Words into Action looks at some of the main obstacles which prevent poor people from claiming their rights. It tells of the hard-won successes of people who are working at all levels, from village council to national government, for a better life for themselves, their families, and their communities.
This article supports the efforts of humanitarian agencies working in armed conflict to recognise a political and legal philosophy of humanitarian action that is more explicitly built on human rights and international humanitarian law. It regards humanitarian philosophy as a mixture of a simple ethic of charity and a more politically connected theory of rights. It observes the dangers of a strong philanthropy-only tendency that persists in international humanitarianism and argues that basing humanitarian action primarily on the ethic of charity is not sufficient for two reasons. First, because such charity seldom demands political responsibility from others. Second, because the virtue of charity can often be distorted into dysfunctional and patronising relationships between western aid givers and their 'beneficiaries' that can be colonial and even racist at heart. To move beyond a dysfunctional philanthropic mindset, the article sees better understanding of and respect for international humanitarian law (...
This study examined the relationship among cognitive and motivational vari- ables impacting college students' willingness to take mitigative action to reduce the impacts of human-induced climate change. One hundred and forty college students were asked to read a persuasive text about human-induced climate change and were pre and post tested on their attitudes about climate change and their willingness to take action to mitigate its effects. Students showed statistically significant changes in their attitudes about climate change and their willingness to commit to take action. A path model demonstrated that openness to change and a willingness to think deeply about issues predicted both change in attitudes and expressed willingness to take action. This research demonstrates that a persuasive text has the potential to promote change around complex socio-scientific issues.