Abstract This paper examines the absolutist political ideology of the labor leader, Jim Nolan, in John Steinbeck's novel, "In Dubious Battle". The paper looks at how at the beginning of the strike, Nolan portrays a leader that rests on stern and unyielding principles to overtake and destroy the tyranny of labor domination by landowners. The paper then points out that this unyielding and uncompromising political view, however, results in the failure of the strike and the death of Nolan. The paper then suggests that Jim Nolan represents a metamorphism of an absolutist political ideology that is unrealistic and eventually ends with the failure of the strike within Steinbeck's novel.
From the Paper "The first stage of Jim Nolan's desire to overthrow the cruel and greedy landowners that force him and other to work for brutally low wages is based of his hatred of tyrannical authority. The novel describes the way that Nolan and others had to live in poverty and destitution, which then acts as a catalyst for Nolan's absolutist desire to overthrow the landowners. Steinbeck (1992) relates the foundation for a labor rights when Nolan is questioned about his motives for joining the Union league Club."
Abstract This paper explains the concept of absolutism and gives examples of absolutist monarchs. The paper also provides an explanation of King Louis XIV's impact on absolutism and describes the results of this kind of reign of power.
From the Paper "Throughout history, political absolutism has been something many countries have faced. According to Wikipedia, a?"absolutism is a political theory which argues that one person should have all powera"?. Rather than dispersing duties to noble representatives of the country, the ruler had complete control over everything. The control included the power to demand laws, make justice, collect taxes, keep a permanent army, submit employees, judge attempts against public goods, and the authority to determine exceptions to whom and when the laws applied (National States). The monarch could enforce and abolish rules just as a small child would when making up their own game."
Abstract This paper compares Thomas Nagel's absolutist view with utilitarianism and also discusses the views of several philosophers regarding dropping the atom bomb on Hiroshima.
From the Paper "Thomas Nagel totally rejects the principle that there are circumstances that would allow the deliberate killing of noncombatants. Consequentialist reasoning may permit the killing of civilians but this end justifies the means reasoning is morally ...."
Tags: War, Massacre, Hiroshima, Vietnam, Kant, Soldiers, Noncombatants, Absolutist, Utilitarian
Abstract This paper explains that, although both philosophers share similar views, Hobbes and Locke have very different observations regarding laws and rights. It gives the following examples: the natural law, the social contract, and most importantly, fundamental law. The author points out that Hobbes takes the absolutist viewpoint supporting an absolute sovereign, while Locke supports a more democratic approach against an absolute sovereign. The paper concludes that both Hobbes and Locke shared vital theories that assisted in the creation of the United States Constitution.
Table of Contents
Introduction
The Constitutionalist
The Absolutist In Conclusion
From the Paper "From this, we get Locke's next section in the Second Treatise, which is on the state of war, which occurs within the state of nature. Locke tells us that the state of war is a "state of Enmity and Destruction" where ?a sedate settled design is put upon another Mans Life.? In this case, there is a conscious design to end someone's life, which can be linked to rights within the state of nature. The state of war is entered when a threat of life is made where the design of war has been instituted. The state of war can also be achieved when the freedom of a person is tampered with, as Locke states, ?for no body can desire to have me in his absolute power.?"
Abstract The following paper examines the educational system from the perspectives of multi-culturalism, liberalism and reforms. The thoughts and theories of Allen Bloom, Audre Lorde and Martha Craven Nussbaum are drawn upon.
From the Paper "Allen Bloom was of the view that our education system was primarily based on the concept of relativism and that we were not encouraging students to think clearly and to form their own views on things. He believed that too often the students lack an opinion on a certain major issue because they feel it would be wrong to judge a situation, rather it would be better to view a situation in relative terms and thus they let their thoughts get overshadowed by their desire to be liberal. He speaks against the idea of liberalism which he felt stifles creative thinking and makes students feel that it is unfair to have solid view on a certain thing."
Tags: tolerance, American, mind, judgmental, alcoholics, culture, absolutist, moral
Abstract This paper examines the ideals of the philosopher Thomas Hobbes from his "Leviathan" written in 1651 in and how his philosophy compares to today's political system. It discusses how Hobbes was a moral pragmatist or utilitarian and how an absolutist government, with executive, legislative and judicial powers in the scepter of one sovereign is Hobbes? idea of keeping the peace. This paper looks at what his reaction may have been today of America's society and political system with increasing crime rate statistics and how he would have viewed America's foreign policy and the Cold War in light of his beliefs. Hobbes would likely have seen today's America as a failed experiment, falling into the spiral of anarchy and mob rule.
From the Paper "Thomas Hobbes? Leviathan was written in 1651, at a time of civil war in England. The whole of Europe had been ravaged by the Thirty Years? War not long before. When a philosopher flees his homeland seeking the peace of a foreign country because he cannot stay safely, surely his thoughts turn to the barbarous tendencies of man. Hobbes originally planned on a career focused in three different areas of philosophy: the physical body, human nature and society. He tutored across the continent, met and shared ideas with the likes of Descartes and Galileo, Mersenne and Gassendi. But when war broke out, publishing his views on society and utopia became more urgent, and his career plan got out of order. We can understand his philosophy by his writing, but that can only represent his reaction to his world."
Tags: moral, pragmatist, utilitarian, policy, cold, war
Abstract "Young Goodman Brown" is a story of initiation. What Goodman Brown sees in the forest persuades as well as forces him to question. Evil is the nature of mankind. Melville's "Bartelby, the Scrivener" presents an ideal example of this in relation to conformity, non rebellion, and man vs. society. Bartelby is an exaggerated reflection of the Boss, embodying manifested urges. Bartelby is the extreme, absolutist reflection of the Boss's penchant for avoidance. Melville's "Bartelby, the Scrivener" contains mirror imagery that illustrates extremes in the protagonists' personalities. The difference lies in the Boss's ability to learn from Bartelby.
Abstract New Testament Christology, "today lives in the tension between continuity with the church's doctrinal tradition on the one hand and, on the other, openness to the new experiences and understandings of Christ arising out of the particular contexts of suffering and hope", (Migliore, 242). One of the central Christian tenets is that Christ cannot be contained within any house of man's making - nor, by extension, by any literary construct of the Bible or any interpretation thereof. While the literalist churches base their faith upon an absolutist reading of the Bible, the deeper thinking Christians and scholars all observe that God's words are in the Bible, but not God himself. Therefore, there is more to God than what is in the Bible and being open to new ways of experiencing and knowing God is what forms the center of Christology. It is the purpose of this paper to examine the nature of New Testament Christology and a selection of the manners in which it is approached.
Abstract This paper discusses how, not only did Napoleon Bonaparte not have revolutionary ideas, but, instead, he had quite the opposite reactions. The writer argues that he used the "chaos and turmoil of the French Revolution" to stand as a beacon of strength and consistency to which the citizens could cling, thus giving Napoleon power. In the end, the writer shows that Napoleon worked against the French Revolution by creating exactly what the Revolution sought to eliminate in France: an absolutist monarchy.
From the Paper "Although Napoleon had many revolutionary ideas and did several revolutionary things, he was truly at most a moderate revolutionary. He put on a revolutionary front to mask his Imperialist sentiments. In order to gain control, he used the chaos and turmoil of the French Revolution to allow himself to shine as a beacon of power and stability to the people of France. Although he was generally successful in achieving the umbrella goal of the revolution which was to unify France, he did this to help achieve his own personal ambitions of power and not for the good of the populace."
Tags: bonaparte, citizen, declaration, french, man, revolution, rights
Examines the question, "Should governments be under the same moral limits as individuals"", as presented by Glenn Tinder in a chapter in his book, "Political Thinking".
1,170 words (approx. 4.7 pages), 0 sources, 2003, $ 40.95
Abstract This is a contemporary political paper dealing with one of Glenn Tinder's perennial questions. It questions whether the government has the duty to act as morally as it expects its citizens to act, and if not, where the limitations are.
From the Paper "Tinder describes moral relativism as ?the theory that morality is determined by and is in that sense relative to some variable circumstance, such as the desires of the individual or the needs of the society.? If morality is determined by circumstance then governing body may react to situations differently than a private individual. This is a permissible premise for a society to build on for many reasons. These reasons include but are not limited to possibilities such as ending war, helping underprivileged groups, successful operation of the government, and general preservation of the state."
Abstract This paper explains that Plato sets the standard for what was to be considered as 'justice' in his representation of the way a government should be obeyed and the concept of virtue in the manner to which an individual reacts within the boundaries of justice; however, the circumstances by which Socrates makes his point seems counteractive to the premise of his arguments. The author points out that the paradox of truth, the inability to find truth when the truth is not known, allows Socrates to demonstrate in practical terms what epistemology means; the theory of recollection is his answer to the paradox of truth. The paper concludes that Socrates believes (and seeks to prove in "The Meno") that true virtue is a matter of rational principles, and these cannot be merely relative, any more than mathematics can be relative, but his argument is out of place and disjointed.
From the Paper "While serving his time before the execution in solitude, Socrates tells of an incident where he was ordered to bring a man to his execution by the oligarchy of the Thirty, which was then in power. He chose, first, not to physically interfere with their wishes but also chose not to obey their orders as he considered them morally wrong (462). By his actions, he seems to be saying that a man must follow his conscience above the rule of the law."
Abstract People with borderline personality disorder experience instability in their
moods, their relationships with others and their organizational capacity, as well as having an unstable self image. This paper looks at the disorder in terms of causes of the condition as well as treatments which can make conditions in which an individual with borderline personality disorder more successful in situations like relationships and absolutist tendencies.
From the Paper "It is important however to clearly define borderline personality because it is a condition that many people overlook or confuse with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, two related conditions that get more attention in textual studies and the media. People who are borderline individuals tend to have a history of personal relationships in which their perception of the other person in the relationship goes through extremes, swinging
from complete disregard to putting the person on a pedastal, but it does not go through these extremes in a way that shows shades of gradations; rather the shift is from one extreme to the other. This causes the borderline individual to have very unrealistic expectations as well as perceptions of those around them (Martin, 2000)."
Abstract This paper summarizes the points of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which contains an internationally accepted set of human rights standards and is the foundation of the body of international human rights law that has developed over the past 50 years. Next, by focusing on the Netherlands, the United States and China, the paper looks at how large economically and militarily powerful countries versus small countries have responded to this Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
From the Paper "In a Harvard Business Review Abstract, 1993, Andrew Stark concludes in his article on "Business Ethics" that the realities of the business world involve difficult moral choices which ethicists are only beginning to acknowledge. The early works tended to brand managers as either motivated by self-interest or ethics. Today, ethicists are developing more practical concepts and dialogues designed to help managers get through the difficult moral dilemmas."
Abstract This paper discusses that the ideology of paganism and Christianity clash within Dante's "The Divine Comedy" and "Beowulf" (anonymous). The author points out that, by observing the earlier authorship of "Beowulf", one can see the similar use of Christian domination over pagans but without the absolutist values of the Church of Rome in Dante's later times. The paper relates that, by understanding the contrasting time periods of the poems, one can understand the historical and literary conflict of paganism and the Christian faith in medieval times.
From the Paper "This literary analysis compares and contrasts the different conflicts of paganism and Christianity that appear within "The Divine Comedy" by Dante and "Beowulf". By using various passages from both of these epic poetic works, one can realize the conflict in the way that paganism was still a part of Christian belief systems in early and middle medieval literature. Through Dante and the anonymous author of "Beowulf" the burgeoning Christian system was slowly overcoming the Pagan polytheistic ideals that had existed for centuries before the Roman Catholic Church came to power in northern Europe. In "The Divine Comedy" by Dante, Canto IV presents the polytheistic nature of paganism, which was beginning to wane through the power of the Roman Catholic Church in the 13th century. "
