Linguistics - How far can the PROCESS of 1st language acquisition be Essay

Linguistics - How far can the PROCESS of 1st language acquisition be taken as a model for the acquisition of a 2nd language What are the implications for the 2nd language teacher - Essay Example Thus, language is â€Å"so uniquely human, distinguishes us so clearly from other animals, that our species might be more appropriately named homo loquens than homo sapiens† (Widdowson, 1996: 4), especially so that language is innate in man. With man’s birth is the natural tendency to acquire and master a language as he/she grows, making language essential to man’s existence as it is his/her most effective means to communicate, build relationships, and form societies. With man’s experiences, beliefs, feelings, etc. expressed in the complex system of symbols, language defines man; the language man speaks in return speaks for the speaker him/herself. Hence, â€Å"when we study human language, we are approaching what some might call the ‘human essence’, the distinctive qualities of mind that are, so far as we know, unique to man† (Chomsky, cited in Fromkin & Rodman, 1998: 3). In fact, the study of language has been historically centred on the study of the nature of the human mind and thinking, as it has long been believed that being distinct to man, â€Å"languages are the best mirror of the human mind† (Leibnitz, cited in Chomsky, 1986: 1). In this context, the study of language becomes not only important but fascinating, too, as it deals with one of the most mysterious endowments of man that a plethora of research studies and theories abound, yet until now, more and more questions are left unresolved. One area in language study that attracts further inquiry is language acquisition. As Leonard Bloomfield (1933: 29), said: â€Å"the acquisition of language is doubtless the greatest intellectual feat anyone of us is ever required to perform†. If the acquisition of first language in early childhood raises many questions, the acquisition of second language by older children and adults raises more questions, especially in relation to FLA. Thus, the study on language acquisition generally focuses on these two interests: First is the

Crimes Against Information Systems Analysis Essay

Crimes Against Information Systems Analysis - Essay Example Cyber-terrorism is the new crime preference to inflict havoc on the masses of society. Watson (2002) defines cyber-terrorism as "the use of cyber tools to shut down critical national infrastructures (such as energy, transportation, or government operations) for the purpose of coercing or intimidating a government or civilian population." (p.8) Over the years, the level of cyber-terrorism has evolved. Years ago, hackers attained satisfaction by simply breaking into a system (Wilmot, 2004). However, Littleton (1995) still regards hackers as dangerous and further implies imminent danger by questioning the ability of a hacker to become a cyber-terrorist. Wilmot (2004) contends that hackers' abilities to "crack passwords or find a back door route through a security firewall" shows that hackers can easily use a simple act to corrupt data in high technology. (p. 287). Though hackers implement a more simplistic form of cyber-terrorism, and their trespassing is not as harmful as modern day cr ackers-those who seek to disable networks or systems-both hackers and crackers pose danger to the world that holds critical information. However, the sophistication of cyber-terrorists' methods correlates with the degree of their motives. An intent Motives and Methods of Cyber-Terrorists An intent of cyber-terrorist includes causing a devastating amount of damage, while remaining elusive. To illustrate the elusiveness of a cyber-terrorist, Littleton (1995) uses two examples from the late 1980's. The identification, trial, and conviction of Robert T. Morris transpired only because he spoke of his creation, the 1988 Internet Worm, to several people. Rather, the author of the famous Michelangelo virus remains unidentified and escaped consequences altogether. The low risk of being captured coupled with the benefit of easily gaining access to restricted areas makes the crime of cyber-terrorism more appealing to criminals. Motives of cyber-terrorists range from mischief to malice. Today's juveniles have joined the cyber-terrorist realm by defacing Web sites. However, Watson (2002) regards the less serious crimes as highly consequential. When a site is defaced, its information is altered. Misleading information ultimately deceives viewers of the site and result in decrease of confidence and capital for owners of the site. Both hackers and crackers gain access to exclusive information by deciphering protective codes (Wilmot, 2004), which Littleton (1995) claims is not hard to do. A mischievous hacker seeks to only occupy an area considered off limits. On the other hand, a malicious cracker not only breaks codes to enter off-limits areas, but he or she seeks to vandalize or defile the area by causing immediate damage or planting viruses which slowly infiltrate and destroy systems that operate as critical infrastructures (Morris; Wilmot, 2004). Impact of Cyber-Terrorism According to Wilmot (2004), citizens cannot function without the critical infrastructures of their communities. One part of the critical infrastructure extremely vulnerable to cyber-terrorism is the public safety system. Branches of the public safety

The Epic of Gilgamesh Essay Example for Free

The Epic of Gilgamesh Essay We learn about ancient civilizations through literature, artifacts, and stories passed down from generation to generation. The Mesopotamian civilization is one of earths earliest civilizations, and its also one we know very little about. We can gather information about these peoples way life, beliefs, and geographical location. The Epic of Gilgamesh, a literary work from this time period, shows us several important pieces of information that helps us understand this ancient civilization. This epic shows us the Mesopotamian peoples belief system, their views on death, and their description of the after life. The Mesopotamian people believed in a higher being, like most civilizations have for centuries. Their belief system consisted of many gods, each representing an aspect of Mesopotamian life. From the Epic of Gilgamesh we learn that they believed that the gods are the creators of everything around them. This is seen in this epic with the creation of Enkindu, by the goddess of creation, Aruru. We also can conclude that the god of the heavens, Anu, ruled the gods. The Mesopotamian people also had gods for death, love, and even cattle. The Mesopotamian people used the gods to explain just about every aspect of their life. Their gods were all-powerful, and could grant people godly features. For example, Gilgamesh embarks on a quest for eternal life from the gods when his fear of death becomes a reality with the death of Enkindu. The Mesopotamian people also believed in an afterlife. Through the Epic of Gilgamesh, we see that this civilization had an ancient version of what we consider to be heaven and hell. Their hell was controlled by the Queen of Darkness, and was believed to be a place of no return. The epic describes this place as a place of darkness where dust is their food and clay is their meat(sources, p5). Their underworld was where everyone who stood in the way of the gods. Death for the Mesopotamian people was believed to be controlled by the gods. We see this with the death of Enkindu. The gods decided that Enkindu should die because of his actions with Gilgamesh, and when Enkindu dreamed of his death, he knew it was the gods decision and he couldnt prevent it. We can also see the gods control of death through Gilgameshs journey to obtain immortality. It was known that the gods could grant a person eternal life by Gilgameshs encounter with Utnapishtim, a man that had been granted that of which Gilgamesh had been searching for. If granted eternal life, it was believed that you where entered into the assembly of the gods. Without the epics, and recordings of ancient civilizations, we would not be able to learn about the accomplishment and life-styles of are ancestors. The Epic of Gilgamesh has sheded some light on the mysteries of long ago. We do not have many recordings of Mesopotamian civilization, but with works of literature like this epic we can take another step closer in the search for answers to question about their beliefs, views on death, and what they believed about life after death. | Shang| | Ang Shang ay ikalawang namamanang dinastiya sa Tsina. Tumagal ito nang halos anim na raang taon na may tatlumput isang hari sa loob ng labimpitong henerasyon. Ang Shang ay dating isang matandang tribong naninirahan sa ibabang bahagi ng Yellow River. Itoy estado ng Kahariang Xia. Sa pagtatapos ng Xia, ang kahuli-hulihang haring si Jie ay isang tiranong naging sanhi ng pagdaralita ng mga mamamayan. Pinangunahan ng puno ng Tribong Shang na si Tang ang isang rebeldeng hukbo at pinabagsak ang Dinastiyang Xia (Ang ika-21 sa ika-17 siglo BC). Sa gayon naitatag ni Tang ang Dinastiyang Shang at ginawang kabisera nito ang Bo (kasalukuyang Caoxian Country sa lalawigang Shandong). Ang Dinastiyang Shang ay siyang ikalawang estadong monarkiya sa kasaysayan ng Tsina. Si Tang na siyang tagapagtatag ng Shang ay humugot ng mga aral mula sa mga labi ng nakaraang dinastiya, trinado niya nang mabuti ang kanyang mga mamamayan at gumamit ng maraming magagaling at matatalinong ministro. Nagkamit ng malaking progreso ang Shang sa ekonomiya nito sa panahon ng paghahari ni Tang. Samantala, dahil sa tunggaliang pampulitika para makamtan ang kapangyarihan sa korteng imperyal at sa patuloy na pakikidigma sa mga tribo sa hanggahan, limang beses na inilipat ng estadong Shang ang kabisera nito. Ang pinakakilalang paglilipat ay naganap noong panahon ng paghahari ni Haring Pangeng, ika-17 hari ng Shang. Muli niyang itinayo ang kabisera sa Yin, sa tabi ng kasalukuyang Xiaotuncun, sa lunsod ng Anyang ng lalawigang Henan. Ang bagong kabisera ay nakapag-ambag nang malaki sa pagkakaroon ng matatag na pamahalaan ng Dinastiyang Shang. Nang maitatag ang matagumpay na bagong kabisera, hindi ito nagbago sa buong nalalabing panahon ng Dinastiyang Shang, kaya, ang Dinastiyang Shang ay laging tinatawag na Ang Yin o ang Dinastiyang Yin-Shang. Mula sa mga natuklasan sa mga labi ng Yin, ang kabisera ng Shang, natuklasan ng mga arkeologo na medyo mataas na ang pamantayan ng produktibidad ng Dinastiyang Shang noong nakaraang panahon. Hinggil sa agrikultura, napabuti ang mga kagamitan sa pagsasaka. Malawakang ginagamit noon ang mga ararong bato, pala at karet. Ang mga pangunahing pananim ay kinabibilangan ng millet at trigo. Ang higit na mahalaga ay maunlad ang paggawa ng mga lalagyang bronse noong Dinastiyang Shang. Gumitaw sa Tsina ang kulturang bronse bago ang 3,000 BC at umabot ito sa kasukdulan noong ika-13 siglo BC. Ang mga bagay na yari sa bronse ay hindi lamang nakaapekto sa pang-araw araw na pamumuhay ng mga tao kundi gayun din sa armas ng estado. Dahil sa malawakang paggamit niyon, nagkamit ng walang katulad na tagumpay ang Dinastiyang Shang sa pulitika, ekonomiya, kultura at sining. Noong panahon ng paghahari ni Haring Wuding, ang palatandaan nito ay ang paggitaw ng pinaghalong metal ng tingga, tanso at lata. Ang bronzeware ay niyari nang maramihan. Ang mga itoy may dalawang klasipikasyon: ang panluto at lalagyan ng alak. Kabilang sa mga ito, ang kilalang likhang sining ay kinabibilangan ng simuwi quadripod, na may bigat na 732.84 kg na siyang pinakamalaking bronzeware na matatagpuan sa buong daigdig. Ginawa ito bilang pagpupugay sa namayapang ina ng hari ng Shang. Ang isa pay ang lalagyan ng alak na may apat na kambing na nakahimplay sa gilid nito. Ang Dinastiyang Shang ay palatandaan ng pagdating ng Bronze Age. Kasabay nito, umunlad din nang malaki ang iba pang industriya. Sa handicraft, ang operasyon ay nagkaroon ng higit na pinong dibisyon ng paggawa. Naitalang isang daang linya ang gumitaw sa handicraft noon. Ang mga craftmen ng Shang ay mahusay sa pagkalupkop at paglililok at litaw ang mga dekorasyon ng kanilang mga jase wares. Stone wares at ivory wares. Nakapag-imbento ang mga manghahabi ng simpleng jacquard loom, na nakagagawa ng sedang mataas ang kalidad at may hidden pattern. Bukod dito, ang mga mamamayang Shang ay nagkamit pa ng kahanga-hangang progreso sa medisina, transportasyon at astronomiya. Sa panahong ito, ang mahahalagang pangyayari ay nakaukit sa mga bahay ng pagong at mga buto ng hayop sa pamamagitan ng Oracle Script, na siyang pinakamatandang porma ng nasusulat na komunikasyon ng Tsina. Ang tradisyon ng pagsamba sa ninuno ay may mahabang kasaysayan sa Tsina. Natuklasan ng mga arkeologo na ginagawa na ito noon pang Prehistoric times (1.7 milyong taon hanggang ika-21 siglo BC). Sa paggitaw ng pagsasaka, sinasamba ng mga tao ang langit para magkaroon ng magandang panahon para sa kanilang mga pananim. Sa katunayan, itoy isanguri ng pagsamba sa kalikasan. Ang iba pang klase ng pagsamba ay ang pagsamba sa kanilang mga ninuno na tinawag ding pagsamba sa kaluluwa. Nag-aalay sila ng sakripisyo sa kanilang mga ninuno, na idinadalanging pagpalain nawa sila ng kanilang ninuno. Mula noong Dinastiyang Xia pasulong, pinagkalooban ang mga hari ng pinakamataas na awtoridad. Upang mapanatili ang kanilang kapangyarihan, pinagsanib ng mga hari ang pagsamba sa ninuno at ang pagsamba sa kalikasan upang lumikha ng Diyos o Kalangitan, at ipinroklama ang sarili bilang ahente o mga pangmundong inapo ng Diyos. Sa Dinastiyang Shang, laganap ang sistema ng pang-aalipin, nagtatamasa ang mga aris tokrata ng lahat ng karangyaan samantalang namumuhay na parang aso ang mga alipin. Silay pag-aari ng kanilang mga panginoon. Pagkaraang mamatay ang may-ari ng mga alipin, kadalasay inililibing nang buhay ang mga alipin bilang pag-aalay ng tao kasama ng mga iniaalay na hayop. Pagkamatay ni Haring Wuding, hindi nagtagal ang mga pinakamabuting panahon ng Dinastiyang Shang. Patungo sa katapusan, sumidhi ang mga panloob na alitan at nagrebelde ang mga decal state. Isang despota ang kahuli-hulihang naghaharing Shang. Ibinagsak siya ng isang rebeldeng hukbo ng mga alipin noong ika-11 siglo BC.|

Comparative Analysis Of Two Peer Reviewed Journals Commerce Essay

Comparative Analysis Of Two Peer Reviewed Journals Commerce Essay As said in the assignment we have to select a topic which is taken with two peered reviewed journal articles and making our own topic to understand the comparative analysis. The topic we have selected is the The relationship between the employees retention and the employees motivation. Accordingly two articles we were selected Performance and Motivation Prepared by Alfred W. Huf III, and Employee retention and turnover: Using Motivational Variables as a panacea. By Michael O. Samuel and Crispen Chipunza. The author of the first article says Performance and Motivation the main aim of this article is to look at the link between Performance and motivation. This article is mainly aiming to the employees prospective and how they have performed while we have to uplift the quality of the life of them. Most of the cases in the article have shown that how we can keep the performance in a top level and getting the employees full utilization. Motivation is always following the rules of the leadership and if there is a proper leadership in the organization we can have top level motivation as well. And also this article discussed that how the employees motivated by having the Non-cashed rewards and the cashed rewards. This is more important that it also described that the few famous policy makers like Herzberg, Maslow, and Taylor have some contradictions and the author of this article shows and discussed the facts regarding this matter. According to the authors of the Second article- Employee retention and turnover: Using Motivational Variables as a panacea aims to emphasize a research that will tell the story of why the people working in an organization and is leaving the organization. It is described intrinsic and extrinsic factors that will influenced to the turnover of the employees in workplace. And for this they have chosen few organizations and they also have done a research regarding this. They have experiment the motivational factors that affect the turnover and the retention as well. So this is a research based article that will guide us to the important factors on motivation and the turnover or retention of an organisation. It is hard to keep the skilled employees in an organisation. We have to provide many incentives and many rewards to retain those people. So, the motivational factors which we have to consider are the most important factors in any kind of organization. In this article they have shown some theoretical and practical factors that influenced the employees turnover and the retention. It is very hard for the mangers to retain their skilled employees into the organisation. We have to have a good plan to retain the employees where we have to wo rk hard for it. By this understanding also we can identify certain similarities and as well as the disparities of this two articles. Further this report will provide more specific analysis of these two articles. Comparative Analysis: From the first article Performance and Motivation there are mainly aiming to find out the link between the motivation and the performance within the large organizational behaviors. Which author describes that is really essential to improve at the Motivation and reduce the turnover in the organization. But from the second article Employee retention and turnover: Using Motivational Variables as a panacea. discuss about the motivational factors or the variables that will keep the workers in the organization. And also it is very important to keep the skilled workers bond to the organisation. So the two articles have the main similarity among the motivation and the retention of skilled workers. In the first article it is discussed that the few case studies which will guide us to identify some factors that are important to understand the motivational factors in an organization. And also it describes the theoretical comparison as well. The Non-cashed rewards can be a vital part of employees motivation. The author of the first article describes that the non-cashed rewards such as flex time, goal based incentives, and the rewarding the employee of the month will motivate the employee rather than giving some amount of money to the workers. It is also said that communicating this among the employees is the most important part of motivation the people. So these kinds of motivational events may lead to the top performing employees in an organization. In the incentive packages we must consider to give a merchandiser awards that are more effective than the top seller trips. According to the author we can have meetings after every week or month and decided that we can offer the merchandiser award. This is also in the same category of motivation by no-cashed rewards. And also in this article the author has suggest some critical motivational factor that is the employees can show or suggest the changes they need while they performing well. This is very crucial that if an employee is trying to go somewhere else for better offer he can suggest that the need of his difficulty. And also people trying to perform well otherwise they may not have any chances to bargain the incentives. This is a kind of culture making by the employees that they need to perform well. And within this culture employer have not to worry about the employees turn over. And there is one thing that arises in the article that the relationship between employer and employee is so important to the retention of employees. This can be done by having a conversation with the employee and the employer. The employer can ask the stories that the bad and the good situation from the employees of their life. So this will create a big bond between the two parties and the employee may unable to bargain incentives after this kind of conversation. And finally we have seen some important motivational factor in the later part of the article. The motivating language speaks by the leader or the manger to the workers. This is the most influencing way that one can suggest for better motivation and high performance of working. As we can see the above factors can be used as the motivational factors in an organization. So it is important to know the other well established factors in the second article to compare the linkage between the two articles. We have found in the second article that the authors have stated the theoretical aspects of the motivation. The Herzberg has defined some motivational factors that can be taken in to consideration. These are the intrinsic variables he defined achievements, recognitions, advancements, responsibility, work itself and the growth. These are some of the famous motivational factors that can be used to retain the employees. However the article also stated that the extrinsic factors also may have some influenced on the workers retention and the turnover. The factors we have identified in the article are competitive salary, friendly working environment, better interpersonal relationship, and the most important job security. This article is mainly bridging the literature of the motivational factors and the current practical knowledge and makes some model that will describe the entire story of why the employees turnover and retention happens. The second article found many practical factors that will directly effect the motivation and the retention of the employees. So we can find some extrinsic and intrinsic motivational factors that influence to the employee turnover and the retention. It is found the following motivation variables have significant influence over the employees motivation, retention and the turnover as well. Training and development Job security Sense of belonging to the organisation Interesting/ challenging work environment Innovative thinking freedom . Conclusion: So as we have discussed in the study there are many motivational factors we can identify from the two articles. The major findings from the article No: 01shows the theoretical aspects of how the motivation should be used to make better performance in an organization. And the Article No: 02 shows us the practical approaches that will make the motivation to reduce the turn over and retain the skilled workers in an organization. We can identify some important factors in the second article which are related to grow in the organisation. And also there are some factors that will be must there to retain the skilled workers and meantime we can make the employees more experience and well trained. According to the second article we found that some motivational factors are crucial for influencing the employees decisions. Training and development, competitive salary package and job security and recognition /rewards are the main motivational variables that will influence the worker capacity up and also better performance in the workplace as well. In the first article is also shows us the motivational factors that will describe the factors which are related to the cases and getting the essence of that studies. We can find some motivational factors in the first article can be very important to the performance of the workers.

Perfect, but not too Perfect :: essays research papers fc

PERFECT, BUT NOT TOO PERFECT Once in a village long, long ago, there was a home with a family inside of it. And in that family was a father, a mother, a brother, a sister, and a grandmother. In this village it rained all the time. More than London, or the Amazon or all the rainforests in the world combined. In this village also were a church, a store, a mill, and a monument for the chief: Jades Samoa. This wasn’t a village like in Africa or Cambodia, but a very nice village. The people wore amazing clothing. Better than any fashion brand today. The buildings wore made perfectly with smooth glass, smooth brick, and the smoothest wood. These buildings could withstand anything from a simple hurricane to a giant monsoon. The villagers drank the purest water and the finest wine. They were elegant, graceful, civilized, and always stood straight up. There were fantastic parties thrown every night and the people gathered and talked and laughed bout there lives. There beautiful and perfect lives. All the children were given the finest educations by the most brilliant adults; whom were smarter than Leonardo DaVinci and Albert Einstein would ever fathom to be. The streets were made of pure diamond and the lampposts of ivory. The cars never used any energy and never depreciated. They had plush seating made of soft leather. Every home was built according to the family, but every home was very large and spacious. They contained the finest furniture and the finest robotic staff that never became tired and always completed every demand made by their masters.

Fanons The Wretched Of The Earth and Foucaults Discipline and Punish :: Wretched Of The Earth Essays

Fanon's  The Wretched Of The Earth and  Foucault's Discipline and Punish Fanon's book, "The Wretched Of The Earth" like Foucault's "Discipline and Punish" question the basic assumptions that underlie society. Both books writers come from vastly different perspectives and this shapes what both authors see as the technologies that keep the populace in line. Foucault coming out of the French intellectual class sees technologies as prisons, family, mental institutions, and other institutions and cultural traits of French society. In contrast Frantz Fanon (1925-1961) born in Martinique into a lower middle class family of mixed race ancestry and receiving a conventional colonial education sees the technologies of control as being the white colonists of the third world. Fanon at first was a assimilationist thinking colonists and colonized should try to build a future together. But quickly Fanon's assimilationist illusions were destroyed by the gaze of metropolitan racism both in France and in the colonized world. He responded to the shattering of his neo-colonial identity, his white mask, with his first book, Black Skin, White Mask, written in 1952 at the age of twenty-seven and originally titled "An Essay for the Disalienation of Blacks." Fanon defined the colonial relationship as one of the non recognition of the colonized's humanity, his subjecthood, by the colonizer in order to justify his exploitation. Fanon's next novel, "The Wretched Of The Earth" views the colonized world from the perspective of the colonized. Like Foucault's questioning of a disciplinary society Fanon questions the basic assumptions of colonialism. He questions whether violence is a tactic that should be employed to eliminate colonialism. He questions whether native intellectuals who have adopted western methods of thought and urge slow decolonization are in fact part of the same technology of control that the white world employs to exploit the colonized. He questions whether the colonized world should copy the west or develop a whole new set of values and ideas. In all these questionings of basic assumptions of colonialism Fanon exposes the methods of control the white world uses to hold down the colonies. Fanon calls for a radical break with colonial culture, rejecting a hypocritical European humanism for a pure revolutionary consciousness. He exalts violence as a necessary pre-condition for this rupture. Fanon supported the most extreme wing of the FLN, even opposing a negotiated transition to power. His book though sees the relationship and methods of control in a simplistic light; he classifies whites, and native intellectuals who have adopted western values and tactics as enemies.

The Influence of Rationalism on the French Revolution

Ben Jorgensen Professor Wakefield English 5 3 April 2013 The Influence of Rationalism on the French Revolution What was the driving force behind the French Revolution? Many people may say it was financial, or political, and while I would agree that these things were part of the force that propelled the French Revolution, I would assert that the philosophies of the Enlightenment were the dominant force that blasted late eighteenth century France into revolution .In his article, â€Å"The French Revolution: Ideas and Ideologies â€Å"Maurice Cranston of History Today articulates that the Enlightenment philosophies were pivotal in the revolutions inception. He writes that: â€Å"The philosophes undoubtedly provided the ideas. † Cranston goes on to write that: â€Å"†¦the unfolding of the Revolution, what was thought, what was said, and what was advocated, was expressed in terms and categories that came from political theorists of the Enlightenment. While many of the Enlig htenment concepts contributed to the revolution, I would propose that the philosophy of rationalism was foundational to the French Revolution because of its reliance on reason, and its opposition to superstition. Rationalism in its epistemology is defined by the Online Oxford Dictionary as: â€Å"A belief or theory that opinions and actions should be based on reason and knowledge rather than on religious belief or emotional response. The Online Encyclopedia Britannica adds: â€Å"Holding that reality itself has an inherently logical structure, the rationalist asserts that a class of truths exists that the intellect can grasp directly. † There are many types and expressions of rationalism, but the most influential expressions of rationalism pertaining to the French Revolution were in ethics and metaphysics. The first modern rationalist philosopher was Rene Descartes (1596-1650).The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy states that: â€Å"Descartes is known as the father of mod ern philosophy precisely because he initiated the so-called epistemological turn that is with us still. † Descartes interest in philosophy stemmed from a fascination with the question of whether humans could know anything for certain. Descartes desired to create a philosophy that was as solid as say the concepts of algebra, or geometry, a philosophy based purely on quantifiable reason and logic.In this way, Rene Descartes laid the foundation for philosophies built on reason as opposed to superstition, chief among them: rationalism. While Rene Descartes defined the terms and laid down the agenda for the philosophy of rationalism, Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677) and Gottfried Leibniz (1646-1716) completed the triad for the chief philosophers of rationalism. Spinoza and Leibniz took the terms and agenda of Descartes philosophy of rationalism, and developed their own views on rationalism, both publishing a number of books, and journals on their rationalist philosophies.Although these e arly modern philosophers of rationalism did not directly influence the French Revolution, it cannot be doubted that their general epistemological philosophy of rationalism helped create a new way of thinking in which man was not ordained by God to rule over other men, but that it was through reason of the mind that man chose to be ruler or subject. The French Revolution began between the years 1787 and 1789.It is no wonder that the revolution occurred at this time when the Enlightenment was in its prime, shining light onto the social and political issues of the day with new philosophies like rationalism that challenged the old feudalistic and monarchist regimes of Europe that were built on irrationality and superstition. William Doyle, in his book, â€Å"The French Revolution: A Very Short Introduction,† conveys that the French Revolution was: â€Å"†¦triggered by King Louis XVI’s attempt to avoid bankruptcy. (19) However, while the trigger was financial, the soc ial and political rumblings of the Third estate is what shook, and toppled the old regime under Louis XVI, afterword which came to be called the ancien regime by the French people. Author William Doyle says that: â€Å"In political terms pre-revolutionary France was an absolute monarchy. The King shared his powers with nobody, and was answerable for its exercise to nobody but God. (21) The ancien regime government lacked reason, but was bursting with more than its fair share of divine laws and rights that the â€Å"creator† had set in place in order to insure social stability. In fact, as Doyle points out in his book, this concept that God had set forth a divine law to be followed was directly stated in a document that parliament wrote: â€Å"This social order is not only essential to the practice of every sound government: it has its origin in divine law. (24) The document goes on to say that: â€Å"The infinite and immutable wisdom in the plan of the universe established an unequal distribution of strength and character, necessarily resulting in inequality in the conditions of men within the civil order†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (24) This document summed up the ancien regimes ideology: God has placed the king the clergy, and aristocracy above the common people and that is how it is, because that is how it has been.The words irrational, divine, and superstitious come up many times when describing the ancien regimes government and society; in fact, these things were actually integral to the maintenance of government and society in France during the ancien regime. Indeed, you could not have this form of government without divine law, irrational organization, and superstitious beliefs. The rumblings of the French Revolution began as rates of literacy increased.With the rise in literacy, the French people demanded more newspapers, and books, and as much as the aristocracy and Church tried to filter what the public read, the French people began to read the writings of philosophers like, Leibniz, Spinoza, Descartes, Voltaire, and Montesquieu. With this increase in literacy, and thus knowledge, the French people became more involved in politics than they originally had been. Now Louis the XVI was scrutinized for his actions, for his mishandling of his citizens finances.Now the people of France came to expect their King to act for his people in observance of laws, as a representative of the people, instead of a man who had divine superiority over them. William Doyle writes that: â€Å" in the eighteenth century these expectations were reinforced by the widespread conviction that since nature had herself (as Isaac Newton had shown) worked by invariable laws and not divine caprice, human affairs should also be conducted so far as was possible according to fixed and regular principles, rooted in rationality, in which the scope of arbitrariness was reduced to a minimum. To have a government and society â€Å"Rooted in rationality† was what th e French revolutionaries so passionately fought to attain. In his book Europe in Retrospect, Raymond F. Betts writes that â€Å"It must be remembered that the French Revolution was the first major social revolution, of far greater dimensions and of deeper purpose than the American Revolution that had preceded it. Betts continues to explain in his book that the ideology of the French Revolution was unique for its time in what it sought to accomplish, and what it stood for: â€Å"To sweep away the old and begin the new was the liberal solution; it was predicated upon the assumption that human nature was essentially good, mankind essentially rational, and the purpose of life the ‘pursuit of earthly happiness. † The assumption that humankind was rational was a belief that the revolutionaries espoused, but I would also say that the French Revolution was built on a belief that government, society, and the individual were all capable of thriving on reason, in part on the phil osophy of rationalism. Although many events that took place during the French Revolution were controversial, and at times the actions taken by the revolutionaries were irrational, the French Revolution originated from a place of enlightenment.Indeed, more specifically, from the philosophies of the Enlightenment, and while many of the philosophies of the Enlightenment contributed to the inception of the French Revolution, the philosophy of rationalism contradicted so much of pre-r revolutionary French society that to subscribe to rationalism at that time was a revolution in itself. Steven Kreis of The History Guide. com summarizes the eventual results of the Revolution eloquently stating that: â€Å"Man had entered a stage in human history characterized by his emancipation from superstition, prejudice, cruelty and enthusiasm.Liberty had triumphed over tyranny. New institutions were created on the foundations of reason and justice and not authority or blind faith. The barriers to fre edom, liberty, equality and brotherhood were torn down. Man had been released from otherworldly torment and was now making history! † Works Cited Cranston, Maurice. â€Å"The French Revolution: Ideas and Ideologies. † History Today. History Today, 1989. Web. 2 Apr. 2013. Doyle, William. The French Revolution: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: New York, 2001. Print.Kreis, Steven. â€Å"Lecture 11: The Origins of the French Revolution. † Lecture 11: The Origins of the French Revolution. The History Guide. com, 30 Oct. 2006. Web. 02 Apr. 2013. Lennon, Thomas M. , and Shannon Dea. â€Å"Continental Rationalism. † The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Fall 2012 ed. N. d. Web. â€Å"Rationalism Definition. † Oxford Dictionaries Online (US). N. p. , n. d. Web. 02 Apr. 2013. â€Å"Rationalism†. Encyclop? dia Britannica. Encyclop? dia Britannica Online. Encyclop? dia Britannica Inc. , 2013. Web. 02 Apr. 2013