Taoism presents a moral philosophy that at first seems very different from most western moral philosophies which, though very different, usually understand morality as a set of restraints on behavior or a common set of principles (common virtues). Western moral philosophy, in general, emphasizes constraining behavior that stems from desire. Taosim's emphasis is dealing directly with controlling ones desire by eliminating them. Taoism and western moral philosophy deal with desire but Taoism deals with it directly and western morality often only tries to stem the effect of desire. Both systems see in man that he does not naturally desire the good and true or the Way. Desire is the root of evil. Only when we desire something bad do we act bad. Thus, as in western moral philosophy, we can provide an incentive to not act on ones desire or, as in the case of Taoism, desire can be eliminated. The result of both moral systems is the same--moral behavior. Both systems of morality try to encourage man to act better than he naturally is. Whether you call it the Way, the Ten Commandments, or the categorical imperative they deal with the same thing. Man's inherent state is fallen, whether he has fallen from grace or lost his Way, all great societies have realized that man is in need of help. This is true for Black Elk who was given a vision to help man and Socrates who felt that man needed to be saved from his own ignorance. Moral systems, by their very nature, have observed and concluded that when man is left to fulfill his individual desires, without respect to others and the greater good, nothing good can come from it. All societies have functioned around this principle from the beginning of civilization. Further, unlike many other moral ph...
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...nctions about what need and want mean and are thereby able to relate it properly to the texts of the mentioned philosophers. These distinctions have allowed us to understand how need and want bear on Kant, Mill, and Lao Tzu's moral philosophy and how, under these moral guidelines, we should behave.
References
Kant, Immanuel. 1993. Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, On a Supposed Right to Lie because of Philanthropic Concerns, 3rd Edition. Indianapolis, Indiana: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
Mill, John Stuart. 1979. Utilitarianism. Indianapolis, Indiana: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
Lao Tzu. 1983. The Way of Life . New York, New York: Mentor, Penguin Group
Confucius. 1989. The Analects of Confucius. New York: Vintage Books a Division of Random House, Inc.
George Orwell. 1946. Politics and the English Language . Found on WWW.
Riegel, Jeffrey. "Confucius." Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy . Ed. Edward N. Zalta. Stanford, 3 July 2002. Web. 8 Mar. 2012. .
“Brave New World,” is a novel written by Aldous Huxley where he explains that everything is based on a futuristic science which he claimed sprang forth from him because of his experience as “an ordered universe in a world of plan less incoherence” (River 4 1974). People seem to care more about temporal things rather than emotions. Technology also seems to be the most important aspect and everyone is affected by it in one way or another, whether if it is negative or positive. This does not necessarily mean that everyone is fully happy with technology because in a way they are all slaves to it. Another thing discussed in the novel is the lack of freedom. Due to a lot of technological development there exists this division in between people even before their birth that their fate has already been decided where subsist these casts such as Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas e.t.c. They are pushed away from freedom of choice and forced to live in a bubble of their own.
In the story 'Everyday Use', by Alice Walker, the value of ones culture and heritage are defined as a part of life that should not be looked upon as history but as a living existence of the past. Walker writes of the conflict between two Black cultures. Dee and Maggie are sisters whom do not share the same ideals. Mama is torn between two children with different perspectives of what life truly means. In the story, Walker describes the trial and tribulations of one daughter whose whole life is tormented by fear, failure and weakness; while the other "has held life always in the palm of one hand"(61) and moves to a better lifestyle. The possessions of the past will ultimately change the relationships of the future.
Huxley observes in his work, Brave New World that the modern world revolves around technological development. The aspirations and morals of modern society do not entirely rely on social issues such as love, family, and success but rather on industrial progress and social development. According to Huxley, technological improvement and growth are critical factors that shape the operation and activities in modern society. So far, community members need to observe the world as technologically oriented and collective social setting. Instead of being interested in individual social development, modern society is focusing its attention on merging technological transformation and their impact in modern success. In his observation, Huxley states that modern society is quickly surrendering its culture to emerging technological development. Contemporary culture is mainly being characterised by socio-technological status (Huxley 7). Therefore, based on the novels content, it is clear that Huxley’s writing is a dangerous prophesy of technology’s ability to control modern social operations.
Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World portrays a society in which science has clearly taken over. This was an idea of what the future could hold for humankind. Is it true that Huxley’s prediction may be correct? Although there are many examples of Huxley’s theories in our society, there is reason to believe that his predictions will not hold true for the future of society.
Taoism and Confucianism are two major Chinese philosophies. I say that they are philosophies because religions tend to worship deities and Taoism and Confucianism don’t seems to worshiping anything. To some they appear to be different, even clashing but to me, they seem very much alike but they come at it from different points of view. Both philosophies strive to reach harmony but in to very different ways. I do believe the reason they can co-exist is because they see Tao from two different ways.
Daoism, also known as Taoism, is one of the major religions of China. The main belief is the learning and practice of "The Way" (Dao), which is the ultimate truth of the universe.The Dao has several meanings. It is the basis of all living things, it governs nature, and is a method that people want to live by. The Dao is everlasting, without beginning or end. Since it has no beginning, it is therefore the oldest thing in the universe. The Dao is neither good nor bad, and is the source of all things.The Dao has no desires, and creates the universe, but does not dominate or regulate it. This idea of no manipulation by the Dao is an example of wu-wei. Wu-wei is one of the central tenets of Taoism and literally means the act of non-being / not action.This does not mean that people are lazy and passive as people might think. This means acting on instinct, and to go with your gut and to not over-think someone's actions and words, basically it means to just go with the flow. To act through wu-wei you shouldn’t think about what actions you are going to take and the consequences and outcome of those actions, you just let your actions control you, you don’t control your actions. The most useful action is one that is not conscious. De is the Taoist concept of virtue. It can be described as a way to live in unity with the Dao and it emerges from one's own inner nature. All things acquire De and it is De that guide the productions of the Dao. Our De appears as we follow the path of the Dao. Daoists see no greatness in violence because of their high respect for peace and their value of all human beings, even those who are their adversaries. Daoists believe that we need to fight only when absolutely necessary, and even then with a heavy heart. ...
Kaltenmark, Max. Lao Tzu and Taoism. Translated by Roger Greaves. Stanford: Stanford University Press. 1969.
Johnson, Robert, Johnson,. "Kant's Moral Philosophy." Stanford University. Stanford University, 23 Feb. 2004. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.
Author Alice Walker, displays the importance of personal identity and the significance of one’s heritage. These subjects are being addressed through the characterization of each character. In the story “Everyday Use”, the mother shows how their daughters are in completely two different worlds. One of her daughter, Maggie, is shy and jealous of her sister Dee and thought her sister had it easy with her life. She is the type that would stay around with her mother and be excluded from the outside world. Dee on the other hand, grew to be more outgoing and exposed to the real, modern world. The story shows how the two girls from different views of life co-exist and have a relationship with each other in the family. Maggie had always felt that Mama, her mother, showed more love and care to Dee over her. It is until the end of the story where we find out Mama cares more about Maggie through the quilt her mother gave to her. Showing that even though Dee is successful and have a more modern life, Maggie herself is just as successful in her own way through her love for her traditions and old w...
Fred Feldman, 'Kant's Ethics Theory: Exposition and Critique' from H. J. Curzer, ed Ethical Theory and Moral Problems, Belmont, Ca: Wadsworth Publishing Co. 1999.
Distance learning, sometimes called e-learning, is a formalized teaching and learning system specifically designed to be carried out remotely by using electronic communication. People could find out distance learning on the internet or searching form the school, sometimes teachers would introduce the best or the most credibility distance learning web. Such as class.com and University of Phoenix, etc. Distance learning is less expensive and is not constrained by geographic considerations; it offers opportunities in situations where traditional education has difficulty operating. Students with scheduling or distance problems can benefit, as can employees, because distance education can be more flexible in terms of time and can be delivered virtually anywhere. Under the unified leadership of the distance learning education, the modern distance learning education work gradual increase the number of school has now reached a certain scale. However, not every school or any distance learning education has clear idea for the modern education. Many people have differences understandings and it formed a big deviation. It can be said, for the purpose of developing the distance learning education and the hopes has not formed a consensus, which leads to very often difficult to form in the actual work force.
Marion, J. -L., Carlson, T. A., & Tracy, D. (2012). God Without Being: Hors-Texte, Second
Confucius. The Four Books. Mandarin and English. Ed. And Trans. By James Legge. Beijing: Culture Book Co. 1992. Print.
People have a lot of options in educating themselves online in today’s time and technology. Online education has improved a lot in the past twenty years. Even though it has had its setbacks, it continues to show promising results. Online education has many benefits with little to no disadvantages. It provides flexibility in scheduling and offers various options in educational online programs. In the past decade, education has evolved into a more technological-driven world.