The understanding of modern urban life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The understanding of modern urban life - Essay Example Simmel underlined that "the city conspires to erase difference by assaulting the individual with an overwhelming and never-ending stream of visual stimuli" (Byram, 2002) and also that our society consists of individual interactions and this defines its identity: "While there is no perception of society until individuals begin to interact, once formed by the interaction of individuals, the society affects the individuals as an outside force" (Crow Ch., et al., 2000). Benjamin considered the modern urban experience through the development of technologies and supported communications development; he was positive about new technologies, emphasizing their liberating influences. He was positive towards such technologies as film and photography: "New media technologies such as phonographs, epic theatre, and especially film and photography, not only destroy art's 'aura' but demystifies the process of creating art, making available radical new access and roles for art in mass culture" (Bicket, 2001). Simmel and Benjamin both underlined the importance of technological development and its influence on art, culture and our understanding of social environment. Simmel's views tend towards the negative influence of urban life on individuals, while Benjamin is more positively inclined tof technological and cultural aspects of modern and post-modern urban society. _______________________________________ Link both essays in together and edit from 1100 to 600 words ie what is contained between the line above and the line at the end A utopia is an imaginary place, situated in a particular time and space, that is socially, morally, and politically ideal, and a dystopia is its exact opposite. Ideologies are as transient as fashions and can be subjective, as they are relative to the perspective employed. Hitler and his comrades had a utopia in mind when they sought to create the Thousand Year Reichbut Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, and other victims of his vision would beg to differ (Tartar, 2004). Human rationality implies, for enlightened thinkers, an attempt to know and understand the natural world. As Norman Hampson writes, "human reason, operating by means of careful observation and checking its conclusions by further observation or experiment, could for the first time in the history of man reveal the mechanism of the natural world. "The extreme rationalism of Descartes, its traditional alternative and empiricist aspects and the debate between them, constitute the most influential part of Enlightenment in the nineteenth century. The Enlightened thinkers were generally confident that they could use rational principles to solve social interaction problems and this belief led to the Enlightened faith in social progress and the culmination of the Enlightenment ideals in a utopian society. Nietzsche opposed this Enlightened faith in progress as nave;but being unable to elude it, itwas the Enlightenment's utopianism that accompanied him through his most radical critiques (Call, 1995). A second theme involves the contradictions that necessarily exist between communality and individuality. Human consciousness is passive in accepting ideology, doctrine, orthodoxy and mass thinking and often sees reality in terms of the liturgy of certain

Criminal Justice Trends Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Criminal Justice Trends - Research Paper Example The paper will finally discuss the value of the criminal justice system in a changing society. In many societies today, people heavily depend on policing within their communities as more and more human beings want to feel safe around their communities and the world at large. The changes in the criminal justice system can be seen by looking at how cautious people are becoming towards crime (Sunga, 1997). For example, many years back, the rates of crimes reported by many police departments were very low. Surveys show that people felt safer and would even walk in and out of their homes at night without feeling threatened. However, these trends have changed and the rates of crimes have been reported to have gone up significantly (Walker, 1980). These changes are reflected in the criminal justice system. As the rate of crime increases, the criminal justice system has had to adjust so as to deal with the increase (Fuller, 2005). The criminal justice system generally refers to a collection of local, state or federal public agencies that are instituted to deal with the problem of crime. The criminal justice system is made up of three important components: the police, corrections and the courts. These three components work together to ensure that crimes are deterred or prevented through the apprehension, trial and punishment of criminal offenders (Walker, 1980). This means that the criminal justice system is made up of a legislative branch which is responsible for the creation of laws, adjudication which comprises of the courts of law and the corrections branch which comprises of parole, probation, prisons and jails (Fuller, 2005). The police are contained in police departments which are public agencies charged with the responsibility of maintaining order and enforcing the criminal law. Police officers operate within communities so as to control and prevent crime. The courts on the other hand are tribunals where people who have been accused of criminal offenses have the ir cases listened to and determined by judges or juries. Correction facilities comprise of jails, parole, prisons and probation which are meant to rehabilitate or punish criminal offenders so as to ensure public safety. These components of the criminal justice system have been undergoing several changes over the years (Sunga, 1997). It is important to note that as society evolves, so does the criminal justice system. The criminal justice system has been in constant evolution so as to keep up with the priorities of societies (Walker, 1980). As society changes and advances, the criminal justice system has had to be altered so as to keep up with the societal changes and advances by protecting and serving the unique needs of the changing society (Fuller, 2005). As society becomes more and more aware about human rights and the importance of fairness, justice and equality regardless of race or gender, the criminal justice system has had to change so as to adapt to these societal demands ( Sunga, 1997). A review of the recent trends that affect the criminal justice system shows that the criminal justice system has been changing in many areas such as in racial and gender issues. These include statuses of women, gender discrimination, racial discrimination and minorities in society (Walker, 1980). A good example that can be used to illustrate the changing trends is seen in the police departments. For example, in the past, there have been a lot of obstacles