General overview of john stuart mill- Utilitarianism Essay

General overview of john stuart mill- Utilitarianism - Essay Example Mill’s Utilitarianism actually conflicts with the idea that moral actions is dependent on the will of God and that the pleasure that the person gets from performing these acts is the crucial test of good and evil. Mill was one philosopher that believed so much that individuals have the right to decide and do what is best for them and in their own interest rather than base their decisions on other people’s interests. Mill was of the opinion that individuals must seek the truth and make judgments through strictly monitored, unassuming and tolerant dialogue. Mill believed that is the duty of every individual to take decisions on actions that are in their best interest. He also believes that people should be more tolerant of other people’s opinion rather than rely on force to make people reason along with them as this would go a long way in making the truth known about a particular subject matter. Mill uses a non-relativistic perception of truth and belief to work ou t the notion on toleration. However, Mill believed that this is needed by people to arrive at the truth. On the issue of human reasoning, Mill gave the idea that the reasoning of human beings is unique and valuable.

Supreme Court Rulings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Supreme Court Rulings - Essay Example Perhaps the most important aspect of this case is that the decision of the court to convict Johnson was against his right to symbolic speech, and was in the interest of ‘keeping the peace’ and retaining the flag as a symbol of unity. The fact that Johnson was acting in the interest of freedom of speech, using the desecration of the flag to illustrate his perspective, was considered by some (but by no means all; the final decision by the Supreme Court was 5-4 in Johnson’s favor) to be against the First Amendment. The First Amendment was brought into question here because it suggests that any individual in the United States has the freedom of speech, but the issue here is that flag-burning is not a vocal act but a physical one. It was questionable for some whether Johnson’s act should have been protected by the First Amendment or not (). The decision of the Supreme Court led to the invalidation of laws prohibiting the burning of the flag in 48 out of the 50 s tates. The majority evidently found that flag-burning was inappropriate in many cases but not a legal issue, as Johnson would have been free to burn the flag in private. Additionally, flag-burning was not found to be a unique act, in that it should not be separated from the rulings of the First Amendment simply because it is not a vocal act; it is a act symbolic of freedom of speech. Those who were against the choice felt, however, that Johnson was being inappropriate, and that the flag is a sacred or revered object that needs to be protected. Many also felt that as flag-burning had the potential to cause outrage, it was in the interest of peace to ensure that punishment was given. The importance of this case is that it shows that freedom of speech is alive within the United States, despite the fact that this aspect of the First Amendment seems to protect acts that many Americans find unsavory. It is difficult to say which side was in the right here, as is evidenced by how close the ruling of the Supreme Court is. It seems sensible to protect the flag as it is an emblem of the United States, but freedom of speech is another sacred emblem. It seems necessary to uphold the values of both, although perhaps freedom is more valuable than the simple imagery of the flag. Lee v Weisman Lee v Weisman is one of the most important cases in U.S. history because it was the first Supreme Court case regarding the freedom of religion and prayer in schools. Weisman, the father of a child graduating from Nathan Bishop Middle School, sought a restraining order on a rabbi who was due to speak at his daughter’s graduation ceremony. This was refused, and the parents decided to attend the ceremony, despite the fact that it was voluntary. After the ceremony, the family continued to seek litigation, and the vote was decided 5-4 in the Weisman’s favor. The main reason for this decision is that the constitution forbids all types of coerced prayer (not just forced), despite the fact that this prayer was written to be nonsectarian and inclusive. The fact that the Weisman family had a choice in whether to attend the graduation ceremony was also not found to be a suitable defense, because it is such an important occasion that, despite the fact the choice was there, no real choice was offered. The thought of the opposition was that the prayer was ensured to illustrate the

Handgun control laws Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Handgun control laws - Research Paper Example Strict laws have brought differing outcomes; in Japan and United Kingdom, it has reduced violence rates but in Mexico and Brazil, it has led to extreme or substantial violence (Miron 1). Stricter handgun controls laws and licensing are necessary to save lives. Since the year 1934, there have been a number of gun control laws such as The Federal Firearms Act (1938), The National Firearms Act (1934), The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (1972), The Firearms Owner Protection Act (1986), and National Instant Criminal Background Check System (2007) (Schwartz 1). In 2011, the Obama Administration began a number of modifications designed to tighten penalties and regulations under the present laws. The changes will entail strengthening of the national electronic system through the collection of new information. This is an effort to make the background checks for buyers of handgun fast and simple. The checks under James Brady law will leave an electronic paper. The law is named after James Brady who was Ronald Reagan’s press secretary; in 1981, he was wounded after an assassination attempt on President Reagan. Other changes include tougher sentencing guidelines for the straw buyers (Solomon and Stone 1). However, in the past few months, the Obama Administration seems to have gone mum on gun control. In the courts, it remains alive despite the fact that it has gone dead politically. Gun control is generally seen as bad politics. In 1993, Bill Clinton passed the Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act, however, after Republicans ended Democrats reign in 1994, Clinton blamed gun control. Since the 1980s, state legislatures have not fared well concerning gun control, for instance, more than 30 states have endorsed laws that make it easy for an individual without a criminal record to receive a permit to possess a concealed weapon (Winkler 1). A number of states have implemented laws that let individuals carry

The Fingerprint Identification Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Fingerprint Identification - Assignment Example Sometimes differences or dissimilarities may arise from the fingerprint identification process. These differences do not imply that there is no identification. My opinion is that it is not right that there is non-identification. It is a fact that non-identification would not be possible because the print contains so many matching characteristics, for instance, it has a total of 28 ridges structures that are clearly observable. A print with many matching characteristics like this confirms identification. It would thus not have any dissimilarity. The 28 ridge structures in identification are so much and efficient to confirm the presence of an identification in this scenario. Dissimilarity can only be in the prints that are not matching (Leo, 1998). The structures are sufficient matching characteristics hence, can be used to used to make the evaluation to remove the possibility that the giver of the latent print could be someone else. Dissimilarity only shows that there is an inadequate detail to be certain of the detection. Uncertainty may exist in some latent print assessors who are interchanging the terms distortion and dissimilarity. The impact of such misunderstanding may be a loss of credibility when the latent print examiners cannot support their results. The similarities are used to ascertain identity (Leo, 1998). However, dissimilarity proves that two prints are not matching hence; they are not from the same print. When matching characteristics have been found to detect an identity, there cannot be dissimilarities (Leo, 1998). The notion that dissimilarity can be present despite the number of matching features is not applicable. If this were accurate, then there would forever be dissimilarity. This would eventually mean that identification can never be made. Sometimes distortions can also change the manifestation of prints. The distortions can also obstruct the relationship. They are recurrent in all prints.