Plato, Crito Essay Example for Free

Plato, Crito Essay In the Dialogue Crito, Socrates employs his Elenchus to examine the notion of justice and one’s obligation to justice. In the setting of the dialogue, Socrates has been condemned to die, and Crito comes with both the hopes and the means for Socrates to escape from prison. When Socrates insists that they should examine whether he should escape or not, the central question turns into whether if it is unjust to disobey laws. Socrates’ ultimate answer is that it is unjust; he makes his argument by first showing that it’s wrong to revenge injustice, then arguing that he has made an agreement with the city’s law for its benefits, and finally reasoning that he should keep to that agreement and accept its consequences. However, the examination in Crito was incompletely and its logic flawed; in making this decision, Socrates has forsaken his life for his ideal of justice. The examination was done in the elenchus, which has the structure that Socrates will start with an assumption and find contradictions to eliminate possible answers; the assumption here is that there are good reasons why Socrates should escape from prison. Socrates starts his argument by first eliminating the public opinion as a reason why he should escape. Socrates observes that concerning a person’s health, only a doctor’s opinion would matter instead of the public opinion; he then draws a parallel of that analogy to justice, that â€Å"We should not give so much thought to what the majority of people will say about us, but think instead of what the person who understands just and unjust things will say † (Crito 48b) While the public opinion would certainly urge Socrates to preserve his life, Socrates discredits it as a reason for his escape. Next Socrates assumes that since only a good life is worth living, and that living a good life is the same as living a just life (Crito 48b), Socrates should escape for his life only if it is just for him to do so. Effectively, Socrates has reduced the question to whether if it is just to disobey the law (by escaping prison and execution) to decide if he should escape. To this question, first Socrates says that he should not revenge injustice. Because doing injustice is bad in any circumstances (Crito 49b), to return injustice just because of having injustice done onto himself would bad also (Crito 49c). Therefore Socrates should not commit injustice just to get even with Athens. Injustice is bad because it harms, and disobedience to the law would harm the city (Crito 50b); so it seems that to disobey the law would be an injustice. But why should Socrates obey the law of the city? Socrates reasons that since the city has done him great benefactions, such as giving birth to his life, taking care of his physical upbringing and his education, and granting him long years of benefits from the legal system (Crito 50e 51c), Socrates owns the state a strong duty of gratitude just as a child would own to his father. One of those duties is to obey the state (like how a child obeys his parents), which always has included the possibility of death such as in times of war (Crito 51b). Socrates should obey the city because he has made an agreement to do so. This agreement is the social contract that he has implicitly accepted and lived under for 70 years. This contract is legitimate because Socrates had a thorough understanding of the legal system (Crito 51e 52a), he did not leave the city when he was given the fair chance all his life (Crito 51 c-e), and that he even has consciously benefited legally from this implicit agreement with law all his life. Therefore it is evident that Socrates has made such a social contract with Athens, which he has been satisfied with so far. It is just for one to keep the agreement he has made, therefore Socrates should keep the agreement made with Athens; and thus he should obey the state and its laws (Crito 53c). Furthermore, Socrates has been given the chance to convince Athens not sentence him to death, and he even could’ve proposed to be exiled that would have the same consequences as if he escapes now; if Socrates had the chance to accomplish thise with legal means when he did not, he would not be justified to do so now illegally (Crito 52c). Following this reasoning, Socrates concludes that he should not escape from prison and his eventual execution. Although Socrates’ commitment to his ideals is admirable, his reasoning is critically flawed. Socrates lacks the definition of justice throughout the discussion of justice. Socrates certainly thinks of justice as something intrinsic and absolute, instead of simply laws imposed by the state; this is evident when he refused to arrest Leon of Salamis by the order of the 30 tyrants (which is an act of disobedience) on the grounds of justice (Apology 32c). Clearly he believes that justice is higher than rulings of sovereignty. But Socrates never made clear what is this virtue that makes justice just; instead, he only vaguely calls some actions just, such as when one keeps an agreement, or behaves well towards one’s parents. It is because of this lack of definition Socrates ends up contradicting himself. For instance, Socrates makes the proposition that one should seek expert knowledge instead of following majority opinion when it comes to justice; this would imply that the justice is not related to the opinion of the majority, as well as that the majority are no expert in justice. If the social contract in the democratic Athens is assumed to be an agreement made between by the majority of the society, then justice is certainly independent from that social contract. But later Socrates argues that he has to obey the state’s laws and keep the agreement made to the state, which implies that justice is to keep the social contract (contraposition of â€Å"not keeping to the contract is unjust†). Furthermore, Socrates assumes that disobeying laws and agreements is unjust. But what is the state? It is no more than a collective of Athenians. Where do these laws come from? The majority opinion of the Athenians (in the case of the tyrants Socrates wouldn’t obey the laws anyways) and the agreements they’ve made. If indeed the laws and agreements the majority of Athenians, it seems that they determine what’s just without knowing what’s just (or else their opinion would matter! ), which would be unacceptable for Socrates. Furthermore, Socrates’ gratitude and duty towards the state does not equate obeying the state; in-fact, if killing Socrates is an injustice that would do Athens harm, then Socrates ought to do whatever that is in his power to prevent being executed by escaping to fulfill his duty of benefiting the city. There is another more fundamental flaw in Socrates’ argument. If he considers justice to be morally independent of laws, then some laws would be just and other unjust. There could be unjust laws, or just laws abused. Socrates never considered these cases of whether he indeed justly deserves the death sentence or not. Therefore to simply obey laws may not necessarily lead to justice. This argument would destroy the whole purpose of obeying laws and not escape from prison. We may speculate, if we have presented these arguments to Socrates, would he be convinced to escape prison? Perhaps not, as Socrates is already 70 and was expected to die soon anyways (the average life span for male was around 40). Dying in the name of justice, instead of old age in a distant place, is definitely more romantic and held more appeal. Furthermore, to live in exile would have no positive effect on his children, it would tarnish his reputation, and such a life in exile will not be enjoyable (Crito 53d – 54d). Therefore, it would be possible that Socrates will still choose to die as a martyr to justice and philosophy.

James Joyces A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man :: James Joyce Portrait Artist Young Man Papers

James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man James Joyce's novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) is entirely concerned with the development of its main character, Stephen Dedalus. By comparison with Joyce's earlier version, Stephen Hero [1], we see that he has cut out all extraneous material concerning other characters, and presented a close and detailed account of the development of Stephen's character from infancy to young manhood, the ground previously covered in Stephen Hero being compressed into Chapter 5 of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. The most important aspects of Stephen's early development go on internally, and Joyce takes us right inside his mind so that we can see the intellectual and emotional development going on behind the surface. The first chapter portrays Stephen as an individual alienated from his social environment, and experiencing encounters with authorities which will reappear in various guises throughout the book. We see the beginnings of this process in the first page and a half, and the patterns of behaviour and relationships shown here are repeated throughout the chapter. This opening section is almost a microcosm of the chapter and perhaps of the whole novel. Stephen has an intuitive drive towards rebellion. As a young child he plans to marry a Protestant girl from his neighbourhood, and when his mother and Aunt Dante scold him for this he defiantly hides under the table. This instinctive drive stays with him throughout the book, until, in the fifth and final chapter, he presents his defiant at titude in mature intellectual terms with his statement 'I will not serve . . . ' (p.247) Stephen's rebellious attitude is necessary in order for him to preserve his own beliefs and values in the face of authorities which try to make him conform, but there is also a strong flavour of martyrdom about his attitude which is shown in an early fantasy in which Stephen identifies himself with the Irish politician Charles Parnell. We are also reminded of this throughout the book when we remember that Joyce chose the name Stephen to associate him with Stephen the first Christian martyr. The first authorities Stephen encounters are father, mother, Dante, and Uncle Charles. He associates his mother with a nice smell, and his relationship with her might be described as one of artistic response; she plays the piano and he dances.

Bollman Hotel Chain memo Essay

The purpose of this memo is to provide a compliance plan to be incorporated into your business strategies for a successful entry into the international market. As the business environment becomes more global, labor and employment law issues have become globalized as well. The US and India’s employment laws both address the minimum wage and overtime pay for private and public or federal workers, equal rights and opportunities, discrimination, limitations and prohibitions on employment of minors, and occupational safety and health administration. Below is a list of applicable employment laws and consequences for non-compliance. A comparative research shows that there are similarities between India and US labor laws so I will also integrate these for consistency in compliance on the company policies and guidelines. The US Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) provides standards for the basic minimum wage and overtime pay for private and public workers. Working hours are restricted on non-agricultural agricultural operations for children under the age 16, and children under 18 are not allowed to work on jobs that are dangerous. India has a Minimum Wages Act 1948 that sets wages for the different economic sectors and State governments have minimum wage sc hedules, and another Article (24) covers the prohibition of child labor under 14 years old in factory, mine or hazardous work environment. Non-compliance of labor laws very costly. Employees can recover unpaid wages going back 2 years and as much as 3 years and doubled as â€Å"liquidated damages† if the employer violation is proven as deliberate or intentional. Furthermore, one employee’s successful recovery unpaid wages and liquidated damages will most likely trigger a class action suit resulting in more financial risks. Child labor is a serious act and transcends internationally. In the US, employers who violate child labor laws are subject to fines as high as $100,000 for each child and up to 6 months in jail. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration Act (OSHA) encourage States to develop and operate their own job safety and health programs. OSHA approves and monitors State plans and provides up to 50 percent of an approved plan’s operating costs. Minnesota is one of the 22 state that are operating the State and local government employees therefore,  Bollman Hotel Chains must comply b y enforcing the standards, provide training and education and assist in providing a safe, healthful and hazardous free workplace. The company should also consider using Globally Harmonized System (GHS) which is recommended by OSHA to establish mandatory requirement on classification criteria for health, physical and environmental hazards of chemicals to mitigate risks of health and safety violations when shipping materials or goods to India. OSHA has a published Federal Penalty schedule up to $500,000 and incarceration depending on the severity of the violation and determination whether the employer’s violation is â€Å"willful† or unintentional. Non-compliance will also result in financial risks due to the costs incurred on personal injury settlements and civil claims. It is highly recommended to recruit qualified workers in specialized fields India to ensure the company’s continued success. Conditions for the temporary and permanent employment of aliens in the United States, including provisions that address employment eligibility and employment verification are set forth under the Immigr ation and Nationality Act (INA), and employers have responsibilities under the immigration law during the recruitment process. Employers must verify the employment authorization of the individual hired after November, 1986 and retain a Form I-9 that is completed by the employee. Non-compliance by discriminating against individu ¬als on the basis of national origin, citizenship, or immigration status, and â€Å"willful† violation by hiring individuals that are unauthorized to work in the United State may be subject to fines, criminal penalties, debarment of government contracts, payment to unlawfully discriminated individuals. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was established by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to assist in the protection of US employees from discrimination. The law was the first federal law designed to protect most US employees from employment discrimination based upon that employee’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin (Public Law 88-352, July 2, 1964, 78 Stat. 253, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 2000e et. seq.). Discriminatory practices in the workplace may result in costly fines and litigation expenses. For example, under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the employee who filed a complaint may be awar ded back pay, retroactive benefits, liquidated damages or even a job promotion. Compliance is a process of knowing the laws and developingpolicies and guidelines to implement these laws, and communicating to   organization. The following is a compliance plan to ensure full understanding of the employments laws and adherence. Employment laws are constantly challenged and changed. Establish a compliance checklist to update employment laws to stay current and update the company policy as needed. Any changes or updates must be communicated to the employee. As Bollman Hotel Chain is becoming more international, the framework of the company policy should take into account the day to day realities of working with the company and meeting the individual, collective and business objectives as well as the local entities employment laws. A collection and reporting system should be established concerning employment, working conditions, social practices and human resources in each country to ensure equal treatment and non-discrimination, respect for individuals, safe and healthy working environment and alignment of the company goals. Schedule a quarterly meeting with each manager to review the company policy. Provide formal and informal training program to all employees to bring awareness and understanding of their civil rights and employment laws. Maintain all personnel records and document all pertinent communications such as employee evaluation, annual activity discussions and professional development discussions. Finally, foster an open dialogue between managers and employees to ensure that everyone is fully engaged and committed to full compliance of the employment laws.

Benefits Of Same Sex Marriage - 1687 Words

Benefit of homosexual Marriage in the U.S.A How do we look at the gay marriage? Did they have freedom in the U.S? What are their rights? In 1958, the supreme court of the United States said they can’t support gay marriage. Through this journey from that time until now, American change a lot of rules for the gay marriage as a legal protection against discrimination, they can marry in at least seventeen states and adopt children (Walter Frank 1).In additional they can get married at most in 36 states(Stewart, Catriona). I do not look at the same-sex marriage as a sin like a lot of religious people. Because they are human like me just their hormones are different. Also, we live in a civilized country. They have rights to live like others and have a normal life. The other thing people can’t tell they should get married or not? In my essay, I will argue how U.S.A gives a lot of rights to the gay people. I am not against of same-sex marriage. My purpose of this essay is to look at in general what are the gay rights for adopting a child, job opportunity, and death and taxes rights. I want to discuss why I agree with the gay marriage and how the U.S gives to the gay people a lot of rights. In the other words, homosexual people can express their feeling without fear in the United States. Firstly, in the gay marriage, the question of adoption always arises, making it one of the biggest issues. At the moment, Adoption in the gay community is now legal in the United States. AdoptionShow MoreRelatedBenefits Of Same Sex Marriage1697 Words   |  7 PagesIndividuals slowly realize, as well as companies that it is a suitable to instate same-sex benefits to same-sex spouses; in the same way, traditional marriages are receiving benefits. Several of the employment benefits that our federal government provides to its employees and their families remain tied to a person’s marital status. Employers who offer benefits for domestic partners support an employee of culture, diversity, and social acceptance, which can be used as a marketing tool for the companyRead MoreBenefits Of Same Sex Marriage1054 Words   |  5 Pages Benefits of Same Sex Marriage in Society By: Katherine Collins PSY 2510 Abstract Introduction In 2014, same sex marriage has been legalized in thirty-five US states (AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, MA, MD, ME, MN, MT, NC, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, UT, VA, VT, WA, WV, WI, and WY) and the District of Columbia. There is also fifteen states (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MI, MS, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, TN, TX, WY) have same sex marriage bans through eitherRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Should Be Legal1403 Words   |  6 PagesSame-Sex Marriage â€Å"I now pronounce you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  At some point in a person’s life, they have heard or will hear those words. What follows, however, has changed somewhat over the years; although, the commitment has remained the same. Those words historically indicate that until the death of a spouse, that couple shall remain together. Who should be able to determine whom that spouse is for that person? Some people judge others for their sexuality and how it is affecting them, but they never stop andRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Is A Fundamental Right870 Words   |  4 PagesUnited States Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, held that same-sex marriage is a fundamental right guaranteed by the due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. In consequence, many new legal implications have arose from this decision. For example, now there’ll be same-sex divorces, same-sex spousal rights for life insurance, wills, and the lik e. What does this all mean legally for same-sex couples? As time progresses, it will become clearer howRead MoreMarriage Law : The Legal Union Of A Couple As Spouses1642 Words   |  7 PagesMarriage is defined as the legal union of a couple as spouses. The elements of marriage include: (1) the parties legal ability to marry each other, (2) mutual consent of the parties and (3) a marriage contract as required by law. (Legal Information Institute, 2014, n.d.). In the United States, marriage law is regulated by the individual state. Standards such as age, residency, relation, mental capacity, and gender are requirements regulated on a state-by-state basis. Until recent changes, the DefenseRead MoreSame Sex Marriage1418 Words   |  6 PagesGay Couples Should Have the Same Rights As Married Couples Professor PHI 210 June 6, 2013 Same-sex marriage is a topic that has become increasingly more debatable throughout time. America has been said to be the â€Å"land of the free,† but when it comes to homosexual couples, it is far from that. If same-sex marriage was legalized, many positive outcomes could emerge from it; the society would be closer to equality, adoption would increase, gained social support for families would developRead MoreThe purpose of this policy brief is to recommend to the State of Florida a policy that will1200 Words   |  5 Pagesof Florida a policy that will legalize same-sex marriage and acknowledge same-sex marriages recognized by laws in other states. This policy is necessary because current laws in Florida that restrict marriage to different-sex couples violate the US Constitution’s commitment to equal protection under the law and because the Due Process Clause protects individuals freedoms of personal choices, which includes their choice to marry and have a family. The benefits of this proposal far outweigh the disadvantagesRead MoreGay Marriage Essay1744 Words   |  7 Pages 02/02/2012 Legalizing same-sex marriage has been a debate going on for quite some time. The recognition of such marriages is a civil rights, political, social, moral, and religious issue in many nations. Since 2001, ten countries have begun allowing same-sex couples to marry nationwide. In the United States the federal government does not recognize same-sex marriage, but such marriages are recognized by some individual states. Proposition 8 in NovemberRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Should Be Legal Essay1348 Words   |  6 PagesMarriage is a commitment between two people who love each other and have chosen to spend the rest of their lives together, this is a pretty standard view of marriage. How that commitment looks from culture to culture can be very different. In the United States, today, marriage is viewed as a commitment of love and loyalty. Legally it is a binding contract between two people giving them the benefits of marriage i.e. tax benefits and legal decision making benefits. The bi g controversy facing theRead MoreEssay on Recognizing Same-Sex Marriage1565 Words   |  7 PagesRecognizing Same-Sex Marriage Same-sex marriage is a huge controversy between Americans across the Country. In thirty-three states marriage is defined as a â€Å"union between a man and a woman†. For seventeen states in the U.S. this definition has been changed because every citizen should be treated equally according to the constitution and this also violates the Equal Protection Clause. It became possible for people of the same-sex to marry when it was stated to be unconstitutional. Denying marriage is denying