Archive for November, 2009

20
Nov

On The Genealogy of Morals - A Polemic

   Posted by: admin    in Research

If you are interested in knowing about the birth of Christianity and about morals then the book by Nietzsche is the one you should read. The book is titled On the Genealogy of Morals and is a polemical work of philosophy. Published in 1887, philosophers worldwide have regarded this book as one of the best philosophical book ever made.

First of all, this book was made by Friedrich Nietzsche because his first one, Beyond Good and Evil was considered to be too complicated to understand and does not explain all about morals. The book, On the Genealogy of Morals is primarily focused on morality and its origins. It emphasizes more on Christian morality and moral prejudice.


In this book you will find three essays namely “Good and Evil, Good and Bad”, “Guilt’, ‘Bad Conscience’, and Related Matters”, and the third essay is called “What do ascetic ideals mean?” As you can see, the On the Genealogy of Morals book focuses a lot about morality and Christianity. You have to consider that morality is quite a broad word to understand and many people have different morality.

You have to consider that many people have different perceptions of what is good and what is bad. Because of this, there will be a conflict of morality. In fact, this book has stated that humans don’t even know themselves even if they have vast knowledge. In short, many people don’t know what morality is and they have different ideals where it is difficult to understand what is moral and what is not.

Although there are laws about morality, you have to consider that it still conflicts with other ideals. There are different philosophies about morality and many people have different perceptions. What this book will explain is about the origins of morality and will mainly concentrate on the widely accepted Christian morality. As you may know, Christian morality is filled with different ideals that seem favorable in the human way of life. You have to understand that many religions have different morality. However, Christian morality is widely accepted because of its ideals and many people consider the philosophy behind Christianity is right.

                                                                    

For example, in the past people consider slavery as part of life and is part of their moral principles. However, as time changes and as society evolves, slavery is now viewed as immoral in modern countries.


This book also explains about the human conscience and regards it as the voice of God in man. As you read further on, you will see that guilt is also an issue in morality. For example, if you hurt a person or kill a person, do you feel guilt? Many societies today views hurting or killing a person as immoral and for good reasons too. The Christian values state that it is wrong to kill or hurt someone. Because of this education and this ideals that have been imprinted in one’s mind since childhood, you will feel guilty about hurting or killing a person.

These are some of the things that you can expect in On the Genealogy of Morals. You have to consider that this book is quite hard to understand. You will also need to adjust to the philosophical way of thinking in order to fully understand the contents inside this book.

Author: Roger Mitchell

Roger Mitchell contributed this article. He has other well-written and helpful articles related to Genealogy like The Basics Cheney And Obama Its Not Genetic and Paying For Family Tree. This article may be used only in its entirety with all links included.

http://www.MyHealthBook.org

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18
Nov

Geneology Search and a Happy Tree Family

   Posted by: admin    in Research

When interviewing a relative to gather genealogy information on your ancestry there are several important considerations to keep in mind:

Do start close to home. Interviewing your own parents can be one of the most enlightening and enjoyable experiences you will have. If your relationship with your parents is not as close as you would like, that is all the more reason to reach out. Almost everyone loves to talk about themselves and their history and is flattered when someone takes a genuine interest. Consider it a great new bonding opportunity.


Do get important dates and places and other specific information on marriages, births, deaths of parents and siblings.

Do ask them to relate stories about their past that will bring insight and understanding to who they are and the events that shaped their lives and attitudes and contributed to making them the person they are today.

Do come prepared with a set of specific questions so that you can control the flow of the conversation and keep it moving.

Do come prepared to either take notes or record or video tape the conversation.

Do try to ensure that everyone is comfortable and that you are in a relatively quiet place so that they are not bothered by household distractions.

Do ask if you can make copies of important genealogy documents, letters or photos.

Do ask open ended questions that will elicit information rich responses to your questions. An open ended question is one that cannot be answered with a simple yes or no or a short one word response.

Do not overstay your welcome by taking up more of their time than you ask for up front - unless they offer to extend the visit. A 1 or 2 hour initial visit is plenty.

Do not bring your cell phone or other things that are likely to distract you from your mission.

Do not act bored, even if the information is not of personal interest to you.

Do not be afraid to politely move the conversation to a new topic if the interviewee gets stalled on an irrelevant topic for too long. But be careful not to interrupt in the middle of a thought.

Do not be pushy about getting sensitive information. Be aware that your interviewee may simply not be comfortable discussing certain things.

Do not dominate the conversation - let the interviewee do most of the talking.

Do not forget to thank the person at the conclusion of the interview for their time and information.

Do not procrastinate - particularly when it comes to interviewing older relatives. It is sad when you intend to get around to an interview but don’t find the time until it is too late.

Once you have completed your interview it is wise to go back and work up a transcript of the conversation. It is both courteous and appropriate to offer to share a copy with the interviewee once you have completed the transcript.

Author: Christopher L. Dunn

Christopher L. Dunn has been active in personal genealogy and family history for many years. He resides in Salem, UT.

For more information please visit more of the authors websites:

http://www.cixx.com

http://www.mtworld.com

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