Friday, January 24, 2020

Platonic Justice Essay -- Papers Essays Philosophy Plato

Platonic Justice Throughout Platos Republic, the subject of platonic justice and its goodness to its self arise and are discussed amongst Plato and his peers. At the beginning of The Republic, Plato asks the fundamental question of what is justice? Looking to define the ideal state of justice, Plato reasons that he must first define justice in theory before he can use justice practically. Platonic Justice is defined as being a harmony between the tripartite soul in which reasons guide the spirit and appetite. Justice is said to be good in itself and good in its practical ends. It is educating desires, implementing the human faculty of reason. Justice is not the interest of the stronger, but more the interest of the weaker. An unjust life, which is dominated by the spirit, leads one to an addiction for material goods or possessions. A platonically just life leads to harmony, balance, and virtue. A just life in this case allows attainment of satisfaction where as an unjust life does not. The truly unj ust ultimately destroy themselves, whereas the truly just preserve themselves. Wether or not Platonic Justice is good for its own sake is to be determined. After Plato debates and dismisses that justice is the interest of the stronger and that the unjust life has an advantage to the just life, Plato, lacking a firm answer on justice seems to say that justice is a balance of the soul. As Plato is debating this question Thrasymachus joins in and presents the first possible definition of justice as the interest of the stronger, that might is right. Socrates enters the conversation and attempts to define justice. Socrates says that subjects obey their rulers and these rulers are not perfect, they sometimes make mistakes. If justi... ...an animal the spirited man moves from one satiation to the next. However, a life dominated by reason, in which reason balances the spirited and appetitive natures to harmony, results in a good life. Thus the just person will have the appetitive, spirited, and reasoning aspects of the soul in harmony, with reason to guide and director of the passions and appetite. Lacking a concrete definition, justice would be the balance of the tripartite soul, with reason in control. Justice is a harmony between the tripartite soul in which reason guides the spirit and appetite. Justice is good in itself and good in its practical ends. Justice is educating desires, implementing the human faculty of reason. A just life leads to harmony, balance, and virtue. This is to what Plato ponders throughout the opening of The Republic and considers the great question amongst his peers.

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Thesis: Writing and Question

For me writing a thesis statement was one of the hardest parts of the writing process. I was unsure of how to come up with the idea for a thesis statement, much less how to create it or where it should be included in the essay. By following this guide for writing a Thesis Statement, my writing experiences have become more rewarding. First, the thesis statement is the main topic or idea of the essay. It should directly answer the question the writer asks himself or herself, and is a roadmap for the essay. The thesis statement provides the reader with a specific guide to the writer’s argument. A strong thesis statement should show conclusions about the topic, indicate a point about the discussion, help the reader to see the main point of the topic, and is specific to show exactly what the essay is about. Second, to gain the idea for what the thesis should say if a topic for the assignment is given, change the topic of the essay into a question. Then answer the question with one or two sentences. The answer to the question will be the thesis statement. If no topic is given for the essay, or if the information for the essay does not ask a specific question, then a question must be generated, based on the information given for the assignment and the issue chosen form the assignment information to be explored. One way to accomplish this, the writer must brainstorm the topic. Then narrow or revise the topic down to take a position about the topic by deciding what you really want to say. Review this statement and ask a question about the statement. Another way is to collect and organize evidence and look for possible relationships, similarities, or contrasts to come up with a specific word by clarifying relationships of the topic. Explain what is meant about the topic, and then revise this information to make an assertation. Next look at the statement and ask yourself a question about the statement. The answer to the question in either example will be the thesis statement for the essay. The writer should ask themselves the following; Does the thesis statement answer a question? Would the reader want to challenge or oppose the thesis statement? In addition, Does the essay support the thesis? The thesis statement should be placed as the last sentence in the introduction paragraph of the essay, the last sentence conclusion paragraph, and the last sentence of the abstract in APA style format. In conclusion, once I implemented this guide into my writing process, I found writing a thesis statement to be much easier. It seemed to become a guide for the body of the essay. By following the guide to Writing a Thesis Statement, my writing experiences have become more rewarding.

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

British South Africa Company (BSAC)

The British South Africa Company (BSAC) was a mercantile company incorporated on 29 October 1889 by a royal charter given by Lord Salisbury, the British prime minister, to Cecil Rhodes. The company was modeled on the East India Company and was expected to annex and then administer territory in south-central Africa, to act as a police force, and develop settlements for European settlers. The charter was initially granted for 25 years and was extended for another 10 in 1915. It was intended that the BSAC would develop the region without significant cost to the British taxpayer. It was therefore given the right to create its own political administration supported by a paramilitary force for the protection of settlers against local peoples. Profits from the company, in terms of diamond and gold interests, were reinvested in the company to allow it to expand its area of influence. African labor was exploited partially through the application of hut taxes, which required Africans to look for wages. Mashonaland was invaded by a Pioneer Column in 1830, then the Ndebele in Matabeleland. This formed the proto-colony of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). They were stopped from spreading further to the northwest by King Leopolds holdings in Katanga. Instead, they appropriated lands that formed Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). (There were failed attempts to also incorporate Botswana and Mozambique.) The BSAC was involved in the Jameson Raid of December 1895, and they faced a rebellion by the Ndebele in 1896 which required the aid of British to quell. A further rising of the Ngoni people in Northern Rhodesia was suppressed in 1897-98. Mineral resources failed to be as large as implied to settlers, and farming was encouraged. The charter was renewed in 1914 on the condition that settlers be given greater political rights in the colony. Towards the end of the last extension of the charter, the company looked towards South Africa, which was interested in incorporating Southern Rhodesia into the Union. A referendum of the settlers voted for self-government instead. When the charter came to an end in 1923, white settlers were allowed to take control of the local government—as a self-governing colony in Southern Rhodesia and as a protectorate in Northern Rhodesia. The British Colonial Office stepped in 1924 and took over. The company continued on after its charter lapsed, but was unable to generate sufficient profits for shareholders. Mineral rights in Southern Rhodesia were sold to the colonys government in 1933. Mineral rights in Northern Rhodesia were retained until 1964 when they were forced to hand them over to the government of Zambia.