The Urantia Book

71. Development of the State

4. Progressive Civilization

^71.4.1 Economics, society, and government must evolve if they are to remain. Static conditions on an evolutionary world are indicative of decay; only those institutions which move forward with the evolutionary stream persist.

^71.4.2 The progressive program of an expanding civilization embraces:

^71.4.3 1. Preservation of individual liberties.

^71.4.4 2. Protection of the home.

^71.4.5 3. Promotion of economic security.

^71.4.6 4. Prevention of disease.

^71.4.7 5. Compulsory education.

^71.4.8 6. Compulsory employment.

^71.4.9 7. Profitable utilization of leisure.

^71.4.10 8. Care of the unfortunate.

^71.4.11 9. Race improvement.

^71.4.12 10. Promotion of science and art.

^71.4.13 11. Promotion of philosophy - wisdom.

^71.4.14 12. Augmentation of cosmic insight - spirituality.

^71.4.15 And this progress in the arts of civilization leads directly to the realization of the highest human and divine goals of mortal endeavor - the social achievement of the brotherhood of man and the personal status of God-consciousness, which becomes revealed in the supreme desire of every individual to do the will of the Father in heaven.

^71.4.16 The appearance of genuine brotherhood signifies that a social order has arrived in which all men delight in bearing one another's burdens; they actually desire to practice the golden rule. But such an ideal society cannot be realized when either the weak or the wicked lie in wait to take unfair and unholy advantage of those who are chiefly actuated by devotion to the service of truth, beauty, and goodness. In such a situation only one course is practical: The “golden rulers” may establish a progressive society in which they live according to their ideals while maintaining an adequate defense against their benighted fellows who might seek either to exploit their pacific predilections or to destroy their advancing civilization.

^71.4.17 Idealism can never survive on an evolving planet if the idealists in each generation permit themselves to be exterminated by the baser orders of humanity. And here is the great test of idealism: Can an advanced society maintain that military preparedness which renders it secure from all attack by its war-loving neighbors without yielding to the temptation to employ this military strength in offensive operations against other peoples for purposes of selfish gain or national aggrandizement? National survival demands preparedness, and religious idealism alone can prevent the prostitution of preparedness into aggression. Only love, brotherhood, can prevent the strong from oppressing the weak.

5. The Evolution of Competition

^71.5.1 Competition is essential to social progress, but competition, unregulated, breeds violence. In current society, competition is slowly displacing war in that it determines the individual's place in industry, as well as decreeing the survival of the industries themselves. (Murder and war differ in their status before the mores, murder having been outlawed since the early days of society, while war has never yet been outlawed by mankind as a whole.)

^71.5.2 The ideal state undertakes to regulate social conduct only enough to take violence out of individual competition and to prevent unfairness in personal initiative. Here is a great problem in statehood: How can you guarantee peace and quiet in industry, pay the taxes to support state power, and at the same time prevent taxation from handicapping industry and keep the state from becoming parasitical or tyrannical?

^71.5.3 Throughout the earlier ages of any world, competition is essential to progressive civilization. As the evolution of man progresses, co-operation becomes increasingly effective. In advanced civilizations co-operation is more efficient than competition. Early man is stimulated by competition. Early evolution is characterized by the survival of the biologically fit, but later civilizations are the better promoted by intelligent co-operation, understanding fraternity, and spiritual brotherhood.

^71.5.4 True, competition in industry is exceedingly wasteful and highly ineffective, but no attempt to eliminate this economic lost motion should be countenanced if such adjustments entail even the slightest abrogation of any of the basic liberties of the individual.

6. The Profit Motive

^71.6.1 Present-day profit-motivated economics is doomed unless profit motives can be augmented by service motives. Ruthless competition based on narrow-minded self-interest is ultimately destructive of even those things which it seeks to maintain. Exclusive and self-serving profit motivation is incompatible with Christian ideals - much more incompatible with the teachings of Jesus.

^71.6.2 In economics, profit motivation is to service motivation what fear is to love in religion. But the profit motive must not be suddenly destroyed or removed; it keeps many otherwise slothful mortals hard at work. It is not necessary, however, that this social energy arouser be forever selfish in its objectives.

^71.6.3 The profit motive of economic activities is altogether base and wholly unworthy of an advanced order of society; nevertheless, it is an indispensable factor throughout the earlier phases of civilization. Profit motivation must not be taken away from men until they have firmly possessed themselves of superior types of nonprofit motives for economic striving and social serving - the transcendent urges of superlative wisdom, intriguing brotherhood, and excellency of spiritual attainment.

7. Education

^71.7.1 The enduring state is founded on culture, dominated by ideals, and motivated by service. The purpose of education should be acquirement of skill, pursuit of wisdom, realization of selfhood, and attainment of spiritual values.

^71.7.2 In the ideal state, education continues throughout life, and philosophy sometime becomes the chief pursuit of its citizens. The citizens of such a commonwealth pursue wisdom as an enhancement of insight into the significance of human relations, the meanings of reality, the nobility of values, the goals of living, and the glories of cosmic destiny.

^71.7.3 Urantians should get a vision of a new and higher cultural society. Education will jump to new levels of value with the passing of the purely profit-motivated system of economics. Education has too long been localistic, militaristic, ego exalting, and success seeking; it must eventually become world-wide, idealistic, self-realizing, and cosmic grasping.

^71.7.4 Education recently passed from the control of the clergy to that of lawyers and businessmen. Eventually it must be given over to the philosophers and the scientists. Teachers must be free beings, real leaders, to the end that philosophy, the search for wisdom, may become the chief educational pursuit.

^71.7.5 Education is the business of living; it must continue throughout a lifetime so that mankind may gradually experience the ascending levels of mortal wisdom, which are:

^71.7.6 1. The knowledge of things.

^71.7.7 2. The realization of meanings.

^71.7.8 3. The appreciation of values.

^71.7.9 4. The nobility of work - duty.

^71.7.10 5. The motivation of goals - morality.

^71.7.11 6. The love of service - character.

^71.7.12 7. Cosmic insight - spiritual discernment.

^71.7.13 And then, by means of these achievements, many will ascend to the mortal ultimate of mind attainment, God-consciousness.

8. The Character of Statehood

^71.8.1 The only sacred feature of any human government is the division of statehood into the three domains of executive, legislative, and judicial functions. The universe is administered in accordance with such a plan of segregation of functions and authority. Aside from this divine concept of effective social regulation or civil government, it matters little what form of state a people may elect to have provided the citizenry is ever progressing toward the goal of augmented self-control and increased social service. The intellectual keenness, economic wisdom, social cleverness, and moral stamina of a people are all faithfully reflected in statehood.

^71.8.2 The evolution of statehood entails progress from level to level, as follows:

^71.8.3 1. The creation of a threefold government of executive, legislative, and judicial branches.

^71.8.4 2. The freedom of social, political, and religious activities.

^71.8.5 3. The abolition of all forms of slavery and human bondage.

^71.8.6 4. The ability of the citizenry to control the levying of taxes.

^71.8.7 5. The establishment of universal education - learning extended from the cradle to the grave.

^71.8.8 6. The proper adjustment between local and national governments.

^71.8.9 7. The fostering of science and the conquest of disease.

^71.8.10 8. The due recognition of sex equality and the co-ordinated functioning of men and women in the home, school, and church, with specialized service of women in industry and government.

^71.8.11 9. The elimination of toiling slavery by machine invention and the subsequent mastery of the machine age.

^71.8.12 10. The conquest of dialects - the triumph of a universal language.

^71.8.13 11. The ending of war - international adjudication of national and racial differences by continental courts of nations presided over by a supreme planetary tribunal automatically recruited from the periodically retiring heads of the continental courts. The continental courts are authoritative; the world court is advisory - moral.

^71.8.14 12. The world-wide vogue of the pursuit of wisdom - the exaltation of philosophy. The evolution of a world religion, which will presage the entrance of the planet upon the earlier phases of settlement in light and life.

^71.8.15 These are the prerequisites of progressive government and the earmarks of ideal statehood. Urantia is far from the realization of these exalted ideals, but the civilized races have made a beginning - mankind is on the march toward higher evolutionary destinies.

^71.8.16 [Sponsored by a Melchizedek of Nebadon.]