Ubuntu is a communal ethic rooted in small, cohesive societies, prioritizing belonging, mutual care, and harmony over individual autonomy. It was never designed as a political system at national scale, nor as a framework for individual rights, dissent, or limits on centralized power. In this essay In this essay, I will show that Ubuntu survives only inside freedom, and that when imposed beyond its natural limits, it becomes indistinguishable from collectivist control.
Even a slave possesses inalienable rights, because no man can lawfully be owned by another. Self-ownership precedes government, law, and consent; it is a fact of human existence, not a political concession. Slavery does not erase rights—it violates them. A man in chains is not rightless; he is wronged.
The article argues that a civilized political order relies on virtue, ethics, and natural law as foundational principles. It emphasizes that philosophy must guide politics to prevent tyranny and chaos, asserting that without moral discipline, political discourse degrades into mere power struggles. Reestablishing a moral framework is essential for a functional society.
thehearthofvirtue.com 