Ethics andPublic Administration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Ethics andPublic Administration - Essay Example The author of the paper "Ethics and Public Administration" assumes that morality defines the way in which one differentiates their intentions, how they arrive at their decisions and choose actions that their consciousness perceives to be right over what is wrong (Kakabadse, Korac-Kakabadse & Kouizmin 2003). Politics, on the other hand, entails the practice of structured control over people on an individual or civic level by those in governance positions. The functions of politics range from making laws to negotiating with opposing political views in order to promote one’s views, to exercising force against enemies (which may include warfare). On the social level, politics is practiced from family units, clans, tribes and societies. On a broader scale, it is inherently present in local governments, institutions, states and international levels (Kakabadse, Korac-Kakabadse & Kouizmin 2003). In view of morality and politics, Machiavelli, an Italian writer, humanist, philosopher, d iplomat and politician of the renaissance period, argued that the requirements of the two are not compatible. Although there are upright, incorruptible politicians, it is common knowledge that most require help from influential individuals or corporate bodies to get past the preliminary stages of elections. However, this help is more often than not to be paid back, which forms the basis of argument of this paper, which will support the argument that the requirements of a moral and political life are incompatible.... When factional conduct is pursued, it always compromises the goal of common welfare which politicians are ideally meant to achieve. Evidently, factions are, therefore, the results of both public and private corruption among the citizens. Machiavelli believed that to avoid the corruption, one had to choose between two sets of virtues. Whoever chose personal morality would have to give up any vision of an unwavering and prosperous society where everyone flourishes on what is rightfully earned. On the other hand, whoever chose politics would have to give up all hopes of quenching personal anxiety. One sees that Machiavelli’s thinking shows that although the ultimate goal of personal morality and politics may be the same, they are driven by entirely different sets of values that contradict each other and may lack rational, achievable solutions (James 2003). After officiating in the Florentine Republic as secretary to the chancery and being responsible for military and diplomatic a ffairs, Machiavelli’s arguments must have been informed by actual experiences. One of his popular writings, The Prince, was done after the recovery of power by the Medici, who were not in power during the time he served as secretary to the chancery. From The Prince, one can draw a picture of Machiavelli’s view of political rule without influence of ethics or morals, where the politicians are completely conscious of the institution of politics in exercising power effectively. Like many political philosophers, Machiavelli believes there is a correlation between authority and moral uprightness. However, he goes further to point out that the relationship is different when it comes to â€Å"legitimate† authority. Exercising political power can

Personal Philosophy of Education Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Philosophy of Education - Personal Statement Example Nevertheless, one of the most common factors that characterize most philosophies in education is the issue of social pedagogy. Social pedagogy refers to an educational approach that focuses on providing holistic education and cares to students (Lingard, Nixon, & Ranson, 2008 p. 23). Social pedagogues are guided by four main principles. These are holistic education, holistic wellbeing, promoting human welfare, and molding students to become responsible members of the society. Holistic education pays greater emphasis on issues such as cognitive development, emotional and spiritual development, as well as physical and practical skills development. My personal education philosophy is based on the belief that all educators should be social pedagogues. I believe that education should be seen as the process of empowering learners to make the best out of their lives regardless of their age. Therefore, education should not be seen as a way of discriminating or categorizing individual on the basis of their age or backgrounds. As such, the main approach should be regarding all learners as human beings who need to be taught how to make the best out of their lives (Tisdall, 2006 p. 34). In this regard, an education system should focus on empowering students to deal with contemporary challenges and issues affecting humans. For instance, contemporary education should focus on empowering learners to deal with issues such as climate change, terrorism, economic challenges, and the issues of globalization and cultural integration. I also believe that this kind of education can only be achieved in a specific learning environment that is characterized by a high sense of equality, sameness, and heightened interactions between educators and learner s. In lieu of this, educators have to consider learners, irrespective of their age, as fellow humans; hence the need to treat them equally.