Kant and Mill Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Kant and Mill - Essay Example For instance, the gifts of nature such as talents of the mind, encompassing understanding, wit and judgment, as well as qualities of temperament, such as courage, resolution and perseverance are good and desirable for many purposes; however, Kant insists that their goodness is conditional for such things may be extremely evil and harmful without a good will (Baxley 8). Mill believes that something is right if it produces the greatest good for the greatest number (Driver 3). Simply, Mill promoted the general good, that is, tenets and social policy should always endeavor to contribute for the good of the society (MacKinnon 32). Mill believes that the morally best alternative is that which produces the greatest utility, where utility is described in terms of happiness or pleasure; moreover, Mill encourages individuals to do which produces the greatest form of happiness or pleasure for the greatest number of people (McKinnon 32). Mill stressed that something good is anything that is desirable; hence, the individual can only find out what is desirable by attempting to discover what is essentially desired but with this he aims for the higher pleasures in life (Driver 51). Neither Kant nor Mill thought that people usually self-consciously apply the criterion of right action by asking themselves the driving force of why they are doing something good (Jacobs 93). Moreover, they both acclaimed that individuals tend to act on the basis of dispositions to judge and appreciate situations in certain sorts of ways, and in that respect, they both established a role for the virtues (Jacobs 93). Kant and Mill both wrote about the significance of virtues; still, in their views of morality, what makes for a good quality is the fact that the agent acts in accordance with the basic principle (Jacobs 93). Jacobs highlighted that in both Kant’s and Mill’s

The Processional Here Comes the Bride and the Recessional The Wedding March. :: essays research papers fc

The processional â€Å"Here Comes the Bride† and the recessional â€Å"The Wedding March.† I am writing why the processional â€Å"Here Comes the Bride† and the recessional â€Å"The Wedding March† are being prohibited in the Catholic Church. As a catholic girl, I have always dreamed of walking down the aisle to â€Å"Here Comes the Bride,† and leaving the wedding to â€Å"The Wedding March.† This was to be the moment that I could cherish , the moment that would be unforgettable. Now that I am ready to be married, is when I am upset that these two songs are no longer allowed in the Catholic Church. The catholic church’s approach on the music of a wedding, is that the function of music is to be minsterial, and the music must serve and never dominate. The catholic church states that what is true for Sunday liturgy is true for the wedding liturgy, and Sunday Mass sets the standard for all other liturgies. These two pieces of music are considered Secular music, which is defined in the Webster’s Dictinary as â€Å"of† or relating to worldly things as distinguished from things relating to church or religion; not sacred or religious. There are many religions that have restrictions on the type of music that is allowed at a wedding or ceremony. The Protestant religion will most generally allow secular music during the ceremony, however you will still need to consult your officiant regarding guidelines. For a Jewish ceremony, secular music is usually allowed in Reform and Conservative Jewish weddings, however in an Orthodox ceremony, the music is traditionally performed with only one instrument, the violin or the flute. For an Eastern Orthordox ceremony, traditionally the only music allowed is sung by an unaccompanied choir, but organs and instruments are becoming more acceptable. For a Muslim ceremony, there is usually no music performed during the ceremony. For a Hindu ceremony, music is an intergral part of the ceremony that most often includes vocals, drums, string and wind instruments. The Hindu ceremony is dictated by the type of ceremony, so personalization of a selection may be restricted. For a Roman Cathol ic ceremony only nonsecular music is allowed. The processional â€Å"Here Comes the Bride† is a song by Richard Wagner’s â€Å"Bridal Chorus.† Some people refer to this song as â€Å"corny† and recollecting it as songs played in a Las Vegas Wedding Chapel. However, supposedly there are religious reasons as to why this song should not be played in a church let alone a catholic church.

Good Versus Evil Essay

Good versus Evil At first, it appears that the definitions of good and evil are straightforward. According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, good is defined as â€Å"that which is morally right; righteousness†; evil is defined as â€Å"profoundly immoral and malevolent. † For centuries there has been an argument among many philosophers on the belief of â€Å"good versus evil† and whether it really exists. Some argue that human beings are the perpetrators of evil. Others argue that the world is not a bad place and that evil and suffering is, in fact, necessary. Throughout the novel, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, there is a clear struggle involving good and evil. The reader is introduced to the protagonist and narrator, Victor Frankenstein, at the beginning of the novel. Victor, a family oriented man, becomes very interested in the modern science world and later on believes that he has discovered the â€Å"secret of life. † With this discovery he goes on to create a monster, who remains without a name throughout the whole novel. At first glance it appears that the monster did everything in his power to prevent Victor from having the happy life that he longed for. Mary Shelley purposely chose Victor Frankenstein to be the narrator of this story. Readers only get the story from his point of view. Frankenstein plays on the emotions of the readers, therefore anything he is feeling, readers feel the same way. He is seen as this helpless man who has been through so much in such a short life, and all because he was being terrorized by this heinous creature. â€Å"I entered the room where the corpse lay, and was led up to the coffin†¦ The trial, the presence of the magistrate and witnesses, passed like a dream from my memory, when I saw the lifeless form of Henry Clerval stretched before me. I gasped for breath; and, throwing myself on the body I exclaimed, ‘Have my murderous machinations deprived you also, my dearest Henry, of life? Two I have already destroyed; other victims await their destiny: but you, Clerval, my friend, my benefactor’† (122). However, readers do get a glimpse in to how the monster feels and the struggles that he comes across. â€Å"†¦ She continued her course along the precipitous sides of the river, when suddenly her foot slipped; and she fell into the rapid stream. I rushed from my hiding place, and, with extreme labour from the force of the current, saved her, and dragged her to shore†¦ I was suddenly interrupted by the approach of a rustic†¦ On seeing me, he darted towards me, and, tearing the girl from my arms, hastened towards the deeper parts of the wood†¦ he aimed a gun, which he carried, at my body, and fired. I sunk to the ground, and my injurer, with increased swiftness, escaped into the wood† (95). Mary Shelley’s anecdote of a struggle between good versus evil makes the reader constantly redefine who is truly the good one, and who is evil. At the end of the novel, the reader discovers that it is really Victor Frankenstein that is the evil one. He manipulated the readers thoughts and feelings by leading them to believe that he was the good one, that he was being tormented by this evil beast. In reality, this is how the story really goes: Frankenstein was the creator of this â€Å"beast. † Frankenstein abandoned the beast and treated it as if it were too wretched to be loved. Frankenstein, knowing how the beast felt and what he was capable of, continued to ignore the monster’s requests for a companion. Frankenstein knew that the beast would take away all of his loved ones until he got what he wanted. Victor manipulated this monster in to doing his dirty work for him. Mary Shelley displays this battle between good and evil very well. Candide, written by Voltaire, is a satire which pokes fun at a number of Enlightenment philosophies. The protagonist, Candide, is a good-hearted but naive young man. His mentor, Pangloss, is described as a teacher of â€Å"metaphysico-theologo-cosmolonigology† who believes that this is â€Å"the best of all possible worlds. † This belief, which is argued by Leibniz, is the main reason why Voltaire is satirizing his play. Pangloss is an optimist, and believes that no matter what happens, this is the greatest life anyone can live because the good will always be the case. Voltaire mocks the idea that good prevails over evil because he believes that human beings perpetrate evil. He believes that evil does, in fact, exist and ignoring that existence is wrong and dangerous. Other philosophers such as Leibniz believe that the existence of any evil in the world would have to mean that God is either not good or not omnipotent, and that idea could not possibly be true. With this reasoning, philosophers such as Leibniz believe that since God is indeed perfect, then the world that he has created can be viewed as no less than perfect as well. All the â€Å"evil† or â€Å"bad† that people claim exists in the world is only because they do not understand what God’s ultimate plan is. Voltaire strongly disagrees with this idea, as it is evident in his novel. He does not accept the idea that a perfect God exists, maybe a God does not even exist. To prove his point, Voltaire uses a great deal of exaggeration; the biggest optimists in the world, Candide and Pangloss, go through a series of hardships and horrors. These woes do not serve any apparent purpose but to attack this belief that this is â€Å"the best of all possible worlds. † A perfect example is when Pangloss tells Candide that he is dying because of syphilis. In chapter four, Candide cries, â€Å"O sage Pangloss what a strange genealogy is this! Is not the devil the root of it? † Pangloss simply replies, â€Å"Not at all, it was a thing unavoidable, a necessary ingredient in the best of worlds; for if Columbus had not caught in an island in America this disease, which contaminates the source of generation, and frequently impedes propagation itself, and is evidently opposed to the great end of nature, we should have neither chocolate nor cochineal. † This part of the novel makes the reader laugh because chocolate is not the result of syphilis; they are in, no way, related. Voltaire then adds more intelligent and rational characters into the story, such as the old woman, who have more pessimistic views about how the world works. By the end of the novel, Pangloss finally admits that maybe this is not â€Å"the best of all possible worlds. † Shelley, Voltaire, and Leibniz all touched on the subject of good versus evil. Voltaire and Leibniz had opposing views on how the world really works. Maybe there is a bigger plan, but evil does exist and evil is created by all of us. Shelley definitely showed how humans can truly be evil. No matter what, there will always be a battle between good versus evil.

Police Authority, Police Power and Police Use of Force Essay

Abstract This paper will describe police power and police authority. I will also talk about police discretion as for as whom gets locked up and who is allowed to go free. This paper will discuss the different use of police force. In this paper I will also talk about police attitude, police misconduct, and physical abuse among police officers. Most people confuse police authority with police power. What are police authority and or police power? Souryal, (2007), stated, â€Å"That Authority is the right to control the behavior of others within legally determined parameter. These include constitutional and professional limitations, which are designed to resolve conflicts in an orderly fashion. Authority stems from the practitioner’s†¦show more content†¦The situation becomes more difficult when the practitioners feel threatened and stonewall the truth. They perjure themselves, destroy evidence, or cover up significant facts†. It is often said that no one is above the law not even the police, although it seems that they appear to be at times. The United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights protect the people from police brutality. â€Å"Police use of force is defined as the use of physical restraint by a police officer when dealing with a member of the public. Law enforcement officers are author ized to use the amount of force that is reasonable and necessary given the circumstances. Most officers are trained in the use of force and typically encounter numerous situations during their careers when the use of force is appropriate-for example, when making some arrests, restraining unruly combatants, or controlling a disruptive demonstration. Force may involve hitting: holding or restraining, pushing, choking threatening with a flashlight, baton, or chemical or pepper spray; restraining with a police dog, or threatening with a gun and some police use of force include handcuffing †, according to Schmalleger, (2008). A greater type of police force is excessive force. According to Schmalleger, (2008), â€Å"The International Association of Chiefs of Police defines excessive force as the application of an amount and orShow MoreRelatedSolving the Issue of Fellow Officers Abusing Their Power and Sometimes Taking the Law into Their Own Hands945 Words   |  4 Pagescan police officials solve the issue of fellow officers abusing their power and at times taking the law into their own hands? In the field of law enforcement, it can be difficult to balance what is the right course of action to use based on the criminals and their intentions while being placed under arrest. 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