The Epitome of Public Enemy

The Epitome of Public Enemy

Political dissidents abound in the United States, a fact that worries conservatives like Michael Barone. In the question of whether a Socratic gadfly is a benefit to society or, as Barone terms it, a "covert enemy," I will explain both Barone's and Socrates' arguments, after which I will give arguments in favor of questioning the government and its policies. Finally, I will respond to an important objection that Barone could bring up against my point and the evidence I will use to support it. Accordingly, I will demonstrate that in controversial issues, it is the duty of the citizen according to his social contract with his government to examine the policies and actions of his government.

Barone cites moral relativism, liberal university professors, and the liberal media as the origins of the covert enemies who "undermine faith in our society and confidence in its goodness" (Barone, The enemies in our midst). Moral relativists believe that every perspective has its merits and no perspective is better than another; therefore there can be no right or wrong moral answer. In this model, there is no chance of justifying any war, because everything would be considered morally ambiguous. However, even moral relativists would be inclined to agree that the bombing of Pearl Harbor justified the US entry into World War II, thus creating a contradiction and nullifying their argument. The "elites who run our universities and our schools" (Barone, The enemies in our midst) pollute the minds of their students by focusing more on the negative side of history than the positive, giving the impression that the West can do no good. When the negative aspect of history is the focal point, pessimism prevails and gives students a lack of hope for improvement in today's society. Students look for negative aspects of government policy, and have no expectations of progress regarding these negative features in policy. In the same way, the media only reports bad news, thereby contributing to this cynical outlook. Barone attributes this negativity to defectors of the Vietnam War who have "propagated their ideas through the universities, the schools and mainstream media to the point that they are the default assumptions of millions" (Barone, The enemies in our midst). Barone disapproves of spoon-feeding opinions to the masses, especially opinions that criticize governmental policy.

Like Barone, Socrates disapproves of the willingness of the masses to accept what they are told. He uses the elenctic method to question men who were thought to be wise and subsequently found that they were merely arrogant. Socrates promotes leading an examined life, which does not exclude oneself, but also pertains to questioning the reliability and the competence of elected officials to do their jobs. When faced with death, Socrates stands by philosophy, describing himself as "one that awakens, cajoles, and reproaches" (Plato, The Apology, 30e) the citizens of Athens and keeps them safe from the incapacitating malady of complacency.

Socrates' method rose hostility from those who he critiques, and those who follow in his path thousands of years later face similar hostility from modern "wise" men and their supporters. It is only natural for those who are critiqued to be defensive when attacked, especially when the attacks are valid. Regardless, the government and its officials must be held accountable to its citizens for its policies and actions. It is necessary for those who gather as much information as possible and use it to develop informed beliefs to continue to question and to stay open minded to more information. Socrates does not stop at examining others, but encourages continued examination of oneself and one's own beliefs.

Both Socrates and Barone would argue that biased information has a detrimental effect on the people's ability to make objective decisions. However, Barone's illustrations of slanted history lessons, in my experience, do not hold. For example, contrary to Barone's example, I was taught more about the "American military forces liberat[ing] millions from tyranny" (Barone, The enemies in our midst) in World War II than about the internment of Japanese-Americans. Another example that Barone himself gives is the fact that millions of Americans buy and read biographies of the Founders of our nation, contrary to the supposedly negative teachings they receive from the liberal elite who teach them. Barone's criticism of liberal schools and media is weak, and according to my experience and the rebuttal Barone provided himself, it is evident that he does not simply think that education and media should be unbiased, allowing people to formulate their own viewpoints, but that both should be slanted in a pro-state manner.

On the other hand, Socrates uses the elenctic method of questioning to obtain the most precise and effective answer. Socrates' objective is to use questions to clarify the interlocutor's position, but more often than not a solid conclusion is not reached. Even if a workable conjecture is achieved, one must persist in examining vis-Ð" -vis other points of view as they arise