Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Plato Essay Example for Free

Plato Essay Socrates gets Laches to agree to a new definition of courage by arguing that not all cases of courage are a sort of endurance. He asks Laches if he would consider courage to be noble to which Laches replies he would. Socrates then asks him would he consider foolish endurance to be seen as hurtful,to which Laches also agrees. With this in mind Laches agrees to a new definition of courage to include only wise endurance. 2/5 2. They conclude that knowledge of a virtue such as courage isnt seen as being normal in the way hat it is,but being the kind of thing that is known consciously and spoken. Somebody who can talk about the subject of courage but dont do well in battle,would have no real insight into what most people would consider courage. 0/5 3. Socrates argues for this conclusion by saying there could be some objection to the claim that courage is both foolish and wise. Firstly,wise courage gives you the belief that you are doing the right thing,but dont have to,but by believing you have wise courage,it is the best thing to stay and fight. However,knowing you havnt the resources for battle,but are considered brave enough to stay and fight anyway,surely this can be seen as both foolish and wise courage. 2/5 4. Socrates asks Laches if he knows the nature of virtue and would they tell others of it. Laches agrees to both questions allowing Socrates to test Laches own knowledge of virtue. He asks him about the part of virtue that is relevant to the art of fighting in armour – courage. Socrates then asks Laches to take into account the actions of the Sythian cavalry who fought bravely whilst running way. These examples are of a courageous nature but do not fit Laches example of courage. Socrates then asks Laches about the nature of courage of the soldiers who man there posts,but adds also about the courage of people in general,wether in battle,politics. poverty or fear. He reinforces his argument by using the example of â€Å"quickness which may be found in running, speaking or playing the lyre. In this case Socrates states that the definition as the quality that does a lot in very little time. Laches has to come up with an idea of courage that takes into account all ideas in which a person might be courageous. One objection that might be made to one of Socrates arguments is that it may only seem like he wants to impress upon Laches that it is possible to have any sort of knowledge of courage at all because Socrates says that the only genuine piece of knowledge he can have is that he knows nothing in the first place. But,as there isnt anybody that knows enough about courage to speak f it,maybe we should take into account Laches continuing courageous behaviour as a kind of knowledge,rather than it being known concsiously and spoken,courage may be the only thing to be considered as an example. Someone who speaks for hours about courage but is cowardly during battle,would have little knowledge of courage. This example is about spoken knowledge and is amplified again by Socrates when he asks Laches to try and embody the very courage and endurance he is looking for in his quest. 18/35

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Monogamy and Marriage: The Battle Between Biology and the Buck Essay

Monogamy and Marriage: The Battle Between Biology and the Buck Monogamy does not imply fidelity (Fisher 63), and marriage does not imply monogamy. To understand this surprising statement, the word "monogamy" must be interpreted in a biological sense, and marriage in a legal sense. In other words, monogamy is just two people in a relationship for their mutual benefit, perhaps involving an extended family and children. Monogamy does not necessarily mean a life-long relationship, but it can, nor does it exclude occasional philandering. It is monogamy as long as two people maintain a pair-bond for their mutual benefit, no matter how short the relationship lasts. Marriage, on the other hand, legally recognizes many different mating systems from monogamy to polygamy. The association between monogamy, fidelity, and marriage has been the concern of religion over the years. It is said that Saint Augustine, who lived from A.D. 354 to 430, spread the Christian idea that adultery is a moral transgression for both men and women. Even the Ten Commandments forbid adultery. This attitude toward adultery, Fisher says, has long influenced the Western view of monogamy (84). In other words, religion has tried to moralize monogamy by injecting the belief that adultery is sinful and monogamy is permanent. Therefore, monogamy in a biological sense, contrary to the religious sense, does not necessarily connote sexual faithfulness of the partners, nor is it necessarily long term. Actually monogamy had developed long before religion became interested. According to Fisher’s estimate, nearly every human society has been monogamous to some degree (69), and she claims that human beings have a biologically natural preference for mo... ...cause the word â€Å"love† will never disappear from the dictionary. Works Cited Cable-McCarthy, Benjamin. "All We Ask for Are the Same Rights and Responsibilities Granted Heterosexual Couples." {National Press Club} 13 Apr. 1998. Fisher, Helen E. {Anatomy of Love}. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, 1992. Horn, Wade. "Marriage and Government." {The World & I} 1 Nov. 1997. Longley, Clifford. "Sacred and Profane: What Exactly Do We Mean by a Family?" {The Daily Telegraph} 30 Jan. 1998. Lowry, Suzanne. "The Reinvention of Marriage." {Independence} 6 Oct. 1998. Quale, G. Robina. {A History of Marriage Systems}. Westport: Greenwood Press, Inc, 1988. Shaffern, Robert W. "Christianity and the Rise of the Nuclear Family." {America} 7 May 1994. Williams, Armstrong. "Fading Ring of Wedding Bells." {The Washington Times} 18 July 1999.

Monday, January 13, 2020

Night World : Black Dawn Chapter 1

Maggie Neely woke up to the sound of her mother screaming. She'd gone to bed as usual, with Jake the GreatDane sprawled heavily across her feet and the threecats jockeying for position around her head. Hercheek was resting on her open geometry book; there were homework papers scattered among theblankets, along with fragments of potato chips andan empty bag. She was wearing her jeans and a flowered pajama top plus the only two socks she'dbeen able to find last night: one red velveteen anklet and one blue cotton slouch sock. Those particular socks would eventually meanthe difference between life and death for her, but at the moment Maggie had no idea of that. She was simply startled and disoriented frombeing wakened suddenly. She'd never heard thiskind of screaming before, and she wondered howshe could be so certain it was her mother doing it. Something†¦really bad is happening, Maggierealized slowly. The worst. The clock on her nightstand said 2:11A.M. And then before she even realized she was moving, she was lurching across her bedroom floor,with piles of dirtyclothes and sports equipmenttrying to trip her up. She banged her shin on a wastebasket in the middle of the roomand ploughed right on through. The hallway was dim,but the living room at the end was blazing withlight and the screams were coming from there. Jake trotted along beside her. When they got tothe foyer by the living room he gave a half growl,half bark. Maggie took in the whole scene in a glance. Itwas one of those moments when everythingchanges forever. The front door was open, letting in the cold airof a November night in Washington. Maggie's father was wearing a short bathrobe and holding hermother, who was pulling and tearing at him as ifshe were trying to get away, screaming breathlesslyall the while. And in the doorway four people were standing: two sheriffs, a National Park ranger, and Sylvia Weald. Sylvia. Her brother Miles's girlfriend. And knowledge hit her quick and hardasa hammer blow. My brother is dead, Maggie thought.

Sunday, January 5, 2020

The Probem of Reverse Discrimination Essay - 1749 Words

Griffin and Low were awarded money in a suit involving racial discrimination, Does reverse discrimination occur in the U.S today? In January 2011, The City of Kansas City, MO lost its second multi-million dollar employment discrimination lawsuit in a one-week period. The former city employees, Jordan Griffin and Coleen Low, were awarded $345,000 and $517,000 respectively by the jury. Griffin, a former Senior Analyst and Commissioner of Revenue, says she was given the nickname â€Å"White Chocolate† in the false belief she would favor minority hires. She also says she was harassed when she refused to participate in the biased-hiring process and was overlooked for an interview for the Commissioner of Revenue position on a permanent†¦show more content†¦The nineteen accusers claimed they were denied promotions because of their race. The Supreme Court heard the case in 2009, upholding the 5-4 decision that New Haven’s choice to ignore the test violated thee Civil Rights Act of 1964 (RICCI v. DeSTEFANO). Throughout world history, especially the history of the United States, the topic of reverse discrimination, or positive discrimination, was never disputable. For centuries whites have been the â€Å"dominate† or majority race. But in our increasingly diverse world, this trend is changing. These topics are a relatively new social idea that came about in America during the 1960s equal rights movement and the signing of the Civil Rights Act by President Lyndon Johnson on July 2, 1964 (The Civil Rights Act). According to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, reverse discrimination means: the unfair treatment of members of majority groups resulting from preferential policies, as in college admissions or employment, intended to remedy earlier discrimination against minorities (Reverse Discrimination). It seems that in an effort to correct the past 300 plus years of political and social abuse, minorities and some Caucasians have established that the only race it is perfectly okay to â€Å"hate† is the white race. I know this may sound somewhat extr eme, especially coming from a white, male from a