Explain the philosophy of "Manifest Destiny."?
Manifest Destiny was the belief that the United States was destined to expand from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific Ocean; it has also been used to advocate for or justify other territorial acquisitions.
How good is it to choose philosophy as a profession?
Majoring in philosophy then getting a job in some other field, like law or politics or finance or whatever, is a pretty good way to go. In the liberal arts, it boasts the highest mid-career salary, and beats accounting and marketing, etc.CUBAN: Don't go to school for finance — liberal arts is the futureThat 'Useless' Liberal Arts Degree Has Become Tech's Hottest TicketThe Earning Power of Philosophy MajorsHowever, outside of some exotic examples, to earn as a professional philosopher is to become an academic, usually a philosophy professor. In the US, most philosophy professors are adjuncts or part-timers, and they earn what most humanities adjuncts earn: very little for a lot of work. If you’re very lucky, however, you can land a tenure-track position.To land a tenure-track position in philosophy anywhere is brutally difficult, and it is becoming increasingly more so as students become increasingly more desperate to compete for more lucrative STEM majors and as the demand for higher education will begin to decline once the echo boomers cycle through. And, no matter where you wind up getting tenure, you’ll never feel like you’re earning enough. Compared to peers in STEM and in the private sector with comparable educational background, you’ll always earn a pittance.However, if you get tenured then, basically, you’ll generally have life-time job security, which is exceptionally rare these days. You’ll also get to spend much of your working time doing something you actually enjoy (i.e., philosophy). (You’ll also spend much of your working time doing what you don’t want to do; e.g., administrative work, grading, etc.) So, on balance, it’s a trade off between earning a lot and doing what you enjoy doing with job security.Sometimes I think of what I could do had I chosen a profession in which I can earn more. But then I immediately think of what I would have had to go through to earn like that, and I’m generally happy with the choice that I’ve made. So, if you think earning a lot of money is what’s “good” for you, then philosophy is not a good profession. But if you think you can compete successfully for a tenure-track job, and spending time doing mostly what you like is better than spending it doing something you mostly don’t to make more money, then it’s “good.” (The trouble is, you won’t know what’s “good” for you either way until it’s too late to change your mind.)
What is Ayn Rand philosophy of objectivism all about?
It is ironically funny that Jake says Wiki explains it well, when he doesn't like Objectivism. The Wiki ariticle was written by Ayn Rand's chosen heir, the man who is allowed to speak in her name, Leonard Peikoff. Here is Rand's own description of Objectivism. http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/object... The third one is important to understand. It explains the basics. How to translate those basics into everyday philosophy-of-living is more difficult, but once you understand the philosophy better, it becomes easier. Her first work, a novelette called "Anthem" has been called the most beautiful prose poem in the English language. You can read it in an hour or two depending on your speed. The whole thing is here http://www.noblesoul.com/orc/texts/anthe... Chapter 11 is very revealing about how she believes the human soul is the most important thing any human owns. It goes right along, as she explains it other places, with Thomas Jefferson's ideal of the political "individual sovereign", the minority of one. As for political parties, many of her followers voted for Ronald Reagan because of his political strength and commitment to America. He angered her, however, by his insistence that abortion was wrong, but if she had lived long enough to see how he was able to help bring down Soviet Russia and the Berlin Wall and end the Cold War, she would have been satisfied. Ron Paul is the closest thing to an Objectivist in Congress, and if he runs for the Presidency, even as a 3rd party, he might win this time.
Is there a difference between Liberal and Socialist? ?
Liberalism emerged in opposition to feudalism. Classical liberalism, exemplified by the writings of John Locke, emphasized the social contract rationale for the state, and sought both majoritarian and rights-based limits on its power. John Locke emphasized a labor theory of property, and later, Adam Smith defended a labor theory of value, praised free markets, and condemned mercantilism. Socialism emerged in opposition to capitalism. [Actually-existing capitalism; not all socialists identify free markets with capitalism; I certainly don't]. The earliest socialists focused on experimental communities; the later generations focus on class struggle. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the western world moved away from late feudalism and towards capitalism. In practice, this meant moving from feudal mercantilism to capitalist mercantilism, and both liberalism and socialism changed in response. Liberal-pluralists and social-democrats view monopoly and inequality as natural consequence of the free market, and argue that government regulation is necessary to address market failures, to limit monopolies, and to create justice. (For the liberal-pluralists, Rawls' equality-based theory of justice supplements rights-based theories). Democratic socialists go much farther. They condemn much of presently-asserted private property, and see the democratic state helping transform the economy from state-based capitalism, to some small-state or no-state socialism. Libertarian socialists also go much farther, in another direction. The liberals, William Godwin and Thomas Hodgskin, independently approached libertarian socialist ideas, but Josiah Warren and Pierre-Joseph Proudhon are generally considered the first true libertarian socialists. The principle of federation can be seen as an anarchist response to the social contract; it retains the voluntary elements, and removes the hierarchical ones. We condemn much of presently-asserted private property, not for being private, but for being stolen and/or extorted and/or fraudulent. "[Capitalist] property is theft," but "[possessive] property is freedom." Our economics range from free-market-based to anarcho-communist.
Is the default ideology for high school students liberalism or conservatism?
Public schools and liberalism pretty much go hand in hand. That is what they are taught. Hopefully they have a strong enough value sytem in the home to counter some of that. You don't see the NEA withholding money from its members' paychecks and sending it to the Republicans.
Which of the following is a difference between liberals and socialists??
a. Socialists have stronger adherence to traditional social and religious values than liberals. b. Socialists have commitment to egalitarianism than liberals. c. Unlike liberals, socialists have zero tolerance for strong government. d. Unlike liberals, socialists advocate active government intervention to protect civil rights. e. Unlike liberals, socialists oppose government redistribution of income.