"Common Sense" by Thomas Paine

1st Quote- "It is repugnant to reason, to the universal order of things to all examples from former ages, to suppose, that this continent can longer remain subject to any external power. The most sanguine in Britain does not think so. The utmost stretch of human wisdom cannot, at this time, compass a plan short of separation, which can promise the continent even a year's security." This is basically saying it is nearly impossible for Britain to be running a colony, while being so far away. Britain is around 3,000 miles away from the colonies and yet they claim they are running them well? They have no idea what the colonists are going through and therefore should not be taxing and making decisions for them. This quote helped influence the colonists because it helped them realize how far Britain really was, and how they should be able to make their own decisions.


2nd Quote- "Europe is too thickly planted with Kingdoms to be long at peace, and whenever a war breaks out between England and any foreign power, the trade of America goes to ruin, BECAUSE OF HER CONNECTION WITH BRITAIN. The next war may not turn out like the last, and should it not, the advocates for reconciliation now will be wishing for separation then, because neutrality in that case would be a safer convoy than a man of war. Every thing that is right or reasonable pleads for separation. The blood of the slain, the weeping voice of nature cries, 'TIS TIME TO PART." This is saying that whenever England goes to war with another country, that the American Colonists are a part of that war too because they are connected to Britain. This turns countries against the colonists, even though it's really Britain's fault and not the colonists. Paine tells the colonists it is time to depart from Britain and move on to be independent. This influenced the undecided colonists because it helped them take the extra step they needed to revolt against the British.


3rd Quote- "WHEREFORE, instead of gazing at each other with suspicious or doubtful curiosity, let each of us hold out to his neighbor the hearty hand of friendship, and unite in drawing a line, which, like an act of oblivion, shall bury in forgetfulness every former dissension. Let the names of Whig and Tory be extinct; and let none other be heard among us, than those of a good citizen, an open and resolute friend, and a virtuous supporter of the RIGHTS of MANKIND, and of the FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES OF AMERICA." This strongly impacted the American Colonists because he basically told them to get up and do something about it. He told them to come together and stop it at once. He also stated that the Torys and Whigs should be forgotten and that everyone should be a supporter of the rights of man.

Sources- http://www.ushistory.org/paine/commonsense/singlehtml.htm



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What is Enlightenment?

1. When Kant says "freedom", he means that mankind should be able to have the freedom to make decisions for themselves in all situations. For example, it says in the except, "All that is required for this is enlightenment is freedom; and particularly the least harmful of all that may be called freedom, namely, the freedom for man to make public use of his reason in all matters."

2. Kant feels that freedom is so central to the Enlightenment because without freedom it is hard for a person to work themselves out of immaturity. Man can not think for themselves because things are always handed to them. For example, Kant says, "He has even become fond of this state and for the time being is actually incapable of using his own understanding, for no one has ever allowed him to attempt it."

3. People become enlightened by releasing themselves from their self-imposed immaturity. Kant says, "All that is required for this is enlightenment is freedom...the freedom for man to make public use of his reason in all matters." An appropriate environment to accomplish this is one that does not lay everything out for you. For example, one must be able to make choices by themselves, without the help of others. Kant gives an example of this by saying, "If I have a book to serve as my understanding, a pastor to serve as my conscience, a physician to determine my diet for me, and so on, I need not exert myself at all."

4. Kant relates enlightenment to politics by saying, "But the manner of thinking of a head of state who favors religious enlightenment goes even further, for he realizes that there is no danger to his legislation in allowing his subjects to use reason publicly and to set before the world their thoughts concerning better formulations of his laws, even if this involves frank criticism of legislation currently in effect." This means that the head of state that allows his people to make decisions for themselves is helping the enlightenment.

Offices of the Roman Republic

The first office of the Roman Republic that I am going to start off with is the Consul. I believe the consul is compared to the President of the American Democracy. They are similar because they are both chief military commanders. Also they both have an age requirement. A consul must be forty-one, or forty-two; depending on if they are a Patrician or Plebeian. A President must be thirty-five years old. Lastly, I believe that they are similar because a Consul is the highest office in the SPQR and the President is the highest in the American Democracy. The next SPQR office I am going to be using to compare is the Aedile. I believe it is like a Governor because they both help maintain public buildings, and regulate public festivals. Also, they both have to enforce public rules and orders. Being an Aedile or Governor are perfect ways to increase popularity and get their name known among others.

One difference between the Roman Senate and the American Senate is that the main purpose for the Roman Senate was to be an advisory council to the two Roman Consuls on military policy, while the main purpose of the American Senate is to ratify treaties with foreign governments and to "check and balance" the power of the federal governments. Secondly, the Roman Senate was a political institution to the Roman Republic, while the American Senate is the upper house of the bicameral United States Congress.

Pericles Funeral Oration

1. According to Pericles, Athens is great because everyone can be apart of the government, whether they are wealthy or poor. He specifically says, "Our form of government is called a democracy because its administration is in the hands, not of a few, but of the whole people." Public office is not based on social standing, but on ability. There is relaxation at home and since Athens is so great he says, "all kinds of imports flow in to us from all over the world."

2. Athens is less strict as a whole when compared to other city-states. Pericles says, "Our city is open to all the world." They do not hide anything from other city-states. Instead of relying on military, they rely on courage. For education, we are always ready to face danger just like the others. Also, they make friendship by helping others, not by being helped. He states, "Helping others makes us a more trustworthy friend, because we then act so as not to lose the good will that our help created."

3. With all the good things, comes some problems in Pericles' description of Athens. Pericles says, "No man is kept out of public office by the obscurity of his social standing because of his
poverty, as long as he wishes to be of service to the state." They take everyone into office if they want to be in it. This is a problem because the person could be uneducated and therefore make wrong decisions for the city-state. Another problem is that they do not have some form of defense. This could result in a disaster if a war were to break out.

Plato & Aristotle Notes

1. Plato
- student of Socrates
- aristocrat (wealthy background)
- his mother married Pericles
- disciple of Socrates
- watched Socrates execution
- left Athens and traveled through Italy and Egypt
- went back to Athens and set up a university called "The Academy"
- taught astronomy etc.
- Aristotle became one of his students
- Plato's stories include The Republic, The Apology, and The Laws
- he invented a mythical city (Atlantis)
- he also invented a place that he speaks of in dialogue as eternal punishment (hell)
- wrote about people's views about the world
- compares life to people in a cave, facing away from the opening, and watching the shadows pass them by
- he believed there were 3 classes: desiring, spiritual, and rational
- desiring always wanted more
- spiritual enjoyed life to the fullest
- rational was educated and very smart
- he believed that if the rational ruled, there would be harmony
- died in 347

2. Aristotle
- disciple of Plato circa 384-322
- more of a scientific guy than Plato
- his father was the personal physician for King of Athens
- moved to Athens at age seventeen and enrolled in "The Academy" for twenty years
- when Plato died, Aristotle left Athens
- he then gets together with the Macedonia King, Philip II
- King Philip asks Aristotle to be the personal tutor of his son, Alexander the Great
- Soon after, Aristotle starts his school "Lyceum"
- its not as formal as "The Academy"
- its a perapedic school and Aristotle's students would follow him on walks for lectures
- starts 2 classes: Esoteric and Exoteric
- Esoteric is private, while Exoteric is public
- he wrote books about metaphysics and ethics
- he made the theory of geocentricity, but was proved wrong by Copernicus
- also he said heavier items fall faster than lighter items, but was proved wrong by Galileo
- did not believe in evolution
- called God a "Prime Mover"
- named earth, wind, fire, and water as the elements
- believed that the soul could leave the body
- believed women could never be excellent, but only intellectual, upper class men could achieve excellence
- called women and children barbarians
- believed women's sole purpose in life was to bare a son

3. Additional Work
Plato and Aristotle's background might have had an impact on their philosophies. Plato was one of Socrates's disciples and therefore that probably had some influence on his philosophies, since Socrates was teaching his believes to his students. One of Plato's ideas was on the topic of tyranny. He believed that if the educated ruled, then there would be harmony. Aristotle's background is that he was a student of Plato, therefore influenced by Plato's ideas. One of Aristotle's ideas was about law. He believed that a perfect constitution consists of half the government making decisions and the other half to be the King's choices.

Top 10 World Issues

10. Racism- Racism may not be thought of as a global problem, but it certainly is. People all over the world are racist toward each other. In Europe, many cultures exist in a small area, which causes hatred between them due to resource availability, but the color of their skin always adds more problems.
9. Democracy- Not everyone in this world has freedom and rights; instead they have to live under the rules of higher authority. An example is Red China.
8. Tobacco Consumption- More and more tobacco is being consumed by people all around the world. Not only does it kill millions, but it also causes poverty and damages the environment.
7. Poverty- Nearly three billion people have to live on two dollars a day or less. That is approximately half the world living at a budget that is very hard to maintain.
6. Human Population- The human population has been growing very rapidly and as this happens, the land becomes more crowded, therefore making living spaces more polluted. Also, natural resources are becoming less abundant as more people use them faster than they can replenish.
5. World Hunger- Food prices have been rising faster than ever lately. Many people do not have the money or ability to purchase these high priced foods. In addition to this, the distribution of food to countries is not equal.
4. Nuclear Weapons- Many countries are said to have nuclear weapons. This poses a threat to all other countries around the world. One country that has nuclear weapons is North Korea.
3. Environmental Issues- Human activity, such as fossil fuels, are causing mass extinctions of species and ecosystems. This is bad because biodiversity is very important and helps an ecosystem recover from natural disasters easier.
2. Health Issues- Many people can not afford treatment for curable diseases, therefore they die when they could have been saved. Also, health care systems have not been provided for over a billion people. Last but not least, over ten million children under the age of five die from malnutrition each and every year.
1. Global Warming- The earth is warming up, polar ice caps are melting, ocean levels are rising, and species are becoming extinct. Air pollutants from fossil fuels, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide from cars, airplanes, and buildings, and much more causes global warming. One of the greatest problems facing earth might be climate change.