To Believe or Not to Believe

Like the rationality premise, I do believe that most people are capable of discovering the truth through logical analysis. The social institutions that practice this belief is our voting system and the American courts because we have the right to have a trial by jury.

I also agree with the mutability premise. This premise assumes that human behavior is shaped by environmental factors and that the way to improve humans is to improve their physical and psychological circumstances. This premise brings forth the thought of "low socially economic status" (SES) families.

Low socially economic status families have to endure the hardship, of not only, (probably) living from pay check to pay check, but they also face drugs, crime, health issues, and educational barriers, to say the least. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying just because these families are facing barriers that they can not, have not, or will not persevere. What I am saying is that higher economic status families have an "environmental advantage." And I'll leave it at that.

Low SES families face greater risk factors than higher SES families. Risk factors are personal or environmental factors that make a negative outcome more likely. The mutability premise specifically targets communities whose inhabitants are environmental in danger.

In order to balance (lessen) the damage that the risk factors impose on a low SES community, protective factors have been put into place. A protective factor makes negative outcomes less likely. For instance, these low SES communities will have free or income sensitive clinics within them. The community's children are also bussed across the city to better schools. Lastly, but not least, programs like Big Brother Big Sister help thousands of children and families nationwide.

On another note, the perfectibility premise is based on the old Puritan idea that humans are born in sin, but they are capable of achieving goodness through effort and control. I agree that we are born in sin. However, this belief appears to be saying that humans are capable of achieving goodness based on their own power and might. If this is the case, I strongly disapprove.

The Word of God says, "Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures." (James 1:16-18)