Machiavelli Locke And Plato Essays - Italian Politicians

Machiavelli Locke And Plato John Locke and Niccol Machiavelli are political philosophers writing in two different lands and two different times. Locke's 17th century England was on the verge of civil war and Machiavelli's 15th century Italy was on the verge of invasion. Yet, students and political philosophers still enthusiastically read and debate their works today. What is it that draws readers to these works? Why, after three hundred years, do we still read Two Treatises on Government, Discourses on Livy, and The Prince? The answer to those questions lies in each text itself, and careful review will produce discourses on those questions and many others. The focus of this discourse is to examine the treatment of "the people" by both authors, to discover what Machiavelli and Locke write about the people's role in their different structures of government. In particular, this paper seeks to understand that role in regards to the political power each author yields to, or withholds from, the people. In addition, these treatments of power and the people will be compared to the writings of another timeless political philosopher, Plato. By juxtaposing Two Treatises on Government, Discourses on Livy, The Prince, and The Republic against one another, this paper will show how writers from three very different centuries all agreed upon an identical notion of the relationship between the power of the people and their role in government. This theory is not readily apparent upon initial reading of these authors. Indeed, most political philosophers would argue that each author has a very distinct notion of what role the people play in government. Therefore, an ideal place to start is in the differences of each author's portrayal of the people and the political power they wield. Machiavelli, the most pessimistic of the three writers in regards to humans and human nature, writes that all men can be accused of "that defect" which Livy calls vanity and inconsistency (The Discourses on Livy, 115). He continues by writing: "...people [are] nothing other than a brute animal that, although of a ferocious and feral nature, has always been nourished in prison and in servitude" (Discourses on Livy, 44). Animals, that are by their nature ferocious, become scared and confused when released from captivity. Without the shelter and food they had come to expect when "domesticated," they are more susceptible to future attempts at captivity. Man also becomes scared and confused in freedom after living under the government of others. Machiavelli writes that these men lack understanding of "public defense or public offense," and quickly return "beneath the yoke that is most often heavier than the one it had removed from its neck a little before" (Discourses on Livy, 44). Men are docile like domesticated dogs or cattle, according to this description, and have a role in government of little political power. With Plato, there is a continuation of the same theme started by Machiavelli. The people primarily play a subservient role in Plato's structure of government under the rule of monarchs, aristocrats, or philosopher-kings. When discussing with Adeimantus the virtue and reason behind a regime instituted by philosophers, Plato does not paint a picture of men much greater than Machiavelli's animalistic comparison above. Indeed, he portrays them as easily swayed and ill-informed by those "from outside who don't belong and have burst in like drunken revelers, abusing one another and indulging a taste for quarreling" (The Republic, 179). For Plato, the largest majority of men constitute unknowledgeable masses that persecute the very group that can best lead them, the philosophers. Even in a democratic regime, a regime based on the will of the people, Plato does not give us a particularly optimistic view of men. This regime is composed of three types of men according to Plato; the multitude; the oligarchic; and the "men most orderly by nature" (The Republic, 243). The oligarchic rule the city through the license of the multitude, and the orderly rule in business through the disadvantage of the multitude. Thus, Machiavelli sees the people as subjugated and Plato sees the people as fatuous, both doomed to political ineptitude. With Locke, however, the character of the people is redeemed. The people, for Locke, represent a political power akin to force. Indeed, the people are the ultimate source of power for Locke's government, whether that government is a legislative body or a prince. In the closing chapter of his second treatise, Locke details the ways that government can dissipate when rulers misuse their power. The third way a prince may dissolve the government is when he arbitrarily alters the electors

Chimps essays

Chimps essays Mother and baby chimpanzees get into fights and then minutes later they hug and make up. Chimps do not perfer to walk, but perfer to climb. Their order is primates. Their genus in Pan. Their family is Pongidae. Also, their species is troglodytes. Their body length is 28-38 inches (female) and 30-36 inches (male). The average weight is 99-176 lbs. They mostly eat fruit, leaves, buds, blossoms, bark, resin, honey, termites, ans ants. Occasionally they eats other smaller mammals. Chimps live in troops that number between 25 and 80 chimps. Each troop has a dominate male. The troops home rangs varies in size from 7-8 square miles in open country. Chimps sleep at night in a nest. They mainly stay in trees during the wet season. They sleep on the ground when it is dry. Breeding takes place year round. Chimps have 2 intense feeding periods each day. It was recently discovered that the chimpanzee eats meat. It is also known to hunt, kill and feed on a variety of mammals, including other primates. Such as the Colobus monkeys, the Blue monkeys, and babboons. The killing is almost always done by one adult male. Chimps suffer from many human diseases including malaria. Chimps are the only animal that resembles man closely. ...

Irony Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Irony - Essay Example The underlying irony is the attempt to highlight the harassment meted out to women of the Victorian era. Women couldn't live life on their own terms, due to social norms and mores. The situation itself is ironic, considering that the male in the poem liberates the women from leading a life of misery by sticking to these social limitations and boundaries. The irony adopts the form of a Dramatic Irony. Evidently, the ironic idea further the hidden theme of the exploitation of women in the Victorian era. Similarly, 'Ozymandias', by P.B.Shelley is another work that contains an underlying message. The poem talks about Ozymandias, who rises to power and falls in Egypt. The underlying irony is the very fact that in spite of all the power one attains, it becomes history at some point or the other and goes into oblivion. This applies to governments and all those who lust for power; for eventually, it's all gone! The irony here is more of a situational irony, considering the spiritual and more mature outlook that the poet tries to portrays as a part of the irony. The next poem we could consider is Ariel Dorfman's 'Hope', which is an irony on the pain and suffering that engulfs the world of mankind. His poem is a philosophical irony, and is a reflection and revelation into the miseries that this world. W.H.Auden's '

Film, Fashion and Food in India Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Film, Fashion and Food in India - Essay Example The paper "Film, Fashion and Food in India" talks about the Indian fashion, film and food. These three Indian identities are unique, and one cannot miss to identify them with India. The article is going to focus on three of the most modern Indian cultures identified all over the world, film, fashion, and food.Indian Painting as well as its fashion sense, from history, may generally have a division into three great religious divisions- Buddhist, Hindu, and Islamic. The Hindu type of painting has a reference to as Rajput. The reason is that it has a connection with the Hill Rajput of the Punjab and Rajputana. The Islamic art is known as Mughal, as its existence is due to the support it had from the existing dynasty. Rajput and Buddhist paintings were representative in showing practically the religious life of India. Buddhist had a representation by the turban on their heads. The main message of both the paintings was religion, and the chief characteristic of the paintings was mysticism . Mughal painting, on the other hand, had true sophistication, and in nature diverse and realistic. Indian court paintings and designs are famous for Mughal court paintings of the 16th Century. The rise of Mughal court paintings had a fusion of Islamic, Indian, Persian and somehow European influence.The combination of all the materials led to the creation of something new and unique which the current generation distinguishes as Mughal Art. The Mughal kingdom was however not the first Islamic empire.

Annotated Bibliography Of John Steinbeck

Annotated Bibliography Of John Steinbeck East of Eden is John Steinbecks most famous novel. This book published in 1952 has won international critical acclaim, and propelled Steinbeck to international glory. Critics, both positive and negative, often describe the book as the most ambitious literary project of Steinbeck. The book talks about the intricacies of two families that live in the Salinas valley. The families are the Hamiltons and the Trasks. The two families have interwoven stories. The book originally addresses the authors two young sons, Thom and john. The book describes in detail the Salinas valley in California where the story is set. The story also involves other places like Connecticut and Massachusetts. The Salinas valley in central California is aptly described as it is the setting of the book. The story begins with the Hamilton family that has emigrated from Ireland. Samuel Hamilton raised his brood of nine children on some infertile patch of land until they are able to fed for themselves. As Hamiltons children begin to leave home, a well-off stranger buys the best ranch in the Salinas valley. The stranger is Adam Trask, and he has come to his riches after discovering that his father left him and his brother some worthwhile inheritance. Adam has fallen in love, and married Cathy Ames, a girl who is described as a monster. This is because she has been a manipulator of men, and she has left home after killing her parents. After giving birth, Cathy shoots Adam in the shoulders and flees. Adam has to rear his twin boys with the help of Samuel Hamilton and Lee. Lee is a Cantonese servant of Adam. The three men make good companionship and engage in lively biblical debates. Cathy turns to prostitution, and through murder, manages to acquire a brothel. The boys grow up, and Samuel Hamilton dies. Adam loses his fortune in a business misfortune. One of the boys chooses to farm, and the other twin becomes a priest. Caleb the farmer gets to be successful. During thanksgiving, he gives his father a gift of $15,000, which his father rejects. Meanwhile, his brother, Aron wants to drop out of college. The book ends with Adam bedridden, and Lee pleading with Adam to forgive his son. Benson.J. (1977). John Steinbeck: Novelist as Scientist. Novel, Vol. (10):6. It is important to note that, during the publication of East of Eden, the book did not get positive acclaim. It was rejected for many literary and biblical allusions that did not auger well with the critics of his day. East of Eden has been loved by the general readership worldwide. One of the failures of the East of Eden is that the book has borrowed heavily from Author Gunns book, New family physician. The borrowing is used to deepen the creative legacy and artistic portrait of Samuel Hamilton. John Steinbeck, in writing East of Eden, has strayed from his literary style and adherence to realism and naturalism. This is because of his habit of what he has referred to as creative reading. Creative reading can be related to creative writing. Only in this case it is the opposite, for the creative reader reads to write. The implication is that Steinbeck has immersed himself in various documents, some of them scientific to come up with East of Eden. The book has been superimposed with so many allusions that it loses the fictional ability with which it is supposed to command the reader of fiction. The result is that the book borders on non fictional work. In many respects, the book is drawn from the authors background. This makes it an autobiographical stretch of his life. For example, Samuel Hamilton, the benign farmer is a representation of Steinbecks grandfather. His execution of form (Steinbecks) is heavily influenced by other works. The problem is not the heavy borrowing, the problem is the way he has failed to disguise his borrowing. It is a fact that all great literary work is some form of copying, or stealing. Shakespeare plagiarized ninety percent from ancient Greek writing. He plagiarized in mastery disguise, and what we have of him are great works. East of Eden is blatantly plagiarized. Fensch, T. (1988). Conversations with John Steinbeck. New York: Free Press. The use of symbols and symbolization has been employed to masterly level in East of Eden. Like in all his other novels, symbolism is one of the marks that distinguish the works of Steinbeck. Symbolism is the use of objects, figures, colors and characters in representing abstract ideas and concepts. The usage of symbolism in East of Edn is of the most classical nature. Symbolism brings out the realism in East of Eden without sacrificing modernism. Salinass valley, that was the original title of the novel, is a representation of the biblical Garden of Eden. The lyrical opening of the book with a description of the smells and sights of the valley parallels the garden of Edn that is virginal in its depiction in the bible. The Salinas valley is the home of the contest between the likes of Adam and Cathy. It depicts the genesis of the great diabolical deception that contributed to the fall of man. The title rightly depicts the fall of man, for in the biblical chronology, man was chased out towards the east. The mountains in the Salinas valley represent the struggle of man between the eternal forces of good and bad. The scars that Charles Trask get after wounding himself represent the mark of Cain. French, W. (1976). John Steinbeck and Modernism, in Steinbecks Prophetic Vision of America, ed. Tetsumaro Hayashi and Kenneth Swan. Indiana: Upland press. One of the characteristics of the books of Steinbeck is that they contain spiritual positivism. In East of Eden there, is the tendency of the writer to want to lift the reader and to encourage the reader. This is one of the most enduring positive traits of East of Eden. The author does not adopt a strict moralistic view or an amoral view. Rather, it puts to the reader that sainthood and damnation are both available to human beings. The difference between the two is determined by the choice of man. The author has drawn vivid biblical allusions that portray that human choices are the determinants if his destiny. The titling of the book captures the fall of man in the original Garden of Eden. The author has, however, used some depictions that contradict the biblical stories. In reading the book, it is apparent that the portrayal of women is negative. The negative traits of Cathy Ames are exaggerated. It is a well known fact that the author depicts her as the devil, and this is taking th e negation of women too far. This is because no other male character gets to do the wicked things that she has been doing. The other insult to womanhood is that the author has not at least developed another female character to counter the negative image of Cathy Ames. The grief that is so apparent at the end of the book does not do much to lift the hope of the reader. The sense of guilty that follows the characters in the book is not good for the book. This is because the main characters seem to find no atonement for the wrongs that they have done in society. Parini, J. (1996). John Steinbeck: A Biography. Carlifornia: Holt Publishing. The critical acclaims that Steinbeck has got have been from his short stories and rarely for his novels. A significant observation is that the author has not faired well even with a book that won him the Nobel Prize in literature in 1962. This is the book, East of Eden. In fact, his literary fame and reputation declined with the publication of East of Eden. The book in discussion, East of Eden, is overly theatrical. Its biblical allusions are farfetched, and the portrayal main character lacks originality. The book is an amalgamation of themes, characters and literary styles from various sources without cogent intrinsic threading. It is disconjuctive in it ending, and leaves the reader with a sour taste in the mouth. The book is too sentimental and philosophically simplistic. Although Steinbeck remains on of the most celebrated authors, East of Eden is no Paradise Lost. Its humor is overly sympathetic, and the sociological perception that is said to distinguish is work is water down i n this work by an overt desire to see himself, and his family, in his works. Robert. ed. (2002). John Steinbeck, Novels 1942-1952. Washington: Library of America. East of Eden is a paradox in its reception. This is because the public received the book well with the critics writing off the book. The book, like all Steinbecks past world war two books, is not hard to understand. This is because it develops the themes that are first exposed in his short stories. The criticisms of heavy borrowing from Gunns works, and the biblical allusions cannot detract from his work.

Sound Navigation and Ranging SONAR :: sonar sound wave waves

Missing Images SONAR, as it is most commonly known as has been around since the beginning of time. Animals have used this technique and survived because of it for millions of years. Among the most common are bats and dolphins. Daniel Colloden used a bell to measure the speed of sound underwater in 1822. After the Titanic sunk, the idea of using sound underwater to locate objects, primarily icebergs, was taken up by inventors. Lewis Richardson, a meteorologist, was the first to file a patent for an echo locator one month after the Titanic had sunk. In 1914, Reginald Fessenden made an experimental unit, which was able to detect icebergs within a two-mile range, but it could not determine the direction. During World War I, with the invention of submarines came the need to locate them. Research of underwater sound location was a primary focus for the British. Both the U.S. and Britain were researching what would be Sonar, and it was kept secret throughout the war. By 1922, units were being produced and by 1923, they were being equipped to naval vessels. Throughout the war, Britain referred to this underwater locator as ASDIC, which was the Anti-Submarine Detection Investigation Committee. This committee, however, never existed. The name was just a cover-up to keep the actual detector secret. The term SONAR came from the Americans, who used it as the equivalent of RADAR. The term ASDIC was terminated in 1948 when NATO was formed and signals were being standardized. Sonar utilizes sound propagation to detect objects, navigate, and communicate. Through acoustic location, Sonar can be used to find an object and tell how far away that object is. As shown above, a transmitter sends out a pulse of sound towards an object, the sound wave is then reflected off of the object and sent back to the source. The distance of the object is determined by the amount of time it takes for a reflection to return after the pulse is sent out. This can be affected by several factors such as the density of the media which the sound is traveling through and if the object itself is moving or not. To find the direction of the object, several receivers are used to signal when a reflection passes by them. The above picture shows an initial wave being sent out in all directions.

Ian Lemke †Compare and Contrast Essay

Compare & Contrast In 1848, Cady Stanton gave her ‘Declaration of Sentiments,’ pleading for the right to vote and fair treatment to be given to women, which was promised already in 1776. While the country was still young, John Adam’s wite, Abigail wrote him a letter requesting the rights of women be Included In the document he was having written. This was the Declaration of Independence. 30th of these selections have a common goal: they are being written with the purpose to gain women more rights. Even though they were written with the same purpose in mind, they are very different. The mood and layout of the articles are completely different, not to mention they had completely separate audiences Despite the obvious differences, they both hit home with their intended audiences. Abigail wrote her letter tor her husband alone. Him being a delegate to the First conunental congress, she had hopes In mind that she could give women the rights they deserve, that she could raise the status of women by leaving an impact on the founding document of the country. Using threats of rebellion, she asked him to â€Å"Remember the ladies, and be more generous and avorable to them than your ancestors†. Stanton, author of the Declaration of Sentiments, wanted to influence the opinions and gain support among the public as well as the leading government officials. Not solely expecting to win the tight tor equality, she had hoped she would make enough of an Impact that people would hear her voice and fight for a change in political structure. She fought for a change in the legal status of women. Using powerful statements like â€Å"Women are civilly dead,† as they’re denied voting privileges, and that marriage deprives women of their ndependence, she got a lot of attention and support from all sorts of places. ntortunately, despite their pleads being heard by the nation, it wasnt enough. There’s a big difference between being heard and making a difference, which they regrettably found out. They tried their best, and clearly left their mark on history but It took another 72 years before women were given their basic rights and freedoms. The saddest part is there†™s still prejudice everywhere you go, all we can do is keep fighting for a positive change and hope it comes soon!