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Plato's Cave and Individualism, 2008.
This paper discusses Plato's allegory of the cave and the group think mentality common in organizations today.
1,468 words (approx. 5.9 pages), 2 sources, MLA, £ 28.95
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Abstract
The paper analyzes the dangers inherent in blind obedience and group think as illustrated in Plato's allegory of the cave. The paper discusses the relevance of the allegory to contemporary organizational law by drawing upon the author's experiences as a member of law enforcement. The paper then looks at the mechanisms that we use to avoid or subvert ideas that appear different from our own and challenge the status quo. The paper concludes that we must embrace different ideas and nurture a respect for different cultures and world views.
From the Paper
"Plato's allegory of the cave captures the essence of organizational culture. Obviously, the ideology of sameness and normative thinking has transcended from Plato's time to today. Thus, the allegory is relevant to contemporary organizational life. Organizations are known for fostering a culture of group think. The dangers inherent in group think is the object lesson that Plato tries to convey. When we refuse to engage in critical thinking, we are goaded into a false sense of security, and create our own prison. The allegory of the cave is particularly relevant to corporate culture, and the blind obedience that is encouraged and often rewarded. There is an insidious force in organizational culture, which subsumes individualism for the corporate good. Like prisoners chained in a cave, employees have been trained to see through the lenses of the corporate image."
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The Limits of Mind: On the Fallacy of the Design Argument, 2008.
This paper critiques the design argument based on arguments from William Paley's "The Watch and the Watchmaker" and David Hume's "A Critique of the Design Argument".
2,040 words (approx. 8.2 pages), 2 sources, MLA, £ 38.95
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Abstract
This essay critiques the design argument, as explained in both William Paley's "The Watch and the Watchmaker" and in David Hume's "A Critique of the Design Argument". This paper also explains the features of the design argument and evaluates the argument in order to critique it. The author follows Hume in suggesting that the design argument is ultimately a failure due to the massive egocentricity inherent in assuming that God can be understood through an analogy to the human mind.
From the Paper
"The reason I have been rather pedantic in deconstructing Paley's analogy is twofold. Firstly, we have the problem of Darwin's theory of evolution. That is to say, the theory that explains that the mechanism or process that makes things fit is intrinsic to the system of nature itself. If you wish, Darwin's theory of evolution is akin to showing that the watch really does produce the watch and is the only creator thereof. Whether Darwin believed that God made it so or not is irrelevant--the point is that God can be taken out of evolution and the underlying principle of nature shown to be merely survival, and the survival of those traits which help us survive. Naturally, this system creates something which looks like it has been designed--because we have adapted to our environments, not because we have been created alongside our environments as a system always already in perfect harmony. Again, I am not concerned to argue that this is so--but this is merely an instance of the observer coming upon the watch and having no knowledge of the manufacturing processes involved in the production of mechanical objects, assumes that this watch is something which just exists, with no thought or evidence of processes that were involved in making it, because his lack of understanding of the need for those processes means he doesn't recognize them. Paley's argument is that we know something has been designed, because we recognize that the process by which it is constructed is one that requires thought--by I am suggesting that, when it comes to nature, we cannot know what the process is that is required to construct it, and therefore we cannot arrive at any certain deduction as to its having been designed by the method Paley describes. In fact, as I have shown, the only theory that describes the process (of evolution and survival) that creates, or recreates, nature is one that does not need to rely on design--at least not in any sense which we can understand, which brings me to my second criticism of Paley's analogy."
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Human Rights as an Internal Affair, 2008.
This paper argues that human rights are not an internal state affair and rejects that attempting to impose universal human rights is simply Western cultural imperialism.
1,260 words (approx. 5.0 pages), 4 sources, APA, £ 25.95
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Abstract
This essay argues that there are such things as universal human rights, and that when one state violates these, other states have a legitimate reason to raise appeal. The essay states that this can give rise to a tension between state autonomy and universal rights, however, it argues that this possibility must be endured, for the alternative is to allow people to be abused. Moreover, the paper asserts that there are practical steps that could be taken to encourage sovereign states to acknowledge universal human rights.
From the Paper
"The only difference between those who argued against suffrage in the West or against same-sex marriage in Canada, and those who today argue in favour of genital mutilation in Nigeria, is that the Western defenders of sexism and heterosexism claimed to speak for all of humanity, and for God, while the minorities claim only to speak for themselves, and sometimes for their own God - and of course, for "their women." The principle is the same - invoking culture, God, nature or tradition to justify oppression of women or other minorities, and in this way attempting to maintain the status quo. That argument was overcome in England and in Canada, and it should be overcome in non-Western nations too. Moreover, it is argued that if this poses some slight risk to the autonomy of some individual nations, then so be it. National autonomy should not extend to the point of giving ruling groups the right of torture, murder, mutilation or any other kind of violent abuse against individual human beings - not even if they are women or children!"
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Godwin's Anarchism, 2008.
A comparison of William Godwin's theories of anarchism to Karl Marx's beliefs about communism.
1,441 words (approx. 5.8 pages), 3 sources, MLA, £ 28.95
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Abstract
The paper discusses William Godwin's major work, "An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice", which is an early elucidation of the political theory of anarchism. The paper defines anarchism and then compares this work to Marx's "Capital" and "The Communist Manifesto". The paper explores why William Godwin's work has had less public exposure and popularity than either of Marx's works.
From the Paper
"While Karl Marx has become a famous thinker and philosopher through the wide dissemination of his two major works, Capital and The Communist Manifesto, a much lesser known figure has also contributed substantially to the perennial dialogue of radical political philosophies, and this man and his work is worthy of deeper analysis. This writer is William Godwin (1756-1836), who was nearly a contemporary of Marx and in his own way equally radical, yet significantly divergent in his thought. Godwin may be best known for having married the writer Mary Wollstonecraft, a groundbreaking feminist thinker in her own day, and for being the father of Mary Shelley of Frankenstein fame. Godwin's major work, An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice (1793) is an early elucidation of the political theory of anarchism, and is worth analyzing in terms of the similarities it shares with Marx's communism (Landry, para 16)."
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Freud and Nietzsche, 2008.
Compares Sigmund Freud and Friedrich Nietzsche's conceptions of the human self.
1,340 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 4 sources, APA, £ 27.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that both Freud and Nietzsche wrote at length about what it is that keeps people from achieving happiness and fulfillment. The author points out that, by rejecting the claims and holds of religion upon truth and its value in elevating the human condition, Freud and Nietzsche were revolutionaries. The paper suggests that, while both take similar approaches and appear to be judging the world from an objective standpoint, they both, especially Freud, clearly fall into their own subjective traps in delimiting the nature of the self, its habits, its inadequacies and its reason for being.
From the Paper
"Clearly, for Nietzsche, it is this desire to impose order upon the world that is the basic human drive, that which distinguishes people from animals, and is a basic need that all people share--which tells us why language exists, and science, and the law. This ability to impose an ordering on the world is what makes us human, the fundamental drive that creates order allows us to maintain that order and to be social beings. Perhaps it is the social aspect which is the real, underlying drive and which creates our need to believe that the world which surrounds us is classifiable, quantifiable and static."
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Donald Trump: A Representation of Capitalism, 2008.
This paper utilizes pop cultural figure Donald Trump as a case study in which to contrast capitalism and communism.
1,155 words (approx. 4.6 pages), 3 sources, MLA, £ 23.95
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Abstract
The paper applies the ideological framework of the theory of communism, specifically as expounded by Karl Marx in "The Communist Manifesto" to the contemporary pop cultural figure of Donald Trump. The paper focuses on Trump's appearances in the television series "The Apprentice" and also includes relevant background on Trump himself. The paper then shows how Trump, with his wealth of private property and his interests advanced with the willing aid of the mass media, best exemplifies some of the most prominent and popular qualities of capitalism in both its positive and negative aspects.
From the Paper
"Probably no single individual best personifies the capitalist frame of reference as does billionaire real estate developer Donald Trump. He came into the public light in the 1980s, and became one of the first celebrity businessmen of recent times, working in a field in which most businessmen preferred to keep a low profile and stay out of the public eye as much as possible. The mass media willingly accepted Trump's self-promotions and played him up as the archetypal capitalist and "self-made man." From the standpoint of Marx, a relevant critique would begin by noting that despite the myth of individual achievement contained in this persona, Trump in fact came from a very successful family, his father having already been a multi-millionaire real estate developer in New York City (Slater 44.)"
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Logic, Induction and Relevance, 2008.
This essay deals with the issue of how relevance is established for an inductive argument, and how this process can be encouraged and supported based on an argument given by Patrick Hurley in his paper, "A Concise Introduction to Logic".
825 words (approx. 3.3 pages), 1 source, MLA, £ 17.95
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Abstract
The author of this paper presents an analysis of inductive reasoning based on Patrick Hurley's text on the terms "necessary" and "sufficient". The author states that it should be somewhat easier to demonstrate relevance for an inductive argument, as the association to be established is not as strong as in deductive reasoning. Also, based on criteria established in this paper,the author asserts that, in order to establish relevance in an inductive argument, one must establish that the criterion being argued for is a necessary condition. However, the author asserts that in order to support establishing relevance for an inductive argument, one should insist that each premise be rigorously examined to ascertain whether it is in fact necessary.
From the Paper
"In Hurley's terms, we might say that what we need to establish relevance for an inductive argument would be to show that the stipulated criterion was a necessary condition. However, because we are only trying to show a probable connection, we do not need to show that the criteria was a sufficient condition, nor do we need to establish that it is relevant by showing that it is a sufficient and necessary condition. In Hurley's terms, what is necessary to evaluate the strength of an argument is to know 'whether the probability of the conclusion rests upon the evidence given in the premises' (Hurley 379). What Hurley is really saying here is that the strength of an inductive argument rests partly on the relevance of its conditions."
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Ethics and Minors, 2008.
This paper looks at a legislative issue and discusses the matter of contraceptives furnished to a minor.
1,608 words (approx. 6.4 pages), 4 sources, APA, £ 31.95
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Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that the current health care issue which needs to be brought to the attention of legislators and for which nurses need to develop a political action plan is the availability of contraceptive supplies or procedures to minors. The writer points out that many states recognize that parents should have the right to make health care decisions for a minor child but that in certain cases, the minor needs access to confidential services. The writer discusses that under the Title X family planning program instituted in 1970, contraceptive services and other reproductive health care services have been available to all individuals who need them, irrespective of age. Meanwhile, the writer notes that debates over parental consent or notification have been taking place at both the state and federal level, and that states tend to favor parents taking responsibility for the decisions of their minor child.
From the Paper
"On the basis of Greipp's model, the consumer forces driving the policy consist of teenagers who have made the decision to become sexually active as opposed to parents who wish to have the responsibility for their children's choices. In many cases, the consumer includes the entire community which believes that parents need to either make or at least collaborate with their adolescent children about major decisions. Motivators include parents' desires to influence their children regarding the most significant decisions of their lives. Motivators also consist of parental concerns for the current and future physical and psychosocial wellbeing of their children.The ethical principle of beneficence and the moral theory of deontology also can be motivators for both parents and the community as they strive both individually and collectively to fulfill what they perceive as their obligations to their children. "
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Proof of the Existence of God, 2008.
An argument suggesting that the existence of God cannot be discounted.
1,265 words (approx. 5.1 pages), 4 sources, MLA, £ 25.95
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Abstract
This paper look at why it is erroneous to assume that God does not exist. It discusses the teachings of St. Thomas of Aquinas, the shortcomings of the "Big Bang" theory and the arguments mustered by St. John Damascene. The paper then discusses the questions and concerns raised by J. Scott Turner of the State University of New York in his paper, "Why Can't We Discuss Intelligent Design?" The paper contains an appended original source.
From the Paper
"Put in the simplest terms, proponents of the view that God exists argue that there is an intentionality, a purposefulness, to every design we find in nature. In short, each and every living organism seems perfectly suited to its varying functions, and this set of characteristics suggests that, contrary to the Darwinian assumption that evolution took place haphazardly and by accident, it was instead guided by some kind of purpose that modern science can only guess at. Needless to say, if intelligent design is involved, than an intelligent designer is also involved - and that means the existence of an unseen God with powers beyond the comprehension of human beings."
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Emmanuel Kant and Lying, 2008.
A comparison of Emmanuel Kant's categorical imperative and utilitarianism with regards to lying.
955 words (approx. 3.8 pages), 1 source, MLA, £ 19.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses Emmanuel Kant's philosophy on lying and compares it to the philosophy of utilitarianism. It describes Kant's categorical imperative and how it can be utilized in a situation that may involve lying. The paper presents a case where there is a question of whether to lie or not and discusses the possible philosophies of how to deal with the dilemma.
From the Paper
"At first, utilitarianism seems perfect for resolving such a dilemma. The problem is that the utilitarian is focused only on happiness, and happiness in this dilemma is false. The person's happiness also is just temporary and will end sooner or later, anyway. For a person who is faced with such a dilemma, the most helpful idea is Kant's categorical imperative. The reason is that it shows a practical point about human beings. It is not always wrong to lie because sometimes the truth is as bad as or worse than the lie. The only way to make a decision is to ask whether what we will do should be done by all individuals who happen to be faced with the same dilemma. When we are faced with an impossible or really difficult situation, then the categorical imperative provides a means to deal with that dilemma."
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Christianity, Buddhism and Evil, 2008.
Examines the concepts of evil and suffering in Buddhist and Christian religious tradition.
2,512 words (approx. 10.0 pages), 8 sources, MLA, £ 45.95
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Abstract
In this article, the writer examines the personifications of evil in the Christian and Buddhist traditions. The writer discusses how these personifications of evil through Satan in Western Christian tradition compare to the personifications of evil through Mara in Buddhist traditions. The paper shows the important similarities and differences within the two concepts of evil and suffering. The writer concludes that in both cases important similarities and differences can be noted and the roots of these can be found in respective religious teachings.
Outline:
Evil and Suffering
The Two Embodiments of Evil: Mara and Satan
Hell in Early Buddhism and Christianity
Conclusion
From the Paper
"Again, we can find some similarities and differences between hell in early Buddhism and Christianity. In both cases, hell is a symbol of suffering and pain. As such it is used as a device of fear, as a tool to make the followers behave in accordance with moral values and teachings of the doctrine. However, while the Buddhist hell is only one realm of existence in which soul spends only enough time to clean itself and enter another realm (and can re-enter it again from a higher realm later), Christian hell is a place of eternal suffering. This clear difference arises from the differences in the religious doctrines."
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Human Rights, 2008.
Argues in favor of global human right protection.
2,415 words (approx. 9.7 pages), 8 sources, APA, £ 44.95
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Abstract
This paper stresses that human rights should be practiced and protected around the world because they are the inherent right of every human being. The author of the paper points out that it is much easier to proclaim human rights than it is to grant and preserve them and states that it is critically important to extend human rights to everyone because humanity can never truly consider itself civilized if human rights are being violated anywhere in the world. The author also examines human rights problems, such as totalitarian dictatorships, theocracies, the abortion debate, the death penalty and genocide.
From the Paper
"The history of human rights has been rather bleak, for throughout most of human history, war and conquest have been pervasive and the brute force of rulers has determined the structure of societies. Under such conditions, human rights have been irrelevant. The vanquished were enslaved and the lower classes in every society were at the mercy of the classes above them. It was only when the Enlightenment generated the development of democracy that human rights began to recognized and protected in developing democracies."
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Galileo and Luther on Rationalism and Empiricism, 2008.
An analysis of the philosophies of Martin Luther and Galileo with regards to empiricism and rationalism.
2,032 words (approx. 8.1 pages), 3 sources, APA, £ 38.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses how, as the explanatory power of empiricism began to grow apparent, rationalistic modes of belief and dogmas began to conflict with the verifiable truths the empirical approach to knowledge was uncovering. The paper then discusses the different schools of thought from which these philosophies have emerged in the Western tradition. It particularly focuses on the philosophies of Martin Luther and Galileo.
From the Paper
"Evolution implied that humans possessed a common ancestry with all animals and even plants. It may have been a matter of interpretation as to whether the earth revolved around the sun or not, but the concept that man is an ape who has been gradually evolving for 3.5 billion years fits nowhere into traditional Christian beliefs. Consequently, the theory--although as close to scientific fact as any fact ever inferred from the natural world--has remained controversial and not widely accepted in the west. So, it has only truly been in the past century and a half that science and religion have come faced off in a battle of wills. Still, the argument should be moot: empirical evidence may indicate one thing, but if an individual is willing to believe in an all-powerful being, they must also acknowledge that such a being could configure the world in any way imaginable--just as Galileo's Dialogue concluded."
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Science and Religion in the 17th Century, 2008.
An analysis of the interaction between science and religion in the 17th century.
1,523 words (approx. 6.1 pages), 3 sources, MLA, £ 30.95
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Abstract
This paper examines how the intense interaction between science and religion in the 17th century had an ultimately positive effect on human civilization over the succeeding centuries. The paper explains that these interactions produced played an instrumental role in generating the Enlightenment of the 18th century, which transformed the world, freed humanity from the bonds of religious dogma, and produced long-term benefits ranging from greatly expanded scientific learning to the dramatic emergence and development of democratic systems of government. The paper then points out that religion and science also clashed in the 17th century because they offered incompatible answers to humanity's existence, to the functioning of the universe, and to humanity's place in it. In the context of this discussion, the paper briefly examines the works of philosophers and scientists like Nicolas Copernicus, Johannes Kepler, Galileo and Tycho Brahe.
From the Paper
"After lengthy observations and calculations, Kepler eventually discovered that although Copernicus had correctly concluded that the planets of the solar system all orbited around the sun, he had been mistaken in assuming that planetary orbits were circular instead of elliptical. The most positive contribution of Copernicus was his theory that the earth rotates each day on its axis, that it revolves on an annual basis around the sun, and that other planets also revolve around the sun. Yet as revolutionary as this theory was, it was not proven to be true until Galileo observed the heavens and made some startling discoveries that provided that proof."
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