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According to Wikipedia “Robinson Crusoe is an English adventure novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. Written with a combination of Epistolary, confessional, and didactic forms, the book follows the title character after he is cast away and spends 28 years on a remote tropical desert island near the coasts of Venezuela and Trinidad, encountering cannibals, captives, and mutineers before being rescued.” According to Wikipedia, “Daniel Defoe was an English writer, trader, journalist, pamphleteer and spy. He is most famous for his novel Robinson Crusoe, published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its number of translations.” Robinson Crusoe is still widely read today. 

Why did Robinson Crusoe take the coins off the ship? Here is a recap of what I have read so far. First Robinson Crusoe leaves his home on a boat in search of an adventure, but he comes upon a storm. After this storm is over the boat is still floating. A couple days later another storm hits the ship and the ship sinks. Robinson Crusoe and a few other men escape in lifeboats. Later in the book Robinson Crusoe is enslaved in England for a few years. When he gets a chance to escape on a small boat with another slave, he does. After a couple weeks they come across a Portuguese ship. The man in charge buys Robinson Crusoe’s boat and takes them to South America. Robinson Crusoe builds a plantation there and becomes wealthy, but he wants more money. His friend asks him to take a ship to Africa and get some slaves. He tells Robinson Crusoe he’ll get paid so Robinson Crusoe accepts. On the way there a storm hits and Robinson Crusoe with the other men jump off the ship thinking that it will sink. Robinson Crusoe swims to an Island and when the storm is over the ship is still there, but all of the other people drowned. Robinson Crusoe swims to the ship and builds a raft so he can bring helpful things back to the island to help him survive. For the next few days he brings things from the ship to the island. This includes a dog and some cats. One night there is a storm and the ship sinks. A few months later the ship reappears and is much closer to shore. Robinson Crusoe goes to take more things off the ship and he finds a bag of coins. He decides to leave them because they would be useless on the island, but then he changes his mind and takes them. 

There are many reasons why Robinson Crusoe took the coins, but I think the most common reason is that he could use them to barter himself off the island if another ship came. 

Frederic Bastiat and his Petition of the Candlemakers. Frederic Bastiat was a French libertarian and economist. He wrote many books, but he is commonly known for his book “The Law”. In an essay he wrote “Petition of the Candlemakers.” This is about candlemakers that are complaining that the sun is an unfair competition, because it gives light all day long for free. The candlemakers make everyone shut all their windows so no light will come through, then they will have to buy candles. This just makes everyone poorer. Bastiat ends this essay by writing “Make your choice, but be logical; for as long as you ban, as you do, foreign coal, iron, wheat, and textiles, in proportion as their price approaches zero, how inconsistent it would be to admit the light of the sun, whose price is zero all day long!”

Classical liberalism. According to Wikipedia, “Classical liberalism is a political tradition and a branch of liberalism that advocates free market and laissez-faire economics; civil liberties under the rule of law with especial emphasis on individual autonomy, limited government, economic freedom, political freedom and freedom of speech.” Liberty, individualism, and equal rights are the three main ideas of classical liberalism. Classical liberals believed these three things to require a free economy with no “help” from the government. 

Classical liberal themes that can be found in the work of Benjamin Constant. According to Wikipedia, “Constant emphasised how citizens in ancient states found more satisfaction in the public sphere and less in their private lives whereas modern people favoured their private life. Constant’s repeated denunciation of despotism pervaded his critique of French political philosophers Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Abbé de Mably.“

Did all four of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms promote liberty? According to National Archives, “Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union Address, commonly known as the “Four Freedoms” speech. In it he articulated a powerful vision for a world in which all people had freedom of speech and of religion, and freedom from want and fear. It was delivered on January 6, 1941 and it helped change the world.” There are four four freedoms in this speech. According to Wikipedia they are “Freedom of Speech, by Booth Tarkington (February 20, 1943). Freedom of Worship, by Will Durant (February 27, 1943). Freedom from Want, by Carlos Bulosan (March 6, 1943). Freedom from Fear, by Stephen Vincent Benét (March 13, 1943; the date of Benét’s death).” Freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. 

Freedom of speech (also called Free Speech) gives you the right to say whatever you want to say and no one can take that away from you. But just because you can say things doesn’t mean that you should. 

Freedom of worship gives you the right to worship what you want to. No one can stop you from going to places that you want to worship, or stop you from worshiping. 

Freedom of want means that you don’t have to worry where your food comes from, where you live or anything like that. Although you should make sure that you have a way of income. 

Freedom of fear gives you the right to fear whatever you want to, whether it’s the government, military, war, etc.

Did all four of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms promote liberty? According to National Archives, “Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union Address, commonly known as the “Four Freedoms” speech. In it he articulated a powerful vision for a world in which all people had freedom of speech and of religion, and freedom from want and fear.” Yes  it promoted freedom, but what about liberty? According to the dictionary, freedom is “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.” According to the dictionary, liberty is “the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behavior, or political views.” So freedom is not exactly liberty, but yes it did. 

Robinson Crusoe, How important for the narrative are the descriptions of the storms? According to Wikipedia “Robinson Crusoe is an English adventure novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. Written with a combination of Epistolary, confessional, and didactic forms, the book follows the title character after he is cast away and spends 28 years on a remote tropical desert island near the coasts of Venezuela and Trinidad, encountering cannibals, captives, and mutineers before being rescued.” According to Wikipedia, “Daniel Defoe was an English writer, trader, journalist, pamphleteer and spy. He is most famous for his novel Robinson Crusoe, published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its number of translations.” 

“How important for the narrative are the descriptions of the storms?” Now you may have read this book before, but in case you haven’t or you forgot, here is  a recap. 

In the first few chapters there are four storms. First Robinson Crusoe leaves his home on a boat in search of an adventure, but he comes upon a storm. After this storm is over the boat is still floating. A couple days later another storm hits the ship and the ship sinks. Robinson Crusoe and a few other men escape in lifeboats. Later in the book Robinson Crusoe is enslaved in England for a few years. When he gets a chance to escape on a small boat with another slave, he does. After a couple weeks they come across a Portuguese ship. The man in charge buys Robinson Crusoe’s boat and takes them to South America. Robinson Crusoe builds a plantation there and becomes wealthy, but he wants more money. His friend asks him to take a ship to Africa and get some slaves. He tells Robinson Crusoe he’ll get paid so Robinson Crusoe accepts. On the way there a storm hits and Robinson Crusoe with the other men jump off the ship thinking that it will sink. Robinson Crusoe swims to an Island and when the storm is over the ship is still there, but all of the other people drowned. Robinson Crusoe swims to the ship and builds a raft so he can bring helpful things back to the island to help him survive. For the next few days he brings things from the ship to the island. This includes a dog and some cats. One night there is a storm and the ship sinks. 

How important for the narrative are the descriptions of the storms? A narrative is a story. In a story a description is necessary, even for just a storm. If the storm is described well then you feel like you’re actually there. 

The Congress of Vienna. According to Wikipedia “The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.” There were five powers in this meeting, Great Britain, France, Russia, Prussia, and Austria. This meeting was to discuss and arrange order in France after Napoleon Bonaparte’s fall. 

According to Wikipedia, “The Carlsbad Decrees were a set of reactionary restrictions introduced in the states of the German Confederation by resolution of the Bundesversammlung on 20 September 1819 after a conference held in the spa town of Carlsbad, Austrian Empire.” according to Deutscher Bundestag, “The Carlsbad Decrees, adopted in 1819 at the instigation of Austria’s foreign minister, Klemens von Metternich, established a police-state regime of surveillance and repression, designed to keep a tight lid on any opposition activity.” 

According to Wikipedia, “Compulsory education refers to a period of education that is required of all people and is imposed by the government. This education may take place at a registered school or at other places. Compulsory school attendance or compulsory schooling means that parents are obliged to send their children to a certain school.” The first country to do this was Germany in the year 1592. 

Can the Remnant in one historical era become the majority later? Why or why not? According to the dictionary, remnant means “a small remaining quantity of something.” According to Merriam-Webster, a majority is “a number or quantity greater than half of a total“. 

If this question (Can the Remnant in one historical era become the majority later?) was rearranged it would say “Can the remaining quantity of something that happened in the past become very popular (or the majority) later in history?” The answer is yes. If something is very common now, but over the next few years not many people do it anymore, but then people hear of it then lots of people start to do it again. 

Peoples minds can change. Most of the time a large group of people have a large influence on a group of people. The smaller group almost never influences the larger group, but when it does their idea grows. 

Can the Remnant in one historical era become the majority later? Why or why not? My answer is yes. 

In what way did Mandeville lay the foundation for Darwinism? According to Wikipedia, “Bernard Mandeville, or Bernard de Mandeville, was an Anglo-Dutch philosopher, political economist and satirist. Born in Rotterdam, he lived most of his life in England and used English for most of his published works. He became famous for The Fable of the Bees.” Mandeville was born on November 15, 1670, and died in January 21, 1733. According to Wikipedia, the main message of The Fable of the Bees is “As they abandon their desire for personal gain, the economy of their hive collapses, and they go on to live simple, “virtuous” lives in a hollow tree. Mandeville’s implication—that private vices create social benefits—caused a scandal when public attention turned to the work, especially after its 1723 edition.” 

According to Wikipedia, “Charles Robert Darwin was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended from a common ancestor is now generally accepted and considered a fundamental concept in science.” According to Britannica, “Charles Darwin, in full Charles Robert Darwin, (born February 12, 1809, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England—died April 19, 1882, Downe, Kent), English naturalist whose scientific theory of evolution by natural selection became the foundation of modern evolutionary studies.” I don’t believe in evolution or Darwinism, but it is what most schools are teaching today. 

In what way did Mandeville lay the foundation for Darwinism? Mandeville believed that every man should serve  himself and pursue their own interests and that this was crucial what to the economy and to the society. Darwin believed that people serving only themselves will lead to the best type of economy and society. 

According to Wikipedia “The Industrial Revolution, also known as the First Industrial Revolution, was a period of global transition of human economy towards more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes that succeeded the Agricultural Revolution, starting from Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840.” 

According to investopedia.com, “Standard of living generally refers to wealth, comfort, material goods, and necessities of certain classes in certain areas whereas quality of life is more subjective and intangible, such as personal liberty or environmental quality.” After the Industrial Revolution there was an increase in wealth, the production of goods, and the standard of living. The standard-of-living debate is whether the Industrial Revolution raised or lowered the general standard of living. I think it was raised. 

William Wilberforce was a key figure in the ablation of slavery in Britain. William and many others wanted to abolish slavery and the founded the Anti-slavery Society. In 1807 the Slave Trade Act was passed by parliament. Sadly this only banned slave trade, not slavery itself. In 1833 a new act was passed, but sadly William died three years later. This act banned slavery in Britain and a few other places too. 

According to Wikipedia, “Mary Wollstonecraft was a British writer, philosopher, and advocate of women’s rights. Until the late 20th century, Wollstonecraft’s life, which encompassed several unconventional personal relationships at the time, received more attention than her writing.” Her mast famous book is A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. According to Britannica, “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman is one of the trailblazing works of feminism. Published in 1792, Wollstonecraft’s work argued that the educational system of her time deliberately trained women to be frivolous and incapable.” She wanted to change lives for women because they weren’t treated as well as men. Thanks to her and others women are treated better.

The American and French Revolutions. These two were different and alike in many ways. The American Revelation was meant to be free of the Brittan’s. The French Revolution was meant the change France. America rebelled against Britain until The Declaration of Independence was signed. France was a disaster. Two of these things were the reign of power and Napoleon. Although both America and France wanted to escape their kings. 

Which promotes greater personal responsibility, the free market or the welfare state? According to Wikipedia, “In economics, a free market is an economic system in which the prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand expressed by sellers and buyers. Such markets, as modeled, operate without the intervention of government or any other external authority.” Basically this is when people trade with each other for a reasonable price. 

According to the dictionary, the welfare state is “a system whereby the government undertakes to protect the health and well-being of its citizens, especially those in financial or social need, by means of grants, pensions, and other benefits. The foundations for the modern welfare state in the US were laid by the New Deal programs of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.” This is when the government tries to fix the peoples problems for them. 

Which promotes greater personal responsibility, the free market or the welfare state? The free market. In the free market the people do almost everything. If the government gets involved then it’s less work for the people.