How to Control an Over Population Country

In the late 1960s and early 1970s some environmentalists began making a sensational claim. The world†s ever increasing population, they claimed, would soon outstrip the planet†s limited resources leading to an environmental disaster. In these doom and gloom scenarios, a massive worldwide famine was just around the corner. The number of people would keep increasing while the amount of food available would stay the same or even decline. The result, the experts argued, was famine by the early 1980s at the latest. The only way to decrease the severity of the impending disaster was to adopt strict policies to control population. There will soon be 6 billion human beings on Earth: according to the latest population estimates released by the United Nations. At this rate, the world population is doubling every 40 years. On October 12, 1999 the world's population will reach 6,000,000,000 people. The overpopulation is a very vast subject, but my assignment will only explain the three major points of the overpopulation. The biggest concern of human beings is the decreasing rate of resources, as the years go by, resources are on a constant decline. Which means in a couple of years, if the population continuous to increase, are resources will disappear in a short term of time. Also, I will try to explain the reasons why this subject became what it is now . Why did did the population increase so much in the past decades, will be answered. And finally, will be looking at solutions to solve this problem in ethical and unethical ways. If everyone on the planet today would adopt a North American lifestyle, natural resources would quickly disappear. Luckily most nations are still careful. They will need to remain so while improving their standard of living. It will be necessary that others in wealthy nations curb their consumption and wastes. Our survival depends on population control as well as a better management of natural resources. Being limited in quantity, natural resources need to be managed accordingly. A new management of the planet's resources has to be planned. In spite of the population increase, famines have become less frequent in the past two hundred years, thanks to phenomenal agricultural yields, and global economy. In the last few years several African countries have been affected by famine. The causes were all due to political problems, including civil wars, that disorganize the economy, paralyze transportation, and prevent emergency food drops to reach their destination. Famine is no longer due to a global food shortage. Everyone's probably heard predictions that the world is going to run out of some essential resource. From copper to oil to food to hundreds of other things human beings use, â€Å"experts† like to come along and predict the imminent exhaustion of resources. The last two centuries have proven not only these individuals, but the very models underlining scarcity of resources, to be wrong. For example, food. Several times over the last 40 years so called â€Å"experts† predicted global famine because increases in food production couldn't possibly keep up with population growth. Thankfully, they were wrong. The best indications today are that food production will continue to outpace population growth for the foreseeable future statistics say. A other example is oil. Predictions of the world using up all its oil have been around for at least 70 years. They reached their peak in the 1970s with the oil crisis brought on by the Oil and Petroleum Exporting Countries' attempt to raise oil prices by voluntarily limiting supply . As the price rises, however, the quantity demanded by consumers decreases. As the price of gasoline increases, for example, consumers will tend to purchase more fuel efficient automobiles or find automobiles which use fuel sources not dependent on oil. This does not require any great leap in technology; there are already numerous alternatives to oil which would become economically feasible if the price of oil ever jumped significantly. Natural gas, for example, is likely to replace oil as the primary source of energy for the future sometime in the next century. In 1994 one of every two people lived in the city, while only one in ten did so in 1900. For hundreds of thousands of years the human population was growing at a low but steadily increasing rate. Then in less than 200 years, the world population went from 1 billion to 6 billion people. Why? Because the balance between birth and death has been broken. The recent global population growth is not the consequence of ncreased birth rates but of an unprecedented decrease in death rate. The 20th century has resulted in victory over famine-related and infant mortality, as well as significant advances in public health and medicine. In the world, five women give birth every second. UN projections show that, in the next 50 years, family planning would be widely used all over the world and birth rate would become universally low. Simultaneously, average life expectancy would reach at least 70 years. Population growth would then start to slow down until it stabilized around the end of the next century. A century from now the world population will probably reach 10 to 15 billion people. Will the world be a nice place to live in? Specialists have mixed opinions. Optimists think that the planet can accommodate a much larger population. Others, more pessimistic, predict catastrophes before ever reaching this number. Researchers have looked for years to find solutions to fight the the overpopulation, but we can†t just except any solutions. Governments can†t just tell the population to stop giving birth, it would be a horrifying reaction from is people. Here are some solutions from researchers that are ethical and unethical. In some countries, particularly Africa, the AIDS epidemic has reached devastating proportions. In the most affected country, Zambia, nearly one in five women of childbearing age is infected. The death rate has already increased by 50%. Eventhough mortality has increased, it has remained less than the birthrate and the population has not decreased. No other country has seen its population decrease because of the AIDS virus, and there is little chance for this to ever happen. There are, however, serious problems concerning the distribution of the earth's goods. But this poor distribution is the result of sin, not overpopulation. Many of the world's calamities and starvation problems are caused by political corruption within Third World countries and a lack of generosity on the part of those individuals and nations with greater abundance. With modern agricultural equipment, adequate food storage facilities, and technology to ensure clean drinking water, Third World countries like India could make great strides in becoming self-sufficient; and developed countries like the United States could help provide these improvements. Many people who support abortion claim overpopulation as a major reason why abortion is not only a right, but a necessity. They claim that because of the enormous amount of people in the world, if all mothers kept their children within their womb, there would not be enough land and food to provide for them. But is this a ethical way of solving problems†¦ Overpopulation is the root cause of all environmental deterioration. Global warming, the ozone hole, rain forest destruction, desertification and all kinds of pollution, weather breakdown, and natural disasters are only signs of this already deadly monster. Population grows exponentially. That is, each generation is a little bigger than the generation before, and so more people have more children, and the next generation is bigger yet. Population grows faster and faster. On the other hand, food production is limited by available farmland, water for irrigation, and so on, and so cannot grow without limit. Food production grows more and more slowly. Therefore, it inevitably follows that as population continues to grow faster while food production grows more slowly, sooner or later population will outstrip food supply, and it just will not be possible to feed all the people. Human societies will always face significant challenges and problems to overcome. New diseases will almost certainly emerge over the next century, as they have ever since human beings began living in large groups. Technological upheaval and change will be the rule rather than the exception. But provided that democracy and freedom continue to spread around the globe, albeit at a sometimes incredibly slow pace, we should expect the 21st century to be a much better place to live to the same degree that the 20th century has been immeasurably better for humans than the 19th century was.

Leadership Qualities In the novel Lord Of The Files Essay

In the novel lord of the files both Ralph and Piggy demonstrate qualities of a leader and others that would make you think otherwise. In this essay I will evaluate how each character has leadership qualities and how they are shown in the book. Firstly Ralph demonstrates leadership qualities by taking the lead on the expedition. He immediately seems like the one in charge. He is confident, â€Å"He hastened back into the forest.† Ralph shows that he knows exactly what he is doing and is confident in his own judgement. This is a quality that leaders have, they are able to trust their own judgement and be a go-getter, Ralph shows a continuous sense of self-confidence in his actions and decisions and isn’t afraid to take a leap of faith. However, Piggy does not demonstrate this leadership quality. He is reserved and very self-conscious. He †glanced over ralphs shoulder before leaning†; this tells me that piggy is very self-conscious of peoples opinion about him. He confides in Ralph after trusting him with his name and seems like a follower. By taking the back seat in the first chapter Piggy shows us how intelligence isn’t always directly visible. Piggy is more intelligent than Ralph as Piggy comes up with suggestions that are both productive and extremely important for survival and information about the Island. â€Å"‘I expect we’ll want to know their names,’ said the fat boy, ‘and make a list. Although Ralph seems like the boy with the leadership qualities and the knowhow, Piggy comes up with probably the most important plan to get off the island. He assumes that he and Ralph could not have been the only survivors from the plane crash and quickly devises a strategy to make every one accountable for themselves. This intellectual mind-set portrayed is a leadership quality, despite it not being as obvious in him due to his withdrawn, following nature. Also, from appearance Ralph seems like a good leader. He is describes as † the fair boy†, as opposed to †the fat boy†. This is significant because the writer uses contrast to make ralph look better outwardly and arguably make Piggy look better inwardly. The novel is a question on society’s judgment on the word leader; what is a leader? is it appearance or content?. Ralph seems like the perfect man for the job. He is described as having a developing torso, putting emphasis on his physique and physical aspect and he seems a lot more fit that piggy. Ralph also doesn’t seem to have as much problems as Piggy. Piggy has Asthma, seems to have a fear of his controlling grandma and also seems to pant a considerable amount of times. Through the writer making Piggy seem like the one with the problem the effect given is that Piggy begins to show unusual leadership qualities. Piggy is a quick, calculated thinker and most of his ideas are shunned by Ralph until he supposedly ‘thought them up’. This Shows that although Ralph is ignorant in terms of praise for Piggy he does acknowledge that Piggy does come up with the ideas much quicker than him. Ralph, on the other hand demonstrates attributes that are not normally considered leadership qualities. â€Å"They used to call me ‘Piggy’. Ralph shrieked with laughter. He jumped up. ‘Piggy! Piggy!†. Ralph shows childishness in this passage which is an attribute that is not considered a leadership quality. Through Ralph’s childishness we begin to consider how important Piggy is. We see Piggy although he does not evidently look it, is a far more mature boy. He calculates and makes educated conclusion’s whereas Ralph seems to just be an adventurer and a depiction of a leader in those harsh times. As It was a time of war children would have been expected to have physical strength (to work for their guardian in the country) and mental strength. Ralph and Piggy alone do not have full leadership qualities enough to be a leader but collectively they join up to have essential skills for survival on a deserted Island

Television and its Impact on Teenagers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Television and its Impact on Teenagers - Essay Example Television sells, and it not only sells advertising, it sells ideas. The teenage mind is at a stage where it is open to new ideas, experimentation, and is easily swayed by a sense of status through images. Teenagers, often alienated by their parents and the educational system, seek an identity and want to be a part of a reference or in-group. Teenagers will copy what they view on television and the media industry should be pro-active in monitoring all their programming, measuring its social impact, and assuring that it is fit for all viewers, and especially teenagers. When we consider what a teenager may take from television and incorporate into their own life, sex immediately comes to mind. If the teenager feels disconnected from society, or neglected and unloved, they are in a prime position to seek out inappropriate sex. When television romanticizes sex between 13 year olds, the child will be led to believe that this action will bring them status and love. A study by Brown et al. found that regular viewing of sex on television, "accelerates white adolescents' sexual activity and increases their risk of engaging in early sexual intercourse" (1018). It would be irresponsible to encourage a young teenage girl to have sex in any other setting or format. Yet, it is routinely done on television. The industry must self-regulate the television programming and reduce the exposure that young teens have to sexual content. Drugs are another subject that the media inappropriately presents to teenagers, which encourages them to experiment. Often, television portrays drugs in a positive light and fails to show the tragic consequences that accompany drug use. Teenagers learn which drugs are available, where to get them, and how to use them. Television has essentially become a drug education program. Studies have shown that there has been an increase in movies that portray drug use as a "relatively common and carefree behavior among teen characters in teen-centered films" (Stern 342). Teenagers copy this behavior while assuming they will have the same outcome as the characters in the film. In fact, the media industry could show drug use among teens in a more negative context with a more realistic outcome. This could lessen teenagers' misguided view of the consequences of using drugs. Sex and drugs are activities that an average teenager may engage in with or without the encouragement of television, but violence is something that most teens intrinsically avoid. Yet, television programming has the power to desensitize a teenager's mind to violence and make it more acceptable. As teens view a barrage of violence against women, society, and acquaintances on television, they begin to view this as normal behavior. It is commonly accepted that violence, especially in children's television programming, has escalated in recent years, and the results have been disastrous. A large-scale and long-term study reported by Browne and Hamilton-Giachritsis found a close association between increased viewing of television violence and the "likelihood of subsequent antisocial behaviour, such as threatening aggression, assault or physical fights resulting in injury, and robbery" (703). While we may be able to get a teenager off drugs, or encourage them to curtail their sexual activit y, violent tendencies are deeply ingrained into the

The cognitive and biological approaches to Panic Disorder Essay

The cognitive and biological approaches to Panic Disorder - Essay Example Donald Klein's biological view of PD as a medical disease and David Clark's cognitive view of panic as an escalation of physiological activation due to catastrophic misinterpretations of bodily symptoms was a main point of argues about PD nature. The common features of PD include a racing or pounding heartbeat; dizziness and lightheadedness; feeling that "I can't catch my breath"; chest pains or a "heaviness" in the chest; flushes or chills; tingling in the hands, feet, legs, arms; jumpiness, trembling, twitching muscles; sweaty palms, flushed face; terror; fear of losing control; fear of a stroke that will lead to disability; fear of dying; fear of going crazy, etc. Sometimes stomach disorders are seen (Lydiard, 1994).A panic attack typically lasts several long minutes and is one of the most distressing conditions a person can experience. In some cases, panic attacks have been known to last for longer periods of time or to recur very quickly over and over again. The aftermath of a panic attack is very painful. The greatest fear is that the panic attack will come back again and again, making life too miserable to bear (Warshaw,2000). Panic is not necessarily brought on by a recognizable circumstance, and it may remain a mystery to the person involved. At other times, excessive stress or other negative life conditions can trigger an attack (Katerndahl,2000). Much research was carried out to understanding the biological and psychological mechanisms of PD and to developing effective treatments. A working consensus has been reached regarding its clinical features (as laid down in DSM-IV) and guidelines for its psychological or pharmacological treatments are delineated in documents from the NIH and the American Psychiatric Association. A number of theories have been suggested and tested. The majority of them are based on biochemical or physiological markers. Still, the exact etiology has not been found. The aim of this paper is to review the main theories of PD and to discuss them. Classification of theories 1. The serotonergic model suggests an exaggerated postsynaptic receptor response to synaptic serotonin. Recent studies report subsensitivity of 5HT1A receptors. The 5HT system or one of its subsystems may play a role in the pathophysiology of panic disorder, the precise nature of which must be delineated by further investigation. 2. The catecholamine model postulates increased sensitivity to adrenergic CNS discharges, with hypersensitivity of presynaptic alpha-2 receptors. 3. Similarly, the locus ceruleus model explains that panic symptoms are due to increased local discharge resulting in adrenergic neuron stimulation, similar to the more general catecholamine theory. Locus ceruleus activity also affects the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which can respond abnormally to clonidine in patients with panic disorder. 4. The lactate model focuses on symptom production by postulated aberrant metabolic activity induced by lactate. 5. The false suffocation carbon

Building Technologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Building Technologies - Essay Example Social shaping of a building technology is related to the ways and customs, in which the physical structure, apparatus, and modus operandi used, cooperate with the social needs and customs of the community. The characteristic plan of the medieval cities was built with a spacious design, which was always enclosed by city walls, reflecting a grid arrangement. The most idiosyncratic feature of the medieval cities was the colossal community locales or edifices. These edifices were brought into use for the purpose of water supply, amusement, business, and administration. The average income families lived in open areas as compared to the rich who resided in high raised apartments. A medieval city could be called as a "densely congested network of narrow winding streets, lined with high house fronts, a pattern relieved only occasionally by open squares and marketplaces." (Friedrichs, in Chant, p147) enclosed by closely fortified barricades with shielded entrances and fortified towers. The building technology used up for military also affected the lay out of the medieval cities. When the military had to settle in populated areas, they used to build their own towns that were typical of the military model. The basic form of these medieval cities were in the fortified walls and castles shaped directly to help the military and weapon siege techniques. Stone city walls restricted external city development, hence the affinity for houses and buildings to be intimately packed together and to be built high. The material of walls used was concrete, which was used in combination with brick and mortar which made the walls strong to defend the city in times of invasion. Since the supply of land was restricted within the walls, concrete buildings were allowed to 5 storey. The medieval cities also used up a large quality of natural materials, like wood and stone for the construction purposes. Lime-mortar and wall reinforcement through the use of sandstone columns allowed Islamic cities to expand when mud-bricks did not allow buildings above a single storey (Chant & Goodman, 1999: p137). In addition, the religious buildings in a medieval city were the focus of the common people. The structure and design of these buildings involved the forms of Roman Basilica but adapted to hold a larger audience. At times, new technologies were also experimented which allowed for the establishment of very high cathedrals that subjugated the perceptible room of medieval cities. In medieval cities, the use of horse for transport purposes soon replaced the use of ox, for the agricultural use. This was necessary, as the crowded cities were not built to allow for the passage for wheeled vehicles. To conclude, the medieval building style imposed a level of universality of beliefs, speech, and administration outlines. The communal areas for use or entertainment and religious buildings brought reputation to the head of state. Thus we can say that the medieval cities were socially shaped. Bibliography 1. Alsford, Steven, "Florilegium Urbanum", http://www.trytel.com/tristan/towns/florilegium/flor00.html [27 April 2003; consulted on 26 June 2004] 2. "Armenian Architechture - Virtual ANI", http://www.virtualani.freeserve.co.uk/

Case report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case report - Essay Example As a leader and a manager, James Riady has not been able to completely professionalize the family business. This is a common challenge that faces family owned businesses. The effects of lack of professionalism can be very extreme if not taken care of in time. Smith & Cockburn (2014) argues that the problem of professionalism can only be solved from the top management since it is the source of all power in a business. Whenever the leadership of a business fails to create room for professionalism, it simply means that it is creating room for failure. The importance of professionalism is that it creates a more stable and reliable system of operation and structures that facilitate the incorporation of different expertise. Whenever a business is operated without professionalism, it becomes hard for accountability to be traced back to the leadership and management involved. This is because lack of professionalism creates loop holes for people to make mistakes that might be very harmful to the business. James Riady for a long time has been working based in transformational other than transactional basis. The decisions made by Lippo group were more based on instincts other than detailed analysis. This has therefore given the leader freedom to ma ke major decisions without much consultation among other members of the business. Professionalism if not taken care of, can easily lead to compromise of the ethical codes and standards. When the ethical issues start to rise in a business, the leadership of the business is often put on the spotlight to shun light on the issues. This becomes worse when it is one of the leaders involved in these issues. Professionalism gives a clear line and guideline on how to deal with ethical issues. According to Brooks et al. (2010), firms encourage their employees and the management to operate with the highest level of professionalism by ensuring that they do not violate the ethical issues and codes of

Human experimentation Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human experimentation - Term Paper Example The actual collective and bottom-line benefit to society would be difficult to quantify. According to Goski (2011), â€Å"science-based medicine depends upon human experimentation†¦without human testing, they will never know if the end results of all that elegant science will actually do what it is intended to do and to make real human patients better. They will never know if the fruits of all that labor will actually cure disease. However, it is in human experimentation where the ethics of science most tend to clash with the mechanisms of science† (Goski, 2011, par. 1). Theoretically, scholars would have wanted to assert that human experimentation can be justified when greater good of society is at stake. This is actually the reason why several guidelines have been earmarked to establish rules that aim to adhere to ethical, moral, and legal standards with regards to using humans in experimentation (Kalechofsky, n.d.). The work of Ivy (1948), later known as the Nuremurg Code, explicitly stipuated guidelines in terms of observing quality of experiments, as well as the people conducting the experiments; and needed safeguards: Safeguards: (5) No experiment should risk death or disabling injury, "except, perhaps, in those experiments where the experimental physicians also serve as subjects;" (6) risk should never exceed the importance of the problem to be solved; (9, 10) experiment should be designed to be stopped at any point by: a) scientists if continuation is judged "liable to result in bringing disability or death to experimental subject; or b) by the human subject† (Ivy, 1948, pp. 1-5; cited in Kalechofsky, n.d.). From these guidelines, it could be deduced that the emphasis on the goal or outcome supposedly serving a utilitarian precept was most evident. In contemporary times, the need for informed consent has been stressed; but the controversial nature of potential

Fanon's Fact of Blackness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Fanon's Fact of Blackness - Essay Example The black man has been given two frames of reference within which he has placed himself, these are: his metaphysics and his customs. The black man does not know the moment that his inferiority appears, it is part of him. The black man has an overbearing burden of being always conscious of his body. This reaction is almost automatic as noted in the text. Several laboratories have for years tried to produce a serum for â€Å"degenerification†; â€Å"with all the earnestness in the world, laboratories have sterilized their test tubes, checked their scales, and embarked on researches that might make it possible for the miserable Negro to whiten himself and thus to throw off the burden of that corporel malediction† (Fanon 111). When he passes and hears â€Å"Look, a Negro!† he is a bit disturbed but only manages a forced smile to hide his humiliation. He hears â€Å"Look, a Negro!† again; he becomes angry but does not show it. When he hears it again, he no long er can hide his indignation and all his efforts to laugh himself to tears are fruitless since he cannot do so. His anger wells up inside him more (Fanon 112). The black man can not continue laughing because he has learnt from legends, stories, history and historicity that, this is the reality. In the train, no one wants to sit near him. They sit two or three spaces away from him. When he moves towards the other person, the other moves away and â€Å"disappears.† The white man feels â€Å"nausea† when he is in the proximity of the black man. Since the black man feels responsibility for his body, race and ancestors, he subjects himself to an objective examination, this is when he discovers his â€Å"blackness† and ethnic characteristic; he is weighed down by what he discovered and among them are cannibalism, fetichism, intellectual deficiency and above all; â€Å"Sho good eatin’† (Fanon 112). Having been completely â€Å"dislocated† and unable to cope with the white man, he forces himself to move away from his own presence and turns himself into an object. Having rejected his conscience and emotions from being seered with a hot rod, he accepts his fate as it comes since he wants to be a man and nothing else. This helps him to be at peace with himself by accepting himself for who he is; â€Å"I was the grandson of slaves in exactly the same way in which president Lebrun was the grandson of tax-paying, hard-working peasants. In the main, the panic soon vanished† (Fanon 113). Everyone pretends to be friendly while pointing out the fact that they are not racist, nor do they approve of color segregation. The black man has noticed with great discomfort that they always mention his color when they say that they shall not treat him differently because of his color, or that it is not because of his color that the black man is less intelligent than the white folks! When they find fault in the black man, they always try to h ide behind the phrase â€Å"it is not because you are black.† In reality, it is the only reason. It is not surprising that the black man is utterly misunderstood because when he shivers with cold, the white boy thinks that the black man is â€Å"quivering with rage† (114). In this racist society, the black man experiences his being through others. Despite his efforts to forget and forgive the hostility of the white man, and to live in peace and harmony with the other, his â€Å"message† is flung back to him (115). He then decides to fight back with

The Prince by Machiavelli Essay Example for Free

The Prince by Machiavelli Essay In Chapter 25 of his masterwork The Prince, Machiavelli attempted to describe and define fate and how it could be controlled in both political and personal life. In defining ones life and actions against fate, Machiavelli saw the importance of forming a balance of the human tendencies of caution and impulsiveness. Machiavelli favored impulsiveness in regard to human actions directed towards fate, but he saw legitimate value in both mindsets. What he saw as most important was a willingness to change in the face of fate, as the ability to adapt is most important when facing change.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Machiavelli used the image of a torrential flood to describe fate. To Machiavelli, fate was like the flood in that â€Å"everything flies before it, all yield to its violence, without being able in any way to withstand it; and yet, though its nature be such, it does not follow therefore that men, when the weather becomes fair, shall not make provision, both with defences and barriers, in such a manner that, rising again, the waters may pass away by canal, and their force be neither so unrestrained nor so dangerous.† (Machiavelli, 1505, Chapter 25) This implies that what Machiavelli truly meant by fate is uncontrollable change, outcomes in the world that directly affect those that are not necessarily involved in those changes, social or technological, political or personal. These changes happen without the consent of all and therefore many   merely must roll with the punches, although men can make plans that will help them roll with those punches when the time for change arrives. To be sure, change is coming, although one cannot be sure exactly how or when it will come but can make provisions that will be helpful when it does.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After comparing fate to a torrential flood, Machiavelli went on to compare fate to a lady, in order to describe how   he would recommend mastering it. Machiavelli used a fairly non-modern view in the treatment of women to describe fate, saying that the best way to control fate, and women, was to beat and ill-use them. Furthermore, he saw that those bold and adventurous in spirit were more likely to control both women and fate and that young men are best equipped to handle both. While Machiavellis comparison between fate and women is easily seen as a bit sexist now, the comparison was certainly far more palatable when he made it. Further, the assertion that the young and bold are best equipped to deal with change is probably correct; the young are less set in their ways and have more energy with which to attack new challenges. While the simile is certainly not politically correct, it certainly introduces a worthwhile observation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is an intriguing program to attempt to synthesize Machiavellis project in The Prince with the modern project of employing science and technology to overcome nature, both of the world and human. Machiavellis aim was certainly to investigate ways to overcome human nature. If a man was to act in accordance with human nature, Machiavelli saw, he would surely be bowled over by the tide of fate. Machiavelli went so far as to make a case study, a very modern concept, of Pope Julius II to show that decisive, aggressive action was the best methodology to combat change; further, he surely was not afraid to invoke images of technology stemming the natural tide. It seems most likely, however, that while Machiavelli was attempting to make observations that were ahead of his time, he was not absolutely modern in his mindset. Machiavellis chief goal of The Prince was to describe how a political leader could most effectively use political power. This serves as an incomplete view of modern politics, which in addition to aiming at efficiency in power usage also means to maximize the social benefit of that usage. Machiavelli centered on the practicality of politics without looking at its utility. He surely spoke of how to employ technology and science to serve human desire, but he did not define desire in a more complex, democratic, modern state, which should not be surprising, because the mindset had yet to arise. References Machiavelli. (1505). The Prince. Retrieved from: http://www.constitution.org/mac/prince00.htm

Was the American civil inevitable Essay Example for Free

Was the American civil inevitable Essay Among all the historical events that have taken place in the history of the United States, the civil is ranked as the most important. From the day when the first gun shot was fired at Fort Sumter in 1861, the civil war changed the history of the United States forever. A lot of books have been written on this important topic with different authors giving different opinions (Guelzo, 2012). Based on this, there has never been consensus among Americans on whether the civil war was inevitable or not. Although there had been years of tension between the northern and southern states, the war erupted after a number of southern states made public their desire to break away from the union. The breakaway states formed what was known as the Confederacy while those that remained loyal in the union were known as the union. The first reason why the American civil war was inevitable was slavery. For a long time, the main economic activity in the southern states was agriculture. The demand for increased cotton production came in1793 after when Eli Whitney discovered the first mechanical gin. Although there were slaves in the united even before the eruption of the civil war, the number of slaves in the country grew by large proportions after the gin was discovered. On their part, the northern states were not agricultural and very few of them had slaves. These states were opposed to slavery and were pushing for abolition (Wagner et al, 2002). This ideological difference on the topic of slavery among the northern and southern states made the civil inevitable. The southern states were not ready to abolish slavery because that would have a huge impact on their economy. In addition, they felt that the northern states were infringing on their right to economic growth. None of the two states was ready to soften o n their as far as the issue of slavery was concerned and this made the civil war inevitable. The second factor that made the American civil war inevitable was the increased sectionalism among different states. As noted earlier, there were major ideological differences between the northern and southern states on a number of issues. Although sectionalism had existed in the country for a long time, it reached dangerous heights between 1800 and 1860. The northern states that were more industrialized than the southern ones became more economically powerful and built better cities. This made the southern states whose economy was agriculture based envious (Wagner et al, 2002). However, the fortunes of the southern states changed after the discovery of gin which created more demand for cotton. As abolition gained widespread attention, the southern states were living in constant fear of revolts by the slaves. In support of their stand, the southerners argued that they were preserving the culture passed down to them from the founding fathers of the country many of whom owned slaves. T hese differences caused a major rift in the largest denominations in the country namely Baptist, Presbyterian and Methodists. In addition, it resulted in a mass movement of whites from the south to the north making the south adopt a hard-line political position. The third factor that made the American civil war inevitable was the increasing protectionism between the northern and southern states. As noted earlier, there were huge economic differences between the northern and southern states. Whereas agriculture was the main economic activity in the southern states, the economy of the northern states was based on industries. Despite the increasing campaign against slavery in the northern states, the southern states were not ready to abolish. This was because the slaves offered cheap labor therefore eliminating any need to incur costs on mechanization. In addition, the southerners did not see any need for industrialization and were comfortable with buying manufactured products from other parts of the country instead of building industries (Guelzo, 2012). Although the economy of the northern states was doing well, their industries were faced increased completion from the full fledged European industries. More importantly, this made it hard for t hem to compete for cotton with Europeans who were offering very high prices for cotton from the south. Based on this, the northern states were in favor of trade tariffs and protectionism while the southerners were opposed to it. On their part, the southerners were in favor of free trade. These differences created negative competition between the two sides culminating in the civil war (Fuller, 2008). The years preceding the civil witnessed a territorial expansion of the country through acquisition of new lands. Many of the new territories entered the union as slave states and the southerners wanted to acquire more slaves to work on these new lands. On their part, the northerners wanted to stop any further acquisition of slave territories (Stampp, 1990). This resulted in bitter disputes between the two sides making the civil war inevitable. In conclusion, there were major ideological differences between the northern and southern states prior to the outbreak of the war. These differences were difficult to resolve amicably due to the hard-line stances adopted by both sides. The major central issue that caused the tensions between the northern and southern states was slavery. The northerners were opposed to slavery while the southerners believed it part of cultural inheritance. References Bestor, Arthur (1964). The American Civil War as a Constitutional Crisis. American Historical Review Edward Pessen (1980). How Different from Each Other Were the Antebellum North and South .The American Historical Review, Vol. 85, No. 5. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1853242 Fuller, Howard J (2008). Clad in Iron – The American Civil War and the Challenge of British Naval Power. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press Guelzo, Allen C. (2012). Fateful Lightning: A New History of the Civil War and Reconstruction. Covers Holt, Michael F. (2004). The fate of their country: politicians, slavery extension, and the coming of the Civil War Hill and Wang, New York. Krannawitter, Thomas L. (2008). Vindicating Lincoln: Defending the Politics of Our Greatest President. Rowman Littlefield, London. Miller, William L. (2009). Abraham Lincoln: The Duty of a Statesman Vintage Books. Quarstein, John V. (1999). The Battle of the Ironclads. Arcadia Publishing Stampp, Kenneth M. (1990). America in 1857: a nation on the brink. Oxford University Press, New York. Wagner, Margaret E. Gary W. Gallagher, and Paul Finkelman (2002). The Library of Congress Civil War Desk Reference . Source document