Plato - The Republic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Plato - The Republic - Essay Example as a real philosopher named Plato and was somewhat of a contemporary of Plato (Socrates died when Plato was but twenty-five), the ideas accredited to Socrates are generally thought to be Plato originals and Reeve acknowledges as much (Reeve 2004 P xi). So through his own observations of the Republic Reeve puts forth an interesting argument that Plato felt strongly in the goodness of Kallipolis (in Greek the beautiful or noble city) and was very eager to broadcast his ideas through the argument/debate process written in the Republic. In the introduction, Reeve points out that Plato’s main theme in Kallipolis is not the bylaws which govern the city. Instead, the speaker talks of the value of a social structure based entirely on virtue, achieved in ways not the least of which is the education of all people (Reeve 2004 P xix). This includes females, which is not a very favourable idea among his conversationalists. So almost from the first Plato realizes this vision of utopia (a term coined by Sir Thomas Moore almost 1,900 years later) would never actually exist. In the Republic, Book 1 finds Socrates and his companion Glaucon returning from a religious festival only to find themselves literally forced to spend at least the night with a man named Polemarchus, his brothers and his aged father Cephalus. Wiling away the time the men get into a deep philosophical discussion concerning politics and money. As happens with the elderly, Cephalus is happy with the money he has made and expounds that at his age, having virtues (i.e. not cheating or lying) is far more important than the wealth he has accumulated (Reeve 2004 P 5). So the conversation naturally turns to virtue and two subjects brought up are paying one’s debts and helping a friend with his enemy (your enemy is my enemy). Plato rejects these, not on the basis of not being just ideas, but rather that they are mostly hard to define, for each situation is different (in battle, at sea, etc.) and says he

Insurance Industry in Australia and Acts of Parliament Essay

Insurance Industry in Australia and Acts of Parliament - Essay Example In essence, the insurance industry in Australia offers insurance services to Australians in three major categories, which are: health insurance, life insurance and general insurance. Moreover, the insurance industry in Australia falls under the financial services sector. The above three categories of insurance are regulated by different acts of Parliament. In accordance with Australian pieces of legislation, the major Acts of Parliament that regulate the insurance industry are: (i) The Life Insurance Act (1995), (ii) The Insurance Act 1973 and (iii) The Corporate Act. The government bodies that enforce the above Acts are: â€Å"The Australian Taxation Office (ATO)†, â€Å"The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC)†, â€Å"The Superannuation Complaints Tribunal (SCT)† and â€Å"The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA)†. This paper provides a report on how the insurance industry in Australia is regulated by the relevant Acts of Parliament. A law in Australia entails an Act passed by the Federal Parliament as stipulated in the Australian Constitution, Acts passed by Legislative Assemblies and State Parliament, Ordinances created in relation to territories, Australian common law and statute laws (Australian Governement Comlaw 2009: 1). General insurance in Australia The main legislation that regulates general insurance in Australia is â€Å"The Insurance Act 1973 (Cth) (Insurance Act)†. General insurance in Australia is divided into: (i) liability insurance, and (ii) property insurance. A further categorization of liability insurance has the classes of: worker’s compensation, motor insurance (better known as Compulsory Third Party (CPT)), public liability insurance, insurance for business and professional indemnity. In addition, a further categorization of property insurance has the classes of: travel insurance, home and contents insurance, and motor vehicles comprehensive insurance (Gray 2010: 1). Life insurance in Australia In the Australian insurance industry, life insurance is basically divided into the categories of: superannuation investment, life insurance and disability income insurance. The major acts that govern superannuation investment in Australia are: (i) The Superannuation Industry (Supervision) ACT 1993, and (ii) Financial Services Reforms Act 2002. The â€Å"Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993† is legislation on all the rules of compliance in the insurance industry. In essence, the Act looks into issues that involve: fund accounts and administration, enquiries and complaints, investments, fund management regulation and operation of the vast superannuation funds and setting up penalties for insurers who do not perform in relation to the rules stipulated in the Act. This Act registers all the superannuation trustees in Australian insurance industry. Additionally, all the trustees who seek registration must be qualified in risk management, financial and technology issues and have skills in management profession. On the other hand, the â€Å"Financial Services Reform Act 2002† is an Act that provides standardization in the insurance industry in relation with the financial industry. Essentially, it determines if a license to operate a fund should be given a particular superannuation fund trustee. The major roles of the â€Å"Financial Services Reform Act 2002† are, firstly, providing license to dealers who are to provide insurance services or products; secondly, determine