ABSTRACT
Some people think they know what is good for others because they believe they know something crucial denied to others. For example, a society that believes it has mastered democracy may notice that other societies have authoritarian and dictatorial political institutions that leave people without a voice. In offering to help create democratic procedures, the ‘democratic’ society may wish to increase the freedom of others. The George W. Bush and Tony Blair administrations used this motive to justify their occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq. Or, a society with abundant wealth and food supplies might notice the beginning of famine in another part of the world. They might decide to feed those suffering from famine. Policy makers from wealthy societies might also feel compelled to teach others how to manage their agriculture and reorganize their economy so as to avert future catastrophes. International aid agencies and the World Bank offer such lessons to those who undergo periodic famines. Finally, scientists, social theorists, and policy makers in ‘democratic’ and ‘wealthy’ societies might believe that
the absence of proper political and economic institutions result from a larger and deeper problem with other societies. They may deduce that such societies need a better understanding of the proper relations between humans and humans, between humans and nature, and between humans and the larger cosmos – the universe thought of as an ordered and integrated whole. They may believe that such societies lack the right kind of order and their thinking as a whole needs to be reorganized. Europeans have held this posture in their encounters with others for the last 500 years or so. In each case, those with true knowledge believe that they have a responsibility to share their knowledge and thereby improve others’ lives.
