CRITICAL THINKING PROJECT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

CRITICAL THINKING PROJECT - Essay Example The next section will be an analysis of the strategy required to make my theory of an educated person practical. Malcolm X distinguishes education and schooling in terms of the objectives that each seek to meet. According to him, being educated is about one having an internal drive to read more and discover what has been left out in conventional educational system. For him being educated is more than gaining â€Å"status symbol† which is offered by colleges (Malcolm X 217). This is based on his belief that education outside the formal system ensured he read more and developed increased sensitivity to knowledge propagated by different authors. The relationship between education and the community is found in its ability to empower people and enable them rediscover their position in the world. For instance, Malcolm X’s education was central to discovering the inconsistencies between the truth of African history and negative portrayal of their contribution to human civilization. For Bell Hooks, the process of education involves students learning by internalization of information as opposed to rote learning where students are consumers of knowledge. Therefore, for one to become educated, they must be ready to be active participants in the process of learning. Active participation according to Hooks ensures the learner is able to â€Å"link awareness with practice† (Hooks 14). Hooks see schooling as a process that leads to education of students; however, for the students to be educated, they must be empowered. Hooks advices students to seek education that leads to self-actualization attained through unification of body and mind. The author is against education that seeks to separate body and mind as necessary in wellbeing of the learner. It is only through education that emphasizes union of mind, body and spirit is necessary for the learner to be able to

Christopher Columbus Essay Example for Free

Christopher Columbus Essay Christopher Columbus wrote a letter to the king and queen of Spain around 1494. He gave the king a queen a description of what was going on and what he had found. He wrote this letter stating that there was riches and many land for colonies. He was telling them what they can do with this land that he had found. Take it, build a government, and he wanted more ships for his up coming voyages. The question is this document relevant to his voyages, yes, indeed they do. He wrote to the king and queen what they can do in this land that he had found. He was already planing there government, and how they were going to rule the land. He explained how they should have churches and start converting the indians. When the gold rush comes they should have the people who are getting the gold must have a license to retrieve some gold. He talks about governors and how there should be one on every island that he had discovered and how they were going to be in charge. He wanted to start these settlements and let them grow and then that would make Spain the greatest empire in the world because they would have the biggest land mass. He did do the mission for Spain but more for himself and it was his job to do this kind of adventuring. He wanted to make history and this document shows what he had discovered and his proposal to the king and queen of what he thought the colonies should be run and so on. This absolutely has to be apart of a the voyage with Christopher Columbus because it tells a little bit of what he saw, what he knows and what his plans were. He tells about all these riches and gold and how they can make the colonies work and survive and build communities. It gives an idea of what he thought and what he had believed should have happened, which for the most part did happen. He was a very bright man I assume by this letter to the king and queen and he explained his plans very well and the king and queen should have been pleased of Christopher for making all of that happen. With out this it would be like missing a piece of a puzzle. Questions with out full knowledge of what was going on. Christopher started his journey around 1492, I think, and it took him a couple years to discover this land mass and he was eventually a hero to Spain. Without Christopher discovery of the Americas people would have come and settled in the Americas later than they did and he wouldn’t be famous.

Customer preference for Thomas Cook

Customer preference for Thomas Cook FINDINGS DISCUSSSIONS Customer awareness, taken as a dependent variable and customer preference towards Thomas Cook taken as the independent variable, showed that the former has no significant impact on the latter (as described in the analysis of the first hypothesis where the null hypothesis was accepted and the alternate hypothesis was rejected). Therefore, it can be concluded from the first hypothesis that customer awareness does have a significant impact on customers’ preference towards Thomas Cook. This can be attributed to a variety of reasons, none of them conclusive however, with the lack of further research on the subject. Keeping in mind that the sample respondents reside mainly in Bangalore, it is possible that despite customers being aware that Thomas Cook is a travel management company, they do not prefer it because in Bangalore it does not provide good or satisfactory service. Customers may be unhappy or dissatisfied with the services that are provided by the Thomas Cook branches in Bangalore. Here again it cannot be said that Thomas Cook does not provide good service overall because it is still one of the top travel management companies in the world. Another possibility as to why customers do not prefer Thomas Cook despite being aware of the services can be the price factor. Thomas Cook provides its services at a premium price and customers might see this as too expensive and/or not worth the price that they have been asked for the service. In a country like India where disposable income is not an abundant resource that companies can exploit, it becomes difficult to market a premium service that the customers can easily look upon as an unnecessary luxury. Services such as premium tourism services may not appeal to the common man. Another possible reason for this is that the sample customers, a majority of whom do travel via a travel agency at least some of the time, are already satisfied with the travel agency they currently employ and find no reason thereof to shift to another agency despite knowing that another agency exists which perhaps provides slightly better services. These consumers are â€Å"set in their ways† so to speak and are happy with the current agency of their preference. They find no good enough reason to shift to Thomas Cook for their travel needs. Thomas Cook offers a variety of value added services. The specific value added services that were taken in this study are: Inbound and outbound travel reservations Foreign Exchange Travel insurance Travel packages Visa and passport services Reservations for car and hotel Foreign Exchange These services combine the core functions and services that Thomas Cook offers with added value to give them a uniqueness. This research found that there is a significant difference in these services and that consumers, when asked to rate these services, have a variety of views of these services, that is to say, the services that are provided for foreign exchange are of different quality than those that are offered for travel packages or travel insurance. It was found in this research that most of the sample do use Thomas Cook for their foreign exchange services and these were rated the best. Indeed, the foreign exchange services of Thomas Cook have been rated to be amongst the best in the world, and in fact, most people identify Thomas Cook only for their foreign exchange services and not their travel packages, which is in fact the company’s core business. It is shown in the hypothesis that the various services of Thomas Cook vary in quality, as per the respondents view. In the third hypothesis, it was found that there is a significant difference in customers’ preferences with respect to customers’ awareness about travel agencies. In other words, it is apparent that despite their knowledge about many travel agencies and their services, there is still a lot of variations in what the customers prefer to choose as the travel agency for their travel needs. This shows that customers have their own reasons to choose a specific travel agency and awareness of the services is not the only factor that they take into consideration. Customer preference for an agency is not a factor that can be easily studied or examined. For each customer, the deciding factor is different, and for each factor of customer preference that is taken, there is another that is left out. Studying customer psychology is an in depth with infinite variables that need to be considered, and it still may not be accurate due to the fact that human nature itself is unpredictable. The fourth hypothesis showed that there is no significant relation between the nature of the travel and the agency preference that a customer has. Here, the null hypothesis was accepted and the alternative hypothesis was rejected. This shows that whether a customer needs to travel for business or wants to travel for leisure does not determine the choice of travel management company that the customer makes. There can be a variety of other reasons that can be deduced to find out what other things may determine the customers’ choice of travel management company. Again, none of these are conclusive and need to be looked into with further research on the topic. Social status is one factor that is likely to have a significant relationship to agency preference. The higher up a customer is on the social ladder, the more premium will be the nature of his agency preference. When customers can afford something they have a tendency to show that they can afford it by very publicly using that product or service. This is human nature, and very likely to have an impact on agency preference. Affordability is a very important factor that needs to be considered in terms of preference for an agency. A premium agency may be unattainable by those who cannot afford its services no matter how much they may be aware of it, or no matter what the nature of their travel may be. Affordability and purchasing power of the customer are likely to have a strong relationship with the travel agency that they prefer. Expense is always an important factor that needs to be considered when measuring or trying to ascertain customer preference. Expense was not a factor that was given enough significance in this study. Social sentiments also need to be considered when looking into the customer preference towards any product or service. Certain customers from India may not choose Thomas Cook because despite its being registered in India as Thomas Cook (India) Limited and is now owned by Fairfax (Canada), its name is Thomas Cook, and was originally a company from England. On the other hand, certain customers may choose it for exactly that reason. There are a variety of social sentiments that have a strong relationship with and impact on customer preference towards an agency. They should not be disregarded if the company intends to survive in the environment. It is apparent from the research (hypothesis 5) that customers’ preference towards an agency and the value added service that they prefer have a strong relationship. This relationship can be easily envisioned. Customers will do their research on which travel agency provides which services and which value added services. With the advent of the internet, there is an enormous amount of information available to the customers at their fingertips and in this day and age customers are not easily fooled or misleaded. Customers will accordingly filter travel agencies according to the service that appeal to them and ultimately choose the one that best suits their needs. This will become the agency that they prefer and use for all their various travel needs. Hence, preference of travel agency and the value added services that they prefer have a strong, unmistakable relationship, which marketers can soon look to exploit. The sixth hypothesis works to find out whether or not there is any difference between the value added services and those services which offer mainly the core functions. Here the null hypothesis was rejected and the alternative hypothesis was accepted. Therefore a conclusion can be made that there is a significant difference between the satisfaction levels of the services that are offered by Thomas Cook that is, value added and non-value added. On further inspection of the analysis and the questionnaire it is abundantly clear that the value added services are much more profitable, than other services, in the sense that the customers of Thomas Cook are much more satisfied with these services and perhaps don’t mind paying a bit more for these services than the others. The seventh hypothesis finds that there is a significant difference in the customer preference with regards to the services that are offered by an agency. This means that customers prefer certain services provided by certain agencies and there is not necessarily any one agency which provides all the services that the customers prefer. Even in the agency that they prefer, the satisfaction levels of various services provided and the customers’ preference towards those services are not uniform throughout but vary. One service provided by one agency may good and another service may be better in another agency. Therefore, most of the sample respondents use more than one travel agency for their travel needs instead of sticking to one 1

Beowulf as a Hero Essay -- Seamus Heaney

The poem, Beowulf, by Seamus Heaney, depicts Beowulf as a perfect hero. Beowulf is the mythical son of Edgetho and later becomes the king of the Geats. In the poem, Beowulf's shows heroism in two different phases of his life, youth and old age. Throughout the poem, Beowulf faces three difficult conflicts with Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon. Throughout the novel Beowulf is a noted and respected warrior from Geatland. During Beowulf's youth, he is considered to be a great warrior, portrayed by his strength, courage, and bravery. Beowulf begins his legacy in Denmark with an evil monster, Grendel. Grendel is ruining King Hrothgar's kingdom and is ritually tormenting him. The monster breaks into the castle and eats as many of Hrothgar's men as he can hold each night. King Hrothgar calls Beowulf for help because the king has tried everything else. Beowulf arrives with a ship of his warriors to help King Hrothgar in stopping Grendel. King Hrothgar accepts Beowulf's pledge to kill Grendel. Beowulf pledges to face Grendel with, "no weapons, therefore, for either this night; unarmed he shall face me if face me he dares" (47). When Beowulf meets Grendel he fights barehanded and rips his arm off. Beowulf comes back with Grendel's arm. It is hung in the battle hall as a trophy of Beowulf's bravery, courage, and victory over the monster. Beowulf's defeat of Grendel certifies his reputation for bravery and es tablishes him as a full hero. Even though Grendel is dead, the danger has not passed. Grendel's mother comes to King Hrothgar's battle hall. She retrieves, "their trophy, Grendel's bloodied hand" (91). Hrothgar is very disappointed and calls on the hero, Beowulf, once again. Beowulf travels with his men to the fiery lake whe... ...he only one left of the WaegmundingsÂ…Now I must follow them" (189). Wiglaf is the only warrior who stayed to help Beowulf, the rest fled. Therefore, Beowulf leaves Wiglaf to rule his kingdom. Beowulf should be considered a hero because he gives his life to keep his kingdom safe. Beowulf is a great warrior, portrayed by his strength, courage, and bravery. Beowulf also exemplifies the manner and values dictated by the Germanic heroic code. He is considered to be both a warrior and a king. When Beowulf encounters the dragon, the responsibilities of being king are thrown. He must act for the good of his people, not just for his own glory. Throughout the poem, Beowulf holds a good reputation and is respected by the people. Works Cited Beowulf. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed M H Abrams, et al. Vol. 1. Sixth ed. NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1993.

King Lear :: essays research papers

Reaction to Gibbons, Cold Comfort Farm I found the ending to Aunt Ada Doom's story a very Austen-like way of dispelling the myth of the Madwoman in the Attic. And, of course, Flora gets this idea from Mansfield Park. The madwoman, who isn't truly mad to begin with, can be cured with something as simple as a copy of Vogue and a trip to Paris. There is no ongoing psychological torment or dramatic death. Madness can be cured by good, old-fashioned materialism. Perhaps Bertha Rochester could have undergone the same "therapy." Elfine's wedding reception also seems to be a way of putting down Victorian psychological drama and upholding Austen's purism: There they all were. Enjoying themselves. Having a nice time. And having it in an ordinary human manner. Not having it because they were raping somebody, or beating somebody, or having religious mania or being doomed to silence by a gloomy, earthly pride, or loving the soil with the fierce desire of a lecher, or anything of that sort. No, they were just enjoying an ordinary human event, like any of the millions of ordinary people in the world. (217) Lastly, Flora's marriage plot also seemed reminiscent of Austen. Her love affair with Charles is not the primary focus in the novel. Cleanliness, manners, and fashion take precedent before everything else. Only when Flora has cleaned up Cold Comfort and cleansed the farm of its Victorian characteristics can she pursue her own marriage plot. What I love most about Cold Comfort Farm is also what makes it difficult to write about. Gibbons takes many conventions, especially those of the Victorian novel, and turns them on their head. We never learn what Aunt Ada Doom saw in the woodshed, nor why Judith is depressed (besides her weird Oedipal complex for Seth). We never find out about the question of Flora's rights or what happened between her father and his relatives. Gibbons builds up these possibilities for psychological drama and deflates them all by the end of the novel. Her humorous style, and her deflation of all that is psychological and dramatic, really gives the text and Austen-like feel. King Lear :: essays research papers Reaction to Gibbons, Cold Comfort Farm I found the ending to Aunt Ada Doom's story a very Austen-like way of dispelling the myth of the Madwoman in the Attic. And, of course, Flora gets this idea from Mansfield Park. The madwoman, who isn't truly mad to begin with, can be cured with something as simple as a copy of Vogue and a trip to Paris. There is no ongoing psychological torment or dramatic death. Madness can be cured by good, old-fashioned materialism. Perhaps Bertha Rochester could have undergone the same "therapy." Elfine's wedding reception also seems to be a way of putting down Victorian psychological drama and upholding Austen's purism: There they all were. Enjoying themselves. Having a nice time. And having it in an ordinary human manner. Not having it because they were raping somebody, or beating somebody, or having religious mania or being doomed to silence by a gloomy, earthly pride, or loving the soil with the fierce desire of a lecher, or anything of that sort. No, they were just enjoying an ordinary human event, like any of the millions of ordinary people in the world. (217) Lastly, Flora's marriage plot also seemed reminiscent of Austen. Her love affair with Charles is not the primary focus in the novel. Cleanliness, manners, and fashion take precedent before everything else. Only when Flora has cleaned up Cold Comfort and cleansed the farm of its Victorian characteristics can she pursue her own marriage plot. What I love most about Cold Comfort Farm is also what makes it difficult to write about. Gibbons takes many conventions, especially those of the Victorian novel, and turns them on their head. We never learn what Aunt Ada Doom saw in the woodshed, nor why Judith is depressed (besides her weird Oedipal complex for Seth). We never find out about the question of Flora's rights or what happened between her father and his relatives. Gibbons builds up these possibilities for psychological drama and deflates them all by the end of the novel. Her humorous style, and her deflation of all that is psychological and dramatic, really gives the text and Austen-like feel.

Why People Gamble Essays -- Gambling Addiction Money Essays

Why People Gamble For centuries, people have indulged in different types of gambling: poker, horse races, bingo, lottery, and slot machines. Gambling has seduced any and almost everyone between the ages of sixteen and ninety years old. Before turning eighteen, the legal age of casino and horse race admittance, those younger make monetary bets on football and high school stunts. Gambling is even more prevalent today than it was yesterday with the added attraction of on-line casinos, offering jackpot equivalent to twenty years salary in exchange for a credit card / debit card number. Gambling was suppressed in the 1920's as a result of Prohibition and because of this will forever lure people into its taboo trap. Gambling as sport is hard to resist because it offers immediate gratification. Not only is there a chance that you may quadruple the amount of money that you lay down, a literal payoff, but there is also a feeling of hope, an alternate limbo between reality and fantasy that can be translated int o a sort of mental payoff. The question is: is it all about the money? It couldn't be all about the money, unless the general public was extremely stupid. The odds of winning the lottery are lesser than the odds of someone being struck by lightning (1 in 649,739) or than someone being killed by a terrorist attack abroad (1 in 650,000). (7). It has been said, "If you bought 100 tickets a week your entire adult life, from the age of 18 to 75, you'd have a 1 percent chance of winning the lottery". (7) Now, a number of psychological studies have been done which indicate that the desire to play the lottery has more to do with the inability or unconcern of a person to calculate the total sum of their own money over time spent of th... ...ody responds well to their desire to gamble, to diversify, to extend their minds and risk. Whether it be monetary, behavioral or just plain desire to risk, humans are drawn towards the new and the chancy. It is the danger of loss and the thrill of life that keeps us breathing. Works Consulted: 1)Alvarez,A. The Biggest Game in Town. New York: Chronicle Books, 2002. 2)Brunson,Doyle. Doyle Brunson's Super System. Cardoza Pub, 1979. 3)Dostoeyevsky,Fyodor. The Gambler. New York: Viking Press, 1966. Sources Consulted: 4)http://www.norc.uchicago.edu/new/gamb-fin.htm 5)http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/05/010524062100.htm 6)http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=0004400A-E6F5-1C5E-B882809EC588ED9F 7)http://www.gnxp.com/MT2/archives/001309.html 8)http://www.reflection-idea.com/psychics.html 9)http://hanson.gmu.edu/gamble.html Why People Gamble Essays -- Gambling Addiction Money Essays Why People Gamble For centuries, people have indulged in different types of gambling: poker, horse races, bingo, lottery, and slot machines. Gambling has seduced any and almost everyone between the ages of sixteen and ninety years old. Before turning eighteen, the legal age of casino and horse race admittance, those younger make monetary bets on football and high school stunts. Gambling is even more prevalent today than it was yesterday with the added attraction of on-line casinos, offering jackpot equivalent to twenty years salary in exchange for a credit card / debit card number. Gambling was suppressed in the 1920's as a result of Prohibition and because of this will forever lure people into its taboo trap. Gambling as sport is hard to resist because it offers immediate gratification. Not only is there a chance that you may quadruple the amount of money that you lay down, a literal payoff, but there is also a feeling of hope, an alternate limbo between reality and fantasy that can be translated int o a sort of mental payoff. The question is: is it all about the money? It couldn't be all about the money, unless the general public was extremely stupid. The odds of winning the lottery are lesser than the odds of someone being struck by lightning (1 in 649,739) or than someone being killed by a terrorist attack abroad (1 in 650,000). (7). It has been said, "If you bought 100 tickets a week your entire adult life, from the age of 18 to 75, you'd have a 1 percent chance of winning the lottery". (7) Now, a number of psychological studies have been done which indicate that the desire to play the lottery has more to do with the inability or unconcern of a person to calculate the total sum of their own money over time spent of th... ...ody responds well to their desire to gamble, to diversify, to extend their minds and risk. Whether it be monetary, behavioral or just plain desire to risk, humans are drawn towards the new and the chancy. It is the danger of loss and the thrill of life that keeps us breathing. Works Consulted: 1)Alvarez,A. The Biggest Game in Town. New York: Chronicle Books, 2002. 2)Brunson,Doyle. Doyle Brunson's Super System. Cardoza Pub, 1979. 3)Dostoeyevsky,Fyodor. The Gambler. New York: Viking Press, 1966. Sources Consulted: 4)http://www.norc.uchicago.edu/new/gamb-fin.htm 5)http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/05/010524062100.htm 6)http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=0004400A-E6F5-1C5E-B882809EC588ED9F 7)http://www.gnxp.com/MT2/archives/001309.html 8)http://www.reflection-idea.com/psychics.html 9)http://hanson.gmu.edu/gamble.html

Plato and Mill on the relationship between individual and society Essay

Plato was born around 428-7 BC, he lived for the most part of his life in Athens, and had much to say about Athenian democracy. Mill was born much later in London in 1806, but although over two thousand years of political philosophy divide the two, much of the same issues and concerns arise in both their work though often with very different outlooks. Despite their differing opinions Plato and Mill are both antithetical, or in other words believe that the â€Å"tyranny of the majority† is to be feared. Plato believes that individuals are selfish and pursue their own self-interests at the expense of the rest of the population, and follow their own moral path. The philosopher individual is epitomised by the â€Å"Gadfly†. The gadfly is referred to by Plato in the Apology, to describe Socrates’ relationship with the Athenian political scene. Socrates believed he irritated for the purpose of leading people closer to the truth ‘to sting people and whip them into a fury, all in the service of truth’. The gadfly describes a person who upsets the status quo by posing lots of questions. Plato states that while the gadfly is easy to swat, the cost to society of silencing an individual simply because of his irritancy could be extremely high. This seems to contradict some of what he has to say on his republic, as he stifles the lower class citizens in the Kallipolis, counting their opinions as obsolete in comparison to the philosophers. The gadfly is also mentioned in the Bible in the Book of Jeremiah also relating to political influence ‘Egypt is a very fair heifer; the gadfly cometh, it cometh from the North’. Plato believes that Democracy fosters the wrong kind of individual, hence the Kallipolis, which is the inverse of Democracy, designed to bring about the ‘right way of living’. In Plato’s view, an individual is fulfilled by the contribution that he or she makes to the overall functioning of the community, and the Kallipolis is designed to make this possible for everyone. Plato’s state also respects the individuality of its members and treats them equally. In Plato’s republic, the state limits the freedom of its individuals, but only to ensure that all the members receive the same amount of freedom. In effect, Plato believes that the repression of individual freedom results in equal freedom for the society as a whole. This is contrasted to Mill, whose view is that, excluding children, the individual is sovereign over himself, his body and his mind. Interference in an individual’s beliefs or actions is wrong. Unless it is known that one is inflicting harm upon another, interference is not justified. Mill has three liberties that are the hallmark of a free society- the first is the freedom of thoughts and sentiment on all subjects, including freedom of expression and publication. The second liberty is the freedom of taste; the fact that others may disapprove of an individual’s actions or beliefs, is not justified by Mill as the basis of interference, for example homosexuality. The third and final liberty necessary for a free society is the freedom of individuals to unite as long as the resulting union does not lead to others being harmed as a result. Mill forbids coercion and deception within the union, as he believes it is unjustified to have a direct negative impact on the utility of others (this does not involve doing something which someone else does not agree with). Mill encourages individualism and self-development or ‘human flourishing’ as he believes that it will only benefit society, as the individuals will be able to contribute more if they reach their full potential and are allowed to develop their own ideals and opinions. Mill has concerns over the limits of which power can be legitimately exercised by society over the individual. Safeguards are necessary to ensure that the majority does not suppress the minority. ‘Mankind would be no more justified in silencing one person, than that one person; if he had the power would be justified in silencing mankind’. Plato believes that false opinions could be dangerous to society, whereas Mill would say they were necessary in order to help obtain the truth, something that we as humans so desperately strive to obtain. Plato believes that satisfying our desires is something scarcely worth caring about, whereas Mill would encourage us to do so as long as it brings utility rather than harm. Free discussion in Mill’s opinion will only aid us in getting closer to the truth, as who is to decide what is true if there is no proof? A combination of views, questions and opinions are better than one view or opinion that is decided to be true, and not questioned. There are always people who will disagree with something that others agree with, so who is ‘right’? Plato believes that in order to have a productive and harmonious society, conditioning or training is necessary to ensure that the members’ actual desires coincide as far as possible with their real desires, thus reducing conflict. Mill would argue that this is in a sense brainwashing the individuals to believe that they are happy and that they are fulfilling desires, when in fact they are only fulfilling what the Philosopher Kings have told them they desire. Plato believes in critical freedom, which the Kallipolis is intended to provide to its members as much as their nature permits, Mill however believes in actual freedom in which all is permitted but harm (The Harm Principle). Mill’s rejection of social contracts is accompanied with the acceptance of certain rules of conduct in our dealing with others in return for the protection we receive from society. For example, we are bound to observe and respect the rights of others and according to him â€Å"As soon as any part of a person’s conduct affects prejudicially the interests of others, society has jurisdiction over it†. Otherwise Mill states that foolish actions do not deserve penalties, and that mature individuals should be left to develop and coagulate their own views and act on their own impulses. All society can do is help educate its members as to what is moral and immoral before they reach the state of maturity and therefore the freedom they have a right to. Plato’s similes are used to demonstrate the negative aspects of democracy and Athenian politicians. The simile of the cave is used to show how politicians will conceal the truth from the people (represented by the prisoners). The people are ignorant and do not possess the knowledge that they deserve. The prisoners are bound and only have a view of the wall in front of them, there is a fire behind them, between them and the wall is nothing. All that the prisoners can see are shadows of themselves, and of the objects behind them. The prisoners naively believe that the shadows are real as they have nothing else upon which to base their knowledge. One of the prisoners manages to escape from the cave, and in the light of the sun sees the real world for the first time. He realises that all this time he was deceived by shadows. This man, if according to Plato is in possession of the capacity for knowledge and wisdom will feel it is his duty to go back to the cave, release his fellow prisoners and enlighten them. The other prisoners are hard to persuade however, as his exposure to the sunlight renders him unable to see the shadows as clearly as before, and so the prisoners just think that he is less intelligent than when he was trapped. Plato justifies the Philosopher Kings lying to the people in order to protect them. Plato argues the necessity of a structured organised society separate from the outside world in which every individual reaches their maximum potential and has a fundamental part to play in contributing all they can to their community as a whole. Education is available to all members of the Kallipolis regardless of gender. Mill states in his introductory chapter to On Liberty that the ‘struggle between liberty and authority is the most conspicuous feature’. Mill developed a principle to counteract what he calls the ‘interference of collective opinion’ on an individuals’ independence, this principle was called the Liberty principle. Mill and Plato have different styles of communicating their points, Mill expresses his ideas in the form of discursive arguments, Plato however expresses his ideas in the form of dialogue, something which Mill praises Plato for regardless of their conflicting conclusions. Plato’s Kallipolis, or utopia is designed as a hierarchical state consisting of three different classes, the Producers, the Auxiliaries, and the Guardians. These three different classes will have very different experiences of life, and which one they will lead depends on their capacity for knowledge. The three classes experience different upbringings, and receive different levels of education. Plato contradicts himself, he says that all people in the Kallipolis should be ‘friends’ and ‘equals’ yet he also unashamedly states that the Producers will not be able to choose how they wish to live their lives, and that their opinions are the least worthy. The Producers are in effect not free, but rather slaves to their senior ranking class, the Guardians. The Producers are thought to be the least intelligent mass of the population, and they are therefore expected to trust and believe their rulers. This is justified by Plato because it is better for them to be under the control of ‘divine wisdom’ something that the minority of the population possess, and what makes those that do worthy to rule over all others. Plato’s belief is that if these less intelligent people are allowed to think freely, then they will make the wrong choices, and an individual is only worth what they contribute to their community as a whole. This means that personal desires are not as important as the overall functioning of the community, which is immaculately ruled by the Philosopher Kings who have the ability to learn and retain the knowledge leaded to rule and guide the citizens of the Kallipolis. Mill’s views contradict these of Plato’s; his liberalist view is that the individual is important in creating the desired environment within the state and is worthy of reaching their full potential in all areas. Mill considers freedoms of opinion and of actions necessary, and his Harm Principle was made to help protect other individuals from being hurt. Mill believes that individuals have a fundamental right to discover and develop their knowledge to their maximum capacity with the absence of ‘a priori’ constraints. Plato’s view on the freedom of individual development of knowledge is that it is the â€Å"despotism of custom†. Mill prioritises the freedom of thought and expression; he believes that unless we push an argument to its absolute limit, then we cannot claim to fully understand it. Mill says that we must listen to everyone, even those that offend us, or those who we believe to be irrelevant. Mill’s justification for this is that if one person speaks out against an otherwise unanimous society about a certain topic, and they are right, then they could enlighten the mass to the truth. If they speak out and are found to be wrong, then they have simply helped the mass come closer to the truth by falsely opposing it. Plato’s analogy of the Beast shows how politicians will keep society happy in the short term, while not regarding what is best for them in the long term. It works on the basis of keeping the people satisfied rather than truly doing what is best for them (according to Plato). The keeper of the Beast manipulates it with what is wants at the time by giving it treats, with no regards for its health. It is made clear however that the Beast is manipulating the keeper too, by getting what it currently desires out of him. For this reason Plato says that freedom to do what one wants when ignoring the absolute truth, or the long term real effects of certain action or decision can be damaging to the â€Å"inward domain of consciousness†. Similarly, his analogy of the Ship of State depicts his attitude on Athenian democracy. The captain of the ship is stronger than any of the crew, but he lacks the skill of working on and handling the boat. The crew argue over who should be in control, and beg the captain to allow them to take control of the ship. Those who succeed turn the voyage into a â€Å"drunken pleasure cruise†. The true navigator or â€Å"star-gazer† is overlooked by his fellow men although he is the only one skilled enough to actually guide the ship, he possesses the â€Å"art of navigation†, and seamanship. He is unable to gain the control needed to steer the ship to safety. The captain represents Athenian citizens responsive only to the rhetoric of the crew, the crew represent the politicians, they are manipulative and are not concerned with the truth, but rather power. Plato says that eventually the crew will ask the navigator for help, sacrificing their freedom and control for their safety and social benefit. The navigator is capable of using his knowledge of astronomy (knowledge of Being) to help guide the ship and those on it through a world of constantly changing and sometimes-dangerous weather conditions (the world of Becoming). The crew must surrender to the navigator, as he possesses not opinions or beliefs, but facts. The crew have to recognise his superior knowledge and therefore his authority, although they would fail to do so if it did not ultimately benefit them. Mill would argue that this analogy is incomplete, for the crew are able to be taught the skill of navigation themselves and do not need to rely solely on the â€Å"star-gazer†, wouldn’t a crew of capable navigators be better than just one? Mill would argue that it is vital for the well being of the state to be able to argue against the truth. He argues the positive value of blasphemy as it challenges assumptions that are established as being right or wrong. We can criticise Mill for assuming that all individuals are capable of being rational and having rational thoughts and discussions. Equally, Plato fails to recognise the need for questioning and testing and assumes that people will accept sacrificing their freedom because he tells them too. If the â€Å"tyranny of the majority† is to be feared then why would Plato put the minority in power, and deprive the majority of control over their lives and the lives of their children? Mill and Plato hold the same or similar views on the issue of gender. Plato says that all citizens of the Republic, male or female will have access to equal education, as gender is obsolete when knowledge is the main focus, although a woman could never become a Philosopher Ruler. In 1869 Mill wrote â€Å"The Subjection of Women†, in which he encouraged and supported equal rights for both genders. Mill encouraged the equal rights for women on the basis of utility. He argued that we could not criticise women for being less skilled than men if we did not give them equal opportunity to try. He also said that society could not be at its best when half the population could contribute nothing to society outside of the home. Plato had a number of conditions that he says will help maximise the usefulness of all members of society, the stories which children are told must be authorised, and there is the censorship of music and the restriction of meat and fish unless it is roasted. Children are to be removed from their parents and are not to know who their parents are and visa versa. They are to call all males old enough ‘father’ and all females ‘mother’, the purpose of this was to minimise private possessive emotions therefore reinforcing their focus on their relationship with their community. Deformed children and children of inferior breeding will be ‘put away in some mysterious unknown place as they ought to be’. The works of Homer and Hesiod, two of the earliest Greek poets are banned, as they encourage their readers to fear death, and depict the heavens as being filled with the ‘inextinguishable laughter of the blessed Gods’. Plato on the other hand banned loud laughter. Mill would argue that this repression is an infringement of basic human rights, and the suppression of individual development and human flourishing will do nothing but hinder the development and progression of mankind. How can society benefit if most individuals are at a disadvantage as to developing their own unique skills? Plato classifies people in three groups, as gold, the best members of society fit to be guardians, as silver members fit to be soldiers, and the common herd of brass and iron, fit only to be the producers. This is what Plato describes as the ‘one royal lie’ used to deceive both the rulers, and the rest of the city, if he can justify lying about God’s creation of the three differing classes of people then why is he justified in choosing which one they belong to? Breeding is organised with the strongest members of society used simply to keep the population ‘constant’ and as best bred as they can be. The strongest of sires are allowed to have the most children and the weaker ones less. The fundamental difference between Mill and Plato is that while Plato wished to radically change the structure of society in order to condition and force the people to behave and think in a certain way, Mill would leave the people to develop naturally, yet offer them all the education and teaching needed to steer them away from negative things and intervene only when one is inflicting harm upon another. Mill’s two main criticisms of Plato’s republic are that the proper function of the state is to regulate behaviour, not to encourage one or another’s set of belief or values. The second is that tolerance should be restricted to cases where it does not undermine the moral foundations of the community. He would argue that social bigotry should be restrained for the sake of encouraging freedom of thought and expression. Mill endorses Grote’s admiration of Athenian tolerance, as tolerance is a necessity and encourages genius as a society ‘may have persons of talent†¦but genius in such a soil is fatally stunted in it’s growth’. Plato on the other hand criticises Athenian tolerance on the basis that the maintenance of public emotions requires repression by both law and by non-legal sanctions. He held the belief that Athenian tolerance undermines civic spirit required for the furtherance of the tolerant society itself. Aristotle, a student of Plato’s born in 384BC stated that it is ‘the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it’. It is interesting that somebody taught by Plato would recognise the need for the self-development of opinion, something that Mill believes to be essential for a progressive society. Mill states that his father taught him to value Plato and his contributions to philosophy, and he says that he does just that. He called himself a pioneer when he began his translations of Plato’s work. Perhaps this was because he believed that the time that separated the two philosophers had made way for changes albeit dramatic, to Plato’s ideas that would concur with the modern world. Mill criticised Plato for trying to show that virtue is in the individuals’ interest, but also for attempting to give justification that virtue should be preferred at all. Neither Plato nor Mill’s work is flawless, so criticisms can be made on their errors and self-contradictions, yet both of these men helped advance philosophy immensely, and provided the basis of much discussion and debate. For Mill, freedom is necessary and desirable by both the individual and society. For Plato however freedom is not of fundamental concern; it is far more important to live according to the eternal and immutable truths. Herein lays the biggest contrast in the works of these two influential philosophers as regards the relationship between the individual and society.