The Virtue and Vice of Reason in More's Utopia
When reason permeates society, it does not necessarily imply greater happiness. When brought to the point of rationalization, or when there are errors in the analysis used in reasoning, reason tends to have adverse effects. On the other hand, when analysis is well thought out, and the correct conclusions are drawn, reason can have an overwhelmingly positive effect on a society. Many may think that Sir Thomas More's Utopia infers that reason must be the foundation, and even the preoccupation, of any perfect society. In fact, according to Dr. Evans, More's contemporaries had no doubt that More was attempting to depict a perfect society, one firmly based upon the precepts of reason. However, More injects several major flaws in the Utopian system, which subverts the possibility of that society being truly ideal. In his attempt to expose the inherent limitations of reason, More presents us with the Utopian society, which both benefits and loses from reason in their handling of material wealth, religious toleration, and respect for human life.
More uses the Utopians' total rejection of material wealth to present the possibility of reason overcoming petty greed. The Utopians' realization that material wealth has little value is, at least on face, one of the higher pinnacles of their civilization. As Raphael says, "Nor can they understand how a totally useless substance like gold should now, all over the world, be considered far more important than human beings . . ." (89). With this statement, Raphael is pointing out one of the great flaws of any capitalistic society, that human beings often pursue gold and riches at the expense of human dignity and morality. Some human beings, ...
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...posing ideas within it, Thomas More is not only exposing the limits of reason, but he is encouraging intellectual discourse and diversity of opinions. He is challenging individuals and society as a whole to not accept the so-called "perfect society," but to think about the consequences that would occur if a Utopian system were to be adopted. Yet he presents to us the notion that even reason has its limitations and is only as good as the person who analyzes the situation. There is no perfect society, no perfect individual, and certainly no Utopia, but that does not mean that we should not strive toward that end. When we use reason, a perfect state of society, or a perfect individual is by no means guaranteed, but at least it's a step in the right direction.
Works Cited:
More, Thomas. Utopia, ed. And trans. HVS Ogden. AHM Publishing Corporation, Illinois, 1949.
The impact James Lee Witt made within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) demonstrates how his effective leadership positively influenced the response and recovery efforts during national emergencies and natural disasters. These same leadership skills, characteristics, and values that Witt brought into his position as Director of FEMA can also be applied to many other public sector managers involved in emergency management. These leadership skills were critical during the crisis of the Northridge earthquake, but were also beneficial to increase the trust and credibility of FEMA’s existence along with increasing public value and perception.
Henslin, James M.. "The Sociological Perspective." Essentials of sociology: a down-to-earth approach. 8th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2008. . Print.
Just two days earlier at a banquet in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, many people had paid $25 a plate to show their admiration for Jackie as both a ballplayer and a representative of the Negro race as well. Some of the most distinguished figures in the nation were present this day and their praise was loud and long (Mann 187). Jackie had accepted without hesitation a challenge to break a prevailing color barrier in the national sport of America with complete knowledge of how much depended on him. Few men had ever faced such competitive odds when becoming a player in organized baseball. Despite criticism and opposition, Jack Roosevelt Robinson had truly come a long way from his poor beginnings as the grandson of slaves in Cairo, Georgia, to breaking the racial barriers in major league baseball by becoming its first black athlete and achieving hall of fame status.
To the average person, in the average American community, Jackie Robinson was just what the sports pages said he was, no more, no less. He was the first Negro to play baseball in the major leagues. Everybody knew that, but to see the real Jackie Robinson, you must de-emphasize him as a ball player and emphasize him as a civil rights leader. That part drops out, that which people forget. From his early army days, until well after his baseball days, Robinson had fought to achieve equality among whites and blacks. "Jackie acted out the philosophy of nonviolence of Martin Luther King Jr., before the future civil rights leader had thought of applying it to the problem of segregation in America"(Weidhorn 93). Robinson was an avid member of the NAACP and helped recruit members because of his fame from baseball. Jackie had leadership qualities and the courage to fight for his beliefs. Unwilling to accept the racism he had run into all his life, he had a strong need to be accepted at his true worth as a first-class citizen. Robinson was someone who would work for a cause - that of blacks and of America - as well as for himself and his team.
The time came on April 15, 1947 when the man who would change all this stepped up to bat marking the first time an African American played in the major leagues. Jackie Robinson was the man and the hero of baseball to the black people. With much hope Jackie Robinson and the African American race marked the beginning of the struggle for the ultimate goal which was equality. Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia. He was the son of a sharecropper and life wasn’t ea...
Griffin, Richard. "Jackie Robinson: A Portrait in Courage." Toronto Star (Toronto, Canada). 01 Jun. 1996: B5+. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 01 May. 2014
Jackie knew why he shouldn’t fight back. If he acted out, it would affect the chances of other black players hoping to join the majors. Jackie knew how to control himself, so before he left the building, he signed up with the ball club.
These are the words of Jackie Robinson, the first black man to play baseball in the Major Leagues. Jackie Robinson changed the face of baseball. Back then, in 1947, blacks and whites didn’t have the same opportunities. Blacks weren’t as respected as whites were. National and American teams, like the Major Leagues, were segregated because people thought that blacks weren’t as talented or smart as whites were. Jackie Robinson proved all those people wrong and made history by greatly impacting the sport of baseball with both his mental and physical ability.
Since the earliest days of human civilization music has been a key tool for communication of stories which carried emotions through them. If we think back to our youngest years of life music has surrounded us whether it was from our parents singing us lullabies or from some sort of toy that played music we can say that musical melodies have helped shape or lives one way or another. Once we start growing up and figuring out who we are our musical preferences change; some people like classical and some like punk. We start to befriend people who like the same music as us and eventually we may attend a musical event. Our lives somewhat revolve around the music that we listen to.
Moreover, after the investigation was conducted, the NTSB had issued safety recommendations for the FAA to consider. The FAA had considered some of NTSB safety recommendations, for example, improving the mechanical procedure of locking and stronger latches for oversized cargo doors. One can agree that survivals of Flight 811 would remember that day.
Morgan, J. The biology of horror: gothic literature and film. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 2002.
Muraski , R. & Roberts. A.R. 2009. Visions for Change: Crime and Justice in the Twenty-First Century, 5th ed. UpperSaddle River, NJ. Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Schmalleger, F. (2009), Prentice Hall, Publication. Criminal Justice Today: An introductory Text for the 21st century
Thomas More believed in private and corporate vocations. His beliefs are evident in his book Utopia. He said that everybody has a vocation and it is their responsibility to live up to what gifts they have been given by God. Private vocations exist with the individual person. Married, single, or religious life? Also, what kind of job one does is considered a vocation because you must use your God given gifts to perform your job correctly. Corporate vocations exist within the community and what kind of society exists.
Peak, K. J. (2006). Views. In K. J. Peak, Policing America: Methods/Issues/Challenges (p. 263). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.