“Democracy is a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly” . This definition does not explicitly determine who “the people” are. Realistically‚ in a democratic form of government the majority among the people has the power to make decisions binding upon the whole . The question that naturally arises when analysing the ideas expressed by Rousseau‚ Mill and Tocqueville is the following: to what extent the rule of the majority in a democracy
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“Liberty‚ Prosperity‚ Health and Happiness” Under the basic assumption that we are not constrained by the walls of imprisonment‚ liberty is an ever-present abstraction within our daily lives. Liberty is seen manifested within our realm with the availability of choices presented to us. Nevertheless‚ liberty is the engine that exerts choices. If we expand on the notion that liberty fuels choice‚ logic would guide us to the generalization that liberty is also encompassed with freedom. Woven all together
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Enlightenment Rationalism and Romantic Subjectivism In the eighteenth century social theories had a huge impact on individuals within a society. Two social theories in particular came to be during radical times. The enlightenment rationalism theory was based on human reason and rational thought. The romantic subjectivism theory was based on the importance of individual freedom with an emphasis on the subjective mind and culture. These two social theories were both highly influential during their
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Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is a text that persuades the readers that the “control of mind” is the best way to achieve happiness. Csikszentmihalyi created the psychological concept of flow. Csikszentmihalyi uses his book to best explain his concept to the common people and the best way to achieve it. He uses many examples and explains how to achieve flow and why it is the key to happiness. Csikszentmihalyi states that the concept of flow is useful in professions
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Tuskegee Research Project • 1. What were the ethical implications of the decisions taken at the time of the study? In reading and doing some research on the subject above I believe that some of the ethical decisions of this case were that there was never an informed consent from the men that this study was conducted on. The participants were not informed of all the known dangers‚ participants had to agree to an autopsy after their death‚ in order to have their funeral costs covered
Free Utilitarianism Jeremy Bentham John Stuart Mill
Libertarianism‚ as Sandel defines it‚ is the conception that we as human beings own ourselves‚ our bodies‚ and our earnings‚ and not anyone including the government has the right to take or limit any of our life chooses. When reading Sandel’s article I started to understand his reasoning behind libertarianism and why it was something the human race should not overlook. In my point of view I see libertarianism as a foundation that stands on the idea of individuality and freedom. However‚ when I think
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On Liberty is one of Mill’s most famous works and remains the one most read today. In this book‚ Mill expounds his concept of individual freedom within the context of his ideas on history and the state. On Liberty depends on the idea that society progresses from lower to higher stages and that this progress culminates in the emergence of a system of representative democracy. It is within the context of this form of government that Mill envisions the growth and development of liberty. Chapter I defines
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“In order to protect the liberty of individuals‚ the role of the state should be minimal” Discuss this view. The view that the state should be minimal is primarily that of a libertarian and minarchist point of view‚ where the individual should be‚ to the largest extent possible‚ be free from state interference and that state power should extend only to the point of preserving its citizens negative liberty or freedom from interference. The minarchist view takes this even further and says that the
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Aristotle and Utilitarians seem to voice different opinions when it comes to pleasure. Aristotle discusses pleasures to be a negative and is something not to indulge on frequently or often. He further explains how valuable it is that humans use the power of reason and critical thought to guide themselves throughout life towards happiness. Utilitarianism or The Greatest Happiness Principle speaks upon pleasure being the absence of pain. “It is better to be a human dissatisfied than a pig satisfied…”
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Killing one to save five others is supported by act utilitarianism as it allows for more happiness. The happiness of five people outweighs‚ and creates more happiness‚ than the happiness of only one; as opposed to those same five dying‚ thus making them unable to promote/create happiness. If maximizing utility is the goal‚ there is no doubt that condemning one to save five is permissible under utilitarian principles. The loop variant of the case follows exactly as the original case of the trolley
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