...Same-sex Marriage: Liberals vs. Conservatives The political issue of same-sex marriage has become one of the most popular issues that our society has ever dealt with. Last year in 2012, it was considered one of the top political issues of the year. Same-sex marriage is the marriage of two people of the same biological gender and/or gender identity. Supporters of same-sex marriage will also use the term marriage equality when discussing same-sex marriage. Currently, there are countless amounts of people who are working to legalize same-sex marriage in the U.S. There are also countless amounts of people who are against legalizing same-sex marriage. Should two people of the same sex be allowed to get married? Liberals and conservatives have two very different answers to that question. When discussing an ideology’s view on a certain topic, it is important to refer back to the core themes of that ideology. The core themes of liberalism are: the individual, freedom, reason, justice, and toleration. The core themes of conservatism are: tradition, human imperfection, organic society, hierarchy and authority, and property. When asking a liberal if same-sex marriage should be legalized, their answer would most likely be yes. Liberals believe that marriage is a union between two people that love each other. It should not matter if that marriage is between two people of the same sex as long as they love one another. To ensure equality for everybody, they believe that marriage...
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...Conservatism is a political view guided by history and aiming to make a society good. The fundamental goal of conservatism is to preserve the political arrangements that have shown to be effective in creating good lives. Conservatism is often misunderstood to be a political belief that wants little change in the society as possible. However, that is not the case. Conservatism accepts changes, but claims that the changes have to occur gradually as the society can easily fall into chaos and disorder. What conservatism use to judge prevailing political arrangements is history. People often say it is important to learn from history in order to plan for the future. Since history is a record of experience, it provides an important guide to good...
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...Afghanistan is approximately the size of the state of Texas. “Afghanistan is bordered on the north by Turkmenistan, Uzebekistan, and Tajikistan., northeast by China, southeast by Pakistan, and west by Iran.” (http://www.latifm.com) The population of Afghanistan includes many different ethnic groups. The strongest ties amongst these ethnic groups are religion. The different ethnic groups comprise a unique way of life in Afghanistan. Its current population is 32,738,376, and its capital is Kabul which is the largest city. In Afghanistan, Afghani is the monetary unit used, and the exchange rate is becoming a concern. The current political structure of Afghanistan is that of a monarchy both literally and symbolically. Afghanistan is currently attempting a conversion to democracy as what America has portrayed to the rest of the world. Although, these political structures are not the focus of our strategy, it will effect how the workplace is structured. Many Afghans believe men are the dominant species, and we will need to strategize our efforts to support the cultural beliefs of the natives. Executives that will survey and analyze this region will be men, and perhaps those with similar beliefs of the Afghans. This region will not be receptive of a female in a senior level management position. Artifacts are “the observable symbols and signs of an organization's culture, such as the way visitors are greeted, the physical layout, and how employees are rewarded.” (McShane and Gilnow,...
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...Religion Traditions and Democracy in America In Democracy in America, Tocqueville is worried about the disappearance of old aristocratic ranks and privileges, and the emergence of democracy. Tocqueville states that the "key to almost the whole work" can be found in his chapter on the "point of departure" for the Anglo-Americans (Tocqueville, p. 17). How can this chapter on the early history of Puritan New England shed light on what European governments can do to adapt to democratization? It seems odd that Puritans would have much to teach Europeans (or Americans today) about democracy. Tocqueville in fact outlines how vastly different the New England towns were from what we would call democratic. The leaders who made these laws were intent on enforcing good morals by using the most extreme enforcement. There is virtually no conception of a right to personal privacy. Their laws were based on a literal reading of the Old Testament and were extremely harsh. For example, in Connecticut, blasphemy, witchcraft, adultery and rape are punished with death. It is a capital crime for a son to say anything disrespectful of his parents. Tocqueville wants us to focus not on these laws, which he calls "bizarre and tyrannical" (Tocqueville, 27). Instead, he points out that these tyrannical laws were passed with the "free, active participation of all the interested parties themselves, and that the morals were even more austere and puritan than the laws" (Tocqueville...
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...Many have heard of the tradition of turkey pardoning but not many actually know what it means. It is a presidential ordeal and often televised but what it means and what actually happens remains a piece of little known trivia. Let’s start with what it actually means. As the White House Blog calls the action,“Each Thanksgiving, the President ‘pardons’ a hand-selected turkey, sparing the bird from someone’s dinner table and ensuring the rest of its days are spent roaming on a farm, doing whatever it is turkeys love to do.” Basically, the turkey is ‘pardoned’ for being delicious and a traditional meal so it is allowed to live. It sounds like a silly and odd tradition but it did start as a kind of joke or ruse. Its history as a presidential tradition also has not been...
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...together with ancient Egypt, Babylon, and India. It is known for its rich history based on the written records that were found nearly 5,000 years ago. From 475 BC to the end of the 19th century, China went through a long feudal period. It experienced two seemingly contradictory and paradoxical phenomena. Knowing that it was the most violent and chaotic period in ancient Chinese history due to the conflict between the collapse of the traditional Chinese culture and the establishment of a universal empire, it was also considered to be the most creative and innovative one since it was indeed an age wherein philosophers tried to give their personal opinions regarding the world and attempted to contribute something in the history of Chinese philosophy. All the competing Chinese philosophical traditions – Confucianism, Daoism, Legalism and Mohism, among others – trace their origins back to this period which is closely identified with the wellspring of Chinese philosophical, political, and social thought. The battle of ideas among the fabled numerous masters and hundred schools of thought that lasted for more than three centuries, was fought, but at the same time, the moral, political, and social order – presided over by the Zhou – was collapsing, and old institutions and tradition were degenerating and disintegrating. This period was commonly referred to as the Golden Age of Chinese Philosophy, or simply, the period of philosophers. During the Golden Age, the most influential thinker in...
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...been relegated to the background. This paper attempts to analyze the status of empowerment of women and highlight the issues and challenges they are in. It tries to analyze the need of women’s participation in the political process, social, economic and the overall developmental progress of Ghana largely to be judged on the basis of their political awareness, their capability of decision making in a male dominated society, their consciousness about various issues concerned with women viz. providing education to girls, health , nutrition, fighting against dowry, inclusion in the society, economic freedom, etc. It looks into the dynamism of the process whereby women empowerment is achieved and seeks to analyze whether participation of women does in fact translate into concrete women empowerment : a state where women are able to carve a niche for themselves in the traditional male bastion and successfully find a forum for effective redressal of women related issues or whether increased political participation of women, is but an eyewash , an essential dexterous jugglery of numbers with no female empowerment ramifications whatsoever. MEANING OF WOMEN EMPOWERMENT Empowerment of women is essentially the process of upliftment of economic, social and political status of women, the traditionally underprivileged ones, in the society. It is the process of guarding them against all forms of violence. Kofi Annan takes violence against women as the most shameful of...
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...American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us Robert Putnam & David Campbell Summary Points: Changes in American Religiosity & Tolerance (Chapters 3, 4, 5, and 15) Chapter 3 & 4: Religiosity in America Lifecycle, Generational, and Period Effect Change Ø Most people’s religious views and habits are formed fairly early in life. All of us tend to evolve in fairly predictable ways as we age, following what social scientists call life cycle patterns. These patterns produce a kind of life cycle escalator toward greater religiosity as an individual ages. Ø However, people born and raised in different eras get onto that escalator at different levels. People raised in a less religious era may never become as observant as people raised in a more observant time… Such a difference between people born and raised in different eras is termed by social scientists a generational effect. Ø Both generational and life cycle patterns involve change, but in pure form they produce very different...
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...that go along with it. Some of the most prominent social and political activists of our time were motivated by their faith, and their own interpretations of the sacred doctrine of their Religion. Not so coincidental, many hospitals, social service agencies, and clinics can trace the roots of their foundation back to religious tradition. Religion is not easily defined. Karl Marx once said “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature. The heart of a heartless world, just as it is the spirit of a spiritless situation. It is the opium of the people.” According to Marx, it is by the circulation of false beliefs that religion allows the downtrodden and unfortunate to accept their lot. That statement cannot be proven true or false. What history tells us is Religion can be a powerful force for change that challenges not only social systems but political as well. Desmond Tutu, former Archbishop of the Anglican Church of South Africa, was driven by his religious commitments to take a stand against apartheid in his country. For theists such as Tutu, Religion is not a drug, but a guiding force for social involvement and active resistance. Swasti Bhattacharyya presents a trio of well-known, religiously motivated, social activists. These men were positively influenced by their religions enough to take action in their aspirations for social, cultural, and political change, and...
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...it is too late as Creon finds Antigone has taken her own life. Through her actions of bravery and defiance Antigone exemplifies true feminist ideals. She is a shining example of a woman who stands for what she believes. Antigone proves to be a hero in every generation, but especially in her time. In fifth century Greece women were seen as having no influence or voice. Only men were allowed to vote and be part of the government. The majority of women played the role of either slave or housewife. The only time women would leave their home would be to go to the theatre or attend to their jobs. In this time period of Democratic Experimentation, it seems clear Creon is a dictator who makes all the orders. Despite the time period that she lives in and...
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...Many texts and writings appeared in response to the violence and political disruption of the French Revolution. From the beginning, the French Revolution was built on conflicting ideas; men could act for their own self-interest, but not if that interest did not support the common benefit of everyone. Driven by this conflict, Edmund Burke and Thomas Paine were two specific English writers that engaged in this debate. With their argument specifically dealing with where the natural rights of men are derived from and the responsibilities of the government to their people. Having conservative views, Burke wanted to see change that respected tradition and happened slowly over time. He certainly did not want to see the state overthrown by the common man. In Reflections on the Revolution in France, Burke wanted to show his concern for the British people based on his reactions to the events in France. Thomas Paine responded to Burke’s theories with Rights of Man. Paine believed the monarchy was unnatural and evil, and the people had the right to take over a government like this at any given time. He saw the revolution as a change that developed a new state which represented the people, even ignoring or justifying the injustice of some of its actions. As the French revolution intensified with the execution of King Louis XVI and the Reign of Terror, Burke’s arguments proved more consistent than Paine’s. Edmund Burke’s interpretation of natural rights better represented the outcome of the...
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...of college. This was a truly inspiring movie! There was a clear clash between the traditional and conservative values espoused by Welton Academy as an institution, and the progressive teaching methods of John Keating. Welton Academy’s ethos of “tradition, honor, discipline, and excellence not only discourages but makes it a crime for a student to exercise a critical political consciousness. Professor John Keating, on the other hand, is concerned with the political and moral quality of his students. He challenges them to question the social and political norms that defines their lives at Welton. As a result, he inspires Charlie to publish an article in the school newspaper, arguing for why Welton should be coeducational. In the end, Headmaster Gale Nolan, was so unwilling to even consider the possibility that Neil Perry’s suicide was a product of the intellectually and political repressive atmosphere at Welton, that he compelled every member of the Dead Poet’s Society on threat of expulsion to sign a form stating that Keating’s “destructive” teaching method was the true culprit. By the end of the film, it was clear that what transpires at Welton Academy is not true learning, but rather an insidious form of social and political control in which the dynamics of the dominant, established society, as exemplified by Neil’s father’s suppression of his son’s desire to pursue acting, reproduce themselves in the classroom. In this type of society, children are treated as mere objects...
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...animals except Moses, Mr. Jones’s tame raven, convene in the big barn to hear a speech by Old Major, a prize boar and pillar of the animal community. Sensing that his long life is about to come to an end, Major wishes to impart to the rest of the farm animals a distillation of the wisdom that he has acquired during his lifetime. As the animals listen raptly, Old Major delivers up the fruits of his years of quiet contemplation in his stall. The plain truth, he says, is that the lives of his fellow animals are “miserable, laborious, and short.” Animals are born into the world as slaves, worked incessantly from the time they can walk, fed only enough to keep breath in their bodies, and then slaughtered mercilessly when they are no longer useful. He notes that the land upon which the animals live possesses enough resources to support many times the present population in luxury; there is no natural reason for the animals’ poverty and misery. Major blames the animals’ suffering solely on their human oppressors. Mr. Jones and his ilk have been exploiting animals for ages, Major says, taking all of the products of their labor—eggs, milk, dung, foals—for themselves and producing nothing of value to offer the animals in return. Old Major relates a dream that he had the previous night, of a world in which animals live without the tyranny of men: they are free, happy, well fed, and treated with dignity. He urges the animals to do everything they can to make this dream a reality and exhorts...
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...Contemporary Issues in Eastern Religions Paper Serrita Daniels, Bismarck Perez, Jonathan Keyworth, Dennis Morales, Matthew Weed REL/ 133 May 3rd, 2014 Stephen Allen Contemporary Issues in Eastern Religions Paper Shinto began in a time when the religion had no name and it was just a way of life. Long ago, people lived close with nature and so the religion began in worshiping the spirits of nature as a reality of the world (Molly, 2010). Shintoism is one of the oldest religions in Japan and to keep its teaching alive Japan gave it its name when Buddhism came to Japan in the sixth century. Although, this did not stop people from coming to Japan to compare their religions, how this religion interacts with the modern world, and how Shintoism would influence other religions in the modern world (Molly, 2010). When comparing Shintoism to other religions such as, Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism many people may automatically say there are not comparisons between the religions. When researching comparisons between these religions, people can say they all believe in a higher power, but that is not where the similarities end. Shinto and Buddhism care two religions that taught and learned from each other by adopting beliefs from each other. The both believed in having a place of worship called shrines and temples. They also believed in more than one higher deity who were a loving and benign (Find the best, 2014). When China entered Japan, the Chinese introduced Buddhism...
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...but it is a single entity. * We are connected to each other through our humanity and common membership of community. * Organic society is seen as a reality, which is superior to our own, individual interests. * The ideal organic society – where goals and aspirations of individuals coincide with the goals of the whole society. 1980s – Margaret Thatcher famously challenged this remarking that there “is no such thing as society”, implying that the goals of individuals are superior to those of society as a whole. * Traditional conservatives believe that there is a ‘natural’ order into which each individual fits. * It is normal and natural that society should be divided by a number of strata. * The very rigid feudal system had long since disappeared, but there remained a belief that some kind of class system was inevitable. * Hierarchy like this supports organic society in that it creates an order and stability, which the individualistic society lacks. * Different parts of the hierarchy have different roles that complement each other. * This implies inequality, but an ordered inequality, and one in which those at the upper levels of the hierarchy are expected to take responsibility for the welfare of the lower orders – noblesse oblige. * The idea of hierarchy now appears largely outdated, but the organic society remains a key idea for many conservatives, not least some of the supporters of David Cameron’s style of conservatism. 2) Individualism *...
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