The Debate Over The Existence Of Free Will - 1228 Words

The debate over the existence of free will is possibly one of the most important discussions of human nature. Insight into this debate holds vast ethical, legal and political implications. In my experience, those who are not familiar with the topic often conflate free will for consciousness, and impetuously accept the existence of free will. Free will is defined as the freedom of humans to make choices that are not determined by prior physical causes. Those who believe in free will thus ascribe a metaphysical contribution to behaviour (e.g., a soul) as they believe prior physical causes do not entirely account for behavior. The debate over free will has led to two, polar-opposite philosophical schools of thought: determinism and†¦show more content†¦Are there any you can think of that don’t fall into either of those categories? I argue that there aren’t. You might be thinking about ways to disprove my assertion as we speak. In fact, you may be saying to yoursel f, â€Å"I can choose to spontaneously eat an entire bag of chips! And this spontaneous decision is not constrained by biological or environmental factors. It’s a decision that is not dictated by prior physical causes can be attributed to my free will!† But to that I say†¦ Chocolate milk. That’s right, you read correctly. What just went through your head? Chocolate milk right? Was it your free choice or an environmental variable (i.e., the text in this article) that caused the resulting thought? Now extend this idea to the bag of chips: if you hadn’t had prior environmental exposure to this sodium-filled goodness, eaten it and felt the subsequent activation of the mesolimbic reward system of the brain, this thought would never have occurred to you! The above example illustrates two important concepts. Firstly, it highlights the fact that you can’t spontaneously generate knowledge - it has to come from prior experience. Have you ever spontaneously generated the knowledge for a midterm you didn’t study for? Of course not! Secondly, it alludes to the cross-talk biology has with the environment. Most of us find this lardy, sodium-filled substance extremely satisfying, and this appeal is dictated by our brain chemistry. You’re probably frustrated by now.

Julius Caesar, A Roman Statesman, General And Notable...

Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman statesman, general and notable author of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the events that led to the demise of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire. In 60 BC, Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey formed a political alliance that was to dominate Roman politics for several years. Their attempts to amass power through populist tactics were opposed by the conservative ruling class within the Roman Senate, among them Cato the Younger with the frequent support of Cicero. Caesar s victories in the Gallic Wars, completed by 51 BC, extended Rome s territory to the English Channel and the Rhine. Caesar became the first Roman general to cross both when he built a bridge across the Rhine and conducted†¦show more content†¦He centralised the bureaucracy of the Republic and was eventually proclaimed dictator in perpetuity, giving him additional authority. But the underlying political conflicts had not been resolved, and on the Ides of March 44 BC, Caesar was assassinated by a group of rebellious senators led by Marcus Junius Brutus. A new series of civil wars broke out, and the constitutional government of the Republic was never fully restored. Caesar s adopted heir Octavius, later known as Augustus, rose to sole power after defeating his opponents in the civil war. Octavius set about solidifying his power, and the era of the Roman Empire began. Much of Caesar s life is known from his own accounts of his military campaigns, and from other contemporary sources, mainly the letters and speeches of Cicero and the historical writings of Sallust. The later biographies of Caesar by Suetonius and Plutarch are also major sources. Caesar is considered by many historians to be one of the greatest military commanders in history. Early life and career Caesar was born into a patrician family, the gens Julia, which claimed descent from Iulus, son of the legendary Trojan prince Aeneas, supposedly the son of the goddess Venus. The cognomen Caesar originated, according to Pliny the Elder, with an ancestor who was born by caesarean section . The Historia Augusta suggests three alternative explanations: that the first Caesar had a thick head of hair ; that he had bright grey eyes ; or that

Rappaccinis Daughter Essay Example For Students

Rappaccinis Daughter Essay In Rappaccinis Daughter, Nathaniel Hawthorne examines the combination of good and evil inpeople through the relationships of the storys main characters. The lovely and yet poisonous Beatrice, thedaughter of the scientist Rappaccini, is the central figure of the story, while her neighbor Giovanni becomes the observer, participant, and interpreter of the strange events that transpire within the garden next door. It is Giovannis inability to understand these events that eventually leads to Beatrices death. Giovanni sees things that are either all good or all bad. While he is quick to judge Beatrice, he is unable to examine his own motives and thoughts. During the story, Hawthorne gives the reader many clues of Giovannis selfish and fickle nature. In the end, Beatrice dies because of Giovanni and his own poisonous nature. The moral of the story is that every persons character is both good and evil in nature. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses Giovanni and Beatrice to explore the impossibility of totally separating good and evil from the human character. At the beginning of the story, a young man named Giovanni Guasconti is introduced to the readers as a typical homesick student from Southern Italy. He is at once attracted to the beautiful garden next door belonging to the mysterious scientist, Dr. Rappaccini. Not only is he fascinated by the scientist and his garden, but he is instantly enchanted by Rappaccinis beautiful daughter, Beatrice. The second time Giovanni sees Beatrice from his window overlooking the garden, he notices several unusual things. First, he believes that he sees a lizard die suddenly at Beatrices feet. Then a swarm of insects appear to die from her breath, and finally, the flowers that he gives to her seem to wither from her touch. However, Hawthorne is careful to never fully confirm what Giovanni sees. Hawthorne frequently uses words like imagine, seemed, or appeared to to cast a doubt upon the validity of what Giovanni thinks he sees. Even Giovanni himself rationalizes the situation and convinces himself that what he thought he saw did not happen. This is because in Giovannis mind, it is impossible to separate the physical from the spiritual. For him, if Beatrices body is poisonous, then so is her spirit. Giovanni is unable to see the possibilities for good and bad to be simultaneously within someone. This problem is at the heart of this story and is what ultimately causes Beatrices death. Since Giovanni allows himself to disbelieve what he had seen earlier in the garden, he is able to fall for Beatrice. Giovanni is drawn to Beatrice not because of the glamor of science, but an interest in the unknown. He knows that all is not right in Rappaccinis garden and he is fascinated with the mystery. As Giovanni and Beatrice get to know each other, they develop a strong bond. However, for Giovanni this is not true love. Hawthorne provides the reader with clues that question the integrity of Giovanni. For example, Hawthorne writes, Guasconti had not a deep heart or at all events, its depths are not sounded now-but he had a quick fancy, and an ardent southern temperament, which rose every instant to higher fever-pitch (Hawthorne 614). Not only is Giovanni passionate in his lust for Beatrice, but he also idealizes her as an angel. While he finds her to be maiden-like, he also considers her worthy to be worshipped (Hawthorne 619). Occasionally, Giovannis doubts come forth, And at such times, he was startled at the horrible suspicions that rose, monster-like, out of the caverns of his heart, and stared him in the face; his love grew thin and faint as the morning-mist; his doubts alone had substance (Hawthorne 620). But always, Giovanni is able to squash these doubts and he convinces himself of Beatrices purity. He is able to do this because otherwise he could not be with her. .u2f77d076d3a87754007b5f63889e4edc , .u2f77d076d3a87754007b5f63889e4edc .postImageUrl , .u2f77d076d3a87754007b5f63889e4edc .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u2f77d076d3a87754007b5f63889e4edc , .u2f77d076d3a87754007b5f63889e4edc:hover , .u2f77d076d3a87754007b5f63889e4edc:visited , .u2f77d076d3a87754007b5f63889e4edc:active { border:0!important; } .u2f77d076d3a87754007b5f63889e4edc .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u2f77d076d3a87754007b5f63889e4edc { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u2f77d076d3a87754007b5f63889e4edc:active , .u2f77d076d3a87754007b5f63889e4edc:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u2f77d076d3a87754007b5f63889e4edc .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u2f77d076d3a87754007b5f63889e4edc .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u2f77d076d3a87754007b5f63889e4edc .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u2f77d076d3a87754007b5f63889e4edc .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u2f77d076d3a87754007b5f63889e4edc:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u2f77d076d3a87754007b5f63889e4edc .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u2f77d076d3a87754007b5f63889e4edc .u2f77d076d3a87754007b5f63889e4edc-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u2f77d076d3a87754007b5f63889e4edc:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Puerto Rico Essay Giovanni does not see the possibility that there can be both good and evil within someone. For him, he thinks that someone is either all good or all bad. Even after Dr. Baglionis revelation about Beatrice, Giovanni tries not to see the possibilities of Beatrice being poisonous. It is only when he realizes that now he too is poisonous that he truly allows himself to believe. Because of this, he becomes insanely angry, as if he is the only one wronged, and ventures forth to confront Beatrice. The woman that he before worshipped, he now calls Accursed one! (Hawthorne 624). Now, he is repulsed by Beatrice and loathes her. Giovanni hurts Beatrice deeply with his accusations and stinging words. However, through Baglionis antidote he sees a possible way to cure them both. Beatrice takes the potion, urging Giovanni to wait and see what happens to her. At this point Beatrice dies because the poison in her body is too strong and the antidote causes her death. As she dies she says to Giovanni, Thy words of hatred are like lead within my heart-but they, too, will fall away as I ascend. Oh, was there not, from the first, more poison in thy nature than in mine (Hawthorne 626). Giovanni is a normal, but selfish student who is drawn into the Rappaccinis lives. He is unable to separate Beatrices good and sweet spirit from her poisonous body. He does not comprehend the possibility of an intermixture of good and evil within people. Once he finds out that she is indeed poisonous, he hates her. However, it is Giovanni in the end that is poisonous with his cruel words and the potion that he gives to Beatrice. In fact, although inadvertently, it is Giovanni who kills Beatrice by trying to change her nature with his antidote. The short storys title, Rappaccinis Daughter immediately tells the reader that the focus of the story is upon Beatrice even though she is not introduced to the reader for a couple pages. The first introduction to Beatrice teaches the reader that she is very beautiful and she is the caretaker to the poisonous plants in her fathers garden. As Giovanni learns, she knows little of the outside world for she has been raised almost exclusively within the garden. She appears to Giovanni, as well as to the reader, to be a gentle and innocent young woman. She even admits to Giovanni that the poisonous flowers in her fathers garden shock and offend her, when they meet her eye (Hawthorne 617). She honestly tells Giovanni about her poisonous nature when he confronts her; however, she seems to be truly unaware of her presences poisonous affect on Giovanni. She is also astonished by Giovannis hurtful confrontation. Beatrice tells Giovanni, though my body be nourished with poison, my spirit is Gods creature, and craves love as its daily food (Hawthorne 625). If she is evil, it is only because she was made that way. Her heart is pure. So in the end, the beautiful and innocent Beatrice is betrayed by the man she loved, Giovanni. For Giovanni betrays Beatrice because he thought she was evil, and truly Beatrice is the one who demonstrates to have true love. Beatrice proves to be very human, but with a poisonous body and a loving soul. At the beginning of the story, Giovanni is a normal person. However, he is inadvertently tempted by the beauty and sweetness of Beatrice and becomes poisonous. His own dark side is awakened by the encounter with the Rappaccinis and no one is left unscathed. Like all people, he is not completely good or bad, but a combination of the two. Some people are mostly good, some are mostly bad, but no one is only good or evil. English Essays

Water Ghost by Alfred Kubin Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Water Ghost by Alfred Kubin. Answer: Every now and then one paints a picture that seems to have opened a door and serves as a stepping stone to other things. The above quoted lines of Pablo Picasso clearly indicates the nature of the painting Water Ghost by Alfred Kubin. Painting had its origin in the Pre-Historic times when the cavemen used to draw figures on the walls of the cave (Arnason and Mansfield 2013). However, in the recent times, the genre of painting has undergone much transformation in a bid to incorporate other branches of study within itself. The present definition of the art of painting has been adequately put into words by Orhan Pamuk in his book My Name is Red, Painting is the silence of thought and the music of sight (Pamuk 2010). Therefore, in the present day scenario painting is used to express the silent thoughts of the soul which cannot be expressed by words (Arnason and Mansfield 2013). To express the inexpressible the artists use various techniques like expressionism, impressionism, formalism and other forms of avant-garde styles (Kohle 2012). Afred Kubin was one of the pioneers of the techniques of Symbolism as w ell as Expressionism and his works are often considered to be potent representatives of these two genres of painting (GLUECK 2018). This essay intends to shed light on the painting Water Ghost of Alfred Kubin from its avant-garde and sublime perspective. Alfred Leopold Isidor Kubin (1877-1959), was an Austrian painter whose works are redolent with the qualities of the avant-garde art movement of his time like Symbolism, Expressionism and others (Galerie-altnoeder.com 2018). Much of his life he suffered from depression with two or three instances of nervous breakdown (Arnason and Mansfield 2013). He even attempted suicide on the grave of his mother. Thus, painting served in his life the same purpose as it did in the life of Frida Kahlo, I don't paint dreams or nightmares, I paint my own reality (Art criticism by eric wayne 2018). However, the real flowering of his art began with the influence of Max Klinger on his art which in his own words, a new art was thrown open to me, which offered free play for the imaginative expression of every conceivable world of feeling. Before putting the engravings away I swore that I would dedicate my life to the creation of similar works (Kubin 1973). This can be seen as his formal introduction to the avant-garde art movement of which he was to become a primary preacher. It is to be noted that most of the critics interpret his works like Water Ghost, Gateway to Hell, One Woman For All and others to be rather dark, spectral and full of his symbolic fantasies (Marks, Kubin and Landesmuseum 1977). Some critics even find influences of authors like Edgar Allan Poe, Kafka, Fyodor Dostoevsky, E.T.A. Hoffmann and others on his art works (Kohle 2012). According to these critics, in his works is found the same morbid reality as well as the infernal ugliness of the present day society as is found in the works of these writers and just like them he also takes the help of gothic machinery to convey his message (Kohle 2012). The Water Ghost is often considered to be the masterpiece of Albert Kubin (Marks, Kubin and Landesmuseum 1977). It is interesting to note that he was the only Austrian artists to be a member of the "Der Blaue Reiter" group and many people consider this painting to a product of the influence of that art group (Galerie-altnoeder.com 2018). In this particular painting, Kubin is trying to vent his own personal emotions through the medium of expressionism. This particular painting of Kubin is based on the ancient lore about the storm (Art criticism by eric wayne 2018). According to the ancient lore, there is one storm in the world and when that storm awakens it destroys everything in its path until its force is spent and it weakens down only to rise up again later when it has regained its strength (Kubin 1973). In this ancient lore, he introduces the figure of the ghost, who is actually the element behind the force of the storm. The ghost seems to be wearing the storm just like one wears a cloak or a garb in everyday life. Many critics believe the ghost to be a representation of the emotional turbulence faced by Kubin right from his childhood and especially after the death of his mother (Arnason and Mansfield 2013). On the other hand, there are others who consider the painting to be mere pastime work of the artist and think that there is no hidden meaning in the work (Arnason and Mansfield 2013). However, Kuhins own opinion about the meaning of the painting is significant here, You might as well ask an artist to explain his art, or ask a poet to explain his poem. It defeats the purpose. The meaning is only clear thorough the search (Art criticism by eric wayne 2018). On the other hand, there are some critics to consider this painting to be one of the earliest manifestations of Surrealism (Arnason and Mansfield 2013). Therefore, it can be said that this particular painting of Alfred Kubin represents the characteristics which were typical of the avant-garde movement of his time. A work of art is said to be sublime when it is of unparalleled beauty or of great excellence. The painting Water Ghost of Alfred Kubin is one such art work which reaches the genre of sublime (Arnason and Mansfield 2013). It is a sublime work of art not only because of the beauty of the work or for the fine execution of the work but also for the sublime meaning which the artist has tried to conveyed through the painting. In this painting, the artist through the metaphor of the storm and the anecdote of the ghost used in the ancient lore is trying to portray the inner storm which is continuously going on in the inner consciousness of each individual on this planet (Art criticism by eric wayne 2018). The human mind becomes the world in this particular painting and the ghost becomes the representation of the human consciousness. Thus, it can be said that the painting achieves the quality of sublimity by virtue of the meaning which it is trying to portray. Therefore, from the above discussion it becomes clear that Alfred Kubin was one of the greatest painters of Austria who did not receive much of critical acclaim which was his due within his lifetime. He is often considered to be a pioneer of the avant-garde movement in painting and its related movements like Expressionism, Symbolism, Surrealism and various others. His Water Ghost is often considered to be a fine exhibition of his expressionistic techniques. References Arnason, H.H. and Mansfield, E., 2013.History of modern art: painting, sculpture, architecture, photography. Pearson. Art criticism by eric wayne. 2018.Eerie Alfred Kubin: Forgotten Pioneer of Symbolism, Expressionism, and Surrealism. [online] Available at: https://artofericwayne.com/2018/01/29/eerie-alfred-kubin-forgotten-pioneer-of-symbolism-expressionism-and-surrealism/ [Accessed 5 Mar. 2018]. Artnet.com. 2018.Alfred Kubin | artnet. [online] Available at: https://www.artnet.com/artists/alfred-kubin/ [Accessed 5 Mar. 2018]. Galerie-altnoeder.com. 2018.Alfred Kubin - Galerie Altnder Salzburg. [online] Available at: https://www.galerie-altnoeder.com/kubin.html [Accessed 5 Mar. 2018]. GLUECK, G. 2018.ART: ALFRED KUBIN SHOW A LESSON IN FANTASY. [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/25/arts/art-alfred-kubin-show-a-lesson-in-fantasy.html?pagewanted=all [Accessed 5 Mar. 2018]. Kohle, H., 2012. Nightmareanxietyapocalypse. The Uncanny and Catastrophic in the art of Modernism. Kubin, A., 1973.From my workshop.German paperback publisher. Marks, A., Kubin, A. and Landesmuseum, O., 1977.Illustrator Alfred Kubin: Complete catalog of his illustrations and book art works.Ed.Spangenberg. Pamuk, O., 2010.My name is Red(Vol. 331). Everyman's Library.