A Philosophical Romp Between Borders, as seen by Dorothy and her Quest to Return to Kansas

Preface: Before starting my undergrad studies at Ibero University in Mexico City, I had already read and considered the works of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Their social contract ideals of people living together in moral and social harmony and the rules those agreements foster shaped my ideals on natural rights (life, liberty, and property).

The theory of utilitarianism as advocated by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill captured my imagination during my freshman year of high school when all I wanted was for everyone around me to be happy so that I too could focus on the things that brought me joy. Things like sports and art, or hanging out with my friends and cousins riding horses and swimming all day. Mill emphasized qualitative differences between these pleasures, but they were all part of that pleasure mill for me, pun intended, and so utilitarianism slowly and softly impacted my psyche until it encountered Marxism.

Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx were more radical. Even the crimson-red cover of the book denoted critique and struggle. These socio-economic advocations for a classless, stateless society were deeply intriguing and moving, but their role was not prominent in my life and experiences, and so I relegated them to the angst I first encountered in Kafka's Metamorphosis, which was the precise book that sent me in search of deeper meanings about life. A book that shaped my early psyche into the understanding that we see in others what we first see in ourselves, and that our interpretation of others does not define them, it merely reflects ourselves in a period of growth.

Having strong influences from California during my formative years inspired a sense of liberalism. We lived on a horse and nut ranch in the valley and under our home was a labyrinth of days past, with stacks of Time Magazine, books, and canned foods galore. In this dusty stack were the books of John Locke and John Rawls, whose treatment of individual rights, equality, and justice were the right amount of knowledge I needed to defend the period known to my family as teenage angst, where every concept was up for consideration and rights were an ever-evolving topic of discussion as I wished to exercise more and more of them.

Naturally, my family countered with conservatism. Rather than lecture me, my grandmother handed me Edmund Burke and made it required reading my sophomore year of high school. Rather than swimming and hanging out with my friends and cousins at the mall, I was stuck in the library, reading about tradition, order, and the beauty of gradual change over radical transformations, which brought chaos and discord. Yawn.

I wanted Anarchism! I wanted to hear more from Mikhail Bakunin and the abolition of the state and all forms of coercive authority. Besides, we all knew how to cooperate and share and conduct ourselves in polite society, or so my young brain rationalized.

This is where my armchair political philosophy influence ended and where my formal political philosophy began, by the introduction of working for the state of Campeche, Mexico, whilst exploring the work of Leopoldo Zea, who while having written decades earlier, was still a prominent figure in Mexican philosophy when I completed my degree program in the mid-90s. Through Zea's lens of the cultural and political identity of Latin America, I was able to make sense of the comments and opinions of those around me. He advocated for the recognition of Latin America and its unique history, differentiating it from European and North American models. At the time my strongest influence was deeply entrenched in American society and her ideals. I had some reconciling to do.

That's where Enrique Dussel's ethical take on political philosophy captured my imagination, and as a consequence, led me towards doctoral studies in business ethics as I was working in industry whilst attending university. Dussel wrote of liberation, of a movement that not everyone appreciated, deeming it dangerous. But inherent in his work was the rational understanding that we must understand history from the perspective of the oppressed and marginalized, and I was already there, actively advocating for employees and the impact and importance of food, safety, and daycare programs. Rather than engage in a hierarchical relationship with the domestic staff that made our lives charmed and privileged, I enrolled them in distance learning programs that the state offered, proudly supporting their education by returning with stacks of books that I also wanted to read (to help me understand what the state published and also to deepen my cultural assimilation by relating to Mexico's stories and fables).

Carlos Pereda's critical rationality and style of argumentation didn't give me that warm and fuzzy feeling for my adoptive culture, so I skipped him and went straight to Luis Villoro, whose exploration of the rights of indigenous peoples in Mexico aligned with my desire to learn more about the people who sometimes opened me with open arms, and who sometimes ran back into their houses when my morning walks took me through their villages. Combined with exploring the history of ancient cultures like the Maya, Olmec, and Aztecs, my lens into Mexico was deepening and broadening beyond what I previously knew about our neighbors to the south. Spending my weekends exploring ancient ruins was the perfect backdrop for my growing appreciation of other cultures. The political influences of my mentors and the family in which I was ingratiated required patience, respect, and deeper understanding; especially if I were to remain true to myself with such strong influences. This was the time before the internet and smartphones, giving immersion into another culture a deeper context than it does today when I can easily find my favorite foreign foods at our local City Market in CDMX.

Today: My evolution in political philosophy is being tested again, for this isn't a just story of yesterday nor a story of what might arise tomorrow. This is a methodological detour, where three decades of concepts are being tested by the conditions that have shaped my understanding of law and authority, of what is legitimate and justified, and the fundamental principles of evolving relations between entailment and incompatibility. Today, I find myself on the precipice of a legal adjudication between the United States and Mexico, with the force of arguments leaning towards unjust actions by the former towards the latter, and me standing smack between the two. Apparent paradoxes persist, concepts mixed with bias, arrogance, and social indifference that compel my mind beyond facts and evidence.

There is considerable plausibility in the idea that authority will be explained by the jurisdiction doing the adjudication, but even so, the argument is tantamount to a claim of authority, and therefore another twist in the evolution of my political and international mindset. It is neither right nor wrong but the fact that actions have or have not been performed and what today's law has to say on the matter.

This is what happens when a philosopher takes the lead on corporate legal actions from the role of CEO. Considering the authority of law from the concepts of effective, legitimate, and ability, and their effective (de facto) authority with power over people. Stay tuned to this newsletter as I explore what it is like to file an appeal against the U.S. Federal Government on behalf of Mexico, whilst remaining true to my passport and heritage combined with what I have learned from living and working in LATAM, Asia, Europe, and the United States.

The question of whether Dorothy ever really returns to Kansas when Kansas evolved while she was in Oz, and how Oz impacted her to the point Oz was with her henceforth is a topic of discussion in my household. Ultimately, we are not the countries we represent, we are our experiences. The more experiences we have, the more relatable we become and the more we relate to others.

Five Takeaways

This essay explores the author's journey through political philosophy and how it has shaped her understanding of law, authority, and international relations. It is relevant in today's world where questions of authority, legitimacy, and international cooperation are ever-present.

1. Personal Journey and Intellectual Evolution: The insights into one's intellectual evolution impact society, whether or not your early influences included philosophers like Hobbes, Locke, or Marx. Professionals in philosophy explore these topics in their work and make up the majority of international discussions on how we should conduct ourselves on the global landscape.
2. Diverse Philosophical Influences: The author's exploration of philosophical ideologies, from liberalism to conservatism, anarchism, and liberation philosophy, pinpoints the twists and turns of a philosophical education shaped by geography and social expectations. This is particularly relevant to ex-pats and individuals who have emigrated from one's country to live in another or immigrated to another country to live permanently.
3. Cultural Identify and Global Perspective: The author's engagement with Mexican politicians and philosophers like Leopoldo Zea and Luis Villoro reflects her journey toward a deeper understanding of Mexican culture and identity. This aspect may resonate with professionals interested in cultural studies, globalization, and cross-cultural interactions.
4. The intersection of Philosophy and Corporate Leadership: The author's focus on how her philosophical background influences her role as a CEO in the context of a legal adjudication between the United States and Mexico offers a unique perspective on the intersection of philosophy, ethics, and corporate leadership, which can be relevant to professionals in business ethics and leadership studies.
5. The Evolving Self and International Relations: The central idea that we are shaped by our experiences, and countries are not static entities, but dynamic reflections of those experiences can be a thought-provoking concept for professionals in international relations and diplomacy. It challenges conventional notions of nation-states and their borders.

About the Author

Sophy Laughing is an international leader who aspires to mindfully and inclusively drive outcomes that profit clients, the company, and the communities they serve. She serves as CEO of the Cobeal Group of Companies and is a Master Planner with experience working in 16 critical sectors. Sophy spent two years in public office (1992-1994) serving the State of Campeche, Mexico, as the Sub-Director of Finance.

Sophy advocates for direct foreign investment in the territories where she works, be it LATAM, Asia, Europe, or the United States. She is passionate about and actively engaged in the preservation of our collective global cultural heritage and can be found hiking to the top of a mountain, where you'll see her sitting on top of a pyramid enjoying the view and and the company of other travelers.