35 results on '"Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC."'
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2. History, Geography, and Citizenship: The Teacher's Role. Ethics and Public Policy Essay 64.
- Author
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC., Bennett, William J., and Kirkpatrick, Jeane
- Abstract
One of a series of booklets designed to make available to a wide audience thoughtful perspectives on issues of domestic and foreign policy, this booklet contains two essays which provide a solid base for elementary and secondary teachers to communicate the nature of America's place in the world, its responsibilities, ideals, and traditions to prepare young people for responsible citizenship in the democracy that leads the free world. William Bennett's "History-Key to Political Responsibility" discusses the past illuminating the present, restoring the faith in democracy, and the decline in the status of history as a subject. Jeane Kirkpatrick's "Learning to Think about Foreign Policy" discusses characteristics of foreign policy, democratic assumptions, and educating for democracy. (TRS)
- Published
- 1986
3. Ethnic Groups in History Textbooks.
- Author
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC., Glazer, Nathan, and Ueda, Re
- Abstract
Six popular high school American history textbooks are examined to address accusations of overcompensation by textbook publishers as a result of the raised ethnic consciousness of the 1970s. The textbooks are: "Our American Heritage" (Silver Burdett); "The Pageant of American History" (Allyn and Bacon); "A History of Our American Republic" (Laidlaw Brothers); "People and Our Country" (Holt, Rinehart and Winston); "These United States" (Houghton Mifflin); and "Rise of the American Nation" (Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich). Investigated are how the new textbooks deal with American diversity and whether or not so much attention is given to ethnic groups that the main lines of American history are distorted. Arranged into six chapters, textbooks are evaluated for: (1) similarities in content and format; (2) proportion of space devoted to ethnic groups; (3) treatment of pre-colonial and colonial ethnic groups; (4) treatment of ethnic groups during the American territorial expansion period; (5) treatment of 20th century ethnic minorities; and (6) a discussion of new civic morality which focuses on respect and justice for disadvantaged minorities and creation of a successful multi-ethnic society. The book concludes that familiar outlines of American history development are somewhat reduced and the overall tone of the new texts replaces the old myths of racial inferiority with new myths proclaiming the superior moral qualities of minorities. Two data tables are provided illustrating the numbers and percentages of pages and pictures devoted to ethnic groups. (LH)
- Published
- 1983
4. Scholars, Dollars, and Public Policy: New Frontiers in Corporate Giving.
- Author
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC. and Lefever, Ernest W.
- Abstract
Financial contributions by American corporations that are designed to influence domestic or foreign policies are discussed. After identifying ways that business corporations can influence either general policy or particular decisions, a brief history of corporate philanthrophy in the United States and financial support for public policy purposes is presented. Public policy giving includes support for organizations, movements, and individuals seeking to influence government policies, mainly by producing and disseminating studies, ideas, facts, and recommendations for academic, business, public policy, and other leaders. Six policy guidelines are included to help corporations determine which public policy groups share their political philosophy, and what the relation between donor and recipient should be. To help judge which groups are performing most effectively, criteria are suggested that concern: clear definitions of purposes and programs, the recipients' reputation, management capabilities, present or potential sound financial base, and the recipients' impact on public policy. Sources of information on public policy organizations are described, and profiles of the following consumer organizations are included: Consumer Alert, Center for Auto Safety, and American Council on Science and Health. (SW)
- Published
- 1983
5. Crime and American Culture. Ethics and Public Policy Essay #43.
- Author
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC. and Wilson, James Q.
- Abstract
The great waves of foreign immigration, the onset of rapid industrialization, the emergence of an urban working class--all features of the post Civil War United States that might have contributed to rising crime rates--did not. Ted Robert Gurr suggests that a growth of the "civilizing process" occurred in which people turned away from violence and internalized or displaced aggressive impulses. The process began among upper socio-economic groups and was given institutional expression in various reform movements. Beginning in the 1920s, the educated classes in America repudiated moral improvement as it had been defined during the preceding century. Child rearing views began to change in the 1920s. Character development was replaced with personality development. By the 1960s, the baby boom generation had come of age. The psychology of radical individualism and the philosophy of individual rights triumphed. The factors that most directly influence crime (family structure, moral development, the level of personal freedom) are the very things that U.S. citizens do not easily change or, for persuasive reasons, do not wish to change. Law becomes more important as informal social control becomes less important. Thousands of neighborhood organizations and civic enterprises have emerged from a desire to reduce crime by direct popular action. This recourse to informal communal action has grown out of a reaffirmed allegiance to a communal theory of social control. (SM)
- Published
- 1983
6. The United States in Opposition. Ethics and Public Policy Reprint 4.
- Author
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC. and Moynihan, Daniel Patrick
- Abstract
A majority of the world's nations believe that there are claims which can be made on individual nation's wealth that are both considerable and threatening to countries such as the United States. This attitude was demonstrated in the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1974. It may be argued that this attitude is a result of the British revolution which began in 1947 with the granting of independence to socialist India. The British revolution of the second quarter of the 20th century attracted little attention. While everyone recognized that new states were coming into existence from former European and mostly British colonies, it was not generally perceived that they came to independence with a preexisting stable ideological base which was British socialism. The spread of British socialism to the furthest reaches of the globe, with its ascent to dominance in the highest national councils everywhere, gives worldwide significance to the British revolution. Of the 87 states that have joined the United Nations since its founding, more than one-half (47) had been part of the British empire. Socialism, as it developed in Great Britain was anti-U.S. because the United States was viewed as capitalistic. The United States has not dealt with these new nations successfully because they did not recognize this ideology. At the level of world affairs, the United States has learned to deal with communism; the task is now to learn to deal with socialism. (SM)
- Published
- 1977
7. Education, Character, and American Schools. Ethics and Public Policy Reprint 32.
- Author
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC. and Grant, Gerald
- Abstract
The intellectual and moral climate of a school is related to the nature of authority. It is the way that authority is instituted as well as the manner in which it is exercised that shapes the intellectual and moral character of the school. Public education in urban areas today is increasingly instrumental, technical, adversarial, and officially value-neutral. The burden placed on the public high schools to create a more equal society has helped create purposive disorder. Schools are increasingly operated as though they were factories for learning in which the only value is increased cognitive output. A fundamental rethinking of the nature and purpose of public education is essential. A provisional morality that expresses some of the common beliefs of a democratic pluralistic society must be reinvented. Such a morality would mean that, although differences of opinions on many issues should be respected by all, there are some salient core beliefs to which all subscribe. Without an agreement on a system of beliefs, there is no pluralism, merely coexistence. (SM)
- Published
- 1981
8. Reinvigorating Our Schools. A Challenge to Parents, Teachers, and Policymakers. Excerpts from Three Reports. Ethics and Public Policy Essay 58.
- Author
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC., Lefever, Ernest W., Lefever, Ernest W., and Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC.
- Abstract
Addressed to those responsible for educating the rising generation, this collection of excerpts from educational reports is designed to reflect and to encourage the recent emphasis on excellence and civic virtue in public schools. After a foreword by President Reagan, the publication presents an essay by William J. Bennett discussing "Authority, Discipline, Excellence." Ernest W. Lefever then discusses the results of the Maryland Commission on Values Education that formulated ten character objectives and eight related citizen objectives compatible with and supportive of the American democratic tradition. Specific recommendations from the report "A Nation at Risk" for enhancing excellence in public schools are provided. In 1984 an ad hoc group on their own initiative issued a statement in booklet form entitled "Developing Character, Transmitting Knowledge: Sustaining the Momentum for Reform in American Education." Principal recommendations from this report are provided. Appendices contain Richard Schifter's letter to the Maryland Attorney General and the Attorney General's response and recommendations of the Maryland Commission on Values in Education. Suggestions for further reading are provided. (RM)
- Published
- 1985
9. Constitutional Democracy vs. Utopian Democracy. Ethics and Public Policy Essay 42.
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC. and English, Raymond
- Abstract
Democracy has always been prone to self-destruction, and it was only after the American Civil War that democracy--or at least constitutional representative government--acquired a respectable reputation. There are two very different types of democracies each with its underlying philosophy, value system, and view of human nature. These are constitutional democracy and utopian democracy. The contrast between the American Revolution and the French is in essence the difference between the two types of democracy. The American Revolution strove to preserve English rights and legal institutions, and the old English tradition of the rule of law was made more rigid in the American governmental system. The old Judeo-Christian view of imperfect human beings was implicit in the Constitution. The French Revolution began with a vision of the liberation of mankind and ended in a military dictatorship. The utopian view of human nature is an embodiment of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's philosophy that assumes human beings are naturally good, generous, sociable, and peaceful. Constitutional democracy is less concerned with end results than is utopian democracy. The former is concerned with equal opportunity, not with equality in results or performance. Both types of democracy--especially in developing countries--have the potential to deteriorate into totalitarian regimes. (BZ)
- Published
- 1983
10. Ethics and Nuclear Arms: European and American Perspectives.
- Author
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC., English, Raymond, English, Raymond, and Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC.
- Abstract
In these 10 essays, 5 European and 5 American political and religious leaders examine the ethics of possessing and using nuclear weapons. They appraise the policy of nuclear deterrence. Protestant and Catholic viewpoints are represented. There are disagreements on details and differences in emphasis on positions and policies. There is general agreement on the moral legitimacy and political necessity of the Western alliance. Essay and authors are: "Four Decades with Nuclear Arms" (Stephen Haseler); "Toward a Responsible Policy" (Sven F. Kraemer); "War and Peace in the Nuclear Age" (Erwin Wilkens); "A Crisis of Faith" (Richard John Neuhaus); "The German Churches Speak Out" (Wolfhart Pannenberg); "The U.S. Catholic Bishops and Nuclear Arms" (J. Bryan Hehir); "The U.S. Catholic Bishops and Soviet Reality" (Michael Novak); "Nuclear Pacifism and True Peace" (Frans A.M. Alting von Geusau); "NATO and 'First Use'" (Robert A. Gessert); "Christian Morality and Nuclear Arms" (Edward R. Norman). A bibliography is included. (JP)
- Published
- 1985
11. Ethics and American Power: Speeches by Caspar W. Weinberger and George P. Shultz. Responses by Philip Geyelin, Smith Hempstone, Carl F. H. Henry, Thomas Molnar, Richard John Neuhaus, David D. Newsom, William V. O'Brien, Paul Seabury, Roger L. Shinn, Seymour Siegel, Edward Teller, Richard M. Nixon. Ethics and Public Policy Essay 59.
- Author
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC. and Lefever, Ernest W.
- Abstract
Two cabinet secretaries address the problems of when and how the United States should use military power. Secretary of Defense Caspar W. Weinberger emphasizes the importance of prudence and restraint in the use of military force in chapter 1: "The Uses of Military Power." Secretary of State George P. Shultz stresses the vital importance of readiness to back up diplomacy with military power in chapter 2: "The Ethics of Power." Twelve well-known Americans respond variously to the positions of Weinberger and Shultz in Chapters 3-14. Chapter titles and authors are: "The Weinberger-Shultz Debate Is Dangerous" (Philip Geyelin); "The Weinberger-Shultz Debate Is Beneficial" (Smith Hempstone); "Christian Morality and U.S. Power" (Carl F.H. Henry); "Rules That Paralyze Action" (Thomas Molnar); "The Moral Purpose of Foreign Policy" (Richard John Neuhaus); "Diplomacy and the Limits of Force" (David D. Newsom); "A Just and Limited U.S. Defense Policy" (William V. O'Brien); "Taking Necessary Risks" (Roger L. Shinn); "Without Force, Life Would Be Impossible" (Seymour Siegel); "When Shall We Fight and How?" (Edward Teller); and "Afterword: Third World War" (Richard M. Nixon). (JP)
- Published
- 1985
12. Does Big Business Rule America? Critical Commentaries on Charles E. Lindblom's 'Politics and Markets.'
- Author
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC. and Hessen, Robert
- Abstract
This volume pulls together commentaries on Charles E. Lindblom's book entitled "Politics and Markets: The World's Political-Economic Systems" (1977) which expounds the thesis that big business dominates American culture and politics and prevents the introduction of central planning in place of a market-oriented economy. Following an introduction, this collection of essays is organized into two parts. Part 1 contains arguments against the book's thesis in these six essays: "Pluralism Reconsidered" by Eugene Bardach; "An Alarmist View of Corporate Influence" by Royall Brandis; "How Powerful is Business?" by Ithiel de Sola Pool; "Democracy and the Corporation" by James Q. Wilson; "Business, Government, the Public: Who Manipulates Whom?" by Paul J. Halpern; and "The Servility of Business" by Clarence J. Brown. Part 2 contains an essay by David Stockman entitled "How the Market Outwits the Planners" which is a rebuttal of Lindblom's claim that natural resources will be depleted in an economy based on production-for-profit. (KW)
- Published
- 1981
13. Amsterdam to Nairobi: The World Council of Churches and the Third World.
- Author
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC. and Lefever, Ernest W.
- Abstract
Churches, and in a larger sense religion, should serve as the conscience of society. Hence Christian bodies have an obligation to condemn gross evils and to speak out on the great moral issues, but they should not give their full support to any political party or cause. The World Council of Churches (WCC) from its beginning in 1948 showed an interest in the developing countries. The WCC has been increasingly influenced by the picture of downtrodden people struggling for freedom, dignity, and economic development. By 1975, the WCC had embraced the concept and practice of liberation theology, which on some issues, has been very similar to Marxism. Ambiguity toward Marxism stems from a profound confusion between ends and means. The Marxists' claim of a clear-cut diagnosis and simple answers has an appeal to Westerners who feel guilty about their power and wealth. Seven recommendations are offered in conclusion that would make the WCC truer to the Christian faith and make a more responsible contribution to justice and freedom in the political order. Appendices that contain texts of relevant WCC documents, notes, and an index of persons and countries are included. (BZ)
- Published
- 1979
14. Conscience and Dividends: Churches and the Multinationals.
- Author
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC. and Oden, Thomas C.
- Abstract
Over the past 20 years there has been agreement in religious circles that the church's economic power and ties with the corporate world entail a moral responsibility. Church leaders within the corporate-responsibility (CR) movement have taken one of two approaches to corporations and their activities. The reformist approach assumes the market and the corporation to be legitimate, though error-prone, institutions. Its goal is to make economic enterprise more beneficial for more persons. The other approach is "immediatist" in tone and hostile to both free enterprise and corporations. Its advocates call for an "alternative economic system" which almost always means centralized socialist planning. By the early seventies, this more revolutionary approach was dominant, and the movement was characterized by a confrontational approach to corporations. The recent entry of conservative religious groups into public policy debates and the increasing hostility of mainstream church members to radicalism in denominational social-action agencies have influenced the character of the CR movement. Today it is more inclined to work within the system. A notable example of the effectiveness of the reformist approach is the Sullivan Principles. The document concludes with a number of guidelines for church involvement in social issues. Appendixes include a list of organizations making up the CR movement's secondary network, a list of CR leaders, three denominational statements, a sample shareholders' resolution, exerpts from the Jessup Report and other reports, and a list of corporate responsiblity challenges. Notes, a bibliography, and an index of names conclude the document. (BZ)
- Published
- 1985
15. The Utopian Dilemma: American Judaism and Public Policy.
- Author
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC. and Friedman, Murray
- Abstract
Since the turn of the century, American Jews have been closely associated with reform movements that seek to improve social conditions, to help the disadvantaged, and to achieve international peace. Jewish religious traditions and social circumstances have disposed many Jews to view politics and power idealistically. However, traditional expressions of Jewish idealism seem ill-suited to new realities, such as dealing with poverty, relationships with Black Americans, Soviet expansion, and the emergence of a worldwide anti-Israel bloc of nations. These problems and choices are presented against the backdrop of 4 decades of Jewish intellectual and social life, from the post-War "golden age" through the turmoil, anxiety, and eventual regeneration of the past 20 years. (APG)
- Published
- 1985
16. Morality and Foreign Policy. A Symposium on President Carter's Stance.
- Author
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC. and Lefever, Ernest W.
- Abstract
This monograph contains a critical examination of President Carter's view on ethics and foreign policy as expressed in his commencement speech at Notre Dame University on May 22, 1977. The book is organized into three parts. Part 1 contains Mr. Carter's speech entitled, "Power for Humane Purposes." Part 2 contains nine responses to the speech: "Reflecting the Eastern Establishment" (Robert L. Bartley); "Confusing Domestic and Foreign Policy" (Ronald Berman); "Selective Invocation of Universal Values" (Jeane Kirkpatrick); "The Valor of Ignorance" (Charles Burton Marshall); "Totalitarianism--the Central Challenge" (Daniel Patrick Moynihan); "The March of Defeat" (Michael Novak); "A Lack of Ideological Roots" (John P. Roche); "Ignoring Soviet Realities" (Eugene V. Rostow); and"Ideals, Maxims, and Deeds" (Roger L. Shinn). Part 3 contains three essays which are not direct comments on the speech but address issues in the debate on ethics and foreign policy: "Morality and Power" (Henry A. Kissinger); "Morality, Liberalism, and Foreign Policy" (Irving Kristol); and "Limits of the Human Rights Standard" (Ernest W. Lefever). The document also contains a selected bibliography. (KL)
- Published
- 1977
17. America's Stake in the Pacific.
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC. and Seabury, Paul
- Abstract
Countries of the Western Pacific allied with the United States--Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Taiwan--are seriously threatened by Soviet expansion and Sino-Soviet rivalry. At present when the United States military resources are stretched thin, responsibility for defense of these prosperous free states should be assumed by the states themselves, and Japan especially must play a far greater strategic role in maritime defense. An organic Pacific security community that would be buttressed by its own economic dynamism should be created. Such a Pacific security community is impossible without the presence of the United States as an active partner. It can therefore be possible only when the United States once more is morally committed and militarily able to respond to the ominous growth of Soviet military power. Included are the texts of the Shanghai Communique, February 27, 1972; the Joint Communique on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations, the United States and the People's Republic of China, January 1, 1979; and the Taiwan Relations Act, April 10, 1979. (BZ)
- Published
- 1981
18. Will Capitalism Survive? A Challenge by Paul Johnson with Twelve Responses.
- Author
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC. and Lefever, Ernest W.
- Abstract
A challenge on the survival of capitalism and its future is set forth in this document. Although industrial capitalism is strong, five dangers that threaten its survival are cited: (1) the collectivist bias of Western intellectuals; (2) the influence of the ecological apocalyptics; (3) the assault on the market by big government; (4) the undermining of productivity by trade unions, and (5) the totalitarian (primarily Soviet) threat from outside the country. Twelve people from various professions and perspectives responded to the challenge: an oil executive, a political scientist, a banker, a political columnist, a labor union official, a professor of theology, a former U.S. Senator, a journalist, a Black liberation theologian, an international lawyer, a U.S. Congreeman, and the direction of the Hudson Institute. The challenge brings forth the question of the survival of capitalism as well as its varying forms. The contributors address that question as well as the question of capitalism as a moral issue. (APG)
- Published
- 1979
19. American Business and the Quest for Freedom. Ethics and Public Policy Essay 62.
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC. and Griffith, Carol Friedley
- Abstract
The vitality of the business sector is an index of the general health of a free society. The importance of capitalism and the free enterprise system is a tenet of the ethos of the United States. Six addresses which promote this theme are presented as well as a list of the members of the honorary sponsoring committee honoring Donald Rumsfeld. The addresses are: "Global Validity of the American Experience" (Donald Rumsfeld), "How Business Promotes Freedom" (Ronald Reagan), "Democratic Capitalism as a Moral Force" (William E. Simon), "Ideas Shape Every Generation" (Irving Kristol), "Government Must Help Business Flourish" (Richard Cheney), and "Business Heroes Are Risk-Takers" (Frank Shakespeare). (BZ)
- Published
- 1986
20. How Bishops Decide: An American Catholic Case Study. Ethics and Public Policy Essay 63.
- Author
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC. and Lawler, Philip F.
- Abstract
The purpose of this study is to show how American Catholic bishops go about preparing a pastoral letter on a public issue. The actual preparation of a pastoral letter includes a number of complicated issues. The first two chapters provide background on the bishops' current letter. "Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy," tracing the recent history of Catholic social teaching, and the progress of the committee charged with drafting the letter. Chapter 3 assesses the breadth of the committee's consultation and its response to criticism of the draft. Chapter 4 surveys the political outlook of the committee members and their chief advisors. Chapter 5, the final chapter, treats a subject that is now hotly debated among Catholic theologians: the teaching authority of a bishop's conference. (BZ)
- Published
- 1986
21. The Apocalyptic Premise: Nuclear Arms Debated.
- Author
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC., Lefever, Ernest W., and Hunt, E. Stephen
- Abstract
This document contains 31 position papers that reflect a wide range of views on nuclear arms policy held by political leaders, religious authorities, scholars, policy experts, journalists, and political activists. Since no judgments are made, the reader is left to decide which arguments are most compelling. Each position paper is arranged into one of five sections: "Arms Control Issues,""The Peace Movement,""The Apocalyptic Premise,""The Churches and Nuclear Arms," and "Official Views." Each essay is preceded by a brief introduction, pointing out main themes and relating both complementary and opposing contributors to one another. Also included is a chart showing the comparative strengths of NATO and Warsaw Pact forces in Europe, a five-part bibliography corresponding to the five divisions of the text, and an index of names. (APG)
- Published
- 1982
22. Crisis in the Philippines: A Threat to U.S. Interests.
- Author
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC. and Gregor, A. James
- Abstract
The special relationship between the United States and the Philippines is chronicled, and the potential threats to that relationship are exposed and evaluated. Special attention is paid to imposition of martial law by Marcos from 1972-1981. The human rights of the Filipino people during martial law, development programs implemented by Marcos during martial law, and the failure of those programs are reviewed. There is a chapter on the crisis following the assassination of Benigno Aquino and its implications for United States--Filipino economic and security relations. Currently, the greatest danger facing United States interests in the Philippines is the possibility of economic collapse. Recommendations for the United States to support its interests are given. A profile of the Philippines, a Philippine chronology from 1898 to the present, and an index are included. (APG)
- Published
- 1984
23. Advancing Democratic Principles: A European Examines a Neglected American Asset. Ethics and Public Policy Essay 49.
- Author
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC. and Haseler, Stephen
- Abstract
According to this essay by a visiting scholar from Great Britain, there will always be a debate in democratic societies, about the proper role of morality in fashioning and articulating foreign policy. This ambivalence has been reflected in the uneven approach to the problem exhibited by successive United States administrations. There are two overriding reasons why it is vitally important for the current U.S. administration to persevere with the idea of projecting values as well as power. The first reason has to do with the domestic problems that the Western nations have in constructing a viable world strategy. Publics within Western democracies are less and less content to leave foreign policy to the expertise and whims of established elites. This is why it is necessary to develop a rationale for United States and Western involvement in the world that does not rest exclusively upon determinations of "interest." More likely to gain approval is a policy with a rationale expressed in terms of democratic values and systems on one side and totalitarian values and systems on the other. The second major reason for projecting democratic values is the continuing allure of the idea of democracy in the modern world. The democratic idea and aspiration is still the most precious asset of the West in its adversarial relationship with the Soviet bloc. The battle for hearts and minds can be seen in its most acute and sophisticated form in Western Europe where the focus of debate between East and West is the "peace" issue. The other propaganda area in which the East does surprisingly well is the matter of "economic justice." Among key elites throughout the world there is still a visceral commitment to the view that socialist societies are somehow more just than capitalist societies in distributing goods and services. To counter this, Western propaganda should concentrate its power at its strongest point: its democratic, open society and its political freedoms. (BZ)
- Published
- 1983
24. The Pursuit of a Just Social Order: Policy Statements of the U.S. Catholic Bishops, 1966-80.
- Author
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC., Benestad, J. Brian, Benestad, J. Brian, and Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC.
- Abstract
This book provides a concise and informative survey of what the U.S. Catholic bishops have said about crucial public issues such as world hunger, nuclear armament, military conscription, conscientious objection, multinational corporations, national health insurance, capital punishment, abortion legislation, and public aid to non-public education. The positions of the bishops are presented and the reasoning behind these positions analyzed. The book is organized into three parts. Part 1 discusses "Religion and Politics in the Catholic Tradition" in two chapters: "Addressing the Political Order" and "Political Principles." Part 2 addresses the bishops' statements on policy issues in chapters entitled "Foreign Policy" and "Domestic Policies." Chapters in Part 3 are "An Evaluation of the Bishops' Quest for Justice" and "Evangelization, Catholic Social Teaching, and Political Philosophy." Appendices include a brief summation on how the bishops make policy statements, the texts of two statements on corrections reform and the energy crisis respectively, and a paper on the approach of the National Catholic Welfare Council to political and social reform. Notes, and an index of names and documents, conclude the volume. (KWL)
- Published
- 1982
25. Who Speaks for American Judaism? Competing Approaches to Public Issues. Ethics and Public Policy Essay 48.
- Author
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC. and Siegel, Seymour N.
- Abstract
Rabbi Seymour N. Siegel presents four theses in the main address entitled "American Jews and Political Life": (1) Jewish voters as a group are more liberal than the general voting public. (2) Jewish organizations generally represent the views of their constituencies. (3) The liberal orientation in the Jewish community is true neither to Jewish interests nor to Jewish teachings, for both are conservative on social and political issues. (4) There are signs of a turn toward conservatism within the Jewish community. Responses to the theses are offered by Marshall J. Breger, a New York Law School professor and visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation; Rabbi Joshua O. Haberman, Washington Hebrew Congregation (Reform); and David Saperstein, co-director and counsel of the Religious Action Center (Union of American Hebrew Congregations and Central Conference of American Rabbis), with a final word from the main speaker. Included are a foreword, an "Exchange with the Audience," and notes. (KWL)
- Published
- 1983
26. We and They: Understanding Ourselves and Our Adversary. Ethics and Public Policy Essay 51.
- Author
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC. and Kirkpatrick, Jeane J.
- Abstract
To act effectively in the world, it is first necessary to know who we are and who the Soviet Union is and what they are likely to do. The United States is the inheritor and the embodiment of a long struggle against arbitrary power. This country is the heir of the liberal, democratic tradition, whose roots are freedom. Facing the nature of the Soviet government on the other hand is an extremely unpleasant task. The Soviet Union has established the only empire existing in today's world, an empire that extends to all continents, an empire that from the very beginning has grown by the artful manipulation of symbols and the uninhibited and skillful use of violence. The political and social events that occur in every country that experience a Communist government are matters of hard fact. If the results are clear, so are the tactics. The empire grows as the Soviet Union brings resources and personnel drawn from all over the Soviet bloc to bear on small, helpless countries. The United States meanwhile is more inventive in finding reasons why it should not help peoples resist incorporation into the Soviet empire than in finding ways to help them resist. Still, the hunger for freedom, self-expression, and self-determination is indeed an enduring reality of peoples throughout the world. (BZ)
- Published
- 1983
27. Speaking to the World: Four Protestant Perspectives. Ethics and Public Policy Essay 50.
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC. and Neuhaus, Richard John
- Abstract
This volume contains an address by Richard John Neuhaus entitled "Let the Church Be the Church" in which it is asserted that the crisis in Christian social ethics today is a crisis of faith which calls for spiritual, theological, and ethical renewal. The address is a retrospective look at the Vietnam-era debate between Neuhaus and Paul Ramsey, professor emeritus of religion at Princeton University. Included are responses to the address from Paul Ramsey; a Methodist Bishop (Earl G. Hunt, Jr.); and an African Methodist Episcopal Bishop (Philip R. Cousin); and the final word from Neuhaus, the main speaker. (KWL)
- Published
- 1983
28. Promise or Peril: The Strategic Defense Initiative.
- Author
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC. and Brzezinski, Zbigniew
- Abstract
The major policy debate touched off by President Reagan's March 1983 speech announcing the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) was the reopening of one that had begun 35 years before. Then and now the ultimate question is what kind of strategic posture is most likely to contribute to mutual strategic stability? The answer is central to national survival and has profound ethical implications. A strategic posture that safeguards peace by the threat of annihilation, one that bases national defense on the threat of killing scores of millions of people, is ethically troubling, morally corrosive, and dehumanizing. This volume of 35 essays by statesmen, scholars, and strategic analysts seeks to give the reader a comprehensive picture of the key issues surrounding strategic defense. Part 1 traces the historical antecedents of today's debate over strategic defense. Part 2 provides a spectrum of views on whether a strategic defense system is technically feasible and strategically advisable. Part 3 documents the complete transformation of the Soviet Union's public position on strategic defense, while showing that its programs to develop such weapons systems have been unaffected by that reversal. Part 4 examines the implications of strategic defense for the Western alliance. Part 5 presents the debate about whether SDI enhances or diminishes the prospect for verifiable arms control. And Part 6 looks at moral aspects of strategic defense. Also included are an appendix with the text of the 1972 ABM treaty, a chronology relating technological, political, and strategic developments from the 1930s to the present, a glossary of terms used in the book, a bibliography, and an index of names. (BZ)
- Published
- 1986
29. The Media Elite and American Values. Ethics and Public Policy Reprint No. 38.
- Author
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Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC., Lichter, S. Robert, and Rothman, Stanley
- Abstract
In this information-saturated society, only a tiny part of the daily barrage of facts and opinions that pour forth from a 100 sources can be received and absorbed. Consequently, individuals must depend on the major media of communication to sift the information and decide what is worthy of being called news. Two hundred-forty journalists and broadcasters, largely from the prestige media, including "The New York Times," the "Washington Post," the "Wall Street Journal,""Time,""Newsweek," and the television networks were interviewed. These media elite identify themselves as liberals, and from 1964 through 1976 they voted for the Democratic presidential candidate 80% of the time. On many social and political issues, their views differ notably from middle class American values and preferences; 89%, for example, support abortion on demand, and 58% believe that the United States exploits the Third World and causes poverty there. The study reveals that the media elite see the business elite as the most influential leadership group (other than politicians) in the United States and themselves as second. The journalists believe, however, that they themselves should be in the top position of influence. The consequences of this combination of influence, aspiration, and bias in the media elite are difficult to measure, but common sense buttressed by solid content studies suggests there is a link between journalists' policy preferences and their performance. (BZ)
- Published
- 1982
30. What the Fundamentalists Want. Ethics and Public Policy Reprint 61.
- Author
-
Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC. and Neuhaus, Richard John
- Abstract
The people of the United States have always been determinedly religious. What is new is the public recognition of this fact and the debate over the problems that attend it. In high schools and colleges across the country, students are reading textbooks that state as fact that the United States is, or is rapidly becoming, a secular society, an assumption not supported by empirical evidence. The massive "Middletown III" study of Muncie, Indiana, directed by Theodore Caplow concluded that the people of the United States are more religious today than they were a hundred years ago. Although the public resurgence of religion is hardly limited to fundamentalism, fundamentalists are a primary focus of the public debate. Fundamentalist political activism may be viewed as an "aggressive defense." This defense is directed against what they perceive to be governmental actions dictated by "secular humanists." However, even those who try to understand the religious Right sympathetically wonder exactly what the Fundamentalists want. One useful answer is the American Coalition for Traditional Values' (ACTV) list of ten issues in its campaign to "restore traditional moral and spiritual values" to U.S. life. The list includes prayer and Bible reading in public schools, a "pro-life" constitutional amendment, legal restrictions on pornography, an end to state "harassment" of Christian schools, resistance to feminist and gay rights legislation, increased defense spending, and the termination of social programs that may only increase the dependency of the poor. (BZ)
- Published
- 1985
31. Patterns of Black Excellence. Ethics and Public Policy Reprint 5.
- Author
-
Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC. and Sowell, Thomas
- Abstract
The history of the advancement of blacks in the United States is almost a laboratory study of human achievement. But the story of how millions of people developed from the depths of slavery--acquired work skills, personal discipline, human ideals, and the whole complex of knowledge and values required for achievement in a modern society--is a largely untold story. One small but important part of this advancement has been educational achievement. There are a number of successful black schools in various cities that exemplify this educational excellence. For the purposes of this study, six high schools and two elementary schools were selected. Some of the schools were once outstanding but are no longer, while others are currently academically successful. The research of the schools extended beyond such intangibles as atmosphere and school/community relations, as these could be either observed or reconstructed from documents and from interviews. The schools studied were: Booker T. Washington High School (Atlanta), St. Paul of the Cross (Atlanta), Frederick Douglass High School (Baltimore), McDonough 35 High School (New Orleans), St. Augustine High School (New Orleans), Xavier Prep (New Orleans), P.S. 91 (Brooklyn), and Dunbar High School (Washington, DC). (BZ)
- Published
- 1977
32. The Varieties of Anti-Americanism: Reflex and Response.
- Author
-
Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC. and Haseler, Stephen
- Abstract
The phenomenon of anti-Americanism is presented as an assortment of apparently disparate expressions of hostility toward U.S. society which combine to reinforce one another. Chapter 1 discusses what is not anti-Americanism, including: (1) opposition to particular U.S. policies or administration; (2) reassessment by foreign publics and elites of where power lies or is likely to lie in the world; (3) attempts to pressure the United States in order to gain some national advantage; or (4) the enduring desire for independence and self-determination. Chapter 2 examines primitive anti-Americanism. Chapter 3 investigates the demise of communist anti-Americanism. Chapter 4 discusses the ideological assault against the United States. Chapter 5 explores the attack on middle-American values. Chapter 6 investigates the charge of a fascist United States. Chapters 7 and 8 discuss elitism and the idea of American "purity" against the United States. Chapter 9 explores the future of anti-Americanism. Four appendices include excerpts from the writings of Alexis de Tocqueville, Andrew Hacker, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, and George F. Kennan. (RSL)
- Published
- 1985
33. A Case for Real Core Curriculum in Secondary Social Studies.
- Author
-
Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC. and English, Raymond
- Abstract
The U.S. public high school should return to a core curriculum which is defined as a broad consensus on the basic information and skills to which most young students should have been exposed by the time they graduate from high school. The duty of educators is to teach the skills and general information that enable educated persons to continue learning: In a high technology society these skills would include: knowledge of science; reading and language skill; interpreting maps, charts, graphs and diagrams; locating information, and analytic or evaluative skills. These abilities and skills are acquired over the years through core courses carefully planned to ensure sequence, necessary repetition, and steady expansion of knowledge. History and literature must be included as they are the exemplars for common values and standards of behavior. The social studies curriculum should emphasize history (national and world), geography, and U.S. government. The return to a core curriculum would eliminate the proliferation of short courses which may be more concerned with influencing students' attitudes and behavior than with conveying knowledge and skills. Educators teaching core courses will be able to incorporate the problem-oriented short courses into their subjects while giving the students a broader understanding of the issues. (SM)
- Published
- 1987
34. Teaching International Politics in High School.
- Author
-
Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC., English, Raymond, English, Raymond, and Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC.
- Abstract
Approaches to teaching about international politics and avenues to peace should be realistic and pragmatic rather than based on generalities about global education and peace education. This volume contains essays on international economic relations, cultural and linguistic understanding, and the conflict of ideologies and value systems in international affairs. The 13 essays included are: "America, the World, and Our Schools" (W. J. Bennett); "International Politics and Global Education" (M. A. East); "The Realities of Foreign Policy Making" (J. P. Roche); "The New Look in Social Studies" (R. H. Wilson); "Trading States or Territorial States?" (J. L. Tucker); "Avoiding the 'isms'" (R. L. Hayden); "A State Project in International Studies" (M. Hartoonian); "Global Education: An Ambiguous Innovation" (R. English); "Peacekeeping in the Nuclear Age" (K. B. Payne; J. Coleman); "National Security in the Nuclear Age" (J. E. Harf); "Teaching about the United Nations" (J. G. Pilon); "A Critique of 'Peace Education'" (T. B. Smith); and "The Historian-Filmmaker" (P. C. Rollins; R. T. Baird). Appendices contain sample textbook pages as well as a glossary, maps, theories of international politics, and an international timeline from 1945 to the present. (JB)
- Published
- 1989
35. Biotechnology and the spirit of capitalism.
- Author
-
Cohen E
- Subjects
- Biomedical Enhancement, Commodification, Cosmetic Techniques, Culture, Germ Cells, Human Body, Humans, Philosophy, Postmodernism, Protestantism, Social Change, Biomedical Technology economics, Biomedical Technology trends, Biotechnology economics, Biotechnology trends, Capitalism, Commerce ethics, Social Values
- Published
- 2006
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