The Argument of Elite Theorists Essay Example for Free

The Argument of Elite Theorists Essay In order to assess how useful this view is, we must first look at the differing factions operating within the framework of elite theory. On doing this it will become apparent within the scope of Government, that this view is outdated and riddled with flaws. Elite theory originally developed from the work of Gaetano Mosca and Vilfredo Pareto, two italian sociologists writing at the turn of the last century. Pareto argued that, in the course of history, different leadership qualities are required in order to adapt society to changed circumstances. Essentially, two types of person can be distinguished, lions and foxes, the former, according to Pareto are stolid and forceful, willing to use violence. The latter are basically sly, wheeler-dealer types. One or other type will rule as long as it can cope with the political and economic problems facing it; but in certain circumstances their particular qualities will be insufficient for the task in hand, and they will be deposed by the other group. Pareto describes this process as the circulation of elites, which rise and fall through a combination of psychological aptitudes and historical circumstances, irrespective of the economic or social structure of society. There are many flaws in Paretos work, but the main ones must centre on his inability to explain the origins of the elites rise to power, and his classification of people into two -and only two-psychological types (S.MOORE,1995). The belief that a superior group forms a ruling elite underlies Moscas(1939) writings too, and it is this superiority that he sees leading the elite to power in the first place. Once there, the elite continues to rule, not solely because it is superior but also through its relatively small membership, which makes it far better organised than the mass of the population. Pareto fails to provide a method of measuring and distinguishing betwwen the supposedly superior qualities of elites. He simply assumes that the qualities of the elite are superior to those of the mass. His criterion for distinguishing between lions and foxes is merely his own interpretation of the style of elite rule (HARALAMBOS HOLBORN,1990). Whereas Pareto and Mosca attempted to provide a general theory to explain the  nature and distribution of power in all societies, the American sociologist C.Wright Mills presents a less ambitious and wide-ranging version of elite theory. He limits his analysis to American society in the 1950s. Unlike the early elite theorists, Mills does not believe that elite rule is inevitable: in fact he sees it as a fairly recent development in the U.S.A. Unlike Pareto, who rather cynically accepts the domination of the masses by elites, Mills soundly condemns it. Since he sees elite rule as based upon the exploitation of the masses, he adopts a conflict version of elite theory (HARALAMBOS HOLBORN,1990). Robert A.Dahl has criticised Mills from a pluralist perspective. He has claimed that Mills has simply shown that the power elite has potential for control. Dahl argues, the potential for control is not equivalent to actual control. Dahl maintains that actual control can only be shown to exist by examination of a series of concrete cases where key decisions are made: decisions on taxation and expenditures, subsidies, welfare progrmas, military policy and so on. Dahl claims that by omitting to investigate a range of key decisions, Mills and also like-minded British sociologists have failed to establish where actual control lies. As a result Dahl argues that the case for a power elite remains unproven (HARALAMBOS HOLBORN, 1990). Since the British variant of power elite theory(the idea of a socially and culturally cohesive establishment) was first asserted in the 1950s, it has decreased rather than gained in plausibility. This is first, because British politics has become more polarised, more open and more democratic. It became more polarised in the 1970s, as large differences between major parties displaced consensus. In these circumstances, it became virtually impossible to maintain that elections did not alter things much, and even more difficult after the general election of 1979. Clearly, the advent of Mrs Thatcher changed things a great deal. Second, British government became more open and less secretive. This happened more by inadvertence than design and it was usually resisted by governments of the day. Nonetheless by the 1980s, the public were far more aware of what went on in the inner counsels of the  Cabinet and in the Whitehall village than was the case a generation previously. The publication of politicians diaries and memoirs(Richard Crossman, Barbara Castle), leaks by civil servants(Clive Ponting) and the revelations of goings-on within the secret services by people like Peter Wright provided fascinating if somewhat selective glimpses of power in the inner sanctums of government and made its mysteries less mysterious. Finally, as we have seen, certain important sectors of British society became more democratic. In political parties, members played an increasing role in the election of leaders and the selection of party candidates; in trade unions, balloting on the choice of leaders and on strike decisions became the norm. The increasing hold of television on society tended to promote both greater openess and greater democracy -not least by providing continual public demonstrations that, far from being cohesive and untied, the so-called establishment spoke with many, often sharply divergent, voices (COXALL ROBINS,1989). The overall count against the notion of an establishment in Britain is clear; it is neither united, nor -in an age of revelations and media coverage- mysterious, nor-and most important of all -free from popular control. It is a myth.

National Conflict and Dispute Essay example -- Anthropology, Culture C

Introduction Disputes and conflicts are mostly caused by race, gender, culture, language, ideologies and religion. These factors are inter-related for it shows the differences of people in every way that causes arguments, debates and misunderstanding either internationally or locally. Numerous times of debates and advocacy between who is dominant and who is subordinate has been a great input in the making of our history which until now, is still being added. Disputes and conflicts in this era is just repeating history therefore, history speaks for itself. Since the study of anthropology is studying humanity either cultural, past societies, physical or language; it studies how and why the society has been formed the way it is now. One of the most interesting fields of anthropology is linguistic anthropology for language is known to influence our social life. Additionally, it also explores how language shapes people’s communication and how it organizes cultural beliefs and ideologies. Fifty years ago, the study of culture conflict for anthropologist was limited to people who lived in close proximity to each other (Beeman, 2008). Before, anthropologist mostly studied the factions living in the same society and restricted themselves in conflict and violence within the country and not between countries. However, anthropologists today study conflict between nations based from their studies regarding the conflicts within the nation. Knowledge and understanding of the history will help in understanding why certain disputes and conflicts are still at large. Conflict and Dispute One of the unforgettable conflict and dispute of all times is the September 11 bombing—the era of troubled and difficult times between the Unite... ...to stand together to fight for their common goal. The conflict between the United States and Middle East is because of the misunderstanding of the other parties’ purposes. Conflicts and dispute does not only happen between two nations but also within the country. Different races and ethnicity is the reason why individuals in one society have conflict—also misunderstanding with what each race and origin wants. Monoglot standardization is not a solution that can be easily implemented since it will create more misunderstanding between races. If performers can understand and respond to a verbal duel whereas mostly the words are with double meanings, then it is also possible to understand the language and meaning of the races different from the other. This will happen if people will learn how to listen and not by mere hearing.

Life Choices and Consequences

My Grandfather always said to me â€Å" s3 wo si as3 Ny3 wo d3 a 3h) na wo tafiri† –â€Å"Even if you don’t like the taste in your mouth that is where you will always lick† The diversity of life impinges on us to make a choice in every single decision. Whatever you have done in your life and whatever you will do is simple a bundle of choices you have made or will make. And every single one of these choices serves as a foundation for another choice. But the more fascinating thing about choices is that every single one of our choices reduces the probability of options that are readily available to us .And this is extremely important because the surprising number of us do not realized that all that we are and everything we have are the results of choices . We are in control of our choices and thus our life’s direction and destiny. Our choices and our life go hand in hand . the life you are living is simply a cumulative series of choices you have made. We have gotten used to making choices that we scarcely think of it as the means that unfolds our life before our eyes. Choices are about yielding and resisting. They are about reflections and impulsiveness.They are about the present and future and it is a yes and no affair and a now later business but whatever it is the laws of living demands that we make one in every circumstance in other to live. But every single choice we make comes along with a shadow . This shadow is generally referred as consequence . It is very easy in the choice making decision to conjure our best planning skills to navigate the maze of options that covers the path to wherever we want to go and whatever we want to achieve. However, we scarcely make provisions for dealing with the consequences of our choices .And so consequences of our choices have become more or less a headache in society. More often than not, the consequences of our choices open our eyes to the glitter of all the other options we pushed asi de. And then we start to think that the choices we made were poor ones . Sometimes we feel like turning back the clock and rewinding the tape in other to make a better choice. Truth is, it does not matter how hard or how badly you want to change the choice. A choice made is a choice made. The best that you can do about it is to develop a positive attitude about it and face the consequences.The bottom line is this: regardless of the consequences that we are going through now, we are all trying to accomplish increasingly more out of the choices we made with increasingly less resources –whether these resources are money, time, focus or energy. The challenge is not that we do not make rational choices, rather, our refusal to focus and work hard at the choices we have made, make those options we left behind glitter like the twinkling stars. Instead of constantly looking over your shoulder at the glittering options you left behind, your best bet is to live positively with your choi ces and look towards the future .Looking back means you are dwelling on the past instead of living in the present and being stuck in the past does not help you make any better choices in the future. We can all look at our circumstances and point out instances where different choices could have given us a different way of life . But it only sounds easy in words. In action, they are difficult . For the surprising majority of us, when the consequences of our choices rear its ugly head, we respond in a very predictable way. We turn in the opposite direction and try to outrun it .The only problem is that, before long the consequences catches up with us. And so instead of outrunning the consequences, we actually run into it , maximizing our exposure to it. Or like we say,† Challenges and problems compound when we ignore them , and we end up being exposed to something longer and or worse than what might have been. Our best bet is to wait for the consequences to come right at us and a s it arrives, we must charge directly into them. By charging at the consequences of our choices, we run straight through it, which minimizes the amount of negative effect we experience .And why not, in life most of the brilliant options are about doing the hard things you know you should do, even when you do not feel like doing them, but doing as early on as possible. As long as we live, we are going to make a lot of choices. And if we do not want negative consequences, then we have to think about and evaluate our choices differently than we have been doing. It is about giving a lot of forethought to the consequences of the choices we are faced with. And it is about being ready to deal positively with whatever consequences that materializes out of the choices we make.

Inherit The Wind By Lawrence And Lee - 1349 Words

Why is the play Inherit the wind by Lawrence and Lee such a relatable piece of literature to people in today’s society? Simply because the author embedded relevant themes that are a big part of the world’s issues today both politically and religiously. Three themes revealed by the events and characters within the play are the battle between thinking both fundamentally and intellectually, the differences between rural and urban regions, and the isolations amongst man and society. One theme that the play upholds throughout is both sides to the trial, more specifically, the views of a fundamentalist opposed to the views of an intellectualist. Although the court case in Inherit the wind contrasts evolutionism and creationism with each other, an extensive conflict prevails beneath the surface. Drummond first addresses this main issue when he asks Howard, his young witness, weather he believes in Darwin or not. When Howard acknowledges that he is not sure what he thinks yet, Drummond states that the boy’s freedom to make up his own mind and to think for himself is what is actually on trial. The people who are creationists in the play, who conform to fundamental, adamant Christian doctrines, are a force that has conservatively prescribed for how the townspeople of Hillsboro’s minds should be made up. The most rigid creationists, reverend Brown and Brady, fill positions of power and authority at the tip of the social class, and their initial motive is to sustain control over thatShow MoreRelatedThe, Inherit The Wind, By Jerome Lawrence And Robert E. Lee1366 Words   |  6 Pages and social norms are challenged. Those that could adapt to the changing times would flourish in post-war America, whereas those that could not depart from the yesteryear found themselves in the mercy of time. In the play, Inherit the Wind, by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, Matthew Brady and Clarence Drummond, two famous attorneys, go head to head in a heated litigation over the morality of the teaching of evolution. Evolution is a contested â€Å"new† theory at the time, and teaching it would goRead MoreInherit The Wind By Jerome Lawrence And Robert E. Lee2023 Words   |  9 PagesInherit the Wind, a play written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee was a very influential plays for its time. The play is based on the 1925 Scopes trial in Dayton, Tennessee. The scopes trial was known as â€Å"The Trial of the Century and helped expose the cont roversy between the Christian theory of creationism and the scientific theory of evolution. The play, which was published years after the trial, helped expose many Americans to the cultural divide between science and faith in our nation. ItRead MoreInherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee901 Words   |  4 Pagesmost controversial plays of its time is hands down, Inherit the Wind. 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When a man stands up for his beliefs despiteRead MoreTheories And Arguments : Inherit The Wind By Jerome Lawrence Robert E. Lee Essay780 Words   |  4 Pages Arguments – â€Å"Inherit the Wind† by Jerome Lawrence Robert E. Lee Established Goals: Students compose thoughtful, analytical arguments rooted in their own ideologies about religion, science, and the world today. Students develop arguments (not opinions!) about aforementioned themes (i.e. religion, science, power, traditions, professionalism, separation of beliefs and state, etc.). They utilize discussions, debates, current events, and our readings of the play â€Å"Inherit the Wind† to develop theseRead MoreReview of Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee1206 Words   |  5 Pages KEY LITERARY ELEMENTS SETTING The play takes place in Hillsboro. It is a small fictional town that is meant to resemble Dayton, Tennessee, where the Scopes trial was held in 1925. LIST OF CHARACTERS Major Characters Matthew Harrison Brady - a politician and lawyer. He is the prosecuting attorney for the state against Bertram Cates and a three-time presidential candidate. Henry Drummond - the lawyer for the defense. He is famous for taking the cases of unpopular clients. Rachel Brown - theRead MoreCharles Darwin s Inherit The Wind By Jerome Lawrence And Robert E. Lee1087 Words   |  5 Pagesbold statement that epitomized his experimental and revolutionary approach in science during his lifetime. Darwin’s controversial Theory of Evolution caused a paradigm shift in the centrally fundamentalist society of his time. Inherit The Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee was loosely based on the historical Scopes Trial in 1925; the trial exemplified conflicting beliefs between evolution and creationism. 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In the play Inherit the wind and the real-life Scopes Monkey Trial, Darrow and Drummond were on the impossible side. The trials were evolution against religion. Darrow and Drummond both had to represent the side of evolution in a religious-biased town. In the play Inherit the Wind, the character, Henry Drummond, parallels his real-life counterpart, Clarence Darrow, through his beliefs, his contributionRead MoreInfluence of The Cold War and on Literature992 Words   |  4 Pagesthe writing of that time, resulting in two of the most powerful plays ever written: Inherit the Wind and The Crucible. These stories reflect the attitudes and personas of what was prevalent in the world at the time they were written. Inherit the Wind, written by Robert E. Lee and ___ Lawrence, has an array of characters that mirror the world during McCarthyism. The greatest similarity between Inherit the Wind and its historical context is evident in the character of Brady and Senator Joseph McCarthy’s