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Relationship between language and society
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Our text, “Western Civilizations: Ideas, Politics, and Society”, includes many of the core values of today’s modern society. Rationality, the first value listed, is simply being able to use mental analysis to comprehend different, sometimes complex, subjects in a clear way. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rationality) Rationality is extremely important to the effective running of any society. The only alternative to acting and thinking rationally is to act with impulse, or without thinking a situation through. (http://www.importanceofphilosophy.com/Ethics_Rationality.html) A prosperous society cannot act in this way. I feel that for the most part, rationality is still alive and well today. While everyone does not always agree with the moves of our president, I think everyone can agree that thought goes into every move that is made for our country. Political freedom is the second value listed. It is that to be one of the most valuable assets to a democratic society. Living in a society without overt oppression and being allowed civil liberties and human rights are some examples of political freedom. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_freedom ) I am a little on the fence when it comes to modern day political freedom. It is obvious that as Americans, we are free, but how free are we really? Gay and lesbian marriage is illegal, meaning the Government has a say in who we can and cannot marry. Cannabis use is illegal, even though medical specialists have proven its ability to cure certain illnesses, including cancer, but alcohol, which kills many each year, is still perfectly legal. To me, this shows that we are not truly politically free, we are just exponentially better off than other countries. Inner freedom, the ability for ...
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... would exist if it wasn’t for human dignity, so it goes without saying that it is the most important of all.
When it comes to premodern and modern values; I am mostly with the modern value set. I feel that to become a better society of people; everyone must continue to move forward in all areas; including the changing and growing of societies values. As far as postmodern values: it seems that they will revolve around rejecting open-minded truths, role of language, power relations, and attack “sharp” classifications; black and white and male and female for example. (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100420051934AAkkCqy) I feel like I am a little bit postmodern in my beliefs. I do feel that “sharp” classifications are not right, however I also believe in extreme open-mindedness, so it seems as if I fall in the middle of modern and postmodern thinking.
Religion has greatly influenced western civilization. Religion is a way to express ourselves in our own way. To be able to choose who or what we believe in freely. This gives us a sense of individualism and helps our civilization to grow and develop each religion. Just about every ancient culture practiced religion in some way. They were either monotheist, polytheist, atheist, or believed in “magic”. Western civilization was impacted by religion in more ways than one. Every religion contributed in their own way. Some religions even worked together to help create a stronger, more structured civilization.
“Why Western History Matters” is an essay adapted from a speech Donald Kagan delivered to the National Association of Scholars, and was reprinted in the December 28, 1994, issue of the Wall Street Journal. Throughout Kagan’s essay, he describes the essential need for the college course, Western History. He does so by examining older cultures and explaining why they were quintessential to the past and to our future development as a society. I strongly concur with Kagan’s standpoint of the necessity of history, and the realization of how exactly our flourishing society came about. History is a key constituent in determining who we are; for to determine who we are one must first know from whence they came. In the words of George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”.
The subject of freedom often is the forefront of discussion when examining any sort of politics or government. The two basic sides include those for more freedom, and those
Since the beginning of humanity, a large part of humankind’s focus was directed towards survival. A person’s primary function is to survive and reproduce. As society progresses the the more contemporary of what is expected today, success has become jointed with how an individual works with others and less on how much they achieve by themselves. Mencken wrote that “the average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe.” In comparison to modern beliefs this notion is quite true. The average American may say they love freedom, but just what kind of freedom are they talking about? For the majority, what they mean is that they want a safe environment where people can do what they want within reason and not bring about harm or discomfort
AUTHOR: Oswald Spengler, (1880-1936), was a German philosopher who acquired his conservative views from his father, a postal official in Germany. Spengler attended the Universities of Munich, Berlin and Halle in Germany, where he studied natural science and mathematics. In 1903, he wrote his dissertation on a Greek philosopher named Heraclitus, though he failed due to a lack of references. Spengler resubmitted his revised thesis in 1904, earning him his doctorate degree. Shortly after earning his degree, Spengler suffered a mental break down, secluding himself from the world. In 1906, he recovered and began working as a teacher in secondary schools until he received some money from his mother. In 1911, Spengler gathered his inheritance and moved to Munich as a private scholar.
It is evident through the everyday killings, the people being locked up due to non-violent crimes and how most people aren’t happy with their current lifestyle. Today, teens are getting abortions left and right because they lay around, get pregnant, then figure they can just get rid of the baby. Teens are shooting each other because they live five blocks from each other. Yet, there are some people who start groups to give respect to life and try to help others gain that same respect. Then the matter of liberty comes up; we believe that we are free, but the reality of it is that we are in the shackles of the government.
A great issue can be defined in many ways; one way is how it effects people and how many people it effects. Of course it is based on the fact that it is great; and it wouldn’t be great unless people were affected by it. Then the question is what is an issue, and what makes an issue. First of all, every issue has to have more then one side, and each side has their own point of view. This point of view is usually very ethnocentric as well. Secondly, every point of view is seen with a different perspective, which no one else can see. It all depends on who the source is and what makes up their background. Every human has been socialized in some way, and these circumstances factor into the making of a great issue.
Perhaps the most exclusive aspect of American freedom is stated directly in the Declaration of Independence. It states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" (Jefferson). This well-known statement truly incorporates all facets of what it means to be free in America. The citizens of this country have the right to live. They have the right to be free of restriction and control, to do what they please. And they have the right to be happy in whatever way that might be. These rights are...
Ideology, Knowledge and the escalation of new ideas led to a better life and society that made positive impacts on Western Civilizations. There were many idea’s that were explored and implement into the daily lives of the people and for the most part it turned out to be a good impact. Although there were some bad ideas that caused suffering to the society at the time. They learned from what they witnessed and created something that would work better for the most part. In this essay I am going to use some primary sources that support my idea that society benefited from the new “ideas” but I will also use an example to explain how it caused a negative impact too.
American political culture emphasizes the values of liberty, equality, and democracy. Most of America’s debating is not over whether these issues are important, but how to best go about achieving these ideas. American’s define liberty as freedom, but America believes that liberty should be contained on some levels so they can create a stable society. The definition of freedom is that we can do whatever we want, as long as we do not affect another person’s freedom. American’s want to be able to do what they want, while not affecting someone else. So some rules are set to protect people and create a stable society.
Analysing The West: Unique, Not Universal. Throughout history, Western civilization has been an emerging force behind change in foreign societies. This is the concept that is discussed in the article, the West Unique, Not Universal, written by Samuel Huntington. The author makes a very clear thesis statement and uses a variety of evidence to support it. This article has a very convincing point.
The Western culture has evolved over a span of several years with various civilizations specializing in specific aspects of life or nature. In essence, Western civilization dates back to the BCE periods when Ancient Greece, Mesopotamia, and Ancient Rome reigned. Each of the Western civilizations came with a clear lineage that portrayed such attributes as property rights, free market economy, competition, personal freedoms, and innovation (Perry, 2013). Besides, the western civilizations came at different periods with some of the attributes evolving or remaining unchanged throughout the lineage. However, the non-western civilizations contributed towards such attributes to a given extent, primarily because of the interactions among
The values that are operating in my perspective is my experience. I values certain things such as managing my money, preparing for my future as well as my family, getting an education is the gateway for social mobility. I also know the values of the individuals in the lower class of living paycheck to paycheck, there is limited planning, and as it relate to health, they are more likely to end up in the emergency room than scheduling an appointment with a physician. I can ...
When referring to freedom these words are often associated with freedom: Liberty, independence, sovereignty, autonomy, privilege, immunity, and indulgence. Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and justice. Independence is granted by freedom in the sense that an outside party does not control you. To gratify ones desires by whichever ways they choose is freedom through indulgence. Privileges are g ranted through freedom. In some countries the dictator or ruler makes choices for their people on regards to what profession they shall have or to what religion they shall worship. In the United States we have special privileges that let the people of the country decide on their own religion and professions.
The Greek's notion of rational thought is a very strong reason why Western Civilization has become so influential in the world today. During their time, the Greeks spurred an intellectual revolution. They questioned the meanings of life and began using their minds to expand the world. According to Glenn Blackburn: "In many ways, they "discovered" the human "mind" through their philosophy and rational thought [ . . . ]"(64). Their "opening" of the mind influenced all ways of life and society. Major ideas blossomed like politics, governing laws, literature, art, history, and new inventions. Scientific thinking was groundbreaking among Greek minds. Ideas of mathematics, astronomy, architecture, and anatomy engrossed the public. This revolution of rational thought dominated society and began a transition in Western Civilization because people began using reason to explain human and natural events, rather than the gods (Blackburn, 67). Even today, rational thought is used by all of us and continues to influence society. The power of the modern mind has proved greater than any other Greek could have ever expected.