Aristotle vs Platonist Essay Example for Free

Aristotle vs Platonist Essay Aristotle and Plato were two men with different theories. Although they had some aspects in common, each had their understandings and meanings. Here I will explain what were their beliefs and how these philosophers interpreted each word with its true value. Also with the information, I will try to undercover the meaning of why people used to say people were born either as a Platonist or as a Aristotelian. Between these two philosophers their were differences of character, temperament, background, and mental attitude. Their philosophic belief on the other hand was similar in words but not in action. Let us see why and what am I referring to (Grube). Also, let us choose if we are a Aristotelian or a Platonist and why they say people were born this or that. Virtue is a word that both used to use in their philosophic belief, but, as I said before, the actions were different. To begin with, Aristotles used to describe this word to a action that they have might not even have had the opportunity to chose themselves when they were young. In the norms, help by teachers, parents, and even the government; the development of proper habits was to be made from each persons childhood. This would eventually lead to a better community and for that, better and educated environment. Not only would an adult with this sense of virtue like this be wise to use courage, friendship, justice and other characteristics developed during childhood in a proper way but that is what is required to be good and act when adults. The help is what makes you better when educated young in childhood (Wiki). As mentioned before, Aristotle has different theories than Plato. He suggests that the forms can be discovered through a examination of the world being natural. Now, Plato believes that forms are farther than what humans can understand, it is way beyond. What Platonist ethics is all about is the Form of the Good. For him, virtue is knowledge. The soul, being divided in three parts, which are spirit, reason, and appetite have their share. Then, we have three virtues which are wisdom, moderation, and courage. What makes all of those be together and united is the virtue of justice. This makes the function be the perfection by each part of the soul is performed. Platonism is identified by the persons soul and describes idea prior to matter unlike Aristotelianism (Wiki). To my conclusion, looking at both Aristotelian and Platonist I agree with Platonist belief. While Aristotelian believes that virtue comes through this world as we see it, Plato goes beyond and knows that it is way beyond the eyes of the humans. I think that each person is up-brought differently and for that I believe that all humans have different point of views. My view is Platonist. I am a person that believes and does not have to see it with my own eyes. I do think its important to be educated from childhood but I believe in second chances. Everyone can change and it does not matter if it will be only when you are an adult. Virtue is something that can be used in all phases o life. That is my conclusion on why I was born as a Platonist and not as a Aritotelian. Work Cited: Aristotelian Ethics. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Inc, 2 Nov. 2010. Web. 24 Nov. 2010. . Grube, G. M. A. Platonist and Aristotelian. Pheonix. Classical Association of Canada, 1947. Web. 24 Nov. 2010. . Platonism. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Inc. , 12 Nov. 2010. Web. 24 Nov. 2010. .

The French Revolution :: European Europe History

The French Revolution Thesis: The French Revolution was a crucial event in Western History, and possibly the single most crucial influence on British intellectual, philosophical, and political life in the nineteenth century. The French Revolution was a crucial event in Western History, and possibly the single most crucial influence on British intellectual, philosophical, and political life in the nineteenth century. It presented itself as a triumph in its early stages but later proved to be a revolution of senseless revenge. With a mob composed of mainly animals, like Madame Defarge, the French Revolution is one of the most barbaric periods recorded in history. The French Revolution began in 1789 when the States General met May 5. June the seventeenth the National Assembly was declared. Then a gang of angry, mistreated peasants stormed the Bastille and murdered numerous aristocrats. As a precaution, Louis XVI and the Royal Family were removed from Versailles to Paris. The King attempted, but failed, to flee Paris for Varennes in June 1791; he was captured. The Legislative Assembly sat from October 1791 until September 1792, when, in the face of the advance of allied armies, it was replaced by the National Convention, and the National Convention proclaimed the Republic. The King was brought to trial, found guilty, and executed on January 21, 1793. In February, war was declared against Britain, Holland and Spain. The Revolution heightened. After the execution of the King, the Committee of Public Safety and the Revolutionary Tribunal were created. The most horrific time was still to come. The reign of terror, during which the ruling faction ruthlessly exterminated all potential enemies, began in September and lasted until the fall of Robesoierre on July 27. During the last six weeks of the terror, nearly fourteen hundred people were murdered in the guillotine. On October 16, Marie Antoinette was executed, and many others followed her. The revolution began to invade people's lives deeper and deeper. In November of 1793, the worship of God was abolished and the cult of Reason took its place. Battle followed battle; the Revolution raged on devouring everyone in its path. Things finally came to a halt when Napoleon Buoneparte became Emperor on May of 1804.

Racism and Self-Identity: A Review of “The Color of Water” Essay

The American South, especially in from the 1930s to the 1960s, is a hard place to live for when you are a â€Å"colored person. † This novel, written by James McBride, discovers the complexities of having a bi-racial activity, especially at a time when blacks and other minorities are hated and discriminated upon by the dominant white society. This novel attempts to reflect at the domination of American society by the white man, and attempts to discover his own identity by looking at his mother’s past: the life of Ruth McBride, a Polish-Jewish immigrant in the South of the 1930s, beset by constant intimidation and violence of the white majority to other racial minorities, especially to Jewish immigrants and to the blacks, who were historically imported by white plantation owners to work as slaves in cotton plantations. However, the journey of Ruth McBride does not end here; she actually continued her journey away from the American South, loving two blacks in the way, and describing the unique complexities of the Harlem district of New York City. The Christian faith also plays a colorful part in this novel, providing the needed comfort and guidance in times of adversity. This background, combined with question about his racial self-identity, will soon lead him to have a violent behavior, including phases of drug use and crime. However, he will soon find value in his life, relying upon the principles of hard work and self improvement, plus additional skills in writing and jazz music. The novel starts with chapters introducing the mother of the author, Ruth McBride, and is already full of symbolisms and drama (McBride, n. pag. ). The first chapter, entitled Dead, describes the Jewish origin of Ruth, and offers a glimpse of the discrimination that they are already experiencing; and she further becomes â€Å"dead† due to her marriage to Dennis McBride, whose race is officially viewed as inferior, and whose race is a victim of an officially-sponsored racial segregation (McBride, n. pag. ). Given that the background of the family of Ruth comes from a conservative one, guided by orthodox Jewish practices, choosing to marry a colored one surely brings in discrimination by society and rejection of the family. In this case, it can be clearly seen that in America of the early twentieth century, your race can actually determine the way you live; being a colored can make you have a miserable life constantly under threat and looked down, even when you may live in the â€Å"land of the free. † This theme continues in the second and third chapters, where the bicycle of Ruth became a medium where she can find constant movement away from the troubles of living a multi-racial family, all while her son James already looked into crime and drugs for escape (McBride, n. ag. ). Ruth also recalls the origins of her family, as symbolized by the Kosher, where Jews are already suffering from discrimination and intimidation in their native land, and where immigration and the practices of orthodox Judaism serves as a convenient escape from the racial discrimination that they are experiencing (McBride, n. pag. ). Such experiences vividly explore the hardships of belonging to a hated race, where escape i s a necessary thing. The point of view of James is also seen in this chapter; James recall that he sees her mother as different at such an early age, although he really cannot fully comprehend why in fact she is different from others. This is highlighted in the account when James already reaches kindergarten; he asks his mother why she is different from him, although her mother refuses to entertain the question (McBride, n. pag. ). Her bitter memories regarding her family influences her not to open the topic later in her life, soon to be understood by James. In the third chapter, entitled Kosher, Ruth recalls the arranged marriage of her mother and her father, which was brought out of convenience, in which she does not make any sense of it at all (McBride, n. pag. ). In addition to this, she also recalls all of the strict practices of Orthodox Judaism, to which she sees it as very suffocating, making her have a very difficult life, combines with a very string fear of death (McBride, n. pag. ). Such experiences will later affect her in raising a family, focusing on hard work to offset the difficulties of their racial origin (McBride, n. pag. ). In the later chapters, such as in Black Power, James began to realize the complexities of being a multi-racial person; torn between the desire of having solidarity with fellow black neighbors striving to fight for black power and concern for his white mother who is unwilling to commit with this movement, emphasizing the importance of privacy, the church, and the family (McBride, n. pag. ). James even asked her mother if he was adopted, due to the fact that he has a different color with her mother. The civil rights movement at that time was very string, with the black community in their area actively supporting and campaigning for more black powers in society, to which her mother is very reluctant to accept (McBride, n. pag. ). Adding to such complexities is a commentary of James upon her mother’s belief, often contradictory because of her Orthodox origins, as well as she being a Christian convert living among a black community (McBride, n. ag. ). After this recall, however, James decides to show sympathy to his mother, ending up punching the face of a son of a member of the militant Black Panther Party, whom he deemed as a threat to his white mother. After all, this episode shows that joining a black power solidarity movement, especially for a multiracial is not always smooth; convictions for black power may conflict with personal beliefs and priorities, provoki ng hesitation despite common discriminatory experiences in a white-dominated society. The book then shifts on how Ruth has found her guidance and inspiration amidst all these contradictions, tracing her Orthodox Jewish origins to her eventual conversion to Christianity (McBride, n. pag. ). Her early experiences are never easy. Contrary to the popular belief that having a new life in America will lead you to the prosperous â€Å"American Dream,† In the chapter entitled the â€Å"Old Testament,† the experiences of Ruth’s family were no American dream; on the contrary, they suffered under constant poverty (McBride, n. pag. ). Her father tried to make a living by being a rabbi, forcing them to move constantly from place to place; until they decided to open a grocery store in the predominantly black town of Suffolk, Virginia. Ruth also had a recollection on her loveless daughter father relationship, especially because of the fact that her father was secretly abusing her sexually. However, she also points out that she still has a positive remembrance of her childhood, which includes her memories with her mother during Jewish holidays (McBride, n. pag. ). In the next chapter, entitled the â€Å"New Testament,† the conversion of Ruth to Christianity is portrayed. This is emphasized in the way how Ruth raised her children, not taking lightly one instance where Billy refused to recite a biblical passage in Easter Sunday (McBride, n. pag. ). However, questions on race is also9 presented in this chapter, with James asking her mother what is the color of God’s spirit, and her mother replying that it has no color, that God is the color of water (McBride, n. pag. ). Such passages reflect how important color is as an issue at that time, for ones’ opportunities and possibilities in life ism not determined by abilities alone, but by color. In addition to this, America at the time of James still sees a society wherein being a colored means being a lesser human being; where black power is being fought for, and being black while having a white mother makes you trapped in questions and confused. This is followed by a recollection in the home of her mother in Suffolk, Virginia, where the absence of opportunities for blacks and Jews alike has lead them to miserable poverty, in addition to the presence of the Klu Klux Klan which presents constant intimidation and violence for them (McBride, n. ag. ). This recollection is then intertwined with the experiences of James with respect to his siblings, highlighting the difficulties of raising a family that explores his/her racial identities (McBride, n. pag. ). The next chapters, especially School, Boys and Daddy explores the personal experiences of both James and Ruth on racial prejudice, with Ruth having to secretly meet with her loved one due to the threat of the Ku Klux Klan, a nd the fears of James in attending a predominantly white school. However, this part of the novel also gives a positive insight; the tremendous work ethic of Ruth, and the exploration of jazz music by James as a new way of escape (McBride, n. pag. ). The next parts of the book explores the devastation of the family with the demise of the second husband of Ruth, especially in its effect to James, and an insight into everyday life in the Harlem district of New York. James then began to seek the origin of his parents in Suffolk, Virginia, and witnesses the poverty and racial complexities in that area intertwined with the early experiences of his mother in love, especially in the chapters The Promise, Old Man Shilsky and A Bird who flies (McBride, n. pag. ). The problems of the interracial marriage Ruth and Dennis, as well as the discovery of the synagogue is highlighted in the chapters A Jew Discovered and Dennis; while the final chapter, Finding Ruthie, emphasizes the fact that being a multiracial is not only difficult, but full of uncertainties (McBride, n. pag. ).

The Punishment Mechanisms Of Probation And Parole Essay

The punishment mechanisms of probation and parole developed from different social circumstances, which were driven by the need for alternative means to imprisonment. The creation of the mechanisms for probation can be linked to the moral panic caused by the excess consumption of alcohol and the increased amount of alcohol-related offences. In contrast, the development of parole was the result of the systems at the time, failing to deliver the expected results. This essay will outline the different origins of probation and parole, and discuss how the original purposes have evolved to accommodate the constant change in the criminal justice system. Probation is an alternative to the traditional forms of punishment that a court can impose, and is influenced by the background of the offender (Klingele 2013,1022). It will include the offender being released on certain conditions, in which they will need to comply. The origin of probation can be traced back to the actions of Matthew Davenport Hill, Frederick Rainer, and John Augustus. Although their contributions are similar, each contribution was significant in creating the basis for probation. In Britain, the first documented development of probation occurred from the actions of the Warwickshire magistrate. The Warwickshire magistrate enacted legislation in the 1820’s that allowed for certain minors to be released to a guardian as an alternative means to imprisonment (Harris 2005, 32; Vanstone 2004, 35). However, it was theShow MoreRelatedA Summary On Collective Corrections 1530 Words   |  7 Pagesin conduct that is considered wrong occurs in various forms. They vary from incarcerations, fines, corporal punishment as in the case of Sharia laws while others hope that fate or karma will even out the score. Whichever method is used it is hoped that a punishment will be meted. In traditional systems in the United States of America dealt with incarceration as its main form of punishment or offenders. However, statistics in the recent times have indicated that most convicts offend and get backRead MoreThe Factual United States Criminal Justice System1434 Words   |  6 Pagescompared to the six percent stating it is too tough. Individuals within the sixty five percent were found to believe too many criminals go free on technicalities, too many appeals are allowed, most convicted criminals are not given severe enough punishment, and lawyers tend to spend too much time finding technicalities to get criminals released. Contrary to these many popular beliefs which are falsehoods given to society , the criminal justice system proves to be the opposite. Many times, theRead MoreThe Harshness Of The United States Criminal Justice System1567 Words   |  7 Pagespercent stating it is too tough† (Newport, 2014). 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Thus, researchers can distinguish between two variations of the model, a positive one andRead MoreThe Sentencing Practices And Probation System2329 Words   |  10 Pages The Sentencing Practices and Probation From my standpoint, sentencing laws and the probation system are issues society struggle with today. The government usually lacks on amount of time and funds towards incarcerate criminals. The unintended of parole is multifaceted than ever. Situations like this concentrate on offenders focusing on lack of dissuasion. Viewing on a positive note this is more of a motivational approach where it’s enabling rehabilitation completely to parolees. Society facesRead MoreThe Punishment Of Prison System825 Words   |  4 Pagesthe citizenry. Initially, prisons were designed as penitent- punitive in nature. This approach aims at issuing punishment to offenders or seeks retribution from those who are involved in serious crime. It involved incarceration and flogging offenders as a way of suppressing unwanted behavior (Morris and Tonry 79). This is meant to reform minds of the offender through inflicting punishment and scare potential criminals from committing crime. However, this approach may fail to achieve its objectiveRead MoreRisk And Governmentality By Michel Foucault1151 Words   |  5 Pagesrates of parolees being returned to prison once indicated program failure, now they are offered as evidence of efficiency and effectiveness of parole as a control mechanism. Besides this, parole and probation are increasingly being perceived as cost-effective ways of imposing long-term management on individuals at risk, whereas for a long time parole and probation have been justified as means of reintegrating the offender into th e community. This new discourse manifests itself also in to development of