...‘wrong’—‘good’ and ‘bad’? Do we all share certain values, or some approach, that helps us come about our moral judgments? Is there a universal ‘good’ and ‘bad’? This is really the crux of it, is it not? This essay will present the argument that the pursuit of human happiness—or at least perceived happiness—is the only value that can be considered universal amongst all human beings, and that the differences and conflicts between us stem from different interpretation’s of happiness and the means that should be taken toward its actualization. That is to say that something is ‘good’ to the extent to which it enables perceived happiness, or, disables a lack of perceived happiness. The universality of this value will be suggested to extend to all sentient beings, regardless of human intelligence and the capacity to reason. This essay’s thesis is in agreement with the proposed statement that, “ultimately, all human beings share core universal values, and apparent differences are merely variances of practices or interpretation,” however not to the extent that the ideas of philosophers John Stuart Mill, Aristotle and Jeremy Bentham are. Instead, it will refute and pose counter-arguments to certain aspects of their ideas, specifically, the need to define and place values on happiness, while building upon others. It will argue humans do not need to agree on what the ‘good life’ is, but rather just that we are all equally entitled to its pursuit. It will suggest that ethical...
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...million followers around the world. According to belief and custom, Siddhartha Gautama was born into a royal family and at age of twenty nine, he became conscious of the fact that wealth and luxury did not guarantee happiness. Upon his realization of the “pain of illness,” Siddhartha left home. He began to explore dissimilar traditions and religions (Duiker and Spielvogel 46). Daily, he made a practice to search for and explore difference ideas, philosophies, in search of finding the key to human happiness. Through meditation he finally found 'the middle path’ and was enlightened. “By observing the activities of mankind in real life, the Buddha mastered the principles of human behavior. He then taught the two characteristics of the Middle Path” (Buddhism - The Middle Path). What is Christianity? When discussing Christianity and defining what is a “true Christian” or “which definition is correct” there are several different definitions and versions as to describe Christianity. Therefore, for the purpose of this essay, I will focus on the movement of early Christianity. “To many in the very early Christian movement, a Christian was defined as a person who was baptized and proclaimed ‘Jesus is Lord’. Their definition perspective (you are overusing the word “definition.” People did “define” things back then) was ‘true’ to them because it agreed with their understanding of their religious belief at a...
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...Transcript Akeem Saunders Kaplan University HU300 Arts and Humanities Laurie Smart-Pottle 21st September, 2013 What Does Happiness Mean? The first person I choose to interview is Ms. J.Roker. She is between the ages of 30- 40 years-old and is a volunteer at the Exuma Land and Sea Park here in the Bahamas. She loves working for non-profit organizations especially those which gives back to the community and protects the environment. She has been a foreign volunteer for two years. Being enlisted in the military I am required to be deploy to various sub bases within and without the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. Thus, my interview took place on Walderick Wells, a Cay located in the Exuma Land and Sea Park. I had known Ms. Roker, little under two weeks and was intrigue as to why she choose the Bahamas to work instead of America. Every morning she would open the park office and we would start a casual conservation. Her views on life were astounding and to see how her dog Grace interacts with her is just amazing. She always seemed very happy whenever I saw her and always was giving. When I think of what happiness looks like I always think of her. My second choice is Mr. D Bonaby. He is between the ages of 40-50 years and is an active member in the military. He has been deployed to the same sub base as me and he has been my superior for the past 10 years. He is a welder in the military and hopes to open his welding business when he retires from...
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...1 - Character must be of noble/high stature 2 - Hubris (tragic flaw) - pride blinds them 3 - Downfall 4 - Enlightenment (near the end of the play) 5 - Their death Someone of high position; in this time period, that meant royalty. He is 'universal,' meaning that everyone everywhere can relate to the kinds of problems or sufferings or emotions that the hero experiences. He has a 'tragic flaw' - this could be a personality trait (like greed, lust, ambition, jealousy, etc.), OR an error in judgement (a bad decision). This 'tragic flaw' leads to his downfall - usually ruins his career, reputation, power, etc. He is enlightened at the end of the story, meaning he realizes where he went wrong, he is humble, and he accepts the consequences . A tragic hero is a character in a work of fiction (often the protagonist) who commits an action or makes a mistake which eventually leads to his or her defeat. The idea of the tragic hero was created in ancient Greek tragedy and defined by Aristotle (and others). Usually, this includes the realization of the error (anagnorisis), which results in catharsis or epiphany. Aristotelian tragic hero Characteristics Aristotle once said that "A man doesn't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall." An Aristotelian tragic hero must have four characteristics: Nobility (of a noble birth) or wisdom (by virtue of birth). Hamartia (translated as flaw, mistake, or error, not an Elizabethan tragic flaw). A reversal of fortune(peripetia)...
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...Introduction This essay seeks to analyse the use of mise-en-scene in one of the early scenes in the film American Beauty, directed by Sam Mendes. Mise-en-scene, a French term translated as "putting into the scene", refers to properties of a cinematic image that exists independently of camera position, camera movement, and editing. The story centres on Lester, played by Kevin Spacey, a father who is experiencing a mid-life crisis. Despite employing a traditional Hollywood plot structure that focuses on a problem and a protagonist’s quest in resolving the issue, the film is special. The problem in the film is special as it is Lester’s entire state of life – his unhappiness and dissatisfaction of the way things are in his life. The film’s theme centres on the definition of happiness, more specifically in the context of the American Dream. The characters of the American Beauty seem to have confused material well-being with happiness. The plot is pushed by the main protagonist, Lester, in trying to find meaning and happiness in his life that was before dictated by the American expectation. We will be looking at the second scene of the film, which begins when Lester enters Brad’s office to discuss his performance at work. Brad is the company efficiency expert who was recently hired. The scene will be discussed separately based on two different locations. The essay will examine the use of settings, costume and make up, staging, lighting and lastly the use of space and time for each...
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...who you ask, many people often think of Americans as fat and lazy slobs who mettle to much in other people affairs, living off the backs of lesser countries to sustain there egocentric existence. Others including most Americans think of the classic typical patriot, who has multiple weapons, is constantly looking over their shoulder and drives in an over sized truck with an American flag at the back. Being an American is being a Patriot, loving your country men, and your country but not afraid to challenge either in the pursuit of life liberty and happiness for all. America has sense its creation been a diverse multicultural country making blanket statements about feelings and behaviors of its inhabitants impossible. However I think everyone is in some way a Patriot which I equate to being the one defining trait of an American. The simple definition of patriotism is an emotional attachment to ones country. I think this definition has more to it than meets the eye, when you consider the principles this country was built on. This country was built on hard work and determination; the hardships endured only serve to...
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...Meaning and Existentialism in My Life - Existentialism is a phiosophy which revolves around the central belief that we create ourselves. External factors are not important. It is the way that we let external factors affect us that determines who we are. As individuals we all have the freedom to choose our own path and that is what life is all about. Along with the freedom of choice comes the responsibilty of one's actions which can make some people anxious but give others meaning to their lives. To overcome this anxiousness and accept responsibilty is to meet the challenges of life and to truly live it.... [tags: Existentialism, ] 675 words (1.9 pages) $14.95 [preview] Understanding Existentialism - Do we matter. Do we seek personal happiness in life. These are questions from existentialism. The dictionary defines existentialism as an individual’s experience filled with isolation in a hostile universe where a human being attempts to find true self and the meaning of life through free will, choice, and personal responsibility. Hamlet is an existentialist character who believes that he is forced to avenge his father’s death and the hatred builds in his heart because of the many betrayals which direct him towards a senseless life and constant thoughts about suicide; this ultimately leads to his demise and he is left with naught.... [tags: Existentialism] 872 words (2.5 pages) $14.95 [preview] Life Value vs. Existentialism in Grendel - A main theme in John Gardner’s Grendel...
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...Pennsylvania. Since the occurrence of those events the word “terrorism” has been part of the common vocabulary in our day to day lives. The threat of terrorism has brought about many changes. It has created tighter security restrictions, increased intelligence gathering, and for some a sense of paranoia. It has also created a hatred towards those who seek to terrorize the United States. One must ask what is terrorism exactly and why does it happen? The word terrorism was first used in the late 18th century. In Geoffrey Nunberg’s essay “The War of Words: “Terror” and “Terrorism” he uses French Revolutionary Robespierre’s definition of terror as “nothing other than justice, prompt, severe, inflexible; it is therefore an emanation of virtue” (Nunberg 433). Terrorism was the action of a people who were working for and ideological cause. It was a means of bringing about change. Whether the action was positive or negative was determined by the group defining it. While those acting to bring...
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...relationship with others mostly described by Sartre’s literary work No Exit and analysis from Being and Nothingness. Components of Existential Philosophy This paper will firstly discuss the major existential principle of existence preceding essence. This notion is discussed by Sartre’s (1946) lecture “Existentialism is Humanism”. This central theme existence preceding essence is the backbone for most existential thought and that is why it is discussed and understood thoroughly from the beginning of this paper. This leads to the existential thought, absurdity of life. Life being absurd is a component of the existential human condition and this is discussed using The Myth of Sisyphus as a beacon of how absurdity applies to life and happiness. This was written and discussed by Camus in his work The Myth of Sisyphus. Lastly this paper will discuss how others impact the individual or human relationships, discussed by Sartre. His thesis regarding others interactions are that it is Hell. This is the central theme in his play No Exit, and unpacking this existential thought this paper will use his work Being and Nothingness. Human Condition Existence comes before essence; this is a main theme found in existential philosophy. Sartre (1946) states in his lecture “Existentialism is Humanism”, the theme existence precedes essence, is an ideal that all existential philosophers hold true. To understand the existential claim that existence precedes essence it is beneficial to define...
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...organizational culture is moreover an invisible property owned by the company. From 1970s, people began to understand the high competition from Japanese industry with unique corporate cultural background. Companies in America were found to behave very much like what happened in Japan (Parker 2000). It is usually known that a strong and positive corporate culture is a true asset under the perspective of economic and accounting. Although its advantages have been identified for decades, difficulties in how to utilize, develop and manage corporate culture remain to be uncertain. In this essay, the argument will be illustrated in three sections. The definition and significance of corporate culture will be introduced in the first section in detail. After that, deficiency of managing corporate culture will be discussed in separated two sections. The first section will talk about difficulties in developing and defining an appropriate organizational culture. The second section will concentrate on the shortage of expected employees and obstructions of managing human resources. What kind of labour a company wants, what kind of atmosphere a company intends to achieve, and the paradox between the two will be discussed within this section. The actual meaning and significance of corporation culture In such a globalized...
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...literary devices The six literary devices used in the article “The fight against evil is far from over” are; theme which was based on evil. The author chose this theme to give an idea to the readers that doing evil means that you’re doing harm to someone, intentionally and unjustifiably. This theme was effective in this essay because it was a universal theme, it’s something anyone can relate to and very common. Analogy and ideology was used to compare how during a century’s first half, that it was “ideology that fuelled the lion’s share of human destructive-need.” The author chose analogy through the usage of personification to tell the readers that in the other half, other forces have taken that place of ideology as their primary source. Those forces were religion and nationalism. Euphemism was used through diction in this article. “...euphemistic term: we aren’t sending someone to a gas chamber,” The other used this word very effectively to bring out his point kindly about how he doesn’t want to get rid of people because there evil, so in other words destroy an entire population, “we are engaged in “ethnic cleansing””. 3) Which of the three essays do you think is the most insightful/accurate/interesting/helpful? Why? The article that I’d say that was insightful and...
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...Introduction This essay intends to explicitly compare Karl Marx and Emile David Durkheim ideas on religion from a sociological and functionalist perspective. Functionalists’ belief that religion is beneficial for both the community and its members e.g. it unifies the society which in turn gives each individual member a source of support when they need it. It will begin with their brief historical backgrounds, definition of religion as well as their similarities and differences in studying it. Karl Marx Marx was born in Prussia on May 5, 1818. He began exploring sociopolitical theories at university among the Young Hegelians. He became a journalist, and his socialist writings would get him expelled from Germany and France. In 1848, he published The Communist Manifesto with Friedrich Engels and was exiled to London, where he wrote the first volume of Das Kapital and lived the remainder of his life (Engels, 1869). Marx is considered as one of the founders of economic history and sociology. Emile Durkheim According to Jones (1986) “David Emile Durkheim was born in France, on April 15, 1857 and raised in a Jewish family with his father as a rabbi. Emile was, thus destined for the rabbinate, and a part of his early education was spent in a rabbinical school” (p.12). Durkheim is considered the father of modern sociology and well known for his work on Division of Labour in 1912. Definition of Religion Both Marx and Durkheim have rather contrasting definitions of what religion is...
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...IS IT BETTER TO BE MAD OR BAD.1 This essay will discuss normal and abnormal behaviour and how the definition of psychologists differentiates although defining normal and abnormal behaviour can be problematic because there is no single definition. It will also look at the current treatment of mental health and how to tackle these issues in the future. There are many ways that normal and abnormal behaviour can be defined for instant one concept is based on statistical for example something which is unusual to the society. Statistically: In this definition of abnormality behaviors which are seen as statistically rare are considered to be abnormal. In terms of statistics, abnormal behaviour involves any behaviour that is significantly different from the norm. for instance some one who is very clever is considered normal in terms of cleverness average on the other hand if some one is less or below the average he or she is considered abnormal. Therefore in the statistical impression, strange behavior improper behaviour could be classified as abnormal. Deviation from Social Norms defines the change or deviation of an individual, from society's traditional acts for example in some cultural backgrounds when couple are getting married women is responsible for every thing while others give the responsibility to the man and they thing other except from their tradition cultural believes is abnormal and they think if some does something different that he or she is deviated from cultural...
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...201204434 Due date: April 15 2014 Introduction This essay intends to explicitly compare Karl Marx and Emile David Durkheim ideas on religion from a sociological and functionalist perspective. Functionalists’ belief that religion is beneficial for both the community and its members e.g. it unifies the society which in turn gives each individual member a source of support when they need it. It will begin with their brief historical backgrounds, definition of religion as well as their similarities and differences in studying it. Karl Marx Marx was born in Prussia on May 5, 1818. He began exploring sociopolitical theories at university among the Young Hegelians. He became a journalist, and his socialist writings would get him expelled from Germany and France. In 1848, he published The Communist Manifesto with Friedrich Engels and was exiled to London, where he wrote the first volume of Das Kapital and lived the remainder of his life (Engels, 1869). Marx is considered as one of the founders of economic history and sociology. Emile Durkheim According to Jones (1986) “David Emile Durkheim was born in France, on April 15, 1857 and raised in a Jewish family with his father as a rabbi. Emile was, thus destined for the rabbinate, and a part of his early education was spent in a rabbinical school” (p.12). Durkheim is considered the father of modern sociology and well known for his work on Division of Labour in 1912. Definition of Religion Both Marx and Durkheim have rather contrasting...
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...Introduction to Personality Tyanda Trent PSY/405 November 18, 2013 Patti Tolar Introduction to Personality In doing the assignment the essayist took opportunity to educate herself and readers of this essay on personality. In the following passage the essayist will give the definition of personality. She will also give reason for how an individual’s personality is developed. The essayist will also research theoretical approaches in studying personality. Last, the essayist analyzes some of the factors that influence an individual’s personality. After reading this essay, the essayist wants readers to have clarity on the theory of personality. Defining Personality The word personality originates from the “persona”, meaning the covering that an actor can wear during Greek and Roman drama performances (Feist & Feist, 2006). The reason for them to wear the mask is to cover a deceptive appearance to portray the character in which they are playing. The present-day description of personality is not the deceitfulness of character or appearance; however, it is the action of apparent behavior that can be the label of certain physiognomies and traits of an individual. The physiognomies give the understanding of an individual, to include intelligence, physical ability, and attitude. According to Theories of Personality, personality involves, “…a pattern of relatively permanent traits and unique characteristics that give both consistency and individuality to a person’s behavior”...
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