Honesty and social ideals. In search of a new pattern

Abstract

The article considers the problem of the depreciation of standards of integrity in modern societies. It indicates the relations between social ideals and standards defining the implementation of these ideals. In this context, it invokes the thesis of T. Merton, who claims that the standards that hinder the realization of ideals tend to be eliminated from social life. This happens with the standard of integrity in societies where the main ideal is to achieve success in the economic dimension.
The changes in the axiological field are associated with moving away from the elite culture model and choosing an egalitarian model. Liberal ideals in this model are tailored to the needs of the mass. Personal values are replaced with utilitarian values. Egalitarianism, rejecting the elite imperative to improve, leads to resentment. The consequence of this process is depreciating values and moral standards.
The society becomes aware of the bareness of the egalitarian model of culture. Signs of dissatisfaction with the current model and the ideal associated with it become visible, because the degeneration of moral standards leads to the loss of the sense of safety and to the corrosion of people’s relationships.
The history shows that the two described models compete with each other and alternate. Armed with this knowledge, we can support the attempts to develop the elite social projects that are still waiting for a new synthesis.