Taoism and the concept of global security

Global security is typically discussed in the rationalist termsused to articulate contemporary modernism. To restrict analysisto such articulations, however, is to accept the limits anddistortions that this way of being and knowing creates. Thisarticle seeks to transgress these limits, and to compensatefor these distortions. It does so by discussing the conceptof global security from a Taoist perspective. Initially, itmaps what global security means to rationalists. Then it discusseswhat Taoism entails, and compares Taoist and rationalist epistemologies.Then it compares Taoist and rationalist thinking about globalsecurity, defined first in more general, ‘human’security terms, and second in more particular, politico-strategicterms. It concludes by highlighting the significance of theTaoist concept of wu-wei (‘no unnatural action’),and of Taoism as one way in which to contextualise the rationalistconstruction of global security.     

The Ethics of Plea Bargaining in International Criminal Trials

The paper argues that contemporary theoretical and philosophical concerns relating to the practice of plea bargaining in international trials for crimes such as genocide should be seen in the broader context of the perceived legitimacy of international trial justice. The paper questions the capacity of international trial structures to deliver a form of truth which contributes to justice suggesting that the legitimacy of the truth available is conditioned by ideology and normative practice. The paper suggests that the key to transforming international trial justice lies in promoting the link between trial ideology and the perceived moral legitimacy of its outcomes through the exercise of judicial discretionary power. Ralph Henham is Professor of Criminal Justice, Nottingham Law School, Nottingham Trent University.     

December dilemmas: The celebration of Christmas in American Public Schools

As contentious as Americans are about prayer 1 and other forms of religious expression in public education, 2 it is amazing to consider the dearth of litigation over a related, complex issue, the celebration of religious holidays, most notably Christmas, in public schools. In fact, while the Supreme Court has addressed Christmas holiday displays on two occasions, and lower courts have examined the appropriateness of Easter as a school or public holiday, there has been no direct litigation on the place, if any, of Christmas in public schools. The question is all the more complex due to the important place that religion has played, and continues to occupy, in American life as educators seek ways to teach students to appreciate diversity in all of its manifestations, including religion. This article briefly reviews the litigation in this area, little of which admittedly involves education, and reflects on the 'December Dilemma' that confronts educators in American public schools.