The Practicality of the Social Contract Essay -- Sociology, Society, G

I.) Introduction Society’s structure has been debated and contested as far back as ancient Greece. Since then, man has developed social systems that greatly differ from anything the ancients had in mind. One such system is the social contract theory, which first came to prominence around the time of the enlightenment. Simplified, social contractarians argued that in order to achieve a balanced and stable society, all of its members must sacrifice certain liberties to a government or similar authority. As Rousseau explains, the contract begins when â€Å"Each of us places his person and all his power in common under the supreme direction of the general will† (148). Essentially, it is an agreement between the rulers and the ruled that produces a stable political state. John Locke’s The Second Treatise of Government and Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s The Social Contract are both enlightenment works that detail contractarianism, yet each has a unique and different way of considering the social contract. Although John Stuart Mill is also known for his work with Utilitarianism, his essay On Liberty considers consent and other issues relating to contract theory. These authors provide different insights into the social contract, and frequently one will reject another’s idea and offer a new solution. Even after this meshing of ideas and solutions, contract theory falls short of practicality. The idea is appealing, appearing on the surface as a fair and just way of governance. However, true liberty cannot arise from a contract, as man cannot be â€Å"forced to be free† (150). There are two fundamental flaws with contractarianism: it is not practical and it ignores human nature, and even if were possible to establish a true contract-based society, the citi... ...tract theory does raise additional questions. Rousseau envisioned a society in which every voice was heard. A solution to this impracticality is the idea of representation—something which Locke advocated for in The Second Treatise. The idea makes sense; have one person represent a group of people to improve functionality. However, how can a man fully represent an entire group’s interest? Surely there must be some differences between the representative and those he represents. If that is the case, can one call that justice? The man already relinquished certain rights by accepting the contract. With representation, he also gives up his right to full participation in the system. Despite this problem and the other issues with contractarianism, this theory served as a foundation for the American political system and continues to inspire political ideologies worldwide.

Plastic Bags

Millions of disposable plastic bags are used and discarded in Washington each year. A beached grey whale was found in West Seattle in 2010 with 20 plastic bags in its stomach. Small pieces of plastic can absorb toxic pollutants like DDT and PCB. Scientists have found that fish are ingesting these toxins when they ingest plastic, concentrating the chemicals in the food chain. There is a good chance that we also absorb these pollutants when we eat fish. The good news is, Washingtonians are taking action to protect the Sound. In 2009, Edmonds became the first city in the state to ban plastic bags.In 2011, six other cities joined the effort. Bellingham, Mukilteo, Seattle, Bainbridge Island, Port Townsend, and Issaquah all banned the bag, significantly cutting down on the amount of plastic flowing into Puget Sound. Today, dozens more communities are considering similar legislation, including Olympia. Local bans have an immediate impact and are a great start—but we can’t stop until bags are banned statewide. When plastic bags are part of mixed recyclables, they get caught in machinery, shutting down recycling operations.Responding to an Environment Washington Research & Policy Center survey, 70 percent of Washington recycling companies want plastic bags out of the waste stream. Curbside recycling in some of Washington’s cities allows the inclusion of plastic bags in mixed recyclables but this actually causes problems in the recycling facilities. †¢ Over half of Washington’s recycling facilities do not even accept plastic bags. For those facilities, 83% reported that their recycling stream was contaminated with plastic bags and it was causing problems. When plastic bags pollute mixed recyclables, they get tangled in recyclers’ machinery, causing plants to shut down. †¢ Some recycling plants in Washington estimate spending 20 to 30 percent of their labor costs removing plastic bags from their Puget Sound is an irreplaceable treasure. It is central to Washington’s culture and our livelihood. Harbor seals play within our bays and thousands of salmon make their way through the Sound every year to spawn. Three endangered pods of resident orcas visit the Sound on a regular basis. Seabirds congregate on our beaches and in our arbors, belting out their familiar cries. And beneath the waves, the seafloor The problem is not limited to Puget Sound. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, every square mile of ocean contains 46,000 pieces of floating plastic, on average. 4 About one thousand miles off the Washington coast, more than 100 million tons of plastic garbage has concentrated in an area known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. 5 Churned by ocean currents, this toxic, plastic soup spans an area twice the size of Texas. 6 Within this area, plastic outweighs plankton by up to six times during certain imes of the day. 7 machinery – on the order of $1,000 per day. †¢ More tha n 70 percent of Washington recyclers want disposable plastic bags out of the waste system. China accepts more than half of all reclaimed plastic bags for recycling, and that number is rising. †¢ Plastic bag recycling plants in China expose workers to toxic fumes, create a haze that hangs over villages, and pollute groundwater sources. Consumers bring their own bags in many parts of the world. Washington can follow this example and ban bags. †¢ Nothing we use for a few minutes should end up contaminating our oceans for hundreds of years. Because recycling efforts have proven inadequate, Washington’s civic leaders should ban single-use plastic bags. Researchers at the University of Washington-Tacoma have found plastic pollution in every water sample they have taken from Puget Sound. At least 20 nations and 88 local governments have passed bans on distributing thin plastic or other types of disposable plastic bags, Approximately 26 nations and local communities have es tablished fee programs to reduce plastic bag use and/or increase the use of reusable alternatives, After Washington, D. C. , mplemented a much smaller 5-cent tax on plastic bags, the number of plastic bags distributed by food retailers fell from 22. 5 million per month to 3. 3 million per month. Edmonds was the first city in Washington to ban plastic bags, adopting a ban in 2009. †¢ More recently, Bellingham adopted a ban on thin-plastic carry-home bags and a 5 cents fee on paper bags in July 2011. †¢ Other cities, including Seattle, Lake Forest Park, and Mukilteo, are actively considering bag bans. To make a real impact, all Washington cities and counties should restrict the use of plastic bags, and dvocate for similar action at the state level Work Citation Krehbiel, Robb. â€Å"Report: Keep Plastic Out of Puget Sound. † A Solution Not in the Bag. Environment Washington Research & Policy Center, Jan. 2012. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. Krehbiel, Robb. â€Å"Report: Keep Pla stic Out of Puget Sound. † Keeping Plastic out of Puget Sound. Environment Washington Research & Policy Center, Nov. 2011. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. Krehbiel, Bobb. â€Å"News Release. † New Report: Recycling Cannot Solve Plastic Bag Problem. Environment Washington Research & Policy Center, 14 Feb. 2011. Web. 25 Feb. 2013.

Believe It Or Not, Global Warming - 1302 Words

Pamela Young Professor Ms. Panto English 105 12 December 2016 Believe it or Not, Global Warming Many people believe that global warming is a hoax, whereas others claim global warming is a real phenomenon. Global warming is an increase in temperature on our planet Earth, in the water and on land. We are experiencing an increase of temperature as a result of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere because of human activities. Scientific research is proving that since the Industrial Revolution began, human activities have significantly increased the greenhouse effect. Because of these relatively recent industrialized human activities, the greenhouse gasses are being added to our atmosphere at a faster rate than earth’s natural occurring process. Ice sheets are melting in the Arctic oceans because the ocean water is getting warmer. Our planet is facing consequences from this climate change due to Arctic sea ice loss, deforestation, and stronger hurricanes and cyclones. First of all, it is projected that the impacts of global warming are already affecting Arctic sea ice loss, and that the glaciers, and Polar ice caps are disappearing. Global warming is affecting the accelerated melting of ice sheets, glaciers and permafrost which is causing average sea levels to rise. As a reaction to different weather patterns in separate locations, some places are becoming dryer, some with intense periods of drought, and some places wetter. The consequence this brings is stronger storms andShow MoreRelatedShould People Believe in Global Warming?1132 Words   |  5 PagesThere are many different perspectives and thoughts on the same issue, such as global warming. To choose which argument is true is up to the people. These days, many people take on a very serious subject, global warming, and they argue whether it is worth to worry about future or not. 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