Wells And Darwin Essays - Herbert Spencer, H. G. Wells,

Wells And Darwin Herbert George Wells was born in Bromley, Kent, a suburb of London, to a lower-middle-class family. He attended London University and the Royal College of Science where he studied zoology. One of his professors instilled in him a belief in social as well as biological evolution which Wells later cited as the important and influential aspect of his education. This is how it all began. Maybe without this professor Wells wouldn't be the famous author he is today. Most of Wells novels are science fiction and have a great deal of some kind of human society theme, or Darwinism in mind. It is a theme that is seen in his most famous science fiction writings. H.G. Wells seems to convey a sense of Darwinism and change in the future of society in his major works. Wells has been called the father and Shakespeare of science fiction. He is best known today for his great work in science fiction novels and short stories. He depicted stories of chemical warfare, world wars, alien visitors and even atomic weapons in a time that most authors, or even people for that matter, were not thinking of the like. His stories opened a door for future science fiction writers who followed the trend that Wells wrote about. His most popular science fiction works include The Time Machine, The Invisible Man, The War of the Worlds, and The Island of Doctor Moreau. His first novel, The Time Machine, was an immediate success. By the time the First World War had begun his style of writing and novels had made him one of the most controversial and best-selling authors in his time. In the story The Time Machine, Wells expresses his creativity with images of beauty, ugliness and great details. In this novel Wells explores what it would be like to travel in this magnificent and beautiful machine. "The criterion of the prophecy in this case is influenced by the theory of "natural selection." (Beresford, 424) He uses Darwin's theory in the novel and relates it to the men living in the novel. The men are no longer struggling to survive, they have all adapted and there is no termination of the weak. It had practically ceased. His fascination with society in biological terms is also mentioned, "Shows Wells horizon of sociobiological regression leading to cosmic extinction, simplified from Darwinism." (Beresford, 424) He took the idea from Darwin but instead of making it "survival of the fittest", the weak have already died off and only the fittest are left, which leads to the extinction. His fascination with Darwinism was one that had not been thought by many in that time, because there were questions of ethics and religion. "From The Time Machine on, it was generally recognized that no writer had so completely or so perceptively taken Darwin to heart." (McConnell, 442) He wasn't the first man to realize and acknowledge the importance of Darwin's theory for the future of civilization, but he is said to be the first to assimilate that theory into his stories. Concerning society with the future, The Time Machine is said to be seen as "a prophecy of the effects of rampant industrialization on that class conflict that was already, in the nineteenth, century a social powder keg." (McConnell, 438) Wells always touched upon the subject of society, the destruction of it, and how it would become in the future due to this destruction and chaos. His view on society was that the classes would clash and ultimately "they might become two races, mutually uncomprehending and murderously divided," (Suvin, 435) His predictions of future societies were all much alike, war-torn class problems, much like what is seen now a days. The narrator of The Time Machine says of the Time Traveler that he "saw in the growing pile of civilization only a foolish heaping that must inevitably fall back upon and destroy its makers in the end." (McConnell, 439) This is another reference to society's survival of the fittest, as he depicts civilization tearing at each other, and in the end, doing away with their creator. Not all of his predictions and social clashes were horrid and horrendous with violence. In some of his foretelling of what society would do, he recommended things that could be done to avoid such things and maybe in the end reach some kind of peace or togetherness. "That the human race, thanks to its inherited prejudices and superstitions and its innate pigheadedness, is an endangered species; and that mankind must learn-soon-to establish a

Hammurabis Code essays

Hammurabi's Code essays The Code of Hammurabi was issued and imposed (Polushin 15) by an able and ambitious king(Polushin 15), Hammurabi, who ruled the city-states of Mesopotamia. The code of Hammurabi was originally made of 282 rules/articles however several are known to have been erased by later rulers and conquerors. The knowledge of King Hammurabi's code has survived because of its discovery in 1901 by a French archeologist. The nature of codes go back to the dawn of history and involve such subject matter as property, social status, punishments, and domestic issues. It reveals a glimpse into how these ancient people governed themselves and how their society was socially stratified. After reading the text of the Code of Hammurabi supplied by Polushin I am led to seek my own analysis to the societys attitude towards slaves in situations of intent and neglect. In certain cases the slave is seen as a very important element to the society and then in contrast later observed as expendable. In the Code of Hammurabi articles fifteen through twenty refer specifically to runaway slaves and consequential treatment of surrounding them in several cases. These articles supply rulings for cases that led to the conclusion that slaves were considered valuable property and if this property is taken away from the owner by any means would result in death. For example article fifteen states that If a man has induced either a male or female slave from a house of a patrician, or plebian, to leave the city, he shall be put to death. It is apparent that even during the times of Hammurabi brave Harriet Tubmans were not welcomed. What is even more radical is one could face the death sentence if it becomes known that there is a runaway slave hiding in your house. This can be noted in article sixteen: If a man has induced either a male or female slave form the house of a patricians, or plebeians house, and ...

The Managerial Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Managerial Theories - Essay Example This paper covers the inherent conflict between providing costly incentives to motivate managers to perform well, against the overall profit motive of the firm. In analysing this conundrum, the author will call on the different kinds of motivational tools available to the Managing Director and the Board of Directors of a firm, and how those tools are regarded both by the managers whose incentives are affected, and the shareholders of the firm, who are presumably trying to maximise their gain (Griffith 2000).  As income taxes have risen over the past historical era, the outright impact of salary or bonus increases has been moderated somewhat. The incremental tax on income in the UK and the US is at about 50%, hen all local and national income taxes are taken into account. Thus the standard supply and demand relationship demonstrates a curve, as shown below. Since taxes climb with income, the curve’s change in slope is more pronounced:  As compared to the turn of the last ce ntury, when income taxes were less than 10%, the total impact of increases in wages has therefore moderated. The second influence on this moderation has been the increase in the value of leisure time (Kokoski 1987). As the value of leisure hours has increased, the amount which needs to be paid to offset the value of leisure time has also increased, all else being equal.  Group incentives can take the form of income increases (salary and bonus) or non-monetary rewards, such as additional vacation days. From a microeconomics standpoint, there is no difference between group pay incentives and individual pay incentives. There are psychological differences which can be substantial, however, depending on the type of performance being rewarded.   An extreme example of the point above is an individual whose personal rewards far exceed those of the group.