Analysis of Western Civilizations: Ideas, Politics, 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.

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