Allison's Blog

Wealth of Nations Questions April 26, 2010

1. The “invisible hand” refers to how people often benefit a society although their intent is only to benefit themselves. It is used by Smith to justify why the government should not control the economy, because private individuals working in their own interests will end up benefiting the society as well.

2. Smith argues that the government should not get involved in the economy because no single person can be trusted with all of the authority that such control would entail. He also argues that any man foolish enough to believe that he could control the government would be the worst person to have that amount of power.

3. The influence of other Enlightenment thinkers is evident in this excerpt from The Wealth of Nations. For example, Smith argues that the government should protect its citizens from injustice, which is similar to John Locke’s ideas about the responsibilities of government. Also, he contends that the government should not play a role in the economy because the amount of power that being involved in the economy would give someone is too much power for one individual. This is similar to the ideals of thinkers such as Montesquieu who favored the separation of powers so that no one person or council would have too much power.

4. Division of labor is the process by which a task is divided into multiple parts and each person does only one part of the process instead of the entire process. It makes production more efficient because it allows each person to focus on only one task and also removes the amount of time it takes a person to transition between tasks.

5. Smith illustrates the division of labor using the pin factory by showing how the manufacture of a pin can be br0ken down into as many as 18 different tasks, such as measuring the amount of wire needed, straightening the wire, cutting the wire, and many other tasks. If one man had to do all of these tasks, Smith contends that it would take him all day to make only about 20 pins. However, with the labor divided between multiple workers, a factory of 10 workers could make about 4800 pins a day, or 480 pins per worker.

6. As a result of division of labor, the pin factory is able to produce about 4800 pins per day with 10 workers. Without specialization of labor, Smith argues that that same factory would only be able to produce 200 pins.

7. As division of labor increases, the skill that each worker is required to have decreases. For example, without specialization of labor, each worker in the pin factory would have to know how to do each step in the construction of a pin. However, with specialization of labor, each worker only needs to know how to perform 1 or 2 specific tasks related to pin manufacturing.

Causes of the Industrial Revolution April 19, 2010

There were several important preconditions that brought about the Industrial Revolution. One such precondition was the period of sustainable population growth in the nineteenth century. Contrary to the predictions made by Malthus, agricultural output did not lag behind population increase to the point where the population was limited through starvation. This did not occur for several reasons. One reason was that agricultural technology improved at a rate much faster than had been predicted. Also, while the population increased, it did not do so as quickly as Malthus predicted due to people marrying later as well as other factors.

Increases in agricultural technology were also a precipitating factor of the Industrial Revolution. Some factors that resulted in an increased food supply were the development of better fertilizers, the use of the open prairies in North and South America to raise cattle and grow grain, steel plows, and other technologies. Also, the practice of viewing farming as a business instead of just a way to feed one’s immediate family or society produced more food. However, the agricultural advance with the greatest impact was the ability to store and ship food all over the world using canning and refrigeration. This increased transport of food led to less agriculture in more industrial areas since these industrial areas could  now import food from other regions more easily. The dramatic changes caused by the ability to transport food around the world make this development the most significant precipitating factor for the Industrial Revolution.

French Revolution Secondary Source Evaluation April 13, 2010

For my secondary source about the French Revolution, I used the textbook The World’s History by Howard Spodek. This source presents a thorough overview of the French Revolution starting when Louis XVI convened the Estates General and ending with Napoleon’s exile to St. Helena.

My secondary source did several things well. For example, it described the short-term causes of the French Revolution very thoroughly. It also provides a clear picture of the events of the French Revolution by explaining how each event led to the next. It is organized chronologically and the way in which the events are described makes sense and shows how the events were all related. It also cites authoritative sources such as The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen.

My source was also lacking in some areas. While it describes the short-term causes of the French Revolution, the long-term causes seem somewhat neglected. The philosophes whose writings inspired the French Revolution are only briefly referenced, and there is only one philosopher talked about in any sort of detail, Abbé Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès. Also, my source does not really give any sort of argument about the French Revolution. The author of this source seemed like he was simply trying to present facts about the French Revolution, not argue about the effects of the French Revolution or what caused it. That my source is a textbook may explain this, because textbooks generally do not argue a specific point but rather attempt to display how events in the past occurred.

Research Paper Final Topic March 9, 2010

For my research paper, I have decided to research the question: Why were the Europeans forced to treat some maroons as independent nations and what effects did this have? The question is the same as the question I posed as a possible research question yesterday. To answer this question, I plan to incorporate various secondary sources that discuss maroons in general as well as primary sources from the maroons or European powers, such as a treaty between them.

Topics for Research Paper March 8, 2010

When I was reading about transatlantic slavery, one topic that interested me in particular was the maroons set up by runaway slaves and their relationship to the European powers involved in slaving. Because of this, one question that I would be interested in exploring is: Why were the Europeans forced to treat some maroons as independant nations and what effects did this have? Also, I find the beginning of the slave trade interesting, so I think the question of why the Africans began trading slaves to the Europeans would be interesting as well.

Crosby Article February 15, 2010

In his article “Ecological Imperialism: The Overseas Migration of Western Europeans as a Biological Phenomenon,” Alfred Crosby discusses how Europeans have managed to conquer many non-European lands demographically. He comments that the demographic takeover of these other lands in regions such as North America and Oceania was not limited to merely humans, but that European animals, pathogens, and plants often replaced native ones as well. Crosby asks why this demographic takeover was so successful in some areas, such as North America, and why it failed in other areas, such as Africa. He also seeks to explain the remarkable success of European agriculture worldwide. This is a significant question to address because at first glance, there seems to be no reason that Europeans and their agriculture would be able to demographically expand and even become dominant throughout much of the world.

Crosby’s explanation for the phenomenon of European dominance is that the animals were easily able to adapt themselves to foreign environments and that, once the animals were established, it was easier for the settlers to become dominant in the region since there was already a source of food, fur, and other valuable commodities. This argument is backed up by copious evidence and statistics regarding European human and animal presence in various regions of the world.

Crosby’s argument is persuasive and seems to provide a good explanation for European dominance in the rest of the world. Crosby’s approach is similar to Armesto’s in that he focuses on the environment and the environmental affects of various events in history. He doesn’t seem to have overlooked anything vital, so this is a reasonable explanation for this phenomenon.

Wikipedia Project Final Draft February 2, 2010

Pietas was one of the Roman values, along with gravitas and dignitas. It is usually translated “duty” or “devotion.”

Definition

The word pietas is originally from Latin. The first printed record of the word’s use in English is from Anselm Bayly’s The Alliance of Music, Poetry, and Oratory, published in 1789.^[1] Georg Wissowa notes that pietas was meant by the Romans as, “the conduct of the man who performed all his duties towards the deity and his fellow human beings fully and in every respect.”^[2] Around the year 70 BC, Cicero defined Pietas as the virtue “which admonishes us to do our duty to our country or our parents or other blood relations.” ^[3]

Examples

Literary Examples

Roman literature has many examples of characters who exemplify the value of pietas, such as Virgil’s hero Aeneas. Aeneas embodies this virtue, and is particularly emblematic of it in book II of the Aeneid when he flees burning Troy bearing his father, who carries the household gods, on his back. In this example, Aeneas illustrates pietas both by carrying his father, which is devotion to family, and that he rescues the household gods as well, which is devotion to the gods.

Historical Examples

Cicero exhibited pietas over the course of his life. One prominent example occurred when he was opposed politically by Quintus Caecilius Metellus Nepos. Cicero excused Metellus’ condemnation since it was because of Metellus’ pietas for his brother. Cicero wrote, “Not only do I excuse your resentment, but I even pay it tribute of my highest commendation.” ^[4]

See also

• Filial piety

References

1. ^ Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford English Dictionary Online. Web. 28 Jan. 2010.
2. ^ Wagenvoort, Hendrik. Pietas: Selected studies in Roman religion. The Netherlands: n.p., 1980. 7-12.
3. ^ Wagenvoort, Hendrik. Pietas: Selected studies in Roman religion. The Netherlands: n.p., 1980. 7-12.
4. ^ Emilie, Gertrude. “Cicero and the Roman Pietas.” Classical Journal 39.9 (1944): 536-542. JSTOR. Web. 28 Jan. 2010.

Wikipedia Project Rough Draft February 1, 2010

Pietas was one of the Roman virtues, along with gravitas and dignitas. Pietas It is usually translated as “duty” or “devotion.” and it simultaneously suggests duty to the gods and duty to family – particularly to the father (which is expanded to duty to the community and duty to the state thanks to the analogy between the family and the state, conventional in the ancient world – see, for example, Plato’s Crito).

Definition

The word pietas is originally from Latin. The first printed record of the word’s use in English is from Anselm Bayly’s The Alliance of Music, Poetry, and Oratory, published in 1789.^{footnote 1—OED} Georg Wissowa (link) notes that pietas was meant by the Romans as, “the conduct of the man who performed all his duties towards the deity and his fellow human beings fully and in every respect.” ^{footnote 2–book} Around the year 70 BC, Cicero defined Pietas as the virtue “which admonishes us to do our duty to our country or our parents or other blood relations.” ^{footnote 2—book}

Examples

Literary Examples

Roman literature has many examples of characters who exemplify the value of pietas, such as Virgil’s hero Aeneas. Aeneas embodies this virtue, and is particularly emblematic of it in book II of the Aeneid when he flees burning Troy bearing his father, who carries the household gods, on his back. In this example, Aeneas illustrates pietas both by carrying his father, which is devotion to family, and that he rescues the household gods as well, which is devotion to the gods.

Historical Examples

Cicero exhibited pietas over the course of his life. One prominent example occurred when he was opposed politically by Quintus Caecilius Metellus Nepos. Cicero excused Metellus’ condemnation because is was because of Metellus’ pietas for his brother. Cicero wrote, “Not only do I excuse your resentment, but I even pay it tribute of my highest commendation.” ^{footnote 3—JSTOR}

Sources

Emilie, Gertrude. “Cicero and the Roman Pietas.” Classical Journal 39.9 (1944):
536-542. JSTOR. Web. 28 Jan. 2010.

“Pietas.” Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford English Dictionary Online. Web. 28
Jan. 2010. .

Wagenvoort, Hendrik. Pietas: Selected studies in Roman religion. The
Netherlands: n.p., 1980. 7-12. Print.