Social Contract Theory of John Locke Essay Example for Free

Social Contract Theory of John Locke Essay According to John Locke (1690), â€Å"the people give up some freedoms to the government or other authority in order to receive or maintain social order through the rule of law. † When the people surrender some freedoms and the government agreed to work together towards a common goal, to promote equal protection for both the people and the government. Based on the agreement a government was created. Therefore the government of the United States, has the powers to prosecute and punish individuals for criminal acts, and bears the responsibilities of providing public safety to the people through the police, court systems. We the people agree to obey civil and criminal law enforced by the government, and pays our taxes and the government agrees to treat us fairly and protect us and protects the country and our freedoms by uphold the Constitution. John Locke influenced Thomas Jefferson and our Founding Fathers while writing â€Å"the Declaration of Independence and the U. S. Constitution, Locke’s Social Contract Theory on America’s political and governmental system is undeniable† (Moll, 2006). While writing the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, drew heavily from the writings of John Locke, and placed them in the Constitution. The social contract theory infuses both these documents. Thomas Jefferson adopted Lockes ideas people had rights to life, liberty, equality, and pursuit of happiness, the responsibility of government must protect those rights, and put them in the Constitution. The government was established from the consent of the people and therefore the power of government should be distributed among different institution. The words â€Å"we the people† in the Preamble to the Constitution, illustrates the people have agreed to work in partnership with government to establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity† (Schwartz, n. d. ) illustrates that both the American people and government agree to work together to ensure the rights of the people will be protected at all times. â€Å"The Constitution is a flexible, lawful document of rights and restrictions. The Articles of the Constitution affirm the shape of government, divided into three branches, which are given powers to keep the others in check to balance government. The amendments grant certain civil liberties, but like the articles, also assert specific rules and restrictions on those who are not granted civil rights. The philosophic beliefs of natural rights to life, liberty, and property of John Locke are expanded into the Constitution, specifically the Bill of Rights† (Raborg, 2008). By using the Bill of Rights from the U. S. Constitution as a foundation for police ethics training is better than using state ethics law, because officers have taken an oath to uphold the principles of the Constitution. The major justification for corrective (criminal) law is prevention of harm. The social contract theory explains that law is a contract each individual gives up some liberties and, in return, is protected from others who have their liberties restricted as well. The interference of law in natural liberties kept to a minimum and should step in only when the liberty in question injures or impinges on the interests of another. The â€Å"Social Contract Theory gives legitimacy to the American criminal justice system and the role of police in our society. The authority of police is derived from the people through the social contract, which holds that the purpose of government is to better protect the rights that people already naturally possess: those of life, liberty and property† (Moll, 2006). The social contract theory is the foundation which our criminal justice system is based upon. The government exists to serve the people, and to maintain the political power. Locke’s â€Å"ideas are the fundamentals of American government today, Americans are free and have civil rights but when decisions are made in Congress, majority rules, but minority rights are protected† (Raborg, 2008). The U. S. Constitution establishes the form of government the people have agreed to abide by in turn the government agrees to protect the people, was built on the beliefs of John Locke. When the Founding Fathers drafted the Constitution they left room for the Constitution to be modified to protect the people as society changes to ensure that the rights of the people are still being protected, and the government can provide more protection to the people without violating their given rights. Without the philosophical influence of John Locke on our Founding Fathers, I wonder what our criminal justice system would be like. References Locke, John (1690) â€Å"Two Treatises Government† Project Gutenberg (10th edition)Retrieved February 27, 2010 from http://www. gutenberg. org/dirs/etext05/trgov10h. htm Moll, Monica M (2006) â€Å"Improving American Police Ethics Training: Focusing on Social Contract Theory and Constitutional Principles† Retrieved February 25, 2010 from http://www. forumonpublicpolicy.com Roland, John (1994). â€Å"The Social Contract and Constitutional Republics† Retrieved February 25, 2010 from http://www. federalobserver. com Raborg, Chris (2008) â€Å"The Philosophical Influence of John Locke on the Fundamental Ideas of the United States Constitution† Retrieved February 25, 2010 from http://www. marylandsar. org Schwartz, Ed (n. d. ) â€Å"Social Contract Project† Institute for the Study of Civic Values Retrieved February 27, 2010 from http://207. 245. 99. 38/socialcontract. html.

The Portrayal of Gabriel Oak in Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Ha

In the novel Far from the Madding Crowd written by Thomas Hardy, I will be observing in detail the main character, Gabriel Oak, a young sheep farmer. I am going to determine how he is described as a heroic character in the first seven chapters. Gabriel Oak is portrayed to the reader as a heroic character in several different ways. In chapter one, there is no action or events. Alternatively, in the first paragraph, there is a description of Oak, which is mainly focused on his broad smile. His smile is compared using a simile, 'like the rays in a rudimentary sketch of the rising sun.' This immediately implies that he is a cheerful, good-natured character. Secondly, he is referred to with many different names. Farmer Oak illustrates his status, respect and authority. His Christian name, Gabriel has a reference towards the bible, as Gabriel was the good angel of God. Lastly, his surname, Oak, this may refer to wood as Oak is strong and durable which may represent his strength and durability. This is stressing the positive quality of Oak's character. The reader starts to get an encouraging image of Gabriel once reading the first two paragraphs. Farmer Oak's background is rather straightforward although he has had many jobs. He is conscientious and thorough as he cares greatly on how everything is presented and what people think of him. He was firstly a shepherd and then a bailiff before becoming a farmer. His father was a shepherd, so he had grown up on a farm learning the skills required from his dad. Moreover, the clothes Gabriel wore were not pretentious. I know this because on his working days he wore his clothes ... ...ently told everybody what had to be done to help and soon the fire was under control. Without Gabriel's good sense and bravery the fire would have been unmanageable. Oaks courage was admired by all of the spectators and many compliments soon spread through the crowd. Once Gabriel had found out that Bathsheba was in need of a shepherd, he was not too modest to ask her. He did not let what happened in the past effect his decision in asking her for a job and did not seem embarrassed. This shows his respect towards people and shows that he is a highly regarded man. All these positive qualities show that Gabriel Oak is a reputable man and is willing to help anyone, even if he does not know them. It shows that he is courageous and not a proud man. All of which portray to the reader that Gabriel Oak is a heroic character.

Binge Drinking Must be Stopped Essay

The article Binge Drinking Must be Stopped written by, Harvard University lecturer and principal investigator of the College Alcohol Study, Henry Wechsler is primarily a study about alcohol drinking in American colleges. Wechsler argues that drink bingeing is highly common in the colleges of America. He says that â€Å"binge drinking is a reality of college life in America and perhaps the central focus of fraternity-house life. † This is deemed to be true by Wechsler because of; (1) the administrator’s lack of knowledge about this issue of college alcohol bingeing, (2) the adaptation of colleges to the culture of college drinking, (3) the lack of continuity in the programs provided and (4) and implementations of policies imposed on colleges are not monitored effectively. Wechsler says that the culture of American colleges, while entangled with a reputation of widespread alcoholic drinking, does not alarm college administrators for they claim complete unawareness to the current situation of the alcohol issues within their students. Wechsler, being a prominent staff in the Harvard School of Public Health, reports that the department has exhausted its effort in getting feedback from the school administrators. However, he insinuates that there can be no reason to be completely blanked out in the issue of drinking situation. He supports this through various circumstances where people can easily witness the reality of college life and drink bingeing. One instance that Wechsler contributes where the scenario of heavy drinking in colleges can be observed is through the weeknight rounds of security vans monitoring places where they often get hold of worn out students from parties. Another, he says, is through the response of freshmen students on their knowledge of this alcohol bingeing college lifestyle despite of their just recent arrival to the university. Wechsler then argues that if security personnel and freshmen can easily become aware of this then there can be no reason for college administrators to be completely unwary of the situation. He adds that the problem is rooted from the grassroots themselves, who are the students, and the superior officers, who are the school administrators and the local officials. Just like any other person struggling with alcohol, Wechsler asserts that students should be reminded that excessive drinking is a problem and that although it is quite common in college, it can never mean that it is acceptable. School administrators, on the other hand, including college superiors and dorm supervisors should fulfill their responsibilities in watching the students over. Wechsler complains that school administrators are lenient in permitting their students in conducting activities which overtly promotes drink bingeing. Also, Wechsler advises that regulations on drinking should be heavily imposed and not neglected. He says that â€Å"it is easy to say there is no drinking allowed in a dormitory or a fraternity, but enforcement is necessary to put the policy into effect. † Wechsler then asserts that this not a new issue in America thus there is a great need for everyone to address it. â€Å"This is no longer a time merely to form a committee to study the situation,† he says. Now, Wechsler suggests that everyone participate in eradicating this issue within American colleges from the school administrators, the fraternity and sorority systems, the community officials, the parents of the students, and the students themselves.

The University Of Albany Is State University Which Is Located

The University of Albany is State University which is located in Albany, New York. This university offers many different majors and programs. The University has many sports for both men and women besides the sports there are clubs anyone from the school can join. It offers a big campus where most of its activities and events. In this Essay I will discuss information about Albany and why I choose it as my college. The University of Albany founded on1844, as a normal school. It trained teachers to increase the population of teachers. It offered a two-year education to students across the state for 50 years. In 1890 the school had to do some improving and it added a four-year education program, new curricula, new faculty, and new standards†¦show more content†¦The University wants everyone to be united and experience new programs and to gain experience. Experience doesn’t just come from career goals but from the environment, someone is nurtured in. The University of Alba ny wants to give the students a chance to get involved with others students. The university is home to 200 clubs and organizations, 19 division 1 athletics teams which students can participate or be a part of. The clubs offered ranges from political and government clubs to cultural or religious-affiliated organizations, as well as an on-campus radio station. The office of Campus Recreation makes sure that the students stay active and are involved. The University of Albany wants to provide the students the best and safest place to be educated. So Albany has on and off campus housing which can be set up once the student has been fully signed p and ready to attend. On campus housing allows for students to room with others while being on the university grounds it makes it convenient for students to get to classes faster. Freshman who are joining get set up either on the Indian Quad or State Quad. The Indian Quad is the eight building surrounding the tower which provide a traditional res idence hall environment and the State Quad is the residence halls where are all suite style housing, which consists of 1 to 3 bedrooms that share a â€Å"suite† and a bathroom. Living on campus for theShow MoreRelatedWhy I Choose It As My College1391 Words   |  6 PagesThe University of Albany is State University, which is located in Albany, New York. This university offers many different majors and programs. The University has many sports for both men and women besides the sports there are clubs anyone from the school can join. It offers a big campus where most of its activities and events. In this Essay I will discuss information about Albany and why I choose it as my college. The University of Albany founded on1844, as a normal school. 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