Good day fellow Vizzed members.

I'm afraid that I could use some help from some smart people (that and I don't know where to turn too).

For one of my classes in college I'm required to write a hypothesis paper in which I must form a theory and try to prove if its correct. The class involves a combination of philosophy, politics, and theory; so you can kind of figure out what the overall topic is about. While I have a topic in mind (I'll get to that later) and have some other bits of information, but I feel like a need a couple of more pieces to write a great paper. So hopefully you guys can give me some ideas. So here is what I have so far.

For my hypothesis paper I'm going to try and prove that American society is based on realist ideology. For those of you who don't know what realist ideology is; realism is based on the idea that the world is chaotic/harsh and only the strongest are able to survive or rule in this harsh world. This theory also involves the idea that men perform actions that benefit them the most with little regard for morality as that is how people are able to survive in a harsh world thru a cost-benefit style of thinking. This is kind of just a general overview and I'm sure numberone or rcarter would explain this theory better, but I'm sure that you all can understand the point of what I'm trying to prove. So here is what I plan on gathering to prove my hypothesis.

1. I plan on gathering crime data from marijuana crimes and other examples to show that people will disobey laws if it means they can get large amounts of money that they wouldn't have gotten working a regular job. I also plan on trying to explain why crime occurs and how does a nation try to enforce laws that are not being followed without resorting to totalitarian-style rule or becoming a police state.

2. I plan on using hypothetical examples such as why people disobey speed signs and drive over the speed limit to prove a realist action that most people do without really knowing it (well they kind of do, they just don't know its classified as realist).

3. I plan on using quotes from books such as The Prince by Machiavelli, Leviathan by Hobbes, and other books by realists authors and apply them to everyday occurrences in American life; such as the speed limit example.

So that is all that I have right now and I have to have enough material to write 6-7 papers (nothing major at least to me). So if anyone has any suggestions as to what I should add (like statistics, authors, books, examples); please post your ideas as I would really like a good grade on this paper.

Thanks!!!