Aristotle & Socrates Essay Example for Free

Aristotle Socrates Essay Philosophy comes from the Greek roots meaning â€Å"the love of wisdom. † Philosophers are persons who have a compelling need to pursue wisdom. Since the beginning of time, wise man and women have dedicated themselves to asking â€Å"Big Questions†. Depending on the questions, there are various areas of philosophy including metaphysics, epistemological, axiology, ethics, aesthetics, political philosophy, social philosophy, and logic. Homework Make a â€Å"Creative† representation of someone (fictional or real) you consider a wise person. Be prepared to present it in class and explain what characteristics make a person wise. Archetypes Archetypes are basic images that represent our conception of the essence of a certain kind of person. usually considered to be shared by all of humanity throughout time. Philosophical archetypes are philosophers who express an original or influential point of view in a way that significantly affects subsequent philosophers and non-philosophers. Western philosophy has been dominated by males of European ancestry. Relativism- Relativism is the belief that knowledge is determined by specific qualities of the observer. In other words, absolute (universal) knowledge of the truth is impossible; â€Å"one opinion is as good as another†. Philosophy week 2 Pre- Socratic philosophy: Asian sages and the sage The Sage The sage is an archetypal fig. Who combines religious inspiration with a love of wisdom? Found in ancient Asia, they are the oldest philosophical archetypes, identifying happiness and teaching the good life. Asian cosmology is not based on empirical (numbers, data, statistics) or scientific evidence. It contends (argues) that everything is working  harmoniously, following the Tao (Force or flow of energy in life), or the â€Å"path† or the â€Å"way† There is no separation between heaven and earth, divine and human, but is working together; all is one reality containing yin and yang. Yin represents earth, weakness, darkness, negative, and destruction. Yang represents heaven, strength, light, positive and construction. One cannot live without the other, keeping the universe in balance. Think Lao-tzu Confucius Siddhartha Gautama The Sophists (Meaning Wise in Greek) First professional educators, Charged fee to teach. Argued that the difference between a good and bad argument is custom and individual preference, nothing is bad or good in nature. They argued for relativism, both cultural and individual. Journal 3 Read pages 59-60 Reflect upon ways you have been a victim of ethnocentrism. Reflect upon ways you are ethnocentric Reflect ways America is ethnocentric. Since 911. The Person Socrates (470-399 B. C. E) was the first major western philosopher. He wrote no philosophy and what we know of him comes chiefly from his pupils Plato and Xenophon. Socrates challenged the sophists doctrines of relativism and moral realism he often taught that beauty and goodness determined by utility (If it serves a purpose) His Teachings Socrates is most famous for his style of philosophical inquiry known as the Socratic Method or dialectic. Education is supposed to draw knowledge out of you instead of riding with you like an empty vessel. Among his teachings, his most persistent command was know you. Believing an unexamined life was not worth living, he saw himself as a kind of â€Å"Physician of the soul. † He believed that the real person is not the body, but the physics-mind-soul. Journal 5 Read the trial and death of Socrates on pages 110-115 How does death and his art of dying relate to his teachings History Plato was a member of the Athenian aristocracy and Socrates’s most favorite and important student Athenian democracy was irrational mob rule. Founded famous academy to educate wise rulers In Plato’s metaphysics, the highest level of reality consists of timeless â€Å"essences† called forms. Platonic forms are independently existing, noncapital â€Å"some-things† Plato divided reality into to two world’s dualism. The highest level of reality is eternal and changeless being. The other is the evolving physical world, known as the coming According to Plato the sophists could not discover truth because they were preoccupied with the world of ever changing perceptions and customs. For Plato the chief distinction between knowledge and opinion is that knowledge is fixed, absolute and eternally true. Whereas opinion is unanchored and changeable. According to plait opinion lives in the realm of becoming truth and knowledge are found on the level of being. The Divided line 133-135. The simile of the sun 135-137 The Allegory of the cvae137-139 The divided line A+B= World of Forms (Being, Knowledgeable) C+D= Physical world (Becoming Opinion) Metaphysics | Epistemology(study of knowledge) | Higher Forms(Example: the good) | A: Understanding | Lower Forms(Example: Form human) | B: Reasoning | Sensible Objects (Example: Mother Teresa) | C. Perception | Images(Example: Mother Teresas Photograph) | D. Imagination | Simile of the sun Plato compared the absolute form of the good to the sun; the good makes the existence of everything else possible. The good cannot t be observed by the five senses and can be known only by pure thought or intelligence. It is the source of both the value and the existence of all other forms. Allegory of the cave In the allegory for the cave, Plato categorized three levels of awareness by referring to three distinct levels of reality: two levels of becoming and one ultimate level of being. Lowest Level: No imagination or perception Informed level: Wider range of basic understanding. Awakening Highest level: Soul has no need for perception or interpretation. The Republic (Socrates book for perfect utopia) Plato agreed that there is a reciprocal relationship between the individual and the kind of society in which he or she lives. The ideal state, for Plato, meets three basic characteristics 1) Nourishing needs, 2) Protection needs 3) Ordering needs These needs are best met by three classes: Workers, Warriors, Guardians or Philosopher – Kings. The republic contrasts two views of morality. The instrumental theory of morality asserts that right and wrong must be determined by the consequences our actions produce. The functionalist theory of morality holds that right and wrong can only be understood in terms of the way they affect our overall functioning as human beings. According to Plato, the just state functions fully; the unjust state is dysfunctional, only when all classes of people are virtuous according to their natures is the state whole, healthy, balanced and just. In order to be a just human being, balanced. Virtuous. temperance, courage, wisdom, justice(essence and balance of the soul) Plato thought the worst kind of Gov. was a tyranny. And democracy was a tyranny. Democracy makes little tyrants out of everybody. Journal 6 According to Plato’s philosophy, please answer these questions: Carefully explain the relationship of the individual to the state in Platos Republic. Why is the relationship significant? What does Plato see as the most unjust type of person and state? Do you agree? Explain. Explain the origin and nature of democracy according to plan. Aristotle The person Aristotle was Platos most illustrious student and went on to be the personal tutor of Alexander the great. He eventually created his own school called the lyceum. In contrast to Plato, Aristotle introduced the idea of naturalistic or scientific knowledge gained from collecting facts and usual factual info to make the world a better place. Aristotle was a naturalist. Naturalism if the belief that reality consists of the natural world and that the universe is ordered. Everything follows discoverable laws of nature. His Philosophy Aristotle believed that form and matter can be intellectually separated but cannot live independently in reality. The form of something is called its essence. Matter is the common physical material stuff but it has no distinct characteristics without a form. Aristotelian form is that which is in matter and makes thing is what that is. So, individual things are â€Å"formed matter. † Aristotle argued that complete understanding of a thing required identifying its â€Å"four causes. † 1st cause: Material cause, the material thing is made of Cause: formal cause. The form the thing takes cause: Efficient cause, the triggering motion that begins the thing Cause: Final cause, the Telis, or the ultimate purpose for which the thing exists. In living things, Aristotle called the final cause, Entelechy, meaning having its purpose within. He believed every living thing had an â€Å"inner urge† or a drive to become its unique self. He believed nature was ordered and guided internally. Journal 7 Consider the quotes on page 153. Please write a few paragraphs for each one describing what they mean to you and how they relate to you. For Aristotle, psyche or soul is the form of the body. Soul is entelechy. Like every other instance of form and matter, for Aristotle the soul cant be separated from the body and its body and its impossible to affect the body without also affecting the soul or to affect the soul without affecting the body. Aristotle taught that humans had a hierarchy of three kinds of souls, each higher level containing the aspects of the lower levels: 1st level: Lowest soul called vegetative or Nutritive, responsibility for absorption 2nd Level: the sentient or sensitive soul, registers all info regarding form of other things. 3rd Level: Highest Soul found in humans only, called rational soul, and includes the other two plus the capabilities for analysis, understanding relationships and decision-making. According to Aristotle the good is that which all things aim. It is their entelechy Eudemonia which often translated to happiness means being really alive rather than just existing. According to Aristotle happiness requires activity good habits and practical wisdom. Aristotelian moderation is based on the concept of wisdom hitting the mark between too much and not enough Virtue consists of hitting the mark or the mean but vice consist of being off by too much (excess) or too little (Deficiency) Journal 8 Read pages 172-176 Explain the importance of hitting the mark and character to Aristotle’s concept of happiness What is the principle of meaning? Philosophy study guide Academy- Alexander the Great An Unexamined Life Aristotelian Forms Aristotle’s Hierarchy of souls Aristotle’s Idea of a Good life Aristotle’s Teacher Entelechy Hitting the mark Lyceum Naturalism Plato’s 3 classes of people Plato’s feelings toward democracy Democracy Plato’s four cardinal virtues Plato’s teacher Platonic Forms Simile of the sun Socrates Death sentence Temperance The republic Three levels of human souls Tyranny journal 1 Wisdom | Knowledge | Theoretical Knowledge | Practical Knowledge | Belief | Mere Belief | Willed Ignorance | Definition and Examplesjournal 2 Write how each of the eight paths are relevant in today’s world journal 4 · Socrates’ â€Å"electric shock† effect on Athens resulted in death, however it gave him a place in history as a great thinker wise sage. From pages 87-95, read each quote in the margins · Please write the quote that shocks you and Reflect upon its meaning to you. Absolute truth is â€Å"Truth† with a capital T. What do we know so far? Modern Philosophy(How do you know that it’s true? ) After Christianity began to grow, most Europeans turned to god as the ultimate source of wisdom and the church as the ultimate authority. However, by the 17th century scientific ad advancements and the decline of the authority of a single church began the era of modern philosophy. It was a shift from metaphysics to epistemology. Rene Descartes(1596-1650) is the father of philosophy. He came up with rationalism. Dcccd. edu then go to student services, then libraries. 3 ears of Western Philosophy- 1 Classical, what is truth? essentialism; Modern- How do you know it’s true? Rationalism; Rationalism is the epistemological position in which reason is said to be the primary source of all knowledge. Rationalist believe in the coherence theory of truth: that new or unclear ideas should be evaluated in terms of rational or logical consistency and in relation to already established truth. Rationalism says that abstract reasoning can produce absolutely certain truths about reality and that some truths can be discovered without observation, experiment or experience. These truths are innate ideas or a priori ideas. A priori can be known without experience or experiment but Posteriori ideas are derived from experience and experiment. However he arrived at the cogito, ergo sum, latin for â€Å"I think, therefore I am. † This, along with a satisfactory belief in god, stood as his undoubtable truth. Journal 9 Please do the philosophical queries(Green Boxes) on pgs. 252 and 253 Jeremy Bentham- resurrected hedonism, in direct response to the conservative ruling class in Britain. The result he created the â€Å"greatest happiness† principle also known as the Principle of Utility, that states we should always act to promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number. Benthams hedonic calculus was a crude method of reducing stress to simple calculation of units of pleasure versus units of pain. Psychological hedonism- pain and pleasure determine what we shall do Ethical hedonism- pain and pleasure point to what we ought to do. Bentham extended the ethical reach of the pleasure principle beyond the human community to any creature with the capacity to suffer. He argued that insisting that animals lack moral worth was akin to racism. John stuart mill He believed that there is an empirical basis supporting his claim that refined pleasures to crude ones. Mill disagreed with Bentham that all motives are egotistic and based his more refined philosophy in the social feelings of all people for unity with each other. Mill believed in the possibility of altruism, the capacity to promote wellbeing of others, he argued that the lack of altruistic feelings and ignorance of the higher pleasures were products of poor education and harsh conditions, not quality of human nature. According to mill, the selfishness and lack of mental cultivation are the chief causes of unhappiness, and can be cured with a proper education and legislation.

Meetings :: essays research papers

Tips for Making Meetings Effective Throughout a project-oriented deployment, you will be required to conduct numerous meetings with your customer. If you plan them properly, you will be able to steer the project in the right direction. It also gives you the ability to gather all the key players in one room, put them on the same page, work through any issues that might have arisen and make any decisions that need to be made. When I first started running my own projects, I was given some great tips on what makes an effective meeting and felt that it might be helpful if I pass them on. Set Objectives – The art of setting objectives is something you will get better at with experience. You will want to give the attendees as much information as possible on why you have called the meeting and what you expect to accomplish. You will also want to set a clear timeline. Establish an agenda and distribute in advance – Send your attendees an agenda and a copy of the documentation you will be presenting to them. This gives them the opportunity to become prepared for the meeting and the opportunity to truly participate. Your results will fall short of your objectives if you give a customer a fifty page document and then turn around and ask if he or she has any questions. Send it out a few days in advance and let them know that you are willing to answer any questions they may have. Ask the attendees if they have talking points for the agenda and have them email those thoughts back to you before the meeting so you too will be better prepared. People love to participate. This shows them you are interested in what they have to say and also shows them that you like to be prepared in advance so as to not waste anyone’s time. Start and end the meeting on time (Don’t allow interruptions or sidetracking from the meetings agenda) – It is important for you to utilize your time as efficiently as possible. It is a good ideal to set tentative times for each item and then stick to them. You do this by the art of â€Å"on table / off table†. If you find the meeting getting off subject, you will want to take the subject â€Å"off table†. Then when you are documenting and assigning the next steps you will be able to schedule time for those questions / comments, if they are truly important.

The Return: Nightfall Chapter 30

Matt had given up on clues. As far as he could tell, something had caused Elena to bypass the Dunstan house and barn completely, hopping on and on until she got to a squashed and torn bed of thin creeping vines. They hung limp from Matt's fingers, but they reminded him, disquietingly, of the feeling of the bug's tentacles around his neck. And from there on there was no sign of human movement. It was as if a UFO had beamed her up. Now, from making forays to all sides until he had lost the patch of creepers, he was lost in the deep Wood. If he wanted to, he could fantasize that all sorts of noises were all around him. If he wanted to, he could imagine that the light of the flashlight was no longer as bright as it had been, that it had a sickly yellowish tinge†¦. All this time, while searching, he had kept as quiet as possible, realizing that he might be trying to sneak up on something that didn't want to be snuck up on. But now, somewhere inside him, something was swelling up and his ability to stop it was weakening by the second. When it burst out of him, it startled him as much as it might have any possible listeners. â€Å"Ellleeeeeeeeeeeeeeenaaaa!† From the time when he'd been a child, Matt had been taught to say his nighttime prayers. He didn't know much else about church, but he did have a deep and sincere feeling that there was Someone or Something out there that looked after people. That somewhere and somehow it all made sense, and that there were reasons for everything. That belief had been severely tested during the past year. But Elena's return from the dead had swept away all his doubts. It had seemed to prove everything that he'd always wanted to believe in. You wouldn't give her back to us for just a few days, and then take her away again? he wondered, and the wondering was really a form of praying. You wouldn't – would You? Because the thought of a world without Elena, without hersparkle ; her strong will; her way of getting into crazy adventures – and then getting out of them, even more crazily – well, it was too much to lose. The world would be painted in drab grays and dark browns again without her. There would be no fire-engine reds, no flashes of parakeet green, no cerulean, no daffodil, no mercury silver – and no gold. No sprinkles of gold in endless blue lapis lazuli eyes. â€Å"Elllleeeeeeenaaaa! Damn you, you answer me! It's Matt, Elena! Elleeeeee – â€Å" He broke off quite suddenly and listened. For a moment his heart leaped and his whole body started. But then he made out the words he could hear. â€Å"Eleeeeeenaaa? Maaaatt? Where are you?† â€Å"Bonnie?Bonnie! I'm here! † He turned his flashlight straight up, slowly twisting it in a circle. â€Å"Can you see me?† â€Å"Can you see us?† Matt pivoted slowly. And – yes – there were the beams of one flashlight, two flashlights, three! His heart leaped to seethree beams. â€Å"I'm coming toward you,† he shouted, and suited the action to the word. Secrecy had been long ago left behind. He was running into things, yanking at tendrils that tried to grab his ankles, but bellowing all the while, â€Å"Stay where you are! I'm coming to you!† And then the flashlight beams were right in front of him, blinding him, and somehow he had Bonnie in his arms, and Bonnie was crying. That at least lent the situation some normality. Bonnie was crying against his chest and he was looking at Meredith, who was smiling anxiously, and at†¦Mrs. Flowers? It had to be, she was wearing that gardening hat with the artificial flowers on it, as well as what looked like about seven or eight woolly sweaters. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers?† he said, his mouth finally catching up with his brain. â€Å"But – where's Elena?† There was a sudden droop in the three people watching him, as if they had been on tiptoes for news, and now they had slumped in disappointment. â€Å"We haven't seen her,† Meredith said quietly. â€Å"Youwere with her.† â€Å"Iwas with her, yeah. But then Damon came.He hurt her , Meredith† – Matt felt Bonnie's arms clench on him. â€Å"He had her rolling on the ground having seizures. I think he's going to kill her. And – he hurt me. I guess I blacked out. When I woke up she was gone.† â€Å"He took her away?† Bonnie asked fiercely. â€Å"Yeah, but†¦I don't understand what happened next.† Painfully, he explained about Elena seemingly jumping out of the car and the tracks that led nowhere. Bonnie shivered in his arms. â€Å"And then some other weird stuff happened,† Matt said. Slowly, faltering sometimes, he did his best to explain about Kristin, and the similarities to Tami. â€Å"That is†¦just plain weird,† Bonnie said. â€Å"I thought I had an answer, but if Kristin hasn't had any contact with any of the other girls†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You were probably thinking something about the Salem witches, dear,† said Mrs. Flowers. Matt still couldn't get used to Mrs. Flowerstalking to them. She went on, â€Å"But you don't really know with whom Kristin has been in the last few days. Or with whom Jim has been, for that matter. Children have quite a lot of freedom in this day and age, and he might be – what do they call it? – acarrier .† â€Å"Besides, even if this is possession, it may be an entirely different kind of possession,† Meredith said. â€Å"Kristin lives out in the Old Wood. The Old Wood is full of these insects – these malach. Who knows whether it happened when she simply stepped outside her door? Who knows what was waiting for her?† Now Bonnie was shaking in Matt's arms. They'd turned out all the flashlights but one, to conserve energy, but it sure made for spooky surroundings. â€Å"But what about the telepathy?† Matt said to Mrs. Flowers. â€Å"I mean, I don't believe for a minute thatreal witches were attacking those Salem girls. I think they were repressed girls who had mass hysteria when they all got together, and somehow everything got out of hand. But how could Kristin know to call me – to call me – the same name that Tamra did?† â€Å"Maybe we've all got it all wrong,† Bonnie said, her voice buried somewhere in Matt's solar plexus. â€Å"Maybe it's not like Salem at all, where the – the hysteria spread out horizontally, if you see what I mean. Maybe there's somebody on top here, who's spreading it wherever they want to.† There was a brief silence, and then Mrs. Flowers murmured, â€Å" ¡Ã‚ ®Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings†¦'† â€Å"You mean you think that's right? But then who is it that's on top? Who's doing all of this?† Meredith demanded. â€Å"It can't be Damon because Damon saved Bonnie twice – and me once.† Before anyone could muster words to ask aboutthat , she was going on. â€Å"Elena was pretty sure that something was possessingDamon . So who else is it?† â€Å"Somebody we haven't met yet,† Bonnie muttered ominously. â€Å"Somebody we aren't going to like.† With perfect timing there was the crackle of a branch behind them. As one person, as one body, they turned to look. â€Å"What I really want,† Damon said to Elena, â€Å"is to get you warm. And that either means cooking you something hot so you'll warm up from the inside or putting you in the tub so you'll warm up from the outside. And considering what happened last time – â€Å" â€Å"I†¦don't feel I can eat anything†¦.† â€Å"Come on, it's an American tradition. Apple soup? Mom's homemade chicken pie?† She chuckled in spite of herself, then winced. â€Å"It's apple pie and Mom's homemade chicken soup. But you didn't do badly, for a start.† â€Å"Well? I promise not to mix the apples and the chicken together.† â€Å"I could try some soup,† Elena said slowly. â€Å"And, oh, Damon I'm so thirsty just for plain water. Please.† â€Å"I know, but you'll drink too much, get pains. I'll make soup.† â€Å"It comes in little cans with red paper on them. You pull the tab on top to make it come off†¦.† Elena stopped as he turned to the door. Damon knew she had serious doubts about the entire project, but he also knew that if he brought her anything passably drinkable she would drink it. Thirst did that to you. He was unliving proof of the example. As he went through the door there was a sudden horrendous noise, like a pair of kitchen choppers coming together. It nearly took off his – his rear from top to bottom, by the sound of it. â€Å"Damon!†A voice crying weakly through the door. â€Å"Damon, are you all right? Damon! Answer me!† Instead, he turned around, studied the door, which looked perfectly normal, and opened it. Anyone watching him open it would have wondered because he put a key in the unlocked door, said â€Å"Elena's room† and then unlocked and opened the door. When he got inside, he ran. Elena was lying in a hopeless tangle of sheets and blankets on the floor. She was trying to get up, but her face was blue-white with pain. â€Å"What pushed you off the bed?† he said. He was going to kill Shinichislowly . â€Å"Nothing. I heard a terrible sound just as the door shut. I tried to get to you, but – â€Å" Damon stared at her.†I tried to get to you, but – † This broken, hurting, exhausted creature had tried to rescuehim ? Tried so hard that she'd fallen off her bed? â€Å"I'm sorry,† she said, with tears in her eyes. â€Å"I can't get used to gravity. Are you hurt?† â€Å"Not as much as you are,† he said, purposely keeping his voice rough, his eyes averted. â€Å"I did something stupid, leaving the room, and the house†¦reminded me.† â€Å"What are you talking about?† said the woebegone Elena, dressed only in sheets. â€Å"This key,† Damon held it up for her to see. It was golden and could be worn as a ring, but two wings folded out and made a beautiful key. â€Å"What's wrong with it?† â€Å"The way I used it. This key has the power of the kitsune in it, and it will unlock anything and take you anywhere, but the way it works is that you put it into the lock, say where you want to go, and then turn the key. I forgot to do that in leaving your room.† Elena looked puzzled. â€Å"But what if a key doesn't have a lock in it? Most bedroom doors don't have locks.† â€Å"This key goes into any door. You might say it makes its own lock. It's a kitsune treasure – which I shook out of Shinichi when I was so angry about you being hurt. He'll be wanting it back soon.† Damon's eyes narrowed and he smiled faintly. â€Å"I wonder which of us will end up keeping it. I noticed another one in the kitchen – a spare, of course.† â€Å"Damon, all this about magical keys is interesting, but if you could let me get off the floor†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He was contrite at once. Then came the question of whether to put her on the bed or not. â€Å"I'll take the bath,† Elena said in a small voice. She unsnapped the top of her jeans and tried to scoot out of them. â€Å"Wait a minute! You might faint and drown. Lie down and I promise to get you clean, if you're willing to try and eat.† He had new reservations about the house. â€Å"Now undress on the bed and pull the sheet over you. I do wicked massages,† he added, turning away. â€Å"Look, you don't have to not look. It's something I haven't understood since I†¦came back,† Elena said. â€Å"Modesty taboos. I don't see why anyone should be ashamed of their body.† (This came to him in a rather muffled voice.) â€Å"I mean for anyone who says God made us, God made us without clothes, even after Adam and Eve. If it's so important, why didn't he make us with diapers on?† â€Å"Yes, actually, what you're saying reminds me of what I once said to the Dowager Queen of France,† Damon said, determined to keep her undressing while he gazed at a crack in one of the wooden panels of the wall. â€Å"I said that if God were both omnipotent and omniscient, then He surely knew our destinies beforehand, and why were the righteous doomed to be born as sinfully naked as the damned?† â€Å"And what did she say?† â€Å"Not a word. But she giggled and tapped me three times on the back of my hand with her fan, which I was later told was an invitation for an assignation. Alas, I had other obligations. Are you on the bed still?† â€Å"Yes, and I'm under a sheet,† Elena said wearily. â€Å"If she wereDowager Queen, I expect you were glad,† she added in a half-bewildered voice. â€Å"Aren't they the old mothers?† â€Å"No, Anne of Austria, Queen of France, kept her remarkable beauty to the end. She was the only redhead that – â€Å" Damon stopped, groping wildly for words as he faced the bed. Elena had done as he had asked. He just hadn't realized how much she would look like Aphrodite arising from the ocean. The ruffled white of the sheet came up to the warmer milk-white of her skin. She needed cleaning, certainly, but just knowing that under that thin sheet she was magnificently naked was enough to make him lose his breath. She had rolled her clothes into a ball and thrown them into the farthest corner of the room. He didn't blame her. He didn't think. He didn't give himself time. He simply held out his hands and said, â€Å"Lemon-thyme chicken consomm ¦, hot, in a Mikasa cup – and plum flower oil, very warm, in a vial.† Once the broth was duly consumed and Elena was lying on her back again, he began to gently massage her with the oil. Plum flower always made for a good start. It numbed the skin and the senses to pain, and it provided a basis for the other, more exotic, oils he planned to use on her. In a way, it was much better than dumping her in a modern bath or Jacuzzi. He knew where her injuries were; he could heat the oils to the appropriate temperature for any of them. And instead of a barely mobile Jacuzzi head spouting water against a bruise, he could avoid anything too sensitive – in the painful sense. He started with her hair, adding a very, very light coating of oil that would make the worst tangles easy to brush out. After the oiling, her hair shone like gold against her skin – honey on cream. Then he began with the muscles in her face: tiny strokes with his thumbs over her forehead to smooth it and relax it, forcing her to relax along with his movements. Slow, circular swirls at her temples, with only the lightest of pressure. He could see the thin blue veins traced here, and he knew that deep pressure could put her to sleep. He then proceeded to upper arms, her forearms, her hands, taking her apart with ancient strokes and the correct ancient essences to go with them, until she was nothing but a loose, boneless thing under the sheet: sleek and soft and yielding. He flashed his incandescent smile for a moment while pulling a toe until it popped – and then the smile turned ironic. He could have what he wanted of her, now. Yes, she was in no mood to refuse anything. But he hadn't counted on what the damned sheet would do tohim . Everyone knew that a scrap of covering, no matter how simple, always drew attention to the taboo area as pure nakedness did not. And massaging Elena by inches this way only focused him on what lay beneath the snowy fabric. After a while Elena said drowsily, â€Å"Aren't you going to tell the end of the story? About Anne of Austria, who was the only redhead to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"†¦to, ah, remain a natural redhead to the end of her life,† Damon murmured. â€Å"Yes. It was said that Cardinal Richelieu was her lover.† â€Å"Isn't that the wicked Cardinal from theThe Three Musketeers ?† â€Å"Yes, but perhaps not so wicked as he was portrayed there, and certainly an able politician. And, some say, the real father of Louis†¦now turn over.† â€Å"It's a strange name for a king.† â€Å"Hm?† â€Å"Louis Now Turn Over,† Elena said, turning over and showing a flash of creamy thigh while Damon tried to eye various other parts of the room. â€Å"Depends on the naming traditions of the individual's native country,† Damon said wildly. All he could see were replays of that glimpse of thigh. â€Å"What?† â€Å"What?† â€Å"I was asking you – â€Å" â€Å"Are you warm now? All done,† Damon said and, unwisely, patted the highest curve of terrain under the towel. â€Å"Hey!† Elena reared up, and Damon – faced by an entire body of pale rose-gold and perfumed and sleek – and with muscles like steel under the silken skin – precipitately fled. He came back after an appropriate interval with a calming offering of more soup. Elena, dignified under her sheet, which she had made into a toga, accepted. She didn't even try to swat him on the bottom when his back was turned. â€Å"Whatis this place?† she wondered instead. â€Å"It can't be the Dunstans' – they're an old family, with an old house. They used to be farmers.† â€Å"Oh, let's just call it a little pied--terre of my own in the woods.† â€Å"Ha,† Elena said. â€Å"I knew you weren't sleeping in trees.† Damon found himself trying not to smile. He'd never been with Elena when the situation hadn't been life-or-death. Now, if he said he'd found he loved her mind after having massaged her naked under a sheet – no†¦No one would ever believe him. â€Å"Feeling better?† he asked. â€Å"As warm as chicken-apple soup.† â€Å"I'm never going to hear the end of that, am I?† He made her stay on the bed while he thought up nightgowns, all sizes and styles, and robes, too – and slippers, all in the instant of walking to what had been a bathroom, and was pleased to find that it was now a walk-in closet with everything anyone could want in terms of night attire. From silky lingerie to good old-fashioned sleeping gowns to night-caps, this wardrobe had it all. Damon emerged with a double armful and gave Elena her choice. She picked a high-necked white nightgown made out of some modest fabric. Damon found himself stroking a regal sky-blue gown trimmed with what looked like genuine Valenciennes lace. â€Å"Not my style,† Elena said, quickly tucking it under some other robes. Not your style aroundme , Damon thought, amused. And a wise little lass you are, too. You don't want to tempt me into doing anything you might be sorry for tomorrow. â€Å"All right – and then you can get a good night's sleep – † He broke off, for she was suddenly looking at him with astonishment and distress. â€Å"Matt! Damon, we were looking forMatt ! I just remembered. We were looking for him and I – I don't know. I got hurt. I remember falling and then I was here.† Because I carried you here, Damon thought. Because this house is just a thought in Shinichi's mind. Because the only permanent things inside it are we two. Damon took in a deep breath of air.

Political Theorists, Niccolo Machiavelli And Socrates

Political theorists, Niccolo Machiavelli and Socrates, formulated their thoughts in heightened political climates in their respective countries leading to their definitive and explicit opinions surrounding how a governmental system should be run. The government systems proposed by both theorists are vastly different due to what each individual prioritizes in terms of political necessities. Machiavelli’s concept is to describe the means in obtaining power in order to define a political structure that maintains strength in a society. He maintains this power through any means necessary including violence and presumably deceitful acts while instilling fear among his inferiors. On the contrast, through The Apology and Crito, a reader can infer†¦show more content†¦A â€Å"Machiavellian government† is one that takes violence into consideration when obtaining a leader position as well as a means in maintaining structured citizens. In contrast, Socrates does not speak of means in obtaining this form of leadership, however, he speaks of devoting his life to wisdom and spreading knowledge on pure ‘goodness’ among humans. Socrates shows little interest in a governmental system that is comprised of citizens who fear their leader, but instead, citizens and rulers who respect and strive for a common good among all. Machiavelli argues that both love and fear cannot exist in a society, therefore he comes to the conclusion that a Prince should strive for fear from his citizens. He rationalized this concept by stating that â€Å"fear is maintained by a dread of punishment which never fails† (XVII, 61). Machiavelli creates a scene that distributes the citizens of a society into a tight hierarchy whereas the sovereign is controlling and threatening. This form of government follows strict guidelines with no form of justice for the guilty. In this setting, Socrates would not receive the right to defend himself in front of a court in the way he has in the Apology. In his spiel, he states his love for Athens and the authority that governs, he does not fear his superiors, rather, respects them. Socrates’ opportunity to stand in front of a juryShow 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 upsettingRead MoreEssay about Niccolo Machiavelli1653 Words   |  7 Pagesto legend, just before his death, Niccolo Machiavelli told his friends that had remained faithful to him up until the very end about a dream he had had. In his dream, he had seen a group of peasants, wretched and decrepit in appearance. He asked them who they were. They replied, ‘We are the saintly and the blessed; we are on our way to heaven.’ Then he saw a crowd of formally attired men, aristocratic and grim in appearance, speaking solemnly of important political matters. Again, he asked them whoRead More Comparing the Concepts of Seeming and Being in Relation to Political Power and Leadership in The Prince and The Republic2977 Words   |  12 PagesConcepts of Seeming and Being in Relation to Political Power and Leadership in The Prince and The Republic 9. Machiavelli says the prince only has to seem good, not be good. Socrates insists that seeming is bad, being is good. Is it better to remain in the cave with Machiavelli, or see the light with Socrates? Write three pages for Machiavelli and against Socrates, write another three pages against Machiavelli and for Socrates. Both Niccolà ² Machiavelli and Plato, in their works The Prince andRead Morehistory of philosophy5031 Words   |  21 PagesPhilosophers Aestheticians Epistemologists Ethicists Logicians Metaphysicians Social and political philosophers Traditions Analytic Continental Eastern Islamic Platonic Scholastic Periods Ancient Medieval Modern Contemporary Literature Aesthetics Epistemology Ethics Logic Metaphysics Political philosophy Branches Aesthetics Epistemology Ethics Logic Metaphysics Political philosophy Social philosophy Lists Index Outline Years Problems Publications Theories