Americas Equality is our Shared Reality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Americas Equality is our Shared Reality - Essay Example Without these equalities, there could be no freedom. Fuchs clarifies the unique relationship we have with freedom and equality when he testifies, "Liberty was grounded in what they called the equality of every person under God, a belief asserted in the Declaration of Independence". Equality is not a myth; it is an idea and concept that our law, culture, and freedom is rooted in. It is a reality that we continue to struggle to attain and vigilantly guard to preserve as much today as we did in 1776. Jefferson's immortal words, "all men are created equal", were meant to be an ideal to aspire to, and that ideal is as real today as it was then. They were not stated as an accurate reflection of the current state of affairs in 1776. Jefferson did not imply that there was absolute equality and that all men would forever be treated fairly. He was keenly aware of the injustices facing the infant Nation as well as he understood the long road that lie ahead towards true liberty. Jefferson, a slaveholder all his life, was against the institution of slavery and looked forward to the day of its abolishment. As if looking into the future with crystal clear vision, Jefferson understood the grave issues at stake for America and the looming threat of violence and destruction if the people failed to accept his words. Writing of the necessity of a movement toward eventual emancipation, he writes in his Autobiography, in the year 1820, It was found that the public mind would not yet bear the proposition, nor will it bear it even at this day. Yet the day is not distant when it must bear and adopt it, or worse will follow. Nothing is more certainly written in the book of fate than that these people are to be free []. The reality of Jefferson's notion of equality is further evidenced by the slow, yet steady, progress America has made towards these concepts. When drastically altering our culture, laws, and society, change must necessarily proceed at a deliberate pace. While for many change has not come quick enough, we can view America's commitment to Jefferson's words and the reality of the idea by comparing 1776 to today. When the Declaration of Independence was written, there was an entrenched system of slavery that affected a single race. Women were not allowed to own property and only a minority of the population were allowed to vote. The issue of the displaced Native Americans still loomed in the future. Sixty years after the revolution for equality, women were granted the right to own property. Every generation since then has seen more equality affecting more people than their parents had witnessed. The next generation saw these immortal words reaffirmed at Gettysburg, P.A., when Lincoln proclaimed that America was, "[] conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal". Equality was no myth to Lincoln as he tackled the difficult task of freeing the slaves and playing out the prediction that Jefferson had made forty years earlier. Ensuing years would be graced with the monumental Fourteenth Amendment, which once again framed Jefferson's words as it reads, "[] nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal

Human Genome Project Essay Example for Free

Human Genome Project Essay One of the most challenging questions that have been left unanswered to this date is that regarding human evolution and geography. From the sociological point of view, it has long been known that specific populations can be differentiated from each other based on their religious backgrounds. On the other hand, forensic science employs language in grouping human population. In the field of human genetics, there is currently credible information that facilitates the understanding of how the entire human population evolved through time. The recent completion of the Human Genome Project resulted in the generation of the actual deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequence of a human cell, with the hope that every disease could be associated to a particular gene in the sequence. Alongside this discovery, other genetic features have been uncovered in the DNA sequence, including small nucleotide polymorphisms which serve as signatures to specific biological phenomenon. In Olson’s chapter entitled â€Å"God’s people: A genetic history of the Jews,† the evolution of this population was described in terms of selection, environmental factors, adaptation and migration (Olson 107). The chapter supported this description with reports generated from haplotype reconstruction and tracing of Aaron’s Y chromosome. Through DNA sequencing analyses, it is now possible to reconstruct the origins and migrations of specific populations based on the presence or absence of genetic markers in the human genome sequence. The most interesting part of the chapter is that genetic changes in the Samaritan population can be correlated to their historical account, including the time when these individuals were under persecution by the Roman government. This historical event resulted in a significant decrease in their population size. In response to the change in population size, the Samaritans underwent what is genetically termed inbreeding, which is simply the action of consanguinity. Despite common notions that consanguinity results in serious health risks, this population survived through thousands of years. One major observation among the Samaritans is that these individuals physically appear similar and this is mainly due to inbreeding. Interestingly, the expected medical diseases that are commonly brought about by intermarriages did not develop in the next generations and this may be due to the selection against these defective genotypes. Another process that could be associated with this scenario is the bottleneck effect, which selectively retains the beneficial genes to the next generation. Today, it has been estimated that approximately 13 million Jews are living in the Middle East. The contemporary Jews are technically grouped into Ashkenazi or non-Ashkenazi, based on their ancestry through regions around Europe. These individuals are a good population to follow in terms of genetic history, since this population carries a natural history of migration and evolution through time. The non-Ashkenazi Jews are considered as the highly migratory subpopulation, resulting in a diverse culture. On the other hand, the Ashkenazi Jews generally remained in the same region, thus preserving their genetic makeup. This geographical history thus resulted in the identification of specific genetic mutations and diseases that are inherently observed among members of this population. The chapter also attempted to describe the effect of founding mutations, which are initial mutations that have occurred early in time during the migratory and settling era of the population. The subsequent generations of this population resulted in the presence of the same diseases and mutations, the most possible explanation for this is that these formerly de novo mutations have been fixed in the genome sequence of the offspring. It should be understood that genetic mutations occur in germ cells, as well as in somatic cells, and these have the propensity to be passed on to the next generation through the genetic laws of independent assortment and segregation. The analysis of sequences derived from mitochondrial DNA have also revealed that the founder mutations reported among the Jews were transmitted through a matrilineal route (Behar 2062). Using mitochondrial DNA tracking, genetic analysis can generate estimations of the time of fixation of a specific genetic mutation in this population. The continuous geographical changes of the members of this population further exert its impact on the genetic fixation and phenotypic frequencies of these mutations, resulting in the current genetic conditions of this group. The genetic pool of the Jews thus reflects a microenvironment wherein genetic changes, alongside environmental effects and migration could be correlated with each other. There is still great debate with regards to the genetic history of the Jews. As Olson has indeed mentioned in his writing, all human beings are similar in the genetics aspect and being a Jew is simply based on how an individual feels about himself. This maybe true, yet in time there will still be more information that will be gathered from genetic assays on different populations around the world. The current information that has been established is that there are three founding mutations that have been identified in the Jews and each mutation reflects the origin or migratory pattern of each subgroup. However, the exact direction or genetic drift of each migratory pattern still needs to be further investigated. There is a need for a comprehensive genotyping of more individuals of each human population in order to fully understand the historical, as well as geographical account of human evolution and speciation. Each existing population must have been derived from an original group of individuals that existed in time. 2. The article entitled, â€Å"Jewish legacy inscribed on genes† authored by Karen Kaplan describes the account of Gregory Cochran regarding the genes of Jewish individuals (Kaplan 3). One of his claims is that Ashkenazi Jews are more prone to serious medical disorders due to the common mutations that afflict this specific population. One of the highly publicized medical disorders that commonly occur among Ashkenazi Jews is Tay-Sachs disease, a neurological childhood condition that leaves an individual disabled and complications result in difficulty of these individual’s to lead normal lives. Another common genetic disorder affecting Jews is Canavan disease, which involves the deterioration of the brain tissues, resulting in both morbidity and mortality in young Ashkenazi Jewish children. Niemann-Pick disease is another serious medical condition that is often reported among this specific human population and this disease is associated with the significant accumulation of fats in the particular organs such as the brain. Unfortunately, these aforementioned medical disorders result in mortality of an Ashkenazi Jew at a very young age. Another medical disorder that occurs frequently among Ashkenazi Jews is torsion dystonia, which is a movement disorder that involves changes in the tissue consistency of the brain. The accumulation of plaques in the brain results in the involuntary jerking and twisting of parts or even the entire body of the afflicted individual. Cochran claims that these common medical disorders affect Ashkenazi Jews in particular through a specific genetic makeup that still has yet to be uncovered. It is also of interest to know that these common disorders are of neurological origin, which means that the central nervous system of an individual is affected. Thus, these disorders can either affect the brain, the spinal cord, or any of the smaller neural cells that are connected or associated with the nervous system. In order for the public to better understand his claim, Cochran even compared this association to that of sickle cell anemia, which is a severe blood disorder that is commonly observed among African Americans. This genetic blood disorder results in the difficulty to transport oxygen to the rest of the parts of the body, as the red blood cells are distorted in shape, from the normal ovoid shape to that similar to a sickle. Comprehensive scientific research has established that a specific mutation is responsible for the generation of a sickle cell-shaped red blood cell, which in turn is commonly present in individuals of African American descent. Another claim of Gregory Cochran is that despite such serious medical disorders that commonly affect Ashkenazi Jews, a positive observation is also significantly present in this human population. Cochran claimed that Ashkenazi Jews are highly intelligent, as shown by intelligence quotient (IQ) scores of children of this ethnicity. He thus proposed that the predisposition of Ashkenazi Jews to mutations in gene associated with brain conditions also results in a high level of intelligence. Kaplan’s article further supports Cochran’s claim of intelligence and gene mutations with the historical accounts of how Jews lives through the centuries. The activities mainly involved migration, trading and other forms of business, all of which were highly successful. Kaplan supported Cochran’s claim by saying that these business transactions can only survive if the individuals involved were highly intelligent and since most of the activities were led by Ashkenazi Jews, then it is also likely that the intelligence â€Å"phenomenon† may have existed early on. Unfortunately, the claims of Cochran still need to be tested on a large population of Ashkenazi Jews before this can be proven and accepted. As Kaplan accounts in her Los Angeles Times article, the report of Cochran was an outright reject in the first journal that he and his collaborator, Harpending, submitted to. However, another journal that supports theories without substantial experimental evidence, Journal of Biosocial Science, published their claim. The claim of high intelligence among Ashkenazi Jews needs to undergo comprehensive investigation first before it can be fully accepted in the field of science. Similar to the genetic establishment of the neurological diseases that commonly affect Ashkenazi Jews, this claim was further strengthened after several years of scientific research in genetic laboratories. Patients positively diagnosed with the neurological disease were checked with regards to other clinical features. In addition, their DNA was extracted and the specific genes responsible for generating the disease were sequenced. In case a DNA mutation was identified in the genes, these were compared to other patients’ DNA sequences. Any other common features among thousands of patients were correlated and compared, thus resulting in what has now been established as a predisposition of the disease in this human population. It is thus important that the same meticulous type of investigation be conducted with regards to intelligence. However, the search for the answer to this claim may be more difficult because intelligence has been established to be influence by several factors. Scientists and psychologists have earlier established that the multi-factorial origin of intelligence makes any effort in tracing the source of intelligence to be ultimately difficult. Intelligence can not simply be generated through the genes because environmental factors can also affect an individual’s condition, including his mental state. There are a number of twin studies that have been conducted for several decades that employ the procedure of separating each of the twins are bringing each individual up in a different environment. Since the genetic makeup of twins is entirely the same, then any claims on intelligence genes can be validated in such experimental conditions. Unfortunately, twin studies have proven that a child who was brought up in an environment filled with violence and anger tend to be poorly developed in intelligence. On the other hand, the twin sibling who was raised in an environment that was filled with love and support grew up into a very intelligent and mature individual. It is thus difficult to prove Cochran’s claim that Ashkenazi Jews are far more intelligent than other human populations, because there are so many factors to consider before one can claim that a specific entity influences that state of thinking. Another issue that would emanate from such claim is that other cultures and ethnicities would perceive such proposal as a form of discrimination or indifference to other human populations. Claiming or even proving that a certain human population is highly intelligent does not help in the global cooperation between countries. In addition, the establishment of this claim will not save lives, just like the other efforts that employ genetic technologies in screening for specific mutations that would tie a particular phenotype to a particular genetic sequence. Proving the high levels of intelligence among Ashkenazi Jews will only spark anger and outrage from other cultures. It is thus good that Cochran feels that there is no need to prove his claim through the use of experimental evidence. It would also be safe and for the best of the rest of the world to leave Cochran along with his claim and let other people speculate on his unsupported claim. The application of genetic analysis on human population has been regarded as a novel and revolutionary addition to the methods in studying human evolution and speciation. The information that can be generated by this technology can be very sensitive and effective, yet there is still a need to employ human intervention and compassion with regards to which specific questions need to be addressed. Genetic analysis in connection to medical disorders can be very helpful in diagnostics and treatment, as well as for saving lives, but genetic screening other social factors such as intelligence will only spark bias among individuals around the world. Works Cited Behar, D. M., Metspalu, E. , Kivisild, T. , Rosset, S. , Tzur, S. , Hadid, Y. , Yudkovsky, G. , Rosengarten, D. , Pereira, L. , Amorim, A. , Kutuev, I. , Gurwitz, D. , Bonne-Tamir, B. , Villems, R. and Skorecki, K. â€Å"Counting the Founders: The Matrilineal Genetic Ancestry of the Jewish Diaspora. † PLoS ONE 3 (2008): 2062-2087. Kaplan, K. â€Å"Jewish Legacy Inscribed on Genes? † Los Angeles Times 18 April 2009. Olson, S. Mapping Human History: Genes, Race, and Our Common Origins. San Francisco: Harcourt Publishers, 2003.

The Scarlett Letter Review :: essays research papers

The Scarlet Letter is a movie that has changed many times and in this summary I will try to stick to this one movie, even though I may compare it to the novel. As you already know, The Scarlet Letter was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne dealing with the times of the Salem witch trials and puritan life. It is said that Hawthorne was very focused on these times because he felt guilty because his ancestors sent many men and women through various trails including burning and drowning them. Hawthorne is a great writer and one of my personal favorites, he writes in such a way that a vision is formed in your mind and he shows the feelings of those in his stories, real or imagined.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For preset the movie is told from Pearl’s eyes as if looking back on the lover her mother and father shared and their trials to be together. It begins with Mistress Hester Prin coming to the colonies without her husband, which many viewed as odd anyway. Hester finds her a nice cottage on the coast and precedes to buy help and live fairly normal. Many look down on her because she is alone and they expect something terrible of her. There is a group of women that take her in because they too are shunned from society, this group includes Harriet, she is very helpful and friendly to Hester throughout the movie. One day while Hester is gardening she sees a red bird and follows it to where she sees a young man swimming in the nude. On the Sabbath on her way to church her carriage gets stuck in the mud, and the nude swimmer helps her and admits that he has been trespassing on her property. The two get to town and he disappears before she can get his name. Then she enters and sits and he enters the pulpit. After the service they are properly introduced and he finds out that she is married. You can see in his eyes that this truly hurts him especially since many, many women introduce her to him as Mrs. Roger Prin. The two a obviously very intrigued with each other and eventually their passion is freed on a chance meeting. Hester then realizes she is pregnant and one of the ladies that also joins her at Harriet’s told the elders, because she had saw Hester throw up in the morning hours. Hester refused to reveal the father and lie in prison until her child was born. Rev.

Teenagers and Use of Contraceptives

Teen pregnancy has been a great issue that has been widely discussed about and seen to increase in the United States. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy one-third of girls in the US get pregnant at least once by the age of 20 and most of the pregnancies are unplanned (2011). Teen pregnancies have been increasing due to the fact that teens are not using contraceptives to prevent any pregnancies and society does not do a good job on informing teens of the importance of contraceptives and protecting themselves when they engage in sexual activity, especially at a young age.Psychological and socio-economical issues can also play a role in teen pregnancy, some girls decide to intentionally get pregnant because of their low self esteem, not having any goals for the future, having problems at home or even if their mother or sister were teen mothers. Teens should have more knowledge on protection and the importance of contraceptives because not only can it prevent pregnancies but also prevent sexually transmitted diseases.As previously mentioned teen pregnancies are at a high once again and teens who engage in sexual activity do not use the proper forms of protection and society does not highlight the importance of birth control. Sarah Brown, CEO of The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy stated that the magic formula for the decline of teen pregnancy is having less sex or using more contraceptives (PR Newswire). Most teens are unaware of the importance of having protected sex it can change their life dramatically. Half of all pregnancies in the US are unplanned–about three million each year (NCPTUP).Unplanned pregnancies result from unprotected sex; therefore, the use of birth control should be highly motivated in order to prevent any pregnancies. In their public opinion survey the NCPTUP concluded that 46% of teens wished young people were getting more information about abstinence and contraception. Rekha Daver, professor of gynecology at the grant Medical School in JJ Hospital states that there needs to be more reproductive health education among children to teach them about safe sex and proper methods of contraception.Teens should be taught at a younger age to think about their future and how being pregnant can transform and affect their whole life, as well as teaching them the value of safe sex and what can be taken to prevent unwanted pregnancies or abortions. More health education in schools should be emphasized to acknowledge students the risks of becoming teen parents and the importance of preventing pregnancies by the use of birth control. Teens should have easy access to these contraceptives in order to protect themselves during sexual intercourse and should not be ashamed to seek these resources since it is for their well-being.The media can play a prominent figure in teen pregnancy and the use of contraceptives; it has its positives and negative outlooks on it. Many people are skeptical about TV series that are popular among adolescents because some believe that it teaches them to practice safe sex or not practice sex at all to prevent any unwanted pregnancies, but on the other hand some believe that it lionizes teen parents that are on shows like Teen Mom and it gives them a higher status since they are now popular and highly seen throughout the nation.Some teens may want to follow their footsteps and believe that if they become teen parents they might also become recognized like the teen moms on the show. Another TV series that is very popular and seen among teens is The Secret Life of an American Teenager, it informs the audience how not using protection during sex can cause a serious life changing effect and becoming a teen parent is followed by many psychological, socio-economic and social issues such as becoming alienated from friends, not being able to financially sustain and care for a baby and believing that others think they are infer ior now that they have had a baby.In a poll conducted by the National Campaign to prevent pregnancies concluded that seven in ten young adults between the ages of 18-29 would support a campaign that would educate women and teens about all the birth control that can be accessed (2011). Many people support the use of the media to educate young teens the importance of protection and the wide range of birth control that can be used in order to prevent pregnancies, this will help decrease the high rate of teen pregnancies in the future. It also highlights the significance of using protection to prevent any further health risks such as sexually transmitted diseases.Each year, approximately three million cases of sexually transmitted diseases occur among teenagers according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Not only does protection prevent pregnancies but it protects the health by preventing the transmission of sexual diseases among partners; according to the mentioned statist ic, many teens are becoming victims of these diseases and most of the teens could have prevented this by using a condom, but most teens are not informed how to prevent these diseases so it is very important for them to become educated on the topic in order to decrease the rate of sexually transmitted diseases.Another factor that plays a prominent role in teen pregnancy and knowledge of birth control comes from the teen’s psychological issues and how their parents raise them. Some teens may face difficult issues at home or at school and feel depressed and alone, some may have a low self-esteem and do not have a set goal for their future. Andrea Parrot, a Cornell women’s health and human sexuality expert said that girls intentionally get pregnant because they do not see any life goals in their future other than becoming a mother.She also mentions that teens do not have anything to strive for and have no one to look up to for admiration or affection so they believe that a baby may be a source to receive unconditional love. Parrot believes that more programs that would help young girls acquire skills to achieve life goals, increase their self esteem, relationship with family and education on sex and protection would dramatically decrease teen pregnancy; although, these programs should be more effective if it targets girls at an early age in order for them to be informed at a younger age and not commit these mistakes later on in their life.The way the teen was raised also is important because teens who were raised in a single parent household are often left to learn life lessons and sex on their own or through peers, and a teen whose mother was a teen mother or whose sister was a teen parent as well, is more likely to become a teen parent themselves. Parents influence their children’s decisions, so parents should inform their children more on safe sex and the importance of it.In a survey by The national Campaign states that 46% of teens say par ents influence their decision about sex, eight in ten teens say it would be much easier for teens to delay sexual activity if they were able to openly talk to their parents about sex, and six in ten teens agree that they do not use contraceptives because they fear that their parents will fond out. It is the parents’ responsibility to inform their teens about safe sex and contraceptives in order to prevent unwanted pregnancies at an early age and prevent diseases.Parents should be more open about the topic and feel comfortable to cover the issue with their children so their children can openly talk about sex with their parents. Teen pregnancy is a major issue in the US, psychological issues such as self esteem, sociological issues like relationship with peers and parents and social problems like society’s role on informing teens on sex and birth control play a prominent role in teen pregnancies.Informing teens at a younger age on the importance of safe sex and protectio n does not only decrease the rate of teen pregnancies but also decrease the rate of sexually transmitted diseases. Having a greater knowledge on sex education is the key factor for teens to make a dramatic decision in their lives to take precaution and think about their future before acting upon a simple consequence that can change their life such as not taking precaution.

The Negative Consequences of Deforestation

Earth without forests is a picture that most of human-kind presently could not conceive. Forests cover much of the planet†s land area. They are extremely important to humans and the natural world. However, deforestation has been consuming our forests. Deforestation brings about a lot of unexpected effects on the earth and results in many negative consequences. â€Å"If the current rate of deforestation continues, the world†s rain forests will vanish within 100 years-causing unknown effects on global climate and eliminating the majority of plant and animal species on the planet,† according to NASA†s Earth Observatory. Deforestation increases the greenhouse effect and accelerates global warming. It also causes erosion, and the silting of lakes or rivers is caused by soil erosion. The same source claims that deforestation is very hard to be stopped because â€Å"the causes of deforestation are very complex. † There are several reasons why this current trend exists. Deforestation occurs in many ways. People destroy or degrade forests because, for them, the benefits seem to outweigh the costs. Underlying causes include such issues as poverty, unequal land ownership, women†s status, education and the explosive growth of the population. Immediate causes are often concerned with a search for land and resources, including both commercial timber and fuelwood. One of the main indirect causes of deforestation is poverty, particularly poverty in rural areas. Although poverty is not a â€Å"principal cause† of deforestation, it is a living condition that the majority of people in this world must endure. While greed and power can be the motivations of some groups in society that deforest, survival and the desire to escape from poverty is what drives most people. Poverty is not only the socioeconomic environment that limits people†s economic options, damages health but also reduces income generating opportunities. It is an underlying condition that facilitates deforestation. There is some evidence from the industrialized countries of the North that suggests as societies become more economically secure they reach a point where the economic development pressures that drive deforestation are replaced by a growing environmental concern and a greater appreciation of environmental values. However, for most developing countries that point is off in the far distant future. Most tropical countries are very poor by U. S standards, and farming is a basic way of life for a large part of the population. According to NASA†s article, in Brazil, for example, â€Å"the average annual earnings per person is U. S. $5400, compared to $26,980 per person is the United States (World Bank, 1998)†, and in Bolivia, â€Å"which holds part of the Amazon rain forest, the average earnings per person is $800. † The rural poor have very few options. There are few prospects of off-farm employment in either the urban centers or the rural areas. Illiteracy further limits the options of many because they do not have the basic tools needed to pursue other economic alternatives to subsistence farming. With few alternatives available to them, the rural poor consider forests as a short-term solution to their economic problems. Deforestation happens as a result of poverty. More important than that, commercial logging is considered as the major direct cause of deforestation. NASA†s Earth Observatory asserts that â€Å"logging can occur selectively-where only the economically valuable species are cut or by clearcutting, where all the trees are cut. † The forces of large global markets for wood and wood products drive the scale of logging activities. Logging in the tropics does not in any way resemble scientific forestry and is often characterized by a â€Å"cut-and-get-out† mentality in logging companies. Forestry uses science and management skills to manipulate the natural vegetation to favor the long term production of a selected number of goods and services. In contrast, most tropical logging involves the short term exploitation of only industrial wood products with no eye to the future of the forests. The intensity of logging in Asia†s forests is much higher than in the forests found in America or Europe. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates: â€Å"About half the land area of South America and Europe is covered by forest, but only one-sixth of Asia's land is forested. † And â€Å"a study in Indonesia found that when only 3% of the trees were cut, a logging operation damaged 49% of the trees in the forest,† as the article from NASA has noted. In addition, at the national level, governments sell logging concessions to raise money for projects, to pay international debt, or to develop industry. The logging companies seek to harvest the forest and make profit from the sales of pulp and valuable hardwoods such as mahogany. They use heavy machinery, such as bulldozers, road graders, and log skidders, to remove cut trees and build roads, â€Å"which is just as damaging to a forest overall as the chainsaws are to the individual trees,† according to the same source from NASA. Logging is done because of profits. Not only individual lumberjacks but also logging companies seek material advantage. Therefore, any country that does not have a suitable forest management will gain a higher level of deforestation by commercial logging. As we have seen, the causes of deforestation are very complex. Knowing the main indirect and direct causes help us improve our understanding of the causes and also the effects of climatic and environmental change, so that we may become more effective and efficient managers of our natural resources, as well as mitigate potential impacts from natural disasters.

Rousseau and the General Will †Government (300 Level Course)

Rousseau and the General Will – Government (300 Level Course) Free Online Research Papers Rousseau and the General Will Government (300 Level Course) The general will is defined by Jean Jacque Rousseau as the common good of all of the people that live in the state. While this explanation of general will is vague, Rousseau does in fact delve deeper into a working definition of it by expressing its crucial role in the creation of a strong and fair government. Yet merely defining the term does not give justice to its meaning. One may ask where general will is indeed cultivated, in other words, from where did it come? Also, is it in fact necessary in a society to promote freedom to its people? These questions require a simple analysis of Rousseau’s work, which has had and will continue to have lasting impressions on modern political thought. For Rousseau, the general will is not just important, it is crucial for the existence of a strong and fair government. Though it is defined easily as the good of all, when instituted in the world it becomes much more than that. The general will therefore are the overall welfare of the whole (state) at any given time and the source of all governing laws. And while it pertains to all of the members of the state, that is where it stops, as it does not apply to those living outside of the lines of that society. Interestingly, it is not a tangible thing that can be grasped and unraveled, it is more of an evasive presence that is present always and acknowledged by those living with it and around it. In this way, Rousseau dodges a literal definition of general will. It must then exist more in the readers mind than in a physical sense. These characteristics suit the general will more appropriately. Knowing the meaning of the general will does not explain where the theory was cultivated. While the general will is implemented and adhered to by the government, it never really exists in their hands. It is the citizen’s actions together that create the existence of this will. Rousseau states that virtue is achieved through a combination of general will and particular will, still it seems as if at times the two overlap. Furthermore, it is stated that to will at all a citizen must be free and must will between public liberty and the authority of government. This would mean that the citizen find a happy medium somewhere between total freedom and the restrictions that government places upon their actions. Once the will is established it must be followed for there to be any hope of a popular and legitimate government existing. And in this government, the legislator, who makes the laws, must do so in a way that they reflect benefit to the general will and in any case where th e law may fail, the general will would be consulted for a quick resolution. The best for all in the state is the ultimate goal of the general will be both cultivated and implemented. This leads to the question of whether or not the state needs to adhere to this general will in order to promote freedom. Even after long deliberations no clear answer comes to mind for this perplexing question. It is clear that the general will is dependent on those that are free to create it, but that is not the question at hand. When thinking about promoting freedom, Rousseau clearly states that the general will is always on the side most favorable to the public interest, and it is known that general will exists as a pervasive force and that is a direct product of the individual and their thoughts and contributions to society as a whole. So it can be broken down even further so as to say what if there was no general will, if there is no concern for the good of all, or worse yet, no general good? Not only will the citizens run amok, but also the government could be in a position to impose limitations on its citizens and the state would resemble a dictatorship. Likewise, a situ ation could in fact arise in which the state does adhere to a Rousseauian general will, yet the people are constantly asking themselves to distinguish between good or bad, or even right and wrong. That would be a case in which the general will placed constraints on the people and thus they would not truly be experiencing freedom. Therefore both situations could easily exist and while it may be fair to say that many citizens that enjoy freedom were both assisting and enjoying the general will it does not guarantee freedom. So as no clear-cut answer arises immediately, by creating a scenario it can be deduced that the general will can produce freedom but a state does not have to adhere to the general will in order to assure it. Thus while the general will may have a number of meanings, the reader can interpret it as the common good of all. Not only can it be known as this common good, but also it is the source of laws and when those laws are not effective, the general will acts as the mediator that can settle any differences. The free citizens that have to execute it and place it somewhere between their own personal liberty and the authority of the government that rules them cultivate the will. And ultimately while it may lead to freedom of people a strict adherence to the general will may not automatically result in the enjoyable peace of all those citizens of the state. For that it seems that a balance is needed to create success in the general will. This balance must be somewhere between the private will and the general will of all those that live and work the state. That is what Rousseau meant by his general will. 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Making A New Deal essays

Making A New Deal essays Lizabeth Cohen wants to prove that Chicago workers created a working class during the depths of the Great Depression. Unfortunately, the means she chooses to prove her case do not completely convince me. In Cohens hefty Making a New Deal she posits a transition of Chicagoans from ethnic, employer-loyal workers in 1920s to members of a common culture who articulated a class consciousness in the 1930s. She asserts that workers needed to overcome ethnicity before they could realize class, but then backs away from this claim. In the end, Cohens ambivalence, the rosy picture she paints of the New Deal era, and her overemphasis of class consciousness all weaken the book. The books central theme holds that ethnicity had to be overcome if working-class unity was to be attained. Cohen plants seeds of theoretical discontent within this framework that undermine her basic argument. For instance, in Chapter 3, Encountering Mass Culture, Cohen argues that mass culture and consumption standardized American life in the 1920s. But then she retreats from this sweeping generalization, equivocating that the impact of mass culture depended on the social and economic contexts in which it developed and the manner in which it was experienced (101). Despite the prevalence of mass culture it did not make working-class Chicagoans feel any less Polish, Jewish, or black or any less of a worker (158). Yet Cohen shows that even as ethnic workers listened to radio programs and shopped at chain grocery stores that were not supposed to influence them (in Cohens opinion), they began to have more in common with their co-workers of different ethnicity and race (157). Either ethni city or class has to prevail here, and I am not sure Cohen knows which one she prefers. I admire Cohens effort to present a positive picture of ethnic and black cultures by presenting their resiliency, but she understa...