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Similarities between the Republic and Huxley’s Brave New World « The Ancient Greeks: Tragedy, Philosophy, and Politics. A few people in class have mentioned some books that seem to be heavily influenced by Plato’s Republic, but I don’t believe anyone has mentioned Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Huxley’s book is a depiction of a utopian (or, more accurately, dystopian) society in the year 632 A.F. (632 years after the death of Henry Ford). Many aspects of the way Huxley’s dystopian society functions are strongly reminiscent of how Plato designs the society in the Republic. One feature that both societies share is the abolishment of the family. The same reason for this is given in both books: devotion to familial bonds must remain subservient to devotion to the state in order to prevent conflicting interests (such as the conflicting interests which were the source of the drama in Antigone). Another idea from the Republic that appears in Brave New World is the division of the population into different classes.

In both societies, all the classes are needed to allow the society to function in the best way. In Praise of Idleness By Bertrand Russell. Like most of my generation, I was brought up on the saying: 'Satan finds some mischief for idle hands to do.' Being a highly virtuous child, I believed all that I was told, and acquired a conscience which has kept me working hard down to the present moment. But although my conscience has controlled my actions, my opinions have undergone a revolution. I think that there is far too much work done in the world, that immense harm is caused by the belief that work is virtuous, and that what needs to be preached in modern industrial countries is quite different from what always has been preached.

Everyone knows the story of the traveler in Naples who saw twelve beggars lying in the sun (it was before the days of Mussolini), and offered a lira to the laziest of them. Before advancing my own arguments for laziness, I must dispose of one which I cannot accept. One of the commonest things to do with savings is to lend them to some Government. All this is only preliminary. What Work Is Really For. The Stone is a forum for contemporary philosophers and other thinkers on issues both timely and timeless. Is work good or bad? A fatuous question, it may seem, with unemployment such a pressing national concern. (Apart from the names of the two candidates, “jobs” was the politically relevant word most used by speakers at the Republican and Democratic conventions.) Even apart from current worries, the goodness of work is deep in our culture. We applaud people for their work ethic, judge our economy by its productivity and even honor work with a national holiday.

But there’s an underlying ambivalence: we celebrate Labor Day by not working, the Book of Genesis says work is punishment for Adam’s sin, and many of us count the days to the next vacation and see a contented retirement as the only reason for working. We’re ambivalent about work because in our capitalist system it means work-for-pay (wage-labor), not for its own sake. Everything depends on how we understand leisure. Leif Parsons. Www.rhm.uni-koeln.de/107/Solmsen.pdf. Aristotle's Ethics. Bk. X, Chapter 7, 1177a11-1177a18 to Bk. X, Chapter 8, 1178b33-1179a33. Translated by W. D. Ross, revised by J. O. The Complete Works Of Aristotle, Jonathan Barnes (ed.), Princeton U. Chapter 7 If happiness is activity in accordance with excellence, it is reasonable that it should be in accordance with the highest excellence; and this will be that of the best thing in us.

Now this would seem to be in agreement both with what we said before and with the truth. But such a life would be too high for man; for it is not in so far as he is man that he will live so, but in so far as something divine is present in him; and by so much as this is superior to our composite nature is its activity superior to that which is the exercise of the other kind of excellence. Chapter 8 But in a secondary degree the life in accordance with the other kind of excellence is happy; for the activities in accordance with this befit our human estate. Canadian Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 11, No. 4 (Dec., 1981), pp. 713-723. KLsssssw. Plato On Leisure, Play, And Learning reprinted from Leisure Sciences by Benjamin Kline Hunnicutt Professor, The Most Leisure Study textbooks used in college survey courses include a chapter on the history of "play" and "leisure.

" But usually such texts mention only the most obvious and simple facts, known and repeated for decades; e.g., that "play" and "leisure" were important and were discussed at length by some of the most prominent thinkers of the Western World for thousands of years. The same few quotes from the likes of Aristotle and Plato have become a litany; but a repetition used not so much to inform as to add an air of respectability to the two topics. Using modern concordances, one may locate each time Plato used "play" and "leisure" and come to some conclusions about how Plato used the words and what significance they had in his overall philosophy (see appendixes).

Plato built his ideas about freedom on the common, everyday Greek word schole (Brandwood 1976). Philosophy, Democracy and Leisure. Philosophy, Politics and Leisure Dr Alexandra Cook Comments welcome: cookga@hku.hk Nowadays most people have to hold a job or in some way work for their living. Yet the political philosopher Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) predicted in her 1956 book, The Human Condition, that humans would in some future time enjoy liberation from work and therefore greater leisure through automation and labour-saving devices. According to Arendt, we live in the age of work announced by Karl Marx in the nineteenth century; thus, most people are animal laborans [the laboring animal], engaged in mind-numbing, repetitive tasks that have no lasting permanence or reward apart from a pay check; even many professionals experience repetitiveness in their work.

Inspired by her readings of ancient philosophers, Arendt was aware of a sphere of human activity that she claimed could be truly free, independent of the necessities of labor and work. II. So how does Aristotle think leisure may promote moral wisdom? Platonic love. In short, with genuine platonic love, the beautiful or lovely other person inspires the mind and the soul and directs one's attention to spiritual things. Socrates, in Plato's "Symposium", explained two types of love or Eros—Vulgar Eros or earthly love and Divine Eros or divine love. Vulgar Eros is nothing but mere material attraction towards a beautiful body for physical pleasure and reproduction.

Divine Eros begins the journey from physical attraction i.e. attraction towards beautiful form or body but transcends gradually to love for Supreme Beauty. This concept of Divine Eros is later transformed into the term Platonic love. The English term dates back as far as William Davenant's The Platonic Lovers (performed in 1635); a critique of the philosophy of platonic love which was popular at Charles I's court. See also[edit] References[edit] Dall'Orto, Giovanni (January 1989). External links[edit] Plato on Friendship and Eros – Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. The Origins of Love.

A long time ago, there were three kinds of human beings: male, descended from the sun; female, descended from the earth; and androgynous, with both male and female elements, descended from the moon. Each human being was completely round, with four arms and fours legs, two identical faces on opposite sides of a head with four ears, and all else to match. They walked both forwards and backwards and ran by turning cartwheels on their eight limbs, moving in circles like their parents the planets. As they were powerful and unruly and threatening to scale the heavens, Zeus (the king of the gods) devised to cut them into two ‘like a sorb-apple which is halved for pickling,’ and even threatened to cut them into two again, so that they might hop on one leg.

Apollo (the god of light) then turned their heads to make them face towards their wound, pulled their skin around to cover up the wound, and tied it together at the navel like a purse. Plato, Symposium, The Myth of Aristophanes (c. 400 BC) Article: The Origins of Human Love and Violence. James W. Prescott, Ph.D. · Institute of Humanistic ScienceFrom Pre- and Perinatal Psychology Journal, Volume 10, Number 3: Spring 1996, pp. 143-188 Paper presented at the 7th International Congress of the Association for Pre- and Perinatal Psychology and Health.

This essay is a précis of a book in preparation which has the tentative title: Understanding The Moral Imperative For Violence: Consequences of the "Unbonded" Child and Gender Inequality. James Prescott is a developmental neurpsychologist and cross cultural psychologist who received his doctorate in psychology from McGill University, Montreal, P. Q. Canada. After our industrial civilization has broken and the civilization of touch has begun, war will cease, there will be no more wars.– D.H. INTRODUCTIONThe beginning of my quest to understand the origins of human love and violence was partly rooted in my doctoral training in developmental neuropsychology and psychophysiology at McGill University, Montreal, P.Q. Lead Us Into Temptation: The Triumph of American Materialism - James B. Twitchell. Online Etymology Dictionary. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Locke, John. 1909-14. Some Thoughts Concerning Education. Vol. 37, Part 1. The Harvard Classics.

Some Thoughts Concerning Education. Title page from the first edition of Locke'sSome Thoughts Concerning Education (1693) Some Thoughts Concerning Education is a 1693 treatise on the education of gentlemen written by the English philosopher John Locke. For over a century, it was the most important philosophical work on education in England. It was translated into almost all of the major written European languages during the eighteenth century, and nearly every European writer on education after Locke, including Jean-Jacques Rousseau, acknowledged its influence. In his Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690), Locke outlined a new theory of mind, contending that the gentleman's mind was a tabula rasa or "blank slate"; that is, it did not contain any innate ideas. Some Thoughts Concerning Education explains how to educate that mind using three distinct methods: the development of a healthy body; the formation of a virtuous character; and the choice of an appropriate academic curriculum.

Historical context[edit] Text[edit] What is the Basis of American Culture. What is it that intercultural communication students cannot afford to miss about the American Culture? By M. Gene Aldridge Professor of Intercultural Communication, University College, Troy State University President/CEO, New Mexico Independence Research Institute, Inc. Abstract Culture is about survival of the human species. The paper suggests that intercultural communication between human groups is not a new phenomenon and may well hold key values to survival for humankind.

Keywords: historical development, anthropology of cultures, speech communication, core values, human cultural capital, survival of mankind. Introduction and Purpose Culture is about survival of the human species. Culture, it would seem, provides certain contributions to the survival of humankind that makes survival of the species, homo sapien possible. Cultures are afflicted similarly. His assertion in support of Asian traits and values simply are hollow assertions and do not apply to all of , for example. PHI101 -- LEISURE BASIS OF CULTURE. "WE ARE 'UNLEISURELY' IN ORDER TO HAVE LEISURE"-ARISTOTLE-. . . . But isn't this subordination of work to leisure a rejection of the claims of the world of "total work"? Is a life of "total work" a truly human one, or is it a question of what i t should mean to be human? A.- "But the Gods, taking pity on mankind, born to work, laid down the succession of recurring Feasts to restore them from their fatigue, and gave them the Muses, and Apollo their leader, and Dionysus, as companions in their Feasts, so that nourishing themselves in festive companionship with the Gods, they should again stand upright and erect.

" Plato b.- So many practical tasks!. . .but ". . .faced with reorganizing our intellectual and moral and spiritual assests. . . demands a defense of leisure. " II.- "Intellectual work" and "intellectual worker" The essence of knowledge does not consist in the effort for which it calls, but in grasping existing things and in unveiling reality.

And yet, life itself is a gift! VI. Property & Leisure: Aristotle vs. Locke. There have been moments in my education when I realize that even though I spent a lot of time on a subject, I really only scratched the surface of the subject. I recently had that experience, while reading Aristotle's Politics, with the subject of property. Like every other law student in America, I struggled through a pretty complicated course on real property in my first year. After spending a semester learning the basic concepts of property law, such as the different types of estates and co-ownership, as well as restrictions on land use (e.g., zoning and real covenants), I figured that I had a pretty good grasp on the subject. Moreover, most of these concepts are not just taught to first-year law students, but really are essential concepts for many practicing lawyers today. These concepts for the most part fit with certain theories about the nature of property which are shared by most people today and which were announced at the beginning of the course.

Steve Jobs Broke Every Leadership Rule. Don't Try It Yourself. The Single Most Important Thing to Watch for in the Presidential Debates. Transcript: President Obama's Convention Speech. Transcript of President Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, as delivered. Source: Federal News Service: President Obama gives his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., on Thursday. Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption itoggle caption Alex Wong/Getty Images President Obama gives his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., on Thursday. Alex Wong/Getty Images PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you. AUDIENCE MEMBERS: Four more years! PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you so much. Michelle, I love you so much. A few nights ago, everybody was reminded just what a lucky man I am. Malia and Sasha, we are so proud of you. And Joe Biden, thank you for being the very best vice president I could have ever hoped for — (cheers, applause) — and being a strong and loyal friend. Madam Chairwoman, delegates, I accept your nomination for president of the United States. PBS NewsHour YouTube So help me. Lyndon Baines Johnson -- "The Great Society"

Lyndon Baines Johnson The Great Society delivered 22 May 1964, Ann Arbor, MI Direct Link to Video at The Washington Post Audio mp3 of Address click for pdf click for flash [AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text version below transcribed directly from audio.] President Hatcher, Governor Romney, Senators McNamara and Hart, Congressmen Meader and Staebler, and other members of the fine Michigan delegation, members of the graduating class, my fellow Americans: It is a great pleasure to be here today. I have come today from the turmoil of your capital to the tranquility of your campus to speak about the future of your country.

For a century we labored to settle and to subdue a continent. Your imagination and your initiative and your indignation will determine whether we build a society where progress is the servant of our needs, or a society where old values and new visions are buried under unbridled growth. The Great Society rests on abundance and liberty for all. Thank you. Book/CDs by Michael E. Josef Pieper: leisure and its discontents by Roger Kimball. When Doing Nothing Is the Best Medicine.