How do societies decide what is just and fair?
One way to approach this topic is to think about
the assumptions of guilt and innocence. Innocence
before guilt – I’m sure you heard of this idea
before. It’s the driving principle behind our legal
system. Our system assumes that it is better for
the guilty to go free than for the innocent to be
wrongfully imprisoned.
1) But is it really better to let some guilty people go
free rather than convict one innocent person?
2) Does your opinion change if you’re the one
wrongfully accused?
In some countries, such as China, the accused are
assumed guilty and must be proven innocent. The
logic here is that it is better for society rather than
the individual to be protected.
3) What are your though ts about China ‘s approach?
To submit your answers to these questions, you’ll
need to create a forum post:
assumed guilty and must be proven innocent. The
logic here is that it is better for society rather than
the individual to be protected.
3) What are your thoughts about China ‘s approach?
To submit your answers to these questions, you’ll
need to create a forum post:
Click on “Week 1 Discussion” to enter the forum.
Next, click the “Create Thread” button in the upper
left hand corner to post your response.
Reminder about due dates:
Your response to the Discussion Questions should
be made no later than this Thursday before
midnight. Remember to check back here some
time before this Sunday so that you can reply to
other students’ posts.
Grading:
Your posts and responses to others’ posts make up
your Participation grade in the course. Refer to the
syllabus for more information on grading criteria.
