War and Peace and Tolstoy's View of History Count Lev Tolstoy wrote abundantly on the philosophical issues that he felt were universally important. One of the most prolific examples of this is his view of history. This is set out most clearly and most famously in his largest work, War and Peace. As Tolstoy claimed himself in a public statement on the work, 'War and Peace is what the author wanted and was able to express in that form in which it was expressed.' Not only do the themes and
Futility of Life in The Death of Ivan Ilyich Count Leo Tolstoy is considered Russia’s greatest novelist and one of its most influential moral philosophers. As such, he is also one of the most complex individuals for historians of literature to deal with. His early work sought to replace romanticized glory with realistic views. A good example of this is the way he often portrayed battle as an unglamorous act performed by ordinary men. After his marriage, though, Tolstoy started to reexamine his
and more secular as religion was no longer necessary in explaining the fundamentals of the universe. A wave of nihilism would inevitably sweep through society, as science would replace religion, but bring no values to replace those of religion. Christian morality and nihilism both caused the masses to give up on life, but Nietzsche believed that the affirmation of life was the highest state a human could attain. He came up with his concept of the Ubermensch, a superhuman who would be able to love
such modernist, Mikhail Bakunin exemplified the political aspect of modernism through his revolutionary belief of anarchism and his radical actions in order to promote his beliefs. Defined, anarchism means that there would be no government, just self-ruling entities. Bakunin’s anarchism essentially followed those criteria, with him personalizing it to match his ideals. His anarchism would include ideas for
Introduction As the political consultant for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community (LGBT), my duties are to push for the basic rights of the individuals who do, or cannot (in fear), identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. As the nation stands right now, being attracted to someone of the opposite sex is considered unnatural, unethical, and a choice to exist against God. However, the foundation that this nation was built upon was created centuries ago, and to
Humans crave improvement, humans crave progress, and humans crave identity. For many, these cravings are satisfied within the ideas and actions behind social movements. According to Dictionary.com, the definition of a social movement is, “a group of people with common ideology who try together to achieve certain general goals” (n.d.). Frequently, these social movements center around a singular issue. In his essay titled “In Distrust of Movements,” Wendell Berry (2000) refers to single-issue movements
McKenzie Duncan Mr. Renouard History 27 April 2014 The Catcher In The Rye J.D Salinger’s, The Catcher in the Rye is perhaps the most intriguing book in American Literature. The Catcher in the Rye’s theme of teenage rebellion has made it a focus in classrooms around the world. The author leaves much of the book for the readers own interpretation. Many people, especially teenage boys have related to the main character's thoughts and feelings, allowing this book to touch and influence those who have
Ayn Rand authored Anthem about 20 years following the occurrences of the Russian Revolution in 1917. In addition, the misdoings and ills of the Soviet regime under the leadership of Josef Stalin contributed in influencing Rand’s insight of the significance of collectivism. The USSR shared a common belief that Communism, which can be explained as an extreme side of socialism, would assist the citizens by collectivizing numerous aspects of their existence. The collectivist principles made an assumption
This misconception leads people to believe that anarchism is unobtainable and that its impossible to have a working society without a government (Stringham). There are multiple types of anarchist, but a key value amongst them all is that inequalities within society, especially when dealing with wealth and
Individualism and collectivism are conflicting beliefs with the nature of humans, society, and the relationships between them, however, these ideologies are not diametrically opposing since both are essential towards balancing beliefs from becoming extremes. The first source represents the idea of collectivism and suggests that the society must focus on moving their viewpoint from ‘me’ into ‘we’ in the interest of survival and progression. This perspective presents the idea that the individual’s
Social movements are a type of group’s action consisting large amounts of people, they focus on political and social issues to undo certain social change. This usually happened in industrialized/ urbanized areas. For the emerging of social movements there must be a large number of people experiencing relative deprivation; they must have a high level of interactions and communication, the more socially alike they are, likely to form a movement. There are several types of social movements; reform/radical/peaceful/violent/old
Public Opinion Alexis de Tocqueville, a French observer of American politics, believed that the United States could establish democracy because it had well defined characteristics that could not be found in other countries. Those characteristics, such as minimal taxes and fertile soil, made a country with suitable and scholarly qualities also called political culture. The United States is characterized by the a wide range of opinions that adjust one another out in order to produce a system where
Individual Freedom vs. Majority Rule Freedom is one of the most central and certainly most emotive issues in political philosophy. It has been discussed since the times of ancient Greece, and is still as controversial and divisive a topic as ever. This question deals with two separate questions concerning freedom: Firstly, why we consider freedom necessary, and secondly, what exactly is meant by freedom. Clearly, the answer to the second part will greatly affect the answer to the first, but it
Throughout history, man has been trying to explain man’s origin, purpose, and identity. By trying to figure out these difficult questions, many have come to the realization that either man is either theistic and believes there is a God and a supernatural presence or that man is atheistic believing that there is not God and rejects the supernatural. Because of this man can choose either of those world views. If they in fact choose the atheistic worldview they in turn will turn to another belief or
Texas is a unique place with a colorful history of legendary cowboys and tall tales. The state stretches over the middle section of the southern United States. Texas has experienced shifts in governmental control within the United States. French, Spanish, Mexican, and Confederacy, and all having once been in charge, not to mention the time Texas spent as an independent republic. Texas has had many battles and wars within its borders, resulting in seven different constitutions within a span
“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” written by Joyce Carol Oates is an unsettling and incredibly formidable story of a young woman’s loss of innocence during a time of social change and turbulent times. The story’s protagonist is Connie, a self-absorbed, yet beautiful fifteen year old girl, who not only is at odds with her family but also the conservative values handed down by her family. She, unknowing to her parents, spends her evenings exploring her independence and individuality as well
The 1960’s was a decade filled with controversies and the fight for equality. The Student Protest Movement was the fuel to the fire that feed many protests on several important matters. At the beginning the students stood for a positive change in America. It is certain that such beliefs gave theses activist the title of dreamers. They would start small but eventually make their way up against the government, also known as “the man”. The beginning of the movement held different beliefs from what eventually
V for Vendetta is a rather graphic novel written by Alan Moore in the late 1980's. The novel takes place in an alternate-reality; one in which Britain is ruled by a fascist government rules over Britain, and the rest of the world is believed to be in ruins due to nuclear war. The main protagonist/villain, depending on your viewpoint, of the story is a man simply called "V", He is a mysterious man and a self-described anarchist who survived a government experiment of a compound called Batch 5. Although
Paul Routledge is a key example of an anarchist geographer and demonstrates this through his work. The participatory methods he uses play a big park in creating the type of knowledge he produces. Anarchy geography attempts to remove inequalities but doing this through co-operation and participation. As a result, Routledge heavily involves the communities he researches in his research process. However, power relations between the researcher and the group being researched, will affect the type of research
things in certain ways and plan things in certain ways. If plans get interrupted or moved around, people usually get frustrated. Everyone is used to order. People wouldn’t be able to function properly if there wasn’t some kind of system set in place. Anarchism is seen as form of society that has no government or system set into place. Anarchy is the belief that all forms of government are corrupt and unnecessary. It is the belief that government should not exist. Not all anarchist believe in a world of