What Was Absolutism

Absolutism is a political theory and form of government in which unlimited, complete power is held by a centralized sovereign individual, with no checks or balances from any other part of the nation or government. In effect, the ruling individual has absolute power, with no legal, electoral, or other challenges to that power. In practice, historians argue whether Europe saw any true absolutist governments, but the term has been applied—rightly or wrongly—to various leaders, from the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler to monarchs including Louis XIV of France and Julius Caesar. Absolute Age/Absolute Monarchies Referring to European history, the theory and practice of absolutism are generally spoken about with regard to the absolutist monarchs  of the early modern age (16th to 18th centuries). It is much rarer to find any discussion of the 20th century dictators as absolutist. Early modern absolutism is believed to have existed across Europe, but largely in the west in states such as Spain, Prussia, and Austria. It is considered to have reached its apogee under the rule of French King Louis XIV from 1643 to 1715, although there are dissenting views—such as that of historian Roger Mettam—suggesting that this was more dream than reality. By the late 1980s, the situation in historiography was such that a historian could write in The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Political Thought that â€Å"there has emerged a consensus that the absolutist monarchies of Europe never succeeded in freeing themselves from restraints on the effective exercise of power. What is now generally believed is that Europe’s absolute monarchs still had to recognize lower laws and offices but maintained the ability to overrule them if it benefited the kingdom. Absolutism was a way in which the central government could cut across the laws and structures of territories that had been acquired piecemeal through war and inheritance, a way of trying to maximize the revenue and control of these sometimes disparate holdings. The absolutist monarchs had seen this power centralize and expand as they became rulers of modern nation-states, which had emerged from more medieval forms of government, where nobles, councils/parliaments, and the church had held powers and acted as checks, if not outright rivals, on the old-style monarch. A New Style of State This developed into a new style of state that had been aided by new tax laws and centralized bureaucracy allowing standing armies reliant on the king, not nobles, and concepts of the sovereign nation. The demands of an evolving military are now one of the more popular explanations for why absolutism developed. Nobles weren’t exactly pushed aside by absolutism and the loss of their autonomy, as they could benefit greatly from jobs, honors, and income within the system. However, there is often a conflation of absolutism with despotism, which is politically unpleasant to modern ears. This was something absolutist era theorists tried to differentiate, and modern historian John Miller takes issue with it, too, arguing how we might better understand the thinkers and kings of the early modern era: â€Å"Absolute monarchies helped to bring a sense of nationhood to disparate territories, to establish a measure of public order and to promote prosperity†¦we need therefore to jettison the liberal and democratic preconceptions of the twentieth century and instead think in terms of an impoverished and precarious existence, of low expectations and of submission to the will of God and to the king. Enlightened Absolutism During the Enlightenment,  several absolute monarchs—such as Frederick I of Prussia, Catherine the Great of Russia, and Habsburg Austrian leaders—attempted to introduce Enlightenment-inspired reforms while still strictly controlling their nations. Serfdom was abolished or reduced, more equality among subjects (but not with the monarch) was introduced, and some free speech allowed. The idea was to justify the absolutist government by using that power to create a better life for the subjects. This style of rule became known as Enlightened Absolutism. The presence of some leading Enlightenment thinkers in this process has been used as a stick to beat the Enlightenment by people who would like to go back to older forms of civilization. Its important to remember the dynamics of the time and the interplay of personalities. End of Absolute Monarchy The age of absolute monarchy came to an end in the late 18th and 19th centuries as popular agitation for more democracy and accountability grew. Many former absolutists (or partly absolutist states) had to issue constitutions, but the absolutist kings of France fell the hardest, one being removed from power and executed during the French Revolution. If Enlightenment thinkers had helped the absolute monarchs, the Enlightenment thinking they developed helped destroy their later rulers. Underpinnings The most common theory used to underpin the early modern absolutist monarchs was the divine right of kings, which derived from medieval ideas of kingship. These claimed that monarchs held their authority directly from God and that the king in his kingdom was as God in his creation, enabling the absolutist monarchs to challenge the power of the church, effectively removing it as a rival to the sovereigns and making their power more absolute. It also gave them an extra layer of legitimacy, although one not unique to the absolutist era. The church, sometimes against its judgment, came to support absolute monarchy and to get out of its way. A different train of thought espoused by some political philosophers was natural law, which held that there are certain immutable, naturally occurring laws that affect states. Thinkers such as Thomas Hobbes saw absolute power as an answer to problems caused by natural law: that members of a country gave up certain freedoms and put their power in the hands of one person to safeguard order and give security. The alternative was violence driven by basic forces such as greed. Sources Miller, David, editor. The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Political Thought. Wiley-Blackwell.Miller, John. Absolutism in Seventeenth-Century Europe. Palgrave Macmillan.

Little Brother Succeeds By Cory Doctorow - 1243 Words

In all mediums of storytelling, storylines never follow a singular plots. Writers often attempt to shovel in various subplots as a means of trying to captivate audiences who are not as interested by the main story. These subplots often revolve around the main story in the sense that they coexist but do not affect it. This entirely ruins the purpose of including subplots, as they should intertwine with and almost become a part of the main plotline. This is where Cory Doctorow s novel Little Brother succeeds. Throughout the novel, Doctorow focuses mainly on the story of Marcus Yallow, a high schooler living in San Francisco with gifted abilities in hacking, and his friends as he fights the manipulative government branch: The Department of†¦show more content†¦He writes Ange and Marcus’ characters so that together, they have a natural chemistry together in both dialogue and actions. At one point, near the middle of the novel, Marcus and Ange go out on date to one of Ange ’s favorite restaurants. The two decide to go to a burrito place. While there, Ange pulls out a stainless steel canister and excessively sprays her burrito with it’s contents. Marcus asks her what she sprays her burrito with, to which she informs him that This is like pepper spray but slightly more dilute. And way more delicious. Think of it as Spicy Cajun Visine if it helps(68). There is no other passage in the novel that can exhibit Marcus and Ange’s almost comedic chemistry together so perfectly. Ange is, by heart, more of an eccentric. She enjoys going out of her way so that she may eat spicy foods. She has an excessively liberal sense of mind and lives life how she sees fit. On the other hand, Marcus has a much more conservative mentalities despite literally fighting against the government. He openly voices his disgust to his date in a way that lets Ange know he feels appalled, but still still likes her by asking What the hell are you doing to that poor, de fenseless burrito?(68). The two are an unlikely pair that is both entertaining and relatable to readers. The sincerity of their

Leadership Effectiveness and Capabilities

Question: Discuss about the Leadership Effectiveness and Capabilities. Answer: Introduction: The ASB Bank in New Zealand was founded in 1847 by the mother company; the Common Wealth Bank of Australia and provides banking and financial services. The organization is guided by the values of integrity, respect, passion and ambition in its quest to achieve profitable growth. The institution offers a broad range of services such as savings accounts, personal loans retirement schemes, business accounts and business insurance products. The ASB bank growth strategies encompass business diversification, creating capacity and adoption of technology in service delivery. ASB CEO Leadership Qualities The ASB Bank chief executive officer; Barbara Chapman displays the qualities of a visionary leader through the adoption of technology in the bank. Barbara pioneered customers communication through social media platforms after data emerged that most people are embracing the use of social media. Additionally, she championed for mobile banking to make it easy for customers to access banking services. Barbara is a courageous leader and informed risk taker (Bergh, 2011). The CEO invested more than $460 million in a new banking computer system and launched 25 branches across the country in anticipation of business growth. The banks chief is optimistic that technology adoption will create capacity for the customers, enabling easier and fast service and grow the organization revenues (Vaughan, 2016). Moreover, the CEO is an ambitious person and leads the team in setting reasonable targets and motivates the members to focus on achieving the goals. Leadership Capabilities in Building Relationship and Trust A leader influences, guides, and direct people in taking certain actions in an attempt to achieve the set goals. However, leadership does not only entail guiding people to common goals but also demands the capability to build healthy relationship and trust among colleagues and followers. An effective leader must have excellent communication skills to persuade and convince people. Successful leaders must communicate clearly to relate their visions to the team (Chuang, 2013). Real leadership must invest in effective communication to motivate the team. Building trust in the workplace demands honesty and trustworthy leaders. Conducting oneself in an honest and ethical manner is a bridge to an effective leadership (Daft, 2014).Followers emulates the behavior of their leader and, thus, to build trust leaders must always tell the truth. Integrity calls for truthfulness all the time irrespective of the situation. Leaders must delegate duties to followers to create trust which is critical for a healthy relationship. Task delegation signals strength and a quality of good leader (Martindale, 2011). Trusting individuals and teams with the responsibility of driving the organization vision will create confidence and good relationship. The teams will share the vision of the company and give the best in duties. Good leaders are humble and approachable. Humility in leadership builds a good and trustable relationship through recognition of other people (Chuang, 2013). Great leaders are humble and appreciate the contribution of others and not taking the credit for everything. Leaders with the capability to suppress their egos are admirable and build trust among followers. An approachable leader gets along with everyone and builds a good relationship. ASB CEO Capabilities in Building Relationship and Trust The ASB bank CEO displays excellent communication skills in her leadership. Barbara communicates the management vision to employees and persuades them towards adopting the goals. The ASB bank has scored highly on management-staff engagement since 2012 (ASB, 2013). During the adoption of technology, the CEO informed people on the potential changes. The group CEO is an honest person and emphasizes on the values of integrity. Barbara engages the employees in a truthful manner and not afraid of talking about potential repercussions of taking certain actions (Parker, 2012).Moreover, Barbara builds confidence in her juniors through delegation of duties. The CEO trusts other executive managers with strategy execution. Transformational Leadership in ASB ASB bank practices transformational leadership. Transformational leadership spurs changes in individuals and social systems and instilling leadership qualities to followers (Garca-Morales, Jimnez-Barrionuevo Gutirrez-Gutirrez, 2012). The leadership enhances employees morale and motivates them to good performance. Transformational leadership develops challenging visions in consultation with the employees and comes up with a strategy to achieve the objectives (Chuang, 2013). Thus, the style inspires employees, instill confidence and express optimism. The ASB CEO came up with the vision to embrace technology in customer services through social media platforms and involved employees in the set-up of a new banking computer system (PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2015). Additionally, the CEO motivates the juniors through delegation of duties and challenges them to take responsibility for the bank's projects execution. Barbara expresses optimism that the bank adoption of technology will yield positive results in service delivery. Strengths and Weakness of Transformational Leadership Transformational leadership mentors and inspires teams to work together to enhance productivity. The style draws more commitment from employees due to a shared organization vision. In the quest to improve production, employees are trained and develop skills to stimulate innovation that benefits the company (Daft, 2014). However, the leadership style permits excessive risk which can be harmful and disruptive to the institution. The style can drive a company into persuading ideas that do not benefit the organization and cause employees burn out due long working hours in an attempt to achieve the goal. Shift from Control-Empowerment Paradigm Contemporary Organizations should move from a paradigm of power to empowering through involving the staffs in the decision-making process on critical changes. Employees should be consulted when the management conceives the vision of the organization (Ali, 2012). The organizations should adopt a transformational leadership that engages the workers through consultation and not coercion. Leaders should involve employees in the planning and evaluation of the companys projects to build trust and create a healthy working environment. Additionally, leaders should delegate duties to staffs to build confidence and give a sense of responsibility for them to make important decisions. ASB Implementation of Control-Empowerment Paradigm The ASB bank can adopt the empowerment paradigm through getting the employees suggestion on critical decisions. Organizations can collect employees opinions through survey and questionnaires (Ali, 2012). Additionally, the company can have employees representatives on the management table to contribute to the decision-making process. The bank can have a policy on employee participation compelling the management to have meetings with all employees when they want to implement significant changes. Moreover, leaders delegating important organization task to employees is the greatest route to empowerment. The employees will be responsible for the projects and exercise control for the success of the projects, hence, Instilling confidence and trust. Possible ASB employees Reactions Embracing empowerment paradigm will give employees a voice on the organization's decision. Thus, ASB bank employees might respond to the changes with a positive vision (Wittig, 2012). The employees will be aware that empowerment is good for their welfare and thus will appreciate the changes and have trust with the organization leadership. Furthermore, the employees might react with enthusiasm eager to face the new challenges of decision-making. Personal Leadership Style Democratic leadership My take on Leadership is the ability to guide and motivate people to work towards a common goal on their volition through consultation. I would love to acquire the capabilities of a democratic leadership style. This leadership style will enable me to create a harmonious environment for my followers. My Strengths I am a good communicator. I am able to clearly communicate my argument through writing and speech. I have very strong persuasive nature through facts and tend to convince people to adopt my thinking. I am a good turn taker and give people time to express themselves. I hear, listen and observe non-verbal ques to respond effectively. Democratic leadership involves discussion and building consensus with other parties (Woods, 2004). The ability to listen and comprehend other people point of views will put me in a good position to embrace what I do not know and evaluate the suitability of the decision. Additionally, good communication will help me persuade the disgruntled parties to accept my stand which I perceive as effective. I am very co-operative and committed. I dedicate myself towards the achieving of an agreement. I am a team player and interact well with people during team duties. I give my best to ensure success of a group task. Democratic leaders should have the ability to hono r an agreement and stick to it. Being able to accept and commit to the actualization of a decision is an added advantage. This personality would make me a good democratic leader through committing myself to the negotiation process and the overall outcome in the consensus. I am respectful and humble. I respect peoples views irrespective of the situation whether positive or negative. Additionally, I recognized the value of everyones contribution and not perceive myself to know everything. I always acknowledge where I went wrong and apologize. Democracy involves receiving different views of people at the bargaining table and the ability to stomach differing views is critical for this leadership style (Woods, 2004). These traits would help me accommodate varied reactions and be confident and humble. I will ready to learn from others and apologize for any wrong. I am honest and truthful. I am a person of integrity and tell the truth regardless of the consequences. I value other people an d act in a way that benefits them. Successful democratic leadership would entail being truthful at the negotiation table. Democracy demands openness with information and motives, and this would position me at good leadership position as I always act in good faith and integrity. My Weakness I am a very impatient person. I always want instant results to various actions. I am bored by lengthy meetings and delayed decisions. Democracy entails negotiation and listening to every person point of view which would take a lot of time. Being impatient would put me in a tough situation as I would love to make fast decisions that would mean I ignore other peoples concerns. The negotiation process would go for days and months and thus, would demand patience so as not to compromise negotiations and the final decision. Capability to Develop Throughout the course, I would love to develop the ability to delegate duties and trusting on others to do a good job. Being able to assign important responsibility to other people bestows confidence and indicates a strong leader. I will try to let my colleagues handle some key personal duties that mean a lot to me. Additionally, I will take the responsibility of sharing different class task to friends and learn how to trust people. References Ali, A. (2012). Significance of Paradigm Shift from" Management to Leadership"-A Review of Literature. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 2(10), 499. ASB (2013, September 16). Experience the Future of Banking with the ASB Innovation Lab. Retrieved August 30, 2016, from https://blog.asb.co.nz/posts/2013/09/experience-the-future-of-banking-with-the-asb-innovation-lab.html Bergh, R. (2011, June 7). The Woman Taking ASB Beyond Goldstein. Retrieved from https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/5240946/The-woman-taking-ASB-beyond-Goldstein Chuang, S. F. (2013). Essential Skills for Leadership Effectiveness in diverse Workplace Development. Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development, 6(1), 5. Daft, R. L. (2014). The Leadership Experience. Cengage Learning. Garca-Morales, V. J., Jimnez-Barrionuevo, M. M., Gutirrez-Gutirrez, L. (2012). Transformational Leadership Influence on Organizational Performance Through Organizational Learning and Innovation. Journal of Business Research, 65(7), 1040-1050. Martindale, N. (2011). Leadership styles: How to handle the different personas. Strategic Communication Management, 15(8), 32-35. Parker, T. (2012, December 13). Business Leader of the Year Finalist: Barbara Chapman. Retrieved from https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3objectid=10853705 PricewaterhouseCoopers (2015, August 11). Barbara Chapman: NZ CEO Interview. Retrieved August 30, 2016, from https://www.pwc.co.nz/nz-ceo-survey-2015/ceo-interviews/barbara-chapman/ Vaughan, G. (2016, February 11). ASB, CBA CEOs Barbara Chapman Ian Narev Sanguine about Turmoil in Global Financial Markets; Narev Suggests over Reaction also a Threat. Retrieved from https://www.interest.co.nz/business/79938/asb-cba-ceos-barbara-chapman-ian-narev-sanguine-about-turmoil-global-financial Wittig, C. (2012). Employees Reactions to Organizational Change. OD Practitioner, 44(2), 23-28. Woods, P. A. (2004). Democratic Leadership: Drawing Distinctions with Distributed Leadership. International journal of Leadership in Education, 7(1), 3-26.

The Value of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell (Chapter XV of Problems of Philosophy) Essay Example

The Value of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell (Chapter XV of Problems of Philosophy) Paper Rubric: Explain Russell’s take on the central value of philosophy. In the final part of your answer, provide a reasoned evaluation of some aspect of Russell’s defense of philosophical inquiry that includes some discussion of an example or two that you think illustrates the importance of philosophy in relation to living and acting in the world. Russell’s argument is of the vein that studying philosophy is an end in itself. Many fields in science offer us technical knowledge to enhance our material comforts. But this cannot be the sole objective of our existence. Deliberating fundamental questions on the meaning of life, human nature, the cosmos, etc do not have any commercial value. But a life lived without such philosophical speculation is quite limited and enslaved. Philosophy helps us to broaden our intellectual and emotional horizons by subjugating our self-interest. It cultivates in us to focus on the non-Self, which liberates us from individual petty concerns and veers our consciousness toward bigger questions on the human condition. In other words, if specialized disciplines in science are preoccupied with the ‘how’ question, philosophy is concerned with the ‘why’ question. As Russell aptly terms it, philosophy helps us to move beyond the ‘here and now’. In doing so, it makes us separate from the particular circumstances of history and culture, thereby experiencing a universal mode of existence. We will write a custom essay sample on The Value of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell (Chapter XV of Problems of Philosophy) specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Value of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell (Chapter XV of Problems of Philosophy) specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Value of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell (Chapter XV of Problems of Philosophy) specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Uncertainty is a basic feature of philosophy, where various answers are proposed for any given question. It is this element of uncertainty that distinguishes philosophy from other scientific disciplines. But instead of causing ambiguity, the open-ended speculations actually enhance our imagination and identify novel solutions. As the magisterium of our mind is expanded we become calmer and more secure. Unlike the defensive and anxious behaviour of the unenlightened person, the one well-versed with philosophy is able to negotiate all sorts of contingencies in life with relative ease. I totally agree with Russell’s assessment of the value of philosophy. I strongly believe that philosophy should be moved into mainstream academia, away from its perception as an esoteric pursuit. Today, almost every major problem in society is caused as a result of an unenlightened citizenry. With education increasingly becoming skill-oriented or vocational, generations of adults graduate from college without social consciousness. Studying philosophy mitigates this phenomenon by prompting us with valid questions. And in attempting to answer them we will actually find answers to many pressing problems of our time. Problems such as environmental degradation or potential nuclear warfare could be prevented through widespread philosophical discussions. For example, in order for us to seek solutions to the problem of global warming, we first have to agree on salvaging our species from extinction. Here, philosophy helps set our priorities. Finally, my impression is that Russell’s take on the central value of philosophy harks back to Plato’s famous remark that ‘a life lived unexamined is not worth living’. This statement was delivered just before Plato was executed for disobeying royal orders. In his view, there can be no greater liberty than that afforded by truth, even if it were to lead to our death. On the contrary the one who lives a compromised life for the sake of safety has displayed disregard for the truth. Hinduism is one of the oldest religions of the world. It evolved in the Indian subcontinent over 5000 years ago and has a rich body of literature. Unlike monotheistic religions such as Christianity or Islam, Hinduism is polytheistic, with thousands of deities and gods being worshipped. Even in terms of ethnography and culture there is a rich diversity of Hindu expression. The sacred rituals and beliefs related to Hinduism vary across ethnic communities in India. The Hindu scriptures explain morality in the form of legends and myths. More than a religion per se, Hinduism can be looked at as a philosophical system. The key themes of this system are that of the interconnectedness of life, repercussions of good and bad deeds (karma), the temporariness of earthly existence and the aspiration toward liberation from it (moksha). Texts such as the Upanishads and epics such as Ramayana and Mahabaratha serve as mediums of this philosophic discourse. In Geeta Kothari’s short story the major theme is one of entrapment. She regrets the condition of her married life with Evan. She wonders morosely if she had erred by agreeing to marriage in the name of security and conformity. There are parallels to it in the Hindu conception of life, whereby, our present life carries forward and expiates the Karma accumulate from our previous life. In this cycle of birth and rebirth thus continues the one constant reality is that of suffering. Certainly Maya has a legitimate feeling of betrayal in her marriage, and she wonders why things had turned out this way. Hinduism’s answer to her pondering would be that she is presently suffering on account of the bad Karma she had acquired in previous incarnations. While the Hindu idea of karma is deterministic, it does not promote fatalistic attitude. While the circumstances we find ourselves in are somewhat arbitrary, there is much we can alter about our future through the exercise of free will. Towards the end of the story Maya seems to realize this truth. She is seen to slowly make a resolution that she will henceforth be more faithful to her feelings and no more live in denial. Hindu spiritual practices in the form of yoga, dhyana and yagnya are deviced to alleviate our suffering by altering our natural state of ego-consciousness. By subjugating the impulses of the ego and attuning our senses toward cosmic consciousness we reach a state where suffering ceases. It is called in Sanskrit as mukthi. Maya’s project of self-actualization is not articulated in such esoteric Hindu philosophic terms. But hers is a project of great import in the context of the constricting and adversarial reality her marriage has turned out to be. In my own experience I’ve faced issues of melancholy in the past. In the early days, I used to feel very let down and feel victimized. But slowly I realized that remorse and helplessness lead us nowhere. I then started undergoing an attitudinal change in two aspects. First I trained myself to accept difficulties as part of life. Second I trained myself to proactively mitigate adversities. As a result I can claim that I am a much happier person now than I was a few years back. The important thing is that my circumstances have not drastically changed but my outlook and behaviour has changed. And it has made a world of difference. In this regard I share the same spirit of Maya. Between me and her, we share the Hindu philosophic outlook to addressing problems, although it took us both some time to make this transition.