Legal philosophy Essay Example for Free

Legal philosophy Essay The crucial element lies in bringing the guilty to justice; but for that to happen, it has to be determined first who is guilty and who is not, not just in terms of who committed the crime, but whether a certain action and the consequences of it fall under the category of crime at all, and under what criteria. There is a great scope of ambiguity and fuzziness here. The battle between good and evil seems to have been going on for all the time, and yet good and evil are highly relative terms. There exist no clear-cut distinctions, no separate black and white segments. In many ways, good and evil constitute a messy flux, and criminal justice system is needed to sort these things out on a continual basis. Law, with the moral and legal philosophy underlying it, directs the criminal justice system in this complex task of determining good from evil, the right from the wrong, as well as the right from the good. These laws are not static and fixed entities, they can and do change with time; legal philosophy is constantly evolving. Our perceptions and interpretations of the good and the right need to be reconsidered from time to time. The ongoing struggle is to evolve a society that is more firmly based on justice and freedom. Justice requires that each citizen have an equal and fair starting position in respect of the physical necessities, educational opportunities, and employment opportunities. And the principle of freedom requires that the government not force a single conception of the good upon individuals, but simply guarantee that individuals are free to pursue their various goods as they perceive them (Garner 2005). The choices freely made reflect a variety of views of what is good. Human beings are uniquely individual personalities, endowed with immense potentiality for mental and spiritual growth. The role of society lies in being caring and tolerant about the individual and the differences in the unique individualities of people, and displaying a commitment to respect all its members who are in the process of cultivating their freedom and realizing their potentiality. It is not the governments business or right to determine what is good, but only to guarantee justice and freedom of choice to individuals. The guarantee of justice and freedom of choice will protect individuals’ pursuits of their various private conceptions of the good. In this way, the government ensures â€Å"The greatest good for the greatest number,† the principle on which utilitarianism is founded (Penslar 1995). Each individual is free to pursue his or her own conception of the good life, as long as it does not bring harm to others. The government should be neutral as to the conceptions of the good life, in order to respect persons as free and independent agents of action, capable of choosing their own ends. For example, the good lies in the fact of each individual being free to follow a religion or belief system of his own choice, or not to follow any should he choose to. Unfortunately, this condition is very likely to be violated in modern world where fundamentalism is gaining ground everyday. If we take the United States, for example, three things are happening 1) Evangelical Christianity is spreading like wild fire: â€Å"The Evangelical Christian movement is the fastest growing segment of American religion with 42% of all Christians in America identifying themselves as Evangelicals† (Cobia 2007) 2) as is common knowledge, the government is growing more powerful and centralized, and 3) a very high percentage of people in the government, including the president himself, are fundamentalist evangelical Christians (McMahon 2006). In such a scenario, it is very likely that, in the near future, basic individual freedom to choose his or her own would be breached and fundamentalism be imposed as a state-sponsored religion. When that happens, the theory of evolution will be removed from textbooks and Biblical doctrine of creationism taught in its place. Science would stagnate, progress would stop, and humanity may slip back to dark ages. Upon considering such a possibility, we can see how ensuring individual freedom to determine one’s own good is conducive to the good of the society as a whole, promotes progress and enlightens humanity. When individual freedom is lost, be it in religion or any other sphere of life, the spirit of humanity starts dying.

Spider-Man Essay -- Movies, Film, Cinematography

The director of Spider-Man (Sam Raimi) has introduced the audience to a feeling of aspiration through a variety of different techniques and captures the viewer’s attention to the smallest details with great success and deliverance to become the character that is Peter Parker. One of the ways that make the audience aspire to be Spider-Man is the set. The idea of the director is to involve the viewer in the story; he does this by having a set that most people at home can relate to, as the family in Spider-Man have not got a lot of money and are an average group and a typical American family. The set that Sam designed for the various scenes in Spider-Man is realistic and makes the viewer believe they are real, although, in the wrestling scene, Sam managed to make this scene and the scenes leading up to it so realistic that the audience don’t think that they don’t have planned wrestling matches in America. Mise en scà ¨ne includes this and is one of the very useful techniques, and can have an overwhelming effect on the viewer, as everything that is on the screen at any one time is there for a reason, and has a meaning. It gives the viewer information on the surrounding area or people. For example, if the kitchen cupboards are meant to be white, but are a yellowy brown colour, this could mean that the person smokes a lot, or that they aren’t very clean. This is used to its full potential in Spider-Man as the director makes sure the viewer can understand everything about Peter, and give them an idea of what they are aspiring to be. Peters room is a typi cal sized, single bedroom, but in it there is things you wouldn’t think Spider-Man would have in his room. Like a computer and lots of factual books, but this helps create Spider-Mans... ...is children and people listening to all the music and taking part in the activities, but the audience hear an almost scary piece of music and his Spider senses, the viewer knows something is wrong and that he is going to have to save them. Contrapuntal is also used when you hear his spider senses every time, as there is normally something good happening at the time. For example, at the fete or fair, everyone is supposedly having a good time, although we can hear peters spidey senses going off, and we can see that the green goblin is bearing down onto the fair. This all shows that the reason for the viewer wanting to be spider-man is the fact that the director, Sam Raimi, has managed to bring together some of the greatest techniques and fine tune them into his own style, then apply them to this film, making the viewer really feel as if they can relate to spider-man.

Hamlet’s and Laertes’ Revenge: Which One Seems More Justified Essay

When one does an intentional (or even unintentional) act to the detriment of another, the aggrieved party or his or her loved ones may vow for vengeance against the perpetrator of the act. It has always been the kind of emotion that causes a person to feel hatred, show hostility, and display aggressive behavior, revealing the worst of him or her. Revenge can sometimes be bitter and relentless, but some people also call it sweet and fulfilling at times. Thus, it has been a common theme and concept in literature. The world of literature has been flooded with numerous tales about revenge and its consequences. Although most of these stories are tragic and melodramatic, they have nonetheless created a remarkable impact on the readers’ consciousness about the reality and nature of revenge. Shakespeare has been proven by history itself to be a one-of-a-kind literary artist who was able to launch and create many successful tragic plays about revenge. One of his most popular plays about this emotion is that of the life of Hamlet, the prince of Denmark. In this play, Hamlet found several reasons to kill and to make a lot of people suffer due to the death of his beloved father who was mercilessly murdered. However, in the play, there is another character who had the same reason to of taking revenge — Laertes, whose father was killed by Prince Hamlet himself, and whose sister killed herself because of the sorrow brought by their father’s death. Considering Hamlet’s and Laertes’ vow for vengeance, it can be inferred that although they both share the same reason for being revengeful, only Hamlet’s revenge appears to be justifiable in the sense that he knew the truth behind his father’s death, whereas Laertes was blinded by Claudius’ lies and took revenge upon the wrong person. Hamlet’s Revenge The cause of death of Prince Hamlet’s father was actually unknown to the entire kingdom. After his father’s death, his uncle Claudius married his mother and took over the throne. It was only when the spirit of his father appeared in front of them when the real reason of his death was unfolded. The ghost revealed that it was actually the ambitious Claudius himself, the brother of Hamlet’s father, who killed him in order to put the entire kingdom as well as his wife in his possession. Angered by the ill-fate of his father and the unforgivable, abusive, and unjust actions of his uncle Claudius, Hamlet vowed to take revenge on Claudius in order to give his father’s horrible death its due justice. The knowledge of his father’s murder and of his mother’s betrayal of her wedding vows with Hamlet’s father filled him with so much anger and vengeful spirit, as clearly reflected in the following lines: Oh God! A beast that wants discourse of reason Would have mourn’d longer – married with mine uncle, My father’s brother; but no more like my father Than I to Hercules. Within a month, Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears Had left the flushing in her gallà ¨d eyes. (1.2.150-155) This was the start of his revenge. After this point, he almost went mad with all the thoughts that kept running inside his head. He was torn between morality and his revengeful feeling towards his uncle and those people who betrayed his deceased father. However, if one would look closely and analyze Hamlet’s revenge, although it may look relentless and heartless, it all boils down to the fact that Hamlet realized that his father, whom he loved so much, had been mercilessly killed for selfish reasons. His anger as a son can completely be understandable since readers would be able to understand that a son’s love for his father will always be immeasurable. To think that Hamlet did all he could to be at the least careful of not punishing innocent people, it can be said that he never aimed to do worse things than avenging his father’s death. Laertes’ Revenge Just like the reason behind Hamlet’s aggressive revenge, Laertes also lost two of his love ones. That is why, in a fit of rage, he fearlessly faced Hamlet whom he believed was the sole reason behind the loss of his family. His father, Polonius, was accidentally killed by Hamlet who mistakenly identified him as Claudius, while Opehlia, Laertes’ sister, died by drowning herself into a river due to the unbearable grief caused by his father’s death. Thus, just like Hamlet, Laertes was crushed by the incidents, and he felt the same kind of anger and pain just like what Hamlet felt. However, recalling how Laertes got hostile towards Hamlet, it can be observed that Claudius made him believe that Hamlet was to blame for his father’s and sister’s deaths. Hence, brokenhearted at that time and naturally vulnerable and helpless in that condition, Laertes was easily convinced and moved by Claudius’ words. Thus, he started to feel that overwhelming anger and drive to kill Hamlet regardless of what ways or process he had to go through. The events which occurred next were a series conspiracies and plots that Laertes made in order to bring Hamlet down. He also went to Claudius to seek help and advice as to how to kill his mortal enemy. His mind was then clouded by Claudius’ deceiving words which allowed evil to close Laertes’ heart to anything and made him a relentless and merciless enemy of Hamlet. He also succumbed to the evil plans of Claudius that were designed to kill Hamlet in the surest of ways. Although Hamlet succeeded in killing Laertes first, he was still wounded by the sword covered with poison which immediately cut his breath shortly after Laertes fell to the ground. Thus, it may seem that the driving force behind Laertes’ revenge was the deception of Claudius. Unlike Hamlet, Laertes’ revengeful acts were pushed and encouraged by someone else’s motives and intentions which were that of Claudius. As it appears, while Hamlet decided on taking revenge on the people who brought upon his father’s death, Laertes, who went so weak to deception, was nothing but Claudius’ dummy who did just what the deceitful character wanted, without knowing the truth behind the deaths of his loved ones. Which Revenge Appears More Justified? Upon exploring Hamlet’s and Laertes’ revenge, it appears clearly that both of them felt anguished and pained due to the death of their loved ones. The death of Hamlet’s dear father was so cruel and unjust that he himself felt that he should do what he can to make his father’s murderers pay for the crime that they committed. On the other hand, the reason behind Laertes’ revenge was merely fed by Claudius’s lies who wanted to eradicate Hamlet as his opponent from the kingdom. It clearly implies that Laertes’ revenge was pushed through by deceitful and selfish reasons which covered his eyes from seeing the truth behind his family’s death. With this, it can be safe to say that Hamlet’s revenge is more justified in the sense that he knew the truth that his father has been murdered and therefore, justice must make the murderers pay for their crime, while in Laertes’ case, he had been so weak to deception that his anger and hostile treatment of Hamlet had no real and true basis. The tale which made him so angry had been fabricated by Claudius’ lies which made him fight for the wrong reasons and kill the wrong person. However, in whatever ways revenge is justified by others, it is still unacceptable to me since no one must take justice in his or her own hands. To fulfill their vengeance, Hamlet and Laertes had to hold justice in their hands, but as it appears, a person can easily be deceived; therefore, one’s revenge can always be misled, just like what happened to Laertes. Hamlet’s revenge only appears justifiable as he knew the truth completely. Thus, although Hamlet and Laertes shared similar reasons behind their revenges, only Hamlet’s revenge appears to be justifiable in this context.

Sex Slavery And Human Trafficking - 2202 Words

Sex Slavery and Human Trafficking in Nigeria Ramapo College of New Jersey Kaitlyn Cestaro Human Trafficking is defined in article 3, paragraph (a) of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs. There are three constituent elements of the trafficking of persons, The Act (what is done), The Means (how it is done), and The Purpose (Why it is done). Under the element of The Act, falls things such as transport, trans fer, harbouring, and recruitment. The Means of how trafficking is done includes threat or use of force, coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or vulnerability, or giving payments or benefits to a person in control of the victim. The last element, the purpose includes things such as exploitation, which includes exploiting the prostitution of others, sexual exploitation, forced labour, slavery orShow MoreRelatedSlavery in History713 Words   |  3 PagesSlavery has been around for centuries, and still is present today with the development of custom definition. Slavery does not only affect the caucasian and the African americans. When you think of slavery, what do you think of? Who is affected? Slavery is so important because it was a geological and world-wide act. This act of slavery affected many people for the good and the bad. The economy and plantation owners were affected in the act of slavery. You should be informed that, how slavery affectedRead MoreSexual Slav ery : The Purpose Of Sexual Exploitation998 Words   |  4 PagesSexual Slavery in America Sex Slavery defined- Sexual slavery is slavery for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Sexual slavery may involve single-owner sexual slavery; ritual slavery, sometimes associated with certain religious practices, such as ritual servitude in Ghana, Togo and Benin. †¢ Concubinage was a traditional form of sexual slavery in many cultures, in which women spent their lives in sexual servitude. In some cultures, concubines and their children had distinct rights and legitimateRead MoreThe Sex Trade: Slavery and Prostitution Essay1387 Words   |  6 Pagestheir slaves (Potocky, 2010). Sex trade is a global problem presently and will increase throughout the world if nothing is done to prevent and eliminate it. Sex slavery is a type of prostitution in which the trafficker’s make an increased profit through the solicitation of slaves. Sex trade will continue if nothing is done to prevent it globally. Lastly, in order for sex slavery to be abolished, international governments will have to take action and support anti-sex trade. A future epidemic of womenRead More Human Trafficking Essay1408 Words   |  6 PagesHuman Trafficking is the unlawful trade of human beings for various purposes such as reproductive slavery or sex slavery. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime [UNODC] protocol on trafficking, â€Å"Trafficking in Persons is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receivingRead MoreSex Trafficking And The United States1672 Words   |  7 Pagesterm human sex trafficking, they think of heinous acts that take place in other countries where adults, children, girls and boys are exploited to perform sexual acts in exchange for money or goods against their will. They think it typically occurs in places that are less developed than the United States. However, the reality of this horrific crime is that it is taking place in the United States, and it occurs more and more each and every day. Young girls are not solely the victim of human sex traffickingRead MoreSlavery : A African American Slave1518 Words   |  7 Pageshardships during his life just like any other slave. We look at slavery as a whole picture most of the time and don’t give very much thought to the political, economic, and racial factors that influence slavery, even in modern time. Of course, we know that slavery in the 1800’s was extremely racial in that only blacks were enslaved. However, looking at the statistics as we talk about slavery, it has become widely apparent to me that slavery is largely associated with specific races as well as economicRead MoreWhat Is More Harm Than Good?1721 Words   |  7 Pageson sex workers’ and trafficked individuals’ human rights or Would U.K laws and policies on sex workers and trafficked individuals be more effective if society understood and accepted the problem? Research background and questions According to the United Kingdom Home Office, the anti†slavery legislation currently being upheld in the United Kingdom (hereinafter UK), uses the term modern slavery as a catch-all phrase when referring to the offences of forced labour, domestic servitude, human traffickingRead MoreThe Human Of Human Trafficking Essay1235 Words   |  5 PagesAlthough slavery was abolished in 1865, the practice of it is still very alive today. Human trafficking, a form of modern slavery, is the buying and selling of people, whether it s for forced labor or commercial sex. Every year, thousands of adults and children, especially girls, are forced into the endless trafficking ring. â€Å"The International Labour Organization estimates that there are 20.9 million victims of human trafficking globally† (â€Å"The Facts†). The human trafficking industry is a worldwideRead MoreHuman Trafficking1355 Words   |  6 PagesRigdon November 16, 2014 Human Trafficking and its Dire Effects. Human Trafficking in the United States is something not a lot of people discuss. Most think it is only something that happens in third world countries, but in fact could be happening in their hometown. According to Protocol to Prevent, Subdue and Punish Trafficking in Persons, human trafficking in the modern world entails transfer of persons by use of applied force. Other methods used to enforce the trafficking include use of deceptionRead MoreThe Issue of Human Trafficking1512 Words   |  7 Pagesand forced into slavery, sometimes to never come out. Slavery was not fully abolished in 1865. Over 27 million men, women, and children are enslaved at this very moment (â€Å"The Cost of Coercion†). That number is close to the population of Florida and Georgia combined who would be enslaved today. What most people today call â€Å"modern-day slavery† is the illegal trade of human beings for forced labor and exploitation; referring to using others for sexual exploitation, o rgan trafficking, and forced labor