Hypothetical Consent and Political Legitimacy Essay -- What is Politics

ABSTRACT: A commonly accepted criticism of the social contract approach to justifying political authority targets the notion of hypothetical consent. Hypothetical contracts, it is argued, are not binding; therefore hypothetical consent cannot justify political authority. I argue that although hypothetical consent may not be capable of creating political obligation, it has the power to legitimate political arrangements. Hypothetical Consent and Justification A commonly accepted criticism of the social contract approach to justifying political authority targets the idea of hypothetical consent. Since only actual agreements are binding, the argument goes, citizens are not bound to obey their governments on the ground that, under circumstances different from the ones in which they now find themselves, they would have agreed to submit to its authority. (1) The purpose of this paper is to rescue hypothetical consent from this objection. I begin by distinguishing political legitimacy from political obligation. (2) I argue that while hypothetical consent may not serve as an adequate ground for political obligation, it is capable of grounding political legitimacy. I understand a theory of political legitimacy to give an account of the justice of political arrangements. (3) I understand a theory of political obligation to give an account of why and under what conditions, citizens are morally required to obey the rules constituting those arrangements. The social contract tradition offers us hypothetical consent theories of both political obligation and political legitimacy, frequently neglecting to distinguish the two ideas. Likewise, the common objection to hypothetical consent theories — that hypothetical contracts do not bind — ... ...vice of representation". (14) For an argument that no contractual agreement on the two principles of justice occurs in the original position and that therefore the two principles are not justified by a contract, see Jean Hampton, "Contracts and Choices: Does Rawls Have a Social Contract Theory?" The Journal of Philosophy 77, 6 (June 1980): 315-38. (15) As Jeremy Waldron maintains, "When we move from asking what people actually accept to asking what they would accept under certain conditions, we shift our emphasis away from the will and focus on the reasons that people might have for exercising their will in one way rather than another." Waldron, p. 55. (16) This objection is due to Bruce Landesman. (17) For a discussion of this distinction and the relation between the reasonable and the rational, see Rawls, PL, pp. 48-54. (18) See Freeman, pp. 123-31.

Huckleberry Finn Essay

In the protagonist Huckleberry Finn as he is depicted by Mark Twain, Emerson’s idea of the American scholar is epitomized. The following essay will present the points of Mark Twain as an American scholar through the character Huckleberry Finn; it is through Huckleberry Finn that Emerson’s ideas of nature, books and action become realized and this essay will bring to the forefront of its argument these facts among many other ideas of Emerson’s American scholar are epitomized in Twain’s character Huck. Huckleberry Finn is a character whose main purpose seems almost like a young tale of the Iliad in which fate seems to simply happen to Huck Finn. The events leading up to his stay with the widow Douglas he accounts are no fault of his own, as the metaphor of the story is found with the great Mississippi River so does Huck Finn’s life simply flow along until he makes a conscious choice. This choice comes into being when Huck decides that ‘sivilised’ life is not for him. In the rejection of civilized life Twain is brining in elements of Emerson’s ideals: Huck Finn is a very simplistic character and his thwarting of Widow Douglas best attempts of making him presentable to society become the correlation of Emerson’s American scholar. The American scholar according to Emerson is best found in nature since it is with nature that man learns how the world works; in the trees, and in the roots. This classification allows a man to simplify his life; life is easier with just nature and without civilization. Thus, it may be surmised that Huck’s doffing off of nature is Twain’s own sentiment on the subject of culture and the evilness of society. In Huckleberry Finn’s disappearance from civilized life, after his father kidnaps him and Huck fakes his own death, the voice of Emerson is best found with Jim the slave. Jim gives advice to Huckleberry Finn about the disappointments found in the world and how a man may be able to handle himself by making conscious choices. In the litany of Emerson, this concept is also found by way of Emerson stating that a scholar must gather for himself the appropriate information from different books in order to find an organized opinion about a subject and to take a side of each books’ opinion in order to find himself. Jim states similarly to Finn that he should experience what life has to offer and decide for himself the difference between right and wrong, morality and immoral nature. Thus, the point of going down the Mississippi is to gain as much knowledge and experience as possible in order to later filter opinion from fact, one’s own thoughts from society’s mores. It is in the creation of man’s own thoughts, of Finn deciding throughout the journey that no man should be a slave that Huckleberry Finn becomes a man, becomes an American scholar since he is finally thinking for himself. He rejects Widow Douglas, his father, society in whole and travels with Jim collecting his own thoughts and deciding what is wrong and what is right in the nature of man. In a subtler note, Emerson states that the American scholar must take action and in this capacity Mark Twain does not falter with his protagonist Huckleberry Finn. Huck’s action consists in the part of the story where the Dauphin capture Jim and subsequently sells him in order to receive the reward. Huck is completely outraged by this betrayal and in the course of the story this signifies the first time that he acts upon his own judgment and he rejects the advice of his conscience which tells him that by helping Jim escape to freedom he is in a way stealing Miss Watson’s property. Huck tells himself, â€Å"All right, then, I’ll go to hell! † (Twain), Huck resolves to free Jim. Emerson’s concept of the American scholar persists with this idea of action; Emerson states that the scholar must fill every moment of every day with action. The scholar should accordingly work different jobs in order to become fluent in a myriad of vocations. The scholar must also be a poylglot in order to express himself with different thoughts. In the language of the text Huck Finn speaks a very succinct colloquial language as well as proper grammar at times. Thus, he is fulfilling Emerson’s concepts. Finn’s epiphany while traveling and having conversations with Jim is such that he discovers man is his own master; in discovering that Jim has to hide in order to be free and comparing that with Finn’s own hiding in order not be kidnapped he relates himself to Jim. The discovery upon the river is as Emerson highlights, â€Å"And, finally, is not the true scholar the only true master? But the old oracle said, `All things have two handles: beware of the wrong one. ‘ In life, too often, the scholar errs with mankind and forfeits his privilege. Let us see him in his school, and consider him in reference to the main influences he receives† (Emerson). Thus, Finn epitomizes Emerson’s view of the American scholar through not only his thoughts but also his behaviors and his actions.

Internal Medicine What Makes Boulevard Unique - 827 Words

Internal Medicine: What Makes Boulevard Unique? Excellent health care is a major concern for families and individuals across the country. Finding knowledgeable and experienced practitioners is not always easy. If you live in the Bronx, you may have already discovered Boulevard Medical Healthcare, the Bronx’s top primary care provider. Boulevard Medical Healthcare provides comprehensive medical services to families and individuals, as well as offering both employment and immigration physicals. Boulevard is unique, in that it is able to provide an exceptional treatment environment. Not only does it have more diagnostic equipment than most other healthcare environments, it is staffed by highly trained specialists in both family and internal medicine. Doctors who focus on internal medicine, are called internists. They concentrate on the diagnosis, medical treatment, and care of adults. Family Medicine versus Internal Medicine Family medicine is a specialty that provides healthcare for both families and individuals. Physicians in family medicine provide medical diagnosis, treatment, and care to people of all ages, both sexes, every organ system, and all diseases. The patient-doctor relationship is generally in the framework of the family. Family medicine practitioners promote good health, stress disease prevention, and coordinate referrals when necessary. Graduates in family medicine have completed a broad range of study, which includes: †¢ Pediatrics †¢ Pregnancy †¢Show MoreRelatedSwot Analysis10425 Words   |  42 Pageshousehold accessories and furniture at very affordable prices. During that time, the one-stop shopping philosophy was still a novel idea to consumers but with the excellent service and quality products it provided, it did not take long for Puregold to make its mark in the retail industry. Today, it has grown into a giant retail chain with more than 50 stores nationwide. - No. of branches: Over 80 branches nationwide - No. of Employees: 60 employees SWOT Analysis: Strength Weaknesses OpportunitiesRead MoreWhen the Wollaton Hall Was Built Essay3356 Words   |  14 Pagesfor miles around. The hall would show great prestige and the surrounding people would know his name. Willoughby undertaken a project to demolish the wollaton village, this would make way for the view of his hall. He apparently did such a good job that even today there are hardly any remains. To make his hall even more visible he built it on a steep hill. This certainly proves that Wollaton hall was built for comfort and luxury and not for protection. Source D is a setRead MoreA Project on Apple Inc.12777 Words   |  52 Pagesworldwide and had worldwide annual sales of US$32.48 billion in its fiscal year ending September 29, 2008. For reasons as various as its philosophy of comprehensive aesthetic design to its distinctive advertising campaigns, Apple has established a unique reputation in the consumer electronics industry. This includes a customer base that is devoted to the company and its brand, particularly in the United States. In 2008, Fortune magazine named Apple the most admired company in the United States. SteveRead MoreAp Human Geography Final Project Essay9503 Words   |  39 Pagesare a lot of job opportunities. There are more buildings being built here, and there is a lot of recreation you can do in Sandy. Sandy City, since a lot of young families live here, has a high fertility rate. Males and females aged four and below make up 15.1% of Sandy’s total population. Since there is such a large population of young people, we can see that the city has a high fertility rate. Not a lot of elderly people choose to retire in Sandy, and because of that, the city has a low mortalityRead MoreThe New Marketing Myopia7296 Words   |  30 PagesJournal of Public Policy Marketing This paper can be downloaded without charge from the Social Science Research Network electronic library at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1336886 * Chaired Professor of Ethics and Social Responsibility at INSEAD, Boulevard de Constance, 77305 Fontainebleau Cedex, France, Tel: 33 (0)1 60 72 41 45, Fax: 33 (0)1 60 74 55 00, e-mail: Craig.Smith@insead.edu Associate Professor of Advertising Public Relations at the University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station,Read MoreEffects of Corruption in the Phil.14311 Words   |  58 Pagesissues caused by corruption being faced by the government today. We also included some essays and opinions from several users online. The first part of our report is the definition of corruption and its cause. To introduce our topic, we first defined what corruption is. We included a definition taken from the website of Philippine Anti-Graft Commission, the government agency tasked to weed out corruption on the government. There were also various definitions of corruption on the first part of our reportRead MoreContemporary Issues in Management Accounting211377 Words   |  846 Pagesways of improving it. Although always appealing to his economic understandings, he has been open to a wide variety of other ideas, recognizing their intellectual strengths and capabilities rather than making artificial distinctions between what is acceptable and what is not. He also has contributed widely to the accounting literature, taking forward the British tradition of economic theorizing in financial accounting as well as being a constant source of creative thinking in the management accountingRead MoreMarketing Mistakes and Suc cesses175322 Words   |  702 Pageswe bring back an oldie, and with updating, gain a new perspective. For new users, I hope the book will meet your full expectations and be an effective instructional tool. Although case books abound, you and your students may find this somewhat unique and very readable, a book that can help transform dry and rather remote concepts into practical reality, and lead to lively class discussions, and even debates. In the gentle environment of the classroom, students can hone their analytical skillsRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesthe Contributors †¢ 343 _ IN TR OD UC TIO N Michael Adas B y any of the customary measures we deploy to demarcate historical epochs, the twentieth century does not appear to be a very coherent unit. The beginnings and ends of what we choose to call centuries are almost invariably years of little significance. But there is little agreement over when the twentieth century c.e. arrived, and there were several points both before the year 2000 (the collapse of the Soviet Union