...Democracy in America Michelle Caddell POS/110 May 20, 2012 Cawas Mody Democracy in America On July 4, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed. This was a significant start to democracy in America. The fore fathers of our country had big plans for America. This essay will include my opinions of Democracy in America, as well as some of the strengths and weaknesses that exist in our government system in America. I will include a description of the roles of the President, and other members of our government structure in America. The role of the government has done some major changing since the beginning of democracy. Some of these changes that have occurred have weakened our government system. The definition of democracy is a government run by the people of the country. My personal definition of democracy is having officials that will do what is best for the citizens of the country. I also feel that this should be done with the utmost respect and morals. I feel that this is the way that our fore fathers would have wanted it. I truly believe that our country started on these values and beliefs. Is that where it has really ended up? Democracy has a different meaning to everyone. One fact that we can all agree on is that democracy is one of the most important things in our life in America. The fact that we all wake in the morning to living in a free country is something that we as Americans thrive on. Some things that we must pay close attention to is the control that...
Words: 1778 - Pages: 8
...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...
Words: 3737 - Pages: 15
...Free Software, Free Society: Selected Essays of Richard M. Stallman Introduction by Lawrence Lessig Edited by Joshua Gay GNU Press www.gnupress.org Free Software Foundation Boston, MA USA First printing, first edition. Copyright © 2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc. ISBN 1-882114-98-1 Published by the Free Software Foundation 59 Temple Place Boston, MA Tel: 1-617-542-5942 Fax: 1-617-542-2652 Email: gnu@gnu.org Web: www.gnu.org GNU Press is an imprint of the FSF. Email: press@gnu.org Web: www.gnupress.org Please contact the GNU Press for information regarding bulk purchases for classroom or user group use, reselling, or any other questions or comments. Original artwork by Etienne Suvasa. Cover design by Jonathan Richard. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this book provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are preserved on all copies. Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this book into another language, from the original English, with respect to the conditions on distribution of modified versions above, provided that it has been approved by the Free Software Foundation. i Short Contents Editor’s Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 A Note on Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Topic Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....
Words: 101866 - Pages: 408
...Key Components of Existential Philosophy John Contemporary Philosophy (PHI 311) Newberry College November 1, 2013 Abstract This paper will discuss the human condition generated from existential thought. The blanket term “human condition” will include the topics of “existence precedes essence”, and absurdity. The paper will also discuss the existential 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...
Words: 4034 - Pages: 17
...There is no freedom without discipline “True freedom is impossible without a mind made free by discipline.” ― Mortimer J. Adler “There is no freedom without discipline.” - Many people disagree with this statement and tend to identify it as something bad. They identify with it as a restriction or absence of freedom. But in reality, this quote refers to the meaning that discipline defined by rules in society allows individuals to have freedom within their lives. Humans are free to do what they desire. Those who have freedom are also responsible. However, if individuals do not understand discipline nor follow it or establish any self-discipline, they may decide not to act accordingly to any rules present and break them. They will develop an intense and selfish desire for power, do whatever they can to cheat others off just for their own selfish needs, casting them aside, ruining the freedom of others, and even risking their safety. This is why freedom does not exist without discipline. Discipline is essential to living a free, protected, and safe life. According to dictionary, discipline is “training to act in accordance with rules”. An example of the absence of discipline can occur in the setting of a sports game, a ballet class, or all types of scenarios. Without discipline, a sports game will have no rules. Any of the players may choose to take advantage of the absence of rules, and can decide to cheat in order to win and ruin the fun for others...
Words: 1675 - Pages: 7
...2 of 56 Clear Thinking, Critical Thinking, and Clear Writing Students will learn to … 1. Determine acceptable and unacceptable degrees of vagueness in language 2. Understand and identify types of ambiguity 3. Identify the problems generality causes in language 4. Use definitions to increase precision and clarity and to influence attitudes 5. Understand the types of definitions 6. Acquire skills for writing an effective argumentative essay rom August 1987 until January 2007, Alan Greenspan was chairman of the Federal Reserve Board (“the Fed”). Because any remark he made about U.S. monetary policy could cause markets all over the world to fluctuate wildly, he developed a complicated way of speaking that came to be known as “Fedspeak.” Here’s an example: It is a tricky problem to find the particular calibration in timing that would be appropriate to 2/9/2016 12:17 PM 3 of 56 stem the acceleration in risk premiums created by falling incomes without prematurely aborting the decline in the inflation-generated risk premiums.* Greenspan has admitted that such remarks were not really intended to be understood. Asked to give an example by commenting on the weather, Greenspan replied, I would generally expect that today in Washington, D.C., the probability of changes in the weather is highly uncertain. But we are monitoring the data in such a manner that we will be able to update people on changes that are important.* Page 70 2/9/2016 12:17 PM This tells us nothing about the weather...
Words: 15340 - Pages: 62
...The Case for Polyamory In this essay, I am going to argue that it is possible for a legitimate romantic relationship to include more than two adults as long as everyone is freely participating and is fully aware of the circumstances involved. While monogamy still represents the ideal form of romantic relationships for many people, some would argue that it is simply not a realistic practice and not the only relationship choice that can work. Polyamory is the practice of having more than one romantic relationship at the same time. This is accomplished by everyone’s full knowledge and consent. Polyamorists place so much emphasis on having an honest, responsible and open communication in their relationships that they are able to overcome issues of jealousy. And lastly, by the acceptance and consent of all the parties involve, a person is able to have an extended support network that they can connect with on both the emotional and physical level. These premises are how I am going to argue my case for polyamorous relationships. What is polyamory? Polyamory is the practice of having a romantic relationship to include more than two consenting adults. I point out “consenting” as an important piece of the definition because a central principle of polyamory is garnering your partner’s consent to date, have sexual relations with or even fall in love with multiple people. The notion of consent to me is significant in that I think it is a necessary condition in order for this type of relationship...
Words: 1779 - Pages: 8
...Perkins Gilman What lengths are women willing to go through to avoid being shunned by society; a society they, too, are apart of? Women in the ninetieth century are expected to be poised, courteous, managers of their homes and, most importantly, subordinate to their husbands as well as to society (Hartman). In both “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin (14) and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (118) the protagonists fear living life freely. Is their fear so strong and impossible to overcome that it drives one to insanity and the other to death? These women are expected to be healthy and strong. Unfortunately, due to their never-ending workload of being the perfect women society expects them to be, they are exhausted. Instead of society recognizing this, they are considered ill. Their illness is accepted because it is thought that their ailments are a result of being a woman, which explains to society why they are weak both physically and mentally. They are unlike the men of this time who do not suffer of such ailments! Even today when speaking to women who were raised by the women of the latter part of this era, stories are often told that a sign of a good woman is when her chimney is the first in the morning to start smoking and the last to be smothered. If you dare to question why, you may be met with a confused reaction. The response to your question might be, why would anyone ask why? It just is (Camaj). What do these women fear...
Words: 1863 - Pages: 8
...The main thesis for this essay is “The Gay Rights Movement”. Just like many people prior, points of view will be given and also answers for these arguments. I will allow you to continue with your own opinion. Hopefully, after this essay, you will not look at it the same ever again. Just like African-American’s from the 50’s & 60’s, we are being discriminated on by a government that is so full of it and afraid to take a strong stand even if they agree with it. The fear of theirs is for retaliation and just like the subject of interracial marriages was in the 60’s, most politicians are afraid of this hot topic and just keep it on the back burner hoping it will go away and it won’t. The days of old are no more, the world was destroyed by flood and then Jesus Christ died for all of us not just a small number of sinners. So all of you without sin can cast the first stone on this project but remember unless you have a flowing gown and sandals, I think that means you are not perfect either. Gays have the right to speak out, to religion, to equal rights in marriage with the insurance as a married couple and to not be ridiculed. Lesbians and Gays have a right to speak out, as given to us by our 1st amendment rights. We should not be forced to stay in a closet any longer. The congress has recently passed an amendment where it would be illegal to discriminate against a person for their sexual preference in employment; it only needs to be signed to become a law. A few states already...
Words: 915 - Pages: 4
...The question asked of us for the final exam harkens me back to 1985 and the John Hughes movie The Breakfast Club. In this movie, if your 1980’s pop culture memories have been fogged over by the passage of time, is about a group of students who are sentenced to Saturday detention “to ponder the error of (their) ways” because of misdeeds during the school week, and end up (spoiler alert) with a better understanding of themselves and each other. In other words in can be inferred that they found themselves, and during the Saturday detention, assisted others in finding themselves. I’m in no way implying that and entire Introduction to Liberal Studies class can be taught by locking students in a library for nine hours on a Saturday. With all Hollywood productions you need to suspend some of your disbelief. The question that I will answer is: What does Liberal Studies mean to you? I will touch on question two, which was to explain my goal for this program, but I feel it does not apply to me as I am graduating now. I instead will explain what Liberal Studies will mean to me going forward. An outstanding Professor at University once introduced me a notion, and I believe that I have grasped the concept he so elegantly explained. To be a successful leader is to allow others to find their voice. That leader will inspire and connect with his team on a spiritual, mental, emotional and physical level, and inspire others to find their voice. Getting back to the movie mentioned...
Words: 1289 - Pages: 6
...let me explain what personal privacy is. It is personal freedom from unwanted disturbance in someone’s private life meaning that we have the freedom to be not constantly disturbed. However, the internet is a public library, when you add something on the internet it is already public even if it wasn’t meant to be, and to be honest there are many people out there who just like to cause disturbance, but you have the choice to post it privately or publicly. It is not eavesdropping if you posted something publicly and a stranger saw it. There are also possibilities that the marketers collect personal data like workplace or home address so that he can personally meet face to face with the customer or consumer to conduct his survey. If the marketer constantly visits your workplace or home it is an invasion of privacy, but I find this very rare because it doesn’t benefit him, in fact it is a waste of time for him if he keeps getting rejected, in anyways so it is not practical. The reasons why marketers have started using social media for marketing is because the users are massive, like Facebook it has more than 1 billion users. Because of this massive amount of users’ marketers will use this advantage to gain knowledge about what the current trend is on now. This advantage helps them by increasing the chances of their advertisements to be notice compared to banners or leaflets. Social media also helps marketers to reach out to customers to build relationship is the definition of...
Words: 883 - Pages: 4
...awake for 14 hours, my head is tucked away in my arm, cocooning into my jacket, entangled in a web of dreams. However hearing this my ears perk up, like a dog barking at the mailman, I drag my head up, eyes adjusting to the light, brain rebooting, I raise my somewhat limp and half extended hand up. I asked so you mean to tell us that the ACT doesn’t even look for our academic ability? She proceeds with the deadly stare as is if this 60 year old woman was going to grab the yardstick nearby and break it over my head for asking such a dumb question. She clears her wrinkly dangling throat and proceeds with of “course it’s about academic ability, we are just trying to teach you how to look at the test”. Standardized Tests were devised by experts convened by state education commissioners and governors to set uniform benchmarks for learning. They come labeled in different names from District Assessments,...
Words: 1831 - Pages: 8
...BIOGRAPHY Virginia Woolf, an English author, feminist, essayist and critic, was born on January 25th, 1882 to Sir Leslie Stephen, the editor of Dictionary of National Biography, and Madam Julia Prinsep Stephen, a nurse who published a book on nursing. Virginia’s maiden name was Adeline Virginia Woolf. She grew up in an atmosphere conducive to her future career as a writer since her father, Leslie Stephen, was a respected and well-known intellectual and writer. Although she was not sent to a university as her brothers, she was able to educate herself thoroughly by delving into the volumes of her father's vast library. Woolf grew up during a period of intense feminist activity in London and was an active member of various women's organizations. By the time she came into her own as a writer, significant advances had been made in women's rights. By 1918, a limited franchise had been granted to women in England. During the interwar period, Woolf was a significant figure in London literary society and a member of the Bloomsbury Group. Her mother’s sudden death in 1885 and that of Stella, her sister whom she looked up to as a mother were the catalysts for Virginia’s mental breakdown. Modern scholars have suggested that her mental breakdown and subsequent recurring depression were as a result of the sexual abuse which she and her sister Vanessa were subjected to by their half brothers, George and Gerald Duckworth. Virginia married Leonard Woolf, a journalist, in 1912 and they collaborated...
Words: 2725 - Pages: 11
...they look at things. Some think in ways that are good and others in ways that are bad. Some people look at things differently from others. But who really knows what is true and what is real. Some people stay in the darkness for a long time without have the true knowledge. This essay explores how Socrates looked at things and his beliefs and perception as compared to how Voltaire looked at life. This is a summary of what was captured in Apology, allegory of the cave and the Good Brahmin. These stories have good implication on the essence of philosophy in life. What is philosophy and how should we consider it? In short, these essays talk about enlightenment, which is a process whereby a person comes to know the truth as opposed to being ignorant. Socrates’ views of life are shown in the stories of Apology and allegory of the Cave. The main one that shows Socrates’ ideas is that of the allegory of the caves, which will be explained briefly in this essay. In the allegory of the cave there is a tantalizing scenario. The scenario is as follows. It is shown in a state of things that a young person has been in. The scenario is like that of a person who was born and ever since his youth hood was placed in a cave. In this cave there is no light. This person is chained there in that he is not able to turn even his head to see what is around. The person looks in one direction. In the direction in which he looks there are shadows that come from the reflection of the sun. The sun is outside...
Words: 7777 - Pages: 32
...they look at things. Some think in ways that are good and others in ways that are bad. Some people look at things differently from others. But who really knows what is true and what is real. Some people stay in the darkness for a long time without have the true knowledge. This essay explores how Socrates looked at things and his beliefs and perception as compared to how Voltaire looked at life. This is a summary of what was captured in Apology, allegory of the cave and the Good Brahmin. These stories have good implication on the essence of philosophy in life. What is philosophy and how should we consider it? In short, these essays talk about enlightenment, which is a process whereby a person comes to know the truth as opposed to being ignorant. Socrates’ views of life are shown in the stories of Apology and allegory of the Cave. The main one that shows Socrates’ ideas is that of the allegory of the caves, which will be explained briefly in this essay. In the allegory of the cave there is a tantalizing scenario. The scenario is as follows. It is shown in a state of things that a young person has been in. The scenario is like that of a person who was born and ever since his youth hood was placed in a cave. In this cave there is no light. This person is chained there in that he is not able to turn even his head to see what is around. The person looks in one direction. In the direction in which he looks there are shadows that come from the reflection of the sun. The sun is outside...
Words: 7777 - Pages: 32
