In his 1755 discourse on 'The Origins of Inequality', Jean-Jacques Rousseau argues his conception of the natural state of mankind, and its subsequent corruption throughout the progress towards civil society. Whilst Rousseau's idealism can be targeted as unrealistic, and his criticisms of the state potentially destabilising to certain societies, ultimately he makes a valid philosophical argument against tyranny which helps found republican political values.…
Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr. both shared a similar theme in their writing, which was their passion for equality. These two authors both desperately longed for fairness amongst the people of our nation. Though the stories of Thoreau and King were similar, how they went about it differed.…
Liberty tells Equality that he has always shown intense passion for what he does in life, and always has hope. She also tells Equality that he has pride in what he does and isn’t afraid to speak up for himself. She then contrasts Equality with the rest of the men in their society, saying that they have absolutely nothing fueling their actions and nothing that keeps them going in life. Liberty says they are weak, and calls them out for being too fearful to speak up for they believe in.…
During the Enlightenment, many western political and economic philosophers attempted to describe the transition of mankind towards modernity. Specifically, Edmund Burke (1729-1797) and Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) were both heavily influenced by the American Revolution (1775-1783) and French Revolution (1789-1799), which compelled each to write about the existence of inequalities in society and transformations that aim to address these inequalities. Burke and Rousseau differed in their interpretations of why inequalities exist within society and had diverging views on radical transformation within society. These differences stem from their conflicting ideology pertaining to the role of the government, private property, liberty and notions of sovereignty. It is imperative to discuss each philosopher’s competing ideological framework of inequality and analyze each philosopher’s assessment regarding the desirability of radical transformation.…
Transcendentalism is an idealistic philosophical and spiritual movement that started in England in the 1830’s. This movement upheld the belief that divinity flows through nature and humanity, and that nature is one of the most spiritual things you can experience. One of the founding fathers of this beautiful “religion” was Ralph Waldo Emerson, and one of his most influential pieces supporting this movement is entitled “Nature”.…
Transcendentalism according to the oxford dictionary; “It was a movement that developed in the New England around the 1836 in reaction to rationalism. That, in order to understand the nature of reality, one must first examine and analyze the reasoning process that governs the nature of experience” Ralph Waldo Emerson a clergy who left ministering explained in his book that “in the quest for self-fulfillment, individuals should work for a communion with the natural world” The authors of transcendentalism promoted individualism, encouraged people to look into themselves for answers to life’s difficult questions. And also not to conform to society’s expectations but listen to our instincts.…
Thomas Paine: the man who helped inspire a revolution, the man who wrote controversial pamphlets and rousing songs that kept soldiers fighting, the man who was once one of the greatest supporters of human rights, held in his heart the belief that the American government system was so flawlessly formed that there were no causes for discord. While Thomas Paine’s ideal may certainly have been correct in 1791, it no longer is. The American government system, and those who make it, are compromised. They are being traded, sold, and most importantly bought, by those who have the means to do so; creating a system where the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and where privilege is defined as being white and male. Theses issues are inarguably cause…
Ralph Waldo Emerson was born in Boston on May 25, 1803 and died on April 27, 1882. According to Encyclopedia.com and other sources such as poets.org, Emerson’s family was “fairly well-known.” It also states that his father passed away when Emerson was just eight years-old, leading his family into poverty. Although he was faced with a financial need, Emerson attended Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts at the age of fourteen, enlisted under a scholarship. After graduating, he began to teach and later moved into the ministry, at Boston’s Second Church. He then wedded Ellen Tucker in September of 1829. Their is one major experience that might of had influenced Emerson’s writing, which was…
Coming up on the ASAA Track and Field championships, I developed achilles tendonitis which inevitably ruined my high school running career. I couldn’t believe that me of all people had gotten injured. I was very involved with injury prevention and performed strengthening exercises, stretches, made safe decisions, and had very a very healthy diet on a daily basis. Over the next eighteen months I visited over six different experts who claimed that they recognized my injury and knew how to treat it. After nearly three months without any noticeable improvement I began to conduct my own research and try to correct my problem myself. I developed a keen interest in the field of rehabilitation and the many mysteries that the body held. When the time…
Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American writer who believed in living as a non-conformist. His writings were admired greatly by Thoreau, who considered himself a disciple of Emerson. For Thoreau and Emerson, non-conformism embodied the necessity for living an authentic and unique life.…
Rousseau’s work “Discourse on the Origin of Inequality” strives to answer a number of questions that current society faces, such as what is the origin of government and what is its purpose. Different from Locke’s and Hobbes’ approach to the origin of government, Rousseau strives to answer this by understanding the role of inequality in the creation of government. In order to further understand this, the following points and themes mentioned in “Discourse on the Origin of Inequality” will be introduced. First, Rousseau’s definition of the state of nature and how it differentiates from Locke’s and Hobbes’ view. Second, the introduction of inequality in a society. Third, the furthering of inequality in a society and its relation with the origin…
In this essay, Ralph Waldo Emerson describes his view of an ideal education. What are its defining characteristics?…
Times have changed, and so has the virtues and ideals that build up what we know as an American. America has portrayed an image of a “perfect nation” along with a diverse and equal society, however this is far from the truth. If you think that the United States is the most advanced country in the world, you have missed the bullseye and hit the edge of the dartboard. The concept of equality simply does not exist in today’s society. With one look, people already believe they know everything about you. In simple words, an American today is just simply a hypocrite.…
The world always been an unequal place. Today, people are treated for not who they are, but for their religious background, race, gender and financial status. Inequality in the United States of America is present in a highest level. America is a country that reunites all seven continents in itself, moreover, it is possible to find people from various backgrounds here. However, not all of these people are treated equally. It is disappointing to see that how everyone is classified in this country. Indeed, if there is a crime the suspect must be a black male, if there is a terroristic attack or threat then the suspect is most likely to be a Muslim, if there is a robbery the suspect will be an illegal immigrant from Mexico. The root of this problem comes from the past century where people were judged by the color of their skin and this problem…
The struggle of African Americans to make the promise of “all men are created equal” a reality began long before the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century. Early leaders like Frederick Douglass and John Mercer Langston not only worked to bring…