The Sumerian civilization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

The Sumerian civilization - Essay Example 42-4). The existing forms of writing were not sufficient enough to be of much use to the Sumerian civilization in its advanced methods of calculation and of setting down thoughts. There were not enough symbols, pictures or word forms in the original modes of communication. Especially, writing was found to be a hindrance when the civilization advanced to the point of sending out trade expeditions to other lands. All of these factors encouraged an advanced form of writing to be developed in the Sumerian Civilization-one in which they could keep official records (McClellan 2006, p. 66-71). Although the systems of the civilization were developing rapidly, there were not many Sumerians who had the ability to read and write. To overcome this problem, the people would hire the services of scribes who would read and write on their behalf. The main use of the written documents was the implementation of the legal system which first established and then further developed laws. The ruling King would make rules that could be consistently implemented throughout the region, as scribes would place their tablets throughout the city and the rules then could be uniformly applied (Sherman & Slaisbury 2008, p. 97-9). This process represented a major step forward. The uses of writings developed beyond just alphabets as people used them to make scaled drawings of inventions, and also used the tablets to record and get the inventions named after them. For example, the first wheeled cart was developed as a drawing on one of the specific tablets. As time progressed, writing found its use in the form of record keeping, news developments, and many other written records put on Cuneiform tablets. The writings were enhanced- to be used, as codes of law and systems of practice, for the lower administrators as well as the general public (Avery 2003, p. 112-7). 2. What were the main political changes that took place in Greek society in the period 700 - 489 B.C. What were some of the causes of these changes In the early seventh century, Greece operated on the legal code of Draco, which attempted to meet the needs that had developed from the dissatisfaction of the lower class due to the controlling power and the rule of the upper class. This conflict in interests resulted in a written code of governance for the lower class, which had become aggravated as the upper class had grown to make themselves forceful rulers of their regions-as when Cylon, for example, had seized the Acropolis (Sherman & Dennis 2008, p. 59-62). This act was the basis of revolt in the 620 B.C by the lower class, and many of the leaders of the upper class were challenged. As the laws were perceived, by the lower class, to be tailored and invented overnight by the upper class, the lower class demanded to have the rules and policies be uniformly set down in written form, in the hope that they would be equally applied to all. In the same era, a judicial system based on appointed judges also came into existence, to be responsible for administering the laws irrespective of class. Courts were established so as to ensure the proper implementation of the laws and a system evolved to establish the political

Application of Jacques Lacan's theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Application of Jacques Lacan's theories - Essay Example This movement took place mostly in France and gathered such bright and original thinkers as Lacan, Foucault, Althusser, Poulantzas and others. This movement had more an ideological than an organisational nature because all of its participants had a particular individuality and independent way in science, so, they denied their affiliation to the Structuralism. Jacques-Marie Emile Lacan took up the study of medicine in 1920 and specialised in psychiatry from 1926. He undertook his own analysis around this time with Rudolph Loewenstein and this continued until 1938. Lacan was very active in the world of Parisian writers, artists and intellectuals of the time: he was a friend of Andr Breton, Salvador Dal and Pablo Picasso, and attended the mouvement Psych founded by Maryse Choisy. Several of his articles were published in the Surrealist journal Minotaure and he was present at the first public reading of James Joyce's Ulysses. In his studies he had a particular interest in the philosophic work of Karl Jaspers and Martin Heidegger and, alongside many other Parisian intellectuals of the time, he also attended the famous seminars on Hegel given by Alexandre Kojve. France had not proved the most favo... Lacan was very active in the world of Parisian writers, artists and intellectuals of the time: he was a friend of Andr Breton, Salvador Dal and Pablo Picasso, and attended the mouvement Psych founded by Maryse Choisy. Several of his articles were published in the Surrealist journal Minotaure and he was present at the first public reading of James Joyce's Ulysses. In his studies he had a particular interest in the philosophic work of Karl Jaspers and Martin Heidegger and, alongside many other Parisian intellectuals of the time, he also attended the famous seminars on Hegel given by Alexandre Kojve. France had not proved the most favourable testing-ground for Freud's theories. In 1907 Freud wrote to Jung of the difficulties the psychoanalytic movement had in making any headway there. He put this down to the national character, observing that 'it has always been hard to import things into France. The difficulty experienced by psychoanalysis was greatly increased by the fact that it was simultaneously perceived as Teutonic and Jewish, and was thus subject both to anti-German and to anti-semitic prejudice which were strong in French intellectual circles. It was in this atmosphere that Jacques Lacan developed his own theoretical system. Given the strength of the prevailing cultural chauvinism it is perhaps not surprising that Lacan should have begun by importing into psychoanalysis concepts which had been formulated in a completely different framework and whose originator neither intended nor imagined that they would eventually be married to the theories of Freud. Lacan presented his first analytic paper on the 'Mirror Phase' at the 1936 Congress of the International