Platos Republic Essay -- Philosophy Justice Plato Papers

In reading the Republic, there is no reason to search for arguments which show that Platonic justice ('inner justice' or 'psychic harmony') entails ordinary justice. The relationship between inner justice and ordinary justice is of no importance in Plato's Republic. We note that Plato tries to argue from the very first book that the true source of normativity lies in knowledge attained by philosophical reason. What is crucial, then, is the relationship between inner justice and acts which brings about a just polis. I. The Unimportance of Ordinary Justice The issue of the relationship between inner justice and ordinary justice has been the subject of critical discussion since it was famously raised by David Sachs. (1) In this essay, I shall argue that the relationship between inner (or 'Platonic') justice and ordinary justice (conceived as doing acts which Glaucon, Adeimantus and the rest of the gathering consider to be just) was of no importance in Plato's Republic. (2) What was important, rather, was the relationship between inner justice and acts which bring about a just polis. My claim about the unimportance of ordinary justice in relation to inner justice is pre-empted to some degree by Gregory Vlastos and Julia Annas. Vlastos distinguished two senses of ordinary justice:(3) (a) the degenerate morality of those who see it as a path to gratification, and (b) the common morality of those who respect virtue and have a firm disposition to act justly ('justice' as Cephalus possessed, for example). Vlastos rejected any connection between inner justice and ordinary justice in the sense of (a), but assumed that inner justice entailed ordinary justice in the sense of (b) and argued for the connection. However, at least the... ...eligion, New York, 1971. (2)I have used the Jowett translation. (3) Gregory Vlastos, Platonic Studies, Chapter 5: "Justice and Happiness in the Republic", Princeton, 1981 (2nd edition), esp. pp. 135-136. (4)Julia Annas, An Introduction to Plato's Republic, Oxford, 1981, see esp. Chapter 6. (5) There are three different ways of dividing the soul in the Republic: i) the division into reasonable, feeling and appetitive parts; ii) the simile of the line which groups its cognitive capacities into understanding and reasoning on the one hand, and belief and imagination on the other; iii) the division in Book X between the knowing part and the perceptive part. The divisions of the line correspond to the divisions in Book X. In Book III, the feelings and appetites are contrasted with reason, so they naturally rely on perception and imagination and not on knowledge.

Ancient Political Philosophy Essay

What is Philosophy? The Central Questions of Philosophy – Political Philosophy †¢ Value – Ethics (Good, Evil, Right, Wrong, Justice) †¢ Political Philosophy – Aesthetics (Beauty) †¢ Reality – Metaphysics (Cosmology, Ontology) †¢ Knowledge – Epistemology (Theory of Knowledge) PHI 7100 History of Philosophy: The Classical Philosophers  ©2013 Richard Legum – all rights reserved 1 What is Philosophy? Political Philosophy Some central questions of Political Philosophy: †¢ What ought the relationship between a person and society (government) be? †¢ What does society owe its citizens? – Safety (Protection)? Education? Health Care? A Job? †¢ What do the citizens owe society? – Pay taxes? All their possessions? Serve in the military? †¢ What is the just form of government? PHI 7100 History of Philosophy: The Classical Philosophers  ©2013 Richard Legum – all rights reserved 2 PHI 7100 Richard Legum, Ph. D. 1 8. The Central Questions of Philosophy Political Philosophy 7/8/2013 The Central Questions of Philosophy – Political Philosophy Plato The state is the individual writ large (The state is the same as an individual, but on a larger scale) †¢ Three Parts of the Soul – Rational (reason) – Spirited (emotional – defender/enforcer) – Appetitive (emotional – driven by basic desires). PHI 7100 History of Philosophy: The Classical Philosophers  ©2013 Richard Legum – all rights reserved 3 The Central Questions of Philosophy – Political Philosophy Plato †¢ Three kinds of the citizens – Gold – Those possessing reason (Wisdom/Knowledge) – philosophers – Silver – The enforcers of the law – the guardians/soldiers – Bronze – The craftsman, merchants, farmers, etc. †¢ The Republic is the Utopia – Teleology – The goal of the state is to achieve harmony †¢ The gold people, The Philosopher King (the one who knows best) , should rule PHI 7100 History of Philosophy: The Classical Philosophers  ©2013 Richard Legum – all rights reserved 4. PHI 7100 Richard Legum, Ph. D. 2 8. The Central Questions of Philosophy Political Philosophy 7/8/2013 The Central Questions of Philosophy – Political Philosophy Aristotle †¢ The city (polis) is the natural political â€Å"community† or â€Å"partnershipâ€Å" †¢ The aim of the city is to allow citizens the possibility to live a good life, and to perform beautiful acts †¢ Justice is having a constitution (a social contract of sorts) supporting the accomplishment of these goals PHI 7100 History of Philosophy: The Classical Philosophers  ©2013 Richard Legum – all rights reserved 5 The Central Questions of Philosophy – Political Philosophy Aristotle. †¢ Goals of the state are much greater for Aristotle than they were for Social Contract Theory of the Renaissance (Thomas Hobbbes Leviathan (1651), John Locke Two Treatises of Government (1689), Jean Jacques Rosseau The Social Contract (1762) ) – in the pre-government state (pre-social contract) – the state of nature– people fear of violent death, unstable economic relationships, losing their property – The government arises from a Social Contract for the purpose of protecting the citizens PHI 7100 History of Philosophy: The Classical Philosophers  ©2013 Richard Legum – all rights reserved 6 PHI 7100 Richard Legum, Ph. D. 3

Are gender differences socially shaped?

a) The term androgyny is the meaning for a person who uses both male and female characteristics. b) Content analysis is the analysing of different communications and the sort of message they're giving out. An example of this is a study of British TV adverts conducted by Manstead and McCulloch in 1981. They found evidence that stereo-typing of the male and female role was significant and that because of this, the adverts are likely to play an active part in shaping cultural attitudes towards women. c) One study in which the experimental method was used was by Money & Erhardt (1972). They were interested in seeing whether a boy who's identity had been changed would develop as a biological male or, because of his new identity, a male. They could compare this with his identical twin brother. The method was that due to an accident during surgery, this child of 7 months suffered injuries to his genitals so badly that the doctors advised to the parents that he should be castrated and given plastic surgery to create a female appearance. During adolescence, the hormone oestrogen was given to the child (known as Joan) to encourage breast development. Money monitored the behaviour of Joan until early adolescence. The results were that Joan did in fact develop as a normal female. She assumed a traditional female identity and was far more feminine than her identical twin brother. The conclusion to this experiment is that if it was presented in the nature vs. nurture debate, nurture would win in this case. Even though Joan was a biological male, the results showed that Joan developed a female gender identity. d) The use of cross-cultural research to investigate gender differences is essentially to point the differences in cultures by environmental factors, shaping the development of gender identity. Mead (1935) conducted a study of three societies to see whether there were differences in gender roles looking at the nature vs. nurture idea. She went to New Guinea for six months to study ‘The Arapesh' who lived in the mountains, ‘The Mundugamor' who lived by the riverside and ‘The Tchambuli' who lived on the lakeside. She wasn't campring the differences between the three groups, but the differences of their culture compared to traditional Western culture. Her results showed that The Arapesh showed that there were similarities between themselves and Western society, although they were more interested in the community than reaching their own individual targets. The Mundugamor showed traits that were described as masculine. Both males and females were ‘fierce' and ‘cannibalistic'. The Tchambuli had very obvious gender roles, although they were the reverse of the West; men were more artistic and women held more status and economic power. Her conclusion to this was that culture is the major socialising and conditioning agent, particularly in the early years. There's no relationship between biological sex and gender role. Although this has been a hugely studied work, there is some criticisms that should be brought up. She was very young when she produced this study, so she was with little life experience and her judgement may have been influenced and slightly ‘over-the-top' in places. She was known to have believed strongly in the idea that the environment is a major factor in shaping gender roles. Mead only spent six months in these places, so didn't get the full yearly cycle. Errington and Gewertz (1989) recognised all of these problems and went to do the same study that Mead had done over 50 years before them. They went to the Tchambuli and recognised that women didn't diominate men, nor did men dominate women. They believed that Mead being a women and experiencing what she may have thought ‘unfair' at the time in 1930's Western culture, may have changed her idea of what she was observing. Despite the flaws, this was still a great study that used cross-cultural research to investigate gender differences. In conclusion, I think that cross-cultural studies into gender differences has certainly provided a lot of evidence over the years to show that gender differences are a socially shaped. Traditions and values certainly shape cultural ideas, but maybe due to the nature of evolution, what might appear to be social to us, may now be biological within our bodies, so it would be harder for us to change our ways that we live.

Appearance vs. Reality, Hamlet

In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the main theme of the play is appearance versus reality. The characters within the play appear to be sincere and honourable when in reality they are corrupt and immoral. Many of the characters within the play illustrate this concept. When looking at them from behind a mask they give the impression of a person who is genuine and honest, but in reality they are plagued with lies and despicable behaviour. Four of the main characters that attempt to deceive Hamlet by hiding behind this mask are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Polonius, and King Claudius. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are two of Hamlets childhood friends who are not as they appear. They are asked by the King and Gertrude to spy on Hamlet in order to find the reason behind Gertrude’s â€Å"too much changed son† (II. ii. 36). They give the appearance of being Hamlet’s friend, yet in reality, the pair only came to Elsinore because they were summoned. Surprised by his friends’ unexplained arrival, Hamlet questions what has brought them there. Rosencrantz lies when responding â€Å"To visit you my lord, no other occasion† (II. i. 266). Hamlet instantly sees through their lies and insists â€Å"you were sent for, and there / is a kind of confession in your looks†¦I know the good king and / queen have sent for you† (II. ii. 273-276). Knowing that his so-called friends are lying about the purpose of their visit, Hamlet discloses nothing to them. Having gotten no answers for the King, the two were asked to go to Hamlet once more an d continue to seek the real reason for Hamlet’s behaviour. Hamlet has little patience since being lied to and reveals to the pair that he is aware that they are spies and saying to them: [Y]ou would play upon me, you would seem to know my stops, you would pluck out the heart of my mystery, .. Call me what Instrument you will, though you can fret me, you cannot play upon me. † (III. iii. 343-350) Although appearing to be Hamlet’s friends, he quickly sees that in actuality, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are only trying to pry him for information. The King’s royal associate, Polonius, plays an important role in developing the theme. He’s constantly keeping up the facade of a concerned and caring individual. Polonius appears to be a good father, and honourable man. Upon learning that his son is going to France, he gives several pieces of advice to Laertes, in particular â€Å"This above all, to thine own self be true† (II. iii. 78). He gives advice in order to appear to be a caring father, when in fact he speaks in order to look good rather than to actually be good. Polonius then sends Reynaldo to bring Laertes money but instructs that â€Å"Before you visit him, to make inquire / Of his behaviour† (II. i. 4-5), and then advises him how to be sneaky about it. Throughout the play Polonius conspires with the King on ways to eavesdrop on Hamlet. When Hamlet is going to speak with his mother, Polonius suggests â€Å"Behind the arras I’ll convey myself / To hear the process† (III. iii. 28-29). Polonius acts as if his actions are for the king, when in fact it will benefit him greatly if the reason behind Hamlet’s strange behaviour is because of his love for Ophelia. Polonius also humiliates his daughter Ophelia by forcing her to read love letters from Hamlet aloud to the King and Gertrude. He tells Ophelia that it’s in her own best interest not to keep this secret. His words are those of a loving father, but his actions are quite different. Even though Polonius pretends to be moral and a loving parent, the reality is that he is a devious manipulator. Claudius, the current King of Denmark is the epitome of corruption and immorality although he presents himself to be the rightful king. King Claudius reveals his true maliciousness several times. Claudius only becomes King of Denmark after murdering his brother and marrying his sister-in-law Gertrude in an incestuous marriage. When speaking of his brothers’ death, he justifies the speedy marriage to Gertrude while appearing to have the kingdom’s best interest at heart when explaining â€Å"That we with wisest sorrow think on him / Together with remembrance of ourselves† (I. ii. 6-7). In actuality, Claudius acts out of greed to become king and out of lust for Gertrude. Claudius demeans Hamlet several times throughout the play. While Hamlet is grieving his father’s death, the heartless king requests â€Å"We pray you throw to earth / This unprevailing woe† (I. ii. 106-107), showing his deplorable behaviour by referring to Hamlet’s grief as useless. King Claudius shows his true maliciousness during his final act of manipulation. The king appeals to Laertes guilt and convinces him to kill Hamlet to avenge his father’s death by â€Å"A sword unbated, and in pass of practice / Requite him for your father† (IV. vii. 137-138). King Claudius’s selfish and despicable behaviour leads to the death of all those he had pretended to care for at one point or another: Gertrude, Hamlet, and Laertes. This final act of vengeance brings about the beginning of the end for the entire royal family. While proving that appearances can be deceiving, the characters help to develop the theme of appearance versus reality in the play. While Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Polonius, and King Claudius all appear to be virtuous and honest people, the reality is that they are continually scheming and plotting against Hamlet. Although appearing to be respectable, each of them is actually tainted by evil and corruption. Unfortunately, Hamlet finds out the hard way that each of them have their own hidden agendas, and corruption spreads like disease throughout the state of Denmark.

MEG WHITMAN AT EBAY CASE QUESTIONS Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

MEG WHITMAN AT EBAY QUESTIONS - Case Study Example Ensuring success in the strategic partnership so undertaken is another challenge faced by E-bay. E-bay strives following a relatively unique culture in the context of the global existence of the multinational corporations in the modern times. The culture has been termed as open and reflective of engaging the individuals into positive activities. The culture of e-bay suits the multi ethnic and diverse presence of individuals. it facilitates and accommodates the individuals who may have ethic, racial, cultural differences between them. It provides them with a platform that enables bringing their abilities out and making most of them. E-bay’s history reveals that the focus of their attention has been more about the people who are accommodative and flexible towards other cultures, other individuals and overall surroundings that make for the best company and brand supported by the organizational excellence in the performance and delivery of high end products to the customers. The challenges faced in the domain of culture are that of the cross cultural existence and global working. The fact that E-bay incorporates an environment and surroundings supported by the individuals hailing from different backgrounds makes it necessary to interpret the cultural context in a positive manner. for example it not only employees individuals from the native land of United States of America, rather it also incorporates the services and performance valuation of the people who may have shifted to United states. E-Bay recruits international employees and this automatically brings about diverse cultural interaction. The fact that the global operations are held through the means of communication and this entails interacting with people beyond the borders and beyond the continents, this entails the demand for a broader cultural strategy which will enable the function of smooth operations and effective performance altogether. Whitman has so far brought about a

Arts and Urban Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Arts and Urban Life - Essay Example Punch's versifier detailed 'The muck and mud that still our movements clog', while Conrad made the same point more sonorously in describing 'the enormity of cold, black, wet, muddy, inhospitable accumulation of bricks, slates, and stones, things in themselves unlovely and unfriendly to man." (Freeman, 89). The city of London is perhaps one of the oldest yet also one of the most powerful cities in the world. This account speaks about the atmosphere, weather, but not the people. All urban histories states about the city in terms of physical structures and ultrastructural layouts. When the reality is that the people of the city and their lives day in and day out constitute the core of urban life, which embodies their struggle, aspirations, and moments of heightened awareness, then art in the urban life in any form will also express those. In the detective fiction of Arthur Conan Doyle or Richard Harding Davis, fog underlay or encouraged the city's criminal associations, with Sherlock Holmes speculating as to how the 'thief or murderer could roam London' 'as the tiger does the jungle', since figures are but 'dimly seen, then blend once more into the cloud bank' (Doyle, CA, 913). The question arises, what is a city, is it the demonstrable difficulties of urban life, its malign incompatibility with human wishes, or entirely something else arising out of it. In some cases, the metropolis itself has been assigned a character in itself, which responds enthusiastically to the process of transformation in the city space and the ways it is perceived by the individual. Radical artists such as Whistler and Monet were exploring similar possibilities during the 1870s. Such figures moved away from the particularization of realist art and conventional topographic painting, concerning themselves with atmospheric evocation. James's immersion, in all senses, in London's fog was therefore something he shared with its most famous visual chroniclers, impressionist painters, even though he initially had little obvious sympathy for their art (James, 219). Accounts of London by Dickens, and, even more so, by Gissing, repeatedly emphasized the city's aromas and the tidal roar of its 'flaring and clamorous' streets where 'the odors of burning naphtha and fried fish were pungent on the wind'. To judge from The Princess Casamassima, the Thames is equally noisy and smelly, with Hyacinth (Gissing, 111), Robinson observing the 'grinding, puffing, smoking, splashing activity of the turbid flood', but in his own trip down river, James concentrates on the tonal limitation s of the scene, its blacks and sables, silvers and grays (Jackson, 277). Baldwin's "Another Country" is a novel, but more of an essay on love. Love on the backdrop of a city, where life at least takes the form of impressionist art. Love is a theme that the author had explored both on homosexual and heterosexual perspectives. On closer examination, there is another theme in this novel, racialism. While love is a necessity and is utterly constructive, hate is terribly destructive, and this theme is core concept

Theory Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Theory - Research Paper Example Over the years, the model has been adopted to examine a wide range of long-and-short-term health behaviours among people of all ages and nationalities such as the spread of cancer due to the failure by people to go for free cancer screening clinics (Rejeski, Brawley, McAuley, & Rapp, 2006). The Health Belief Model was developed out of the realization that humans possess positive, negative and neutral values and their response to various issues is based on these three regions. The Health Belief Model often has two dimensions namely the threats and net threats. These two areas are categorized into susceptibility, severity, benefits and barriers and it is believed that these four constructs explain people’s willingness to react to situations. While these four concepts are usually constant, an addition of cues to action usually triggers the willingness and motivates clear behaviour. In recent days, there has been an addition of self-efficacy, which is the focus on one’s self-belief in the capacity to successfully complete an action (Rejeski, Brawley, McAuley & Rapp, 2006). Ideally, the Health Belief Model is founded on the hypothesis that if the end result is desirable, there is a higher likelihood for individuals to be more motivated to alter their behaviour. For this model to work, psychologists believe that certain behaviours are pointers to certain results. The self-efficacy expectancy concept posits that individuals have within them what it takes to bring about certain results. If a particular incentive is added to the environment within which an individual lives, then the chances of getting a certain outcome is amplified (Rejeski, Brawley, McAuley, & Rapp, 2006). Perceived Susceptibility; this is usually defined as an individual’s opinion of the probabilities of acquiring a certain condition. In the Health Belief Model, this is often used to define the threatened people as well as in defining the risk levels. This concept