Theories of Justice in Medieval Philosophy :: German Philosophy Papers

Theories of Justice in Medieval Philosophy ABSTRACT: I discuss the reception of the classical definitions of "the just" in the philosophy of Plato, Aristotle, Cicero and Ulpian by the authors of Latin Medieval philosophy. In the twelfth century we can see an emerging differentiation between philosophical and theological discourse, for example in the work of Peter Abelard. In the thirteenth century, in the philosophical writing of Thomas Aquinas, we find the most important philosophical definition of "the just." Aquinas avoids some of the aporias in which the Aristotelian theory on justice was involved. 1.) Ich gehe im Anschluß an die Thesen von Charles Haskins von der Beobachtung aus, daß sich im Zuge der Herausbildung der scholastischen Methode als einer Tendenz zur "Verwissenschaftlichung aller Theorie" entscheidende Umbrà ¼che in der geistigen Welt des Mittelalters vollziehen, die die Zeitgenossen veranlassen, die à ¼berlieferten Konzepte der Weltinterpretation einer Revision zu unterziehen; in deren Verlauf bilden sich die tragenden Begriffe und die sozialen Organisationsmuster heraus, die wir rà ¼ckblickend als die Bestandteile des Prozesses der okzidentalen Rationalisierung und Aufklà ¤rung identifizieren kà ¶nnen. Diese Zusammenhà ¤nge sollen hier nur illustrativ verdeutlicht werden durch den Hinweis auf die Entstehung der Kathedralschulen und die Neugrà ¼ndung der Università ¤ten, auf die Ablà ¶sung der Methodik der "artes liberales" durch die Wiederentdeckung des Konzepts der "scientia" sowie auf die eindeutige Tendenz zur Entsakralisierung der Sicht der pol itischen Herrschaft. Das sich in den Bahnen der Scholastik artikulierende Interesse an Rationalità ¤t verà ¤ndert von Grund auf das Selbstverstà ¤ndnis des Bildungssystems; ein Prozeß, der sich im 12. und 13. Jhdt. deutlich bemerkbar macht. Dieses betrifft alle à ¼berlieferten Wissensformen: Von der neuen Gestalt der Medizin in der Schule von Salerno bis zur "Entdeckung der Natur" in der Schule von Chartre (Thierry von Chartre, Wilhelm von Conches), von der methodisch neue Wege gehenden Bearbeitung der "Digesten" in der Schule von Bologna (Gratian) bis zur Entfaltung der rationalen Theologie eines Anselm von Canterbury oder Peter Abaelard). Dies schließt auch im 13. Jhdt. inmitten der Artistenfakultà ¤t in Paris das Erwachen eines neuen Konzepts von Philosophie als Wissenschaft eigenen Rechts ein. Nicht eigentlich ausgelà ¶st, aber begleitet und verstà ¤rkt wird dieser Wandlungsprozeß durch die Wiederentdeckung bzw. Neulektà ¼re von Texten der griechischen und latei nischen Antike, allen voran Aristoteles materiale Schriften, die nicht unerheblich zur Entfaltung einer akademischen Kultur der Disputation und der intellektuellen Suche nach Auflà ¶sung von Widersprà ¼chen beitragen. Im Zuge dieser Verà ¤nderungen kà ¶nnen wir unschwer auch eine neue Weise der Behandlung des Begriffs des

Bacillus Anthracis and Biological Warfare Essay -- Germs Infections Wa

Bacillus Anthracis and Biological Warfare Bacillus anthracis is a rod-shaped, nonmotile, aerobic, gram-positive bacterium that can be transmitted from herbivoric animals to humans (Figure 1). Before an animal’s death, its orifices exude blood containing huge quantities of the bacterium. Anthrax forms extremely resilient spores upon exposure to atmospheric conditions. Because of this spore-producing ability, even after the animal host dies the germs can sporulate again, persisting in the soil for up to several decades (1). No cases of human-to-human transmission have been reported for this zoonosis. Historically, human cases have been either industrial, as with woolsorter’s, or agricultural (2). Anthrax can be transmitted via 3 routes: cutaneous anthrax, gastric anthrax, and inhalational anthrax. Of the three, cutaneous anthrax is clearly the most prevalent, accounting for about 95% of all cases (3). In cutaneous anthrax, the bacterium invades when broken skin contacts contaminated animal products (1). Within about 2 weeks, at the point of entry a localized sore develops which turns the skin black, becoming a large welt. This coal black lesion "gave rise to the term anthrax that is derived from the Greek anthrakos" which means ‘coal’ (3). While generally self-limited, large doses of oral antibiotics such as penicillin, ciprofloxacin, or doxycycline cure cutaneous anthrax rapidly and effectively. Antibiotic treatment speeds healing, and decreases the possibility of systemic diffusion and lethal toxemia (4). With both gastric and inhalational anthrax, on the other hand, large doses of intravenous antibiotics are necessary (2). Gastric anthrax is exceedingly rare, and results from consumption of contaminated, poorly cooked mea... ...defense against bioterrorism." Emerging Infectious Diseases. 5.4 (1999): 531-33. 22. Friedlander, AM, Pittman, PR, and GW Parker. "Anthrax vaccine: Evidence for safety and efficacy against inhalational anthrax." JAMA. 282.22 (1999): 2104-06. 23. Nass, M. "Anthrax vaccine: Model of a response to the biologic warfare threat." Infectious Disease Clinics of North America. 13.1 (1999): 187-205. 24. Sidel, VW. "Weapons of mass destruction: The greatest threat to public health." JAMA. 262.5 (1989): 680-82. 25. Fox, JL. "Adjusting FDA policies to address bioterrorist threat." Nature Biotechnology. 17 (1999): 323-24. 26. Zegers, ND, Kluter, E, van der Stap, H, et al. "Expression of the protective antigen of Bacillus anthracis by Lactobacillus casei: Towards the development of an oral vaccine against anthrax." Journal of Applied Microbiology. 87 (1999): 309-14.

The Prince And The Pauper :: essays research papers

The Prince and the Pauper On an autumn day in the ancient city of London, in the second quarter of sixteenth century, a boy was born to a poor family of the name Canty. On the same day another English baby was born of a rich family of the name of Tudor. There was talk in England about the new baby, Edward Tudor, Prince of Wales, who lapped in silk and satin. While on the other hand Tom Canty, who lapped in his poor rags, was seen as trouble.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For fifteen years, Tom Canty lived in place where it is narrow and dirty, which is not far from London Bridge. He lived with his two sisters, Bet and Nan, with his father and grandmother and his mother who is a beggar. They get their income by begging and stealing things that can be reused. Tom spends his time listening to father Andrew's old tales, legends and stories about gorgeous kings and prince. Because of this, he dreamt of seeing a real prince and sometimes he would even dream of becoming a prince himself. So one day his dreams carry him to the castle.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the castle the prince was playing. When he saw Tom, he commanded the guard to let him in and so the guard opens the gate and Tom entered with amazement. The prince entertained Tom and asked questions about him. Tom answered his questions and even said stories about the place he lived in. They became at ease to each other that they decided to exchange their garments. Then they stood before the mirror and they were so alike that it seems that there was no change at all. Then the prince called the guard because he noticed the soldier had hurt Tom's finger. But then, when the guard arrived he thought that the pauper was hurting the prince so the prince was dragged out of the palace. The pauper was shocked and so helpless. But before it happened the prince kept the seal on his desired placed. Now the poor little prince walked away from his palace and search for the home where Tom had described to him. He walked and walked and sought for people's help, but no one bel ieved him except for Miles Hendon. On the other hand, Tom told stories to the members of the palace about what had happened and he told them that he was just a pauper but they didn't believe him. The Prince And The Pauper :: essays research papers The Prince and the Pauper On an autumn day in the ancient city of London, in the second quarter of sixteenth century, a boy was born to a poor family of the name Canty. On the same day another English baby was born of a rich family of the name of Tudor. There was talk in England about the new baby, Edward Tudor, Prince of Wales, who lapped in silk and satin. While on the other hand Tom Canty, who lapped in his poor rags, was seen as trouble.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For fifteen years, Tom Canty lived in place where it is narrow and dirty, which is not far from London Bridge. He lived with his two sisters, Bet and Nan, with his father and grandmother and his mother who is a beggar. They get their income by begging and stealing things that can be reused. Tom spends his time listening to father Andrew's old tales, legends and stories about gorgeous kings and prince. Because of this, he dreamt of seeing a real prince and sometimes he would even dream of becoming a prince himself. So one day his dreams carry him to the castle.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the castle the prince was playing. When he saw Tom, he commanded the guard to let him in and so the guard opens the gate and Tom entered with amazement. The prince entertained Tom and asked questions about him. Tom answered his questions and even said stories about the place he lived in. They became at ease to each other that they decided to exchange their garments. Then they stood before the mirror and they were so alike that it seems that there was no change at all. Then the prince called the guard because he noticed the soldier had hurt Tom's finger. But then, when the guard arrived he thought that the pauper was hurting the prince so the prince was dragged out of the palace. The pauper was shocked and so helpless. But before it happened the prince kept the seal on his desired placed. Now the poor little prince walked away from his palace and search for the home where Tom had described to him. He walked and walked and sought for people's help, but no one bel ieved him except for Miles Hendon. On the other hand, Tom told stories to the members of the palace about what had happened and he told them that he was just a pauper but they didn't believe him.

Define Self-Esteem, Including Contingencies of Self-Worth

Definitions Jennifer Crandall PSY/220 November 17, 2012 Professor Sheats Definitions Define self-esteem, including contingencies of self-worth. When might the pursuit of self-esteem be harmful to individuals? When might threats to self-esteem be helpful? Self-Esteem refers to the evaluative component of self-concept ( Baumeister, 1998; Coopersmith, 1967). This is the feelings that one gets when doing self-evaluations.It is how a person sees themselves and judges themselves. The contingencies of self-worth may be a favorable view of themselves, thinking that they are competent, likable, attractive and successful may help them to believe they are worthy and increase levels of self-esteem. Self-esteem may also be influenced by the expectations of others. The approval of others is one example of the contingencies of self-esteem.Other examples of the contingencies of self-esteem are: appearance, competition, academic competence, family support, virtue and God’s love. There is a dar ker side to self-esteem, people that constantly pursue elevated levels of self-esteem have traits that are similar to those that are associated with materialism. People that make choices based on others perceptions of them rather than what makes they happy are depriving themselves of well-being.They give up their own autonomy, intrinsic motivation, and personally expressive actions. Threats to self-esteem can also be helpful. While experience threats to self-esteem people may learn to come up with better coping skills than they may have previously possessed. By experiencing these threats, they learn to overcome obstacles in turn, they may actually boost their self-esteem by learning that they are capable of overcoming these challenges.

henry fayol theory of management Essay

In rhetoric, the places were citizens exchange ideas, information, attitude and opinions.   The concept of Habermas public sphere is a metaphorical term used to describe the virtual space where people can interact through the world wide web, for instance is not actually a web, cyberspace is not a space, and so with the public sphere. It’s the virtual space where the citizens of a country exchange ideas and discuss issues in order to reach agreement about ‘matters of general interest’(Jurgen, Habermas 1997:105) HISTORY OF JURGEN HABERMAS Jurgen Habermas was born in Dusseldorf, Garmany in 1929, he had served in the Hilter youth and had been sent to them. The western front during the final months of the war. Habermas entrance onto the intellectual scence began in 1950s with an influential critique of Martin Heideggers philosophy.  He studied philosophy at universities of Gottingen and Bonn, which he followed with studies in philosophy and sociology at the institute of social research under Maz Horkheimer and Theoder Adono. In the 1960s and 70s he target at the university of Heidelberg and Frankfurt am main. He then accepted a directorship at the Max Pianck institution in stamberg in 1971. In 1980 he won prize and two years later he took a professorship at the university of Frankfurt, remaining there until his retirement in 1994. Habermas on the public sphere, he means first at al a dominant of our social life in which something coming out in which public opinion can be formed. The right is guaranteed to all citizen. A position of the public sphere comes in being in every conversation in which private individuals assemble to form a public body. Citizens behave as a public body when they confer in an unrestricted fashion †¦ i.e, with the guarantee of freedom of assembly and association and the freedom to express and publish their opinions†¦ about matters of general interest. The contemporary publics sphere is characterized according to Habermas. By the weathering of its critical roles and capacities. In the past publicity was used to subject people or the present political decisions to the public. Today the public sphere is recruited for the use of hidden policies by interest groups. For Habermas, the principles of the public sphere are weakening in the 20th century. The public is no longer made out of masses of individuals but of organized people that institutionally exerting their influence on the public sphere and debate. Habermas introduces the concepts of â€Å"communicative power† as the key normative resources for countering the norn-free steering media of money and administrative power. Linking †˜communication’ with ‘power’ already suggests a mix of the normative resources of communicative action with the impersonal force of power. Is such a conceptual mix stable? As the source for democratic legitimation of the use of state power, communicative power is a central notion in Habermas’s democratic theory. Although, in the medium of in restricted communication†¦ new problem situation can be perceived more sensitively, discourses aimed at achieving self-understanding can be conducted more widely and expressively, collective identities and need interpretations can be articulated with fewer compulsions then is the case in procedurally regulated public sphere. HOW HABERMAS ANALYSIS PUBLIC COMMUNICATION Habermas analysis public communication in medieval times there existed no separation or distinction between private and public sphere, dure to the class pyramid of the feudal system. This system for Habermas positioned greater power at every level and to this day conventions regarding the ruler persisted, with political authority retained by the highest level. Rulers saw the state and not as representatives of the state – meaning that they represent their power to the people and not for the people. According to Habermas, by the late 18th century feudal institutions were finally disappearing along with church’s rule, making way to public power which was given autonomy. Rulers become public entities and professionalism bore the first signs of the bourgeois which become autonomous in relation to the government. Representational publicity was pushed over by a public force that formed around national and territorial sentiment and individual struggling with public power found themselves outside its collective power. The term â€Å"public† did not refer to the representation of a man with authority, but rather became the legitimate power of exercising power. The public sphere, according to Habermas, was the final stage of these developments. HOW IMPORTANT HARBERMAS THEORY Solutions can be raised and tested for potential objections without the pressure to put ‘opinion’ immediately in practice. Uncoupling communicated opinions from concrete practical obligations tends to have an intellectualizing effect. Furthermore, a great deal of political communication that does not immediately call for political action is certainly crucial to the political discourse a robust, democratic society. Free sphere plays an essential role in the political process as a cooperative search for truth. We should not be misled into thinking that the public sphere amounts to nothing more than a public arena in which people talk about politics. Nor does the public sphere have merely instrumental value for bringing ‘relevant information’ into political process. The public sphere is a normative  concept that plays a key role in the process that culminates in legitimate political decisions. According to Habermas, institutionalized democratic lawmaking and judicial review alone are insufficient to confer democratic legitimacy. Alone with legislative decisions, judicial and administrative decision are only ensured legitimacy through the normative reasons generated by an un-subverted public sphere. Otherwise, political decisions are dedicated by the power struggles within the political system and not by citizens themselves who, as the addresses of the law, are the ones affected. Without robust political public sphere, there is little check on the administrative power that dictates the flow of communication and power within the political system and the citizenry. Thus, the public sphere theory is more inanely an arena for talking politics. It is the primary site for detecting problems, for generating radical democratic infuses, and for the deliberation of citizens, all of which are necessary for democratic legitimacy. In the following, I distinguish the important normative aspects of the informal public sphere theory. 1. Its communicative and organizational structure 2. The capacities required to meet its deliberate role within a deliberative politics and 3. The qualified out comes or effects generated by the public sphere. This last aspect will lead into the discussion of crucial role of communicative power. REFERENCE www.slideshare.net/†¦/public-sphere en.wilipedia.org/wiki/public.sphere publicsphere.nard.ru/Habermaspubsphere†¦ grammer.about.com/†¦/publicsphereterm†¦.. pages.gseis.ucla.edu/†¦/habermas.htm

Fukushima Informative Speech

Purpose: To inform the audience about the heroic actions of the Fukushima Daiichi cleanup workers. Thesis: The Fukushima Daiichi cleanup workers are incredibly brave. Introduction: The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster was the largest nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. It measured 7 on the Nuclear Event Scale, which is the highest rating. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster was initiated by a magnitude 9 earthquake. This earthquake caused a tsunami with waves reaching up to 133 feet to crash on the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. This caused major damage to the nuclear plant. Workers were needed to keep this already terrible incident from escalading. The Fukushima Daiichi cleanup workers are incredibly brave. Today, I would like to tell you about the bravery of the Fukushima 50, the Skilled Veterans Corps, and the Fukushima Firefighters. Body: 1)The Fukushima 50 are a group of 50 workers who remained to clean up the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant a. The name â€Å"Fukushima 50† was created by the media honoring these workers i. It was an endearing name given to these brave men who stayed behind to defuse the nuclear meltdown. II. These men knew the dangers, but they stayed in order to protect the public from this nuclear disaster. iii. One unnamed man said, â€Å"We felt like members of the Tokkotai. † (BBC) b. The Fukushima 50 inspired bravery in other people as well i. Days after these brave workers volunteered, nearby companies sent in more volunteers to help the Fukushima 50. ii. Companies such as Toshiba, Hitachi, Yokohama, Kawasaki, and many others sent in teams of volunteers to help out 1. These workers did jobs such as spraying water to cool the reactor cores, decontamination, installing water pumps and many other crucial jobs. ii. The combined effort of all these workers helped the situation from getting worse and protected the public from the radiation Transition 1: The efforts of the Fukushima 50 inspired a group of Japanese’s seniors dubbed the suicide corps to volunteer. 2)The group of Japanese seniors called the Skilled Veterans Corps decided to volunteer in an effort to replac e some of the younger workers a. The Skilled Veterans Corps is a group of 250 people over the age of 60 who are willing to volunteer. i. Their idea simple, since they are old, they will not live to see the harmful long-term effects of the radiation. They want to work instead of the younger generation to prevent them from being exposed to these high levels of radiation. b. The media starting calling these men the suicide corps but they reject this nickname and prefer to go by The Skilled Veteran Corps. i. The name â€Å"Suicide Corps† is a play on the Kamikazes from World War II however, they say it is not suicide since they will not live to see the effects of the radiation. ii. Yasuteru Yamada, a member of the Skilled Veterans Corps, said to CNN, â€Å"We have to work instead of them; Elders have less sensitivity to radiation. (CNN) iii. These members of the Skilled Veterans Corps are brave and selfless. Transition 2: The Skilled Veterans Corps were brave and selfless and the Fukushima firefighters shared these attributes. 3)The Fukushima Firefighters are the brave men who helped defuse the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. a. Fresh water was a key necessity to cool down the nuclear reactor cores. i. Without fresh water, the core would overheat and explode causing more damage and spread the radiation further. ii. Tokyo fire departments elite Hyper Rescue Squad was specially trained for situations like this. 1. These firefighters braved the radiation in order to help cool down the cores b. The members of the Hyper Rescue Squad had to leave there family’s behind in order to combat the nuclear disaster. i. Yasuhiro Ishii’s, a member of the Hyper Rescue Squad, wife asked him if he really had to go to Fukushima and begged him not too. ii. However Ishii said, â€Å"†Normally, a mission involves saving a limited number of people, but this was something much bigger. It involved not only the helping the entire nation but also future generations. I had to go. † (Telegraph UK) Conclusion: Today I have spoken to you all about bravery of the Fukushima 50, the Skilled Veterans Corps, and the Fukushima Firefighters. These Brave men have risked it all in order to clean up and decontaminate the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster. They did this so that the public would be saved from the radiation and so that future generations would not have to bear he harmful effects of radiations. These men deserve our respect and graditude

Review of All the King’s Men

The nature of Jack Burden`s journey from the `arid land of facts` to the `dream sea of ideas` is what the story is all about. It goes on to spell whether the journey undertaken by the hero is indeed a spiritual one or an attempt at self-discovery.An attempt has been made to explore the roots of this journey through Modernism (the breakdown of philosophical/moral consensus about the nature of things, the turn toward myth) and Neo-Romanticism (the search for a new unifying principle amid the fragmentations of Modernity/Scientific Materialism), the role of Willie Stark, Ellis Burden, Judge Irwin, and the hero’s journey through the turmoil and pleasures of life.The story revolves around the relationship between the themes of Death and Rebirth which occur in Jack’s journey through incidences of tragedy and beyond. It ends on a note of positivism, when the hero, Jack Burden, transforms himself from being a pawn to his roots in ancestral lineage. Literature Review ‘All t he King's Men’, is the story of the rise and fall of Willie Stark, a political titan in the Deep South, who during the 1930s rose from hardscrabble poverty to become the governor of his state, and ultimately it’s most powerful political figure.The story goes on to say how Willie, the anti-hero blackmails and bullies his enemies into submission, and using his good office institutes a radical series of liberal reforms which are designed to tax the rich and ease the burden of the state's poor farmers. This leads to a conflict of personalities which includes the notable former governor, Sam MacMurfee, and other power mongers. Jack Burden, the scion of one of the state's aristocratic dynasties, turns his back on his genteel upbringing, against the wishes of his well-wishers, which includes the influential Judge Irwin.Throwing caution to wind, Jack joins Willie on his journey to stardom, earning him the name as, Willie’s right hand. Willie takes advantage of Jack†™s talent as a historical researcher to dig up the unpleasant secrets of his enemies, using this to blackmail and provocation. Cynical and lacking in ambition as he is, Jack walks away from many of his past interests; the dissertation of American History, and marriage to Anne Stanton, the daughter of a former governor of the state.The scene when Willie asks Jack to look for skeletons in the closet of Judge Irwin, Jack is forced to confront his ideas concerning consequence, responsibility, and motivation. He discovers that Judge Irwin had accepted a bribe, and that Governor Stanton, his would-be father-in-law, had covered it up, resulting in Judge Irwin's suicide. The story then turns to another interesting episode of Adam Stanton, Anne’s brother, taking up the directorship of a new hospital being built by Willie.The vicious turn of events leads Willie to Anne, who unsuspectingly has an affair leading to his ultimate murder. Jack, with nothing to gain returns, an empty man. In this we see, the death and rebirth of Jack through his tryst with destiny and forlorn countenance of Anne transform to one of exuberance. Willie's death at the hands of Adam, his loyal employee, jolts Jack to such an extent that he is left dumbfounded and brooding of the consequence of his future and a rethink of his belief.Jack returns to his senses and takes a major plunge towards society by accepting his long lost love, Anne Stanton, and pursues his passion of research . 3. 0 Analysis Jack’s journey from the ‘arid land of facts’ to the ‘dream sea of ideas’ can be best described as a journey towards truth which is emphasized when he says, ‘And all times are one time, and all those dead in the past never lived before our definition gives them life, and out of the shadow their eyes implore us. That is what all of us historical researchers believe. And we love truth. ’It may be seen that the principal characters in the novel Willie Sta rk, Judge Irwin, Anne Stanton though their personal lives have not been free from blemishes, they were in more than a way, corrupt. Starting with his association with Willie to the displeasure of his near and dear, the moment he learns of the affair of his first love Anne Stanton with Willie, and to the moment he learns of Judge Irwin’s suicide, Jack had never endured a sign of negativism in Willie’s actions. It is only when Jack’s mother reveals the true identity of his father, does Jack admonishes Willie for his deliberations, although not in public.This incident leads Jack through many a twist and turn in his endeavor to get to the bottom of Willie’s motives. The sequence of events that followed, leading to the untimely murder of Willie, inculcated a sense of disbelief, and revulsion in him. The trudge back to his roots exemplifies the struggle and worship of humanity in all its glory. Jack for all his wiles, was an ardent follower of his master. Willi e Stark, ‘the Boss’ gave the impression of a man on the move. Never, did he pause to gauge the consequences of his actions. This ultimately led to his doom.Willie Stark, though he had a humble beginning, rose to a position of wielding unbridled power in the process subjugating his opponents by brute force and of course putting to use the investigative skills of Jack. Judge Irwin, revered as a father figure by Jack, has not been in the good books of Willie, who instigates Jack to dig into the past activities of Irwin, protested vehemently by him. However, when the facts were unearthed, a shocked Jack and a bemused Willie confronted Judge Irwin. Judge Irwin was a man of honor. He was known to be a very straight man and never took the law into his hands.This revelation was too much for him to digest, and equally embarrassing, that he did what a man of his stature would have done, commit suicide. Strangely, for most part of the story, Jack believes that Ellis Burden, whom h e refers to as his Scholarly attorney, to be his father, where in fact, it is Judge Irwin who is the real biological father. Ironically, Jack gets to know this only after the suicide of Irwin, which Jack believes was because of his action. Jack’s aristocratic moorings unfortunately does not refrain him from joining hands with the immoral Willie Stark as we see in the story.Though Willie uses Jack as a formidable tool in his ascent to power, using Jack’s research skills to his greatest advantage of subjugating his opponents, was a crime most unsuspecting of such a character. Jack becomes a witness to Willie’s Machiavellian manipulations and misdeeds, albeit, unwittingly. However Jack’s shunning politics at the end of the story and his return to his earlier passion is a metaphor for Jack’s return to his roots, his history, and his American past. In fact, Jack’s research revolves around his study of the life of Cass Mastern, a man of high moral standards and a student at Transylvania College in Kentucky.Even the subject Jack takes up for his dissertation is a reminder to the readers of Jack’s search for the truth. ‘Is death the last sleep? No, it is the last and final awakening,’ said W. Scott, a stark reminder synonymous of the characters in this book; Judge Irwin’s suicide when he is confronted by Jack with facts about his acceptance of a bribe, and the killing of Willie Stark by Adam Stanton. While for the major part of the story Jack believed that the ‘Great Twitch’ denoted actions in life and not words or deeds.The awakening on that morning at home, brought Jack to retract his thoughts on life, and once again believed that men were responsible for their actions and deeds. This rethinking in a sense is responsible for Jack’s decision to marry Anne Stanton (a metaphor for rebirth) despite his knowledge of the fact that he she had an affair with Willie Stark. Reflecting phi losophically he says, ‘all the words we speak meant nothing and there was only the pulse in the blood and the twitch of the nerve, like a dead frog's leg in the experiment when the electric current goes through, a true reflection of Modernism.This can be, in a philosophical sense be equated to the death of Jack figuratively, since Anne was Jack’s first love, whom he loved more than anything else in the world. 4. 0 Conclusion In the ultimate analysis it may be inferred that Jack’s life has been a life of journey towards the truth, towards his roots and eventually his self-discovery. The main characters in the story play an important role in molding Jack’s character, the incidents in the lives of those characters enlightening the path Jack has taken to achieve his goal. 5. 0 Bibliography 1. 0 www. sparknotes. com/lit/kingsmen/summary. html