When Might Makes Right, Essay Example

In philosophy, there are hundreds of arguments over power.  Many philosophers believe that power can be inherited.  Kant believes that power is bestowed upon one individual or group by the larger population essentially forfeiting their own individual rights for the betterment of the entire group.  Plato preceded Kant’s philosophical argument with what he termed the “might makes right” philosophy.  This basically states that what is considered to be right is often determined by who has the most power in any given conflict.  These conflicts can be large or small, and the power may also be large or small depending on the situation.

Overall, this has been a highly argued concept and has even found its place within politics.  Abraham Lincoln is perhaps one of the greatest political figures in the history of the United States.  President Lincoln is well-known for his excellent speeches and is known through the world as the individual that effectively eliminated slavery in America.  In New York City, Lincoln gave a speech to the Young Republican Men’s Union at the Cooper Institute on February 27, 1860.  This speech called “The Cooper Union Address” discussed the failures of slavery to include essential human rights to every individual regardless of race.  To support his arguments, Lincoln included comments and positions from the thirty-nine original signors of the United States Constitution.  In this speech, Lincoln argued that at least 21 of these individuals supported the comment that Congress had the right, power and responsibility of governing and controlling slavery within the territories.  Lincoln believed that this was an issue that should not have been allowed to expand, and that it was time for this issue to be controlled as the original signors had intended almost 100 years before his speech (Basler par. 1).

This was Lincoln’s way of stating that the might of Congress had the power to make whatever decision it felt best in order to provide right actions for all persons considered.  Even in the final line of Lincoln’s speech, he affectionately restates Plato’s monumental philosophy by stating “Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it” (Basler par. 85).  In other words, he is asking the American people and the people of Congress to have faith that the actions taken by the government are the correct actions.  These actions against slavery are not only correct by moral and ethical considerations, but Lincoln would also argue that these decisions are to be considered correct because of the sovereignty of the United States politicians and Congress.  In this situation “might makes right” by showing that the power of the United States government makes the decisions that it makes right.

President Lincoln effectively shows how Plato’s philosophical statements are correct and accurate.  The “might makes right” philosophy defines the extent to which power and decisions made by powerful entities are justified.  This philosophy has stood the test of time and continues to show validity in political and organizational theory.  Lincoln’s speech utilized this theory to express how it should be applied to the issue of slavery, and it should continue to be utilized in modern times to validate political decisions throughout the United States.

Works Cited

Basler, Roy P. “Abraham Lincoln’s Cooper Union Address.” NetINS Showcase. Web. 24 Apr. 2010. <http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/cooper.htm>.