Basic Elements of Libertarian, Egalitarian, Utilitarian, and Communitarian Societies (Essay Sample)

Basic elements of libertarian, egalitarian, utilitarian, and communitarian societies
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Basic elements of libertarian, egalitarian, utilitarian, and communitarian societies
Each and every society is unique in its own way. This is because each society has its own way of doing things. However, several similarities can be drawn from the different societies thus making it possible to group societies which have many things in common together. As a result, societies can be classified as egalitarian, libertarian, communitarian or utilitarian societies.
Free markets, individual liberty and small governments are the basic elements that make up libertarian societies ( Beauchamp & Bowie, 2004,p.539). The most important of these elements is individual liberty which basically means that people are generally free to do what they want on condition that they do not interfere with other people or their property without express permission. The societies are characterized with small or limited governments thus they have constitutions that limit the powers of governments by diffusing concentration of power. Thus the government has little influence in people’s social and most importantly economic spheres of life because the societies are free market systems. The American society has embraced the free market system which puts emphasis on free enterprise from the libertarian societies. In egalitarian societies the fundamental element is equality. In such societies all people are treated the same and regarded as equal regardless of their social status ( Beauchamp & Bowie, 2004,p.569).. This is because they believe that regardless of moral status or fundamental worth all human beings are equal. The American constitution upholds the rule of law since everyone is equal before the law irrespective of social status, religion or race. Moreover, the constitution protects minority groups from any form of discrimination. These ideals enshrined in the American constitution have been borrowed from egalitarian societies.
Utilitarian societies believe that what makes something right or wrong is determined by the utilitarian standard. The utilitarian standard basically means that the option that brings about the most positive outcomes is the best fit to be applied ( Beauchamp & Bowie, 2004,p.601). Thus in social spheres the utilitarian standard is used to determine what is right and what is wrong while in political spheres the utilitarian standard is used to determine which laws, policies or forms of government are unjust or just. Utilitarianism is reflected in Americas political decisions particularly those concerning the use of the military. For instance, the military has been deployed in hostile regions to fight radical Islamic terrorism despite the fact that it will result in many casualties and injuries in the American military because it will make the homeland a safer place. On the other hand, communitarian societies are characterized by the importance of the community in both social and political life ( Beauchamp & Bowie, 2004,p.656). Unlike libertarian societie...