The picture people have of the 1950's is largely a product of Essay

The picture people have of the 1950's is largely a product of television shows such as I LOVE LUCY, LEAVE IT TO BEAVER, AND OTHER OLD BLACK AND WHITE SHOWS. HO - Essay Example The 50s were also the times when the nation was introduced to television en masse but it was also a time of high mortgage rates, development of suburbs, and a closer concept of a family (Socha, 1996). In such times, TV acted as a family medium with primetime programming which appealed to families of the time. While some TV families were portrayed as living in cities and small towns, others were portrayed as living in rural areas but it was more a touch of nostalgia rather than the factual representation of the American family. The ethnic makeup of the television family was almost always European immigrants rather than black, Hispanic or Asian while it was certainly a time when immigration from the lesser developed countries of the world to America began in earnest. The image of the family on TV in the 1950s was also important for political reasons since the influence of the media on juvenile delinquency and other social problems had been discussed in Congress. The media certainly had to play its part in promoting the ideas of strong family values and connections between individuals in a family rather than represent what was actually happening in a society that was just coming to terms with the losses it had suffered in the war and the economic boom it had experienced during the war years. While discussing the position on family life shown on TV in the 1950s, Spigel (2007) reports that, â€Å"Programs such as The Donna Reed Show, Leave it to Beaver, and Father Knows Best presented idealized versions of white middle-class families in suburban communities (Spigel, 2007, Pg.1)†. Therefore, if we watch the same shows today, we do not get an accurate representation of how society functioned and how family dynamics worked in the 1950s. What we do get is a vision of the producers and directors of the same shows for how they think society should have functioned. Even through the 60s, the idea of being divorced was not acceptable to be presented on TV and family

The Leadership Of Prophet Muhammad Religion Essay

The Leadership Of Prophet Muhammad Religion Essay The choice of the topic was prompted because of the numerous impacts and transformation the leadership of prophet Muhammad (SAW) had made to humanity and the world in general. So many scholars and historians such as Michael hart Carlyle in his book the hundred and mahatma Ghandi even though they were not Muslims they made so many assertions that the world had never witnessed a leader who has achieved so much in all spheres of leadership ; socially, economically and religiously like such as man (Muhammad SAW). An Arab man who does not know how to read or write, but was able to transform the whole of Arabian Peninsula in less than three decades. He was able to change the mind of Arabian people who happens to be so barbaric during the jahiliya period killing one another. They fought so many battles due to ethnicity, ignorance and land disputes which usually last for decades. As he came in, he was able to unite them, change their focus so as to love one another as it was reported in one of his tradition that: none of you is a complete believer unless he loves for his brother what he loves for himself. In the glorious Quran, Allah the most high says: O mankind, I have created you from a single male and female and made you in to nations and tribes; so that you man know one another. None of you is greater than the other except he who fears Allah the most. Hence all are equal before Allah. From the aforementioned, I can categorically say that prophet Muhammad SAW is a role model to leaders of all kind; politically, economically, psychologically and religiously. Therefore all leaders in the world should learn and embrace the method of his leadership, this is because he conquered the whole of Arabian Peninsula without fierce battle except where they fought against him then he fought back in defense of his territorial sovereignty. I also choose the topic because he was able to liberate women from the bondage of becoming extinct. The world over, there is no religion that has given women the liberation, respect and recognition than the religion of Islam with its leader Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as it was enshrined in the holy book of Allah. But before the advent of this great leader, a female child born to a family is considered to be a cause as such, they were either killed or buried alive. This was mentioned in the glorious Quran where Allah says; whenever one of them is giving a glad tiding of a female child, his fact would become darkened in sorrow in high state of grief. He will separate from his people the bad tidings he was given should he bury it in the earth. But he was able to bring liberation to the female folks, not only to the female folk but to humanity in general as stated in the glorious Quran we do not send you expect as a mercy to the world. The prophet Mohammed (S.A.W) exhibited the sublime condu ct of Islam, which appealed to the people to accept Islam. He used his obedience to Allah to propagate Islam; he strictly adhered to the commands and prohibitions of Allah. He derived pleasure in following the commands of Allah and other people noticed and accepted the religion. The prophet therefore used soft language while appealing to people to accept Islam. He met people in their houses and at business places to tell them about Islam, he gave examples that could convince his people that he was sent by Allah. The leadership qualities I find most admirable were his humility, his recognition of talent, and his ability to think counterintuitive. Introduction The prophet Muhammad (SAW) was born in makkah 2nd august A.D 570, his father died before he was born. His mothers name is amina she died when he was six years old he became an orphan at a very young age. Khadija gave birth to four girls and three boys all the boys died in childhood. The prophet at the age of 40 he was climbing the cave outside the city to be alone to pray and ponder he was troubled by all the injustice of mekkah, slavery, ill treatment of women, gambling, sacrifice of new born babies and the reliance on idol gods made of wood and stone but for one God of Abraham and Moses and Jesus. So as he did every year he went to the cave (cave hira) suddenly he was surrounded by light when he looked up he saw angel Gabriel standing before him he was speechless. Read said the angel I dont how was the reply Gabriel repeated his command three times and each time the reply was the same and then Gabriel thought him. The angel said read in the name of your creator he created man from the clot of blood read your lord is the most merciful who thought the use of the pen and thought men what he did not know. And then Gabriel varnished. Muhammad (SAW) shook with fear he stumbled out of the cave and ran home he doubted what he had seen but on his way down the mountain the angel appeared to him again. The angel said Muhammad you are the messenger of God he repeated himself severally. Once the angel had gone Muhammad (SAW) struggled for home. He finally arrive he was shivering he asked his wife khadija to cover him, he told her everything he had seen and heard. He said he feared for his sanity but khadija assured him that God will not allow evil spirit to overtake a man like him who had always told the truth cared for the poor and needy. Khadija was the first Islam believer and soon others followed. For three years the prophet peace be upon him preached in secret. The prophet revelation the Quran offered the most beautiful one have ever heard. He thought the Muslims that all the gods of mekkah are powerless there is only one God that is God of Abraham, Moses and Jesus. And we have to surrender everything to him there is no such thing as rich or slave in the eyes of God we are all equal and the poor are to be cared for. The Quran says in the name of God the merciful the most compassionate the most honored of you in the site of Allah is the most righteous of you, women arent possessions they are Gods creations just as important as any man respect them. The earth is a gift from God treat it gentle you are its caretaker and remember you will all be judged according to your deeds many became Muslims on that day. The prophet was a great believer in prayers; he made supplication to his Lord with zeal and favor rarely to be found in the religious literature of the world. The prophet said if they put the sun in his right hand and the moon in his left he will not stop what he is doing he will continue till either the word of God prevails or he perish in the process. To the prophet Raina but say, Unzurna and hearken (to him): to those without Faith is a grievous punishment. It is never the wish of those without faith among the people of the Book nor the polytheists. That anything good should come down to you from your Lord. But Allah will choose from his special Mercy whom He will- for Allah is Lord of grace abounding. The prophet Muhammad (SAW) was the head of state and was the ruler of nearly all Arabia. When the prophet noticed that the Quiraysh were preventing people from listening to him, he started to contact other people who came to madinah from other places. Among such people are the Yathribites. He met the first group of Yathribites at al-Aqbd. They accepted Islam from him and promised to preach it to the other people in Yathrib. They invited him to madinah and promised him protection. He therefore migrated to Yathrib which was renamed the city of the messenger. The Dawah got a boost with the migration of the prophet to madinah, many Muslims migrated to madinah from makkah. There were a lot of lessons derived from the prophet Dawah activities in madinah and Muslims are to apply them. Emulating the prophet in being soft-hearted to people they come across. Being patient in whatever they pursue as the prophet did when he was propagating Islam. Observing moral norms by avoiding what could tarnish their image and the image of Islam. Always giving people the benefit of doubt until w hat was presumed happened. Being very firm in upholding the teachings of Islam in both social and moral spheres of life. The truth is from you lord let him who will believe, and let him who will reject it, for the wrong doers we have prepared a fire whose (smoke and flames), like the walls and roof of a tent, will hem them in. if they implore relief they will be granted water like melted brass, that will scald their faces. As for those who believe and work righteousness verily we shall not suffer to perish the reward of any who do a single righteous deed. Thus did we make their case known to people, that they might know the promise of Allah is true, and that there can be no doubt about the hour of judgment. A revelation from the most Gracious, most merciful; a Book whereof the verses are explained in detail. A Quran in Arabic for people to understand, giving god news and admonition yet most of them turn away, and so they hear not. They say our hearts are under veils (concealed) from that to which thou dost invite us, and our ears is a deafness between us and there is a screen. The prophet say: I am a m an like you, it is revealed to me by inspiration that your God is one. So take the straight path unto him and ask for His forgiveness. Those who reject Allah and hinder (men) from path of Allah their deeds will Allah bring to naught. But those who believe and work deeds of righteousness, and believe in the revelation sent down to Muhammad (SAW) for it is the truth from the lord. He will remove from them their ills and improve their condition. This is because those who reject Allah follow falsehood. While those who believe follow the truth from their Lord therefore when ye meet the unbelievers smite at their necks. It is He who sent tranquility into the heart of the believers, that they may add faith to their faith. Prophet Muhammad (SAW)s distinctive communication and leadership approach led to the increase of Islam. The findings on the Prophets values of moderation revealed that he placed a lot of weight on mannerism. Humankind has to match words with deeds. Believers were not to say one thing and do the other. When told by some of his followers that they will abstain from women and devote their entire energy to prayer, he responded by stating that he was married. This was like an indirect way to inform the speaker that there was no room for pretense. By choosing to abstain you open yourself to irresistible temptation. Getting married would therefore serve as the means to shun sin and other forms of temptation. This is certainly the landmark of difference between Muhammad and other spiritual and secular leaders of his time and today. To begin with, some other spiritual leaders remained unmarried and by deciding to do so created a pattern for their followers to follow suit. But experience has shown that most of these followers could not faithfully follow their religion without falling into the te mptation of bodily pleasures. This could have been unwelcome by Muhammad. He foresaw this kind of contradiction and so taught by examples. It was like doing justice to natures calling. The Prophet was in essence advocating justice between sexes. Battles fought by prophet The battles (Badr, Uhud and Khaybar, Ditch) fought by the prophet Mohammed (S.A.W) The patience of the prophet at the face of persecution for the most of the thirteen years of Dawah in makkah. When the prophet started open Dawah in makkah, the Quiraysh reached by persecuting him. The persecution continued through the thirteen years of Dawah in makkah. The reaction of the Quiraysh included: Persecuting the prophet through physical assault, intimidation and harassment The sahabuh were also persecuted by physical assault which led to the death of a woman The family of the prophet was harassed by the Quiraysh Banà » Hà ¢skim who sympathized with the cause of the prophet was ex-communicated from makkah for three years. Battle of Uhud (625 A.D) The immediate cause of the battle of Uhud was the defeat which the Quraysh suffered at the hands of the Muslims at the battle of Badr. The Muslims were originally one thousand, but when Abdullah ibn Ubay (the leader of hypocrites) let three hundred of his followers to withdraw, the Muslims were left with 700 men to face 3,000 makkans. When the prophet heard about their coming he contacted the sahabah and it was agreed that the Muslims should go out and meet the army. Effects of the Battle of Ditch Qurashs finally attempted to wipe out Islam and the Muslims from existence had failed. Tribes in Arabia had learnt lesson to live peacefully with the Muslims Treachery of the Jews to the Muslims came into the open The prophet, therefore, punished them with ejection, enslavement and forfeiture of property. Muslims appreciated to power of Allah who saved the from the evil machinations of the Jews and the confederations Battle of Khaybar After the confederates were dispersed by God through a heavy wind storm, the prophet decided to attack the Jews of Khaybar who broke the agreement that existed between them and the Muslims. He commanded the sahabah who remained with him to defend madinah to proceed to khaybar immediately. At khaybar, the Jews who heard about the coming of the prophet had taken cover in the mountains. The Jews attacked the Muslims in a mountain path with arrows and spears. The Muslims retreated and some of the ran for safety Conclusion The prophet Mohammed (S.A.W) exhibited the sublime conduct of Islam, which appealed to the people to accept Islam. He used his obedience to Allah to propagate Islam; he strictly adhered to the commands and prohibitions of Allah. He derived pleasure in following the commands of Allah and other people noticed and accepted the religion. The prophet therefore used soft language while appealing to people to accept Islam. He met people in their houses and at business places to tell them about Islam, he gave examples that could convince his people that he was sent by Allah. A few years later in medina after a short illness the prophet (SAW) died he was sixty-three years old he always lived a simple and humble life giving everything he had to the poor.

Immigrants and Immigration - Roy Becks The Case Against Immigration :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Roy Beck's The Case Against Immigration One of the more remarkable aspects of the continuing debate over American immigration policy is that the nation's liberal elites seem, ever so gradually, to be finally catching up with the people. For years opinion polls have shown that a large majority of the American people, of all political persuasions and all ethnic backgrounds, want less immigration. Yet year after year immigrants continue to flood across our borders as "opinion molders," elected officials, business executives, and professional eggheads insist that mass immigration is really beneficial and its dangers are much exaggerated by "nativists" and "racists." Only in the last couple of years have a few books been published that dissent from that view, and the appearance of these books, published by major New York houses, suggests that the elites are finally beginning to grasp what uncontrolled immigration means for the people and the country they rule. What began as a popular protest against elite policies and preferences has now started influencing the elites themselves, even if the elites still like to imagine that they thought of it first. Roy Beck's *The Case Against Immigration* is the most recent example of a book published by a major publisher that challenges the conventional wisdom about immigration (Peter Brimelow's *Alien Nation,* published last year, was the first), and although Beck has been actively engaged in the movement to restrict immigration for some years, he has done so as a card-carrying liberal. A former newspaperman in Washington, DC who has been deeply involved in the social activism of the Methodist Church, Beck has seen firsthand what immigration means for ordinary Americans, not only underclass blacks but also middle and working class whites. His book is an exhaustive documentation of the evil consequences that immigration is causing for these groups as well as for the nation as a whole. Beck's liberalism, however, is by no means of the polemical or partisan variety, and the impression that his book gives is that he is a man deeply and genuinely concerned about the injustices endured by the real victims of immigration. He avoids most of the cultural arguments against immigration that conservatives tend to use, his main concern focusing instead on the economic effects of immigration on workers and on the social consequences for those Americans whose jobs

Music Concert Report Essay

The highly respected jazz trio made up of pianist Bill Charlap, bassist Kenny Washington and drummer Peter Washington played for about an hour an a half. Their smooth melodies and precise playing worked perfectly together to give a great performance against the New York City skyline at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola. The trio opened up the show with a song called â€Å"I’ll Remember April†. The song was originally written in 1941 by Gene de Paul (Wilson, McElrath, Tyle). â€Å"I’ll Remember April† first performance was in a very atypical setting. The song was not performed in a Broadway play or Jazz Club but rather the 1942 comedy Called Ride ‘Em Cowboy. Actor Dick Foran sang the song in what a critic at the time called, â€Å"I’ll Remember April’ was an oasis of sanity in the madness† (Wilson, McElrath, Tyle). Although an odd start the movie Ride ‘Em Cowboy proved to be significant in the Jazz community for another reason as well. In the movie the famous jazz vocalist Ella Fitzgerald appeared in her first film role playing an employee at the dude ranch named Ruby (â€Å"I’ll Remember April (1941)†). â€Å" She projected a light, frothy, easy-going humor† in her performance of â€Å"A-Tisket, A-Tasket† (â€Å"I’ll Remember April (1941)†). This movie brought out just how significant jazz music was at the time because it made a mediocre film come to life. This was not Gene De Paul’s first time creating a brilliant jazz song. The pianist, composer and arranger had written many songs before for Hollywood films and Broadway shows such as â€Å"You Don’t Know What Love is† and â€Å"Star Eyes† (â€Å"I’ll Remember April (1941)†). He had worked with many lyricists before but on this particular song Gene de Paul worked with his friend Don Raye and Patricia Johnston (â€Å"I’ll Remember April (1941)†). The lyrics portrays two distant lovers remembering the past and have a close connection with Dorothy Fields â€Å"The Way You Look Tonight† (â€Å"I’ll Remember April (1941)†). The song entered the pop charts in the spring of 1942 after being recorded by Woody Herman and his Orchestra. The song did not catch on quickly because it differed in many ways from the typical pop song of the time. The melody and form separated â€Å"I’ll Remember April† the most from other music of the time. Songs of the time usually followed an A-A-B-A form, repeating a lot giving it a catchy tune. â€Å"I’ll Remember April† however, used a 48-bar A-B-C-D-A-B form making it seem long and dragged out compared to other popular jazz songs. Wilson, McElrath, Tyle) â€Å" Beboppers Charlie Parker and Bud Powell were among the first to explore the song’s unconventional structure, followed by an influential 1950 recording by Red Norvo’s trio with Tal Farlow and Charles Mingus† (â€Å"I’ll Remember April (1941)†). The actually musicality of the song is quite complex with many chord changes and key changes. The song starts off in G but has a â€Å"false key change to Bb major during the first eight measures of the bridge† (Wilson, McElrath, Tyle). The tone of the song is major it moves rather step wise throughout. The chord progression of the song is a twist and turn roller coaster taking you from a G to a E major back to the G then to a D7. This is important because it allows for many different substitutions of chords and improvisations. (Wilson, McElrath, Tyle) One of the most important and defining elements in Jazz is improvisation. It is expected that during any jazz performance one or more musicians will improvise. Improvisation is so common that most of the time a musician will not perform the same piece the same way twice. However the freedom given to jazz musicians does come with some boundaries. â€Å"I’ll Remember April† gives much leeway to improvisation as long as they are â€Å"chosen carefully so as to at least imply a logical harmonic progression† (Wilson, McElrath, Tyle). Typical jazz instruments are the saxophone, clarinet, flute, vibraphone, trumpet, piano, guitar, banjo, tuba, double bass, bass guitar, vocals, trombone and drum kit. The size of the band can vary greatly in jazz however from an ensembles which can have as little as two people to big bands that can have as many as 30 people. The Jazz show that I saw was a trio including a pianist, bassist and drummer. The setting in which I saw â€Å"ll Remember April† performed is much different then the setting I would have seen it in 1942. I saw the song be performed in a rather fancy evening setting at a Jazz Club where there was dinners and drinks being served. The club was modern and well designed. The backdrop behind the performers was a large window outlooking part of the New York City skyline. Around 75 people went to the club to watch a well respected trio play their rendition of â€Å"I’ll Remember April†, as well as several other songs. In 1942 I would not have been able to go to a club one night and be served dinner as I listened to a band play the song. At first the only way to hear the song was in the movies it was featured in. The song was featured in the 1942 film Ride ’em Cowboy as I had mentioned earlier, it was also in the 1942 movie Strictly in the Groove and was again featured in the 1945 movie Eve Knew Her Apples. It is not until later that I would have been able to sit down at a jazz club or concert hall to see the piece be performed. Anita Boyer recording of â€Å"I’ll Remember April† appeared on the album The nat King Cole Trio: The MacGregor Years 1941-1945 disc 4 (Wilson, McElrath, Tyle). Since then â€Å"I’ll Remember April† has been recorded hundreds of times by various artists throughout the years. â€Å"The song’s unconventional characteristics became assets, and it found favor as a bop vehicle† (Wilson, McElrath, Tyle). Each performance of â€Å"I’ll Remember April† takes on its own identity according to the performer. Artists have put their own twists on the song sometimes even implying a â€Å"Latin-feel† or they have stuck close to the original. The aspect of flexibility while maintaining the same brilliant theme makes â€Å"I’ll Remember April† so exciting making artists recreate the classic for years. Before going to the concert I listened to â€Å"I’ll Remember April† performed by Charlie Parker. Charlie Parker was an extremely influential jazz saxophonist. He recorded â€Å"I’ll Remember April† on July 5, 1950. While having the same melody Charlie Parker’s version of â€Å"I’ll Remember April† and the Bill Charlap Trio’s version differed greatly. The biggest difference was the use of instruments. The Bill Charlap Trio did not include a saxophone. I had expected to hear a saxophone so at first it took a second for my ears to adjust when the Bill Charlap Trio began to play the song. I personally preferred the saxophone. I thought it gave the song a very demanding tone catching the audiences attention while at the same time it gave the song a very magically, flowing feeling. The saxophone was also backed up by other instruments like the piano which gave it a full rich sound. The piano, bass, and drums of the Bill Charlap Trio also gave a good performance however I felt it lacked a clear â€Å"lead† instrument how the saxophone did for Parker’s rendition. One aspect I did like more in the Bill Charlap Trio’s version was the elongated piano solo. Solos are very important in jazz music and they occur often. Solos give artists the opportunity to improvisation keeping the piece fresh and giving it an element of surprise. Throughout the Bill Charlap Trio’s performance there were many solos. In â€Å"I’ll Remember April† it was the piano’s time to shine. I enjoyed the solo because it showed off Bill Charlap’s talent and kept the piece exciting. An interesting aspect of his solo was he included a verse from Dorothy Fields’s â€Å"The Way You Look Tonight† which as I mentioned earlier gave inspiration to the writing of â€Å"I’ll Remember April†. Overall I enjoyed listening the piece live better than the recording because it allowed the music to â€Å"come alive† rather than just listening to a recording. Going to the concert opened my eyes to what seems to be a whole new world. I was very anxious and nerve about what to expect when I went to the Jazz Club but when I got there I was pleasantly surprised. The music was entertaining and I loved the experience. Looking up the history of the songs continued to spark my interest. It is very interesting to see how music written seventy years ago is still influential and played in modern settings such as a Jazz Club.

Morality and Respect Essay

Respect Respect has great importance in everyday life. As children we are taught to respect our parents, teachers, and elders, family and cultural traditions, other people’s feelings, our country’s flag and leaders. And we do tend to value these things; when we grow older, we may shake our heads at people who seem not to have learned to respect them. We develop the tendency to respect only those who are popular. We may also come to believe that, at some level, all people are worthy of respect. We may learn that jobs and relationships become unbearable if we receive no respect in them. Calls to respect certain things are increasingly part of public life: environmentalists exhort us to respect nature, foes of abortion and capital punishment insist on respect for human life, members of racial and ethnic minorities and those discriminated against because of their gender, sexual orientation, age, religious beliefs, or economic status demand respect both as social and moral equals and for their cultural differences. We may learn both that our lives together go better when we respect the things that deserve to be respected and that we should respect some things independently of considerations of how our lives would go. We may also learn that how our lives go depends every bit as much on whether we respect ourselves. The value of self-respect may be something we can take for granted, or we may discover how very important it is when our self-respect is threatened, or we lose it and have to work to regain it, or we have to struggle to develop or maintain it in a hostile environment. Some people find that finally being able to respect themselves is what matters most about getting off welfare, kicking a disgusting habit, or defending something they value; others, sadly, discover that life is no longer worth living if self-respect is irretrievably lost. It is part of everyday wisdom that respect and self-respect are deeply connected, that it is difficult if not impossible both to respect others if we don’t respect ourselves and to respect ourselves if others don’t respect us. It is increasingly part of political wisdom both that unjust social institutions can devastatingly damage self-respect and that robust and resilient self-respect can be a potent force in struggles against injustice. 1. The Concept of Respect In the process of understanding respect there a few questions that come to mind: (1) How can respect be understood? (a) What category of thing is it? (b) What are the elements of respect? (c) To what other forms is respect similar to, and with what does it contrast? (d) What beliefs, attitudes, emotions, motives, and conduct does respect involve, and with what is it incompatible? (2) What are the appropriate objects of respect? (3) What are the bases or grounds for respect (4) What ways of acting and forbearing to act express or constitute or are regulated by respect? (5) What moral requirements, if any, are there to respect certain types of objects, and what is the scope and theoretical status of such requirements? (6) Are there different levels or degrees of respect? Can an object come to deserve less or no respect? (7) Why is respect morally important? What, if anything, does it add to morality over and above the conduct, attitudes, and character traits required or encouraged by various moral principles or virtues? (8) What are the implications of respect for problematic moral and socio-political issues such as racism and sexism, pornography, privacy, punishment, responses to terrorism, paternalism in health care contexts, cultural diversity, affirmative action, abortion, and so on? 1. 1 Elements of respect It is widely acknowledged that there are different kinds of respect, which complicates the answering of these questions. For example, answers concerning one kind of respect can diverge significantly from those about another kind. One general distinction is between respect simply as behaviour and respect as an attitude or feeling which may or may not be expressed in or signified by behaviour. We might speak of drivers respecting the speed limit, hostile forces as respecting a cease fire agreement etc. In such cases we can be referring simply to behaviour which avoids violation of or interference with some boundary, limit, or rule, without any reference to attitudes, feelings, intentions, or dispositions. In other cases, we take respect to be or to express or signify an attitude or feeling, as when we speak of having respect for another person or for nature or of certain behaviours as showing respect or disrespect. In what follows, focus would chiefly be on respect as attitude or feeling. There are, again, several different attitudes or feelings to which the term â€Å"respect† refers. Before looking at differences, however, it is useful first to note some elements common among varieties. An attitude of respect is, most generally, a relation between a subject and an object in which the subject responds to the object from a certain perspective in some appropriate way. Respect necessarily has an object: respect is always directed toward, paid to, felt about, and shown for some object. While a very wide variety of things can be appropriate objects of one kind of respect or another, the subject of respect (the respecter) is always a person, that is, a conscious rational being capable of recognizing and acknowledging things, of self-consciously and intentionally responding to them, of having and expressing values with regard to them, and of being accountable for disrespecting or failing to respect them. Though animals may love or fear us, only persons can respect and disrespect us or anything else. First, as suggested by its derivation from the Latin respicere, respect is a particular mode of apprehending the object: the person who respects something pays attention to it and perceives it differently from someone who does not and responds to it in light of that perception. This perceptual element is common also to synonyms such as regard (from â€Å"to watch out for†) and consideration (â€Å"examine (the stars) carefully†). Thus, respecting something contrasts with being oblivious or indifferent to it. An object can be perceived by a subject from a variety of perspectives; for example, one might rightly regard another human individual as a rights-bearer, a judge, a superlative singer, a trustworthy person, or a threat to one’s security. The respect one accords her in each case will be different, yet all will involve attention to her as she really is as a judge, threat, etc. As responsive, respect is object-generated rather than wholly subject-generated, something that is owed to, called for, deserved, elicited, or claimed by the object. We respect something not because we want to but because we recognize that we have to respect it. It thus is motivational: it is the recognition of something â€Å"as directly determining our will without reference to what is wanted by our inclinations†. In this way respect differs from, for example, liking and fearing, which have their sources in the subject’s interests or desires. At the same time, respect is also an expression of agency: it is deliberate, a matter of directed rather than grabbed attention, of reflective consideration and judgment. In particular, the subject judges that the object is due, deserves, or rightfully claims a certain response in virtue of some feature of or fact about the object that warrants that response. This feature or fact is the ground or basis in the object, that in virtue of which it calls for respect. The basis gives us a reason to respect the object; it may also indicate more precisely how to respect it. Respect is thus both subjective and objective. There are many different kinds of objects that can reasonably be respected and many different reasons why they warrant respect. Some things are dangerous or powerful and respect of them can involve fear, awe, self-protection, or submission. Other things have authority over us and the respect they are due includes acknowledgment of their authority and perhaps obedience to their authoritative commands. Other forms of respect are modes of valuing, appreciating the object as having an objective worth or importance that is independent of, perhaps even at variance with, our antecedent desires or commitments. Thus, we can respect things we don’t like or agree with, such as our enemies or someone else’s opinion. Valuing respect is akin to esteem, admiration, veneration, reverence, and honour, while regarding something as utterly worthless or insignificant or disdaining or having contempt for it is incompatible with respecting it. Respect also aims to value its object appropriately, so it contrasts with degradation and discounting. Finally, respect is generally regarded as having a behavioural component. In respecting an object, we often consider it be making legitimate claims on our conduct as well as our thoughts and feelings and are disposed to behave appropriately. Appropriate behaviour includes refraining from certain treatment of the object or acting only in particular ways in connection with it, ways that are regarded as fitting, deserved by, or owed to the object. And there are very many ways to respect things: keeping our distance from them, helping them, praising or emulating them, protecting or being careful with them. To be a form or expression of respect, behaviour has to be motivated by one’s acknowledgment of the object as calling for that behaviour, and it has to be motivated directly by consideration that the object is what it is, without reference to one’s own interests and desires. The attitudes of respect, then, have cognitive dimensions (beliefs, acknowledgments, judgments, deliberations, commitments), affective dimensions (emotions, feelings, ways of experiencing things), and conative dimensions (motivations, dispositions to act and forbear from acting); some forms also have valuation dimensions. The attitude is typically regarded as central to respect: actions and modes of treatment typically count as respect insofar as they either manifest an attitude of respect or are of a sort through which the attitude of respect is characteristically expressed. 1. 2 Kinds of Respect There is a four-fold distinction among kinds of respect, according to the bases in the objects. Consider the following sets of examples: (a) respecting a colleague highly as a scholar and having a lot of respect for someone with â€Å"guts†; (b) a mountain climber’s respect for the elements and a tennis player’s respect for her opponent’s strong backhand; (c) respecting the terms of an agreement and respecting a person’s rights; and (d) showing respect for a judge by rising when she enters the courtroom and respecting a worn-out flag by burning it rather than tossing it in the trash. The respect in (a), evaluative respect, is similar to other favourable attitudes such as esteem and admiration. Obstacle respect, in (b), is a matter of regarding the object as something that, if not taken proper account of in one’s decisions about how to act, could prevent one from achieving one’s ends. The objects of (c) directive respect are directives: things such as requests, rules, advice, laws, or rights claims that may be taken as guides to action. The objects of (d) institutional respect are social institutions or practices, the positions or roles defined within an institution or practice, and persons or things that occupy the positions or represent the institution. These four forms of respect differ in several ways. Each identifies a quite different kind of feature of objects as the basis of respect. Besides four-fold classification, some argue there should be a fifth form, care respect, which is exemplified in an environmentalist’s deep respect for nature. This analysis of respect draws explicitly from a feminist ethics of care and has been influential in feminist and non-feminist discussions of respecting persons as unique, particular individuals. Other kinds of respect: recognition respect and appraisal respect. Recognition respect is the disposition to give appropriate weight or consideration in one’s practical deliberations to some fact about the object and to regulate one’s conduct by constraints derived from that fact. Appraisal respect, by contrast, is an attitude of positive appraisal of a person or their merits, which are features of persons that manifest excellences of character. 2. Respect for Persons People can be the objects or recipients of different forms of respect. We can (directive) respect a person’s legal rights, show (institutional) respect for the president by calling him â€Å"Mr. President,† have a healthy (obstacle) respect for an easily angered person, (care) respect someone by cherishing her in her concrete particularity, (evaluative) respect an individual for her commitment to a worthy project. Thus the idea of respect for persons is ambiguous. 3. Respect for Nature and Other Nonpersons Although persons are the paradigm objects of moral recognition respect, it is a matter of some debate whether they are the only things that we ought morally to respect. One serious objection raised is that in claiming that only rational beings are ends in themselves deserving of respect, it licenses treating all things which aren’t persons as mere means to the ends of rational beings, and so it supports morally abhorrent attitudes of domination and exploitation toward all nonpersons and toward our natural environment. Taking issue that only persons are respect worthy, many philosophers have argued that such nonpersons as humans who are not agents or not yet agents, human embryos, plants, species, all living things, the natural ecosystem of our planet, and even mountains, and rocks, have moral standing or worth and so are appropriate objects of or are owed moral recognition respect. Of course, it is possible to value such things instrumentally as they serve human interests, but the idea is that such things matter morally and have a claim to respect in their own right, independently of their usefulness to humans. 4. Self-Respect While there is much controversy about respect for persons and other things, there is surprising agreement among moral and political philosophers about at least this much concerning respect for oneself: self-respect is something of great importance in everyday life. Indeed, it is regarded both as morally required and as essential to the ability to live a satisfying, meaningful, flourishing life—a life worth living—and just as vital to the quality of our lives together. Saying that a person has no self-respect or acts in a way no self-respecting person would act, or that a social institution undermines the self-respect of some people, is generally a strong moral criticism. Nevertheless, as with respect itself, there is philosophical disagreement, both real and merely apparent, about the nature, scope, grounds, and requirements of self-respect. Self-respect is often defined as a sense of worth or as due respect for oneself; it is frequently (but not always correctly) identified with or compared to self-esteem, self-confidence, dignity, self-love, a sense of honour, self-reliance, pride, and it is contrasted (but not always correctly) with servility, shame, humility, self-abnegation, arrogance, self-importance. In addition to the questions philosophers have addressed about respect in general, a number of other questions have been of particular concern to those interested in self-respect, such as: (1) What is self-respect, and how is it different from related notions such as self-esteem, self-confidence, pride, and so on? (2) Are there objective conditions—for example, moral standards or correct judgments—that a person must meet in order to have self-respect, or is self-respect a subjective phenomenon that gains support from any sort of self-valuing without regard to correctness or moral acceptability? (3) Does respecting oneself conceptually or causally require or lead to respecting other persons (or anything else)? And how are respect for other persons and respect for oneself alike and unalike? (4) How is self-respect related to such things as moral rights, virtue, autonomy, integrity, and identity? (5) Is there a moral duty to respect ourselves as there is a duty to respect others? (6) What features of an individual’s psychology and experience, what aspects of the social context, and what modes of interactions with others support or undermine self-respect? (7) Are social institutions and practices to be judged just or unjust (at least in part) by how they affect self-respect? Can considerations of self-respect help us to better understand the nature and wrongness of injustices such as oppression and to determine effective and morally appropriate ways to resist or end them? 5. Conclusion Everyday actions insist that respect and self-respect are personally, socially, politically, and morally important and philosophical discussions of the concepts bear this out. Their roles in our lives as individuals, as people living in complex relations with other people and surrounded by a plethora of other beings and things on which our attitudes and actions have tremendous effects, cannot, as these discussions reveal, be taken lightly. The discussions thus far shed light on the nature and significance of the various forms of respect and self-respect and their positions in a nexus of profoundly important but philosophically challenging and contestable concepts. These discussions also reveal that much more work remains to be done in clarifying these attitudes and their places among and implications for our concepts and our lives.