Political attitudes

By the end of the text you should appredate the enormous potential that biological systems have for making a wide range of products and to achieve a variety of objectives. You should also have knowledge and be able to dte specific examples, of how economic, sodal and political attitudes may impinge upon the adoption of the technology. 

The most common political attitude among students today is I m apathetic, and I don t care. ... 

Although the original leaders of the movement were orthodox in their religious principles, their successors and the new members who were drawn to the movement adopted a more mystical approach toward religion which was contrary to Islamic orthodoxy. Furthermore, since most of the new devotees came from the lower and middle classes, the socio-political attitudes of this new sect were increasingly regarded with distrust and suspicion by the upper classes and by the authorities. 

Various protestant groups refused to conform to the established Anglican Church (47.5. They were called non-conformists or dissenters. The movement had its roots in the 17 century but became especially strong during the 1700s. Joseph Priestley lived in that tradition. Early motherless, he was adopted by his childless Aunt Sarah when he was nine. In her house he came into contact with theological questions and liberal political attitudes. His aunt was a very valuable support to the restless, energetic boy, who was always on the move. Joseph had a decided aptitude for studies, with a habit from youth for hard work. He was sent to several schools, where he rapidly learned more than expected. 

For simplicity within the framework of modelling the dimension of political attitudes, it will be assumed that there exist only two relevant political opinions, say 1 and 2, in the model society. These may be represented by two political parties or, on a more comprehensive level, by two competing ideologies. 

Goldthorpe, J. H., Lockwood, D., Bechhofer, F., Platt, J. (1969), The Affluent Worker Political Attitudes and Behaviour (Cambridge Cambridge University Press). 

A dramatic reversal in professional and political attitudes about the social and environmental impact of technology developed in the late 1960s. Political and professional leaders began to realize that technological progress is often accompanied by relocation of families and businesses, disruption of communities, and harmful changes to the natural environment. 

Armando Aranda What you say is actually deadly serious indeed, and I wonder whether the problem comes from the science and the scientists or is it the political and social system that then takes the science that is useful for its purposes Or is it an interactive situation, a certain attitude or ideology breeds a certain kind of science or do they feed back each other ... 

Blaikie, P, and H. Brookfield. (1987). Land degradation and society. London and New York Routledge. Buttel, F. H., and W. L. Flinn. (1978). The politics of environmental concern The impacts of party identification and political ideology on environmental attitudes. Environment and Behavior 10 17-32. 

Social discrimination in American colleges and universities is one of the most important means by which group attitudes are conditioned in this country (McWilliams, 1948). One Cohort V interviewee gave this explanation of the politics of her department ... 

To understand how Americans acquired a distinctive attitude toward firearms, it is important to remember that the political culture of the United States grew out of the English rather than continental European experience. 

Simeon et al. (1995) mailed questionnaires to 135 child psychiatrists in 43 countries to obtain more precise information on the views and approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of childhood psychiatric disorders. Of 43 questionnaires returned, data from 38 respondents representing 24 different countries were included. The study indicated that child psychiatrists in Europe and elsewhere outside the United States would use methylphenidate to treat 58% of ADHD patients, with their second choice being imipramine (18%), and 11% would not use medication. The investigators reported that one of the controversies that remained was the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD, as the prescription rates varied extremely from one country to another. In Italy, for example, the diagnosis of ADHD was rarely made and psychostimulants were rarely used. The authors concluded that the choice of medication was frequently restricted by lack of availability as well as by political or social attitudes (Simeon et al., 1995). 

Deciding to take a risk puts us, and perhaps others, in a risky situation. This situation may or may not afford opportunities to act so as to avoid harmful outcomes. Our attitude to a risky situation in which there are such opportunities will depend on our assessment of our abilities to avoid the harm. If people are successful at avoiding harm in risky situations, then the risks (the harm that actually results) may be low. However, the inherent riskiness of the situation has not been reduced. The fact that certain activities have been made more risky than they were, and perhaps therefore have to be avoided, is a restriction of people s freedom of action in the world. This restriction is caused by human action and is therefore of moral and political concern. 

Each group tended to include persons similarly young, middle class, and fairly well educated, and in each the members were described as being alike in terms of social, political, and religious attitudes and opinions. This similarity was deemed desirable by the users because of the intimate nature of the contact that took place under the drug. On the other hand, it was also felt that some variety in the orientation of the members was desirable in order not to exhaust the common experience of the group. Indeed, the decline of one of the heterosexual groups was attributed in part to lack of variety in the membership. 

Attitudes towards the chemical industry then emerge on the surface of these foundations, and general opinions crystallize out. At times, these react very sensitively to developments within the industry and our industry s public presence, but also to events and changes in mood in the general economic and socio-political environment. 

A 2006 Special Issue of the Energy Policy Journal (34(8)) analyses the European experience with eco-taxation and points to deeper underlying issues about the degree of public understanding and trust in political processes. A Swedish survey also underlines that attitudes to carbon taxation are directly related to the degree of trust in politicians, more even than an individual s own exposure to the taxes (Hammar and Jagers, 2006). 

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