When I registered for the Moral Ecology of Capitalism, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I took the course because the topic sounded interesting, because some friends were taking it, and because I wanted to be challenged by a professor who wasn’t completely liberal like myself. I also knew that I should have at least a baseline understanding of capitalism and economics in order to understand the social work profession on a macro level. For a while, I knew that I was unhappy with the state of our capitalist economy, but I wasn’t educated enough to articulate why I was fed up. My experience taught me that rich people often exploited systems at the expense of the poor and middle class, this led me to have some pretty idealistic and …show more content…
This became the most evident as we studied the Financial Crisis and other scenarios that could have been avoided if there was either more regulation or more integrity in the financial sector. Although I had studies the effects of the Financial Crisis as it related to job loss and poverty, I had never studied the cause of the Crisis in great detail. It infuriated me when I found out how much blame got shuffled around to other parties and how many “too big to fail” companies got bailed out while the rest of the country suffered the consequences. Perhaps the worst part about studying the Financial Crisis was knowing that the practices that led up to the disaster are still being practiced today, and that this will continue to be the case unless drastic changes are …show more content…
By some standards, this is a normal comparison between a person who works in a specific field and someone who does not. However, the difference lies in the fact that many other professions are regulated both internally by their code of ethics and externally by the government. For example, when a patient goes to a doctor, generally the doctor tries to do the best for the patient. There are exceptions to this because some doctors may go refuse to see a patient or give them unnecessarily expensive treatment because of the financial incentives; however, efforts are being made to remedy the health care system so that it is equitable for all patients. Another incentive for doctors to treat their patients well is that they can be sued for malpractice if they bring their patient harm. Finally, while there is information asymmetry between a doctor and patient, it is entirely possible for patients to know their rights and defend themselves if they feel as if they have been taken advantage of. These same statements are true when clients are interacting with psychologists, social workers, lawyers, and the majority of other professionals . In contrast, the financial
Throughout the 19th century, capitalism seemed like an economic utopia for some, but on the other hand some saw it as a troublesome whirlpool that would lead to bigger problems. The development of capitalism in popular countries such as in England brought the idea that the supply and demand exchange systems could work in most trade based countries. Other countries such as Russia thought that the proletariats and bourgeoisie could not co-exist with demand for power and land, and eventually resorted to communism in the early 20th century. Although many different systems were available to the countries in need of economic change, a majority of them found the right system for their needs. And when capitalist societies began to take full swing, some classes did not benefit as well as others and this resulted in a vast amount of proletariats looking for work. Capitalists societies are for certain a win-loss system, and many people did not like the change from having there society changed to a government controlled money hungry system. On the other hand, the demand for labor brought the bourgeoisie large profits because they could pay out as much as they wanted for labor.
At first, I believed that a patient should have the say so and get what they demand. I didn’t feel sympathetic for the health care provider one bit. I was able to look through the eyes of a physician and see the trials that they have to go through. It is not easy making the decisions that they have to make. There job is based on decisions, and most of it is the patient’s. “There will certainly be times when I will be faced with a request from a patient or patient’s representative that I will personally find morally difficult, but one that is still legally and ethically acceptable. must be very difficult to work in an area with little control over what you want to do.” (Bradley 1). Even though I do not fully understand a health care providers everyday role, I do know that they are faced with painful options. I personally feel that I can not work in this field for that exact reason. Health care providers play an extremely important role in our society, and others need to look upon
Not only do health care providers have an ethical implication to care for patients, they also have a legal obligation and responsibility to care for the patient. According to the Collins English dictionary, a duty of care is ‘the legal obligation to safeguard others from harm while they are in your care, using your services or exposed to your activities’. The legal definition takes it further by making it a requirement that a person act towards others and the public with watchfulness, attention, caution and prudence which a reasonable person in the circumstances would use. If a person’s actions fail to meet the required standard, then the acts are considered negligent (Hill and Hill, 2002). If a professional fails to abide to the standard of practice for their practice in regards to their peers, they leave themselves open to criticisms or claims of breach of duty of care, and possibly negligence. Negligence is comprised of five elements: (1) duty, (2) breach, (3) cause in fact, (4) proximate cause, and (5) harm. Duty is defined as the implied duty to care/provide service, breach is the lack thereof, cause in fact must be proven by plaintiff, proximate cause means that only the harm caused directly causative to the breach itself and not additional causation, and harm is the specific injury resultant from the breach.
Providers must act in the best interest of the patient and their basic obligation is to do no harm and work for the public’s wellbeing. A physician shall always keep in mind the obligation of preserving human life. Providers must communicate full, accurate and unbiased information so patients can make informed decisions about their health care. As a result of their recommendations, providers are responsible for generating costs in health care but do not generate the need for those expenses. Every hospital has both an ethical as well as a legal responsibility to provide care, even if the care may be uncompensated.
In today's society, there are many forces that shape the world. Three forces that have a major impact are Capitalism, Globalization, and the Natural Environment. These forces all play major roles in either influencing or informing my lived experiences.
Divisions within the social stratum is a characteristic of societies in various cultures and has been present throughout history. During the middle ages, the medieval feudal system prevailed, characterized by kings and queens reigning over the peasantry. Similarly, in today’s society, corporate feudalism, otherwise known as Capitalism, consists of wealthy elites dominating over the working poor. Class divisions became most evident during America’s Gilded Age and Progressive era, a period in time in which the rich became richer via exploitation of the fruits of labor that the poor persistently toiled to earn. As a result, many Americans grew compelled to ask the question on everyone’s mind: what do the rich owe the poor? According to wealthy
The future of work in Canadian society can be seen as a perplexity that economists and scholars try to unravel. By addressing the work of a well-known economist of Cambridge University, Ha-Joon Chang in “23 Things They Don’t Tell You About Capitalism,” this paper will shed light on how Chang’s book provides a distinctive insight on how capitalism really plays out. This review will include a brief overview of his book, provide a more thorough analysis of the lessons his work provides regarding the future of work and economy, an evaluation to the book’s strengths and weaknesses, and an overall personal experience with Chang’s work.
The unregulated ways of capitalism has the world questioning what it is that we really know about capitalism and how it can bring upon us the complete final destruction of our planet; the apocalypse as we know it. The evils of capitalism are blindingly obvious capitalism has brought our world inequality, environmental exploitation, universal suffering, and alienation. In Adam Smith's foundational "Wealth of Nations," Quill notes, "is recognition that capitalism is going to make the lives of a good majority of the population miserable”. This comes to demonstrate that Through films, literary works, as well as other forms of art, we are able to understand what it is to be human and how can we make the world
There are different systems that countries use. The most common are capitalism, socialism, and communism. Capitalism is an economic system in which investment in and ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange of wealth are made and maintained by a private industry rather than the government (Dictionary.com). In capitalism, a private industry makes an investment where they would make money. The goal of capitalism is to profit (Answers.com).
What is Capitalism? Perhaps it is maybe a system where people get to have freedom? Or maybe it is a system that allows people to make their own choices without other people or government interfering? Perhaps it is a system that maybe a country can use to rely or based its economic principles in the way its productions function. Or yet, perhaps it is all three.
Capitalism is doomed. Marx and Engels predicted its inevitable demise, describing the downfall of all countries with private ownership, particularly the United States. While communists praised the proletariat movements active there during their lifetimes, modern America still lacks centralized socialist sentiments in its political system and working class.
Many would look at the state of the US as being far more stable and successful than most other countries in the world. However, I look at those people and think how ignorant they really are to not open their eyes and see what is in front of them. America was built on the political and economic system of democracy and capitalism. Democracy is the gateway to freedom for the individual to make decisions for themselves without being denied their basic human rights in the process. Capitalism is a good way to challenge people or companies to work hard and compete to do better than everyone else because of the work you put in. So really, are there really any negatives to any of these political and economic ideals? Can any of us really complain about
Along with the advance and development of the society, capitalism is acquired by lots of countries among the world. But in the meantime, an increasing number of problems are brought to our attention, one of which is the pros and cons of capitalism. As to whether it is a blessing or a curse, people take different attitudes. Capitalism can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Europe, and this economic system has been contributing to the whole human race for centuries. However, people are attaching more importance to what capitalism is really doing to us, and they start wondering if another world is possible. My paper will focus on the question “Is capitalism good or evil”, and discuss different views about it.
Capitalism dominates the world today. Known as a system to create wealth, capitalism’s main purpose is to increase profits through land, labor and free market. It is a replacement of feudalism and slavery. It promises to provide equality and increases living standards through equal exchanges, technological innovations and mass productions. However, taking a look at the global economy today, one can clearly see the disparity between developed and developing countries, and the persistence of poverty throughout the world despite the existence of abundant wealth. This modern issue was predicted and explained a hundred and fifty years ago in Karl Marx’s Capital.
This summer’s course in ‘Business and Society’ was a great opportunity for me to learn more about myself, my perspective of business, the role of government in society, policy makers and most importantly the views of the stakeholders. For the spring semester gone and this summer session almost all classes were tied into my major, giving me a better understanding on what I want out of my degree. My major here at Marymount Manhattan College is Finance and this class has surely helped me in figuring out, the workings of ‘big business’ and its impact on stakeholders. This course has helped me understand why many laws, at one point to me sounded absurd, but are in place to protect both industry and stakeholder. I never thought communication was such a priority in the business world until taking this class. From newly learnt material I see communication as a