¶ … morality of the George Bush administration. The writer looks at classic texts to garner a sense of what political morality should be about and then holds the administration of Bush against the measurement to illustrate the lack of morality and the fact that it failed to promote the happiness of the United States people. In addition, the author explores the negative impact that was felt by other nations under the watchful lack of morality by the Bush administration.
According to the Two Treatises by Locke political power has no other purpose than for the greater good. He wrote that it was the right to make decisions and laws but that it was always and should only be for the greater good of the people that it served.
"Political power, then, I take to be a right of making laws, with penalties of death, and consequently all less penalties for the regulating and preserving of property, and of employing the force of the community in the execution of such laws, and in the defense of the commonwealth from foreign injury, and all this only for the public good
This passage clearly indicates that the greater good is to be first and foremost in any political decision with regard to all things including the death of others. This can be applied to war, to domestic issues or to international issues that need to be handled. The importance of the greater good cannot be stressed enough when it comes to political morality and ethics
Political morality and ethics belong to those who are just and ethical. Experts since the beginning time have subscribed to this theory. Plato wrote in the Republic that if one man is as unjust as can be while the other is as just as can be and they are both allowed to go to the extreme, then and only then will the true ethical nature and moral nature of each man will appear
"Let him be the best of men, and let him be thought the worst; then he will have been put to the proof; and we shall see whether he will be affected by the fear of infamy and its consequences. And let him continue thus to the hour of death; being just and seeming to be unjust. When both have reached the uttermost extreme, the one of justice and the other of injustice, let judgment be given which of them is the happier of the two
The above illustrates the problem with the Bush administration. The administration showed itself to lack ethics and claim it had morality while using the American's fear of terrorism to promote Bush's private vendetta against his father's political enemies.
In Machiavelli's The Prince, he outlines the way a political figure gains power without his underlings or "subjects" being aware of it occurring.
"Nothing makes a prince so much esteemed as great enterprises and setting a fine example. We have in our time Ferdinand of Aragon, the present King of Spain. He can almost be called a new prince, because he has risen, by fame and glory, from being an insignificant king to be the foremost king in Christendom; and if you will consider his deeds you will find them all great and some of them extraordinary
. In the beginning of his reign he attacked Granada, and this enterprise was the foundation of his dominions. He did this quietly at first and without any fear of hindrance, for he held the minds of the barons of Castile occupied in thinking of the war and not anticipating any innovations; thus they did not perceive that by these means he was acquiring power and authority over them
. He was able with the money of the Church and of the people to sustain his armies, and by that long war to lay the foundation for the military skill which has since distinguished him. Further, always using religion as a plea, so as to undertake greater schemes, he devoted himself with a pious cruelty to driving out and clearing his kingdom of the Moors; nor could there be a more admirable example, nor one more rare. Under this same cloak he assailed Africa, he came down on Italy, he has finally attacked France; and thus his achievements and designs have always been great, and have kept the minds of his people in suspense and admiration and occupied with the issue of them. And his actions have arisen in such a way, one out of the other, that men have never been given time to work steadily against him
According to the doctrine...
Morality and Ethics in Henry Fielding's Novel Joseph Andrews This paper looks into the subject of morality and ethics as depicted by Henry Fielding in his novel 'Joseph Andrews'. The book seeks to discard the notions held by 18th century English society in connection with morality and thus offers a better and 'more active' definition of the term. According to Fielding, morality was not solely connected with chastity and thus he
Ethics and Morality In ethics egoism demands the individual to either be the encouraging moral force or should be the end of moral action. Egoism is of two; positive and normative ethic. The positive ethic is about real human psychology, where people are motivated by their own interests and desires. The normative ethic says that people should be so motivated. The positivist egoist theory called the psychological egoism, provides an explanation of
Deontological theory might criticize Guido's choice if the initial assumptions included the rule prohibiting lying. However, deontological analysis is only as useful as the underlying rules with respect to which it is applied. Therefore, the solution to the deontological issues raised by the issue presented by the movie is simply to reformulate a less restrictive rule that is incapable of being applied to every situation. Instead of proposing the rule
What both these issues show is how advances technology / medicine are changing the overall scope of the ethical debate within the medical and legal communities. Together all of these events have helped to shape the way various ethical standards for medicine would evolve. This is important because they would clearly define the most appropriate conduct for medical research and how to interact with patients in the health care industry.
In this case, there would be little benefit to society as compared to the individual's right to be free from pain and to make autonomous decisions. According to Singer's utilitarianism, euthanasia is therefore the ethical choice. Sarah Banks writes on the practical application of these ethics, with a special focus on the caring professions. For Banks, codes of ethics are not rigid rulebooks with prescriptions on the minutiae of professional
Riches and honor are what men desire; but if they arrive at them by improper ways, they should not continue to hold them. Poverty and low estate are what men dislike; but if they arrive at such a condition by improper ways, they should not refuse it." (The Analects of Confucius -- Book 4) When discussing "moral character" in 2016, writers, pundits and commentators are likely referring to a very rare
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