Small though it be, it will make many mistakes, because it will be composed of men. Discord will reign there” (Democracy, Voltaire). His opinions on the pursuit of progress with abandon were that progress should be sought after but not without humanity and rationale in mind. He would not have wanted progress to be had on the sacrifice of human rights or the loss of rationality. He was somebody who “believed in progress and in the virtues of civilization, contrary to Rousseau’s belief that civilization corrupts man” (Voltaire, New World Encyclopedia).
However, in Fahrenheit 451 Beatty describes conformity as a positive aspect of society – he argues that conformity in behavior prevents violence and jealousy by restricting the gifted and talented people from their ability to excel, which is good in a way because then the others won‘t feel bad. However, the real problem in the situation Beatty describes is not the exceptionally bright child (when he is trying to show Montag the uselessness of books) but the group of people of those who submit to it. Unfortunately, this very situation occurs repeatedly in our society today. People who choose not to conform may be persecuted by the groups of people who submit into censorship, and through that act of persecution the people reinforce conformity of
He firmly thought that God is a righteous one who at the end of time will deal with those who rejected him. Augustine`s argument that evil is a `deprivation of good` rather than a positive substance created by God has been supported by some modern thinkers. Brian Davies describes evil as `a gap between what there is and what there ought to be`. Augustine`s argument that evil has resulted from the abuse of human free will has also been supported by modern thinkers. It seems clear that humans choosing to act in the wrong ways cause much of the evil and suffering in the world.
He means that if the venture needs you to be anyone else but yourself, it will lead to no good. This reveals to me that Thoreau believes strongly in the individual, being yourself, and seeking your own path. This quote is also applicable to modern life because many ventures nowadays require you to conform for some purpose. The second aphorism I remembered is “Our life is frittered away by detail...Simplicity, simplicity.” Thoreau means that our focus and attention to detail now in society and culture do nothing but to waste our lives away needlessly. He believes simplicity is the better choice.
“Civil Disobedience” Civil Disobedience is the act of knowingly breaking a law that an individual feels is morally unjust. We all have a moral compass, and a perception of what is right from wrong. Many individuals see injustices in our democratic system, yet few actually make a stand for what they believe is right. The United States was founded under an idea that “All men are created equal”. However, that motto was not entirely true.
“To be one’s self, and unafraid whether right or wrong, is more admirable than the easy cowardice of surrender to conformity” said American author Irving Wallace. This quote is stating that being an individual is better than following everyone else. The Book Thief and Fahrenheit 451 together share the theme regarding individuality versus conformity. The societies in both books are very different then how we live today. People are not speaking up for themselves and for what they think is right.
Until people choose to stop indifference and start caring about others in the world, theses events will not stop. Wiesel once said, “Silence encourages the tormentor, not the tormented.” People in the world that are suffering need people to stand up for them because they cannot defend themselves. This is a prime example of indifference because it says that people
Any law that uplifts human personality is just. All segregation statuses are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. King is going to try so hard to eliminate this Unjust law he and hiss
They believe that “life is the most basic gift of loving God-a gift over which we have stewardship but not absolute dominion”. Even if it is legalized in many places around the world today, there are many that are still strongly against it. Dr. Leo Alexander says that “the problem with euthanasia is the acceptance of an attitude that life is worthless, can be thrown away. That attitude is in its early stages right now, but as it progresses, so will our value of life drop. Anyone, the socially unproductive, the socially unwanted, will be considered useless; will kill off our own species, our morals.
By accepting yourself you can grow and gain self-confidence. I also chose honesty, but again we both have different definitions. My definition of honesty is admitting to your mistake and truly wanting to make it right by telling the truth. My biggest pet peeve is when somebody cheats, it isn’t fun for anybody else and they aren’t being trustworthy. As soon as I meet someone I trust them until they do something to take that trust away.