Luck, Moral Guilt and Legal Guilt Essay -- Philosophy essays

Luck, Moral Guilt and Legal Guilt      Ã‚   The question of whether luck should play a role in our assessment of other people is fundamental to human society. Our judicial laws express the view that we are responsible for our actions-in other words, luck does have a bearing on the determination of legal guilt; since legal guilt is theoretically based on moral guilt, this means that luck is usually considered to have a bearing on moral guilt as well. However, there are serious difficulties with this system of judgment. Indeed, I believe that it is neither advantageous nor even logically plausible to accede to either side of this debate: simply admitting to one extreme (e.g., that luck should never be considered when assessing others, or vice versa) automatically creates a multitude of problems. If we do consider luck when assessing someone's moral character, we open ourselves to the very real possibility of punishing two people unequally for the same exact action or intention, which is incompatible with our notion of j ustice. Yet if we decide that luck should not be a factor, we are in effect embracing the notion that we are not responsible for our actions, and in such a case, punishment would be futile; without legal guilt and punishment, however, society would be chaotic, which again assaults our notion of justice. We shall see that this issue is closely tied in with the more general idea of free will vs. determinism, which itself is a fundamentally disturbing problem. As long as the free will debate remains inconclusive-as most people feel it is-so too will the debate over moral luck remain unresolved.    In order to examine this issue, it is beneficial to start with a specific example: consider a person who happens to ... ... leads to chaos. Yet factoring in luck fails to punish those who are immoral but have good luck, while punishing only those who have bad luck. I maintain that a satisfactory answer to this question is impossible because, as I stated earlier, the issue of moral guilt in relation to luck is based heavily upon the idea of free will versus determinism, a problem which is fundamentally troublesome. With no clear way to decide the issue of free will vs. determinism, it is equally unclear how we should decide the issue of moral guilt. Should luck play a part in the assessment of a person's character? As I asserted at the start of this discussion, I believe that such a determination is logically implausible.    WORKS CITED Nagel, Thomas. "Moral Luck." Reason and Responsibility, 9th edition. Joel Feinberg, ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co., 1996: 515-521.

An Analysis of Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

‘A wild, wicked slip†¦I believe she meant no harm’ Does your opinion of Catherine match Nelly’s assessment in Chapters 1-14? Catherine Earnshaw, later Linton, is first introduced to the reader by Emily Bronte in Chapter III. Throughout the novel Catherine proves to be a character whose actions and personality can either attract the audience’s sympathies or quickly alienate them. Nelly’s narration dominates the narrative in chapters 1-14 and it is therefore natural that the reader’s views may be tainted to a degree by Nelly’s assessment of Catherine’s character.Catherine is first referred to in Lockwood’s narration in Chapter III where he encounters her name when he spends a turbulent night at Wuthering Heights. Catherine’s name haunts Lockwood’s sleep as he sees the words ‘Catherine Earnshaw†¦ Catherine Heathcliff†¦ Catherine Linton’ carved numerous times. The haunting quality of C atherine’s name is shown by Bronte’s gothic use of the simile ‘as vivid as spectres’ as these words fill his vision. Lockwood is later confronted by a ghost who sobs the words Catherine Linton as it demands to be let into the house.Indeed this determination to get what she wants is a characteristic of Catherine, which becomes apparent through the remainder of Nelly’s narration as she describes Catherine’s life. This characteristic in particular is a trait that can change the reader’s opinion of Catherine for the worse. However conversely this particular aspect of Catherine’s character can evoke sympathy for her from the reader as it is in part Mr Kenneth’s fault for recommending that ‘she would not bear crossing much; she ought to have her own way’ after her illness in Chapter IX.Nelly’s opinion that Catherine ‘meant no harm’ is proved particularly accurate in Chapter IX where Catherine ap proaches Nelly for the first time as a confidant. Catherine’s innocence in the matter she poses to Nelly is demonstrated aptly though her question ‘Where’s Heathcliff? ’ Sympathy is evoked for Catherine as she finds herself torn between the two men she loves; Heathcliff and Edgar. However Catherine’s true personality is uncovered in the ensuing dialogue in which Catherine describes her fears about Heathcliff and her reasons for marrying Edgar (which do not appear heartfelt).Disapproval cannot be avoided as Catherine’s actions appear to be driven by her social ambitions, which were initially awoken by her first visit to the Lintons, and which eventually compels her to marry Edgar. However while Cathy’s claim that ‘it would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now’ may evoke condemnation from both Nelly and the reader, it can be seen that Catherine is simply the victim of her era. While Wuthering Heights itself is far from the bus tle of society in its position on the moors, Catherine’s desire to be ‘the greatest woman of the neighbourhood’ exemplifies the effect of social considerations on the character’s actions.Catherine’s image is somewhat weakened due to the manner in which she is compared, perhaps unintentionally, to Edgar’s sister Isabella Linton. Indeed the fact that they hold parallel positions within their intimate society and eventually end up sharing the same household allows us to see their differences with greater clarity. While Catherine represents wild nature, both in her high and lively spirits and her occasional cruelty, Isabella represents culture and civilization both in refinement and in her weakness.The reader may disapprove of Catherine in her wild nature however Isabella soon proves in Chapter XII that strength might be an admirable quality for a women at that time as her weakness leads her to elope with ‘Yon’ Heathcliff’. Fr om Chapter XIII onwards the reader, along with Nelly, becomes suspicious of Catherine’s motives as she becomes quickly ill after Edgar gives her an ultimatum. Catherine worked herself into a frenzy with ‘blood on her lips’ and ‘her hair flying over her shoulders, her eyes flashing, the muscles of her neck and arms standing out preternaturally’.While Edgar appears terrified of her rage, Nelly seems to see through Catherine’s behaviour. Indeed as Catherine’s state deteriorates and Edgar turns on Nelly, Nelly recalls ‘thinking it too bad to be blamed for another’s wicked waywardness’ demonstrating how she does not believe the validity of Catherine’s illness. However increasingly throughout Chapter XII Catherine does seem to become ill but despite her state the reader’s sympathy appears to be concentrated on Edgar as he tended her ‘day and night’. His loyalty makes Catherine’s intimacy w ith Heathcliff and her love for the aforementioned seem even orse. Catherine’s general treatment of Edgar, with all his loyalty and love for her, is certainly an aspect of her character which can cause abhorrence in the reader, at points demonstrating the wickedness to which Nelly makes reference. Shockingly in Chapter 11 Catherine describes to Nelly how she ‘want(s) to frighten’ her husband and exhibits her cruelty as she declares that ‘if Edgar will be mean and jealous, I’ll try to break their hearts by breaking my own’. This declaration from Catherine is evidence that her illness was self-inflicted and in a fit of cruelty.In this respect it is therefore hard not to agree with Nelly’s assessment of Catherine’s character as ‘wicked’. However there are points within the novel where the reader cannot help but feel respect for Catherine. The incident in Chapter VI where Heathcliff is mocked by Edgar and retaliates by t hrowing hot Apple sauce in his face is the point at which Catherine demonstrates fully her love for Heathcliff as she shuns the company of others and goes to find him in his room, risking the disapproval of others to comfort the one she loves.In conclusion, Catherine is a character towards whom the reader’s feelings fluctuate due to her raging tempers and occasional infliction of cruelty on other characters. However positively there are incidents, such as the one in Chapter VI that show Catherine’s kind nature and indeed prove that she ‘meant no harm’ despite her wicked ways on occasions.It can be seen that her inability to express her true feelings for Heathcliff, along with his three year absence, drove Catherine to assume the title that Nelly gave her of ‘a wild, wicked slip’. Indeed there can always be explanations to assuage her of this title such as the societal circumstances of her era and the seemingly forbidden love that she harboured for Heathcliff. It is therefore possible to agree to an extent with Nelly’s assessment however there are aspects of Catherine’s character that do not agree with her view.

Madoff case Essay

1. What is the ethical issue involved in the Madoff case? The Madoff case if filled with numerous ethical issues. The case is considered to be the largest scam in our nation’s history. The Madoff case is a great example of how someone who did not care about his profession, as well as the all the personal relationships he had cultivated over the years. Bernie Madoff was involved in a scheme called a Ponzi scheme. Madoff would take money from new investors to pay off the current investor’s dividends. Since Madoff promised unrealistic gains this was the only way to pay his investors. The Ponzi scheme was Names after Charles Ponzi who had tricked investors about a century before Madoff. To keep giving earlier investors their promised return, Madoff had to continually draw new people into the scheme. His family who claim they did not know about the scheme was also involved bringing in new clients to invest with Madoff. The SEC grew very suspicious after the market lows in 2008 and Madoff’s clients were still getting high return on investment. The SEC who had been investing Madoff exposed and charged Madoff of running a Ponzi scheme. Madoff like Ponzi had a personality that people trusted and handed over millions of dollars to invest. Madoff case was strange in nature since it went on for so long. This case really opened the eyes of many investors and made them take a more active role in their investments. 2. Do you believe that Bernie Madoff worked alone, or do you think he had help in creating and sustaining the Ponzi scheme? As intelligent as Bernie Madoff may have been he could not have pulled of the country’s largest Ponzi without some help. The return on investment that constantly beat market averages should have sent up red flags to people inside the company. People within the company such as internal auditors, accounts and other in the internal system should have been really suspicious of the finical reports. Were the people in the Madoff’s office asleep at the wheel? Or was something else not publicized happening behind the scenes? There were just too many intelligent people who worked with Madoff not to see the writing on the walls. Auditing books for a couple of months may not have sent up red flags but the fact the scheme went on for 30 years may say more people were involved. The size of the scheme and the amount of money involved makes it unbelievable and almost impossible that he could have perpetrated a crime by himself. 3. What should be done to help ensure that Ponzi schemes like this one do not happen in the future? The Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) is the government body in charge of investigating federal securities fraud. After cases like the Madoffs people always want more regulations but fail to come up with a plan everyone can agree on. More regulations may work but may not necessarily be the answer. The SEC has to help pass smarter legislation that well sends up red flags sooner so these schemes can be stopped. As much as the SEC can do, people are really the key to stopping these schemes before they start. It is up to everyone to stop financial crimes, from the internal auditor that may see fishy finical reports, to the everyday investor who may be getting better than average returns with their investment firms. Before the Madoff case people may not have been so concerned about their high returns and just keep collecting them. Since the highly publicized Madoff case will really make people think twice before they get caught up in a Ponzi scheme themselves. The old adage â€Å"if it is too good to be true it probably is† comes to mind when dealing with Ponzi schemes. Investors really have be smart and really know where their hard earned money is going. It will be just a matter of time before another â€Å"Bernie Madoff† comes and tries to scam people, however if the SEC and investors are on the same page scams may be stopped before they get started.

Postal Service Case Analysis

Postal Service Case Analysis The United States Postal Service receives no tax dollars from the federal government for their operations. They are a self-supporting agency, using the revenue from the sales of postage and postage-related products to pay expenses. Each year the postal service delivers 212 billion pieces of mail to over 144 million homes, businesses and Post Office boxes in virtually every state, city and town in the country, including Puerto Rico, Guam, the American Virgin Islands and American Samoa. Delivering this much mail, requires managing almost 800,000 employees and contractors, 38,000 facilities and 214,000 vehicles. Managing 214,000 vehicles to deliver an abundance of mail, it is no wonder that accidents happen but many can be avoided. According to www. usps. com, in 2005, the Postal Service incurred $49 million for traffic accidents and in 2006 reported 100,000 motor vehicle accidents. How can the United States Postal Service reduce the annual number of motor vehicle accidents thus saving money? The three options to address the issue of reducing the amount of motor vehicle accidents per year are as illustrated below. One option is to offer an accident-free incentive plan to drivers. Regardless of fault, if a driver remains accident-free during the course of a year, they will receive a bonus. The bonus amount will fluxuate each year depending on the dollar amount saved on accident reductions that year. So for example, if the Postal Service saves $10 million in 2007, the bonus amount would be a certain percentage of the $10 million. Another option is to offer annual driver training. Each year, drivers would have to attend a drivers training in-service in order to continue driving a motor vehicle for the Postal Service. The in-service would be a hands-on training session where the drivers would need to pass a road course. Lastly, the Postal Service can execute a more stringent driving record policy. Upon hire, the candidate would need to provide a certified driving record as a condition of employment. On an ongoing basis, the Postal Service would run annual driving record checks. If any new traffic violations appear, depending on the severity of the violation, the employee would be transferred to a position that does not require driving or their employment would be separated. The time it would take to implement the accident-free incentive option would be 6-12 months. The policy would need to be developed and approved, then an effective date would need to be determined, it could be the first of the year or the beginning of the fiscal year for the Postal Service. The cost and ease of implementation would be fairly straightforward, just the cost and resources utilized to develop the policy. The annual bonus payout wouldn’t be determined until the savings from the year is figured out. Once the savings is figured out, the bonus would be a percentage of that amount and of course, each year that amount would vary. Having an incentive for drivers to take the time and think about their actions while driving, could result in a high return on investment for the Postal Service. If traffic accidents decrease even the slightest bit, the cost savings could be hundreds of thousands of dollars. The time and cost to implement the annual drivers training option would be more lengthy and expensive. The Postal Service would need to locate a facility in each state to hold the driver training and hire qualified trainers. Providing more intensive driver training could also result in decreased traffic accidents for the Postal Service. The problem with this option is not only is it costly, employees may not take the training seriously. There have been many trainings that I have attended where employees tend to goof-off and not take it as seriously as they should. The last option regarding implementing driving record checks would be relatively inexpensive. Upon hire, the candidate would absorb the initial cost of obtaining their driving record but going forward on annual basis, the Postal Service would be responsible for the cost. A driving record costs around $10. 00 and with an estimated 214,000 drivers, the annual cost would be around $2,140,000. This option seems costly; however, if the traffic accidents decrease as a result of the checks, the amount of money saved would more than the Postal Service pays for the driving record checks. To conclude, the option I think would be best is the accident-free driver’s incentive plan. When a company offers an incentive to earn more money, employees seem to respond. Not only will employees take this option seriously, the Postal Service would see a dramatic decrease in traffic accidents. By putting the onus on employees and providing them a bonus opportunity they are more likely to make better decisions when driving. Source: www. usps. com OptionsCriteria 1Criteria 2Criteria 3Criteria 4 Time to implementCostEase of ImplementationReturn on Investment Accident-free incentive plan6-12 monthsVaries depending on cost savings on accidentsRelatively easy-policy development and researchPotentially high-money talks to employees Annual Driver TrainingMore lengthyExpensive-need to buy/rent land and/or building plus equipment, trainer, etc. DifficultPotentially low-employees may not take training as seriously More stringent driving record checksImmediate~$2-3 million per yearEasyUnknown-Could lose employees due to results of check

Rehab Centers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Rehab Centers - Essay Example Drug and alcohol rehab programs are beneficial for the addicts in many ways through which individuals can not only become complete again but can live their lives to its fullest without any support from drugs or alcohol. Drug rehabs have three benefits that can be categorized as physical, emotional and mental. Drug addicts do a great harm to their physical being as they become weak internally and externally. The drug rehab programs can help them in letting go of their need of drugs which can help them recover internally such as better food digestion which can lead to becoming strong externally as well. It is also commonly seen that many individuals take drugs to hide their emotions. Drug rehab programs can help them to get in touch with those feelings and emotions although the journey is difficult but as the time progresses these individuals can again feel happy, and friendly that can heal them from the inside. The greatest benefit that rehab program can offer an individual is the peace of mind. Certain drugs are very harmful to the mind causing increased levels of anxiety and paranoia in them because of which they cannot think clearly. Rehab centers can help in overcoming this through their treatme nt programs and help them function better mentally such as making logical decisions and seeing things differently as opposed to drug addict view. Like the drug rehab centers, alcohol rehab centers can also help the individuals with alcoholism. The first benefit is that choice of choosing your own program: inpatient or outpatient program, depending on the severity of the problem. Mostly people opt for inpatient programs as they can get support at every point giving them more hope of getting rid of the problem. The second benefit of the alcohol rehab programs is the socialization of individuals with others like themselves who are in the same position giving them more support and strength to

Ethics within the clothing retail sector 02225 Essay

Ethics within the clothing retail sector 02225 - Essay Example In addition, competition is increasing in the high street clothing retail chains. Therefore, they are using the CSR strategies to increase sustainability and growth. During the years 2011 to 2012, they promoted more green production. Alhaddi (2014) stated that retailers are promoting highly recycling products, eco friendly products, and fair trading policies. Clothing retailers are using most emerging technologies for reducing waste in operations. They are adopting socially responsible strategies to maintain the welfare of external stakeholders. Alternate energy resources are being used by the organisations to conserve the conventional resources (Azmat and Zutshi, 2012). In the current study, corporate social responsibility and ethical issues are discussed in depth with the help of different real life ethical firms. The researcher will be using the examples of Next, Arcadia Group, Primark Stores, TK Maxx, Matalan, and New Look Group. Clothing retail firms are facing huge competition in the UK base fashion retail market. Organisations are maintaining ethical strategies in order to achieve sustainability. Corporate social responsibility is one of the major used strategies for increasing sustainability in the international clothing retail market. Organisations are looking for obtaining growth and sustainability. Corporate social responsibilities of the major retail firms are concentrated on the segments like social, ethical and environment. The firms are planning to provide proper value to the external stakeholders. In addition, BubnaLitic (2009) stated that CSR strategies are orienting the equity shareholders in the global financial market. On the contrary, if the investors are not oriented they will not interest or motivated to make the further investment in fashion retailers. Business operations will be controlled efficiently, productively and sensibly by the use of efficient strategies and CSR polices also

Goerge Bernad Shaw's Pygmalion Term Papaer Essay

Goerge Bernad Shaw's Pygmalion Term Papaer - Essay Example Even belonging to the middle stratum of society, Shaw was the torch-bearer for the cause of the poor and suppressed section of society, and studied socialism as the philosophy that aimed to diminish social injustice and inequality from society. It is therefore the ray of class conflict and exploitation of the proletariat at the hands of the bourgeoisie can be felt in almost all his writings and plays. He was a highly learned and intellectual person, and contained both seriousness and burlesque attitude while entering into social interaction with others as well as while creative a piece of literature. He applied his sense of humor and irony in all his plays, to address the faults and shortcomings prevailing in society, which present the most sublime precedent of satire in the modern drama. Like all other works produced by Shaw, his masterpiece under the title â€Å"Pygmalion† is also a true example of satire that reveals the hypocritical and dual standards have been introduced and implemented by the individuals belonging to elite class of society. He worked for the cause of socialism with great fervor and enthusiasm and wholeheartedly condemned capitalism by stating it a system that widens the gulf between haves and haves-not. â€Å"In his pamphlets George Bernard Shaw argued in favor of equality of income and advocated the equitable division of land and capital. Shaw believed that "property was theft" and believed like Karl Marx that capitalism was deeply flawed and was unlikely to last.† (Retrieved from spartacus.schoolnet) Based on the social behaviors and attitude observed by the people come out of leisure class of society, the great playwright has successfully analyzed the mentality of the rich individuals while treating the lower classes. By analyzing the history of the globe, it becomes obvious that almost all human societies have been observing