Marx, Durkheim, Weber essays

Marx, Durkheim, Weber essays Karl Marx considered one of the worlds greatest thinkers by the Wall Street Journal thought that people should try to change society. Exiled from his native country of Germany for trying to ignite a revolution believed the main struggle in human life was class conflict. One of the lasting impressions of his work Manifest der kommunistischen Partei (Communist Manifesto) (1848) was written in the explicit hope of precipitating social revolution. And although Modern day Communism, widely attributed to him, is very different from his Marxism; the founders of modern day communism drew from his ideas so much so that he was disgusted at some of the debates on his insights into sociolism. Although Marx did not consider himself a sociologist, many sociologist consider his work, especially his work in the class stuggles and his introduction of one of the major perspectives in sociology, conflict theory, to have propelled him as one of the most significant early sociologist. Emile Durkheim is considered by many to be the father of sociology. He is credited with making sociology a science, and having made it part of the French academic curriculum. During his lifetime, Emile Durkheim gave many lectures, and published an impressive number of sociological studies, to prove his one of his greatest contributions to science, his view on social integration, on subjects such as religion, suicide, and all aspects of society. A hundred years after his genius his studies are still quoted and studied all over the world. Max Weber is best known as one of the leading scholars and founders of modern sociology and like Marx and Durkheim is one of the most influential of all sociologists. With his most famous economic work, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1905), Weber disagreed with Marx in that economics was the central force in social change. He believed that it was r ...

What is the Meaning of `Sure Thing` Essay Example

What is the Meaning of `Sure Thing` Essay Example What is the Meaning of `Sure Thing` Essay What is the Meaning of `Sure Thing` Essay Essay Topic: Sure Thing One of the key thematic aspects of David Ives short play Sure Thing (1988) is the question of whether the plays two characters, Bill and Betty, genuinely achieve communication adn connection by the close of the play or whether the perceived true communication and relationship between the characters is actually a result of superficiality and repetition. In order to fully understand the plays device of restarting the same scene again and again, it is necessary to regard both possible outcomes or thematic interpretations as equally viable and simultaneous. In other words both aspects of the them are intended by Ives: that people do and do not achieve true communication and build genuine connections and relationships during the course of repeated, almost absurdly repeated events.In fact the device of the bell can be interpreted as showing both the universality of the repeated encounter between Bill and Betty but also of the universal nature of seclusion and isolation: the inability for p eople to reach one another despite repeated attempts to find the right mode and the right words. An example of how the repetition of scenes works to indicate the failed or broken aspects of interpersonal communication is when the first exchange of dialogue takes place:BILL-TABLE #1: Excuse me. Is this chair taken?BETTY-TABLE #1: Excuse me?BILL-TABLE #1: Is this taken?BETTY-TABLE #1: Yes it is.BILL-TABLE #1: Oh. Sorry.BETTY-TABLE #1: Sure thing(Ives)The initial status between two strangers is a closed, almost impenetrable solitude with little room for affection or emotional response.   The exchange of dialogue is meant to indicate the walls that exist between people in modern society, the way that politeness and   decorum serve a function   of facilitating isolation and precluding human interaction The next exchange of dialogue (after the scene is reset by the bell) show a slight softening of the decorum and the socially facilitated barriers of formal discourse:BILL-TABLE #3: E xcuse me. Is this chair taken?BETTY-TABLE #3: Excuse me?BILL-TABLE #3: Is this taken?BETTY-TABLE #3: No, but I’m expecting somebody in a minute.BILL-TABLE #3: Oh. Thanks anyway.BETTY-TABLE #3: Sure thing.(Ives)It is important to note that Bettys line that she is expecting somebody reveal the first overt emotional reference of the play but that the emotion is still a function of personal defensiveness and serves to inhibit rather than encourage further interaction. The dual progression demonstrated by these two opening scenes: one a movement toward emotion and toward interpersonal communication, the other a simultaneous movement toward defensiveness and isolation exemplify the progression of dual themes that persist right through to the end of the play.By the time Bill and Betty have made a demonstrable connection one that the audience can at least belive may be genuine, there is still no change in the outer formality of the dialogue and its simultaneously evasive and self-pr otective function. More than learning to truly reach one another or truly communicate, the characters can be understood to have reached a mutual understand of permissable superficiality. A sample of the closing dialogue shows that Ives intends the ambiguity of the perception of the charatcers true connection and emotional response to function, in fact, as a way of expressing two themes simultaneously which contradict one another but are nevertheless apparent throughout actual human society:BILL-TABLE #3: Y’know I was headed to the-BETTY-TABLE #3: (simultaneously) I was thinking about-BILL-TABLE #3: I’m sorry.BETTY-TABLE #3: No, go ahead.BILL-TABLE #3: I was going to say that I was headed to the movies in a little while,   Ã‚  Ã‚   and†¦BETTY-TABLE #3: So was I.(Ives)In conclusion, Ives intended Sure Thing to express a dual theme: that human both incapable of reaching a state of true connection and communication but they are equally incapable of escaping the cons tant drive to seek just such a connection and relationship. In this way, the device of scene-repetition in the play is able to express to seemingly contradictory themes simultaneously in order to more fully represent the actual state of human relationships in the modern world.

Thinking Through Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Thinking Through Religion - Essay Example The assertion, "The unexamined life is not worth living", by Socrates is great for the clear-cut and straightforward message it gives. No ambiguity is involved, and it gives no scope for doubt. No purpose is served in the life of an individual, who is born and walks up to the grave! Every human being is endowed with an inner world to delve deep into it and to understand the real purpose of life and develop the technique to lead a spiritual life. The nobler instincts are more powerful than the desire that draws one to the secular comforts. The core desire of a human being is to search for meaning and purpose of life. The divine beauty of the inner world is the subject of practical experience. Wise men have written millions of pages about joy and happiness, but unless one crosses the barrier of mind and reaches the level of transcendence to enjoy the state of bliss, one’s life remains unexamined and it is the state of incompleteness. When one possesses the will to grow, not bein g satisfied with the state of status-quo, take it as the beginning of progress. The process of investigation is the continuous one and inner search means practical spirituality in which state every thought and action is positive and the individual visualizes divinity and unity in the working of the cosmos. He sees unity in diversity. Man’s search for meaning of life is the fundamental force of life and it is within everyone. With the procedure detailed in the sacred texts, the practical vision of divinity is attainable reality and that is the true purpose of life. To know the essence of human existence is the be all and end all of life. Each individual has to find the answer to his question, with investigation. Life is a continuous process of search of the unknown and the challenges on the path of investigation provide an opportunity for an individual to test his determination and will. Personal growth and spiritual growth are alternative beats of the same heart. Moreover, it is equally important to know that one's life happiness does not come from or depends on the other or though conditionings in the external world. Others can only contribute to trigger feelings, but an individual must search one’s own happiness. Thus, one's life is worth living when one remains involved in the process of self-examination in order to find true meaning and happiness of life. An unexamined life is not worth living. 2. Anthropic Principle means relating to human beings or their existence. Our existence on this Planet Earth depends on many cosmological considerations and even if a slight deviation in those factors would mean that we will not exist at all. The cosmos functions on countless alignments. The question arises, is it possible that such an arrangement exists merely by chance? Philosophers and the well-meaning scientists conclude that it is God who has that ultimate and immeasurable capacity and He has fine-tuned this Planet Earth for our existence. The rec ent advances in astronomy and physics have led the scientists to strongly conclude that there is ‘the soul at the heart of the universe’. This has led them to the process of self-examination and questions like: Who are we? Why are we here? What is God? For the first time in the known history of humankind, the contemporary scientists, theologians and mathematicians are likely to arrive on a common platform and their unanimous decision about the existence of God! â€Å"The Soul of the Universe†, is a remarkable program (video) on this fascinating and mind-boggling issue. I entirely agree with the anthropic principle and it goes in tandem with the spiritual truth. In fact, spirituality is the science of sciences. That which is not practical, and amenable to experiments, cannot be spiritual either. Consider the structure of protons. It has direct bearing on the livability of our Planet and consequently on the life of humankind. Some more examples that go to prove the

Collaborative Editing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Collaborative Editing - Essay Example The paragraph tends to get too wordy and as a reader I found myself getting lost. There were also a few grammar errors in this segment such as verb tense, comma placement, and sentence structure. The closing was a little too editorial and did not leave much room for the reader of the review to make their own decision on the political slant of the film. Also, stating the message of Orwell so plainly might take out all the enjoyment it can have as a children's film. The review of Jane Austen's "Emma" was well written and very interesting to read. The writer of the essay caught Austen's sentiments about life and conflict with some depth of understanding. The structure was easy to read and contained few, if any, grammatical errors. However, after I read it, I still was not sure it related the story of "Emma" as Austen may have intended it. Aside from the brief, and eloquent, overall description of the book as "a more common, frequent, and laughable mockery", there is little else told to the reader to help them understand the feeling of the story. A descriptive quote would have aided the reader to get a sense of the character. The review could also have benefited from an example of how Austen challenges the reader with her complex storytelling technique. The last paragraph sums up the writer's thesis of "Emma" very clearly.

Discuss Stevensons presentation of the charchacter of Mr Hyde in the novel Essay Example for Free

Discuss Stevensons presentation of the charchacter of Mr Hyde in the novel Essay The Character Mr Hyde, in the book Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is left a mystery to the reader for the majority of this Victorian Gothic Horror. The suspense of this book would have been ever more relevant in Victorian times, due to the menacing and real evil of Jack the Ripper, a serial murderer who preyed the streets of London in the late 1800s. Jack is a person with which through the book, Edward Hyde shares certain characteristics, such as leading a double life. Investigators suspected Jack the Ripper to be a respectable man in daylight hours. They never did catch him. The first initial sighting of this stumping, little man was in the dark and early hours of the morning. This already suggests that Mr Hyde is not quite normal, as stereotypically bad things come out at night, so automatically the reader is intrigued. In addition, you can tell that he is going to be an important factor to the book when he tramples a child like a Juggernaut with no feelings and it is chilling to think what kind of a man does this. The person to witness the preliminary event involving Mr Hyde was Mr Utterson; Mr Jekylls friend and lawyer. In the event, a cheque with Mr Jekylls name on it was handled by Mr Hyde and given to the trampled childs family in the hope that they would keep his mistake a secret. No gentleman but wishes to avoid a scene. First impressions are the basis on which the majority of Hydes character is built, almost as if Stevenson doesnt let you see past Hydes (generally bad) first impressions to a sad creature that ends up weeping like a lost soul. Right at the beginning of the book, when we find Hyde trampling a child, Utterson has already taken a loathing to [his] gentleman at first sight and the ugliness of Hyde brought out the sweat on [him] like running. Then later, a witness to a murder remembers a previous meeting with Hyde, in which she had conceived a dislike for him. Further on in the book the effect Hyde has on people gets stronger as he grows in evil and stature. With his remarkable combination of great muscular activity and great debility of constitutionthis bore some resemblance to incipient rigor, and was accompanied by a marked sinking of the pulse. This quote describes Mr Hydes appearance, and the extent of his deformities. We begin to understand why he avoids daylight and why the public avoid him. There are numerous occasions of people feeling nauseous after meeting Hyde, and few people are unmoved on first meetings with him, Sir Danvers Carew is one of those who remain unmoved, but nothing good comes out of it. In the Carew Murder Case, we begin to understand the depth of Mr Hydes character. This is the first instance in the book where he is compared to an animal or being backward to society by dramatically changing his suspiciously polite mood to ape-like fury. This horrific change resulted in a vicious attack on Sir Carew, the person Hyde was so politely speaking to in the street who also happened to be a famous MP. Moreover, for an MP to be clubbedto the ground by a hailingstorm of blows was a crime of singular ferocity that London was startled by. A maid witnessed this cruel murder from a nearby house and gave Edward Hydes name to the police. The police then searched Hydes house in Soho, a downtrodden area of London that was lived in by the working class, the rooms were furnished with luxury and good taste but the house was in a mess, almost as if had been vandalised. This confirms to the reader that Hyde is a complicated and probably lonely person. There is almost an element of pity towards Hyde from the reader. In the final chapters the anticipation for something climatic to happen is at its largest and as anticipated, the mystery of Edward Hyde is unravelled and we see a somewhat unexpected side to him, although quite understandable because of his general unpredictability. Many questions arise within the reader when the usually brutal creature is found alone and dead in a cabinet as if he was vulnerable. Throughout the book, Edward Hyde is also depicted as being growing and ominous evil and as his inner evil grew he had also grown in stature, and to find him dead instead of the suspectedly murdered Dr Jekyll is certainly a shock to the reader. Many disreputable tales came out of that mans [Mr Hydes] cruelty and the fact he was still roaming the streets was unnerving to those who knew of him, yet he is found to have possibly committed suicide even though he had an immense love of life and fears [Dr Jekylls] power to cut him off by suicide In conclusion, I think that Hyde has been portrayed to be the pure evil of Victorian times and that Robert Louis Stevenson was really writing about the battle between good and evil. For example the times all through the book when Jekyll has had to clear up after Hydes mess (trampling the child was covered up with a cheque) is like the Victorians having to clear up after mistakes in their society and lives. Another example is Hyde being scared that Jekyll could stop him from living, which is saying that in the end good has more power over evil. In the book there is also an element of pity towards Hyde, as if he is the misunderstood character, but I suppose this pity for him could be a trap and in the end you will never see any real good out of him, this is along the lines of what Jekyll said in the final chapter. In this book, Stevenson has focused on Juxtaposition (opposites) and Jekyll and Hydes battle with each other is a metaphor of this. This book was a horror novel in Victorian times, and rightly so, with their obsession with hell and Jack the Ripper still roaming the streets this novel gave them even more reason to fear God and the evils that surround them.

Media Violence and School Shootings Essays -- Mass Shootings, School Sh

Another school shooting goes down and is preyed upon by the media for a gripping new story. Jonesboro, Arkansas, West Paducah, Kentucky, and Littleton, Colorado all have one thing in common. All these places are sites where school shootings have occurred. Why do school shootings happen and who is to blame when they do happen?. These are two questions that are still trying to be answered. Some people say that school shootings are due to the excess marketing of violence in movies, television, video games, and music. "'There is a difference between what one has the right to do and what is socially responsible', he says. It appears that they have targeted a mass audience for this material, and then they're 'horrified' when it's discovered what they've done. They're being duplictous-in the end, they're lying" says Andrew Schwartzman, president of public interest law firm the Media Access Group(Holland). I tend to agree with this point but I believe that there is a bigger an d more substantial factor when looking at school shootings. I believe that parents have to take most of the blame for school shootings. Why should parents have to take blame for something that their child has done wrong. Well, it is pretty simple. Parents are the only people who can control what kind of music their kid or kids listen to, what movies they see, what video games they play, and what kind of programs they watch on TV. The parents should be held accountable because it is not possible for the school to control what the kids do out of the classroom. Since the Littleton, Colorado shooting, school shootings have attracted attention to laws that make parents criminally liable for their children's actions. Since then, twelve states including, Alabama, Arkansas, California and Ohio, have come up with parental responsibility statues. Under these laws, parents can be prosecuted based on the failure to supervise their children("Parents"). Tom Lynch also believes that he is responsible for the violence that his kids are exposed to saying, "because as a parent, I can do something about the entertai nment viewing habits of my children. As far as I know, my wife and I are still in charge on the home front, and we plan to keep it that way as long as we're still paying for the Nikes"(Lynch).  ... ... morals, like going to church. I myself, believe that God can be the biggest or least influence in a kids life. Violence in the media and gun control are two of the biggest factors when it comes down to school shootings. But after it is all said and done it is the parents responsibility to control and bring their kids up right. That's what everything comes down to. It all starts in the beginning. Parents have to start from when the kid is wearing diapers. The parents have to decide on what the kids will watch on TV, listen to in their headphones, play on their computer, and watch at the movie theater. After all, the school can not supervise kids after school hours. This evidence found following the Colorado massacre seemed to indicate a parental failure to detect and deal with troubled behavior by teens suspected of the killings(Chi). Kids have way to much freedom in today's world. They don't know what its like to be told "no". From letting the youngster get whatever toys he wants, to letting the sixteen year old pick out his own car. Lets face it, kids today are spoiled by thei r parents and the people around them. And in the end: It kills!

Lotus Versus Zen Buddhism

William Bettley 4/3/2013 Cul 260 Prof. Grohe Zen (or Chan) and Lotus Buddhism A Comparison Essay Buddhism, like many other major religions has expanded past a simple definition. There are a large number of regions that practice this astronomically large religion, and throughout the years since its introduction to the world it has developed a large number of ways to practice the belief system. The sect with the largest number of temples in Japan is Zen Buddhism, the second largest number belong to the Lotus, or Nichiren Sect.Zen, being the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese character Chan, falls into a much larger sect of Buddhism, with many different branches; this paper will look into the Japanese Zen branch and the Soto-Zen branch. These branches will be compared to the almost exclusively Japanese sect of Buddhism, Nichiren. The Nichiren sect, that borrows its name from its founder, is an extremely large sect of Buddhism whose main sutra is the Lotus Sutra. The Nichiren sect of Buddhism is any denomination of Buddhism that derives its beliefs from the teachings of the ancient Japanese teacher Nichiren. Nichiren is comprised of more than forty different independent religious institutions. Nichiren, originally a monk of the Tendai doctrine did not see himself as the creator of a sect, nor did he give his followers a name. It was in his death that his teachings, based on the Lotus Sutra, were denominated to be the Lotus sect of Buddhism† (Buswell Vol. 2). The largest of the Nichiren branches has its largest temple in Yamanashi and is called Nichrenshu. â€Å"Nichiren adopted the Tiantai School doctrine of reality as three thousand realms in a single thought to explain the theoretical basis upon which ordinary people can reach Buddhahood.He found this single thought doctrine not as an access from meditation, but as concrete manifestations from the three great secret dharmas. He derived these three secret dharmas from the latter half of the Lotus Sutra, or the origin teachings, thus these three secret dharmas became the core of his teachings. † (Buswell Vol. 2) The Daimoku, or name, is the Myohorengekyo or name of the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren believed this to embody the essence of all Buddhist teachings. He felt that all that Buddha is and was and ever will be can be embodied in a practitioner through the faith and chanting of this name.He felt that through reciting this mane, the essence of the Buddhist teaching can be transferred to the practitioner in a moment of faith. This was the first dharma of lotus teaching. As with most major religions, and religious sects, there is an identifying object. The Lotus sect of Buddhism is no different. The second dharma of Lotus teaching was the honzon, or object of worship. During Nichiren’s lifetime he developed a calligraphy Mandala, an example of which you can see above. This is an example of the item of worship you would bear reverence to in this sect of Buddhism, and this can be found in every Lotus Buddhist temple.Namu Myohorengekyo is inscribed down the center, and to the left and right are inscribed the names of Buddha, along with the representatives of the assembly of the Lotus Sutra. The third dharma is the most controversial. The kaidan is to some a platform of belief, while to others it is a physical thing. By definition it is a platform loosely described in Nichiren’s writings. It is more definitely an ordination platform. In the esoteric sense it means that wherever one embraces the Lotus sutra is the Buddha land.There is not much to say about this but to say that Nichiren has mixed reviews on what he believed this to be. â€Å"Zen is the Japanese pronunciation of the Japanese character Chan† (Buswell Vol. 2). This was one of the first quotes in my paper, and allows us to look at Zen in a different light. While it remains the Zen school of Buddhism in Japan, it is a branch of the Chan school of Buddhism, thus to look at Zen, you mu st first see Chan. This section will look into both the Japanese Zen Buddhism, and the Soto Chan Buddhism.Japanese Zen Buddhism is almost exactly like the original Chan School, because it took upon itself Chan concepts in Japanese style. There is not much of a difference between the Chan School and central Buddhist practice, and thus I will not look deeply into it. One of the primary notable things about the Zen school is that it, much like other schools, incited much violence between the schools because of a difference of views. Soto Chan Buddhism takes as its main concept that one is already Buddha, and to take up the mantle, you must sit in meditation without the attempting to become Buddha.This is interesting and much different from what we have learned prior in this paper. Most schools of Buddhism do not see themselves already being Buddha, and most strive to achieve Buddhism, and that takes a huge parting path from original Buddha teachings. Thus far in this paper we have brok en down many branches of Buddhism schools and how they differ in belief. That being the target of the paper would imply that this is the end, but I must make a few additional remarks. In Buddhism one strives to achieve enlightenment. In that cause Buddhism is different from many religions.It takes a walk away from heaven, and strives towards the land of Buddha. But like many other religions there is discrepancy, and thus there is conflict. That does not mean that Buddhism is bad, just normal. There is much more depth this paper could look into, but doing so would make this a Buddhism paper, and not just the cores of the sects I am looking into. To see more of how this paper applies to Buddhism, would much improve the knowledge of the coherency of this paper. References Buswell, Robert E. Encyclopedia of Buddhism Vol. 1 Macmillan Reference USA. 004 PP, 134-135 Buswell, Robert E. Encyclopedia of Buddhism Vol. 2 Macmillan Reference USA. 2004 PP, 595-598, 293 Princeton EDU Nichiren Budd hism, Author Unknown, https://www. princeton. edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Nichiren_Buddhism. html Yusa, Michiko. Japanese Religious Traditions. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2002. Print. All images belong to their original owners and no profit will be made from their inclusion in this paper. Any profit from this paper will be distributed to the owners of the original image holders at their request.