The 17th and 18th centuries were a time of great political change in Research Paper

The 17th and 18th centuries were a time of great political change in Europe - Research Paper Example To begin with, Hobbes being a scholar, his main aim was to place politics on a scientific grip, hence employing a strict logical method to his work. In contrast, Machiavelli having worked as one of the civil servants of Florentine Republic drew his conclusions, after observing how people behaved instead of how they should behave in an intangible and hypothetical world2. It is this methodology difference, which leads to differing political views of these two authors. Hobbes, writing Leviathan immediately after the end of civil war and unfruitful tries at republicanism in Europe, held less estimation of the nature of human beings that Machiavelli. According to Hobbes, if two individuals have desire of a certain thing, which they cannot enjoy at the same time, then they become enemies3. Hobbes argued that, people living in such state were continuously at war, and they could not differentiate between right and wrong. The two lived a life that was poor, solitary, short, brutish, and nasty. Resulting from his reductionist methodology, taking societal analysis to a position of human nature, he made his conclusion with a main realist assumption (anarchy). In such a state, every individual has his or her natural right for protection against injury or harm4. Therefore, Hobbes’s arguments purports that there must be fundamental laws to avoid the state of war. On contrary, Machiavelli does not reflect a theoretical state of nature like Hobbes. Howev er, Machiavelli argues, â€Å"there is no secret hand, which brings human activities into natural harmony†. Another factor differentiating these two political theorists is their diverging views about governance. According to Hobbes, it was the speculation on how a society functions without set rules. Hobbes felt that individuals would simply be doing things according to their own interests. Regarding how people should act, Hobbes makes

Cultural Exploration Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Cultural Exploration - Term Paper Example These cultural patterns, which include beliefs, values, norms and social practices, do affect the quality of communication that takes place as the people from these different cultures interact. The result is either an enhanced quality of communication or a total breakdown in communication. To avoid this breakdown in communication, and to enhance the quality of communication between the different parties, it is very important for the two people who are communicating to be aware of the various attributes of the other culture. This way, mistakes that can be avoided and that can cause a breakdown in communication are identified. The cultural patterns of the two cultures might either lead to a competent intercultural communication or problems as far as the communication is concerned. This paper is going to examine the cultural patterns of two cultures and how the interplay between these patterns affects the intercultural communication of people from these cultures. The first culture is that of the writer, Southeastern Georgia Caucasian, and that of Chinese. Throughout this paper, the writer will be guided by one major objective. This will be the exploration of the various potential effects of the cultural patterns of Southeastern Georgia Caucasian and Chinese on intercultural communication between the two. To achieve the major objective, the writer will be guided by several specific objectives. It is through the address of these specific objectives that the writer will have effectively dealt with the major one. These specific ones are as follows: 1. An analysis of cultural value orientations of southeastern Georgia Caucasian and Chinese using the globe taxonomy approach 2. An analysis of verbal communication norms of the two cultures 3. An analysis of non-verbal communication norms of the two cultures 4. An analysis of relational communication norms of the two cultures The writer will not merely describe the cultural patterns of the two cultures picked. Rather, this will be a comprehensive analysis of the effects that the interplay between this set of pattern has on intercultural communication. Does it make it more productive or does it make it less productive and problematic 1: Cultural Value Orientations of Georgian and Chinese Cultures This analysis will be conducted using the GLOBE cultural taxonomy approach. This approach identifies nine dimensions of culture that are regarded important or ideal in a particular culture. These nine dimensions are a description of what people actually do, or what Millet (1) refers to as cultural practices. They also identify cultural values or what is regarded as ideal practice or conduct in the society under examination (Millet: 1). Power Distance Dimension Power distance dimension describes the degrees to which members of the society that are less powerful both "expect and accept that power is distributed unequally" (Leadlay & Jomy: 38). It is a fact that in any one society, there are differences in the distribution of power, resulting in powerful individuals and less powerful ones. But the differences between the societies occur because, to some, as much as the power