The Necessity of Upholding Liberal Beliefs an Example of the Topic History Essays by

The Necessity of Upholding Liberal Beliefs by Expert Prof. Maryline | 22 Dec 2016 The Necessity of Upholding Liberal Beliefs for the Adherence to Liberal Institutions: Analysis of John Rawls A Theory of Justice Adherence to a liberal outlook is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for the adherence to liberal institutions (Barry, 1990, p.11). The reason for such a claim is based on the lack of logical relation between liberal ideas and the support for liberal institutions (Barry, 1990, p.2). In order to understand such a claim it is necessary to present the correlation of the aforementioned elements [liberal ideas and liberal institutions]. Three main features characterize liberal institutions: (1) adherence to the harm principle [which states that people are free to act as they wish provided they do not harm others]; (2) freedom of expression; and (3) equal citizenship regardless of social class, race, or gender. Each of the aforementioned traits have corresponding characteristics within the liberal outlook. Equal citizenship coheres with the idea that no religious dogma can (be) reasonably held with certainty (Barry, 1990, p. 1). Freedom of expression coheres with the assumption tha t no view should be held unless it has withstood critical scrutiny (Barry, 1990, p.2). Need essay sample on "The Necessity of Upholding Liberal Beliefs" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed University Students Usually Tell EssayLab professionals:I'm not in the mood to write my paper. Because I want to spend time with my friendsSpecialists recommend: Winning Academic Essay Writing Delivered On TimeCollege Essay Writing Service My Paper Writing Best Essay Writing Service Essay Writing Services The conception of the necessity to oppose servile status, on the other hand, coheres with the idea of the necessity to uphold fundamental equality (Barry, 1990, p. 2). Analysis of the aforementioned correlation [between the characteristics of liberal ideas and the main features of liberal institutions] shows that liberal institutions antedate the prevalence of liberal attitudes (Barry 6). If such is the case, it follows that liberal attitudes were merely pragmatic outcomes of liberal institutions. In order to prove the necessity [or universality] of the adherence to liberal institutions it is thereby necessary to prove the necessity of the adherence to liberal institutions that is not based upon a liberal outlook. The possibility of such was presented by John Rawls through his version of the principle of neutrality. According to the principle of neutrality, public policy should as a matter of justice be neutral between different ideas of the good (Barry, 1990, p.6). As opposed to the historic basis [and hence pragmatic justification] of the aforementioned relation between liberal institutions and liberal beliefs, the importance of the principle of neutrality lies in its ethical justification of liberalism. Such an ethical justification is evident in John Rawls theory of distributive justice as presented and elucidated in his A Theory of Justice. Such a theory states the distribution or allocation of various resources within a set of inpiduals within society (Barry, 1990, p 7). Prima facie, the distribution of resources [to be understood as something whose deployment is a means of satisfaction of wants] is conceived as an equal one. Such a conception thereby necessitates a consideration of liberty and equality since the choice between liberty and equality brings forth issues regarding the fundame ntal notion of justice. In 1971, Rawls wrote A Theory of Justice with the aim of defending an egalitarian liberal vision of justice by adopting the social contract theory. I will mention two important aspects of Rawls theory: (1) the original position and (2) the principle of justice as fairness. In Rawls theory, the original position [like the social contract] is a thought experiment. Social contract theorists like Hobbes for instance do not contend that there was actually a corresponding historical fact to the idea of a social contract. For the most part, the social contract theory has an explanatory function that being to provide a justification for the formation of the state. In the same vein, Rawls original position has an explanatory function to explain that being what and how will we arrive at the principles of justice given that there is a veil of ignorance (1971, p.19). The veil of ignorance was employed by Rawls to mean that the parties involved are mutually disinterested since they do not know wh o they represent. The idea is actually simple. For instance, we have decided to think of a principle of social justice that we ought to apply to our society and let us say that we are generally knowledgeable on issues regarding human affairs. In addition to this, let us also say that we are not aware of our positions or whom we represent in society because of the veil of ignorance. The question to be considered is whether we will devise laws that may be called unjust. Rawls contends that under such a position inpiduals would opt for the attainment of the greatest amount of equality amongst social groups or inpiduals in general. In relation to this, one must consider the conception of justice as fairness. According to Rawls, we may arrive at two principles of justice through the original position and the veil of ignorance. A just society, as Rawls sees it, ought to assure that each citizen has an equal claim to a fully adequate scheme of equal basic rights and liberties in which the scheme is compatible with the same scheme for all (Rawls, 1971, p.156). This is the Rawls First Principle. The Second Principle must address those aspects of the basic structure that affects the distribution of opportunities, offices, income, wealth, and resources. Collectively, these are identified as social advantages. The Second Principle, according to Rawls, has two parts. In the first part of the Second Principle, Rawls contends that the social structures or institutions that mold the aforementioned distribution must satisfy the requirements of a fair equality of opportunity (1971, p.61). In the second part of the second principle, Rawls discussed the Difference Principle. In his work entitled Political Liberalism, Rawls states, social and economic inequalities are to be to the greatest benefit of the least advantaged members of society (1993, p.6). Such a conception of the correlation of justice and fairness thereby mirrors Rawls liberal orientation. For Rawls personal and civil liberties are social goods and there are occasions when certain inequalities are permissible in society. Such occasions of inequality are permissible during instances wherein the aforementioned conditions enable the least advantage classes to gain social and economic benefits. The point is that we cannot totally be equal and even if it were possible, it would lead to more losses than gains. Absolute equality is never achievable. One must now consider whether the aforementioned conception of justice [wherein priority of rights is given over the good] allows the necessity of the adherence to liberal institutions. It is important to note that the aforementioned conception is in itself based upon a liberal outlook. Note for example that neutrality [or Rawls version of distributive justice mentioned above] necessitates the assumption of a liberal outlook, which opts for value neutrality within society (Skinner, 1998, p.79). If such is the case, it thereby follows that adherence to liberal institutions necessitates the adherence to liberal beliefs. In lieu of this, I would like to end with a remark on justice in a liberal and democratic political setting. Although the aforementioned discussions leads to the initial assumption stated in the paper, it is important to note that the issue of coming up with a satisfactory account or theory of justice is a necessary condition for a society to be considered humane. True, liberal ideologies opened up new ways of looking at things, different ways of looking at things such is the thrust of John Rawls Theory of Justice. References Barry, B. (1990). How Not to Defend Liberal Institutions. British Journal of Political Science 20.1: 1-14. Rawls, J. (1971). A Theory of Justice. Harvard: Harvard University Press. Skinner, Q. (1998). Liberty Before Liberalism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Emotional Expression and Perception of Time

Emotional Expression and Perception of Time Brief Description Culture has a direct influence on how its members express their emotions and perceive time. This paper uses two cultures, African and Asian ones, to discuss this influence. The two cultures selected differ in many ways, including geographical location, historical background, languages spoken, and religious beliefs.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Emotional Expression and Perception of Time specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As such, the two cultures have various values and attitudes. African culture emphasizes individualism, as opposed to Asian culture which focuses on collectivism (Matsumoto, 2001). Emotional Expression According to Matsumoto (2001), each culture has norms, attitudes, and beliefs that affect how its members express their emotions. While Asians are a bit reserved when displaying emotions associated with good news, Africans openly express such emotions by smiling broadly (Lewi s, Takai-Kawakami, Kawakami and Sullivan, 2010). Africans show positive emotions through happiness and excitement while Asians express such feelings in a calm and peaceful emotion because they believe that displaying emotions should not attract much attention (Lewis et al., 2010). As such, suppression of emotions would not have any negative psychological consequence among Asians, but would result in feelings of guilt, stress, depression, and low self-esteem among Africans. Happy events, such as births and marriages, have a tendency of making people joyful, but some persons may feel sad depending on their culture (Lewis et al., 2010). Africans generally feel happy when celebrating such events, but Asians might have mixed emotions. The reason is that Asians normally involve themselves in conversations that tolerate change and contradiction during happy events. Similarly, Africans express emotions of sadness freely, unlike Asians that have restrictions when grieving over sad events, li ke deaths. Perception of Time Time is a vital aspect of human experience. Temporal behavior, including life pace, time metaphors as well as duration and perception of the past, present, and the future, varies across cultures (Hill, Block and Buggie, 2000). Culture also influences how people feel about physical and personal time.Advertising Looking for research paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For instance, African culture does not place much emphasis on punctuality, but Asian culture considers punctuality to be vital.  While both cultures believe in physical time, there exist clear differences when it comes to personal time. Asians perceive personal time as an investment, and therefore they prefer not to start a conversation as a way of passing time if it is unlikely to end. On the other hand, Africans will not mind starting a conversation that, as they know, will not come to a logical end, sinc e they do not perceive personal time as a valuable investment. Furthermore, African culture attaches great importance to the present and the future while Asian culture considers the past to be of the utmost significance, as Asians believe that the past shapes the present and the future (Hill et al., 2000). Both cultures believe in and remember time duration. This happens because they carry out events and activities only for a given period. Asians are, however, monochronic, which means that they only do one thing at a time and fully concentrate on it ((Hill et al., 2000). They adhere to a timetable and spend the least time possible when performing activities. On the contrary, Africans, especially women, believe in multitasking to complete many activities within a short timeframe (Hill et al., 2000). Unlike Asians, Africans do not follow timetables and they can easily switch between activities, so long as they are all completed regardless of the time taken. References Hill, O.W., Bloc k, R.A., Buggie, S. E. (2000). Culture and beliefs among black American, black Africans and white Americans. The Journal of Psychology, 134(4), 443-461. Lewis, M., Takai-Kawakami, K., Kawakami, K. Sullivan, M.W. (2010). Cultural differences in emotional responses to success and failure. International Journal of Behavioral Development 34(1), 53-61.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Emotional Expression and Perception of Time specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Matsumoto, D. (Eds.). (2001). The handbook of culture and psychology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

The core competence of the corporation and apply it to BBCL Assignment

The core competence of the corporation and apply it to BBCL - Assignment Example They invent new markets and products of superior quality, diversify to stay ahead of their competitors, integrate with other best-performing firms, and form alliances in order to learn what they are not best at besides having a visionary staff, management and a valuable value chain process in their business operations. Firms that lack core competences in their value chain neither survive nor grow. Diversified firms are likened to a tree with its trunk and major branches being its core products, smaller branches being its business units while its leaves being its end products. The critical part of nourishing and stabilizing the tree is the root system which likened to core competences, which consist of a collective of skills and learning to build up over time in all the distinctive parts the company can use to stay ahead of its rivals. It is critical to articulate the strategic intents to the entire organisations .This is imperative in defining the company and its markets, identify projects that will enhance the core competence, allocating resources to help achieve these goals in addition to hiring requisite people with needed skills and knowledge to implement these strategies for achieve its goals. Thus, core competencies takes a corporate view as contrasted to a business unit which only takes in company operating multiple business units with managers always viewing themselves as competitors, for instances, the contrast between GTE and NEC’s performance which was mainly attributed to recognising, articulating and building competence by NEC that gave it a competitive market share than GTE which did not, though it had a larger capital base as compared to NEC. (Prahalad and Hamel 1990, p 1). In today’s business environment that is characterized by stiff competition, speed, low-cost high quality products and blue-sky technology, companies need excellent strategies well planned, chosen, executed and constantly revised to survive, grow and be