Political Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Rene Descartes Essay

â€Å"Politics should be the application of the science Of man to the construction of the community† Explain this remark and discuss what reasons there might be for thinking it is not trueIn this essay I intend to examine the political philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Rene Descartes, in particular their ideas relating to the science of man, and attempt to explain why their ideas prove that it is not possible to construct a science of man. I will also briefly mention the philosophy of Donald Davidson in regards to a science of man. The theories of Hobbes and the contemporary socio-biologists attempt to recognise how man works and on that basis build a society. â€Å"Hobbes wished to be seen as the inventor of the science of politics† (Sorrell, p45) He went about this by looking at the psychology of man and discovering that man is a mechanism. Hobbes wanted to understand mechanics. He wanted to look at why men live the way that they do in society and therefore, breaks it down. By doing this he discovered that people are cogs in the social machine. Therefore he wants to examine this cogs to achieve an understanding of the social mechanism, and does this by looking at the psychology of the mind. Hobbes is both an empirist and a materialist. Empirists believe that sense gives all knowledge. Generally, they do not believe in astrology, god, electrons etc. Their philosophy is summed up by saying that all things that give true knowledge can be sensed. Materialists believe that all things in existence are physical matter. In other words, the soul and the spirit do not exist. Therefore Hobbes believes that thoughts are material, that they are caused by sense and vice versa. Tom Sorrell suggests in his essay, entitled â€Å"Hobbes’ scheme of the sciences†, that rather than have knowledge of how the mechanics of the mind’s passions work, a more successful way of gaining political knowledge is to understand what these passions cause. They cause various degrees of action, with the possessor going to various extents to achieve what they want. In chapter six of â€Å"De Corpere†, Hobbes makes a connection between the knowledge of the principles of politics and the knowledge of the motions of the average human mind. Hobbes’ account of political science is an idea of what man must do if his goal is self-preservation. These ideas are not what mankind will do but what it will have to do, in a rational way, to form a political civilisation. One would assume that as Hobbes identifies both a natural science (that of the work of nature), and a civil science – that of the common wealth – (which makes laws and wills), he would suggest that they are parallels which, in political philosophy, work together. However, there are a few problems with Hobbes’ theory. Hobbes suggests that a monarch makes a better sovereign than an assembly. Yet, surely he would not agree that a monarch who is not dedicated would be better suited than a group of thoughtful representatives. A politically secure society is built up from its people. Hobbes believes that these people all have one motivation; self-gain, or to be more precise self-preservation. Hobbes suggests that there is a link between voluntary motion and vital motion. He goes on to say that senses work together with the vital motions to produce that which is voluntary, i.e. an endeavour. These endeavours can be categorised in two ways; attractions and aversions. An example of an attraction is to pick up a piece of cake because it looks good. That of an aversion is to run away from a dog because you are scared of dogs. As it is possible to see these actions are derived from the senses, again agreeing with Hobbes empirist theory. Endeavours are the small motions within man which occur before he walks, talks, runs or carries out any other voluntary motion. These endeavours are so small that they are undetectable. By understanding why men act the way that they do, it is easier to come to a conclusion as to how society should be structured. However, the idea that the existence of a science of man can be questioned suggests that society can be constructed without it. This is due to the fact that many psychological and political theories are founded on the basis that there is a science of man. Without this â€Å"science of man† these theories are in turn questioned and therefore cannot be viably backed as reasons for the construction of the community. Another prolific philosopher whose arguments should be taken into account is Rene Descartes. Descartes thinks that we, as humans, are made up of two separate substances. The body is the physical stuff and the mind – the res cogitans (thinking thing) – purely mental stuff. The res cogitans can will your body to move. The difficulty with Descartes’ theory is that the mind and body interact; if you pour boiling water on you hand, you will feel pain. Again we have to take into account voluntary and vital motions. A voluntary motion is me moving my arm. A vital motion is my arm moving. I move my arm because I want to; but I may not necessarily want it to be moved. This can happen for a number of reasons. It may be possible that I have a muscle spasm in my arm or that somebody moves it. All of this suggests that for Descartes’ theory to be correct there must be some kind of connection between a material substance (the body) and an immaterial substance (the mind). However, we will find it impossible to understand the idea of a science of man if we cannot understand how the two substances interact. Therefore, again, we have no proof that it is possible to build a political philosophy on the basis of a science of man. On p213 of Davidson , we find an explanation of monisms and dualisms. â€Å"Theories are thus divided into four sorts: nomological monism, which affirms that there are correlating laws and that the events correlated are one (materialists belong in this category); nomological dualism, which compromises various forms of parallelism, interactionism and epiphenominalism; anomalous dualism which combines ontological dualism with the general failure of laws correlating the mental and the physical (cartesianism). And finally there is anomalous monism which shows an ontological bias only in that it allows the possibility that not all events are mental, while insisting that all events are physical. â€Å"The final position is that which Davidson himself follows. Davidson’s argument suggests that the psychology of man does not follow any causal laws. Therefore, it is impossible to impose any rationality on theories involving the mind. These anomological psychological states are defeasable. They are defeasable because it is possible that by adding another condition to the situation the expected behaviour changes. Therefore it is impossible to agree with any political philosophy that involves the necessity of a science of man. What is easily discovered is that there are many different political philosophies and many different concepts as to what is a science of man. Philosophers such as Hobbes and his counterparts, Mill and Marx, possess the shared assumption that political philosophers must accept the political opinion that they are arguing for. They all think that rational agents must accept their arguments yet they all have different arguments. They all believe that for a successful political structure human nature cannot be ignored, if the structure is to command respect. As I have shown, Descartes and Davidson on the other hand, believe that a science of man is impossible; Descartes because he believes that our minds are immaterial and Davidson because man’s behaviour follows no causal laws. All of this shows us that trying to interpret man’s actions and apply them to a science is an impossible conquest. Man is too complicated a mechanism to understand and therefore political philosophy, for a sensible and rational social structure, must be founded on another basis.

Argue On Hostile Takeovers

Lisa Newton argues against hostile takeovers and has many rational reasons backing her point. Takeovers in the past overall have not proven effective nor have they been monetarily beneficial to either the company or the society involved. Corporations are ruined and people, even families, are hurt. In this paper, I will argue against hostile takeovers for these reasons from the standpoint of a utilitarian. Utilitarianism is the â€Å"moral doctrine that we should always act to produce the greatest possible balance of good over bad for everyone affected by our action.† (Shaw & Barry, 59) Actions are evaluated according to their consequences and look to maximize happiness. The view is long-term not just immediately. A hostile corporate takeover is not a positive thing through the eyes of a utilitarian for several reasons. To begin with, the idea of a possible takeover has degenerating effects on a company. â€Å"At the first level there is disruption and millions of dollars† worth of unproductive expense.† (Newton, 189) Effectiveness and productive activity at the upper levels of management comes to a stop and systematical planning disappears. Employees become apprehensive about the security of their jobs and end up spending a majority of their time speculating or searching for another job. It takes a toll on everyone involved in that they feel dishonored or belittled. Utilitarians would argue this is not a moral action since it harms the majority of the people. It is not the greatest good for the greatest number. It may immediately (short-term) benefit those who have done the takeover and those in higher up positions. However, in the long run it may not benefit even anyone. The early results of hostile takeover activity are combined with unnecessary and unwise business practices. The takeover has two destructive effects on corporate†s management. Equity is transformed into debt, leaving the company without protection. Being desperate, management may begin to look for short-term profits and impose by force aggressive actions not previously acted upon. This is deceiving to stockholders since they see high returns and stock prices even though the company does not have a good level of steadiness or security. It also harms the overall society since they usually depend on these large corporations for income and employment. Companies are willing to pay high takeover prices that they engage in severe cost-cutting at every level and at any cost. This sometimes even includes eliminating those who are important in maintaining operations, which is never a good move for the company as a whole. These people will probably have a problem finding other jobs since higher level positions are usually held by people who have been at the company for an extended length of time and are therefore older than others would want a new employee to be at a starting position. The basis of this issue revolves around money and does not consider those individuals involved. The corporate economy is at the mercy of the American dollar. People have become engrossed with making money that they sometimes forget they are dealing with other human beings. The takeover of a corporation may benefit those who are now in charge but not many others involved. Society winds up helping those newly unemployed and sometimes even the company itself. There are no laws to protect or help those who may one day be involved in a hostile takeover. These people have rights since they have contributed a lot of time, effort and even money towards the growth of the company. A corporation is nothing by itself; it is made up of the people with whom it employs. Human needs are not noticed by business practice and they hardly receive the justice deserved. Hostile takeovers are â€Å"harmful to corporate stakeholders, the economy, and the general public.† (Newton, 188) The law should restrict or even prohibit them, which is currently does not. There usually is no protection or justice for those involved. There are laws for anything and everything else to supposedly protect individuals, so why not this? Most often the result is not positive. Individuals are hurt and the corporation is usually killed in the end. More people must argue that the corporation is a moral individual just like others. The reality is that people frequently expect more from takeover defenses than they can deliver. It is rare that any defenses are backed by common sense and critical business strategy, which could help resist a pursuer and help control the terms of the deal. â€Å"As a matter of right, and as a matter of utility, the takeover game should be ended.† (Newton, 194)

The Economic Rationale for Toll Roads Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

The Economic Rationale for Toll Roads - Essay Example It will analyze the benefits and cost that are associated with tolling which is used widely in the world. But first let us take a close look at road transport system in the world n order to understand the rationale behind tolling. Road transport is perhaps the oldest mode of transport in the world. It has a long history that spins many years ago. This was due to various means of transport that could use roads. The earliest means of transport that was used on the road were animals. Donkeys, mules and horses have been recorded as the being the oldest means of transport that were used in the world at the beginning. The civilization that was taking place in Mesopotamia that led to the invention of the wheel revolutionized road transport as other means of transport were invented. Key among these means of transport invented at that time was carriages. At the same time, John Macadam developed what could be termed as the modern form of roads. Though his road did not use bitumen and other material used today, it gave travelers a comfortable ride. This was a big reap forward in the development of road transport. The development of macadam road led to the development of modern load. But perhaps the greatest development in the development of road transport was the invention of car by Daimler and others. ... Roads have facilitated movement of people and goods in all parts of the world. They have helped to link one community with another and one country to another. Movement of people and goods is or crucial importance in the development of our economic systems. Without proper transport mechanism in place, countries would be locked from the others and communities will be isolated. Thought there have been development of other means of transport from like railway and air transport, roads remain a choice of many people and it will taken long before road transport loses its value to the world. But why is road transport preferred by many people There are many reasons why road transport remains a choice for many people. Convenience Road transport is convenient for use. One can drive a personal car or use public transport means at any time one wished. If you compare road transport to others you will find that railway and air transport are always scheduled which means they may create some inconvenience. The convenience in road transport here comes with fastness since one can be able to travel from one place to the other without having to wait for some kind of scheduling to take place. Cheap Road transport is also cheap compared to others. It has been found that the cost of traveling from one state or from one town to the other using road transport is relatively cheap than using railway or air transport. This makes road transport a choice of many people. It will be found out that it is easy to own and maintain a personal car than personal jet or a train. These are just but some of the reasons why road transport remains a choice of many people in the world. But at the same time road transport is faced by many challenges

Determining Your Perfect Position Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Determining Your Perfect Position - Essay Example It is natural for every business student to aspire to be a successful businessperson at a reputable organization. These positions could be of an entrepreneur, the chief-executive office, the departmental heads - marketing, sales, production, and finance or even the president and chief supervisor. Everybody has a different perfect position in mind; a different dream; I aspire to be an entrepreneur and start up a business of designer personal computers. The reason that I believe that the position of an entrepreneur and then the CEO of the organization once it is in existence is perfect for me is due to my personality and passion put together. The enthusiasm that I hold for designer personal computers is extraordinary; I want to pass on this fervor to other people too by opening up my own venture. An entrepreneur is somebody who takes major risks; he employs all the money that he has towards his business plan in the hope of earning profit. However, this profit could very well be major losses as well; the entrepreneur might be left with no capital by the end of the project. However, I am a very adventurous person by nature - risk taking and gambling is a part of everyone's life; taking risks for something one really desires is a positive risk. Also, I possess a high energy level, self-confidence and an awareness of passing time. I tend to make the best use of time that I have along with a managed awareness of my surroundings. These a re all the qualities that an entrepreneur should possess ideally, and with these qualities and commitment, I believe I can reach new heights as an entrepreneur myself. Leadership: The second prerequisite of a running an organization successfully at a certain position is 'leadership'; a leader is somebody who manages the entire organization and its operations, controls all activities, monitors each act and most importantly, motivates other employees to work for the progression of the organization. Employees tend to slack off and become uninterested in their job; it is the task of this leader to exhibit his leadership skills and talk these employees into working hard and become motivated. One of the most important jobs of the leader, who mostly is the manager, is to plan out a mission and then guiding and directing it to success (Thompson, Strickland, Gamble; 2008). Leadership Styles: The way a person plans to lead his organization of his subordinates depends on basically two things; firstly, his nature and personality attributes and secondly, the circumstances at hand and the type of organization he is running. There are several types of leadership styles - authoritative, participative, delegative, autocratic, charismatic, democratic, people oriented, task oriented etc (Glanz, 2002). However, the three main categories are 'authoritative/autocratic', 'participative/democratic' and 'delegative/free reign'. A leader can only be successful if he knows which side of this leadership to apply in which situations. 'Participative/democratic' is a style that focuses more on team work and building great interpersonal relationships with one's colleagues. Such a leader does not believe in ordering or bossing around his/her subordinates; this also gives birth to a level of respect among the team members. This strengthens the ease and comfort of sharing ideas and innovation techniques and negates the idea of suppressing one's suggestion in fear

Book Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Book Review - Essay Example Hamer’s work received much criticism immediately after it was published. The key problem with the book that undermines its scientific value lies in the realm of methodology. Hamer employs traditional tools to study the spiritual phenomena. For example, he measures abstract concepts of transcendence that has much to do with the phenomena of faith, belief and religion using methods of molecular biology and traditional psychology. This approach produces certain ambiguity with definitions and makes the book look rather speculative at least from the positions of traditional science. A number of third-party studies Hamer refers to throughout the paper to support his challenging argument are questionable themselves. Thus, Hamer relies upon the experimental studies of Dr. Michael Persinger (magnetic simulation of the amygdala, the hippocampus, and the caudate nucleus) and studies of monks involving Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT). Nonetheless Hamer’s work is far from being a mere non-scientific speculation. The novelty of his daring attempt to relate traditional science and non-physical phenomena is perhaps the major reason for abundant criticism. Traditionally, spirituality and religion have not been considered by science, partially due to lack of applicable tools, partially due to the philosophic paradigm underlying traditional scientific research. These concepts are explored within the specific discourse concerning spirituality, God and religion termed ‘theology’, which historically has been perceived as the antipode of science. Consequently, even contemporary science that at times seems virtually almighty lacks appropriate tools and methodologies to study certain non-physical phenomena such as spirituality. It is hardly surprising that from the position of traditional science Hamer’s work can be labeled as

Freedom, I Write Your Name Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Freedom, I Write Your Name - Essay Example Some of libertarians uphold the perspectives of economist Friedrich August von Hayek. Hayek concluded that the rules of conduct in a society are evolving, that they survive because they are useful and help that society survive. To his mind, the free market had survived the test of time, in that most successful societies were market based in some way. Hayek considered free market capitalism to be superior to other economic systems because it handles human ignorance by passing information in coded form through the price mechanism, which indicates areas where profits could be made and resources efficiently used. Additionally, it allocates resources without being predicated on any specific objectives or assuming what the objectives of individual people are. It also facilitates freedom, in that for it to work there need to be rules demarcating â€Å"protected domains† for each person, where no other has the right to interfere. This facilitation manifests in private property rights. Hayek viewed strong property rights and the free market as the best way of protecting liberty. But, Hayek did not argue for the total abolishment of tax, or even that it should be restricted to law enforcement and defense. Hayek thought taxes, levied rightly, could be used for welfare—a kind of â€Å"bleeding heart libertarianism†Ã¢â‚¬â€or to provide certain goods which the market might fail to adequately supply. However, in practice Hayek believed it would hardly ever be necessary to use taxes in this way.

The Basics of Marketing Ethics in the Cosmetics Industry Essay

The Basics of Marketing Ethics in the Cosmetics Industry - Essay Example The researcher states that for every professional, commitment to ethical principles and conduct is vital. Marketers have diverse ethical responsibilities for consequences that may emanate from their actions or decisions that may affect the public: customers and organizations. Based on ethical viewpoints, marketers conduct are guided by laws and regulations and basic rules of professionalism. Among the basic rules of professionalism that guide marketers are honesty and fairness. In essence, marketers must uphold integrity as professionals. They must undertake their duties through honor and dignity when serving their customers. They must not knowingly engage in activities that develop the conflict of interest. Further, marketers have the core duty to ensure information about products that they promote are not deceptive to customers. Marketers must reveal all substantial risks associated with a product that they promote or service usage to customers. In relation to honesty, information that is most likely to influence the customer’s decision to purchase should be disclosed by the marketer. During promotions, marketers must ensure their conducts are not misleading to the customer. They must not engage in deceptive sales strategies that may cause manipulations to the customer. Further, marketers must not engage in price fixing. In essence, they should disclose all price associated when the customer purchases a product. During promotions, marketers must apply rational balance between the buyer’s demands and seller’s interests. Currently, the company’s most dominant brands are NIVEA, Mauceri and La Prairie. NIVEA is among the global leaving skincare brand of products manufactured by the company. It expanded to international operations during the 1920s and 1930s. It has an estimate of 150 affiliates, globally, although Europe forms its largest market.