Austin Roman

-Introduction

My name is Austin and this blog is about what my role in society should be.  When we got our first reading in this class, I thought all of the readings were going to be boring and I was never going to want to read them.  After the next few, I became more interested in what they had to say and by the end of the year, I enjoyed reading them.  The format of the class was good.  The day the reading was due, we talked about what we read, usually for the whole class period.  If I ever couldn't understand what the reading was about, it became clear after that class period.  

-Government

If I had to pick out one important thing I learned this semester in this class, it would be about what the government’s role should be and how citizens should play a part in it as well.  All of the readings were about different peoples view of  government and how they think it should be ran.  Some believed that the government should do as little as possible, while others believed that the government should be as powerful as possible.

We have learned about many different people’s opinions about government, such as Lao Tzu, Fromm, and Machiavelli.  When it comes to their ideas of government, they all have different ideas.  Lao Tzu believed that the government should not interfere with the people and that they should just let things run their course.  Machiavelli, on the other hand, thinks that the government should have a strong presence in our lives.  Unlike Lao Tzu, Machiavelli believes in always fighting for power and control.  He believes that you are better off being feared than loved.

I think that there should be a combination of what Lao Tzu and Machiavelli both believe.  We don't need a government that controls everything that we do, but we do need guidelines.  In order for our government to work properly, we must vote people in to office who will actually do a good job.  We have the power to vote for our officials but we still complain about how our government runs.

-Wealth and Poverty

There will always be rich people and there will always be poor people, I do not think that this problem will ever be resolved.  Andrew Carnegie once said, “The best of humanity will always rise to the top.”  He believed that the rich people separate themselves from the poor.  He said that the problem isn't the fact that we are not giving money to help the poor, but that the money is not administered properly.  There are corrupt people in this world and as long as that is the case, there will be poor people as well.  

Galbraith wrote a book called “The Position of Poverty,” and in this book he talks about how there are two types of poverty: Case poverty and Insular poverty.  He says that case poverty can be treated and this occurs when a mental or physical condition prevents you from earning more money.  He believes that these type of people can be “cured” from what causes them to be poor, whether it be because of drugs or simply because they are lazy.  Insular Poverty is a more deep rooted and complex issue.  This means that you are poor because of your race or the environment you live in.  This type of poverty can be treated but it is a much more complex solution.

-Justice

Justice is served when somebody is punished for breaking the law.  People don’t always get what they deserve though because they pay their way out of a problem, or the government is corrupt and lets them go.  That is what I think injustice is.  There are plenty of cases of it around the world.  If somebody breaks the law, they should be punished and if they aren't, it should be considered injustice.  

Martin Luther King Jr believed that there were two types of laws: just and unjust.  He said that just laws are the law and will of God and that we should obey them.  Unjust laws must be confronted.  He was arrested several times for confronting the severe injustices black people were enduring.  Henry Thoreau once said to never follow government blindly, always let your conscience be your guild. 

-Ethics/Morality

Ethical behavior means deciding what is right and wrong and then acting on what is right.  There are many different examples of unethical behavior in our society.  They can be as small as copying somebody else’s work without giving them credit or as big as forced child labor workers around the world.  Justice was never served in lots of these cases.  Sometimes we just don’t hear about it so we cant do anything to help, while other times people let greed or power get in the way.  

We all grow up learning right from wrong but we don’t all grow up going to church or being religious.  I think we do have ethical and moral behavior without religion.  Murdoch says, “Religious belief may be a stronger motive to good conduct than a non-religious idealism” (736) It doesn't take moral behavior to be happy, but religion can sometimes cause a more fulfilling and lasting happiness.  Many people think money and power causes happiness, but thats not always the case.  Money can cause temporary happiness but in order to achieve a happiness that will last, you must live your life with morals.  I think that some of the happiest times in my life is when I spent my time and money helping others who were less fortunate.  

-Individual

Being an individual simply means being yourself.  We are all working to make our lives better.  My role as an individual in our society is to better the nation.  This may seem like to big of a task for one person, but what I can do to accomplish this is voting.  Our nation is only as good as our citizens and the leaders in charge.  If we vote in corrupt leaders in our government, our society will be less desirable.  As individuals, we must contribute all we can to society even if it means simply picking up trash when you see it laying around.  Anything you can do to better the way we live in our society is our job as individuals.  Ghandi believed in a thing called Caste System which means that you are born into your place in society.  I do believe this because not everyone can be born into a good situation.  Some people are born into poverty and others into an upper class society.  Both groups have different jobs as individuals but it is to reach the same goal, which is a better and more united society.  

-Conclusion

This class has helped me learn much more than I could have imagined.  This first semester of class was not the typical english class.  We learned how to write better, but we also learned about  ourselves more.  This class helped me form more opinions about what I think this life is about and how I should live it.  The format of the class was not the most exciting of ways to learn, but it was affective.  My favorite author that we read about this semester was Thoreau.  Although I didn't agree with everything he said, I did like some of his main points.  He said to let you conscience be your guild rather than following the government blindly.  I always grew up thinking that whatever our government did was right, but Ive grown up since then.  I now know that there are corrupt people in this world and I must stay true to what I believe in.

Works Cited

Carnegie, Andrew. “The Gospel of Wealth.” Ed. Lee Jacobs. World of Ideas. New York: Bedford St. Martin’s Press, 2000. 387-402. Print

 "CRIMINAL JUSTICE - Criminal Justice Ethics." CRIMINAL JUSTICE ONLINE - Criminal Justice Online Course. Web. 14 Dec. 2011. <http://www.hitechcj.com/criminal-justice-ethics/>.

Fromm, Erich. “The Individual in the Chains of Illusions.” Ed. Lee Jacobs. World of Ideas. New York: Bedford St. Martin’s Press, 2000. 325-338. Print

King, Martin Luther. “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Ed. Lee Jacobs. World of Ideas. New York: Bedford St. Martin’s Press, 2000. 211-231. Print

Murdoch, Iris. “Morality and Religion.” Ed. Lee Jacobs. World of Ideas. New York: Bedford St. Martin’s Press, 2000. 729-743. Print

"Stock Photos: Individuality." Stock Photography: Download Free Stock Photos & Royalty Free Images. Web. 14 Dec. 2011. <http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photos-individuality-image8443763>.

Thoreau, Henry David. “Civil Disobedience.” Ed. Lee Jacobs. World of Ideas. New York: Bedford St. Martin’s Press, 2000. 127-140. Print.

"Wealth vs. Poverty." Mibba Articles. Web. 14 Dec. 2011. <http://articles.mibba.com/World/ 2072/Wealth-vs-Poverty>.