The Oracle Chapter 4 (Anthropos)
Society
(Koinonia)
1. The Oracle defines society as a system structured among human beings, designed to relate them to the mores and laws established.
2. Its conception is widely utilised as the foundation of genuine beliefs and knowledge. Videlicet, society is the prime example of human rational thinking and sagacity.
3. Its configuration permits the realisation of a certain pattern of thought conducive to logos and ethos. From among the world of mortal men, there are a select few born with the impeccable acumen of intellectual insight and the scibility of philosophical principles.
4. How we describe society is based on what we perceive to be congruent, and on the consilience of various elements of thought and instruction that construct its configuration.
5. Socrates said, "Most people, including ourselves, live in a world of relative ignorance. We are even comfortable with that ignorance, because it is all we know. When we first start facing truth, the process may be frightening, and many people run back to their old lives. But if you continue to seek truth, you will eventually be able to handle it better. In fact, you want more! It's true that many people around you now may think you are strange or even a danger to society, but you don't care. Once you've tasted the truth, you won't ever want to go back to being ignorant."
6. Within the fundamental structures of society, there exist reasons and truths that define our thoughts and are compatible with the concept of society. Reasons are measured by logic, and truths by reasoning. For many thinkers and believers, truths are measured by either faith or reason alone.
7. It is significant that we comprehend the meaning of society. "To move the world, we must move ourselves," said Socrates. What is meant by those emphatic words is that, in order to progress, one must become conscious of what is worthy and what is not.
8. Society provides people with the ability to conform or to innovate. What matters is our understanding of it and our ability to transcend it. It is meant to be a path of unity and co-existence rather than an exhibition of ego and an obsession with desire. One must recognise that wisdom is not innate nor acquired without the fulfilment of knowledge.
9. Society is regarded as a representation of human values and ethics. Within each of us lies a uniqueness in traits and a determination in purpose that binds us to the emerging ideals of society.
10. There is a fountain of sagacity in society, from which we may drink alongside others. Yet this act does not in itself endow one with wisdom. It merely begins the process of understanding the value and purpose of society.
11. We must remember that strife is a plight with a cause, and a reason with a purpose. To strive for the betterment of the many is more worthy in altruism than striving for the few. We may choose to be people of avidity or people of conviction.
12. It is philanthropy, not misanthropy, that is the mechanism of a viable society, wherein the value of others surpasses the value of the self. There exists a distinction between the oppressed and the oppressor. The voice of the oppressed speaks the truths of the oppressor. Epictetus said, "We are disturbed not by things, but by the views which we take of them."
13. Plato stated that an individual is just when each part of his or her inner self performs its functions without interfering with the others. For a society to function and be potent enough to sustain itself, it must have a purpose and meaning by which it may be substantiated and made enduring.
14. To rise up against vile tyranny and evoke the passion of just equality is the beginning of a lasting union of brethren and community. This union, in time, gives rise to a society that is just and equal for all.
15. A wise man is far better than a presumptuous man, for a wise man was once ignorant, whereas the presumptuous man will always remain an ignoramus. Society, in contrast, offers insight into different modes of thinking and the pitfalls of irrational thought.
16. Within the notion of society, there lies an emphasis on superficial impression rather than the authenticity of reality. Videlicet, we often impose our will upon others, all while forgetting to be humane and just towards those who dissent from our views and beliefs.
17. Society is supposed to be a structured selection of community, yet there are times when what we construct about society does not align with how we construe its optimal function. A reason does not justify a belief—it merely offers a supposed purpose for it. Truth is never wholly justified by reason alone.
18. What we fear is not always what we doubt, and what we seek is not always what we discover. The responsibility of society is not to itself, but to the people it represents in their entirety.
19. We cannot return to the past nor change the outcome of a future that has not yet occurred. We can only construct from the past and learn for the future. It is the present that we can control and shape. If it were merely a matter of man creating his own utopia through the power of his mind, then that utopia would be a plausible reality for all reasonable people. Unfortunately, such a notion would require compliance with a prevailing and universal doctrine, not imposed by the order of the mind, but by the reality of the world.
20. In society, there are many who walk behind their shadow unwillingly, and others who lose themselves within it. It is society’s role to teach and impart the value and validity of community. Epictetus said, "When you are offended at any man's fault, turn to yourself and study your own failures."
21. A person's tribulation is measured by the wisdom of words and deeds, not by the blind path of their mistakes. The one who toils in their errors must first learn the lesson of their mistakes to understand their impact.
22. Socrates believed that philosophy should achieve practical results for the greater well-being of society. He sought to establish an ethical system based on human reason rather than theological doctrine. Socrates maintained that human choices are driven by the desire for happiness. Ultimate wisdom comes from knowing oneself.
23. It is relevant to acknowledge that ethics and logos are integral to society, particularly when they are respected and upheld. We must not permit that the individual of great stature and status becomes the ultimate voice of society, while the one who bears the stigma of persona non grata is silenced.
24. When we are beholden to our visions and committed to their fulfilment, we enable ordinary people to become conscious of the society they inhabit. Each person must choose a path that defines them—either to be somebody or remain a nobody.
25. Be not what the world perceives of you, but what the world ought to know as truly representative of you. If society is a rational social construct, then it is we, the humans, who must think rationally. From one virgin thought, an entire society can be edified.
26. To admit to conformity is to deny the right to non-conformity. It is within this space that people become contemplative and creative. This is the philosophy of self-awareness and self-acceptance.
27. To accept your imperfections is natural. To assume perfection is unnatural. Acknowledging the most humane thing about yourself means accepting that you are a flawed being.
28. A world fashioned by man is one filled with contradictions and erroneous histories that have doomed past societies. A man must question his pride and determine what defines his persona and legacy. He either triumphs as victor or fails as the defeated. To suffer is often the only reality known by most in this world and society.
29. We live in a homogeneous society that evolves over time. We must therefore remain conscious that our societies are variables and our relationship with other humans forms the hyparxis of humanity. Are we merely products of social conformity or change, shaped by shifting patterns of behaviour and choices? If so, what does this reveal about the evolution of human intellect and maturity?
30. In society, people must accept who they are and who they are not. It is better to be remembered for what one has accomplished than for what one failed to achieve. Human rights and freedoms, such as the right to life and liberty, freedom of thought and expression, and equality before the law cannot function properly if people are subjected to the persistent dominance of corrupted religion, government, and economic enslavement.
31. Few will ever fully understand the reason for their birth or the inevitability of their death, save for the intrinsic truth that they are born and must one day die. If we consider that society is created and then destroyed, what emerges is the voice of the majority.
32. Man is first a foe to himself before he can be a friend to others. Destiny is an uncontrollable force, while providence is foresight that guides. "What it lies in our power to do, it lies in our power not to do," said Aristotle.
33. No one in society is entitled to anything, not even life. One must earn its broader understanding and work to attain its rewards. A nation is defined by the just clamour of the people, not the false glory of politicians. To bow to classism is to become a wayward phylarchy.
34. In society, there are individuals who toil daily, yet never know the wealth of the minority. A person poor in material wealth may be rich in wisdom and knowledge. To be overly proud is a vice, not a virtue.
35. The senseless classism in society must be eradicated. No person should be subjected to the selfish whims of oppressors. There are meaningful causes to champion and plights to engage with. Yet every cause and plight must be as authentic as the reason it claims.
36. "To be or not to be" is the proverbial question posed by many. But why do we continue seeking answers in society when we cannot discern their relevance? The ‘what if’ of something means little if we do not understand the ‘why’ of our existence.
37. Ergo, reason is the wisdom of the thinking person, while reasons are the excuses of the ignorant. Society is riddled with such disparities of minds and individuals, many of whom indulge in meaningless oration.
38. There is a philosophy each person should aspire to: to become all they can be to themselves and to others. From a multitude of nascent aspirations arise powerful inspirations.
39. In society, it is often the case that the guilty accept no guilt, while the honest accept their humanity. It is not for society to reward the innocent out of guilt's presumption; rather, society must be conscious of what guilt and innocence truly signify.
40. Evil is inherently good at being evil, while good is instinctively poor at being evil. The goodness we possess is fundamental to society and its moral application.
41. Therefore, we must be charitable and conscious of the people who live among us. As humans, we must never forget that we all derive from the same seed and blossom from that origin.
42. The Oracle offers us a philosophy that teaches the prioritisation of the needs of the many over the whims of the privileged few. Society must be cohesive, without glory or perversion, serving all who are part of its fabric.
43. We should not pity the poor merely for their poverty; we should pity the rich, for no amount of money can enrich a heart in humility. Their blind fervour for wealth may lead only to ominous self-destruction.
44. Time and the simplicity of life bind us together in society. We are given just one life that is universal and finite. From that, we must draw the inspiration to achieve or to fail.
45. What is fundamental to society is the understanding of the kindred principles of community and their necessity. Learning to be viscerotonic is learning to respect one another.
46. We can choose to live within the structure of society or retreat into solitary isolation. Living among others does not guarantee society’s benefits surpass those of personal autonomy; it merely presents an option.
47. Some societies are corrupted by ill will and duplicity. Such societies resemble oligarchies and tyrannies more than democracies. Yet democracy itself is not a guarantee of success or righteousness.
48. Over time, society manifests in many concepts, whether simple or complex. What matters is that we determine its structure and governance. We must not appoint leaders based solely on status or rank. Society needs true leaders, not rulers who ignore the equal voice of the people.
49. It is crucial to learn from the past and construct societies that are intellectually sound and passionately principled. "Good people do not need laws to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws," said Plato.
50. We cannot afford to be amathic in our philautia. We must be philanthropic and mindful of the less fortunate. Humility is a greater expression of humanity and awareness than the utinams of materialism.
51. The greatest achievement in society is the compassion we show to the meek and the poor. We must not shun the less fortunate whilst claiming moral integrity. We are duty-bound to remember our fellow humans with solemnity and respect.
52. It is not for the powerful to impose upon the powerless. Society was never intended to serve only the empowered or the intellectual elite, but all people who give it voice and purpose. I would rather live in a society of free thinkers than a society of imposed minds. A society of good rather than evil. However, I am cognisant of the fact that there is no perfect society, and it must be altered when it no longer serves the purpose of its function to the people and for the people.
53. No one is beyond the measure of reproach, just as no one is beyond the measure of accolades. Society cannot be the end to all injustices, just as it cannot be the beginning of justice. It is the cogent expression of the will of the masses.
54. If we linked the will of the people with the rights of the people, we would discover that the will and rights of each individual would be personified by the sole determination of the volition of the people to exist and to be heard.
55. This would imply that the most basic necessity of all societies is to have a stable relationship and comprehensibility with those who are their demonstrative beholders.
56. How could humanity aspire to function within its perimeters without the aspirations of philosophy? The world would be a better place, and our society a better haven for rational minds, if we accepted that time is measured by the continual passage of days and the fragile life of mortality that defines our impermanence.
57. Philosophy is the edification of our learning and teaching. Its effects upon society have been lasting and instructive. For centuries, it has given society the innovation of intuitive thinkers and progressive ideas that have led to the formation and creation of our Western societies.
58. It is the sagacious inculcation of philosophy that has defined the ethics and logic of established societies that profess knowledge and wisdom, and societies that have endured the good and the bad of their presumed rise and fall.
59. Democracies are not in themselves the absolute answer for society, but they do offer, through the opinion of the majority or the minority, the governance of a society. We must not be complacent with democracy, for it can be corrupted. Aristotle said, "The real difference between democracy and oligarchy is poverty and wealth. Wherever men rule by reason of their wealth, whether they be few or many, that is an oligarchy; and where the poor rule, that is a democracy." Thus, we cannot assume democracy is the only recourse for society.
60. The vile corruption of society is not the fault of philosophy but of the corrupters who have misled through their actions, whether via philosophy, societal systems, or religion. They are to be blamed for its corruption.
61. To advocate a secular society is neither nocuous nor illogical. It is far more prudent to speak of wisdom through philosophy than through religion. Philosophy is not restricted by the dogmas of religion; instead, it is conducive to the consciousness of the mind.
62. Minds such as Thales, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, inter alia, have left permanent remnants of their teachings and thinking that are revered and inspiring. Through the centuries, their teachings have respectfully endured.
63. Society represents the pattern of thought and ideas that are mostly the mirror reflection of what we devise and what we create. We are not entitled to anything by society, but only to what we merit and have earned by our actions and deeds.
64. Building a society is as vital as ensuring its survival. Without people, a society will eventually crumble and cease to function. How we treat each other will depend on the principles we inspire and practise those fundamental principles.
65. The confluence of thoughts that shape society is visibly seen in the influence of the modern thinker. It is the modern thinker who is always ruminating on the next idea, and a rational thinker who is always expressing a solution to that idea.
66. Equilibrium is necessary for the stability of a society. In our colluctation to progress, we are searching for the probity and dignity that we seldom find outside of philosophy.
67. It is philosophy that bestows upon us the faculty of understanding insoluble questions that seem inscrutable or involute in their answers. If human beings did not possess a sound structure of rational thinking, then any proposition would become a conflated argument of endless aporias and metabases.
68. The Oracle provides us with the utility and knowledge to reconcile the truth, along with the ability to learn from the inception of our cogitation. The intricacies of society’s intrinsic matters could be resolved if people were more reasonable and knowledgeable.
69. What is significant is that we realise that being a member of a society does not guarantee its rewards. It merely offers us the simplicity of belonging. What we do within that society depends on what we desire and need from it.
70. The valuable things we construct within society tend to endow us with prescience and sentience; qualities to which we should adhere in both their practice and function.
71. The profluence we ascertain in life does not make us more superior than others. Superiority is not the measure of success in philosophy. Rather, it is the postulation of consciousness that makes things more knowable to us and gives us the adhibition of logic through experience and knowledge.
72. When we search for the things we question, we are seeking answers to what we do not yet know, or attempting to facilitate our peirastic process, upon which we depend.
73. Within society, there exist fascinating ideas that are antinomic or abstract, with no real value except as visionary concepts. Society must be based on realistic propositions that can be maintained and employed.
74. The intrinsic nature of a society aligns with the hypoleptical notion of a philosophy that is epagogic through logic and alethic in nature, and plerophoric with its knowledge.
75. From the early days of paideia, there has been a continuation of superb philosophers who have rightly espoused their schematic principles of a proper and just society.
76. To what extent do trust and deliberation form part of the concatenation of reason and logic? What kind of society would prevail without reason and logic? Religion makes no sacrifice, except unto its own doctrines. What, then, are we to learn from these doctrines that place faith and miracles above reason and logic?
77. A man with faith will never dare question his belief. Thus, he remains limited in knowledge. But a man with philosophy will. He dares to venture where the religious man dares not. It was men of philosophy who created the society that first gave us democracy.
78. Once more, a society of free thinkers is far more advanced than a society of narrow-minded zealots who advocate strict dogmas over just ideas. When I observe today's society, I see materialism in its purest form of capitalism.
79. A society devoid of free thinkers is a dead society, doomed to the perils of failure and vengeance. All aspiring peoples have the inalienable right to manifest and choose to be independent and free nations among the determined nations of liberty.
80. Wars and conflicts have haunted past societies and plague the present ones embroiled in the savagery of men. For this reason, men forget their humanity and forsake society. Patriotism is the grandeur of the politicians and the blind faith of the populace. The tragedy of mankind is not war itself, but the destructive repetition of its use.
81. There are few constants in society, and those that are protean are found in societies that advance and prosper. Unfortunately, in our society, two deleterious elements control our habits: unnecessary vices and rancour.
82. The question is not whether one society is better than another, but whether a society can fully adapt to the needs of another and be reasonable. Power can never belong to a single man, for no man on Earth is entitled to the supreme appellation of an absolute god.
83. When philosophy governs man, it renders society more knowledgeable and wiser, not due to his persona, but through the acquisition of learning. Such a man tends to leave behind a society enriched with exposition and clarification of thought.
84. When we utilise the concepts of ethos and logos, we are embracing the belief that those in society who follow these elements of philosophy bear a consciousness of justice and temperance.
85. We have learnt that societies with consuetudes and reverence for other denizens are more conducive to philosophical principles than monarchies or plutarchies. A utopian society is no better than a dystopian one if it is based on falsehoods or mere suffering.
86. Suffering is common among people in society, but it must not be the defining trait. Society must represent the less fortunate but never forsake its representation of all its members. Why grant power, privilege, and wealth to tyrants who serve only to be worshipped?
87. For a society to prosper, it must act on the ideas that build it, not those that doom it. We are born with the actuality of knowing, and through our experiences, we gain potentiality. However, to be a knower does not mean we possess knowledge. It merely defines our capacity, not our substance.
88. When society no longer functions at full capacity, it becomes a face of corruption and deviation. One does not need to be Greek to understand the philosophy of Thales, Zeno, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, or the Stoics. One only needs to grasp the core of their philosophy.
89. Society is not conditioned by gender, race, or nationality. It is the embodiment of humanity in all its aspects and broad representation. Within the world’s commonality, there exist elements that retain the universality and uniformity of intelligible essence.
90. A society of the selected few is not the same as a society of the justified many. The plurality of our governments and societies must always be rooted in secularism and free thinking, not in obsolete religious dogmas. Why require religious interposition when ethics and logic can guide us in this new age?
91. What will be left of society for posterity depends on how that society develops through its arduous processes. We cannot remain anthropocentric indefinitely; we must evolve both as a society and as a species. Aristotle claimed that even written laws ought not to remain unaltered if society demands change.
92. Philosophical discourse is at the nucleus of society. It is the foundation of logic and ethics upon which societies establish and emulate their virtues. Words are meaningless without active voice, weight, and purpose in self-expression and autexousious optimality.
93. Socrates believed that wealth does not bring goodness, but goodness brings wealth. Those words remind us that imbonity achieves only the material, not what is good for our civility and self.
94. Aristotle believed society cannot justify its existence without the virtues of its members. Otherwise, society will face the just clamour of civic dissatisfaction.
95. Class and status alone do not merit reverence. As Aristotle said, "Every community is an association of some kind, and every community is established with a view to some good; for everyone always acts in order to obtain that which they think good."
96. Society must represent philosophical tenets but not be foolish in their pursuit. No man or woman is above fair judgement simply due to rank or status. There is no place for the pompous to impose their will upon others. Injustice stems from society’s ignorance toward the plight of the less fortunate and forgotten.
97. A true and just society treats all members with respect and equality. When ruled by oligarchs, monarchs, or plutarchs, it is doomed from the outset. True justice must reflect evidence, not speculation. Justice, I believe, is more suitable for those wronged than for those who only wield it.
98. Societies are not destined to be governed, they are governed by us. A republic cannot stand without the people, nor be ruled by oligarchs. It must be guided by a constitution that upholds conviction, governance and authority.
99. Societies are not meant to be overthrown. What must be challenged and, at times, dismantled are governments, monarchies, dictatorships, and similar regimes when they act in defiance of justice. It is the character and conduct of rulers that we must scrutinise, not the collective fate of the people. We must not take justice into our own hands by imposing our will upon those who are neither willing nor awakened to the cause. When a society is built solely upon class, privilege, and power, it becomes corrupt and unjust, serving only its own greed. In such times, we must not descend into chaos, but rise with clarity. True change comes not through force, but through unity. We must coalesce with the need to transform and to do so, we must unite under a common banner of reason, virtue, and justice.
100. Society needs more of the virtues found in men and women who place the needs of others before their own, who act not out of self-interest, but out of conscience. It needs a morality rooted not in religion, but in philosophy. The guiding principles of democracy do not belong to a chosen elite or to the illusion of divine entitlement. For society to be just and enduring, it must be led by those who embody virtue and who govern with moral clarity. Without such foundations, democracy becomes mere pretense, and society fractures beneath the weight of its own injustice.
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