Rawlsian Affirmative Action Essay -- Philosophy Philosophical Papers

Rawlsian Affirmative Action: Compensatory Justice as Seen from the Original Position * ABSTRACT: In A Theory of Justice, John Rawls presents a method of determining how a just society would allocate its "primary goods"-that is, those things any rational person would desire, such as opportunities, liberties, rights, wealth, and the bases of self-respect. (1) Rawls' method of adopting the "original position" is supposed to yield a "fair" way of distributing such goods. A just society would also have the need (unmet in the above work) to determine how the victims of injustice ought to be compensated, since history suggests that social contracts are likely to be violated. This paper is an attempt to determine the remedial measures that would be selected using Rawls' method. I contend that only two of the three most widely used "affirmative action" policies would be selected from the original position. I also sketch another compensatory policy that would pass Rawls' fairness test. I. Affirmative action is public policy designed to compensate the victims of injustice. (2) To be thus disadvantaged, in Rawls' scheme of things, is to have suffered in some way from having had less than one's fair share of the primary goods (62). This measure, according to Rawls, ought to be determined by the two principles that would be selected in the original position (17-22). The "first principle," which is "lexically prior" to the second, dictates that each member of society be granted every shareable personal liberty, a liberty being shareable just in case one's exercising of it would not prevent others from doing so (60-1, 250). The "second principle" states that the other primary goods are to be distributed in an egalitarian fashion unless... ...with compensating the victims of injustice. (3) Having done my best here to defend what follows as a reasonable extension of Rawls' system, I would add that I am not wed to the idea that it be taken as such. If the connection between ideal and nonideal theory is not as I have portrayed it, if the latter is not to be circumscribed by the former, then the ensuing views on affirmative action may simply be understood as those that would follow if one were apply Rawl's method, against his own stricture, to the issue of compensatory justice. (4) In correspondence and in "A Puzzle About Economic Justice In Rawls' Theory," Social Theory and Practice, vol. 4 #1, pp. 1-27. (5) "A Puzzle About ..., " p. 3. (6) Ibid., p. 7. (7) Ibid., pp. 12-13. (8) Thomas Nagel, "The Policy of Preference," in Mortal Questions (London: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1979) pp.91-105.

Plagiarism Essay -- Cheating School Education Essays

Plagiarism What is plagiarism? Obviously the word must be of some importance as I know it can greatly change ones future. From what I know, plagiarism can happen by careless mistakes, being uneducated of what plagiarism really means or just on purpose to save time for themselves. Some writers may not know the actual detail of how you give another writer full credit of their work. Another could be that some students are lazy, worried or in a rush to finish a paper and think plagiarizing is the best solution at that time for them. Mainly, I think this would happen in high school and colleges. Students in these areas are so busy which could make the idea plagiarizing a way to save them a little time to worry and finish another project up. I know, for me during High School, I was so busy working and keeping up my grades with trying to have a normal life plus all the pressure I had to face with what I am going to do with my life. With this in mind, I could see how students could feel that plagiarizing could be the best option for them. However, if I had plagiarized through my school work I could have easily ruined my goals for my future. From what I know, my definition of plagiarism would be basically stealing someone elses work. As far as I can remember through all my schooling I have been taught that plagiarizing is wrong. In elementary school, around the time of starting the fourth grade, was the first time I knew the basics about plagiarism. High school though is really the time where I learned about the consequences of plagiarism. While doing my first research paper, the teacher made it clear that if anyone in the class plagiarized you would not only fail the assignment, you would fail the class, the principal would be n... ...ing a smart thing by stealing when actually they are only hurting themselves. In my opinion, Jayson Blairs decision of plagiarizing shows how unqualified he was at his career if he had to become successful by taking credit of another persons work. I thought before writing this paper that I actually understood the basics of plagiarism. As I went further and further into research I found out how wrong I was. When I think of plagiarism I basically thought that it only happens at school and it wasnt that much of an important issue. I was proven otherwise. Anything you think of can be plagiarized. For example, lyrics to a song, quotes from a book, symbols from a product, a research paper, articles from a newspaper, etc What also amazed me was the number of students that have actually admitted to plagiarizing. I do hope that they learn With plagiarism comes consequences.

The Manipulative Sirens and Their Victims in Margaret Atwoods Siren So

The Manipulative Sirens and Their Victims in Margaret Atwood's Siren Song In Homer's Odyssey, the Sirens are mythical creatures whose enchanting voices lure sailors to their deaths. These women have fascinated people ever since Homer sung the lines of his epic, inspiring artists of many genres from oil paintings to films. In her poem "Siren Song," Margaret Atwood re-envisions the Sirens to draw a comparison between the myths and modern life. Atwood portrays men as victims of "Sirens" (women) by making her readers the victims. Atwood begins her poem with the speaker mysteriously introducing a secret. Speaking to her audience, the Siren--whose role is played in real life by women and paralleled by poets--attracts attention immediately with her luring phrases and vocabulary: "This is the one song everyone / would like to learn: the song / that is irresistible..." (1-3). Even with the word "siren" screaming, "Warning! Danger!" the loud ringing serves only to catch more notice. Readers respond with interest, wanting to hear this song and wondering why it is "irresistible" (3). Atwood uses colons in this first stanza as her tool for pulling readers into her story. Her colons hint at the revelation of this great secret; readers must read on to discover it. Rather than stopping abruptly, Atwood carries her thought to the second stanza by beginning it with a lower case letter. However the speaker does not continue that thought by telling the secret right away as the reader would expect. Instead Atwood gives the speaker a seductive voice through her description of the enigmatic power of the Siren song. The speaker teases readers with evidence of its strength that "forces men / to leap overboard" (4-5), plunging to their deaths. ... ...t works every time" (27). In "Siren Song," Atwood plays off the mythical idea that Sirens seduce their victims in order to demonstrate the same manipulative tendencies in women and poets-women seduce men; poets seduce their readers. She proves her theory by exercising it and capturing her readers in her own poem. Her carefully crafted language forms a trap for her readers, demonstrating poetry's powerfully seductive nature. Readers become entranced in her story, and, after facing death as the Siren's (Atwood's) victims, her readers agree that this is "the song / that is irresistible..." (2-3) and "it works every time" (27). Works Cited Hamilton, Edith. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. New York: Mentor, 1990. VanSpanckeren, Kathryn and Jan Garden Castro. Margaret Atwood: Vision and Forms. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1988.

Expiration Date on Marriages

According to a study from the Center of Women's Resources, for every two hours a woman is either slapped, beaten and subjected to other forms of abuse. In a day, twelve women submit to cruel acts caused mostly by their loved ones or people they know, making violence the number one crime against women. Statistics shows that there are too many victims of abuse yet no actions have been done. Margie Tajon, president of the 1-Babae Astig Aasenso (1-ABAA) party-list group, suggests that the proposal for 10-year expiration on Marriage would strengthen marriage and not destroy it. Tajon stated in an interview that this would allow couples to reassess the status of their marriage. In one of her points she states that it would benefit incompatible pairs who would like to be separated legally but have to undergo a tiring and lengthy process to annul their marriage. She stated that â€Å"Marriage annulment cases are clogging up our courts and we have to find a means to address the problem†. According to reports there were 8,000 annulment cases reported in 2008 and there are still more being deliberated in courts. A marriage license is a requirement for either a Civil or Church wedding to be held in the Philippines. The Application Form for a marriage license must be secured at the Local Civil Registrar from the city, town or municipality where the bride or the groom resides. The personal appearance of the couple is required in applying for the marriage license. Both parties involved shall file separately a sworn application for each license with the proper local civil registrar and proper supporting documents shall be submitted. According to Philippine law a ten-day waiting period is prescribed from the filing of the Application to the issuance of the marriage license. The license is valid for 120 days from date of issuance and may be used anywhere in the country. A marriage license is just like any other form applied for in the country. Like a passport or driver’s license which expires, why can’t a marriage expire too? According to Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano: â€Å"It’s a reflection of what is happening in our society,† referring to the growing clamor from women for more rights and social freedoms. Senate Minority Leader Aquilino â€Å"Nene† Pimentel, Jr finds the idea as funny. â€Å"It’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in my life. Does it mean marriage is just a trial? † Pimentel said of the proposal. Pimentel added that the issue of a marriage contract with an expiration date will go against the belief of the Filipino people that marriage is a sacred union done in the eyes of God. We are a predominantly Catholic country and the views of the people from the church are important. The Chairman of the CBCP’s National Appellate Matrimonial Tribunal said that the proposal is â€Å"some kind of desperate approach to right a wrong by something wrong. †. He says that â€Å"It is wrong for couples to separate and here comes a proposal for them to precisely separate,†. According to him there are dire consequences for this proposal. The most serious of which is the emotional trauma on the children whose parents are separated. It will also produce more children and result in a population explosion. He added that a man who gets married at age 20 and decides not to renew his marriage with his wife can go on and on until he marries his sixth wife at age 70. The question here is if we would allow such a thing to happen and I say yes. We may say that the family is the basic unit of the society and that it holds our society together but what about the individual? Families may seem happy on the outside but the inner workings are messed up. They may say that children will undergo emotional trauma if their parents separate. Children also undergo emotional trauma if they see or hear their parents fighting and if these situations worsen it will lead to abuse not only to the mothers but to the children as well. Our society has a problem indeed. We are stuck in the ways of the cavemen and our brain closes itself to the more liberated ideas which really benefit us.

Interpersonal deception theory Essay

The interpersonal deception theory’s presence throughout Martin Scorsese’s film, The Departed, is made abundantly clear through the interactions between the characters. Two of the main characters, Agent Sullivan and William, both lie in order to do their jobs, and to just survive. These characters exhibit the three dominant deception theories – falsification, concealment, and equivocation, as well as utilizing eye contact, either purposely or not. The interpersonal deception theory attempts to explain the manner in which two people who are engaged in face-to-face communication deal with deception. It is possible to detect deception from verbal and nonverbal cues. There are three dominant deception theories – falsification, concealment, and equivocation. Falsification is when one individual, the â€Å"sender†, blatantly lies to another individual, the â€Å"receiver. † Concealment is when the sender omits certain facts; this results in deception. Equivocation is when the sender skirts the issues by changing the subject (Hearn 2006). In Martin Scorsese’s film The Departed, William, the undercover officer working with Frank Costello, and Agent Sullivan, the detective who is helping Frank Costello, both exhibit dominant deception theories. Both lie throughout the entire film; William is a good guy pretending to be bad, while Agent Sullivan is a bad guy pretending to be good. Both are fairly good at lying, however, there are small, somewhat tell-tale signs that they are being deceptive. Agent Sullivan is a detective with the Massachusetts State Police. When he was a boy, a local criminal, Frank Costello, helped him out, and the two had been friends ever since. When Sullivan became a detective on a case where the police were trying to capture Costello, Sullivan did everything he could to help Costello. Because of his two-faced nature, he had to lie to his girlfriend, Madolyn, and the men he worked with, including his boss. Agent Sullivan worked his deception on those around him in two obvious ways – concealment and equivocation. The first example is of equivocation. About half way through the film, Sullivan got a phone call from Costello, and Madolyn answered the phone. When Sullivan got off the phone, Madolyn asked him who had called him. Sullivan told her that it was his boss. She knew he was lying to her, so he skirted the issue by saying that there are things about his job that he could not tell her, things that she did not even want to know. He even tried to make a joke about her questions interfering with an ongoing investigation. He successfully got her mind off of the actual issue at hand, the issue of the mysterious caller. The example of concealment is demonstrated throughout the film in regards to Agent Sullivan. Sullivan spends the entire film trying not to be found out as the man Costello has in the police department. When things start to really unravel, Sullivan is assigned to find the leak in the department, and he actually takes on the task. From here on out, Sullivan works hard to continue to conceal his true identity. William was working for the Massachusetts State Police as an undercover cop. He did not successfully complete the training at the Police Academy, but he wanted to be a cop. No one knew he was working for the police department except for two high-ranking officers. William became a trusted friend of Frank Costello while investigating him. This gave William the edge he needed to capture Costello, but deceiving Costello could have proved to be deadly. William worked his deception on Costello in two ways – falsification and concealment. In a scene where Costello wanted to talk to William about a â€Å"rat† in the operation, William flat-out lied to him, telling Costello that he was not the rat. William knew that Costello suspected him of being the rat, but William kept denying it. Costello began to believe him. William successfully lied his way out of a potentially deadly situation. William also used the trick of concealment to his advantage. He, first and foremost, concealed his identity, not only from Costello and his gang, but also from other officers in the police department. No one in the police department knew that he was working undercover. Because he did not graduate from the Police Academy, William was not a real police officer. Because of this, he went virtually undetected. William’s concealment of his true identity was successful, until Costello wanted his real name, social security number, and bank account numbers. It was then that William knew he had to find a way out. From here on out, things began to fall apart. Both Agent Sullivan’s and William’s deception could have been detected. Most individuals believe that they can tell when a person is lying to them. They can detect deception by listening and watching the sender. Signs such as eye contact/rapid eye movement, body rigidity, and fidgeting can be tell-tale signs of when an individual is trying to deceive another individual. Eye contact is held as the number one indicator of truth or deception. Most believe that if an individual holds strong eye contact, then that person is being truthful. On the other hand, if one’s eyes move rapidly, or one cannot look another in the eye while talking to them, it is an indication of deception. Law enforcement interviewers and interrogators believe that when a person is not being truthful, they will break eye contact and either look to the right or to the left. This belief, however, is not substantiated (Walters 2000). Although proven an unreliable means of detecting deception, this does not stop Scorsese from implementing this strategy when it comes to Agent Sullivan’s behavior. Agent Sullivan’s behavior, if paid attention to, would have alerted anyone to his deception. For example, Sullivan never made complete eye contact while lying. He does make good eye contact when he says that Costello has a man in the police department, because that information is true. However, when he says that he is working on finding out who it is, he looks briefly at the floor. Sullivan breaks eye contact, an indication that he is lying. In actuality, Sullivan himself is the man Costello has in the police department, so Sullivan has no intention of finding out who the rat is. Another example of Agent Sullivan’s odd behavior is at the sting. Sullivan calls Costello to inform him that he is being watched by the police. Later, Sullivan finds out that the FBI is present and is monitoring cellular phone activity. Sullivan begins to sneak nervous glances around the room, looking to see if anyone has detected his involvement with Costello. In the scene where William meets Costello for a discussion on who the â€Å"rat† is, William makes deliberate, strong eye contact. Unlike Agent Sullivan, when William lies to Costello, William looks him straight in the eye and does not waiver. William is nervous about meeting with Costello, but he carries himself as though he is in control of the situation. Although William was nervous, he does not back down from Costello. This forces Costello to back down and to take William’s word that he is not the rat at face value. It is generally believed that when someone breaks eye contact with the person they are talking to, they could be lying. However, when someone makes deliberate eye contact, that could mean that they are trying to conceal the fact that they are indeed lying. Deliberate eye contact also means that the person maintaining strong eye contact is trying to maintain dominance or control over the person he is speaking with. This is done is such a way that the receiver would not even think about questioning the accuracy of the sender’s words (Walters 2000). This is how William wins over Costello. The term â€Å"leakage† is used to refer to any behavior outside of a deceiver’s conscious controls that could signal dishonesty. These signals could include the formerly mentioned body rigidity and fidgeting (Schneider 2007). For example, when Agent Sullivan is at the sting, after he found out that the FBI were monitoring cellular phone activity, he sits very still, only moving his head to glance around the room. His body seems to become very rigid, perched uncomfortably on a table. He also seems to be fidgeting inside his coat pocket. In actuality, however, he is sending a text message to Costello that says, â€Å"no phones. † Sullivan could have â€Å"leaked† his involvement with Costello if someone had been paying attention. The characters of Agent Sullivan and William exhibit falsification, concealment, and equivocation. The use of eye contact, both deliberate and not, make the characters more human. All of the signs of dishonesty that these two characters exhibited made the viewer believe that those characters were real. Both characters’ deceptions could have been seen through, like most people’s deceptions, but they were not detected. They carried their burdens well, working their hardest to not only do their jobs, but to survive.

Destroying Avalon Essay

(1) The pseudonym ‘AFriend† is ironic because the person by this name is not a friend however a bully which is sending Avalon messages about what the other girls think of her at school. (3) Being overwhelmed by the content of the email is quite normal for Avalon mainly because it was suggesting that she was not liked and that she was being bullied. (5) Avalon’s parents have positive attitudes and strong values towards education as their both teachers. (7) Mitch seem to be nice and friendly towards Avalon, as with Caleb who is the surfer laid back guy that treats Avalon in a friendly way. (9) Avalon’s bag was sabotaged following the netball match as a practical joke and harassment for Avalon it was one of the starting things they have done. Destroying Avalon (SHEET 3 ALL) Marshall believes Avalon can pull through the bullying which he has faced, but believes he may not be able to take much bullying as he was being beaten up. In the Chapter the ‘Liverpool kiss’ the gender stereotypes are challenged as Tamara knocks Brett’s lights out, it shows that she is a strong, brave person, not afraid of any strong guy. Avalon told her parents everything as she had lost control over her emotions and let everything pour out, she thought that it would be the right time to tell them. In chapter ‘the eye of destruction’, I believe Marshall is inside, huddled in  his room afraid of the bullies returning, afraid to leave his room. Marshal’s death is unexpected I was very confused. I thought no such thing would happen as he was very strong for Avalon. The use of repetition brings a sad realization of how horrible this act was, it brings Avalon horror and impact on her emotions, as death is a strong word, we would all act strongly with emotion towards it. Avalon blames herself as she believed the bullies only targeted Marshall as she ignored their attempts of her, thus finding a new prey. We learn from Marshall’s mother, that Marshall was a up and going young kid when in primary, excited for High School and always seemed to be contented. DATE OF ENTRY FORMAT (Consider font, size, style, page format etc.) LANGUAGE AND STYLE (Sentence structure, vocab, repetition etc) EVENTS January 15 Small writing Expresses his emotions and feelings His dad leaves February 25 Small writing About his feelings He got embarrassed in front of the class. March 6 Normal writing Expresses his emotions Getting bullied by Todd and his mates. May 13 Capital letters, bold writing. About his feelings and emotions He hates himself and wants to die. Avalon had been guilty of judging Alice the whole time jumping to the conclusion that weather it was her or not, Avalon ended up feeling regretful later. ^Table above Character Alias (THEY ARE DEVELOPED THROUGH-OUT THE ENTRIES): Alice – a mean, heartless, popular girl who cared for nothing and had no heart Tamara – thinking she was a very odd and scary looking person ( unfriendly) Marshal – Gay Jeremy – a friendly easy-going guy Avalon will move on positively from her torment proving Marshal’s prophecy correct, but she will never forget the friend she lost. Alice turned the popular girls against her, this in turn turned most other people against her, and she did play a major role against Avalon but did not make up lies or rumors. Dragon Girl did not want to lose Avalon as a friend as she had with Alice, she has always lost to the popular girls and thus she turned everyone against her so Avalon would stay in the group and not leave them. It would have been easier to know that Alice was Dragon Girl as Avalon already disliked her, Dragon Girl would have just increased her anger and rage I noticed Avalon was exposed to a wide range of emotions and situations, which differed to what she would’ve faced in the country, but I believe this was hard for her at first but she soon adapted and her personality and  mental strength increase dramatically. She proved to be a very strong and caring person then many believe she could ever be.

How Computers Changed the World

The term, â€Å"computer† can relate to many different things. It could be classified into many different groups. I am here to speak to you about the little machine that you have sitting on your desk and often spill coffee on it while you are trying to unplug your air conditioner. The first computer was built in 1941 and revolutionized the way we lived in the 20th century. Konrad Zuse (German) was the creator of the first programmable computer. This computer was dubbed the z1 and was so huge, that it filled two class rooms; or just one of the cafeterias in Bayonne High School. Computers have played a big factor on how we live today. They make everyday tasks such as simple and/or complex math so easy, a caveman can do it. They are also a huge contributor to our transportation, in the manufacturing and also in the engineering of vehicles. Computers are also a big invention that helped the entertainment industry start up. Video games and animated movies are just some of many other species of entertainment that computers help everyday. Due to constant changes to computers, they have gotten smaller and smaller over their years, to the point where you can fit one in your pocket or a manila envelope. Seventy-five percent of Americans use the Internet and spend an average three hours a day online (Stone 25). With the 21st century and the technology world becoming highly advanced every year, schools in America have to teach the basics of computers before they become too advanced for students to even learn how to turn them on. Computers will help students to receive learning material in an efficient way, prepare for the new way of life in which computers will be used in every profession, and accomplish more work using quick research and will allow for increased learning during the students’ education. This quick research can be done with a unique and important invention called the Internet. The computer has an endless supply of information. Students can take tests over the computer, they can complete math problems and, of course, students can complete writing assignments such as this one. The more students use computers, the quicker the job will be completed. Also, if you don’t like social contact with people, or if you are still living with your parents and use the excuse, â€Å"I love them too much to hurt them if I go away to collage†, you can take collage courses right on your Internet browser. That’s right, even people who claim to be allergic to the sun’s UV rays can now get a degree right from their $200 computer chair. When you finish all of your courses, all you have to do is click the link at the bottom of the page and press CTRL>P. Congratulations you now have a degree that you can show your mother and she will hang it on the fridge. Enough of my constant rambaling on a sub-topic and now back to the main topic. Students will be able to do all the research they need without leaving their seat. Students can learn about anything they want using the computer, which will lead to for an advanced education. The more a student researches, the more they will learn about computers. With the way life quickly changing, computers are going to be needed for everything. A computer’s ever-growing knowledge will only be increasing every year as more capabilities begin to be possible. Computers will be used to write information, check background information for police officers, and will be used to even let you to play the world’s best game; Solitaire. If computers are not used daily in school, then the process for the future of the student will not be fully completed and we will have another generation to frown on. The only way to keep students up to date with what is happening in their world, is with the use of a computer; since us teenagers are too lazy to walk outside and read a newspaper. We have YouTube to help us understand what is happening in the world around us now. Many people frown on the fact that today’s youth is using the computer as an easy way out of walking outside and going to the nearest library for information. Most of these people begin their argument with, â€Å"Back in my day,†. I think that people need to open their eyes and embrace change in their life. If they do not catch up with what is going on today, we would have people walking around Bayonne who dress like Steve Urkle; even though you already see this. We as people are so connected to them that, you could basically classify a computer as another organ in the human body. I can never see computers being completely wiped off the face of the earth because, we can never fully quench our thirst for technology. Computers will continue to evolve and so will humanity. Who knows, maybe one day we will be born with a flash drive in our bodies to help us memorize things better.