I found this piece by Alexis de Tocqueville very intriguing in that he makes an argument about human perfection and its attainability that is clear and even exemplified in the closing sentences of the excerpt. I believe that Tocqueville was arguing that the notion of human perfection is never attainable but constantly strived for. Tocqueville distinguishes humans from “brutes” by explaining how humans can evolve and change for the better. He ties this argument into politics by saying that when people are classed and given a specific path the idea of perfection is less present and influential. However, in societies in which there is more individual freedom and the removal of castes there is consistent change that the members of the society witness. This leads to more ambition towards the goal of human perfection. The witnessing of others rising and falling in social class must then influence the way in which people strive for human perfection. When there is a lack of restriction on the acts of people in a society progress is stimulated due to the natural human desire to become better and advance. I believe that Tocqueville’s argument on human perfection is accurate in that competition breeds progression but I also believe that sometimes the appearance of an equal playing field still provides that stimulus for progression without ever rewarding those who are placed unequally. When people think they are on an equal playing field failure may impact them in a stronger way. If people don’t see the disadvantaged situation they are in they will place all of the blame on themselves for failing. This may cause them to not continue to strive for human perfection because of lack of confidence and create a sense of limitation within them. Making society more equal and placing all people in the same social level will thus stimulate progression and push societies to the highest level of advancement they can obtain.
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