The Story of the Clan: How Do People Morally Judge Corruption (and Hate)?

An ancient philsopher teaching modern people.
Many secular and religious philsophers
discussed corruption throughout history
and its dangers to society. The lessons
are as important today
as they were in the past.

Corruption and hate negatively impact society, shaping everything from economic interactions to social perceptions. The Story of the Clan is a hypothetical, philosophical thought experiment that explores what corruption might look like. While the story can feel disheartening, it concludes with a positive ending. Its purpose is to examine the many ways hate and corruption influence society. Each section offers a study, moral tale, or philosophical question to ponder.

The story begins with a clan, a group of socially connected individuals whose misperceptions of others create the image of a “good old boy” network. The clan itself is not the central problem; rather, the corruption some of its members engage in—within a broader culture of acceptance—is what matters. Partisanship, combined with simplistic “all good” or “all bad” views of others, opened the door to hatred and violations of social contracts.

Hateful narratives and rumors spread—often aimed at minorities, concerned citizens, or those disliked by the clan. This, in turn, attracted more extreme members of society, who began targeting victims, whistleblowers, and witnesses. The goal was to enrich members of the network and silence dissent. Most honest officials, however, remained silent out of fear they would face the same treatment of social rejection and ostracization...or worse.

Some people feel horrified when social contracts and basic rights are violated, while others view it as acceptable if they are not directly affected—or if they benefit from it. There may be some who feel it is preferred. In this learning example, extreme polar beliefs created the conditions for such behavior to persist, fueled by oversimplified “us versus them” perceptions that ignore the reality most people live in.

This raises an important question: Why do some feel horrified when corruption and hate are exposed, while others accept them? This study below touches on the different ways people perceive these issues within society. To me, corruption is wasteful, and hate limits the full capacity of any nation. These forces should always be avoided. Still, when discussing the topic, you’ll find a variety of opinions. As long as those opinions are genuine, that diversity of thought is valuable—because it means we are learning.

"No man who is corrupt, no man who condones corruption in others, can possibly do his duty by the community." – Theodore Roosevelt

Any interesting read,

.How Do People Morally Judge Corruption? A Comparison Between the Netherlands and Indonesia

*This is a hypothetical, philosophical, theoretical, thought experiment for learning purposes so that with a grain of salt. We wil write in a positive story of adaptation and community thriving.