Social policy - the rule of law as referring to an ideal condition Essay

Social policy - the rule of law as referring to an ideal condition - Essay Example Since the point is to restrain the coercive activities of government, these general rules should not be framed so as to discriminate either against or in favour of any group of persons known in advance-against Jews or Blacks, for example. Laws against speeding lay down general rules of this kind: they apply equally to all motorists, and they do not single out particular individuals (say, BMW drivers) for special attention. Retrospective legislation is likely to violate the rule of law on this interpretation since its victims and beneficiaries usually can be identified in advance. 1 General rules of this kind that are announced in advance are a defence against the arbitrary actions of governments. They are necessary in Hayek's view both for the proper working of the market and for the existence of liberty precisely because they allow individuals to plan their affairs secure in the knowledge that government powers will not be used deliberately to frustrate their efforts. Once governments go beyond the enforcement of certain general rules, their activities inevitably involve the coercion of particular individuals. ... From this point of view there is no reason in principle why governments should not concern themselves with the regulation of economic affairs. But their interventions should take the form of a framework of laws within which markets can operate, rather than the direction of economic activity by a central authority. 2 Here and elsewhere, Hayek discusses government social and economic policy as if interference with market operations inevitably involves the infringement of liberty. It is not clear why that should be the case. Consider the example raised by Pigou in his review of The Road to Serfdom (Pigou 1944). The wartime practice of directing particular individuals into specific jobs is an infringement of liberty that may be defended for a limited period on the grounds of national emergency.3 This example, the occupational choices of individuals is certainly constrained as a result of government policy. But, from the point of view of those affected, the manner in which they are constrained is no different from the effects of market forces. It seems then that government interference in markets is to count as a coercive infringement of liberty, whether or not it is experienced as such by the individuals concerned. 4 Similar considerations apply to the welfare state. It is entirely proper for governments to be concerned with the welfare of their citizens, provided only that their welfare activities are constrained by the rule of law. The difficulty in discussing 'the welfare state', in Hayek's view, is that the term has no clear meaning. Some of the activities normally included under that heading are unobjectionable and may even 'make a free society more attractive, others are

Michelangelo Essay Example for Free

Michelangelo Essay The artist has painted a portrait of his friends and colleagues. Each one of them is in the prime of their youth, with seemingly no worries. They are all seen having a relaxed time oblivious to their surroundings. There are thirteen people featured in the painting, including two children. The colors in the painting are charming, bringing out the best of the painter and his art. The boat is full of young people having an enjoyable time, drinking and making merry. Life seems to be full of meaning for the people on the boat. The boat seems to be their cup of life overflowing with energy and youth. None of them are worried about the future. Each of the people depicted on the boat are living life to its fullest in the present. They do not seem to be thinking of either the past or the future. Life for them seems to be songs with unending lyrics, going on and on, eternally like the water lapping against the sides of their boat. Michelangelo has not have used color to define his sculptural form. He might have used the different hues of the marble itself to define the sculptural form. In fact, if he had used colors, the sculptures would have lost their natural sheen. It would have made the sculptures look artificial. The sculptures look so magnificent in their natural colors that there is an aura surrounding them that would have been lost with the use of any artificial colors. Color would have faded over time, but the statues have lost none of their sheen, making us believe that there were no colors used anywhere in the statues. The natural glory of the statues has been retained in the centuries gone by because of the natural elements. Their glory remains a testament to the resilience of nature.

Arthur Millers The Crucible Essay -- Essay on The Crucible

Arthur Miller's 'The Crucible' The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, is a tragic story of injustice suffered by an innocent community who are subjected to the hypocritical, prideful judges of their trial. These Judges use their power to eliminate evidence of their mistakes and return their community to puritanical ways. The leaders of Salem are not concerned with seeking the truth and justice, but with maintaining their authority and reputations; this objective leads them to consistently rejecting truth, against all logic and evidence of their senses. The symbols of truth portrayed throughout the play are exhibited through a handful of innocent hearted characters in the book such as Elizabeth Proctor. Her virtues of dignity and honesty are evident in the ways she calmly argues against Danforth and Hale’s accusations hat she is somehow involved in witchcraft. Although she nearly contradicts herself as a symbol of truthfulness when she lies about John’s adultery; it is very admirable to try to protect her husband, and she understands later when he recants. This is an example of her ability to grasp the wider issues of morality. Rebecca Nurse is the epitome of morality a woman known to have great wisdom and compassion. Her moral character is evident in her adamant refusal to not sign a confession. When Rebecca is brought into the room where John Proctor is about to sign a confession her aura of morality and sensibility moves him to take a stand for integrity and follow...

Cultural Communities Essay -- Sociology, Culture

In this essay, I will argue that to understand a person’s behaviour, ways of life and their development, we need to understand their cultural practices and circumstances of their communities. I will also discuss how this can be done and the implication for this in early childhood education. Rogoff (2003) argues that humans are develops as cultural beings: â€Å"people develop as participants in cultural communities. Their development can be understood only in light of the cultural practices and circumstances of their communities- which also change† (p. 3-4) According to Gonzalez- Mena (2003), understanding cultural differences can be confusing and no one can possibly know all about the culture of every family who might come into early childhood centres. So she questions whether this means that should educators ‘throw up their hand’ and give up rather than seek answers by understanding cultural difference, by exploring its broad themes and organising concepts. Everyone’s activities are from their â€Å"universal social-ecological community. Their social relationships, political influences, historical events, movements, economic situation and cultural background affect their activities† (Prout, 2005, p. 25). Understanding deeply the reasons behind their activities is more important than lightly watching their surface activities. By understanding the reasons behind their activities, one gains more knowledge about another’s ethnic context and is less likely to misunderstand the other’s ethnic life meaning. Whether the activity is an everyday chore or academic performance depends in large part on the circumstances that are routine in their community and on the cultural practices they are used to. An example in the Democratic Republic of Con... ...ment the beliefs and the cultural activities in the individual ways. So, I might avoid activities, which against the child’s family’s culture and beliefs, to the child. In Te WhÄ riki (Ministry of Education [MoE], 1996) under Communication strand: the languages and symbols of their own and other cultures are promoted and protected. The curriculum goal states â€Å"children experience an environment where: they experience the stories and symbols of their own and other cultures† (p. 16). In conclusion, understanding reasons behind people’s activities is more important, because the understanding could help us to suspend our own interpretations and values and beliefs in order to make sense of others actions and culture. As well as this, the accurate understanding about young children, family and community could help me to implement early childhood education better.

Modern Technology Essay

Information technology is playing an increasingly important role in the work and personal lives of citizens. Computers, communications, digital information, software – the constituents of the information age – are everywhere. There is though, a considerable number of people that are really concerned about the changes that modern technology implies, stating that it embodies potential risks to social values, freedoms, and relationships and this is what Sherri Turkle also states in her Forbes magazine article ‘Can You Hear Me Now? . I must agree with Turkle’s point of view that technology, along with all the positive aspects it brought into people’s lives, it also brought loneliness and sameness of lifestyle because of this abusive way people got to use technology nowadays. But as opposed to Turkle’s and millions of other people’s fearful thinking that mankind is developing too intimate relationships with machinery; I would say that this can be absolutely controllable. While it is true that the future of technology is only limited by our imagination, people have to learn that no matter how developed technology might get, the basics of a better life are self-esteem, respect for the others and willingness to self-educate and build up a strong character. According to Dictionnary. com,’ technology is the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and pure science’. Commonly, technology can be defined as the science applied to practical purposes. It can be argued that modern technology makes life easier and more dignified for most of people. The first and the major advantage is that medical science is very progressive and vastly available. Without the needed technology a lot of people would struggle with their health. In addition it saves many innocent lives. The point is to spread it and reach with medicine help to the poor nations of the Third World. Secondly, the advanced technology improves industry by making it more effective and, what is vital today, safer for environment. Moreover when we look at TV, personal computer, mobile phone or internet for instance, it is quite obvious that all these inventions have been made in the last 20 years. Thus the speed of improvement is huge and unpredictable. We can get the fastest ways of communication through modern technology which ties humanity together like a nervous system ties the parts of an organism together. Today we are connected with every other human being on the planet in a way people never have been before this leading to globalization through diversity, a very powerful current which is really to consider nowadays. On the minus side there is weaponry which is the inseparable issue of the new technologies. Hence the main problem is the proper use of this knowledge. Nevertheless, weapon engineering propels and provides a huge advance. Also, the industry despite highly developed machinery pollutes the globe. On the other hand while many people live in horrible conditions and famine governments spend a lot of money on developing weapon industry. Is it the right way? Modern technology should prevent social disproportions and not add up even more. Technology entered our lives over a relatively brief period of time with little warning and essentially no preparation. Many who currently use information technology have only a limited understanding of the tools they use and a probably correct belief that they are underutilizing them. This is why most of the people pay more attention first to their interlocutors coming through the modern gadgetry considered a more elevated audience; the ‘real’ ones have come to fill just a second position. This is where Turkle’s fair point comes when she describes these people’s feelings – ‘Being put on pause’ this is the impression we get when the one we are engaged with in a conversation answers his cell phone or replies to an e-mail or a text message. Another example of the modern technology taking over the unprepared people is the virtual lives they build and end up becoming addicted on that up to a certain point where it can even become dangerous for themselves and the ones close to them. Millions become someone else every day, lying about their age, gender, occupation or appearance. If you can be anything, you might as well be who you wish you were rather than what limits you in the real life. So if someone decides they like their online persona better, and decides to spend as much time in that persona as possible, living virtually – are they crazy? These games are addictive by design, and a lot of people get sucked into a virtual world existence, at the expense of their real life happiness. And surely a large part of the attraction is this ability to live an alternate, and in many ways, happier existence. But this can get really dangerous when it comes to children and adolescents as they may discover ‘world in the Second Life’ as Turkle puts it in might be much easier and funnier and they can develop serious issues n forming their character and personalities. And the negative effects technology can have on children are numerous: less physical movement, lack of attraction towards reading, no sense of responsibility. With parents buying their children cell phones and expecting them to call as often as possible showing them actually how little they trust them, this only adds up to children’s developing a lack of responsibility and a sense of dependence, as Turkle puts in and I agree. The time of self-reflection at adolescence is taken over by ‘quickly communicating a state over the cell phone or through an instant message and emoticons’ (Turkle) leading to a new dependence in their early emotional lives. Another point that Turkle makes is that technology leaves less or no time at all to sit and reflect of ourselves uninterrupted and I agree with that. Unless we are really strong as to put away or turn off all the technology around us we cannot get a moment with ourselves as all this machinery can be very distracting. Nowadays, when the rapidness of development and research is so impressive, it is easy to think about the advantages of modern technology. It is obvious that we are close on an era where technology is limited only by our imagination. Therefore the most frequently asked question is: Does technology go the right way and will it save or ruin our civilization? I believe that we can just let ourselves carried along with it or we could impose on ourselves in being more aware of the disadvantages also and try to control it.

Mona Lisa Smiles essays

Mona Lisa Smiles essays The movie Mona Lisa Smile explores life through themes of feminism, marriage, and education lead by a modernist teacher at the end of a traditional era. This film explains the idea or womens liberation, which was about women being able to do what they want, when they wanted to. The thought is that women should be allowed to do anything. Choosing to be a housewife is perfectly acceptable but if a womans dreams go beyond the household than she should be able to act upon them. Issues of questions dealing with uniformity and choosing the path that is right for each individual are also addressed. The film Mona Lisa Smile ultimately illustrates how certain expectations within gender roles, contraception, divorce, and marriage have changed over time, and some have remained the same. The movie begins by introducing the lead character, Katherine Watson, who is a free spirited art history teacher determined to make a difference at the prestigious Wellesley womens college. Very quickly it becomes apparent that Katherine is a non-conformist intellectual with a passion for art and education. Katherines ambition and persistence prove to demonstrate that she is a professor ahead of her time. On the first day to teach class her students attempt to intimidate her by sarcasm and their own intelligence. Katherine leaves the school baffled by the girls unkindness and realizes that she has her work cut out for her. Upon returning home the woman she is living with interrogates her about marriage. Despite her older age, Katherine has never been married which is hard for the women of Wellesley to understand. Katherine upholds marriage and understands the importance of family within society but she is also concerned with her career, helping others, and most of all, happ iness. The women of Wellesley seem to believe marriage is the single most important aspect of a womans life and K...

Raising the Red Lantern essays

Raising the Red Lantern essays This film is a story of something greater than the actual story itself. Set in the 1920s in Northern China, a young girl finds herself involved in something that was not what she had imagined for herself. The main character is Songlian, a 19-year-old Chinese girl, who marries into the Chen Clan only to find herself as one of the four mistresses within a home of tradition and strict order. The geographical setting is appropriate as to the underline theme of the film and that is a feeling of isolation within the walls of the Chen compound. The gray walls of their living quarters strengthens this feeling of isolation experienced by all four women. The only color in their lives is the lighting of red lanterns signifying the sexual wishes of the Master Chen for that evening. The sound effects of bells and Chinese opera serves to enhance the intensity of their longing for real companionship. The relationship between the Master and his four wives is purely sexual. As a result, t he four women compete with one another to sway his affections by conniving and betraying the other for the sake of time spent with the Master. Songlian struggles more than the other wives because she is younger and educated. This is both an asset and a liability for her because the others are very jealous of her and this isolates her even more than the walls. In addition to sharing the Master, each woman including their servants must obey strict rules of the household. These rules act to further control women in an already repressive society of the time. This film is somewhat true to form because women of China especially during this period were very suppressed. Although Chen had wealth, the women were still treated as objects of status without choices or hopes of some kind of personal happiness only sacrifice. This is reinforced by the conversations about the importance of having a son and how having a daughter was considered a wasted birth. ...