A critical analysis of the meaning of humanexistence within "Separating" by John Updike, "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" by Ernest Hemingway and "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" by Richard Wright.
Abstract This paper discusses the meaning of humanexistence, as presented in twentieth century literature. In particular, it focuses on the issue as discussed in "Separating" by John Updike, "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" by Ernest Hemingway and "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" by Richard Wright. The paper also discusses the extent to which the writer agrees or disagrees with these authors' implied ideas.
From the Paper " Richard Wright's short story ""The Man Who Was Almost a Man", like John Updike's "Separating", is a story about one character's pursuit of happiness and in this case "manhood" at the expense of other characters. In this story, the viewpoint character, 17-year-old Dave Saunders has yearned to own a gun, as a sign of his "manhood". Dave finally acquires one with money his mother gives him. Dave has also promised to turn over the gun to his mother once he buys it, but he does not. Instead, Dave goes out into the field where his family works, for Mr. Hawkins, and accidentally shoots to death Mr. Hawkins's mule, Jenny. After Dave finally gets his wish to have his own gun, however, his new sense of "manhood" quickly vanishes for reasons Dave himself (or his family) never would have imagined."
Abstract This paper is a comparative analysis of W. Somerset Maugham's novel "Of Human Bondage" and Virginia Woolf's book "To the Lighthouse". The author explains how each work presents a unique perspective on the purpose of the humanexistence evidenced through an assessment of literary approaches and biographical influences. Also considered are the literary styles, outlooks towards death and main characters.
From the Paper "The history of English literature can be said to resemble the lineage of a family tree. As generations pass, innovative ideologies are birthed and literature offshoots into new schools of thought. While each green branch is unique in its own right, it is also indebted to all those that came before. Hence, in this way no writer is ever wholly inventive or original. Consequently, authors Virginia Woolf and W. Somerset Maugham have more in common than either would admit to."
Abstract The concepts of existence and human freedom have been presented by Jean-Paul Sartre in his book entitled "Being and Nothingness", and they represent essential parts of his theory. However, Sartre also presents other related concepts, such as bad faith which as been referred to as a device that protects us from the anguish of realising that we are freer than we like to think we are. With this in mind, the purpose of this paper will be to examine why Sartre thought that existence is absurd, as well as the significance of this idea to his view of human freedom.
Abstract This paper stresses that there is a direct relationship between the distribution of fresh water and human settlement patters. The author points out that the relationship has existed in the Americas following European colonization. The paper relates the impact of the fur trade and the manner in which settlements engineer the existing water resources to support continued growth.
From the Paper "Few can deny that there is a direct relationship between the distribution of fresh water and human settlement patters. Cities tend to spring up near rivers and seas, places where commerce and access to drinking water is abundant. However, less well understood is the effect that human settlement patters and commerce have on those same water supplies. Too often, human civilization perceives water as an inexhaustible resource. After all, it falls from the sky. It's taken for granted that if surface water is not abundant then engineering efforts can make it available in order to support continued growth. Unfortunately, the effect that this attitude has on water resources and the environment in general can be devastating and possibly irrevocable."
An analysis of the common themes present in Robert Louis Stevenson's Victorian-era novel "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and Aldous Huxley's 20th century dystopian novel "Brave New World."
Abstract The paper examines how both Robert Louis Stevenson in "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and Aldous Huxley in "Brave New World" develop and explore the themes of desire, pleasure, self-restraint, gratification and "humanness." The paper discusses their respective stories about human misuses, either individually or within a dystopian totalitarian society of scientific technology. The paper demonstrates how both authors imply within their novels how humanexistence, by its very nature, involves frustrated desire, pleasure and displeasure and the necessity, however uncomfortable and frustrating, for self-restraint in order not to hurt oneself and others.
From the Paper "Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886) features, at the beginning of the story, a well-respected doctor, Dr. Jekyll, who scientifically concocts a potion that allows him to change himself, since he would like to experience feeling less human restraint than he does as the responsible and respectable Dr. Jekyll, into a hideous monster of a man, the destructive, unpredictable, and murderous Mr. Hyde. Stevenson's novel, set in Victorian England, during a time of then-unprecedented technological and scientific progress (a fact that may well have helped Stevenson to create the idea for this novel), underscores human anxieties of the sort that still exist today about the possibilities of new scientific progress (e.g., cloning; genetic engineering), in his creation of the fictional Mr. Hyde."
Abstract This paper begins with a brief review of literature and then outlines the methodology of a basic experiment of human behavior. The work outlines the development of simple forethought in humanexistence, specifically what drives individuals to think of doing things like setting an alarm clock for an appropriate time in the morning. The paper proposes a research study that will be conducted in a sleep lab, where people are present to diagnose or rule out sleep disturbances, and that will be secondary and separate from the experimentation done for that purpose.
Outline:
Introduction
Review of Literature
Methodology
Discussion
Limitations
Conclusion
From the Paper "Behavior of human and animals has always been a curious aspect of the physical condition. Many theories have been applied to human behavior in an attempt to understand both the low and high order reasoning that is applied to elicit behavior. Humans and human behavior is specifically interesting to researchers who seek to understand and develop ideas regarding the reasons why individuals and groups act as they do, and to experiment upon such actions in an attempt to develop reasoning as to what is significant and what is not significant in the development of a thought into an action."
Abstract The paper looks at what existed before humanism and the Renaissance and discusses how humanism and the Renaissance influenced religious thought. The paper explains that humanism was what allowed man to look into himself for answers and it was this looking inward that produced many Renaissance writers and philosophers who expressed personal opinions about the nature of the human and humanity's role in the universe.
From the Paper "The Renaissance worldview can be characterized by a growing humanistic orientation. While we can trace the Renaissance to Italy, its ideas spread throughout Europe and is most recognized as an artistic movement. Montaigne, Michelangelo, and Leonardo di Vinci are just a few names that come to mind when we think of the Renaissance. The Renaissance, however, is more than art - it is an entire movement that was heavily influenced by humanism. In fact, humanism is the driving force behind much Renaissance thinking and, as a result, is extremely significant. Humanism, the movement, opened the eyes of mankind to look upon himself for answers and inspiration."
Abstract The paper explores the meaning of life from the perspective of Karl Marx and Epicurus. The paper discusses how Marx's ideas of alienation of labor effectively reduces the significance of humanexistence to being synonymous with labor activity, while Epicurus argues for a broader conception of life. The paper is of the opinion that Epicurus' view is stronger and more universally applicable.
From the Paper "Karl Marx, in developing his theory of the alienation of labour, implies that the meaning of life - its "point" in other words - lies in man's labour. It is this capacity to labour with conscious purpose that makes us human. In Marx's words: "The animal is immediately one with its life activity. It does not distinguish itself from it. The animal is its life activity. Man makes his life activity itself into an object of his will and of his consciousness. He has conscious life activity. . . .""
"Throughout his text, Marx's choice of words imply that to be human is to be synonymous with work. For example, in explaining one consequence of the alienation of labour where workers are alienated from their work, Marx states: "The result, therefore, is that man (the worker) feels that he is acting freely only in his animal functions" (Marx 51). Similarly, when describing the work or the labour itself, it is interesting to note how Marx suggests that work is at the core of our humanity. Thus, when the worker is alienated from his work: "so the worker's activity is not his spontaneous activity. It belongs to another; it is the loss of his self" (Marx 51)."
An analysis of the expressions of the short nature of humanexistence as portrayed in "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" by Robert Herrick and "To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell.
Abstract This paper discusses two poems that are both rhetorical attempts by a man to woo a woman's heart and body - "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" by Robert Herrick and "To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell. The paper specifically focuses on the poems' expressions of the deeper truth about the short nature of humanexistence and the inexorable passage of time.
From the Paper "One wonders what Marvell's mistress responded to him, or what the maidens would have said to Herrick if they knew what he thought of them, when he saw them literally carrying rosebuds, or simply tarrying by the wayside under the care of a guardian. It is possible that they may have regretted their chastity, and wanted to enjoy their sensuality but society forbade them sexuality before marriage. In that case, it is a pity that they did not or could not listen to the poet's words. But it is equally possible that they had different desires, invisible to the poet--to see the world, to live more empowering lives outside of the control of powerful fathers, brothers, and later husbands or lovers. And that is the true sadness of the young women's fates, that they never had a chance to write poetry about their own desire to carpe diem. Even Marvell and Herrick did not carpe diem as much as they would have liked, as human life was shorter, and old age was more painful when they wrote their verse."
Abstract In this paper, the writer notes that in ancient cultures human life was the center of interest for everything. The writer maintains that the entire construction of civilization was based on the human as the main preoccupation and the most important element in the world. The writer points out that modern concerns about the environment, animals and other conflicts that place humans on an equal position with the rest of the planet were weak or nonexistent many centuries back, when the sole interest that captured the attention of common people was to understand how their own society worked. The writer discusses that in every culture, from the very beginning of the civilized world, humans have tried to achieve control over their lives, to understand how it functions and to dominate it. The writer concludes that the concept of human life has changed dramatically during the past centuries and society has started to develop based on practical progress, material achievements and palpable ideas that appear from the same curiosity that inspired the ancient societies to develop.
From the Paper "The human was the main subject for all the forms of expression in ancient societies, from art forms like poetry and theatre, to practical activities like politics. Their humanist vision left messages about their way of living and thinking, their spirit and preoccupations, ideas and feelings. The human life itself is the very subject they reflect in all of their artistic and intellectual expression.
"Roman and Greek society had almost the same vision about human life and manifested their ideas almost in parallel ways, due to the great influence that the Greek society had over the Roman world. They valued their leisure and commodities in a way that modern civilization would never understand. For them time was relaxed and positive feelings cultivated. In the ancient conception human life was created to enjoy and grow spiritually, not to constrain and suffer as it was conceived in later centuries. They worshipped leisure and inner peace in the same way that modern society worships hard work and effort."
Abstract This is a paper on human knowledge as pattern matching which takes a naturalized view of knowledge as a human creation. It discusses both theoretical accounts of knowledge from epistemology and applied accounts from knowledge management for business. It concludes that both are part of the human effort to see patterns in the world: one recognizing existing patterns, the other creating extensions of patterns in products and marketing.
Abstract This paper presents two theories or justifications of God's existence. The theories are the Coherence Theory and Reality Theory. The writer also provides scientific evidence and proof from the Bible. This paper is written from a Christian point of view.
From the Paper "There is so much about the universe, and our world in particular, that we take it for granted because it works so sound and flawless. As we know there are twenty-six different characteristics about the universe that enable it to continue life. And there are thirty-three characteristics about our galaxy, our solar system, and the planet Earth that is so finely tuned to permit life to exist. Our Earth, for instance, is perfectly designed for life. It is so logically size for the atmosphere we require. Its size and corresponding gravity hold a thin, but not too thin, layer of gases to protect us and permit us to breathe. Earth is the only planet we know contains an atmosphere that can support human, animal, and plant life. The Earth is also placed at a ideal distance from the sun and the other planets in our solar system. If we were closer to the sun, we'd burn up. If we were farther away, we'd freeze. The speed of Earth's rotation on its axis, completing one turn every 24 hours, means that the sun warms the planet evenly."
Abstract This paper examines how suffering is part of humanexistence on earth and how Christians are no exception to the rule. It looks at how when believers suffer, they appear to deny God's love and find it difficult to hold on to faith in the face of physical, emotional or spiritual turmoil. In order to understand this phenomenon in the believer's world it looks at how Gustavo Gutierrez examines suffering from the viewpoint of Job in his book "On Job: God-Talk and the Suffering of the Innocent". It examines how Gutierrez describes in detail the stages that Job goes through in his suffering and how Job is the ultimate example of innocent suffering. Despite being completely righteous and faithful, Job suffered because God had confidence in him.
From the Paper "When Job receives no help from an apparently silent God, or from his non-suffering friends, he turns to his fellow sufferers, and finds new meaning in his circumstances. The meaning that Job finds is in suffering with others. Although he has previously been kind to the poor and the marginalized, he has not known their circumstances first-hand. His experience however puts him on a new level of understanding with those who suffer alongside him. This realization is born from Job's innocence. When he finds no meaning in temporal retribution, his thoughts turn to the wicked and the reasons for their prosperity. Seeing this as proof that temporal retribution is not applicable to his case, Job finds a better reason for his suffering."
This paper discusses the philosopher George Berkeley's concept of immaterialism, his subsequent argument for the existence of God, and the reasons why his argument cannot be accepted as being valid.
Abstract An intricate discussion of philosopher George Berkeley's concept of immaterialism and his subsequent argument for the necessary existence of a Supreme Being, or God. The author outlines and analyzes Berkeley's two major philosophical treatises, and the main arguments found in each are clearly defined and presented in a succinct, yet detailed manner. Philosophical ideas/concepts discussed include the "Likeness Principle" and the variability of sensory experience. The paper then presents Berkeley's argument for the existence of God, which builds upon the already established theory of immaterialism by discussing the distinction between absolute and relative existence.
From the Paper "Immaterialism, as defined by Berkeley, is the idea that it is impossible for any sensible qualities whatsoever to exist independent of a mind (Berkeley 1965, 5-6). This argument is brought forth succinctly and clearly in the Dialogues, in which Berkeley presents his case through the character of Philonous, and defends it against criticism by the character of Hylas. Although there are many aspects in both Principles and the Dialogues that contribute to the overall argument for immaterialism, for the purpose of this essay, only two of the strongest points will be discussed- the argument from variability and the likeness principle.
One of the key features of Berkeley's argument for immaterialism centers on the variability of one's sensory experiences in comparison to another?s. He notes that each individual perceives the world differently, whether in terms of smell, taste, sight, or touch. One of the ways in which this variability of sensory experiences is presented by Philonous to Hylas is during a discussion between the two concerning taste. Philonous points out that although a certain food may taste pleasant to one person, that same food may taste awful to another. "How could this be", Philonous asks Hylas, "if taste was something really inherent in the food"? (Berkeley 1998, [180]) There is only apparent taste, and this requires dependence on a mind. The same argument is also applied to smell, touch, sight, extension, motion, and solidity, and is reasoned to be just as effective. Perceptual variability occurs with these senses/qualities as well, and none of the apparent smells or colors seem to be any more real than any other ([68-78])."
A discussion on one of the most famous and debated arguments for the existence of God presented by an 11th century philosopher, theologian and church leader, Saint Anselm (1033-1109).
Abstract The following paper argues that the "ontological" argument for the existence of God is one of the weakest proofs for the existence of God. This paper describes the argument in some detail, analyzes its pros and cons and arrives at a logical conclusion.
From the Paper "Immanuel Kant, the famous 18th century philosopher objected to the ontological argument for the existence of God by arguing, ?being is not a real predicate.? In simpler words Kant argued that "existence" is not an attribute of an object like temperature, shape, size etc.; hence existence cannot be associated with the definition of an object. He has objected to attributing existence to the definition of an object because by doing so, we could prove anything exists by this method. Therefore the existence or non-existence of God cannot have anything to do with the definition of God.While focusing on the weaknesses of the Anselm's ontological proof we must not totally disregard the counter-arguments of its supporters. It would, therefore, be appropriate to mention that other philosophers have argued that there are senses in which "existence" is a predicate and Kant's argument that "existence is not a predicate" cannot be taken for granted."
