Mill vs. Raz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mill vs. Raz - Essay Example Guided by 'one very simple principle' he outlines an argument for a system, which he believed, provided the best possible environment for individual and social progress (Mill, 1991, p.30). Mill advocates for human's shortcoming and their incompleteness of knowledge, which means that the "truth" is not always the truth. Based on Mill's assertions, any one group who attempts to coerce another group or individual is breaching individual liberty, which leads to the stagnation of the intellectual community. The key to progress lies in the condition of seeking the best span of human experience and development. The individual in the Millian liberal society is engaged in 'experiments in living'; attempts to find "new, deeper or merely different sources of happiness in life", uncoerced by the state or fellow individuals. (Ryan, 1991, p.166) The most important aspect of well-being is to note that the individual has complete authority in matters regarding themselves, society does not have the r ight to restrict the individual, as long as the actions of the individual is not causing harm to themselves or others. Liberty is, therefore, an integral component of well-being; liberty provides the best possible conditions to achieve the "permanent interests of man as a progressive being." (Mill, 1991, p.31) In Joseph's Raz's The Morality of Freedom, his theory does not rest on a human being's fallacies but instead he argues that the individual's w... Raz creates an idea of the individual's well-being results from not just one being but that individual's situation within a culture, history, and society. He makes the simple argument that if a government can make a universal decision to prevent murder, then the state can act in defense of moral reason. Raz states that 'governments should promote the moral quality of the life of those whose lives and actions they can affect.' (1988, p.415) He advocates that the individuals will adapt to society's preferences and then will be able to have a good life, striving for well-being. Raz declares that the importance of a liberal society does not rely on the individual choice, as it does for Mill, but instead the individual should be able to choose between various alternatives that have been determined and supported by the society where the individual resides. A person's well-being should not be dependant on how the individual lives their life and how they determine their actions to be of vale but rather their well-being rests on how living a life is valuable independent of how it helps the individual. As he explains, an "autonomous life is valuable only if it is spent in the pursuit of acceptable and valuable projects and relationships." (1988, p.417) To best illustrate Mill and Raz's ideals for an individual's well-being take for example an person's addiction to alcohol. Through Mill's theory, the demand and priority for an individual's liberty in this self-regarding conduct and the belief in human experimentation does not accrue any benefits for the individual. It is highly unlikely that the majority of individuals will benefit from a life influenced by drugs. Raz on the other hand argues that the life of a drug addict is clearly inferior in terms

Henrik Isbens A Dolls House Essay -- A Dolls House Essays

A Doll’s House   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In past history, society has been both very prejudiced and traditional with its view of gender roles. Often times a woman would not have had the same right to something as a man did. Many women however went against the law and tradition to do what they thought was right. In Henrik Ibsen’s play, A Doll’s House, Nora does something that is unimaginable during the time period. Nora’s husband Torvald believes he is the man of the house and that his wife should be grateful and entertaining for him. Nora however signs her father’s name to a document in an attempt to do something she feels is right. What she doesn’t realize though is that by doing so she has committed forgery. Nora’s act of forgery was inspired by many reasons, and resulted in both expected and unexpected outcomes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nora was inclined for many reasons to commit the forgery. At the time Torvald was on the verge of dying and Nora desperately wanted to save him. Doctors warned Nora that her husband’s â€Å"life was in danger† and the only thing that would â€Å"save him [was] a stay in the south† (Ibsen 976). Nora couldn’t afford to travel though and was forced to somehow find the money. During this time period however â€Å"a wife [couldn’t] borrow without her husband’s consent†, so Nora had to get a man’s signature to take out a loan (976). Nora knew Torvald would not take out a loan because it would hurt his reputation as a banker, so she forged her father’...

Position of Women in Mordern India Essay

The position of women has changed a lot in modern times. Clearly women have made tremendous strides towards equality in recent decades however; we still live in a society in which the worth of women is measured in their physical appearance and not their intellectual contribution or talents. It is not an unknown secret that many women are paid considerably less than men for doing the same type of work. What effect does this obvious gap between men and women have on our nation’s female population? The effect of this is the unconscious perpetuation of the understanding that women are inferior to men in our society. This also stands in direct contradiction to the claim that we are all created equal. This gap between men and women can be seen in countless social arenas, such as, the workplace, the average household, educational institutions and even in our nation’s government. In the society, the role of women is getting bigger. Women are doing man’s work and sometimes women do it better. It may be because women are more patient and more intelligent. The concept of earlier days was that only man can work, because society thought that cleaning the house and taking care of the children were the only things women were able to do. This has changed a lot because now both, men and women, are working and taking care of home. Sometimes it is the woman who gets the money to survive and man is the one who takes cares of the children, and while it was embarrassing for men in the past, now it is normal. We have seen a woman P.M. in our country – one of the most powerful and undoubtedly the most efficient P.M.s we ever had – Mrs. Indira Gandhi. We also see a woman President – Mrs. Pratibha Patel. So a woman has the capability to hold the highest post of the country as well. Be it in politics (Jayalalitha, Mamta Banerjee, Mayawati – love them, hate them, but you cannot ignore them), sports, cinema or literary field, we see women dominating the scene side-by-side with men MAYANK SHARMA

The Justice And Restorative Justice - 1621 Words

Punishment is not necessarily the answer for young offenders, as crime is a gesture for help in many cases, and punishment-focused approaches don’t allow young individuals the chance to understand the implications of their actions through a victim s’ perspective (Choi, Green, and Gilbert 337). Policies and practices for youths need to fulfill more than entrapment and punishment, providing rationale for restorative justice (337). Crimes committed by young individuals are often minor, first-time acts which can be mediated and addressed through the proactive administration of restorative rehabilitation, which often prevents recidivism. Restorative justice is a process where all parties involved in a particular offense come together in order to collectively resolve the aftermath and future implications of the specific crime (Roche 343). Restorative justice is the the ideal response for the majority of youth involved in criminal activity, as it’s a rehabilitative meth od that produces positive healing processes and outcomes, especially in comparison to retributive justice approaches. Martin Wright explains that restorative justice involves a fundamental change in the response a society has towards individuals who harm one another. Wright elaborates that this terminology shifts the meaning of crime, stressing the fact that people are harmed, rather than a crime was broken (Wright 216). This highlights the ultimate source of restorative justice, and its strong relationship withShow MoreRelatedRESTORATIVE JUSTICE1036 Words   |  5 Pages Restorative Justice Introduction to Criminal Court Systems - CJA 224 January 20, 2014 Michael S. Hudson Restorative Justice Other than the conventional Criminal Justice process there is a new way to handle crime called the Restorative Justice program. This program exists only in certain cities throughout the United States. The Restorative Justice program has the purpose to reduce crime. This program has many steps, and during the course of the process hasRead MoreRestorative Justice1645 Words   |  7 PagesRestorative Justice Restorative Justice is an alternative to the traditional system. Even though restorative justice will never replace the traditional system, it has a balanced focus on the person harmed, the person causing the harm and the affected community, rather than just the crime through the eyes of the law. Restorative Justice is always voluntary for the victims, and the offenders have to be willing to cooperate and they have to want to do this. Restorative Justice is a forward-lookingRead MoreRestorative Justice788 Words   |  4 Pagessecond decision to do something bad. Likewise, Wichmann explains, the restorative justice process benefits those who have been victims. When somebody is harmed, it’s hard to understand why the crime happened to them. In a typical criminal justice system there is little opportunity for victims to understand or feel like there has been opportunity for them to hear apology from the offender. In that sense, restorative justice feels more fulfilling to all parties (Wichmann, B. personal communicationRead MoreRestorative Justice : The Justice System1993 Words   |  8 Pages Restorative Justice in the Criminal Justice System Nathan Tabita Columbia College Abstract Throughout this paper, various articles will be discussed in further detail on the issue of restorative justice within the criminal justice system in the United States. Both benefits and disadvantages of restorative justice will be analyzed, in order to have a greater understanding of the alternative justice program, and to remove any preconceived ideas unsubstantiated by facts. FocusRead MoreRestorative Justice : The Justice System1931 Words   |  8 PagesIntroduction Restorative justice is a comparative newcomer to the world of criminal justice; however restorative justice has been around, ‘officially’- by means of legislation for 14 years, and unofficially (in innovative practice), for longer. The knowledge and skills associated with restorative justice have slowly but surely migrated to other services, such as education, with startling results (Daniels, 2013). With the criminal justice system being so unfair and bias for years maybe even centuriesRead MoreRestorative Justice And Justice System2338 Words   |  10 Pages Restorative justice has some key restorative values that are vital in the restorative justice conference to make the experience ‘restorative’. Concerning addressing victim needs and concerns means for listening, respecting, being non-judgmental, not blaming the victim and apologizing. The RJ system was bought as an alternative to the criminal justice system to give greater emphasis on victim rights and needs, offender accountability and community involvement. Throughout the essay, there will beRead MoreRestorative Justice And The Justice System1905 Words   |  8 PagesThere are two forms of justice that the American society has come to know today. One is the traditional justice system and the other is restorative justice. The first half of this paper will provide an overview of how justice is achieved using the traditional due process system of our criminal justice system. Specifically, I will assess each step of due process, pointing out the possible outcomes of how justice is traditionally attained. I will also provide several examples of how the system hasRead MoreRestorative Justice And The Justice System1044 Words   |  5 PagesRestorative justice has can be seen to have multiple definitions among the most used are: A) a theory of justice that focuses on repairing the harm caused by criminal behavior and B) an approach of justice that aims to satisfy the needs of the victims and offenders, as well as the entire community. The most broadly accepted definition of restorative justice, however, is a process where all the parties that have equal power in a specific offense and collectively come to a solution on how to deal withRead MoreRestorative Justice : The Justice System2505 Words   |  11 PagesRESTORATIVE JUSTICE A DEFINITION The Oxford Dictionary defines the word restorative as having the ability to restore (i.e. repair, renovate or reinstate) health, strength or a feeling of well-being. Also, it defines the word justice as the administration of the law or authority in maintaining just behaviour or treatment. Thus, in lay man’s terms restorative justice would mean having the ability to reinstate a feeling of well-being by the administration of the law. Although there is an increasedRead MoreRestorative Justice And The Justice Centres2325 Words   |  10 PagesRestorative Justice(RJ) is a process in by which it takes an alternative form from the traditional CJS and aims to prompt resolution with offender, victims and the wider community in a safe setting. RJ looks at crime in terms of violation against the community and individual rather than a violation against the law (Gabbay, 2005). As with the traditional CJS, the voices of the victims and offenders are very minimal and not adequately addressed to a large extent; restorative justice centres its main