The Impact of Marxism on Western Civilization Assignment

The Impact of Marxism on Western Civilization - Assignment Example A system of social and economic analysis, Marxism came into existence during The Enlightenment era; a period in time characterized by widespread slavery, pervasive disenfranchisement of the right of women to vote, extreme discrimination of the poor, particularly in Europe, and imperialism that saw jostling for resources by the European powers extended to Africa and the far east. To be sure, the world was under the control of a handful of extremely wealthy lords, yet scientific modes of production were at the early stages of development; man [the poor] was basically the source of wealth amassed and concentrated in the few hands. Essentially, Marxism developed out of philosophical materialism; a view that events in the universe follow the laws of nature and that the notion of superhuman upheld by fore-agents of capitalism is headed for a crumble and the subsequent takeover by communism someday. Marx's theoretical analysis centered upon the idea that social systems rise and fall as a re sult of the obstructive impediments to the development of collective, human productive power. In his analysis, the convergence of history and economics would be the causal effect to the ultimate breakdown of capitalism, arguing that historical processes evolved towards the realization of the inevitable pre-determined moral ideals. Noteworthy, Karl Marx was the pioneer thinker to boldly and comprehensively bring to the fore the understanding that the working class were the engine to a prosperous society., and thus are crucially fundamental in determining its course. In his theory of dialectical materialism, a theory share by Engels, Marx believed that everything in the universe revolves around materialism, and that the defined boundaries of encroachment are just but man-made concepts that are nonexistent in the Absolute state of nature (Shimp 37). Marx argues that there can be no freedom for the great mass of the working class as long as economic control [the vast resources] remains in the hands of the few political favorites; an unpalatable argument to the liberals who support the right to hold economic power and the subsequent freedom of its usage as the owner(s) may deem fit. According to Marx’s theory of historical materialism, capitalism was/is a social evil constantly under transformative economic forces towards a system that guarantees equality of mankind. Friedrich Engels, Marx’s longtime friend and coauthor, notes that Marx’s theory of Historical Materialism was a â€Å"law of development of human history†

Death as Fact of Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Death as Fact of Life - Essay Example Grief is believed to be the emotional imbalance felt by individuals after a certain loss. Grief turns to be quite complex in nature and sometimes it is misunderstood. Unfortunately, Grief is part of our lives since we all will experience it at one time or another in our lifetime (Becker, 23). The stages of grief remain the same whether brought through divorce, death or some other loss. We have five stages of grief, and it is believed that if an individual is stuck in one of these stages the grieving process is said to be incomplete. This means that the individual will not fully heal when there is a loss. The grieving stages occur differently in each individual since each individual has his own healing pace (Becker, 54). Therefore, an individual will only move to the next stage when he or she is ready. Individuals must complete the five stages of grieving for healing to occur. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross has reviewed the grief stages (five) experienced by individuals after a serious loss: d enial, bargaining, anger, sadness, and acceptance. Her study greatly involves dying patients’ process until their death finally comes. These emotional stages occur in human life before their death in an unpredictable order. Her study also revealed that the emotion reactions ranged from one individual to another due to the uniqueness possessed by people (Becker, 74). The reactions could have also been affected by various strategies used by individuals to overcome the stressing moment. Denial is the first stage of the Kubler-Ross model. This is where patients refuse to accept that they are in the progression towards death. Her research reveals that most of her patients claim that they feel fine, and others cannot believe that they are awaiting death. Denial is usually a short-term defense mechanism for the dying individuals (Kubler, 102). Some of the individuals make this stage worse when they think of the property they will leave behind after their death. When individuals cons tantly refuse to accept the fact that they on the dying edge they find themselves locked in this stage. When they are locked in this stage, they find themselves in a stressful moment. Kubler recommends that the health professionals and relatives to the dying individual should not keep the patient in dark about his or her real condition of health. When patients are hindered from the truth, he is prevented from adjusting to acceptance that death is surely going to happen. Anger is another emotional state where the dying individual has a number of questions. The individual is in question â€Å"Why me?† or â€Å"How can this be happening to me?† When anger arises in the victims, feelings are complicated for anyone to understand due to the patient’s fury and jealousy. Patients express their anger in different ways where some characters are annoyed of themselves or because of other people. Kubler advises that we should not judge individuals who are in anger out of gri ef. Moreover, we should continue showing love and care to help them get through the most difficult time of their life. Some of the individuals experiencing this stage may opt to commit suicide (Kubler, 103). After the individuals are past the anger stage, they face the bargaining stage. During this stage, individuals are ready to do anything just to delay their death. Most victims cry out to God to extend their life, and if they were granted a second chance, they would modify their lifestyle. According to the psychiatrist