Violence Through The Eyes Of Hannah Arendt Philosophy Essay

Violence Through The Eyes Of Hannah Arendt Philosophy Essay In this essay I will try to the best of my understanding to evaluate and critically analyse subject of violence through the eyes of Hannah Arendt. The title of the book is called On Violence and has been written by Hannah Ardent and published in 1969. In this book Hannah Ardent tries explaining the subject of violence in a historical context and questions the nature of its use. She also re-examines the relationships between politics, war, violence and power and uses other theorists to differentiate her point. My purpose in writing this, is to critically analyse chapter 2 from this book in order to understand how successful the authors argument is and how effective are the example she use to prove her argument. I will then finally identify any examples that disprove of the authors argument and provide my own understanding of political concepts. How successful is the authors argument? The historical background of the essay was depressing and chaotic in all domains: in the international arena it was the clash between West and East, North and South, in internal politics, and even on the level of personal life, this is when she has lost her husband. What makes her essay so outstanding and even classical, in the sense of both timeless and timely, is her vigorous defence of politics against its simplistic and increasingly prevalent equation with violence. Without supporting a radical form of pacifism, Arendts text sought to justify the integrity of politics, construed as concerted action or shared exercise of public power, in the face of a growing fascination with violence and the progressive colonization of public life by violent strategies and ideologies. Hannah Arendt in chapter two tries to define what she sees as the key concepts that must be understood for the construction of any theory of violence.  Ã‚  Concepts such as power, authority, force, legitimacy and explains and defines power, violence, authority, force, strength and clarifies their relationships with one another. The author evaluates these concepts and provides examples to enhance understanding of the subject to illustrate her point. Her approach will be understood by most social scientists, that you cannot describe reality correctly if your linguists are faulty.  Ã‚   She says that it is A rather sad reflection on the present state of political science that our terminology does not distinguish among such key concepts. Arendt identifies and acknowledges the enormous role violence has always played in human affairs.  Ã‚   According to Arendts argument there is a great shortage of real critical analysis on the role and function of violence in human society no one engaged in thought about history and politics can remain unaware of the enormous role violence has played in human affairs, and it is at first glance rather surprising that violence has been singled our so seldom for special consideration She attempts to identify the connections if any between these theories of violence and what she calls the suicidal development of modern weapons that have become central to the arsenals of violence produced by governments in the post war world. As Arendt sets her analysis of violence within the tradition of the enlightenment the means-ends and cause-effect debate pose one of the central paradoxes for her. All the authorities that she quotes have strong opinions on the question of violence and its role and function in society.  Ã‚   Arendt argues that there is a general consensus that Violence is nothing more than the most flagrant manifestation of power.  Ã‚   She quotes Max Webers definition of the state as the Rule of men over men based on legitimate that is allegedly legitimate violence. Arendt does not agree with such a consensus because she says that to accept such a consensus you would have to Equate political power with the organization of violence and this only makes sense if you follow Marxs estimate of the state as an instrument of oppression in the hands of the ruling classes. She believes that no government exclusively based on the means of violence has ever existed or ever existed for more than a very short period.   The crucial reason for this according to Arendt is that in the Power Violence relationship there is a fundamental ascendancy of power over violence.  Ã‚   Governments in order to exist need power but they do not necessarily need violence.   She believes that power needs no justification but its needs legitimacy.  Ã‚  Ã‚   While violence can destroy power it can not create power.   Arendt believes that Power and Violence are opposites and where one rules absolutely the other is absent.  Ã‚   Rule by violence comes into play only when power is being lost.  Ã‚  Ã‚   A short definition that Arendt refers too is that power equals institutionalized force and that violence is a manifestation of power. phenomenologicallyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ is close to strength, since the implements of violence, like all other tools, are designed and used for the purpose of multiplying natural strength until, in the last stage of their development, they can substitute for it This analyzes the implications for modern governments modern peoples on the significance of civil obedience and consent we have to decide whether and in what sense power can be distinguished from force to ascertain how the fact of using force according to law changes the quality of law itself and presents us with an entirely different picture of human relations How effective are the examples they use to prove their argument? Hannah Arendt argue that it is insufficient to say power and violence are not the same and believes that they are opposites Power and violence are opposites and not the same as where the one rules the upmost and the other is absent. The author uses Alexander Passerin dEntreves opinion in order to prove her point. Passerin visualises violence as the most fragrant manifestation of power. This is what the author of the book The Notion of the state illustrates, we have to decide whether and in what sense power can be distinguished from force to ascertain how the fact of using force according to law changes the quality of law itself and presents us with an entirely different picture of human relations What counter-examples can you identify that disprove the authors argument? (you must properly reference your sources. Atleast two alternative sources must be identified. Foucault truth and power From completing this task what have you learnt about the particular political concept? It is clearly seen that Ardent believes that to exercise power people need to gather together and act in a group. As she says: Power  corresponds to the human ability not just to act but to act in concert. Power is never the property of an individual; it belongs to a group and remains in existence only so long as the group keeps together.   Ardent believes that power does not belong to single man but it springs up whenever people act in concert. Her concept of a power as a property of a group sounds interesting but is not practical. . Violence, she writes, can always destroy power. Out of the barrel of a gun grows the most effective command, resulting in the most instant and perfect obedience. What never can grow out of it [violence] is power. [For example, violence and threat of violence by the emperors Caligula and Nero did not enhance their power. It diminished their power.] Arendt writes that In a head-on clash between violence and power, the outcome is hardly in doubt   as in a military against collective non-violent resistance (power). But, she adds, Nowhere is the self-defeating factor in the victory of violence over power more evident than in the use of terror to maintain domination, about whose weird successes and eventual failures we know perhaps more than any generation before us. Violence, she sums up, can destroy power; it is utterly incapable of creating it. Writing at the end of the 1960s, Arendt was critical of the advocacy of violence by blacks critical of Martin Luther Kings non-violent movement, and she took issue with the advocacy of

How Geometry is used in Construction :: essays research papers

I have conducted my research through interview with someone familiar with construction and development as how geometry is used in these fields.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first step to development is to survey the property in order to document and draw the bounds and land surface shapes. The property will be represented by various geometry elements such as points, lines, arcs, circles, and other defined geometry shapes. Surveyors use scope on tripods witch use projection of line Referenced point on a stick in order to measure the variations of the heights on the ground. This tool uses various angel theorems and postulates to find location of property boundaries, property corners, utilities and building layouts on the property. The surveyor uses the data collected to draw the property layout on a 36†x 24†sheet of paper.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After completion of this step the architects use the surveying drawing to develop a working drawing for the building. In these drawing you will see triangles, rectangles, squares, arches and other geometry shapes and forms to create their design. The architects through our history have used these shapes to create famous structures all over the world. If you go back to Roman historical sites you will see such examples like the great Coliseum. A great example can be seen is the famous Egyptian pyramid. Some other famous structures are the Eiffel Tower which is in Italy, and Chrysler building in New York. If you look around your neighborhood houses, you will see these shapes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The structural engineers use geometry in their design in order to calculate the spacing of their columns and beams for proper strength for the building.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The construction phase would not be possible without the knowledge of basic geometry. Points, lines, measurements and angles are often used to lay out the building in accordance to the architect drawings.

”My Mother Said I Never Should” and ”A Midsummer Nights Dream’ Essay

I have been working on the script of both †My Mother Said I Never Should† and †A Midsummer Nights Dream’. In this essay I will look at many aspects of both pieces and compare them, mentioning their similarities and their differences. †My Mother Said I Never Should† was written in 1985 and set from between the 2nd World War and the mid 80’s. †A Midsummer Nights Dream† was written in the 16th Century and set in whatever time period the reader perceives it. Therefore the two plays are both written in the past but they are different because of the time they are set. This difference is because †My Mother Said I Never Should† is based within a decade whereas †A Midsummer Nights Dream† can be set any time period but the story is meant to all be over within the space of one day. Because †A Midsummer Nights Dream† is set in one day, it unlike †My Mother Said I Never Should† which jumps between different years in the 1980’s. There are equal similarities and differences when it comes to the society of the plays. They both show the high status of the mothers involved and alike each other; Margaret and Titania want to keep their children. The family expectations in both the plays re similar because in â€Å"‘My Mother Said I Never Should†, Margaret is constantly telling Jackie to work harder and get a good job because she has high expectations of her. In †A Midsummer Nights Dream† Hermia’s father wants her to marry Lysander and hope for her to fulfill this expectation. The plays are different when it comes to the language and the style of the way the people live, the characters in ‘My Mother Said I Never Should’ are more modern that those in ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’. The character is ‘My Mother Said I Never Should’ are real characters with real issues, whereas those in ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’ are less than realistic because they are fairies and are make believe. Because of this, ‘My Mother Said I Never Should’ is more realistic because of the issues and the audience can relate and empathize with the problems involved in the play, but in ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’, it is a comedy and it is meant to be enjoyed and not understood. The costumes in ‘My Mother Said I Never Should’ are normal for that time but in ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’ they are extravert and something no one would ever wear no matter what time period, this again adds to it’s fantasy. When talking about the key themes of the plays, they are very comparable. Usually in a scene it is only two people talking at a time and the conversations are very tense and filled with emotion. In both plays they include mothers fighting over a child. Love is the main theme in both of the plays if you look beneath the words and consider subtext. The love in ‘My Mother Said I Never Should’ is between Jackie and Margaret despite their fighting and likewise with Titania and Oberon. Along with this love there is also a lot of anger within this love that we see. When it comes to key themes the plays are obviously different because, ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’s’ characters are fairies but are real people in ‘My Mother Said I Never Should’. The styles of the play are very different but they share the subject of arguing and that the main characters concerned are all drawn in with each other. Unlike ‘My Mother Said I Never Should’, ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’ has many characters. But the obvious difference is that one is a comedy and one is a realistic play and they want the audience to feel different emotions if any at all in ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’ case. The main obvious difference between the play, which can easily be seen, is the language of the plays. ‘My Mother Said I Never Should’ uses modern language, which can be understood completely, whereas ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’ uses old English, which means that the audience may loose sight of the plot and get caught up in the language taking away from the enjoyment of the play. Even though this is so, it does not take away the comedy element of the place, which is enjoyed by all. In conclusion I enjoyed studying these two plays because I was able to go into more depth and read between the lines. This gave me a greater understanding of the plays and will help me with future performances and exams. When playing the roles myself, I could see how the plays were similar as well as being different. Acting out the pieces the first thing that struck me was how different the language was and in ‘Midsummer Nights Dream’ it was harder to understand which made it difficult to use tones and express some emotions without complete understanding of the play. In ‘My Mother Said I Never Should’ it was easier and more relaxed to perform as it related more with modern day life and the emotions were very easy and straightforward to understand. The reactions from the audiences were also very different. In ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’ the audience watch with smiles on their faces occasionally smiling where as in ‘My Mother Said I Never Should’ the seriousness of the pieces was shown on their expressions. I found that because of much preparation and understanding of the plays before working on them it meant that they could be performed much more easily and gained good criticism.

The Role of the Gods in Homers The Iliad Essay - 544 Words

The Role of the Gods in Homers The Iliad We everlasting gods....Ah what chilling blows we suffer-thanks to our own conflicting wills-whenever we show these mortal men some kindness. This exert clearly states what kind of authority Homer has bestowed on his Gods. John Porter said, their constant interference in the lives of the mortals, which seems to cast them in the role of malicious puppeteers, while reducing Homers heroes to mere pawns in a selfish and often rather petty divine game of one-upmanship. I found it to be quite disturbing imagining these characters fighting in such a mercilous war, giving every ounce of strength they had, and in an instance, all of their efforts could be derailed by a God or Goddess. You almost†¦show more content†¦When we here the word God, we imagine a greater power above; an existence who is in complete control, that cannot be corrupted or seduced, and whoes heart is pure. The term God in Greek terms actually stands for theos. This word in our definition would really be translated as something weird because all it really means is something beyond human capability or understanding. Thus the term theos had no connotations of morality, justice, or benevolence; instead, it indicated something mysterious and potentially dangerous. ( Porter) But mostly it indicated power, which is predominantly what the Gods had in Homers stories. Porter went on to discuss that they are really meant to be symbols of the phenomena of our world. It is natural, for example, that there be a plurality of gods, each with his/her own particular powers and spheres of influence, to account for the manifold experiences of life, Porter explains, as well, that the gods disagree, since the world is filled with contradictory forces. Above all, it is natural that the gods of this competitive society, dominated by its warrior aristocracies, display the same values and operate according to the same set of motivations as the human nobility: the gods are, as it were, the ultimate heroes. It really began to make this story make sense when readingShow MoreRelatedRole of Gods and Goddesses in Homers Iliad845 Words   |  4 PagesIn his famous Poetics, the philosopher Aristotle laid the foundations for literary criticism of Greek tragedy. His famous connection between pity and fear and catharsis developed into one of Western philosophys greatest qu estions: why is it that people are drawn to watching tragic heroes suffer horrible fates? 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