The Ideal Republic: An Ideal Republic

Humans by their very nature are selfish creatures. We intrinsically work towards what is best for our own survival and wellbeing. While virtues may help guide our everyday decisions along with helping us make life in society to be fruitful and functional, without any form of punishment to discourage bad behavior, humans are bound take advantage a situation in which the positives outweigh the negatives, even when their own morals may come into question. This is an undeniable reality that has reared its face time and time again throughout the course of history. An ideal republic, for this very reason, is not situated to deal with the with shortcomings of humankind due to its own flaws. The way a republic is structured and its potential for abuse

When looking at a republic which attempts to preserve liberty, based on Mill’s description of what liberty truly is, in order to avoid tyranny of the majority, Mill says that the voting electorate must view itself in the shoes of the entire nation as opposed to a point of view that solely benefits themselves. Mill goes on to state how this must also be complimented with some form of utilitarianism. As the ability to truly represent the wishes of the whole populous is nearly impossible when dealing with large populations, and only temporary considering viewing smaller populations. This thought process would allow for the nation to progress as a whole, albeit slowly, yet cohesively while respecting that opinions of all those who are a part of it. Republics can only function cohesively and ideally under a certain sets of conditions. First and foremost, the population would have to be completely homogenous in terms of thought and ideology, an actuality that can only be reached by means of religion or complete indoctrination. And even then, an ideal republic can only exist on a small scale for a limited amount of time, this is due to the natural progression of ideology and opinion from one generation to the next. Yet a core tenant of one’s acceptance into a republic is a certain removal of personal freedom in order to benefit those all taking part. In a republic not bounded my any form of virtues or morals, in order to be self-sustaining, the republic would have to be able to withstand a constant influx of residents as their views shifted. This constant migration of citizens is necessary as a republic or else it ceases to function as it was intentionally functioned to, allowing each man his own find his own freedom when he sees that under attack. In fact, the existence of a vote in