Our Moral Sense free essay sample

â€Å"It often happens that a man is more humanely related to a cat or dog than to any human being† -Thoreau. For centuries, we have thought of ourselves, not as mammals, but as humans, a race that has evolved past that of our sister species. However, this train of thought has led to the expansion of simple character traits into flaws that have enveloped our entire species and now afflicts us all. These flaws become clearly visible under the examination of Mark Twain. In The Lowest Animal, Mark Twain explores how human flaws constitute us as the lowest animals. Throughout his essay, Twain uses experiments (many of questionable legitimacy) and historical evidence to disprove the Darwanistic theory that humans evolved from animals and to substantiate that animals have in fact descended from animals. 4Now, holding personal and philosophical beliefs aside, Twain’s use of seemingly conclusive evidence does hold a moving argument that the theory of evolution is actually reversed; and that even from Twain’s time to present we as a race have devolved even more to be considered a lower animal than the people of Twain’s time. We will write a custom essay sample on Our Moral Sense or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page All humans are flawed; though some to a higher degree than others. One of the most evident of human flaws is our inclination to always want more. We are by nature greedy beings as Mark Twain finds evident by his examination of human compared to animal actions. To prove this point Twain recounts the story of a hunting trip in which a group of men, for the entertainment of an English Earl, â€Å"killed seventy-two of those [buffalo]; and ate part of one of them and left the seventy-one to rot† (Twain, 470). 4 This does only to prove Twain’s point that humans â€Å"wantonly destroy what they have no use for† (Twain, 471) because it is available and we are afraid that if we do not take it someone else will. The same results presented themselves when Twain tested the actions of the English Earl against that of an anaconda. The Earl needlessly killed animals with no intention of using the remains in contrast to the anaconda who, when left alone with seven young calves, kills only one to sate his hunger and poses no serious threat to the remaining calves. Not only are humans greedy, Twain finds, but humans have distended into a pit of narcissistic tendencies. To test his theory of human selfishness Twain analyzes the actions of rich men compared to those of the animals. While rich men show â€Å"a rabid hunger for more, and [did] not scrupled to cheat the ignorant and the helpless out of their poor servings in order to partially appease that appà ©tit† (Twain, 471), the animals used in the study â€Å"made accumulations, but stopped when they had gathered a winter supply, and could not be persuaded to add to it either honestly or by chicane† (Twain, 471). This experiment dose only to prove Twains theory of descendent and disprove the long held theory of evolution. Greed is only one of many flaws that humans have come to possess and even perfect. Take war for example, it is often caused by nationalistic quarrels between one patriot and another. Twain explains that Man is the only animal that willingly participates in public genocide to protect a piece of land, or a mythical icon not truly known to have existed. His experiments show that animals do not â€Å"gathers his brethren about him and go forth in cold blood and with calm pulse to exterminate his kind†(Twain,472) but men have worked for century’s to perfect that ability. Moreover, in doing this man becomes the only animal that â€Å"helpless fellow of his country takes possession of it and drives him out of it or destroys him† (Twain, 472). As Twain delves deeper, his experiment concludes that animals fight individually and that humans are the only animals that engage in â€Å"organized masses† (Twain, 472). In this, Twain proves that humans are the only animals that group together to thoughtlessly destroy each other with the possibility that they themselves might also be destroyed. Twain reveals that war is not humanities only issue concerning the individual and throughout all of history, people have been persecuted for holding different beliefs and ideals. This human flaw is never more apparent than is the differences of religion. Using historical evidence, Twain predates religious human prejudice to â€Å"the first Richards time [when] he shuts up a multitude of Jew families in a tower and sets fire to it† (Twain, 472). This mass execution was performs over a religious conflict revolving around a book that supposedly was written at the beginning of humanity. Animals are not susceptible to such foolishness because they have no known religions and there for obviously make less bias decisions than  humans. As Twain concludes his experiments, he concedes that there is only one factor that caused the decadency of humans. Twain reveals that unlike animals, humans are the only species with a â€Å"moral sense† (Twain). Moreover, it is this â€Å"moral sense† that permits humans â€Å"the ability to distinguish good from evil; and with it, the ability to do evil† (Twain). Twain hypothesizes that without this affliction humans â€Å"would rise at once to the level of the Higher Animals† (Twain). Nevertheless, because of it man comprises a trait that â€Å"is plainly without vale to him† (Twain) that will continue to cause man descent to an even lower animal as the generations pass. Because of the format of this essay twain dose not directly, identify either a main protagonist or antagonist. Instead, Twain lets the many subjects of his experiments play the roles of antagonist and protagonist, which cause the roles to become very complex. This method of characterization also allow Twain to use his characters to prove his thesis without letting their personal thought create a bias on the topic. In addition, Twain’s human characters all have a very odd similarity. When Twain describes his characters, he describes all of them by their social status or religious preference but not once dose he depict one of them as being below upper class. Since, Twain never gives reason for this, one can only speculate that he uses the social elite to solidify his thesis and give evidence that it is not only the peasants and beggars who commit acts of immorality but that even the best of us are guilty at times. If it has not become apparent, already you will notice that Twain makes a primary use of male characters in his experiments. Although a strong supporter of women’s rights, for the length of his essay, Twain only addresses the presence of the female sex twice and both times the females are portrayed as victims at the hands of men. By Twain stating that â€Å"in our day in England a man is fined ten shillings for beating his mother nearly to death with a chair, and another man is fined forty shillings for having four pheasant eggs in his possession without being able to satisfactorily explain how he got them†(Twain 472) it leaves much to be wondered about the place of women in Twain’s theory because he never fully characterizes a  female figure as flawed and the two female examples used are used only to strengthen Twain’s argument that men are the descendents from animals. This is case because Twain is implying that at this time men felt that women were only equal to that of animals and no better. This makes the reader wonder if Twain is implying that women are in fact not the decedents from animals but that of another species altogether. Now, this could just be a prominent element of the time, but Twain rarely uses a strong female character in his writing preferring to focus on male leads. Although the element of male characters in Twain’s writing is similar to his other works, and he still maintains his normal form of satire, Twain has abandoned his usual colloquial style for a more formal standard. Unlike what we read in The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin, Twain abandons his routine use of dialect for a modern form of literary intellect. Twain also uses a deep almost philosophical insight to enlighten his readers while managing to avoid the use of bias or personal beliefs to sway the reader’s opinions evident by the Twain includes himself in the essay disassociates himself from being either animal or human. The topic of Twains essay creates many mixed emotions for his readers. Not only does the topic of evolution alone challenge many religious views but Twain also works to disprove a long held theory of human intelligence above that of animals. The experiments Twain performed creates a mood of disbelief coupled with an internal outrage at Twain for having the audacity to write such â€Å"hypocrisy† about his own kind. Humans have for centuries descended through the animal kingdom and have come to a standstill at the bottom of the hierarchy. We have become known as the lowest animal through actions that we ourselves deem inhumane but we as humans’ commit them. The experiments carried out by Mark Twain have clearly proven that is animals have in fact become our superiors in all moral and ethical means. Our moral sense, a characteristic that most would consider a virtue, has led the human race down a path that has ended in the disgrace of humans and the ascendency of a species that have been and are still thought to be below humans. However, there is still one question that Twain failed  to answer through his experiments. Can we as humans ever redeem ourselves in the eyes of our animal sisters and be able to rightly claim that humans are once again the higher animals or are we to parish like other species that were not strong enough to overcome the conflicts happening within their own social structure? As for now, time will only tell.

The First American Political Conventions

The First American Political Conventions The history of political conventions in America is so long and steeped in lore that its easy to overlook that it took a few decades for nominating conventions to become part of presidential politics. In the early years of the United States, presidential candidates were usually nominated by a caucus of members of Congress. By the 1820s, that idea was falling out of favor, helped along by the rise of Andrew Jackson and his appeal to the common man. The election of 1824, which was denounced as The Corrupt Bargain, also energized Americans to find a better way to select candidates and presidents. After Jacksons election in 1828, party structures strengthened, and the idea of national political conventions began to make sense. At that time there had been party conventions held at the state level but no national conventions. First National Political Convention: the Anti-Masonic Party The first national political convention was held by a long-forgotten and extinct political party, the Anti-Masonic Party. The party, as the name indicates, was opposed to the Masonic Order and its rumored influence in American politics. The Anti-Masonic Party, which began in upstate New York but gained adherents around the country, convened in Philadelphia in 1830 and agreed to have a nominating convention the following year. The various state organizations chose delegates to send to the national convention, which set a precedent for all later political conventions. The Anti-Masonic Convention was held in Baltimore, Maryland on September 26, 1831, and was attended by 96 delegates from ten states. The party nominated William Wirt of Maryland as its candidate for president. He was a peculiar choice, especially as Wirt had once been a Mason. The National Republican Party Held a Convention in December 1831 A political faction calling itself the National Republican Party had supported John Quincy Adams in his unsuccessful bid for reelection in 1828. When Andrew Jackson became president, the National Republicans became a devoted anti-Jackson party. Planning to take the White House from Jackson in 1832, the National Republicans called for its own national convention. As the party was essentially run by Henry Clay, it was a foregone conclusion that Clay would be its nominee. The National Republicans held their convention in Baltimore on December 12, 1831. Due to bad weather and poor traveling conditions, only 135 delegates were able to attend. As everyone knew the outcome ahead of time, the real purpose of the convention was to intensify anti-Jackson fervor. One noteworthy aspect of the first National Republican Convention was that James Barbour of Virginia delivered an address that was the first keynote speech at a political convention. The First Democratic National Convention Was Held in May 1832 Baltimore was also chosen to be the site of the first Democratic Convention, which began on May 21, 1832. A total of 334 delegates assembled from every state except Missouri, whose delegation never arrived in Baltimore. The Democratic Party at the time was headed by Andrew Jackson, and it was obvious that Jackson would be running for a second term. So there was no need to nominate a candidate. The ostensible purpose of the first Democratic National Convention was to nominate someone to run for vice president, as  John C. Calhoun, against the backdrop of the Nullification Crisis, would not be running again with Jackson.  Martin Van Buren of New York was nominated  and received the sufficient number of votes on the first ballot. The first Democratic National Convention instituted a number of rules which essentially created the framework for political conventions that endures to the present day. So, in that sense, the 1832 convention was the prototype for modern political conventions. The Democrats who had gathered in Baltimore also agreed to meet again every four years, which began the tradition of Democratic National Conventions that extends to the modern era. Baltimore Was the Site of Many Early Political Conventions The city of Baltimore was the location of all three political conventions prior to the 1832 election. The reason is fairly obvious: it was the major city closest to Washington, DC, so it was convenient for those serving in the government. And with the nation still mostly positioned along the east coast, Baltimore was centrally located and could be reached by road or even by boat. The Democrats in 1832 did not formally agree to hold all their future conventions in Baltimore, but it worked out that way for years. The Democratic National Conventions were held in Baltimore in 1836, 1840, 1844, 1848, and 1852. The convention was held in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1856, and the tradition developed of moving the convention to different locations. The Election of 1832 In the election of 1832, Andrew Jackson won easily, garnering about 54 percent of the popular vote and crushing his opponents in the electoral vote. The National Republican candidate, Henry Clay, took about 37 percent of the popular vote. And William Wirt, running on the Anti-Masonic ticket, won about 8 percent of the popular vote, and carried one state, Vermont, in the electoral college. The National Republican Party and Anti-Masonic Party joined the list of extinct political parties after the 1832 election. Members of both parties gravitated toward the Whig Party, which formed in the mid-1830s. Andrew Jackson was a popular figure in America and always stood a very good chance of winning his bid for reelection. So while the election of 1832 was never really in doubt, that election cycle made a major contribution to political history by instituting the concept of national political conventions.

How to Write an Incredibly Compelling Synopsis in 4 Simple Steps

How to Write an Incredibly Compelling Synopsis in 4 Simple Steps How to Write a Synopsis Agents Will Notice Your novel is fully written, edited, and polished to perfection - you’re ready to pitch it to agents! But you’re missing a critical piece of persuasion: the synopsis. Even after putting together your entire book, you may have no idea how to write one, or even how to approach it.Luckily, we’ve got answers for you. Read on for our best tips on writing a synopsis that’s clear, concise, captivating†¦ and may even lead to an all-out agent battle over your novel! How to write a masterful synopsis in just 4 steps #itslit What is a synopsis?A synopsis is a summary of a book that familiarizes the reader with the plot and how it unfolds. Although these kinds of summaries also appear on the pages of school book reports and Wikipedia, this guide will focus on constructing one that you can send out to agents (and eventually publishers).Your novel synopsis should achieve two things: firstly, it should convey the contents of your book, and secondly, it should be intriguing!While you don’t need to pull out all the marketing stops at this stage, you should have a brief hook at the beginning and a sense of urgency underlying the text that will keep your reader going. It should make potential agents want to devour your whole manuscript  -   even though they’ll already know what happens.While writing your synopsis, make sure that it includes:A complete narrative arcYour own voice and unique elements of your storyThe ending or resolution (unlike in a blurb)As for the ideal length for this piece, it varies from project to project. Some authors recommend keeping it to 500 words, while others might write thousands. However, the standard range is about one to two single-spaced pages (or two to five double-spaced pages). Do you have any tips for writing an irresistible synopsis? Leave them in the comments below!

Horseshoe Crab Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Horseshoe Crab - Research Paper Example One of these species, Limulus polyphemus, is found in North America along the coastline of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. The remainder are found in Southeast Asia. Despite having the name horseshoe crab, they are not true crustaceans. They are closely related to arachnids (a category that includes scorpions and spiders). Evolutionists coin the species â€Å"living fossils† since their fossils have been found in period that date back to 450 million years. Scientists will hold a different view for the organism arguing that it offers important insights to evolution and species interdependence. Despite the differing opinions about this magnificent creature, a common denominator is that they are important for both coastal communities and human health. In the whole planet, only four species this crab are in existence.The paper will discuss in detail about the horseshoe crab by offering insight from its anatomical features to the ecological habitat. Despite the earliest forms of horseshoe crab inhabiting the planet for millions of years, the anatomical features of these creatures have not changed. Unfortunately, the long, thin spike-like tail makes many people view them as dangerous, yet they are docile or rather harmless. The anatomy of horseshoe crab is one of the notable aspects in the creature. In the topographical description of horseshoe crab, the body is divided into three sections namely prosoma, opisthosoma and the telson. These body sections are sometimes called cephalothorax, abdomen and the tail. Prosoma contains and intestinal tract, an oesophagus and proventriculus that helps in grinding food (Dunlap 54). Also, in the prosoma are a nervous system that is concentrated with a bulbous brain, tubular heart, excretory glands at the base of walking legs and a connective tissue (Fortey 81). Opithosoma contains an intricate network of the musculature that helps in the operation of book gills and the telson. However, the 1 13

NETFLIX CASE STUDY- FINANCE AND COMPANY ANALYSIS Essay

NETFLIX CASE STUDY- FINANCE AND COMPANY ANALYSIS - Essay Example Netflix was actually formed with the idea to provide Rental DVDs to customers without taking any charges from the customer for returning the DVDs late. Initially the company was taking late charges from their customers but after two years, Netflix changed their strategy and no late payment was charged for returning the DVDs late. The company also introduced the subscription services in which customers could select 4 movies rentals per month for a fee i.e. $15.95 per month. After few months, company offered unlimited plan for rental DVDs in which subscriber can have as many DVDs as they like for only a flat fee $19.95 per month. This scheme led to the success of company and its website volume grew by more than 300 percent. Company also made IPO of 5.5 million shares to raise capital of $82.5 in 2002 in order to expand its business. In the mid of 2011, Netflix changed its pricing and service structure. The company separated the two businesses i.e. DVD rental business and online video streaming with new enhanced price. Formally, company used to charge flat rate $10 per month for both the services. However the new pricing structure brought $8 for each service which collectively costs $16 for subscribers who were using both services. The situation had become worse when almost 1 million subscribers left Netflix’s services and its stock price fell down from $298 to $63 within few months (Netflix b). The CEO of the company, Reed Hastings, found that the root cause of the problem was ineffective communication with customers. He admitted that the company did not clearly mention the reasons of new policy to its subscribers (Netflix c). However, the increasing competition has been a real concern for the company and with the growing market and increasing marketing budgets and campaigns of competing firms, Netflix h as been facing threats from the competitors. In addition to this, competitors have been able to attract customers of Netflix by offering

Module one review parenting skills Essay Example for Free

Module one review parenting skills Essay 1. What are the different parenting styles used by families? Which do you think is better? Why? The first type of parenting styles is the authoritarian style where the parents have all authority and say so in every matter. The second type is the permissive style where the parents are extremely passive and give the children a lot of power. The third is the democratic style of parenting where the parent considers the thoughts and feelings of the children but ultimately they make the decision. The democratic style is my personal favorite because it makes they child feel like their opinion matters but does not give them the power to run all over their parent. 2. What makes a person ready for parenthood? When should an individual consider entering parenthood? Who should postpone parenthood? Should everyone become a parent eventually? Do you think some people should not become parents altogether. I think a person is ready for parenthood when they are financially stable, emotionally stable and have a good support system behind them to help them raise a child whether that means they are married or they have family. I think an individual should consider entering parenthood when they had all of the things previously stated meaning that they are ready and when they are 100% sure that they ready and that they are not being pressured into it. I think that young people, newlyweds, and people with any doubt at all should postpone parenthood. I do not think that everyone is meant to be a parent so not everyone should eventually become one, some people are better off not having children. I think there are people in this world who should never have chi ldren altogether because they are not capable of providing a safe and loving home for them.

Creating a Robot Pet Dog Essay example -- Robotics

Missing Figures Abstract The objective of this project is to build a robotic dog that performs tricks that are determined by the number of times it is petted. The robotic dog would be a perfect toy and friend for a child, especially an only child. It would not require training, since the tricks would already be programmed into the robot. Although the idea of the robot seems simple, the actual construction of this robot is extremely difficult and takes up a lot of time. Three different models of the body structure were constructed until a fully functioning robot was finally discovered. Background/Purpose About 10,000 to 15,000 years ago, human beings had developed signs of relationships with wolves, which are believed to be the ancestors of the modern housedog. The wolves were social animals that traveled in packs that they were willing to defend with their lives. Social ranks existed in these wolf packs, in which all the wolves would submit to one leader. This submission made it easy for humans to raise wolves for beneficial reasons because the wolves allowed the recognition of humans as their leaders. As a result, humans lived in harmony with the human-raised wolf companions, utilizing the wolves for hunting, rounding up their flocks, and protecting them when intruders were a threat. After a long period of time, the wolves gradually evolved into the typical household dogs of today. A household dog would be a perfect companion for an only child of modern times, especially since less people want to have children and since some only want to have one child. An only child with no siblings would sometimes feel lonely or bored and would then resort to begging their parents for dogs. The dog could potentially be ... ...ite a difficult task. Robot construction can sometimes be more difficult than programming itself. As a result, it takes a lot of time to actually construct and program a fully functioning robot. If given more time, I believe I would be able to successfully complete this robotic dog. If I could change anything in the project, I would change the amount of time I am given to complete the project. I would also try to ask for help earlier, since I have no experience with designing my own robots. It would have also been nice if I had chosen an easier robot to make. Reference 1. Animal Freedom. The History of Dogs. Retrieved July 1, 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://www.animalfreedom.org/english/opinion/pets/history_of_the_dog.html 2. DogQuotes.com. History of Dogs. Retrieved July 1, 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://www.dogquotes.com/historyofdogs.htm