A Critical Analysis of Tension's In Memorial A. H. H.
During the Victorian Period, long held and comfortable religious beliefs fell under great scrutiny. An early blow to these beliefs came from the
Utilitarian, followers of Jeremy Bantam, in the form of a test by reason of many of the long-standing institutions of England, including the church. When seen through the eyes of reason, religion became “merely an outmoded superstition”
(Ford & Christ 896). If this were not enough for the faithful to contend with, the torch of doubt was soon passed to the scientists. Geologists were publishing the results of their studies which concluded that the Earth was far older than the biblical accounts would have it (Ford & Christ 897). Astronomers were extending humanity's knowledge of stellar distances, and Natural Historians such as Charles Darwin were swiftly building theories of evolution that defied the Old Testament version of creation (Ford & Christ 897). God seemed to be dissolving before a panicked England's very eyes, replaced by the vision of a cold, mechanistic universe that cared little for our existence.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson was painfully aware of the implications of such a universe, and he struggled with his own doubts about the existence of God. We glimpse much of his struggles in the poem In Memorial A. H. H., written in memory of his deceased friend, Arthur Hallam. The poem seemed to be cathartic for Tennyson, for through its writing he not only found an outlet for his grief over Hallam's death, but also managed to regain the faith which seemed at times to have abandoned him. Tennyson regained and firmly reestablished his faith through the formation of the idea that God is reconciled with the mechanistic universe through a divine plan of evolution, with Hallam as the potential link to a greater race of humans yet to come.
In the first of many lyric units, Tennyson's faith in God and Jesus seems strong. He speaks of “Believing where we cannot prove” (l. 4), and is sure that God “wilt not leave us in the dust” (l. 9). The increasing threat posed to religion by science does not worry Tension here, as he believes that our increasing knowledge of the universe can be reconciled with faith, saying:
“Let knowledge grow from more to more,
But more of reverence in us dwell;
That mind and soul, according well,
May make one music as before” (1. 25-28).
He does anticipate doubt, though, as he asks in advance for God's forgiveness for the “Confusions of a wasted youth” (l. 42).
The critics who perceived this book's central theme to be teen-age angst miss the deep underlying theme of grief and bereavement. Ambrosio asks the question, "Is silence for a writer tantamount to suicide? Why does the wr...
Utilitarianism was initially a school of thought brought about by Jeremey Bentham throughout the late Eighteenth and early Nineteenth Centuries. John Stuart Mill would later go on to shape it closer to the form we know today. On the surface the Utilitarian way of thinking seems simple: every action must be done for the sake of the greater good. However, as one digs deeper into this notion it is clear that this cannot be achieved by relying solely on a common sense approach to life. In the following paragraphs we will explore the history of Utilitarianism and those who formed it, how it is meant to guide life, and how it is relevant to life in the Twenty-first Century.
Given the principles and explanation that John Stuart Mill gives in Utilitarianism, and given the assumptions and arguments of Harris’s “Survival Lottery,” Mill would not accept the implementation of the “Survival Lottery”. In this paper I will describe Mill’s utilitarian principles, provide a detailed summary of the “Survival Lottery”, and finally I will prove why Mill would not accept Harris’s lottery.
Mill, John Stuart. "Utilitarianism." Gendler, Tamar Szabo, Susanna Siegel and Steven M. Cahn. The Elements of Philosophy. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. 77-80.
The percentage of Americans who own or use cell phones is astounding. The Post Courier reports that about half of the American population now owns a cell phone.
The idea of graves serving memory is introduced in Part I of the collection within the poem
Holmes offers three criticisms of utilitarianism. How is one going to achieve it so that it does benefit the highest number of people? How do you decide how to distribute the benefits in the best possible way? I agree that it would be very hard to decide the best way to distribute the benefits equally. How would a person decide if you do it over time or all at once? Utilitarianism sounds like a good way to live, as there are times it is necessary to safe the individuals t...
Basketball was my favorite hobby when I was a child. My high school coach stressed the importance of teamwork and my favorite part of the sport was bonding with my teammates after my we made an amazing play. Winning games with everyone contributing was extremely gratifying, especially when it was our only win of the year. Teamwork is arguably the most important aspect in practicing medicine. Physicians must always get the input of other doctors for various treatments and diagnoses. They must always keep good contacts with doctors in varying fields for certain information or for help with laboratory testing. The nurses, the paramedics, the administrators, the volunteers, the patients, the families, the janitors, etc. must all act as one cohesive unit for a hospital to run smoothly. Every successful treatment of a patient is a win for the entire team, not just for the physician and the patient.
Additionally, in the book US FOREIGN POLICY, Michael Cox (2012) concluded that “China’s peaceful rise has largely consoled its neighbors and the United States that it remains a status quo power. However, as it has risen, there are some (perhaps an expanding number) who predict this will lead to increased regional and global competition” (p.266). Clearly, Michael Cox indicated the point that there might be more competitions in the future relation between China and the rest of the world no matter China rises peacefully or not. In particular, China and the United States will face many intense issues since they are the two giants in th...
Pojman, L. (2002). 6: Utilitarianism. Ethics: discovering right and wrong (pp. 104-113). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Seven years ago, when I decided to enter the school of medicine, my dream was to be able to help people, to take responsibility of their health so they can live their lives and achieve their dreams. Having always been fascinated by science, pursuing this interest and practicing medicine became a passion to me.
In this paper, I will define and explain Utilitarianism, then evaluate the proofs made to support it. In the nineteenth century, the philosophy of Utilitarianism was developed by John Stuart Mill. Utilitarianism is the theory that man should judge everything in life based upon its ability to promote the greatest individual happiness. While Jeremy Bentham is acknowledged as the father of Utilitarianism, it was Mill who defended its structure through reason. He continually reasoned that because human beings are capable of achieving conscious thought, they are not simply satisfied by physical pleasures; humans desire to pleasure their minds as well. Once a person has achieved this high intellectual level, they do not want to descend to the lower level of intellect where they began. Mill explains that “pleasure, and
Classical utilitarianism is a normative ethical theory which holds that an action can only be considered as morally right where its consequences bring about the greatest amount of good to the greatest number (where 'good' is equal to pleasure minus pain). Likewise, an action is morally wrong where it fails to maximise good. Since it was first articulated in the late 19th Century by the likes of Jeremy Bentham and later John Stewart Mill, the classical approach to utilitarianism has since become the basis for many other consequentialist theories such as rule-utilitarianism and act-utilitarianism upon which this essay will focus (Driver, 2009). Though birthed from the same utilitarian principle of maximising good, rule-utilitarianism and act-utilitarianism provide two very different accounts on how the maximising of good should be approached. This essay will compare these two approaches and try to ascertain whether rule-utilitarianism is indeed preferable to act-utilitarianism.
In today’s society many kids are walking around with cell phones. Seventy seven percent of kids ages twelve to seventeen have a cell phone. The main reasons why kids have cell phones are: safety, convenience, affordable, responsibility, and bonding through texting.
Medicine is a very complex and interesting felid, it 's constantly changing with the new advancements being made all the time. My interest in medicine came at a young age from going to various doctor’s appointments for myself and family members. I found it fascinating how doctors took care of people. I also enjoyed the interaction between the doctor and patient, whether it was a positive or negative interaction.I was very inspired by doctors and wanted to be like them. But I didn’t fully consider a career in medicine until I began high school.