Papers by Joshua Weissman LaFrance
In an examination of Plato's five governmental regimes, there is found a connection between a com... more In an examination of Plato's five governmental regimes, there is found a connection between a communal telos and political quality. Those communities constructed for the virtuosity and betterment of the people produce fulfillment and sustainability, while those of negligence and self-interest foster perversity. To put another way, whether government will flourish or crumble is dependent on its attention to the common good. This is evident in an analysis of the ideal aristocracy 1 presented in The Republic, which is most virtuous precisely because it is constructed with the common good as its telos and has a formation sturdy enough to sustain its lofty ideals. Democracy, while it does aim for virtuosity through its promotion of freedom and inclusion of the people, cannot properly sustain the common good. It deteriorates accordingly, as the chaotic nature of its decision-making process and corruptibility of its decision-makers have been seen underpinning the recent scourge of American politics. Further, these factors appear to be preluding the very worst of the governmental regimes: tyranny, which neither aims at the common good nor has any intention of sustaining it. Its relationship with democracy is only and always intersectional -the extreme restraint of tyranny can only spring from the extreme license of democracy, much as Plato underscores their codependent, co-responsible natures in his theory of degradation. By 1 As this paper addresses the causality between virtue and government, all references to "aristocracy" refer exclusively to the version presented in The Republic. It is unimportant that it is a theoretical society; it is designed to show what a wholly virtuous society looks like, and by corollary what actual societies lack that prevents them from achieving this ideal.
The issue of writer's block has garnered significant interest in writing center scholarship, and ... more The issue of writer's block has garnered significant interest in writing center scholarship, and countless identifications, strategies, and coping mechanisms have arisen due to its popularity. However, a cross-generational review of the literature illuminates a sizeable oversight that this paper seeks to address: attention to the proprietary student perspective. Blocking is most often assessed on grounds of reduction, but academic trends toward the narrow and abstract have made field insights increasingly inaccessible to the blocked writer or tutor the solution was designed for. For this, an undergraduate survey was conducted to identify where contemporary student perception stands in relation to preexisting academic investigations. Data evaluation was assessed based on (1) the " fitness " of the relationship between student definition and proposed remedy to blocking, and (2) the linguistic proximity of the definition to blocking's fundamental cognitive roots. Findings were promising: the test population identified the general " home " of blockage and offered relevant strategies that can be bridged with academia's theory-ballasted headway. Strategies were then expanded to address deeper issue pragmatically – with technical enhancements to the most frequent survey responses – and academically – with an emphasis on proprietary student conceptions as the foundation for future research.
An examination of Albert Camus' notion of the "absurd" as seen in his portrayal of Sisyphus. Why ... more An examination of Albert Camus' notion of the "absurd" as seen in his portrayal of Sisyphus. Why does Camus state that "one must imagine Sisyphus happy" despite a predetermined eternity of God-given punishment? Further notions of consciousness, enlightenment, scorn, hope, religion, and fate are utilized to determine Sisyphus' significance.
In The Price of Civilization, Jeffrey Sachs asserts that America’s political system is broken and... more In The Price of Civilization, Jeffrey Sachs asserts that America’s political system is broken and breaks down its causes and solutions into two sections. The first section establishes why and how America has come to this fault. He names unequal wealth distribution, mishandled globalization, public officials and special interests, partisanship, and a lack of efficacy among American citizens as the primary perpetrators of American virtue. These faults round out a perfect storm for American stagnation, to which Sachs declares the need for a panacea and explains how it can be achieved. The second section determines these proposals through more equitable economic policy (namely tax breaks for the middle class and higher rates for the rich), lessons to be learned from “free-market fallacies,” reprised ethical foundations in Congress, and the creation of a more “mindful society” amongst America’s people. This restructuring of American culture, Sachs argues, will guide the country back to its former prowess. Ultimately, he also states that these changes in economic, political, and social culture will benefit not just American culture but the globe as a whole. America’s position at the global epicenter bears a strong gravitational effect—one that America has a duty to protect and preserve.
In Globalization 4.0: The Chinese Millenium?, Joshua Weissman LaFrance and Sebastien St. Vil pres... more In Globalization 4.0: The Chinese Millenium?, Joshua Weissman LaFrance and Sebastien St. Vil present their findings on the profound economic growth achieved by China since 1978 and further examine its potential implications on a globalized level. This, they argue, most immediately and dramatically affect the United States, who currently operate as the world’s hegemonic power and potentially face a loss in relative power to China’s growing economic prominence. Furthermore, the United States may retain its primacy despite its diminished global buying power due to the singularity of economics in regard to the total constitution of hegemony. Also examined is the potential usage of balancing through specific economic and cultural mechanisms to retain or dissolve American hegemony. Ultimately, there is more to global dominance than economic prowess alone, as the most prominent factors are within generating a culture of influence in ideas, agendas, and models alike.
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Papers by Joshua Weissman LaFrance