Themis, Dike, Justitia and Lady Justice

The modern image of justice is based on Greco-Roman mythology, but its not a clear one-to-one correspondence. U.S. courts argue against the placement of any version of the 10 Commandments in courtrooms because it might be a violation of the establishment of a (single) state religion, but the establishment clause is not the only problem with putting up the 10 commandments in federal buildings. There are Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish versions of the 10 Commandments, each substantially different. [See 10 Commandments.] Variability is the same problem that is faced when answering the simple question of which ancient goddess the modern version of Lady Justice represents. Theres also a question of whether or not putting up pagan-based images is a violation of the establishment clause, but thats not an issue for me to unravel. In a forum thread about Themis and Justitia, goddesses of Justice, MISSMACKENZIE asks: I mean which did they intend to portray, a Greek or Roman goddess? And BIBACULUS answers: The modern image of Justice is a conflation of various images and iconography over a period of time: the sword and the blindfold being two of the images that would have been alien to antiquity.Here is some information on the Greek and Roman goddesses and personifications of Justice.ThemisThemis was one of the Titans, the children of Uranos (Sky) and Gaia (Earth). In Homer, Themis appears three times where her role, according to Timothy Gantz in Early Greek Myth, is that of imposing some kind of order or control over gatherings.... Sometimes Themis is called the mother of the Moirai and the Horai (Dike [Justice], Eirene [Peace], and Eunomia [Lawful Government]). Themis was either first or second to deliver oracles at Delphi -- an office she gave over to Apollo. In this role, Themis prophesied that the son of the nymph Thetis would be greater than its father. Until the prophecy, Zeus and Poseidon had been trying to win Thetis, but afterwards, they left her to Peleus, who became the mor tal father of the great Greek hero Achilles.Dike and AstraiaDike was the Greek goddess of justice. She was one of the Horai and the daughter of Themis and Zeus. Dike had a valued place in Greek literature. Passages from (www.theoi.com/Kronos/Dike.html) The Theoi Project describe her physically, holding a staff and balance:If some god had been holding level the balance of Dike (Justice).- Greek Lyric IV Bacchylides Frag 5and[Depicted on the chest of Cypselus at Olympia] A beautiful woman is punishing an ugly one, choking her with one hand and with the other striking her with a staff. It is Dike (Justice) who thus treats Adikia (Injustice).- Pausanias 5.18.2Dike is described as almost indistinguishable from Astraea (Astraia) who is depicted with a torch, wings, and Zeus thunderbolts.JustitiaIustitia or Justitia was the Roman personification of justice. She was a virgin living among humans until the wrong-doings of mortals forced her to take flight and become the constellation Virgo, a ccording to the Adkinses in Dictionary of Roman Religion.On a coin depicting Justitia from A.D. 22-23 (www.cstone.net/~jburns/gasvips.htm), she is a regal woman wearing a diadem. In another (/www.beastcoins.com/Deities/AncientDeities.htm), Justitia carries olive twig, patera, and scepter.Lady JusticeThe U.S. Supreme Court website explains some of the images of Lady Justice that adorn Washington D.C.:Lady Justice is a blend of Themis and Iustitia. The blindfold with which Justice is now associated probably started in the 16th century. In some of the Washington D.C. statues, Justice holds scales, blindfolds, and swords. In one representation she is fighting evil with her gaze, although her sword is still sheathed.Besides all the statues of Lady Justice, Themis, and Justitia in courthouses across the U.S. (and world), the much revered Statue of Liberty bears a close resemblance to the ancient goddesses of justice. Even in antiquity the personification of Justice goddesses changed to fi t the times or the needs and beliefs of the writers. Is it possible to do the same with the Ten Commandments? Wouldnt it be possible to distill the essence of each commandment and arrive at an order by consensus of some ecumenical council? Or let the different versions exist side by side just as the statues of Justice do in Washington D.C.?Images of Justice

The Human Terrain System ( Hts ) - 856 Words

The Human Terrain System (HTS) is a military based project, which was established in 2007 in response to the terror attacks that took place on September 11, 2001(Shay 2009). This project entails placing anthropologists within the military units in countries like Afghanistan and Iraq to prevent rebellion towards the US troops. The use of anthropology and anthropologists in the HTS comes with a great deal of problems, which are not accounted for but turn out to have a huge impact on the world. Resulting in the false representation and thereby, harm, towards a specific community, the issue of cultural relativism and deaths/injuries to anthropologists Using anthropologists in situations like this causes false representation of the community and overall harm to those people, which is displayed to the world. For example, â€Å"Army appears to be using the anthropological information to better target the enemy† (Shay 2009). This means that the information the anthropologists are gathering and giving to the US government ends up being used against those people rather than used to help them. The anthropologists have no control whatsoever of how the US government interprets this data. Once they use this data incorrectly, or even interpret the data wrong they will react to what they see, which results in the killing of people (Shay 2009). All this shows to world is that the people from those communities are wrong and immoral. They dehumanize them, making it easier to accept cruel treatmentShow MoreRelatedThe Human Terrain System Of The United States801 Words   |  4 Pagesso than now in this hyper-political media driven society. Starting in 2005 the U.S. government created the Human Terrain System (HTS). The Human Terrain System is a programme which would send anthropologists along with the U.S. Army, in an attempt to provide information on the culture of the ‘adversary’ during their missions in the war against Iraq and Afghanistan. The Human Terrain System was one of their efforts in the Middle East to win the ‘hearts-and minds’ of the citizens to ensure smootherRead MoreDifferences Between Egocentric And Sociocentric Views Of The Self1577 Words   |  7 Pagespunishment of the almighty who sent a person with the third gender and should be avoided by the normal human beings. 3. Summarize Mauss on reciprocity. Briefly discuss one cultural example of gift-giving from the text? Answer: Muass considered reciprocity as a method to exchange things to reflect the thoughts and share the relationship among others. He believed that reciprocity is actually a human activity that helps in displaying the affection or anger against the other person in response to the actionsRead MoreChemical Weapons Essay examples8188 Words   |  33 Pagesnot depend upon  explosive  force to achieve an objective. Rather it depends upon the unique properties of the chemical agent weaponized. A lethal agent is designed to injure or incapacitate the enemy, or deny unhindered use of a particular area of terrain.  Defoliants are used to quickly kill vegetation and deny its use for cover and concealment. It can also be used against agriculture and livestock to promote hunger and starvation. With proper protective equipment, training, and decontamination measuresRead MoreEthical Issues Of Engineering Design10298 Words   |  42 Pagesresponsibility of the persons involved. Fundamenta l criteria of the design process includes the derivation of objectives and criteria, synthesis, analysis, testing and evaluation. Design can be stated as a process of creating tools or products that suits the human needs. But this often has time and economic constraints. Commonly, French divides the design procedures into 4 levels: 1: Problem analysis 2: Conceptual design 3: Scheme embodiment 4: Detailing A model of the Design process comprises of three phases:Read MoreProject Mgmt296381 Words   |  1186 PagesCosts 6.4 Activity duration estimates (.3) 6.4.2 Estimating tools (.1.3.4) 6.3.1 Identifying resources 7.1 Activity cost estimates (.2.3.4.5) 5.1.2.4 Delphi method Chapter 6 10.5.3 Cost/schedule system (.1) 6.6 .2.1 Time performance 7.2.3.1 Cost baseline development 7.3.2.1 Earned value system (F.4) 7.3.2.4 E.V., performance status report 7.3.2.2 E.V., forecasts 7.3.2.3 EV., to complete index (EAC) 7.3.2.5 Schedule and cost variance Developing a Project Plan 4.2.2 Planning tools 6.2 Sequence

Biuret Test for Proteins and Emulsion Test for Lipids free essay sample

Proteins are complex molecules that react differently to many compounds but are also fragile and cannot withstand high temperatures or strong acids and bases without degrading. The Biuret Method, or biuret test, is used to detect the presence of peptide bonds. It has this name because it reacts positively to the biuret molecules peptide bonds. Correctly evaluating the number of peptide bonds is a step towards determining the protein content of the sample. In the Biuret Test, copper ions form a violet-colored complex when in the presence of peptide bonds in an alkaline solution. The intensity of the violet color is directly proportional to the protein concentration, according to the Beer-Lambert law. For this test, a specific reagent is needed, in this case, the biuret reagent. The alkaline solution is made of potassium hydroxide, a strong base. A compound of hydrated copper sulfate and potassium sodium tartrate is dissolved in this solution, turning blue. We will write a custom essay sample on Biuret Test for Proteins and Emulsion Test for Lipids or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In the presence of proteins, the reagent turns violet, but turns from blue to pink in the presence of short-chain polypeptides, or basic amino acids. This dual sensitivity is useful to determine if the sample has complex proteins or only the simpler amino acids. On higher concentrations and when there is only need to confirm the presence of proteins, a simple visual check for color change is enough. EMULSION TEST FOR lIPIDS The lipids are a large and diverse group of naturally occurring organic compounds that are related by their solubility in nonpolar organic solvents  The emulsion test is a method to determine the presence of lipids using wet chemistry. The procedure is for the sample to be suspended in ethanol, allowing lipids present to dissolve (lipids are soluble in alcohols). The liquid (alcohol with dissolved fat) is then decanted into water. Since lipids do not dissolve in water, when the ethanol is diluted, it falls out of solution to give a cloudy white emulsion. A cloudy white emulsion will appear Lipids are insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents. Ethanol is an example of an organic polar solvent which will dissolve lipids to a limited extent. However ethanol is miscible with water so when a solution of lipid and ethanol is added to water the ethanol will combine preferentially to the water, leaving the ethanol to form tiny globules in the water. These globules then form a white emulsion. Ethanol extracts the lipid from the crushed solid sample. As ethanol is miscible with lipids no change is seen upon its addition to the solid and liquid samples. The lipid spontaneously comes out of solution when water is added and is dispersed as micelles (small droplets) throughout the solution of ethanol and water. ( This happens as hydrophobic portion of the lipid molecules project inwards and excludes the aqueous environment; the hydrophilic portion (-COOH) group faces the aqueous environement. ) A layer is formed at the top as lipids are less dense than water. The droplets diffract light, appearing cloudy white. B