one hand‚ Hobbes maintains that humanity’s utmost obligation is to submit oneself to the authority of the sovereign state. Thoreau‚ on the other hand‚ argues that under specific circumstances‚ it is humanity’s duty is to resist the state. This paper will argue that Hobbes does not succeed in establishing our obligation to submit to the sovereign’s authority. Instead it is Thoreau whom is correct that in certain circumstances we are obliged to resist the State. The two main issues with Hobbes’ reasoning
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stated‚ “To be or to become an American‚ a person did not have to any particular national‚ learning languages‚ religious‚ or ethnic background. All he had to do was to commit himself to the political ideology centered on the abstract ideals of liberty‚ equality‚ and republicanism.” The meaning of being American goes deeper than having a title of being a citizen‚ having a language‚ religious preference‚ and nationality. As Philip Gleason stated‚ all an American had to do was focus on liberty‚ equality
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will respect me and I know it will be a great place to have my children grow up in. Some of our ancestors did not have the privileges we have now because they grew up in other countries‚ that controlled their religion‚ who they married‚ and almost everything else in their lives. That may be one of the reasons they moved to America in the first place. I am very grateful for our country‚ and all of the privileges I have growing up here. In many countries‚ I wouldn’t be able to get the education that
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disobedience” is an intentional and non-violent disobedience of law by an individual who believes that a certain law is unjust and who is willing to accept the penalty for breaking that law to bring about change and public awareness. When Henry David Thoreau wrote “On The Duty of Civil Disobedience” in 1849‚ he advocated that democracy in America could only be improved by individual activism and civil disobedience to unjust laws. Thoreau’s ideas in “Civil Disobedience” are outdated for contemporary
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a word with multiple meanings: A person who is merry and happy‚ a person who is a homosexual‚ something that is lame or stupid‚ and a word that can be used for degrading. Over time this word has been molded and shaped into different meanings in all sorts of directions. The different meanings honestly have no similarities to each other‚ which makes it strange to see such a word as happy go to meaning a homosexual. It is strange to see such a word go from meaning happy to a word that can be offensive
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One Vote‚ Many Possibilities While lying in bed‚ I toss and turn; my mind wandering; my thoughts meandering; and eventually‚ I doze off. What keeps me up at night is not excitement over the holidays or tomorrow’s big game‚ but rather a passion and a thirst for progress. Politics is a mundane field of study for a lot of people and many of my friends cannot stand the thought of having to discuss public policy and political culture. For me‚ however‚ it is something I genuinely enjoy. It wasn’t
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Americans like to perceive that they live in a land of opportunity where anyone can achieve his/her dreams by working hard. Sadly‚ history paints a different picture. The three defining traits of what it means to be an American includes racism‚ sexism‚ and using religion to justify our own actions. Since the creation of the United States‚ white people have always been privileged. Racial minorities were held back from basic human rights. Slavery kept black people on the same social level as cattle
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Henry David Thoreau warned that “it’s not what you look at that matters‚ it’s what you see‚” referencing the illusions of grandeur that haunt youth‚ making young adults constantly unsatisfied with their accomplishments. Constant comparison with others coupled with unrealistic desire for adventure make happiness futile‚ as people value every moment of euphoria only as much as it compares to their friend’s. However‚ with age‚ Thoreau’s perspective becomes more prominent‚ as adults realize that their
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What does it mean to be an American today? This is a very difficult question to answer‚ but I believe that it is not just an academic question. As our society becomes more diverse‚ America will develop a broader and richer culture. At the same time‚ nations depend upon some sort of core values‚ beliefs‚ and identity to cling to. That requires some sort of definition of what it means to be an American‚ so I believe that the questions should be: “How Would You Define an American Today?” An “American”
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System (VES) in 1976. While there had been previous game consoles that used cartridges‚ either the cartridges had no information and served the same function as flipping switches (the Odyssey) or the console itself was empty and the cartridge contained all of the game components. The VES‚ however‚ contained a programmable microprocessor so its cartridges only needed a single ROM chip to store microprocessor instructions. RCA and Atari soon released their own cartridge-based consoles. In 1977‚ manufacturers
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