Famous Ancient Greek Sculptors

Famous Ancient Greek Sculptors These six sculptors (Myron, Phidias, Polyclitus, Praxiteles, Scopas, and Lysippus) are among the most famous artists in ancient Greece. Most of their work has been lost except as it survives in Roman and later copies. Art during the Archaic Period was stylized  but became more realistic during the Classical Period. The late Classical Period sculpture was three dimensional, made to be viewed from all sides. These and other artists helped move Greek art - from Classic Idealism to Hellenistic Realism, blending in softer elements and emotive expressions.   The two most commonly cited sources for information about Greek and Roman artists are the first century CE writer and scientist Pliny the Elder (who died watching Pompeii erupt) and the second century CE travel writer Pausanias. Myron of Eleutherae 5th C. BCE. (Early Classical Period) An older contemporary of Phidias and Polyclitus, and, like them, also a pupil of Ageladas, Myron of Eleutherae (480–440 BCE) worked chiefly in bronze. Myron is known for his Discobolus (discus-thrower) which had careful proportions and rhythm. Pliny the Elder argued that Myrons most famous sculpture was that of a bronze heifer, supposedly so lifelike it could be mistaken for a real cow. The cow was placed at the Athenian Acropolis between 420–417 BCE, then moved to the Temple of Peace at Rome and then the Forum Taurii in Constantinople. This cow was on view for nearly a thousand years - the Greek scholar Procopius reported that he saw it in the 6th century CE. It was the subject of no less than 36 Greek and Roman epigrams, some of which claimed that the sculpture could be mistaken for a cow by calves and bulls, or that it actually was a real cow, attached to a stone base. Myron can be approximately dated to the Olympiads of the victors whose statues he crafted (Lycinus, in 448, Timanthes in 456, and Ladas, probably 476). Phidias of Athens c. 493–430 BCE (High Classical Period) Phidias (spelled Pheidias or Phydias), the son of Charmides, was a 5th century BCE sculptor known for his ability to sculpt in nearly anything, including stone, bronze, silver, gold, wood, marble, ivory, and chryselephantine. Among his most famous works is the nearly 40-foot tall statue of Athena, made of chryselephantine with plates of ivory upon a core of wood or stone for the flesh and solid gold drapery and ornaments. A statue of Zeus at Olympia was made of ivory and gold and was ranked among one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Athenian statesman Pericles commissioned several works from Phidias, including sculptures to celebrate the Greek victory at the Battle of Marathon. Phidias is among the sculptors associated with the early use of the Golden Ratio, the Greek representation of which is the letter Phi after Phidias. Phidias the accused of trying to embezzle gold  but proved his innocence. He was charged with impiety, however, and sent to prison where, according to Plutarch, he died. Polyclitus of Argos 5th C. BCE (High Classical Period) Polyclitus (Polycleitus or Polykleitos) created a gold and ivory statue of Hera for the goddesss temple at Argos. Strabo called it the most beautiful rendering of Hera hed ever seen, and it was considered by most ancient writers as one of the most beautiful works of all Greek art. All his other sculptures were in bronze. Polyclitus is also known for his Doryphorus statue (Spear-bearer), which illustrated his book named canon (kanon), a theoretical work on ideal mathematical proportions for human body parts and on the balance between tension and movement, known as symmetry. He sculpted Astragalizontes (Boys Playing at Knuckle Bones) which had a place of honor in the atrium of the Emperor Titus. Praxiteles of Athens c. 400–330 BCE (Late Classical Period) Praxiteles was the son of the sculptor Cephisodotus the Elder, and a younger contemporary of Scopas. He sculpted a great variety of men and gods, both male and female; and he is said to have been the first to sculpt the human female form in a life-sized statue. Praxiteles primarily used marble from the famous quarries of Paros, but he also used bronze. Two examples of Praxiteles work are Aphrodite of Knidos (Cnidos) and Hermes with the Infant Dionysus. One of his works that reflects the change in Late Classical Period Greek art is his sculpture of the god Eros with a sad expression, taking his lead, or so some scholars have said, from a then-fashionable depiction of love as suffering in Athens, and the growing popularity of the expression of feelings in general by painters and sculptors throughout the period. Scopas of Paros 4th C. BCE (Late Classical Period) Scopas was an architect of the Temple of Athena Alea at Tegea, which used all three of the orders (Doric and Corinthian, on the outside and Ionic inside), in Arcadia. Later Scopas made sculptures for Arcadia, which were described by Pausanias. Scopas also worked on the bas-reliefs that decorated the frieze of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus in Caria. Scopas may have made one of the sculptured columns on the temple of Artemis at Ephesus after its fire in 356. Scopas made a sculpture of a maenad in a Bacchic frenzy of which a copy survives. Lysippus of Sicyon 4th C. BCE (Late Classical Period) A metalworker, Lysippus taught himself sculpture by studying nature and Polyclitus canon. Lysippus work is characterized by lifelike naturalism and slender proportions. It has been described as impressionistic. Lysippus was the official sculptor to Alexander the Great. It is said about Lysippus that while others had made men as they were, he had made them as they appeared to the eye. Lysippus is thought not to have had formal artistic training but was a prolific sculptor creating sculptures from tabletop size to colossus. Sources Bellinger, Alfred R. The Late Bronze of Alexandria Troas. Museum Notes (American Numismatic Society) 8 (1958): 25–53. Print.Corso, Antonio. Love as Suffering: The Eros of Thespiae of Praxiteles. Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies 42 (1997): 63–91. Print.Lapatin, Kenneth, D. S. Pheidias. American Journal of Archaeology 101.4 (1997): 663–82. Print.Palagia, Olga. Pheidias Epoiesen: Attribution as Value Judgement. Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies. Supplement.104 (2010): 97–107. Print.Squire, Michael. Making Myrons Cow Moo? Ecphrastic Epigram and the Poetics of Simulation. The American Journal of Philology 131.4 (2010): 589–634. Print.Stewart, Andrew. Praxiteles. American Journal of Archaeology 111.3 (2007): 565–69. Print.Waldstein, Charles. The Argive Hera of Polycleitus. The Journal of Hellenic Studies 21 (1901): 30–44. Print.Wycherley, R. E. Pausanias and Praxiteles. Hesperia Supplements 20 (1982): 182–91 . Print.

Mental Illness and the Criminal Justice System Essay

Mental Illness and the Criminal Justice System - Essay Example justice system and on the offenders themselves, the options which are available for such offenders to be treated and corrected, how the psychiatric services, the community and other agencies can help to successfully combat the problem: are reviewed and solutions are sought in this paper. Hiday (p.508) states that there are three subgroups of persons with severe mental illness who come into contact with the criminal justice system: 1) Those committing only misdemeanor offences that often involve survival behaviors 2) Those with accompanying character disorders who also abuse alcohol and drugs, both of which contribute to their high rates of criminal offenses, arrests and incarceration 3) A much smaller subgroup who fit the stereotypical image of a severely disordered person driven to criminally violent actions by delusions. All three groups live in impoverished communities where it is difficult to survive with a major mental illness. After the failure of other social institutions, the criminal justice system is left to deal with the mentally ill person. Understanding federalism: the interaction among national, state and local governments becomes crucial to understanding mental health policy development. From the earliest days of the republic, mental health care was a sector operating in the intersection of state and local levels of government. The advent of Medicaid and Medicare in the 1960s, coupled with the national community mental health center (CMHC) program eventually created a major federal presence in financing mental health services. Yet the role of states and mental health communities within the mental health system continued alongside such initiatives, and in some ways was elaborated by the partnership required by some of the services (Rochefort: 467). According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-IV), the term serious mental illness refers to diagnosable mental, behavioral or

Macroeconomics. Price level Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Macroeconomics. Price level - Essay Example Economists have noted that in long run, inflation and unemployment becomes increasingly unrelated to each other. That means a change in the unemployment seems to have little or no effect on the inflation and vice versa. Inflation is also inversely proportional to the total consumer spending. As inflation goes up consumers are wary of spending and hold their purchases as dearly as possible. This is due to the fact that when prices rise there is also a hike in the expected price levels in the future that has an adverse effect on the consumer spending. When prices increase the consumer spending power comes down and disposable incomes are significantly lower. When unemployment is low and there is an increase in price level, wages will rise in response to higher prices. This is because in low unemployment situation, employees can successfully demand full compensation for the higher prices. This has spiralling effect on both the wages and general input costs along with the rate of inflation. All these factors tend to leapfrog each other under low unemployment. When unemployment is moderate, however, the employees will not be compensated in full and will have to settle for less, and so the wage costs do not rise as fast as prices when unemployment is high. ... This will stop the rise of the prices and rate of increase in inflation. Under full unemployment, the wage costs will be sufficiently low to hold the prices down and unless the regulatory authorities step in the market will go into a deflationary mode. In between the full and low rate of unemployment there is a certain level that's just high enough that costs and prices rise at the same level, so that inflation remains a stable level. (Pettinger). This unique rate of unemployment is called the non-accelerating-inflation rate of unemployment or NAIRU in short. Economists note that in developed economies such as Australia, the tendency of the rate of unemployment automatically has a tendency to reach the NAIRU rate of employment. Whenever there is inflationary pressure, the unemployment in the long term adjusts itself towards NAIRU rendering the short term Phillips curve invalid. The below figure shows that "an extra one percentage point of unemployment pushes the inflation rate down by about 0.4 percentage points in the following year--more in some years, less than others." (DeLong, 2002). Expectation of a price rise' & its impact on consumption spending: When inflation is on the rise and prices of commodities increases, it raises the expectation of the price level also. Initially higher inflation expectations can have an emotional effect because when consumers expect a generalized rise in prices across essential goods and services, then it makes them accelerate their spending to prevent paying higher prices later, providing a near-term increase in consumption. However provided the interest rates are not changed, the consumptions comes down as people adjust their spending to match their dispensable income until they

Project management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Project management - Essay Example Keeping in view the importance of the advertisement, the Electronic Arts Incorporation (our client) decided to advertise their products over the internet, sale of the products (eCommerce) and along with development of videos (EA Inc., 2014). The Electronic Arts Inc. selected the Rubicon (Project Vendor and I am the Project Manager) to initiate the development of eCommerce enabled website along with the online videos for the advertisement. The vendor Rubicon is one of the leading companies for selling and buying of the advertising globally (Rubicon, 2014). In the initial sections of the document examines the scope, objectives, goals and the critical success factors of the project. The document proceeds with explaining the project management methods include: the Gantt Chart, critical path, network diagram and financial plan (cost estimates) of the project. Moreover, the document includes the organizational chart showing the internal and external organization as well as a responsibility assignment matrix. The document further contains an evaluation of the risks involved in the project and how they (risks) avoided by the vendor. The last part of the document contains suggestions for alternative project management methods and guidelines for the project to bring back it to the track, if there is slippage in the schedule of the project. The Rubicon (Project Vendor) utilizes eight (8) human resources to complete the project within specified time, including the project manager (me), database administrator, eCommerce specialist, website developer, website designer, content developer, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) expert and video editing specialist. There are four (4) basic or predefined success factors of a project, including cost, schedule (time), scope and quality. A project is said to be successful if the project has

The Uncontrolled Ambition of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth Essay -- Macbeth

The Uncontrolled Ambition of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth      Ã‚   There is basically uncontrolled ambition throughout William Shakespeare's tragic drama Macbeth. In this essay we will explore numerous examples of this on the part of the two protagonists, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.    Blanche Coles states in Shakespeare's Four Giants that the protagonist's ambition was not the usual narrow, personal ambition:    He has admitted to a vaulting ambition. We have no other evidence of personal ambition except, possibly, his own word in this speech. Onrushing events crowd the thought out of his mind and out of our view. We do have ample evidence of his ambition for his family, ambition for a son who might succeed him. [. . .] We think normally of ambition as a personal thing, but it is not always so. Macbeth's stupendous imagination, as revealed later in the play, gives him a breadth of vision altogether out of keeping with a narrow, personal ambition. (50-51) Samuel Johnson in The Plays of Shakespeare explains the place of ambition in this tragedy:    The danger of ambition is well described; and I know not whether it may not be said in defence of some parts which now seem improbable, that, in Shakespeare's time, it was necessary to warn credulity against vain and illusive predictions. The passions are directed to their true end. Lady Macbeth is merely detested; and though the courage of Macbeth preserves some esteem, yet every reader rejoices at his fall. (133)    In "Memoranda: Remarks on the Character of Lady Macbeth," Sarah Siddons mentions the ambition of Lady Macbeth and its effect:    [Re "I have given suck" (1.7.54ff.)] Even here, horrific as she is, she shews herself made by ambition, b... ...iion of Critical Essays. Alfred Harbage, ed. Englewwod Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1964.    Johnson, Samuel. The Plays of Shakespeare. N.p.: n.p.. 1765. Rpt in Shakespearean Tragedy. Bratchell, D. F. New York, NY: Routledge, 1990.    Kemble, Fanny. "Lady Macbeth." Macmillan's Magazine, 17 (February 1868), p. 354-61. Rpt. in Women Reading Shakespeare 1660-1900. Ann Thompson and Sasha Roberts, eds. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1997.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. http://chemicool.com/Shakespeare/macbeth/full.html, no lin.    Siddons, Sarah. "Memoranda: Remarks on the Character of Lady Macbeth." The Life of Mrs. Siddons. Thomas Campbell. London: Effingham Wilson, 1834. Rpt. in Women Reading Shakespeare 1660-1900. Ann Thompson and Sasha Roberts, eds. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1997.   

Why Nations Go To War

WHY NATIONS GO TO WAR is a unique book and a product of reflection by author, Dr. John G. Stoessinger. First published in 1978, its Eleventh Edition with additions came out in 2010. It is built around ten case studies, culminating in the new wars that ushered in the twenty-first century: Iraq, Afghanistan, and the wars between Arabs and Israelis in Gaza and in Lebanon. In the book he analyses the most important military conflicts of the 20th century: First World War, operation Barbarossa, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the war in Yugoslavia, the India-Pakistan conflict etc.The distinguishing feature of the book is the author's emphasis on the pivotal role of the personalities of leaders who take their nations, or their following, across the threshold into war. Thus this book transmits an understanding of warfare from World War I to the present century. Dr. Stoessinger believes that the war is neither impersonal, nor inevitable, arguing that the responsibility for a war doesn't lie solely with certain events, because everything is, in fact, about the decisions that people make.He argues that many conflicts could have been avoided without the use of force or without going to war. Dr. John G. Stoessinger attended college at Grinnell College in Iowa as an undergraduate and completed his Ph. D. in International Relations at Harvard. He has taught at several universities including Harvard, MIT, Columbia, Princeton, and the University of San Diego, where he is currently a Distinguished Professor of Global Diplomacy. In addition to his teaching career, Dr. Stoessinger has also led the International Seminar on International Relations at Harvard in 1969.He was also the keynote speaker at the World Congress of Junior Chamber International during their fiftieth anniversary event in Kobe, Japan. Dr. Stoessinger has written ten books on international relations and was awarded the Bancroft Prize for The Might of Nations: World Politics in Our Time. He has served as the book review editor of Foreign Affairs, acting director of the Political Affairs Division of the United Nations, and is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations. He has been included in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World. Dr.Stoessinger is notable for his individual analyses of war, contrasted with the systemic views more commonly studied by political scientists after the Second World War. Stoessinger was only a child when Adolf Hitler invaded his home of Austria in order to obtain Anschluss. As a Jewish family, they needed to escape from the Nazis. They received a visa to Shanghai, China from Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat who helped thousands of Jews escape from the Nazis. These were the beginnings that shaped Dr. Stoessinger's world view and interest in ‘WHY NATIONS GO TO WAR’.In the book’s introduction, Dr. Stoessinger tells how, when he was a student, he was always dissatisfied with the explanations found in history books rega rding wars: nationalism, militarism, alliance systems, economic factors and other â€Å"fundamental causes† that, according to him, couldn’t be directly linked to the precise moment of a war’s beginning. He argues that these â€Å"fundamental causes† of wars throughout history are those forces that people apparently don’t control, although it is people who lie at the base of a conflict.In analyzing the 10 conflicts presented in the book, Dr. Stoessinger searches for the â€Å"moment of truth†, the one in which the leaders take the fatal step towards the war, and he wonders in which precise moment the decision to go to war becomes irreversible, who takes responsibility for it and if the disasters could have been avoided. Dr. Stoessinger has set up his book to look at the events that led to specific wars of the twentieth century and then drawing parallels between the different wars that might not have been apparent or obvious at the times of t he various conflicts.The book closely examines each war or group of wars in individual chapters arranged in a near chronological order with a conclusion chapter that pulls from all of the conflicts previously presented. This approach is very well organized and helps the reader to follow the evolution of war styles. The book’s first chapter is dedicated to World War I and is expressively entitled The Iron Dice, referring to the famous words spoken on August 1st by German chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg: â€Å"If the iron dice must roll, may God help us†In general, because of the history taught in schools or because of popular history books, most people consider that the so-called fundamental causes of World War I are: the deteriorating balance of power in Europe and the new competitive alliances, the arms race, Germany’s militarism and her claims regarding a larger colonial empire etc. Loyal to his theory, Stoessinger ignores these causes and chooses to analyze the leader’s actions in the war’s eve. According to the author, all of the political leaders involved were aware of the war’s inevitability and, in spite of this, they couldn’t stop it.More than once, these leaders have denied their responsibility, placing it in the hands of God or destiny. But it wasn’t God who could control the evolution of events and stop the war, was he? Dr. Stoessinger’s main theory is that the events weren’t, in fact, incontrollable and that it was the people who made the crucial decisions. And these people weren’t some evil leaders with a thirst for blood and destruction (how the Kaiser is so often portrayed), but worried people stuck inside their own illusions.Stoessinger believes that the crucial events that pushed the European countries to war were the following 1) The pledge that Germany made to Austria-Hungary regarding her policy towards Serbia 2) The ultimatum Vienna gave to Serbia and its rejection by the Serbs 3) The German efforts to mediate the conflict and tame Austria 4) At last, the declaration of war made by Germany against Russia and the invasion of Luxembourg and Belgium. In the first section of his novel, The Iron Dice: The causes of WW1, Stoessinger offer an alternative explanation of the causes of World War I, one that includes human reactions and feelings.He says: â€Å"The notion that WW1 is beyond men's control is wrong: Mortals made these decisions. They made them in fear and in trembling but they made them nonetheless. In most cases, the decision makers were not evil people bent on destruction but were frightened and entrapped by self-delusion. They based their policies on fears, not facts, and were singularly devoid of empathy. Misperception, rather than conscious evil design, appears to have been the leading villain in the drama. † Although Dr. Stoessinger's essay is well thought out and well written, It is hard to agree to the thesis compl etely.It seems that all the European countries had good reasons for wanting a war as well. â€Å"Serbia was right in wanting to expand, Austria in wanting to survive. Germany was right in fearing isolation, Great Britain in fearing German power. † All these countries needed to wage war since the balance of power was no longer balanced. All of these countries had good motives for a war, therefore, it is illogical to place the blame just upon the leaders of those countries, rather than analyzing the circumstances that made the countries want to wage war.As much as we would all like things to be simple, they are not. Finding a couple of unfortunate leaders in power guilty seems to be the easiest solution. However, the truth is just not that simple. The truth is that everyone was to blame, the circumstances that created the need for war, the short war illusion that everyone entertained, and the governments who felt the need for a war. The responsibility of preventing World War On e rests not solely upon the shoulders of a few selected individuals. However that is the theory maintained by Dr. Stoessinger throughout the book.The distinguishing feature of the text throughout the book remains the author's emphasis on the pivotal role of the personalities of leaders who take their nations or their following across the threshold into war. Most statesmen who made the crucial decisions behaved like fatalists. The terrible denouement was foreseen, but couldn't been prevented. Historians have been affected by this fatalistic attitude (events passing beyond men's control). Stoessingers view is that this is wrong mortals made decisions basing their policies on fear, not facts. Stoessinger views the World War I as preventable.The perception of statesmen and generals were absolutely crucial. Following dimensions of this phenomenon: 1. A LEADERS PERCEPTION OF HIMSELF 2. HIS PERCEPTION OF HIS ADVERSARY'S CHARACTER 3. HIS PERCEPTION OF HIS ADVERSARY'S INTENTIONS 4. HIS PERCE PTIONS OF HIS ADVERSARY'S POWER AND CAPABILITIES 5. HIS CAPACITY FOR EMPATHY WITH HIS ADVERSARY Most leaders saw themselves as stronger than they really were and their adversaries as weaker than they really were. These misperceptions led directly to distorted perceptions of adversarial intentions which then precipitated quickly into all out war.If the leaders of the various nations involved would have viewed reality rather than their own distorted misperceptions, it may have been possible to avoid conflict on such a massive scale or even avoid war altogether. This seems to be a recurring theme throughout the book. One of the important theories attributed to Stoessinger is the theory of perceptions. Stoessinger believes that, in the eve of major conflicts, many of the political leaders involved have misjudged the situation and have thus led their countries to war.These false perceptions manifest on 4 levels: firstly, a false perception regarding the leader’s own person, of the ir role in the world and of their loyalty towards the possible outcome of the conflict. The second level regards the opponent and often includes demonizing his image and the inability to objectively understand a situation. On the third level, we are dealing with the misperception of the opponent’s intentions and, on the fourth level, with misjudging the opponent’s abilities.Stoessinger has emphasized the importance of the political leaders’ personalities and the fundamental part they play in the evolution of international relations. The second chapter discusses Hitler and his invasion of Russia in 1941. Again, misperceptions played a key role in the events that unfolded. This time, more emphasis was put on the character of the aggressor and his adversary. Hitler essentially had a one track mind. He decided to attack and eliminate the Russian people and paid no attention to the lessons learned by Napoleon when he had attempted to conquer Russia.Hitler was convinc ed that it would be a quick and easy victory. Stalin, on the other hand, believed that since they had previously been allies, Hitler would not invade Russia. Stalin continuously ignored intelligence that came from British and American sources, including eighty-four warnings in the year preceding the attack, because he was suspicious of Anglo-American motives. He preferred to place his trust in Hitler, a fellow dictator. In the end, Hitler invaded Russia and had misjudged the Russian people.They were fighting for their very existence which is probably the most powerful motivation ever. He had failed to plan for the Russian winter because he thought it would be a quick and easy victory, and ended up losing many men to cold and starvation, much as Napoleon had previously. Stalin had placed his trust in the wrong entity and was greatly disillusioned and was unprepared for the attack when it came. Again, the misperceptions of the leaders involved ended in a great loss of life. The third chapter deals with the Korean War and misperceptions of a different sort.In the later stages of the war, after the North Koreans were driven back to the 38th parallel, General Douglas MacArthur went beyond the original scope of the police action by driving toward Chinese border along the Yalu River. This move provoked China and brought them into the conflict. MacArthur did not believe that the Chinese army would be strong and thought he could achieve an easy victory. He ignored intelligence that told him the size of the Chinese army and chose to believe that it was smaller than it really was.His hubris added two years to the war and cost 34,000 additional American lives. Had he chosen to listen to reality instead of his own misperceptions, many lives could have been saved. The Vietnam War was full of misperceptions as well. One of the biggest misperceptions would be the type of war being fought. The United States was fighting against communism, while the Vietnamese were fighting aga inst imperialism and colonialism and to protect their way of life. Had the United States never entered Vietnam, communism would have taken over earlier, and with fewer human lives wasted.In 1978, the Vietnamese communists invaded Cambodia to put a stop to the communist regime of Pol Pot and the killing fields. Had the United States been open-minded enough to see that there were distinctions between types of communists, perhaps we would never have participated in the conflict. Dr. Stoessinger continues through several other wars including: Milosevic’s ethnic cleansing in Yugoslavia, the battles between India and Pakistan, the Arab-Israeli conflicts, Saddam Hussein’s wars in Iran and Kuwait and the current American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan after the tragedy of 9/11.Dr. Stoessinger summarizes the book in the final chapter. Here he reiterates his thoughts that the â€Å"case material reveals that perhaps the most important single precipitating factor in the outbreak o f war is misperception. † He also restates the dimensions of misperception and gives each one special attention. In regards to the idea that there is a misperception in a leader’s self-view, Stoessinger notes that there is â€Å"remarkable consistency in the self-images of most national leaders on the brink of war.Each confidently expects victory after a brief and triumphant campaign. † He also states that â€Å"leaders on all sides typically harbor self-delusions on the eve of war. † Stoessinger also discusses the idea that a leader’s misperception of his adversary’s power is perhaps â€Å"the quintessential cause of war. It is vital to remember, however that it is not the actual distribution of power that precipitates a war; it is the way in which a leader thinks that power is distributed.†Dr. Stoessinger uses many primary sources for his information including newspapers, documents, reports, and first-hand accounts. He also uses many secondary sources including books by other authors well-versed in the conflicts being discussed. It is very apparent that a lot of thought and research has gone into the creation of this book. The index is very complete and the bibliographies at the end of each chapter make it easy to find more information on the conflict at hand.I believe that this book has a lot of historical worth since it pulls from so many valid sources. It presents straightforward and factual information with knowledgeable interpretations of the information. I believe that Dr. Stoessinger has successfully accomplished what he has set out to do. I would recommend the book to others if they are looking for interpretations of war and how they begin. The book was interesting, though it could be a little dry at times to someone who is not well-versed in modern and contemporary history.

Comparing Thomas Hobbes and Augustine Essay - 878 Words

Compare how Hobbes and Augustine Think The Condition of War Arises and Defend One Authors Account of `ordinary Morality As An Antedote For It nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Augustine believes that the condition of war arises when the perfectly ordered and harmonious enjoyment of God is disrupted (The City of God, 690) whereas Hobbes believes that the original state of nature is a condition of constant war, which rational and self-motivated people want to end. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Augustine argues that peace is more than the absence of hostilities - it is a state of harmony that makes possible the full functioning of human beings. Full functioning comes from the four internal virtues (courage, justice, temperance, and†¦show more content†¦Believing in God, though, lends a problem in the simple rule of justice: how do we give each other their due? Seemingly, war or hostility would not be a part of a Christians life on earth. Augustine counters by indicating that war may be and is waged by Gods commandment. To Augustine, waging war out of obedience to God is very different than to wage war for personal gain. But even wars caused by unselfish humans can be profitable to the faithful through patience and discipline to God. Augustine seems to believe that war is waged so that peace may be obtained. Since we all seek peace, war, then, can be obligatory when evil has control. Hobbes, on the other hand, believes that war is a natural condition of mankind. Although Hobbes and Augustine seem to both believe that there needs to be one source of law (Augustine, God and Hobbes, Social Contracts), Hobbes takes off to suggest that we are motivated by selfish self interests and because of that, we are better off living in a world of moral rules. Without there rules we are at the mercy of other peoples self - interest. War becomes the need to gain control of our own environments when others try to exploit us. These self - interests are Hobbes way of saying that all of our actions are a product of our own beliefs. We believe we are more superior than anyone else other than God and this natural passion brings in the first law of nature according to Hobbes: Liberty of man to reason. We all wish to reason forShow MoreRelatedKey Differences Between Realism and Neo Realism2781 Words   |  12 Pagesconcepts. Realism is the oldest and probably most commonly adopted theory of international relations, highly valued among scholars and students. The author of this essay will analytically discuss the key differences between realism and neo-realism, by comparing and contrasting the two. Classical Realism â€Å"Realism is a term that is used in a variety of ways in many different disciplines. In philosophy, it is an ontological theory opposed to idealism and nominalism. ‘Scientific realism’ is a philosophy ofRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagesorganizational democracy: a challenge to managerialism? Destabilized capitalism Employee alienation as the key problem Conclusions 387 392 395 399 401 404 405 408 412 413 414 416 421 Chapter 10 Perspectives and challenges Introduction Comparing the different perspectives A modernist perspective A neomodernist perspective A new-wave perspective A postmodern perspective A reflective perspective A critical theory and psychoanalytic perspective A managerialist perspective The paradigm debateRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pageschoice is correct. From what else the friend says, you should be able to tell he was being sarcastic and wasnt serious about the two guys being friendly. He didnt mean for Ramone to take his statements literally. 2 11 There is a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon in which Calvin finds some charred rocks and ashes in his back yard and claims this is dramatic proof that UFOs landed in his backyard. That cartoon also illustrates the following principle of logical reasoning: Extraordinary statements