Utopia And Leviathan Essay Example for Free

Utopia And Leviathan Essay Thomas Mores Utopia and Thomas Hobbes Leviathan each offer alternatives to the worlds in which they lived.. Mores society, viewed through the character Hythloday, is seemingly based on mans nature in society being generally good, and the faults of man emanate from how society itself is set up. Hobbes takes the opposite view of human nature, where mans will to survive makes him unable to act out of goodness and it is man who is responsible for societys ills. Both Leviathan and Utopia contain faults in logic that work to undermine the very possibility for these new social structures. In the following I will show how each of their views for a new society give insight into what their beliefs of human nature are, while showing some similarities between them. I will point to some of the faults found with both of their arguments that suggest an implicit and at times contradictory view of mankind. Mores Utopia is a response to the world in which he lived. The main character, Hythloday, condemns the class system and the use of money in England. Hythloday sees that the ills of modern society; those of greed, power and pride, must be overcome if man is to live peacefully with one another. In the following excerpt we see evidence of how Hythloday describes human nature in these terms and how Utopia has been able to do away with these three vices. Now isnt this an unjust and ungrateful commonwealth? It lavishes the rich rewards on so-called gentry, loan sharks, and the rest of the crew, who dont work at all or are mean parasites, purveyors of empty pleasures.  ¦ I see in (this) nothing but a conspiracy of the rich, who are fattening up their own interests under the name and title of the commonwealth.  ¦ How far they remain from the happiness of the Utopian Republic, which has abolished not only money but with it greed!  ¦ Everyone knows that if money were abolished  ¦ a whole set of crimes which are avenged but not prevented by the hangman would at once die out. If money disappeared so would fear, anxiety, worry, toil and sleepless nights. Even poverty  ¦ would vanish if money were entirely done away with. (p.521-523) Hythloday goes on to say that pride causes man to be greedy and seek power. For Hythloday Pride  measures her advantages not by what she has but by what other people lack. (p.522) In a world with social classes where one man is said to be of higher status than another man is by nature going to exploit one another and always be striving for more power. More imagines a society in which greed, power and pride no longer exists. By taking away the class system and the use of money he felt that all the ills of mankind would disappear. This view of human nature is that some men, those in power, are essentially evil and selfish. If a society could be built where no man was greater than another then all could live together in harmony and truly be a part of a commonwealth where no men are poor, no men are beggars, and though no man owns anything, everyone is rich. (p. 520) Mores Utopia offers an alternative to the aristocratic society in which he lived. More would have us do away with social classes and have man work together towards the common goal of peace and survival. An excerpt from Book II where Utopus the founder of Utopia is building a channel gives credence to this idea. He (Utopus) put not only the natives to work at this task, but his own soldiers too, so that the vanquished would not think the labor a disgrace. With the work divided among so many hands, the project was finished quickly, and the neighboring peoples, who at first had laughed at his folly, were struck with wonder and terror at his success. This passage is proof that man can work together and achieve greatness by doing so. It appears here that More has a high estimation of mans abilities. Utopia is based on the idea that all men are equal. No man owns anything and there is no private business. All men work for the good of the state. This communist society looks very egalitarian at first, but the strict rules in which the Utopians must abide by give way to another type of power structure where men are not necessarily equal to each other. Close inspection of these rules give insight into how More may have really viewed human nature. In the following excerpts we find evidence that More may have found man untrustworthy and in need of social control, or at the very least spiritual control. The vast majority of Utopians  ¦ believe in a single power, unknown, eternal, infinite, inexplicable, far beyond the grasp of the human mind, and diffused throughout the universe, not physically but in influence. Him they call father, and to him alone they attribute the origin, increase, progress, change, and end of all visible things; they do not offer divine honors to any other.  ¦ (Utopus) left the whole matter (choosing a religion) open, allowing each person to choose what he would believe. The only exception was a positive and strict law against anyone who would sink so far below the dignity of human nature as to think that the soul perishes with the body, or that the universe is ruled by blind chance, not divine providence.  ¦ Therefore a man who holds such views is offered no honors, entrusted with no offices, and given no public responsibility, he is universally regarded as a low and sordid fellow (pp.516-518 This excerpt shows the ambivalence that More has about human nature. He sees man as essentially good but whenever an individual has ideas of their own they are regarded as inferior. This creates another type of class system where man can judge himself against others and creates the pride that More is seemingly trying to get away from. This is but one example of many where the strict rules of Utopia work against Mores main argument that man can work together in harmony. Mans goodness is accepted as fact only insofar as it works to serve the whole of the community. For those who do not abide by the strict laws, they are punished through slavery or banishment. More walks a thin line between viewing mans nature as essentially good and seeing man as selfish and in need of control. Utopias foundations of equality are contradicted by the strict laws they have as well as by the political system where heads of tribes are elected for life. This ambiguity of Mores view is furthered when More appears as a character in Utopia and alludes to his own opinion of Utopia.  ¦ my chief objection was to the basis of their whole system, that is , their communal living and their moneyless economy. This one thing alone utterly subverts all the nobility, magnificence, splendor, and majesty which  (in the popular view) are the true ornaments and glory if any commonwealth.  ¦ yet I freely confess that in the Utopian commonwealth there are many features that in our own societies I would wish rather than expect to see. (p.523) This excerpt shows that More is obviously protecting himself from any reproach by the Aristocracy. Also found in this however, is Mores inability to believe such a society could ever exists. He wishes but does not expect to see these features of Utopia coming to his society. I believe underlying this hesitation is Mores doubt that human nature is capable of working together in harmony. The fact that Utopia is presented in a fantasy-like land where men are the mothers to chicks and gold is used to make bedpans gives further evidence that More himself does not believe such a society could ever exist Hobbes offers a scientific argument for the nature of man. He believes his inquiry into what motivates man is proof for his vision of society. Hobbes concludes that man is at war with one another because everyone is fighting for survival. He tells us the only way for man to work together is out of fear. To supply this fear mankind needs an almighty ruler who can control mans impulses to hurt one another. In the following we see how Hobbes comes to his conclusions about mans seemingly inherent evil. Nature hath made men so equal in faculties of body and mind as that, though there be found one man sometimes manifestly stronger in body or of quicker mind than another, yet when all is reckoned together, the difference between man and man is not so considerable as that one man can thereupon claim to himself any benefit, to which another may not pretend as well as he ¦. For such is the nature of men, that howsoever they may acknowledge many others to be more witty, or more eloquent, or more learned. Yet they will hardly believe there be many so wise as themselves; for they see their own wit at hand, and other mens at a distance. From this equality of ability ariseth equality of hope in attaining of our ends. And therefore if any two men desire the same thing, which nevertheless they cant both enjoy, they become enemies, and in the way to their end (which is principally their own conservation, and sometimes, their delectation only) endeavor to destroy or subdue one another. (p. 1590) This passage takes us through Hobbes thinking about mankind. He tells us that all men are essentially equal but  each individual believes himself to be of greater importance than one another. An individuals need for self preservation makes him fight with others for survival and in some cases personal pleasure. Mankinds nature and need to survive cause him to thirst for power. Hobbes hope was for mankind to live together in peace at any cost. Hobbes furthers his argument for a new society in the following excerpt. In such condition (constant war) there is no place for industry, for the fruit thereof is uncertain, and cosequently no culture of the earth; no navigation. Not ise of the commodities that may be imported by sea; no commodious building; no instruments of moving, and removing, such things that require much force; no knowledge of the face of the earth; no account of time; no arts; no letters; no society; and, which is worst of all, continual fear. And danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.(Pp. 1589-1590) This viewpoint for man offers little hope the communal living we have seen in Mores Utopia. Hobbes use of political science allows little room for the imagination and conjecture used by More. Hobbes argument is founded on generalizations of mankinds behavior, no doubt arrived at due to the time (civil war) in which he lived. Hobbes view of mankind is greater in pessimism than More in that he offers one definition for human nature, and for his argument to hold true this definition (that man is essentially selfish and willing to do anything to survive) is absolute, there is no room for the ambivalence and ambiguity found in Mores view. The solution for Hobbes is that mankind need to live in awe or fear of someone greater than himself. Without something to restrain man he would go on murdering and be forever in search of more power. In order to protect and defend life, man must come together under an almighty ruler who mankind gives sovereignty to. The similarity between Utopia and Leviathan are found in this giving up of individual power for the good of the many. For More, man would give up pride, greed and power by living for the good of the whole. Hobbes takes a more animalistic view of man where the only way to work together requires living in fear of punishment by a greater power. Both seek a commonwealth and both have a higher power to which man must answer. Mores higher power is the strict system of rules the Utopians live by, and a given that most men believe in a divinity who lends further control to their actions. Hobbes does not believe that man is capable of abiding by a spiritual power and needs an actual person to control the power of mankind. Each of their accounts are limited by their approach to their arguments. Mores need to please the aristocracy weakens his idea that man can work together. Hobbes use of a scientific argument uses generalizations of mans nature as proofs for his foundation, these generalizations being too pessimistic to be taken at his word. In the end both Hobbes and More offer little in the way of hope for mankind as individuals. Human nature seems to be inherently evil and in need of something or someone to control it. Both agree that man must give up what makes each of us different in order to live in harmony. Reference Abrams, M.H. (Ed.). (2000). The Norton Anthology of English Literature, The sixteenth and Early Seventeenth Century. (7th ed.). New York: W.W.Norton Company Hobbes, Thomas (1651). Leviathan. London: Penguin Books

Exploration of Capitalitsm In Norma Rae Essay -- Capitalism Economics

Exploration of Capitalitsm In Norma Rae While many of us tend to view capitalism as the ultimate goal when talking of profit capability and worker freedoms, we are shown a much different reality in the film "Norma Rae" in which the economic system comes under direct and harsh scrutiny. While the economic system on display in "Norma Rae" is a vast improvement from the impoverished feudal economic system shown in Matewan, there are still several improvements that can clearly be made to the O.P. Henry Textile Mill's definition of capitalism in this 1978 film based on actual events. The textile workers at the O.P. Henry Mill are used to struggle and adversity as both characterized thier employment in the factory and the hardships they had to face in their everyday lives. Many of the factory employees had been working in the mill for their entire lives, enduring the worker cruelty that the company dealt out with alarming regularity. However, many of the workers in the factory had little or no choice in seeking other employment, as the Textile Mill was the largest employer in the area, especially for unskilled laborers. While the employees were not forced to work in the factory, they stayed so as not to risk unemployment. This fear of unemployment was the mechanism that allowed the Textile Mill to push its workers to the limit. In this particular capitalist system on display in Norma Rae, the workers were the ones who had everything to lose. The workers had their livelihoods tied up in their jobs and would have to face the consequences if the company suffered economic difficulty, relocated, or had to downsize and make worker cutbacks. In this way, the workers' bargaining power with the company was weakened... ...a vote of 427 to 373. The negative capitailism that existed in the story of Norma Rae was modified to a much more worker-friendly type of capitalism in which worker concerns could be voiced and even answered without the fear of job termination while the company was still satisfied because it ws turning a profit. In this way, unions help to neutralize the potential for capital job markets to become dominated by an elite few and ingore the rights of laborers. Union helps secure the worker liberty of being able to compete for a position in a labor market rather than being forced to work in a poor working environment outof simple necessity. Unions provide workers with a valuable bargaining tool so that their rights will be protected in an ever changing and expanding profit-driven system, hopefully bringing the realization of capitalism closer to its intended state.

Business primary motive Essay

1a)Every business’ primary motive is to make profit. Here, the question is whether a company or a business should give up its economic advantage at the time of the crisis? Does anything change at the time of the crisis for a business? According to me, yes. Though every business aims to make profits, they have a social responsibility of helping the society, reaching out to it’s community people and to give back to society at times of crisis. Coming to the case of Bayer, Canada and the US were facing shortage of the ‘Cipra’ drug and Bayer should have let their profits go and helped the governments by providing the drug. Companies should follow humanist theories during times of national crisis. But we also see that Bayer was able to fulfill the orders and need for the drugs at all times. Though, Bayer have a social responsibility, it was uncalled for Canada and US to suspend the Patent rights. What ethical norm is central to the court’s decision in this case? 2. What fact seems especially powerful in shaping the court’s reasoning? 3. What reasons does the court provide for upholding the respondent’s disbarment? 4. Outline the reasons why Egil Krogh, Jr., believed he should not be disbarred by the disciplinary board of the State of California. 1b)Though the governments always have the power to take decisions such as these – impacting the patent law, there are regulations which they have to follow. Government should take these extreme measures if and only if it results in a major loss or causes health hazards to its citizens. Government should take such measures as a last resort, because they set the tone. If the government and the lawmakers themselves stop following the rules, then it is foolish to expect the civil society to maintain law and order in the society as the saying goes † As the ruler, so the ruled†. In this case, if the government had impacted the patent rights in some way, Bayer had a solid ground to take legal action against the infringement. They had enough sales in the previous year, they had fulfilled the orders and  requirements of the drugs in an efficient manner. â€Å"35 U.S. Code  § 296  ­ Liability of States, instrumentalities of States, and State officials for infringement of patents a) In General.— Any State, any instrumentality of a State, and any officer or employee of a State or instrumentality of a State acting in his official capacity, shall not be immune, under the eleventh amendment of the Constitution of the United States or under any other doctrine of sovereign immunity, from suit in Federal court by any person, including any governmental or nongovernmental entity, for infringement of a patent under section 271, or for any other violation under this title. (b) Remedies.— In a suit described in subsection (a) for a violation described in that subsection, remedies (including remedies both at law and in equity) are available for the violation to the same extent as such remedies are available for such a violation in a suit against any private entity. Such remedies include damages, interest, costs, and treble damag es under section 284, attorney fees under section 285, and the additional remedy for infringement of design patents under section 289.†

The Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin - 970 Words

â€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin involves a woman, Louise Mallard, with heart disease discovering news of her husband s death in a train accident. At the end of the story, as Mrs. Mallard is walking down the steps with Josephine and Mr. Mallard walks through the door. Mrs. Mallard died as a result of stress on her heart. The narrator reports, â€Å"When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease-- of joy that kills† (181). Chopin makes this quote the last line of the play; this leaves readers with the question of what actually killed Mrs. Mallard.The doctors think that Mrs. Mallard died because of the joy of seeing her husband again. However, Mrs. Mallard dies because of the shock of seeing her husband and sadness from realizing that the joy she felt was over. So in reality, Mrs. Mallard died of heart disease—of sorrow that kills. Some reasons Mrs. Mallard felt so much sorrow when she saw Mr. Mallard are the time period, her loveless marr iage, and her being robbed of the joy she felt. â€Å"The Story of an Hour† was published in 1894 during this time women started to fight more for their rights. Women didn’t have near the same rights as men because of the patriarchal society of the time. This patriarchy has a major effect on the story because women were seen as the property of men. Mr. Mallard’s death gave Mrs. Mallard an opportunity at being independent and free. When Mrs. Mallard receives the information that her husband is dead, she goes to her room toShow MoreRelatedThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin1241 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin is a wonderful short story bursting with many peculiar twists and turns. Written in 1894, the author tells a tale of a woman who learns of her husband’s death, but comes to find pleasure in it. Many of the elements Kate Chopin writes about in this story symbolize something more than just the surface meaning. Through this short story, told in less than one thous and one hundred words, Kate Chopin illustrates a deeper meaning of Mrs. Mallard’s marriage with herRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin855 Words   |  4 PagesThe Story of an Hour In the â€Å"Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin, is about pleasure of freedom and the oppression of marriage. Just like in Kate Chopin’s story, inside most marriages, even the ones that seem to be the happiest, one can be oppressed. Even though, one might seem to be happy deep inside they miss the pleasure of freedom and living life to the fullest. Just like, in this story Mrs. Mallard feels trapped and when she hears about her husband’s death she first feels distraught, but ultimatelyRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin1457 Words   |  6 PagesEmotions and Death Everyone who reads a story will interpret things slightly different than the person who reads it before or after him or her. This idea plays out with most every story, book, song, and movie. These interpretations create conflict and allow people to discuss different ideas and opinions. Without this conflict of thought there is no one devoting time to debate the true meaning of a text. Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour† tells about a woman who is informed of her husbands deathRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin987 Words   |  4 PagesIn Kate Chopin’s short story, â€Å"The Story of an Hour† reader’s see a potentially long story put into a few pages filled with rising action, climax and even death. 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People can read thousands of stories in their life times and only a handful will every stand out to them, stories that can draw out an emotion or spark a thought are the ones that will standout more. For me and â€Å"a story of an hour† the thought of freedom is what draws me the most as a teenageRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kat e Chopin1542 Words   |  7 PagesIn the short story, â€Å"Story of an Hour†, Kate Chopin writes about a woman with heart trouble, Mrs. Mallard, who, in finding out about the death of her husband, Mr. Mallard, experiences some initial feelings of sadness which quickly transition into the exhilarating discovery of the idea of a newfound freedom lying in front of her. When it is later revealed that her husband is not actually dead, she realizes she will not get to taste that freedom. The devastation kills her. 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Kate Chopin wrote stories with exceptional openness about sexual desires. In â€Å"The Storm†, a short story written by Kate Chopin in a time when women were expected to act a certain way and sexual cravings was considered