Pragmatism

In In Defense of War, Nigel Biggar argues that war can be a just means to correct acts of injustice taken by many countries, and that it is the duty of other countries to defend those who cannot defend themselves; just war, therefore, must be a humanitarian, defensive action. Biggar supports this thesis by first explaining the two basic principles of just war: jus ad bellum-- regarding the justice of going to war in the first place-- and in bello-- regarding justice in the course of fighting…

The Gambia, Russia, and China have always valued traditions and family, but many aspects of family life and traditions within these countries are evolving with the continuous societal changes. Long-standing rituals and views on personal matters of life such as marriage and divorce are an important part of the three cultures. Taking a closer look at the dynamics of family and traditions within the countries can identify the differences and similarities within the cultures of The Gambia, Russia,…

Have you noticed that Physical Education seems to be a narrowing field? I strongly believe that there is a reason we need to keep PE in schools and in society today. Unfortunately, I feel as though many of the educators and teachers today aren’t taking it seriously. They aren’t doing enough to help the students become physically active, instead, the teachers just sit there because it is a job to them, nothing more. If the teachers had a better personal philosophy on what they actually want to…

Religious sentiment had long been thought to be inferior to the concept of natural religion. The truths of natural religion were widely accepted as self-evident from the middle ages throughout the enlightenment. Only after the truths of natural religion were question and its self-evidence evaporated, did the pious find recourse with religious sentiment. This is best exemplified with the psychologist William James; he transformed religious discourse by denouncing Natural and Institutionalized…

characteristics and traits of a traditional hero and has negative attributes. Some negative attributes may include physical deformity, violent nature and questionably morality. Some common characteristics of an anti-hero include but are not limited to pragmatism, greed, rebellious nature, and sexism. As we dive deeper into the workings of Hamlet, we notice that Hamlet occupies the muddled grey area between a hero and a villain. He is sort of a hero because we see that he is fulfilling his…

““What do you do when a person…?” Dot, dot, dot. As Small Groups Pastor, what’s about to follow is a question about handling a certain type of personality during a small group meeting” (Mason, n.d, para. 1). This question could just as easily have been uttered to an HR manager within in a business setting. Small group interactions can be complex at times, but can yield great personal growth and satisfaction. Therefore, it is imperative that as individuals we arm ourselves with knowledge to…

The Mass’s Psychology of Fascism “The Rhetoric of Hitler's Battle" has been recognized as an exemplar of rhetorical criticism and as one of the most acclaimed works by Kenneth Burke in 1939, which offered a rhetorical analysis of Adolf Hitler's rise to power in Germany in the 1930's. Through an analysis of Mein Kampf, Burke exposits the construction of Hitler's ideology of fascism and shows how an “exasperating, even nauseating" book served to instigate and inspire a mass movement. Hitler’s…

Are there limits to what you can talk about in class? Like you might not talk about issues of sex or things like that. Interviewee: No, no limits. Is there a limit? No, but obviously there is going to be a line between a student and teacher situation. As far as topics, we can address any topics. We have to be very careful, obviously, not to offend anyone. Really, it is up to the particular teacher and the dynamics they have in that class, what they can talk about. The teacher just has to…

“I hate reading.” How often do we hear people utter this sentence? In this day and age, with education more widely available, especially in the United States, one would think that the love of reading would grow rather than diminish. Why, then, do people, including those who have already graduated from high school and thus should have been exposed to a variety of texts, loathe books so much? Not textbooks—as it is understandable that someone might recoil at the sort of dry material one can find…

Throughout sociological history a series of theories and coinciding research have been used in order to better understand the social realm. This paper will attempt to outline the importance of social theory and empirical research in the understanding of society and social behaviour, through the presentation of a range of examples. Within this paper a multitude of key points will be made, including a discussion of the importance of social theory and empirical research within sociology and the…