Plato and Aristotle An Analysis free essay sample

This four-page undergraduate essay explains, compares, and contrasts the theories and discussions of Plato and Aristotle regarding the best political association. Quotes from Politics and the Republic are used to support the author’s thesis. Plato and Aristotle: An Analysis Determining the best form of political association was important to the ancient Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle, and each of them expressed his opinion in important works such as the Republic and Politics. In explaining, comparing, and contrasting the political philosophies of Plato and Aristotle, it is evident that each of them shared the same goal of identifying and promoting the best form of political government. They also shared in common the same philosophy regarding the origins of a political state. The State arises, Plato says through Socrates in the Republic, â€Å"out of the needs of mankind. † (Plato) Aristotle agrees, and declares that the state is a political partnership that exists for purposes of self-sufficiency as well as for the sake of living well. We will write a custom essay sample on Plato and Aristotle: An Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In other words, the State exists in order to provide for the well-being of its citizens. Aristotle expresses this in Politics when he argues, â€Å"the good life is the purpose of the city-state. † (Aristotle) Furthermore, both Aristotle and Plato agreed that Man is by nature a political animal, because he has the ability to express his thoughts about justice. Their respective analyses reflected their respect for justice, and their elevation of it to the highest priority. In the Republic, Plato defines just political rule as a system in which each interest is satisfied to the proper extent and everyone has what is theirs. The philosophers have the knowledge they want; the warriors have the honors they want; and the commoners have the goods and pleasures they want, under the enlightened guidance of philosophers and warriors. The methods of Aristotle and Plato were similar in many ways. They both utilized logic, evaluations of contemporary politics, and lengthy comparisons of various types of political rule to arrive at their conclusions. As citizens of ancient Greece, they both shared much the same outlook on society, religion, morality, and politics. They also shared similar historical perspectives, and their perceptions of contemporary events were formed through the same philosophical context. One of the contrasts between their methods is that Plato used analogies to make his points. He examined a political state by comparing the state with the human soul. Unlike Aristotle, he also used a style of approach in which he made his points through dialogues involving Socrates. He also designed an ideal state run by people he referred to as â€Å"The Guardians† which differed from Aristotle’s approach in Politics, in which style and form more closely resembled an essay or monologue. In Politics, Aristotle emphasized that correct political rule involves pursuing policies which are to the common advantage of the most people. Aristotle reasoned that rulers who placed their own interests above everyone else’s had no political legitimacy, for their tyranny brought suffering upon their own people. Aristotle described the best forms of political rule as kingship, aristocracy and polity, and described the worst forms as tyranny, oligarchy and democracy. Plato was also harshly critical of tyranny, and described it in the Republic as, â€Å"not a matter of minor theft and violence, but of wholesale plunder, sacred and profane, private or public. † (Plato) Both men’s methods involved a comprehensive analysis of the consequences of each form of rule. Aristotle criticized Democracy because its consequences were rule by the multitude, which causes injustice. He criticized Oligarchy because its consequences were rule by the wealthy, which also causes injustice; and he criticized Tyranny because its consequences were dictatorship, which again causes injustice. In terms of the merits of the citizenry, Aristotle notes that the people may collectively be the best judges of certain things, so it is justified for them to take part in deliberations. But like Plato, he feels that the common people are not qualified to share in the highest offices. Both Plato and Aristotle also agree that laws need to be made in accordance with the regime, and agree that the more just a ruler is, the more just the laws will be. Essentially, both Aristotle and Plato asserted that the goal of politics should be justice. One difference between them is that Plato believed that the best claim to rule was education and virtue, although he conceded that there is also a claim to rule based on wealth and on numbers. Another difference is that Aristotle emphasized that the most important task for a leader was to be a lawgiver, and to frame the appropriate constitution for the city-state. In Aristotle’s system, it was the leader’s duty to provide enduring laws, customs, and institutions for the citizens. According to Aristotle, once the constitution was in place, the ruler needed to take the necessary steps to maintain it, to implement reforms when he considered them necessary, and to guard against any subversion of the political system. Aristotle’s emphasis on a constitution sets him apart from Plato, who considered philosopher kingship the best form of political rule. Aristotle described a constitution as â€Å"a certain ordering of the inhabitants of the city-state,† and as â€Å"the way of life† of the citizens. (Aristotle) He also speaks of the constitution of a community as â€Å"the form of the compound† and argues that whether the community is the same over time depends on whether it has the same constitution. (Aristotle) It should be noted that despite the fact that Aristotle’s political views were influenced by Plato, he was very critical of the ideal city-state set forth in Plato’s Republic. He based his criticism on the grounds that Plato’s ideal city-state overvalued political unity, embraced a system of communism that was impractical and inimical to human nature, and neglected the happiness of the individual citizens. In contrast, in Aristotle’s view of the ideal State each and every citizen would possess moral virtue and the equipment to carry it out in practice, and thereby attain a life of excellence and complete happiness. All of the citizens would hold political office and possess private property because â€Å"one should call the city-state happy not by looking at a part of it but at all the citizens. † (Aristotle) In conclusion, the ancient Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle were both concerned with identifying and promoting the best form of political association. In works such as the Republic and Politics, they used similar methods of analysis to evaluate the best form of political rule. For Aristotle, the best form of political rule corresponded to the best way of life for a human being. Since the best way of life is living nobly and according to virtue, the best political form of rule is the one which promotes this kind of life. For Plato, the best form of political rule was Aristocracy, for it involves rule by the best people in the political community.

Continentality in South Texas essays

Continentality in South Texas essays Is it true that the further away from the ocean it is, the wider the temperature range? The theory of continentality is true. The further away from the Gulf of Mexico, the higher the temperature range will be. The theory of continentality is that the further away from a major ocean, the greater the temperature range is. For this project three major cities in South Texas were chosen; Galveston, Houston and San Antonio. I chose each of these cities, because I am planning to move to San Antonio or Houston after I graduate. The weather in that area of the country is very different than it is here and I thought it would interesting to find out just a little more about the climate in that area. Each are a further distance from the ocean, respectively. Galveston is a coastal city. Houston is approximately 30 miles from the ocean and San Antonio is about 200 miles from the ocean. I took a road trip there for spring break of this year and just by observation, noticed a steady difference as I got closer to Galveston. First, San Antonio was very hot and dry. It wasnt extreme weather when I was there, but a typical spring day. As I got closer to Houston, it became a little cooler and much more humid. Im not going into humidity at this time, however the closer I got to Houston, the more humid it was. When I arrived in Galveston, it was a lot cooler and even more humid than Houston. So I determined at that time that continentality, although I didnt know that is what it was called at the time, was the reason for the steady difference as I got closer to the ocean. My hypothesis was based solely on the week I spent in south Texas and then on the theory of continen ...

What Makes a Bilingual Education Program Successful Research Paper

What Makes a Bilingual Education Program Successful - Research Paper Example Dr. Tove Skutnabb-Kangas is a linguist who has extensively researched linguistic human rights; bilingualism and multilingual education; linguistic imperialism and subtractive spread of English; support for endangered languages; the relationship between linguistic and cultural diversity and biodiversity and has authored numerous publications on her subject of interest (WISC, 2006). Among her highly acclaimed works is â€Å"Linguistic Genocide in Education or Worldwide Diversity and Human Rights?.† According to Tacelosky’s (2000) review of this book, Skutnabb-Kangas presents the state of languages of the world in terms of extinction and endangerment. The linguist also avers that although the threat to biodiversity is great, the threat to language diversity is far greater. Skutnabb-Kangas goes on to define the term mother tongue with criteria such as origin, identification, competence, function and the degree of human rights awareness. The author defines linguistic genocid e as the policies that a state takes from attempting to kill a language to the adoption of an official language. She positions minority education in terms of society and politics, distribution of power in terms of dominant and dominated languages, race, sex, class and other factors. The author argues against claims that a language is necessary to form a nation and discusses the place of language in the power structure. Skutnabb-Kangas propounds that linguistic human rights are necessary rights which incorporate basic human rights.

Ideological Development of the Conservative Party Coursework

Ideological Development of the Conservative Party - Coursework Example It is through these policies that the party has managed to achieve many of it successes. However, the policies are amended on several occasions. These have come because of defeats and successes in the political journey. With each new leadership of the party, new ideologies, strategies and policies arise. The modern conservative party under the leadership of David Cameron describes what the party has become in recent times. Before 1975, the conservative party held on to traditional pragmatism and strongly believed in the one state conservatism. Conservatism originated from Edmund Burke. He expressed his beliefs and ideas, which were philosophical but applied them politically. He formed the new principle of conservatism based on his understanding of nature, and definition of society. According to him, civil institutions had a religious origin. He believed societal progress was purely divine and that the state was an institution meant to help man govern himself better. Therefore, indivi duals holding public office had the obligation to govern from a divine origin. He urged them to hold office with honesty. The one state conservatism had two aspects: social and political. The social aspect of the one state conservatism sought to ensure that there existed an inclusion system. Inclusion involved ensuring that economically and socially, all had access to advances. The party sought to end the alienation suffered by some groups in society. The alienations affected the groups that immediate actions had to be taken. Politically, the one state conservatism sought to introduce a coalition in terms of support. The one state conservatism believed in the existence of a state and elaborated the responsibilities of the state. This conservatism concentrated on social aspects of the people. In 1975, Margaret Thatcher became the party leader and sought to redefine the ideologies established by her predecessors. In efforts to redefine her ideologies, Thatcher started by first establi shing a new definition for conservatism. According to her, conservatism was supposed to start from an individualistic point of view. She narrowed down society to individuals who had their unique needs. It was logical then to address the individual needs of each person before going to families and later to the community. Being an enthusiastic woman, she challenged the traditional pragmatism that change needed to be m taken slowly. In her idealism, change could be as well as be radical. Due to her enthusiasm for change, the ideologies of her time received the name ‘thatcherian agenda’. She did not support the gradual approach to change. She had the determination to put her ideologies into practice. During her period, Thatcher believed in practical politics. Her agenda was touched on classical liberalism, neo-liberalism, and free market (Ingle, 2008:34). Just like any other leader, Hatcher faced criticism on her agenda because some analysts thought that her ideas countered each other at some point. In fact, some people seem fully opposed to her ideas. However, her long reign gave her enough time to establish some of her ideologies and thus she gained popularity. Due to her liberal ideas, she was a vessel for the establishment of free markets. Further, she advocated for privatization of industries. Throughout her period, she achieved much. Her greatest achievement was the reduction of strikes by enforcing strong policies on unions.

Pain management and hypnosis Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Pain management and hypnosis - Term Paper Example In such a way, the analysis will begin by attempting to define hypnotherapy and proceed to discuss the ways in which the practice of hypnotherapy is beneficial to the individual suffering from pain. As a means to accomplish such a task, a variety of medical journals and sources will be utilized so that a thorough and thoughtful analysis can be drawn as to overall efficacy of the practice within the context of medical treatment. The definition of hypnotherapy is of course itself a necessary step in seeking to understand what specifically the practice entails and what it does not. Due to the fact that a great deal of societal misconception continues to exist surround the use and application of hypnotherapy, there remains a great deal of unnecessary and ill-conceived biases with regards to its implementation. For purposes of the medical community, hypnotherapy can simply be defined as, â€Å"the use of hypnosis as a therapeutic technique†. Due to the simplistic nature of the defi nition, it leaves itself open to a broad variety of interpretations. As a means of countering this, hypnotherapy, as discussed in this brief analysis, will refer to the use and implementation of therapeutic hypnotic techniques by a licensed and trained physician. Within the more rigid construct that has been lain out above, one can understand that little room for interpretation of the means by which hypnosis will be achieved as a function of therapy exists. Such a rigid definition is itself highly necessary due to the level of misunderstanding and societal misconception surrounding the term. Though it is not the purpose of this brief analysis to engage the reader as to the incorrect societal and cultural interpretations of hypnotherapy that exist, the reader/researcher should at the very least be mindful of their existence as should the recommending/prescribing healthcare professional. When one considers the applications for hypnotherapy there are vast. Many individuals undergo hypn otherapy as a means to rid themselves of a bad habit, to face difficult or painful memories, or as a means to self enrichment or betterment. Many of these forms of meditation do not have roots in medical treatment (Patterson et al 2010). As such, this is one of the reasons that hypnosis as a therapy has had an uphill battle to achieve a degree of credibility. Whereas when one goes to an orthopedist, there is only one type of orthopedist that is offered - a medically licensed and rigorously trained medical professional. Such is not the same case for a hypnotherapist. Due to the fact that many different levels of hypnotherapists exist, it has been a common misconception that the practice itself is somehow associated with a pseudoscience that provides limited results if any. However, the fact of the matter is that if administered by a licensed professional, hypnotherapy itself can be a powerful tool in seeking to provide a level of pain management that traditional medicinal means canno t and with few if

Widespread use of renewable energy

Widespread use of renewable energy The first oil shock in 1973 raised worldwide concern about dwindling energy supplies. High oil price was a sign of depletion worldwide energy sources. Since 1960s no big oil resources have been discovered in the world. It suggested that world oil production will reach its peak within one or two decades (Lauber, 2005). The rise in oil prices also affected the developing countries development plans, which demand large amounts of energy for their early process of industrialization. For developed countries, the fluctuation in oil prices caused economic and social problems such as unemployment, trade deficits and higher inflation due to their great dependency on oil import (Seitz, 2008). Since the industrialized revolution the consumption of world energy has been continuous. With the contemporary world population growth, energy demand is rising at a rapid rate, especially in many developing nations with a lack of resources on their own land. It is predicted that between 1997 and 2020 ener gy requirement will increase 60 percent, 120 percent growth will occur in developing countries, especially in Asia (Hill, 2004). If this trend continued, the environmental problems would inevitably deteriorate even further. As a considerable proportion of the world energy, fossil fuels account for the prime sources of carbon dioxide emissions, which are main contributors to the global warming. Acid rain concentrated by acid gases from fossil fuels, damages ecosystems and corrodes human buildings. It is becoming a severe problem in Asia with the growing consumption of fossil fuels as the process of industrialization accelerates (Seitz, 2008). The rapidly expanding use of gasoline-powered vehicles could cause severe urban smog and spew small particulates, which are the greatest threat to peoples health (Jaccard, 2005). Sanderson and Islam (2007) maintain that the path of economic development inevitably caused environmental problems related to the overly use of environmental resources and climate can also affect some sectors of the economy such as water resources, agriculture, transport and tourism, which are vul nerable to climate change. In general there are three major solutions for the growing energy demand and worldwide environmental problems, each of which has its attractions. Firstly fossil fuels can be used more cleanly and efficiently, which could contribute to a reduction in energy intensity and reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases. Energy conservation can take effect in short term and directly perform on present energy system without great transition. The economy in the United States increased 30 percent while the oil consumption declined 20 percent between 1977 and 1985 because the country used energy much more efficiently (Seitz, 2008). Secondly, nuclear power emits no air pollution which could greatly address the environmental problems. France shifted to nuclear as its major power of electricity in response to the energy crisis, and by 2005 it reached one of the world highest rates by providing 80 percent of its electricity from nuclear source (ibid). Thirdly renewable energy involves continuous energ y sources and produces little pollution to the environment. There is huge potential in this new energy sources to meet much of the growing energy demand and gradually replace fossil fuels with adequate support (Middleton, 2003). For as long as the global economy continues to development and operate on the basis of limited energy supplies, the great demand for energy services in the future would cause severe energy crisis. Increasing energy efficiency can help to offset the rise in energy demand, but it is unlikely to address all the additional needs (ibid). Furthermore, the environmental contamination caused by fossil fuels will continue to need alternatives. Lauber (2005) maintains that while the present cost of saving one ton of carbon by increasing energy efficiency is substantially lower than by using renewable energy to avoid emissions, renewable power will play a role in the long run, energy efficiency can just solve short term problem. Besides the safety and nuclear waste problems, a significant growth in nuclear power use would increase reliance on imported uranium. Dependence on energy imports would still be a first problem for countries with a lack of resources. In addition, the nuclear sources als o face energy crisis as it is shown that the known reserves of uranium will only last for 60 years by present counts. (Traube, 2004, cited Lauber, 2005). Therefore, renewable energy seems to be a better option based on its two prominent advantages: infinite sources and little pollution. Renewable energy may be defined as energy generated from natural resources in the environment such as sunlight, wind, tides and geothermal heat, which are continuously replenished. According to the definition renewable energy will never run out. For this reason, renewable energy could be an ideal solution to the energy shortage problem. Additionally, renewable energy does not generate pollution directly, which will alleviate the serious global environmental deterioration. Renewable energy is actually already in widespread use: about 20 percent of worlds electricity production comes from hydroelectric dams; in many developing countries biomass provides the only power for cooking and heating; India and China both have primary wind power electricity plans, with 2,000 megawatt targets; Some Middle Eastern countries are trying to explore the hydrogen produc tion powered by solar energy as a long-term alternative to dependence on exporting oil; The large-scale federal government in the United States received increasing RD funding for renewable energy after the 1974 oil shock(Elliott, 1997). The widespread use of renewable energy in many countries clearly shows that the promotion of renewable energy technologies provides great advantages for both rich and poor countries. In industrialized countries, solar or wind energy require highly skilled and knowledge-intensive employers, which will be an impetus to a new job hunting tendency. Using biomass with more efficient technologies for cooking and heating in developing countries where the biomass is usually used inefficiently and wastefully can bring large benefits such as a reduction in deforestation. Examples are the widespread use of improved wood and charcoal cooking stoves in Kenya as well as the production of ethanol from sugar cane in Brazil (Aâ‚ ¬mann, Laumanns and Uh, 2006). However, one renewable source may produce little or no pollution, but have other adverse environmental and social effect (Hill, 2004, p.325). Hydroelectric dams generate low greenhouse gas emissions but affect both up- and down-stream ecosystems and force many people who live along the river into removing from their homes. Solar power does not produce direct pollution. During the process of manufacturing and transporting solar panels, energy storage and maintaining machines, however, pollution will be generated. Renewable energy has to face three challenges in its practical application. Firstly, the sources of energy are not continuous. For example solar power cannot be accumulated at night and less is generated on cloudy or rainy days with little sunlight (Hill, 2004). The problem with wind power is that the wind may not be blowing when and where it is needed. Therefore the large-scale storage of solar and wind energy is necessary and needs both technical and financial support. Secondly, renewable energy has relatively low energy density. Take the case of solar energy, to meet the large energy demand, large areas of land are required to be covered with solar panels. According to the US Electric Power Research Institute, to meet 25 percent of Americas electricity demand about 6000 square miles of solar farms, an area equals to the Connecticut State, are needed (Hill, 2004). Biomass energy will face the same challenge. Large land areas used for biomass energy need to remain forested. This cou ld cause land-use conflicts because the significant growth of the worlds population will require increasing food production and more land dedicated to agriculture. There is a trade-off between the two methods of land use (Jaccard, 2005). The third challenge involves inconvenient location of power plants. Large-scale solar power plants need to be located in areas with plentiful and long-time sunlight. The best wind power need the energy sites with dependable and strong winds. These locations are usually far from energy consumption centers. Transporting the power to customers requires infrastructures and complicated power line organization. People usually do not want power lines near their homes or schools and a lack of transporting infrastructures are all obstacles to the actual feasibility. There are also political and finical barriers to the adoption of renewable energy system. Many governments prefer conventional fossil fuels to renewable energy due to tradition, familiarity, and the size, economic strength, and political clout of the conventional energy industries (Geller, 2002, p. 43). In developing countries loans for constructing renewable energy projects have been rejected by the World Bank and multilateral development banks due to their small project scale, unfamiliarity with the technologies and higher investment risk (Martinot, 2001, cited in Geller, 2002). In conclusion, despite those barriers and disadvantages, the widespread use of renewable energy meets the requirements of sustainable development in a long term. Whether in terms of increasing energy efficiency, shifting to nuclear power or developing renewable energy sources, the future effects cannot be avoidable. Even though renewable power technologies were in most cases not fully competitive commercially and the switch to renewable energy system will take a long period, their costs had the potential to fall rapidly, and by 2020 should be able to outdo fossil fuels (Lauber, 2005). Nuclear power was evaluated as being more expensive than renewable energy and as holding little chance of cost reductions in the future. At the present stage different sources should be used together and the development of renewable energy should be given more emphasis. References Aâ‚ ¬mann, Dirk, Laumanns, Ulrich and Uh, Dieter (2006) Renewable Energy: a global review of technologies, policies and markets London: Sterling, VA: Earthscan. Elliott, D. (1997) Energy, Society and Environment: Technology for a Sustainable Future. New York: Routledge. Geller, Howard (2002) Energy Revolution: Policies for a Sustainable Future. Washington, DC, USA: Island Press. Hill, Marquita K. (2004) Understanding Environmental Pollution (2nd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Jaccard, Mark Kenneth (2005). Sustainable fossil fuels: the unusual suspect in the quest for clean and enduring energy Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Jamie Sanderson and Sardar M.N. Islam (2007)Climate change and economic development : SEA regional modelling and analysis. Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan. Lauber, V. (Ed.) (2005) Switching to Renewable Power: A framework for the 21st Century. London, GBR: Earthscan Publications. Middleton, Nick (2003) The global casino : an introduction to environmental issues (3rd ed.)London : Arnold. Seitz, J L (2008) Global Issues (3rd ed.). Blackwell: Malden MA (USA).

Essay on Oedipus the King and Macbeth :: comparison compare contrast essays

Oedipus the King and Macbeth    Who would have thought that being a king would be so difficult? Oedipus and Macbeth are both kings that seem to have a lot of trouble staying king. The similarities do not stop there. Macbeth and Oedipus are similar in a variety of ways. The interesting thing is that they are also very different but still suffer the same fate. These similarities and differences teach us a valuable lesson about power. Oedipus and Macbeth have one main similarity  ­they are kings who take a fall through faults of their own. Both become kings by reacting to what the supernatural forces tell them. If the supernatural forces had never influenced the two, neither would have tried to become king. The role of supernatural forces is important for both heroes. The oracle instructs Oedipus to take revenge upon the murderer of the former king, Laios, in order to stop the plague; Macbeth is told by the three weird sisters that he will be king. How the two heroes interpret the messages of the supernatural forces is their downfall. Both interpret the messages as absolute fact. Macbeth becomes too confident because of the words of the sisters and gets himself killed. Oedipus tries to find the murderer of Laios only to discover that he himself is the killer. Both are very prosperous to begin with and would have lived long and comfortable lives if they had just left well enough alone. But these two teach us a le sson because they both are dethroned at the end of the plays. However, there are some big differences between the two and how they fall. Oedipus is the better person of the two. He becomes king by saving the city of Thebes from the Sphinx, a very noble deed. Macbeth helps to save Scotland but is only one soldier in a huge army that fights off the attackers. Oedipus shows pride by thinking that he alone can save the city from the plague, but he wants to save the city, and he has the citizens first in his mind. Oedipus addresses the citizens: Poor children! You may be sure I know All that you longed for in your coming here. I know that you are deathly sick; and yet, Sick as your are, not one is as sick as I. (1019) Macbeth, on the other hand, murders Duncan in cold blood to gain the kingship.