28 Matching Annotations
  1. Apr 2023
    1. he looming presence of climate change, as a kind of techno-social disaster that has already begun and which will inundate the next couple of centuries as somekind of overdetermining factor, no matter what we do

      I think this statement highlights the severity and urgency of the threat posed by climate change. While it may create a sense of despair or helplessness, it can also serve as a call to action for individuals and societies to take concrete steps towards reducing our impact on the planet and mitigating the impacts of climate change.

    2. he energy flows on this planet, and humanity’scurrent technological expertise, are together such that it’s physically possible for us to construct aworldwide civilization—meaning a political order—that provides adequate food, water, shelter,clothing, education, and health care for all eight billion humans, while also protecting the livelihoodof all the remaining mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, plants, and other life-forms that we share andco-create this biosphere with. Obviously there are complications, but these are just complications.

      I think this suggests that it is physically possible for humanity to construct a worldwide civilization that is capable of providing basic needs for all human beings while also protecting the environment and other forms of life on the planet. The author emphasizes the importance of recognizing the interconnectivity of all life forms in the biosphere and suggests that it is essential for a successful civilization to prioritize the protection and livelihood of all beings.

    3. hese days I tend to think of dystopias as being fashionable, perhaps lazy, maybe even complacent,because one pleasure of reading them is cozying into the feeling that however bad our presentmoment is, it’s nowhere near as bad as the ones these poor characters are suffering through.

      In reading this, I feel like, the statement assumes that the only pleasure of reading dystopian stories is in feeling better about one's own situation. While this may be one aspect of it, dystopian stories can also be thought-provoking, challenging, and even inspiring. They can encourage readers to consider the consequences of our current societal issues and motivate them to take action towards creating a better future.

    4. Dystopias are the flip side of utopias. Both of them express feelings about our shared future; utopiasexpress our social hopes, dystopias our social fears. There are a lot of dystopias around these days,and this makes sense, because we have a lot of fears about the future.

      I think dystopian stories can serve a deeper purpose beyond just entertainment. They can be a warning sign for what could happen if we don't take action to prevent the worst-case scenarios. By exploring the consequences of our current societal issues, we can better understand the potential outcomes of our actions or inactions.

    1. Hotel-Dieu in 1772

      The Hôtel-Dieu was a hospital in Paris, France that was founded in the 7th century and became one of the oldest and most famous hospitals in the city. In 1772, a major fire broke out in the hospital, which caused extensive damage and forced the hospital to be rebuilt

    2. The plague-stricken town provided an exceptional disciplinary model: perfect, but absolutely violent; to the disease that brought death, power opposed its perpetual threat of death; life inside it was reduced to its simplest expression; it was, against the power of death, the meticulous exercise of the right of the sword.

      I get the feeling that the model described in the statement is unfair and disciplinary because it involves the use of extreme measures of control and violence to maintain order in the face of a deadly disease. The statement suggests that the rulers of the plague-stricken town respond to the outbreak of disease by imposing a strict and brutal regime of surveillance, quarantine, and punishment.

    3. In order to make rights and laws function according to pure theory, the jurists place themselves in imagination in the state of nature; in order to see perfect disciplines functioning, rulers dreamt of the state of plague.

      For me this statement is a simplification and generalization that overlooks the complexity and nuance of legal and political theory. I say this because while it is true that some legal and political theorists may use thought experiments or hypothetical scenarios, such as the state of nature or the state of plague, to explore the limits and possibilities of rights, laws, and governance, these scenarios are not used to "make rights and laws function according to the pure theory" or to "see perfect disciplines functioning."

    4. periphery

      "Periphery" typically refers to the outer edge or boundary of something, or an area that is on the outskirts or fringes of a larger region or system.

    5. The registration of the pathological must be constantly centralized.

      In a dystopian context, this phrase could indicate a society where certain medical conditions are stigmatized and individuals with these conditions are treated as outcasts. The centralized registration of these individuals could be used as a means of control and oppression, with the government or authority monitoring and potentially restricting the movements and activities of those who are considered "pathological."

    6. it is forbidden to leave on pain of death

      What I get from this line is a strong and severe warning that leaving a certain location or situation is not allowed under any circumstances, and that those who attempt to leave will face severe consequences, potentially even death.

  2. Mar 2023
    1. So that in the nature of man we find three principal causes of quarrel. First,competition; secondly, diffidence; thirdly, glory.

      I agree with, Even in today's society I would definitely say, its for most parts the only reason men within reason ever fight.

    2. The notions of right and wrong, justice and injustice,have there no place. Where there is no common power, there is no law; whereno law, no injustice

      I agree with this statement. I think all of these factors go hand in hand. There has to be a common power for their to be a common notion of right and wrong, which would be determined by the law and without the law there would be no justice.

    3. one man sometimes manifestly stronger in body orof quicker mind than another, yet when all is reckoned together the differencebetween man and man is not so considerable as that one man can thereuponclaim to himself any benefit to which another may not pretend as well as he

      I think, this speaks to the difference in strengths from one person to the next. where one person might be stronger and the next might be smarter but all things considered those differences do not really matter. the reasoning behind that I do not really understand

  3. Feb 2023
    1. e present cultural state of America would give us agood opportunity for studying the damage to civilization which is thus to be feared. But I shall avoid thetemptation of entering upon a critique of American civilization; I

      what exactly is he implying about American civilization. Is he saying it would be a good study because he thinks its a very damaged civilization?

    2. he tendency on the part of civilization to restrict sexual life is no less clear than its other tendency toexpand the cultural uni

      This is very important because it can reflect cultural, moral, and religious values that shape attitudes towards sexuality and can influence sexual behavior. For example, in some cultures, premarital sex may be discouraged or considered taboo, while in others it may be more accepted. This restriction can also be tied to ideas about the sanctity of marriage and the importance of preserving the family unit.

    3. fter primal man had discovered that it lay in his own hands, literally, to improve his lot on earth byworking, it cannot have been a matter of indifference to him whether another man worked with oragainst him.

      it makes perfect sense that primal man would have taken an interest in whether others were working with or against them. By doing so, they would have been able to determine the most advantageous course of action for themselves, which would have been essential for their survival and well-being. In essence, primal man's discovery that their life could be improved through work was not just about the physical act of labor, but also about the relationships and dynamics between people and the impact that these relationships had on their lives.

    4. e said there that man's discovery that sexual (genital)love afforded him the strongest experiences of satisfaction, and in fact provided him with the prototypeof all happiness, must have suggested to him that he should continue to seek the satisfaction ofhappiness in his life along the path of sexual relations and that he should make genital erotism thecentral point of his life.

      Is he trying to point out that men had to seek out other forms happiness because of their overall loss in it, which would kind of explain how it then led to an addiction?

    5. Beauty, cleanliness and order obviously occupy a special position among the requirements ofcivilization.

      How do you truly define that these are the requirements of civilization? Before certain countries were colonized what they viewed as beautiful, and cleanliness was not by colonizers. However, they were thriving without the colonizers changing their whole perspective on life. So does it not come down to what one believes and sees? we are all not the same so something maybe beautiful to one and not the other.

    6. The liberty of the individual is no gift of civilization. It was greatest before there was any civilization,

      Essentially one loses the true essence of their freedom because the live within the constructs of someones else idea of life or a general idea of life, one which suits the civilization and not themself

    7. Future ages will bring with them new and probably unimaginably great advancesin this field of civilization and will increase man's likeness to God still more. But in the interests of ourinvestigations, we will not forget that present-day man does not feel happy in his Godlike character

      Man will never be satisfied, Even with all the great advancements that the future brings. Man will always look for more.

    8. a person becomes neurotic because he cannot tolerate the amount of frustration whichsociety imposes on him in the service of its cultural ideals, and it was inferred from this that theabolition or reduction of those demands would result in a return to possibilities of happiness

      This is interesting because essentially society has set these almost impossible standards and set them even at the cost of their own happiness. When actually these standards and cultural ideals should be set at the service of everyone or at least the majorities happiness.

    9. Happiness, however, is something essentially subjective.

      I agree with this statement to a large extent as for example, one person may find happiness in spending time with loved ones, while another person may find happiness in pursuing personal interests or goals. Some people may find happiness in material wealth and success, while others may find happiness in spiritual or emotional fulfillment. There is no universally agreed upon definition of happiness, and what makes one person happy may not have the same effect on another person.

    10. why it is so hard for men to be happy

      I personally believe that the main reason for this is because of the world we live in. Men are meant to show no form of weakness or emotion. There are certain duties and responsibilities men are to uphold and if they are not, they are looked down on. This creates the sense of unhappiness as the pressure and stress to do so is large. Unfortunately most men will never be happy.

    1. all persons have multiple group _identifications.

      I could not agree more with Young here. I know of a person who is studying abroad and he is very silent when he is away from home. He minds his own business and does not go out at all. He sticks to his work and makes sure he never misses a deadline. He is focused when he is abroad because he has no distractions. However, when he goes to his hometown he is the compete opposite. He goes out constantly, not silent at all and is always out and about. Everyone is different in certain groups. Which I will always find amazing

    2. Anyone who lives long ehough becomes old

      Young using this sentence is showing how it doe not take a lot to understand exactly what she means when talking about groups. It is very straight forward.

    3. Political philosophy typically has no place for a specific concept of thesocial group

      I agree with this statement as I do believe that Political philosophy doesn’t recognize the concept of a social group to a large extent. The focus is often on the person and the state, than on social groups and their role in society

    4. Many people in the United States would not choose the term "oppression" to name injustice in our society. For contemporary emancipatory socialmovements, on the other hand-socialists, radical feminists, American Indianactivists, Black activists, gay and lesbian activists-oppression is a central category _of political discourse. Entering the political discourse in which oppression is a central category involves adopting a general mode of analyzing andevaluating social structures and practices which is incommensurate with thelanguage of liberal individualism that dominates political discourse in theUnited States.

      The author argues that "oppression" isn't widely used to describe social injustice in mainstream American politics. However, to my knowledge it is a central concept for various marginalized groups, including socialist, feminist, Native American, Black, and LGBTQ+ activists. These groups use the language of oppression in their political discourse, which is different from the dominant political discourse in the United States, which is based on liberal individualism.

    5. any people in the United States would not choose the term "oppression" to name injustice in our society. For contemporary emancipatory socialmovements, on the other hand-socialists, radical feminists, American Indianactivists, Black activists, gay and lesbian activists-oppression is a central category _of political discourse. Entering the political discourse in which oppression is a central category involves adopting a general mode of analyzing andevaluating social structures and practices which is incommensurate with thelanguage of liberal individualism that dominates political discourse in theUnited States.

      The author argues that "oppression" isn't widely used to describe social injustice in mainstream American politics. However, to my knowledge it is a central concept for various marginalized groups, including socialist, feminist, Native American, Black, and LGBTQ+ activists. These groups use the language of oppression in their political discourse, which is different from the dominant political discourse in the United States, which is based on liberal individualism.