Abstract
The premise of this essay is that although there can be a certain degree of openness in a good political society, the idea remains valid that all political societies, without exception, are fundamentally closed systems. This means that, no matter how progressive a political system believes itself to be, it exists ultimately for the protection and advancement of the values and interests of a particular exclusive group and not for the defense and advancement of the values of humanity as a whole. The demonstration is based on Bergson's thesis on the elan vital and on social obligations immanent in the individual. Hence the specific impact of Bergsonian evolutionism on the debates in political theory: (1) war and violence seem to be the most fundamental issue of political theory; (2) any exaggerated confidence in the strength of the intellect, viewed separately from intuition and love, does not offer a solution for the issue of war and violence; and (3) modern technology, if it is not guided by intuition and love for mankind, can destroy life. Consequently, the necessity arises for a political organization of the values of an open society, under conditions of the continuation of the manifestation of the values of the closed society.
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