Herbert Marcuse’s An Essay on Liberation -- Essay Liberation Marcuse

Herbert Marcuse’s An Essay on Liberation We know that the economic evolution of the contemporary world refutes a certain number of the postulates of Marx. If the revolution is to occur at the end of two parallel movements, the unlimited shrinking of capital and the unlimited expansion of the proletariat, it will not occur or ought not to have occurred. Capital and proletariat have both been equally unfaithful to Marx. - Albert Camus, 1953 The validity of Marxist political theory has been seriously challenged by the realities of European civilization, both during the inter-war years and especially after WWII. The threat has been two-fold; on the one hand, was the refusal of capitalism to fail, a failure that Marxists had been predicting as immanent ever since the mid-twentieth century; on the other, was the failure of the Soviet Union to build a successful or humane society. Marxists living in the West, beyond the reach of Soviet suppression, have attempted to develop a comprehensive theory more in tune with the complexities of contemporary society than Classical Marxism. Most prominent among these â€Å"Western Marxists† is a group known as the Frankfurt School. An eclectic group of bright intellectuals who fled Germany in the 1930s, they have sought to develop a â€Å"critical theory† that blends Freud and Weber (among others) with Marx. Herbert Marcuse’s An Essay on Liberation is an example of how they have attempted to keep their social and revolutionary theories relevant and vital. It deals with an increasingly complex society in an increasingly sophisticated manner. This effort creates an interesting historical tension within Marcuse’s work because the complexity of his analysis makes it impossible to adhere t... ...an potential to achieve a balance between the spiritual (world of the mind) and the material (the objective world). Marcuse mentions Kant, but this section of his work borrows most heavily from Friedrich Schiller’s The Aesthetic Education of Man. Bibliography All quotations and references are from Herbert Marcuse, An Essay on Liberation. Boston: Beacon, 1969. Although no secondary works were used to prepare this paper, the following books provided the necessary background for my interpretation. Freud, Sigmund. Civilization and Its Discontents, trans. James Strachey. New York: Norton, 1961. Schiller, Friedrich. The Aesthetic Education of Man. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1967. Tucker, Robert, ed. The Marx Engels Reader, 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 1978. Weber, Max. Essays in Sociology, eds. Gerth and Mills. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1946. Herbert Marcuse’s An Essay on Liberation -- Essay Liberation Marcuse Herbert Marcuse’s An Essay on Liberation We know that the economic evolution of the contemporary world refutes a certain number of the postulates of Marx. If the revolution is to occur at the end of two parallel movements, the unlimited shrinking of capital and the unlimited expansion of the proletariat, it will not occur or ought not to have occurred. Capital and proletariat have both been equally unfaithful to Marx. - Albert Camus, 1953 The validity of Marxist political theory has been seriously challenged by the realities of European civilization, both during the inter-war years and especially after WWII. The threat has been two-fold; on the one hand, was the refusal of capitalism to fail, a failure that Marxists had been predicting as immanent ever since the mid-twentieth century; on the other, was the failure of the Soviet Union to build a successful or humane society. Marxists living in the West, beyond the reach of Soviet suppression, have attempted to develop a comprehensive theory more in tune with the complexities of contemporary society than Classical Marxism. Most prominent among these â€Å"Western Marxists† is a group known as the Frankfurt School. An eclectic group of bright intellectuals who fled Germany in the 1930s, they have sought to develop a â€Å"critical theory† that blends Freud and Weber (among others) with Marx. Herbert Marcuse’s An Essay on Liberation is an example of how they have attempted to keep their social and revolutionary theories relevant and vital. It deals with an increasingly complex society in an increasingly sophisticated manner. This effort creates an interesting historical tension within Marcuse’s work because the complexity of his analysis makes it impossible to adhere t... ...an potential to achieve a balance between the spiritual (world of the mind) and the material (the objective world). Marcuse mentions Kant, but this section of his work borrows most heavily from Friedrich Schiller’s The Aesthetic Education of Man. Bibliography All quotations and references are from Herbert Marcuse, An Essay on Liberation. Boston: Beacon, 1969. Although no secondary works were used to prepare this paper, the following books provided the necessary background for my interpretation. Freud, Sigmund. Civilization and Its Discontents, trans. James Strachey. New York: Norton, 1961. Schiller, Friedrich. The Aesthetic Education of Man. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1967. Tucker, Robert, ed. The Marx Engels Reader, 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 1978. Weber, Max. Essays in Sociology, eds. Gerth and Mills. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1946.

The Epic of Gilgamesh :: essays research papers

The Epic of Gilgamesh Questions for Analysis #1-6 1. What was the Mesopotamian view of the afterlife? 2. What is the message of Siduri’s advice to Gilgamesh? 3. Consider Utnapishtim’s initial response to Gilgamesh’s request for the secret of eternal life. How does his message complement what Siduri has said? 4. Consider the story of Utnapishtim. What do the various actions of the gods and goddesses allow us to infer about how the Mesopotamians viewed their deities? 5. According to the epic, what are the respective roles of the gods and humans? What do the Mesopotamian deities require of humanity? What do humans expect of their gods? 6. What wisdom has Gilgamesh gained from his epic struggles? How has he changed as result of his quest? 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Mesopotamians viewed the afterlife as a place of darkness where there was no return when entered. It was ruled by the Queen of the Underworld, Ereshkigal, who was accompanied by her recorder, Belit-Sheri. From reading the poem, it was thought of as a baron place where the dead wandered and little else existed. Those who were kings and high priests were now servants for the gods. It’s definitely portrayed as a place one wouldn’t look forward to, and that’s the dilemma that Gilgamesh contemplates. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Siduri’s message to Gilgamesh is to enjoy the life he was given and the life he retained. His days on Earth should be spent eating, being merry, and take care of his child. Essentially, the main idea is that at some point the life of man comes to end and it’s in god’s hands. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Utnapishtim complements Siduri’s message by giving analogies in regards to the fact that death is unexpected. Nothing is permanent or certain except death. You could build a house that’s believed to stand forever, but is it really true? Does an agreement hold for all time? These are the examples Utnapishtim gives. While death is certain, the time it occurs is not known by man. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  About religion in general, whenever man defies god, his existence, or his actions, it’s considered to be an act of defiance and they are to face punishment. With this in my mind, we can infer that at a time where man was expanding in Mesopotamia, the belief in the gods and goddesses was declining. Thus, the punishment from the infuriated gods was to eliminate them all. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mesopotamian deities required humanity to worship and praise them. Basically, they were to be their servants.

Can Logging Help the Enviorment Essay -- Environment, Saving Forests

The Earths forest hold up to 90% of the terrestrial plants and animal species (Heaton 76). About 13 million hectares of the world’s forests are cut down each year (FAO 2005). Forests also hold 25% of modern medicines (World Rainforest Movement 28), while the United States is the largest wood consumer in the world; Heaton says that the US, per capita, consumes approximately 330 kg in wood based products compared to 233 kg in Germany who holds second place (WRI 2003). WWF has been trying for years to help with the world’s preservation of forests. WWF’s policy toward conservation of forests states â€Å"†¦[to] influence broader, long-term governmental policy - domestically and internationally - that supports our mission to conserve 19 of the world's most important natural places and significantly change global markets to protect the future of nature by 2015.† Being raised in logging community where logging is not just a livelihood for the citizens, but a major and necessary industry, I have been made very aware of the arguments for both sides. However, the media tends to be biased in favor of environmentalism. We have myriads of organizations that are formed just to prevent further damage to our environment and ecosystem. Over the past twenty years, multiple laws have been implemented to try and save forests across America as a result of petitions, protests, and people wanting to do well for the environment. I want to believe that by reducing logging and by expanding our national forests to save the ecosystem and animal habitats, the problem of depletion of forests would be solved, however, these hopes, that are the same hopes of environmentalist organizations, of banning logging are neither ideal nor logical. I would like to know if th... ...ry, and it’s incredibly difficult for the government to put a complete stop to the practice. The human race has used wood since the dawn of man. We are so dependent on this material that we have exhausted or resources to the point of certain plant and animal species are now on the verge of extinction or already nonexistent. But, there is hope for the forests around the world. Organizations, such as WWF, FSC, SFI have shown great results for saving natural resources, and in the cases of FSC and SFI they have reused and recycled many items without further harm to the planet. I think that with further study in biodiversity, we could create a huge impact for future generations to come that would prove to be quite useful. I think that if this research was to commence that there would be a greater understanding of our environment and how to handle and treat it better.

Religion wealth and poverty Essay

(Ai) Outline the Hindu teachings on wealth and poverty. To be wealthy is to have a large amount of money- enough to feed yourself and others. To suffer from poverty is to have very little or no money- not enough to feed yourself and fulfil your physiological needs. Hinduism is a religion, a culture and to many, a way of life. Due to the globalisation of Hinduism, it has been brought into contact with a large variety of cultures and religions causing Hindu beliefs in areas to be changed or completely removed. Because of this there are many views on the topic of wealth and poverty and some of these are outlined below. In most cultures the caste system is based on the amount of money or power the person has, for example; in England there are three castes- upper, middle, and lower class. In Hinduism there are four castes and they are not based on wealth. These castes are called Varnas and they are in order of highest to lowest:- Brahmin- these are the priests, teachers and the wise men. Kshatriya- these are the warriors, leaders and rulers. Vaisya- these are the traders, merchants, agricultural workers and other forms of commerce. Sudra- these are manual labourers, servants and beggars. This is the lowest caste. You cannot get a job which is not of your caste and you do not choose which caste to be in, but you are born into it. You cannot change between castes in your lifetime. The only way to change between castes is to be reincarnated into another one. The cast you are reincarnated into depends on your karma. To get good karma, you have to follow your dharma (duty of your caste – to get an appropriate job, to pray to God, to be a good citizen). If your karma is good you will be born into a higher caste. If it is bad, you will be born into a lower caste. Because of this caste system, people in the lowest caste (Sudra) could not get enough money to feed themselves or their families because they were inferior and could not get much work. You would probably have to steal from the two middle classes (Vaisya and Kshatriya) as they were likely to have money. Because stealing is a crime, the person who stole would have to pay a fine they can’t afford which would make them poorer and therefore more likely to steal or mug someone. Because of the crimes they are committing, they will get bad karma, causing them to live another life in this caste. In present day, the caste system is no longer used in most cities and urban areas. But in many villages, the caste system is still followed strongly. In Hinduism, money is not considered to be bad, but as a necessity to survive. It is natural to try and earn as much money as you can in the householder stage of life, to pay for your expenses. Many people pray to the Goddess Laxshmi who is the goddess of wealth and prosperity but what is wrong in Hinduism is to become greedy. Poverty is a huge problem in India as it has many beggars who beg on the streets. Many people will not help them as they believe that it is their fault that they are in that caste due to previous karma. But Gandhi said that we should help them as this improves our own karma by helping others. Giving away old clothes instead of throwing them in the bin is a way of helping the poor. (Aii) Explain why there is a need for world development. The world’s countries can be separated into three main categories; Developed countries Developing countries Undeveloped countries. Most of the developed countries are- the USA, Canada, western European countries and Australia. These countries are richer and have more advanced technology. They do not have a poverty problem and if there is, it would probably be relative poverty. The undeveloped countries can be referred to as ‘third world countries’. Most of these are in Africa and Asia. They have huge poverty problems- a mixture of both absolute and relative poverty. Relative poverty is when someone is considered to be poor compared to others in their community. Absolute poverty is when the person cannot afford to buy enough food or shelter for himself or his family. As the countries which have mass poverty problems are very poor, they would borrow money from richer countries such as the USA. This would put the country into debt which would create a large amount of interest as money is usually borrowed in millions or billions. One example is when Chile borrowed 3.9 billion dollars, and then ended up paying back a total of 12.8 billion dollars due to interest. That extra 9 billion dollars could have been used to speed up the development of the country. Because of this huge interest problem governments try to make enough money so they can pay of the debt as quickly as possible otherwise it will keep collecting up interest. One way to do this is to grow cash crops. Cash crops are crops grown to be sold rather than food for the people. The richer countries who buy them often buy them at a lower price than the actual value because the countries are desperate to sell them. Some examples of cash crops are- coffee, cocoa, tobacco, sugar cane and cotton. Due to this many people starve as there is not enough food, so the country ends up borrowing again to pay for the importing of food. Also natural disasters can cause the destruction of houses, farmland, hospitals, schools and businesses. This would mean that the government would have to take out more debts to make repairs and to help the injured. Because of the disaster, the roads may not be safe to travel on so the government would have to use expensive transport such as helicopters in times of emergency. (Aiii) Analyse and explain the work of ONE Hindu agency working for world development. The Hindu agency which I will be talking about is BAPS Care International. BAPS Care International is a charity which became registered in the year 2000. it was previously set up 1950 and done charity work under the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha. Their mission is to help disadvantaged families and communities mainly in India and they believe that everyone has the right to have a ‘peaceful, dignified and healthy way of life’. They offer many services such as medical, educational, environmental, tribal, community services and disaster relief. BAPS Care International has achieved so much in these past years and here is a list of some of their greatest achievements. They have†¦ over 610 000 patients treated yearly in their facilities. opened 14 hospitals, clinics and healthcare centres. made 11 mobile medical vans for remote communities. give free medicine and medical camps. supported an emergency medical team and services. opened 10 schools, 8 colleges/institutions and 14 student hostels. supported 20 schools and colleges. built 55 schools. recycled 10 000 tons of paper. recycled 10 million aluminium cans. built 85 dams. planted 1.5 million trees. organised weekly meetings in youth centres. Also since the 1970s they have given disaster relief for floods, famines, cyclones, plagues, droughts, ferry disasters, riots, earthquakes and the tsunami. (B) ‘There should be no rich people as long as there is poverty in the world’.

Haverwood Company Essay

1.How would you characterize the household wood furniture industry? I would characterize the wood furniture industry to be a very complex competitive relationship based industry. This industry has many different segments that form as a whole. A few of these segments are suppliers, producers, and raw material manufactures. A great deal of the raw materials are imported from different countries in order to keep constant on quality and cost. This industry is had to penetrate being that a lot of the competition has been in business for many years. This give them a competitive edge being that this market can be cyclical like many others. The furniture industry is affected by different economic conditions which may directly impact a consumer’s purchasing power. A few furniture companies have decided to outsource different process in order to be cost effective. 2. What is Haverwood’s relative position in this industry? Haverwoods position in the industry is reflected in the product it produces. It is a mid to high price furniture manufacture. Its sales are good with a least six percent of market share. The growth of the company is expanding with the addition of Lea-meadows and most likely many others as the market seems to get more competitive. They have 1,000 specialty styles that gives versatility amongst a wide array of different consumers. They are positioned well in this industry. 3. How do consumers buy furniture? Describe the process from need recognition to purchase. Many consumers buy furniture from a wide variety of choice whether they impulse buy or see an idea in a magazine. Most individuals just enjoy shopping. Many believe that a higher price is equivalent to a higher quality. 4.What is the purpose and role of advertising, promotion, and personal selling in the household furniture industry? The purpose of advertising gives the consumer information on the products that the company offer. It may give ideas to the consumer who will eventually purchase. When a firm promotes it allows the consumer to understand and recognize the quality of product that is being offered. Sales people are often the first contact a consumer may have to the firm allowing them to feel as though the experience is worthy of their money. Sales people develop a rapport with the consumers which may allow for repeat business and referrals which contributes to the bottom line of increasing sales. 5.What should be the objective(s) for Haverwood’s communication program in 2008? Please provide rationale for your response. I think the objective is to market all the lines that are available and control their advertising budget. The many lines will contribute to more product being seen and available to the consumer. This will give them many more options to decide from. If they control the ad budget then they can control the amount of money being spent in areas that may not be as noticed by the consumers with in the market. The more galleries will allow more exposure to the general public.

Indigenous knowledge Essay

The project is the instrument for supporting, collecting and storing indigenous knowledge provided by the diverse community population. As long as the project is aimed at creating neighbourhood portals to store oral, pictorial and other creations of community members (Vancouver Community Network, 2001), the use of this tool will lead to effective sharing and transferring the indigenous knowledge among different community members. Funding issues Funding remains one of the most problematic areas in any non-profit community-based project. (Baum, HS 2001, p. 21) As a result, the current project does not provide the readers with sufficient financial information. It is understandable, that Vancouver Community Network is a stable developing organisation with financial issues professionally addressed (brief information is provided on the system of organization’s revenues, membership fees and similar financial data). (Vancouver Community Network, 2001) It is yet unclear, what the exact resources of project financing would be and how they would comply with the community project requirements. Organizational challenges and dilemmas The major challenge faced by project organisers is in dealing with diverse community populations. Diversity has traditionally been admitted as a serious barrier to the development of technological tools. (Vancouver Community Network, 2001) Though project initiators recognise diversity as one of the organizational issues, there is still vast area of research to be conducted, whether the project will lead to equal access and outcomes for all layers of community population. Traditional and non-traditional project approaches The traditional striving towards provision of the vulnerable communities with the opportunities to learn and interact has been supplemented by the new idea of using Internet to enhance community resources. (Vancouver Community Network, 2001) It has become an essential aspect of the project development. This is why the project is expected to be successful in promoting community interactions, indigenous knowledge transfers, discussions of the local issues and learning opportunities on the equity bases. Conclusion. Despite the fact that the project contains several ‘weak’ aspects to be re-considered, its initial idea will prove to be a success in case the discussed problematic areas are properly addressed. Otherwise, the existing social issues and related problems may become a serious organisational obstacle on the way of project development and implementation. Bibliography Atherton, JS 2005, Learning and teaching: Reflection and reflective practices. Retrieved September 30, 2007 from http://www. learningandteaching. info/learning/reflecti. htm Baum, HS 2001, ‘How should we evaluate community initiatives?’, Journal of the American Planning Association, vol. 67, pp. 19-22 Day, P & Schuler, D 2004, Community practice in the network society: Local action, global interaction, Routledge, London. Messinger, L 2004, ‘Comprehensive community initiatives’, Social Work, vol. 94, pp. 39-41 Vancouver Community Network 2001, Vancouver Community Learning Network. Retrieved September 30, 2007 from http://www2. vcn. bc. ca/ Wack, P 2006, ‘Planning for sustainability: Creating livable, equitable, and ecological communities’, Journal of the American Planning Association, vol. 72, pp. 123-131 .

The Worlds Population Is Increasing

The World’s Population is increasing, but not evenly all over the world Aim: To find how the average line of latitude for the world’s largest cities has changed since 1950. Hypothesis: In the earlier years, the cities with the highest populations will be in HICs because these countries would have been the most developed, and these countries would have also been in the ‘rich north’. Introduction: As the world continues to develop, populations continue to increase as well. However, the populations of each country do not grow at the same rate.Some populations are rapidly increasing, whereas some country’s populations are barely increasing. The point of this investigation was to collect data for the top 10 most populated cities in 1950, 2000 and 2012. After this was done, the data could then be plotted onto a map, and trend lines could be drawn which then allowed us to discover patterns. Method: 1. Collect data (preferably from the same source) of the to p ten biggest cities in 1950, 2000 and 2012. 2. Plot all of this data onto a map. Make sure all of the data for each country is plotted in a different color. . Write the rank and the population under each city, and make sure you round the population to one decimal place. 4. Once all of the data has been plotted, using the same color for each year, plot a line of best fit between all of the points. Your line should be horizontal, and completely straight. 5. After you have plotted 3 lines, examine all patterns, and record them. Analysis: After analyzing the data, some patterns were discovered. In 1950, the top ten most populated cities were as an average, in the rich north. There were wo cities in North America, and 4 cities in Europe. Most of these cities were in High Income Countries. The most populated city with 12. 5 million people was New York City. In 2000, most of the cities were in the ‘poor south’. There were only 2 cities (both in the USA) that weren’t in the south. All of the other cities were in LICs and MICs. In 2012, New York (which is the 4th most populated city) is the only city in the North. All of the other cities are in India, and East Asia. However, Mexico City, Sao Paulo and New York city are the only exceptions.Most of these cities are in LIC and MICs. Conclusion: After completing our investigation, it can be concluded that in 1950, almost all of the cities were in the rich north and were in MICs and HICs. Buenos Aires, Calcutta, Shanghai and Tokyo were the only cities that were in the ‘poor south’. In this period, these countries were beginning to start developing. In 2000, the average line where most of the cities were was a little north of Cuba. Most of the cities could be found in East Asia and South America, most of them in MICs and LIC’s.In 2012 the average line then moved north again, bisecting South Carolina. 7 of the 10 cities were in the Eastern Hemisphere in the poor South. Only Mexico City , Sao Paulo and New York City were in the eastern hemisphere. Most of the cities with the highest populations are in MIC’s or LIC’s. This could be because many people work in these cities, for example in Tokyo, however a more realistic answer would have to do with the rate of development. These cities that these countries are in are rapidly developing, and more and more people are migrating into the city to work.Evaluation: We could have altered this investigation to make our data, and maps more organized and presentable. For example we should have had all of the populations on one point, with the year and the population next to it. This would have saved a lot of space on our map, and made it more organized. All of our data should have been collected from the same website. All of the data were only estimates. Therefore, we should have used the same people who made the estimates for 1950 and 2000, however it was very hard to find this.