Society And its Purpose
Book 3 - Determining the End of Civil Societies
CHAPTER 20
The relationship between the two political criteria which depend on the end of society
495. We can now at last look back and see the relationship between the two political criteria drawn from the end of society. We have spoken about the first criterion in a work we have often quoted,(233) and about the second in the present volume. In The Summary Cause for the Stability and Downfall of Human Societies, we considered society as moving towards its lowest limit, that is, towards its dissolution; in the present work, we have considered society as moving towards its upper limit, that is, towards the supreme end to which it is destined.(234)
When we considered society in its movement away from its end and towards dissolution, we established this criterion: `Rulers must always keep in view the preservation of those things on which the existence of the society rests, even at the cost of sacrificing other things.’ When we considered society in the movement drawing it ever closer to its end and leading it to perfection, we discovered two necessary ends, the proximate end and the remote but principal end. We then established this criterion: `All those who influence society must endeavour to attain the proximate end in such a way that it is subordinated to the remote, principal end.’
496. In examining the first of the two criteria, we found that `the things on which the existence of society rests change at the different social stages.’ We also saw that this change of direction in the force sustaining society would, if unending, finally lead to the destruction of society. In fact, if what is first sufficient to sustain society becomes insufficient, we have a sign that the sufficiency of the prior support is accidental and, therefore, present only under certain favourable circumstances. If society has constantly to change one of its perpetually fragile, temporary supports for another, a time comes in which such a series of doubtful supports ends, and unsustained society finally perishes.
We then tried to see if civil societies could anywhere find something stronger than themselves, and independent of circumstances, on which to rely. In other words, could something be found to guarantee the lasting existence of these societies? We did indeed find an immobile basis for these societies which however does not consist in physical force, or any other material good or means, but in something totally spiritual and as immortal as the human soul. The true foundation is justice whose sun, risen upon the world, is Christ,(235) and which in the Bible is called the `foundation of kingdoms’.
497. In examining the second of the two criteria (that societies must tend to their final end), we examined the nature of this final end and found that it could only be some good proper to human beings, that is, moral contentment of spirit. We also investigated the means suitable for attaining true contentment of spirit, and found that these varied at the different social stages; we found that the means which change society at one moment no longer produce the same effect at other times. We concluded that these means had no power, therefore, to content human beings fully, but produced their effect per accidens, granted certain external circumstances and especially certain momentary dispositions of the human spirit. It was not difficult to deduce the following important consequence: if such precarious, momentary means are all that can be found, human beings inevitably plunge into ultimate unrest and unhappiness. When the series of transitory good comes to an end, the human spirit still continues, but in vain, to seek better means designed to satisfy its ever-growing, hungry desires.
We then asked if there is any good which through its own intrinsic, lasting power can content the human spirit. We did indeed find that such a precious good exists, but not amongst anything that pertains to the feelable world. This good is spiritual, eternal. It is that same perfect, Christian justice which spread its warm rays over the dark, frozen world, and to which is joined the possession of the real, infinite good spoken of by the Bible when it says that it `took root in an honoured people.’(236)
From all this we can see that our analysis of the two political criteria we deduced from the end of civil societies — we examined this end in its relationship to the two contrary limits in which societies constantly move — shows how the criteria finally meet and provide the same result.
Notes
(233) SC.
(234) Cf. the Introduction to the present work.
(235) SC, c. 14.
(236) Sir 24: [12].
Book 4 - Contents