Function > Form and Justice > Democracy
"A building has integrity just like a man. And just as seldom." - Howard Roark in The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Introduction: The Tyranny of Form Over Function
Modern society is crumbling under the weight of its own contradictions. Across medicine, education, governance, and even spirituality, we see a fixation on form at the expense of function. Institutions and systems that once served vital purposes now cling to their traditions, aesthetics, and structures, even as they fail to fulfill their original missions. Hospitals prioritize bureaucracy over healing. Universities produce obedient graduates instead of independent thinkers. Governments protect their power rather than uphold justice. And religious institutions revere rituals while ignoring the essence of their faith.
This is not a new problem. The conflict between form and function has plagued humanity throughout history. Jesus Himself confronted it, calling out religious leaders who valued appearances over substance, declaring, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence” (Matthew 23:25). Today, the same critique applies. We cling to the forms of the past—currencies, bureaucracies, buildings, and ideologies—while abandoning the functions they were meant to serve.
This essay explores the critical distinction between form and function, arguing that function must always take precedence. Function is alive, adaptable, and rooted in principles that respond to the needs of the moment. Form, by contrast, is a dead aesthetic—useful only when it serves its purpose and disposable when it does not. To cling to form at the expense of function is to sacrifice value for tradition and truth for a lie.
Using examples from medicine, education, governance, and spirituality, we will examine how this error manifests in the modern world and why it must be corrected. From the failure of the medical industry to heal, to the shortcomings of universities in teaching critical thinking, to the injustices of governments that prioritize power over justice, and even to the misguided nationalism of a nation like Israel clinging to its historical identity, the consequences of prioritizing form over function are evident.
Finally, this essay will call for a return to first principles, urging individuals and societies to reject lifeless forms and embrace living functions. This is not merely a practical imperative; it is a moral one. Just as Jesus obeyed His function, transcending the form of death to achieve eternal life, we too must transcend the outdated forms of our world to fulfill our true purposes. Only by doing so can we create a society rooted in justice, truth, and life.
Modern society is crumbling under the weight of its own contradictions. Across medicine, education, governance, and even spirituality, we see a fixation on form at the expense of function. Institutions and systems that once served vital purposes now cling to their traditions, aesthetics, and structures, even as they fail to fulfill their original missions. Hospitals prioritize bureaucracy over healing. Universities produce obedient graduates instead of independent thinkers. Governments protect their power rather than uphold justice. And religious institutions revere rituals while ignoring the essence of their faith.
This is not a new problem. The conflict between form and function has plagued humanity throughout history. Jesus Himself confronted it, calling out religious leaders who valued appearances over substance, declaring, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence” (Matthew 23:25). Today, the same critique applies. We cling to the forms of the past—currencies, bureaucracies, buildings, and ideologies—while abandoning the functions they were meant to serve.
This essay explores the critical distinction between form and function, arguing that function must always take precedence. Function is alive, adaptable, and rooted in principles that respond to the needs of the moment. Form, by contrast, is a dead aesthetic—useful only when it serves its purpose and disposable when it does not. To cling to form at the expense of function is to sacrifice value for tradition and truth for a lie.
Using examples from medicine, education, governance, and spirituality, we will examine how this error manifests in the modern world and why it must be corrected. From the failure of the medical industry to heal, to the shortcomings of universities in teaching critical thinking, to the injustices of governments that prioritize power over justice, and even to the misguided nationalism of a nation like Israel clinging to its historical identity, the consequences of prioritizing form over function are evident.
Finally, this essay will call for a return to first principles, urging individuals and societies to reject lifeless forms and embrace living functions. This is not merely a practical imperative; it is a moral one. Just as Jesus obeyed His function, transcending the form of death to achieve eternal life, we too must transcend the outdated forms of our world to fulfill our true purposes. Only by doing so can we create a society rooted in justice, truth, and life.
Justice Over Form: The Supremacy of Function in Governance
Natural law, as a universal principle of justice, is indifferent to the specific forms of government—be they monarchies, democracies, dictatorships, or representative republics. Its concern lies not in the structure of authority but in the adherence to justice: the preservation of individual sovereignty, respect for human minds, and the freedom to dissent. As Frederic Bastiat reminds us in The Law, “Life, liberty, and property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it was the fact that life, liberty, and property existed beforehand that caused men to make laws in the first place.” This underscores that natural law precedes and supersedes all human governance. The proper role of governance, regardless of its structure, is merely to secure these pre-existing rights. When governments stray from this role, they abandon their legitimacy and become engines of injustice.
No System is Immune
No system of governance is inherently incorruptible. Democracies, often celebrated for their inclusivity, can descend into mob rule where the majority tramples the rights of minorities. Monarchies, though capable of providing stability, can devolve into tyranny when power becomes centralized and unaccountable. As Henry David Thoreau observed in Civil Disobedience, “Government is at best but an expedient; but most governments are usually, and all governments are sometimes, inexpedient.” Whether democratic, autocratic, or otherwise, the form of government is secondary to its fidelity to justice. Justice, in turn, is rooted in the recognition of individuals as sovereign beings, endowed with the right to think freely, dissent, and govern themselves.
Justice cannot endure if governments allow their laws to contradict morality. As Bastiat warned, “When law and morality contradict each other, the citizen has the cruel alternative of either losing his moral sense or losing his respect for the law.” A monarchy can be just if it protects life, liberty, and property; a democracy can be unjust if it allows the majority to violate these same rights. In every instance, it is not the form but the adherence to justice that determines legitimacy.
The Danger of Dead Forms
The modern world suffers from an obsession with form at the expense of function. Men cling to lifeless structures—be it fiat currencies, bloated bureaucracies, or antiquated political systems—long after these forms have ceased to fulfill their purposes. This allegiance to dead forms is a symptom of systemic decay.
Consider the question of money. What form should it take? This question is irrelevant. Money must function as a valuable means of exchange. To hold onto a form, such as the U.S. dollar, long after its value has eroded, is to sacrifice truth for tradition and utility for illusion. As Christopher Alexander wrote in The Timeless Way of Building, “It is not merely the form of a building that matters but the patterns of life it enables.” This principle applies broadly: lifeless forms—whether in currency, architecture, or governance—fail to serve the living functions they were meant to uphold.
Governance should also prioritize function. The role of government is to uphold justice and punish injustice. The form this takes—monarchy, democracy, or republic—must adapt to context and environment. To cling to a democracy that perpetuates systemic corruption or a republic that protects only the powerful is to undermine the very purpose of governance.
Medicine, Education, and the Idolatry of Form
The idolatry of form is evident in other sectors as well. The modern medical system, with its massive bureaucracies and misaligned incentives, prioritizes the preservation of institutions over the function of healing. Insurance companies dictate care, regulators stifle innovation, and the industry as a whole operates more like a fortress protecting its own interests than a means to restore individuals to health. True medicine should serve function: returning people to their proper physical and mental states. When it prioritizes form—whether insurance policies, regulatory frameworks, or institutional profit—it fails its purpose.
Similarly, education has become a factory of conformity. Universities, originally intended to teach men and women how to think, now serve as institutions promoting their own survival. They elevate the forms of capitalism, Marxism, or democracy while neglecting the function of cultivating critical thought. They churn out obedient followers rather than independent thinkers capable of challenging injustice or shaping new systems of governance.
The same critique applies to the modern state of Israel. The form of a geographical nation-state may hold historical and sentimental value, but its legitimacy depends on fulfilling the function of being set apart as a holy and just people. Without justice, the form becomes hollow, and its claim to existence loses moral authority.
Vigilante Justice and Revolution
When formal systems fail, justice often emerges in unconventional forms. During the western expansion of the United States, vigilante justice filled the void left by absent or corrupt institutions. Communities created their own systems of accountability, ensuring that order prevailed. Similarly, the American Revolution demonstrated that justice could take the form of rebellion when traditional governance became oppressive.
These examples underscore that justice dictates form, not the other way around. Vigilantism and revolution are not ideal, but they are sometimes necessary adaptations to the failure of formal systems. In our modern era, as systems of governance, medicine, education, and finance crumble under their own weight, unconventional forms of justice may again be required.
Jesus: The Triumph of Function Over Form
Jesus Christ embodied the supremacy of function over form. He saw beyond the outward appearances of man and obeyed His function: to submit to the Father’s will. His reward was transcendence beyond form, represented in His resurrection from the dead. His life and teachings challenge us to reject the idolatry of form—whether in governance, religion, or daily life—and to align ourselves with the living principles of truth and justice.
A Call to Action
To restore justice, we must reject the idolatry of form and embrace the aliveness of function. This means dismantling systems that prioritize tradition over utility, appearances over substance, and control over freedom. It means understanding that no form—whether of government, currency, or institution—is sacred. Only the principles of justice, rooted in natural law and the sovereignty of individuals, are worthy of allegiance.
Whether through peaceful reform, civil disobedience, or revolutionary action, the goal remains the same: to create a world where justice is dynamic, alive, and rooted in truth. By prioritizing function over form, we can restore life, liberty, and property to their rightful places as the foundation of a just society. Justice is not bound by structure—it is bound only by our willingness to uphold it.
In "The Fountainhead," Ayn Rand explores the relationship between form and function in architecture through the protagonist, Howard Roark. Here are some notable quotes that reflect this theme:
"I told them that the form of a building must follow its function."
"Here are my rules: what can be done with one substance must never be done with another. No two materials are alike. No two sites on earth are alike. No two buildings have the same purpose. The purpose, the site, the material determine the shape."
"Nothing can be reasonable or beautiful unless it’s made by one central idea, and the idea sets every detail. A building is alive, like a man. Its integrity is to follow its own truth, its one single theme, and to serve its own single purpose."
"Every form has its own meaning. Every man creates his meaning and form and goal."
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