The Social Contract Theory and the Problems of Capitalism - Essay Example

Essay Questions The Social Contract Theory is the view that a person’s political and moral obligations are dependent on a contract formed between them and society. John Locke and John Rawls were both very influential with their own thoughts and views on the Social Contract Theory. Locke believed that a person is at liberty to live their life as they see fit, without the opinions and interference of others. Rawls believed that people should be able to understand each other and to have a moral capacity of judging principles from the sidelines. The most differing conceptions of the two separate theories of Locke and Rawls is that Locke believed in people have privacy in concerns to how they choose to live their lives, while Rawls felt that other people should be at liberty to make judgments based on how others live or what they do. Locke was for people making their own decisions based on their own thoughts and feelings, and Rawls wanted everyone to be a part of everyone else’s personal business. 2. The argument of whether or not it is patriotic to disobey the law has, as all arguments do, two sides to be viewed. Disobeying laws can be seen as patriotic as it involves exercising our rights as free individuals. At the same time, it can be viewed as unpatriotic, as going against the laws means going against those who set them down. John Rawls believes that disobeying laws is patriotic, as it is aimed at bringing a desired change to the laws or to the policies of the government. To him, breaking a law is not done out of disrespect, but as a cry for the people of a higher power to listen to the needs of their people. He also stated that civil disobedience is not always the proper way to go when trying to protest a belief, especially if it involves doing something horrific (like something other than a minor traffic violation) or a large group of people. John Locke, on the other hand, stated that human rights are based on natural laws. He suggests that people formed a political society, complete with laws and regulations to be followed, so that they could get away from natural laws. He would agree that disobeying laws would be unpatriotic because it is going what the people created for themselves. The rights of the people were created by the people, making it inappropriate if they were to go against their own laws. 3. Some of the many problems there are with capitalism involve excluded parties, ecological concerns, focus only on the economy, and the foolish actions of those that are in charge. While capitalism does have its good points, those are overshadowed by the negatives that also come with it. In capitalism, the only parties that seem to be concerned are the producer and the consumer. This is a negative turn, as capitalism only has solutions based on short-term economics, while many other others are affected in the long-term of things. Non-economic factors are taken into consideration when decisions are being made, as others are not being given the chance to give their own input. This goes hand-in-hand with the fact that capitalism only cares about the economy, as opposed to ecological matters, or any other area where there is concern. The foolish actions of producers causes for them to make a larger profit. By selling something to a consumer that will wear out or stop working after a short period, they make money when the product is re-bought. This is wasteful for both the consumers and the producers, as they have to spend more money to keep their product going, to continue attempting at pleasing the consumer. 4. Pornography is the explicit depiction of sexual activity, used with the sole purpose of sexually arousing the viewer. The weaknesses of the arguments involving the censoring of pornography typically fall on the side of the males, while the strengths of the arguments are brought up by the females. Men feel they deserve to have their entertainment as long as people are willing to give it, yet the women have a more feministic view of how they and their bodies are viewed by strangers and acquaintances alike. The weaker points of the arguments involve the men fighting for their rights and their freedom. They have the right and the freedom of any choice of entertainment or hobby, and it would be against those rights and freedoms if porn were to be censored. As pornographic stars obviously have no problem with showing off their bodies, men feel that it should be no problem to look at them. Women, on the other hand, are not for females’ bodies to be so easily viewed by others. Men view women’s bodies as playthings or objects of affection, while women view their bodies as temples, things to be treated with respect. Many feminists are strong on their views of pornography, saying that it misrepresents what a woman’s body stands for. Other factors that play into the strengths of censoring pornography are religious objects, which have some of the same arguments that females have, as well as the possibility of sexual aggression. People are influenced by what they read, watch, or see, and pornography is no different. The attitudes that people have towards sex and sexuality while viewing pornography evolve the more the view it, depending on how hardcore it is. 5. Race is the concept of dividing people up based on physical characteristics, such as the color of their skin or their culture. Unfortunately, while things have improved over the years, race is still something that is considered as a person lives their everyday life. How they are treated on the streets, in schools and work, and by people they know depends on what ethnicity they are. In an ideal society, race would not make any difference to the everyday flow of life. People would be accepted regardless of the color of their skin or where they originated from. Race would be something to celebrate, not fight against. An ideal society would view racial differences as good differences – it sets people apart from each other and allows for numerous learning experiences. It is a chance for people to learn outside of what they know about their own race and culture. Read More