Plato and Aristotle Essay Example for Free

Plato and Aristotle Essay Plato and Aristotle both have been very influential as the ancient Greek philosophers. Aristotle was a student of Plato and there are many similarities between these intellectual giants of the ancient world but there are also many things that distinguish them from each other. Aristotle was far more empirical-minded than Plato. First, Platos philosophy relegated the material, physical world to a sort of metaphysical second class. His contention was that the abstract truths of the mind-mathematical truths, moral and normative truths about ideals-are what really matter in life and in philosophy, and that the empirical world around us consists of merely poor copies of these ideals. By contrast, Aristotle did as much or more work in what we would today call science (physics, biology, etc. ) as in what remains a part of philosophy. While Aristotle certainly did important work in ethics and related areas, he concentrated as much or more on examining the material world. Plato can be read at times as being quite disparaging of science. This is not true of Aristotle. Second, the difference in the approaches and values of these two philosophers resulted in very different political philosophies. Platos political philosophy, which can be found principally in the Republic. For him, the just state is one ruled by ascetic philosophers who have been raised from birth not to value material reward or exclusive human connections, even with their own kin. They are the ideal of wise, objective, fair-minded, ultra-rational beings. In contrast to Platos utopian political philosophy, Aristotles political philosophy, which can be found principally in the Politics, has a large component of descriptive political science. When he does argue for certain political schemes, they tend to be incremental improvements on existing systems. Like his teacher Plato, Aristotles philosophy aims at the universal. Aristotle, however, finds the universal in particular things, which he calls the essence of things, while Plato finds that the universal exists apart from particular things. Aristotle makes philosophy coextensive with reasoning, which he also would describe as science. Note, however, that his use of the term science carries a different meaning than that covered by the term scientific method. For Aristotle, all science is practical, poetical or theoretical. By practical science, he means ethics and politics; by poetical science, he means the study of poetry and the other fine arts; by theoretical science, he means physics, mathematics and metaphysics. In general, Plato is the more extravagant thinker, the thinking outside the box type who was equal parts brilliant and bizarre in his ideas. Aristotle is more the cool, logical, dry, systematic thinker whose works tend to read like encyclopedias.

Disagreement with Sigmond Freuds The Future of an Illiusion Essay

To a certain extent I can agree with Freud’s views on natural instinct. Without manmade laws and â€Å"coercion† or rules that are presented by God, civilization would not survive or even have been born. Yet, as is the case with many other people, I disagree with his views on religion. I do not believe that religion was created by man, but by a higher being. It is impossible for me to believe that science will destroy religion because for every question science answers many more questions arise. The more science reveals about nature the more apparent it is to me that only a higher being could have created everything. As Freud states I am one of the unpersuadable. Civilization is not only made by technological development but also by a set of rules. The rules remove man’s foul instincts such as â€Å"killing, incest, and cannibalism†, which are the elements that work to destroy civilization. Without guidelines or laws our actions would be the same as those of wild animals. Freud says that these laws and doctrines were established so that we could unite and band against the our enemy nature. Imposing laws upon people is a necessary element, yet it causes people to resent this coercion away from their natural instincts. After being forced against their will these people begin to hate civilization but at the same time they continue to love it because it provides them with their necessities to live. Freud calls the people the â€Å"masses† because they are the majority of civilization. He says that they are ignorant and lazy, because of this, it easy for them to lapse back to instinctual behavior and into the chaos of nature. "Name" 2 Freud says civilization is founded on religion. For example, T... ...Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is a good example of Freud’s envisioned civilization. Instead relying on a higher being, the state "name" 4 was to meet all of the people’s needs. When the country failed economically, there were generations of atheists with no belief system to guide them. This country collapsed because of many reasons but one of them could be the lack of religion. After reading The Future of an Illusion I wondered why Freud was so strongly set against God. Instead of basing his beliefs on faith, he invested himself in the scientific method. Since he could not conduct experiments that led him to the answer, he concluded that it was impossible for a God to exist. Maybe science will one day explain the phenomenona of today, but there will always be unanswered questions. A discovery will only lead to more questions.

Boundary Issues Essay

When working in the human service profession you must understand the importance of setting boundaries. One of the most important aspects a counselor should instill into their work ethics is to build a strong, health line of communication and trust between themselves and their clients. This line of trust can determine whether there will be a therapeutic session and if it will end in success, or detriment. Professionals must understand that mixing a personal and professional relationship could produce a negative outcome. One of the easiest ways to prevent boundary crossing is to acknowledge, and adhere, to the Code of Ethics which is provided by the organization of employment. A Code of Ethics is a set of principles of conduct within an organization or business that guide decision- making and behavior. The purpose of ethic codes is to provide professionals, clients and other interested persons with guidelines for making ethical choices in conduct of his or her work. How can a counselor identify certain scenarios to protect themselves and their clients from such damage? As a counselor you should be clear on your limits as a provider. Make sure the client understands that boundaries are set to keep each party involved focused on the work at hand. Identifying poor boundaries: You and your client call each other friends and interact outside of the facility where you work. Valuable gifts are exchanged between you and the client. You reveal personal information that is not relevant to your client case. You find yourself discussing the client and his or her case during social interactions with your friends and family. Knowing the consequences of poor boundaries: Without professional relationship boundaries you may not provide appropriate services to your client. If you are acting as the client’s friend, and not his or her provider, you may not challenge the client to deal with presenting problems. Failure to set professional boundaries can cause you to burn out from caring for the client beyond what is required of a professional relationship. If you do not maintain a professional relationship you can find yourself acting in an unethical manner. How to prevent poor professional boundaries: Explain your role as provider and the limits of your availability to the client outside of office hours at the beginning of the relationship. Make it clear that the client will only be able to contact you at the facility and that your personal life (outside of  the relevant information you volunteer) is not up for discussion. Make sure any personal information you reveal (called self-disclosure) is helpful to the client’s case. For example if the client is a rape victim, it is important to talk about your history of rape (if any) and the resources you used to change your life. You are making the session about you if you discuss parts of your personal life that are not relevant to the client. When a client crosses the professional boundaries, redirect them by immediately clarifying your role and the limits of your relationships with the client. Discuss boundary issues with your supervisor, colleagues or your own therapist. Be sure to maintain good physical emotional and mental health so you work at your personal best. Review the code of ethics.

The Vietnam War Essay - 1921 Words

Turning Point of Vietnam War The Vietnam War was an extension of Cold War Ââ€"An Ideological conflict between Capitalism and Communism. In this protracted war scores of critical events happened and many proxy wars were fought between Nations belonging either of the Capitalist/ Communist bloc. The contrasting ideas of West and East about Government and economy was the driving force between the than two major forces of the World. The Western Nations were in favor of bringing democratic system of Government and Capitalist economy in the newly liberated Nations whereas, Russia considered it to its right specially on Eastern European countries. United States considered Communists expansion more threatening in 1949, when Mao communists†¦show more content†¦During 1955-1960, North Vietnam and its Allies tried to conquer the South Vietnam. America thought that supporting South Vietnam in the battle would make America seem reliable and trust worthy. It entered into the war, little by little, piece by pie ce, over the time. Initially there was no approval, whatsoever, by the United States Congress. But subsequently, in August 1964 US destroyer ‘ Maddox was attacked by North Vietnamese Torpedoes, which paved way for free hand to the US president by the Congress. The Congress allowed to escalate and gave powers to wage war. The Resolution was passed unanimously except opposition by one, Wayne Morse, who said, I believe that within a century, future generation will look at dismay and great disappointment upon a Congress, which is now about to make such a historic mistake. There appeared a flaw in this decision of Congress, i.e. it lacked thorough study about culture and, livings of Vietnamese people besides having geographical and seasonal conditions of that area before carrying out the offensive. America initially mostly relied upon Rolling Thunder, which was a massive demonstration of US firepower and Military Might. But it did little effect due to no Industry or Installations to be destroyed in North Vietnam. The built-up of US forces continued till 1967, when the figure rose to about 500,000. Casualties were considerably increasing without much progress,Show MoreRelatedThe War Of Vietnam And The Vietnam War1525 Words   |  7 PagesThe war in Vietnam is The United States and other capitalist bloc countries supported South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) against the support by the Soviet Union and other socialist bloc countries of North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and the Vietcong of war. Which occurred during the Cold War of Vietnam (main battlefield), Laos, and Cambodia. This is the biggest and longtime war in American history during the 1960s (Best 2008). It is also the most significant war after World War IIRead MoreThe Vietnam War On Vietnam1725 Words   |  7 PagesThe War on Vietnam Many believe that the way Americans entered the war against the North Vietnam communists was unjust. 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