Modernity and Individualism Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Modernity and Individualism - Term Paper Example Jefferson's introduction to the Enlightenment by William Small marked the beginning of a thought process that led to his rejection of the doctrines of the Anglican faith in which he had been raised† (pp. 19). Meanwhile, across the Atlantic in France, Moliere’s Tartuffe, or The Imposter, was shocking crowds, the advent of his new play suggesting that religious piety sometimes belied the true intentions of people who did not practice what they preach. It was banned by the government for a total of five years due to the fact that it was so controversial. This helped to foment the idea of individualism in an age when religious piety could no longer be trusted. Not only that, but, according to Spielvogel (2008), â€Å"†¦Renaissance humanists [had] mastered both Greek and Latin and brought new attention to ancient works by thinkers such as Ptolemy, Archimedes, and Plato. These writings†¦stimulated new scientific work that sometimes led to a complete rejection of the Classical authorities† (pp. 341). This had a great impact on how people viewed the world and set up society for what would later on grow into the modern lens which dominates American society, which is postmodernism. Postmodernism, however, did not really arrive itself until much later after the Neoclassical Period. III. Possibilities For Embracing The Common Good As an Ideal When one thinks of the common good, generally the first ideal that comes to one’s mind is utilitarianism, or the greatest good for the greatest many. Embracing the common good became a very popular sentiment with the advent of the Scientific Revolution—which was not so much a revolution in terms of violence as it was in the gradual changes in thinking that occurred during that time period. According to Spielvogel (2008), â€Å"†¦the Scientific Revolution, popularized in the eighteenth-century Enlightenment, stands as the major force in the transition to the largely secular, rational, a nd materialistic perspective that has defined the modern Western mentality in modern times† (pp. 340). During this period, women were not held in high regard, and some philosophes discredited women because they were considered lesser people in comparison to men. According to Spielvogel (2008), â€Å"†¦philosopher Benedict de Spinoza argue[d] for the ‘natural’ inferiority of women to men [in his Political Treatise]† (pp. 350). Additionally, with the advent of science taking the forefront, Rene Descartes also developed several philosophical and scientific concepts, including his theories about dualism, or popularly known as dualisme in French. According to Spielvogel (2008), Cartesian dualism and the scientific method were developed (pp. 351). IV. Positive Historical and Literary Takes on a Communal Outlook The Declaration of Independence, of course, was one of the most important historical documents to have taken place after Europe’s philosophica l movements and revolutionary theoretical developments, which set the stage for the Enlightenment. According to

Study skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Study skills - Essay Example We often taking reading for granted, without paying heed to its benefits. Amongst the fundamental benefit of reading to a student is that it helps develop the concentration skills of the reader, which in turn, leads to higher levels of attention and concentration while learning. Reading helps an individual to focus; to put aside all other thoughts and focus one’s attention on what is being conveyed by the author through the text. To add to it, reading develops the much needed comprehension skills of a student which help him/her for life (Krashen, 2004). Comprehension skills are quintessential to solving case studies, problems and other reading material. Most students score a low mark in their exams simply because they don’t read the question/rubric properly (Krashen, 2004). Most have the habit of skimming through the instructions, without paying heed to key words that should not be missed. As a result, their answer to the question is often unrelated or lacks the points required by the examiner (Krashen, 2004). This is what constitutes the problem of poor comprehension skills. By developing the habit of reading, one is able to increase one’s attention span and develop one’s ability to understand what is being conveyed by the author both literally and figuratively. Hence, reading enables students to read between the lines or develop the skills of mind application by correctly perceiving the author’s hidden message in the reading material (Rasinski, 2003). This is a crucial skill in today’s world as the world today thrives on successful interpretation of knowledge which in turn helps enhance knowledge outcomes in an information driven world. Besides, reading is a fundamental need in today’s knowledge driven world; a person who cannot read effectively cannot speak effectively as reading is quintessential to effective speech (Gallagher, 2004). Thus, reading broadens