What is "Heaven on Earth"?
Four Pillars That Support Human Flourishing
The phrase “Heaven on Earth” can have specific theological implications, but I use it as a popular cultural idiom. When we hear “heaven on earth,” it can mean something as simple as, “this brownie is so good, it’s like heaven on earth!” or a more complex reference to some sort of place or circumstance where everything is serene or perfect.
I assume most people’s idea of actual Heaven relates to some form of eternal bliss and happiness without stress, worry, or other concerns. It sounds great, but it’s not exactly what I mean here; but almost.
Imagine a world where with each passing year things get a little easier. For example, you could work less but have the same quality of life. Or work the same and have more. A world where the cost of living goes down each year while the quality of living goes up, businesses grow and prosper, jobs multiply, your kids go to great schools, and the cost of health care falls while quality and availability go up.
Sounds pretty good, right? It isn’t hard to achieve. In fact, it’s the natural course of things.
Human beings have some limitations of course. Food, cars, computers, doctors, and houses don’t just fall out of the sky. They take goal directed, self-interested action to create. Human beings must think and work to produce what they need.
So, by Heaven on Earth, I don’t mean lying back on a divan while peeled grapes are magically dropped in your mouth.
I do mean a world where everyone can get a fair shake as long as they do what comes naturally to all people everywhere: get up in the morning to work hard and build a better life for themselves and their family. A world where, with each passing year, the results of your hard work go into your pocket instead of mysteriously evaporated by some incomprehensible inflationary force that puts you on a very stressful financial treadmill that runs faster and faster. A world where you and your family can progress, save, invest and build a life to be proud of and live without fear of crime or government force, as long as you apply yourself and take responsibility for yourself.
This is the world that occurs naturally when human beings embrace the ideas that lead naturally and inexorably to prosperity—that lead to Heaven on Earth. The four Pillars we will explore 4 Heaven on Earth through both topical events and big ideas are:
Individual Liberty
Property Rights
Laissez-faire Capitalism
Limited Government
Each of these plays a crucial role both in simply making life possible and setting the stage for true human flourishing.
Philosophy and The Four Pillars 4 Heaven on Earth
I try to alternate weekly between the topical and the philosophical. It’s fairly easy to see how topical things such as the minimum wage or inflation may be important, as they impact us tangibly in our daily lives, but why does philosophy matter? Isn’t it just an opinion?
Philosophy reflects how we understand the world around us. Each person’s philosophy has a profound effect on everyday life and even their deepest personal psychology. Is life possible or impossible? Knowable or unknowable? Fair or unfair? Drudgery or full of opportunity? To live and flourish as a human being, we must understand our nature and the nature of the reality around us. The manner in which we choose to think about those things directly affects our ability to cope in our lives and build a world in which human beings can succeed, let alone prosper and flourish. It also directly affects how we think of ourselves and our place in the world.
Philosophy is a type of knowledge about the world, no different than physics, astronomy, or biology. Philosophy asks the questions that underlie these sciences and all of life such as:
What is the nature of reality? (metaphysics)
How do we know what we know? (epistemology)
What life tools, actions, and values help us succeed? (ethics)
How do we function in a social context? (politics)
Human flourishing isn’t an accident. It is a logical progression from premise to premise. If you start from the wrong premise, you end up in a very wrong place. Philosophy, amongst other things, is about finding the right premises, i.e., premises that reflect reality.
For our purposes here, the first premise I will assert to you today is that human beings have a particular nature. This should be self-evident—all things have a specific nature. To exist means to exist as something, not as nothing, or as something else. A rock can be a successful rock quite easily of course. A bear has fur, claws, and instincts to serve and guide it. Human beings, however, don’t have the fur, claws, and instincts the lower animals do. A bear’s instincts may lead it to paw fish out of a river quite well, and a rock doesn’t have to do much to be a successful rock. However, instincts, beyond a basic natural desire to “survive,” won’t lead humans to agriculture, computers, air conditioning, or building starships. That takes thought and goal directed action. As humans we have to be free to apply our minds to the problems that confront us and take goal directed action to solve those problems. This requires a certain type of environment in which to live as a human being. An environment that protects this basic need for freedom of action.
This need leads us to the first of the four pillars that support Heaven on Earth: Individual Liberty. What it is, and what are the implications for the individual in a social context, will be fully explored in the coming weeks with both topical and philosophical posts.