...In Convocation Address, Hungarian-Jewish poet and writer George Faludy illuminates his experiences in a draconian communist concentration camp and inculcates his findings about the importance of education. In his time in the concentration camp, Faludy helped initiate lecture groups with his fellow inmates. Faludy asserts that “learning on one occasion ensured the physical and spiritual survival of several hundred people” (28). The legacy of a man on the brink of hardship endures. Faludy recalls that his plight was “better than in a Nazi concentration camp” (28), but the onus of hard labour, and the trepidation of isolation have left a traumatic experience. In order to escape the terrible conditions of the camp, Faludy, armed with a repertoire of intellect, was determined to give lectures in the “barracks at night” on an eclectic of subjects, such as “literature, history or philosophy” (28). However, some prisoners refused to join the group because they thought it was an insane idea to waste their “sleeping time in lectures when [they] were all going to die anyway” (29). Faludy claims that dubiety was common among “men who had been most determined to survive, those who had concentrated on nothing but food, sleep, and warmth” (29). Furthermore, he presents proof that these men had limited longevity when one of his pupils died after dismissing his attendance in the lectures and said, “he was going…to live the life of a tree or a vegetable” ( Faludy 29). Faludy concludes...
Words: 313 - Pages: 2
...Darwin and Alfred Wallace, in 1858. (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2014) The process of natural selection has four factors: Inheritance, Where some traits are passed down from the parents to the offspring. High rate of population growth, limited recsources and more offspring will lead to struggle for survival. Variation, individuals of the same species will exhibit individual variation, even closely related individuals differ a great deal. Variations include, body size, facial features, eye and hair colour, height and weight. Differential survival and reproduction, Individuals possessing traits that are well suited for the struggle of the limited will have more offspring (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2014). This factor is also known as “Survival of the Fittest”, a phrase often used by Herbert Spencer, an English philosopher and sociologist. Where fitness indicates an individuals ability to pass copies of its gene to generations. The term is usually misunderstood, the majourity of people believe that fittest means, “the best physical specimen of the species and only those in the best shape and best health will survive in nature”(Scoville, 2014 IV). That isnt always true. Darwin meant " 'fittest' to mean the one best suited for the immediate environment” (Scoville, 2014 V). This is the general...
Words: 689 - Pages: 3
...Survival of the fittest is a concept that is inspired from the theory of natural selection which means that some living beings are better adapted to particular conditions which leads them to succeed in the long run. But in Chrysalids they won't let themselves evolve over generations to adapt to the changed conditions because the keep killing anything or anyone who is evolved. If it was to go on like that it would have caused the human beings to go extinct because they were adapting to changing conditions. The main reason why the waknuk society was bound to fail is due to the Image of God. It basically removes any chance of an evolution in the society of Waknuk. Anything that does not match up with the so called Image of God is...
Words: 727 - Pages: 3
...‘Survival of the Fittest’ is defined as the continued existence of organisms that are best adapted to their environment with the extinction of others (Wikipedia: Survival of the Fittest). In Night by Elie Wiesel, in face of extermination the Jews of Sighet commit uncharacteristic ‘sins’. Fear had forced silence, fear had forced evil deeds and fear had turned the Jews against one another. The cruelties of natural selection is described in Night by Elie Wiesel, portraying the breaking of the human spirit, damaging faith in humanity, family, and God. Humanity, an important theme in Elie Wiesel’s memoire is portrayed as an ever changing proposition. The Jews of Sighet, and most importantly Elie, is seen struggling with his conscious based on the inhumane acts of oppression he has witnessed. In the beginning his faith is abundant and is evident through his trust in the German’s and disbelief in Moshie the Beadle (his mentor). “He told me what had happened to him and his companions. …The Jews were ordered to get off and onto waiting trucks. The trucks headed toward a forest. ...Infants were tossed into the air and used as targets for the machine guns” (Wiesel 6). Although, Elie did not believe Moshie at first the nightmares described by his mentor became a reality when he had first entered the concentration camps. The traumatizing events witnessed by Elie had caused him to question his faith in the human race while stripping him of reason to live. It was hard for him (Elie) to...
Words: 1022 - Pages: 5
...changing, and eventually ruthless reality will conquer opposition and determination. As Knowles’ characters of Leper, Finny, and Gene demonstrate in his novel A Separate Peace: only the fittest survive. For example, Knowles’ character of Leper demonstrates survival of the fittest. More specifically, when Leper watches a movie with troops skiing in...
Words: 846 - Pages: 4
...V C viewpoints DOI:10.1145/1498765.1498778 Michael Cusumano technology Strategy and management Strategies for difficult (and darwinian) economic times How the axiom of survival of the fittest applies in the context of a global economic downturn. they disappeared. General Motors and other automobile makers that cannot efficiently operate at low production volumes and make money with small, fuel-efficient vehicles with tiny profit margins will face the same fate as vacuum tube producers that could not adapt to transistors. Let me say up front that I do not completely agree with the population ecologist view. I have worked with many companies since the 1980s and believe the actions of managers had an important impact on performance and survival. I also teach in a business school where, we presume, it is worthwhile teaching h a rle S d a rW in h aS had considerable impact not only on the field of biology but also on theories of industry evolution and management. Within sociology departments and business schools, for example, during the 1970s and 1980s there emerged a strain of “population ecologists” that continues to influence much of the research on organizations and industries today. These scholars see a Darwinian process of survival that occurs at the “population” (the industry) level and has little to do with the actions (or inactions) of individual managers and firms. The argument, in simple form, is that most companies are unable to adapt to major change and...
Words: 1416 - Pages: 6
...over Sicily. Athens needed money so they sailed all the way to an island called Melos to persuade them to pay the tribute. The Melian Dialogue is a conversation where Athens uses Rhetoric (the art of persuasive speaking) and argues the point of Physis (survival of the fittest) to persuade Melos into paying the tribute. In the end Melos doesn’t agree to pay the tribute and to be an ally with Athens so Athens takes over Melos, kills all the men, and sells all the women and children into slavery. Athens warned Melos and created a strong argument which makes Athens justified in what they did to the island of Melos. In the Melian Dialogue, Athens makes a strong argument around the idea of physis. “This is not an idea that we made ourselves, nor are we the first to act upon it when it was made. We found it already in existence, and we shall leave it to exist for ever among those who come after us” (Thucydides 105). In other words what Athens is saying is, we are not the first to act upon “Natural Law”, that the strong will do what they must do to stay in power for as long as possible. Therefore It is not their fault they attacked Melos, it was all because of “the survival of the fittest” and Athens was the fittest. If it wasn’t for Athens doing things like attacking Melos they wouldn’t be where they were at the time as an empire of ancient Greece. When Athens first reaches the island of Melos to discuss about why the Melians wont pay the tribute...
Words: 884 - Pages: 4
...over Sicily. Athens needed money so they sailed all the way to an island called Melos to persuade them to pay the tribute. The Melian Dialogue is a conversation where Athens uses Rhetoric (the art of persuasive speaking) and argues the point of Physis (survival of the fittest) to persuade Melos into paying the tribute. In the end Melos doesn’t agree to pay the tribute and to be an ally with Athens so Athens takes over Melos, kills all the men, and sells all the women and children into slavery. Athens warned Melos and created a strong argument which makes Athens justified in what they did to the island of Melos. In the Melian Dialogue, Athens makes a strong argument around the idea of physis. “This is not an idea that we made ourselves, nor are we the first to act upon it when it was made. We found it already in existence, and we shall leave it to exist for ever among those who come after us” (Thucydides 105). In other words what Athens is saying is, we are not the first to act upon “Natural Law”, that the strong will do what they must do to stay in power for as long as possible. Therefore It is not their fault they attacked Melos, it was all because of “the survival of the fittest” and Athens was the fittest. If it wasn’t for Athens doing things like attacking Melos they wouldn’t be where they were at the time as an empire of ancient Greece. When Athens first reaches the island of Melos to discuss about why the Melians wont pay the tribute...
Words: 884 - Pages: 4
...explorative spirits. Jack believes that only when placed in the harshest natural conditions can the most splendid part of human spirits like love, perseverance and braveness be revealed. The short story Love of Life is one of the most prestigious works that Jack London wrote during the gold rush years. The story is about two men’s expedition of gold searching to the North. On the way, the central character in the novel was abandoned by his companion but he continued his journey and never gave up, overcoming countless difficulties and experiencing all types of torture until he was saved. Under the most severe conditions of food shortage, he solely relied on himself for survival in wilderness. Even at the most critical moment of facing imminent death due to extremely serious physical exhaustion, he had to compete for survival with a dying wolf and finally choked it to death and lived on by sucking the wolf’s blood. Jack lavished his appreciation of and praise for such struggle against life as well as all the implicit love and persistence of life. Love of life is a good example to show the various profound meanings of life. And never has Jack London expressed his view of life so intensively and significantly in his previous literary works. In this...
Words: 1521 - Pages: 7
...Brittany Dupin ENG 102 Ethnography Essay Professor Flynn April 10, 2013 Fitness Subculture Fitness has became the new look around the globe, as it helps to enhance the looks of the body, mainly targeting young adults, by giving those a toned shape. In the recent years, America’s obsession of “the perfect body” has been spread to the minds of others across the nation. The culture within the United States in particular, has placed a heavy emphasis on the drive towards leading the fittest, healthiest lifestyle - mainly with women. Today, many people have joined the fitness subculture to have the life style of being fit and healthy. Unfortunately in the societal culture today, there shows to be a high rate of obesity due to the lack of exercise in a person’s lifestyle. Recently, a researcher took a survey at a community college, located in the downtown metro area of Louisville, Kentucky. This survey was taken anonymously; giving a total number of twenty-five students being surveyed. The topic of this survey, fitness, helps to gather the questions and answers that are collected to receive information from the different age groups. With the given age groups, it was to help the researcher to break down the data based on age and gender. It is important to remember that fitness is an individual quality that varies from person to person as age and gender influences this reasoning. The older that we age, it is very coincidental, that the body becomes less active as it was. The...
Words: 1640 - Pages: 7
...Friedrich Nietzsche was a German philosopher who was born in the Prussian city of Rocken. He was the son of a clergyman and became influenced by the ancient Greco-Roman civilization and the principle of “survival of the fittest.” He also strongly believed that those who do not deserve to live should perish. He attended the University of Bonn and Leipzig. There he found his new philosophical learning to be extremely meaningful and interesting. At the Age of 24, Nietzsche became a professor at the University of Basel in Switzerland. Nietzsche, later in life, emphasized the idea of “transvaluation of values”. By emphasizes this idea, Nietzsche tried to make people look beyond the traditional values and undergo the transformation that was vital in obtaining new and true values. Nietzsche also understood that there were two types of morality that existed in society. The two types of morality that Nietzsche emphasized are called master-morality and slave-morality. Master-morality is when the master is the judge and creator of all values. This is what determines the values and dominates strength. On page 214 in Great Traditions in Ethics by Theodore C. Denise, Nicholas P. White, and Sheldon P. Peterfreund Nietzsche states, “He honors whatever he recognizes in himself: such morality is self-glorification. There is a feeling of plentitude, of power, which seeks to overflow, the happiness of high tension, the consciousness of a wealth which would fain give and bestow.” In other words...
Words: 933 - Pages: 4
...no matter how hard they tried, they could never stay alive and on top. In the Chicago stockyards, it is a jungle atmosphere because survival of the fittest takes place everyday. Only the strong can survive and pull ahead in life. For example, Jurgis is young and strong when he firsts comes to America and is able to attain a job right away, can survive, and he is paid fairly well. But later in the novel, Jurgis encountered survival of the fittest when he twisted his ankle and they hired someone else for his job. He was injured for a couple months and when he set out to go find another job it was harder for him because he was weak and the company’s wouldn’t hire people with hindrances. Antanas also encounters this when he is trying to find a job, but it is extremely hard for him because he is older and weaker. He finally finds a job but then acquires a bad cough and, “sores began to break out on his feet and grow worse and worse.” He tried to continue work but eventually could not work any longer and so he lied on his bed, “wasting away to a mere skeleton.” Eventually he dies. He acquired these injuries because of the terrible working conditions of his job. Life was gruesome in the factories and hard to survive there and stay in one piece. This is like the jungle because it is hard to live there and stay alive; just like the survival of the fittest, the weak die off and the strong survive. In a tropical forest, the strong animals and plants survive; the predators prey on the weak...
Words: 1083 - Pages: 5
...being when it strikes by analysing two novels: "Lord of the Flies" and "Blindness". Abstract: "Lord of the Flies" tackles the theme of human nature. Throughout the novel, William Golding illustrates how sick and twisted human nature can get when faced by crisis. On the other hand, "Blindness" which is a novel by the Protégées author Jose Saramago, questions the good and conscious part in the heart and brings it to test. Both novels dig deep in human nature and go under the surface to reveal the source of evil in human nature. This study is designed to employ scenes and events in both novels to prove how fragile the sense of civilisation is in human beings, and how easy it can be to fall in the ambush of savagery as a last resort for survival. The research will analyze both novels separately from a psychoanalytical point of view then compare the findings of the two works. Introduction: The research is about two novels that tackle the same crucial theme of the evil nature in human beings. The two novels were written in different eras and as a result of different circumstances which in one way or another affected the philosophy of both of the writers. Lord of the Flies is an English novel written by William Golding in 1954. The book was written after the World War II, however, the events tell the story of English boys evacuated by a plane to safety after threats of an atomic bomb during the war. The crisis in the novel begins when this group of boys find themselves all...
Words: 1458 - Pages: 6
...Charles Darwin One of the most famous names in science and in the economy today, is Charles Darwin. Darwin is best known for his contributions in science; his famous theory of evolution. He also contributed to the market and command economy with his belief, "survival of the fittest." Charles Darwin's contribution to science has been a very controversial one. He stated that each generation will improve adaptively over the preceding generations, and this gradual and continuous process is the source of the evolution of species. Natural selection is only part of Darwin's theory. He also introduced the concept that all related organisms are descended from common ancestors. His theory was first announced in 1858 in a paper. Darwin's complete theory was published in 1859, in On the Origin of Species. This book is often referred to as "the book that shook the world. The Origin sold out on the first day of publication and subsequently went through six editions. Charles Darwin also contributed to the Market economy with his belief "survival of the fittest." In a free enterprise system, it is believed that the best will survive while the less efficient will collapse if the market is allowed to work without government interference. In a market economy, since the government has very little control of the businesses, the companies must work their hardest and come out with good products that will outsell the ones of their competition. Social Darwinism basically means that the strong...
Words: 326 - Pages: 2
...Abstract Social Darwinism is a political theory that emphasizes struggle and competition, and claims that human racial stock improves by allowing ruthless and unrestrained competition in the economic realm. Social Darwinism apples the concepts of biological evolution to social and moral development by stating that it is social evolution through the "survival of the fittest" in a struggle for an existence in which the strong prevail and the weak are defeated. Currently, we use the terms of Darwinism, natural selection, and evolution interchangeably and use them to describe a process which uses random variations, and mutations are preserved through a process of natural competition that favors beneficial changes. A History and Understanding of Social Darwinism The term Darwinism may cause confusion in some people because they confuse Darwinism, the scientific theory, with Social Darwinism, the ethical theory. In truth, except for the name and a few basic principles, the two ideas do not have much in common and has very little to do with Charles Darwin, the English naturalist who famously suggested the scientific theory which states that a branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process he called natural selection. Social Darwinism is a term that started near the end of the nineteenth century and describes a set of social policies and theories designed to reduce the power of government with theories that attempt to explain the biological cause of human behavior. For the...
Words: 3138 - Pages: 13
