Plato's _Phaedo_ Discussion Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Plato's _Phaedo_ Discussion - Dissertation Example Through the dialogue of Phaedo, Plato had been able to present one of his greatest contributions to philosophy which is the perspective of dualities, wherein every concept is viewed and given reason through the opposing concept. Few examples include the body and the soul, right and wrong, darkness and light, night and day, etc. Though concepts are not delineated clearly, the view of duality is the simplest manner of philosophizing regarding the existence of different matter and concepts. Another contribution of Plato’s Phaedo is the further discussion of the Forms, an example of which is the soul. Are Plato’s views applicable in the modern era? On a personal note, Plato’s views can be considered exceptional even in the present era. His views regarding the Forms have influence in the philosophies of the people in the present generation. The main difference though is that the immortality of the soul in the present views of people is related to religion and faith wh ile for Plato the soul is an entity of knowledge, thus, related to science. The view on virtue is also another example. Virtue according to Plato can only be observed in philosophers or people of knowledge since they are aware of the concept of virtue itself.

King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild - Essay Example Apparently, industrial revolution became a major tool of change among the whites and the blacks. So many Africans became sycophants of white rulers simply because of the nature of their rule. In addition, a strong relationship existed among the whites and the colonialists that gave the blacks a recognizable strategy of making sure that some issues were approached in a technologically sound way. Some items of trade like ivory, rubber, guns, and steam boats were mainly used by colonialists to enhance their strategy and to provide a better way of realizing their goals. During that particular era, slaves were the main target for colonial masters (Hochschild 33). Also, new technologies facilitated colonization process by making sure that all the colonial territories were managed in a highly controllable manner. With the use of guns, colonial masters engaged in superior war tactics that finally created a territorial battle among the colonial masters. Most of the colonial masters participat ed in a process that gave an indication of where various communication strategies were practiced. With the kind of knowledge that was available by then, many European powers decided to practice the act of ruling Africa with an iron fist. With the use of technology not withstanding, there was an indication that many countries in African were not ready for any kind of kind of leadership that could ruin their action. Use of superior weapons such as guns and effective means of transport gave the colonialists the power to control the Africans in a manner that reflected strong urge for leadership. Industrial revolution offered many African nations an opportunity to understand the strength of colonial masters. All the relevant aspects were considered by colonial masters. It is undeniable to point out that all the aspects of colonialism originated from the desire by colonial masters to offer the best of their services in Africa. Nevertheless, a substantial number of colonial groups based th eir success on the use of superior weapons and technology. A perfect illustration of technology application is when the Africans are colonized from a perspective that is not the will of the many local people (Hochschild 76). Again, the success of colonialists was significantly as a result of use of superior weapons. Africans were defeated on the grounds that many colonialists were using highly superior weapons. For example, there was no way an African was allowed to use a gun during the war. This was simply a strategy by many colonialists to avoid the undermining of public image. There was a perception by then that Africans could make easily in any battle if their weapons were crude and inferior. Also, the colonial masters in most parts of the African continent decided to investigate the influence caused by such kind of battles in common people. The outcome therefore revealed clearly that so many people within the continent had a strong perception about the colonialism and its negat ive effects. The ultimate impact of the technological approaches became the final indication of how African colonies could be ruled (Hochschild 45). The killing of many Congolese never appeared in the American news and media simply because African was perceived as a dark continent. The massacre went unnoticed and many people were killed with the use of superior weapons. Unlike the Nazi massacre in Germany, the killing of so many