The Amish Educational Exemption

The Amish Educational Exemption How might a liberal philosopher argue for the view that it was right to grant an exemption in this case? How might a liberal philosopher argue against this view? Which side has the stronger argument? The question concerns the request by Amish Parents for a Cultural Exemption to the state of Wisconsins Universal Law requiring all children to attend school up to the age of sixteen. It asks for opposite liberal philosophical arguments, should a Universal, Difference Blind Law prevail across all cultural groups, are the Amish an exception. It raises questions of equality and definition. It asks that if a Cultural Exemption is allowed do they have franchise, is it fair, affect third parties, promotes equality, is there autonomy within the cultural group, and is it uniform in its application within the group and important to its cultural way of life and religion. Clearly important principals for the Amish and Amish Parents are at stake but crucially mechanisms are in place to accommodate differing cultural minorities within dominant Western cultures allowing examination of the arguments and the granting where appropriate of Exemptions to Universal Difference Blind rules. Philosophical Liberal traditions underpin legislators use of exemptions using rules, principals and definitions to adapt Universal Difference Blind laws. These work towards the protection of minorities, preserving Cultural Differences and righting discrimination. A case-by-case discovery carried out using where appropriate, argument by analogy established by previous findings and argument in the Liberal tradition help ensure legitimacy in each case and to provides that principles such as equality and fairness prevail (Pike. 2008, p95, p96) The first argument offered in accordance with the essay question is in favour of the decision by the US Supreme Court to grant an Exemption to the Amish Parents. The application of a Difference Blind Law on this cultural group was unfair in its consequence on their religion, culture and way of life. The Amish are a society with settled culture and traditions their members have adequate cultural and religious resources to thrive and live autonomous lives within their own cultural identity and group. It is possible to leave or join the Amish group culture giving choice as to continuing physical involvement however as described in Reading 3.1 (Margalit and Raz. 1990, in Pike, P118). `given the pervasive nature of the culture of groups†¦their influence on individuals who grow up in their midst is profound and far reaching. Soas members of this cultural group they would find profound difficulty in adjusting to other cultures making a life outside the Amish problematic. One could argue that a consequence of that is that there is no choice, that an autonomous life outside their cultural group would be unsuccessful. Their religion deeply entwined as it is in their way of life and which especially in respect to the teaching of their children places great emphasis on ethical living, hard work and becoming a valuable member of the Amish community (Exploring-amish-country.com, 2017). In support of their contention that their children should not attend school beyond the age of 14 (against the State requirement of attending until the age of 16), they argue that the State run schools would teach their children values that would be `incompatible with the Amish way of life and endanger their childrens salvation (Cornell.2015 in Assignment Booklet. P36). The Amish parents were concerned that in both real and subliminal terms this law would expose their children to temptations around, at and in schools and taught subjects by the schools that would lead to behaviour that was incompatible with their Religious and cultural roots. The second argument offered in favour of an exemption is one by way of analogy. Taking the exemption offered to the Musqueam band of British Columbia as the analogy supporting the case for a Cultural Exemption to the Difference Blind Rule. There are case differences of course but the key point made here is that the exemption given was not only on aboriginal fishing rights but also on the grounds of cultural identity and a desire by the legislators to preserve a long established way of life. `For the Musqueam, the salmon fishery has always constituted an integral part of their distinctive culture (Pike. 2008, p103). The parallel drawn is between the schooling arrangements the Amish had long organised themselves and taught in their traditional One Room schools up to the age of 14. A tradition of long standing that cherished and developed their children in the Amish culture, Religion and way of life. It was under threat by the States change of policy to bring schools together and impose education to the age of 16. Meaning bussing out of area and exposing their children to temptations that the Amish considered would put their mortal souls at risk. Amish educations objective is to prepare their children to take a useful and full part in Amish religious and cultural life. To work hard, live ethically and be a valuable member of the Amish community is the objective of their schooling. The intent is not to promote individuality and critical thinking. Amish education `does not seek to create artists, scientists, musicians or actors but it will teach separateness from the world (Exploring-amish-country.com, 2017). The changes proposed by the Canadian Department of Fisheries also imposed serious changes to the cultural mores of the Musqueam band that in time would have irrevocably changed their culture and tradition. The arguments supported as they are by the criteria given by Prof Parekh in his interview for the Audio CD (Pike, Parekh. 2008, Track 5, Discussing Cultural Exemptions).   In recognising which differences crucially acknowledged, `Fundamental moral principals†¦ historical culture of community†¦.the amount of destabilisation that recognition of it is going to involve in terms of organisation and structure of the institution. To impose thesechanges on the Amish parents would impose a profound change to their way of life in similar fashion to the changes to the fishing rights now exempted by the Canadian authorities. Exposed to cultural differences that were intolerant of their religion and way of life; the law was a major imposition on and unfair to the Amish community therefore. In attempting to create a Universal, Difference Blind law that required all children, attend school after 8th grade put the Amish at risk, of, in time loosing their cultural identity. As an alternative argument, the case of overriding principal offers a valid reason for not granting an Exemption from the Universal Law. The State of Wisconsin has a duty to legislate equally and apply the law uniformly to all its citizens. The Principal of equal schooling for all cannot be detrimental to any of its citizens as the key is to teach the same curriculum to all children in the state. The argument of unequal impact cannot succeed as all children are subject to the same rules and enjoy the benefits that higher education will bring (Pike, Parekh. 2008, Track 4, Discussing Cultural Exemptions). In taking the principal of equal schooling for all within a Difference Blind Law, the State is treating all of its citizens uniformly, equally and in a non-discriminatory manner. Another argument against could be made on behalf of the Amish children as it could be argued that they would be discriminated against unfairly if they were denied an opportunity to attend higher education. Who is to say that the Amish children do not want to engage with the world to a greater degree than their parents do unless fully consulted? For society to live in harmony it is reasonable to learn more about other traditions, understanding would promote tolerance. Access to alternative cultures and a broader curriculum through higher education, exposing the Amish children to the opportunity of learning about other cultures and ways of life will help them understand the world as a whole. There would be a detrimental effect on the child if granted Exemption, especially if it compromised their right to determine their own autonomy in the future. Importantly it would reduce choice for the children of the Amish reducing their chance of autonomy in other societies should they choose to transfer from one to the other In conclusion these were serious considerations for the Amish community and their release from this universal, Difference Blind Law, which challenged their culture, religion and long-term existence was a fair decision by the US Supreme Court albeit tinged by a question over the rights of their children to take a part of this debate. They have argued successfully that this law had a `particular religious and cultural significance for them (Pike. 2008, p102) enforcement infringes their right to practice their religion and lead a peaceful autonomous life within the confines of their chosen cultural resources. A key objective of and foundation of the franchise of any Democratic Government such as that of the United States of America where this case originates must be to legislate equally (taking account that equally is not uniformity) (Pike, Parekh. 2008, Track 3, Discussing Cultural Exemptions) and fairly across the whole of the population. Anything else provides a platform for conflict and a lightning rod for discord. Humans are complicated, not renowned for their uniformity; many diverse cultures successfully make up humankind. Blanket universal difference blind laws do work for some of the issues facing a legislator and can form the starting point, `Thou shalt not kill for instance but there are many instances where common sense, pragmatism and kindness should prevail, echo real life and allow Cultural Exemptions to Universal Law. The argument being that in order to live together we need to be respectful and revere other cultures, learn from them and protect them if possible. Word count;1566 Bibliography Pike, J. (2008) `Cultural Encounters and Cultural Exemptions in AA100 Book 3: Cultural Encounters. Milton Keynes, Open University, chapter 3 Audio CD: Discussing Cultural Exemption Tutorials given by David Forrest and Susie Wood and tutorial handout materials Amishamericacom. (2017). Amishamericacom. Retrieved 23 March, 2017, from http://amishamerica.com/why-do-amish-only-go-to-school-until-8th-grade schwieder; morain. (2009). A peculiar people: Iowas old order Amish: an expanded edition. : Iowa City: University of Iowa Press. Exploring-amish-country.com. (2017). A LOOK AT AMISH EDUCATION. [online] Available at: http://www.exploring-amish-country.com/amish-education.html [Accessed 24 Mar. 2017].

Michael Imaginary Friend :: short story

Michael Fritz was a very lonely boy. His parents died in a nasty car crash when he was two, so Michael was sent to live with his Aunt and Uncle. Michael was known as a shut in, and never would he go play with kids his own age. He was content with the inside of his home and that is where he stayed. While Michel’s Aunt and Uncle were at work his nanny, Kendra, would watch after him and take him to the park. On a day that seemed to be as normal as the rest something very abnormal happened. Michael was taken to the park, and like his usual routine; he went off and played by himself. A few hours later Michael went to Kendra, and told her he was ready to go. She agreed and they started to the car. â€Å"Miss Kendra, can I bring a friend home with me,† stated Michael. Kendra replied, â€Å"I can’t see a reason why not.† Kendra looked around for Michael’s friend, but she did not see him anywhere. â€Å"He’s right here,† stated Michael, â€Å"he is very excited to come home with us.† It was at that moment that Kendra realized that Michael had an imaginary friend. She was fine with the idea and thought the concept of an imaginary friend was perfectly normal. â€Å"Oh, now I see your friend. What is his name?† the nanny said. â€Å"His name is Jonny, and he is one year older than me.† The whole car ride home Michael was talking to his imaginary friend. Kendra did not mind; she was acutely very happy to know that Michael made some type of friend. When Michael’s aunt came home that night the Kendra pulled her to the side and told her about Jonny. Kendra also told her that Michael began using very bad words when he spoke with Jonny. Sarah (Michael’s aunt) was very surprised that Michael would ever use swear words, and frankly did not believe what the nanny was telling her. Later that night Sarah pulled Michael to the side and asked him about his friend. Sarah’s first words were, â€Å"Kendra told me that you have a new imaginary friend.† â€Å"He’s not imaginary he is really!† Michael answered angrily. â€Å"Oh, Ok,† Sarah replied sarcastically. â€Å"Well does your friend have a name?† â€Å"Yes, his name is Jonny.† Sarah asked, â€Å"Kendra has brought to my attention that some choice words has slipped out of your mouth.

Gothic Story Essay

The advancing darkness overwhelmed his senses and the fear of the night crept upon him. Distant screams beyond the unavoidable forest seemed to draw him towards the tall trees ahead. He fearfully entered the overpowering forest, after a few footsteps in, the trees surrounded him at every angle and there was no escape. The journey had to continue, there was no turning back now. The scattered leaves and twigs crunched below his feet as he advanced further into the colossal forest, his nose was conquered by the dominant scent of burning wood and mud. The whispering footsteps of wild beastly animals seemed to be following his every motion, then the sudden roaring wind threw him off balance and he plummeted to the ground with a colossal thud. He rose to his feet immediately and a distance ahead of him he could see the moon light fighting through the dense trees. He proceeded in the direction in which he was originally travelling in. After a while of walking he became aware that the night was at its peak and nothing but death could be heard. He fearfully darted as rapid as he could and now the opening of the forest was near, he cleared the last of the trees, and he was now out of the mighty forest. In front of him stood an isolated castle, he sceptically approached the mammoth cast iron gates that towered far above him. The gates had huge rusted chains securing them, but they were not locked. He heaved the gates with great difficulty and managed to open a small gap that he was able to squeeze through. The gravel in advance of him seemed disturbed as if someone had already past over it recently, he continued anyway and the gravel crunched beneath his feet, the old cold stone castle was in front of him. He approached the huge rotting wooden doors, which were wide open and he slowly entered the vast hallway, a mighty bash was heard behind him, he spun around and realized that the doors had fastened. The hallway was damp, with a stale smell, it was decorated with ancient wallpaper and rotting furnishings, it seemed as if the place had been abandoned years ago and any previous owners are long dead, but judging by the size of the doors and gates the people who lived here must have been humongous. He progressed deeper into the ancient castle, he could hear dripping echoes around the corridor he had entered, the smell changed it was now a disgusting rotting smell as if something or someone had died in the area. Further forwards he saw an object hanging in the centre of the corridor in the distance but he could not tell what it was, the smell had become more dominant as he continued it was becoming unbearable, he reached the hanging object and to his disgust and astonishment was a man’s leg dangling from a piece of wire tied to a pipe above his head, the leg had already begun rotting away but a lot of flesh still remained, it appeared as if the leg was chopped of by a butchers knife or an axe. He had now reached the end of the corridor and was lingering at the top of a dark spiralling staircase, he descended slowly but fearfully into the darkness of the staircase that was slowly absorbing him, unable to see anything but his feet and the step he was treading on he would be unable to tell how many steps he would have to descend. Trusting himself he gripped onto the railing at one side of these stairs and went down one step at a time, he had descended masses of steps, he must have been going down for at least half an hour. Finally some light began to creep in as he continued downwards; he could now see the vast remaining number of steps beneath him begin to reveal themselves. He touched the walls for balance as he descended; they were as cold as ice. At last he discovered that the never-ending staircase was coming to an end. He reached the final step and felt a mixture of relief because the journey had ended and yet he was nervous as to what lay ahead. At the end of the stair case was a poorly lit room that was damp and dirty. There was blood everywhere; all over the walls and a huge puddle where he was standing. In the centre of the room he found a bleeding man tied to a small wooden chair with thick ropes. In the man’s leg a large butcher’s knife had been wedged deep into his flesh. The room was empty except for a large steel door at the back of the room. The door swung open and a giant man with a huge blood soaked knife stood at the door saturated in shadow.

Fluoride in Drinking Water Is it good Essay - 1193 Words

Fluoride in drinking water has been a hot topic in the past decade. Some communities are all for it and some are completely against it. With such a range of opinions on the matter some organizations have took it upon themselves to present the pros and cons of the fluoride to the public so they can make informed decisions. Often times these surveys are bias to one side or the other, so I shall be giving information on both sides of the issue, the future outlook, and my personal opinion in order to help inform you to decide on your own. Fluorine is an element that reacts with minerals in the earth to create a salt. The salt is often naturally occurring in nature and is found in very small amounts in urban and rural wells. Although it is†¦show more content†¦The NRC reported in 2007 that fluoride was considered an element essential to life. Fluoride plays an important role in the body’s ability to perform metabolic and biochemical reactions that help prevent tooth decay and help bone formation. Essentially the government says that the fluoridation of water is more helpful than harmful for people as it is a good use of tax dollars as it treats upper class and lower class citizens equally in dental prevention. Although with all this information on the benefits of treating public water there is still information that is overlooked by governments. Fluoride is a pollutant, insecticide, poison, and a byproduct of fertilizer, nuclear power plants, and metal processing. Fluoride is also found in many processed goods, dental hygiene products, and pharmaceuticals meaning the average person’s intake is most likely far greater than the recommended levels. In the 1930s they were looking for an easy way to dispose of the toxic byproduct. During this time period one of the largest aluminum companies funded a test to determine how bad or good fluoride actually was to the people, this is when it was first deemed as a beneficial treatment. To me it seems kind of fishy that a company more worried about public relations and how to dispose of the toxic byproduct was trusted to carry out the testing themselves. This thinking came from the era where it was thought that smoking cigarettes wouldShow MoreR elatedFluoride As A Safe And Effective Way Of The Dental Health Of Americans1122 Words   |  5 Pagesadditive of fluoride into tap water. Fluoride has been important in the process of improving the dental health of Americans; after the addition of fluoride into tap water, tooth decay decreased drastically among Americans and most significantly among young children. It’s argued, however, that fluoride is dangerous, not required, and a violation of someone s rights by being added to water. In reality, fluoride is a safe and effective way to prevent tooth decay by being added to tap water. Fluoride is aRead MoreWho is against fluoride being added to water and Why1000 Words   |  4 PagesWho is against fluoride being added to water and Why This report investigates about water fluoridation, and its effects and why it is added to water. Water fluoridation is a process where fluoride is added to public drinking water. The main purpose of this is to reduce tooth decay. The dosage that is added to the water is paramount to stopping tooth decay. This process can only be achieved by physically adding the fluoride to the drinking water. When the fluoridated water is drunk it acts on theRead MoreToothpaste Persuasive Speech1400 Words   |  6 Pageslove to have white teeth and from the time we are very young, we are told by our parents and our dentists that we need to brush twice daily with fluoride in order to prevent cavities. But what if I told you that toothpaste was poisonous? Credibility Statement: As a person who has been brushing his teeth for many years without knowing the effects that fluoride can cause, I decided to do extensive research on the topic to find out what we are really putting in our bodies. Reason for audience to listen:Read MorePublic Drinking Water Case Study1171 Words   |  5 Pagesof Washington is now mandating fluoride be maintained in all public drinking water sources. Washington state Department of Health states that a mandated fluoridated water policy would be the most effective method to combat oral health diseases and that it is a proven technique. The Washington State board of health has adopted the recommendation from the federal Department of Health and Human Services to produce a rule for public drinking water to maintain fluoride levels of 0.7ml/L (Washington StateRead MoreFluoride And Its Effect On Our Lives1191 Words   |  5 Pagesglasses of water a day! 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This was critical to protect the American Aluminum Company (ALCOA), the world’s largest aluminumRead MoreSpatial Water Quality Analysis Of Vadodara District Using Geo Informatics Tools1399 Words   |  6 PagesSpatial Water Quality Analysis Of Vadodara district Using Geo Informatics Tools Suman Agrawal , Dr. H.M.Patel ,Indra Prakash3, Ajay Patel4 Abstract: The Vadodara District, covering an area of 7788 km2 is occupied by varied type of geological formations ranging from Archaean to recent. Ground water samples from 65 locations of the watershed bounded by north latitude 21 °49’19† and 22 °48’37†and east longitude 72 °51’05†and 74 °16’55 were collected. The collectedRead More Water Fluoridation Must Stop Essay1467 Words   |  6 PagesFluoride compounds have been added to water supplies since as early as the 1950s because claims were made to support fluorides use as a cavity preventer. However, studies conducted even decades before have shown that fluoride is an extremely hazardous substance that should be completely avoided. These views or claims about fluoride are just too contradictory, both cannot be true. Fluoride has hidden dangers that not enough people know about and should be removed from the water supplies despiteRead MoreOral Health1667 Words   |  7 Pag espublic should be getting informed and educated because if someone doesnt start raising awareness what will happen to peoples teeth? They will start rotting and falling off before they know it. Although many Americans have good oral hygiene due to fluoride and making everyday good decisions, others do not have any access at all to oral health care. Over the years, dentists have been trying to demonstrate the importance of oral care. (â€Å"Access to Dental Care†) From commercials to campaigns, dentistsRead MorePulaski County Water Supply1324 Words   |  5 Pagesa survey of Pulaski county residents to get their opinion about the Pulaski county water supply. The purpose of the survey is to get others viewpoint of Pulaski County drinking water so that we can improve our waters system. In the Article â€Å"Arkansas Rivers is Too Polluted to Touch† written on April 24, 2000, it states â€Å"The river is fairly clean as it flows into Wichita, but by the time it leaves the city, the water is so dirty it is not safe for wading, fishing and touching, said Tom Stiles, chief