“Great minds think alike”
History shows us that great minds study the examples of earlier scholars, philosophers, and theorists in order to better develop their sense of wisdom and knowledge on a given subject. Aristotle's examination and research into his famed teacher Plato shows this to be true. Additionally, it confers that great students learn from great teachers. Of course great students are taught to question, improve, and come to their own better conclusions regardless of how great a teacher may be.
Even though James Madison was not alive in the same period as Aristotle and he did not directly study under Aristotle, it is clear that Plato is to Aristotle, as Aristotle is to Madison. To clarify while Aristotle and Madison differ on…show more content…
But in order to see this congruence we must go back in time and understand the context in which Madison pushed for these laws. During the American Revolution, the Americans needed a constitution(law) to unify all of the colonies in their fight against oppressive British tyranny. What followed was the creation of the Articles of Confederation in 1781, which gave primary right to the states instead of the national government. After the colonies won the American Revolution the vulnerabilities and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation became apparent. The main weaknesses included Congress’s inability to tax (to pay war debt), the nation’s lack of a standing army (Shays Rebellion in 1786-1787 showed this), the lack of power power to regulate trade and commerce, the lack of a president to enforce laws, the lack of a legislative to create laws, and the lack of judges to interpret laws. As a result, the lack of a national government crippled unity and hindered the country's ability to thrive and advance as one. Madison's response to the ineffectiveness of the Articles of Confederation was to create a strong constitutional(law) that would bind all of the colonies together, and help them to achieve prosperity and happiness. Madison recognized that the young nation needed new strong laws in order to stop the dissolution of the
History shows us that great minds study the examples of earlier scholars, philosophers, and theorists in order to better develop their sense of wisdom and knowledge on a given subject. Aristotle's examination and research into his famed teacher Plato shows this to be true. Additionally, it confers that great students learn from great teachers. Of course great students are taught to question, improve, and come to their own better conclusions regardless of how great a teacher may be.
Even though James Madison was not alive in the same period as Aristotle and he did not directly study under Aristotle, it is clear that Plato is to Aristotle, as Aristotle is to Madison. To clarify while Aristotle and Madison differ on…show more content…
But in order to see this congruence we must go back in time and understand the context in which Madison pushed for these laws. During the American Revolution, the Americans needed a constitution(law) to unify all of the colonies in their fight against oppressive British tyranny. What followed was the creation of the Articles of Confederation in 1781, which gave primary right to the states instead of the national government. After the colonies won the American Revolution the vulnerabilities and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation became apparent. The main weaknesses included Congress’s inability to tax (to pay war debt), the nation’s lack of a standing army (Shays Rebellion in 1786-1787 showed this), the lack of power power to regulate trade and commerce, the lack of a president to enforce laws, the lack of a legislative to create laws, and the lack of judges to interpret laws. As a result, the lack of a national government crippled unity and hindered the country's ability to thrive and advance as one. Madison's response to the ineffectiveness of the Articles of Confederation was to create a strong constitutional(law) that would bind all of the colonies together, and help them to achieve prosperity and happiness. Madison recognized that the young nation needed new strong laws in order to stop the dissolution of the
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the United States of America The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.48-1984). 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To our grandchildren Annika, Jacob, Katherine, Madison, Magnus, and Molly Contents Illustrations . . . . . Preface . . . . . . . . . Acknowledgments . The Web Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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