A Study On The Political Obligation

A Study On The Political Obligation The following research paper deals with the concept of political obligation along with various theories of political obligation and a critical analysis of the same. Towards the beginning the paper explains the meaning of the political obligation with examples and towards the end it explains the various theories of political obligation and a critical analysis of each of them. To begin with one must know what the word political obligation means. To a lay man the word means To have a political obligation is to have a moral duty to obey the laws of ones country or state.1 In context of the subject politics, the word Political obligation is defined as When the authorising rule is a law, and the association a state, we call this political obligation.2 Political obligations have been in complete argument by the various political thinkers. The various questions such as the The number of people that can acquire political obligation? and Is it merely being the member of the state or something more than that? are the various questions that many thinkers have tried to answer but no one has been able to answer the question that could form a general consent. Political obligation is concerned with the clash between the individuals claim to self-governance and the right of the state to claim obedience. This was the statement given by one of the modern political thinkers Dudley Knowles. The statement does not bring out all the characteristics of political obligation but to some extent has been able to bring out some of them. Before moving on further to the theories of political obligation one must know all the characteristics of political obligation. To start with one must clearly understand that political science is not a branch that only stick to the topic which are political in nature but to all those that help in general good. Another characteristic that needs to be highlighted is that all political obligations involve the issue of legitimacy. It helps to ensure people that the existing institution that command obedience and obligation in the state are legitimate. To prove this one can take the example that the people should have faith in the institution that are maintaining the obligation work for the development of the state and serves for the best interest of the society. The third characteristic which is also one of the key characteristics of political obligation is that it is not only concerned with obedience of authority but is also concerned with resisting and opposing authority in special circumstances. This can be very well explained in the following lines, There are good grounds for accepting authority in general, but, there may be good grounds too for rejecting it in particular cases; if authority derives from a constitution, there would generally be good grounds for rejecting any exercise of it which was unconstitutional. Again, if its legitimacy depends on the way it is used, an invasion of a sphere where political authority is inappropriate might be grounds for disobedience or, in extreme cases, for resistance.3 From the above we can make an important note that political obligation holds an important place in state and that one needs to understand political obligation so as to understand the state better. Now as we have come across the characteristics of political obligation we must now move to another important aspect that is the theories that have evolved over a period of time. There have been many theories that have been developed over a period of time that have been developed by the various philosophical thinkers. They can also be classified under various categories that have been mentioned. To begin with there are various theories which support unlimited obligation to the state followed by the theories that support limited obligation and at last the theories that do not favour obligation i.e. they are against the political obligation. Refer book Social Principles and the Democratic State pg.308 by Benn Peters. The theories that justifies unlimited political obligation are 1.) The force theory or the doctrine of Force Majuere 2.) The divine theory 3.) The conservative theory. The force theory or the doctrine of Force Majuere states that the individual obeys the state because of the invincible and the absolute power that the state posses. The individual other than abiding to the state has no other option. According to the theory the political obligation is born out of the fear, force and compulsion. The state according to the theory cannot be challenged or resisted and therefore has put forward the concept of unlimited obligation. The theory cannot have a view that is based on fear and force and not on the consent and will of the people or the individual and therefore it cannot be regarded as an appropriate approach to the concept of the political obligation.4 The theory had not been widely accepted due to the following reasons. 1) It not based on any moral ground and only believes in the fact that might is right. 2) It does not give individual the right to inquire whether the law is right or not. 3) This theory does not secure the will of the political obedience of the individual. 4) Also, that it does not permit the individual to resist against any wrong decision or judgement. The next is the divine theory that states that political obligation is based in the principle of faith. As the theory explains the role of the god in the creation of the state, it suggests that the true source of the authority is independent of human choice and custom5 and the individual is obliged to obey the sovereign as the divine authority. The theory started losing its significance in the modern world and even King James I of England proved that even the rulers could be unjust, if the individual were not subjected to right to resist or rebel. The theory also started to lose significance due to the growth of democracy and also due to the separation of the church from the state.

A short story – Behind the Canvas

Behind the canvas the shadow loomed large and dangerous. The head was enormous and it seemed to be floating in the air. The feet, as long as canoes, would rise and fall as the other elongated shadow moved up towards the top of the tent. As John entered the tent, the head burst. It was a balloon, a silly childish prank. The shadow, a petite ten year old. Falling on top of his mates in laughter, John started to come round from his ever-lasting laughing fit. â€Å"That was the worst monster I've ever seen,† laughed James. † It wasn't as bad as your go yesterday!† chuckled David. â€Å"OK, but you have to say that that was awful David,† James stated. † Time for some real stories I think.† â€Å"Not ghost stories, James they're boring,† whined John. â€Å"Not a ghost story, John, a real story†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The time was 2-45pm and there was only fifteen minutes until kick-off and the road was deserted. A piece of tumbleweed blew across the pavement. A bulky shadow squeezed under the thin barriers and a tall, chunky middle-aged man was walking across the road towards the ground. By his side his son, a skinny seven year old. They rushed through the busy traffic and into the long never-ending passageway, which reflected the sight of a Leviathan winding through the prehistoric woodlands, towards the stadium. The boy was furiously tugging his father's hand in an attempt to arrive on time. Stopping 100m from the ground the boy's dad slowly bent down to tie his shoelaces up. By this point the young boy could see the amount of people. Thousands gathering for the match. He began to sweat. His father rose; he quickly grasped his hand and tightened up against the giant figure. And pulled. As they pushed through the big crowds plaguing the entrance, a sight similar to an ocean of tall, blue and white waves crashing into each other, a loud, unfamiliar crackling sound rang in his ear. He sharply turned his head and could see a speaker blurting out messages that just seemed scrambled to the excited boy. They took their seats for the start of the match. With his father to the left of him, the boy looked across to his right where he saw a big-boned bald supporter, with distinctive dark glasses, tucking into a Cornish pasty. The man lowered his head. As the match progressed the crowd grew more and more agitated. A large, black crow hovered over the grandstand. The boy's father was fidgeting constantly. After a few minutes the father got up from his seat. † I'll be a few minutes son, just got to use the toilet.† The small boy looked like a pebble on the beach in contrast to the crowd's attendance, which was like the mountainous Rockies. Minutes past and his father had still not returned. He looked over to his right. The man with dark glasses had disappeared. A grey cloud passed over the stadium. The boy started to panic. His heartbeat rocketing, his body trembling and his eyes watering. The referee blew his whistle loudly to signal half time and the crowds started to disappear into the toilets and hot dog stalls, into the bars and club shop. In an instant the crowd had plummeted in number. He couldn't see anybody he recognized and he felt so alone. The minutes ticked by, never before had he been left so alone. As the crowd reappeared from the exits, every fan that wasn't the boy's Dad was like a knife in his heart, as painful as a pig to the slaughter. After nearly giving up hope of his father returning, the strange dark-glassed man emerged from the exit, a wide grin on his face. As he placed himself next to the boy he glanced over. † Alright kiddo, are you enjoying yourself?† The small boy, as frightened as a cat running away from a dog, hesitantly replied with a nod. As the match progressed so did the boy's anxiety. It had been 30 minutes since his Dad left and the boy was really starting to shake. He lowered his head onto his lap and as he lifted it back up he could see a tall, broad, sinister looking Caribbean man with an afro plodding up the steps in a fluorescent orange jacket. The boy sat up properly and the man squeezed his way through the seated crowd and placed himself next to the boy. Before the boy could speak he was being carted off towards the emergency exit and thrown into the back of a shiny silver Renault Cleo. The boy didn't know what was happening and as they passed through the gates of the football stadium he could see the chunky bald man he'd been sitting next too staring at him with his dark shaded glasses. Suddenly I shiver wriggled down the boy's spine. The car, being driven more recklessly by the minute, every junction they passed through a loud ringing sound would come out of the car. The car, going faster than the boy was used to when his dad was driving started swinging round roundabouts, accelerating through motorways and skidding past corners at great speed. The car finally came to a halt outside a big four-storey building; the boy was swiftly whisked out of the car and marched into a plain white room where he was left. This room was plain, with five simple chairs around an oak table. A few womens magazines were all that lay upon this furnished table and it seemed an eternity for the boy whilst, he was waiting. The boy didn't know what was happening; with nothing to do he stared at the low walls. He heard the door rattle and turned sharply, the door hadn't been touch. The boy, panicking, ran to the door to answer it but it wouldn't budge. He yanked it. He kicked it. He barged into it but it still wouldn't open. He was going, crazy what place was this? He could see men and women in wheelchairs and crutches ambling round the place. Men with head bandages and women with there arms in slings. Every few minutes a big trolley would pass the room. The boy would knock as hard as he could but still there would be no answer. Nobody could see him and no one answered his cries. As the fourth trolley rushed past it stopped just outside the door. A tall, chunky middle-aged man stepped off it. The boy instantly recognized the figure. It was his father. The door was unlocked immediately and the two were re-united. The boy was still unsure what had happened but he didn't care in the slightest. â€Å"That wasn't scary at all James, tell us another one,† laughed John. â€Å"It was scary John, look how scared Peter is,† â€Å"Peter, what's the matter that wasn't as scary as one of mine.† As the boys looked across to Peter who was shaking like a leaf, the door flap flew open as a cold chilling wind descending down their spines, and in the door laid a pair of dark shaded glasses.

The External Conflict of the Story „My Oedipus Complex“ by Frank O’conner

The external conflict of the story „My Oedipus Complexâ€Å"by Frank O’Conner? The story „ My Oedipus Complex „written by the well-known Irish author Frank O’Connor is a sacred narration of the youth and growing-up problem. There are three characters in the story: Larry – protagonist, his mother and father. The story is told by a little child Larry, who is 5 years old and who grows up in his nonhazardous world with just himself and his â€Å"beloved† mother. He is not ready to share his mother’s attention with the father, who is returned from the war (WWI) and with new-born brother. Larry is strongly connected with his mother and wants her to belong only to him. The author depicts in the story with galore humour the boy’s â€Å"Oedipus Complex† referring to Freudian psychoanalysis. First of all, to understand the external conflict of the story we need to know who the main character is and what his view on life is. The protagonist, Larry, is an inventive, happy, imaginative and kind young boy, who thinks and cares a lot about her mother. The spectacular experience of Larry seems to be the representation of our childhood stories. Larry is only 5 years old, but sometimes he behaves like an adult person. â€Å"†¦ Having settled my plans for the day, I got up, put a chair under the attic window†¦ â€Å"- he is planning the day, the things he wants to do. While I was reading the story I realized that he enjoys every morning, he thanks God who gave him another splendid day. He was a lively boy, who wanted to brighten his home. Nevertheless, he was just a child, whose thoughts were too strict and sometimes too mirthful. It was difficult for him to understand why his father returned from war and why his mother now spends too much time with her husband and not with Larry. While Larry’s father was fighting in the World War and rarely visited home, boy was enjoying himself and all his mother attention was turned to him. At the beginning of the story he said —â€Å"†¦ the war was the most peaceful period of my life†¦ † Lately, the main point of the sentence was explained as: after his father came back at home his mother’s love was shared by Larry and a â€Å"†¦ stranger†¦ †. The main focus is the relationship between protagonist and his father. It is humorous and adroit how author depicts the oedipal phase. So, as I already mentioned, the main conflict between parent and the child arises when father comes back from the war. Larry is jealous of dividing mother’s attention on two people and is ready to fight for getting back her affections. In the story the relationship is viewed in terms of essential change in influence over normal male development from that of the mother in childhood to that of the father in adolescence. Another thing that struck me was the author’s view of God. Larry narrates when he and his mother prayed for his father, that he comes back home. But when their â€Å"prayers were heard† the child wants his father to go back to the war, because their life changed dramatically. Larry asks his mother: â€Å"†¦ Do you think if I prayed hard God would send daddy back to war? †¦ But, Mummy, couldn't God make another war, if he liked?†¦ † Somehow the protagonist was disappointed about he was prayed for. But why he didn’t thank God for bringing him closet to his father? The answer is very simple he didn’t know what he can do with him, how father can participate in his life. At the end of the story, Larry gets closer to his father when a new baby arrives and pushes both father and son out of the mother priorities. Such outcome create a kind of ironic situation (the thing what brought people closer). In Greek mythology, Oedipus was a prince who killed his father and wanted to marry his mother. In psychoanalytic theory, the term Oedipus complex denotes the emotions and ideas that the mind keeps in the unconscious, that concentrate upon a boy’s desire to sexually possess his mother, and kill his father. (wikipedia, oedipus complex). In the story Larry wanted to get rid form his father and become more closer with his mother. And the reason why he wanted that concluded in not being nearest to his father, he called him as a „strangerâ€Å". Nevertheless some circumstances brought them closer. So I think the title of the Frank O’Connor story is somehow ironical and humorous.

Body Language Cultural or Universal Essay - 1714 Words

Body language and various other nonverbal cues have long been recognized as being of great importance to the facilitation of communication. There has been a long running debate as to whether body language signals and their meanings are culturally determined or whether such cues are innate and thus universal. The nature versus nurture dichotomy inherent in this debate is false; one does not preclude the other’s influence. Rather researchers should seek to address the question how much of nonverbal communication is innate and how much is culturally defined? Are there any true universal nonverbal cues or just universal tendencies modified to suit cultural ideals and constraints? It is my proposal that of all forms of nonverbal†¦show more content†¦The Japanese subjects were able to identify the emotions of the English and Italians better than those groups had been able to judge the Japanese. However the Japanese subjects had difficulty determining Japanese facial express ions. This would seem to indicate that the Japanese face does not express emotion in the same manner as those of other cultures. However, another experiment (3) demonstrated different results. American and Japanese subjects were observed while watching films designed to evoke fear and disgust. During part of this observation the subjects were videotaped while watching the film alone. It was presumed that during this time no social rules would restrict the subject’s display of emotion. When alone, no difference existed between the American and the Japanese subjects in the display of emotion. While watching the film with the researcher present the Japanese were more likely than the Americans to hide negative emotions with a smile. Observation of children who were born deaf and blind show that they make the same emotional expressions (3). There is no way that these children could have learned this behavior through sensory input. Similarly, a study involving sighted babies less than six months of age has shown that they react with fear to negative faces (7). These infants were too young to have learned which faces had negative connotations. This would have to be an innate response. Different cultures define when andShow MoreRelatedHow Does Our Language Shape The Way We Think?1027 Words   |  5 PagesDoes Our Language Shape the Way We Think?† states that people think differently when using different language and Wasserstrom’s â€Å"A Mickey Mouse Approach to Globalization† illustrates that things have different meaning in different culture, while Lahiri’s â€Å"the Namesake† includes both points. In sum, Boroditsky, Wasserstrom, and Lahiri talk about the effects that languages and cultural circumstances have on people’s way of thinking and acting. That is, in different languages and cultural circumstancesRead MorePiagets Theory Of Natural Selection1381 Words   |  6 Pagesthe progression of development is not clear. 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