...Absolutism of monarchs was a very popular trend in the 16th and 17th centuries. Peter the Great, Louis XIV, and the Sultans of the Ottoman empires greatly demonstrated this notion with their complete control over their subjects. This was a revival of this same idea that has existed in the Medieval era with with kings with complete control of several provinces and had knights who defended them. Absolutism was a time of complete tyranny in Europe during this time due to the selfish and vanity of the rulers, the complete dependence on the rulers, and the chaos that resulted in or because of their reign. These absolutist leaders were very prideful putting others down and setting themselves up above them. King James I said "the state of monarchy is the supreme thing upon earth" setting his reign in England above everything else (Doc 2). Some monarchs see their subjects as people who just follow their commands. This allowed for no room to give the monarch advice to help the country if their was another way to help it. Louis XIV of...
Words: 648 - Pages: 3
...In 9th December 1799 Napoleon managed to seize power of France. Between his seizure of power and the resumption of the war in Europe, Napoleon introduced several important domestic reforms. His policy focused on the law, education, the church and economics. Peace, prosperity and an administration characterised by vigour were the hallmarks of the consulate and for these Napoleon is often given a lot of praise. Although he did introduce many lasting reforms many of the consulate's 'achievements' were becoming apparent before Brumaire. Through his reforms Napoleon aimed to end the disorder and discontent produced by the revolution. He moved progressively towards a dictatorship of the political right wing. His new reforms occasionally went against the revolutionary principles and his rule was more one of enlightened despotism than the revolutionary democracy. As emperor Napoleon ensured he had a firm grasp on the law and used it to silence his opposition. He nominated magistrates for life and this gave him a firm control over the judiciary. In 1800 the Council of State began a scheme to codify and simplify the law. This codisation rejected the liberty of the revolution and this gave Napoleon greater power over all his subjects. In 1804 the Civil Code was introduced. This confirmed the rights of individual property. This reassured the bourgeois who had gained land during the revolution, which used to belong to the nobles. It gave Napoleon greater support and paved the way for him...
Words: 293 - Pages: 2
...IO: To analyze the effects of the United States role in WWII on the European and domestic front. Do Now: Please answer questions 10 -14 from the Howard Zinn handout : “War Is the Health of the State (5 min) (can also go over more of the questions in class and assign the guided reading exercises as H.W.” Motivation (5 min): 1) Why were industrialists called merchants of death? 2) Why was Schwab being investigated for wartime profiteering? Key terms: Selective Service Act, American Expeditionary Force, Convoy, Zeppelin, armistice, Genocide, Liberty Bond, Price controls, Rationing, Daylight saving time, Sedition, Vigilante. Activities: 1. Complete and review answers to Do Now and Motivation. 2. Complete guided reading exercise on what prompts the U.S. to go to war. This shall be placed on the board in a Venn diagram (10 min maybe tell students what page and do as a shared group assignment). 3. Students working in groups will complete Ch 19 sec 3 and 4 guided reading exercises (15 min). 4. Students will complete questions 20-26 from the Howard Zinn handout 20-26. Pivotal Point: How could the United States avoid entering into WWI? IO: To analyze the role of the United States as a global peace maker. IO: To analyze the political and cultural changes caused by the spread of the enlightenment throughout Europe. Do Now: Students will find the following words and express how they relate of the spread of enlightenment...
Words: 556 - Pages: 3
...'PETERSON DESIR PROF: SMITH-PETER CLASS: HST- 275 Catherine the Great was and remains one of the most important figures in Russian history. During her thirty-four-year reign Russia has greatly prospered not only materially , but more importantly intellectually, which played a vital role in the modernization or the westernization of Russia a couple centuries later. Evidently, analyzing her long reign through the prism of what is considered as democracy today, one could depict its very faults and blemishes. However, we should view her reign as it was then , but not as it should have been nowadays. Whether somebody coined it as an enlightened absolutism, the real truth remained : Catherine the Great has brought Enlightenment to Russia, the European Enlightenment. What was it, Enlightenment?- It was a philosophical movement that greatly fostered rational thinking, the use of science over traditions and superstitions, and also promoted freedom ,security and equality before law for all people. Catherine was thrilled by such great ideas. She devoted herself to reading and established a great line of correspondence with the true leaders of the movement such as Voltaire, Diderot, Bossuet,etc..In her letters, she overtly expressed her intention of becoming an adept of the movement. She started in creating schools and reforming the educational system. She Turned to Voltaire for advice. As an Enlightenment's follower, she was deeply interested...
Words: 1245 - Pages: 5
...Case 1.1 1a. Whether or not dumping should be permitted is a moral question. 1b. "Are dangerous products of any use in the third world?" is a nonmoral question. 1c. "Is it proper for the U.S. government to sponsor the export of dangerous products overseas?" is a moral question. 1d. Whether or not the notification system works as its supporters claim it works is a nonmoral question. 1e. "Is it legal to dump this product overseas?" is a nonmoral question. 2. Dumping is a method of getting rid of unwanted products or substances that are harmful to people, animals, or the environment by exporting them to other countries in order to make a profit or mitigate a loss. An example used in the text is the flame resistant pajamas that were recalled because they contained Tris. These pajamas were dumped in overseas markets to help negate the company’s loss. 3. Dumpers dump because they want to either make a profit or avoid a loss in profit. I am sure some of the companies employees may have second thoughts on dumping, but not “making your number” can be quite a motivator to sidestep your moral beliefs. If I were one of the manufacturers of the Tris pajamas, I would have a hard time sending a product that I know to be toxic to a market with less restrictive regulations, but I think ultimately, I would do it if all information was disclosed not only to the government, but to the end purchaser as well. 4. Just because no laws may be broken does not mean it is always...
Words: 778 - Pages: 4
...Question 1 By the eighteenth century, the Dutch Republic | a. | saw the power of the oligarchy considerably reduced. | | b. | established a system of male democracy. | | c. | suffered a decline in economic prosperity. | | d. | permanently expelled the House of Orange. | | e. | continued its great economic prosperity of the sixteenth century. | 1 points Question 2 The enlightened legal reforms expressed by Catherine the Great in her _______ accomplished little due to heavy opposition and were soon forgotten. 1 points Question 3 The dismemberment of Poland in the late eighteenth century | a. | occurred after decades of warfare between its neighbors. | | b. | was reversed by the successful rebellion of General Kosciuszko. | | c. | showed the necessity of a strong, centralized monarchy to defend a state in the period. | | d. | was reversed as the result of the Council of Berlin. | | e. | resulted from the Polish king's repeated insults and attacks on his neighbors. | 1 points Question 4 In England, a legislative district controlled by one man or one family was known as a | a. | gerrymander. | | b. | tenured seat. | | c. | sinecure. | | d. | pocket borough. | | e. | good job. | 1 points Question 5 Of the great European powers in the eighteenth century, the only one not to possess a standing army and to rely on mercenaries was | a. | Russia. | | b. | Prussia. | | c. | Great Britain. | | d. | Austria...
Words: 1440 - Pages: 6
...My ethical perspective: (Beginning of course) Committing suicide, abortion and school violence- these are just a few headachy problems that school along with society are currently dealing with. However, the question here is: “Are they morally correct? “ Being at the age of a high school student and working in the student council, I already have and will surely further have difficulty involving with this challenging question. I was always curious and interested in the difference between ethics and morals. When I was making decision, there had been several aspects and sources helping me to figure out why I did that, it sometimes was from my family, or religion, even situation. In my opinion, I believe that I don’t really make moral decision and form values within a culture that affects me as well as formed system of thinking that I have developed for years. As the book, “Moral of the story”, explains the origin and the arising question of what is moral, committing suicide is one of the issues that I have already faced. Through secondary and now high school, I usually was told and read about the phenomenon of students themselves dying recklessly. When I was at 11th grade, I saw a boy jumping out from the fourth floor, because of the pressure of study that his parents expected from him. It saddens me to think that one could possibly want to choose death over life and I still don’t quite understand it. For me, it is a foolish and moral action. The shortest definition I’ve heard...
Words: 1007 - Pages: 5
...Explain the difference between moral absolutism and relativism (25) There are two different ways in distinguishing whether something is right or wrong within ethics. Absolutism is a deontological theory, which determines whether an action is intrinsically right or wrong. Whereas relativism is a teleological theory, which determines whether an action is right or wrong based on the outcomes of the action, on its consequences, this is linked with situation ethics and consequentialism. They are two different ways in approaching ethics. Absolutism is a moral command that is objectively and universally right or wrong for all people, in all times, places and cultures. It can be said to be deontological and so something is either right or wrong intrinsically (in itself) and therefore consequences have no bearing. Whereas, relativism is a subjective theory and believe that all truth is relative and dependent upon the values of an individual or society or even situation. Relativism is a teleological approach and therefore takes into account the consequences of a situation. Therefore there are many differences between moral absolutism and relativism. An example of absolutism would be the Ten Commandments, that Natural Law portrays, which are absolute, ‘do not murder’, as this is a law that applies to everyone. Therefore an absolutist would say that it is always wrong to murder in every, and any situation. In contrast, a relativist might argue that in some situations, given the outcome...
Words: 656 - Pages: 3
...ENLIGHTENED DESPOTISM Enlightened despots believed that political change could best come from above; from the ruler. However, they were encouraged by the philosophers to make good laws to promote human happiness. How did these monarchs differ from earlier unenlightened monarchs of the past? The difference lay in tempo. These new despots acted abruptly and desired quicker results. They were impatient with all that stood in the way of their reforms. In addition, they justified their authority on the grounds of usefulness, not divine right. These new monarchs were rational and reformist and they regarded political change as possible and desirable. Frederick the Great, Catherine the Great, and Joseph II are good examples of Enlightened Despots. Frederick II (Frederick the Great), the most famous Prussian absolute monarch and a military genius, pursued an aggressive foreign policy. In 1740 he seized from Austria the province of Silesia. His action culminated in a major European conflict, the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), in which he was pitted against a powerful European coalition of Austria, Russia, and France. Frederick, aided only by England, barely managed to retain Silesia. In 1772 Frederick shared in the first partition of Poland by annexing western Poland. Frederick the Great was an almost perfect example of the enlightened despot. He was familiar with the ideas of the eighteenth-century reformers and a friend of Voltaire. Many of the philosophers, including Voltaire...
Words: 720 - Pages: 3
...Unit 1 Assignment 2: Ethics Statement Jeremy Robinson A fundamental decision in communication ethics concerns how absolute or relative your ethical standards will be. Will you use the same absolute standards for every communication interaction or will your ethical choices be relative and depend on each situation? Absolute ethical standards mean exactly what they sound like and represent an absolute or unchanging standard for ethics in every situation. Telling the absolute truth in every situation would be an example of absolute ethical standard because no matter the situation you never change how you would handle it. A relative ethical standard is when you choose your ethics based on the independent situation. In some situations you choose to be truthful but in others you choose to omit the truth or choose not to speak at all because the consequences of doing so would be far more damaging than just letting the situation go. I believe that my ethical standards are more relative due to the fact that no situation is the same and being that no situation is the same no outcome is the same. Life itself is relative therefore you must bend and twist with it. If you hold absolutists ethical standard you will give the same answers to every situation but receive wildly different outcomes, most probably not being in your favor. It is an essential part of your life to try to engineer it to fit your purposes and to receive the outcomes with the greatest gains in your...
Words: 253 - Pages: 2
...Moral absolutism is the ethical belief that there are rules that are absolute and should be followed under all circumstances. Moral absolutist do not take into consideration the context of the act, as having the absolute rules allows them to judge the moral question fairly. Moral absolutism is a deontological belief. This means that there a set rules and one action must either be intrinsically right or wrong. Intrinsically wrong means there is no information or circumstances that can be provided to a wrong doing to make it right at all. Killing/ murder/ euthanasia is an example of something that is intrinsically wrong. Even if the person where slowly dying and were in large amounts of pain and asked you to help them by stopping they’re suffering, even done with the right intent to do something good, it is intrinsically wrong. Intrinsically wrong is the opposing of intrinsically wrong. In the eyes of a theist, absolute laws come from God. For Christians, the Ten Commandments are an example of absolutes. They believe that these are the laws that god told us to follow and so are absolute. The ten commandments reads ‘do not steal’, so for a Christian following the 10 commandments, stealing will always be wrong, even if it were the only option and you had to do so in order for you and a loved one to survive. Christians also follow a believed hierarchy of absolutes. There is a duty of god, then the duty to others and lastly the duty to property. ...
Words: 753 - Pages: 4
... If you have ever been in a situation where you feel torn between agreeing and disagreeing on something, you will realize that the world has a grey area. While it is easy to agree, or disagree on something, it is also easy to not know, or not particularly choose one. In Act Three of “The Crucible”, Danforth argues that the world is “black and white”. Portraying the world as either black or white distorts reality. Limiting people to believe that things are either right or wrong restricts humans’ complex mind. Don’t get me wrong, I do believe that people have a moral responsibility. In fact, some decisions people make are just uncalled for, egregious, and quite frankly evil. No one has the right to hurt and harm others without some type of consequence. None the less, the world is like an overcast sky. There’s a difference between acknowledging moral responsibility, and subscribing to the idea of everything being black or white. In fact there is a great deal of grey, in various shades boldly lodged between the two extremes. There’s so many different opinions and views on the world, it seems crazy that people think that there are only two ways to see something. Maybe they fear the thought of the grey area intensely because when they are unable to label something as black or white, it means they have to process and decipher the meaning themselves. It means they may have to think. It threatens their view of themselves and implies possible change. I would suggest that its quite limiting...
Words: 659 - Pages: 3
...Readings discussed: Precis of the lecture, including careful presentation of any explicitly formulated arguments. The main topic of the January 22nd lecture was Ashley’s case. Ashley was a girl who was born with low mental capacity. Her condition made her family concerned that they wouldn’t have been able to take care of her if she continued to grow at such a rapid rate. In response to this concern, Ashley’s family gave her a high dose of estrogen to limit her growth. They had Ashley undergo a hysterectomy as well as have her breast buds removed. The way Ashley’s parents handled her condition raises a serious moral question of right and wrong. Were Ashley’s parents right to do what they did and was it even their decision to make in the first place; or was what they did wrong for mutilating Ashley’s body when she had no say in the matter? You could argue for Ashley’s parents and the decision to give Ashley the surgeries by saying that they are Ashley’s legal guardians, and that means they know what is best for her. You could also say the surgeries would make taking care of Ashley easier for the parents as well as make life easier for Ashley by making her body consistent with her mental abilities. The decision to have the surgery was also approved by the hospital’s ethics board which has a duty to not approve unethical procedures. You could also argue that the decision Ashley’s parents made to give her the surgeries was morally wrong. Some might say that the decision to keep...
Words: 552 - Pages: 3
...Ethics Ethical development is an important tool needed in today’s society. In this paper, the topic will discuss the similarities and differences between virtue theory, utilitarianism, and deontological ethics. In addition this papers topic will address how each theory addresses ethics and morality in relation to the authors’ personal experiences with virtue, values, and moral concepts. Similarities and Differences in Ethics Theories To understand the similarities between virtue theory, utilitarianism, and deontological ethics the first order is to define the meaning of each. According to Boylan (2009), virtue theory has a definition of cultivating excellence in life and constituting an aspect of the “good person” (Boylan, 2009). Utilitarianism according to Boylan (2009),” is a theory that suggests that an action is morally right when that action produces more total utility for the group than any other alternative” (p. 153). Deontological ethics have a definition as an analysis of reason, this analysis position decisions based for the morally justified good. The similarities between the three theories represent the good in people and how they strive for excellence and justified good. The differences in the three theories begin with the ethics and morality. Virtue theory describes a person’s character, cultivating “excellence in all we do” (Boylan, 2009, p. 43). Striving for excellence can be challenging at times by deciding what is the most choice worthy decision in life. Utilitarianism...
Words: 293 - Pages: 2
...Ethical relativism Ethical relativism is when an action that is being practiced is thought to be moral in one country but can be immoral and made illegal in another country. Whether it is right or wrong depends on the social norm in that culture or part of the world. There is no universal moral standard or global law that the world has to abide by at all times. Ethical relativism can also be based on personal moral beliefs based on emotion rather than reason. The reason why ethical relativism is so pervasive in American society is because the United States is occupied with many different races and culture from all around the world. It is also a country where you have the freedom to do what you want within reason. You have a country where people are going to bring their beliefs here whether right or wrong. Also, people who were born here were taught a certain way growing up. I believe that this goes back to personal beliefs you have as a person. As people grow up, they tend to think for themselves and start to have personal beliefs and emotions whether they are right or wrong on something. I believe that people eventually will do what they even thought they know it’s morally wrong. For example, serial killers kill people and they know it morally wrong and illegal to do so but they still do it because personally they feel the act is justified for whatever reason. Another example is in a show called “Dexter”, where the main character Dexter is a serial killer. His...
Words: 329 - Pages: 2
