This view holds that for the good of the society the individual’s happiness must be sacrificed. But this is the view of the Fascists and the Communists who believed that the interests of the State are above that of the individuals who compose it. This is the collectivist myth. The State is only the instrument of the people to protect the individual from any violence or depredations imposed by other individuals. The State is required only to maintain order and peace between the individuals in a society; since the alternative is to allow all individuals to use force to settle their disputes which would lead to chaos. The establishment of the State by giving it the monopoly of the use of force, is man’s prudent innovation to maintain peace and order among human beings. The State did not exist before the individuals that comprise it. So there can be no interests of the State except the interests of the individuals that compose it. The same applies to society. We could say that the interests of the society are the interests of the individuals who form it. There is of course an issue when the interests of individuals differ and minority versus majority emerge.Read More