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The lion is always considered the head of his clan but is it because he is the strongest, the most vibrant, or because his roar is the loudest? What causes this desire to dominate someone else? People want to feel superior because they are convinced that it is human nature to become superior. While Aristotle describes the idea of human nature as consisting of a natural pattern of wanting to dominate other people, often to the point of slavery, Douglass believes in the idea of education leading to people wanting to dominate other people, proving that it is a social force that affects peoples’ nature. Men are looked upon as individuals who dominate everything. White men are the common oppressors of both women and slaves. White women believe themselves to be superior to slaves and as equal as men. These groups believe the reason to their sense of superiority is human nature. But, this is not actually the case; in reality, everyone is equal. Aristotle believes that the basis of the idea of human …show more content…
This idea was established before 500 B. C., and still continues to affect people in today's society. An example is when people work in the same occupation; men earn a higher wage compared to women. In addition, white people earn a higher wage compared to other races. Under the Declaration of Independence, everyone is entitled to equal rights. However, people are morally incorrect when believing that men should have certain rights such as to live and not have to fight for their right to bodily integrity, have the right to not be subjected to sexism in high profile jobs, right to drink without judgement being passed on them, right to not get pregnant, and right to choose any career they want. Everyone maintains the right to do as they please and have the power to act, speak, or think as they want without
Melissa is more likely to be attracted to Aristotle’s basic orientation and his view on the soul. Melissa’s mind set leans more towards the scientific thought process when it comes to life and death. Like Aristotle her beliefs are more of the here and now. Making due with the reality put in front of them. Even though Melissa’s thoughts and beliefs mostly come with facts she still has some belief that there is something beyond the body that makes Matthew who he is, Matthew. But with that belief she also thinks without brain function there is no Matthew to save. It is a body with no ability to think and live. So like Aristotle she does think that there is a soul that is a part of our bodies. But without the ability to think then you are not living.
Society is formed into a hierarchical format demonstrated by the relationship between slaves and slave owners. Douglass refers to this concept of racial formation in the following statement, “my faculties and powers of body and soul, are not my own. But property of a fellow mortal” (199). This statement refers to the master who has power to compel his slaves in any format that he or she may desire to a point of controlling every single movement the slave makes. Douglass utilizes his knowledge of language to expose the psychology of the slave masters and the complex mechanisms that are created in order to systematically enslave African-Americans. Douglas refers to this idea as being “a slave for life” which underlies the issue that society is being organized hierarchically (157). Take for instance, when Douglass’ master Thomas chose not to protect him as a man or as property from the brutal treatment of Covey (171). This relationship demonstrates how masters willingly objectify their slaves as replaceable commodities. Many slave owners took advantage of the power they had over their property without any regards to the repercussions. Instead, African-Americans were belittled and coerced into being oppressed to a point where they accepted being a puppet in a master’s
The sexual abuse of african-american women, and african women began with slavery, and can be noted as the first shift in inequality and lack of control over one’s own body. The psychological, and physiological construct of control is deeply rooted in history. Slavery, for example, was the physical dehumanization of another human being who was thought to be inferior. Psychologically, the act of physical constraint must have internalized ideas of social dominance. Especially, when slave owners, overseers, and drivers would take advantage of their authority and of their powerful positions to rape enslaved women. After the emancipation of the slaves, white men were no longer in control, and this generated a fear of equality with african-american
Temporary inequality exists as a means of “improving” a subordinate to the level of a dominant. After the period of inequality is over, the two view each other as equals. The other form of inequality, permanent inequality, exists solely because of an ascription of inferiority to a subordinate that is inherent and unchangeable. Unlike temporary inequality, there is no possibility of improvement for the subordinate; they are, in the eyes of the dominant, inferior and impossible to “fix.” The dominants, who view themselves naturally superior to the subordinates, begin to take advantage of the subordinates. “Out of the total range of human possibilities, the activities most highly valued in any particular culture will tend to be enclosed within the domain of the dominant group; less valued functions are relegated to the subordinates” (Rothenberg, 112). Moreover, the subordinates, who by this point are under the total control of the dominant group, may begin to internalize the value of the dominants. “[Subordinates’] incapacities are ascribed to innate defects or deficiencies of mind or body…More importantly, subordinates themselves can come to find it difficult to believe in their own ability” (112). This theory of domination and subordination are clearly mirrored in race relations in the United States. Whites, who are the dominant group, make all of the fallacious errors involved in race-based thinking; they are prone to, like Miller describes, hoarding superior roles in society and practicing systematic cruelty towards the subordinates due to their sincere belief that the subordinates are inherently incapable of rising to the level of the dominant. This internalized belief on the part of the dominants, that the subordinates
What motivates one person to subject or dominate another? When people take it upon themselves to judge who has the right to be free or enslaved; who is superior or inferior; who is civilized or barbaric, the outcomes throughout history have been horrific. The actions imposed are foreign to those of us who are privileged and forever scarring to those who have been subjected. It is ironic that people have struggled so much through out time with the underlying quality that unites us as human beings: our humanity. By ignoring this universal quality among people, the stage is set to create a system where any judgment and its action are justifiable. The source of these justifications vary according to what one chooses to paint around the edges of the picture, whether the paint be religious beliefs or civilized ideals, the underlying motive is usually greed. There are many different ways to enslave someone through domination, oppression, and tyranny: all of these have a common theme in that they violate our human rights. The simple fact is as Jean-Jacques Rousseau states, "The words 'slavery' and 'right' are contradictory, they cancel each other out. Whether as between one man and another or one man and a whole people" (1). Webster's Dictionary defines slave as, " a bond servant divested of all freedom and personal rights, a human being who is owned by and wholly subject to the will of another, as by capture, purchase, or birth" (2).
For over two hundred years, slavery engulfed America as one the largest economic opportunities. As soon as millions of Africans forcibly left their homeland for the new founded states, they immediately began their new lives controlled by their relentless owners. Not only did slavery corrupt the slaves, but also the slave owners. The idea of absolute power over others led to the longing of total dominance at all times. Fredrick Douglass’s narrative clearly depicts the perception of mental corruption as a tyrannical slave owner. As slave owners experienced a constant craving for power, they utilized a variety of evil schemes and actions to fulfill their desires.
The Declaration of Independence declared that "…all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…"(Jefferson). The reality of the Declaration of Independence was that all free, white, landowning men are created equal. Slavery continued in the U.S. for nearly ninety years after the Declaration, and black Americans still feel the sting of inequality.
The goal of human life according to Aristotle is Happiness as he stated in Nicomachean Ethics, “Happiness, then, is apparently something complete and self-sufficient, since it is the end of the things achievable in action.” Aristotle states that happiness is not just about being content in life but that one has to have lived their life rationally, well, and to the fullest of their capabilities. Happiness, according to Aristotle, can only be achieved by focusing on mans’ life as parts of a whole.
The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America states “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (The Declaration of Independence, 2011).
In America, we know that not all men are created equal. The Declaration of Independence states one of the most famous quotes known to man “All men are created equal”, and that we have the rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. In the past, this was a realistic assumption. While all men are generally created equally, they are not all created into an equal environment. Some people are born into royalty with all of the luxuries that exist, while others are born into a bad neighborhood with little to no money. Some people can ease life away in their palace, and ride around in their private jet, while others have to slave away to try to make ends meet. If you were born into a WASP community, you would have the belief that the Declaration of Independence was correctly written. WASPS are born with upper class houses, cars, clothes, friends, and hobbies. They were given all of these things just because of who they are related to. The way that they are raised causes them to believe that they are the normal ones, and that everyone else is just jealous of their natural place in life. If you were born into a lower class family with no money, no food, and scarce job opportunity, you would think differently than the WASP community. You would have to work day and night just to attempt to feed yourself and your...
In order to justify keeping an entire race of people enslaved, slaveholders claimed that blacks were inferior to whites, placing them on the same level as livestock and other animals. “There were horses and men, cattle and women, pigs and children, all holding the same rank in the scale of being, and were all subjected to the same narrow examination” (73). The fact is, whites are not naturally superior over blacks. Therefore, slaveholders used a variety of contrived strategies to make their case that blacks were inherently inferior to whites. To...
It is only natural for humans to question why we have been put on this wonderful earth of ours. What does it mean to be these lucky ones called humans? Do we really have a human nature that is all our own? Are there really living beings that kind find something within this world to call our life purpose? And if there are, how do may we achieve it? It is happiness or simple the drive to survive that propel us forward? These are just some of the types of questions that philosophers have been wrestling with for centuries. Some argue that human nature is very much a real thing and that it is essential to living a happy fulfilled life, while others reject that idea completely. However, despite the completely opposite stances that philosophers can take when it comes to human nature, it’s not uncommon to see some surprising similarities between those who support it, and those who do not. One of the biggest examples of this, would be in regards to the Aristotle and his books on Nicomachean Ethics and Sartre with his writing of Existentialism Is a Humanism. When it comes to these two philosophers in particular it would appear on the surface that they are nothing alike. Aristotle being quite the supporter of human nature and it’s ability to give humans fulfilling lives, and Sartre who rejects the human nature completely for the idea that we as humans are essentially just going through life and making choices. Having said this, I would now like to discuss the individual views and arguments that both men have in regards to their views on human nature, it’s relationship to purpose, free will, and politics, and show that within these both Aristotle and Sartre give us the ability to see, that maybe to a certain that we are in fact responsible fo...
This paper will explain Aristotle’s idea of the good life as well as how virtues fit into the equation and if they are stable and enduring. Pertaining to the prompt, I will explain the three types of friendships Aristotle describes and how one of the friendships is the best according to him. I will also show the reason why Aristotle views friendship as one of the greatest goods. To answer the critic, I will show that although Aristotle holds that the good life is self-sufficient, because he holds friendship in such a high regard, he believes that a person will not be able to obtain perfect happiness without friendship.
Women Deserve the Same Rights as Men From the beginning of time, women have played a powerful role in the shaping of this world. They have stood by idly and watched as this country moved on without them, and yet they have demanded equal rights as the nation rolls along. Through the years, the common belief has been that women could not perform as well as men in anything, but over the years that belief has been proven wrong time and time again. So as time marches on, women have clawed and fought their way up the ladder to gain much needed equal respect from the opposite sex. However, after many years of pain and suffering, the battle for equal rights has not yet been won.
Aristotle once stated that, “But if happiness be the exercise of virtue, it is reasonable to suppose that it will be the exercise of the highest virtue; and that will be the virtue or excellence of the best part of us.” (481) It is through Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics that we are able to gain insight into ancient Greece’s moral and ethical thoughts. Aristotle argues his theory on what happiness and virtue are and how man should achieve them.