Happiness Paradox Essay Example for Free

Happiness Paradox Essay This chapter, titled Feeling Free, is all about freedom and humans need to feel it. Ziyad Marar begins the chapter comparing happiness to freedom, saying how â€Å"[freedoms] current expression has a relatively recent and local† (Marar 39), which is similar to his view on happiness. Marar goes on saying how people have been striving for freedom, but claims more freedom brings bad consequences. People are blinded by mass media, the consumer society, management gurus, therapists and Hollywood who all relentlessly preach about freedom and self-expression. He ends the first section by stating that people need to â€Å"celebrate freedom without denying its corrosive qualities; even to admire those very qualities† (Marar 43). Since freedom is a something humans naturally strive for, and the main driving force in modern civilization, it has a strong impact on most things that humans do (Marar). The next two sections talk about how humans find freedom in the wild and in self-creation. Society is a form of conformity, which â€Å"loses you time and blurs the impression of your character† (Marar 46) and it is human nature to not be held down by conformity. This creates a need to be in the wild, away from everything society has to offer, an escape. Marar connects this to the idea of becoming lost in one’s imagination, or the lack of it. As children we are consumed by our world of imagination, using our creativity and self-expression in its purest form, something lost in adults. Children are free to do and say as they please, they are not tied down by the conformity that adults are. This lack of freedom and expression in adults can be compared to a restriction of our humanly instincts, since it is human nature that we find the need to be free (Marar). Marar goes on to relate freedom to sex, death, and the ‘search for strange’. â€Å"Perversion, obsessions, the apparent mutability of the most mundane objects into the stuff of erotic fantasy, all remind us that the realm of eroticism is dominated by the need to walk on the wild side. † (Marar 53). Sex is something that, like freedom, is something humans instantly strive for, and like freedom is restricted through civilization trying to make us conform to the social norm. Humans seek freedom in sex, it is a time when our inner most instincts come out. This freedom comes in two forms, the freedom to and the freedom from. We all have the freedom to discover, create, and fantasize, but only some are free from structures, schemes, codes, and above all other people. Freedom of people opposes the claim that humans need to feel justified, since justification is all about other people. The section ends by stating how death is the ultimate form of death, and agrees with Freud and his though of the death instincts and how all human life is striving towards death, for it is the final escape to freedom (Marar). The last section of the chapter is about the freedom from language, or the perspective of others. He uses the holidays as an example, the way we remember them though pictures and stories. Through retelling we move away from the personal aspect the memory has, it seems â€Å"to create a concept to flee from language† (Marar 57). To pursue this freedom, to the point when you are uninterpretable to others, is when people start to see you as crazy or insane. This is where the paradox lies, for we seek freedom and justification but to be free is to stop caring for the justification of others. On the other hand with justification of others you are giving up your freedoms (Marar).

Black Boy-Oppression :: essays research papers

*Black Boy Essay: Oppression Growing up as a Negro in the South in the early 1900's is not that easy, some people suffer different forms of oppression. In this case, it happens in the autobiography called Black Boy written by Richard Wright. The novel is set in the early part of the 1900's, somewhere in Deep South. Richard Wright, who is the main character, is also the protagonist. The antagonist is no one person specifically, it takes many different forms called "oppression" in general. The main character over comes this "oppression" by rebelling against the common roles of the black, society. Richard Wright's character was affected in early childhood by the effects of society oppression, but he became a great American author despite the negative factors in his life. Today everyone encounters some form of oppression. One of the forms Richard is encountering is called societal oppression. As an example, after Richard sees a "black" boy whipped by a "white" man, he asks his mother why did the incident happen. His mother says, " 'The "white" man did not whip the "black" boy...He beat the "black" boy, '. This quote is showing racism, which is one way of society keeping Richard, and all other blacks in the South down. Another example is when is at the rail road station with his mother, and as they are waiting for the train, he sees something he has never seen, "...for the first time I noticed that there were two lines of people at the ticket window, a "white" line and a "black" line†. This is demonstrating how laws keep a certain group of people apart, which is also another form of society oppression. Society oppression occurs again when Richard is "hanging" out with his friends, and their conversation with each other leads on to the subject of war. One of his friends gets really into the subject and says, " 'Yeah, they send you to war, make you lick them Germans, teach you how to fight and when you come back they scared of you.’ This means that the "white" people put the "black" people on the front line to defend our country, and when they come back, they can not accept them, therefore they oppress them in different ways, which is society oppression. These are examples of society oppression that Richard overcomes and rises to the top on his own.

Football and Soccer Compare and Contrast

Football and Soccer Compare and Contrast. Football and soccer have never been really compared before, probably because alot of people think they dont have many similarities. But they actually have alot more in common that people think they do. Having played both sports myself i can tell you that they are very different in varius ways, but also very alike. It depends in what aspects you look at it that you can see differences or similarites. Off field soccer and football share different backgrounds. On field comparisons are never talked about but they actually have somre similarities. Yes football is more of a contact sport, and soccer more of a technique sport. But football does have technique as well, and soccer contact. On the field, both teams rely on team play to move up the field and try to score on the opposing team. Both sports have a total of 22 players on the field, 11 on each team, and passing the ball to teamates is key. In both sports the offensive players take most of the glory and the spotlight, but its know that without a good defense, its hard to win. You can score all the points you want but if they score more points on you then your still losing. Scoring is very different though. On football each time you score is called a touchdown and its given 6 points plus and extra point to try to make it 7. Soccer scoring its only 1 point and its not called touchdown but its called gol. The game of football has alot more breaks during it, and it has 4 quarters. During each play you have small breaks, plus alot of timeouts and tv comercial breaks. Soccer is a non-stop sport with only 2 halfs and no breaks during each half, just the 30 minute halftime break. One of the main differences on both these sports in my mind is that football is only a sport played in the United States, while soccer is a worldwide know sport. Soccer means alot in many countries all over the world, and theres tournaments that bring every teams all over the world together. Football's major event is held here in the United States and it only it involves the one country. United States has soccer, but its one of their least successful sports economacly and physically. It has faild to reach the fan base they wanted, and the MLS (soccer league) was close to be being shut own due to lack of fans and lack of income. Soccer is like a religion in many countries all over the world and it means everything to its fans. Where im from, Argentina, soccer is bigger than anything. Alot of people take soccer even more serious than their jobs. Sometimes a little to serious. There has been a lot of soccer related accidents in Argentina and many other parts of the world. Many of the ac cidents occur during games in the stands. Soccer rivalries are very big in Argentina. Sometimes they seperate towns. Just like gangs here in United States, soccer fans fight for respect and hate towards the other team, a lot of times ending in deaths. Other incidents occur off the field. A good example to show how serious fans take the game, is the incident that occur after a World Cup, when a colombian player scored an own goal during an important game, and he was assasinated a few days later. Things like that usually never happen here in the United States. Not to say that fans are no passionate about football, but its a different type of passion. The United States understands how important soccer is worldwide, and they have tried to make soccer bigger here in the United Sates, but have failed several times. They have tried to publish soccer more by advertising and by trying to bring famous players all over the world to play here in the United States. Living here in the US, i saw that football was the major sport here. But there are alot of competing sports like basketball and baseball, and there is also college sports, which are also very big here. In Argentina, there are of course many other sports, but none come close to soccer. As a little kid, i never knew of any other sport than soccer. Every little kid growing up wants to be a soccer player when their older. And that dosn't sound like a problem, but in my opinion it is. Alot of kids growing up have â€Å"dream jobs†. Some are sports realted some are not. A lot of kids dream of being doctors, lawyers, firemans and of course start athleets. But in Argentina, most of the kids wanna be the only thing they knew growing up, a soccer player. And with most of those kids not reaching that dream, it leaves a lot of confused kids. So like most people think, there are many differences overall between football and soccer. But there are more similarities than people think there are. Maybe in the future wih the growth of soccer in the United States, we will have even more things in common. And maybe the passion for soccer here in US will one day be as big as it is in the rest of the world, but hopefullt without all the violence.

Human Rights Are Interdependent and Indivisible Free Essay Example, 2000 words

Human rights activists observe that it is not possible to enjoy civil and political rights and not also enjoy economic, as well as socio-cultural rights (Koch, 2003). Under these conditions, the poor would not have much freedom of choice. Moreover, even where rich citizens do not have freedom of choice, they may also not be able to avoid hunger and poverty (Koch, 2003). Such conceptualization supports the essence of mostly based on the fact that human rights mutually support and reinforce each other and have equal weight and importance (Koch, 2003). Outside the above conceptualizations, there seems to be no other acceptable understanding of human rights. At present, the focus of international practice has mostly been on specifically in their implementation and importance. This can be seen in terms of human rights principles not having any particular reference to theory or any other associated justification for it. In effect, no significant attempt has been used to delineate between the interdependence and the indivisibility of human rights (Quane, 2007). Instead, the terms have often been applied interchangeably. With time, human rights have been referred to as both indivisible and interdependent, these terms being specific principles calling for the need to treat human rights fairly, equally and on the same footing. We will write a custom essay sample on Human Rights Are Interdependent and Indivisible or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now This is the basic assessment of equality and fairness in human rights, and it is still the dominant understanding relating to the interdependence and indivisibility of human rights. includes economic and socio-cultural rights as these rights are based on the understanding that their effective management can only be ensured in combination with each other. The concept of free human beings being able to secure civil and political liberties as well as freedom from fears and wants can only be ensured if the proper conditions are laid out with all people enjoying their civil and political rights, and their socio-economic-cultural rights.

The Creation of Abner Snopes in William Faulkners Barn...

The Creation of Abner Snopes in William Faulkners Barn Burning William Faulkners Barn Burning is an intriguing story about a young boy named Colonel Sartoriss (Sarty) love and hatred for his father, Abner Snopes. Ab is a brutal and frightening man who instills fear into whom ever he seems to be close to. What is the cause of Abner Snopess cruel-heartedness? Maybe its his alienation from the higher class in society that causes him to act in this manner. When such a separation occurs in a community one can feel that he doesnt belong and because he does not belong that the only way the higher class will give him the time of day is if the person acts out and tries to prove that he doesnt need law and conventional society, much†¦show more content†¦He had no traditional schooling and did not have the typical urban setting as a child. This undeveloped mind of his is what leads to his ignorance and insensitivity as an adult. If all you knew as a father was what you yourself thought to be the correct way to raise a family then it is inevitable what will become of that family. Obviously Ab Snopes was not raised according to tradition, he sets boundaries and rules for his children to abide by and yet he himself has no concept of a lifestyle controlled by someone else. The only laws Ab can abide by are the ones he has created himself, which is ironic since he doesnt always practice what he preaches. I look at it through a formalist point of view, if Ab had grown up having to obey the law of the land and new what it was to have a higher authority then he probably would not have been so rebellious towards those who were above him in his clan or community, particularly the wealthy. Since Ab seemingly was not raised in a structured environment he could have learned these unknown skills through education. Abners wolflike independence and conviction in the rightnessShow MoreRelated William Faulkner’s Barn Burning: Abner Snopes Character Analysis1049 Words   |  5 Pages William Faulkner’s short story â€Å"Barn Burning† describes a typical relationship between wealthy people and poor people during the Civil War. The main character, Abner Snopes, sharecrops to make a living for his family. He despises wealthy people. Out of resentment for wealthy people, he burns their barns to get revenge. Abner’s character over the course of the story is unchanging in that he is cold hearted, lawless, and violent. First, Abner’s unchanging character shows his cold heartednessRead MoreWilliam Cuthbert Faulkner s Life1128 Words   |  5 PagesWilliam Cuthbert Faulkner is more than a famous Mississippi writer. He is a renowned figure, not only for Southern writers, but for writers throughout the world. Faulkner drew the scenes and characters for his novels and short stories from observations made during his childhood and adult life in his hometown, Oxford, Mississippi. During what is generally considered his period of greatest artistic achievement, a span of forty years, from 1929 to 1942, Faulkner accomplished more than most writers accomplishRead MoreBarn Burning: Abner Snopes Character Analysis Essay1088 Words   |  5 PagesWilliam Faulkners short story Barn Burning describes a typical relationship between wealthy people and poor people during the Civil War. The main character, Abner Snopes, sharecrops to make a living for his family. He despises wealthy people. Out of resentment for wealthy people, he goes and burns their barns to get revenge. Abners character over the course of the story is unchanging in that he is cold hearted, lawless, and violent.brbrFirst, Abners unchanging character shows his cold heartedness

Art And Race Museums And Museums - 1740 Words

Museums and Race Museums and institutions have to handle controversies and tough subject matter. There is no easy solution in handling them that will please everyone. However, there some ways that are better than others. For the issues that surround race, I believe there is one way that is better than the rest. I believe the correct way to display works of art or any other offensive work is to give the proper background context of the article. With this proper context, it is necessary to understand the impact the work can have on all different races and to be empathetic with the feeling it can create. To go with this, it is necessary for museums and historic places to be a place of debate. In my analysis I will show several different†¦show more content†¦If they do not history will be lost. If they chose to ignore controversial topics, they are choosing to ignore history and history then can be lost forever. An example of the role museums play in controversial issues is from the St. Louis Contemporary Art Museum. The museum displayed works of art that displayed civil rights images and images of black women that were digitally altered. Many people found this to be offensive. The museum decided to leave the exhibit up and to put labels to explain that this exhibit could possibly be offensive. Another example with a very different outcome is when Astoria’s Museum of the Moving Image decided to take down a controversial webcam that was mounted on a wall outside of Astoria’s Museum of the Moving Image. They decided to do this because there were clashes of violence between pro and anti-Trump people (Campanile). These two examples show how museums have roles in controversy and how they can spark debate or worse, they can spark violence. Race is a very sensitive and delicate topic in today’s society. As stated by Younker, â€Å"Race as a topic forces people to confront their personal and social identities in relation to past and present racial issues. This confrontation can lead to feelings of shock, guilt, shame, apathy, and resistance to the truth† (CONTROVERSY AND COLLABORATION: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR USING THEShow MoreRelatedA Painting That I Observed From The Norton. Simon Museum871 Words   |  4 PagesI. Norton Simon Museum II. Introduction A. This research paper will be analyzed of a painting that I observed from the Norton Simon Museum. It’s the painting of Alcibiades on His Knees Before His Mistress, by Louis Jean Francois Lagrenee. The reason I chose this painting is because for me it was different from all other paintings I viewed in the museum. To me it was different Read MoreChoosing Museum Exhibits1381 Words   |  6 PagesAll across the world there are hundreds of museums filled with history, information, exhibits, and famous documents. A variety of museums display artifacts of a mix of several cultures, historical events, famous people, and art work in the entire museum. Rather than having several different attractions, some museums are dedicated to showcasing exhibits based on a specific topic of history or interest. Therefore, museums with the purpose of educating people of a certain topic should only display artifactsRead MoreThe Social Class Of Museum Learners During The 19th Century848 Words   |  4 PagesLaurence V. Coleman (1939), who wrote about museums in the U.S. during the 19th century, indicated that the social class of museum learners during the 19th century consisted of adults in the middle class or higher and those considered to be in the bourgeois class, such as museum members and their children. People in the work ing class, the urban underclass, or disadvantaged individuals with disabilities were excluded from the scope that the museum considered as its pubic audience. Thus, the definitionRead MoreIndustry Analysis : The Industry1452 Words   |  6 Pagesdetermine a company’s success. In the case of WindowsWear, the Industry Analysis is very important to help them to determine whether or not it is worth opening a physical museum or just continuing to do business online. The Industry Analysis will allow WindowsWear to see information such as rise in disposable income in the museum industry and the type of competitors that may form a roadblock. Background WindowsWear provides artistic inspiration and trends from over 40,000 fashion windowsRead MoreThe Museum of Fine Arts Essay891 Words   |  4 PagesThe Museum of Fine Arts One pleasant afternoon, my classmates and I decided to visit the Houston Museum of Fine Arts to begin on our museum assignment in world literature class. According to Houston Museum of Fine Art’s staff, MFAH considers as one of the largest museums in the nation and it contains many variety forms of art with more than several thousand years of unique history. Also, I have never been in a museum in a very long time especially as big as MFAH, and my experience about the museumRead MoreEssay on Eight Artists Address Brown v. Board of Education1040 Words   |  5 Pages Eight Artists Address Brown v. Board of Education It was a cloudy Saturday afternoon, when I, accompanied by a friend, went to Krannert Art Museum for the first time to see the social studies exhibition in relation to Brown v. Board of Education. Fifty years ago, the Supreme Court unanimously outlawed racial segregation in public school system. Although the decision is widely considered a major step towards a more equitable and integrated educational system, it did not fix all theRead MoreThe Final Body Of Literature1674 Words   |  7 PagesThe final body of literature I want to give notice to is the literature pertaining to how museums are arranged by curators and other museum staff to effectively display their artifacts. I wish to dive into this literature because part of my own research will be examining how the curators of the Cleveland Museum of Art decided to arrange their ancient Greek exhibit. This pool of literature will help guide me in different ways to interpret the set-up of the exhibit, the placement of t he objects andRead MoreMuseum Trip968 Words   |  4 PagesThe museum is a place where antique things and art are preserved for the public to be seen, a place where rare things of past and present are kept, a place where you can see a collection of rare things and things of historical interest. Those who want to have a look into the past visit the museum. I was planning to visit this museum long before this assignment but I never had the chance to fulfil it. Last Sunday I took my family and visited the American History Museum, and the Aerospace Museum inRead MoreDesign And Innovation : The Sphinx Of Taharqo1171 Words   |  5 PagesINNOVATION: THE SPHINX OF TAHARQO INTRODUCTION: Since its establishment, the British Museum has been an iconic symbol of human culture, art, and history. It was built around 263 years ago and has served as the storehouse for many iconic discoveries over the centuries (Caleca, 1979). With a collection of almost 8 million artifacts and historical objects, it s hard to choose one. Each object has its own value in the museum and reflects the ancient times (Caleca, 1979). In this paper, we will be discussingRead MoreAppreciation Of A Novel By Barbara Kruger1311 Words   |  6 PagesAppreciation of art is like the appreciation of a novel. One may read a title of a novel and be amazed and curios but will never appreciate it fully if the novel is not read from cover to cover. For any piece of art, one needs to learn about the artist, the story behind the piece and the purpose of the piece. In addition to learning about the work, as a woman, I find myself leaning more towards the appreciation of the work of women artists who use their tal ent and skills to express themselves and/or

Legalizing Marijuana Marc Dalcin Free Essays

string(73) " marijuana should be prohibited because it involves abuse of substances\." Legalizing Marijuana Marc Dalcin Dr. Marie Carroll Ashford Intro To Ethics And Social Responsibility 08/10/12 Marijuana has been at the center of a heated debate regarding its legalization. It has received both criticism and praise in equal measure. We will write a custom essay sample on Legalizing Marijuana Marc Dalcin or any similar topic only for you Order Now Critics refer to marijuana as a â€Å"devil weed† while supporters have often referred it to a â€Å"miracle drug. † Despite the different references to marijuana, there has been a prolonged debate on whether it should be legalized for personal use or not. There are two approaches to the use of marijuana with one involving medicinal purposes while the other involves purposes of pleasure. Medical health is an important aspect of human life and the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes has the importance of improving human health. In the case of using marijuana for pleasure, there is the issue of abuse of drugs, which often results in lawlessness among users. Legalizing marijuana presents an ethical dilemma in the sense that it is difficult to ascertain the intentions of the users hence the drug may end up being used for the wrong reasons (Burnham, 2011). This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the ethical dilemma arising from the debate on legalizing marijuana and presents the use of deontological reasoning theory in solving the dilemma. The paper also includes a comparison between deontological reasoning and relativism with the eventual identification of the theory that best relates to the personal opinion with regards to the debate on legalizing marijuana. The question of legalizing marijuana Should the use personal use of marijuana be legalized? There are numerous uses associated with marijuana. AIDS and cancer patients find marijuana useful as a drug that restores appetite and fights nausea. Marijuana also has nutritional value because its seeds contain vitamins and can be used in preparing cooking oil (Rosenthal, Kubby Newhart, 2003). Research studies also indicate that the marijuana can be used in the manufacturing of clothes. The plant has been used in the manufacturing of paper and clothing material for a very long time and is considered produce higher amount of fibre compared to trees. Environmentalists have found the marijuana plant important in addressing the problem of deforestation and soil erosion. Marijuana is beneficial in the restoration of lost soil nutrients. To law enforcement agencies, marijuana is considered to play a major role in increasing the number of crime rates. A significant number of incarcerated criminals have at least used marijuana prior to their arrest. The above analysis on the use of marijuana and its impact clearly points out to the fact that one group will support the legalization of marijuana while the other will oppose such a move. However, the debate can be solved using two theories of deontological reasoning and relativism. Deontological Reasoning The theory of deontological reasoning proposes that actions are either correct or wrong in themselves without taking into account their consequences. The theory of deontological reasoning can be best explained with the use of an example of a murder case. In such a situation, a deontologist considers the act of murder as wrong based on the fact that it involves taking the life of another person. It is assumed that humans have the duty of preserving life hence one should never kill no matter the circumstances (Mizzoni, 2009). In a nutshell, this implies that the end does not justify the means. Generally, deontologists believe that human beings have the duty of upholding morality. People have the moral duty to do the right things and avoid doing things that are wrong. The consequences of an action are never considered in determining whether the action is right or wrong. An individual has to consider his or her moral duty in order to make moral decisions. In this case, the personal use of marijuana is considered right or wrong based on the moral duty of users rather than the consequence of the plant on its user. The theory of deontological reasoning is connected to three concepts including rights, duties and principles (Burnham, 2011). However, our discussion only focuses on duties in analyzing the debate on legalizing the personal use of marijuana. There is a brief discussion of the concept of rights with regards to the theory of deontological reasoning. If an individual has the right to life, other people have the duty of making sure that such a right is respected. This relates with the issue of legalizing the use of marijuana. From a doctor’s perspective, medical marijuana has medicinal value and can be used in preserving life through healing. In such a case, the government and law enforcement agencies have the duty of respecting the right to life by legalizing the use of marijuana in providing treatment (Gerber, 2004). Marijuana may also be used for a different purpose such as pleasure, which may eventually result in users going insane. In order to preserve the life of users, there is an urgent need to make it illegal for users to abuse marijuana. This is because it will reduce the number of cases related to drug abuse hence saving a significant number of the human population from getting insane or engaging in criminal activities. Insanity and criminal actions have may result in the loss of life. The theory of deontological behavior proposes two classes of duties. First, there are general duties, which are commonly identified as prohibitions. Examples of prohibitions include do not kill, do not steal, and assist the needy among other general duties. The second class of duties relate to duties arising from the fact that there exists specific social relationships. For instance, if an individual has made a promise, then he or she has the duty of keeping the promise. Additionally, if one is a parent, then he or she has the duty to provide for the children. In this case, legalizing the personal use of marijuana is considered under the class of general duties (Jebreal Lukes, 2011). One argument is that marijuana should be prohibited because it involves abuse of substances. You read "Legalizing Marijuana Marc Dalcin" in category "Essay examples" On the other hand, doctors with patients have the duty to provide them with treatment even if it involves the use of marijuana as a medicine. Aquinas notes that each person has duties related to personal actions. An individual has a duty to keep promises, but does not have the duty to ensure that promises are kept. According to the theory of deontology, people should be more concerned with fulfilling personal duties but never make attempts of bringing out the most good. This is because it may result in the violation of the concept of a duty. In this case, we only have the duty of meeting the needs of other people rather than maximize the good (Mizzoni, 2009). There are a number of actions that people may choose from but they are free to act as they please. Basically, this means that people have the option of using marijuana for whatever reasons regardless of its consequences. There are instances when duties conflict with each other. W. D. Ross notes that in such cases, one does not require rules in solving such a conflict. One is only required to use their judgment in arriving at a solution. However, there are cases whereby one lacks the criteria that can be used in making decisions (Mizzoni, 2009). Deontologists argue that identifying the intentions of actions can provide a solution. Ross argues that actions are determined to be wrong or right based on the intentions of the agent. Therefore, deontological reasoning justifies the legalization of marijuana on the basis that it is used to improve human health. The use of marijuana can only be considered illegal if users intend to harm others. Relativism According to the theory of relativism, an action is considered moral or immoral relative to the cultural norms of the agent. This means that an action is considered right or wrong based on the moral norms of the culture within which it is practiced. A particular action may be considered moral in one culture while immoral in another culture. Relativists are opposed to the use of universal moral standards in determining whether an action is right or wrong (Jebreal Lukes, 2011). The United Kingdom may consider the use marijuana as morally wrong while Amsterdam considers it morally right. According to relativists, there is no standard framework to be used in resolving moral disputes such as the legalization of marijuana across different members of society. Relativism is different from deontological reasoning in the sense that upholds societal norms as the determining factor on moral issues. According to relativism, marijuana should be legalized or not based on what society considers being moral or immoral (Jebreal Lukes, 2011). However, in the case of deontological reasoning, actions are considered to be right or wrong based on the moral duties of an individual. Whereas relativism places emphasis on society in solving ethical dilemmas, deontological reasoning places emphasis on the moral duty of an individual. In this case, a relativist may support the legalization of marijuana because it is commonly used among members of his or her society. The same person may oppose legalizing marijuana because it is uncommon to use marijuana or use of marijuana is considered immoral within his society. The theory of relativism raises a number of important issues related to legalizing marijuana. First, different societies have conflicting moral beliefs and that believes of people within a society are deeply determined by their culture. It is therefore important that we incorporate the relativism when arguing for or against legalizing marijuana. Second, the theory provides for the exploration of reasons that influence the differences in beliefs of different individuals. This ensures that we also challenge the beliefs we hold for or against the legalization of marijuana (Burnham, 2011). Marijuana should be legalized My personal opinion is that there should be the legalization of marijuana. After making comparisons between the theory of relativism and deontological reasoning, I have discovered that relativism contains views that are closer to my own views. The issue of legalizing or prohibiting marijuana should be determine on the basis of what society views to be right or wrong rather than the moral duties of an individual. The theory of deontological reasoning argues that individuals have the moral duty to do what is right and at the same time avoid what is wrong but such actions are never aimed at aximizing most good (Gerber, 2004). However, relativism argues that an action is morally good or bad based on the cultural norms of a society. In such a case, actions are either considered to be good or bad for the collective benefit of society. This means that marijuana should be legalized because it helps the society or it should be made illegal because it harms the society. There are two perspecti ves that can be used in supporting the use of marijuana. They include marijuana as a medicine and marijuana as an illicit drug. Medical Marijuana Since 1972, medical marijuana has been considered an illegal substance in the United States and across a number of countries in the world. In the United States, the congress banned the use of medical marijuana on the basis that it was harmful to the health of consumers and even placed it in the first schedule of the Controlled Substances Act. Generally, the congress considered that the drug did not have any healthy gains for the human body. However, recent research studies on the effects of marijuana provided different results to the claims presented by the US congress. Theses research studies have led to the discovery that medical marijuana can be used as medicine and has the potential to heal a number of diseases (Burnham, 2011). Marijuana contains a chemical THC, which has been proven to be harmless to human body. The new discoveries provide enough reasons for the legalization of marijuana. Failure to legalize marijuana implies that a significant number of people will be denied access to proper medication. Marijuana as an illicit drug Illicit drug use is a major problem and many countries led by the US have found it very difficult to address the problem. Various governments have established a number of programs aimed at solving the problem including treatment and prevention programs, international narcotics control, and drug education programs (Rosenthal, Kubby Newhart, 2003). Despite the efforts of government agencies to solve the problem of illicit drugs use, there is still an increase in the number of drug users. Research studies indicate that marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit drug. A perfect example is that in 1990, the US recorded approximately 6 million people using marijuana on a weekly basis or more. The increasing usage of marijuana as an illicit drug has been closely associated with crime rates all over the world. In 2002, the US reported that approximately 40 percent of jailed adults have at least tried using marijuana. This has the implication that the legalization of marijuana presents a big threat to law and order. Despite the fact that the use of marijuana has become a major problem, the war against its use has proven to be very costly compared to the benefits accrued from legalizing marijuana. For instance, the United States of America spends approximately 12 billion dollars in fighting the problem of marijuana. Legalizing the use of the same drug has the benefit of earning revenues for the government from taxation of marijuana. Instead of the government banning the use marijuana, it should legalize it but ensure that its cultivation, sale and purchase are regulated in order to control criminal activities associated with marijuana (Gerber, 2004). Legalizing marijuana is indeed an ethical dilemma given the fact that it can be used as medicine as well as an illicit drug. However, deontological reasoning proposes that an action is good or bad based on the moral duty of an individual rather than its consequence. The theory therefore proposes that the morality of legalizing the use of marijuana is a personal choice. On the contrary, the theory of relativism proposes that an action is morally ethical relative to the culture within such an action is practiced (Rosenthal, Kubby Newhart, 2003). It is on the basis of the theory of relativism that I propose the legalization of the use of marijuana. The benefits of legalizing marijuana such as healing and economic value far outweigh the cost of prohibiting its use. References Burnham, A. (2011). Benefits of Legalizing Marijuana. New York: GRIN Verlag. Gerber, J. R. (2004). Legalizing Marijuana: Drug Policy Reform and Prohibition Politics. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group. Jebreal, R. Lukes, S. (2011). Moral Relativism. New York: Profile Books. Mizzoni, J. (2009). Ethics: The Basics. New York: John Wiley Sons. Rosenthal, E. , Kubby, S. Newhart, S. (2003). Why Marijuana Should Be Legal. Chicago: Running Press. How to cite Legalizing Marijuana Marc Dalcin, Essay examples