Arguments For and Against Open Borders

Arguments For and Against Open Borders To what extent do states have the right to exclude foreigners from settling within their borders? This question is concerned with the relationship between states and their members. In debates on immigration, there are usually two positions. One view is the movement of people between states should be completely free thus borders should be open. The other view is that states have a right to exclude foreigners from settling within their borders. On the face of it, the right to exclude looks morally contestable as it involves substantial state force. For instance, criminalising individuals for unauthorised border crossings and it involves forcibly preventing people from getting things that they might desperately need like a better life for them and their family. As these factors are usually considered to be morally wrong, then can such a right to exclude be morally justified. Within this essay, I will exhibit both positions from the perspectives of Joseph Carens and David Miller. I will argue that states do not have a right to exclude. Firstly, I will demonstrate the argument from Joseph Carens for open borders thus disagreeing with the statement that states have a right to exclude. Advocates for open borders are not arguing for wholly elimination of borders but rather for changes in how those affected might move across them and in how they are understood. Carens claims that there is no right for states to unilaterally control their own borders as he believes that â€Å"borders should generally be open and people should normally be free to leave their country of origin and settle in another† (Carens, 2013,225) He contends that states’ rights to exclude outsiders from settling in their borders are incompatible with our basic values and commitments. One being freedom. Immigration restrictions are a serious infringement on freedom, especially on freedom of movement. This freedom both good in itself as it is an expression of autonomy and it is also instrumentally valuable as it enables individuals to improve their prospects if they have the ability to move to a more advantageous location. The other being fundamental moral equality. Immigration restrictions enforce huge inequalities of opportunity. Freedom of movement is essential for equality of opportunity and this explains our intuition about the wrongness of feudalism. Carens provides an analogy where he compares contemporary states’ practice of border control to medieval feudal societies. He is claiming that being born in a rich state for example, Europe and North America is like being born into medieval nobility and to be born in a poor country is like being born into peasantry. This is applicable to now with the deductions that your place of birth determines your initial prospects and that states prevent you from trying to improve your situation by moving to another country. The â€Å"modern practice of state control over borders tie people to the land of their birth almost as effectively (as feudal practice)† (Carens,2013,226) Carens believes that since we endorse freedom of movement with society, we should endorse it with respect to outsiders too. Following this, freedom of international movement should be considered as a basic human right. Caren’s also provides another argument which is the idea that if you are committed to uncontroversial human rights you should be committed to there being a human right to cross borders. For instance, an uncontroversial right would be the right to freedom of movement within one’s own country. As Carens puts it â€Å"if it is so important for people to have the right to move freely within a state. Isn’t it equally important for them to have the right to move across state borders† also â€Å"every reason why one might want to move within a state may also be a reason for moving between states† (Carens,2013,239) for example love, job, religion, cultural opportunities. This is stating that every reason in which an individual might have for moving within a country can also be applicable to move across state borders. Although Carens does believe that these arguments provide a strong case for states to have open borders, nonetheless he does acknowledge that some immigration restrictions can be justified. He claims that we cannot justify them by appealing to a state’s right to decide but there could be other justifications that appeal to other considerations that are compatible with viewing all individuals as having equal moral worth. For instance, extreme overcrowding or serious security threats. From this I will now look at the perspective that states do have a right to exclude. In contrast, David Miller objects to Carens position. He argues from a restrictive perspective and contends that states do have a right to exclude. Miller’s main claim is that there could be ‘cases in which nation states could be justified in imposing restrictive immigration policies’ (Miller,2014,363) Miller provides objections to Caren’s argument for the case of open borders. One is on the argument from a human right to internal freedom of movement. He questions actually how much movement is required by this right â€Å"What is less clear†¦is the physical extent of the right, in the sense of how much of the earth’s surface I must be able to move to in order to say that I enjoy it† (Miller,2014,365) He argues that Carens is not clear about the physical extent of the right for instance how much of the earth’s surface can we move in order to enjoy the right? Miller points out that the internal right to movement is actually subject to lots of restrictions that seem acceptable for example parking regulations, private property etc. His view is that the right to movement protects an adequate range of options not a maximal range of options. He provides a distinction between basic freedoms and bare freedoms. Basic freedoms are those necessary for a minimally decent life and bare freedoms are those not necessarily for a minimally decent life. Carens suggests that the right to freedom of movement is a basic freedom. Whereas Miller counters this to argue that as long as your state gives you an adequate range of free movement, your human right is satisfied and you do not have a general claim to immigrate to another state of your choice thus a bare freedom. Miller also provides a positive case for the right to exclude. According to Miller’s view, individuals don’t have a general right to immigrate. One reason for this is to preserve culture. He believes that states have a legitimate interest in preserving the political culture and or controlling how that culture changes over time for instance the role of language in maintaining a public culture for example if a lot of English people move to Thailand how would that affect the native language. Another reason is that the role of immigration restrictions plays an important role in curbing the population growth both globally and nationally as immigration can cause all sorts of problems. For instance, the natural environment can be jeopardised by overcrowding, also increase in climate change and resource consumption. On the other hand, what about cases of refugees fleeing persecution or starvation? Miller is targeting general claims about right to immigrate, he does acknowledge that there are more extreme cases of immigration. He contends that they do potentially have a right to enter another state due to their basic freedoms and interests are not being met by their state. However, this is not a general right to immigrate to any state of your choice, you only a right that some state let you enter rather it is a remedial right. It only exists if people are acting wrongly so for Miller, in a just world people would not have it. However, what about people who don’t even have the minimum, do they not have the right to immigrate? Miller would respond to this by agreeing they do have a right but it depends. Wealthy states are either obliged to either allow such persons to immigrate or aid them in their home country. Millers argues that it is more preferable to aid people in their home country. As immigration is unlikely to help the very worst off due to them not being able to afford to move and it might actually harm them. This is what he calls the brain drain problem which is where people with desired skills sets in a less well-off country getting paid more in the new country they immigrated to but leaving people behind who don’t have the skills left so are deprived. In conclusion, I have exhibited two perspectives to the question as to whether states have the right to exclude foreigners from settling within their borders. Joseph Carens who argues that states do not have a right exclude and instead argues for open borders. In contrast David Miller argues from a restrictive perspective arguing that to a certain extent they do have a right to exclude. Following this, I have come to the conclusion that states do not have a right to exclude thus agreeing with Caren’s perspective that immigration restrictions infringe our human right of freedom. Bibliography: Carens J (2013) ‘The Ethics of Immigration’ Chapter 11 – The case for open borders pgs 225-239 Miller D (2014) ‘Immigration: The Case for Limits’ in Andrew I. Cohen and Christopher Heath Wellman (eds.), Contemporary Debates in Applied Ethics, Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, (2nd ed.), pp. 363-376

Hobson’s Choice – With particular reference to Act 1, show how Brighouse presents a comic but honest view of family life, set in late 19th century Salford

With particular reference to Act 1, show how Brighouse presents a comic but honest view of family life, set in late 19th century Salford. Hobson's choice is an interesting and enjoyable play, which uses a fair amount of comedy to keep the audience engaged. The audience can really connect with the characters, as they are very realistic and are placed in real-life situations. The comic element comes in regularly, in the form of just one-off, funny lines, or even complete comic situations and themes. Although the play is set in late 19th century, the themes are still relevant today, which shows that although some things may evolve over time, people and their opinions are still the same, and so the audience can relate to the play, which is another reason why Hobson's Choice is so enjoyable. â€Å"Hobson's Choice† is proverbial, stemming from the 17th century; to have â€Å"Hobson's choice† is to have no choice at all. I think that understanding this is a key element in understanding the play, as all of the themes of the play arise from one of the main five characters having â€Å"Hobson's choice†. The play is set in late 19th century Salford, which although it does not tell you in the play, the audience can guess immediately, just from the setting. The play begins in Hobson's Boot Shop, which is a clue straight away, as boot shops are not very common today, and have been replaced by shoe shops and trainer shops. Another clue are â€Å"the cane chairs† in front of the counter, where â€Å"the ordinary people sit for fitting†, because today benches would be placed randomly around the store for everyone to sit on. There is a separate room â€Å"for very important customers†, but today they would use the benches, the same as everyone else, or go to a different store. Another clue would be the door leading to the house, implying that the Hobsons live there, which is not so commonly practiced today. If these were not enough clues, the objects inside the shop all suggest late 19th century; for example, â€Å"the gas brackets in the windows and walls†, and â€Å"the clogs on exhibit in the windows†. Alice and Vickey's actions and dress also suggest a late 19th century setting, as Alice, only 23, is knitting – not an activity which is commonly pursued by the modern young woman – and the pair are wearing aprons for working in a shoe shop. Although Hobson's Choice consists of four Acts, each of these is comprised of several little scenes. Although these are not official, Brighouse has made it obvious that they are there, and they are often marked by the entrance and exit of a character. Brighouse teaches the audience a lot about his characters in the first Act, and he sets up their personalities and roles to make it easier to digest when their true functions are revealed, and right from the beginning of the play, Brighouse gives the audience an idea as to what the characters of Hobson and his three daughters – Maggie, Alice and Vickey – are like. Maggie is a bossy, moody character, and Brighouse uses the first scene to introduce this to the audience in a conversation between her and Alice; the audience can grasp these characteristics in Maggie from her sharp, snappy response to Alice. For example; â€Å"Alice: I hoped it was father going out. ‘†Maggie: It isn't†. Maggie is very blunt and matter-of-fact when she is talking to her sisters, as she proves again when she says â€Å"He got up late†, in response to another statement from Alice about their father. Brighouse has chosen subtle, yet effective, methods in broadening the audience's knowledge of the characters in Hobson's Choice early in the play, and the characters of Maggie, Alice and Vickey are no exception to this. From the fact that Maggie is reading an account book, whilst Alice and Vickey are knitting and reading, the audience know instantly that Maggie is the one bothered about the business out of the three of them, and that Alice and Vickey would probably rather be out doing other things. Maggie is blunt in every aspect of her life, and it is traits like this found in all of the characters in Hobson's Choice that adds to the play's honesty – none of the characters are perfect, but they do try their best to use their flaws and traits to their advantage. Brighouse uses a metaphor to show Maggie's bluntness in a conversation between Maggie and her two sisters. Maggie says â€Å"See that slipper with a fancy buckle on it to make it look pretty? Courting's like that my lass. All glitter and no use to nobody†, and this sums up what Maggie thinks about marriage, love and life. In terms of marriage and love, Brighouse is telling the audience that Maggie doesn't want to date somebody first, she just wants to marry them. Also, she is not interested in a fancy man, with expensive clothes, lots of money and good looks as it is â€Å"only glitter†; she would rather find somebody genuine, marry him, and then get to know him. Already, Brighouse is building reason for why Maggie would want to marry a man such as this, so the audience can look back on this, and it will help them to understand why Maggie and Willie, at first glance such an unlikely couple, are together. Again, the fact that Maggie is very honest in how she speaks helps to convey the way that Brighouse has created such an honest view of family life. As the audience have already learnt, Maggie is very bossy, and so Brighouse has used the next scene to confirm this. It also introduces Albert, so that the audience know that he likes Alice, and to introduce the shop, and show the audience that Vickey and Alice are not interested in it. The scene shows Maggie confronting Alice's boyfriend, Albert Prosser. They all know why Albert has gone come into the shoe shop – to visit his ‘girlfriend', Alice – but they all put on a front, and act like he is a normal customer coming in to buy some boots; it becomes clear that Albert really does not want to purchase anything. Maggie, however, keeping up the pretence that Albert has come in to actually shop, starts forcing Albert to buy something, so he pretends that he has come in for some shoe laces. To his surprise, Maggie asks Albert, â€Å"What size do you take in boots?†, to which he innocently answers, â€Å"Does that matter to the laces?†. Albert does not realise what Maggie is getting at, until Maggie replies, â€Å"It matters to the boots†, and before he knows it, Albert is being pushed down into one of the seats and having his boots taken off and replaced with new ones. Brighouse also impresses early that Alice and Vickey are very fashionable, which Hobson is not very keen on; he wants his daughters to look nice but smart and ladylike. For example, Vickey and Alice â€Å"had new dresses on last week†, which shows that they want to look good, but Hobson says â€Å"I like to see my daughters look nice. That's why I pay Mr Tudsbury, the draper, à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½10 a year a head to dress you proper. It pleases the eye and it's good for the trade†. Clearly he doesn't like his daughters parading around making fools of themselves and him, which is exactly what he thinks they are doing by dressing like that. Brighouse shows this again, when Hobson euphemises â€Å"You were going down Chapel Street with a hump added to nature behind you†, which shows that he is uncomfortable with the situation and the way his daughters are dressing, as he is playing around with what he wants to say, because he does not know quite how to say it. Later in this conversation between Hobson and his two youngest daughters, Alice says â€Å"it is not immodest, father. It's the fashion to wear bustles†, which shows that Alice and Vickey are fashionable, but their father is not concerned by this, only that they are dressing in this manner, which he describes as â€Å"uppishness† â€Å"the occupation of fools and such as have no brains†. This conversation also shows the age gap between Hobson and his daughters, and the fact that Alice and Vickey are still being controlled by their father, despite the fact that they are 23 and 21, links with one of the themes of the play – the role of women in society. With reference to the title, this is a great example of the typical, honest situations that Brighouse has used throughout Hobson's Choice, which is why it is such an honest, realistic play. It is because the characters and the situations that they find themselves in are so realistic that the play comes across as so honest. Straight away, Brighouse also lets the audience know that Hobson likes a drink, which is something that features throughout the play. Brighouse does this by introducing Hobson through his daughters, where they discuss that he has a hangover from a Mason's Meeting the previous evening. Again, this is another honest situation, and one which makes Hobson's Choice that bit easier for the audience to relate with and to connect to. If the play was not honest, the audience would not be able to relate with the characters or their situations. The audience can also tell that the girls are scared of their father, as they don't seem to be able to do anything until he is gone, for fear that he will tell them off, despite the fact that they are 21, 23 and 30. One example of this is that Alice says she is expecting someone, which is clear to the audience is a man she is courting, but she does not want her father to know that she is courting. One reason why the play is so honest and easy to believe is the way Brighouse has delicately crafted and evolved his characters, allowing the audience to feel a strong relationship between themselves and the characters. An excellent example of this is the character of Willie. At the start of Act One, Willie seems a very timid character – he knows he's neither clever nor important, and this comes across in both his attitude and his behaviour. For example, when talking to Mrs Hepworth, she says, â€Å"Take that†, to which Willie â€Å"bends down rather expecting ‘that' to be a blow†, so rather than stand up to her when he is expecting to be hit, Willie cowers out of the way, but he â€Å"finds she is holding out a visiting card†. Willie is very quick to do as he is told, and Brighouse demonstrates this to the audience on the first occasion that we meet this character. In this scene, Mrs Hepworth wants to see Willie; Tubby just had to call Willie's name down the trap door and he appeared instantly. It is clear to the audience that Willie is a talented boot maker, as Mrs Hepworth is so pleased with her boots that she asks specifically to see Willie, so that she can â€Å"praise him to his face†. However, it seems at this point in the play that boot making may be his only talent, as when Mrs Hepworth instructs Willie to read the card she has given him, it is revealed that he can't even read properly. Willie is dominated by everyone, including not just Mrs Hepworth, but also Maggie, Hobson, Ada, Alice and Vickey. Brighouse uses the dominant character of Maggie to help Willie come out of his shell, and helps him both socially and intellectually, and Brighouse turns Willie into a much stronger and more dominant character, not unlike Maggie herself. The transformation of Willie includes him becoming able to stand up for himself, speak his mind and Maggie even teaches him to read; he stands straighter, taller, holds his head high, looks people in the eye, speaks with a stronger, more confident voice, learns to speak his mind, is much more confident in his abilities and even dresses smarter. An example of him becoming a stronger character and standing up for himself is when he tells Hobson â€Å"Don't let us be too long about this. You've kept me waiting now a good while and my time's valuable. I'm busy at my shop†. This sounds like something Maggie would say, and without pausing for breath Willie manages to put Hobson in his place, and let him know that Willie means business. Another example is where Willie tells Hobson â€Å"You've no right to expect I care whether you sink or swim†, which actually makes Willie out to be quite a nasty character, but Maggie points out that he is going a bit too far. This â€Å"abuse of power† shows that Willie is new to being able to tell people what to do, and he is playing around trying to find his boundaries. Another reason why Hobson's Choice is so honest and easy to believe is because Brighouse has made the focus of the play the characters rather than any individual action or event, which means that the audience can really relate to and sympathise with the characters. It is for this reason that all of the characters in Hobson's Choice have a function; they are all there for a reason to support the roles of the central five – Hobson, Maggie, Willie, Alice and Vickey. Jim Heeler is there for Hobson to confide in, so the audience all know what he is really thinking and what he is going to do next. Mrs Hepworth – the only real customer in the play – is used to introduce the character of Willie, and also later finances Willie and Maggie's business. Ada Figgins's brief appearance shows the contrast the Maggie represents to Willie. Tubby is used later on to show the deterioration of Hobson's business. Albert Prosser and Fred Beenstock are used to help Maggie in plotting against her father. Finally, Dr MacFarlane effectively sets up the final confrontation between Maggie, Willie and Hobson by prescribing Hobson with the necessary cure for his diagnosed weaknesses. Brighouse has cleverly disguised these character's functions by giving them a more direct reason to appear when they do. Heeler appears as Hobson's friend, whilst Mrs Hepworth is first introduced as a customer. Ada, obviously, comes into the shop to bring Willie his lunch, and is then somewhat dumped by Willie in the process! Tubby is the other worker at Hobson's boot shop, and Albert and Fred are Alice and Vickey's boyfriends. Finally, Dr MacFarlane appears simply to diagnose Hobson. This multi-functioning allows Brighouse to create a realistic play, as the characters seem to be innocent at first glance, yet the play soon subtly reveals their true functions. Not only is Hobson's Choice such an honest and realistic play, but it also has a lot of comic elements. The play is often referred to as a â€Å"Lancashire comedy†, as the language and dialect plays a big part in the play's comical elements and the tone of the play. The dialect is informal, and characters often speak using slang words and phrases, such as â€Å"our Maggie†, 'em†, â€Å"aye† and â€Å"eh?† The character's credibility stems from the realistic, naturalistic manner in which they speak. An example of this is Willie's final, defiant speech at the end of Act One. The sharpness of the dialogue itself would be a source of humour, but it forms a constituent part of the greater comedy arising from the interaction between Willie, Hobson and Maggie. This scene between these three characters is just an example of the humour that Brighouse has included within Hobson's Choice. Another particularly entertaining element of Hobson's Choice is a conversation between Maggie and Willie. Maggie asks Willie, â€Å"When are you going to leave Hobson's?† to which Willie replies, â€Å"Leave Hobson's? I – I thought I gave satisfaction†. This is comical as Willie is shocked because he thinks that Maggie is wanting rid of him. The comical element continues when Maggie, in the same conversation, tells Willie that she is going to marry him. The audience would find this entertaining for several reasons; first Maggie is not asking Willie to marry her, she is telling him that he is going to, and the fact that a woman is telling a man what to do, especially something as serious as this, is comic. Also, for Maggie, the daughter of Hobson, the shop owner, to want Willie, a mere worker at her father's shop, to marry her is comical in itself. It is also funny because Maggie is insulting Willie and acting like she thinks that she is better than him, yet she i s demanding to marry him! Another way memorable comic event is when Maggie tells Ada that she is going to marry Willie. This allows Brighouse to entertain the audience by overturning the convention in drama of two men fighting over a woman by showing Maggie and Ada battling for Willie. This event is also comic as neither Willie nor Ada have any say or control over the situation, despite the fact that 10 minutes previous, Maggie had nothing to do with Willie's social life at all! Another comic situation presented in Hobson's Choice is later on in the play, where Hobson's daughters – previously scared of Hobson – are dictating to him what he is going to do, and they, together with Maggie and their partners manage to trick Hobson into handing them over à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½500 for Alice and Albert's wedding! What makes this even more comical is that Maggie manages to convince Hobson that it is he who has won, because he only had to give the couple à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½500 and not à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1000! Overall, I think that Brighouse has created a very honest view of family life, and the audience will really appreciate this. He has created a naturalistic setting, which requires no interaction or imagination from the audience to enhance the play, so the audience are a fourth wall audience, which is the contemporary equivalent of a modern audience watching a television soap. Brighouse has enhanced the play with regular comic moments to keep the audience engaged and entertained. The comic episodes are more amusing to a contemporary audience as a lot of them are based around contemporary views and beliefs, such as a woman of 30 being too old to marry, therefore it would be harder for a modern audience to appreciate all of the comedy as well as a contemporary audience, but it is these contemporary views that are conveyed in the play that makes it so honest and realistic.

What the In-Crowd Wont Tell You About Interview Report Essay Samples

What the In-Crowd Won't Tell You About Interview Report Essay Samples Interview Report Essay Samples - Is it a Scam? Simply speaking, this sort of essay requires you to examine the more compact regions of the work to help shed light on the bigger picture. The recognition of the character of required information by a precise kind of organization will mostly count on the big characteristics of that type. As there's no linear order between the parts of the model, the designer can begin the process with any element. You also have to have an excellent understanding of a report structure. Want to Know More About Interview Report Essay Samples? If at all possible, have another person read your essay and give their suggestions for improvement. An essay is written to present writer's individual suggestions and opinions as a report is written to give details about a particular matter. It's also wise to go through the essay template to learn more on the subject of essay structure ones your outline is completed. An essay template is a guide which ensures your approach is correct and that you don't deviate from the home purpose. The point of your report essay plays a central part in the way you will express the subject. If you're thinking that you will need a person to compose my essay at this time, you can just rely on our honest reviews. Whenever your analytical essay is all typed up, they can let you make certain it's as excellent as it can get. Reading your essay out loud can help you notice areas wherever your writing could possibly be unclear or awkwardly worded. The introduction should include three or more thingsa hook, your thesis statement, and a sentence or two describing how you plan to show your thesis statement. The point of your introduction is to have the reader interested in your analysis. All you will need is to request essay help written by means of a specialist in your academic field. What's Truly Going on with Interview Report Essay Samples To start with, the book largely centers around the subject of sexual harassment and other kinds of stalking that the white male masters have pursued in connection with the dark-skinned female slaves. Your teacher's objective is to broaden your comprehension of the world and society. This interview is made for students that are learning about diversity. Notably, the eloquent English that Jacobs used within her work could be only envied by the bulk of the contemporary English-speaking population. What Needs to be Done About Interview Report Essay Samples When you order a paper on our s ite, an outline is one of the totally free add-ons which are included. In order to find out your unique strategy, it might be useful to compose key points of information on paper or digital note cards. In order to be certain that you will receive the lab report you're expecting for you will need to supply thorough instructions, together with all extra materials you wish to be implemented in the paper. For instance, it is important to double check you have used the suitable font, font size, and margins. The principal purpose of a report is to give information. You can also take a look at financial report examples 10. You could also see sample activity reports It is a list of men and women who sponsor or assist you in producing the report. A standard small business report follows the exact format. Conducting the Interview Your aim is to have the individual talking. Begin the interview by explaining who you are and why you're interviewing her or him. As always, consult your unique assignment guide. Why Almost Everything You've Learned About Interview Report Essay Samples Is Wrong Check in case you have enough info to write about each category. Confidentiality is the secret when supplying services. It's extremely important to read carefully essay services reviews, because you would like to avoid low superior services. Finally routine reports offer input data for exclusions and exceptional papers. 1 way to work out when you're summarizing instead of analyzing is to study your support. The classification of organizations is done in various ways for various purposes, thus the potential varieties of organizations may encounter thousands. Infant feeding practices refer generally to fit the nutritional and immunological needs of the child. Another key to success entails an individual must have a professional attitude to be able to fit in the competitive industry. The review is going to teach you all you want to understand and then it is possible to place your purchase confidently. Before you begin on the body of the report, take a couple of minutes to jot down some useful information by considering the next points. A noteworthy quality of our products is that we've developed a multi-level plagiarism check. Consider how you feel when you read some portions of the book to find a sense of the tone . It is probable that the character introduction will occur in exactly the same sentence as the plot introduction. For instance, you can discover a sentence that clearly describes the main setting in the book like, the castle was gloomy and made from huge grey stones. In the body of your book file, you will use your notes to direct you through a protracted overview of the book. It's possible for you to mention to the readers whether you think that they need to read the book and why. A book review is a vital account of a fiction or non-fiction book where you need to provide an overview of the content, assess the worth of the book, and express your private opinion whether you recommend or don't suggest it to other prospective readers. Middle grade-level book reports will supply the fundamental information about a book, a review of the plot, and a few comments about the student's opinions and impressions.

Whats Really on the Far Side of the Moon

Weve all heard the term dark side of the Moon as a description for the far side of our planets satellite. Its actually quite a mistaken idea based on a misconception that if we cant see the other side of the Moon, it must be dark. It doesnt help that the idea crops up in popular music (the Dark Side of the Moon  by Pink Floyd is one good example) and in poetry. The far side of the Moon as seen and photographed by the Apollo 16 astronauts. NASA   In ancient times, people really did believe that one side of the Moon was always dark. Of course, we now know that the Moon orbits Earth, and they both orbit the Sun. The dark side is merely a trick of perspective. The Apollo astronauts who went to the Moon saw the other side and actually basked in the sunlight there. As  it turns out, different parts of the Moon are sunlit during different parts of each month, and not just one side. This image shows the phases of the Moon and why they happen. The center ring shows the Moon as it orbits around the Earth, as seen from above the north pole. Sunlight illuminates half the Earth and half the moon at all times. But as the Moon orbits around the Earth, at some points in its orbit the sunlit part of the Moon can be seen from the Earth. At other points, we can only see the parts of the Moon that are in shadow. The outer ring shows what we see on the Earth during each corresponding part of the moons orbit. NASA Its shape seems to change, which is what we call the phases of the Moon. Interestingly, New Moon, which is the time when the Sun and Moon are on the same side of Earth, is when the face we see from Earth actually IS dark and the far side is brightly lit by the Sun. So, calling the part that faces away from us as the dark side really IS a mistake.   Call It What It Is: The Far Side So, what do we call that part of the Moon we dont see each month? The better term to use is the far side. It makes perfect sense since it is the side farthest away from us. To understand, lets look more closely at its relationship to Earth. The Moon orbits in such a way that one rotation takes just about the same length of time as it takes for it to orbit around Earth. That is, the Moon spins on its own axis once during its orbit around our planet. That leaves one side is facing us during its orbit. The technical name for this spin-orbit lock is tidal locking. Earth and the Moon as seen from a passing spacecraft. NASA Of course, there is literally a dark side of the Moon, but its not always the same side. What is darkened depends on which phase of the Moon we see. During a new moon, the Moon lies between Earth and the Sun. So, the side we normally see from here on Earth thats normally lit by the Sun is in its shadow. Only when the Moon is opposite from the Sun do  we see that part of the surface lit up. At that point, the far side is shadowed and is truly dark.   Exploring the Mysterious Far Side   The far side of the Moon was once mysterious and hidden. But that all changed when the first images of its cratered surface were sent back by the USSRs Luna 3 mission in 1959.   Now that the Moon (including its far side) has been explored by humans and spacecraft from several countries since the mid-1960s, we know much more about it. We know, for example, that the lunar far side is  cratered, and has a few large basins (called maria), as well as mountains. One of the largest known craters in the solar system sits at its south pole, called the South Pole-Aitken Basin. That area is also known to have water ice hidden away on permanently shadowed crater walls and in regions just below the surface. A Clementine view of the south pole/Aitkin Basin region. This is where the Change 4 lander from China landed.   NASA It turns out that a small sliver of the far side can be seen on Earth due to a phenomenon called libration in which the moon oscillates each month, revealing a tiny bit of the Moon wed otherwise not see. Think of libration as a little side-to-side shake that the Moon experiences. Its not a lot, but enough to reveal a bit more of the lunar surface than we normally see from Earth. The most recent exploration of the far side has been undertaken by the Chinese space agency and its Change 4 spacecraft. Its a robotic mission with a rover to study the lunar surface. Ultimately, China is interested in sending humans to study the moon personally. The Far Side and Astronomy Because the far side is shielded from radio frequency interference from Earth, its a perfect place to put radio telescopes and astronomers have long discussed the option of placing observatories there. Other countries (including China) are talking about locating permanent colonies and bases there. In addition, space tourists could find themselves exploring all over the Moon, both near and far side. Who knows? As we learn to live and work on all sides of the moon, maybe one day well find human colonies on the far side of the moon.   Fast Facts The term dark side of the Moon is really a misnomer for the far side.Each side of the Moon is dark for 14 earth days each month.The far side of the Moon has been explored by the United States, Russia, and China. Updated and edited by Carolyn Collins Petersen.