The Greek city-state was a natural result of the geography of Greece, broken up as it was by mountains into well defined areas. The people that lived in a particular area came to feel a bond of social unity amongst each other. Each citizen felt responsible for the protection and welfare of the city-state. Each citizen also felt the city-state was in part responsible for their own welfare. It followed that everyone was ready to defend the city-state against invasion and equally eager to participate in the politics of government.

The Greek city-state was a natural result of the geography of Greece, broken up as it was by mountains into well defined areas. The people that lived in a particular area came to feel a bond of social unity amongst each other. Each citizen felt responsible for the protection and welfare of the city-state. Each citizen also felt the city-state was in part responsible for their own welfare. It followed that everyone was ready to defend the city-state against invasion and equally eager to participate in the politics of government.

In classical times, the government of the city-state was a democracy, the first of its kind, a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. At any particular point in time, not just on election day, an estimated 75% of voters were participating in government in one form or another. The American democracy is a government by the people through their elected representatives meeting at stated intervals. In Athens, the people were the government - they exercised their powers not at intervals, but at all times and in all departments. Our word "politics" is derived from the Greek word polis, the city-state, where citizens played a highly active roll in government. The Greek's then and still today, are known as a very politically active people.

The Greeks in their democratic city-states were able to set precedents in fields other than government, including art, literature, and mathematics, which are still studied today at the college level, and athletics, for which the Olympic games are named. The Greeks and their city-state have had a significant impact on the development of civilization. (Miller, 1941).

 

 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The United States Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. The following is a statement from that Declaration:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

The Constitution of the United States was introduced at a convention of the thirteen states on September 12, 1787. It consisted of the Preamble and seven Articles. The Constitution was then ratified by the thirteen states through their elected representatives in the following order:

State . . . . . . . . . .Date . . . . . . . . . .Vote

Delaware . . . . December 7, 1787 . . . . 30 yes / 0 no

Pennsylvania . . December 12, 1787 . . 43 yes / 23 no

New Jersey . . . . December 18, 1787 . . 38 yes / 0 no

Georgia . . . . . .January 2, 1788 . . . . . 26 yes / 0 no

Connecticut . . . January 9, 1788 . . . 128 yes / 40 no

Massachusetts . . February 6, 1788 . .187 yes / 168 no

Maryland . . . . . . April 28, 1788 . . . . 63 yes / 11 no

South Carolina . . . May 23, 1788 . . . 149 yes / 73 no

New Hampshire . . June 21, 1788 . . . . 57 yes / 46 no

Virginia . . . . . . . June 26, 1788 . . . . 89 yes / 79 no

New York . . . . . . July 26, 1788 . . . . 30 yes / 27 no

North Carolina . November 21, 1789 . 194 yes / 77 no

Rhode Island . . . . May 29, 1790 . . . . 34 yes / 32 no

Vermont: Ratified at convention on January 10, 1791.

 

Shortly after its introduction and ratification by a number of States, the Constitution began to confront growing opposition in Congress. Many believed the Constitution was not sufficiently explicit so as to include States' rights. This led to an agreement to submit to the people immediately after the adoption of the Constitution a number of safeguarding amendments. So on September 25, 1789, Congress adopted and submitted to the States the Bill of Rights, the first article of which guarantees:

Freedom of Speech, and of the Press, and the Right to Petition:

Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech or the press, or the right of people to assemble peaceably and petition the government for a redress of grievance.

 

In summary, the establishment of the United States was based on, and was meant to continue to be based on, the participation of citizens in government.

We, the citizens of the United States, should do as the Greeks did in their prime, and become politically active. President Eisenhower may have said it best:

"Politics ought to be the part time profession of every citizen."

 

 

CHINA:

China is the oldest civilization in history. Its existence can be traced back over 5000 years. Perhaps such a long lasting society has some worthwhile characteristics. Let's take a closer look at the Chinese.

The Chinese have long viewed the family as an important part of society. From a book entitled My Country and My People published in 1935, the author Lin Yutang writes: "The family and the family system can account for all there is to explain in Chinese social life." The family is the glue which has held China together.

To clarify the role of family in Chinese society, the following is also a quote from My country and My People:

The Chinese view the family as the "basis of the state" or more generally as the basis of human society. The family affects all their social concerns.It is quite personal. It teaches children the first lessons of social obligation between man and man, the necessity of mutual adjustment for mutual existence, self control, courtesy, a well defined sense of duty, a sense of gratitude and obligation towards parents, and respect for elders. The family very nearly takes the place of religion by giving man a sense of social survival and family continuity, thus satisfying man's craving for immortality.

The family is the base upon which the Chinese place personal satisfaction and social stability.   The Chinese idea of the family as the basic social unit is based on the teachings of Confucius, the venerated Chinese philosopher who lived from 551 to 479 B.C. Confucius' teachings provide a context by which people in the family are to relate and interact with each other and with society at large. A basic tenet of the Confucian philosophy is to treat the family as the "base and origin of society." After some 5000 some odd years, there may be some truth to this statement.

Perhaps, as presented in "The United States of America: A Social Diagnosis" (see SKOLE, Winter, 1995, pp. 78-88), a discussion among citizens of the United States with the intent of reestablishing the American family may be in order.

 

 

JAPAN:

 The development of Japan over the centuries has been unique as a result of its geography - it is an island. Until recently, Japan has had the capacity to isolate itself from its neighbors, or, as Japan has done on occasion in the past, opened it's doors to foreign influence.

 At About 400 A.D., the Japanese acquired the Chinese script. Prior to that, they did not possess their own method of writing. Since then, many changes have occurred in the two languages so that now they are hardly recognized as relatives.

 Buddhism was introduced to Japan at the end of 800 A.D. Prior to this, the Japanese had their own religion called Shinto which means "the way of the gods." Shinto is based on the worship of nature, gods, and ancestors. The Japanese, however, accepted Buddhism because it was far more complex and spiritually satisfying than Shinto. To this day however, both religions are still vibrant within the Japanese culture. If you were to ask, "How many Japanese are Shinto and how many are Buddhist?" you would be informed that almost every Japanese is both.

 On the coattails of the acceptance of Buddhism, from China also came the Confucian philosophy as discussed earlier. The Japanese were quick to incorporate the importance of family into their social structure, as they still do today.

 After the integration of written language, Buddhism, and the Confucian philosophy, Japan reverted back to a more or less isolated island state. They remained so until the mid 1800s and the era of Meiji, which translates to "enlightened government."

During the Meiji period, 1868 to 1912, a tide of Western influence swept over Japan. The Japanese shed their long-standing feudal system of government and adopted many aspects of Western civilization. This period of modernization included a more Western-style government, the introduction of Western technology, and the integration of the Western free market economy. The Japanese went from Shoguns and the feudal system to an open society where people were allowed freely to choose their own profession, residence, and religion. The peasant, once attached to the soil, was freed and land became a commodity that could be bought or sold. The Japanese began to study profusely the the technologies that the West had to offer. Education became a priority among the Japanese. By the end of the Meiji period in 1912, Japan had developed into a world power (Keene, 1959; Langer, 1966).

An aside will be taken here to clarify that all cultures have positive and negative aspects. The same Greek culture referred to earlier that was the first democracy in history, was a limited democracy in that women, metics, and slaves could not be voting citizens. "Metics" were foreigners residing in the Greek city-state and could never attain citizenship. Only men, and only men whose ancestry could be traced as being from the city-state, could vote. These issues and the presence of slavery are negative aspects of Greek culture.

Concerning China, as expressed earlier, "The family and the family system can account for all there is to explain in Chinese social life." Family is a priority in China, perhaps to the neglect of other important areas such as participation in government. The author has spoken with a number of Chinese individuals who have said their culture long ago came to the conclusion that participation in government was worthless: "Why bother, we can't make a difference. Let the government do what it wants, we've got kids to feed and a family to raise." China is the only remaining communist government in the world, a communist power with a poor human rights record. This human rights record may be considered a negative aspect of Chinese culture, and it may be the result of China's belief that participation in government is not worthwhile.

A negative aspect of Japanese history may be its imperial rule in the 1930's that led to its military aggression in World War II. Japanese society is also particularly strict in imposing standards of behavior on the individual. Because that Japanese exert greater dependence on the group as a whole, the individual tends to conform willingly to social pressures. This may relate to Japan's popular support of its military efforts under Imperial rule in WWII. Such social pressures may also tend to stifle the creativity and independence of the individual, and may explain why Japan has had to rely on outside influence for new ideas.

To return now to Japanese history, after it's defeat in World War II, Japan was leveled. The allied Occupation following Japan's surrender was necessary for a number of reasons: to provide food and temporary housing, to plant the seeds of a democratic government, and primarily to help rebuild Japan. The Japanese were surprisingly receptive to the input from the Allied Occupation, perhaps because they were utterly frustrated with the military regime to which they had seemed so devoted. The Japanese welcomed American input.

In 1941 at the start of American involvement in WWII, a scientist by the name of William Edwards Deming was introducing a concept of management to American companies involved in wartime production. His management theory was based on Statistical Quality Control. A number of companies implemented his philosophy. Shortly after the war however American companies throughout the nation adopted a different method of management as professed by Frederick Winslow Taylor. The Taylor method was based on the present "assembly line" model of corporate culture. Front-line workers were to perform simple tasks that are coordinated by several layers of management (bosses) all of whom are under the control of the reigning CEO (Corporate Executive Officer). This method of management itself may be considered somewhat feudal - great wealth and power for the few, low tech highly repetitive jobs for the many (Jacoby, 1991).

Since no one in America was interested in his philosophy of management, Dr. Deming in 1949 graciously accepted his first of what was shortly to become hundreds of invitations to Japan to lecture on the subject of management and quality (Austin, 1991). The Japanese, as they have done throughout history, accepted and promptly integrated a foreign influence: Dr. Deming's philosophy. They have since outperformed the United States in the marketplace.

 

On that note, let's look at Dr. Deming's philosophy of management (Walton, 1986): 

14 points:

1: Create Constancy of Purpose for Improvement of Product and Service.

2: Adopt the New Philosophy.

3: Cease Dependence on Mass Inspection to Achieve Quality.

4: End the Practice of Awarding Business on Price Alone.

5: Improve Constantly and Forever the System of Production and Service.

6: Institute Training for All Employees

7: Adopt and Institute Leadership.

8: Drive Out Fear.

9: Break Down Barriers Between Staff Areas.

10: Eliminate Slogans, Exhortations, and Targets for the Work Force.

11: Eliminate Numerical Quotas in the Workplace.

12: Remove Barriers that Rob People of Pride in Their Work.

13: Endorse Education and Self Improvement for Everyone.

14: Take Action to Accomplish this Transformation.

  

7 Deadly Diseases:

1: Lack of Constancy of Purpose.

2: Emphasis on Short Term Profits.

3: Evaluation of Performance, Merit Rating, and Annual Review.

4: Mobility of Top Management.

5) Running the Company on Visible Figures Alone (counting the money).

6) Excessive Medical Costs.

7) Excessive Cost of Insurance, Fueled by Lawyers on Contingency.

 

Some Obstacles:

Neglect of long range planning and transformation.

The supposition that solving problems, or automation and new machinery will transform the industry.

Obsolescence in Schools.

Reliance on Quality Control Departments.

False Starts: pitching a whole new and improved managerial scheme when nothing is seriously being changed.

Inadequate Training.

Resistance of Unions to any kind of change in the system.

 

In summary, the Deming philosophy is based on cooperation rather than competition in the workplace. To be successful in a complex world of constantly changing products and services, employees must be highly motivated. That may be asking a lot, but Deming's model is ready and waiting - it doesn't do away with hierarchy of management per se, but replaces the adversarial system with a more humanistic system. Managers are responsible for rooting out poor quality and improving the workplace by LISTENING to employee input. The Toyota employee

averages 33 suggestions to improve production per year (Aguayo, 1990). Who knows how to improve production better than the one doing the producing? Most importantly, most of these suggestions are implemented with the consent of management - no deaf ears, no brick walls. Managers become coaches, encouraging all members to improve. Workers are highly motivated and take pride in their work. And guess what happens: PRODUCTIVITY INCREASES.

 

 

SUMMARY:

 

The establishment of the United States was based on, and was meant to continue to be based on, the participation of citizens in government. We, the citizens of the United States, should do as the Greeks did in their prime, and become politically active.

 

We, the people of the United States, should reestablish the importance of family, the family upon which the Chinese have based their long-lived society.

 

We, the people of the United States, should adopt aspects of the Deming philosophy, as the Japanese have recently done, as they've done with a number of other foreign influences throughout history.

 

 

CONCLUSION:

In the United States then, the approach for the individual and society is to utilize synthisophy (sin thi´ sa fee), to be synthisophic (sin thi saw´ fic), to synthisophize (sin thi´ sa fize).

SYNTHesis/HIStory/SOPHY

Synthesis: the putting together of two or more things to form a whole

History: what has happened in the life and development of a people/country

Sophy: Greek root; sophia: skill, wisdom, knowledge

 

SYNTHISOPHY: TO PUT TOGETHER THE WISDOMS OF HISTORY:

 

Integrate the wisdom of the Greeks - become politically active in a democracy that's based on citizen participation

 

Integrate the wisdom of the Chinese - emphasize the importance of family

 

Integrate the wisdom of the Japanese - the capacity to accept and implement new ideas - particularly the Deming philosophy, which the Japanese originally acquired from the United States

 

SYNTHISOPHY: TO PUT TOGETHER THE WISDOMS OF HISTORY

 

 

DISCUSSION:

 

Concerning government at the national, state and local levels - our democracy is working. To quote a trite but applicable proverb with reference to this paper however, you can't legislate morality. Although governments exists at the national, state and local levels, they cannot legislate citizen participation, they cannot legislate the importance of family, they cannot legislate aspects of the Deming philosophy. The synthisophic revolution is in the hands of the people..........

 

An old adage is most applicable here: wherever there's a group of people, there's politics. I'm sure you are well aware of this in your profession, at the workplace, or wherever you are a member of a group. The synthisophic revolution is in the hands of the people. Wherever there's people, there's politics. To go one step further, since the government cannot legislate morality, it is only in the power of the people to become politically active at the moral level that we will incorporate the importance of family and aspects of the Deming philosophy. We live in a great country, we can make it even better!

 

 

 

REFERENCES:

Aguayo, Rafael (1990). Dr. Deming: The American Who Taught the Japanese About Quality. NY: Carol Publishing Co.

Austin, Nancy (1991). Dr. Deming and the "Q" Factor. Working Woman, Sept 1991, 31-32.

Keene, Donald (1959). Living Japan. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.

Langer, Paul, F. (1966). Japan: Yesterday and Today. NY: Holt, Rhinehart and Winston.

Lincoln Filene Center and Public Affairs, The (1970). Practical Political Action, A Guide for Citizens. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.

Macoby, Michael (1991). Productivity with a Human Face. The Washington Monthly, March 1977.

Miller, Walter (1941). Greece and the Greeks. NY: The MacMillan Co.

Walton, Mary (1986). The Deming Management Method. NY: Putnam Publishing Co.

Yutang, Lin (1935). My Country and My People. NY: Reynal and Hitchcock.

Special Thanks to James Ruell and Shu-Hui Ho

 

 

André also sent us the following excerpt from his historical readings which support our belief that in using the term ⋅KOLE (SKOLE is pronounced sko-lay) as a description of the concept of learning we are hoping to exemplify, we are not entirely out of line in attributing it to Socrates and Plato.

from:

Plutarch and His Timesby R.H. Barrow, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, Indiana, 1967:

...As Plutarch grew older, he became a leader; he gave a lecture, threw the matter open to discussion and later put the results into written shape. Roman friends were welcome and indeed took a leading part. The activities of this centre of learning were described by Plutarch as schole or diatribe, terms which suggest something voluntary and spontaneous, and the ultimate issue, though not the professed motive, was a way of life.

 

 

This 2nd Edition (July, 1997) appears with minor editions with the consent of the publisher.