Habermass Notion of the Colonization of the Life-world...

Habermas presented his theories of colonization of the life-world based on classic theorists, including such sociologists as Weber, Durkheim, Parsons, and Mead and Marx. At the heart of his theories was communication. Habermas believed the main problem with society was not how to control it but how to maintain communicative action, believing that societies have become increasingly impaired or â€Å"colonized†. Habermas called this the â€Å"colonization of life-world by systems†. The first part of Habermas’s theory is concerned with how the crisis of communicative action has become colonized and its illegitimacy (Frank, 2000). The second part of his theory describes the way to restore legitimacy, holding that a fully functioning democracy, honoring†¦show more content†¦Colonization then means, in social settings that formerly operated by qualitative media (I L), the quantitative media (A G) now control the other, resulting in a communication crisis. R ather than conversation leading to a common understanding, domination is achieved by the other through the use of money or votes. Further, colonization reduces the sphere in which they both operate. However, the legitimacy of the quantitative media owes its existence to and ultimately depends on the qualitative media. A G influences are only worth as much as people understand them to be. A refers to the â€Å"official economy† and and G refers to the â€Å"administrative state†. The I L represent the life-world and the means of shared understandings and values that develop through interaction (Frank, 2000). According to Habermas, when people believe that the economy no longer serves them or that the government isn’t working in their best interest, crisis ensues. He believes we have such a crisis today because quantitative media are non-communicative. With money and votes, he who has the most wins. Money and votes can be useful ways of getting things done, but only so long as their legitimacy is assured by the common understandings of influence and value-commitments. Therefore, it must be understood that money and power are expressions of shared value-commitments and interpersonal influence. The I L will generate the legitimacy of the A G (Frank, 2000).Show MoreRelatedALR383 Government Relations and Issue Essays1980 Words   |  8 Pagesrevolutionized and with democratic ideology denominating has the western world, liberation and equality campaigns stemming from â€Å"third sector† (Keane 1998) lobbying groups, stand as a key component to the operation a â€Å"civil society†(Keane 1998). Carrying an objective to influence legislators or regulatory agencies, these political advocacy groups play a critical role in the operation of a healthy liberal democracy. In contemporary society, the notion of Same-sex marriage has polarized public opinion worldwide

Utilitarianism And Christianity - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1892 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2019/06/21 Category Ethics Essay Level High school Tags: Christianity Essay Utilitarianism Essay Did you like this example? A Christian perspective to PAS Pain suffering and death lie at the heart of the Christian story and for Christians the fundamental question with regards to PAS is what does life in Jesus Christ the one who hang on the cross, suffered and died a not so dignified death enable and require? Identifying with Christ in turn leads to questions of biblical authority and interpretation of Christianity. Jesus does not die a good death since for may a good death comes after many years of a fulfilling life in old age but Jesus dies tragically young, A good death is by way of natural causes but Jesus dies at the hands of people who hate him, a good death is easy and painless but Jesus dies a painful death. Christians know that since the particulars of Christ death may not necessarily apply to them, the central question has to do with the witness Christ calls them to make and as Christians encounter pain suffering and death in their own lives and the lives of others they need to examine the entire biblical witness which culminates in Christ and the communities witness to him.. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Utilitarianism And Christianity" essay for you Create order Therefore, being faced with pressure to succumb to proponents of PAS it would be prudent to examine the biblical perspectives of pain, suffering and death in order to draw conclusions on whether PAS is right or wrong from the biblical perspective. Scripture presents several different strands of thinking about pain, suffering and death and each stand in relation to the other. These stand in some tension which each other but Christian identity rest not in the selection of one or the other but in living faithfully in the tension they create. There is an account of reported voluntary euthanasia involving King Saul and an Amalekite. The unnamed Amalekite tells King David that he killed Saul at Sauls request, as Saul was wounded in battle. Davids response is to have the Amalekite killed for touching Gods anointed. If indeed euthanasia and by extension PAS was beneficial, David would have rewarded the Amalekite and not sentenced him to death. The biblical hermeneutics would have several approaches to this passage and its meaning however it sets an attitude of restrain and disapproval against deliberate acts of terminating a life on the basis of mercy. Pain, suffering and death is also a consequence the fall and Paul also states the all humanity inherits and continues the history of sin and suffers death though only in Christ , the new Adam, is pain, suffering and death brought to an end . Pain and suffering is also a mystery as seen in the book of Job where he argues he has not sinned and if he had, the pain and suffering are disproportionately great, the psalmist also protest against undeserved pain and suffering he asserts his innocence and demands the God vindicates him, indeed we also see Jesus cry my God my God why have you forsaken me? This cry of anguish can be a faithful act. In demanding the God listen one expresses confidence that God is ultimately present in pain and suffering and the duty of the community is to stand with those who protest and to bear their burden as their own and not to complain it away. Pain, suffering and death is also redemptive as Paul reminds us that suffering can deepen our faith and trials and temptations become opportunities to learn endurance and to refine and purify faith. Ultimately also for the Christian, Christ has proclaimed victory over sin through his suffering, death and resurrection and the Christians encouragement therefore is this process leads to victory over the devil. In an attempt to apply the teachings of the holy scriptures, the Christian will not fear death and is encouraged to be present to the dying making all attempts to make ones physical condition as comfortable as possible and will not seek to prolong ones dying, proclaiming the new life in Jesus and entrusting the dying to his care. On the other hand, they must remember that God may be acting redemptively either for the dyings sake or on behalf of others. They will therefore refrain from actions that hasten death and be open to ways that God may be teaching them about trust, love and surrender to God. It is for this reason that traditionally Christians draw a distinction between active euthanasia and allowing one to die. They can support the withholding or withdrawing of treatment when death is imminent and medical intervention cannot reverse the dying process. Though this distinction is imperfect and indeed ethicists have argued that the intent is the same i.e hasten death. As concerns unrelieved pain and suffering we see Job crying out against the meaningless of the pain and suffering and his protest becomes an act of faith even in his attempt to seek meaning of this pain and suffering. Christians therefore should not despair when pain and suffering is meaningless but the community should instead be present and show solidarity and bear each others burdens and support each other as we are enabled e.g. provide adequate healthcare (especially pain control), bring together, inform adequately and empower all parties involved in end of life decisions as well as help parties involved deal with the emotional and spiritual suffering that makes continuing to live difficult. Indeed, this is compassion in action as in its absence euthanasia and PAS becomes an easier choice to take. Compassion is therefore the hallmark of good end of life care. The challenge to the Christian is to address these bioethical issues to those of different religions, the agnostic as well as the atheists among others. A unique group is the intellectuals whose main contrary world view is that of scientism and the most prevalent antichristian position is privatized therapeutic syncretism. That practicing scientism avoid the question of eternity and the significance of finitude. They refuse to acknowledge the real implication of life being infinitely insignificant. The question the evangelicals must ask themselves when dealing with those of such a worldview is : Can there be basis of for common discussion and at least common conclusions on bioethical issues? The answer is in the social contract which requires the acceptance of the concept that all human beings are endowed with fundamental worth and have a right to life that cannot be reduced. The social contract is an agreement for the moment and not for eternity. It therefore depends on persons having biological life and protects the individual from the state and other individuals including corporations. The social contract requires that one be deemed a person: a human being. Utilitarianism and Christianitys points of convergence Utilitarianism acknowledges that for majority to be happy sometimes the individual forgoes his/her happiness. This agrees with the concept of sacrifice in Christianity where the good of the others is placed ahead of ones own good. Such a sacrifice would be judged as morally good in utilitarianism even though it results in pain to the minority. Through scripture we note that God has nothing against happiness if this happiness is in conformity to His word e,g as depicted in the beatitudes. If the Christian then believes that their desire to be happy is God given then happiness itself can be related to goodness and the Christian will have a point of confluence when the utilitarian refers to happiness as intrinsically good. Christianity postulates that all are equal before God . This agrees with the utilitarian perspective of treating individuals and others with a degree of equality when determining what is morally right or wrong. Although utilitarianism rejects faith as a sufficient basis for ethics, it does not necessarily leave God out of the picture. Theistic utilitarianism simply argues that we need to understand how God communicates his will to us i.e. God teaches us through our senses. Christian utilitarianism says that proper observation of the world should tell us what God expects from us since the universe is Gods creation. We are created to be happy and the result od doing what God intends is happiness. If it be true that God desires the happiness of His creatures, and this was his purpose in their creation, utility is not only not a godless doctrine but more profoundly religious that any other. Utilitarianism and Christianitys points of divergence Classical utilitarianism is empirical stemming from an understanding that we as human beings desire pleasure and seek to avoid pain and human beings are seen as pleasure/pain organisms and bundles of experiences. In such a view a person has no value to herself or to others except for the satisfaction of experiences. Such a view leaves no room for the Christian understanding of human beings as made in the image of God with intrinsic rights. Our value as people is derived from God, who created us in his own image. The principle of utility seems to conflict with the teachings of Jesus. Christ invited the believer to join him in suffering, always to place others first, to turn the other cheek and to forgive. He also teaches that real happiness comes through the service of others ;a kind of happiness that cannot be measured or predicted in utilitarian terms. Utilitarianism does not consider motives and character as important, only the results and consequences. However to the Christian, character and motives(heart) rather than individual acts are key to moral good. To the Christian virtues like love ,joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, are the parameters through which right and wrong are assessed. Finally, utilitarianism assumes that truth comes through our senses and does not need to rely on a source. This is fundamentally in conflict with the Christian view as the latter derives truth from a source revealed to us through the scriptures. Jesus says I am the way the and the truth and the life . No one comes to the father except though me. It is through accepting Christ and walking in Him that the truth in all things is manifest and clearly this point of view is not accepted by utilitarianism as its heavily reliant on faith rather that senses and empirical evidence. Conclusion The right to die and dying with dignity are common slogans for the advancement of a narrative that supports PAS. The mature Christian should use this to shape their involvement and contribution to good end of life care. Faced with aggressive and innovative use of medical technology to sustain biological life often in the name of sanctity of life , the church must protect the right to die with human and Christian dignity cognizant that the meaning of a dignified death is given a deeper meaning than simply the ability die by ones own choosing but rather, protecting a dignified death means that the dying need to be assured that their lives will not be arbitrarily shortened, that they will not have to suffer needlessly, that they will not be subjected to unreasonable and burdensome therapies, that medical technology will be applied judiciously, that free, informed and quality consent will be respected and that they will not be abused or abandoned by the community in their dying. This the n means that excellent palliative care as a counter measure to PAS needs to be pursued more aggressively with the Christian fully engaged.

David Mitchells’ Cloud Atlas Essay - 1327 Words

A dystopia could be described as a horrendous vision of events to occur in the near future which can be depicted in David Mitchells’ book, Cloud Atlas, where the author mentions of polluted lands, waters and air (Mitchell, 2004). Such a dystopian wasteland is imminent in Rosia Montana, Romania where a substantial gold mining project managed by Gabriel Resources Ltd, a Canadian firm, might demolish three villages and four mountains, and build up a considerable reservoir for 214 million tons of cyanide waste which is used to extract gold from ore (BBC, 2013). Although several ethical dilemmas can be depicted by this, the author chose to emphasize whether CFO, Jonathan Henry alongside the board of directors should continue with this over 12†¦show more content†¦For example, an individual from the community specified that the company corrupted/bought the local doctor and priest so that they moved to a different location. This forced the locals to travel whenever they need ed medical assistance or whenever they needed a burial service. This initiative has been held back by an association consisting of local residents for more than a decade by using volunteer lawyers (Jamasmie, 2013). If the mining project will commence, the economics that dictate to the politics will seal the road to a sustainable disaster in an era of sustainable development† (Zaharia, 2010, p.1). It is a relevant ethical dilemma because it is a situation in which an ethical decision needs to be made by a businessman (CFO of Gabriel Resources) where viable options to this case are available which will be judged further in this essay by applying ethical theory and concepts. By Kohlberg’s (1969) stages of cognitive moral development (SoCMD) cited in Crane and Matten (2010, p.154) Gabriel Resources, just like most businesses, operate at a conventional level which implies that employees are searching for guidance from superiors through various cues (Treviňo and Nelson 2007 cited in Crane and Matten, p.153) which further emphasizes the fact that the decision relies on the superiors of the organisation. Taking this into account, the author considersShow MoreRelatedDavid Mitchell s Cloud Atlas1237 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction: thesis David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas novel 2012 film with the same title with a book first, published in 2004. The film stars the famous Tom Hanks and Halle Berry who play the roles of various characters in the novel. There are key similarities and differences between the novel and the film. We as the readers are placed into many different environments, including being on a ship in the Pacific in 1849, San Francisco with a nearby thermonuclear power plant in 1973, and a mountainRead MoreIndependent Movies: The Cloud Atlas Essay1004 Words   |  5 Pagesminute long independent movie with a budget of $100 million, featuring Hollywood stars such as Tom Hanks and Halle Berry and directed by the same people who created The Matrix trilogy. Cloud Atlas is undoubtedly one of the most ambitious films ever made. It is based on the 2004 award winning novel by David Mitchell. The plot consists of six interwoven stories spanning nearly 500 years. It begins in 1849 with the American lawyer Adam Ew ing, who sails to the Pacific islands in order to arrange a contractRead MoreDiscounting Lives For A Cheaper Garment1085 Words   |  5 PagesJuly 2015 Discounting Lives for a Cheaper Garment Released in 2012, Cloud Atlas is a German science fiction film directed by Lana and Andy Wachowski. The Wachowski’s provide us with a highly meaningful symbolic themes of â€Å"human enslavement† which Cloud Atlas touches on with six interdependent and interwoven stories connecting to different time periods. The film is deliberated according to the author of this novel, David Mitchell who pieces together several coordinated narrative lives. It’s appearsRead MoreCloud Atlas : The First Luisa Rey Mystery And Letters From Zedelghem1508 Words   |  7 Pages Cloud Atlas: The First Luisa Rey Mystery and Letters from Zedelghem Time In the novel, Cloud Atlas, written by David Mitchell, there are five significant stories that intertwine with one another all in unique ways. Two of which in this novel, Half-Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery and Letters from Zedelghem, both connect on there own unique levels. Both of the stories in this novel represent the importance of time, which seems to be one of the biggest themes throughout this novel. Both Half-LivesRead MoreCloud Atlas And The Horrible Ordeal Of Timothy Cavendish1551 Words   |  7 PagesTime is â€Å"the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present and future regarded as a whole† (Oxford Dictionary). David Mitchell uses his novel Cloud Atlas to explore this complicated concept gravely. Even through the way the novel is laid out (in layers with only half of each story given at first), each story noticeably intersects and interacts with shared characters – either in the flesh or the reincarnations of them. Similar ly, this layout exhibits an attempt at postmodernistRead MoreThe Health Information Technology992 Words   |  4 Pagescostly due to the planning and implementation of digitizing all health information, but it would be worth it. Another system could be a tracking device. There was an excerpt by Katherine Hayles stating that, â€Å"David Mitchell s Cloud Atlas and Philip K. Dick s Ubik: Cloud Atlas focuses on epistemological questions -- who knows what about whom, in a futuristic society where all citizens wear embedded RFID tags and are subject to constant surveillance. Resistance takes the form not so much

Symbolism in Very Old Man with Enormous Wings free essay sample

Wings is a cruel and gripping tale that shows how compassion is made more startling and significant when it is highlighted against such an existence of cruelty, abuse, and horrors. There are many symbols present in, A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings. Wings are symbolic of unchecked freedom of motion and Angels and yet he chooses to stay with the family as an act of compassion to change their lives. The angel symbolizes the unfamiliar. The angel is not just a celestial body but a foreign body, someone who stands out because they are different from society. Consequently, the angel draws attention, which causes the townspeople to react negatively. Using the angel as a symbol, Marquez shows how ignorance reveals the vulnerability of human nature often leading to uncivilized behavior. Marquez tells this story in the magic realist style, combining the homely details of Pelayo and Elisenda’s life with fantastic elements such as a flying man and a spider woman to create a tone of equal parts and fairy tale. We will write a custom essay sample on Symbolism in Very Old Man with Enormous Wings or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He uses the symbol of relentless rain to show the lifestyle in which everyone lived. From the beginning a negative atmosphere was symbolized. The story begins painting the setting and stating that, â€Å"the sea and the sky were a single ash grey† and â€Å"sands had become a stew of mud and rotten shellfish. † (Marquez 329). This picture of a negative atmosphere is painted and therefor a negative atmosphere is painted over the people. Another form of symbolism expressed throughout the story is through the contrast of the angel and the spider lady. The spider lady was a woman who had been changed into a spider for not listening to her parents. Although it never actually verifies the claim that the old man was an â€Å"angel†, he was a clear representation of a heavenly figure. He fell from the heavens, was misunderstood, and endured hardships on Earth.