Is Hobbes the pessimist of philosophers?
Hobbes is known as the pessimist of philosophers, with his famous quote that life in a state of nature is "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." His book, Leviathan, was published in 1651, and was a discussion of human nature, government, and the social contract. Hobbes's theories about government and the human condition are rather exaggerated, and too generalized and unclear. Contrary to Hobbes's beliefs, humans do not need a sovereign to prosper. The United States distributes power between three branches of government, each with the power to overrule the other - and the US is not in a state of chaos. People themselves have the ability to decide right and wrong, as stated in Locke's laws of nature, and don't need a sovereign to determine what to think for them. Hobbes himself states that humans are self-involved, and are not social. If this were true, then the sovereign would be more interested in making his own life enjoyable, rather than working to please his subjects. If people themselves cannot determine right and wrong, upon what would the sovereign base his own ideas of right and wrong? In addition to this, humans are indeed social, contradictory to Hobbes's statements - if humans were not social, they would not feel the yearning for acceptance, which all humans do indeed feel at some point. People instinctively attempt to form a society in order to live in
Workshop for the introduction of Tristan Egolf's new novel Skirt and the Fiddle
Michael Nowak Johann Wolfgang Goethe - Universität Frankfurt am Main Institut für England- und Amerikastudien PS Einführung in die Literaturwissenschaften I und II Frau Dr. Petra Feld SS 2003 Review of the workshop with Tristan Egolf The workshop for the introduction of Tristan Egolf's new novel Skirt and the Fiddle (2003) was introduced by Prof. Dr. Christa Buschendorf of the Institut für England- und Amerikastudien of the J.W. Goethe Universität Frankfurt and Mr. Daniel Wendell the deputy director of the Amerika Haus in Frankfurt. Mr. Dormagen of the Suhrkamp Verlag then gave a short biography of Tristan Egolf who was born 1971 in Pennsylvania and played guitar in a punk band in New York after having quit college. While travelling through Europe Tristan Egolf wrote on his first novel Lord of the Barnyard (1999) which was amazingly published first by a French publishing house. After the formalities Tristan Egolf read two passages out of his new novel Skirt and the Fiddle (2003) enabling the audience to get a brief impression of the main characters Charlie Evans, Tinsel Greetz and Louise as well as the plot of the story. Tristan Egolf tells the story of a social outsider in Philadelphia who gets involved in a relationship with Louise who is obviously a member of a higher social class. This fact leads to a summary of humorous and tragic situations showing
Five Theories of the Evolution of the Social Welfare System.
Five Theories of the Evolution of the Social Welfare System Industrialization and the Social Welfare System Social conditions changed during the industrialization era due to industrial expansion and the need for new types of jobs. Social services were needed and the new jobs allowed better resources to fulfill human needs. Industrialization led many workers to become dependent and run their own business. Therefore arose the concern over health care for workers, disability coverage, childcare, retirement, safety, fair working conditions and pay. Workers expected the government to make sure that there concerns and basic needs were accommodated and ever since the government has become a permanent part of the social welfare system. Social Values Two important social values are individualism and social responsibility and there is a continuous cycle shift between the two. The shift is a conflict between public purpose and private interest. Periods of public purpose require a high level of activity which people tire of and cause them to shift to their private interest and they become involved in their own personal lives. However during this period, some social classes tend to fall behind and believe the system isn't fair. Therefore they press for a change and thus the cycle shifts back to public purpose. Social Control The powerful use social control as a way to regulate the
The settings of Ibsen's A Doll's House and Goethe's Faust are extremely important to the plot of the plays.
Brad Crane November 5, 2002 English 202 Dr. Klimek The settings of Ibsen's A Doll's House and Goethe's Faust are extremely important to the plot of the plays. While the many natural settings of Faust contribute to the mood of the play, Ibsen's single setting of the living room in A Doll's House is symbolic to his play. Without the proper settings for both of these plays their effects would not be as great and the mood of the plays would be altared. The entire play of A Doll's House takes place in the single setting of the living room. This room symbolizes the society that Nora and Torvald live in. This is the room that all people coming into the house see and judge the family by. The text refers to the living room as being "furnished with taste" and also states that the living room contains a piano. The reason that the living room is furnished well and includes a piano is because the Helmer's want others to see that they have taste and can afford these things. The entire play is about society and how women should act in society and by placing the entire play in the environment of the living room, a room associated with society, Ibsen strengthens his theme. Goethe must use many different settings to tell his story becasue he wants to express the many different moods of the play. The scene where Faust learns of Margaret's inprisonment is set in a dark, gloomy
Should social policy be concerned with creating equality
Should social policy be concerned with creating equality Social policy covers a social wide range of social welfare provisions, that the vast majority of society are able use. As Mishra notes "social policy... social arrangements, mechanisms that are typically concerned with the distribution of resources in accordance with some criterion of need". (Loney 1983; pg. 129). The position of equality would be concerned with how the resources are distributed so that those in need or disadvantaged, are in an equal position as the rest of society. Whether or not this is a possible scenario will be explored. Different theorists would be in favour or against the notion that social policy should be concerned with creating equality, for various reasons that will be elaborated later on in the essay. The principle of equality, has no clear or accurate definition but from a broad perspective a possible one could be, "equality means the removal of disadvantage. Egalitarian policies may aim for equal treatment, without prejudice or stigma; equal opportunity, the means to achieve socially desired ends..." (Spicker 1988; pg. 125). Many of the supporters will aim for egalitarians concepts of equality within the social policy sphere. Many of the social welfare provisions / services are funded by public expenditure, the increase of expenditure has been justified as its aim has been in
My Last Duchess
Alexis Massey February 12, 2003 Dr. Adams Closed Reading Assign. #3 My Last Duchess Lines 21-31 In these ten very elemental lines of the poem, Browning successfully exposes the true motives of his speaker, the duke, through his voice of reason at play during conversation with a potential "father-in-law." At this point in the text, his audience discovers the reasons for his "failed marriage" with his former wife, and also learns of her "faults." The speaker is obviously bothered by his wife's "wanton ways" as she was "too soon made glad,/ too easily impressed; she liked whate'er/ She looked on, and her looks went everywhere"(lines 22-25). He had much to offer her, not excluding his prestigious "nine-hundred-years-old name" (l. 33). As an appreciator of the finer things and high society, he was disturbed by how easily entertained and amused she was by others and their little efforts. The duke is bothered by her nonchalant ways and cannot understand her excitement over the "bough of cherries some officious fool/ Broke in the orchard for her"(l. 27-28). As if his efforts weren't enough! Browning also successfully accomplishes his task as a dramatic monologue with the careful use of words and punctuation. The rushed speech with exclamation points adds to the speakers continuing disbelief in his former wife's priorities. He is astounded by her practice and
The conflicting evolutionary theories of Darwin and Lamarck Over the years, philosophers, religious thinkers and scientists have tried to explain the history of life on Earth.
The conflicting evolutionary theories of Darwin and Lamarck Over the years, philosophers, religious thinkers and scientists have tried to explain the history of life on Earth. Throughout the years there has been many theories on the history of the Earth, many people believe that God created every organism on the Earth more or less how it is now. As the interest in fossils and natural history arose the beginning of a modern theory began to take shape. Early evolutionary theorists suggested that all life on Earth gradually evolved over time from simple organisms. However, their knowledge of science was incomplete and their theories left too many unanswered questions. In the early 19th century, Lamarck proposed the theory of transformism. By examining fossils he learned that some species had remained the same over the thousands of years while others had changed. Lamarck suggested that, once nature formed life, the arrangement of all forms of life was the result of time and environment interacting with the organization of organic beings. From the simplest forms of life, more complicated forms emerged naturally, he suggested that animals climb higher and higher up the ladder of evolution because they want to improve more and more. His scientific theories were greatly ignored and attacked during his lifetime because of the lack of evidence to back up his theory. Lamarck
The conflicting evolutionary theories of Darwin and Lamarck
The conflicting evolutionary theories of Darwin and Lamarck Over the years, philosophers, religious thinkers and scientists have tried to explain the history of life on Earth. Throughout the years there has been many theories on the history of the Earth, many people believe that God created every organism on the Earth more or less how it is now. As the interest in fossils and natural history arose the beginning of a modern theory began to take shape. Early evolutionary theorists suggested that all life on Earth gradually evolved over time from simple organisms. However, their knowledge of science was incomplete and their theories left too many unanswered questions. In the early 19th century, Lamarck proposed the theory of transformism. By examining fossils he learned that some species had remained the same over the thousands of years while others had changed. Lamarck suggested that, once nature formed life, the arrangement of all forms of life was the result of time and environment interacting with the organization of organic beings. From the simplest forms of life, more complicated forms emerged naturally, he suggested that animals climb higher and higher up the ladder of evolution because they want to improve more and more. His scientific theories were greatly ignored and attacked during his lifetime because of the lack of evidence to back up his theory. Lamarck
Outline and comment on two ways in which mass media can reinforce gender roles.
Gender role socialisation Outline and comment on two ways in which mass media can reinforce gender roles. The mass media has numerous impacts on reinforcing gender roles. One of the ways is through video games. According to Eugene Provenzo (1991), video games have strict representations of roles for both males and females. He suggests games designed for computers such as the Nintendo have extreme stereotypical roles for gender. Women are portrayed as nameless and inactive and in contrast men are displayed as 'macho' and hold qualities such as power, stamina and nerve. An example of this is 'Super Mario' (Nintendo game). Mario and his brother Luigi compete with aggression to save the Princess who does not lift a finger and gets carried around. This displays an impact to the audience who play such games, showing them that women should be passive, whereas men should be aggressive and dominate the female by looking after her and taking over the lead role. Another way in which the mass media reinforces gender roles is through women magazines. Majorie Ferguson (1983) studied three of the most largest selling women's magazines and found that they 'convey a cult of femininity', showing that the magazines give women something to follow and an idea of how to express their femininity, by instructing them values and attitudes of being a women. They tell women not only what to think of
What Can You Learn From Source A About The Impact Of The Beatles In The 1960's?
Assignment 2 Question 1 What Can You Learn From Source A About The Impact Of The Beatles In The 1960's? Firstly the source is written and is out of Joanna Lumley's own autobiography. I think the source tells us that extra-ordinary surge of silence of dominates over England. A full coloured face of emotion spread over our faces because the fab-four were playing on the TV programme 'Juke Box Jury'. The response emphasises the impact of Beatlemania. Knowledge does support the source because the Beatles had massive record sales and were seen as the coolest and most charming group. With million selling singles like 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand', 'She Loves You' and 'A Hard Days Night' all hitting the top spot by a huge margin. As Aaron Copland the well-known American composer stated 'If You Want To Know About The Sixties, Play The Music Of The Beatles'. Although time has elapsed and it has been 30 years since she described the day of distance. There was also opposition to the Beatles, and people over the age of 35 wouldn't be enthusiastic about watching the fab four. Many of the Establishment saw them as a threat to society saying that the Beatles were a poor example to the youth. Another weakness of the statement and source is that Jane Lauley adopts an unreal tone, she seems to romanticise, signalling a exaggeration of the truth and reality of society as with the phrase 'It Is
