HHH Initial Queries

Directions:
1. Write your response to at least ONE of the 4 and,
2. Respond to TWO posts by your classmates.

• What does Doug Porpora argue are the primary ways/reasons we allowed ourselves to become a party to genocide (as discussed in Chapter 6)?

• Define “neighbor.” Having done that, what is your response to Porpora’s assertion on p. 181?

It takes a positive morality of radical commitment to one’s neighbor to extend the concept of neighbor to those one does not see face to face, to extend the responsibilities of neighborliness to suffering peasants in a remote country. It takes such a radical commitment to neighborliness to care about the effects of political decisions on our neighbors everywhere. That, however, is a commitment that is largely unknown in mainstream American Christendom.

• Comment on Porpora’s assertion on page 197 that:

Most people are not used to considering knowledge a responsibility. When it comes to responsibility, we tend to focus on our actions, not on what is inside our heads. We tend to assume that if we act in good faith, that is, if we act on whatever knowledge we have with the best of intentions then what we do is not really blameworthy, even if it has negative consequences.

• What, if anything, do you take issue with Porpora about in his book? Explain your reasoning fully.

Montesquieu--class 1

Opening Passages to consider:

“The inhabitants of a particular town are much better acquainted with its wants and interests, than with those of other places; and are better judges of the capacity of their neighbours, than of that of the rest of the countrymen. The members, therefore, of the legislature should not be chosen from the general body of the nation; but it is proper that in every considerable place, a representative should be elected by the inhabitants. The great advantage of representatives is their capacity of discussing public affairs. For this the people collectively are extremely unfit, which is one of the chief inconveniences of a democracy.”

The above is a selection from the chapter “The Constitution of England” that is NOT in your Ebenstein text. What is your reaction to his assertion?? Where do you think that discussion of public policies best takes place?

“The suffrage by lot is natural to democracy, as that by choice is to aristocracy. The suffrage by lot is a method of electing that offends no one; but animates each citizen with the pleasing hope of serving his country. Yet, as this method is in itself defective, it has been the endeavour of the most eminent legislators to regulate and amend it.” p. 415

What do you think about this assertion?

A New Year's Blog Post!

The Federalist Papers

Please read the first Fed paper (and any other that catches your attention) by Hamilton (Link is above). Please post a comment to this post that responds to the following queries:

What point is Hamilton making here?
What do you think about his argument?

Please be thoughtful in your comments!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Mrs. Branigan

Machiavelli Day 1

In a thoughtful blog post, please compare and contrast your views of an ideal state leader and Machiavelli’s views.

Chapters 7-9, OHN

PRIOR TO CLASS ON Friday 9/17....In a comment to this post, write a ONE sentence summary for each of these chapters from OHN:
Altruism
Religion
Hope

Be thoughtful!

Chapters 3-6, OHN

Write a ONE sentence summary for each of these chapters from OHN: Development, Emergence, Aggression & Sex.

my ideas

NATION, : A geopolitical entity with an autonomous central government which has sovereign control over an area of land and that land's corresponding territorial waters extending 12 miles from shore, as defined by the 1982 United Nation's convention on the law of the sea. A nation must also possess a set of laws or legal codes, and borders distinguishing and separating it from from other nations. Nations usually, although not always (as in the case of the former USSR, Czechoslovakia, and United States) mainly consist of people with a common ethnicity or ethnic heritage, and usually (though exceptions do exist such as canada, and switzerland) have a main language. A nation may be, but does not necessarily have to be comprised of several states. In this case the national government usually shares power with that of the states, while maintaining supreme authority over them. A national government usually although not always (as in the first decade of the United State's existence) has the power to levy taxes on its residents, in exchange for its services providing for the common defense, civil service, and government welfare programs.
STATE: A semi autonomous sub-division of a nation, with its own government which is however, beneath in both power and size, the national government. National laws and penal codes may vary from state to state, however they usually maintain continuity with those of the national government, a state may or may not have the power to levy its own taxes, independently of those of the national government. The ethnicity and culture of individuals within states is usually more homogeneous then those of the nation as a whole (eg while Hong Kong is part of China, due to its century of British rule it has its own distinct culture, and language (While Hawaii is a state within the US, its people share their own distinct unique language and culture, which while now Americanized is distinctly Hawaiian, also see the "guido" culture in New Jersey.)
LIBERTY: Liberty is the ability or freedom, for individuals to make their own choices, and the freedom to live their lives as they see fit, without interference or obstruction from their government, or other people, (see the US bill of rights, a list of negative freedoms (ie: things the government can not do, and thus establishing liberty of that counties citizens. In this respect it is one of the most influential documents in the world with respect to liberty, and therefore a good example.)
JUSTICE: the most difficult word to describe on this list as it is perhaps the most subject to opinion, and the most abstract and least tangible. Justice is the concept of human morality; doing right, and making wrongs right through punishment of the offender. These concepts today known as wrong and right have been passed down through human evolution and today are referred to as natural law. This "natural law" and concept for human ethics and morality are the basis of justice which put most simply is both the mandate for all to follow this natural law, and the concept of punishment for those who do not.

Definitions

Nation

A body of people who have either been born or gravitated towards a certain geographical location. This group of people generally have similar backgrounds, beliefs and plans for their future; This idea is shown by this body of people electing to have a central government, which works to organize those in the Nation's ideas into a single cohesive unit.

State

A group of people who are organized by their specific, smaller geographical location within a Nation. Because of factors like population, culture and tradition the State's political set of "rules" may vary slightly from a Nation's, while still upholding the general law of the Nation to which it belongs. This state may have specific representatives to help explain the climate and specific needs of his or her specific state so to better the general Nation.

Liberty

Liberty is the idea that every citizen in the world should a life of happiness, the right to make his or her own decisions (and take action on those decisions as well as responsibility for those decisions) as well as a life of freedom.

Justice

Justice to me, equates to moral justice rather than lawful justice. Justice may not be described by a law or a government, but what universally seems "right". Justice is having fairness and equality in a society. If those in a society choose to go against this principle, they should be punished, and those who embody this quality should be rewarded. Justice is a system of good deeds vs. bad deeds, the good being recognized and the bad being reprimanded.

Definitions

NATION- A large group of people unified by similar history, beliefs, culture, language, and ideologies.

STATE- A certain entity of land that is organized under one government. It is not necessarily smaller or larger than a nation or country.

LIBERTY- An individual's right to act freely and independently under an authority, government, state, or nation.

JUSTICE- The concept of righteousness based on fairness, rationality, ethics, and law.

Definitions

Nation- a unified community that is run by a common political or social ideology
State- a region of a nation that is governed under the same principles and political theories as that nation, however has the capabilities to specialize and specify those principles
Liberty- one's own individual freedom from an over-ruling force and the ability to maintain that freedom
Justice- the moral fairness and lawfulness of the set of rules that a nation is governed under