Thursday, October 31, 2019
Produced water Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Produced water - Essay Example several key areas such as agriculture which uses 70 per cent, 22 per cent for industrial use, while domestic water usage is at 8 per cent (UNESCO, 2003) water conservation becomes an important aspect in all human endeavours. There are many benefits associated with treated produced given that the recycled water can be flooded back or used in activities such as irrigation, wildlife and livestock consumption, aquaculture, industrial processes, dust control, domestic washing, generating power in addition to fire control (Veil et al, 2004). Water recycles and reuse policy will go a long way in alleviating the water shortage problem experienced in many parts of the world. Bearing in mind the benefits that human population can get from produced water, this essay examines the processes, advantages and disadvantages of ion exchange and Reverse osmosis technologies used in treatment of produced water both onshore and offshore. The process of ion exchange involves the replacement of dissolved components by attachment to an electro-statically charged ion exchange material that in most cases has synthetic resin. The Ion exchange process is a reversible chemical reaction that leads to the replacement of positively or negatively charged ions in the water with corresponding charged ions available within the resin sites. The ions on the resin must be replaced periodically when they are exhausted by recharging with more replacement Ions. A key factor in the process is the fact that the chemical composition of water solutions must be electrically neutral which is the reason why ions in the resin bed are always exchanged with ions of similar charge present in the water ensuring that during the exchange process no reduction in ions occurs (Arthur, Langhus & Patel, 2005). Ion exchange process has been traditionally used to remove water hardness ions such as calcium and magnesium by substituting them those of sodium and chloride for many years. When applied in oil and gas produced
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Financial System and Intermediaries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Financial System and Intermediaries - Essay Example Brokerage firms act as agents for their clients in securities transactions at a fee. The brokerage companies offer advice to their clients on the type of securities to invest in capital markets and manage their portfolio activities. The trust companies act as trustees for their clients to manage their funds and estates. The trustee agents advise their clients on opening trust accounts to invest their savings. They also provide investment advice on asset and portfolio management. Barclays Bank advances loans to individuals from deposited money. These loans require security in the form of a property. Interest is charged on the loan. The difference in the lending and deposit rate is the bankââ¬â¢s profit. They include: b) Cash credit: - Advanced to current account holders and other who do not maintain accounts with the bank. It is given against the security of a tangible asset. Interest is charged on the amount withdrawn in excess. The Central Bank acts as the issuer of currency notes and coins that function as the medium of exchange and unit of account in transactions. This helps in monetary policy and determining the amount of money to flow in an economy. The Central Bank functions as a controller of commercial banks in the country. It controls lending and borrowing rates, minimum reserve ratios and discount rates. The Central Bank thus controls inflation levels thus ensuring stability in the
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Suicide in Northern Canada: A Sociological Perspective
Suicide in Northern Canada: A Sociological Perspective Suicide in Northern Canada: A Sociological Perspective from Two Contrasting Views Joel Ontiveros I. Introduction A growing suicide problem has plagued an indigenous community in northern Canada. Different indigenous communities have had a spike in suicide and attempted suicide due to many social and economic issues. In this essay, I aim to contrast two sociological perspectives of Emile Durkheim and Karl Marx in relation to how and why the native population in northern Canada is having a suicide crisis. II. Suicide in Northern Canada In the Pimicikamak Cree Nation in northern Canada there have been six deaths from suicide within the first months of 2016. In addition to these there have been one hundred and forty attempted suicides within the same indigenous community. According to the New York Times article, [a] Wave of Indigenous Suicides Leaves Canadian Town Appealing for Help, author Liam Stack claims that this wave of suicides is attributed to a faulty relationship between the Canadian government and the native community. The area residents live in extreme poverty and have an unemployment rate of eighty-five percent. Moreover, the native communities poverty leads to a sense of alienation from the non-native southern Canadians who live a more comfortable life. The community and other native communities in northern Canada receive no government investments and do not have access to employment. In addition, there are no hospitals and mental health institutions for hundreds of miles away from the communities. The community, only [has one] fill-time mental health worker [who] has no medical or psychological training, just a bachelors degree in social work.[1] Stack claims that the lack of government cooperation with the communities and trauma from colonialism is what led up to this epidemic. In retrospect, the natives were forced into an alien culture and were stripped of their ancient culture. III. Solidarity and Anomic Suicide From a historical point of view, Emile Durkheim would argue that the spike in suicides in northern Canada is a result of the historical transformation from a more primitive mechanical society to [a] more organic society.[2] Durkheim claimed that a mechanical society is attached together by the common duty that everybody merely does the same type of things. In a mechanical society, all individuals would have a job to fulfill, such as hunting or gathering. This mechanical solidarity would result in individuals having a place in society and feeling a sense of belonging. It is evident that before the Americas were colonized, the natives lived in a mechanical solidarity system that consisted in every individual having a role. These determined roles focused on the collective and did not emphasize individualism. In contrast, once a society has a larger amount of people with more interaction, what Durkheim termed dynamic density, then that society will convert to an organic solidarity, Addit ionally, a division of labor is a factor in this social paradigm. The society becomes more efficient in production because the division of labor demands that the majority of individuals become specialized at a certain task. He believed that anomie happens in an organic society, which is defined as A sense associated with organic solidarity, of not knowing what one is expected to do; of being adrift in society without any clear and secure moorings.[3] Indeed, the native population in northern Canada has become a victim of organic solidarity. The lack of government resources and jobs leads individuals to feel alienated. These individuals do not have a place in modern society because of the lack of jobs and the improper assimilation that was inhumane in the first place, and did not fully incorporate the natives into the European Canadian society. In Durkheims book Suicide, he argued that people a more likely to kill themselves when they do not know what is expected of them.[4] He created categories of suicide that explain why suicide happens. One of his four types of suicide is termed anomic suicide, which he defined as: People are more likely to kill themselves when they do not know what is expected of them, where regulation is low, and they are largely free to run wild. This mad pursuit is likely to prove unsatisfying and, as a result, a higher percentage of people in such a situation are apt to commit this type of suicide.[5] It is evident that the general suicides in northern Canada can be linked to anomic suicide. The individuals do not have access to jobs or resources and live in a society that constantly promotes individualism. The lack of not knowing what to do with oneself, could lead to many existential dilemmas that repressed societies must confront. IV. Class Conflict In a contrasting sociological view, one could link a spike of suicides in northern Canada to the alienation of individuals from class conflict. Karl Marx argued that under capitalism, individuals become alienated from their family, friends, and coworkers, because of a constant conflict between the workers and capitalists. The workers or proletariat have a subsistent wage that merely lets them survive, the majority of natives living in northern Canada do not even have jobs because of an 85% unemployment rate. The natives could be labeled as the lumpenproletariat, or individuals that are below the workers, who may be constantly unemployed. While the lumpenproletariat is below the workers, they still are affected by the clash between the proletariat and bourgeoisie. The capitalists are constantly seeking ways to take advantage of surplus wages, which causes a conflict between the workers. The exploitation of surplus value leads to less resources for communities such as the northern nati ve Canadians. The lack of resources due to exploitation can be compounded with Durkheims organic solidarity, and anomic suicide to highlight the spike in suicides. Additionally, bourgeoisie dominant ideology dictates what norms/mores are to be assimilated by a community. These assimilations have created a cultural genocide for the indigenous population. V. Conclusion The indigenous of northern Canada have seen a spike in suicide because of anomic suicide and the sense of not belonging or knowing what to do in an organic solidarity paradigm. The rise in suicide can also be linked to the class conflict between the capitalists and the workers. Although, the majority of the natives are unemployed, they still are affected by the dominant ideology which dictates the norms that they were forced to assimilate. [1] Cite article pg 2 [2] Book pg 15 [3] Book pg 20 [4] Pg 22 [5] Pg 22
Friday, October 25, 2019
Various Perspectives on War in Homers Iliad Essay example -- Iliad es
Various Perspectives on War in Homer's Iliad à à à à à à The Iliad is a story of rages of Achilles and the War of Troy. Thanks to the techniques of the author, Homer, The Iliad is very colorful, romantic, and it makes the readers imagine the ancient Greeks and their times of war. Homer is believed to be the author of epics other than the Iliad, although their authorship remains uncertain. Historian believes that Homer probably lived in the eighth century, B.C.1 (Discovering World History). However, there are very few things that we know about him. Some historians think Homer's birthplace may have been on an island on the eastern edge of the Aegean Sea, or perhaps in a city on the nearby coast, but they don't have evidence to support their theory (Michalopoulos). In The Iliad, Homer interprets the war, the science of nature, the gods, heroes and fate. For all topics, he expresses the words so powerfully and emotionally that it makes it easier to imagine the whole the great story of The Iliad. In the time when Homer lived, the war was something that existed in people's everyday life; he must been an eyewitness of the war, and that experience made him able to tell the story so realistically, especially the description of the soldiers who were killing each other in the war. Even though Homer may be seen as an antiwar storyteller based on his vivid description of violence and injury. He, on the other hand describes the both braveness and cowardliness of two heroes of The Iliad, Achilles and Hector; Homer shows this seems to be a pro-war position, as he idealizes the traces of bravely and heroism. The emotion of all the characters in the story, as well as the characters' suffering, pain, joy, and fury m... ...nd Hector, Homer seems to symbolize the fall of both cities. After 10 years of war, there was no true winner. Thus, the futility of war was the message of Homer. à à à Sources: -Discovering World History "Homer Composes the Iliad, c. 800 B.C.". Gale Research, 1997. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale Group. http://www.galenet.com/servlet/HistRC/ -Michalopoulos, Andre, " Homer", In Twayne's World Authors Series Online New York: G. K. Hall & Co., 1999 Previously published in print in 1966 by Twayne Publishers. -Homer, The Iliad, translated by Robert Fitzgerald. - Moss Joyce and George Wilson, edited by, Gale Research, Profiles of 300 Notable Literary Works and the Historical Events that Influenced Them, Volume 1: Ancient Times to the American and French Revolutions (Prehistory-1790s), 1997. Various Perspectives on War in Homer's Iliad Essay example -- Iliad es Various Perspectives on War in Homer's Iliad à à à à à à The Iliad is a story of rages of Achilles and the War of Troy. Thanks to the techniques of the author, Homer, The Iliad is very colorful, romantic, and it makes the readers imagine the ancient Greeks and their times of war. Homer is believed to be the author of epics other than the Iliad, although their authorship remains uncertain. Historian believes that Homer probably lived in the eighth century, B.C.1 (Discovering World History). However, there are very few things that we know about him. Some historians think Homer's birthplace may have been on an island on the eastern edge of the Aegean Sea, or perhaps in a city on the nearby coast, but they don't have evidence to support their theory (Michalopoulos). In The Iliad, Homer interprets the war, the science of nature, the gods, heroes and fate. For all topics, he expresses the words so powerfully and emotionally that it makes it easier to imagine the whole the great story of The Iliad. In the time when Homer lived, the war was something that existed in people's everyday life; he must been an eyewitness of the war, and that experience made him able to tell the story so realistically, especially the description of the soldiers who were killing each other in the war. Even though Homer may be seen as an antiwar storyteller based on his vivid description of violence and injury. He, on the other hand describes the both braveness and cowardliness of two heroes of The Iliad, Achilles and Hector; Homer shows this seems to be a pro-war position, as he idealizes the traces of bravely and heroism. The emotion of all the characters in the story, as well as the characters' suffering, pain, joy, and fury m... ...nd Hector, Homer seems to symbolize the fall of both cities. After 10 years of war, there was no true winner. Thus, the futility of war was the message of Homer. à à à Sources: -Discovering World History "Homer Composes the Iliad, c. 800 B.C.". Gale Research, 1997. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale Group. http://www.galenet.com/servlet/HistRC/ -Michalopoulos, Andre, " Homer", In Twayne's World Authors Series Online New York: G. K. Hall & Co., 1999 Previously published in print in 1966 by Twayne Publishers. -Homer, The Iliad, translated by Robert Fitzgerald. - Moss Joyce and George Wilson, edited by, Gale Research, Profiles of 300 Notable Literary Works and the Historical Events that Influenced Them, Volume 1: Ancient Times to the American and French Revolutions (Prehistory-1790s), 1997.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Plight of Indian Farmers Essay
India is an agrarian country and around 60% of its people directly or indirectly depend upon agriculture. Agriculture in India is often attributed as gambling with monsoons because of its almost exclusive dependency on precipitation from monsoons. The failure of these monsoons can lead to a series of droughts, lack of better prices, and exploitation of the farmers by middlemen, all of which have led to a series of suicides committed by farmers across India. Things have always been bleak for the Indian farmer. Here the term ââ¬Ëfarmerââ¬â¢ is used to describe the agriculturists with very small land holdings or no land ownership at all. The policies of the government and the often-lackadaisical attitude of the bureaucracy are responsible for the sorry plight of the farmer. Even the so-called ââ¬ËGreen Revolutionââ¬â¢ was successful only in patches. Not many small farmers could reap the benefits of the technology that required large tracts of land and lot of money. The policy makers ignored the need for creating infrastructural facilities like irrigation and storage and not to mention the transport facilities. Some of the main causes of the farmersââ¬â¢ mass suicide is due to absence of adequate social support infrastructure at the level of the village and district, uncertainty of agricultural enterprise in India, indebtedness of farmers, rising costs of cultivation, plummeting prices of farm commodities, lack of credit for small farmers, relative absence of irrigation facilities, repeated crop failures. India is transforming rapidly into a primarily urban, industrial society with industry as its main source of income; which is why the government and society remains unconcerned about the condition of the countryside. Moreover, a downturn in the urban economy pushes a large number of distressed non-farmers to try their hand at cultivation; in the absence of any responsible counseling either from the government or society there were many farme rs who did not know how to survive in the changing economy. Such stresses pushed many into a corner where suicide became the only option for them. The problems that plagued the farmers 15 years ago are still glaringly present today: There is little credit available. What is available is very expensive. There is no advice on how best to conduct agriculture operations. Income through farming is not enough to meet even the minimum needs of a farming family. Support systems like free health facilities from the government are virtually non-existent. Non availability of timely credit has been a major drawback for the agricultural sector of India. In a country which relies mostly on agriculture, constant endeavors are needed to see that rural and agricultural credit facilities are enhanced with time. As a part of these efforts, agricultural credit cards got introduced in the agricultural lending system. Similarly cash credit facility was also being offered by many banks. However, a major shortfall in these schemes remained the fact that they were concentrated mainly to the niche segment. The farmers lying in the higher end of the pyramid received access to these schemes while the marginal and small ones still remained unprivileged. The farmersââ¬â¢ problems should be assessed against the background of rural economy and the marketing of agricultural products. In almost all other economic transactions, those who produce the goods have the right to decide the market price of the product. But farm prices are not fixed on the basis of cost production of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, water and other in-puts, besides electricity and manual labour. Farm products are thrown into the market with the result that their price-structure collapses with market fluctuations. When markets are flooded with farm products, prices come down and a scarcity means the rise of prices. The scarcity is artificially created by middlemen and merchants. That is why traders of farm products get rich, while farmers remain poor. Traders get bank credit facilities, while farm credit is restricted to crop valuation which is not only uncertain, but considered at a low level by bankers who ascertain the farmersââ¬â¢ credit limit. Agriculture is not a sector for bank loans, and hence land assets are not considered for loan limits. The farmers are so neglected and exploited that, in times of crisis, they either have to get themselves trapped by private moneylenders or commit suicide. More than 17,500 farmers a year killed themselves between 2002 and 2006, according to experts who have analyzed government statistics. In 2006, the state of Maharashtra, with 4,453 farmersââ¬â¢ suicides accounted for over a quarter of the all-India total of 17,060. According to government data, over 5,000 farmers committed suicide between 2005-2009 in Maharashtra, while 1,313 cases were reported by Andhra Pradesh between 2005 and 2007. In Karnataka the number stood at 1,003, for the period 2005 ââ¬â 2009. In the last four years, cases there were about 905 cases in Kerala, 387 in Gujarat, 75 in Punjab and 26 in Tamil Nadu. In April 2009, the state of Chhattisgarh reported that 1,500 farmers committed suicide due to debt and crop failure. Farmers often have to take loans from money lenders because of a lack of alternatives, and if the crops fail, they are left with no choice but to commit suicide. The problem is that the Indian government has no plan to subsidize or compensate for farmerââ¬â¢s losses if he fails to compete in the global market or to survive global market fluctuations. Unless their plight is duly assessed, adequate credit facilities are given, and compensation packages finalized, it would be difficult for farmers to survive in any market, particularly under the present rural conditions. The rural people consisting of 70% (including farmers, artisans, fishermen, 93% Tribalââ¬â¢s, 86% Schedule d castes, nomads etc.) do not have the basic facilities as secured by the organized sectors. These people living in Villages of Bharat are illiterate, do not have basic facilities of health & education neither regular income nor growth. The reason for the lack of facilities is due to lopsided policies adopted in the past after Liberalization process. The leaders as well as Intellectuals have become immune to the problems confronted by rural people. There is a general feeling among farmers of being ââ¬Ëleft behindââ¬â¢ in large parts of rural India. The widening disparity in per capita income between farm and other than farm sector, the very slow rate of growth in agriculture, the declining profitability, extremely weak social security arrangements, weakening family and community based mechanism of social protection, lack of employment opportunities etc., and the rising aspirations are building up social unrest which, if not arrested, could lead to threats to internal peace and security. The worsening cost-risk-return structure of farming, the low and stagnating income of farmers and the huge and widening income divide between farmers and non-farmers are the main deterrents. The Indian farmers have always been at the receiving end since Independence. Their hard toil fetched them nothing except fake assurances from the rulers of this nation. Itââ¬â¢s sad and unfortunate that people who are indispensable for the growth of nation have been left to their fate. This is quite evident from the suicide cases in Andhra and other parts of the country including West Bengal. In states like UP, middlemen and Mandi officials ensure that the farmers turn into object of grief. The need of the hour is implementation of schemes introduced by the government. This can take place effectively if the village panchayats are provided more power to execute them in smooth manner. Today bureaucratic set-ups eat into their advantages. Again farmers need to be equipped with latest technological accessories that enhance the prospects of better output and thus make their contribution more prominent in the global economy. Better results could be attained if information centers having state-of-the -art facilities are set-up inside each village that shed light on issues related with farmers. They form the backbone of the nation and so it becomes imperative for us to be conscious of their needs. Recommendations to reduce the plight of Indian Farmers * Agricultural subsidies should not be stopped but it should be done in an efficient manner so that the needed farmers or poor farmers who are not financially stable can get these facilities and their situation can be improved. Government should have all the details of farmers and on the basis of that list distribution should be done. They should provide subsidies category wise. Improvement in the agricultural sector is one step towards the development of our country. * Comprehensive insurance safety net * Revamping of extension services in lines with e-choupals; and dissemination of information such as agricultural prices and methods of low-cost organic farming. * Fundamental policy changes to factor in the fluctuating production cost in the minimum Support Price mechanism. * To integrate surface and groundwater irrigation schemes and integrate the line departments in order that the schemes are implemented efficiently. * Policy changes to focus on farmers rather than seed and fertilizer corporations and set up of a commission with statutory powers that takes decisions on issues such as genetic modification technology and its impact on Indian agriculture, agriculture pricing policy and cropping pattern.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Why Does Plato Argue That Rulers Must Be Philosophers?
Within this essay I Intend to examine Plates reasoning and justification for his belief in philosopher rulers and question whether they are, in fact, the best people to govern society. The current democratic method of organization of the ââ¬Å"polisâ⬠was not suitable for Plato as he considered ruling far too vital a role in society to be left to the untrained. Instead, it should be left to those who have the knowledge and more crucially, the wisdom required to comprehend such a task.It Is, however, at this point, we should consider that a significant factor In Plat's opposition to democracy was that the Athenian democracy had condemned Socrates o death. It is important to remember that the liberal democracy which we currently experience is very recent and not at all the concept of democracy that Plato speaks. In fact, the idea of all adults over the age of 18 being able to vote would indeed be absurd to someone such as Plato.The democracy, of which he speaks, would be of great er equivalence to a modern day referendum, In which all those eligible to vote gather to debate and eventually vote. Plato thus set out to craft a new structural form for the polls, in simple, an Ideal society. This constituted three general social lasses and indirectly three separate polio's within the whole Solipsism. At the lowest end of this, was the ââ¬Å"producersâ⬠, although Plato pays little attention to this class, it compromises people who were engaged in economic activities, such as, farmers and manufacturers.Although of no political importance, they served the crucial function of providing the economic and material requirements of the community. Primarily, Plato places them as obedient workers under the control of the axillaries. This constitutes the first polls, ââ¬Å"one In which money lovers, and only money lovers are made as happy as possibleâ⬠(Reeve C. D. C IPPP 1984), and thus becomes a ââ¬Å"luxurious polisâ⬠(Plato The Republic IPPP e). The sec ond level on Plates ideal society was that of the auxiliaries.It was the auxiliaries who, in current times, would complete the actions of the military civil service and public offices I. E. Police. Consequently, it was their occupation to enact the decisions made by the ruling class. It would be from the elite of the auxiliaries that a philosopher guardian would emerge, as they had worked their way through the education and training. Therefore, this emerges as the second polis in which ââ¬Å"unnecessary appetitesâ⬠(Reeve C. D. C IPPP 1984) are removed this is the part of the Solipsism in which honor-lovers are made as happy as possible. (Reeve C. D. C IPPP 1984) However, it must be pointed out that the auxiliaries also shared this second polis with the guardians who were not chosen as ââ¬Å"pensioner Kilns. â⬠Hymnal, It was ten Guardians won were let at ten top AT ten society, as the rulers. This was the elite group above the rest of society, only those who completed a ll the statutes laid out during their training would be able to become a recognized philosopher guardian at the age of 50. These would be the people who had a true understanding of the forms and ultimately, of what is good ND Just.With this Plato has set out his ââ¬Å"dodosâ⬠for the ideal society and his belief that those most suited to govern this society were his ââ¬Å"Philosopher Kingsâ⬠who were chosen from this Guardian class. It is at this point, that I believe we must further engage with what in fact it means to be a philosopher, and how you reach such a position. Plato sets an initial screening process, ââ¬Å"the one who is willing to taste every kind if learning with gusto, and who turns to learning with enthusiasm, and cannot get enough of it, he is the one we shall rightly call a philosopher. (Plato The Republic 474 c) ââ¬Å"Those who have reached that goal are philosopher kings at last. The polis over which they rule, and which contains the elaborate educa tional apparatus necessary to reliably produce them, is the third polis. â⬠(Reeve C. D. C. P 195, 1984). During Plat's explanation of his philosopher-king, he uses three analogies, the sun, the line and finally the cave, in order to depict the reason for the philosopher's irreplaceable role in politics.The central element in each of these is the concept of the forms. In my opinion, Plato most aptly explains the transition to a philosopher with his simile of the cave. Plato classes this as ââ¬Å"the enlightenment or ignorance of our human conditionâ⬠(Plato The Republic IPPP a). The allegory of the cave is to illustrate that the philosopher is the one who sees things as they really are. The philosopher is able to see the truth, whereas, the masses see, merely, shadows.The arduous process of education which draws the philosopher from the state of ignorance and belief to the enlightened state of knowledge and wisdom is comparable with the difficult Journey from a dark cave up a long path to the open light of the sun. Whilst explaining the Journey of the philosopher's education he also attempts to show why it is that the masses reject the philosopher once their knowledge has been gained. Primarily, Plato says that the philosopher is misunderstood by the ignorant masses and that the knowledge which they attempt to impart threatens the beliefs of their UN-enlightened minds.It is clear upon examination of Plat's society, that it is indubitably a totalitarian regime; however, this point must be critically examined as it is clear that there are distinct and separate ways to critique this point. Naturally, there are those who would say that the restriction of freedom from a dictatorial power is inherently wrong. Conversely, though it must be considered that restriction of freedom for the good of people is no bad thing. In theory a system which imposes ââ¬Å"The Goodâ⬠on all people, would be one which benefits all and enhances the chance of maximum hum an development and freedom from evil. Until philosophers rule as kings, or those who are now called kings and leading men genuinely and adequately philosophies, that is, until political power, authority and philosophy entirely coincide, while the many natures who at present pursue either one exclusively are forcibly prevented from doing so, cities will eve no rest from evils,â⬠¦ Nor, I think, will the human race. â⬠(Simon Blackburn IPPP c- D 2006) Obviously the counter argument to that and the very basis of Plat's critics, is that whether human nature being as it is, would ever allow it in reality?Especially when compared Walt previous totalitarian regimes, experience Allocates Tanat teen have rarely brought good to the majority, and predominantly have indeed brought the opposite. In reality, it could be argued that there has been a historical dominance of state dictatorships in comparison with the relatively recent liberal democracies. Citizens who are raised within the l iberal western tradition are taught to be convinced of the faultlessness of democracy and thus find it challenging to comprehend that any other system could be better, or even to see the weaknesses in democracy.Due to the inability to acknowledge the failings of democracy, Plato creates two illustrations to depict them; these are the similes of the beast and the ship. Plato utterly rejects two common modes of thought in democratic societies, Just because everyone believes it to be true and good does not make it so, and that Just cause someone is a convincing speaker and persuades the masses to his view ââ¬â it does not mean he is speaking the truth or that his ideas are good. The foundation of these illustrations is that the Philosophers simply know ââ¬Å"The Goodâ⬠.Plat's debate is clearly rejecting some of the foundational ideas within Democracy. Within the simile of the beast, the large and powerful animal in this story is the general population who make up the democrac y. In this tale, Plato is depicting a clear division between, what the majority like and think is good, what pleases them, and unbeknown to them, what actually is ââ¬Å"The Goodâ⬠. The Good (I. E. The dodos or form of the good) is good whether people think it is good or not. The Good is the predetermined standard against which the pleasures and desires of the masses must be Judged to determine whether they are good or bad.Plato is saying that the Sophists of his time were merely concerned with remaining in power and thus would bow to the appeasement of the masses that were ill educated. Fiscal and devoid of the knowledge of what is truly important in life and were subsequently unfit to rule the polis. They were no more than manipulators and responders to popular opinion without any standard tit which to work. The Sophists were relativists. For them ââ¬Ëgood' meant no more than what the people want, what will keep them happy, and what society thinks are good.This approach to politics is recognizable within the contemporary use of opinion polls and pressure groups. ââ¬Å"All those individuals who make their living by teaching, and whom the public call ââ¬Å"Sophistsâ⬠and new for their skill, in fact teach nothing but the conventional views held and expressed by the mass of the people, when they meet; and this they call a scienceâ⬠(Plato The Republic IPPP a-b) This forever, does not entirely show why Plato is convinced that it is philosophers who should rule.Socrates proposes the notion that the study of philosophy results in the unearthing of objective truths about what is good, from this grounding this knowledge can be used as an unique;coal platform for policy-making. Plato believes that in contrast with his idea of the world of matter, the world of sense , which he classes as a mere world of shadows, is in fact ââ¬Å"world of final, immutable, changeless, objects of contemplation, at the summit of which stands the ultimate object of a facial kind of knowledge independent of sense experience.This is ultimately a real and ultimately fitting object of love and desire, a constantly radiant eternal source of light, the form of good itself. â⬠(Blackburn S. Pop, 2006). Subsequently, it has the natural progression that the people most suited to rule, are the people who have the wisdom of this higher realm, so Justifiably this would be the philosophers. ââ¬Å"If pensioners nave ten capacity to grasp ten eternal Ana Immutable, Wendell tense won have no such capacity are not philosophers and are lost in multiplicity and change, which of the two should be in charge of a state? (Plato The Republic p 484 b). At no point, has it ever been empirically verified that those who have studied philosophy will all agree on that which is good and right. Even those who do agree that there are moral facts do not agree on exactly what they are ââ¬â nor do they agree on what is the best way to act in the light of those facts. Eve n if we do agree with Plato and accept that a true understanding of goodness and Justice is both possible and agreement can be reached between philosophers, it still leaves the question whether this is all that a politician needs.
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