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).
Assess the impact of the Emperor Tiberius on the Principate The impact that the Emperor Tiberius had on the principate was contested by both the ancient and modern historians through time. Ancient historians mostly comprised detested Tiberius as it was their obligation to expose the evils of the principate under the Julio-Claudians and portray its degeneration into tyranny. His flaws are highlighted by the end of his reign particularly caused by his enigmatic personality, deteriorating relationship with the senate, influence of Sejanus and the repercussions of the treason trials. Whilst modern sources illustrate him from a more positive perspective pointing out his good intentions, effectively administrating the state, vastly improving
Influential emotions within society are what set man apart from other animals; yet, allowing these emotions to attain control over one's self, morphs humans into becoming animalistic. Consequently, emotions can achieve full destruction of one's life; unfortunately, this usually occurs after an attempt to achieve something greater, by surpassing certain boundaries that keep these emotions at bay. In the play The Tragedy of Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare conveys how emotions can both define and destroy an individual through the character Macbeth. With Macbeth's changing diction and mannerisms, Shakespeare elaborates on the qualities of love, violence, and guilt, which have the ability to consume a human's soul; thus, these emotions
However this source was written by Polydore Vergil, an Italian humanist who came to England and wrote the History of England, his analysis of Wolsey wasn’t very good as they’d had a personal feud due to Wolsey being jealous and Vergil spent a brief period in prison. So this source can be taken with a pinch of salt however it may have some truth as it was written after Wolsey had fallen from power, so Vergil was looking back at an entire career of Wolsey’s and knew that whatever he did write, Wolsey could not have him punished for. Source 2 agrees with source 1, as source 2 talks about how Wolsey treated the nobility which supports where source 1 says ‘his hostility towards nobles created great irritation’ also in source 2 it talks about bowing ‘before his Majesty’ while this would technically mean king Henry, as it says in source 1, Wolsey ‘considered himself the equal of kings’ and so it shows how arrogant
This is illustrated from his proclamation that "war is merely the continuation of policy by other means," the concept of "remarkable trinity" and the general uncertainties of war which he termed as ‘friction' (Moran 2007: 91-106). Many scholars have assumed that the concept of trinity is fundamentally linked to states. Thus critics claim that the end of state legitimacy brought about by the international system of nations will lead to only violent, non-Trinitarian and non-political Wars. This argument is supported by the changes of structure of modern conflicts where the confrontation between opposing armies has been replaced by contemporary wars which do not follow a conventional norm and lack rationality. According to Mary Kaldor (2005: 491-498), who is the leading proponent of new war, the primary example of the new type of warfare is the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina whereby the conflict appears to manifest in irrational traits that are guided by other factors other than politics.
Like Candide, Pangloss is not a tenable character; rather, he is a distorted, hyperbolized representation of a philosopher whose beliefs and perspective is considerable linked to his philosophy. Voltaire illustrates two major quandaries intrinsical in Pangloss’s philosophy. First, his philosophy confronts inundating evidence from the authentic world. Pangloss is ravaged by syphilis, proximately hanged, proximately dissected, and confined, yet he perpetuates to espouse optimism. He sticks to his positive views even at the cessation of the novel, when he himself admits that he has reservations in believing some of it.
Although sharing little in setting or premise, the texts Frankenstein and Blade Runner share many of the same concerns as they both challenge the values and morals of the societies in which they were set, most notably the notion of what it means to be human, as well as articulating the composers' critique of the advancement in science and technology. Both texts also exhibit the consequences of imprudent creation and the hubris of an individual to rise above and disrupt the natural order. Written in the eighteen hundreds by aggrieved writer Mary Shelley, the novel Frankenstein presents readers with a Romanticist perspective of technology ‘dehumanizing’ mankind as society was not made clear of their indistinct boundaries. Through Victor’s regression, “I, the true murderer, felt the never dying worm alive in my bosom”, the symbols of the ‘worm’ explore the downfall in
The democratic system found in the United States is heavily slanted to the majority; their convictions are often implemented in legislation and used as the standard by which things are measured. Henry David Thoreau argues in “Civil Disobedience” that majorities are not right simply by virtue of being the majority. Thoreau clearly favors the individual and his convictions when he claims that “if a plant cannot live according to its nature, it dies; and so a man” (Thoreau). As Thoreau’s claims idealize the individual they also diminish the role of the government. Similar progressions can be found in Antigone, penned by Sophocles centuries earlier.
He believed that man inherently had an understanding of goodness. He believed in the Tabula rasa, which is a philosophical theory that individuals are born with a blank mind and knowledge comes from their experiences and perception of society . This ‘blank slate’ can be proven in many civilizations, an easy example is comparing Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. They were both born in Europe, during different times. Thomas Hobbes was writing his philosophy when England was in the midst of its civil wars, whereas John Locke was writing at the time of the debate that led to the Glorious Revolution of 1688 .
Branches of Government Jefferson said it best, “My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government” (The Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Inc., 1996-2012, para. 1). After the ultimate control while under rule of the crown, the founding fathers sought to create not only a government that provided for rights and liberties of the people, but also to ensure that government interaction and authority was spread amongst various branches. This distribution of power would provide checks and balances to guarantee reduced influence, while allowing each section to operate independently. However, agreement of each party would be problematic to achieve when needing to enact new laws and regulations.