Week #9 Question #2

*Do you believe in the rationality, perfectability, and mutability premises? What social institutions and practices are based on these beliefs?

When examining the premises above I came to the conclusion that I do not believe solely in one, but in all when applied to different situations and circumstances. As stated on the text book, the rationality premise is deeply rooted in American law and government. An example of this not mentioned in the book is prison. In the United States people are put into prison to serve time, yes, but what is more stated is that they are there to be "rehabilitated". This process of rehabilitation or the making better of one's self fits directly into the rationality premise. The perfectability premise is also one which is rooted in American culture as we are a country founded on the Puritan principles of hard work and dedication (to God in the case of the Puritans and to various others to Americans). Our culturally passed down notion of "The American Dream" is based upon the same perfectability premise as, in order to reach the American Dream, one must dedicated themselves toward tireless and innovative work. While the first two premises obviously exist and are practiced in our own country today, they are man made constructs based upon reaching an intellectual ideal. The mutability premise, however, uses a natural standpoint to argue for that good physical and mental health are what is truly needed in order to advance. This too is becoming a more and more popular idea as more Green movements gain support and stress the importance of a healthy "Earth Conscious" diet and an environmentally conscious mindset.