Each year, every member of Year 12 completes a 2,500 word research essay on a subject of his choice over the summer holiday for the Dulwich Diploma. As part of this process, which includes guidance on questions of academic integrity and research techniques, an abstract must be produced outlining the content, arguments and conclusions of the finished essay. A selection of these is published here and demonstrates the vast scope of Dulwich boys’ academic interests, one that ranges far beyond the A-level curriculum. GOING BEYOND: DULWICH DIPLOMA ESSAYS
“...democracy is flawed, as it neither protects the rights and freedoms of the individual nor maximises utility.” WHY DID BRITAIN NOT FOLLOW FRANCE’S REVOLUTIONARY PATH IN THE LATE 18TH AND EARLY 19TH CENTURIES? WILLIAM BEDDOWS In this essay I look at how the governing classes in Britain managed to retain Britain’s traditional society and prevent the revolutionary tide that engulfed France in 1789 from doing the same to Britain. I argue that the skill of British politicians at the time played a crucial role in ensuring financial stability and the preservation of social order. But also I argue that because Britain was, unlike France, a constitutional monarchy, it meant that the governance of the country was carried out by professional politicians. This prevented the King from being made the scapegoat for any political or financial disaster, as Louis XVI had been in 1789. I conclude that as Britain’s constitution was more flexible than that of France, those wanting expansion of civil liberties, such as an increase in the voting franchise, aimed to work within the system as reformists rather than revolutionaries. and against the Aerotropolis model. For example, an Aerotropolis provides tourists and business people maximum efficiency for global travel but might not provide sufficient space for the need to rapidly expand airports. My conclusion was that Aerotropoli are most suited to new city developments in countries with authoritarian regimes.
A CRITICAL EXPOSITION OF DEMOCRACY CHARLIE APTHORP
TO WHAT EXTENT IS THE AEROTROPOLIS MODEL SUITABLE FOR THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF CITIES? JOSH BARRICK to conclude that by both premises democracy is flawed, as it neither protects the rights and freedoms of the individual nor maximises utility. An Aerotropolis is a relatively new model where a city is built up around an airport, similar to traditional port cities. As a keen geographer, I was interested to explore whether this concept could resolve the conflict between the rise in air travel and the need for a more sustainable world. My research included an interview with Professor John Kasarda, the original architect of the Aerotropolis idea. As a result, I found numerous arguments for This essay proposes a number of criticisms of democracy. Firstly, I examine the two main arguments of social contract theory, tacit and hypothetical consent, and then contrast them with utilitarian modes of justification for our state. I then explore the ‘state of nature’ proposed by Thomas Hobbes and, using my understanding of human nature, conclude that the state serves a utilitarian purpose. I then present utilitarian criticisms of democracy, making use of basic game theory in my example from Ancient Athens. Finally, I address democracy from the premise that the state’s purpose is not utilitarian, but rather, as proposed by John Rawls, to protect individual rights. Finally I make use of John Stuart Mills’ theory of the ‘Tyranny of the Majority’ and my own personal argument
13
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker