Understanding Key Concepts: Slavery, Democracy, and Ethics
Understanding Key Concepts
Slavery: A person treated as property, subject to the owner’s will. Slavery was legally permitted in the West until 1865. While theoretically prohibited today, it unfortunately continues in practice.
Difference between a slave and someone exercising their profession: A slave is forced to labor without pay, while a professional chooses their work and receives wages.
Democracy and Governance
Democracy: A system of government where power resides in the people. Originating in ancient Athens and evolving through revolutions like the French Revolution, democracy recognizes equal rights for all citizens. However, a democracy can devolve into tyranny if laws are unjustly applied. The introduction of democracy in Spain occurred in 1978.
Global Issues and Ethical Considerations
Elnino and Iqbal Masih: Iqbal Masih, a Pakistani boy, denounced the situation of child slavery. Tragically, he was later killed.
Gender Equality
Do women have the same rights as men? Historically, no. Married women faced restrictions on travel and opening bank accounts. This contributed to feminized poverty, sexual exploitation, gender violence, and disparities in voting rights, economic opportunities, and labor.
Values and Ethics
Values can be: economic, technological, aesthetic, ethical, or scientific.
Ethical values are protected by rules, such as those outlined in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
Ethical values: These guide our actions, behaviors, and relationships, fostering a happy and collaborative society.
Critical Thinking and Reviews
Critical thinking: The process of evaluating information to determine its fairness and validity.
Reviews: All opinions are respectable as they represent freedom of expression. However, the value of an opinion depends on the knowledge and information supporting it.
Tyranny
Tyranny: A form of government where a single person holds absolute power, ruling unjustly according to their own will.
Conflict Resolution and Empathy
Can a person avoid all problems or conflicts? No, everyone experiences problems.
How should conflicts be resolved? Through dialogue and listening, allowing for the consideration of all reasons and proposals to reach a fair solution.
Microfinance and Global Challenges
Who is Muhammad Yunus? A man who pioneered microcredit to help the poor access small amounts of money.
Problems and current conflicts: Extreme poverty and hunger, maternal mortality, disease propagation, inequality between men and women, lack of primary schooling, environmental unsustainability, and child mortality.
Global Warming
Global warming: Caused by greenhouse gas emissions and excessive consumption of fossil fuels (coal, gas, and oil), leading to a warming of the Earth’s atmosphere.
What should we consider to find a fair solution to a problem? How would I like to be treated? What are the consequences of my actions? What would happen if this didn’t occur?
Institutions and Organizations
Institutions serving the public: The health system, education system, social security, security forces, civil defense, and armed forces.
International institutions: The United Nations (UN), PNV (likely a typo, needs context), and Greenpeace.
What are NGOs? Non-governmental organizations that address various problems around the world.
Feelings and Conflict Resolution
Feelings that contribute to or prevent conflicts: Empathy, compassion, and tolerance.
Law, Rights, and Ethics
Law: A set of rules established by an authority to regulate, prohibit, or mandate actions.
Right: A set of rules (laws) of a state, which are mandatory.
Ethics: Philosophical reflection on moral norms.
Tolerance: An attitude of acceptance and respect for the positions of others, as long as they are not unfair, cruel, or against human rights.