Platos Idea of the Role of Philosophy in Human Life free essay sample

An examination of Platos beliefs in the function of philosophy in life. This paper attempts to assess Platos obsession with the role of philosophy. The author argues that Plato sees philosophy as the purpose in life and provides reasons for this such as Philosophys ability to provide clarity to to all discussions of fundamental values and principles so important to human life. This paper examines Platos concepts and principles. Everyone knows that for Plato, philosophy is the summit of human life and achievement. Socrates, the grandfather of dialectics, gadfly to Athens, made no bones about it in the Republic: the philosopher is flatly superior to all other men. Why? Socrates formulates the same thought in many related figures. Only the philosopher sees the invisible realities obscured by visible facts. Others see the Many, the philosopher sees the One. Others are beguiled by shadows, the philosopher gazes into light. We will write a custom essay sample on Platos Idea of the Role of Philosophy in Human Life or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Others are taken in by simulacra viewed as being in constant motion, but the philosopher knows the unmoving essences that underlie all appearances. For Socrates-Plato, then, the philosopher not only epitomizes man at his finest (there is never a question of women becoming philosophers, not even so much as a murmur one can only imagine the outburst of sardonic laughter the idea might have provoked from Socrates and his entourage), but also ought to be the ruler of the ideal State. Concomitantly, those who are not philosophers deserve to be classed among the ruled. My question, in this short paper, will be: Does Socrates, as quoted by Plato in The Republic, make his case for these claims convincingly, or does he leave the reader feeling dubious?

All Quiet On The Western Front Essays - English-language Films

All Quiet On The Western Front Essays - English-language Films All Quiet on the Western Front Erich Maria Remarque?s All Quiet on the Western Front, a novel set in World War I, centers around the changes wrought by the war on one young German soldier. During his time in the war, Remarque?s protagonist, Paul Baumer, changes from a rather innocent Romantic to a hardened and somewhat caustic veteran. More importantly, during the course of this metamorphosis, Baumer disaffiliates himself from those societal icons?parents, elders, school, religion?that had been the foundation of his pre-enlistment days. This rejection comes about as a result of Baumer?s realization that the pre-enlistment society simply does not underezd the reality of the Great War. His new society, then, becomes the Company, his fellow trench soldiers, because that is a group which does underezd the truth as Baumer has experienced it. Remarque demonstrates Baumer?s disaffiliation from the traditional by emphasizing the language of Baumer?s pre- and post-enlistment societies. Baumer either can not, or chooses not to, communicate truthfully with those representatives of his pre-enlistment and innocent days. Further, he is repulsed by the banal and meaningless language that is used by members of that society. As he becomes alienated from his former, traditional, society, Baumer simultaneously is able to communicate effectively only with his military comrades. Since the novel is told from the first person point of view, the reader can see how the words Baumer speaks are at variance with his true feelings. In his preface to the novel, Remarque maintains that "a generation of men ... were destroyed by the war" (Remarque, All Quiet Preface). Indeed, in All Quiet on the Western Front, the meaning of language itself is, to a great extent, destroyed. Early in the novel, Baumer notes how his elders had been facile with words prior to his enlistment. Specifically, teachers and parents had used words, passionately at times, to persuade him and other young men to enlist in the war effort. After relating the tale of a teacher who exhorted his students to enlist, Baumer states that "teachers always carry their feelings ready in their waistcoat pockets, and trot them out by the hour" (Remarque, All Quiet I. 15). Baumer admits that he, and others, were fooled by this rhetorical trickery. Parents, too, were not averse to using words to shame their sons into enlisting. "At that time even one?s parents were ready with the word ?coward?" (Remarque, All Quiet I. 15). Remembering those days, Baumer asserts that, as a result of his war experiences, he has learned how shallow the use of these words was. Indeed, early in his enlistment, Baumer comprehends that although authority figures taught that duty to one?s country is the greatest thing, we already knew that death-throes are stronger. But for all that, we were no mutineers, no deserters, no cowards?they were very free with these expressions. We loved our country as much as they; we went courageously into every action; but also we distinguished the false from true, we had suddenly learned to see. (Remarque, All Quiet I. 17) What Baumer and his comrades have learned is that the words and expressions used by the pillars of society do not reflect the reality of war and of one?s participation in it. As the novel progresses, Baumer himself uses words in a similarly false fashion. A number of inezces of Baumer?s own misuse of language occur during an important episode in the novel?a period of leave when he visits his home town. This leave is disastrous for Baumer because he realizes that he can not communicate with the people on the home front because of his military experiences and their limited, or nonexistent, underezding of the war. When he first enters his house, for example, Baumer is overwhelmed at being home. His joy and relief are such that he cannot speak; he can only weep (Remarque, All Quiet VII. 140). When he and his mother greet each other, he realizes immediately that he has nothing to say to her: "We say very little and I am thankful that she asks nothing" (Remarque, All Quiet VII. 141). But finally she does speak to him and asks, "?Was it very bad out there, Paul" (Remarque, All Quiet VII. 143). Here, when he answers, he lies,

Delegation & Empowerment Annotated Bibliography

Delegation & Empowerment - Annotated Bibliography Example Curtis, E., & Nicoll, H. (2004). Delegation: A Key Function of Nursing. Nursing Management, 11(4), pp. 26-31. Curtis and Nicoll have managed to discuss delegation and employee empowerment as a key attribute of effective leadership. They have discussed various theories of effective leadership and have used works of other scholars to emphasize on the importance of delegation in an environment where team works is an essential element. Following the outcomes of these theories, they have presented an easy step-by-step guide of effective delegation, whilst discussing benefits of delegation and empowerment for delegators and delegtees. They have also mentioned the factors that can hinder the effectiveness of delegation process and the importance of delegation in organizational settings. Curtis and Nicoll are both highly learned and well-educated lecturers at the school of nursing and midwifery studies, Trinity College, University of Dublin. The work that they have presented mainly address registered nurses and importance of delegation for nurses however that discussion is only limited to the introduction part and rest of it is rather generalized, which can interest any regular reader. This peer-reviewed article will help in understanding the fundamental concepts of delegation and the factors affecting the personnel involved along with the process of delegation, itself. The article further outlines the basic concepts and general layout of the delegation process which will help in understanding the dynamics of this phenomenon.... The article itself sheds light on the importance of delegation and empowerment in today’s organizations. The article asserts that given today’s delayered organizational structure, managers are required to ensure that employees are provided with necessary knowledge and authority to perform the tasks assigned with them effectively. Swarnalatha and Prasanna have discussed the approaches to empowerment of employees along with conditions necessary for empowerment. One positive attribute of this article is discussion regarding the role of organizational structure and policies in employees’ empowerment in the process of delegation. The research has thus moved its focus from personnel to organization which makes it address the holistic dimensions of this process. At the end, the article discussed process and advantages of empowerment at length. Hoch, J., White, K., Starkey, C., & Krause, B.A. (2009). Delegation and Empowerment in CAATE Accredited Athletic Training Educat ion Programs. Athletic Training Education Journal, 4, pp. 139-43. The research contains a quantitative analysis along with theoretical discussion regarding delegation and empowerment of department heads, in this case, program directors. The research helps in identifying the possible reasons behind managers choosing to delegate or not delegate some of their tasks to their juniors. Except Hoch, all the other researchers are PhDs and have authored other articles on the similar subjects. Where other articles were helpful in having literary information about established theories, this research helps in understanding practical implications of these theories. The research has two dimensions. At one end, it sheds light on the program directors/ managers perspective and also identifies