...In 1956 three professors of communication-Fred S. Siebert, Theodore Peterson and Wilbur Schramm-brought out their Four Theories of the Press which went a long way in establishing a typology in the minds of journalism educators and students. Siebert, Peterson and Schramm discuss journalism philosophy presenting four theories (or concepts): 1. the authoritarian theory, 2. the libertarian theory, 3. the communist theory and 4 the social responsibility theory. Very briefly, here are the main characterstics of each of these theories. Authoritarian: The state, as the highest expression of institutionalized structure, supersedes the individual and makes it possible for the individual to acquire and develop a stable and harmonious life Mass communication, then, supports the state and the government in power so that total society may advance and the state may be viable and attain its objectives. The State (the elite that runs the state) directs the citizenry, which is not considered competent and interested enough to make critical political decisions. One man or an elite group is placed in a leadership role. As the group or person controls society generally it (or he or she) also controls the mass media since they are recognized as vital instruments of social control. The mass media, under authoritarianism, are educators and propagandists by which the power elite exercise social control. Generally the media are privately owned, although the leader or his elite group may own units in...
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...Social Contract Theory of John Locke Shannon Roundtree June 23, 2014 Patricia DeAngelis Differences of the Social Contract Theories There were three critical thinkers who played a major role in creating the concept of the social contract theory. The overall concept of this theory was to see how individuals could survive in a world regulated by laws and government. Each of these individuals had different perspectives on the state of nature. Thomas Hobbes’ view was that man was fearful and selfish. He believed that man desired a sense of security and order. If man wanted to have a sense of self-preservation and protection, they needed to enter into a social contract and surrender their rights and freedom. In other words, a government was created to regulate their lives. Thomas Hobbes also believed that individuals were free to take whatever they wanted and be greedy, and resolve disputes with war. John Locke’s view was different than Thomas Hobbes as he believed no individual has any power over the next and everyone has the freedom to do what they want. John Locke also believed that if an individual committed a crime, they needed to be punished. Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed that the government should adhere to the freedom of all individuals, but with constraints. His views were that individuals could not be free in modern society like they could be in a state of nature if property and laws existed. Key Principles of John Locke’s Social Contract Theory John Locke viewed...
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...American National Government Topic 1 American Government: An Introduction Assessment 1 Chapter 1 Directions: Answer the following questions after viewing the assigned Power Point presentation and reading related materials in the text. Be sure to use complete sentences. 1. Define government and politics. Compare these two terms and cite examples of each. Explain how the two terms are distinct but related to each other. · Government is the people who run the country. Politics is the process followed by the leaders of political groups who rule the country. Government implements the policies of the lands, such as with the judicial branch to enforce the laws, the legislative branch to create the laws, and the executive branch to perform national security duties. And politics are the tool utilized by the government. They both utilize political science which is the study of government and politics. While they both perform and aid the same basic function of running the country, politics is just the process while the government is the actual facility performing the tasks. 2. What is anarchy? Can anarchy ever a viable alternative to government, in your opinion? Why or why not? · Anarchy is living in a state of lawlessness. I believe it cannot, because humans do not function correctly without some type of structure. Without structure there will be total chaos. Murders and other unmentionable crimes will occur with no repercussions being put into place. 3. What...
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...Normative theory Media theory describes the relationship between media and society which is associated with complex social, political, economical and philosophical principles. A type of media theory termed as ‘Normative theory’ refers to what the media must be doing in a society rather what the media is actually doing. Generally, the central thoughts about obligations of mass communication will be constant with other principles and arrangements in a society. According to Siebert et.al, in their book ‘Four theories of the Press’, the press takes the responsibility of forms and coloration of political as well as social structures within the context in which it operates (1956, pp.1-2). The normative political model of media finds to interfere in the operations of media and restrain the inequality in the surrounding also enables the freedom and brings improvement in the access of public (Siebert et.al, 1956). The press and other media have their own view that reflects the law implemented in their society and runs it accordingly. Moreover, social solidarity, active participation, cohesion, cultural diversity and social responsibility are also concerned by the media. Every culture has its own principles, laws, regulations and priorities (Normative media theory, 2011). There are different media theories which are being implemented by various countries and their localities depending on their own usage and requirements. These theories may include Authoritarian theory which...
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...only theory, concept or model of democracy, but clearly a pluralism or plurality of different theories and models. The concept of "democracy" is contestable. It is understood by many people to mean a form of government in which a significant portion of the governed society has a franchise to elect members of the governing body. Other observers would argue that a "true" democracy is a system of government that embraces a universal adult franchise. While flaws exist in all democratic systems of government, most advocates accept Churchill's dictum that contemporary democracy as we know it is the least bad of all systems of government. What is democracy? The popular understanding of the term "democracy" is that there are three basic forms: direct, representative and constitutional. Direct democracy is a form of government in which the right to participate in making political decisions is exercised directly by all citizens, acting under procedures of majority rule. Representative democracy is a form of government in which the citizens exercise the same right of participation in making political decisions, not in person but through elected representatives. Constitutional democracy developed to counter this possibility and is a form of representative democracy in which the powers of the majority are enshrined in constitutional provisions designed to guarantee the individual and collective rights of all citizens. There is an abundant literature relating to democracy theory, with...
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...the American Revolution. Influenced by the philosophical ideas of Montesquieu (1689-1755), the American Revolution came into fruition and became not only a war of freedom from British rule but also a war that capitalized on political theories such as liberty and equality. In liberty, Montesquieu introduces his concept of individual rights. Lastly, in equality, Montesquieu introduces his idea of separation of powers in government. Before one can comprehend the theories of Montesquieu, one must first understand the philosopher Montesquieu. Montesquieu, a French philosopher, highly believed in a liberal government and had a high interest in law. Born from an aristocratic family, Montesquieu attended the University of Bordeaux and obtained a law degree. After his uncle’s death, Montesquieu became the Président à Mortier in the Parliament of Bordeaux. The position mainly dealt with judicial and administrative matters. Because this was a high administrative position, Montesquieu was more involved with the schematics of government. This is perhaps where Montesquieu drawn one of his major political theories: equality. The quote “constant experience shows us that every man invested with power is apt to abuse it ...” (Munro 48) depicts Montesquieu’s belief of equality in government. In other words, he believed in the concept of separation of powers in government. Furthermore, he believed that government should be divided into three branches: executive, judicial and legislative. Each...
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...the Future Over the Past The Athenian concept of freedom was completely unparalleled. Political freedom was conceived in the idea of democratic Athens. Hannah Arendt writes of the uniqueness of Athenian freedom in that freedom in Athens was the ability ‘to start again’ (Arendt 1958: 69) Parrhêsia is essential to this new beginning – the exploring and questioning of history and nature that suggest that the world is open to choices that can be investigated by speech. This means that democracy in Athens was a regime always capable of change and recreation. Athenian democracy was a system of governance that aimed not to look back in time, but forward and allowed nothing from the past to mould it. The democratic breakdown of the...
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...idea of liberty, or freedom, varies between different theorists. One theorist, Isaiah Berlin, focused on the difference between two different ways of thinking about political liberty (Cherniss & Hardy, 2010). Berlin called these two different concepts negative and positive liberty. According to Berlin, negative freedom can be defined as ‘freedom from’, that is, freedom from constraint or interference of others. In contrast, positive freedom can be defined in two ways: ‘freedom to’, that is the ability to pursue and achieve willed goals; and also as autonomy or self-rule, as opposed to the dependence on others (Cherniss & Hardy, 2010). Keeping the idea of positive liberty at the forefront, this essay will focus on what positive liberty is and whether the government should promote it. As already mentioned, positive liberty can be defined as the ‘freedom to’ (Cherniss & Hardy, 2010). Smith (2008) adds that positive liberty is “the idea of self-government”. Under positive liberty, a person may decide how they wish to live, but they may unconsciously conform to the beliefs of society, religion or their parents (Smith, 2008). Positive liberty asks the question of “Who, or what, is the source of control or interference?” (Garner et al., 2012). Positive liberty therefore emphasizes the source of control, rather than the area of control associated with negative liberty (Garner, Ferdinand & Lawsom, 2012). Positive liberty is the view that freedom consists of living a...
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...INTRODUCTION II. FREEDOM III. ANARCHY IV. TOTALITARIANISM V. FREEDOM, ANARCHY, TOTALITARIANISM VI. CONCLUSION VII. BIBLIOGRAPHY INTRODUCTION At a first glance freedom, anarchy and totalitarianism can be mistaken for three words whose meanings have nothing to do with each other. In the next pages, we will demonstrate that, on the contrary, they are very strongly connected not only in a philosophical sense, but also at a political level. In order to relate the three concepts, we must define each one of them. FREEDOM The word freedom implies the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action . Freedom implies no boundaries to limit human actions, so an individual can act however he wants. The concept of boundaries transforms the word freedom into the word liberty. Whereas the concept of freedom ignores the concept of obligations, the concept of liberty implies potential obligations. The word freedom ignores interactions with other humans, the word liberty acknowledges those interactions. The word liberty describes specific freedoms of action without obligations toward others , but recognizes that obligations might exist. The concept of boundaries introduces obligations toward other people. The concept of freedom implies unrestricted movement and actions regardless of boundaries, but the concept of liberty imply restrictions on actions because of boundaries . There is another word that describes the concepts of liberty and freedom. Anarchy. ...
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...Improving Perspectives of International Political Economy International Political Economy is a collection of aspects from economics, political science, sociology, history and some philosophy. With information coming from multiple sources there are bound to be numerous different perspectives of IPE. The three most common and well known perspectives examined will be liberalism, mercantilism and historical structuralism. Being that these are the three most accepted perspectives suggests that the majority of the views within these theories are strengths. However, with so much information, there are bound to be weaknesses and flaws found within these theories as well. There are always ways to improve on these the weaknesses and theories in general. International Political Economy deals with three main approaches: liberalism, historical structuralism and mercantilism. Each theory has its own strengths and weaknesses, but the way to improve them all is not to fix each individual weakness but to combine the strengths of all the perspectives into to create an entirely new theory. Liberalism is often described as the IPE perspective that focuses on the individual and the primacy of freedom or liberty in the book “Introduction to International Political Economy” by David Balaam and Michael Veseth. Individual freedom and capitalism are the overarching ideas found within the idea of liberalism. Capitalism is commonly referred to as a market-based economic system where free-markets...
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...happens in a political context. For example, politics is connected to economics: suppose a hurricane or earthquake strikes a country, in this case it is the political system that decides for example which victims to aid. The disaster is natural, but its impact on society is controlled by politics. Politics may be immoral: we have a misuse of power, corruption…. But even if we don’t like these features, we have to understand how things go on: how A gets B to do what A wants. This is what Political Science tries to explain. Political Science is related to the other social sciences: - History: it’s an important source of data for political scientists (if we analyze the Cold War (1947-1989), we have to know the events so history). But the data are handled differently: political scientists look for generalizations, historians for details. - Geography: physical and human (ethnic areas, regions …….) - Economics: many political quarrels are economic. A good economic development may be the basis for democracy, only few poor countries are democratic. - Sociology: Political Science starts by looking at society to see “who thinks what”about politics. For example, by demonstrating how political views vary among social classes, genders, age groups, religions…. - Anthropology: in Africa, voting and violence follow tribal lines. - Psychology: how personalities are attached to politics. Studies of Hitler, Stalin and - Mao Zedong are often based on psychological theories. We can divide...
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...French philosopher, novelist, and playwright in the 20th Century. Jean-Paul’s key concepts that compromised his beliefs were known as the best philosophy back in the 20th Century. Jean-Paul believed in individual rights which led to Political Philosophy. Sartre’s was a Marxist that set his political economic theories. Jean-Paul’s main ideas, was that every human being are subject to their own rights and deserve to be free; this enhanced his theories. However, Sartre’s work and beliefs made him best known as an Atheist; a believer of his own thoughts. Mankind is responsible for his own actions, stated by Sartre. The Existentialism Jean-Paul Sartre, took the label that people placed on him and two other philosophers Heidegger and Albert; existentialists. Sartre was the only one out of the three to take to this label, because he felt as if he would then be allowed to define it; this was a step closer to him reaching his dreams in philosophy. The main key concept that was analyzed by Sartre is that existence proceeds essence, basically meaning that all human beings are defined by their own actions. Humans outcome on life are based on the choices that we make and all humans are completely free. Sartre’s beliefs on ethics also played a role within his key concepts similar to human actions define human beings. Sartre’s beliefs compromised his theories expanding his knowledge on ideas. Jean’s theories are what made him the person he became, Existentialism. Jean Paul Sartre concentrated...
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...Studies Perspectives of Development Presentation Assignment: The Free-market Theory/The Free Enterprise Theory/Economic Liberalism Key Words: Laissez faire, Adam Smith’s ‘invisible hand’, liberalism, supply and demand, nationalization, privatization, deregulation, rational choice liberalism, neo-liberalism Between 1970 and the last decade before the millennium, there took place a remarkable and dramatic change in the attitude towards the role of the state in economic activities. According to Shutt (1998), during the late 1950 and 60’s, there developed a near consensus among economists especially those linked to the Chicago School of Thought that laissez-faire capitalism was the dominant economic system and that deviation from it was untenable and unsustainable. The argument was that in order to achieve a modicum of development all countries must dedicate themselves to establishing fully liberalized economic, political and cultural systems in which the state plays a minimal role or simply put that of an adjudicator. The rise in what came to be popularly known as the free market economy owed/s much to the failure of the economic models based on extensive state intervention (this was particularly so after the Second World War) to deliver adequate levels of prosperity or security as was signified following the fall of the Soviet Union. As will be argued in this paper using theories from Peter Berger (1985) and Hernando De Soto this apparent logic, especially as far...
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...this work. Fro generously sharing their wisdom, love and time I pay gratitude to my entire batch mates of Dazzlers. Conveying my sincere thanks to all the members of Sevana social group I wind up. general introduction Human is a rational and social being. Society is an unavoidable factor for human being. There are a lot of things to keep as a social being to human. To maintain a good relationship with others, there are certain written and unwritten rules. The person who keeps this rules called ‘just man’. There are different faces to the concept ‘justice’. A brief study about the concept ‘justice’ is an important today. Many philosophers have tried to explain the concept ‘justice’ and its features. We can find a lot of features in personal justice. The meaning of justice may change according to the situations. But there should be a common factor; this common factor is the concept of ‘ethics’. In general justice and ethics are co-related. Today the study of justice includes anthropology, sociology,...
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...PERSPECTIVES OF DEVELOPMENT From theory to reality Table of Contents Introduction 1 What is Development? 2 General approaches to development 4 Dimensions of development 5 Economic Development 5 Human Development 6 Sustainable Development 7 Territorial Development 8 Western Definition of Development in Practice 8 Conclusion 10 Works Cited 11 Perspectives of Development Introduction When the concept of international development was initially developed in the post-World War II era, the countries of the First World had 65 percent of the world’s income with only 20 percent of its population, while the Third World was home of 67 percent of the world’s population but had only 18 percent of its income. People embraced the word development as a desirable objective of postwar economic policy in the late 1940s. "Development" was not precisely defined, but it was taken to mean improved economic opportunity by increasing production of goods and services in a long-term way, through capital formation. In short, it was associated with economic growth. In the 1960s the association of development with economic growth came under increasing criticism by authors such as Dudley Seers, Gunnar Myrdal, Paul Streeten, Hollis Chenery, Mahbub ul Haq and institutions like the International Labour Organisation (ILO). They pointed out that developing countries did not experience much change in the living conditions of the masses of the poor in spite of the impressive growth...
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