Essay on "Philosophers Have Puzzled the Human"

Essay 3 pages (1019 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

As history progresses, each succeeding society replaces the previous but still counts on the exploitation of the worker in order to survive (Bluben, 2006). Turgenev turned towards literature, rather than economics and politics, to spread his message, which centered around the notion that actualization, is both necessary and available to the human spirit, largely through emotion. In Mumu, we literally feel the psychological alienation of workers, and a protest against the power of the elite. We view the good and the bad parts of humanity, and realize that Turgenev is telling us that not only is power corrupting, but also that society must work so that it limits cruelty and enhances goodness.

The theme for both authors seems to surround the concept of social justice. In its most basic form, social justice is the fairness and just law or custom exhibited within a given society. It should be applied universally to all members of that society, and is defined by not only a rule of law, but by the people advocating for and practicing a sense of egalitarianism. Social justice means that society understands the value of human rights recognizes the dignity of every human being, and that law is based not on privilege, class, or economic status, but on the ideas of equality. In fact, it is interesting that several international documents hold that social justice must be universal and must educate on the system of global human rights (Barry, 2005).

Both Marx and Turgenev were concerned with the human condition, and both saw that it was an elite of some sort that kept people from actualizing themselves or their happiness. After reading Dalrymple, one might ask what there is about humanity that is worth saving or celebrating. The answer, though, lies in the idea of utilitarianism, or a need-based set of ethics that asks us to define good and evil through what is best for the majority -- the ends justify the means; or a more deontological approach citing, it is the means that justify the ends. The article asks the reader to define humanity and humanness- and then ask; why bother? The answer is clear, people are good, people are evil. People will rise to the occasion to elicit support and love for those in trouble or who are less fortunate; yet people will also enslave and kill thousands for unspecified goals. Certainly Marx's views have impacted more than Turgenev's, yet it is through the process of defining humanity that one becomes human. If we have the capacity to understand and empathize with Gerasim and Mumu on the micro level, then we must also have the capacity to understand and empathize in the overall class struggle. In this, our realization of being human engenders our acceptance of our growth potential, often finding that it is within this growth mode that some of the best characteristics of humanity blossom.

Additional References:

Bluben, A. (June 2006). Marxism. Value of Knowledge Reference. Retrieved from: .

Troyer, J. (2003). The Classical Utilitarian's. New York:… READ MORE

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