Theories of Justice and Equality by Michael Walzer Essay

Theories of Justice and Equality by Michael Walzer - Essay Example Thus, Citizen X may be chosen over citizen Y for political office, and then the two of them will be unequal in the sphere of politics. But they will not be unequal generally so along as X's offices give him no advantage over Y in any other spheres-superior medical care, access to better schools for his children, entrepreneurial opportunities and so on"(as cited in Hooghe, 1999, p.211). The absence of X's advantage over Y is called a "blocked exchange" which in practice maintains boundaries between social institutions and practices. Inequities in one area are acceptable but cumulative and overlapping inequalities are not permissible. An accumulation of these inequalities can be the result of two different processes: The influential position within one sphere can be used to gain access to a similar position in a different sphere. The notion of complex equality is aimed mainly at eradicating the possibility of this kind of exchange. Power positions within two (or more) different spheres originate from a single common cause. This would imply that Citizen X has one single characteristic, which makes him excel both in literatures, as in politics and in economic entrepreneurship. The theory of complex equality does not explicitly address this as possible cause of cumulative inequalities (Hooghe, 1999, p.211). In summary, Walzer's complex of equality i... The notion of "overall equality" should not be taken literally for; a.) a higher ranking official cannot be offset against a lower ranking in another sphere and b.) in reality, it will be possible to find individuals who consistently outrank others across important spheres so that they are overall better off than the others. Theoretically, if spheres are independent of each other (and the variables that determine rankings in different spheres do not co-vary), it is mathematically or statistically plausible that inequalities would cancel each other out, if these can be reduced to a common denominator or metric. In contrast, under simple equality, the variables determining rankings in different spheres will more often than not correlate significantly, so that even, theoretically, overall equality will not prevail. It should also be noted that Walzer does not rule out the possibility of a particular individual becoming dominant in all spheres and thus, that overall inequality will triumph over complex equality but he believes that as long as the boundaries between spheres are policed efficiently, this is highly unlikely (Van Wyk, 2005, p292). Prof. Walzer thinks that domination is not derived from dominant human beings but it is mediated by a set of social goods. He claims that "we have to understand and control social goods; we do not have to stretch or shrink human beings" (Walzer, 1983, xiii). So, instead of reducing distributive justice to some simple principle of egalitarian form, Walzer openly acknowledges the plurality of principles of justice and seeks to make this very pluralism the basis of equality (Miller & Walzer, 1995). References David, M., & Walzer, M. (1992). Pluralism, Justice and Equality. New York: Oxford University Press

Research method and statistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Research method and statistics - Essay Example The following points are needed to be elucidated: The article does not reveal the level of engagement while discussing the listening and understanding on the basis of communication. The dependent variable i.e. communication level must have been clarified by interlinking it to the independent variable in order to interpret the concepts in the variables of hypothesis. The author must have been elaborated the concept communication level in a therapy so that the readers could fully comprehend with the ideas the author intended to explore. In order to examine the article and points given in it, it comes to know that the authors have failed to allude to the relevant literature as well as any research work so that the theme could be carried more weight. Further, the relevant material would have been supportive to for any new research article and expressed the broad knowledge and deep study of the writer. It has limited the views within the structure of the thoughts of the present authors. Moreover, the article looks unable to clarify the duration of the counseling they applied in respect of hydrotherapy treatment. The timings and the duration of the therapeutic counseling must be determined for the better understanding of the readers and patients interested in adopting the therapy for the cure. What the hydrotherapy sessions include, what kind of activities they use, who takes part in these activities and also how many times per week they applied the hydrotherapy. The article lacked the details of the therapeutic process and activities involved in it, as well as methodology implemented in the treatment technique. It does not focus why and when the patients should avail themselves of the hydrotherapy for their cure. The authors lack comprehension and ignore most fundamental principles while preparing a research work. They look unable to classify the variables even. They