Was J.S.Mill Right to Claim that Suppressing an Opinion is Robbing Mankind Essay Example for Free

Was J.S.Mill Right to Claim that Suppressing an Opinion is Robbing Mankind Essay John Stuart Mill asserted that by suppression of any opinion that mankind was being robbed. He based this claim upon several different reasons. The first was that when you suppress an opinion you are assuming that you are infallible which Mill claims is a very dangerous position to hold, Mill says that when an opinion is compelled to silence it may well be correct and so suppression of said opinion denies people of the opportunity to correct their own beliefs. Another reason put forward is that even if the opinion silenced is incorrect almost all opinions contain some portion of truth within them, and the only way to truly progress ones opinion towards overall truth is to take the different sections of truth from other opinions and use them to improve your own. Thus even an incorrect opinion can be highly useful and should not be silenced. Thirdly Mill pointed out that even if the prevailing opinion were completely correct when an opinion goes unchallenged and simply is accepted it often can become dead dogma, by which he meant that for most people it becomes simply a hollow phrase with no real meaning or feeling behind it. Only through constant challenging of ones beliefs, Mill claims, can the belief remain alive and keep its true meaning for people and only when this is true will people use the opinion to actually guide their actions. Due to these three main reasons Mill claims that the suppression of any opinion be it correct or incorrect, is robbing mankind of their chance to amend, change or reinforce their own opinions. One problem with this view is that whilst it does appear to be fairly comprehensive at first it paints a rather idealistic view of truth. Mills argument assumes that there is an absolute external truth and that this is the ultimate aim of all opinion. If there is no truth outside of our beliefs or opinions then his second reason for the non-suppression of opinions is not tenable, as one opinion cannot be improved by incorporating the truth from another opinion. In this case an opinion being suppressed does not rob mankind, as it is not stealing from them the opportunity of anything. A problem with this argument is that it only discounts one of Mills three points, leaving the other two still as valid. Since each of these points works on their own this argument would need to be combined with others in order to fully refute Mills proposition. This is followed on by his assumption that the ultimate search is for overall truth. Nietzsche asserted that instead the search for truth is to find the set of assertions which is most life preserving or life enhancing and that the ultimate external truth of a statement only matters if it is involved through one of these points. If this is in fact the case then both first and second assertions are untenable because they both rely on truth being the overall aim, rather than whatever works best. However Mill would not agree with this assertion as he would argue that through utilitarianism a large part of the ultimate use of an opinion is its truth and so to him even if Nietzsches claim is the best way of searching for an opinion the truth of said opinion is a vital part within this. There are also more general arguments against Mills assertion of absolute free speech and revulsion to its denial. Can absolute free speech always be a good idea? There are statistics to show that, for example, there is a noticeable rise in racially motivated attacks when a BNP seat is held in a constituency. In these cases the attacks appear to be largely motivated by the free speech exercised by the political party, as the rise in racial attacks is not normally accompanied by a change in the makeup of the community. In this case it would appear that the use of free speech has caused attacks on innocent people. It seems very difficult to justify claiming that suppressing an opinion that caused harm to others would be robbing humanity of anything. However one could say that for the BNP party politician to gain the seat there must have been a change in the thought of the community even if the actual people havent and that it is in fact this change in thinking, potentially brought about by any number of issues, that causes the increase in racial attacks. One example, which can be used to support Mills belief, is that of Tiananmen Square. Whilst this would appear to be a victory of suppression over opinion it can in fact easily be seen the other way around. Through the people of China managing to express their opinion much of the world was awakened to the unhappiness within China and an iconic figure was created (tank man). The oppression of the Chinese peoples opinions eventually led to the events at Tiananmen Square where estimates of the numbers of dead range from 200-300 (issued by the Chinese government) to 2000-3000 (from international sources), however the opinion has since just grown stronger. This obviously shows that the suppression of the opinion is harming the people who are willing to die to attempt to express it. However it could be argued that these protestors destabilise the country and could potentially disrupt it enough that it fell into insurgency. From this point of view, extolled by the Chinese government, the act of the suppression of the opinion is for the greater good as it helps to keep the country stable and the citizens safe. Even if this causes them to be unhappy about the state of things it can be asserted that this is better because they are at least protected. In this case they are not being robbed by having their opinion suppressed because it is being supplanted by something deemed to be more important and incompatible with the opinion. In conclusion Mills argument that suppressing an opinion is robbing mankind appears to be fairly stable however not necessarily exactly as he first put it forwards. For example Nietzsches view that the best opinion is one that is most beneficial rather than necessarily true, appears to be a better blueprint for the search of opinions than an external truth. However once this change to the semantics of Mills initial assertion the argument looks to be a solid one.

Free Software Vs. Open Source :: essays research papers fc

Free Software and Open Source While Free Software Foundation founder Richard Stallman argues that Free Software is not Open Source, he is only half right—or only speaking about the question of motivation (the half that matters to him). The definition of Open Source, as enshrined in the Open Source Definition (OSD) is a nearly verbatim copy of the Debian Free Software Guidelines (DFSG). Both the OSD and DFSG are practical articulations of Stallman's Free Software Definition (FSD). Open Source, with a different political and philosophical basis, can only exist because the FSD is broad enough to allow for its translation into other terms yet defined enough to allow for a directed and robust social movement. As much as Stallman might want to deemphasize Open Source, he would never change the broadly defined definition of freedom that made its existence possible. This level of translatability within the domain of Free and Opens Source Software (FOSS) is echoed in the accessibly of its philosophies and technologies to groups from across the political spectrum. Recalibrating the broad meaning of freedom outlined in the FSD to align with their own philosophies and politics, these groups perceive FOSS as a model of openness and collaboration particularly well suited to meet their own goals. In this process of re-adoption and translation, FOSS has become the corporate poster child for capitalist technology giants like IBM, the technological and philosophical weapon of anti-corporate activists, and a practical template for a nascent movement to create an intellectual "Commons" to balance the power of capital. In these cases and others, FOSS's broadly defined philosophy—given legal form in licenses—has acted as a pivotal point of inspiration for a diverse (and contradictory) set of alternative intellectual property instruments now available for other forms of creative work. As a site of technological practice, FOSS is not unique in its ability to take multiple lives and meanings. For example, Gyan Prakash (1999) in Another Reason describes the way that many of the principles and practices of early twentieth century techno-science were translated, in ways similar to FOSS, during India's colonial era. British colonizers who built bridges, trains, and hospitals pointed to their technological prowess as both a symbol of a superior scientific rationality and justification for their undemocratic presence in the subcontinent. Prakash describes the way that a cadre of Indian nationalists re-visioned the practice and philosophical approach to techno-science to justify and direct their anti-colonial national liberation movement.

Biography Informative Speech

As we all know, grandmas are known for making delicious food. I discovered a long time ago that have a big problem breaking eggs; so I was very excited when I discovered the gaggles recipe for Cocoa Kiss Cookies. I was given the recipe for these cookies by my mom, Rena Williams. My mom got the recipe from her mother; Lucy Long, who got the recipe from the chocolate factory in Hershey, PA. II. If you ever are In a situation where you need to Impress your grandma then, cook her a chocolate cookie with a kiss In the center. Ill.Cookies are easier to make than you think so I'm going to show you the three steps in making cocoa kiss cookies: the ingredients, the mixing process, and baking. ‘V. First: Ingredients needed A. The wet mixture 1. You will need 1 cup melted butter. 2. 2/2 cup sugar combined with melted butter. 3. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to form wet mixture. B. The dry mixture 1. You will need 1 and % cups all purpose flour. 2. To finalize dry mixture you need 1/4 cup coc oa. C. Re-last the Ingredients: 1. 1 cup melted butter 2. 2/2 cup sugar 3. 1 TTS. Vanilla extract 4. /2 cup all-purpose flour 5. H cup cocoa 6. Hershey Kisses to put In center later V. Secondly: Mixing ingredients 1 . First the contents of the wet mixture (the butter, sugar and vanilla) are mixed within a larger bowl until all the ingredients are well blended. 2. A good tip from my grandma, Lucy, is to never pour the vanilla over the mixing bowl in case the vanilla spills. This way if a spill occurs, the dough Is not ruined. B. The dry mixture 1 . The Ingredients of the dry mixture (flour and cocoa) are mixed together In a smaller bowl until evenly distributed.Mixing the flour and cocoa evenly will only take a few stirs with a spoon. 2. After mixing the dry ingredients together, pour them into the wet mixture and start stirring. C. The dough 1 . A hint from Hershey. Com says, â€Å"Do not over-mix the dough because it may cause the cookies to spread too much. † 2. To help che ck your mixing, the dough should be place in the refrigerator to chill for an hour, or until firm enough to handle. VI. Baking A. Forming the dough 1. To form the dough into balls, scoop out a spoonful of dough and place in the palm f your hand. . Take one Hershey kiss and place in the center of the dough ball. 3. Use both hands to form the dough around the Hershey kiss. B. Baking the dough 1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. 2. Place the dough balls onto an engrossed cookie sheet. 3. Bake 10-12 minutes or until they are set. 4. Cool the cookies completely after baking before removing them from cookie sheet. VI'. Conclusion So, to summarize lets go over the three parts: A. First, we have the butter, sugar, and vanilla which make up the wet mixture. The lour and cocoa make up the dry mixture.B. Second, we blend the wet and dry mixtures together until we have playgroup like dough. C. Lastly, after rolling the dough and Hershey Kisses together, they are baked in the oven for about 10 minu tes. So if you ever are in a situation where you need to impress your grandma, cook her a chocolate cookie with a kiss in the center. Works Cited â€Å"Baking Hints. † Heresy's website. Hershey, PA. 2014. Http://www. Heartsickness. Com Long, Lucy. Personal Interview. Septet. 2014. Williams, Rena. Personal Interview. Septet. 2014.

Explain the psychological basis for well-being;include the...

Evidence Reference 8 Unit M3 2.1 Unit M2c 1.3 Unit M3 Manage health and social care practice to ensure positive outcomes for individuals. Task D Explain the psychological basis for well-being; include the theories that support your findings. The literal meaning of Psychology from its Greek Etymology is â€Å"study of the soul†. A more contemporary definition from Chambers Dictionary is â€Å"science of the mind† or â€Å"the study of mind and behavior†. A fuller description is offered by the NHS â€Å"Psychology is a science based profession and is the study of people; how they think, how they act, react and interact. It is concerned with all aspects of behaviour and the thoughts, feelings and motivation underlying them†. The idea that there is a connection†¦show more content†¦2 Evidence Reference 8 Unit M3 2.1 Unit M2c 1.3 This hierarchy is most often displayed as a pyramid. The lowest levels of the pyramid are made up of the most basic needs, while the more complex needs are located at the top of the pyramid. Needs at the bottom of the pyramid are basic physical requirements including the need for food, water, sleep, and warmth. Once these lower-level needs have been met, people can move on to the next level of needs, which are for safety and security As people progress up the pyramid, needs become increasingly psychological and social. Soon, the need for love, friendship, and intimacy become important. Further up the pyramid, the need for personal esteem and feelings of accomplishment take priority. Maslow emphasized the importance of self-actualization, which is a process of growing and developing as a person in order to achieve individual potential. Types of Needs Maslow believed that these needs are similar to instincts and play a major role in motivating behavior. Physiological, security, social, and esteem needs are deficiency needs (also known as D-needs), meaning that these needs arise due to deprivation. Satisfying these lower-level needs is important in order to avoid unpleasant feelings or consequences. Maslow termed the highest-level of the pyramid as growth needs (also known as being needs or B-needs). GrowthShow MoreRelatedHealth and Social Care4535 Words   |  19 PagesCompare different psychological theories of lifespan dependent Answer to the question no 1.1 Developmental theories provide a set of guiding principles and concepts that describe and explain human development. Some developmental theories focus on the formation of a specific quality, such as  Kohlberg s theory of moral development. Other developmental theories focus on growth that happens throughout the lifespan, such as  Erikson s theory of psychosocial development. 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