Nietzsche and “The Problem of Socrates” Free Essays

Without a doubt, Nietzsche was one of the great thinkers of his time.   He showed great insight into some of the social ills that existed at his time and sought to find ways in which to correct them.   Like Marx, Nietzsche believed that, to some extent, the root of many social ills came from the division between the classes and with the decadence of those with wealth. We will write a custom essay sample on Nietzsche and â€Å"The Problem of Socrates† or any similar topic only for you Order Now    In the case of the â€Å"problem† of Socrates, Nietzsche moves somewhat beyond the typical Marxist argument and questioned the wisdom of Socrates in other ways.   Although Nietzsche drew extensively from ancient texts to support his arguments about Socrates, the conclusions to which he came were completely modern in their nature. For his first argument, Nietzsche states that all sages have concluded that life is devoid of positive meaning (Nietzsche par. 1).   To support this argument, he cites Socrates’ conclusion that life equals sickness.   Socrates, Nietzsche argues, was not just tired of life himself; rather, his decadence was the symptom of a decline in society himself.   Not only was Socrates a â€Å"great erotic† (Nietzsche par. 8), but he was also an indication of how society itself was decadent. Nietzsche goes on to argue that Socrates was not a wise man at all.   Although it is usual to admire Socrates for his deeply analytical mind, Nietzsche argues that it is the philosopher’s overindulgence in this particular virtue that makes him decadent to begin with.   In fact, Nietzsche argues that Socrates was truly the opposite of everything that he was purported to be, and might not even be Greek at all.   To support these arguments, Nietzsche relies not only the texts that come from the time at which Socrates lived, but also on the writings of scientists, the â€Å"anthropological criminologists,† who argue that criminals are typically ugly people. In the eyes of Nietzsche, it appears that Socrates is not what he appears at first blush at all.   It is well known that Socrates came from the plebian class, but Nietzsche also argues against his ugliness, which appears in both writings on and sculptures of Socrates.   If Socrates was ugly and conventional wisdom at the time during which Nietzsche lived was that criminals are ugly, is it not possible to argue that Socrates was not a great man, but, rather, a criminal? And, because criminals are typically decadent, it is not possible to support, at least by arguments of the times, the statement that Socrates was decadent as well?   If these things are true, then Nietzsche can feel justified in arguing that Socrates was not a great man and that all of the philosophers that followed him through the leadership of Plato were also symptomatic of all that was wrong with Socrates and with his form of reasoning. Where Socrates fails, in the mind of Nietzsche, is in his overwhelming need for and reliance upon reasoning.   Prior to Socrates, Nietzsche points out, argumentation in polite society did not exist in polite society.   In fact, Nietzsche argues, the argumentation that Socrates relied upon was the vanquishing of â€Å"a noble taste† in which people did not live solely by reason, but through personal responsibility and personal morality, through instincts, rather than reason. It is through the writings that come down to this age, in which Socrates is depicted as an ugly man that is ruled solely by reason, that Nietzsche is able to draw his very modern conclusion: man without instincts is a diseased creature who has no desire to live.   Using this argument, Socrates did not bravely face his execution; instead, he wanted to die because he was not true to his instinctive human nature and, thus, had become infected with the decadence brought about by his over-reliance on logic, reason, and morality imposed from an exterior source. All of Nietzsche’s reasoning, of course, is based on his own desires to support his own arguments.   It is not difficult to trace a decline in Greek society over the centuries, but whether this decline is directly correlated with the reason imposed by Socrates and later by Plato it is impossible to say.   Rather, it appears that Nietzsche is making the argument to support his belief that human beings are instinctive creatures that are best when they are overflowing the restrictions imposed by society. Socrates’ form of reasoning, Nietzsche argued, was a last resort of a failing society.   This Socratic reasoning did not so much remove decadence from society as it did simply change that decadence into another form. The removal of instinct from society’s grasp and, in fact, the actual opposition that society had to the instinctive nature of humanity, was the cause of the disease that Socrates personified–at least in Nietzsche’s opinion. At the time that the ancients were writing in praise of Socrates, it was to their benefit to do so.   A new form of society was coming into being and Socrates was the forerunner of the kind of citizen that would populate it.   If Socrates was denigrated in writings during the time at which he lived, it was not because he was decadent or ugly, but because he challenged the society in which he lived. Nietzsche, however, chose to interpret the writings that he studied as proof that Greek society was in decline due to the rise of reason over instinct, which would thus support his argument that the ills and decadence of modern society sprang from the morals and reason that were being imposed upon the world.   In a very real sense, it can be argued that Nietzsche skewed the historical writings he studied to support his modern philosophical statements. Nietzsche argues that as long as reason and external morality is imposed upon society, the people who live within it are diseased and devoid of reasons to live.   He indicates that all of the sages throughout the ages have come to this conclusion, including Socrates, who came to such a conclusion about his own right.   Nietzsche came to very different conclusions than those that were reached by the people upon whose texts he based his reasoning because of his imposing modern values upon the writings of these ancient texts.   By using his own reasoning and the reasoning suggested by then-modern scientists, Nietzsche supported his own agenda that argued against reason and for instinctive humanity. Work Cited Nietzsche, F.   â€Å"The Problem of Socrates.†Ã‚   18 Dec 2007. http://forum.erraticwisdom.com/viewtopic.php?pid=2943. How to cite Nietzsche and â€Å"The Problem of Socrates†, Essay examples

The Russian Revolution

The Russian revolution refers to a series of events that took place in Russia in the 1917. The Russian revolution has remained one of the most notable events of recent history.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Russian Revolution specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This revolution was important because it led to the successful struggle over democracy. Tandem to this, it also promoted the independence of the non-Russian people. This paper highlights the causes of the Russian revolution. This paper will also highlight the events that took place during the revolution. The Background and Cause of the Russian Revolution Different studies have shown that the Russian revolution was, initially, a political movement that brought down the monarchy of Tsar Nicholas II and made the establishment of a new government system a key problem of the revolution. Nicholas II came into power in 1894, when there were rapid changes in Ru ssia. Russia was going through hard times; therefore, it needed enthusiastic and ingenious administration to push it through the hard times. However, Nicholas and his government were unable to provide that. Nicholas lacked the ability to implement radical policies. His government, therefore, was ineffective, as it could not carter for the needs of the Russian citizens. As a result, there was a mass protest in Russia that led to the formation of different movements, which later on overthrew Nicholas II government. Events That Took Place During the February and October Revolution The February Revolution In February 1917, the Tsarist autocracy collapsed in the face of popular revolution and the withdrawal of elite support for the regime. Revolutionary historians agree that the events of this revolution took place in the environment of intense military setbacks during World War I. It was during this revolution when the members of Duma assumed control of Russia and formed the Provisional Government.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Revolutionary historians reveal that, in the February revolution, the dual relationship of the Provision Government and the Petrograd soviet emerged spontaneously, and the government accepted it largely because it had no choice. The provisional Government represented the elite revolution while the newly revived Petrograd soviet represented the popular revolution. The dual relationship was formed because there were many strikes, rebellions and protest, particularly among workers, who were demanding for better pays and good working condition. Therefore, while the provisional Government was concentrating on the war with other countries, such as Germany, the Bolshevik party and other soviets were intensively campaigning against the conflict in the country. October Revolution Lenin overthrew the Russian Provisional Government during the October re volution. Lenin had observed that the Provisional Government was ineffective and was not addressing the needs of the majority. Therefore, on 25 October, he led many revolutionaries against this Government. This happened after the move by Lenin to reverse the stance taken under Kamenev and Stalin’s direction became successful. Stalin and Kamenev had taken over Pravda editorial board and adopted a conciliatory position towards the Provisional Government. However, Lenin, in his famous â€Å"April theses† rejected this move. He claimed that Kamenev and Stalin’s strategies were not effective. As was indicated in his April Theses, Lenin repudiated the Provisional Government and called for workers and peasants’ state, based on the soviets.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Russian Revolution specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This revolution, therefore, overturned the Provisional Government and established the Soviet Union. Conclusion While the February revolution overturned Tsar Nicholas II and established a Provisional Government. The October revolution led to the establishment of the Soviet Union. Therefore, the two revolutions created a massive transformation in Russia. This essay on The Russian Revolution was written and submitted by user Vivienne Hull to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Poverty

The existence of poverty ensures that society’s â€Å"dirty work† will be done. Every society has such work: physically dirty or dangerous, temporary, dead-end and underpaid, undignified, and menial jobs. Society can fill these jobs by paying higher wages than for â€Å"clean† work, or it can force people who have no other choice to do the dirty work and at blow wages. In America, poverty functions to provide a low-wage labor pool that is willing or, rather, unable to be unwilling to perform dirty work at low cost. Indeed, this function of the poor is so important that in some Southern states, welfare payments have been cut off during the summer months when the poor are needed to work in the field. Moreover, much of the debate about the Negative Income Tax and family Assistance Plan has concerned their impact on the work incentive, by which is actually meant the incentive of the poor to do the needed dirty work if the wages there from are no larger than the income grant. Many economic activities that involve dirty work depend on the poor for their existence: restaurants, hospitals, parts of the garment industry, and â€Å"truck farming† among others, could not persist in their present form without the poor. In history during the great depression one key reason for the great crash of 1929 was that, the Harding-Coolidge-Hoover administrations followed laissez faire policies. They refused to â€Å"tamper† with income taxes, interest rates, or use economic regulation powers. This example supports the first functions of poverty. Because the poor are required to work at low wages, they subsidize a variety of economic activities that benefit the affluent. For example, domestics subsidize the upper-middle and upper classes, making life easier for their employers and freeing affluent women for a variety of professional, cultural, civic, and partying activities. Similarly, because the poor pay a higher proportion of their income in property and... Free Essays on Poverty Free Essays on Poverty â€Å"The war on poverty is not a struggle simply to support people, to make them dependent on the generosity of others,† was said in President Johnson’s State of the Union address on Jan. 8, 1964 (Johnson). Lyndon B. Johnson wanted to continue the unfinished work of President John F. Kennedy’s proposals on civil rights and taxes before his assassination on November 22, 1963 (Rulon). The War on Poverty was to break the cycle of poverty that affected nearly 35 million Americans (Greenbaum). After the Vietnam War, the government had over spent for the war and was unable to compensate the soldiers. There were many programs developed to help the Americans who suffered from this war on poverty and to bring the employment rate back up. Welfare was a program developed in Chicago to help support the poor families, and funds were given to help improve Chicago schools. War on Poverty was a success on some counts; a lot had changed from the beginning. From the recent increases of America economy and social lives, one can tell that America had changed since the Vietnam War, riots, and racial issues. President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty influenced many American lives. America had turned over since the Vietnam War, riots, and racial issues. President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty influenced many American lives. What was the War on Poverty? A cycle of poverty that affected nearly 35 million Americans after the Vietnam War (Greenbaum). A name given by President Johnson which meant America had to strive for a rebuilding in the economy and social lives after the war. Johnson was next in line for presidency after John F. Kennedy was fatally shot. He pushed through Congress many laws designed to help the poor and to add to the economic security of other Americans. Many social programs was established from this depression stage. Programs included the Job Crops, furnished job training fo... Free Essays on Poverty The existence of poverty ensures that society’s â€Å"dirty work† will be done. Every society has such work: physically dirty or dangerous, temporary, dead-end and underpaid, undignified, and menial jobs. Society can fill these jobs by paying higher wages than for â€Å"clean† work, or it can force people who have no other choice to do the dirty work and at blow wages. In America, poverty functions to provide a low-wage labor pool that is willing or, rather, unable to be unwilling to perform dirty work at low cost. Indeed, this function of the poor is so important that in some Southern states, welfare payments have been cut off during the summer months when the poor are needed to work in the field. Moreover, much of the debate about the Negative Income Tax and family Assistance Plan has concerned their impact on the work incentive, by which is actually meant the incentive of the poor to do the needed dirty work if the wages there from are no larger than the income grant. Many economic activities that involve dirty work depend on the poor for their existence: restaurants, hospitals, parts of the garment industry, and â€Å"truck farming† among others, could not persist in their present form without the poor. In history during the great depression one key reason for the great crash of 1929 was that, the Harding-Coolidge-Hoover administrations followed laissez faire policies. They refused to â€Å"tamper† with income taxes, interest rates, or use economic regulation powers. This example supports the first functions of poverty. Because the poor are required to work at low wages, they subsidize a variety of economic activities that benefit the affluent. For example, domestics subsidize the upper-middle and upper classes, making life easier for their employers and freeing affluent women for a variety of professional, cultural, civic, and partying activities. Similarly, because the poor pay a higher proportion of their income in property and...

How to Write a Memoir Breathe Life into Your Story in 8 Steps

How to Write a Memoir Breathe Life into Your Story in 8 Steps How to Write a Memoir: Breathe Life into Your Story in 8 Steps Learning how to write a memoir is like studying to be an archeologist. Not only do you have to dig deep and sift through the sands for fragments on the past, you then have to piece it all together and discover what the story is. To help you tell a compelling story based on your own life, we turned to bestselling ghostwriters on Reedsy to create our practical guide on how to write a memoir.  First, let's answer some of the big questions...What do traditional publishers look for in a memoir?In short, memoir publishers are looking for books with commercial appeal. If they don't think there's a strong market for your book, an editor will not likely take a change on you - regardless of your manuscript's quality. If a traditional book deal is something you have your heart set on, ask yourself the question: who does my book appeal to? Isolating a target readership will go a long way to convincing an agent or editor of your memoir's potential.Does your memoir belong to a specific category ?Before you start writing or even outlining your memoir, it’s important to figure out where your book fits within the existing market. Acclaimed ghostwriter Katy Weitz suggests researching titles from a number of popular categories to get an idea of the sheer variety of memoirs that have succeeded. Popular categories or genres includeNostalgia. Many people want books to transport them to another time and place and show them what life was like. Others enjoy recognizing their own experiences reflected back at them. Books that meet this requirement are often called nostalgia memoirs.Misery and Inspirational. Books that depict a difficult time in an author’s life aren’t intended to bum the reader out  - but to show triumph over adversity. The fact that the authors are writing a book about their experiences often serves as a redemptive final chapter in their personal story.Celebrity. Public figures have an inbuilt fanbase who just want to hear more about their adv entures doing the thing that they do. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of inventive celebrity memoirs.Sports. Sports stories often make for great books. After all, what's more dramatic than the thrill of victory or the crushing pain of defeat?Examples of successful memoirsTo give you an idea of the books that have sold well in each of those genres, here are just a few examplesNostalgia Memoirs While a book is often an opportunity to ‘tell your side of the story,’ don’t paint yourself as a complete hero or victim. Like any protagonist in a novel, it’s your strengths and weaknesses that will make you a compelling figure. Readers expect honesty and candor. If they sense that you’re stretching the truth or have an underlying agenda, they will quickly switch off.Mistake #2. Choosing a strictly linear narrative without considering the alternativesâ€Å"To help give order to the project, try to tell the story chronologically to start with,† says Andrew Crofts, the bestselling ghostwriter of over 80 books. â€Å"That way you can keep control of the narrative. If you jump about too much you will forget what you have already done and start repeating yourself. You can always change the chronology at the editing stage.†As Johnny Acton says, there are great reasons to chop-up the timeline:â€Å"A broadly chronological structure will make the book easier to follow but don't adhere to it too closely. Flashbacks and flash-forwards can be used to add interest.†Taking a cue from your favorite novels, you may find that playing with chronology helps to control the pace of your books and cut out ‘the boring bits’.For more advice, check out our guide to outlining a memoir.Mistake #3. Not getting an outside opinionAt some point, you might want to share a draft with a close friend or family member. Their feedback can be priceless, as they might remember events differently to how you've portrayed them in your book. Based on their reactions, you can choose to work in their suggestions or stick to your guns. However, it's also important that you get someone who doesn't know you to read your manuscript.â€Å"Always remember that the reader may not know what you take for granted,† says Johnny Acton. Beta readers who don’t know you that well can help you see when your stories need more background in formation (and when they’re not compelling or relevant enough).Professional editors are also an invaluable resource to tap into. On platforms like Reedsy, you can search for editors who have worked for major publishers on memoirs like yours. For those legacy project, a professional editor can help you focus in on the parts that matter; if you’re writing something with a commercial edge, they can make all the difference when it comes to selling your book.These are just a few tips that will help you get started. Along the way, you may encounter well-meaning and highly qualified people who will question why you think you should be writing a memoir. But if you have a story that you feel needs to be told, you shouldn’t let anyone stand in your way. Everybody has a story to tell: just make yours a good one, and the rest of us will come along for the ride.What are some of your favorite memoirs, written by both celebrities and non-celebrities? What about them makes them stand out in your memory?

Design Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Design - Assignment Example It will be a two-day program whereby the lessons will run from 8:00am to 3:00pm daily. It will be a two-day program whereby the lessons will run from 8:00am to 3:00pm daily. For these two days, the above stated units will be taught. On day one, 8:00 to 8:30am will be for exchanging introductions. Course documents will run from 8:30 to 9:00am. Choices for creating a questionnaire or survey form and creating a document will run from 9:00 to 10:00am. Review of Adobe Acrobat and creating a sample form, on the other hand, will run from 10:10 to 12:00 after the 10 minutes break. The first day will end at 3:00pm after examining the achievements and failures of the day. The parties involved will also review and repeat crucial steps in order to remember the process. This will take place from 1:00 to 3:00pm. My goal is to assist student create an Interactive PDF. They should be able to review different software programs, use adobe acrobat professional software and review minor technical errors when utilizing adobe acrobat (Sypowicz, 2010). My testing strategies will be how students determine adequate software, how efficient they are when using Adobe Acrobat and noting errors to the system among others. The whole process will cost the institution roughly $1500. This is taking into consideration the salaries, supplies, equipment, food, printing and travelling fee. Salaries might amount up to $625. Supplies and equipment, on the other hand, would amount to $250. The rest would be used in food supplies, printing of material, as well as travelling. However, the benefits of this course surpass the high cost of the course. After training is complete, participants will be happy about their fresh skill and knowledge concerning Adobe Acrobat Software. Knowing participants are no longer reliant on other members of an organization, or colleagues to make

The Value of Educational Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

The Value of Educational Research - Essay Example Educational research could be related to scientific analysis or could also be on teacher's role in setting and changing curricula, and on the extent to which individuals have access to high quality education. Educational research thus encompasses general issues on education as well as specific issues on scientific discovery and use of new and advanced technology in education. The value of educational research would be directly related to what lessons are drawn from analysis of general and specific issues on education, both in terms of scientific advancement and administrative policies related to education. A recent debate on educational systems and the evaluation of the national curriculum in the UK has moved from general discussions to specific standards of education along with highlighting the role and status of the teacher in promoting education. The teacher is considered a professional and an innovator and reducing them to followers or implementers of certain educational curricula is seen as a mistake. Osborne et al (1988) pointed out to the centralisation of the educational system and the rigidity of the curriculum, funding and assessment against the projected freedom of choice and parental involvement in education planning. Osborne et al suggest that curricula do not develop according to a set of objectives and procedures and behavioural sequences, but that educational objectives are set in accordance with what has already been done and the decisions made on the curricula. Schooling has been criticised as being too focused on offering teacher proof knowledge and packaged rather than what it should be. Of course what education should project is debatable and some have considered it as a moral and ethical activity that would prepare moral agents of society and developing value systems would be one of the important aspects of education. The role of education is to prepare a morally responsible society although it is also true that its effects cannot be predicted. Educational change could be described as an objective planning procedure although issues of morality and ethics would make it less objective and that is how educational systems become loaded with values and is not exactly value free. Osborne et al (1988) suggest that it is important for curricula of schools to be different as all kinds of educational standardisation would make the system too rigid although the value systems and ethical standards followed will have to be similar between schools. However this essay is not particularly focused on value systems within education but the inherent value of research on education. Value systems in education are related to issues of planning and objectives although any research in education would go beyond value systems and ethics or morality to include training, technology, innovation, teacher's role, educational st andards, socioeconomic activity, cultural factors and theoretical models of educational change and development. This essay being focused on the values of educational research, the mission or objectives of any educational research institute could be understood in terms of the following conditions laid down by the National Centre for Educational Research in the US MISSION.-The mission of the Research Center is- (1) to sponsor sustained research that will lead to the accumulation of knowledge and understanding of education, to- (A)

The Great Gatsby Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  F. Scott Fitzgerald’s use of flashback in The Great Gatsby proves to be an effective tool in order to reveal information from the characters’ past. These flashbacks are effective because they allow the reader to know and understand the character better before a situation in the novel arises. Three examples of flashbacks that Fitzgerald uses are when Jordan explains to Nick how and when she first met Gatsby on page 79, when Nick explains to the reader how Gatsby got his name and what his childhood was like on page 104, and when Nick explains again to the reader what happened when Gatsby returned from the war on page 160. The placement and effectiveness of these flashbacks allow Fitzgerald to give more background to each character and to allow the reader to better understand the situation that each character is experiencing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first example of flashback that Fitzgerald provides takes place on page 79. In this flashback, Jordan explains to Nick how she first met Gatsby. She explains to Nick that when the girls were eighteen, he was with Daisy Fay in her â€Å"little white roadster.† This flashback is effective because it gives us an idea of how Daisy and Gatsby’s relationship was purely based on beauty and not friendship. The placement of the above quote was essential because it allows us to experience early in the novel how Gatsby had a relationship with Daisy. This first example of flashback by Fitzgerald proves to be...