2,004 words

Psychological egoism and altruism in Hobbes's Leviathan

There is, as we shall see, a deep sense in which Hobbes's values are individual rather than universal, but it is not simply a matter of having an 'egoistic' moral psychology.

~11 min read

View paper →

545 words

Organized religion's effects on warfare, trade, and disease

Jared Diamond, in his book Guns, Germs and Steel, notes the flurry of anthropological evidence suggesting that it was until the transition from mere tribes to chiefdoms that brought organized, socially-relevant religion into existence.

~3 min read

View paper →

612 words

The jazz age's detrimental effects on American values in The Great Gatsby

The changes which occurred during the jazz age, that is, the period in which F. Scott Fitzgerald famous novel, The Great Gatsby was set, were detrimental to society because they endorsed corruption, greed and materialism.

~4 min read

View paper →

594 words

The limits of scientific progress in human enhancement

It is a good thing, for example, that people with poor vision can have their sight corrected with glasses, contact lenses, and now surgery as well, as this gives people with a congenital disadvantage the ability to live life normally and competitively with others.

~3 min read

View paper →

1,569 words

The impulse to objectify and divine revelation in Flannery O'Connor's stories

The Impulse to Objectify and the Startling Nature of God: Themes in the Works of Flannery O'Connor Flannery O'Connor is one of the most widely-read twentieth century American authors of short-form fiction, and with good reason.

~8 min read

View paper →

575 words

Thomas Jefferson's political philosophy and Republican ideology

Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, and one of the most influential of the founding fathers, promoting the ideas of republicanism in the new United States. He was a political philosopher, and knew many intellectuals from Britain and France.

~3 min read

View paper →

701 words

John James Waterhouse's "The Magic Circle": symbolism and detail

Specifically, it will discuss the painting, which is a pre-Raphael style oil on canvas, located in the Tate Gallery in London, painted in 1886.

~4 min read

View paper →

1,056 words

Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health and right to die

Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health et.al.497 U.S. 261 (1990), was decided in June of 1990 by a vote of 5 to 4. This was the initial time that the U.S. Supreme Court issued a declaration regarding the constitutional well-being of patients who are dying.

~6 min read

View paper →

637 words

Risk perception and tornado hazard belief in protected communities

Human nature and human consciousness are incredible dimensions. While they generally help the individual, they also often dictate behavior which is not in the advantage of the individual.

~4 min read

View paper →

1,187 words

Dante's Inferno as contemporary literature on sin and redemption

State your case for choosing one particular work. 2. Provide evidence from the text to support your claims. 3. If necessary, cite other sources to support your claims. 4. Show that the work you advocate is a better choice than one or two others. You can be quite efficient about all this.

~6 min read

View paper →