...not just comparing the two worlds they were one and the same represented by boys because really adults can be just as vulnerable and volatile they simply hide behind the idea of maturity which can quickly disintegrate when scared. This of course happened in Lord of The Flies the maturity disintegrated and they descended into savagery. It is simply human nature “I believed that the condition of man was to be morally diseased creation…trace the connection between his diseased nature and the international messes he gets himself into”. (Pg. 253) The symbolism in Lord of The Flies represents so many different aspects of society. The conch represents democracy and power it being the object that brings them together to vote, assemble and speak freely. As long as the conch exists the island is a place of order and fairness and with the conch comes Ralphs reign as chief. But when the boys begin to ignore the conch does Jack gain more power though he is still not equal to Ralph until the conch is destroyed the conch represented Ralphs authority and with it gone the boys no longer registered him as chief “Suddenly Jack bounded out from the tribe and began screaming wildly… ‘There isn’t a tribe anymore! The conch is gone… I’m chief!” (Pg. 223) This shows how a system of rules and order is needed to control the violent and impulsive aspects of human nature. The fire is symbol of hope for the human condition. It is something that...
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...Jeremiah Crotser November 23, 2014 English 1301 The Aspects of Existentialism Do we matter to the world? Are we really looking for happiness in the world? Well, existentialism plays a role in our daily routine whether we realize it or not. If you ever think in a way which life often seems pointless. For example, if you ever question what is our purpose in the world? or what are we supposed to do on earth? These are all existential questions that are asked every day. From my understanding of existentialism is making your own choices and later on having to dwell on the presumptions of that choice that you made. In such as Orwell having to dwell on the choice that he made of shooting the elephant. According to his essay, “existentialism” Sartre explains the beliefs and conditions of existentialism. The most important beliefs that Sartre had was that there is no human nature. “If existence really does precede essence, there is no explaining things away by reference to a fixed and given human nature.” (Sartre 1131.) He also believed that God does not exist. “On the other hand, if God does not exist, we find no values or commands to turn to which legitimize our conduct. (Sartre 1131.) Meaning, we are the ones to blame for our own actions and choices that we make, if God doesn’t exist were not able to put our blame on him. George Orwell is a writer that I think is an existentialist. In his essay...
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...the road” We are all dangerous drivers. We have an abundance of drivers who have no respect for the law and other motorists. We have encountered these drivers most often in day to day life; we can go back and forth on who the better drivers are; Older? Younger? Women? Men? But do we really know? Firstly from time to time you’ll hear one of your elders speak on how experienced they are and how much they know compared to their younger generation. From what i’ve seen personally is that we all think we are unconquerable whether we are young or old. Are we all as good of drivers as we say? Or are we all just as bad as the next generation. We all have those days where we are tired, or angry and it affects our driving; when we are distracted and don’t pay considerable amounts of attention to the road and the people around us. Older drivers are considered worse, and younger better. But who is the judge, and how can we prove that this information is true to the bone? Do we have data proving who's the best, or someone reporting every time someone under the age of 20 is in an accident; or someone over the age of 70? In the world of cars and driving there are many various types of drivers, but young and old seem to always be grouped together in some way. It happens to most of us, getting stuck on a one-lane road behind an elderly woman or man who seems to refuse to drive at minimum speed. What should be done to keep elderly drivers and others safe on the roads? If we as a society...
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...to call a sticky situation, none of us ever really made that decision or trusted out better judgment that could have kept us out of the situation in the first place. Often times than not, most of us never really thought things through, so for us the five components has become our self-help book so to speak. The first of the five components is factual knowledge about matters of life. The knowledge of and about human nature has always been known to be complex, because there seems to be more than one way or reason to describe it. The factual part is information or knowledge that can be verified and is consider accurate, but also credible. The fact of life with the scenario of this teen girl and her 17 year old boyfriend is even though this is nothing new for most of us; there is something you can do. Between the ages of 12-16, puberty is bound to hit at some point, the urges in those hormones will give the teen the extra push to explore and cross boundaries they may not would have crossed without the hormones. The downside teens don’t seem to grasp is that there is a huge difference between love and sex, but they don’t comprehend what that difference is. Sadly, some learn after the dead is done and their heart is broken. In this society, it looks that teens are being pressured more to have sex before they are ready to do so. Their body seems to make up their mind for them. So in all honesty this just goes to show you the human nature involving...
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...understanding. Shakespeare’s Macbeth expresses a lot about humanity and about the human experience. The story has so much meaning to it, and for you to understand it you have to really analyze and dig deeper into this story. People seem to take reading this story into a whole different perspective. Even though the story may show different negative sides to humans you have to really understand the story to say this. Shakespeare is a very influential poet he persuades and explains to the readers a lot of different things in his poems and short stories. Shakespeare is basically in this story telling humans to be aware of their surroundings because you never know when something my go bad. While on the other hand Macbeth’s themes and other literary elements usually talks about the disaster of something or just tragedy. In my opinion, his whole story would be considered as a tragedy. In this play it shows a lot of drama and gives off a fiery but attractive tome that draws the reader into the theme in the play. Shakespeare’s is known as the encyclopedia of humanities as they examine the most realistic and controversial issues of human nature. Shakespeare’s describes Macbeth’s inhumanity and human nature, which continually struggles against the evils in his soul. “To be or not to be” is about the choices we make in our everyday lives. I think Macbeth sometimes shows the negative side of the human nature. This play shows the character of people. A poet once said, “Macbeth is an example...
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...many varieties of the view discussed, utilitarianism is generally held to be the view that the morally right action is the action that produces the most good. There are many ways to spell out this general claim. One thing to note is that the theory is a form of consequentialism: the right action is understood entirely in terms of consequences produced. What distinguishes utilitarianism from egoism has to do with the scope of the relevant consequences. On the utilitarian view one ought to maximize the overall good — that is, consider the good of others as well as one's own good. The Classical Utilitarians, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, identified the good with pleasure, so, like Epicurus, were hedonists about value. They also held that we ought to maximize the good, that is, bring about ‘the greatest amount of good for the greatest number’. Utilitarianism is also distinguished by impartiality and agent-neutrality. Everyone's happiness counts the same. When one maximizes the good, it is the good impartially considered. My good count for no more than anyone else’s good. Further, the reason I have to promote the overall good is the same reason anyone else has to so promote the good. It is not peculiar to me. All of these features of this approach to moral evaluation and/or moral decision-making have proven to be somewhat controversial and subsequent controversies have led to changes in the Classical version of the theory. 2. Precursors to the Classical Approach Though...
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...would be helpful, for this, we will go to a long trusted source for information, the dictionary. According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, the word “absolute” is defined in a number of ways: free from imperfection; free or relatively free from mixture; being , governed by, or characteristic of a ruler or authority completely free from constitutional or other restraint; having no restriction, exception, or qualification; independent of arbitrary standards of measurement; and perfectly embodying the nature of a thing, just to name a few. (Merriam-Webster) So to look at The Absolute, we are dealing with, according to Merriam Webster, an idea of freedom, purity, something set apart and seen as perfect, I would add and take liberty and say, an example of excellence untainted by anything, but does what Merriam-Webster say still bode well with how many World Religions defined or see The Absolute regarding their specific religion, that is what we intend to find out, The Absolute and all that. When religions speak of The Absolute, we would expectedly assume The Absolute of which they speak of is that of an Absolute Truth, some sort of cosmic truth, a universal truth, something without blemish, an essence or standard that is eternal, something unable to be changed, set apart by uniqueness, an idea of which there is no allowance for disagreement, no room for questioning, the position taken is set in concrete, and there for eternity. This idea seems very much in agreement to...
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...innocent, recovery of something wrongly taken, punishment of evil, and defense of aggression in progress. From a pacifist's point of view there are some major problems with these justifications for war. Each and every justification is met with its own singular problem. The defense against the innocent seems like it is justified but there arises two arguments against it. In a war more than just soldiers are killed. Other civilians will be killed and many of the soldiers don’t want to fight, they are just ordered too. That means we are killing innocent civilians and soldiers to protect some innocent. From a utilitarian view we must ask if this the death of the innocent will outweigh the death of the other innocent if we do or don’t go to war. Yet, deontologists would say that killing is bad and that needs to be punished because killing is wrong. So kill people to stop killing. For a pacifist that is just wrong. The other problem from defending the innocent is that violence is key in war and many times over we have been shown that violence is not always the best way. We should try and support people and ideas like Gandhi, to win with non-violence. There is not always a need for full war if we can help these people peacefully. Then there is the problem with the justification of recovery. This can be taken way out of proportion. If you don't believe me just look at fascist Germany in WWII. Hitler wanted the land that was wrongfully taken from them in the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler wanted...
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...Hinduism. In Hinduism, Hindus consider Braham to be an impersonal force of existence. Most see the universe as being continuous with and extended from being of Braham. They believe Braham didn’t create mankind. The question of identity for Hinduism is that they consider all life to be sacred or spiritual in nature. Hindus believe the man’s Atman is eternal and when he or she reaches Nirvana their Atman will become one with Brahman. They believe in reincarnation and karma. Basically they believe what goes around comes around. Good karma brings them closer to Nirvana. Bad karma results in being reborn into a lower life from extending the time it takes to reach Nirvana. They also consider animals and humans are similar and they think they should be regarded as partners in search of eternal oneness. Hindus meaning of life is to understand life as an illusion. They believe life and everything around us doesn’t really exist. Hindus believe the purpose of man is to understand life and all that seems to be real is an illusion. They believe the sooner they understand that the quicker the karma cycle can end. The question of morality to Hindus is that they believe that God is everything and everything is God. Morals and ethics are how one should act toward itself. In other words their actions will return through karma, and it’s up to them to determine what those actions should be and how they should be carried out. The question of destiny to Hindus is that they believe...
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...Paper 1 April 6, 2013 Each one of us wants to be a self-sufficient self-starter in life. We realize that to avoid undue dependence on others we must have a platform of absolute truth, something unshakeable that provides a foundation when all things whirl and conspire about us. In our university careers, and later on in our professions, we find so many people who would counsel us to take this path or another path; and often that counsel is at variance with teachings we have learned in the Church. Theories of science are proposed that seem at variance with gospel principles. How, then, can we find for sure that which is true? I have found in my life two ways to find truth— both useful, provided we follow the path and the laws upon which they are predicated. First let us call the scientific method. That involves a group of facts and statistics, combined and analyzed, from which is distilled a theory or a postulate or what might be called a principle. Often the reverse is true: we advance a principle, then perform experiments to establish its validity. The scientific method is a sound and most valuable way of arriving at truth. There are two limitations, however, with that method. First: We never can be sure we have absolute truth, though we often draw nearer and nearer to it. Secondly: Sometimes, no matter how earnestly and sincerely we apply that principle, we come up with the wrong answer. The scientific method is a way of seeking and drawing near...
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...Poor Air Quality and Its Effects on Human Health. In this day and age, nature harming activities such as deforestation, clearcutting and illegal logging are at their peak to provide new plots of land to build skyscrapers and highways. While immense advancements in technology and industry have made life much easier, these man-made creations have also created a global problem – air pollution. Air pollution is the introduction and addition of harmful substances such as carbon monoxide and lead compounds into the atmosphere which causes harmful effects to the environment and human health. It is one of the main types of pollution which typically occurs in busy cities which resulted to poor air quality which has been known to be harmful to our bodies but people don’t seem to realize the severity of its effects. Although our poor air quality is inevitable with modern development, society is still not doing enough to improve it. For instance, there are a number inconsiderate parties that are still practicing harmful activities such as open burning which occurs when individuals burn any form of waste in open air while excessive smoke emissions from factories that’s often occur in industrial areas in major cities. Poor air quality has been a worldwide problem for some time now and yet we still take it for granted. Exposure to low quality air would cause health problems in the respiratory system. I have a mild respiratory problem due to poor quality of air where I was exposed to unhealthy...
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...ARGUMENTS AGAINST DETERMINISM: MAN IS FREE, NO MORE, NO LESS INTRODUCTION The issues of Freedom and Determinism have been sensitive issues that have sparked off heated debates throughout history. The question whether man is really free has been a hard nut to crack and as a result of this, many attempts have been made by different individuals from both philosophical and theological point of view in their effort to explain and understand this concept ‘Freedom’. The line of thought that supports the notion of free will is also called libertarianism. DEFINITION OF CONCEPTS Before delving into the argument, it is worthy of note that the terms under discussion be given a definition for a better understanding of the terms. According to Advanced Learners’ Dictionary, determinism is the belief that people are not free to choose what they are like or how they behave because these things are decided by their background, surroundings and other things over which they have no control. It is simply the view that man is not free, that his actions are determined by certain causes. On another note, libertarianism according to the same source is the belief that people should have the freedom to do and think as they like. Freedom is simply man’s capacity to take hand in his own development. Concentrating more on the major object of my argument which is against determinism, the concept freedom was supported by both philosophers and theologians throughout history. On the part of the philosophers...
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...corruption are just some of the darker qualities of humans. As humans we poses both light, that represents goodness is us, and a darker almost sinister side. In the general population with a a standard set of morals and values we are able to suppress and even overcome the darkness within us. In John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi he explores and examines the darker side of human nature . In this essay the themes of captivity and entrapment will be used to try and unravel these dark aspects of human nature. Their will be looked ate the extremes of cruelty one human can inflict on another by examine the Duchess’ relationship with her brothers, Ferdinand and the Cardinal. Additionally Bosola also plays a vital role when looks cruelty since he is the one that does the actual deed. In addition the abuse of basic human rights, choices and freedom by looking at her living situation. Lastly the victimisation of the Duchess and the fact that her brother s are corrupt and dictate her every move will furthermore provide more insight into the objectification of the Duchess and the wickedness that does exist in humans. In the play The Duchess of Malfi dark areas of human nature are explored and examined with themes such as captivity and entrapment. The the play Webster not only looks at not only the physical caging the Duchess as to endure that her brothers exert on her but also the trapping of the soul and psyche. The Duchess seem to be like a beautiful canary that is held in a golden...
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...Dillon Marchello 4/25/16 PL101 Taking Control of Perception Filters Throughout life, people go through their day to day schedules seeing and perceiving just about every experience in a “certain light.” A light in which shade is brighter, darker or just “blah” depending on that person’s overall self-awareness, mood or attitude. An individual’s mood or “filter,” as I like to call it, acts as a pair of glasses that can literally transform all of your surroundings and how you experience them. Your mood and emotions (for the most part) determine the “type” of glasses you are perceiving your reality through. If an individual is angry, their “angry glasses” will be slipped on, seemingly subconsciously, and the “energy” around them immediately loses its value and becomes diminished in a sense. Think about it, have you ever woken up, and as you were getting out of bed you stubbed your toe, and the rest of your day seemed to be more aggravating than usual? Maybe your commute to work seemed slower and more agonizing, or when you finally got to work your boss asked you to pick up an extra task because someone else didn’t show up that day. In other words, everything seemed more tedious to the point where you are just “not in the mood.” It is not that, all of the sudden, on that specific day the world changed its perception and attitude towards you, but because you changed your perception and attitude towards the world. The most dangerous part about these perception filters is that it...
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...of everything and all of your conditioning. Everything in nature is in its suchness; it is the way that it is, and in this suchness its emptiness, and the way that it connects with all other things, can be found in the same way as it can be found in human beings. In the beginning of The Heart of Understanding, Thich Nhat Hanh gives us the definition for a word, a word not yet in the dictionary. This word is “interbeing”. In his explanation of this word he describes how everything that we see here depends on something else to be what it is. To use his example: without the logger, the sunshine, or clouds, the paper upon which we read would not be able to exist. At the end of this description of the word “interbeing”, Thich Nhat Hanh states that “The Heart Sutra seems to say the opposite. Avalokiteshvara tells us that things are empty.” (p. 4) Thich Nhat Hanh continues to speaks of the piece of paper, and how if we only look at it from the outside, we are separate from it and we will not fully comprehend how everything is interconnected: “If we only look at the sheet of paper as an observer, standing outside, we cannot understand it completely”. (p. 9) The idea that speaks to me from this is that if we are transcendent to this idea of interbeing then we will not truly understand emptiness or suchness, and along with this we will not truly understand Buddhism or any of its concepts. We need to be immersed in this idea; we must “be a cloud, be the...
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