Annotated Bibliography
Plato, and C. D. C. Reeve. Republic. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub., 2004. Print.
Plato's Republic was written as a testament, of sorts, to Socrates' teachings. It was written
for the public so that they too would be able to benefit from his teachings for many, many years
to come. The author who translated Plato's writing, C.D.C. Reeves is said, as per the back cover
of the book, to have translated the book well enough that one could come close to reading it in a
way that it may have been spoken. Which allows for a multitude of audiences the ability to
engage with the text and expand on critical life issues through analyzing his teachings.
Throughout the book there are numerous examples, stories and teachings that Socrates gives on
love, wisdom, the notion of the "good", ethics and democracy.
As there is such a wide array of topics that can be pulled from, the information used will
be of a nature that showcases the way in which Socrates taught and how the relevance of his
resistance was able to bring about some form of change. His conversations about good, justice
and on happiness will be of a more particular interest as well as his talk on democracy especially.
The work of Socrates becomes extremely helpful when it comes to everyday questions that
people have about life, love and community, and so, he becomes directly relevant to the issues
that I intend to pose. I chose to use him as a source of information because; a) his teachings are
powerful and insightful; b) Reeves has done an excellent job in making the text accessible; c) the
models of thought and education are pertinent to the issues I will present; and d) I personally
appreciate the work of Socrates and find him beneficial in many different instances. The book
has been translated rather superbly and I find the content helpful not only for the purposes of
post-secondary education but for everyday use in working for self change and higher.
McCloskey, Deirdre N. The Bourgeois Virtues: Ethics for an Age of Commerce. Chicago:
University of Chicago, 1999. Print.
One of the biggest issues that I find when it comes to discussion around anything political
or economical, something that stirs great debate and controversy, is that people are often times
only one sided. The big challenge for people is trying to learn about all aspects of a scenario
before coming to any rash decisions, hence education being the key. This book by McCloskey,
who is foremost a professor of economics, serves as the devil's advocate to a rather touchy
subject regarding capitalism. She writes in a way that is easily understandable and maintains a
rather bias-free stance so as to better provide people with the information needed in making clear
and concise opinions.
Her audience: everyone. What she states in her book is that capitalism may not be as bad
as everyone seems to think it is. She gives many examples of why it is good and how it has
served the public, which is one of the reasons this book is also of great merit to this project; she
provides the voice of the other side. One thing that needs to be kept in the back of people's minds
is that when talking about making global change there will always be resistance and on the other
side of that is acceptance. If anyone wishes to succeed in making a change one must learn from
the stories and experiences of the people from both sides in order to make a solid argument. I
chose to use this book because it provides a great counterpoint to the topic of capitalism and all
the negativity that it usually gets. It is a wonderful scholarly piece that has an abundance of
information from philosophers to the common bourgeois person that will be useful to look
further into. I also hope that her arguments will provide further models for change through the
use of furthering ones education.
Capitalism [A Love Story]. Dir. Michael Moore. Paramount Vantage, 2009. Film.
This documentary is a great source in how it relates directly to the issue of resistance and
change. Michael Moore's directing and documentary skills are by far the most captivating in that
he directly speaks to the people of America (for whom most of his documentaries, this one in
particular, are directed towards). The films that he makes are not solely for profit but for the
people of America, he showcases their concerns and takes the power of authority off of himself
and shares it with everyone he tapes in his films. Throughout the film he showcases interviews
with the people on the issue of the economical situation that they are in as well as the interviews
he attempts to have with the "men on top" of the business sphere.
All of his documentaries are very much for the everyday person to view, they are
educational and beyond that, they are filled with a message of change. He very openly states the
issues that he, alongside the people, have with their country and what he thinks needs to be done.
He does a great job at highlighting the issues that are plaguing the minds of people on a daily
basis and he does so in a way that those watching will be bothered enough in order to do
something. This documentary speaks well to the notion of capitalism and the people who resist
the things that it stands for, and Michael Moore certainly does that.
I decided that this film would be a different way to look at the everyday resistance that is
happening in the world in order to work for some kind of change. I believe that through the use
of film, as a medium, the models for change that are out there are more directly accessible and
provide people with an alternative outlet to books that they could look to for ideas, advice and a
plan of action should they choose to do something.
Rage Against the Machine. Rage Against the Machine, Evil Empire &The Battle of Los Angeles.
Revelation Records & Epic Records, 1992, 1996 & 1999. Albums.
The band name in itself is worth analyzing, what machine exactly do they refer to? In this
case I intend to assume that they can only mean that the government acts a kind of controlling
machine that has its say on the lives of the people it "governs". The band was extremely popular
for its heavy rock and punk metal music that they played but not for that alone, the content of
their music, when looked at through reading their lyrics, is precisely the reason as to why they
will be used for this report. Their music incorporates everything that a person would think of
when listing what the content of a song should be. They have, rhythm and rhyme, they have
instrumental technique and the words that they rap are meaningful to their audience.
What they choose to sing about are many of the reasons that people contest the
government for, its abuse of power, its military influence in other countries, its labour laws,
health care and abuse of its own people. Not every song will be analyzed throughout the essay,
however, there will be use of perhaps three to better emphasize the power of their words. The
content of their music, though at times difficult to decipher, holds a strong impact over the
people that listen to them which is why they are an important part of the philosophical sphere.
Their influence is through their words and they ask questions that make people stop and think.
I have decided that they would be a perfect fit to analyze through the use of their music
because it is well known that a teenager may well in fact take note of the advice given to them by
a parent or teacher, but they are far more likely to follow in the footsteps of someone that they
look up to. The power that the band itself has through the music industry allows them the ability
to communicate with their audience in a way that truly matters and benefits everyone.
Bernstein, Andrew. The Capitalist Manifesto: The Historic, Economic and Philosophic Case for
Laissez-faire. Lanham, MD: University of America, 2005. Print.
Six years after Deirdre McCloskey's book comes this one by Bernstein; both books are
well regarded and they both strive to say the same message: capitalism is not all that bad. Dr.
Bernstein, amongst being a professor also holds a Ph. D. in Philosophy. His book provides the
history of capitalism, the philosophy of capitalism, and a wealth of information more just so that
his readers may be more fully well rounded. His book serves as a stepping stone towards further
knowledge on the true matters of capitalism, and throughout the book he seems to reinforce the
notion that capitalism has not been the demise of a people, rather it has been their rise to
freedom.
What I find most important is that, like McCloskey, his emphasis is not solely on
throwing how wonderful capitalism has been toward the free people in their face, rather it has
been on educating them on how it has gone about being so great. He, as a doctor and professor,
holds a lot of authority that allows him the ability, unlike Rage Against the Machine, to address a
more "scholarly" audience. Though this does not mean that he is any better, it does mean that
what he says about capitalism may be better acknowledged and what this says about the kind of
power we give to people will be analyzed through the essay.
I chose to use him as a source because his book relates well as a kind of counterpart to
the notion that capitalism is bad and must be resisted, as many of the other sources will point out.
He maintains that capitalism in fact upholds and ultimately works by a kind of rational
philosophy that allows it the power and authority it has. What will be analyzed is how does this
influence the kind of change we seek.