This article was originally written for an Ethics class. In this work, specifically in chapters 1 to 4, Jeremy Bentham formalizes the basic principle of utility concerning legislative power. In the first chapter, he defines principle utility as a principle that approves of actions increasing the subject’s happiness or decreasing the subject’s pain. The subject…
Tag: Politics
John Stuart Mill’s “On Liberty” (Chapter 1,2)
This article was originally written for an Ethics class. The work of John Stuart Mill is interesting to me, as it seems to be one of the early works arguing forindividualism. He emphasizes the liberty of the individual, constrained only very lightly by society. In the introduction, he writes about historical development in this sense….
Plato’s “Republic” (II. Book)
This article was originally written for an Ethics class. For the first time, I have read a part of Plato’s Republic and must admit that it is not as bad as I expected. The theme of the second book is centered around a state, even though it starts with the question of whether justice is…
Max Weber’s “Politics as a Vocation”
This article was originally written for an Ethics class. The work Politics as a Vocation starts with an interesting definition of a state. State, according to Weber, is the only group of people that claims the monopoly on the legitimized use of physical force. Further, he writes about the three ways of claiming authority. The…
Is Idealism just Willful blindness?
What I have in mind, when posing this question is: “Is idealism a good thing for the democratic process? Are people with idealistic beliefs beneficial for democracy? Is democracy beneficial for idealists?” Let’s give these questions some time, you and I.
#10 – Bought and Sold
What is the value of a person? Some say that every person is different, that every person is invaluable, that even asking these questions is wrong. But lets open our minds and try to think about the unthinkable. Lets face the reality.
#7 – Cynical look on society
How much does anyone really care about what happens to other people? Do people help other people only because they seek their own gain?
#4 – Democracy & Capitalism
Is Democracy compatible with Capitalism?