|
|
||
 |
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
Index for this page...
All The Following Items Were Posted On April 1, 2008 Rights, Natural and Civil: The word "rights" is a basic word in the vocabulary of political science and political philosophy. Civil or political rights are those included in constitutions or in bills of rights. They are the rights stated in the Constitution of the United States, its amendments, and particularly in the first ten amendments that are called our American Bill of Rights. These rights are either granted or not granted by the state, and since they are within the power of the state to grant, they can be countermanded by the state when in the course of history fundamental changes in policy are contemplated. The ninth Amendment contains an implicit reference to natural rights by declaring that "The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people." Jurists who deny the existence of natural rights think that this Ninth Amendment is an unfortunate blemish in our Constitution because it appears to be an affirmation of natural rights. Why? Because in 1793, when this amendment was adopted, the other rights retained by the people were probably the natural rights mentioned in the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, such as the inalienable rights to life and liberty. Natural rights are inherent in human nature. They are, therefore, inalienable and belong to every human being with no exceptions. They are specifically human rights. Now that they have become part of our government's declared foreign policy, it becomes self-contradictory for legal positivists to deny the existence of natural law and natural rights, and yet to subscribe to our government's foreign policy with regard to human rights. The exponents and defenders of natural and human rights can argue that the existence of natural rights derives from the distinction between needs and wants -- or, what is the same, between natural and acquired desires. Since human needs are the needs inherent in human nature, identified by the potentialities that define them, natural rights are rights to the real goods that everyone needs in order to live a morally good human life. The statement in the Declaration of Independence that all human beings have certain inalienable rights can be expanded to say that these include the right to life, the right to liberty, and the right to whatever any human being needs in order to live humanly well. Natural rights can be violated or secured by governments, but a perfectly just government is one that secures and safeguards all natural and human rights. Source: Adler's Philosophical Dictionary: 125 Key Terms for the Philosopher's Lexicon. Have you a copy of this book in your personal library? If not, consider getting one. Read Max Weismann's review of this book by Clicking Here.
Epictetus (55-135), Ancient Greco-Roman moral philosopher "Epictetus had been a Phrygian slave belonging to one of Nero's bodyguards; freed, he taught in Rome till AD 90, when the emperor Domitian expelled all philosophers from the city; after that he taught at Nicopolis in northern Greece. Epictetus addressed the masses rather than citizens of wealth and culture, for it is the poor, he said, who are in need of philosophy. Though he wrote nothing, his lectures have been preserved through the notes of one of his pupils, the historian Arrian." -- Professor James L. Christian. Read about Epictetus in The Radical Academy.
Source: Volume 1 of The Wisdom Seekers: Great Philosophers of the Western World, by James L. Christian. If you want an excellent and comprehensive history of philosophy, the two volumes in this set are among the best available. And I'm not just saying that because Professor Christian is a personal friend. I used his introductory textbook in philosophy -- Philosophy: An Introduction to the Art of Wondering -- when I was teaching an introduction to philosophy course many years ago. It is an excellent introduction. J.D.
FOR THE RECORD 1. Prison State USA: 1 in 100 Americans Now Behind Bars, by James W. Harris There has been an explosion in arrests and imprisonment of Americans in recent years. Today, for the first time in history, more than one in every 100 American adults -- 2,319,258 persons -- is in jail or prison. That's just one of the startling findings of a new report by the respected Pew Center on the States. No other country on earth has as high a percentage of citizens incarcerated. The runners-up are China, Russia and several other former Soviet bloc nations, sad company indeed. Also, no other country in the world has so large a number of its citizens behind bars. China, with a larger population, allegedly has 1.5 million people in prison. (Note: figures from authoritarian China should always be viewed with suspicion.) Black Americans are being hit particularly hard, according to the report. "While one in 30 men between the ages of 20 and 34 is behind bars, for black males in that age group the figure is one in nine." According to the report, the high incarceration rates have nothing to do with any increase in crime. Instead, the rates reflect tougher sentencing laws that have been passed in recent years, such as "three-strikes" laws, that mandate longer prison stays. Much of this, of course, is due to the disastrous War on Drugs, which creates incentives for property crimes and violent crimes by creating a black market for drugs, and which also spawned the "three-strike" type laws. Indeed, as the libertarian magazine Reason notes: "The problem is that [the government] is locking up many people for longer than is appropriate, and many people who do not belong in prison at all, including nearly half a million drug offenders." Further, notes the Pew study: "The national recidivism rate remains virtually unchanged, with about half of released inmates returning to jail or prison within three years." In short, current incarceration policy seems to be just like every other government program. It is incredibly expensive, (last year states alone spent more than $49 billion on corrections, up from $11 billion 20 years before), costs are skyrocketing, it has unintended negative consequences, it is milked by special interests, it victimizes utterly innocent peaceful persons, and it largely doesn't work. Sources: Associated Press; Pew Study; Jacob Sullum -- James W. Harris is the editor of Liberator Online, a publication of Advocates for Self-Government. His articles have appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers, and he has been a Finalist for the Mencken Award, given by the Free Press Association for "Outstanding Journalism in Support of Liberty." 2. Clinton Era Official Sees 'Global Power Elite' A former official in the Bill Clinton administration says a "superclass" of 6,000 distinguished people from around the world constitutes a "global power elite." David Rothkopf served as Clinton's deputy undersecretary of commerce for international trade. He writes in his new book, "Superclass: The Global Power Elite and the World They Are Making," that these 6,000 have the power to get big things done across national frontiers. He includes the following in the group, according to The Canadian Press:
The 6,000 have the power to acquire almost anything they want -- except time, Rothkopf maintains. That's why they spend so much time traveling the world in private planes. "For private jet travelers, globalization is not an abstract concept by a day-to-day reality," he writes. "Borders have disappeared and the world is truly one global community. But Rothkopf observes that this "superclass" is not helping the 2 billion people who survive on $2 a day or less, and unless those 2 billion gain a voice, globalization will be in danger. Source: Insider Report "Smoking bans can be hazardous to some people's health. A rigorous statistical examination has found that smoking bans increase drunken-driving fatalities. One might expect that a ban on smoking in bars would deter some people from showing up, thereby reducing the number of people driving home drunk. But jurisdictions with smoking bans often border jurisdictions without bans, and some bars may skirt the ban, so that smokers can bypass the ban with extra driving. There is also a large overlap between the smoker and alcoholic populations, which would exacerbate the danger from extra driving. The authors estimate that smoking bans increase fatal drunken-driving accidents by about 13 percent, or about 2.5 such accidents per year for a typical county." Source: Boston Globe, "Uncommon Knowledge" The Congressional Budget Office has released costs of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars from 2001 to present. Jim Harper of the Cato Institute analyzed the figures. The results? "A little over $8,600 per U.S. family, or $2,700 per person." And, of course, rising. Source: Cato Institute "Airport security lines can annoy passengers, but there is no evidence that they make flying any safer, U.S. researchers reported... A team at the Harvard School of Public Health could not find any studies showing whether the time-consuming process of X-raying carry-on luggage prevents hijackings or attacks. They also found no evidence to suggest that making passengers take off their shoes and confiscating small items prevented any incidents." TSA (the U.S. Transportation Security Administration) defended their efforts by saying they had confiscated over 13 million prohibited items in one year. Most were... cigarette lighters. Source: Reuters "Hard to believe Fidel Castro is gone. See? So, the embargo worked; 49 years later, he is out of there." -- Jay Leno, The Tonight Show, February 21.
COUNSELING CORNER: Warning -- Beware of some fellow humans out there . . . (This is a collection of stories sent to us over the past few months.) We had to have the garage door repaired. The Sears repairman told us that one of our problems was that we did not have a "large" enough motor on the opener. I thought for a minute, and said that we had the largest one Sears made at that time, a 1/2 horsepower. He shook his head and said, "Lady, you need a 1/4 horsepower." I responded that 1/2 was larger than 1/4. He said, "NO, it's not." Four is larger than two.." -- At a Sears' repair service. My daughter and I went through the McDonald's take-out window and I gave the clerk a $5 bill. Our total was $4.25, so I also handed her a quarter. She said, "you gave me too much money." I said, "Yes I know, but this way you can just give me a dollar bill back." She sighed and went to get the manager who asked me to repeat my request. I did so, and he handed me back the quarter, and said "We're sorry but they could not do that kind of thing." The clerk then proceeded to give me back $1 and 75 cents in change. -- A clerk at a McDonalds. My daughter went to a local Taco Bell and ordered a taco. She asked the person behind the counter for "minimal lettuce." He said he was sorry, but they only had iceberg lettuce. -- A clerk at a Taco Bell. The stoplight on the corner buzzes when it's safe to cross the street. I was crossing with an intellectually challenged coworker of mine. She asked if I knew what the buzzer was for. I explained that it signals blind people when the light is red. Appalled, she responded, "What on earth are blind people doing driving?!" -- She was a probation officer in Wichita , KS. When my husband and I arrived at an automobile dealership to pick up our car, we were told the keys had been locked in it. We went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the drivers side door. As I watched from the passenger side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered that it was unlocked. "Hey," I announced to the technician, "its open!" His reply, "I know. I already got that side." -- At a Ford dealership in Canton , Mississippi. I work with an individual who plugged her power strip back into itself and for the sake of her life, couldn't understand why her system would not turn on. -- A certain deputy with the Dallas County Sheriffs office. I live in a semi rural area. We recently had a new neighbor call the local township administrative office to request the removal of the DEER CROSSING sign on our road. The reason: "Too many deer are being hit by cars out here! I don't think this is a good place for them to be crossing anymore." -- A concerned resident in Kingman , KS. I was at the airport, checking in at the gate when an airport employee asked, "Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?" To which I replied, "If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?" He smiled knowingly and nodded, "That's why we ask." -- Happened in Birmingham , AL. At a good-bye luncheon for an old and dear coworker. She was leaving the company due to "downsizing." Our manager commented cheerfully, "This is fun. We should do this more often." Not another word was spoken. We all just looked at each other with that deer-in-the-headlights stare. -- This was a lunch at Texas Instruments. SO BEWARE: They walk among us... and the scary part is that they VOTE and they REPRODUCE.
A LITTLE OF THIS & A LITTLE OF THAT A Little Wisdom: "Don't worry about avoiding temptation. . as you grow older, it will avoid you." -- Winston Churchill. A Little Advice: "By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher." -- Socrates A Little Quip: "By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he's too old to go anywhere." -- Billy Crystal. A Little Put-Down: "The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending; and to have the two as close together as possible." -- George Burns. A Little Proverb: "Individuality is freedom lived." -- John Dos Passos. A Little Reflection: "One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors." -- Plato. A Little Admission: "I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury." -- Groucho Marx. A Little Quote: "When they call the roll in the Senate, the senators do not know whether to answer 'present' or 'guilty'." &emdash;Theodore Roosevelt. A Little Observation: "We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress." -- Will Rogers.
Some interesting & provocative articles on other websites: Science vs. Religion - The Ultimate Smackdown, by Lore Sjöberg: If, like me, you are a mortal human being living at this point in history, you face an important decision: science or religion? This is perhaps the most fundamental choice of modern life, affecting every aspect of your daily existence, from the smell of your house to whether you would ever buy a book with "Chicken Soup" in the title. And yet, few people have looked at this decision from a practical angle. Most prefer instead to focus on such ephemera as evidence versus faith, or the likelihood of everlasting life. Philosophy preparation for other fields, by Chase Rheam: Philosophy graduate students go into fields of law or teaching, among others, after they complete their degree. Dr. James Cain, graduate adviser for the department of philosophy, said law is probably the biggest career field graduate students go into after receiving their master's degree. "Philosophy is supposed to be good preparation for law," Cain said. "I guess because there is a lot of tight argumentation." Pupils Probe Riddle of Life: Philosophy isn't a subject you would expect to be a favourite with young children.But a Dunvant Primary School teacher is promoting a philosophy course in primary schools across Swansea. Phil Jenkins is trained to run mentoring programmes for other teachers. He said: "Following a two-day training course in philosophy for children, teachers are prepared to lead communities of inquiry in their classrooms. Science fits well in God's plan - Day focuses on Catholic men, by Bronislaus B. Kush: Modern science has made such a thorough and compelling case for explaining the universe's origins that renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, in his best-seller "A Brief History of Time," bluntly asked, "What place then for a Creator?" Had the renowned British theorist, known for his contributions to the fields of cosmology and quantum gravity, been at the DCU Center yesterday, he may have gotten a satisfactory answer. When There Is Too Much Religion In Politics, by Deal W. Hudson: What I mean by "too much religion in politics" is what occurs when people of faith treat their religious convictions as the end, rather than the beginning, of the argument. Science and faith are not mutually exclusive, by Galen Holley: In the Middle Ages there was a phrase that largely summed up how people thought. It was "Faith seeking understanding." Faith, in this age, was the great, unassailable "given," the basis for truth. Clearly, so the thinking went, God existed. His exploits were there for us to read in the Bible and, to the extent that it thought we needed to, the church was there to tell us how to understand him. Taking evidence seriously - Public policy decisions should be based on evidence. So why are taxpayers funding faith schools and alternative therapies?, by Alan Sokal: "We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality," a senior adviser to President Bush told the New York Times in the summer of 2002. It might seem obvious that public policy ought to be based on reality and evidence, but the implications of taking seriously an evidence-based worldview are far more radical than most people realise. Moral thinking - Biology invades a field philosophers thought was safely theirs: Whence morality? That is a question which has troubled philosophers since their subject was invented. Two and a half millennia of debate have, however, failed to produce a satisfactory answer. So now it is time for someone else to have a go. And at a panel discussion at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting, a group of biologists did just that. Socrates in the 21st Century - Is the endlessly examined life still worth a look?, by Carlin Romano: Given the choice between Socrates dead or alive, Western thinkers have preferred him dead. At least as a symbol. A symbol of what? That's where it gets complicated. Almost all Western intellectuals regard the life and death of Socrates (470-399 BC) to be a cornerstone of cultural literacy.
|
|
|
Newsletter Front Page |
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
||
[Homepage] [Newsletter] [Search] [Support the Academy] [Link to Us] [Contact the Academy] [Citing Articles from Our Website] [Privacy Policy & Disclaimer]
Copyright 1998-99, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2004-05, 2006-07, & 2008 by The Radical Academy. All Rights Reserved.