Unbearable Ecstasy, Reverence and Awe, and the Perpetuation of an Aesthetic Conflict Essay Example

Unbearable Ecstasy, Reverence and Awe, and the Perpetuation of an Aesthetic Conflict Essay In this paper, I will attempt to explicate and discuss some aspects of Frances Tustins concept of the unbearable ecstasy of at-one-ment emphasizing her attentiveness to the importance of the containing function of the mother with regard to this elemental experience; Meltzers notion of the aesthetic conflict; and Bions important and original distinction between reverence and awe and defensive idealization as each of these specific themes separately and in combination have some essential bearing upon the provocation or mitigation of envy, the process of introjection, the development of both healthy and pathological internal object relations, and the resultant nature of the super-ego and individual self-esteem. I hope to be able to demonstrate how these concepts overlap, intersect, and modify one another perhaps reflecting the personal and professional intersection between these three clinicians and their profound impact on my thinking. Toward this end, I will offer clinical case material, both as a background for and an illustration of the phenomena described, as well as certain conclusions, which may have some impact upon our attitude and technique in psychoanalysis. To begin with, I would like to present a clinical vignette from the analysis of a patient, whom I will call Jessica, as an introduction to and background for the theoretical discussion which follows. Jessica (Clinical Material Omitted Here) We will write a custom essay sample on Unbearable Ecstasy, Reverence and Awe, and the Perpetuation of an Aesthetic Conflict specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Unbearable Ecstasy, Reverence and Awe, and the Perpetuation of an Aesthetic Conflict specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Unbearable Ecstasy, Reverence and Awe, and the Perpetuation of an Aesthetic Conflict specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The Aesthetic Conflict I was re-minded of Jessicas experience while reading Donald Meltzers paper (Meltzer Williams, 1988) on what he terms the aesthetic conflict. In that paper, Meltzer states: It has probably escaped no-ones attention that the percentage of beautiful mothers recorded in the course of psycho-analysis far exceeds the national average and that this appellation clearly refers back to childhood impressions often completely out of keeping with later more objective judgments by the patients of their middle-aged parent (p.8-9). Here Meltzer prompts our consideration of the possibility that the view of the beautiful mother, often presented by patients in analysis, harkens back to some early proto-aesthetic experience; one that is however not without conflict. Rocked in the cradle of the deep of his mothers graceful walk; lulled by the music of her voice set against the syncopation of his own heart-beat and hers; responding in dance like a little seal, playful as a puppy. But moments of anxiety, short of fetal distress, may also transmit itself through heart-beat, rigidity, trembling, jarring movements; perhaps a coital activity may be disturbing rather than enjoyable, perhaps again dependent on the quality of maternal emotion; maternal fatigue may transmit itself by loss of postural tone and graceless movement (p.17). In this passage Meltzer indicates that the baby knows its mother inside and out as both the bad and the beautiful and is impacted on a sensual level by each of her physical, mental, and emotional qualities even before its birth. This notion reverberates with findings from current fetal observation (Mancia 1981; Piontelli 1985, 1987, 1988, 1992a, 1992b), psychoanalytic/clinical inference (Bion 1976/1987,1977a; Freud 1926; Hansen 1994; Maiello 1995; Mitrani 1996; Osterweil 1990; Paul 1981, 1989, 1990; Share 1994), and imaginative conjecture (Bion 1979). Indeed Meltzer purports that . . . every baby knows from experience that his mother has an inside world, a world where he has dwelled and from whence he has been expelled or escaped, depending on his point of view (p.21), and he goes on to posit that, after birth: The ordinary devoted mother presents to her ordinary beautiful baby a complex object of overwhelming interest, both sensual and infra-sensual. Her outward beauty . . . bombards him with an emotional experience of a passionate quality, the result of his being able to see [her] as beautiful. But the meaning of his mothers behavior, of the appearance and disappearance of the breast and of the light in her eyes, of a face over which emotions pass like the shadows of clouds over the landscape, are unknown to him (p.22). Meltzer seems to suggest here that mother is an enigma to her baby. The baby may have known her, and yet perhaps shaken by the impressive caesura of the act of birth (Freud 1926) it has suddenly become uncertain of what it knows. Is she a beauty or the beast? When Meltzer proposes that This is the aesthetic conflict, which can be most precisely stated in terms of the aesthetic impact of the outside of the beautiful mother available to the senses, and the enigmatic inside which must be construed by creative imagination (p.22, italic mine). it seems that he is implying that the babys sensory experience of the beautiful (good) mother must be confirmed by what the baby finds inside the mother, and that the babys experience of the mothers inner world her mood, her emotional and mental life, her attitudes about herself and her baby is colored by creative imagination, i.e., by its own phantasies via the process of projective identification. However further along, Meltzer appends the above conclusion, submitting that the baby must wait like Kafkas K for decisions from the castle of his mothers inner world (p.22). With this addition, it would seem he is suggesting and, I believe, is correct in doing so that it is not just the babys creative imagination that imbues the inside of the mother and the babys pre- and postnatal experience of her with meaning, since, as he so astutely observes, the baby must derive its cues from the mothers conscious and unconscious communications; that is, the baby must wait for its mother to confirm its greatest hopes or its gravest fears. To put it another way, the baby asks: how does mother view/experience herself? and it must anxiously await the answer from its mother. I believe that the babys question and the mothers answer together constitute one aspect of the type of reality testing that Melanie Klein (1975) referred to as the means by which the baby finds validation for the enduring existence of the good breast, the good internal object, and the good experience it represents. An example of this type of reality testing, and the consequences of a distorted message being received from the castle of the mothers inner world, may be seen in the following material from the four times per week analysis of another patient whom I will refer to as Carla. Carla (Clinical Material Omitted Here) Lara (Clinical Material Omitted Here) Reverence and Awe versus Idealization In a paper read at a scientific meeting of the Los Angeles Psychoanalytic Society in 1967, Bion (1992) described an encounter with one patient who came to him after a previous analysis from which he had benefited, but with which he was nonetheless dissatisfied. At first Bion expected to find greed at the bottom of this patients distress, but it soon became clear to him that there was something else going on. Bion described his patients outpourings, which were so fragmented that they would have required an omniscient analyst to sort out and make sense of (p.289). Bions interpretations were either labeled brilliant or they were met with extreme disappointment and hostility to the point of depression. He finally concluded that: There is a great difference between idealization of a parent because the child is in despair, and idealization because the child is in search of an outlet for feelings of reverence and awe. In the latter instance the problem centers on frustration and the inability to tolerate frustration of a fundamental part of a particular patients make-up. This is likely to happen if the patient is capable of love and admiration to an outstanding degree; in the former instance the patient may have no particular capacity for affection but a great greed to be its recipient. The answer to the question which is it ? will not be found in any textbook but only in the process of psycho-analysis itself (p.292). In his customary style, Bion avoids saturating his concepts, leaving them somewhat ambiguous, and thus allowing us the freedom to use our own capacity for imaginative conjecture to fill in the blanks, so to speak. I will yield to the temptation to do so with the understanding that the reader may draw his or her own conclusions, which may very well differ from my own. I think Bion seems to be saying that, in this instance, he had met with a patient for whom Kleins theory of envy did not apply. Indeed he seems to be making it clear that he did not see his patients disappointment and hostility as constituting an attack on the good breast or the analysts good interpretations. Neither did he seem to see the patients fragmented presentation as the result of an envious attack on thinking or on the links that might have rendered his communications meaningful and relevant (Bion 1959). Instead, Bion appears to conclude that his patient was attempting to have an experience of an object who might be able to understand and transform the inchoate experiences of the as-yet-unintegrated-baby-he and was therefore seeking the realization of his preconception of an object who can contain these experiences as well as his innate capacity for love, reverence, and awe. I would put forward here that the containing capacity, initially found and felt to be located in this type of external object when introjected leads to the development of an internal object capable of sustaining and bearing feelings of ecstasy and love; an object that might form the basis of the patients own self-esteem. This aim certainly calls for an analyst who truly thinks well enough of himself and his own goodness that he is not dependent upon the goodness and cooperativeness of the patient in order for such a positive self-perception to be confirmed, and in order for him to continue to function analytically. Discussion with Frances Tustin During one of my final conversations with Frances Tustin (1994), with whom I enjoyed a close personal and professional relationship for over a decade, we had the opportunity to discuss this distinction, which Bion makes between the manic defense of idealization and the healthy striving to be in contact with an object deserving of reverence and awe. Prior to this time, Tustin had never read nor had she been aware of the existence of this paper of Bions, which I chanced to bring to her attention in the following way. When we were together in England, just one month before her death, I knew that Frances had little time to live and I wanted to express to her in most explicit terms how much her work had affected me. I wished to do this partly out of my own need to show my gratitude toward her this one last time. However, I also felt the need to reassure her, since she seemed to be plagued by a fear that she had not contributed enough, that what she had contributed would soon be lost or forgotten, or that it would have no effect on anyone after her death. When I told Frances how profoundly she had helped and inspired me in my thinking and practice as an analyst, she demurred, as if she felt I was in danger of idealizing her. She said that I gave her much too much credit for [my] good work and hard-won success, and she heaped upon me many other compliments that, although sincere, left me feeling somewhat rejected. Suddenly I felt a headache coming on, and my good spirits faded. When Frances noticed my mood had changed, she asked what the trouble was. I was quite candid with her about what I had felt and about what had followed, and said that I hoped she would be more mindful of the way she handled peoples gratitude for and admiration of her. After recounting my experience and those of the patients discussed in this paper, we talked over how she herself had stressed the idea that the ecstasy of at-one-ment (Tustin 1981) could only be borne if it were adequately contained by the mother herself (p.224-6). In the most primitive states of mind, beauty is associated with moments of bodily completeness in which there is an experience of ecstatic fusion with the earth-mother (Tustin, 1981/1992). If left uncontained, such ecstasy might be experienced as a dangerous overflow of bodily excitement equated with a devastating sense of two-ness (p.106), too much to be borne in mind, perhaps disintegrating into a painful if not unbearable somatic agony. When the beautiful experience of at-one-ment is unable to be kept in mind, not only does it leak out and dissolve in its antithesis the ugly tantrum of two-ness but the baby is now doomed to an eternal despairing search for that ever-present auto-sensual bit needed to flesh out its exp erience of being. We went on to talk at length about the relationship of the experience of ecstasy to that of the beautiful mother refered to both by Meltzer (1988) and by Winnicott (1945), as well as about Bions ideas regarding reverence and awe. We both knew that I was having difficulty facing the impending loss of her friendship and support, and that I was chafing at the prospect of her death. However it seemed to us in that moment that even more salient was my need to secure in our last contact her aid in containing all of my love and gratitude for her. Some Conclusions In part, as a result of that last conversation with Tustin, I have arrived at the conclusion that the resolution of what Meltzer called the aesthetic conflict might be predicated, at least in part, upon the capacity of the mother to contain the babys reverence and awe of her, along with her own capacity for tolerating her babys hatred, envy, and terror of loss. This may prove clinically crucial when we consider the process of internalization or introjection by the patient of the analyst and his/her functioning which is essential to insure a successful treatment. It might be said that the apprehension of beauty (Meltzer 1988) is linked to the existence at the core of the inner sphere of the personality of a container, not just for our painful experiences, but for those joyful ones as well; a containing object with the capacity to endure not just our feelings of hatred toward the object (and therefore toward the self), but one that is enduring of and resonating with those loving feelings felt toward the perceived external object, one in which the capacity for realistic self-love and esteem are rooted. As Kahlil Gibran wisely wrote in The Prophet : And a poet said, Speak to us of Beauty. And he answered: Where shall you seek beauty, and how shall you find her unless she herself be your way and your guide? And how shall you speak of her except she be the weaver of your speech? (1923/1976, p. 74) It must not escape our awareness that our capacity to love and therefore to forgive ourselves depends largely upon the way in which our loving feelings have been dealt with, accepted, and validated by an other. It seems when all is said and done that we are limited in part in our capacity for self-esteem by the limitations of our parents capacity (and later our analysts) to contain and therefore confirm our feelings of reverence and awe. I believe that herein lie several technical implications of enormous import. For example, we must consider that if we interpret the patients genuine reverence and awe of us (when we are felt as truly good objects) as a defensive idealization (as if we were instead being experienced as bad objects) perhaps out of some rigidly inappropriate adherence to our theories we will fail in our function as a container (Bion, 1977b) for experiences of true goodness, and consequently this essential internal function will fail to develop in the patient. Instead, the Super ego (Bion 1962, p.97) will be augmented and its devastating effects intensified, where forgiveness and the striving for life might otherwise healthfully prevail. Additionally, the development of an enduring faith in the existence of goodness and beauty, with increasing hope for their apprehension, will be stultified. When hopefulness perishes, nagging doubts about the goodness of the object and therefore about the worthiness of the self perpetuate in spite of repeated proofs of such goodness and worthiness. Moreover, increased envy and defensive idealization will proliferate hyperbolically (Mitrani 1993). As analysts we need to realize that the degree of our awareness of our strengths and limitations, and the extent of our willingness and ability to consider, to accurately evaluate, and to acknowledge to ourselves the impact of the messages we send to the baby-in-the-analysand from the castle of our inner world are crucial factors in providing an emotional experience for the patient that serves to mend old wounds and facilitate new growth.

Free Essays on Prisoner On Prisoner Crimes

Introduction It makes absolutely wonderful television. We watch television shows like â€Å"Oz† and believe that this is just one mans imagination at work. Or, maybe we are not that naive, maybe we do see the problem and just believe that this is what the monsters deserve. No matter which you believe there exists in the world today an alarming situation. At an incredible rate, men are being beaten and sexually abused by other men. In fact, men are being forced to perform both oral and anal sexual acts by other men or groups of men around the country on a day-to-day basis. To make it even worse, it has even been reported that these acts have been going on under the noses of, and even sometimes the watchful eyes of, members of law enforcement. Of course, this should come as no surprise. Major news outlets, legal experts, and even the Supreme Court have taken notice of this situation. Yet, even with all of this attention, the situation persists. The reason: because the men who are the vi ctims are also convicted criminals. And, despite a stance by our government and our judicial system to the contrary, no one even seems to care. In this paper, we will first examine the reality that is the growing epidemic of prison violence and why it has become an inescapable reality for prisoners throughout the United States. Then, we will examine what I (as well as others) believe are some straightforward prodigious ways that this problem can be alleviated and hopefully eliminated. There are several different types of prison violence that persist within the United States criminal justice system. Among the most common of these violent occurrences are the constant beatings and rapes that have become common place. According to most sources, the vast majority of the victims in these assaults are men. Of course, this is most probably the case because around ninety percent of the current U.S. prison population is male. However, no matter wh... Free Essays on Prisoner On Prisoner Crimes Free Essays on Prisoner On Prisoner Crimes Introduction It makes absolutely wonderful television. We watch television shows like â€Å"Oz† and believe that this is just one mans imagination at work. Or, maybe we are not that naive, maybe we do see the problem and just believe that this is what the monsters deserve. No matter which you believe there exists in the world today an alarming situation. At an incredible rate, men are being beaten and sexually abused by other men. In fact, men are being forced to perform both oral and anal sexual acts by other men or groups of men around the country on a day-to-day basis. To make it even worse, it has even been reported that these acts have been going on under the noses of, and even sometimes the watchful eyes of, members of law enforcement. Of course, this should come as no surprise. Major news outlets, legal experts, and even the Supreme Court have taken notice of this situation. Yet, even with all of this attention, the situation persists. The reason: because the men who are the vi ctims are also convicted criminals. And, despite a stance by our government and our judicial system to the contrary, no one even seems to care. In this paper, we will first examine the reality that is the growing epidemic of prison violence and why it has become an inescapable reality for prisoners throughout the United States. Then, we will examine what I (as well as others) believe are some straightforward prodigious ways that this problem can be alleviated and hopefully eliminated. There are several different types of prison violence that persist within the United States criminal justice system. Among the most common of these violent occurrences are the constant beatings and rapes that have become common place. According to most sources, the vast majority of the victims in these assaults are men. Of course, this is most probably the case because around ninety percent of the current U.S. prison population is male. However, no matter wh...

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Sociology of community Race and Inequality in Postwar Detroit - Essay Example This paper will examine how housing segregation, workplace discrimination and deindustrialization combined over a period of slightly more than twenty five years to fuel one of the most destructive acts of civil disturbance in the country's history and contribute to the city's slow, painful decline. Naturally, the origins of this "urban crisis" can be traced back before World War II. But race riots in 1943 and 1967 provide a convenient frame for the phenomena Sugrue attributes to Detroit's decline. The people of Detroit, black and white, who became the major players in this modern tragedy largely came to the city in the Great Migration between 1916 and 1929, with a later influx during and just after WWII. Oddly enough, the racial conflicts the author describes were not carried to the city by migrants from the South eager to install Jim Crow laws in the North; instead, as Sugrue argues, "The racial politics were thoroughly homegrown" (212). Attached as they were to the personal factors of job availability and home ownership, the city's destructive racial politics can also be laid at the door of the American Dream -- and to other American Dreamers who could not or would not be persuaded to share. However, Sugrue is careful to point out that federal, state and local policies and po litics, including measures meant to enforce equality, helped in no small measure to further divide black and white Detroiters by race, class and employment status. Signs of trouble in Detroit were visible long before the riots of the late '60s, or the election of Mayor Coleman Young, or the gas crisis and the resulting American automotive industry crisis of the 1970s. Even as Detroit boomed from the industrial mobilization of WWII and the auto-driven economic expansion afterward, pervasive discrimination in the workplace and the housing market along strict racial lines thwarted sustained economic prosperity for the thousands of African Americans. Detroit and other major Northern cities went, as Sugrue describes, "from magnets of opportunity to reservations for the poor" (4) for reasons largely misunderstood or ignored, even by historians and social observers, who often seem to blame the victims or the federal aid programs of the Great Society and the War on Poverty. Instead, Sugrue also argues, it was New Deal policies and how they were applied by state and local politicians that helped ignite not black militancy, but a pervasive and radical " whiteness" that resisted equality for blacks in the workplace and the housing market as their God- and state-given right. Detroit, though examined as a case study applicable to other cities as well, is atypical in many ways that may have served to make bad situations worse. It was heavily reliant on the automotive and related industries, and lacked a significant presence of other racial minorities (13). Its ethnic communities, largely different European groups, quickly merged into a cohesive, blue-collar, home-owning "white American" culture by the 1920s, one bolstered frequently through independent union shops and churches that bucked larger social trends toward equality and civil rights. Even during the Depression years, Detroit's industrial economy chugged on, immortally captured in the epic murals of painter Diego Rivera. When WWII demanded a quick industrial mobilization, Detroit was ready physically; despite the association with the automobile, more than 40

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ICIMOD has facebook (http://www.facebook.com/icimod) and twitter (http://www.twitter.com/icimod) for sharing news, events and other information; and youtube (http://www.youtube.com/icimod) for sharing short videos. These tools will help people interested in/about ICIMOD, to keep themselves updated on the activities of ICIMOD in an efficient way, and at the same time they can share the ICIMOD updates further with their networks. Security threats to IT system, time spent by staff and individuals in social networking are considered as major drawbacks of the social media whereas rapid sharing of information is considered as the advantage. Despite the drawbacks, social media is gaining more and more popularity among companies, organisations and individuals for sharing information so dont be surprised if you see the social networking ID in the business card you receive from your business client or your friend, people are already using one in their websites.

Impact of Globalisation on the Music Industry Essay -- Globalization E

Define and explain globalisation, then critically evaluate and illustrate the impact globalisation has had on a particular business, the industry it operates in, its country of origin and the country or countries the business has expanded into. In this paper I will be discussing how globalisation has impacted the Music Industry in recent years, and in particular the multi-national giant Universal Music Group (UMG). Globalisation is a noun that is hard to define; it has many definitions depending on which scholar you talk to, which dictionary you reference, and the viewpoint you take. The Oxford dictionary will tell you that globalisation is â€Å"the process by which businesses or other organisations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale† (Definition of globalization in English). People’s perspectives on defining the word vary depending on the place they were born, where they have lived, the religion they follow, their social status, political ideology, cultural background and wealth, amongst other things, because all of these will affect whether they view globalisation to be a positive or negative occurrence. My favourite definition comes from Kenichi Ochmae; a Japanese organisational theorist most recognised for introducing Japanese management methods, such as the just-in-time method of production, to the Western world. In 1992, Ochmae said that globalisation is the â€Å"onset of the borderless world† (Al-Rodhan, 2006). This is my preferred explanation of globalisation because it is so simple to digest. From the phrase â€Å"borderless world† alone you can begin to understand exactly what globalisation is all about, however the simplicity of this definition is also its downfall because it is very non... ...ndi, a Paris-based multi-national who in 2012 declined an offer of 8.5 billion US$ for the company from SoftBank (Staff, 2013). Universal Music Group operates in over 60 countries across the world – with its corporate headquarters located in Santa Monica (California) and Broadway (New York City) (FAQ's, 2014). The firm owns many hugely successful record labels including Deutsche Grammophon Capitol Records, Decca, Def Jam Recordings, EMI Records, Interscope Records, Island Records, Mercury Records, Motown Records, Polydor Records, Republic Records, Virgin Records and many more. This puts them is an extremely fortunate position in the music industry because they own many back catalogues of artists who have experienced huge fame and have the ability to attract new talented artists because of their history and the prestige linked to the names of the labels they own.

Why a President Must Persuade

According to Richard E. Neustadt, ‘The power of the American president is to persuade. ’ I am going to analyse this statement in my essay, by answering why a president must persuade, looking at the relationship between the president and government, giving examples of when persuasion has worked and when it hasn’t, focusing on other ways the president can influence and finally ending with a conclusion. Firstly, why is it important for the president to persuade? The power to persuade is seen as an informal power as it is not clearly expressed in the constitution. It is important as presidents need to persuade other branches of government to influence policy; they even have to do this in their own branch (the executive) e. g. influencing cabinet secretaries. Due to all the branches of government, it means that power is dispersed and concentrated in different places; this can make it complex for the president to exert his own influence especially if there are opponents. Without the support of the Senate or the House of Representatives the president has only slight power, due to the checks and balances imposed on the president, power is reduced. Persuasion needs to take place in order to influence all sectors of the government so they can facilitate their policies, this supports the conception that the power of the American president is to persuade. Where has persuasion worked? When Bush was justifying the Iraq war, Colin Powell spoke in his favour and he furthered bi-partisanship with Democrats, who was the opposing party at the time. By showing this alliance, it meant that policies would have no problem going through Congress (reducing deadlock), this supports Neustadt. Where persuasion has not worked? An example was when President Eisenhower failed to persuade a governor. At the time were African-American students were not allowed in a school, which lead to a Supreme Court case (Brown vs. The Board of Education) and it resulted to the students being allowed to attend. Sadly, the governor did not agree and so Eisenhower had a meeting with him and failed to persuade him to allow them to attend, this showed that Eisenhower was not even good at persuading those in his own government, showing he was a ‘weak’ president. If persuasion is not acquired, it means that power is reduced, which reflects how the president is portrayed. For the president to be persuasive they must be charismatic and have the ability to influence the voters and those who can make their legislative goals happen. If a president has the ability to influence then it shows great leadership. Neustadt focuses on three traits a president must have to be successful: having the power to persuade, a good professional reputation and public prestige, with all these components put together they would be seen as a strong president. Professional representation, the term Neustadt used was ‘Washingtonians’ who are people in government (governors, military leaders, congress etc). The better the reputation of the president, the easier they will find it to negotiate, pass legislation and implement policy. I mentioned earlier that power is dispersed everywhere due to the separation of powers, meaning that it could be possible that someone may have great power and influence other than the president, which can be a problem for the president this means he must always be aware of them.

The Brenner Debate

The Brenner Debate The development of capitalism has often been discussed by historians who focus on the factors that could lead to the decline of the feudal society and emergence of the new socio-economic system. Much attention should be paid to the so-called Brenner debate because this discussion can throw light on various models that can explain the transformation of European societies.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Brenner Debate specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This debate revolves around the claims made by Robert Brenner who emphasizes the idea that new class and property relations resulted in the development of capitalism. In turn, this debate is critically evaluated by other historians. On the whole, it is possible to argue that a single approach cannot account for the dramatic transformation that different countries underwent. Much attention should be paid to the arguments advanced by Guy Bois who combines the elements o f the demographic and class models. On the whole, it is vital to focus on such factors as the property relations between various economic agents, demographic trends, as well as the increase in the productivity. These are the main issues that should be examined in great detail. It is possible to examine the arguments put forward by Robert Brenner who argues that the transformation of European societies can be explained primarily by the changing class structures1. In his opinion, much attention should be paid to the property relations. The capitalist system of production could emerge provided that economic agents such as peasants could secure their property rights. This privilege can be viewed as a good incentive for increasing the volume of production. One should keep in mind that Robert Brenner rejects the demographic model according to which social and economic breakthrough were driven by population fluctuations. It is vital to remember that demographic patterns could significantly affect wages and the demand for products. However, this model does not explain the differences in the socio-economic development of various countries. These are the main points that Robert Brenner makes. Overall, his work stimulated additional research on this topic. The validity of these claims should be discussed more closely. Some of Brenner’s arguments are supported by other historians. For instance, it is possible to mention to mention Guy Bois who also examines the limitations of the demographic model2. In his opinion, this approach to the socio-economic development is too deterministic, and it cannot reflect the decisions of separate people. Moreover, this framework lays too much stress on such a factor as the struggle for resources.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Nevertheless, Guy Bois mentions that Brenner underestimates the importance of such a facto r as productivity. In particular, he notes that the increase in productivity led to the surplus of goods. More importantly, this factor contributed to the intensification of trade between and within communities. In this case, one should not speak only about the adoption of new technologies. One should also pay much attention to the way in which labor was organized. To a great extent, this view of the formation of capitalism is supported by Rodney Hilton3 who focuses on the pre-requisites for the development of the new socio-economic system. In his view, the differences in the productivity led to the accumulation of capital and the development of new institutions. This is why this notion should not be overlooked. It should be mentioned that other historians such as Postan and Hatcher argue that Robert Brenner lays too much stress on political power of different economic agents. Nevertheless, one should not overlook the influence of such factors as inheritance customs or attitudes to innovation, or military confrontations4. The main argument is that the economic stagnation of the feudal societies can be attributed to a diverse set of factors. Moreover, one should not suppose that the influence of demographic trends can be easily measured with the help of exiting research methods that require the study of quantitative data. The main problem is that these data are not always available to scholars. Additionally, historians such as Emmanuel Ladurie5 argue that the bargaining power of peasants can be explained by the population trends. In particular, the surplus of labor could strengthen the position of landlords. In the long-term, these trends could result in the formation of serfdom. This is why the validity of the demographic model cannot be fully rejected. Demographic trends are vital for showing how the bargaining power of different economic agents could change. For instance, the decline of the population could increase the wages of servants, as a result; these people could have more opportunities for accumulating capital. Similarly, the increasing population could contribute to increasing demand for various goods. Thus, the demographic model should not be disregarded. Overall, the socio-economic advance to capitalism cannot be attributed to only one factor such as new property relations or the changing demographic patterns. The development of the new political and economic system is not a deterministic process that can be easily predicted.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Brenner Debate specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More More likely, researchers should pay attention to such factors as class relations, new forms of property, demographic trends, and the changes in the productivity. Robert Brenner’s views on the formation of capitalism are important because they can show how the bargaining power of producers could increase with time passing. These are the main detail s that can be singled out. Bibliography Bois, Guy. â€Å"Against the Neo-Malthusian Orthodoxy.† In The Brenner Debate, edited by Trevor Aston and Charles Philpin, 107-119. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985. Brenner, Robert. â€Å"Agrarian Class Structure and Economic Development in Pre- Industrial Europe.† In The Brenner Debate, edited by Trevor Aston and Charles Philpin, 10-64. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985. Hilton, Rodney. â€Å"A Crisis of Feudalism.† In The Brenner Debate, edited by Trevor Aston and Charles Philpin, 119-138. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985. Ladurie, Emmanuel. â€Å"A Reply to Robert Brenner.† In The Brenner Debate, edited by Trevor Aston and Charles Philpin, 101-107. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985. Postan, Michael and John Hatcher. â€Å"Population and Class Relations in Feudal Society.† In The Brenner Debate, edited by Trevor Aston and Charles Philpin, 64-79. Cambridge: Cambridg e University Press, 1985. Footnotes 1 Robert Brenner, â€Å"Agrarian Class Structure and Economic Development in Pre- Industrial Europe,† in The Brenner Debate, ed. Trevor Aston and Charles Philpin (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985), 30.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More 2 Guy Bois, â€Å"Against the Neo-Malthusian Orthodoxy,† in The Brenner Debate, ed. Trevor Aston and Charles Philpin (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985), 112 3 Rodney Hilton, â€Å"A Crisis of Feudalism,† in The Brenner Debate, ed. Trevor Aston and Charles Philpin (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985), 120 4 Michael Postan and John Hatcher. â€Å"Population and Class Relations in Feudal Society,† in The Brenner Debate, ed. Trevor Aston and Charles Philpin (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985), 66. 5 Emmanuel Ladurie, â€Å"A Reply to Robert Brenner,† in The Brenner Debate, ed. Trevor Aston and Charles Philpin (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985), 103.

Free Essays on Plato Apology

The Life of Socrates I. Socrates The most interesting and influential thinker in the fifth century was Socrates, whose dedication to careful reasoning transformed the entire enterprise. Since he sought genuine knowledge rather than mere victory over an opponent, He familiarized himself with the rhetoric and dialectics of the Sophists, the speculations of the Lonian philosophers, and the general culture of Periclean Athens. Socrates employed the same logical tricks developed by the Sophists to a new purpose, the pursuit of truth. Thus, his willingness to call everything into question and his determination to accept nothing less than an adequate account of the nature of things make him the first clear exponent of critical philosophy. Although he was well known during his own time for his conversational skills and public teaching, Socrates wrote nothing, so we are dependent upon his students (especially Kenophon and Plato) for any detailed knowledge of his methods and results. The trouble is that Plato was himself a philosopher who often injected his own theories into the dialogues he presented to the world as discussions between Socrates and other famous figures of the day. Nevertheless, it is usually assumed that at least the early dialogues of Plato provide a (fairly) accurate representation of Socrates himself. Socrates profoundly affected Western philosophy through his influence on Plato. Born in Athens, the son of Sophroniscus, a sculptor, and Phaenarete, a midwife, he received the regular elementary education in literature, music, and gymnastics. Initially, Socrates followed the craft of his father; according to a former tradition, he executed a statue group of the three Graces, which stood at the entrance to the Acropolis until the 2nd century AD. In the Peloponnesian War with Sparta he served as an infantryman with conspicuous bravery at the battles of Potidaea in 432-430BC, Delium in 424BC, and Amphipolis in 422BC. ... Free Essays on Plato Apology Free Essays on Plato Apology The Life of Socrates I. Socrates The most interesting and influential thinker in the fifth century was Socrates, whose dedication to careful reasoning transformed the entire enterprise. Since he sought genuine knowledge rather than mere victory over an opponent, He familiarized himself with the rhetoric and dialectics of the Sophists, the speculations of the Lonian philosophers, and the general culture of Periclean Athens. Socrates employed the same logical tricks developed by the Sophists to a new purpose, the pursuit of truth. Thus, his willingness to call everything into question and his determination to accept nothing less than an adequate account of the nature of things make him the first clear exponent of critical philosophy. Although he was well known during his own time for his conversational skills and public teaching, Socrates wrote nothing, so we are dependent upon his students (especially Kenophon and Plato) for any detailed knowledge of his methods and results. The trouble is that Plato was himself a philosopher who often injected his own theories into the dialogues he presented to the world as discussions between Socrates and other famous figures of the day. Nevertheless, it is usually assumed that at least the early dialogues of Plato provide a (fairly) accurate representation of Socrates himself. Socrates profoundly affected Western philosophy through his influence on Plato. Born in Athens, the son of Sophroniscus, a sculptor, and Phaenarete, a midwife, he received the regular elementary education in literature, music, and gymnastics. Initially, Socrates followed the craft of his father; according to a former tradition, he executed a statue group of the three Graces, which stood at the entrance to the Acropolis until the 2nd century AD. In the Peloponnesian War with Sparta he served as an infantryman with conspicuous bravery at the battles of Potidaea in 432-430BC, Delium in 424BC, and Amphipolis in 422BC. ...

Pacific Islands Culture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pacific Islands Culture - Research Paper Example These groups of islands have both differences as well as commonalities based on culture, social structure, and historical experience. Populations migrating from other regions such as Africa and Asia began colonizing the islands over 35,000 years ago. Over the millennia, there were numerous encounters of the settlers with the outside world. Of over 6.3 million currently living in the Pacific Islands, the majority of the population of around 84% live in Melanesia, only around 9% live in Polynesia and approximately 7% live in Micronesia (Eccleston et al, 1998). Melanesia is related to the Greek words melas which means black and nesos (islands); it refers to the â€Å"physical appearance of the indigenous inhabitants of Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji and Solomon Islands† (Eccleston et al, 1998, p.249). Polynesia is related to the Greek word poly (many). It forms a triangular group of islands including Hawaii in the north, Aotearoa/ New Zealand in the south-west to Rapanul/ Easter Island in the south-east. The single culture in this unique triangle is reduced by the intrusion of colonialism. Indigenous Polynesians maintain effective sovereignty to some extent only in the inner islands, excluding the peripheral ones. Micronesia from micros (small) encompass the Northern Marianas in the north, Palau in the west, and Kiribati in the south-east. The smaller islands of Micronesia have societies similar to those in Polynesia; they are â€Å"ruled by indigenous hereditary aristocracies both before and after contact with colo nial powers† (Eccleston et al, 1998, p.249). In comparison with Polynesia and Micronesia, in most of Melanesia with some exceptions like Fiji which is on the boundary, the societies are more egalitarian with equality among men; contrastingly however, gender inequalities are greater. Originating from the Fujian province of southern China, seafaring people who spoke the Austronesian language, settled in the distant parts of Melanesia,

Starbucks Market and Customer Analysis Research Paper

Starbucks Market and Customer Analysis - Research Paper Example The research paper "Starbucks Market and Customer Analysis" presents the strengths and weaknesses of Starbucks’s products and services as it ventures into the new target market. One of Starbuck’s key strengths is seen to pertain to the company’s strong market position and global brand recognition. Starbucks enjoys a significant geographical presence across the world in addition to its maintaining an estimated 36.7% of the market share within the United States. The company will be able to leverage is rich brand equity by merchandising a wide range of products as well as licensing its brand logo to outlets across its new venture market of Xiamen, China. The company produces products of the highest quality. Starbucks gives the highest importance to the quality of their products as well as avoids the standardization of quality even in the face of higher production output levels. This attribute is expected to aid the company in the quick capture of a significantly large share of the Xiamen market. As a result of its numerous social responsibility initiatives, Starbucks benefits from enjoying the goodwill of all its customers across the world. Starbucks stores are designed to be community friendly and focused on the recycling and reduction of waste products. This attribute is expected to help the company attract more customers as it expands into the new market. And one of Starbucks’ key weaknesses is the fact that most of its products are generally perceived to be quite expensive.