Allegory Of Cave And Myth Of Sisyphus Essays - Sisyphus,

Allegory Of Cave And Myth Of Sisyphus The Allegory of the Cave," written by Plato, is a parable entailing that humans are afraid of change and what they do not know. In this situation he gives, men are living in an underground cave. There is only one entrance and it is at the top. Near the entrance of the cave there is a fire burning which casts a shadow. The men living in the cave have been there their whole life. They are chained so that they can only see the wall and cannot turn around. When objects pass by it creates a shadow on the wall. The shadows are the only thing they can see and therefore is the only thing they know to exist. Somehow one of them gets loose and wonders outside the cave. When he gets out, he is astonished at what he finds. He comes back in to tell the others about what he saw. The other men think he is mad and plot to kill him. This shows that people are afraid of change or what they do not know. This is true even today. For instance, one of the major causes of stress is change. A change in your job, lifestyle, or who your significant other can cause stress. Another example comes from a survey on which race people dislike the most. The list had all the known races and then there was one that was made up. Although they had never heard of that particular race, it was picked as the most disliked. This shows that people are afraid or dislike what they do not know. Albert Camus, who is the author of "The Myth of Sisyphus," is another parable. The man in the story, Sisyphus, has been condemned by the gods to roll a rock to the top of a mountain every day of his life. Every day he would roll it up the mountain and then the rock would roll back down to the bottom. We are told that Sisyphus is an absurd hero. He is called this because he knows what will happen after the rock is rolled to the top, yet he is content with doing so. "Sisyphus, proletarian of the gods, powerless and rebellious, knows the whole extent of his wretched condition: it is what he thinks of during his descend. The lucidity that was to constitute his torture at the same time crowns his victory." The gods have done this to him for punishment, but Sisyphus does not see it as that. Camus writes, "The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy." I think that this story relates to us a great deal. Camus addresses this when he writes, "The workman of today works every day in his life at the same tasks, and his fate is no less absurd." This statement is true in that we all have our daily regiment that we go through. And every day we finish it, yet the next day we will have to do the same thing. The "Allegory of the Cave" and "The Myth of Sisyphus," are both an attempt to explain some aspect of the way people think or why we do what we do. I believe that the "The Myth of Sisyphus" is the most realistic of the two. It is true that every day we strive to finish whatever it is that we have to do; knowing the next day we will have to do it again. This story made me think about my own life. For instance, right now I am up late doing something for school. I had plenty of time to do it earlier, but I put it off to the very last minute. I will do the very same thing tomorrow, instead of getting my schoolwork done during reasonable hours; I will wait until the last minute.

Contract law on either the promise principle or on the principle of economic efficiency Essays

Contract law on either the promise principle or on the principle of economic efficiency Essays Contract law on either the promise principle or on the principle of economic efficiency Paper Contract law on either the promise principle or on the principle of economic efficiency Paper Essay Topic: On Liberty The Social Contract In this essay, these two distinct theories will be examined respectively and illustration will be appearing in cases. Frieds explanation of contract law centers on the promise principle, which he sees as the moral basis of contract law. He suggests that all contracts are promises, which are morally enforceable according to the moral conception a promise must be kept. Therefore it is appropriate for the law to enforce them. Fried argues that by promising we transform a choice that was morally neutral into one that is morally compelled. 1 It is quite obvious that promises, from Frieds point of view, largely rest upon morality as its fundamental ground, which binds the promisor to his individual obligation of keeping his promise. This is a cultural based assumption that risks the danger of generalizing moralities. As the perception of standard of values varies through time beings and societies, it is almost impossible to generate an conception that will be well maintained and equally appreciated by all cultural and religions, especially those distinct from Western cultural basis. After all, cultural is biased, and it should not be understood as a stable or steady ground to bring up enforceability on individuals as to fulfilling certain obligations. Frieds view also presupposes an intention to be bound on the part of the promisor, an individual is morally bound to keep his promises because he has intentionally invoked a convention whose function it is to give grounds-moral grounds-for another to expect the promised performance. He advocates the conception proposed by the will theory, which sees the contractual obligation as essentially self-imposed. It is suggested that this conception carry out an implication of liberal individualism, as individuals are at free choices when facing whether to bring up such obligation at the moment of promising. Notwithstanding the fact that promise principle was embraced as an expression of the principle of liberty,4 Frieds theory gives the implication that a moral obligation attaching to a promise becomes incurred rather than accepted by the promisor. 5 Hence the mere fact of giving a promise is to create a moral obligation to perform it, which is contradictory because now the individual liberty is somehow limited by choices. He also argues that a promise puts the moral charge on a potential act. A promise is a future action or performance invested in present tense. A promise binds into the future, well past the moment when the promise is made. 6 The moral obligation to keep the promise is a mean allowing persons to take responsibility for the good they choose, which demands high attention and respect. Furthermore, the freedom to bind oneself contractually to a future disposition is an important example of this freedom on disposition because in a promise one is taking responsibility not only for ones present self but for ones future self. Putting Frieds theory on testing. In Clifton v Palumbo 7, according to Frieds idea of contract, the court decision would have favored the defendant as the plaintiff had written in his very first note offering the defendant to sell his estate. His first note of writing promised the defendant this offer and so his promise should be kept, regardless of changing his mind later, as he may free to do so, but not free to break his promise8. Nevertheless, the court has hold for the plaintiff because his first note containing phrases and expressions of doubtful significance. Therefore, it did not constitute a contract in first place. In fact, the result of this case shows that Frieds definition is too wide since not all promises are contracts. 9 Frieds thesis is based on the value of individual liberty and responsibility. In contrast, Collins principle of economic efficiency puts emphasis on the balance between the respect for individual liberty and commmunitarian values on the law. Collins defines the purpose of the law of contract as chandelling and regulation of market transactions according to ideal of social justice. 0 He outlines the significant changes in modern law contract from the classical law of contract, which focuses on liberty, equality and reciprocity as ideals of the justice of exchange that make up the conception of the market order. Collins suggests these changes in modern law of contract concerns the legitimacy of the market order. Whereas the ideal of the justice of exchange perceived the virtue of the market order in its respect for the values of liberty, equality, and reciprocity. 11 Collins sees all exchange activities are market transactions, which may involve two or multiple parties. In order to assure that these transactions are operating under a fair sphere, market order should be carefully preserved so that individual liberty will not be interfered. Therefore, he points out the importance of communitarian values on the law. In his view, the states role is to maintain the prescription of fair market. 12 Two criticisms that are brought up to against the assumption of freedom of contract as suggested in classical contract law reinforce the impact of communitarian values on law. Firstly, the freedom of contract facilitates a subtle form of domination, no less effective for being the product of an agreement than if it were imposed directly by the state. 13 Large corporations are at advantage as they may routinely dominate their suppliers through contractual arrangement. Secondly, the fairness of distributive consequence in wealth is yet another result under the influences of freedom of contract because the state ignores the equivalence in value as to both parties. In order to serve in a place of a broad discretion to make enforceable contracts of ones choice, the modern law directly imposes patterns of responsibility and closely regulates the fairness of the distributive consequences of the operation of the market. 14 Collins concludes, modern law insists that the market order can be legitimate only when it achievers a proper balance between, on the one had, a respect for individual dignity and quality and, on the other, a fair distribution of wealth, the avoidance of unjustifiable domination, and a duty to respect the interests of others. 5 In addition, Collins agrees on that court often exercising a certain degree of discretion as case to case. Its the policy considerations that largely influence judges decisions, not the general rules. Furthermore, the policy factors that are taken into account in cases, often clearly signal the presence of the balancing process between respect for private autonomy and the communitarian value of concern for the interests of another runs through the modern law of contractual responsibility. In Holwell Securities Ltd v Hughes 16, the court favors Collins idea as they took relevant policy consideration into account. The plaintiff had posted a letter to excise his option to purchase. However the letter never reached the defendant, an acceptance was not communicated to the offeror. 17 In conclusion, both Fried and Collins theories have contributed greatly to the knowledge of contract law. The promise principle examines the contract through a moral perspective, whereas the principle of economic efficiency explains the law of contract in a social context.

Structural design 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Structural design 1 - Essay Example Failure to carry out proper structural design results to the building being too weak and it may collapse killing many people (Charlton, 1973). A structural engineer has very important roles in designing the support of the house as well as designing the layout of the building. The engineer works closely with the architect to ensure stability of the building. The main challenges of any structural design are; The structure engineer has to critically evaluate and analyze different materials and their behavior when loaded and select the most effective and affordable materials. These analysis are important so that the engineer can come up with a design that is economical and can withstand load. Structural design ensures that the building stands straight, firm and safe. It also ensures that the building resist excessive deflections that expose the structural elements to fatigue. The structural elements must be designed to resist cracking and creep. The design postulated by the structural engineer must also take in consideration the changes in length of the building materials due to change in temperatures as this lead to deformation of materials. The design must be made to the material specifications including all the manufacturing tolerances. The major structural element used in building includes columns, beams plates, arches, shells and catenaries(Science Corporation, 2001). Columns are elements that carry the axial ... The design must be made to the material specifications including all the manufacturing tolerances. The major structural element used in building includes columns, beams plates, arches, shells and catenaries(Science Corporation, 2001). Materials and methods In this design the following structural members will be used. ColumnsColumns are elements that carry the axial force. The force may be either in tension or in compression. The main design consideration is the axial capacity of the column and the buckling capacity. The buckling capacity of the element is it ability to resist buckling. This capacity depends on the; The physical geometry of the beam The effective length of the column (this length depends on the resisting capability at both end of the column). The degree of bending of the column determines the capacity of the column. Beams There are two types of beams used in this design. Beams are subjected to pure bending. The result of this is bending causes parts of the beam to be in tension while the other part to be in compression. Beam Sections under tension must be designed to resist it while sections in compression must be designed to resist crushing and buckling. In cases where the beams are very long, trusses are incorporated. When a beam is under tension ties are used to resist these forces, struts are used where beams need to withstand compressive forces. Cantilever beam This type of beam is supported at one end. The other end lies free. Simply supported beam This type of beam is supported vertically at the two ends. At one of the ends it is supported horizontally to enable it rotate at its support. This prevents