Abstract
This paper discusses the play, "Hamlet," by William Shakespeare, claiming that the fear of culpability and having to answer to the community is much greater for Hamlet than fear of the law and even fear of God. The paper contends that, by virtue of answering only to an abstract other, Hamlet answers only to himself. The paper explains that his fear of being held responsible is a fear mediated by an unspecified community that is never seen, yet never disregarded. The absence of a specific general community shows that the culpability Hamlet so fears is as unfixed and intangible to him as his own personality.

From the Paper
"Shakespeare's play Hamlet presents the audience with a protagonist who defines himself by what he does not want to be. When pressed towards action, Hamlet will often think less about what to do and more often about how what he will do is to be perceived by others. This persistent reliance upon definition of character through the negation of action seems to be tied to Hamlet's fear of culpability that, like the ghost of his father, haunts him throughout the course of the play. This is quite an immature posture for a thirtysomething Prince, and indeed can easily be read as childishness. The nature of his childishness is not the simply the result of immaturity, however, but the result of a growing concern about light being cast on the horrible revenge he thinks about and acts towards achieving but never fully does. Hamlet's fear of being seen as a culpable entity, particularly in the case of his desire to murder Claudius, causes problems because it makes him impotent to action and this impotence makes him a wildly unfocused character who is, in the final estimation, deeply shallow."

Tags:claudius, justice, prince

Abstract
An analysis of the joint culpability of Dido and Aeneas, both of whom are responsible for their illicit relationship and yet who are also both victims of the forces of fate. This essay examines, by means of a close analysis of literary devices, Virgil's biased presentation of the story of Dido and Aeneas and offers an alternative reading that is nevertheless grounded in the text of "The Aeneid." Includes quotations from the Latin text (as well as English translations of these quotations) in support.

From the Paper
"One of the most powerful natural human tendencies in reaction to any great trouble or tragedy is to attempt to assign blame. In searching for the causes of problems in life, we often try to blame the faults or shortcomings of others in order to absolve ourselves of guilt and set our minds and our consciences at ease. Even when considering tragedies or problems with which we have no personal connection, we feel an overwhelming urge to simplify, explain, and resolve the situation by affixing culpability. However, in doing so we frequently overlook extenuating circumstances and allow ourselves to succumb to narrow, biased interpretations of these circumstances. We simply cannot seem to accept the fundamental truth that in some of the greatest tragedies of life, everyone and yet no one is truly to blame. The story of Dido and Aeneas in Virgil's Aeneid epitomizes this truth; Dido and Aeneas are both equally to blame, and yet neither is truly deserving of blame because both were victims of fate and forces beyond their control."

Tags:blame, culpa, epic, literature, pudor

Abstract
Examines the treatment of Mad-cow disease in the media, and by the government.
Discusses the following topics
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy and Scrapie
What Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Do
Two Theories on the Action of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies
British Government Admits Mad Cow Disease Exists (1987)
Testing Results by the British government MAFF
Culpability of the British Medical Society
The Spread of CJD
Steps Taken by the British Government

From the Paper
"Where the industry has gone wrong is in listening to the PR people. The mad-cow epidemic is not an information management issue?it is a disease that will not go away.? These words are from an interview with Dr. Pringle, a member of the Sperling Biomedical Foundation, and the founder of www.mad-cow.org. I believe that they highlight what has been fundamentally wrong about the treatment of mad-cow disease by the British government and the British media. Several grave errors have been made about the treatment of this issue, and they continue to have repercussions today, as we explore America's mad-cow incidents, and rising problems in Europe, Asia, and South America. At the time this paper was written, mad cow disease had been confirmed in domestic cattle in Belgium, France, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, Spain and Germany."

Tags:biomedical, bovine, britain, cjd, creutzfeldt, encephalopathies, encephalopathy, jakob, medical, scrapie, sheep, spongiform, transmissible

Abstract
The paper discusses how according to Fenter (2006), Prozac (fluoxetine manufactured by Eli Lilly) is the most widely recognized drug of its kind, a fact that is partially due to the overwhelmingly funded and widely distributed marketing of the drug by its manufacturer, Eli Lilly. The paper relates that with 17% of all Americans receiving prescriptions for Prozac and similar antidepressants, such campaigns have had a vast impact on the popularity of these prescriptions, and of course profits (Pirisi 1999). The paper notes that fluoxetine is also used for additional disorders whose treatment with the drug has yet to be evaluated by the FDA and Prozac and other SSRIs have been associated with a host of side effects.

From the Paper
"According to Fenter (2006), Prozac (fluoxetine manufactured by Eli Lilly) is the most widely recognized drug of its kind, a fact that is partially due to the overwhelmingly funded and widely distributed marketing of the drug by its manufacturer, Eli Lilly. With 17% of all Americans receiving prescriptions for Prozac and..."

Tags:prozac, side, effects, legal cases

Abstract
The paper relates that the Nicaraguan Revolution represents one of the most poignant and heated political debates today. The paper asserts that at the core of the debate are fundamental questions concerning whether the revolution was a success or failure, and philosophical underpinnings about the role of liberation theology, socialism, Christianity, capitalism, democracy, and more underpin the debate. The current study sifts through these issues while leading to the conclusion that the Nicaragua Revolution was a failure. Specifically, the current discussion leads to the conclusion that the cause of failure is a matter of shared culpability involving the Sandinistas and reformers as well as the United States and its supporters.

From the Paper
"The Nicaraguan Revolution represents one of the most poignant and heated political debates today. At the core of the debate are fundamental questions concerning whether the revolution was a success or failure. Philosophical underpinnings about the role of liberation theology, socialism, Christianity, capitalism, democracy, and more underpin the debate. The current study sifts through these issues while leading to the conclusion that the Nicaragua Revolution was a failure. Specifically, the current discussion leads to the conclusion that the cause of failure is a..."

Tags:nicaragua, sandinistas, contras

Abstract
This paper is a philosophical evaluation of the story of Medea. The paper argues that this was not a sudden act, and that Medea's emotional state had led her to act rashly in the past, although this time she went beyond all expectations. Her emotions of anger and love controlled her, and eventually led her to murder her children to avenge her husband Jason's actions.

From the paper:

"Stoic philosophers, such as Seneca, believe that emotions, both good and bad, should be suppressed in order to make reasonable and rational judgments. Those who use emotions as a basis for their actions are not following this philosophy on life, and therefore they would lead a corrupted life filled with misguided actions. A perfect example of how emotions can corrupt a person?s life is the tragedy of Medea. She killed her children to revenge her husband from leaving her family so he could regain his stature as royalty by marrying the daughter of King Kreon of Corinth. Medea?s act of revenge against her husband analyzed through a stoic?s perspective leads to the conclusion that she was culpable of her crime."

Tags:children, culpability, emotions, euripides, fleece, golden, jason, medea, murder, philosophy, seneca, stoic

Abstract
The paper argues that Heinrich Hermann Hundmann's excuse for his actions at Auschwitz - namely, that he was only following orders - is indefensible; Mr. Hundmann knew what was unfolding, his dogs were being trained to facilitate the killings of huge numbers of people, and there is every reason to think that he had some opportunity to rebel against what was taking place - yet he chose not to do so. The paper explores this situation by looking briefly at the background of Mr. Hundmann and then the moral reasons why he cannot escape punishment.

From the Paper
"The following paper will argue that Heinrich Hermann Hundmann's excuse for his actions at Auschwitz - namely, that he was only following orders - is indefensible; Mr. Hundmann knew what was unfolding, his dogs were being trained to facilitate the killings of huge numbers of people, and there is every reason to think that he had some opportunity to rebel against what was taking place - yet he chose not to do so. The next several pages will explore this situation by looking briefly at the background of Mr. Hundmann and then the moral reasons why he cannot escape punishment...."

Tags:moral, culpability, orders

Abstract
This is a criminal law theory paper which talks about the need for a voluntary act to have taken place before culpability can be ascertained. The question at hand is whether or not it is necessary for the voluntary act requirement to be present within the criminal law. It addresses what the voluntary act requirement is, whether there any other aspects of law that must be considered and what effect the voluntary act requirement has on criminal liability.

From the Paper
"An actor can not be held responsible for the occurrence of an act that they are not responsible for or were completely unable to prevent. The prior example shows for the need to look the voluntary act requirement in conjunction with that of culpability and intention. At is most basic level A's actions can be considered as voluntary and the outcome can be attributed prima facia to A. However, this is ignoring a very important aspect, that of intention. It could be argued here using Glanville Williams point that if '[the] person in question could have refrained from [the act] if he so willed' then this act could be considered as involuntary. This is backed up by Harris who posits that an act needs to be a deliberate exercise of will."

Tags:blameworthiness, criminal, harris, intention, moore, responsibility

Abstract
The British government has been intimately and disastrously involved in Ireland for centuries. This paper examines the divisions between Roman Catholics and Protestants that culminated in the division of the island into two separate political entities. It commences with the Act of Union (1801) that united Ireland and Great Britain and concludes with partition, political formalization of the cleavages, in the twentieth century.

Tags:divisions, in, ireland

From the Paper
"In the Nichomachean Ethics, Aristotle carefully considers the issue of responsibility and finds that the human being is indeed responsible for his or her actions and may be morally culpable even for unintended consequences. This applies both to the private conduct of individuals and to the conduct of legislators acting for the public good. For Aristotle, acting unjustly is tantamount to wishing to act unjustly. The individual is responsible both for his or her moral disposition and also for the manner in which moral questions are decided by him or her. Indeed, this is seen as a natural process so that the individual is born with the ability to differentiate between good and evil. For Aristotle, it does not matter whether the individual is born capable of differentiating good from evil or that this is ingrained by society over time as the individual grows."

Tags:PHILOSOPHY: ANCIENT GREEK