The Last Days Of Socrates And Niccolo Machiavelli s The...

Two of the most significant works in literature, setting the basis and framework for political philosophy, are Plato’s The Last Days of Socrates, and Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince and The Discourses. Both pieces take place during political uncertainty with surrounding societal turmoil. Each take a different approach to how these issues must be dealt with. They each have their own construct of an ideal political regime which, at times overlap, but at others do not. Machiavelli seeks to gain power and wealth while Socrates seeks to gain knowledge and justice. It is because of these differences that Socrates would disapprove of Machiavelli’s concept of a prince, thus resulting him in having a different concept based on his values that he†¦show more content†¦In Machiavelli’s case, it is unclear whether or not his work is serious and of his own beliefs or rather a satire argument, desperate to get a response. Regardless, this is a possible explanat ion of his pessimism towards society and his exaggerated use for violence and manipulation for control. Plato’s account of Socrates was during a time of political transition which also resulted in a weak political system at the time. The newfound democracy was based on a tradition of obeying the gods, and by Socrates questioning democracy, he was viewed as questioning the gods. However, this was far from the case. Socrates was merely basing his beliefs on an Oracle which ultimately stated he was the wisest of men because he was aware of his ignorance. This sparked his quest for knowledge and justice by questioning the leaders of his government and spreading his beliefs or lack thereof to others. This explains why Socrates would disapprove of Machiavelli’s concept of a prince because of the contexts in which each of their values were created. Socrates strongly believes in morality to acquire justice in his ideal government, while Machiavelli believes morality is the dow nfall of a leader, and must be deceitful to acquire power. Knowing the context of each work, however, helps one understand their viewpoints better and why Socrates would disagree with Machiavelli. In, The Prince and theShow MoreRelatedSocrates And Niccolo Machiavelli1735 Words   |  7 PagesEssay 1: Socrates and Machiavelli Although Socrates and Niccolo Machiavelli lived in different time periods, the political climate that their philosophies were founded on were very similar. The trial of Socrates began after the Peloponnesian War when the new Spartan Tyranny took over the Athenian government. Socrates was accused of corrupting the youth and disrespecting the gods by the Spartan government. In the eyes of the Spartan government Socrates is a gadfly because of his posing of upsetting

Thomas Edison Inventor or Patent Thief - 1631 Words

Thomas Edison: Inventor or Patent Thief? Most inventions are created from a multitude of ideas and a number of men, and one man simply cannot be credited for the inventions such as the phonograph, the kinetoscope, or the light bulb. Unfortunately, it is usually the corrupt businessman who exploits such creations and claims them as his own who receives the lion’s share. Thomas Alva Edison was an ideal example of such a person. Edison hardly played any role in the actual production of anything revolutionary, but by patenting other people’s products and commercializing them, he was able to gain a great deal of success. Edison did not even have any form of scientific or engineering education, and only received three months of any kind of†¦show more content†¦(Kosanovic 1) At one point, Tesla had worked for Edison, and he was promised $50,000 if he could perfect Edison’s â€Å"DC†, or direct current, electricity system. (Krystek 2) After just a few mon ths, Tesla managed to do the impossible, but when he showed Edison the finished product of the direct current system, Edison claimed that the deal for $50,000 was a â€Å"joke†. Since Edison thought that the task he had given Tesla was inconceivable, he was unable to keep his word when Tesla actually managed to do as he was told. (Krystek 2) Tesla was not paid a cent, while Edison profited off of his work. (Krystek 2) As a result of this, Tesla branched off and began to promote his invention of AC (alternate current) electricity, which was clearly superior to direct current electricity in every way. (Kosanovic 1) The voltage in an AC system could be easily manipulated with a device called the transformer, while the voltage in a DC system was often very weak, and could not be easily altered. (Kosanovic 1) Tesla and Edison eventually became adversaries in the â€Å"War of Currents†, where Tesla and his partner, George Westinghouse, fought against Thomas Edison and his partner, Harold Brown, to make AC electricity the primary form of electrical distribution in the United States. (Krystek 3) After Edison began to lose the war, he decided to unite with the General Electric Company. (Krystek 3) Tesla and Westinghouse also wouldShow MoreRelatedThe Invention Of Thomas Edison1227 Words   |  5 PagesThomas Edison was a great businessman who held over one thousand patents for his amazing, tremendou sly life changing inventions. His entrepreneurship began when he was only twelve years old, when he began to sell his self-published newspaper to the people who passed by him, at the â€Å"Grand Trunk Railroad.† At this same exact railroad, he set up a lab and began experimenting with chemicals. At the age of twenty-two he moved to New York, where he worked on his version of the stock ticker. Edison seemedRead MoreThe Invention Of The Electric Light Bulb1418 Words   |  6 Pagesand stars. People working and traveling after sunset could only use candles or oil lamps, which caused many inconveniences. Without any bright light, moving inside your own house even seemed dangerous. However, things changed after the ambitious inventors brought their bright idea, which was to light the world, to life. The invention and the commercialization of light bulb not only changed the way people live, but also became a technological breakthrough for future energy use in our daily lives. TheRead MoreHistory of Film6962 Words   |  28 Pagesearliest surviving motion picture. On June 21, 1889, William Friese-Greene was issued patent no. 10131 for his chronophotographic camera. It was apparently capable of taking up to ten photographs per second using perforated celluloid film. A report on the camera was published in the British Photographic News on February 28, 1890. On 18 March, Friese-Greene sent a clipping of the story to Thomas Edison, whose laboratory had been developing a motion picture system known as the Kinetoscope. TheRead MoreEssay on A Matter of Life or Negligence1795 Words   |  8 PagesAmerican inventor and scientist Thomas Alva Edison once said that â€Å"opportunitiy is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.† Edison’s quote, while concise, reveals a great truth, one that is directly related to an ongoing debate in the United States. The procedures, morality, and potential success of stem cell research have been discussed in America for more than one decade, and it remains one of the m ost-debated topics in today’s classrooms, newspapers, and SenateRead More The History of Animation Essay5606 Words   |  23 Pagesmind the relative naivetà © of the viewers at that time; they had no idea how film worked much less what hand- drawn animation was. It was, indeed, magic. The first major technical developments in the animation process can be traced to the work (and patents) of John Bray starting in 1910. His work laid the groundwork for the use of translucent cells ( short for celluloid) in compositing multiple layers of drawings into a final image as well as the use of grey scale (as opposed to black and white) drawings

Counter Terrorism free essay sample

As noted by Carera (2005), the theme of intelligence reform is still fresh in the United States, and with the creation of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), we can appreciate how deep the concerns over intelligence failure in recent years have been. At the heart of this development lie issues of funding, structure and methodology, of which we are concerned with the last of the three. In order to address the issues surrounding the methodology of collecting intelligence for counter terrorism, we first look at definitions of the intelligence terminology referred to, along with an explanation of the current focus of the debate.We then identify how the modern terrorist threat differs from the traditional Cold War enemy, before suggesting reasons why over reliance on one form of intelligence gathering is wrong. We concentrate on a western perspective of intelligence, in particular, the experiences of the United States. This approach allows us to keep a focus on the issue without wandering into inappropriate areas of debate. We will write a custom essay sample on Counter Terrorism or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It is my belief that the production of good intelligence should not support one method of collection over another, but should involve the considered application of all forms in order to produce the final intelligence product.Although it is noted that terrorist organizations are not the only current threat to the international community and that so called, ‘rogue states’ are a security issue, this discussion is focussed on the former, not the latter. Similarly, I note that human source and technical source are not the sole contributors to intelligence agencies and that in particular, the use of open source intelligence is as crucial. However, the debate surrounding the validity of open source intelligence should be seen as separate to our own discussion and therefore not explored for this reason.We can identify the two key collection methods as being human intelligence collection and technical intelligence collection. Human intelligence typically involves the â€Å"indentifying and recruitment of a foreign official† (Shulsky, 2002) who has access to information that is valuable to the intelligence agency. In this respect, it is in line with the popular view of intelligence as involving espionage. It can provide us with an idea of the inner workings of motivations of a target group by means of the recruited member, almost as if the agency were part of the organization itself.As Dupont (2003) proposes, â€Å"September 11 w as a salutary reminder to the US that no amount of technological superiority can compensate for quality Human Intelligence. † In contrast, technical intelligence involves â€Å"a group of techniques using advance technology†¦to collect information. † (Shulsky, 2002) This entails the use of satellites, and progressively more, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to take photos, measure electromagnetic waves and intercept enemy communications.This monitoring of communications between known and suspected targets within the group can provide insight into activities, routines and structure of an organization and allows the formulation of models of association and behaviour, as utilized by Fellman (2003). In the case of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) procurement and production, the monitoring of contacts and scientists required by terrorist groups to produce weapons would also prove effective.