Theories about whether or not virtue can be taught Essay - 93

Theories about whether or not virtue can be taught - Essay Example In the Meno, Socrates states that virtuous and wise people are not very good at imparting these qualities to others. For example, while Themistocles, the Athenian statesman and soldier could teach the skills of shooting javelins and standing upright to his son Cleophantus, no one ever stated about Cleophantus that he was virtuous and wise, and this holds true for Pericles and his sons Xanthippus and Paralus; Lysimachus and Aristides, his son; and Thucydides and his sons Stephanus and Melesias. Since there are apparently no teachers of virtue, it was inferred by Socrates that it is not possible to teach virtue; and since it cannot be taught, virtue cannot be translated as a kind of knowledge. Meno questions that if it is not possible to teach virtue, then how could good men exist? Socrates retorts that Meno and he overlooked that it is possible to execute a right action without knowledge. This can be explained in terms of the quality of guidance offered by two men to Larisa, one of wh om has been there whereas the other just knows about the way and has never actually been to Larisa. Of the two, the one who knows the way to Larisa would serve as a good guide, but so would be the other man who has never been to Larisa. If it is believed that truth as a guide is just as good as the man who is aware of that truth, it implies that a correct opinion is no less good a guide for the correct action than knowledge. In this case, Meno wonders what the factors that distinguish knowledge from correct opinion are, and also asks why should knowledge be preferred over correct opinion or vice versa? Socrates addresses these questions by saying that correct opinions can be interpreted as Daedalus’s statues, who was a highly skilled craftsman and mythological architect. The statues of Daedalus needed to be tied to prevent them from running away. Similarly, it is possible to tie down the correct opinions with the reason whereupon they discontinue being correct opinions and  becoming a form of knowledge.  

Identification Essay on American History Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Identification on American History - Essay Example It is fascinating to note that the colonist did not see their efforts as leading to their independence. Their drive was the belief that they were fighting for their natural rights. They believed too that they were resisting the corrupt and misguided government representatives and officials. They redoubled their efforts and activism with every new assertion of British authority, which raised the stake higher and higher. King George III condemnation of the rebellion and protests as unlawful and the rejection of the colonist’s appeals sharply dashed their faith. American nationalist and patriots eventually lost their faith in reason and righteousness of the monarchy and out rightly rejected it and went ahead to gain their independence. This beginning of a new society and authority replaced the old. Discussion The American Revolution was a political cataclysm in which thirteen North American colonies came together to oppose the British patriarchal rule during the last part of the 18ht century. This upheaval led to their break-free from the British Empire and saw the establishment of the United States of America. It began by the outright rejection of the Britain Parliament that governed them without representation from overseas. The British Patriarchalauthority suffered an even bigger upset when all its royal officials were expelled. Each of the thirteen colonies had effectively established Provincial Congress that would govern them by 1774. Although they were still under the British Patriarchy, the British sent combat troops to impose direct authority. The thirteen states ultimately determined that, through acts of totalitarianism, the British could no longer claim their allegiance legitimately1. They thus broke ties with the British Monarchy in July 1776 when the Congress issued the U.S Declaration of independence, rejecting in all totality the British Empire on behalf of a separate, sovereign new nation. The American Revolution was prompted by a series of political, social, and intellectual transformations in the American government and society. This is what was referred to as the American Enlightenment. It was the period between mid and late 18th century that saw Americans undergo intellectual transformations and thriving. Americans at this time, rejected the aristocratic developments in Europe, and instead, championed for republicanism development based on Enlightenment of liberalism. Ethnicity and racism were among the ideals that the Americans rejected during this period. The racism concept viewed from different perspectives. The idea of â€Å"the Great Chain of Being† which suggested that all creation was a kind of hierarchy within which there were different groups of human2. At the time, most Americans were Protestants who vastly believed in the creation theory which asserted that all humans were descendants of Eve and Adam. They therefore, did not agree with racism and instead tried to use other parts of the Bible to ex plain the various differences in racial appearances. This greatly opposed the idea of Great chain of being. Other significant results of the revolution included the formation of a legitimate government that was democratically elected and was responsible of the peoples will. The level of democracy appropriate in the new government prompted fierce debates with most of the