DOCSLIB.ORG

Social Contract Theory and Virtue Ethics

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Social Contract Theory and Virtue Ethics Ethical Frameworks CS-3111 Computer Ethics © 2018 James Allert All rights Reserved Social Contract Theory and Virtue Ethics Ethical Framework #6: Social Contract Theory Often called “Contractualism” or “Contractarianism” Based on social contract theory of Thomas Hobbes, Jean Jacques Rousseau and John Locke. Social life is unorganized and dangerous without laws Hobbes: life without laws is “nasty, brutish and short.” To insure that it’s members survive, social groups organize themselves based on a number of rights and obligations their members recognize Primitive life without rights (in need of civilization) Primitive life without rights (the noble savage) Comparison Do not look at the consequences of a decision to see if it was right Do not look at the universal moral imperatives to see if they were upheld Look instead at the social contract you have with others If your decision violates that contract it is bad If your decision upholds the contract it is good The contract specifies What the rights are (given you by the society/government) What the obligations are To be ethical, a decision must not trample on the rights of others The social contract Where does the contract come from? Inalienable rights Consent of the governed Positive and Negative Rights A ‘right’ is an entitlement or claim to something Negative rights – the right to be left alone and not interfered with. Lots of these in US Constitution. Freedom of speech Right to own property Right of privacy Right to not have email monitored by the NSA? Positive rights – the right to be provided with something Right to medical care Right to education Right to Internet access? Where do rights come from? Society is held together informally by arrangements of universal human rights (inalienable rights) that exist regardless of governments. However, governments can help by specifically identifying the rights of their citizens. Consent of the governed The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. They were written by James Madison in response to calls from several states for greater constitutional protection for individual liberties. The Bill of Rights lists specific prohibitions on governmental power (negative rights). US Bill of Rights US Bill of Rights Canadian Bill of Rights Fundamental Rights of India Rights in China The Social Contract Life is grounded in a “social contract” Without this contract society lapses back into anarchy Society provides protection for individual rights (like life, liberty and property) in return for obedience to rules of law. Contractualism is all about respecting the legal and moral rights of others The challenge is in determining how far each right extends Example: Free speech A More Recent Version John Rawls’ Theory of Justice Addresses “inalienable rights” The right actions are those that are consistent with the principles of justice and fairness Whether a person has a legal right or not, they may still have a universal moral right to something Rawls’s Theory of Justice How do we determine what is just and fair? Every nation may define fairness differently in their laws There are universal principles that tell us. Principles of justice are those which equal, rational, self-interested individuals would choose for themselves. The “veil of ignorance” The “veil of ignorance” The “veil of ignorance” The Veil of Ignorance Veil of Ignorance Top 10 List of Rights Rawls’s Theory of Justice Principle 1: Each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive total system of equal basic liberties compatible with a similar system of equal liberty for all Principle 2: Social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that the least advantaged get the most benefits Example: free education, free healthcare, etc. offices and positions are open to all, fairly and equally 31 Articles in the Universal Human Rights Article 1 All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Article 2 Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty. Article 3 Everyone has the right to life, liberty and the security of person. Article 4 No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms. Article 5 No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Article 6 Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law. Examples of rights that might apply to computing Personal rights Right to privacy Right to data confidentiality Right to control over personal data dissemination Right to data accuracy Right to data security Corporation rights Right to property (including information) The Case For Social Contract Theory It is framed in the language of rights It is based on a solid understanding of human nature: rational people act out of self-interest if there is no common agreement It explains why, under certain circumstances, civil disobedience can be the morally right decision (if laws are at odds with human rights) None of us signed any “social contract” Some actions can be characterized in multiple ways (lawsuits argue rights on both sides) How do you solve situations with conflicting rights? Spam is free speech Spam is invasion of privacy The social contract might not work in your favor. If healthcare is not included in the social contract then… Bankrupted by health problem? Too bad. You may need to sell your home, property, etc. and live in poverty the rest of your life. What about this one? Case Study: Employee Email A corporation has to make a policy decision about random inspection of employee email This is legal but seems to invade employee privacy Managers face three options Keep email confidential Inspect email with employees informed of the policy Inspect email surreptitiously Which option is the best one? Analyze the situation using a social contract theory approach to guide your decision Conventional social contract theory analysis Companies have the legal right to monitor employee email. So they can do it if they so choose. Employees have no Constitutionally-protected right to privacy and furthermore they have an employment obligation to not use company assets for their personal business. So there is no ethical quandary here. The company has a right to do whatever they like. Workers gave up those rights to privacy when they signed on. Rawl’s rights-based analysis What would we say about this from behind the veil? Rawl’s analysis Companies have the legal right to monitor employee email. So they can do it if they so choose. Employees have a more fundamental right to privacy. So monitoring email would be unjust unless the employees willingly gave up that right. From behind the veil of ignorance we might have made rules that said “If you create something it belongs to you.” “Nobody can look at another person’s stuff without getting permission.” Ethical Frameworks Ethical Framework #7: Virtue Ethics It is not about acting in a right way it is really about being in a right way Virtues are about who we are at our core. We should act the way a virtuous person would. The right action is the action that a virtuous person (role model) would do in the same circumstances. WWJD A virtuous person is one who possesses and lives out the virtues The virtues are those character traits human beings need in order to flourish and be truly happy Virtue Acting virtuously ---that is, acting in accordance with reason---is acting in the way characteristic of the nature of human beings and this will lead to happiness. The good life for humans is the life of virtue and therefore it is in our interest to be virtuous. Virtue is its own reward. The virtues realize our capacity for rationality and therefore contribute to our well-being and perfection in that sense. Virtue in action Comparisons Suppose it is obvious that someone in need should be helped. A utilitarian will point to the fact that the consequences of doing so will maximize well-being, A deontologist will point to the fact that, in doing so the agent will be acting in accordance with a moral rule such as “Do unto others as you would be done by” A virtue ethicist will point to the fact that in helping the person we would be living in a virtuous manner (helping ourselves to become more virtuous). Aristotle’s Foundational Beliefs Every action aims at some good result. Aristotle claims that all the things that are ends in themselves also contribute to a wider end, an end that is the greatest good of all. For example, the knife has a function, to cut, and it performs its function well when it cuts well. Each person has a function and the good person is the person who performs that function well. What about this one? Case Study: Employee Email A corporation has to make a policy decision about random inspection of employee email This is legal but seems to invade employee privacy Managers face three options Keep email confidential Inspect email with employees informed of the policy Inspect email surreptitiously Which option is the best one? Analyze the situation using a virtue ethics approach to guide your decision Analysis A good person will not read another person’s email Not because it maximizes happiness Not because it treats others the way you want to be treated But because they are being good by not doing it.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Page 55 'SAVING the GREATEST NUMBER' THOM BROOKS Imagine
    “05brooks” i i 2004/3/16 page 55 i i Logique & Analyse 177–178 (2002), 55–59 `SAVING THE GREATEST NUMBER' THOM BROOKS Imagine there are three boats equidistant from one another. You are alone in the first boat. The other two boats are sinking fast: one boat has one person (A), the other has two persons (B&C). There is only enough time to allow saving either A or B&C before their boats sink, drowning whoever is onboard.1 `As far as common-sense morality is concerned, one's duty as rescuer, under the circumstances, is a straightforward matter: one ought to save the greatest number' (Kumar 2001: 165). In this example, one reason in favour of saving B&C and not A is the Kamm-Scanlon argument, a contractualist framework without any commit- ment to aggregating various outcome values nor a combination of individual claims for rescue.2 If the claims of A, B, and C are accorded equal and positive weight, Michael Otsuka contends that the Kamm-Scanlon argument `considers C's claim in combination with B's claim so that they together tip the balance in favor of saving B and C' and not A (2000: 290–91; cf Scan- lon 1998: 232–33). C's presence in B's boat makes the difference between saving A or B&C. For Otsuka, the assertion that `C has a claim to be saved by virtue of an appeal to the difference that B and C make when considered together or in combination rather than one by one' amounts to an `appeal to the claim of a group of individuals' (2000: 292).
    [Show full text]
  • A Political Companion to Henry David Thoreau
    University of Kentucky UKnowledge Literature in English, North America English Language and Literature 6-11-2009 A Political Companion to Henry David Thoreau Jack Turner University of Washington Click here to let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Thanks to the University of Kentucky Libraries and the University Press of Kentucky, this book is freely available to current faculty, students, and staff at the University of Kentucky. Find other University of Kentucky Books at uknowledge.uky.edu/upk. For more information, please contact UKnowledge at [email protected]. Recommended Citation Turner, Jack, "A Political Companion to Henry David Thoreau" (2009). Literature in English, North America. 70. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_english_language_and_literature_north_america/70 A Political Companion to Henr y David Thoreau POLITIcaL COMpaNIONS TO GREat AMERIcaN AUthORS Series Editor: Patrick J. Deneen, Georgetown University The Political Companions to Great American Authors series illuminates the complex political thought of the nation’s most celebrated writers from the founding era to the present. The goals of the series are to demonstrate how American political thought is understood and represented by great Ameri- can writers and to describe how our polity’s understanding of fundamental principles such as democracy, equality, freedom, toleration, and fraternity has been influenced by these canonical authors. The series features a broad spectrum of political theorists, philoso- phers, and literary critics and scholars whose work examines classic authors and seeks to explain their continuing influence on American political, social, intellectual, and cultural life. This series reappraises esteemed American authors and evaluates their writings as lasting works of art that continue to inform and guide the American democratic experiment.
    [Show full text]
  • Grotius and Kant on Original Community of Goods and Property
    grotiana 38 (2017) 106-128 GROTIAN A brill.com/grot Grotius and Kant on Original Community of Goods and Property Sylvie Loriaux Département de science politique, Université Laval, Quebec [email protected] Abstract This paper is interested in the critical potential of the idea of original common possession of the Earth. On the basis of a comparative analysis of Hugo Grotius and Immanuel Kant, it shows how different the meaning of this idea can be within a theory of property or territory. The first part is devoted to Grotius’s account of why and how the institution of property was progressively introduced. It highlights the importance this account attaches to the intention of the first distributors for a good understand- ing of property laws, and in particular, for an understanding of their non-application in situations of extreme necessity. The second part takes the opposite path and shows that although Kant rejects the very existence of a right of necessity, the idea that one might be liberated from a law is not completely absent from, and even plays a crucial role in, his account of property. Clarification of this role ultimately leads us back to the idea of original possession in common of the Earth. Keywords Hugo Grotius – Immanuel Kant – original community of goods – necessity – permissive law – property rights * The author would like to thank the journal’s anonymous referees and editor for their very helpful comments and suggestions on earlier drafts of this article. She would also like to thank the participants in the Workshop on Grotius’s Place in the History of Moral and Politi- cal Thought (Leuven, 2017) and in the Workshop on Private Property and Territorial Rights (Bayreuth, 2017) for illuminating discussions.
    [Show full text]
  • Social Contract As Bourgeois Ideology Stephen C
    Social Contract as Bourgeois Ideology Stephen C. Ferguson II John Rawls (Photo © Steve Pyke.) Since the publication of John Rawls’ magnum opus A Theory of Justice in 1971, there has been a significant resurgence of philosophical work in the tradition of contractarianism. The distinguished bourgeois political philosopher Robert Nozick has argued that A Theory of Justice is one of the most important works in political philosophy since the writings of John Stuart Mill. “Political philosophers,” Nozick concludes, “now must either work within Rawls’ theory or explain why.”1 It is not far from the truth that Rawls single-handedly not only gave life to analytical political philosophy, but also resuscitated contractarianism, a philosophical tradition that — in many respects — had been lying dormant in a philosophical coma. In fact, social contract theory has become the hegemonic tradition in liberal social and political philosophy. As the Afro-Caribbean My thanks for advice, guidance and/or invaluable criticism of earlier drafts to John H. McClendon III, Ann Cudd, Rex Martin, Tom Tuozzo, Robert J. Antonio and Tariq Al-Jamil. I would also like to extend a hearty thanks to Greg Meyerson and David Siar for their invaluable editorial comments. And, lastly, thanks to my wife, Cassondra, and my two sons, Kendall and Trey, for your unqualified love and support in times of tranquility as well as times of crisis. 1 Robert Nozick, Anarchy, State and Utopia (New York: Basic Books, 1974): 183. Copyright © 2007 by Stephen C. Ferguson and Cultural Logic, ISSN 1097-3087 Ferguson 2 philosopher Charles Mills has put it, contract talk is, after all, the political lingua franca of our times.2 In this essay, we will examine the ideological character and theoretical content of contractrarianism as a philosophical tradition beginning with its classic exposition in the works of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and, finally, culminating in the work of John Rawls.
    [Show full text]
  • Charles Taylor and George Grant on the Problem of Instrumentalism: Expressivism and Justice As Alternative Ontologies
    CHARLES TAYLOR AND GEORGE GRANT ON THE PROBLEM OF INSTRUMENTALISM: EXPRESSIVISM AND JUSTICE AS ALTERNATIVE ONTOLOGIES Carlos Colorado Bachelor of Arts, Simon Fraser University, 2001 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS Under Special Arrangements in the Faculty of Arts O Carlos Colorado 2004 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY August 2004 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. APPROVAL Name: Carlos Colorado Degree: Master of Arts Charles Taylor and George Grant on the Problem of Title of Thesis: Instrumentalism: Expressivism and Justice as Alternative Ontologies Examining Committee: Chair: Dr. Jonathan C. Driver Dean of Graduate Studies Dr. Ian Angus Senior Supervisor Professor Department of Humanities Dr. David Laycock Supervisor Professor Department of Political Science Dr. Samuel LaSelva External Examiner Professor Department of Political Science University of British Columbia Date Approved: &b! 208~ Partial Copyright Licence The author, whose copyright is declared on the title page of this work, has granted to Simon Fraser University the right to lend this thesis, project or extended essay to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. The author has further agreed that permission for multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by either the author or the Dean of Graduate Studies.
    [Show full text]
  • Freedom and the State: the Social Contract This Course Aims To
    Freedom and the State: The Social Contract This course aims to introduce students to central questions in political philosophy, through engagement with the work of several significant political philosophers: Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Immanuel Kant and John Rawls. The topics with which we will be most deeply concerned include the legitimacy of the state; the limits of the state’s authority; the basis of rights of resistance or rebellion; the relevance of consent to political authority; the nature and value of freedom; the relationship between politics and human nature; and social justice. We will also, as often as we can, attempt to relate the views of these philosophers to contemporary debates. Program of lectures and reading Week 1 (15/01) Lecture 1: Political Legitimacy and the Social Contract Tradition Reading: Easy: Wolf (2006): 34-48. Easier: ‘Authority’ and ‘Political Obligation’ in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Harder: Boucher & Kelly (1994): ch. 1. Hampton (1997): Chapter 3. Week 2 (22/01) Lecture 2: Hobbes on Human Nature and the State of Nature Primary Reading: Leviathan, Part I, chs. 11, 13-16. Secondary Reading: Easy: Wolf (2006): 8-17. Easier: Levine (2002): 15-32. Newey (2008): ch. 4-5. Harder: Warburton, Pike and Matravers (2000): 100-105. Seminar question: If human nature is, or were, as Hobbes describes it, does it follow that life in the state of nature would be ‘solitary, poore, nasty, brutish and short’? Week 3 (29/01) Lecture 3: Hobbes on the Covenant, the Sovereign and the Right to Rebel Primary Reading: Leviathan, Part II, chs.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 the LIBERAL SOCIAL CONTRACT (Theory and Practice of Liberalism)
    1 THE LIBERAL SOCIAL CONTRACT (Theory and Practice of Liberalism) LE CONTRAT SOCIAL LIBERAL (Théorie et pratique du libéralisme) 1985, 405 pages, Presses Universitaires de France, Paris Social liberty This volume shows the complete theory of social liberty – freedom from forceful interference (see below). Social liberty is the fundamental social ethics of the modern world – it has been for the last two centuries. In particular, it is the basis of our Constitutions (as basic rights) and of our law. Therefore, it is surprising that its very numerous but always partial presentations were so wanting in rigor and scope. This applies to the theory of social liberty in the strict sense, but also to its natural extensions. As a result, this complete analysis concludes that the implication of social liberty as regards issues such that the scope of the public sector and the distribution of income and welfare are very different from what it is usually said they are. It shows what the actions of the public sector and the distribution should be from this basic principle. In these studies, “liberal” means “liberty-based” in the sense of based on the principle of full social liberty rationally understood and applied. One can thus derive, notably, the liberal distributive justice in general and the liberal social justice (at the macro level), the liberal public economics, the liberal public services, taxes, and State, and so on. In particular, the liberally just distribution results from the following facts. (1) The effects of free actions, exchanges, and agreements. (2) The distribution of the value of the given resources (including people’s capacities).
    [Show full text]
  • Contractualism
    Contractualism Jussi Suikkanen Final author copy; To be published in Michael Hemmingsen (ed.): Ethical Theory in Global Perspective (SUNY Press). Introduction There is a long historical tradition of trying to understand morality in terms of a contract. The core idea in this tradition is that what is right and wrong is in some way grounded in either what we have agreed to do or in what we could be expected to agree to in some hypothetical circumstances. This contractualist way of thinking goes back to at least Ancient Greece (Plato, The Republic, 358e–359b), but it really became the prominent way of thinking especially about our political obligations during the Early Modern period through the social contract theories of Thomas Hobbes (1996 [1651]), John Locke (2002 [1689]), and Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1997 [1762]). Contractualism is not, however, merely a historical tradition, but rather it continues to be a popular approach. In political philosophy, many debates concerning justice still tend to take John Rawls’s (1971) contractualism as their starting point. Similarly, in moral philosophy, different ways of developing the basic contractualist insights are at the centre of several key theoretical debates (Gauthier 1986, Scanlon 1998, Southwood 2010, and Parfit 2011). That so many people have approached morality through the idea of a contract for over two millennia suggests that the contractualist framework must be getting something right. Yet, as we will see below, the devil will be in the details. 1 For the sake of simplicity, this chapter focuses on just one contemporary formulation of contractualism – the version outlined by T.M.
    [Show full text]
  • Can Anarchy Save Us from Leviathan?
    SUBSCRIBE NOW AND RECEIVE CRISIS AND LEVIATHAN* FREE! “The Independent Review does not accept “The Independent Review is pronouncements of government officials nor the excellent.” conventional wisdom at face value.” —GARY BECKER, Noble Laureate —JOHN R. MACARTHUR, Publisher, Harper’s in Economic Sciences Subscribe to The Independent Review and receive a free book of your choice* such as the 25th Anniversary Edition of Crisis and Leviathan: Critical Episodes in the Growth of American Government, by Founding Editor Robert Higgs. This quarterly journal, guided by co-editors Christopher J. Coyne, and Michael C. Munger, and Robert M. Whaples offers leading-edge insights on today’s most critical issues in economics, healthcare, education, law, history, political science, philosophy, and sociology. Thought-provoking and educational, The Independent Review is blazing the way toward informed debate! Student? Educator? Journalist? Business or civic leader? Engaged citizen? This journal is for YOU! *Order today for more FREE book options Perfect for students or anyone on the go! The Independent Review is available on mobile devices or tablets: iOS devices, Amazon Kindle Fire, or Android through Magzter. INDEPENDENT INSTITUTE, 100 SWAN WAY, OAKLAND, CA 94621 • 800-927-8733 • [email protected] PROMO CODE IRA1703 REVIEW ESSAY Can Anarchy Save Us from Leviathan? —————— ✦ —————— ANDREW RUTTEN hese days, it seems that anarchy is everywhere. Its fans range from Yale law professors (Ellickson 1991) to pulp novelists (Ferrigno 1996; Mosley 1998). T Last fall, it even showed up in the New Yorker, where it was touted it as “the next big thing” in law enforcement (Rosen 1997). At first glance, it is hard to understand this fascination.
    [Show full text]
  • Two Views of Civil Disobedience: Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King, Jr
    TWO VIEWS OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE: HENRY DAVID THOREAU AND MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR, A Monograph Presented to the Faculty of the School of Humanities Morehead State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts -i' by James Dewey Reeder June 1970 Accepted by the faculty of the School of Humanities, Morehead State University, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts degree. Master' s Committee: ~)'· lc!f;;t Chairman '4}c ~' ~,<L" (iate) ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The author gratefully acknowledges the kind assistance 'I of the eminent Thoreauvian scholar Professor Walter R. i Harding, University Professor, State University Teachers\ I College, Geneseo, New York. Professor Harding suggested the use of numerous source materials necessary to the development and completion of this monograph. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1 II. THE VIEW FROM CONCORD • I • • • • • • • • • • • 14 III. THE VIEW FROM BIRMINGHAM I • • • • • • • • • • 27 IV. I "ONE HONEST MAN" OR "WORLD HOUSE" • • • • • • 39 BIBLIOGRAPHY • •••••••••••••• I • • • • • • 43 I I CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION I Both Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King, Jr~, I believed in the power of civil disobedience as a form ofj justifiable protest against certain laws and functions of government. Both men practiced nonviolent resistance, aJd both were convinced of its workability, but there are distinctions in their ultimate objectives for its use. These distinctions relate primarily to the role of the . individual in society and his involvement with or detachment from the state. The subject of this monograph is to stud~ I . two views of civil disobedience, a subject which in itself I implies a divergence of opinion.
    [Show full text]
  • De Tocqueville's Democracy in America: a Sociology of Knowledge Perspective
    Journal of Political Science Volume 12 Number 1 Article 4 November 1985 De Tocqueville's Democracy in America: A Sociology of Knowledge Perspective Eileen L. McDonagh Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/jops Part of the Political Science Commons Recommended Citation McDonagh, Eileen L. (1985) "De Tocqueville's Democracy in America: A Sociology of Knowledge Perspective," Journal of Political Science: Vol. 12 : No. 1 , Article 4. Available at: https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/jops/vol12/iss1/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Politics at CCU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Political Science by an authorized editor of CCU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. De Tocqueville's Democracy in America: A ociology of Knowledge Perspective* EiLL EEN L. McDo AGH ortheastern University •The author thanks Whitney Pope, H. Douglas Price, and David Riesman for their constructive criticisms and suggestions. Alexis de Tocqueville is accepted as one of the most insightful and im­ portant commentat ors on American democracy. 1 He explores at length in hi seemingly timeless treatise, Democracy in America, enduring and domi­ nant characteristics of American democratic society: the tyranny of the ma­ jority, the social and economic equality of the American people, the predominant materialism of American culture, and finally the importance of manners and mores in setting the character of a political society. In fact, de Tocqueville is viewed by some as the author of the "first sociological tudy of American society," and often is ranked with .Marx for the persist­ ent relevance of contributed insights and ideas .
    [Show full text]
  • Qt0wm2d84c Nosplash B2c9b2
    A Moral Argument in Favor of The VoluntaryProvis ion of Social Services Robert S. Ogilvie In this paper. I make theargument that ifthe devolution of the welfare state from the federal /eve/ to the local /eve/ is planned and implemented properly. then Americans could end up being better off I say this because I have fo und that volunteering to provide a social service in a local voluntary institution can have a profound moral impact on all involved. Such participation can produce better people. and that. I believe. is the essential starting point fo r the production of a better society. As planners look to affect change they don 't very oft en look at the level of the individual. We need to correct /his omission. as we are currently being presented with a great opportunity to profoundly affect the nature of this country. Citing political theory and the experiences of the volunteers at The Partnership fo r the Homeless in New York City. Ogilvie contends that voluntary participation in a local organization can create better citizens. His central point is that it is a prime responsibility of every law maker and planner to create these good citizens, that is, citizens who are capable of making informed and sensitive decisions. Furthermore, he argues that these sorts of citizens can only develop out of habituation, usually through voluntary participation in a local organization. Plans about social serviceprovision need to recognize this. and create as many situations as possible fo r people to be active in decision making and serviceprovision. Introduction In this paper I make the argument that if the devolution of the welfare state from the fe deral level to the local level is planned and implemented properly, then America could end up being better off.
    [Show full text]