Thoreau is the type of person who could not stand to be cooped up no matter where it is. Thoreau’s favorite place is in the woods particularly somewhere near his home. “How womankind, who are confined to the house still more than men, stand it I do not know; but I have ground to suspect that most of them do not stand it at all” (Thoreau). That is one of the many statements he expresses about his dislike for being cooped up indoors. Thoreau even goes on to say that he walks in the night time.
Like Emerson, Thoreau also wanted to live a simple life, in order to find deeper meaning in life. Thoreau says, I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartanlike as to put to rout all that was not life, ... and reduce it to its lowest terms (Thoreau 235). Thoreau also says, We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us (Thoreau 237). This means that some things which we believe make our lives simpler actually make it more complicated. Both Emerson and Thoreau believe that in order to find deep meaning in life, you must live simply.
Doubt doesnt always contradict certainty, but instead somewhere in between. We have been and always will be afraid of certainty. Generations upon generations have taught is to doubt our decisions and actions and to not trust our minds or heart. People fight for and strive for acceptance and certainty only for doubt to come in and create a feeling of rejection and loneliness. Constant change is certain.
The concept of utilitarianism has the ability to be seen from many different viewpoints. While Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill are two of the greatest believers in utilitarianism of our time, they seem to clash on many issues, such as whether certain concrete things are required in order to achieve true happiness, or whether the concept of happiness is more of a grey area and if one is willing to achieve happiness, he or she should merely live life by his or her own values and rules. Bentham seems to agree with the latter and believes that all pleasures are equal, and if one enjoys something, no one should tell that person otherwise whether he or she is living life right or wrong. On the other hand, Mill seems to endorse achieving the highest pleasures only, specifically those of high intellectual caliber, as he believes that human pleasures would be very similar to those of animals if Bentham’s theory was correct. Also, Mill believes that society’s moral standards would decline if lower quality pleasures were pursued.
." Even the "F" in F&S, Mr. Fitweiler, will sing Martin praises. He declares, "Man is fallible, but Martin isn’t" (18). Because of this statement, we are inclined to believe Martin is an infallible man that just has his own idiosyncrasies and particular methods. His apparent teetotalism, stout resignation to no smoking, and a general averageness only add to his perceived infallibility.
This is why not giving up hope is an important theme in this book, as well as camp heartwell where they are forced to do hard labor and testing. Its all about hope. “How nice -- to feel nothing, and still get full credit for being alive.” Refers to having no cognitive ability of feeling emotion, or being completely blank with depression. This made me think of a theme that occurs in both Camp Heartwell and Slaughterhouse Five, the word
Xunzi, on the other hand, says that humans are naturally bad and “lack any inborn guide to right conduct” (p. 256). A heavy emphasis is placed on learning, because according to Xunzi virtue is attained (and bad nature is fixed) through learning, ritual, and nurture (pp. 258-259). Without these rituals and teachings, chaos and violence would arise (p. 298). While Mencius says almost nothing about ritual, Xunzi has clear beliefs and expectations of it.
I left the woods for as good as a reason why I went there. 90. It is remarkable how easily and insensibly we fall into a particular route, and make a beaten track for ourselves. 91. If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.
Peter Singer and Garret Hardin have conflicting views and they are both absolute in their beliefs. Utilitarianism may be practical in some situations but there are times that it is not. Garret Hardin is one of the people that think utilitarianism can never work. In Tragedy of the Commons, he says that it is not possible for things to be shared by everybody and not break or be overused and polluted. Hardin says that the population growth is a major problem of utilitarianism that has not been answered by anybody.
In this case, I agree with her partially. Being rational is undoubtedly an essential human virtue. But can this be applied universally? I believe that there are situations when no one is able to act rationally and this might not always be a negative attribute. This issue makes me think of my father, who often tells me that in one of his most important business decisions, he relied on his ‘gut feeling’ instead of his rational self and still made one of his best decisions ever.