The Age Of Enlightenment By Voltaire - 1572 Words

1. Do some research on Voltaire and his beliefs as well as the era in which he wrote, which was the Age of Enlightenment. Be sure to cite your sources of information. The Age of Enlightenment occurred from the 1620s until the 1780s. This movement began in England, and steadily spread almost worldwide before long. The term Enlightenment was used to contrast the Dark Ages, a time in which innovation and free-thinking was at an all-time low. Voltaire’s French philosophy included free-thinking and the struggle for defense of civil liberties, in which he uses almost every known literary form, including novels, poetry, and performance art such as plays. His intellectual skepticism of traditional beliefs and dogmas denotes an â€Å"illumined† contrast to the supposed dark and superstitious character of the Middle Ages. http://www.pbs.org/faithandreason/gengloss/enlight-body.html 2. Satire is a literary genre in which human vices, folly, and flaws are ridiculed or mocked, often with the intention bringing about change. How do Voltaire use techniques such as irony, sarcasm, and understatement for his satirical purposes? Give some examples from throughout the book. Voltaire uses irony and satire in many different situations during the story. A prime example of these literary forms can be found in the form of religion, for example when the Catholic Inquisitor speaks against his own ideals and keeps a mistress, and a Franciscan friar who operates as a jewel thief, even thoughShow MoreRelatedVoltaire s Theory Of The Age Of Enlightenment848 Words   |  4 Pagescommonly known as Voltaire was born November 21, 1699, in Paris, France. He was a French philosopher, historian and writer of the Age of Enlightenment. He valued the right to have your own thoughts as well as the ability to change religion. Even though he was a complex person, he was highly intelligent, humorous and his writing style made him one of France s greatest writers and philosophers. He supported social reform, including freedom of religion, civil rights and free trade. Voltaire had a rough relationshipRead MoreThe Age Of Enlightenment By Voltaire And Economist Adam Smith844 Words   |  4 Pages The Age of Enlightenment brought forth some of history’s greatest philosophers who introduced and provided the arguments for contemporary thought and social systems in continued use today. Although historians consider the ideas of natural rights and separation of powers in democracies of the highest order of importance, the economic theories developed by the leading thinkers of the era pervade daily life in all societies. The idea of wealth is timeless, but philosopher Voltaire and economist AdamRead MoreThe Age Of Enlightenment Ideas Lead To Hypocrisy In Candide By Voltaire1592 Words   |  7 Pages Did Age of Enlightenment ideas lead to hypocrisy in Candide? The â€Å"Age of Reason†, during Europe was a time in history where people started to confide in eachother and themselves when it came to reason and logic; and it was a period when creative ability came to light and it was encouraged. This paper will examine Voltaire s Candide and the way Voltaire mocks religion and how this outlines Enlightenment thought. A decent approach to portray Candide may be the ethical quality play by VoltaireRead MoreVoltaire s Candide : A Critique Of Politics And Religion During The Age Of Enlightenment1500 Words   |  6 Pages When Franà §ois-Marie Arouet, better known by his pen-name Voltaire, secretly published Candide, ou l Optimisme simultaneously in five European countries in January of 1759, it was met with widespread denouncement due to its controversial content and scandalous portrayal of politics and religion. Nevertheless, the bitingly satirical novel fervently spread throughout Europe and was translated into several more languages, selling tens of thousands of copies within its first year of publication (Barnes)Read More Age of Reason Essay example1161 Words   |  5 Pages An Age of Reason â€Å"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.† This brief quotation was spoken by the famous writer and philosopher Voltaire; I believe it vaguely points out that some people are full of absurd ideas, and for others to follow such nonsense is foolish. The quote is just a taste of Voltaire’s wisdom and knowledge of the world, during the Age of Reason. The Age of Reason or The Enlightenment is defined as a change in not just a way of thinkingRead MoreThe Age Of Enlightenment And The Scientific Revolution1675 Words   |  7 Pagesleap forward in human development, the Age of Enlightenment delivered the greatest influence for the future American society and planted the way for cultural and humanistic enrichment. The Age of the Enlightenment raised new concepts in education, democracy, and human freedom. The new humanistic philosophy promoted the polish of the human intelligence and made education a longing that lasted in the following ce nturies. Names like John Locke, Montesquieu, Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, and many more, contributedRead MoreEssay on Candide: a Satire on the Enlightenment604 Words   |  3 PagesCandide is an outlandishly humorous, far-fetched tale by Voltaire satirizing the optimism espoused by the philosophers of the Age of Enlightenment. It is the story of a young mans adventures throughout the world, where he witnesses much evil and disaster. Throughout his travels, he adheres to the teachings of his tutor, Pangloss, believing that all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds. Candide is Voltaires answer to what he saw as an absurd belief proposed by the Optimists - anRead MoreThe And Candide Essays : Practical Reason Triumphs Logic1382 Words   |  6 Pagesin the eyes of those who believed in the enlightenment. Moliere and Voltaire were both influential writers who strongly represented the enlightenment beliefs in their works Tartuffe and Candide. The enlightenment brought up a r ather youthful philosophy in the early seventeenth century. This philosophy focused on reason and good sense more so than common knowledge. The upper class believed they were the only group that could obtain knowledge; the enlightenment questioned this belief. This new idea helpedRead MoreCandide Essay example579 Words   |  3 PagesCandide Candide, written by Voltaire during the 18th century is a celebrated novel known for its strong criticism of the Middle Ages and Enlightenment expressed by Voltaire. During the transformation from the Middle Ages to The Enlightenment, social, religious and political ideas were rejected and emphasis was placed on rationalism. Three examples of this notion that are expressed in Candide are as follows. Social conduct that was normally practiced during the 18th century was thrown out ofRead MoreReligion, Politics and Morals in Voltaire’s Candide1300 Words   |  6 Pages â€Å"Religion, Politics and Morals† How did Voltaire exploit the pre-modern era through mockery and criticism of 18th century society? Voltaire’s Candide can be understood in several ways by its audience. At a first glance it would appear to be simply a story blessed with outrageous creativity, but if you look deeper in to the novel, a more complicated and meaningful message is buried within. Voltaire uses the adventures of Candide as a representation of what he personally feels is wrong within in society

When Speaking Of Mexico In Relation To Its Experience With

When speaking of Mexico in relation to its experience with the United States not many are aware of or want to acknowledge the dark underbelly of foreign affairs between the two. From the very beginning of the creation of the newly settled United States, they have been in constant disagreement and forced negotiations. This, very prominently, has caused an almost constant tension between the neighboring countries that has shaped a molded both cultures, economies, and societal norms into what they are today. The discovery of certain historical milestones truly uncovers what kind of an impact the two have had on each other, as well as in what ways they have had to change to live as peacefully as possible. The effort to maintain serene†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"This did Mexico develop its culture of resistance, a fierce pride in lo mexicano and resentment of U.S. depredations.† The resistance would not stop there. A comparable interaction between the Mexican government and that of the United States would be the implication of NAFTA which was a trade agreement signed by Canada, the U.S. and Mexico eliminating tariffs on imports/exports and disbarring trade barriers. The United States intention was for NAFTA to secure the Southern border, secure the access to petroleum investments already existing in Mexico, and corroborate political support from Mexico in the never-ending democratic crusade the United States feels entitled to. â€Å"Despite its title, NAFTA was not primarily concerned with ‘free trade’. By 1990, tariff and even nontariff barriers to U.S.-Mexican commerce were already low. NAFTA was concerned primarily with investment.† NAFTA also not so coincidentally didn’t mention anything about undocumented workers coming into the U.S. This evidence proves that NAFTA’s purposes were indeed set on stability of investments. Mexico’s actions also point to that of seeking stability. The Mexican government sought social peace through the lifting of tariffs and negotiating with the U.S. NAFTA also gave the president at the time, Carlos Salinas de Govtari, an opportunity to advance his economicShow MoreRelatedCultural Relations Are Historically Filled With Conflict1298 Words   |  6 Pages Intra-cultural relations are historically filled with conflict; and to deal with this conflict: Gloria Anzaldua’s concepts of opposing cultures and language barriers, John Locke’s Equality theory, and Kwame Anthony Appiah’s global citizenship theory explores the issue and works towards better relations. According to Anzaldua, people are not of one culture, but in several cases, several clashing, distinct cultures. Anzaldua argues that language is part of our identity, and it is a barrier betweenRead MoreRelationship Between Spanish And English Language879 Words   |  4 Pages1) - which has led to the identification, or incr eased recognition, of various specific phenomena in language change, including lexical borrowing, convergence, phonological changes and structural transfer. The aim of this essay is to explore, in relation to Spanish-English contact situations, how language contact engenders linguistic development. By firstly examining the different situations in which Spanish and English come into contact, we can then discuss the different types of language changeRead Moreindex.html Mexico Location Mexico is bordered by the United States to the north and Guatemala and900 Words   |  4 Pagesindex.html Mexico Location Mexico is bordered by the United States to the north and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast. In the east is the Gulf of Mexico. The center of Mexico is a great plateau with mountain chains on the east and west and also with ocean low lands. History of Mexico Three great civilizations the Mayas, the Olmecs and the Toltecs previous the Aztec empire, conquered in 1519–1521 by the Spanish under Hernando Cortà ©s. Spain ruled Mexico until Sept. 16, 1810, when the MexicansRead MoreThe Importance Of Globalization838 Words   |  4 Pagesbetween countries, which has been a key aspect of globalization from its beginning, works as a way to fuel the economies of the countries involved as well as strengthen and/or harbor the political relations between them. This allows people from different countries all around the world to have similar experiences as well as an access to a variety of the same resources that would not be possible without an interconnectedness between them. Globalization, for its different aspects, has both its fans and itsRead MoreGraduation Speech : Math And Math997 Words   |  4 PagesOften, when people ask me about my major they make a face at my response. Math. Why on earth would anyone ever want to study math? The ir response, however doesn t discourage me. Rather, it encourages me to work harder at understanding math so that one day I can teach it in such a way that others understand. I was homeschooled until the second half of my sophomore year. I can clearly remember my freshman year sitting at the kitchen table attempting to understand what my mother called a simple conceptRead MoreThe Language Of International Business Essay1741 Words   |  7 PagesAt the beginning of all times civilization stared to move to other countries in order to trade, and time passed they understood that in other villages they did not have the same language. When speakers started to trade, they communicate using their own language and adopting some words from the others as a result of the mix of this two â€Å"languages† it is known as a â€Å"pidgin†. Currently the society needs a language that acts as a universal language or â€Å"lingua franca† it means it is the language thatRead MoreCu ltural Pluralism And Its Effects On American Culture1490 Words   |  6 Pagesrecently, studies by the Pew Charitable Trust demonstrate that the number of illegal immigrants from Mexico entering the United States has actually been declining, resulting in a net negative number of Mexican immigrants entering the United States. Reasons for this trend include the Great Recession of 2008, and an improving economy in Mexican, making it more attractive for Mexicans to stay in Mexico. In addition, stepped-up U.S. border enforcement has reduced the likelihood of success for enteringRead MoreNorth Americas Comparative Advantage1458 Words   |  6 PagesOn October 13, 2015, the Universal Corporation hosted the 21st annual International Business Forum in the University Student Commons Ballroom, which was sponsored by the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business every year when the forum is organized. The International Business Forum has been established by VCU in 1994 with the supp ort of both private and public organizations from Richmond and Central Virginia. Each year, the forum has been supported through generous grants from the UniversalRead MoreThe Hispanic-American Experience1695 Words   |  7 Pagesbetter life for themselves and for their families. For most Hispanic-Americans, the goal was the same. Hispanic-Americans come from a variety of different Spanish-speaking countries. 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Enron Free Essays

The Enron scandal has far-reaching political and financial implications. In just 15 years, Enron grew from nowhere to be America’s seventh largest company, employing 21,000 staff in more than 40 countries. But the firm’s success turned out to have involved an elaborate scam. We will write a custom essay sample on Enron or any similar topic only for you Order Now Enron lied about its profits and stands accused of a range of shady dealings, including concealing debts so they didn’t show up in the company’s accounts. As the depth of the deception unfolded, investors and creditors retreated, forcing the firm into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December. More than six months after a criminal inquiry was announced, the guilty parties have still not been brought to justice. Leaders Leadership is critical to the creation and maintenance of culture; there is a constant interplay between culture and leadership. Leaders create the mechanisms for cultural embedding and reinforcement. Cultural norms arise and change because of what leaders tend to focus their attention on, their reactions to crises, their role modeling, and their recruitment strategies. Referring to Enron, the major mistake made by leaders are as follows: Compensation Programs As in most other U. S. companies, Enron’s management was heavily compensated using stock options. Heavy use of stock option awards linked to short-term stock price may explain the focus of Enron’s management on creating expectations of rapid growth and its efforts to puff up reported earnings to meet Wall Street’s expectations. The stated intent of stock options is to align the interests of management with shareholders. But most programs award sizable option grants based on short-term accounting performance, and there are typically few requirements for managers to hold stock purchased through option programs for the long term. The experience of Enron, along with many other firms in the last few years, raises the possibility that stock compensation programs as currently designed can motivate managers to make decisions that pump up short-term stock performance, but fail to create medium- or long-term value (Hall and Knox, 2002). Dishonestly concealed debt and overstated earnings. Management t Enron Corp. admitted it overstated earnings for nearly five years. In an SEC filing, Enron said financial statements from 1997 through the third quarter of 2001 â€Å"should not be relied upon, and that outside businesses run by Enron officials during that period should have been included in the company’s earnings reports. As a result, Enron is reducing earnings for those years by $586 million, from $2. 89 billion to $2. 31 billion. The company also acknowledged that part of earnings came from deals with partnerships controlled by recently sacked CFO Andrew Fastow. These transactions are already being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Enron said these deals enabled Fastow to earn more than $30 million. Enron also conceded that three entities run by company officials should have been included in its financial statements, based on generally accepted accounting principles. In addition, the company revised its debt upward in each year from 1997 to 2000. As a result, Enron’s debt at the end of 2000 was $10. 86 billion, $628 million more than previously reported. Enron’s Performance Review System. PRC featured two basic motivational forces – fear and greed. Skilling wanted to keep only â€Å"the very best,† meaning those who produced their profit and volume target– so every six months one or two out of every ten employees were dismissed. In pitting employees against each other, the rank-and rank System acted to stress the imagined weaknesses of individuals and to obfuscate organizational problems. In sum, this led to an erosion of employee confidence in their own perceptions and, most crucially, to further compliance with the organization’s leaders in a way that strengthened conformist behavior. In practice, the PRC system worked to encourage â€Å"entourages† or â€Å"fiefdoms† (Dallas 2003) of loyal employees who gravitated towards powerful players for protection. The PRC was a powerful mechanism for preventing the emergence of subcultures running counter to the organizational tone set by Enron’s hierarchy. Members of the Risk Management and Assessment Group who reviewed the terms and conditions of deals (and who were largely inexperienced recent MBA graduates) as well as internal auditors, were fearful of retaliation in the PRC from persons whose deals they were reviewing (Chaffin and Fidler 2002; Dallas 2003). At best, control was compliance-based, seldom encouraging employees to follow either the letter or the intent of laws (Dallas 2003). This punitive environment brought the consequences of dissent sharply into focus. Enron’s culture has been characterized as â€Å"ruthless and reckless †¦ lavish rewards on those who played the game, while persecuting those who raised objections† (Chaffin and Fidler 2002, 4-5). Led by Skilling’s cavalier attitude to rules, top management conveyed the impression that all that mattered was for employees to book profits. In sum, this led to an erosion of employees’ confidence in their own perceptions and, most crucially, to further compliance with the organization’s leaders in a way that strengthened conformist behavior. Former employees have noted how â€Å"loyalty required a sort of group think† (Chaffin and Fidler 2002, 2) and â€Å"that you had to ‘keep drinking the Enron water’† (Stephens and Behr 2002, 2). A myth of smooth, flawless operations was perpetuated with problems â€Å"papered over† (McLean 2001, 58). The net effect of the rank-and-yank system was to decrease the likelihood that employees would raise objections to any illegal or unethical behavior of powerful players. The competitiveness the PRC created was exacerbated by Enron’s bonus regime. As one insider put it, â€Å"sure, the culture at Enron was treacherous, but that was the point† (Swartz and Watkins 2003, 56). Ultimately, the overestimation of profits and underestimation of costs was endemic to the organization. The cheat on debt and financial report lead to character erosion which destroys the image of this company and loss of business and social standing. The harsh policy alliance the relationship between managers and ordinary workers, make well-intentioned employees were inhibited from doing the right thing. Board Board of Directors in Enron’s collapse concluded that the firm had developed a pervasive culture of deception (Senate Subcommittee 2002). As such it was designed and operating at the level of connivance. CEO Lay used direct force to fire any possible successor with whom he disagreed and either he or other top Enron managers used indirect force to deceive and manipulate employees and other stakeholders for top executive advantage. Whatever standard operating procedures were developed at the level of conformance were honored only to the extent that they did not infringe upon executive perks or interfere with top executives exercising a type of feudal control over internal subjects. When external compliance threatened to restrict Enron corporate prerogatives, aggressive tactics to reduce or liminate regulatory standards were routinely employed. The extent and degree to which illegal non-compliance was the cultural norm at Enron will be determined in the courts. Enron did not reach the commitment level; it never democratized its power structures so that employee and community input could shape strategic direction or restrain executive perks. For all intents and purposes, the work culture of Enron was that of a moral jungle where abuse of power dominated principled economic democratic norms; it was a moral powder keg ready to explode. (1) Fiduciary Failure.  The Enron Board of Directors failed to safeguard Enron shareholders and contributed to the collapse of the seventh largest public company in the United States, by allowing Enron to engage in high risk accounting, inappropriate conflict of interest transactions, extensive undisclosed off-the-books activities, and excessive executive compensation. The Board witnessed numerous indications of questionable practices by Enron management over several years, but chose to ignore them to the detriment of Enron shareholders, employees and business associates. 2) High Risk Accounting. The Enron Board of Directors knowingly allowed Enron to engage in high risk accounting practices. (3) Inappropriate Conflicts of Interest. Despite clear conflicts of interest, the Enron Board of Directors approved an unprecedented arrangement allowing Enron’s Chief Financial Officer to establish and operate the LJM private equity funds which transacted business with Enron and profited at Enron’s expense.  The Board exercised inadequate oversight of LJM transaction and compensation controls and failed to protect Enron shareholders from unfair dealing. (4) Extensive Undisclosed Off-The-Books Activity. The Enron Board of Directors knowingly allowed Enron to conduct billions of dollars in off-the-books activity to make its financial condition appear better than it was and failed to ensure adequate public disclosure of material off-the-books liabilities that contributed to Enron’s collapse. (5) Excessive Compensation.  The Enron Board of Directors approved excessive compensation for company executives, failed to monitor the cumulative cash drain caused by Enron’s 2000 annual bonus and performance unit plans, and failed to monitor or halt abuse by Board Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Lay of a company-financed, multi-million dollar, personal credit line. (6) Lack of Independence. The independence of the Enron Board of Directors was compromised by financial ties between the company and certain Board members. The Board also failed to ensure the independence of the company’s auditor, allowing Andersen to provide internal audit and consulting services while serving as Enron’s Outside Accountants/Auditors Andersen’s auditors were pressured by Enron’s management to defer recognizing the charges from the special purpose entities as their credit risks became clear. Since the entities would never return a profit, accounting guidelines required that Enron should take a write-off, where the value of the entity was removed from the balance sheet at a loss. To pressure Andersen into meeting Enron’s earnings expectations, Enron would occasionally allow accounting firms Ernst Young or PricewaterhouseCoopers to complete accounting tasks to create the illusion of hiring a new firm to replace Andersen. Although Andersen was equipped with internal controls to protect against conflicted incentives of local partners, they failed to prevent conflict of interest. Revelations concerning Andersen’s overall performance led to the break-up of the firm, and to the following assessment by the Powers Committee (appointed by Enron’s board to look into the firm’s accounting in October 2001): â€Å"The evidence available to us suggests that Andersen did not fulfill its professional responsibilities in connection with its audits of Enron’s financial statements, or its obligation to bring to the attention of Enron’s Board (or the Audit and Compliance Committee) concerns about Enron’s internal contracts over the related-party transactions†. Ethical Code/Process Enron senior management gets a failing grade on truth and disclosure. The purpose of ethics is to enable recognition of how a particular situation will be perceived. At a certain level, it hardly matters what the courts decide. Enron is bankrupt—which is what happened to the company and its officers before a single day in court. But no company engaging in similar practices can derive encouragement for any suits that might be terminated in Enron’s favor. The damage to company reputation through a negative perception of corporate ethics has already been done. Enron’s top managers chose stakeholder deception and short-term financial gains for themselves, which destroyed their personal, and business reputations and their social standing. They all risk criminal and civil prosecution that could lead to imprisonment and/or bankruptcy. Board members were similarly negligent by failing to provide sufficient oversight and restraint to top management excesses, thereby further harming investor and public interests (Senate Subcommittee 2002). Individual and institutional investors lost millions of dollars because they were misinformed about the firm’s financial performance reality through questionable accounting practices (Lorenzetti 2002). Employees were deceived about the firm’s actual financial condition and deprived of the freedom to diversify their retirement portfolios; they had to stand by helplessly while their retirement savings evaporated at the same time that top managers cashed in on their lucrative stock options (Jacobius and Anand 2001). The government was also harmed because America’s political tradition of chartering only corporations that serve the public good was violated by an utter lack of economic democratic protections from the massive public stakeholder harms caused by aristocratic abuses of power that benefited select wealthy elite. How to cite Enron, Essay examples