“The Seven Storey Mountain” by Thomas Merton Essay Example for Free

â€Å"The Seven Storey Mountain† by Thomas Merton Essay Introduction Thomas Merton went through a significant conversion in his youth and turned into a prominent Catholic author and spiritualist. His autobiography â€Å"The Seven Storey Mountain† discusses his life from childhood to adult and the conversion to Roman Catholicism and entry into a monastery.   The title and the sequence of this book were enthused by Dante’s â€Å"The Divine Comedy†. Merton’s autobiography is divided into three parts: The first describes his life without God (â€Å"Hell†); the second, the beginning of his search for God (â€Å"Purgatory†); and the third, his baptism and entrance into a monastic order (â€Å"Paradise†). Discussion Thomas Merton’s autobiographical work â€Å"The Seven Storey Mountain† marked the true beginning of his outstanding literary career. Seven years before, he came into the Trappist abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky. Inspired by his abbot; Dom Frederic Dunne, Merton wrote his biography in order to explain his conversion from a non-believing Anglican into a transformed to Catholicism who left a promising educational career in order to join a secluded monastery. (Merton, 121) In the last several years of Merton’s life, he wrote comprehensively on such varied subjects like warfare and tranquility, the civil movement, racial and social discrimination, Eastern and Western monasticism, and the associations between conventional Christian values and the contemporary world. Merton divided his autobiography into three sections. The first part deals with the years between his childhood and the physical collapse he suffered in 1936. The second section explains his extensive period of convalescence, his transformation to Catholicism in 1938, and his choice in late 1939 to join a institution. The last part discusses his views previous to and subsequent to his entrance in the Gethsemani Monastery. The heading of Merton’s autobiography depicts the seven levels in Dante’s Purgatory. (Zuercher, 67) The celestial elegance allowed him to shift from the lowest to the highest degree of divine knowledge. The book â€Å"Seven Storey Mountain† explains in a clear and unassuming way Merton’s steady transformation from a conceited and indifferent youngster into a keen and mature believer who retrieved satisfaction as a meditative preacher. From the time of its publication in 1948, the book â€Å"The Seven Storey Mountain† has affected many readers in a positive way. (Merton, 129) The author in the starting of the book â€Å"The Seven Storey Mountain† describes himself as a captive of a worldly and selfish world. This evaluation of the new world to a reformatory has struck most of the readers as extreme. The well-known British writer Evelyn Waugh published a well modified story of â€Å"The Seven Storey Mountain† in the title Elected Silence in 1949. Waugh removed what he thought as the overstatement in both Merton’s way and his judgment of the world out of his monastery. Even though Waugh improved many parts of the text in Merton’s book, Merton thought that the polished and sophisticated way chosen by Waugh could not appropriately put across to the audience his intuitive response to his knowledge before and after his transformation. Merton wanted the readers of â€Å"The Seven Storey Mountain† to know that his life would have been worthless if he had not got the gift of belief from God; his conversion had drastically transformed his perception of the world. The book â€Å"The Seven Storey Mountain† has been favorably compared to such classic autobiographies as those of Michel Eyquem de Montaigne, Saint Augustine, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Such praise of Merton’s autobiography is entirely appropriate because he also analyzed with almost brutal honesty the weaknesses and strengths of his character. Merton never attempted to mislead his readers by presenting himself in an overly positive light. His subjective analysis of his own life never seems artificial. His consistent attempt to understand the true motivation for his moral choices persuades his readers both to respect Merton’s perception of the world and to appreciate the universal elements in Merton’s spiritual and psychological growth: The chronological structure of this autobiography enables the reader to understand the gradual changes which caused Thomas Merton to convert to Roman Catholicism and then to enter a cloistered monastery. (Zuercher, 71) Thomas Merton had a difficult childhood. He was born near the Spanish border in the French village of Prades on January 31, 1915. His parents were both artists, and they moved frequently. His mother, an American, would die in 1921 and his father, a New Zealander, would die nearly ten years later. Merton spent his childhood and adolescence in France, England, Bermuda, and the United States but never felt at home anywhere. The artificiality and selfishness of modern society depressed him. Because of his profound sense of alienation, Merton yielded too many self-destructive urges: After he joined the University of Cambridge in 1933, he began to drink heavily and then fathered a child out of wedlock.   His previous mistress and their son both would die during a Nazi air attack on London. During writing his autobiography, Merton thought of a friend from Cambridge who had committed suicide. He was certain that only the love of God had sheltered him from the same destiny and that he had achieved nothing constructive all this time he had spent in England. He went to America in 1934 and then never came back to Europe. In the first section of â€Å"The Seven Storey Mountain†, the misery and isolation which many people experience after the dreadfulness of the Holocaust and the devastation of World War II is strongly and emotively expressed. In the second section of â€Å"The Seven Storey Mountain†, Merton disclosed that he required celestial grace and the ethical support of his friends both in order to nurture spiritually. Once Merton reached America, he registered at Columbia University, where he met two professors, Mark Van Doren and Dan Walsh, who intensely persuaded his personal growth. Van Doren trained Merton to think seriously, to give importance to truth for itself, and to disbelieve all types of baseless reasoning. Sarcastically, Merton had never planned to meet Van Doren. In the commencement of his junior year at Columbia, Merton went to the wrong classroom by mistake. (Zuercher, 81) When Van Doren came in and started talking, Merton decided to take that course in its place and gave up history course which he actually wanted to take. Merton thought of this unexpected accident as part of a divine plan to help him understand the gift of faith. Van Doren, who was a Protestant, became one of Merton’s best friends, corresponding with him for years and often visiting him at Gethsemani. Even though he did not share Merton’s religious beliefs, Van Doren strongly supported both his conversion to Catholicism and his decision to enter the monastery. Whenever he had personal problems, Merton knew that Van Doren would be there to help and guide him. Another close friend from Columbia was Robert Lax. He encouraged Merton to take a course on medieval Scholasticism which Dan Walsh, a visiting professor of philosophy from Sacred Heart College, was to teach at Columbia. Walsh taught Merton that no opposition need exist between the acceptance of traditional Christian beliefs and the philosophical search for truth. After he became a Catholic, Merton spoke to Walsh of his interest in the priesthood, and Walsh suggested the Trappist monastery in Gethsemani. At first, Merton rejected this suggestion, but within two years he would become a Trappist. Most of his friends at Columbia were not Catholic. Nevertheless, they attended his baptism in 1938. Eleven years later, his Columbia friends would travel to Gethsemani for his ordination. Friendship enriched Merton’s life and gave him the inner peace which he needed in order to accept the gift of faith. (Merton, 135) Whatever their religious beliefs; his readers can identify with Merton’s thoughtful analysis of the close link between friendship and the search for happiness. The third part of â€Å"The Seven Storey Mountain† describes his reasons for entering the Cistercian monastery and the great joy which active meditation brought to him there. After considering a few religious orders, he at first left the confined life. Nonetheless, after many conversations with his friends from Columbia and two retreats in Cistercian monasteries, Merton drew a conclusion that only the meditative life would allow him to grow spiritually. He wrote to Gethsemani and was accepted for what he was: a scrape whom the free gift of faith had transformed into a fervent believer. At Gethsemani, Merton would experience for the first time the pleasures of true emotional and intellectual satisfaction. When Merton reached Gethsemani on December 10, 1941, he saw the words Pax intrantibus (peace to those who enter) inscribed over the entrance gate. In Merton’s mind, this Latin greeting defined the paradoxical nature of the monastic life. The numerous and often-petty rules in a contemplative order are in fact designed to bring monks inner peace by freeing them from the artificiality of the materialistic world. (Zuercher, 82). Therefore, the peace he wished to acquire was the wisdom to accept everything as part of the divine plan. Yet this trust in divine providence would soon be severely tested. Only a few months after his arrival at Gethsemani, he was called to his abbot’s office. Merton’s brother, John Paul, then a sergeant in the British army, had come to the abbey in order to receive religious instruction, wanting to be baptized as soon as possible. By a curious coincidence, Father James Fox, who would serve as Thomas’ abbot and spiritual mentor from 1948 until early 1968, was asked to prepare John Paul for baptism. As his newly baptized brother was walking away from the monastery, Thomas suddenly realized that they â€Å"would never see each other on earth again.† Within a year the recently married John Paul was killed in action. Thomas coped with his grief first by praying and then by writing â€Å"Sweet Brother, If I Do Not Sleep.† His complete acceptance of divine benevolence persuaded Thomas that John Paul’s â€Å"unhappy spirit† had finally been called â€Å"home† by God. Only a brief epilogue, â€Å"Meditation of a Poor Man in Solitude† follows this powerful analysis of the last meeting between Thomas Merton and his only sibling. (Giroux, 145)    Reasons for Conversion Merton’s religious themes are centered in pre-Vatican II Roman Catholic spirituality and theology, but much of his writing concerns universal Christian ideas. A chief theme is the importance of grace. Life is empty without God and offers only empty pleasures and inescapable woes. Modern society enslaves its members with distractions and material goods; self-sacrifice can help people distance themselves from the false promises of the world. According to Merton, only through the sanctifying grace of God, which is the full participation in God’s life that supports us to good actions, peace and happiness can be found. (Merton, 147) Natural goodness is transformed by grace to bring us and others closer to God. Grace thus saves us and allows us to become our best selves. As Merton experienced it, conversion was preceded by grace-filled moments provided by good people, reading and contemplation, and the inspiration of an â€Å"inner voice† that directed him to carry out his thoughts. However, even baptism was not sufficient for true conversion. After his baptism, Merton continued acting as he had previously. Only after a while did he realize that conversion means conversion of every moment of each day, of turning toward God in thought and action constantly. Conversion means disregarding the concerns of the world, even denying pleasures to one’s self. (Zuercher, 87)   Conversion means abandoning the self to the will of God; understanding this led Merton to decide to join a monastery and become a priest. True happiness and true freedom come from giving all to God. The giving is easy and the rewards are great, says Merton. While this involves a kind of loss of self, in the end it allows for growth of the real self in God. Conclusion Merton’s life and that of the narrator of â€Å"The Divine Comedy† followed a same sequence. That narrator begins the poem in the middle of his life, and Merton wrote â€Å"The Seven Storey Mountain† in the middle of his life; he died at the untimely age of fifty-three. Works Cited Giroux, Robert. The Seven Storey Mountain. 50th anniversary ed. Introduction by. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1998. pg 145. Merton, Thomas. The Seven Storey Mountain. Harvest Books; Anv edition (1999). ISBN-10: 0156010860. pg 98-210. Zuercher, Suzanne. Merton: An Enneagram Profile. Notre Dame, Ind.: Ave Maria Press, 2001. pg 58-99.

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Final Report Chanel Lawrence CMN 279-201 Dianne Nubla November 2013 OPEN OPTIONS Date: November 14, 2013 To: Mr. Jason John, Client From: Chanel Lawrence, Career Councilor Subject: Career Counseling At your request I have examined the two career choices; Event Coordination and Veterinary Sciences. This report presents data documenting the job description, the salary, working conditions and educational requirements of both career paths. Event Coordinator As an event coordinator you are directly responsible for the conception, production and execution of events. Events include: †¢ Corporate, †¢ Promotions and product launches †¢ Charity or social events †¢ Festivals †¢ Seminars †¢ Conventions †¢ Meetings As an event coordinator you have the opportunity to work freelance or can be employed by tourism associations, convention and conference centers, governments and by conference and event planning companies. (Common menu bar links, n.d) The job is very hands on and will involve teamwork. It is a high-pressure job as it requires close attention to detail and coordinators must have the following skills: †¢ Good and clear communication †¢ The ability to complete wide range activities †¢ Excellent organizational skills †¢ Good time management †¢ Problem Solving and Decision making Due to the fact that different events will vary, the role of event coordinator will depend on the organization and type of event involved. Typical tasks include: †¢ Liaising with clients to ensure their precise event requirements †¢ Creating detailed proposals for events such as timelines, venues, suppliers, legal obligations, staffing and the event budget †¢ Managing a budget, securing and booking a suitable venue or ... ... organiser: Salary and conditions, N.d) My recommendation In conclusion, as your Career Councilor I believe that a career path in Veterinary Science is more beneficial to you as you can receive up to $48,46/hour whereas in Events you are only able to make $24.95/hour. As a Veterinarian you would make up to twice as much in salary and you have the opportunity to save the lives of animals. When it comes to educational requirements the Veterinary Science process is far more specific compared to the vague and varied courses that you could take regarding events. This would entail that you are able to gain more knowledge during your undergraduate study and therefore it would be more satisfying in personal gain. Based solely on the educational benefits, salary difference and personal self-fulfillment I believe that Veterinary Sciences is a career you should pursue.

Why Did a Campaign for Women’s Suffrage Develop After 1870?

Women wanted to vote so that they could gain more respect from men, they desired the right to be able to make a difference to the way the country was run. Their views were that they lived in the country therefor they had the rights to vote for the laws they have to obey. Women wanted to have to opportunity to vote for MP's that support equal rights, giving women a better life. Women wanted to be able to change the divorce law as after marriage the man gained everything and the female was left with nothing. Women craved an education equal to men, so that they can undertake more responsible, independent well paid jobs, that they could not for fill without an education. There were many areas of inequality against women. The divorce law is a string example of this. The men even had legal rights to the children if they had any, even though the woman's job was to look after the children, while the male was at work. So when the divorce takes place the Man still goes to work, and has to leave the children at home without a mother. Women strongly felt that equality was a basic and natural human right. During the 1800's many more men had gained the vote, men with possible less resulting influence than some women had. Women weren't just thinking of themselves, they felt that their education they could bring about better childcare and housing. This would benefit everyone. Their were many reasons why women campaigned for the vote, one of them being that women had to obey the laws as did the men but they had no say through political representatives on what they abided by. Women knew that as long as they had no vote, they had no respect, and as long as they had no respect, they were being paid less. The political inequalities greatly effected women's social strength, and their economical situation. Women felt that politics had entered the home, though law, therefor women should enter politics. Women found it disgusting that they were being taxed without being represented. They had to pay for the government to go against what they women believe in. All top jobs are not available to females, as they are seen as inferior. This means that opportunities in public life are denied. Generally women have a closer relationship with the children than the males do, as they look after them while the men work. Therefore women know what is better for the children, and their point of view was not considered as they had know social status. The campaign for women's suffrage started from 1870 onwards was because of a number of reasons. In 1853 Florence Nightingale bought nursing to the public eye as a respectable occupation that women could embark on without being criticised. Women showed much enthusiasm to improve and become more experienced in the profession of nursing and medicine. Florence showed initiative and responsibility that had not been shown in women before. This was an example of some progress that occurred in the 1800's, but there were still many areas of inequality. In 1870 the married women's property act was enforced, allowing women to keep i200 of their own earnings. This may not sound much but money was worth much more in these times. This was the start of many changes that age women a more equal role in society. In 1873 a law was imposed allowing women to see their children if they got divorced. This gave them closer relationships with their children, and they would have been looked after better as the men go out to work. In 1884 married women were no longer considered possession of their husbands, this meant more respect in society as they were seen as people rather than belongings. Women's role gradually become more influential as new jobs became open to women such as; teaching, civil service work and secretarial work had just taken off due to the invention of the typewriter and telephone. I feel the first real rights given to women were that they were allowed to keep i200 of their own earning. This gave women inspiration, as they knew then, that they could use that money to possibly get an education or to start a business. This also let them know that they do have some rights and they are improving. I also believe that a key change in favour of women's rights is â€Å"The Match Girls† strike. They demanded better pay and conditions, and the publicity forced the company to improve them. I feel that women decided to begin campaigning in 1900 was because of the changes that occurred, women were being given better opportunities so they felt that they had an opportunity to use this beginning to carry on the development to equal rights. Q2 Describe the Ways in Which the Methods of the Suffragists and the Suffragettes Were Different The Suffragettes and the Suffragists were two female dominated groups, who were very alike in principle but used very different methods of persuasion. The Suffragists (NUWSS) were a peaceful, law-abiding group. They did not demand the vote for all women but wanted to be on equal footing with men. The first women to join the NUWSS were well-educated, middle-class women, but in the 1890's many factory girls wanted to gain the vote, raise their wages and their living and working conditions joined the movement. By 1900 the female cotton workers were the highest paid factory workers in Britain. The Suffragists used their resources and qualifications within the movement's members to produce banners, postcards and posters. The Suffragettes (WSPU) used totally different forms of propaganda. The suffragettes had one aim; to gain political equality with men. The WSPU was formed on the 13th October 1905 when two women in Manchester were thrown out of a Liberal meeting for shouting for women's votes. They were arrested outside the meeting for hitting and spitting at policemen. This was quite typical for the Suffragettes as they tried to get publicity though dangerous stunts. The plans of the Suffragettes were very different to those of the Suffragists, as they would get publicity at any cost. They deliberately got arrested for crimes such as arson, window smashing and bombing. When they were in jail for their crimes they often went on hunger strike so they had to be force-fed. The Suffragettes made it clear that they would not stop the havoc they were causing unless their demands were met. Types of leadership were key to the actions of the movements. Millicent Fawcett saw her role as a co-ordinator; she didn't consider herself to be in charge but to give the effort of the other Suffragists some guidance. She made it clear that the Suffragists used non-violent methods of persuasion to gain the same voting rights as men. The Suffragettes were led in a very different manor, Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters led the movement forcefully. They were said to have ruled like â€Å"dictators† not listening to others, and not thinking of the consequences of their actions, purely concentrating on their battle for suffrage. The Suffragettes were based in London where all the parliament buildings are based, therefore when they wanted to protest they could do so, and MPs would see and realise how serious they were. I feel that the Suffragists were a group for women who supported women's rights to vote enough to want to make a difference and get involved but not enough to get arrested or even killed like some of the Suffragettes. The suffragettes were the most effective organisation and used their image to gain popularity and respects with men. They achieved this by calling off all their extreme petitions whilst the war was on. This gained them respect and also gave them a chance to prove themselves that they cared for the country. They proved they could do the same jobs, to the same standard if not better than the men could. An achievement by both organisations is that by 1900 over half the MP's said they wanted women to have the vote. Though much hard campaigning women's suffrage took many more years to achieve their original aims but they both did. Suffragists using a much more conventional form of propaganda such as posters etc, but they Suffragettes use much more extreme and extravagant forms. They not only showed that they wanted equal rights but they showed how much they wanted them. They went to many extremes just to gain what they very strongly believed in. Q3 Why Did Many People Oppose Giving Women the Right To Vote Many people opposed giving the women the right to vote because they feared what the women might do, if they had as much power as men did. Many people believed that if women had gained equal rights they would not stop and they would want to take complete control. Some contemporaries strongly believed that women would not vote responsibly but would be influenced by how someone looks rather than the serious political issues of the day. This relates to the lack of women's education, many people believed that a woman's place was at home. Most girls did not go to school, the only education women had was to set them up for marriage, to be able to run a household. Many people could not take women seriously because of this and women were looked upon as inferior to men. People also thought that women were too irrational and emotional to make sound judgements. Men and women were thought of to be very different. They should fulfil different roles in life. Men should live in the world of politics and work, and women in the world of the home. Women were the weaker sex, they could not be asked to fight for their country. Therefore, because they are not asked to risk losing their lives during the war, they were not citizens in the fullest sense. The campaign for women's suffrage had been, hijacked by a small, articulate but unrepresentative minority of feminists. At bottom, most women did not really care whether they had the right to vote or not. Middle-class women would use political rights to develop their careers and neglect their domestic duties. Also, if the educated delayed having families or did not have them at all, a larger proportion of babies would be born to ‘socially undesirable' elements. The nation would suffer. To give the vote to women would almost certainly lead to a certain extension for men and thus enfranchise unskilled, rootless and generally undesirable people. Basically women were inferior to men, but men feared that women would have their revenge if they gained enough power to do so, men feared for their futures. Women were inexperienced and if they had the right to vote, they would not use their ability correctly, as they cannot research anything into the subject because of their lack of education. However, men had more experience so they could make intelligent and rational decisions. The suffragettes did not made life easier for women. They just made women look crazy, stupid and incapable of making intelligent decisions. Queen Victoria did not think women should have had the right to vote. This was because she thought that there was no point in changing society, because she was happy with the way it was working, and she thought that men's decisions were intelligent enough. Women had no key role in society, they were childlike, inferior and incapable of making decisions, which could change the future for the whole country, was it worth the risk? Women had no education to prove themselves, and those who did had very little. If women could not prove themselves to their country, how were they supposed to make an impact on society? It was very hard for women to change the way in which people were thinking, women had to look and act intelligent so that people could see that they were just as clever as men. The only reason women had such a bad reputation was because many women worked at home cleaning and looking after the family. This is still an important role, if women were given the same education as men, they would be just as intelligent, the just never had the same opportunities. I believe that the lack of women's education was the most important factor of why many people did not want to let women have the right to vote. Women were set a bad status, and it would be hard to overcome this and try to act as if they were as intelligent as men were. It would be very hard for women to prove themselves. Question 4 I agree that women over 30 gained the vote in 1918 mainly because of women's contribution to the war effort. Within the women's suffrage movement response to the war varied enormously. Mrs Fawcett told members of the NUWSS, â€Å"Women your country needs you†. Many members became involved in war relief work. However not all members wanted to do war work. Some were pacifists who totally disagreed with fighting and war. Mrs Pankhurst, her daughter Christabel and members of the WSPU stopped campaigning and threw themselves into the war effort. Helping he government with recruiting and propaganda. Many middle-class and upper class women became nurses and worked directly with the army. Some of these women had the chance t work abroad; others worked in military hospitals in Britain. Some of these women found life hard, they were not used to working and the shifts night and day were long. VAD was the Voluntary Aid Detachment, these women worked unpaid until 1915. After this they received i20 a year, but had to pay for their uniforms. Some men opposed to women in men's jobs. They were worried that women doing the same job for fewer wages meant that when the war was over women would be kept on. To avoid this trade, unions made agreements with the government and employers to protect men's jobs and wages. Despite the hostility women entered all kinds of work, which before the war was thought to be unsuitable for women. Before the war the only jobs for women in transport were as cleaners, attendants and clerks. However, during the war they became bus and train conductors, railway ticket collectors, signal women and porters. 900,000 women were involved in making shells, guns and aircraft. This was dangerous work, using poisonous substances and explosives. At least 300 women died in the munitions factories from the explosions. This shows how devoted women were to their country. Munitions workers were one of the best-paid jobs during the war with wages up to i5 a week. Women were encouraged to help out on farms, to keep the country supplied with food. They worked 10-12 hours a day and did not earn as much as factory women. They could join one of three sections of the land army-agriculture, timber cutting and forage. Women in agriculture would tend sheep, pick potatoes, hoeing, ploughing, help with harvest work and work on the harvest gardens. Women on the land would live on the farm and usually had to pay for their food and lodging. They had to sign up for either 6 months or a year and were not allowed to leave without special permission. After the war the old voting system had to be changed to allow men returning from the war to be able to vote. The law said that all voters must have lived in the country for over 12 months before voting, so women argued that whilst making changes to allow the â€Å"returning heroes† to vote. It would be a good time to add women to the list of voters. The war had shaken the whole structure of society- the working classes lost some respect for the rich, many people had died or lost relatives, the whole of Europe was insecure. 1918 was therefore a time for change or starting afresh. I believe that the work, which women did during the war earned them a lot of respect and this definitely helped them win the right to vote. Women proved to society that they could be intelligent and reliable if the were given the chance. They proved that if they had more power they could help the country and they would make a big difference in the way in which the society was run. The women's movements before the war helped to raise awareness of the situation of women, this helped their cause, also politicians realised that the violent campaigning would have been renewed if they did not recognise women's rights.

Greeks compared to the Mayans - 1216 Words

Greeks compared to the Maya Looking around too all the different ethnicities that can be found in this world, two of those most interesting cultures would have to be the Greeks and the Maya. The ancient Greek and Mayan civilizations have many similar characteristics but they also have many differences. The Mayan’s are an indigenous Mesoamerican culture found in present day South America. As where the Greeks are an ethnicity group native to Greece. The history of the Greece can be traced back to the Stone Age. There were only a few historians in the time of Ancient Greece. Three major ancient historians were able to record their time of Ancient Greek history, which includes Herodotus, known as the â€Å"Father†¦show more content†¦She went to live on earth and gave birth to Hunahpu and Xbalanque. The twins wanted to get revenge. They challenged the gods to a game and won. The brothers sacrificed themselves and the gods were amazed. 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The differences are especially noticeable between languages of different language families, like between Indo-European languages such as English, Hindi and Ancient Greek and non-Indo-European languages like Chinese, Hopi or Swahili. But how much do speakers of different languages differ in other areas of life? Does speaking differently indicate thinking, feeling or constructing the world differently? The Language RelativityRead MoreA Study on iPhone Essay2433 Words   |  10 Pagesperspectives on Western culture and its relationship to other cultures. They first discussed how the value of a culture can be compared to another. Dr. Berliner opened the debate by saying that â€Å"cultural relativism, the concept that different cultures are equally valuable in their own right, is moral anarchy.† He then simply stated that two different cultures should be compared based on their values. He said that based on this, that Western culture is superior to others because of its values and its