johnt – yes, that was quite a change in Athens. From the utopian totalitarianism of Plato to the humanist realism of Aristotle. I recommend Karl Popper’s ‘The Open Society and Its Enemies’ for a thorough analysis of Plato (and Hegel and Marx) and their totalitarian ideologies. [Though I disagree with him on Aristotle; he seems to align Aristotle with Plato and the two are polar opposites.]
Yes, it’s quite remarkable to analyze the Christian ideology for its societal functions. Not its metaphysical but its societal; that is, what would be the results in an economic community if you followed the Christian axioms of ‘how do we interact with ourselves and others’? It’s equally fascinating to consider the Judaic and the Islamic using this analytic perspective. My view is that these religious ideologies are always based within economic and societal realities.
And yes, the notion of individual sin, intentionality, responsibility and redemption, is a key aspect of the Christian perspective. A basic strength.
As for the state, well, since we are also necessarily communal beings, because our knowledge base is learned rather than genetic, it’s a necessary evil so to speak. Our task is to enable the state/govt to keep us as a coherent community without giving it the ability to smother and repress our individuality. Not an easy task. I consider the US Constitution one of the key documents that sets up such a positive structure and am concerned as are so many, of the growth of ‘progressive statism’ and the ‘entitlement population’ that sidelines the Constitution.
