Open Society
Discussion
Finding the Right Balance Between Open and Closed Values
Micha Narberhaus:
"The open society was a project of maximum openness, liberation and diversity, of the removal of all boundaries and constraints posed by tradition. Those who lament the end of the open society and the return of the strong gods fear that in this new era we might move to the opposite extreme, with a return to ugly nationalism, where authoritarians ruthlessly impose their will on others, where men oppress women, where minorities and the weak lose their rights and protections, and where conflicts are resolved by war rather than by rules and diplomacy.
These voices should not be dismissed out of hand. They are often blind to how dysfunctional and destructive the open society has become, but not all was bad in the liberal era, and there are clearly risks such as those outlined above. The pendulum could swing too far in the other direction, causing too much and perhaps unnecessary damage. As N.S. Lyons argues, "Finding the right balance between 'closed' and 'open' values is necessary to maintain a healthy society," or what Aristotle called the "doctrine of the mean," finding the state of virtue between two vices."