Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Aristotle vs Machiavelli essays

Aristotle vs Machiavelli essays Aristotle states that leaders should have moral virtues, not just have them but have the highest of it. They must have it in perfection. According to him, moral virtue is what makes them leaders. A leader is everything in a society. Without one, there is no society. Aristotle states that if you do not have a leader you are living a Barbarian life. By definition, a barbarian is a member of a people considered by those of another nation or group to have a primitive civilization. They are considered to be fierce, brutal, or cruel people. They are also considered to be insensitive and uncultured. Then it is only right for that leader to be able to conquer them, the Barbarians through war. Might makes right. Aristotle and Machiavelli agree on the stratification of society. For example; Ruler and subjects, parents and children, husband and wife. Machiavelli agrees on the stratification of society because he likes order in society. Only difference would be, that he would be prince and rule everything. Machiavelli is not all about moral virtue like Aristotle is. To Machiavelli, the prince does not have to have the highest moral virtue, he should appear to have the highest moral virtue. By appear, he is probably more leaning on the religion aspect, so he could appeal to the people. Aristotle believes that virtue is what makes them leaders. Machiavelli disagrees with that. He believes that virtue is a weakness. A leader should know how to do evil because your enemies know how to, and you should always know what your enemies are capable of for your protection. Machiavelli talks against liberality. He states that liberality will lead you to being despised. If you are liberal as a leader, people will try to take advantage. The people would take the kindness as a weakness. If you are giving everything away to all your subjects you become poor. If that were to happen you lose power. Machiavelli is all about power, so that is defin...

Sunday, March 1, 2020

How Physics Works and Why You We Study It

How Physics Works and Why You We Study It Physics is the scientific study of matter and energy and how they interact with each other.  This energy can take the form of motion, light, electricity, radiation, gravity - just about anything, honestly. Physics deals with matter on scales ranging from sub-atomic particles (i.e. the particles that make up the atom and the particles that make up those particles) to stars and even entire galaxies. How Physics Works As an experimental science, physics utilizes the scientific method to formulate and test hypotheses that are based on observation of the natural world. The goal of physics is to use the results of these experiments to formulate scientific laws, usually expressed in the language of mathematics, which can then be used to predict other phenomena. When you talk about theoretical physics, you are speaking of the area of physics that is focused on developing these laws and using them to extrapolate into new predictions. These predictions from theoretical physicists then create new questions that experimental physicists then develop experiments to test. In this way, the theoretical and experimental components of physics (and science in general) interact with each other and push each other forward to develop new areas of knowledge. The Role of Physics in Other Fields of Science In a broader sense, physics can be seen as the most fundamental of the natural sciences. Chemistry, for example, can be viewed as a complex application of physics, as it focuses on the interaction of energy and matter in chemical systems. We also know that biology is, at its heart, an application of chemical properties in living things, which means that it is also, ultimately, ruled by the physical laws. Of course, we dont think of these other fields as part of physics. When we investigate something scientifically, we look for patterns at the scale that is most appropriate. Though every living thing is acting in a way that is fundamentally driven by the particles of which it is composed, trying to explain an entire ecosystem in terms of the behavior of fundamental particles would be diving into an unhelpful level of detail. Even when looking at the behavior of a liquid, we look in general at the properties of the fluid as a whole through fluid dynamics, rather than paying particular attention to the behavior of the individual particles.   Major Concepts in Physics Because physics covers so much area, it is divided into several specific fields of study, such as electronics, quantum physics, astronomy, and biophysics. Why Is Physics (Or Any Science) Important? Physics includes the study of astronomy, and in many ways, astronomy was humanitys first organized field of science. Ancient peoples looked to the stars and recognized patterns there, then began using mathematical precision to make predictions about what would happen in the heavens based on those patterns. Whatever flaws there were in these specific predictions, the method of trying to understand the unknown was a worthy one. Trying to understand the unknown is still a central problem in human life. Despite all of our advancements in science and technology, being a human being means that you are able to understand some things and also that there are things you do not understand. Science teaches you a methodology for approaching the unknown and asking questions that get to the heart of what is unknown and how to make it known. Physics, in particular, focuses on some of the most fundamental of questions about our physical universe. Pretty much the only more fundamental questions that could be asked fall in the philosophical realm of metaphysics (named for being literally beyond physics), but the problem is that these questions are so fundamental that many of the questions in the metaphysical realm remain unresolved even after centuries or millennia of inquiry by most of historys greatest minds. Physics, on the other hand, has resolved many fundamental issues, even though those resolutions tend to open up whole new types of questions. For more on this subject, check out Why Study Physics? (adapted, with permission, from the book Why Science? by James Trefil).