I. The City
1. What is a city?
A city is a place where people come together to share common interests and resources. It is a group of interacting people living in the same location. A city is built on how people live and interact with other people within the community. Cities allow citizens to participate and experience life events together. It is a sense of identity and provides citizens with a feeling of belonging. They are built with a set of principles which allow people to come together. It is normally a group of people who are organized under common shared values. A city shares a common language, customs, goods and services. There must be a mutual agreement amongst the members of the city on what the success of the city is and how the citizens can achieve it.
2. What is the purpose of a city?
A city is used for human survival. People are not able to survive sufficiently on their own. Each person has a vocation to a specific type of task. It is what they are best suited for. People alone are not self sufficient, therefore people have a mutual, ongoing and eternal need for one another. This mutual need has lead the development of cities. The development of cities allow for citizens of the city to not only live but to live well. According to Aristotle and Plato a person must be an active member of a city in order to be considered a human being.
3. What is your specific city like? Describe it, and include the following:
- What sort of government your city has (who is in charge, how those who are in charge are selected, etc.)
Our city is run by a Epistemocracy. This is government based on knowledge and intelligence. It is ruled by the most intelligent officials. These people will become elected after a series of tests. Every four years, each citizen must take a standardized test. This test will include subject matters such as History, Economy, and basic IQ questions. This test will be scored in a matter of fact way and will play a major role in who will be elected to govern. With a high level of intelligence comes an increased ability to problem solve, which is what most cities are in need of. Being appointed the power to rule the city is not up to the individual who has been chosen. If he or she has scored the highest on the test, they must rule.
- The vocations of your city’s 100 citizens
Daycare (7)
Doctors (5 Doctors/5 Dentists)
Cooks (5)
Blacksmith (5)
Fisherman (6)
Landscapers (10)
Engineer (2 Mechanical , 2 Electrical, 2 Civil)
Counsel (9 People)
Shoe Maker (7)
Seamstress (7)
Sanitation Workers (5)
C. How their needs are satisfied, taking into account:
1. What each person can produce; and
2. What each person consumes
o People need to be broken up into groups to help ration food
§ Babies: Enough to promote growth
§ Children: Enough to promote growth
§ Adults: Enough to provide energy for working
§ Elderly: Enough to keep healthy
§ Sick: Enough to get health
o Everyone is required to get at least an hour of physical activity a day
o People need to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day
o There needs to be an hour of required rest to prevent overworking.
o The work day will be set from 9am-5pm unless there is a special job that requires longer hours. In that case, that position will have rotating people.
o People are required work on the job they are assigned and that job only
o People are required to get at least an hour of physical activity outside of work to help maintain health
N.B. Explicitly state your assumptions about these two ideas.
D. What luxury your citizens enjoy, and how that luxury is procured
E. Any geographical details you think are of importance, together with an
explanation of why they are important arable
This city is geographically located by rivers and coastal plains. This geographic location provides very arable land ideal for growing crops. In addition, being located near rivers allows for a large and successful fishing industry. Due to the geographical location, the city is isolated and protected from outside invaders. The river allows for easy and accessible trade and also irrigation for farming.
4. How does your city (as described in 3) fulfill the purpose of a city (as described in
2)?
II. The Law
5. What is law? Consider: Law is a social phenomena consisting of a system of rules/regulations that a particular community recognizes and obeys. Law is an instrument for maintaining social order. Systems of law are tools that help mold societies behavioral characteristics.
A. What is the law in general? The law in general are the rules and regulations often found in constitutions and legislation, that is enforced and monitored by appointed individuals.
B. What is a law? A law is a singular rule or regulation put into place in attempt to influence certain behavior among the communities citizens. Desired behaviors reflect moral and ethical decisions in terms of the communities best interest. A specific law acts as a deterrent towards a specific unfavorable behavior.
6. What is the purpose of law? The purpose of law can be portrayed as the attempt to achieve social order throughout a community, through rules that are founded on shaping certain behavior. Certain behavior that is supportive of the well-being of the community. Law is created with the city’s benefit in mind. In other words, laws sole purpose is creating habit intended to aid the community as a whole.
7. What sort of legal system does your city have? Describe it, and include the
following: Our city adopted a constitution representative of an Aristocracy. In our city those who are most fit to rule will rule, and have the authority to create and maintain law and order that is most favorable for the society. In our aristocratic society a council of the most qualified individuals will be appointed based on merit and reputation throughout the community. An individual's merit and reputation will be determined by the contributions made to society throughout that individuals life, as well as the moral and ethical values that individual upholds.
A. What laws in particular your city has (not all of them, just a representative few);
- A citizen may not intentionally kill another citizen for any reason other than self-defense.
- A citizen is never allowed to steal the property of another citizen for any reason.
- A citizen must do their job and only their job.
- Each individual in our society is assigned a certain vocation based on his/her skill set. Each person does one thing for which he/she is naturally suited.
- Each individual is entitled to an education of the same quality as everyone else.
- Each individual has the right to a fair trial when the following of set laws is in question.
B. How legal disputes are settled in your city
- When a dispute of legality is brought about in the city the citizen in question of breaking the law that citizen will go to trial. Each trial will consist of our 9 councilman that will analyze each case separately and fairly. The majority of votes will determine whether the individual is guilty or innocent of that crime. If found guilty of a crime, charges or punishment will vary based on the severity and impact on the community. Punishments will also be determined by a majority vote of the council and what they think will fulfill the crimes required disciplinary action.
8. How does your city’s legal system (as described in 7) fulfill the purpose of law (as
described in 6)? Our legal system promotes moral and ethical behavior favorable to our society. Through fair disciplinary action citizens understand the consequences of breaking the law. Punishment derived from unethical/immoral action creates incentive for citizens to perform their civil duty in order to help the city prosper.
III. The People
9. What is a citizen?
A citizen is a person who is legally able to be part of a city and have all the legal rights and privileges of the city in which they live.
10. What sorts of rights should citizens have?
Being a citizen allows the individual to express themselves. It allows them a freedom of speech and individuality. Citizens are allowed to practice whatever religion they may choose. The right to vote for laws are given to the citizens.
11. What sorts of obligations should citizens have?
A citizen has an obligation to be loyal to the city that they live in. They are obligated to obey laws and to fulfill his or her duties to the city.
12. In view of your description of your own city—especially under 3, 4, 7, and 8 above
—, how does your city answer to the demands of 10 and 11? In other words:
C. Do citizens in your city have the sorts of rights they ought to have (as outlined
in 10)?
In the city, citizens do enjoy the rights that they ought to have. They have the rights to practice whatever religion they wish to and they can expresses themselves freely. This is made possible through the aristocratic constitution that the city has adopted, and these rights are enshrined in it. Though the city is ruled by a certain class, most decisions are made by the general citizen, through majority votes.
Do they have the sorts of obligations that citizens ought to have (as
outlined in 11)? Why or why not?
The citizens in the city do have certain moral and ethical values that they are obligated to uphold for the proper functioning of the city. All actions undertaken by any citizen must be for the good of the society and there are laws that must be upheld. The laws are spelt out to ensure adherence, there is also a council that citizens face when they violate any of the laws. This ensures that everyone in the city respects the law and those who do not are tried and if need be punished fairly. Every citizen is obligated to work on the job that they are assigned, they must rest for at least one hour while working to avoid overworking and each must complete at least one hour of a physical activity daily. Additionally each citizen is required drink eight glasses of water daily. This maximizes production while promoting the good health of the people.
D. On the basis of your answers to 4 and 8 above, are there rights or obligations
entailed by those answers that are inconsistent with your answers to 10 and 11?
There are no rights or obligations that are inconsistent.
