Enlightened Despots 12/2/2012 AP European History Also known as benevolent despotism‚ the form of government in which absolute monarchs pursued legal‚ social‚ and educational reforms inspired by the ideals and philosophy of the Enlightenment‚ enlightened despotism spread throughout Europe during the 18th century. Monarchs ruled with the intent of improving the lives of their subjects in order to strengthen or reinforce their authority. Implicit in this philosophy was that the sovereign knew the
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My husband insists that yoga is "nothing but stretching". I knew there had to be a little more to it than just stretching‚ but before I started this course I mostly agreed with his opinion. In fact‚ that’s the main reason I decided to take this class. I hoped to incorporate stretching into more of a routine for me so that my flexibility would improve. In just three short weeks I have learned that there truly is much more to yoga than bending and stretching: it’s a lifestyle. When we first discussed
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Enlightened despotism originated during the European Enlightenment‚ basically meaning that a ruler should rule with the characteristics of the Enlightenment. The most dominant of these characteristics was humanism‚ a trait evident in rulers such as Peter the Great and Catherine the Great. These rulers‚ along with Napoleon Bonaparte‚ all worked toward the betterment of society‚ at times using their absolute rule to enforce this system of improvement. Napoleon is the classic example of such a ruler
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Morals vs Ethics and How They Dominate Our Arguments One major topic that appears in arguments is the argument of morals versus ethics. By definition‚ morals apply to an individual’s opinion of right and wrong. Ethics‚ however‚ are based on what a society perceives as right or wrong. Due to these two closely related issues‚ arguments can be hard to resolve due to different standpoints. For example‚ if someone believes that being attracted to another person of the same gender is morally wrong‚ they
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Napoleon has been described as the last of the “enlightened despots‚” or as a “child of the enlightenment.” These statements can be considered accurate because Napoleon Bonaparte reconstructed France during the French Revolution. Even though he became a military dictator‚ before that he was able to equalize rights‚ create a new banking system‚ and build up the government‚ education system‚ and churches. After Napoleon seized power in 1799‚ he started to win over the French citizens and became
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Mill: Utilitarianism‚ Chapters 1-3 In chapter number one titled “General Remarks” Mill starts off by talking about what is to be seen as morally right and morally wrong things‚ yet no one has a complete understanding for what is actually morally right and wrong. He then talks about “Moral Faculty” and two different views or opinions on the subject. Mill states in his text that “Our moral faculty‚ according to all those of its interpreters who are entitled to the name of thinkers‚ supplies us
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Catherine the Great was known as an "Enlightened Despot‚" because she reigned during the Age of the Enlightenment along with other monarchs such as Frederick the Great and Joseph II‚ began to understand the concepts of reason‚ natural law and other ideas being developed at the time by various philosophers. An enlightened despot realized that even though she or he had absolute powers‚ they had an obligation to use those powers for the good of their subjects rather than just for themselves.
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Antigone: Moral Law vs Civil Law When it comes to morality‚ what is right and wrong based on a person’s personal beliefs‚ the story of Antigone is a great literary reference towards the internal struggles of an individual’s morality. Antigone chose to attribute herself with moral law instead of Creon’s rash and destructive civil law. Antigone felt that no one had the right to decide another’s fate‚ let alone the fate of someone else’s deceased body. Antigone believed that her brother deserved a
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Some of history’s greatest rulers such as Peter the Great‚ Catherine the Great‚ Frederick the Great‚ and Joseph II have been considered to be enlightened despot. One of these was also Napoleon Bonaparte. They ways by which Napoleon has been considered to be a despot are through his economic policies‚ religious and educational policies‚ and the Code Napoleon. The term "enlightened despot" has been used to describe many great rulers‚ but it might be misinterpreted. The word "enlightened" means to
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Absolutism and relativism are two extreme ethical approaches to reality. While they are both valid and supported by facts‚ they are very contrasting in their views. Values are what a person cares about and thinks is worthwhile. For example‚ values can include life‚ love‚ religious faith‚ freedom‚ relationships‚health‚ justice‚ education‚ family and many other things. Usually these values are what provides the passion in a person’s life‚ and gives them hope and a reason for being. A person might go
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