All fail but all are necessary

Philosophy has been barren so long, says Bacon, because she needed a new method to make her fertile. The great mistake of the Greek philosophers was that they spent so much time in theory, so little in observation. But thought should be the aide of observation, not its substitute. Will Durant - The Story of Philosophy.

We are victims today much like the Greeks 2400 years ago. Our dogmatic adherence to worshipping freedom and liberty in an age in gross excess suggests that our theories on human nature need some refinement. Rousseau promoted human instincts as the purest, most reliable form of truth and hence liberalism - because he convinced the revolutionaries that without the confines of aristocratic society, man was naturally moderate. I don't advocate a return to aristocracy but perhaps a revision on our idea of human nature or moderation is in order.

Lets look at the evidence - has the Internet - the great enemy of culture - made us more moderate? Has the deregulation of gambling made us more moderate gamblers? Have 24 hour drive thrus made us more moderate eaters?

The only thing that I know of that reliably makes man more moderate is education. Rousseau anticipating my response and helpfully provided a retort "Education does not make a man good; it only makes him clever - usually for mischief. "It was even a saying among the philosophers themselves that since learned men had appeared, honest men were nowhere to be found."

He has a point - there is ample evidence to support this allegation too. Did the lawyers deliver justice in the OJ trial with their commitment to truth? Why is so little of the medical profession devoted to the prevention of cancer instead of the cure? Is it their higher allegiance to truth? What about the accountants and their ability to identify and report on fraudulent books?

Self governing professions need to be held accountable to their communities that they serve. Can we call the medical, legal and accounting professions to be pillars of our communities - shielding the lay people from disease, injustice and corruption? Reason without allegiance to some higher standard than oneself - God, King or country - or just plain old fashioned truth. It is not that doctors, lawyers and accountants intend to mislead - its that they get so good at considering all perspectives and they become equal valid. The result in a capitalist system that rewards research grants, winning cases and satisfying customers means that the small voice of the public interest is seldom heard until tragedy falls. Calls for the end of predatory lending were made in the US for many years and were still not negotiated with the handing out of the corporate bailouts.

Unfortunately, religion provides not much hope for being the champion of truth either. All Christian churches have been ridiculously recalcitrant in admitting to the reality of the sexual abuse occurring under their steeples for centuries, never mind contemplating how they may be inadvertently contributing to such colossal failures in the spiritual well-being of their employees.

From all this pessimism you likely think I believe that humans are naturally evil but I don't. I conclude that we need a new philosophical paradigm - the trinity of truth - trump to none!