Hume vs. The Social Contract Theory Hume’s main claims in “Of the Original Contract”: i) The idea that one’s duty of allegiance to one’s government stems from one’s having consented to it is false, because its consequences are absurd. If it were correct, then few would have any such duty, because few ever give genuine and voluntary consent to their governments. ii) The duty of allegiance to one’s government derives from utility, not agreement, consent, or promise. The reason why one has a duty to obey the government (when one does) is that such obedience maximizes society’s total utility.
Civil Disobedience Analysis Henry David Thoreau in his essay “Civil Disobedience”, brings up many valid points about the government. The essay might be a little ahead of its time but Henry talks about the injustice of the government and how it wrongfully forces people to do its will. The government has gone passed the line and has been abusing its power. Thoreau expresses in his essay “that government is best which governs least”, and then also goes on to say “that a government is best which governs not at all.” What Thoreau is saying is that the people should be making most of the decisions in society, not a group of men in a position of power. In the American government, and many others alike, there are taxes you must pay.
Existentialism is all about responsibility. Man must be responsible because the universe is indifferent, meaning it does not care if man is here. Life goes on. Meursault seems like the universe in part one. He is indifferent, he could care less.
However, Orwell believes that some problems like pretentious diction, meaningless words, dying metaphors, and vagueness should not exist when writing, so why use them? In President Richard Nixon’s State of the Union Address, he uses some of the problems that Orwell does not approve of in order to rally his citizens and to calm the nerves of many. People should recognize that one of the president’s jobs is to rally his people. A president wants his citizens to feel confident in him and know that he will solve most of their problems. Some words in the English language are “strictly meaningless, in the sense that they…do not point to any discoverable object” (Orwell 531).
Thoreau believes in a government that puts the needs of the people ahead of the needs of the unjust few. His belief can be misinterpreted as a cry to abolish the government but he makes it clear by stating, “But to speak practically and as a citizen, unlike those who call themselves no-government men, I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government” (Thoreau 830). This sentence is the most important statement made by Thoreau because it is the starting point of what he wants in an American Government. He does not ask for a perfect government but a fair and free government. He goes on to say that some injustice was far too great to overlook, such as slavery.
The two men have very similar views on the subject of just laws and unjust laws, but each goes about dealing with the problem of injustice differently. "On The Duty of Civil Disobedience" is a writing by Thoreau where he expresses his belief that the less the government does to govern, the better it is. He preferred less involvement from the government, referring to the government as a machine. He felt it was only necessary because the American people needed to feel its presence and hear its din. He believed that his first obligation was not to the government, but to do what he felt was right.
From today as mine by right.” Creon also now believes that as he is now king he is infallible and believes that his own laws should come above the laws of the gods. “But I am the law” Creon`s own attitude towards his own rule seems very autocratic, his opinion that a king does not need to listen to the people and make judgements he believes are the most beneficial to the state. “ I have never based my political principles on the opinions of people in the streets” “And I will act according to my own convictions” Creon believes that his actions to deny the burial of Polynices are justified because he believes that the gods will support his actions as Polynices was a traitor and Creon sees no reason as to why the gods would honour a traitor. “No, he must be left unburied, his corpse carrion for the birds and dogs to tear, an obscenity for citizens to behold! These are my principles.
The aftermath of nonviolence is the creation of the beloved community, while the aftermath of violence is tragic bitterness.” Martin Luther King, Jr Nowadays, pacifism is not popular. Being a pacifist or making arguments against violence and aggression is often met with incredulous eye-rolling, as if believing that violence is destructive even when used in defense of self is naive. It is not. My pacifism is far from being naive. The following definitions aptly describe what I believe in: * pacifism: The doctrine that disputes (especially between countries) should be settled without recourse to violence; the active opposition to such violence, especially the refusal to take part in military action * pacifist: opposed to war * pacifist: one who loves, supports, or favors peace; one who is pro-peace * pacifist: An individual who disagrees with war on principle 1.
It is truly enough said that a corporation has no conscience; but a corporation of conscientious men is a corporation with a conscience.” (Thoreau, pg. 1) Thoreau believed that we should disobey the law by ourselves if our conscience is telling us that the law is being immoral. He also feels that this disobedience should be done in private with immediate action; there is no need to make a big scene about it. His aim was not to personally
Security vs. Privacy We know that people want security in their in life but prefer their privacy, so when it comes down to it which is more important? We read how Bruce Schneier wanted the people to have privacy and how he knows that people don’t do anything but with constant surveillance the government will accuse you of something. As on the other hand we have Chris Cillizza who believes that privacy is important but it won’t keep you safe from foreign attacks. Also Cillizza shows that any type of information that the government finds suspicious will put people at risk. Honestly in this type of argument it comes down to the better facts rather than opinions and that’s why Cillizza makes the better argument.