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In, “De Officiis: Book One” by Cicero, Cicero demonstrates his point of views on different themes and arguments. Some of those point of views can be seen in history and applied to todays society.



"Animals of every species are endowed with the instinct that prompts them to take care of themselves as to life and bodily well-being, to shun whatever threatens to do them harm" In other words, people will react respectively on different situations to their safety and benefit. The first settlers of North America (Indians) did their best to use the little resources they had, so when the europeans discovered America, they tried to conquer the little property the Indians owned, therefore the Indians had to rebel and fight them off because they needed that property in order to survive.



"We are all attracted and drawn to the desire of knowledge and wisdom, in which we deem it admirable to excel..." Cicero believes that people want to be educated because they want to succeed, although we realize that that isn't always the case. During the Great Awakening, revivalists such as Johnathan Edwards, went beyond what society usually did and went out of his way to educate himself, as well as other people on having the liberty of believing in any religions. In todays society, for the most part, the present generations try to prepare themselves to be on the right path in high school in order to get to the college of their choice and have the career they want.



"For those things which are done from some sudden impulse are more venial than what is done with plan and forethought." According to Cicero, if someone causes some kind of damage or harm out of a sudden reaction, it's not as bad as if someone who actually planned the harm, which I believe is true. This can be seen in both history and todays society because people are always reacting in a harmful way, whether it's all of a sudden or a planned revenge. Usually, the harmful sudden reactions are able to be forgiven easier because the victim can have some sort of sympathy. But if it's a long, planned revenge, it's not because there was more thought and evilness used. The sudden reaction of the King of Spain towards the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, at a Press Conference is a good example of this. “I hope this will not damage relations,” Mr Chavez said as he left his Santiago hotel room. “But I think it’s imprudent for a king to shout at a president to shut up.”

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