Kants Ethics of Dignity and Free

Kants Ethics of Dignity and Freedom Essay Immanuel Kants moral philosophy contends that morality is grounded from deductive reasoning.   In his Groundwork for   Metaphysics of Morals, Kant introduced the main premise of his moral Philosophy, the Categorical Imperative (Singer, 1993).   The Rationale of Kantian ethics is to construct ethical principles in accordance with rational procedures which includes duty (Singer, 1993).  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kant grounds his moral philosophy on the question â€Å"what I ought to do?†, he then attempts to determine the fundamental principles that humans should adopt.   Kant fully furnishes his ethical claims in a subjective approach regarding what is good for man. Criticism of Previous Ethical Thories In his Critique of Pure Reason, Immanuel Kant primarily makes a connection between rationalism and empiricism.   Conversely, Kant counters David Humes empiricism, stating that although all knowledge begin with experience, it does not necessarily mean that it all comes from experience.   In his realization of Humes dubious conclusions, Kant dwelled on the postulation that all ideas are representations of sensory experience (Guyer and Wood, 1998).   To counter Hume, Kant attempted to find another means to derive cause and effect without dependence from empirical knowledge (Guyer and Wood, 1998). Kant grounds his perspective of freedom as autonomy, and morality from the beliefs of renowned French enlightenment philosopher, Jean Jacque Rousseau.   Rousseau believes that freedom is not simply being unbound from any law, but by the laws that are, in a sense,   made by the individual.   Hence, Kant primarily conforms to the idea that freedom bypasses the negative notion of being free from influences that are governed by elements outside the self (Johnson, 2004). Kant, although influenced by rationalist Rene Descartes, counters the latters perspective on the existence of God based on reason, that due to restrictions brought about by reason, no one can really know if there really is a God.   Kant solidifies his claims by stating that justifiable knowledge must be grounded from a reality encountered solely by human experience (Singer, 1993).   In his explanation, Kant asserts that all the preparations for reason in what may be deemed as pure philosophy, are directly adressed to three problems; God, soul and freedom (Guyer and Wood, 1998).   Kant neither denies nor accepts the existence of God, he, however, argues against the rationalist perspective of God and sees the Christian scriptures as a worldly narrative which can be agreed upon as a representation of morality (Singer, 1993). Autonomy and Heteronomy Autonomy and its principles are important in Kants moral philosophy, this is due to the fact that the basis of the actions are based on internal motives.   In this context, the one who acts (the Agent) does it in an autonomous manner since the agent is the only key holder to the basis of the action.   Heteronomy, for Kant is an element in the basis of a moral act that are driven by external factors (Singer, 1993).   A person then who acts under the influence of outside forces is not acting freely, therefore, that person is acting heteronomously. Categorical Imperative Kant grounds the foundations of the princple of his moral philosophy from the denial of principles that are non-universalizable.   Kant formulates this concept as a demand which he calls the categorical imperative (Singer, 1993).   Kants formulation of the categorical imperative claims that Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law   (Singer, 1993).   This sentiment is the core of Kants ethics and is the basis for the maxims or fundamental principles an individual may advocate.    Kants categorical imperative may also be viewed as an end in itself, described as a means that only serves the fulfillment of the interest itself and not to any other purpose.   Immanuel Kant holds that the principles of reason governs the moral law and that irrelevant factors such as what would make people happy, is the basis of morality and the moral law (Guyer and Wood, 1998).   Kant defining Rational beings as people who are capable of moral deliberation who can choose to act by fundamental principles that have universality.   It is in this framework that Kant formulated the Kingdom of Ends and furthered his Categorical Imperative, implying the term kingdom as a group of rational beings bound by common laws. Kant argues that inclination to the categorical imperative bequeaths an individual with autonomous ethical choice.   The basis for such argument is on Kants assertion of the bond between moral law and autonomy.   In his presupposition, Kant suggests that practical will is bound by the categorical imperative through the simple fact of reason, and uses such thought to postulate that our wills are autonomous (Johnson, 2004). The essence of Kants moral philosophy is quite ironic due to the primary intentions that are never achieved. The first point of criticism is that Kant, like many other scholars are in pursuit of a universal truth, given the textual fact that Kants ideas are based on his own assumptions, it is unimaginable that Kant is unable to provide concrete defense of autonomy of the will in accordance to the categorical imperative. Reflection In reference to his categorical imperative, Kant provokes individuals to act according to such principles that ends to the universal law (Singer, 1993).   This categorical imperative, and his moral beliefs for that matter, are based on subjective thinking, another irony on the true aims of his moral philosophy.   In this regard, I think it is safe to connote that Kants undertaking of how an individual should think only provides signs of the conventional human flaw, the fear of elements and concepts that the human brain cannot fully comprehend. Personally, I think Kants suggestion regarding compliance to the categorical imperative provides freedom in ethical decision making is incomprehensible, since one of his underlying concepts is rationality and morality (Singer, 1993).   I feel that Kants moral philosophy may result to individuals to be narrow-minded since they only consider the reasons in doing actions and overlook the possible outcomes that may have destructive tendencies.   I myself cannot see how to live in a world of subjectivity and apathy.   If Kant wrote his ethical theories to burst out personal opinion, he should have been a journalist, rather than a scholar who cannot live up to the principles of his own philosophy. References Johnson, R. (2004). Kants Moral Philosophy. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Retrieved 12 February 2008 from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-moral/#Aut Singer, P. (Ed.) (1993). Blackwell companions to philosophy: A companion to ethics. Malden,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   MA: Blackwell Publishing. Kant, I., Guyer, P. Wood, A. (Eds.). (1998). Critique of Pure Reason. Cambridgeshire:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cambridge UP.

Compromise of 1877 Essay -- essays papers

Compromise of 1877 African-Americans may sometimes wonder at the contradictory facts about their history presented in many standard history texts. These texts state that blacks were given the right to vote in 1870, yet the same texts will acknowledge that this right did not really exist for African-Americans until the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Similarly, the first public accommodation law was passed in 1875, but history shows that it took 91 years before it was acknowledged and African-Americans were allowed to the full benefits of citizenship.1 It is common knowledge that the American Civil War provided freedom and certain civil rights, including to right to vote, to the African-American population of the nineteenth-century. What is not generally known, and only very rarely acknowledged, is that after freeing the slaves held in the Southeastern portion of the U.S., the federal government abandoned these same African-Americans at the end of the Reconstruction period.2 The Republicans were losing their political clout. By agreeing to what has become known as the Compromise of 1877, the Republicans effectively abandoned the people they had fought so long to free. This was because this compromise between Democrats and Republicans effectively repealed the constitutional strides, which had been made thus far toward offering the black population of the U.S. equality.3 The passage of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States gave African-Americans recognized rights under the law. However, a national commitment to the civil and political rights of all U.S. citizens without regard to matters of race was destined to last less then a decade.4 There are certain historical facts, which have been lost in the public memory, as certain legends have taken the place of reality. In order to fully understand what happened, it is necessary to comprehend that the Northern states were far from being uniformly the champions of equal rights that is generally indicated by popular belief. By this understanding, that is that the abandonment of African-Americans did not constitute a drastic change of moral position for many people in the North, it is easier to understand their subsequent actions in ignoring the plight of African-Americans in the South after the Reconstruction era.5 An example of one to these overlook... ..., â€Å"The Forgotten Constitutional Moment,† Constitutional Commentary, No. 1 (Winter 1994): 121-22. 21. Tad Tuleja, American History in 100 Nutshells (New York: Fawcett Columbine Books, 1992), 163-64. 22. Tad Tuleja, American History in 100 Nutshells (New York: Fawcett Columbine Books, 1992), 164. 23. Tad Tuleja, American History in 100 Nutshells (New York: Fawcett Columbine Books, 1992), 164. Works Cited Byrd, Robert C. The Senate, 1789-1989: Addresses on the History of the US Senate, Vol. 1. (New York: Bernan Associates, 1989). Foner, Eric. A Short History of Reconstruction. (New York: Harper and Row, 1990). Foner, Eric and John A. Garraty. The Reader’s Companion to American History. (New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991). McConnell, Michael W. "The Forgotten Constitutional Moment," Constitutional Commentary, No. 1. (Winter 1994). Phillip, Mary-Christine. "Yesterday Once More: African-Americans Wonder If New Era Heralds," Black Issues in Higher Education. (July 1995). Stampp, Kenneth M. The Era of Reconstruction, 1865-1877. (New York: Vintage Books, 1965). Tuleja, Tad. American History in 100 Nutshells. (New York: Fawcett Columbine Books, 1992). Compromise of 1877 Essay -- essays papers Compromise of 1877 African-Americans may sometimes wonder at the contradictory facts about their history presented in many standard history texts. These texts state that blacks were given the right to vote in 1870, yet the same texts will acknowledge that this right did not really exist for African-Americans until the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Similarly, the first public accommodation law was passed in 1875, but history shows that it took 91 years before it was acknowledged and African-Americans were allowed to the full benefits of citizenship.1 It is common knowledge that the American Civil War provided freedom and certain civil rights, including to right to vote, to the African-American population of the nineteenth-century. What is not generally known, and only very rarely acknowledged, is that after freeing the slaves held in the Southeastern portion of the U.S., the federal government abandoned these same African-Americans at the end of the Reconstruction period.2 The Republicans were losing their political clout. By agreeing to what has become known as the Compromise of 1877, the Republicans effectively abandoned the people they had fought so long to free. This was because this compromise between Democrats and Republicans effectively repealed the constitutional strides, which had been made thus far toward offering the black population of the U.S. equality.3 The passage of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States gave African-Americans recognized rights under the law. However, a national commitment to the civil and political rights of all U.S. citizens without regard to matters of race was destined to last less then a decade.4 There are certain historical facts, which have been lost in the public memory, as certain legends have taken the place of reality. In order to fully understand what happened, it is necessary to comprehend that the Northern states were far from being uniformly the champions of equal rights that is generally indicated by popular belief. By this understanding, that is that the abandonment of African-Americans did not constitute a drastic change of moral position for many people in the North, it is easier to understand their subsequent actions in ignoring the plight of African-Americans in the South after the Reconstruction era.5 An example of one to these overlook... ..., â€Å"The Forgotten Constitutional Moment,† Constitutional Commentary, No. 1 (Winter 1994): 121-22. 21. Tad Tuleja, American History in 100 Nutshells (New York: Fawcett Columbine Books, 1992), 163-64. 22. Tad Tuleja, American History in 100 Nutshells (New York: Fawcett Columbine Books, 1992), 164. 23. Tad Tuleja, American History in 100 Nutshells (New York: Fawcett Columbine Books, 1992), 164. Works Cited Byrd, Robert C. The Senate, 1789-1989: Addresses on the History of the US Senate, Vol. 1. (New York: Bernan Associates, 1989). Foner, Eric. A Short History of Reconstruction. (New York: Harper and Row, 1990). Foner, Eric and John A. Garraty. The Reader’s Companion to American History. (New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991). McConnell, Michael W. "The Forgotten Constitutional Moment," Constitutional Commentary, No. 1. (Winter 1994). Phillip, Mary-Christine. "Yesterday Once More: African-Americans Wonder If New Era Heralds," Black Issues in Higher Education. (July 1995). Stampp, Kenneth M. The Era of Reconstruction, 1865-1877. (New York: Vintage Books, 1965). Tuleja, Tad. American History in 100 Nutshells. (New York: Fawcett Columbine Books, 1992).

How Can I Avoid Literal/Verbal Translation from My Native Language When Writing an English Essay Essay

As a foreign English learner, , I constantly make grammatical and structural errors when writing in English even though I started learning English at a very early age and have a relatively better speaking and listening ability among my peers. In fact, many Asians, Mandarin users like me in particular, encounter such problem a lot when writing in the English language. As a consequence, I want to find out the main reason that causes me to write in English with the inverse (Chinese) structure all the time. In other words, I want to know why I constantly â€Å"think† in my own language and translate it into English instead of directly â€Å"think and write† in English simultaneously. That is, as stated in the title, to avoid literal/verbal translation from my native language when writing in English. In the first part of this essay, discussion will to focus on illustrating the core concepts of how humans form and convert grammatical structures into English. In the second part, a brief research conducted by myself will be used in support of the main question of this essay, which is the methodology to resolve writing difficulties for foreigner English speakers. Last but not least, an overall analysis in regard of the topic can be found in the final paragraph. The objective of this essay is to observe the influence between a Mandarin user’s native language (mother tongue) and the English language in terms of logical thinking process and psycholinguistic perspectives as well as avoiding literal or verbal translation from my the language. This is an interesting however less discussed topic in terms of English learning method. I sincerely hope English learners, particularly foreign learners, can more or less understand the existing problems that can likely bother us, also, â€Å"can generate some interesting data to show the need to explicitly stimulate bicognitive and bicultural development in Chinese EFL learners†(Gonzalez, Virginia, Chen Chia-Yin, and Claudia Sanchez 627-52). The thinking process We can discover a nearly inevitable process, regardless of its use, before writing a formal essay. That is, in fact, the process of sketching a rough idea (abstract) of what specific concepts we are going to talk about or what type of audience we want to persuade. For instance, suppose our topic is â€Å"My Family†. Undoubtedly, the first thing that comes into our mind is a picture consists of mother, father, and children. This is inevitable as we tend to â€Å"picturize† abstract words into actual images that we have already acquired from our experience (database) in the past. Later on, after these approximate frames are set up, a complicated process will start interpreting the picture into the language we are familiar with. To simply put, the input (given topic) needs to be processed in order to obtain (write down) the output. Understanding the process, we can further apply the idea to foreign languages. Take myself as an example. Chinese is my native language whereas English is my second (foreign) language. Based on the thinking process demonstrated earlier, the process for me to convert â€Å"English topic† into â€Å"English sentences† is to first convert â€Å"English topic† to â€Å"Chinese topic†(since there is no such database known as â€Å"English† in the past), and then picturize â€Å"Chinese topic† into â€Å"Chinese sentences†, and finally translate those sentences into English. What a tough work it is! Yes, indeed, as a foreign language learner, especially a beginner, this is actually the fastest way to deliver message. However, after such a long process, we experience another problem—the translation is still in â€Å"Chinese† linguistic structure! For this reason, our brain starts modifying the structure, again, based on our â₠¬Å"database†. (I will further explain the importance of â€Å"database† in a while) The modification process So the modification process starts. Our brain starts searching for the most native way of expressing the idea in English. Yet, if no such word or structure was learned in the past, it is very likely that we would simply output the most similar or the most â€Å"literal† translation of the sentence. In this case, many common grammatical and improper structures can be easily observed, such as saying â€Å"What can I make?† instead of â€Å"What can I do?†(make and do both have the same meaning in Chinese) Of course, people can still understand what the writer tries to indicate, but on the other hand it can sometimes cause great misunderstanding between the author and the audience. Research This survey is conducted on the basis of 57 effective samples, representing participants from more than three different education levels and 3 Mandarin-speaking countries. Questions 1 through 5 are general information used to analyze the background of participants. Questions starting from question 6 are divided into two contrary tracks. Track A is designed to investigate those who had encountered literal/verbal translation difficulties whereas track B is for those who seldom have difficulties writing what they intend to illustrate. In this research, a few phenomena can be discovered. According to the responses of question 6, apparently over 70% of the participants have had a hard time translating what they really wanted to express into English. As for question , 62% think such writing difficulty is mainly due to the lack of vocabulary while in question , interestingly, more and more people tend to utilize resources through internet. From here, we can see the importance of technology in terms of learning and gathering information. On the other hand, however, Track B shows that those who seldom or never have literal/verbal translation problems believe reading is also important and that looking up dictionary helps them avoid literal/verbal translation problems. Some suggestions are listed in question and which include extensive reading and writing, have peer editor to review his/her essay, and even â€Å"fall in love with the language.†

Trafficking of Humans - 1152 Words

In article 3, paragraph (a) of The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, human trafficking is defined as the â€Å"recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation,† which includes â€Å"the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.† This protocol was drafted and signed in the 2000 and became effective in 2003 but the issue of human trafficking can be traced back to the start of the Trans-Atlantic Slave trade that involved the transp ortation of persons from Africa (mostly from central and western regions of the continent) to the Americas including North and South America as well as the Caribbean. It existed between three locations across the Atlantic thus becoming known as the Triangular Trade Route. In order to tackle the issue at hand, we must first acknowledge that human trafficking has become a widespread problem across the globe and is not limited to one certain geographical region but that the issue continues to cross the borders from oneShow MoreRelatedThe Trafficking Of Human Trafficking1061 Words   |  5 Pagesare approximately twenty to thirty million slaves in the world today. Unfortunately due to trafficking being a fast growing crime it is very difficult to identify and locate these organizations and victims. Although there are many groups created to support victims, not enough awareness is being made and not enough action is being applied to stop human trafficking. Sex trafficking is a form of human trafficking that has been a worldwide issue since ancient times, but regularly forgotten, due to it beingRead MoreThe Trafficking Of Human Trafficking886 Words   |  4 Pages(Attention catcher)What if somebody came into your life and guaranteed a better lifestyle, but instead you were enslaved into human trafficking? Human trafficking is when a person is abducted from their current situation and mostly likely used for sex slavery. Furthermore, did you know human trafficking increased over the years? (Listener relevance) Although you may not be as aware in your comfortable surroundings, you should always be aware of suspicious vehicles and people. Even though we enjoyRead MoreThe Trafficking Of Human Trafficking930 Words   |  4 Pagesman. Regardless of the reasons, there are nearly 30 million victims of human trafficking globally. There are more slaves now than ever before. Trafficking of persons is not a subject that should be ignored or tak en lightly. 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According to Protocol to Prevent, Subdue and Punish Trafficking in Persons, human trafficking in the modern world entails transfer of persons by use of applied force. Other methods used to enforce the trafficking include use of deceptionRead MoreHuman Trafficking And Human Sex Trafficking1850 Words   |  8 Pagesof human sex trafficking come to one s mind. The United States of America is not immune to this type of horrific behavior. America is the land of the free and yet something as awful as human sex trafficking occurs in our very own backyard each and everyday. According to the Department of Homeland Security the definition of human trafficking is â€Å"modern day slavery that involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act† (â€Å"What Is Human Trafficking?†)