Friday, December 27, 2019

Article Critique The Ghost Of Cornel West - 1097 Words

Article Critique: The Ghost of Cornel West by Michael Eric Dyson â€Å"Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned.† Within the article the tale of Cornel West`s ascension to fame and his descent into despair is rehashed all because he allowed his love for President Obama to turn sour. Giving a brief overview of the article it begins by discussing the distain that Cornel West harbors toward President Barack Obama, as the article continues on the initial tone that Dyson set is lost amongst the admiration and praise that Dyson holds for West. As the article persists Cornel west`s brilliance is highlighted by his personal works. However, toward the end of the article as Cornel West allows his contempt and hubris to cloud his judgement his vision of the future becomes shrouded in darkness. His work begins to stagnate and his descent into despair from fame drives him â€Å"mad†. West`s coup de grà ¢ce to his career was turning against his supporters in a fit of rage. The article The Ghost of Cornel West by Eric Dyson reads like a Greek tragedy written from a firsthand perspective. It is possible that the reason it reads like a Greek tragedy is because Dyson`s has a personal grudge against West. The Ghost of Cornel West holds some bias to it. Some of the bias is good and some of it is bad. In the beginning half of the article Dyson talks about how West nurtured his commitment to a life of the mind â€Å"West wrote a letter of recommendation on my behalf when I applied to graduate school†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Descartes Meditations On First Philosophy - 1712 Words

Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy (1641) contains six Meditations. In the first two of these Descartes addresses doubt and certainty. By the end of the second Meditation Descartes establishes the possibility of certainty by concluding that he is a â€Å"thinking thing† and that this is beyond doubt. Having established the possibility of certainty, Descartes attempts to prove the existence of God. The argument he presents in the Third Meditation for the existence of God has been nicknamed the ‘Trademark’ argument. This argument deals with types of ideas, of which there are three, a principle called the Causal Adequacy principle, and a sliding scale of reality. The argument concludes that the idea of a God that is a perfect being is an innate idea that is real and was caused by God and therefore God is real. This argument will be explained with the greater detail in the next paragraph. In the Fifth Meditation Descartes again addresses the existence of God with an argument for His existence. This argument is a variation of St. Anselm’s ontological argument. This argument is also framed around his theory of ideas, as well as his principle of ‘clear and distinct perception’ and is explained and discussed in paragraph three. The paragraphs following these will discuss how convincing these two arguments from Descartes are and will deal with various objections. Many of these objections are strong enough that it will be clear why Descartes’ case has failed to convince everyone.Show MoreRelatedDescartes Meditations On First Philosophy807 Words   |  4 PagesConner Ruhl Professor Copley Philosophy 1000C 4 May 2015 Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy Rene Descartes was the first great philosopher of the modern era, He had a new approach which was focused on scientific and mathematical truths. Descartes came to reject the scholastic tradition, one of which he was educated, due to his pursuit of mathematical and scientific truth. Much of Descartes work was done to secure advancement of human knowledge through the use of the natural sciencesRead MoreDescartes Meditations On First Philosophy1079 Words   |  5 PagesThroughout Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes argues for the ideas and philosophical beliefs behind skepticism. In his writings, he describes the fallibility and importance of the body of man and through extension the senses with which we observe the world. This paper will first show that within Descartes’ writings the body is an extension of the mind. Secondly, this paper will prove that the senses are a false form of understanding which leads to the deception of the mind. FinallyR ead MoreDescartes Meditations On First Philosophy1318 Words   |  6 PagesPhilosophical Questions November 2, 2017 Cogito Ergo Sum Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy and his questioning of our existence in reality is a question which philosophers have tackled throughout time. Cogito ergo sum or I think therefore I am, a phrase brought about by Descartes is the backbone of his whole philosophy of our existence in reality. As long as we are thinking things, we exist. When we look at this approach to our existence we must first deny that any sensory data that we receive is believableRead MoreDescartes Meditations Of First Philosophy857 Words   |  4 PagesChristopher Joao Philosophy- 201 Mr. Jurkiewicz 4 March 2016 Descartes’ - Meditation #2 Rene Descartes was a French philosopher born in 1596. He is considered by many the father of modern philosophy and continues to have tremendous influence in the philosophical world to this day. The book, Meditations of First Philosophy, consist of six meditations and describes one meditation per day for six days. In meditation two, he claims that we have better knowledge of our own minds than of the physicalRead MoreDescartes Meditations On First Philosophy1264 Words   |  6 PagesDescartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy is a first-person record of Descartes’ descent into the bowels of disbelief, in order to eradicate all flawed belief from his life. In his first meditation, Descartes explains his argument for universal doubt, which leads him to doubt every truth he has ever established. Even the veracity of his sense perception is doubtful, as he renders those perceptions useless by arguing that in dreams, sense perceptions create the wildest of fantasies that can not beRead MoreDescartes Meditations On First Philosophy1536 Words   |  7 Pagesdid I formerly think I was? A man, of course. But what is a man?† (Descartes 340). This question that Descartes addresses in Meditations on First Philosophy is important because it outlines his core philosophical view in his work. His philosophy primarily focuses on dualism, which is the concept that there is another world that exists with ideal forms and is separate from the world of perception. The part of dualism that Descartes focuses his work on is the distinction between the soul and the bodyRead MoreDescartes Meditations On First Philosophy1080 Words   |  5 PagesRene Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy, God is not mentioned until the third meditation. Descartes point of view on God simply claims his existence through the act of being. According to his claim, God must, essentially, exist as well as being an outcome of His own creation. Descartes was greatly interested in the idea that God’s being promoted an external force that controlled all beings that supported his presence. Descartes declarations, presented in his Meditations on First PhilosophyRead MoreDescartes Meditation On First Philosophy943 Words   |  4 Pages In the third meditation of Descartes Meditation on First Philosophy, Descartes argues that his idea of God must have come from God himself. One can also wonder whether that very own argument could also apply when Descartes has an idea of the Evil Demon. In this paper, I will argue that Descartes would not think that his having an idea of the Evil Demon proves that the Evil Demon exists. In his paper, Descartes was trying to find the source of his idea of God in order to prove that GodRead MoreDescartes Meditations On First Philosophy1961 Words   |  8 PagesIn Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy, I will be considering if Descartes resolution to the â€Å"dreaming argument† seems acceptable to trust. The First Meditation is where the â€Å"dreaming argument† is first mentioned and then gets resolved later in the Sixth Meditation and the Objections and Replies. I will be touching on the idea that our experiences could be dreaming experiences based on personal experiences and thoughts I have had regarding this topic. Then I will go on to explain how it isRead MoreDescartes Meditations On First Philosophy922 Words   |  4 PagesIn Rene Descartes’ excerpt, Meditations on First Philosophy, he proclaims, â€Å"It is beyond question that I shall reach the truth if I think hard enough about the things that I perfectly understand, ke eping them separate from all the other matters in which my thoughts are more confused and obscure† ( §104). When Descartes made this statement in his fourth meditation, what was he conjecturing by the term â€Å"perfect?† According to the standard interpretation, perfect encompasses all required or desirable

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

The Millers Tale free essay sample

Ribald sexual content, humor, cheating wives, â€Å"arse† kissing, â€Å"The Millers Tale† and â€Å"The Wife of Baths Tale† have it all. However this is only 2 out of the many tales in the Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer. This story is about a group of 29 people who are all going on a pilgrimage to Canterbury to see the tomb of St. Tomas Beckett. In the tavern they meet in, they decide to have a competition for who can tell the best tale, and the winner will receive a free dinner. In this novel, Chaucer is trying to show how various aspects of life such as love and marriage are portrayed in the different social classes of a satire. In â€Å"The Millers Tale† and the â€Å"Wife of Baths Tale†, Chaucer shows how in two different social classes, love and marriage are shown differently. Some of the loves are based on nobility, some are forced, and some are just mutual respect for the person. We will write a custom essay sample on The Millers Tale or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In â€Å"The Millers Tale† the way love is shown is not really even love. When Nicholas sees Allison, he realizes quickly how bad he wants to sleep with her. What he does not see in Allison is personality, and goes solely by looks. Allison at first does not accept his offer and will not sleep him. But she quickly caves in, betraying her husband John, showing that there is no true love in their relationship. In this tale, the female is treated as a â€Å"prize† to be fought over by 3 principal male characters. The only one who fully engages on the true concept of love is John. He is truly sad when he finds out that she may be in trouble from the flood and he goes through a great effort to save her. But, his efforts and devotions seem foolish because of her betrayal of him. In the end, it is decided that in â€Å"The Millers Tale† love is either shown as misunderstood or not love at all, but lust. In the â€Å"Wife of Baths Tale†, almost the whole story is all concerned with women. The male characters job in the story is to merely find out what women want. Throughout the tale, the Knights fate is decided by the Queen, therefore showing a more feminist view on love. The Wife of Bath explains in this tale how the Knight is overcome by his own power, and rapes the woman. She believes that the males cannot control themselves and need a female (like how the Queen decides the Knights fate) to help control them. Later in the tale, it shows how one should do the exact opposite of what Nicholas was doing in â€Å"The Millers Tale’. When the knight takes the old woman to try to find out what women want, he chooses not to go by looks, but by how she promises to be loyal and would be better than young and unfaithful. By telling her what she wanted to hear, she turns young and beautiful. In this tale, Chaucer is trying to show how in the higher social class in this satire, there would be better choices made when deciding your love than in the lower class. In the different social classes in the medieval times, there are different views and ways in which women were treated. One tale told by a member of the lower class shows a more vulgar view on love. The tale coming from the Wife of Bath shows a smarter and more successful way on how to get the one you love. This should always be remembered in the real world because one should always tell women what they want to hear, and not go solely on looks but by personality and attitude.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Man Sized Job Essays - Sharlot Hall, British Poetry, Literature

Man Sized Job Man-Sized Job was written by Sharlot Hall (1870-1943). It is a poem that defines a woman's work from a man's point of view. Poems like this were uncommon in the late 1800's ? early 1900's, especially if women wrote them. The two aspects of this poem that I would like to analyze are the vocabulary used and the male chauvinistic point-of-view. If it weren't for these two exaggerated aspects, the poem would not have as strong of a meaning. The vocabulary used in this poem is far form proper. It is an exaggeration used to make men sound less intelligent than they think they are. Sharlot Hall wants men to sound less intelligent in this poem because the poem is from a man's point of view on what a woman's work should be. It is obvious to anyone that reads this poem that Hall is completely disagrees with the typical male point of view on what women should and should not do. Another reason for the language that is used is to make the men sound uneducated. Hall is hinting to her audience that women are actually smarter than men. Although she is taking a playful shot at men, the way she goes about it makes this poem enjoyable for both sexes. The chauvinistic point-of-view in this poem is obvious. It is greatly exaggerated so that Hall can get her point across to her audience clearly. She also uses it to get the audience on her side of the issue. This is a powerful tool that can be used. When someone reads a poem and they take they authors point-of-view on a subject, the poem becomes that much more interesting. This adds to the entertainment value of the poem. After all, the purpose of a poem should be to entertain and catch the interest of an audience. Hall uses this technique to her advantage. Her use of the chauvinistic point-of-view is probably the key to this poem being great. The two aspects of this poem that I analyzed in this paper were essential to the success of this poem. Both the vocabulary used by Hall and the male chauvinistic point-of-view expressed were essential in getting her point across to her audience. Although both tools were exaggerated dramatically, it was necessary for the reason behind the poem. In my opinion, this poem was written for one reason. This reason is to simply make fun of men and their attitudes. Hall did an excellent job.