Court19

“Some people believe that in order to thrive, a society must put its own overall success before the well-being of its individual citizens. Others believe that the well-being of a society can only be measured by the general welfare of all its people.” Ethically speaking, the end does not justify the means when discussing the overall well being of a society. It is not in the best interest of the society as a whole if the well being of the individual citizens, who make up that society, are not valued. In the 1960s Jim Crow laws implemented separate but equal mandates in public spaces. It seemed to the policy makers that the society would thrive even though these laws were daunting on the African American population. When a select few are singled out for the “good of the whole society” protests occur and a society is polarized with those who are benefitting from certain policies and the select few that are not. The well being of a society is measured by the general welfare. General welfare can mean terms of happiness and health. When studying health care for example, it is important to make sure that health is a basic right that all citizens of a society have, and do not have to earn. If the people are generally healthy, the economy gets better; less people would need to owe the government money due to treatment they would not be able to pay for. The Affordable Care Act requires people to buy health insurance. In the economic cycle, the government is getting paid and people are receiving the health care that they need. When the general population is healthy, everyone benefits. Some may not agree when it comes to other aspects of success within a society. Some may argue that in other terms of a society, some countries put their average testing scores as a priority, because education is important. It is more important that all student should be able to succeed in schools and produce the best test scores compared to other countries. Yes, education is important in the success of a society, however high test scores do not mean that the well being of these students is put into the country’s best interest. Students often report high stress levels and the countries with the highest test score sometimes report the highest rating of student mental health issues like depression and suicide. In situations like these the success rate of the high scores should not take precedence over mental health. In addition to having the best test scores that also assumes citizens are able to pay for the resources to receive the best education available to implement these scores. Some European countries have proper mental health policies put in place for college students while also providing affordable education for those pursuing degrees. All in all, the general well being of a society does measure the success rate of that society and should be prioritized.