Exploring Karl Marx and Jean-Jacque Rousseaus Views on...

While the writings of Karl Marx and Jean-Jacque Rousseau occasionally seem at odds with one another both philosophers needs to be read as an extension of each other to completely understand what human freedom is. The fundamental difference between the two philosophers lies within the way which they determine why humans are not free creatures in modern society but once were. Rousseau draws on the genealogical as well as the societal aspects of human nature that, in its development, has stripped humankind of its intrinsic freedom. Conversely, Marx posits that humankind is doomed to subjugation in modern society due to economic factors (i.e. capitalism) that, in turn, affect human beings in a multitude of other ways that, ultimately,†¦show more content†¦With this, all peoples are equal and completely free or, to put it more eloquently, â€Å"in giving himself to all, each person gives himself to no one† (Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. Basic Political Writings. Hackett Pub. Co., 1987. p. 148). In this respect, Marx and Rousseau share common ground. They both believe that a community or state ruled by all needs to exist to ensure freedom for all. Marx and Rousseau agree that control that comes from above/without/utilizing force can never be rendered legitimate. Likewise to Rousseau, the core of Marx’s notion of freedom is epitomized in this phrase: â€Å"Liberty is, therefore, the right to do everything which does not harm others† (C., Tucker, Robert, and Engels, Friedrich. The Marx-Engels Reader, First Edition. New York: W. W. Norton, 1972. p. 40). The break between the two is most noticeable concerning Marx’s central idea that the procurement of the rights of production is the key to freedom. When human beings are estranged from their labor they are estranged from themselves, from each other, and, ultimately, made subjects because of it. Freedom necessarily means that human beings must have the right to produce freely as pr oduction is a natural extension of oneself. As we shall see, this problem is only exacerbated by civil society. With the advent of modern society came capitalism, the main

The Tragedy Of The Bosnian Genocide - 1412 Words

Reflections about major significant historical occurrences often lead to a philosophical inquiry as to whether the outcome could have been changed. Often inspired by unfortunate events, historians may never know if they could have been prevented. Genocides are an example of such an event, as they are often influenced by delicate situations, and are often very tragic. The deepest tragedy of all is that we will never know if these mass murders of specific ethnicities could have been averted. One such dreadful occurrence became known to the public as the Bosnian Genocide. Lasting from 1992 till 1995, the Bosnian Genocide erupted after the ruination of Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia was a communist government that was formed in 1929 from several†¦show more content†¦By 1991, emboldened by the absence of a unifying figurehead, several provinces declared their independence from Yugoslavia, which was now in ruins. Croatia, Serbia, and Slovenia all officially formed their own nations in 1991. Slobodan Milosevic had taken control of Serbia in 1987, which was largest by land area, and inspired strong nationalist feelings in Serbs. In 1992, Bosnia declared its independence as well. Bosnia was composed of several ethnicities, including the Bosnian Muslims (Bosniaks), who were the majority, Bosnian Serbs, and Bosnian Croats. Savo Heleta, who was living in Bosnia at the time, described the ethnic boundaries in her book, Not My Turn To Die: â€Å"...there were no clear-cut boundaries- there weren’t three different regions, one for each ethnic group. Peop le lived in ethnically mixed cities, villages, neighborhoods, and apartment buildings.† The presence of borders may have prevented the genocide, and at least it might have softened the degree and severity of the killings. Boundaries might have been able to allow the ethnicities to split peacefully and without forcing anyone out of the area or out of the world. The declaration of Bosnian independence was not received favourably by the Serbs. Since Bosnia, in 1991, was composed of forty-four percent Bosniaks, thirty-one percent Serb, and seventeen percent Croat. Due to the clear majority of the Bosniaks, the Serbs had fears about

High School Drop Outs Essay - 2081 Words

High School Dropouts and the Social Structure Thesis Statement: I believe that dropping out of school is the direct result of strain caused by the economic/political institutions that are within the social structure. Introduction: The Social Structure is the housing for the social institutions: Politics, Economics, Mass Media, Groups/Organizations, Family, Education and Religion. What I plan to discuss in this research project is how economic and political institutions contribute to the cause of dropping out of school. What is a Dropout? There are many definitions to the term, however the definition I will use pertains to education. A dropout is an individual who does not complete his or her education by earning a†¦show more content†¦It was found that unless a young man find certain things of interest to read that he will be more likely to be playing sports, fishing or something of that nature. The Social structure are the legs on which our society stands on; it houses the institutions that our society is based on. The institutions that it houses include the following: Economic, Political, Family, Mass Media, and Education. What will be discussed here is the effect that the Economic an d political institutions have on the urban student attempting to gain an education. I have found out through research done by authors such as Robert Dentler, and Gary Natrello that it is not a case of race but more so economic status. The place that economic status is set in is the Economic Institution. The strain of the economic institution according to statistic I found in Gary Natrellos book School dropouts is the foremost reason for students to drop out of school. Lets begin with the home life commonly experienced by a student that lives in an impoverished environment. Students that live in homes that have a low economic in most instances have to work (Dentler, Robert 1965). The students who go to school, in the urban settings usually have disadvantages when it comes to resources that they are offered compared to theirShow MoreRelatedThe Problems with High School Drop Outs717 Words   |  3 Pageschild to not finish a high school education should be abolished. A high school diploma should be mandatory in all states. Education is the building block for a stronger country. If we hold our youth to lower expectations our country will continue to decrease in its rankings on education. Ronald a friend of the family was only sixteen years old when his mother decided it would be permissive for him to drop out of school. It is now short of a year since he has dropped out. Instead of continuingRead MoreHigh School Drop Outs Will Fall1791 Words   |  8 PagesSchools and educators are faced with the tremendous task of preparing students to be successful in school and beyond in a fast-paced, ever changing world. Students will need more skills and higher levels of education and training than ever before in order to be successful. In 1973, only 28 percent of jobs required postsecondary education, whereas by 2020, 65 percent of jobs will require postsecondary education (Carnevale, Smith, Stohl, 2010 and 2013). Those who have not learned how to learn willRead MoreAmerican Students Drop Out Of High School1534 Words   |  7 Pagesmillion American students drop out of high school every year (EPE 2012), and that students in the United States are the twenty-fifth math, the seventeenth in science, the fourteenth in reading, out of twenty nine countries (OECD 2012)? According by the National Assessment of Education Progress, two out of three eighth-graders cannot read proficiently and that nearly three out of four eighth- and 12th-grade students cannot write proficiently. How the level of U.S schools can be so low, when we knowRead MoreWhy Students Drop Out Of High School1499 Words   |  6 Pagesacquire a high school diploma generally carry the burden of poorer health throughout their lives, a greater chance of being unemployed, have a higher chance that they will use drugs, and a higher rate of going to prison, compared to people who attain at least a high school education. In addition, a large portion of those who do get a high school diploma, don’t continue on to get an associates or bachelor’s degree in college. Study shows that one of the main reasons that students drop out of high schoolRead MoreWhy Students Should Drop Out Of High School1268 Words   |  6 Pages Music Literacy in Schools High school literacy is linked to the high school dropout rate. While the high school dropout rates have declined over the past decade, the facts that influence this phenomenon continue to be consistent. There are multiple reasons for why students would drop out of high school. The following are just some of the reasons to why kids might dropout, including that they missed too many days, they thought they could not complete the course requirements, they didn’t feel safeRead MoreTeen Pregnancy and High School Drop Out Prevention3722 Words   |  15 Pagesrate in high schools. All over the nation the dropout rate of students is increasing, of which teen pregnancy is often a factor. â€Å"Approximately 1,000 high school students will drop out with each hour that passes in a school day in America. This means that 30 percent of the class of 2007, or 1.2 million students, were estimated to have dropped out last year† (National Womens Law Center, 2007). Many factors combine to affect a pregnant or parenting teen’s decision to drop out of high school. ThisRead MoreFactors Contributing to the High School Drop Out Rate Essay1569 Words   |  7 Pagesfrom high school that year? Obviously, people move and transfer but that wasn’t the main cause of this significant drop. The problem was the amount of students who dropped out previous years before. High school American’s are dropping out of school daily and this leads to many concerns. According to an online website about The dropout dilemma, â€Å"every 26 seconds a student drops out of public school† (The Dropout Delimma, 2009). The site goes on to show the main reasons why high schoolers drop out ofRead MoreMost Of The Time When A Student Drops Out Of High School,911 Words   |  4 PagesMost of the time when a student drops out of high school, it is because of bad grades, bullying, or they just don’t want to try. Other times it can just be the consequences of bad pare nting. Some people are just looking for a way to get a job and support their child. â€Å"About 70 percent of all students who drop out of school early, do so because of teen pregnancy.The drop out rates among pregnant teens is 90 percent across the United States. Fortunately overall teen pregnancy rates are declining, whichRead MoreThe Difficulties Faced by Modern Day High School Drop Outs Essay1008 Words   |  5 Pagesrestaurant or even in the farms. No one would ask if they finished or graduated high school. Before it wasn’t a big issue, but now if someone wants to work at a fast food place like McDonalds, Burger King or Wendy’s taking orders or flipping patties or just mopping floors. The first that the manager will ask is if they are currently in school or if they graduated from high school. People shouldn’t drop out of high school because it affects them from having a better future. If they have kids at an earlyRead MoreCreating A Better Communication W ithin Parents, Students And Teachers1639 Words   |  7 PagesEveryone looks forward to being in high school. Fours years you can be wild, careless, and adventuring into adult hood. The years you have class with the same people, know everyones name within the school, and not sure what your future is going to hold. Over the years there have been a decreasing amount of high school students. But there has been a increase in High school dropouts. Comparing the freshman class to the senior class at any school you will notice a dramatic decrease in students. Due

Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Essay free essay sample

The Trans-Atlantic slave trade had a massive impact the British, West Indies, Africa, and the emerging African American culture. The British were impacted with massive profits, to the disadvantage of many parts of Africa, where large amounts of men and women from all around the continent were forced into slavery. The West Indies were impacted by being turned into sugar plantations, and an African American Culture was born from all the African slaves that were imported.The Trans-Atlantic slave trade helped the British the most out of nearly anyone. The importation of slaves aided the extraction of sugar and tobacco in the Americas, which boosted Englands economy vastly. The amount of profit they were able to make from buying the slaves to the amount of money each slave could make them was very high. The market grew seemingly exponentially, because from the money that England was making, they were able to buy more and more slaves from Africa, in a very profitable cycle. We will write a custom essay sample on Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The Trans-Atlantic slave trade impacted most of Africa in the exact opposite effect than in Britain. Even though, a very small percent of Africans profited o, while the demand for slaves from Europe was satisfied often when kings ransacked some of his enemies towns, and kidnapping the villagers, and selling them to the Europeans. For example, the West African State of Doomed used this tactic, and sold the other Africans in exchange for weapons, and he created a large army, which made it easier for him to ransack even more villages.The vast majority of Africans affected were affected in a negative manner. Once enslaved, most would have to march in chains to the nearest port where they would be forced onto incredibly packed ships, and sent across the Atlantic. This journey was called the Middle Passage. Dehydration, starvation, dysentery, and many others, were ways many of the Africans died before they got to the Americas, where the fate was arguably worse, where 1 0 hour work days and extremely harsh punishments were in store.Most of the slaves shipped were men, too, so the ratio of men to women in Africa was nearly 2:1, and men often started having many wives, changing the laws of marriage. The West Indies was impacted by Trans-Atlantic slave trade by basically being turned into a giant sugar plantation. As social inequality and racial inflict increased in north America, hundreds of farmers fled to Jamaica, and overpowered Caesarian smallholders. In less than 1 00 years, Jamaica had over 700 sugar plantations on it, and the West Indies was also covered with sugar plantations.Sugar was a rich mans crop, because it was most easily grown in large quantities, and was highly valuable. Adam Smith, an economist from England, was most renowned for his famous treatise The Wealth of Nations, in which he stated how sugar was the most profitable crop in Europe. It is most profitable because it is mainly the only sweet thing in the world besides none and fruit, and the demand for it is great. All of the new plantations called for an incredible amount of slaves. The community of African Americans was born through the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.Slave owners purposely picked slaves from different places that had different backgrounds, cultures, and more importantly, language, so that it was harder for them to rebel. There were also a lot more women Africans in the slave community in North America, almost equal amounts, which allowed for families and children. The majority of African Americans were born in America after the first few generations. Eventually the language barrier was mostly broken, and the African American community was strengthened.A culture developed in the African community, and assimilated. One observer said they had created a Nation within a Nation. The Trans-Atlantic slave trade transformed life dramatically for the British, Africa, the West Indies, and the newly formed African American Community. The British became rich, the African people were used to a horrifying extent, the West Indies became a sugar plantation and money ground for the British, and the African American community was made inside and underneath the white American society.