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Essay on Varying Ideas on What Makes a Just Society

Philosophers from the ancient times to philosophers of today and the modern society all have voiced their opinions on how a government should be set up and ruled in order to have a just society. Some philosophers say that the government is corrupt and unjust while others argue that the government controls fairly and appropriately. The two main positions that philosophers believe are resources in society should be distributed to obtain common good and live life as long as you do not infringe on others. The laws and rules the United States government currently has in place today often originate from these philosophers ideas and work to maintain a just society. The definition of a just society can be described as a society with equality and†¦show more content†¦In his book he also described how the ideal life should be lived by all people in society. Plato believed in five regimes of government: Aristocracy, timocracy, Oligarchy, Democracy, and Tyranny but argued that a democ racy was the best for the people in a society. Tyranny is the worst according to Plato because it causes chaos and Oligarchy causes a society to split between the rich and poor. Plato said that democracy was best for its people because it is stable, fair, and provides safety for its people through natural rights. Democracy evenly distributes goods to everyone and Montesquieu strongly agreed with Plato’s philosophies on government ruling. Baron de Montesquieu philosophies on government are the most influential to the United States government today and how the people living in the states are governed. He uses some of the same ideas that Plato once voiced in The Republic about democracy and forms of government. Baron De Montesquieu said the main purpose of government is to maintain law and order, political liberty, and property of the individual. Separation of powers was a big idea and Montesquieu called the two types of government the Sovereign and the Administrative. The Adm inistrative form of government involves the judicial, legislative and the executive branches and is most like the democracy that the United States uses today. Montesquieu also is antithetical to anyShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Big Brother And George Orwells 1984713 Words   |  3 Pagesworld where having varying ideas from the government would end your existence. You need to think the same as everyone else in order to survive. You need to find someone that shares your ideas in order to begin a Revolution. When you finally find someone, the one person you trusted turns you over to the government, and you are tortured with your wildest fears. These what-if’s become reality in 1984, a novel written by George Orwell. 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Mythology employs the believer’s creative imagination, where according to Ions: â€Å"Egyptian myths†¦cannot be considered as fixed stories†¦their function in the Egyptian religion was to provide a notation of symbols with which to express ideas; if the ideas changed, then the myth also had to changeRead MorePlato s Theory Of The Soul1125 Words   |  5 Pages In this essay, I will be discussing how Plato divides the soul into three parts and how they are related with one another, what they are and what this division is supposed to tell us about the best life to live. Plato’s theory which can be referred to as justice in the individual, is split into three parts: appetite, spirit and reason. Throughout this essay, I will explore each part of this mechanism and how Plato believes this is the ideal way to live by being harmonious with these parts of consciousnessRead MoreReview of James H. Cones Martin Malcolm America: A Dream or A Nightmare1310 Words   |  6 Pagesother and what they meant to American society. Before the reader can understand why Martin and Malcolm developed such varying views on civil rights, he first discusses the details of the social and economic lifestyles that each man was raised. Cone explains that through their personal backgrounds, Martins stable familial and financial security where he was protected from racism as opposed to Malcolm, whose family was broken and economically deprived, is what cause oneRead More Is Human Cloning Another Frankenstein? Essay1272 Words   |  6 PagesShelley concludes that it is inappropriate for man to play god. With the advent of the science of creation, cloning, scientists now face the same problem that Shelley raised years ago. The applications of such research are numerous, all varying in severity. In what way the users for cloning are developed and performed is of much debate. Unfortunately, there is no absolute answer for the issue. nbsp; A popular suggestion is to develop cloning technology for medical use on humans. The creation

Renaissance Social Norms within The Taming of the Shrew Essay Example For Students

Renaissance Social Norms within The Taming of the Shrew Essay The Renaissance era housed one of the most, if not the most, essential time periods for modern day literature. Playwrights emerged from all shapes and sizes, but one in particular, whose popularity still holds true today as it did then, stood out from amongst the crowd. This playwright is William Shakespeare, one of the most fascinating and intellectual Renaissance men who had ever lived. Famous for writing comedies, tragedies and histories, Shakespeare was known for having an ornate style of writing. He did not incorporate much surrealism in his play but rather combined elements within the society social norms in order to craft his works. One play in particular cleverly stretched beyond the accepted social norms in order to produce a comedic effect. This play, The Taming of the Shrew, incorporates much of the eras social norms and laws. Shakespeare, who was born nearing the end of the Renaissance, accurately portrays a comedic story plot that falls well within the social norms of the time. In a quick summary, this short play captures the lives of two main characters, Patriotic and Katherine, as they struggle trying to form a relationship. Katherine, who is the eldest daughter to a rich and powerful nobleman, endlessly strives to scare off any man who is willing to take her hand in marriage through her use of nasty comments, rude behavior and childlike actions. Bianca, the youngest, most beautiful and flirtatious of the two, is subject to wait until her sister is wed in order for her herself to be wed as well. In enters Patriotic, an Italian nobleman who is land rich but money poor. He intends on marrying Katherine for her wealth although he is warned by many to stay clear of her path. Blinded by egotism, he accepts the challenge and repeatedly boasts about how he will tame his shrew. In the end, he succeeds in doing so and the two fall in love with one another. A side plot occurs throughout the play as well involving Bianca and her three suitors, Grimier, Horniness and Licentious. Each fights with their own individual attributes, wealth, music and knowledge, but in the end, it is Licentious who wins her heart and weds her. Surprisingly, in the end when the two sisters are tested to see who had learned the most through the entire ordeal, it is Katherine who presents herself to be more principled in what it means to be a devoted wife. Bianca, on the there hand, had grown up being unconditionally admired by many and was limited to flirtatious behavior and nothing more. During the Renaissance, it was socially acceptable to marry solely based on wealth. The institution of marriage in the Renaissance Period was both secular and sacred. Secularly, it served as a union of two parties interested in acquiring property, money or political alliances (Studiously, par. 1). As Patriotic states, l come to wives it healthily in Pad; If healthily, then happily in Pad (1. 2. 72-73). He chooses to wed Katherine because she has the largest wealth status of any women in the land. The reason why the wealth went directly to Katherine was because of the common law in the time period which stated that after the head of the household dies, land descended to the eldest son to the exclusion of his siblings. But if there was no son, land went to heiresses (Studiously, par. ). Land and wealth were indifferent, so, in this case, Katherine inherited most of the wealth: Patriotic: Then tell me, if I get your daughters love, What dowry shall I have with her to wife? One half of my lands, Baptists: After my death, the And, in possession, twenty thousand crowns (2. 1. 119-122). Aside from the wealth, the reason why Patriotic desperately wanted to marry Katherine was because of the importance of family. To preserve the power of the family, it was important to have strong family ties for the reasons of security, wealth, ownership, titles and overall, the continuing of the family name. Prescriptive literature emphasized the importance of family and, specifically, children for maintaining the health of the civic body (Akron, par. 1). Pedicurists father, Vincent, who enters further along in the story, is a very wealthy nobleman. The reason also being why Patriotic selects Katherine over any other woman is cause it is less likely that Patriotic would obtain such immediate wealth from his father due to them having very loose ties, so, as a nobleman, Patriotic needs to find a wife with much wealth. Pearson/Prentice Hall chapter 14.1 The Renaissance in ItalyAlthough Katherine did have more riches over Patriotic, it did not disregard the secular right of male dominance over females. Misogynistic stories abounded in Shakespearean time, stories of men exercising their rightful dominance over women. Shakespeare lived and wrote in a patriarchal world in which the father ruled the family and the husband ruled the wife so it was not seen as offensive for a man to: nomad his wife, call her impolite names in public, demand to see her presence at once, or be the sole decision maker of her everyday affairs (Blake, sec. , par. 2). Men were viewed as the dominate sex and were recognized as scholars more over than women. Some men were drawn to the seas out of a curiosity to discover more about the world. These explorations led to trade for gold and ivory and, soon after, slaves (Renaissance Exploration and Trade, sec. 1). Although these sights seem like they were sought after and easily dis covered, they were actually very dangerous and any perished along the way. With very little advance in technology, sailors did not know what land lied ahead and by whom it was inhabited. They risked their lives for the sake of curiosity and bringing honor to their family and/or their homeland. After Patriotic and two friends demand to each see their wives at once, it is only Katherine who comes immediately and reestablishes to the rest of the women what she had learned through her experience: Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper, Thy head, thy sovereign, one that cares for thee, And for thy maintenance commits his body To painful labor both by sea and land, To watch the night in storms, the day in cold, Whilst thou lies warm at home, secure and safe, And craves no other tribute at thy hands But love, fair looks, and true obedience, Too little payment for so great a debt. (5. 2. 155-163). Renaissance period, no women cast were allowed in the play. Men were the only actors allowed on stage so, naturally, it was common for homosexual men to play the roles of women. Shakespeare produced openly homoerotic writings accepted by the lower and upper classes of his period at a time understood to be virulent homophobic. The question that remains is how could Shakespeare produce homosexual themes and allude to such relationships without fostering animosity among the contemporary viewers of his plays. Further complicating the answer, Shakespeare and his contemporaries wrote plays for all male casts where young male actors would cross-dress to play the female characters. These plays had elaborate flirtation, wooing, and romantic involvement between male and female characters regardless of the gender identity of the actors. Audience acceptance of these actions and topics appear to contradict the culture of the Elizabethan erred (Sherries, sec. , par. 1). Shakespearean play, The Taming of the Shrew, accurately presents the social norms of the time period. Though slightly exaggerated for comedic effect, it does display many secular laws and commonplace actions that went on during the Renaissance. It exhibits the law of marriage, land grants, importance of family, male dominance, female obedience, male car eers as well as other standards that seem obscure in todays society. His play fell in perfectly with the common conceptions of the Renaissance and therefore is seen as an accurate piece of historic literature.