What form of civil disobedience would work best against a nation that functioned under a social contract that make racism, sexism classism, and ageism legal? I believe the best form of civil disobedience that would against this type of social contract would be egoism. With this form of civil disobedience anyone would do what he or she feels is best for them, and in the end they will find what is best for them is what is best for all. The two other options for civil disobedience Subjectivism and Cultural Relativism have many short comings that would be less useful in dealing with a social contract like this.
These short comings would make using these beliefs useless and in some case reinforce the social contract of this kind of society. Subjectivism would not work as a civil disobedience for many reasons. Subjectivism in its true form would allow people to do as they see right. If this was the case then racism, sexism, classism and ageism that are a part of the social contract would seem right. Subjectivism is the view of the person, and if this social contract that they live in is all they know, then it is safe to say that they would view it as morally right.
If people view the social contract as right then no one would try to be disobedient to it. In nature people will do as they have always done. Anybody that goes against the norm, wheatear they be a victim of racism, sexism, classism and ageism or not would be considered morally wrong by the society as a whole. Subjectivism is the view of the individual, and what they view is morally correct. But if a individual lives in a society that views racism, sexism, classism and ageism as legal and correct, then so will the individual.
There is always an expectation to the rule, but in most cases people are followers and they will follow whatever others (society) are doing. Subjectivism really does not give people a choice, since people will choose what the society says is right or wrong. Cultural relativism would also not work as a form of disobedience against this kind of society because individuals that follow cultural relativism would view the ways of the cultural as right. If racism, sexism, classism and ageism were legal, then this would become the norm and apart of the cultural.
The laws of the land are one of many things that make up a cultural. If laws are just a part of a cultural as the types clothes or food, then people who follow cultural relativism would treat racism, sexism, classism and ageism as part of the cultural and the norm. This in itself would make using cultural relativism as a form of disobedience useless. This would not be true if there is another cultural living among the cultural of the society that view racism, sexism, classism and ageism as legal.
If another cultural that does not believe racism, sexism, classism and ageism should be legal, then they could be disobedient by following their cultural and viewing racism, sexism, classism and ageism as wrong and hatful. Of course if they followed cultural relativism to the tee then they would have to respect other cultural, which in the end would not work against this kind of society. Cultural relativism does require people of a another cultural to respect the culture’s custom’s and laws. This also would make using cultural relativism as a form of disobedience useless.
Ethical egoism would work best against a society the view racism, sexism, classism and ageism as legal because it puts the choice of what is really right or wrong in the hands of the individual. People who following ethical egoism do and view things that are in their best interest. The real argument is to decide what really is in the best interest for someone that follows ethical egoism. It does seem in the person’s best interest for them to not go against the society because that could cause legal troubles. But it also may be in the person’s best interest to treat other with respect because they could lash out at them, attach or hurt them.
I believe that a person following ethical egoism would choose not to follow the society and would not choose to be racist, sexist, classist and ageist because it is in their best interest not to be hurt. I believe if giving the choice people who follow ethical egoism would choose what is best for them at the given time, and not worry about things that could happen later. If given the choice of possibly placing their selves at harm by being racist, sexist, classist and ageist or going against the society I believe in most cases they would choose to go against the society.
People with tent to pick the less of two evils when place in between a rock and a hard place. Ethical egoism would work against this kind of society because people would start to see the benefits from having a society free of racism, sexism classism, and ageism. Some of these benefits would be a safe, judgment free, and comfortable society. These people would see that sooner or later they would become victims of this kind of society, so in the true spirit of ethical egoism these people would see a society free of racism, sexism classism, and ageism as their best interest.
This belief would be a great asset in working against this kind of social contract. In conclusion ethical egoism would be the best civil disobedience against a society that has social contract that makes racism, sexism classism, and ageism legal because it gives the power to the people to decide what is best for them. People would discover that a society free of racism, sexism classism, and ageism would be in there best interest and could use this knowledge in backing their civil disobedience.
Subjectivism and cultural relativism would be useless against this kind of society because these ethical theories would just reflect the same belief of society. Subjectivism would allow people to choose what the society does and people could not set up an argument against this kind of society using cultural relativism because it is not in the nature of the theory to question or go against a cultural that is not theirs. Ethical egoism would be the one theory that could give you the best hope of fighting against this kind of society.
