March 25, 2014
Point of Interest Chapter # 16 Pg.477
Eastern Theories Though Marx’s theories were first conceived over 150 years ago, his work continues to be tremendously influential and is perhaps the most well-known scholarship within the sociological canon. Despite their prominence, some of Marx’s most famous ideas have yet to be proven by the course of history. Neo-Marxists may insist that the revolution is coming, but the fact remains that the overthrow of capitalism has yet to materialize. I argue that the communist revolution has not yet occurred because the proletariat has been unable to develop the universal class consciousness that Marx asserts is a necessary condition for his predicted mass uprising. Additionally, I postulate that the theories of Weber and Simmel reveal the factors impeding the formation of class consciousness among members of the proletariat. While Marxist ideology dismisses the individual’s role in society and contends that the economic superstructure governs everything, Weber and Simmel each present a more nuanced interpretation of the social world. The work of these two theorists acknowledges individual agency and examines forces outside of the economy that impact individuals. In the following paper, I discuss how the social forces described by Weber and Simmel complicate Marx’s conception of the class structure. Moreover,

I contend that the theories of Weber and Simmel illustrate how distinctions and divisions can arise within Marx’s broadly defined social classes. Ultimately, these divides within the proletariat impede the development of class consciousness and prevent the overthrow of capitalism.

March 25, 2014
Point of Interest Chapter # 17 Pg.466
The Practice of Zen Fine art exists since the beginning of time. Its creation does not begin with that of mankind, for, verily, nature the bestowal of vision, both physical and that of the mind, man is expressing the desire to make corporeal that which it beholds. Evidence of this is found in ancient cave paintings, an attempt to immortalize a moment from the past, depicting one from another life. Undoubtedly there have also been drawings in the sand made by the tough-skinned fingers of the primordial ancestor. This urge to reincarnate the sights beheld by memory remains in the being of the present-day homo-sapiens. And between now and then, those with this trait dominant have been the creators and fashioners of paintings and sculptures sometimes revered as divine. Furthermore, these occupations require such skill, such craft knowledge, and finesse, that any other employment performed with a similar degree of these attributes is often given the status of an art. Indeed, the pursuit of the philosophy can also be deemed as such, as it requires just those graceful actions in the form of thought. The two are in fact much closer to being the same than not, and thus, the idea that they work together in complimentary engagement, is not so far-fetched. The