Epistemology †Plato Essay

There were many great philosophers who have contributed in making philosophy what it is today, one of them being Plato. In addition to being an outstanding philosopher, he was also a mathematician and a writer. One of Plato’s biggest inspirations was his very own teacher Socrates. Socrates never wrote down a word of what he said, but thankfully Plato was able to record it all down for him and wrote many dialogues about Socrates words and teachings. One of Plato’s most famous works was his dialogue, The Republic which was written in 380 BC. The Republic consists of ten books total each consisting of different topics concerning ancient philosophy. From reading a short excerpt from the philosophical text: Western Philosophy: An Anthology (Second Edition) edited John Cottingham, Cottingham takes an excerpt from (Plato, Republic [Politeia, c. 3800 BC], Bk V, 474b-483e. Trans. B. Jowett, in The Dialogues of Plato (Oxford: Clarendon, 1892), vol. lll, pp. 171-9)), Plato writes about knowledge versus opinion and Socrates views on each from a first person point of view. In the following excerpt there is an ongoing conversation between Socrates and Glaucon discussing their personal views and thoughts on knowledge and opinion. Socrates does not oppose of having opinions, he says they can later be turned into knowledge. These beliefs and opinions will only act as a guide to our knowledge. Socrates believes that opinions are very good and can be useful while one has them as they stay in our minds, but they are only temporary and eventually will leave our minds. Opinions are not of great value and will escape from our minds. This means they will not be worth much until they are tied down and figured out by working out the reason. Once they are tied down those opinions will evolve into knowledge. This knowledge is permanent and overall much better than true opinion. Knowledge is when one can thoroughly and fully explain why a certain belief is correct. Knowledge can be used to back up ones opinion by using facts and explanations from prior experience. Socrates believed that philosophers were to rule the polis’ of Greece because they were better than all the others due to the knowledge they held. He believed that anyone who did not have knowledge and rather held to their opinions should remain as followers, that it is only possible for a leader to have knowledge and only philosophers can have knowledge. Socrates felt philosophers were the only ones who could have knowledge because they knew the process of reason. Knowledge is what makes a philosopher who he is and separates him from the rest of mankind. Philosophers are a different kind, special people, being able to see and know more than what meets the eye. Socrates believes that philosophers should be rulers and kings of Greece. Knowledge is so power that one could mange to be a king. In Socrates mind, philosophers would be the best fit to being a king and having all rule. Knowledge and opinion are very different powers, therefore they must have different objects. Everyday objects can be told and described to be what they are in detail. For example, Iona College has a beautiful campus. This very statement is in between what is, and what is not. Knowledge is relevant to what is, and opinions are just assumptions. This is where Plato introduces us to his theory of the forms, which are absolute true objects of knowledge. Forms cannot be obtained from any of the senses, only from true knowledge. Forms are absolutes such as justice, happiness, goodness, etc. Forms are responsible for making sense of our surroundings and making sense of why things are as they are. On page 13 in John Cottingham’s book, Socrates says, â€Å"I need not remind you, that a lover, if he is worthy of the name, ought to show his love not to some one part of that which he loves, but of the whole. † meaning when someone loves something they love the entirety of it, not just a part but every part. Socrates knows that the average human is unable to love something for all that it is because they do not have any knowledge. The philosopher loves all knowledge and wisdom and will always be curious and stay open-minded until they find knowledge. During this dialogue Glaucon disagrees with what Socrates says, Glaucon believes that you do not need to be a philosopher in order to be curious and know things. Socrates says that the difference between a person of that type and a philosopher is that philosophers are lovers of truth. On page 14, Socrates says, â€Å"The lovers of sound and sights, I replied, are, as I conceive, fond of fine tones and colours and forms and all the artificial products that are made out of them, but their mind is incapable of seeing or loving absolute beauty. † He is saying that philosophers are very different from the lovers of sight and sound because they claim to know all about the beauty of things but cannot claim to have any knowledge. Those lovers of sight and sound do not see the beauty itself, they are only lovers of opinion. These lovers cannot, and will not ever be philosophers. Whereas philosopher embrace each and every thing for itself and each part that it is. Socrates is defining a true philosopher as someone who desires the entirety of knowledge and loves the sight of truth. A lover of truth is a knower of truth. This knowledge that philosophers possess are the forms. Socrates does not actually know of the World of Forms, he never gives a name to these realities and form of true knowledge. Plato is the one who introduced the world of forms based off of Socrates ideas. When reading The Republic, one must infer that Socrates is talking about the forms. Socrates knows the forms are present, that there is a higher level of knowledge and reality, but never puts a name to this object. Knowledge is certain and can never change due to the forms. Socrates is a firm believer in that knowledge as a whole is relative to being and knows being. He then will go further and divide all being into classes. The classes are, what is completely and what is not at all. These classes can be further divided into what is both and what is not. What is completely is knowable, which is also the forms because only they can count as what is knowable. The forms are certain knowledge and unchangeable. Only philosophers have knowledge because only they have access to the forms. What is in no way is inexperience and what has not used by the senses. What both is and is not is the matter of opinion. Knowledge and opinion can be separated since they are such different objects. The philosopher is known for being wide awake on top of having knowledge. The philosopher is awake to reality of the world and his eyes are wide open to understanding truth and consuming knowledge. Being in his actual world he is able to use reason and come to conclusion of obtaining knowledge. The non-philosopher, the one who only has opinions is a dreamer, living in a dream world. This dream world is only a reflection of the forms, which are only minor images and are not existent. This dreamer can be awoken from his slumber of the world of forms once his temporary turn into more permanent knowledge. Socrates now introduces faculties of our mind which are knowledge of the real and our notion in appearances. One can use reason to understand the properties of the form of beauty, when doing this that one has achieved the power of knowledge of beauty for its true self. But if one only see some parts of beauty they only believe in its general appearance. His senses can deceive him if that is all he is doing. This person cannot be a philosopher for believing in only the appearance of a thing. Glaucon compares the attempt to separate knowledge from the belief in appearance by saying this process is so weak that it reminds him of riddles and children’s puzzles. On page 17 Glaucon says, â€Å"They are like punning riddles which are asked at feasts or the children’s puzzle, and upon what the bat was sitting. A man who was not a man (a eunuch) threw a stone that was not a stone (a pumice-stone) at a bird that was not a bird (a bat) sitting on a twig that was not a twig (a reed). † Glaucon is expressing the misperception of the intellect and how it is hard to actually separate knowledge from the appearances of things. As one can see from The Republic, Socrates has generally the same repeating ideas about those who have knowledge and those who have opinions. It is extremely clear that Socrates only believes that philosophers are the only ones who have knowledge. The non-philosophers consist of those who only have opinions meaning they only view the appearance of things. These non-philosophers are quick to judge a thing not for itself due to the fact that they are lacking from knowledge in their minds. Plato introduces us to a new concept the world based off of the teachings of Socrates. This new concept is the world of forms and will take us into a deeper understanding of knowledge more than one could ever think to have known. The forms are what lead us to true knowledge. With the help of the knowledge from the forms one can now know reason, and why things are the way they are. The world we live in now makes sense and everything can come into place. In conclusion Socrates says knowledge is much more powerful than opinions, that the philosophers who love the truth in each thing are to be known as lovers of knowledge, they are not and never will be lovers of opinion due to how much knowledge they have.

Teens and Sex Education

Teens and Sex Education | | |Home >>Teen Sexuality | |[pic] | | | |[pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic] | |Teen sex education, or teen sex ed, is important for helping teens to understand the changes in their bodies and in their | |relationships during the teenage years.Sex education helps teens make healthy choices about relationships and sex. | |Sex education for teens should start well before the teenage years. Starting early, parents should have age-appropriate | |discussions with their children about love, relationships, values, and sex. It is appropriate to give children and teens honest, | |clear answers when they ask questions about their bodies or about relationships. For young children these answers do not need to | |be graphic, but should be straightforward. |If parents make sex education an open, ongoing discussion with their child, by the time the child is a teen he or she will feel | |more comfortable asking his or her parents questions about sex and the changes brought about by sexual development in the teen | |years.Parental opinion is one of the most important factors teens use to make decisions about sex. If parents have not educated | |their teens about sex, or discourage questions from their teens, the teens will get more of their sex education from friends and | |the media, which are not reliable sources. |Teens do learn about sex from television, movies, music, and magazines; those teens who were exposed to sex through any of these | |media when young are more likely to begin having sex at an early age. The need to correct the false impressions teens may get | |from the media about sex is an important reason that teens should get sex education from their parents. | |Sex education conducted through schools or religious groups can also help to correct the misinformed and sometimes deceptive sex | |education teens get from the media and from friends.Some types of sex education presented by schools or religious organizations | |for children an d teens might include: | |Good touch-bad touch talks for elementary students, teaching them that they have the right to be safe from inappropriate physical| |contact, and that they should respect this right in others. | |Basic descriptions of the reproductive system, usually presented in middle school, before puberty, to pre-teens separated by | |gender. |Discussions of human sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases, and types of birth control, including abstinence, usually | |presented to teens in high school sex education courses. | |Value-based, age-appropriate discussions about relationships and sexuality offered by religious groups. | |These sex education classes generally require parental approval before the child or teen can participate, and give parents | |another opportunity to discuss relationships and values with their children or teens.Schools, religious groups, and community | |organizations may also offer advice or written materials to help parents talk to their teens about sex. | |Some parents are afraid that teen sex education encourages their teens to have sex. A recent study in Texas, however, found that | |teens who took a two week sex education class became more interested in waiting until after high school to have sex; before the | |class 84 percent of the teens wanted to wait, and after the class 87 percent were planning on waiting.Also, before the class 60 | |percent of the teens said they wanted to wait until marriage to have sex, and after the class 71 percent were planning on | |abstaining until marriage. | |The likelihood that teens will have sex is also reduced if they watch less than 2 hours of television on school nights, attend | |religious services, and come from a family with both parents. | |Parents, whether married or single, are still the strongest influence on the choices their teens make about sex. By being | |involved in their teens' sex education, parents can help their teens develop healthy attitudes about love and sex. |

The small crowd beside the bus had an atmosphere of excitement

The small crowd beside the bus had an atmosphere of excitement. I was one of them. We just got down the busy train, leaving us with another 5 hours of our journey to our destination. The trip was to the southern part of the Indian rainforest. The air was moist and there was a sudden drizzle. So we quickly got inside the bus. After every one was inside there was check to see whether anyone was left behind. The bus was noisy, every one were talking to each other about the thrill. We began our long journey into the rainforest. Every one felt irritated due to the humidity in the air. The teachers who came with were also excited about the trip. After a while there was no sign of any people as we entered into the rainforest; there was no trace of any other vehicle either except a motorcycle, leading us. It was a totally deserted area. The trees and bushes on either side of the road were monstrous and they spread wide. In some places they were steep slopes, which were so deep and dark that we couldn't see the ground below. We unexpectedly stopped. I didn't know why at first then they told it was because we had to have lunch. The lunch was horrible as it was cold. After that we got into the bus. Then slowly we all settled and the bus was again on the road. On the way we saw many waterfalls but we couldn't define its beauty because they were very far away. Then a boy suddenly shouted out ‘Dam' no one understood him at first then he repeated it by saying there is a dam. Every one gazed it for a long time. Some took snaps of it. It was huge and its reflections looked beautiful. We were then told that there was another hour of our journey left. Most of them slept including me due to the tiredness of journeying. After a while my friend woke me up saying that we arrived at the destination. I was excited as well as exhausted like everyone. I had to get up. We took our bags and started to walk towards the tents, which were situated in a plateau. I had a heavy luggage behind my back like most of them. The ground was uneven in the beginning then it was a sudden steep slope upwards. We had to walk very carefully otherwise we would slip and fall. They made a path by few slates of shapeless granite. Beside the path were wild bushes. It took us more than 5minutes to reach to the top. When we reached it was very dark and we could hardly see the ground clearly. They told us to form a queue and then we were separated into four groups. We were taken inside the house, which was beside the tents. It just had a big hall and a kitchen in the corner. We were told about the rules and regulations. Then we all were shown our way to the tents though we didn't sleep in the tents, as it was the first night. We changed into night ware and left our baggages in the tents. The ground was muddy making our bags very dirty underneath. After every one had their dinner we were immediately send to sleep. Though no one did as every one had the excitement in their minds thinking what was going to happen in the next few days. We all slept together. At first it was very noisy then slowly it became pin drop silence. Everyone was made to get up by 5 in the morning and was told to freshen up. We couldn't see much as the sun did not rise completely by that time. And when it did it become foggy. There were five tents in total as there were many girls and boys. There was a water tank opposite to the tents. Behind the house were the toilets. In between the toilets and the tents there was a small house which contained things required for canoeing, rock climbing, treasure hunting, nature trivia and camping. Surrounding us were trees and bushes, which were so thick that we couldn't see through. Later we were told briefly of our plan for the days beyond.

International Politics- political science 7 Essay

International Politics- political science 7 - Essay Example As more states continue to subscribe to democratic tendencies, I think a general decline in the incidence of war should be expected. There will be more peaceful relations and fewer problems that instigate conditions that culminate into war. If more states could adopt democratic principles, there will certainly be more peace and fewer issues at a global level. Personally, I find Mr. Bushs argument to be not only convincing, but also slightly inexperienced. I completely concur that having more democracies in the world lowers the probability of war, as has been proven throughout history. Nearly every major war so far has been instigated by parties that are administered using conflicting governments and ideas. Of all these countries, hardly any of them have ever been between two democracies. Nonetheless, I do not think that at any point in the near future will there be a shift within the developed countries governments towards democracy. For example, North Korea adopted a governance structure that completely opposes the West in as far as democracy is concerned. If North Korea would somehow adopt a democratic approach, it would serve to alter the power positions that both countries hold. However, these and other factors stand in the gap of adopting democracy at a global level (Leffler, Melvyn, and Jeffrey

Exemplification essay on Stereotypes of an American Male in a european

Exemplification on Stereotypes of an American Male in a european counrty - Essay Example Asian Americans are stereotyped as submissive, Math or business wizards, black Americans are either thugs or religious fanatics who are good in basketball and rapping, Latino Americans are lazy and dependent on social welfare, and white Americans are aggressive, loud-mouthed, condescending, violent individuals. Asian Americans are often depicted in the media as submissive. For instance, when speaking with other races, they do not look at them in the eye and tend to bow down. Asian Americans are also portrayed as Math wizards. They often wear large glasses and excel in Mathematics. They are frequently honor students and are severely grade-conscious. Furthermore, Asian Americans are described as businesspeople. They either have restaurants or pharmacies. Many of them become rich doing business. It can be seen that these stereotypes are generally positive compared to other ethnic American stereotypes. Black Americans are shown in the media as either thugs or religious fanatics. The young black male is often a criminal or juvenile delinquent. In TV shows, they are loud-mouthed and do not excel in their studies like Asian Americans. Sometimes, black males are also shown as religious zealots singing church hymns and attending religious services all the time. Black men are also stereotyped as good in basketball and rapping. People sometimes automatically assume that they have Michael Jordans genes running through each and every black man. These stereotypes are generally negative and focus too much on the sports abilities of black people. Latino Americans are frequently stereotyped as lazy. The media shows them as enjoying siestas and parties. It seems that all they do is have fun and that they cannot focus on being productive. The media also depicts Latinos as dependent on welfare. Again, this is a negative stereotype that entails their laziness and lack of motivation in their lives. Like

Industrial safety management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Industrial safety management - Essay Example Essentially, the Safety Board provides a quality assurance function fundamental to the in progress safety of all modes of transportation. The NTSB's exclusive role in transportation safety is reliant on the ability of the board members and the professional staff to conduct independent investigations of accidents and major incidents and, in so doing, to guarantee public confidence in the safety of our national transportation systems. The NTSB has become most widely identified with its investigations of major commercial aviation accidents. The NTSB has the duty for investigating every civil aviation accident in the United States. additionally, based on the agency's permission under Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation and associated international agreements, the NTSB participates to a greater or lesser degree in the investigation of commercial aviation accidents all over the world. Concerns over aviation safety articulated in the White House commission's report were echoed by the report of the congressionally commanded National Civil Aviation Review Commission (commonly recognized as the Mineta Commission, chaired by former California Congressman Norman Mineta), published in December 1997 (National Civil Aviation Review Commission, December 11, 1997). ... Evidently, aviation safety was a matter necessitating renewed U.S. leadership and significant national investment. At the same time, the recently endorsed Aviation Family Assistance Act of 1996 mandated the creation of the Task Force on Assistance to Families of Aviation Disasters, supervised jointly by the U.S. DOT and the NTSB. The TWA as well as ValuJet disasters had also revealed the urgent need to find ways to develop the treatment of victims' families by the government, the airlines, the legal community, as well as the media. Among other things, the White House commission demanded that the task force review the accident investigation process utilized by the NTSB and its possible impact on families. The task force's report, containing 61 separate proposals, amounted to a blueprint for the appropriate treatment of families suffering such grave losses (U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Transportation Safety Board, 1997). Managing Airline Corporate Stress Like the air we all breathe and through which we fly, stress subsists in us all. With growing indication that stress is the greatest hazard to human productivity in large and small corporations alike, many executives are calling for more research into the causes as well as consequences of stress. The danger is no longer believed to be merely a psychological response to the work environment but is starting to appear in a variety of medical examination results that are focused on shaping such problems as heart disease, stomach ulcers, as well as many forms of cancer. Stress is, on the other hand, still an indefinable concept that few corporate managers have learned to deal with. Stress is spate in the Western world. Above two-thirds of office visits to physicians are for

Case Note and Legal Problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Case Note and Legal Problem - Essay Example Note that assessment deadlines in this module are strictly enforced. This means that if you complete or hand an assessment in late it will not count unless: a) There is a valid reason for the lateness; and b) The assessment can be handed in before any others are returned; and c) An extension has been formally approved. Extension requests must be handed in/emailed to the KLS office before the deadline. 1) Case note (choose one of the options): a) Milner v Cunard   [2010] EWCA Civ 389 Your note should explain the facts and decision of the case, its relevance to the area of law it falls within and its legal significance. It should also address how it relates to and/or develops the principles from any other relevant cases that you have studied, as well as the broader themes of the module. b) French & Others v The Chief Constable of Sussex Police [2006] EWCA Civ 312 Your note should explain the facts and outcome of the case, its relevance to the area of law it falls within and any legal significance it has. Try also to relate it to other cases that you have studied and consider the case in the context of the broader themes of the module. The cases and other relevant documents for this part of the assessment (including guidance on case note writing) are available on moodle. Examples of case notes have been provided in the required and further reading for this module – you should re-read these (and others) to get an indication of the type of writing style you should adopt when writing a case note. All materials used should be correctly referenced. Information on referencing will be given in the 'How to Succeed in Law' lecture in week 10 and also in the Monday lecture for LW315 in week 11. You can also look at (and do an online tutorial on) KLS's preferred style, OSCOLA, by following the links from http://www.kent.ac.uk/law/currentug/coursework/style.html. 2) Problem question: In 2010, the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) televised a new talent contest calle d ‘X Factor Talent!’ ?100,000 prize money was to be awarded to the winning act. ‘XFT!’ was adopted as the official trademark of the show and major celebrity, Byron Powell, was contracted as the main judge for a fixed term fee of ?180,000, paid up-front. If the show was successful, the BBC hoped to sell it to other TV networks abroad. The BBC issued a press statement saying, ‘We are delighted that Powell has agreed to join us - without him the show would not be nearly as popular with the viewing public’. The five-night series was to consist of three televised live 'heats' followed by one semi-final and a final, and all contestants signed a contract with the BBC confirming that they would perform and abide by the rules of the contract. The contract also stipulated that the BBC would provide 'all adequate equipment and protection regarding which it has been notified is needed by the performers in advance' and would 'perform any necessary safety ch ecks'. The BBC employed local carpenters to build a set of 20 wardrobes and sliding doors for the dressing rooms backstage. Bodge-it was commissioned to build 20 x 10 foot frames with door runners at a cost of ?1,800 and specialist door makers, Leg-it agreed to build sliding doors to fit the frames using European Oak, which has a very distinctive grain, at a total cost of ?10,000. Leg-it was told that Byron Powell

Customer Service Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Customer Service - Case Study Example it is determined what they need and how will they use it/need it. Through a customer verbatim, there process flow is determined and the verbatim is translated into designer language. In the end, management tools like affinity data or tree diagrams are used to sort out data, organize key issues and prioritize ideas. †¢ Foster trusted relationships with customers and stakeholders across the business To foster trusted relationships in the organization, the company follows the simple rule of transparency. Annual statements are issued regularly, dividends paid out and stakeholders taken into confidence before any key decisions. †¢ Deliver service in line with specific standards All service providers are given the standards that they need to cater to while delivering service. Performances are then assessed through : 1. Six monthly self-audits which are done by service providers 2. Monitoring and Evaluations conducted by another department. . †¢ Provide stakeholders with acce ss to feedback mechanisms and product/service information = Self-audit reports and other documentations are reviewed by the Program staff and the service providers are given timely feedback. Issues are discussed and solutions are developed to improve the quality of the service. †¢ Report on actual performance as compared to service standards 1. Six monthly self-audits which are done by service providers 2. ... Customer could either want to avail one of the ads present in the magazine by placing a call / would want to place the ad in the magazine (as its an advertising agency). If the customer wants to place an ad our the magazine he will call the company/ visit it. He will expect to know the size of the ad and the respective rates. He will also expect to know how the designing of the ad would be done and what would be the target market. Our client service representatives would look after the queries the customer will put before them and ensure that they are satisfied. Customer will then pay for the ad that he wants to publish in the magazine, he will send the details of the ad either through mail or write it then and there on the paper. He will expect the CSR to completely understand the details of the ad and have it published the way he wants to publish it. The details of the ad are then passed on to the design by the CSR. The designer makes the ad and then checks with the customer if he is fine with it. Any improvements he wants to be made in the ad are made and the ad is published in the next most recent edition of the magazine. Task 4: a. Describe a situation in the past when you have not been able to perform a service as quickly as you needed/ would have been liked. b. Explain the reason for the delay, and how you communicated it to the customer. c. Outline how the problem was addressed to offer a suitable solution. In the past, due to strikes and power break downs in my city, I could not cope up with the deadlines before the magazine publishing date. The magazines are circulated once a month and all ads have to be appropriately placed before the publishing date. The clients were immediately informed

Buddhist Ideas and Practices in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Buddhist Ideas and Practices in China - Essay Example One of the ways in which Buddhism entered into China was through a translation, which involved selection of terms for explaining the Buddhist conceptions in Chinese; thus, they applied Taoist expressions to translate. Chinese people commenced to relate Buddhism with the existence of Taoist tradition, and they later understood the teachings of Buddha. Buddhist text continues despite, a period of political disunity after the fall of Han Dynasty during the third century, which was associated with unrest caused by war. There was increased popularity in this period, whereby the Chinese monks became aggressively concerned in the establishment of monasteries and teaching Buddhist knowledge. There were rules established with a devotion to the Buddhist, which led to the construction of such temples and participation in Buddhist ceremonies public talks, thereby expanding the rulers on the earlier catalogs on Buddhist texts.Entry of Buddhism was facilitated by a Chinese monk referred to as Dao- an, in the fourth century, though he shifted from one place to another due to the political instability, he wrote and lectured about Buddhist teachings. He also gathered copies of translated scriptures, prepared a catalog, and invited translators such as Kumarajiva, from Kucha.Kumarajiva applied Dao-an's disciples in the translation of numerous texts and revised the Chinese translations.His translations became popular thus contributing to the spread of Buddhism in China, and some of these translations have been used even in the present days.

Discusion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Discusion - Essay Example To illustrate this, when people get into a building they would clearly mark the entrances and the exits as a matter of instinct. Unfortunately, what they do not notice would be the fire exit points as they obviously assume that the common entrance or exit points may be the safest exits when a fire occurs. Individuals fear using the emergency exit points mainly due to the unfamiliarity to the route since they did not use them when accessing the building (Clarke, 2002). Secondly, uncertainty of the whether the route would lead to safety in that they may not be open is also another reason why these routes are not used during an emergency. Moreover, a trait that came out during these researches is the different reactions between men and women when confronted by a fire. For women, the most obvious thing that they would do would be to evacuate infants or the elderly, if any. Ironically, for their male counterparts trying to fight the fire would be their immediate response instead of scampering for safety. On the other hand, the reaction by toddlers would be very different to that of adults, as children tend to hide and await rescue by people who are older than they are (Clarke, 2002). Children perceive those older than them to be more able to lead them to safety as they have been around long enough to know what to do and when. Even when being led to safety, children would feel the need to carry with them something that they hold dear, like a toy or a doll, and then feel as if they also rescued something. These clearly depict the various reactions that different age and genders would have in the event of a fire. On the contrary, many tend to think that commotion would awake people when they are in deep sleep but the opposite would do, soothing and peaceful sound. Therefore, in the occurrence of a fire those sleeping would consider unnecessary noise to be a nuisance, ignoring the imminent danger present as

First Day at an Electrical Job Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

First Day at an Electrical Job - Essay Example    On June 15, 2011, joy would be seen all over my face from the fact that I had secured a job at an Oryx gas-to-liquid company that is classified as a Natural gas producing company. The position that was designated to me was electrical maintenance personnel. My arrival at the Oryx Company was marked with great apprehension because I did not know what to expect in the electrical department of a gas producing company. Numerous pipes could be seen running from one place to another in the company’s compound. Additionally, thick electrical cables were visible that were providing the machines with electrical powers. Natural gas dish machines contributed to most of the electrical machines, which I was designated to maintain by the human resource manager of the company. The morning production section alter I arrived at the company was running smoothly and my job was only to go through manuals that contained the maintenance procedure of the natural gas dish machines. ... exactly twelve o’clock, my supervisor and other electrical personnel took my presence very helping and decided to leave the observation of the electrical wiring as well as the natural gas dish machines. I observed the machines for two hours after which I sensed an electrical burn smell in one of the main supply electrical cable. The smell attracted the attention of other personnel in various departments in the company, which lead to numerous phone calls on the department that I was titled to, which was the department of electrical maintenance. With minimal time to waste, I picked the tools in the office and rushed to a spotted faulty cable. I was surprised to find that one of the motors coolant fans had slipped out of the confined metallic cages and cut the main supply electrical cable into two. The supply cable in that was cut fell on the surface of one of the motors. Most motor surfaces carry a current and once the cable had fallen on one of the surfaces, an electrical short followed intriguing a fire. Fortunately, the company had effective self-fire distinguishers; hence, the fire was put off immediately. Nevertheless, the avoided fire incident did not solve the main problem that had been caused by the faulty coolant fun, which was power cut-out to three natural gas dish machines. Additionally, there was no experienced electrical personnel at the moment that necessitated me to act quickly to fix the electrical supply cable. The process of fixing the cable involved creating a joint at the point that the fun had cut. The other main step was to ensure that the faulty fan was replaced to avoid such a risky incidence. However, most of the risk I got exposed to was fixing the damaged electrical supply cable.  Ã‚  

Political Philosophy and Brief Critical Evaluation Essay Example for Free

Political Philosophy and Brief Critical Evaluation Essay Sample essay questions? 1. Describe Platos scheme for communism in the Republic. (Discuss each of the main features of this life-style. ) Which classes, according to Plato, should practice this way of living? What justification does Plato offer for advocating communism? Offer a brief critical evaluation of Platos communism. PHL 107 | study guide for exam 2 | page 4 2. (1) Briefly describe Platos allegory of the cave. (2) Then state how the allegory expresses Platos position on (a) the place of the Philosopher-Kings in Platos utopia, (b) Platos distinction between opinion and genuine knowledge (wisdom), and (c) Platos position on the motives of the Philosopher-Kings for ruling. 3. (1) What is Platos dualistic metaphysics? (2) How is this metaphysics expressed in the allegory of the cave? (3) How is it related to his position on the nature of the human person? 4. (1) What is Platos assessment of democracy, and (2) how is this linked to his theory of justice? (3) How might a contemporary defender of democracy respond to Plato? 5. What is the mimetic theory of art? Did Plato invent this theory? Did he accept it? How is this theory related to Plato’s criticisms of the arts? 6. (1) What two reasons does Plato give for proposing to banish the arts from his Republic? (2) How is his position on the arts related (a) to his Theory of Ideas and (b) his position on the highest goal of human living? (3) Offer a brief critical evaluation of Platos position on the arts. 7. (1) What does Rawls mean by the original position . . . under the veil of ignorance and how does this serve as the basis for his theory of justice? (2) What are his two principles of justice? Explain the two principles.? (3) Offer a brief critical evaluation of his theory of justice. 8. (1) Starting with Rawls’ â€Å"original position . . . under the veil of ignorance,† do you think you would arrive at a principle or principles of justice similar to those of Rawls, or if different ones, which? Defend your position. (2) As part of your answer give a clear statement of what Rawls means by the â€Å"original position . . . under the veil of ignorance. † 9. (1) What is Aquinas’s causal argument for the existence of God (the 2nd of his five arguments)? Sketch the argument. (2) Critically evaluate the argument. What appears to be the weakest part of the argument? Do you think the argument can be defended in the face of this proposed weakness? Explain. 10. (1) What is the design argument for the existence of God? You may present either Aquinass (his 5th) or William Paleys or the fine-tuning version of the argument (but only one). (2) Why does Darwins theory of evolution appear to undermine Aquinas and Paley’s version of the design argument? Why does Darwin’s theory not affect the fine-tuning argument? (3) Do you think that there is some way of salvaging the design argument in the face of Darwins theory? Defend your position. 11. Describe Hobbes’ â€Å"state of nature. † What kind of a concept is this — historical, empirical, anthropological, analytic? Explain. Offer your own critical evaluation of Hobbes’ notion of the state of nature? Do you think it is a useful concept? Is it true? Defend your position. 12. Hobbes argues that each person has the resources within themselves to overcome the state of nature.? (1) What are these resources and how do they help the person to overcome the state of nature? (2) But why, for Hobbes, are these internal resources insufficient? Why is a very strong sovereign also needed to overcome the state of nature? (3) What role does contract or covenant play in overcoming the state of nature?

Increase Of Concentration Of Ethyl Acetate

Increase Of Concentration Of Ethyl Acetate Firstly the aim of the experiment is to determine the yield, conversion and reaction rate by employing the principles of material balance with chemical reaction for batch reactions. The purpose of the experiment is to find out the factors affecting the rate of reaction to increases the conversion rate the yield of product produced. The hypothesis of the experiment is that the increase of concentration of Ethyl Acetate would also increase the rate of reaction. From two different concentrations of Ethyl Acetate (0.01M and 0.02M) have shown that the 0.02M of Ethyl Acetate shows a increase in the rate of reaction and conversion rate of Sodium Hydroxide to Sodium Acetate. Secondly the theory part shows the definitions of terms like saponification, batchwise reactions and factors that affect the rate of reaction. The most important definition is the saponification which is the hydrolysis of an ester under basic conditions to form an alcohol and the salt of a carboxylic acid. Thirdly, the procedure section shows how to carry out the 3 major steps which are preparation of the reactant, the experimental setup and the procedures to carry out the experiment. This is followed by the results and calculations which is about the calculation of the conversion percentage and yield of the reactions of different concentrations of Ethyl Acetate carried out in the experiment. After the results and calculations, is the discussion part which discusses the results obtained, states some precautions to be taken while carrying out the experiment and the factors that affect the results. Lastly the conclusion concludes the report by stating if the aim of the experiment had been reached and it also states that the hypothesis that the higher the concentration of the reactant, the faster the rate of reaction and conversion, has been proven. REPORT ON MATERIAL BALANCE WITH CHEMICAL REACTION 1. Introduction 1.1 Background Literature Conversion of sodium hydroxide into sodium acetate is called saponification. It is the process of making soap. It is the reaction between an ester with a metallic base and water. It is also related to the process used to convert natural fats into soap. (Donohue 2009) An alkali is a soluble salt of an alkali metal like sodium. It is used in soap-making whereby it was obtained from the ashes of plants. Now, the term alkali describes a base which neutralizes an acid. (Donohue 2009) Alkalis used in soap making are sodium hydroxide (NaOH), also called caustic soda; and potassium hydroxide (KOH), also called caustic potash. (Donohue 2009) Example: An example of the reaction is: (Therese Lotts Saponification Calculator Standalone spreadsheet for calculating saponification values in handmade soapmaking. ) (http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6751527.html) 1.2 Aim The aim of this experiment is to determine the yield, conversion and reaction rate by employing the principles of material balance with chemical reaction for batch reactions. This will also enable us to find out factors to improve the yield and the rate of conversion and reaction. 1.3 Hypothesis The hypothesis of the experiment is that if the concentration is high, the yield together with the rate of conversion and reaction would also increase. Thus, from a 0.02M concentration of Ethyl Acetate and 0.01M concentration of Ethyl Acetate, the 0.02M concentration would have a higher yield, rate of conversion and reaction. This is because at the start of the experiment the conductivity value was high but as the reaction precedes the conductivity value decreases showing the concentration and number of moles. 2. Theory 2.1 Saponification Saponification is the hydrolysis of an ester under basic conditions to form an alcohol and the salt of a carboxylic acid. Saponification is commonly used to refer to the reaction of a metallic alkali with a fat or oil to form soap. Saponifiable substances are those that can be converted into soap. In the experiment the desired product is sodium acetate. (Donohue 2009) 2.2 Batchwise Reaction A batchwise reaction is a reaction where by reactants are put in and the reaction is started. After the reaction has ended, the products are taken out and the equipment and all are washed to be prepared for the next experiment. Unlike steady state reaction it does not have a continuous input and output. (Singapore Polytechnic 2009) 2.3 Percentage Conversion Xa = moles of A reacted Moles of A fed into the reactor x100% It is defined as a fraction of reactants or feed that successfully reacted to form the desired product. The above formula calculates the amount of reacts converted into products. (Singapore Polytechnic 2009) 2.4 Yield of A Product YP = Moles of desired product formed Moles of reactant fed into the reactor Yield has 3 definitions. Firstly it is amount of desired product formed based on the amount of limiting reactants feed into the reaction. Secondly it is the amount of desired product obtained divided by the amount of reactant consumed. Lastly, it is also defined as the amount of product obtained divided by the theoretically amount of limiting reactant consumed. The above reaction calculates the amount yield based on just the limiting reactant. (Singapore Polytechnic 2009) 2.5 Rate of Reaction The rate of reaction is the amount of time taken for the chemicals to react totally. (Singapore Polytechnic 2009) 2.6 Surface Area To Volume Ratio The surface area to the volume ration affects the rate of reaction. The smaller the particle, the larger its exposed surface area. With a larger exposed surface area more particles can collide with one another causing more reactions to take place within a shorter amount of time. (Purchon 2006) 2.7 Presence of a Catalyst If a catalyst is involved in a reaction, the amount of energy needed to start the reaction (activation energy) decreases. Thus, the molecules in the reactions will gain more energy that is equal to or more than the activation energy. The higher amount of energy a molecules has, the more active it will become and more collisions will occur increasing the rate of reaction. However a catalyst is not involved in this experiment. (Purchon 2006) 2.8 Pressure Pressure is another factor that affects the rate of reaction. Pressure mainly affects gases. Gases can be compressed. Thus, as pressure increases, gaseous molecules are closely packed together which allows them to collide more frequently with one another. This is almost the same as changing the concentration as the number of molecules is increased within a specific area. However the reaction is a liquid-liquid reaction so pressure does not affect the reaction in this experiment. (Purchon 2006) 2.9 Concentration Concentration affects the rate of reaction. The higher the concentration, the number of particles within a specific area increases. Thus, molecules are closely packed together and this increases the number of collisions between molecules so the rate of reaction increases. Concentration is similar to pressure where by the number of molecules in a specific area increases. (Purchon 2006) 2.10 Temperature Temperature also affects the rate of reaction. If the temperature is higher, the energy levels of the molecules increases and they would tend to more faster. Thus, this results in more effective collisions in a shorter amount of time. (Purchon 2006) 2.11 Conductivity Unlike Sodium Hydroxide, Ethyl acetate, Ethanol and Sodium acetate have negligible conductivity. Thus the conductivity value of the reaction is measured by the conductivity of Sodium Hydroxide. The conductivity is used to find the concentration of Sodium Hydroxide as the reaction proceeds. (Singapore Polytechnic 2009) Fig.1) Graph of conductivity values of Sodium Hydroxide against the concentration of Sodium Hydroxide.) 3. Procedure 3.1 Preparation of chemicals The MSDS of sodium hydroxide and ethyl acetate was read and the handling and disposal of the chemicals must be familiarized before the start of the experiment. Disposable gloves and chemical goggles were put on when preparing and handling the chemicals.500 ml of 0.01 M sodium hydroxide solution and 500 ml of ethyl acetate solution to the required concentration as discussed in Questions 1 and 2 of Pre-experiment Assessment was prepared. (CP4047 Lab Manual) 3.1.1 Preparing 500 ml of 0.01 M sodium hydroxide solution: The required volume of 0.1 M NaOH stock solution was measured using a measuring cylinder and pour into the 500 ml volumetric flask. The solution in the volumetric flask was topped up with de-ionized water to the 500 ml-mark. A Stopper was placed on the flask, and it was shaken and inverted to mix the solution. (CP4047 Lab Manual) 3.1.2 To prepare 500 ml of ethyl acetate solution: About 250 ml de-ionized water was poured into a 500 ml volumetric flask first. The required volume was measured using the micropipettor. The stock solution was dispensed into the 500 ml volumetric flask.The solution in the volumetric flask was topped up to the 500 ml-mark. A stopper was placed on the flask, and was shaken and inverted to mix the solution. (CP4047 Lab Manual) 3.2 Experimental setup (CP4047 Lab Manual) 3.3 Carrying out the Experiment The prepared sodium hydroxide solution was poured into the reactor. The reaction conditions were adjusted to the predetermined levels (based on experimental methodology discussed with Lecturer). The reaction conditions were recorded, Eg. temperature, stirring speed, concentrations and volumes of reactants. Conductivity meter probe was positioned into the reacting mixture. The ethyl acetate solution was poured in and the timer was started immediately. The conductivity values (mS/cm) at a regular interval of 1 minute for 30 minutes of reaction time was recorded. After 30 minutes of reaction, the stirring device was stopped and the magnetic stir bar was removed from the mixture using the magnetic rod. The conductivity probe was also removed and rinsed thoroughly with de-ionised water. The reaction product mixture was poured into the plastic waste container. The glassware was rinsed and the experiment was repeated based on experimental methodology discussed with the Lecturer. At the end of the experiment, the conductivity probe was removed from the reacting mixture and rinsed thoroughly with de-ionised water. All chemicals were disposed in the plastic waste container and were brought to the waste together with any unused reactants to W314 for proper treatment and disposal. All the used glass-wares was rinsed and tidied up the work space. (CP4047 Lab Manual) 4. Results and Calculations 4.1 Determining the Yield of Sodium Acetate at 15 Minutes The yield of Sodium Acetate at 15minutes is determined with the concentration of Sodium Hydroxide as with the concentration, the number of mole of sodium hydroxide can be found out. Also, with the molar ratio of Sodium Hydroxide and Ethyl Acetate, the number of moles of Ethyl Acetate can be determined. With the use of the yield formula, the yield of Ethyl Acetate can be calculated. 4.2 Yield When 0.01M of Ethyl Acetate Used 5. Discussion 5.1 Factors Affecting Rate of Reaction Firstly the concentrations of Ethyl Acetate used were 0.01M and 0.02M which means that for 0.01M of Ethyl Acetate was obtained by diluting 0.49cm3 of pure Ethyl Acetate and 0.02M was obtained by diluting 0.92cm3 of pure Ethyl Acetate. By comparing the graphs (Fig 3 and 4) above, the reaction (0.02M) was the fastest. This was due to the concentration factor. The higher the concentration, the faster the rate of reaction as the increase in concentration means that there are more molecules in a specific area. Other factor like temperature and pressure were keep at a constant (standard room conditions). There was no catalyst involved the experiment. Thus, these other factors did not affect the rate of reaction. 5.2 Factors Affecting Conversion and Yield The conversion of Sodium Hydroxide and the yield of Sodium Acetate will never be a 100% due to the technical equipment and unforced human errors. It is also due to constrains in the lab like equipment or the duration of the experiment. The longer the reaction, more conversion and yield could have been produced. 5.3 Factors Affecting the Conductivity Values The concentration of Sodium Hydroxide affects the conductivity value of the reaction. If the concentration of Sodium Hydroxide is high, the conductivity value will also be high. Thus, as the reaction proceeds, the conductivity drops as the concentration of the Sodium Hydroxide decreases as it is being reacted away. For the 0.01M reaction, Fig 4.2.2 show that the concentration decreases significantly. However, for the 0.02M reaction, Fig 4.3.2 shows some fluctuations in the drop of the concentration of Sodium Hydroxide. This could be because of the equipment. The equipment, the conductivity probe and the machine has been known to turn off randomly during the reaction. Thus there was some irregularities in the drop of concentration for the 0.02M reaction. 5.4 Precautions to Be Taken During the experiment the Ethyl Acetate should always be handled in the fume hood as it would decompose in the open, thus affecting the concentration of the Ethyl Acetate and to prevent it from spilling anywhere else in the laboratory. Gloves should also be worn to prevent bacteria from contaminating the reaction or chemicals and to also protect our hands from the chemicals. Goggles should also be worn to protect our eyes from chemicals splashing into our eyes. 5.5 Comparison of conversion and yields of different concentration of Ethyl Acetate The yield of the reaction of 0.01M Ethyl Acetate is 0.62 while the yield of the reaction of 0.02M Ethyl Acetate is 0.76. The second reaction of 0.02M has a higher yield due to the higher concentration of Ethyl Acetate. This is because the concentration of the reactants is more due to the increase in concentration of Sodium Hydroxide thus, producing more products whereby the yield of Sodium Acetate increases. However both the experiments did not produce a 100% yield because of human error and constrains of technical equipment. Even if a catalyst was added, the yield will be the same as the catalyst will only increase the rate of reaction and affect the yield. 6. Conclusion In conclusion, the higher the concentration of Ethyl Acetate used, the faster the rate of reaction together with a higher conversion percentage of Sodium Hydroxide. The concentration of Sodium Hydroxide affects the conductivity values of the reaction because the results show that the conductivity decreases as the reaction proceeds because the concentration of Sodium Hydroxide also decreases as the Sodium Hydroxide was being reacted away. Therefore, the hypothesis is proven to be true. The aim of the experiment was met as results state that with a higher concentration of Ethyl Acetate, the rate of reaction together with the rate of conversion increases. The concentration of the Ethyl Acetate reacting with Sodium Hydroxide in a reactor as time passes by was studied. However the experiment could be improved by adding in a catalyst or increasing the temperature to increase the rate of reaction and conversion rate.

The Weimaraner: a Superior Breed Essay -- Dog Breeds, choosing a dog

When choosing a dog, I would choose a Weimaraner because they are some of the most playful, intelligent, athletic, beautiful, and loyal dogs that exist. Personality is one of the greatest aspects of these kinds of dogs. They are playful, smart, loving, and affectionate. Weimaraners have very strong and individual personalities of their own. These kinds of dogs are so smart and special that they have personalities and intelligence that may rival that of human beings. They need to be treated as a member of their people and family. The dog's athletic prowess is apparent in their genetic makeup. Their great physical structure is designed through their breeding for the purpose of being the very best gun dog. The Weimaraner's beautiful and shiny coat, tall stature in the best individuals of the breed, and their lean, strong, and sometimes almost wiry appearance indicates all of the breed’s superior athletic ability. Weimaraners are strong, fast, and excellent jumpers. Their intelligence enables the dogs to use their physical gifts better than other dogs whose physical abilities may approach or rival the Weimaraner's. These special dogs also have a need for constant human companionship. They are loyal to their people and are a fun loving breed which can be mischievous. That makes it fun and challenging for anyone who is able to provide the needs of the Weimaraner in order to be its life long partner or companion. The dog requires a variety of admirable qualities in a person to lead them correctly, and one must be physically fit to keep up with the dog and provide all of its needs, which includes giving the dog lots of walks and exercise. Weimaraners need a fenced yard with a tall fence they cannot dig under. They need to sleep i... ...o keep fit, these are the perfect dogs. Their excellent physical structure built for speed and enduring beauty makes them a perfect companion that keeps going persistently. Getting kisses from such a cute face with those long ears is endearing. The Weims’ loyalty and protectiveness make the leaders of these dogs feel special too. Their advanced learning skills and natural qualities bred for the hunt make them a pleasure to owners who want the best of all things from a large dog. Learning new things with the dog keeps the relationship between the dog and its leader full of growth and also keeps the relationship interesting. Weimaraners are perfect for young people who are looking for a new addition to their family that the leader can love and teach. Weimaraners are a great reward in themselves for all of the love and happiness they give to their people and family.

The History of Abortion :: Womens rights, murder of a child

Abortions have been mentioned throughout recorded history, simply not a prevalent issue. In the times before Christ, typical abortion methods would be to poison the mother (in hope that she lived while the fetus died), or to abuse the mother’s abdomen. Hippocrates and Soranos, who were considered the greatest of all ancient gynecologists, both opposed abortion, though whether it was for the protection of the mother or fetus is not clear. The Hippocratic Oath, formulated around 400B.C., prohibits abortion and was taken verbatim by U.S. physicians (Gilbert 1). Once abortions became better developed and they started to be considered safe, the Catholic Church felt compelled to condemn the practice. It was considered murder and a horrid mortal sin. The Church struggled to find the appropriate time in the pregnancy cycle to consider abortion murder of the baby’s life. Different beliefs about when the baby was actually alive caused much disagreement. The Church prohibited abortion during many different times, sometimes at conception, other times when the baby first moved, and still other times when the pregnancy was four months along, also known as quickening. However, Judaism, Catholicism, and Protestantism always prohibited abortion of an animate fetus, or one considered alive with a soul. The problem was simply figuring when life began. During colonial times, medical guides gave recipes to abort the baby, with herbs that could be grown in one’s garden. By the mid-eighteenth century, these herbs were so widely available that they caused the first abortion laws to actually be considered poison control laws. The sale of commercial abortifacients was banned, however the action of the abortion was not. The laws made little difference (History 2). Even today, as Beverly Wildung Harrison, a feminist, says, â€Å"The withdrawal of legal abortion will create one more massively profitable underworld economy in which the Mafia and other sections of the quasi-legal capitalism may and will profitably invest† (390). Until the last third of the nineteenth century, when it was considered a criminal offense, abortion was legal before quickening. Under common law, post-quickening abortion was considered homicide or manslaughter. Statutes usually differed throughout the states, but generally abortion was punished after quickening as manslaughter and prior to quickening as a misdemeanor (Gilbert 1). In 1857, the American Medical Association appointed a committee on Criminal Abortion. Its purpose was to investigate criminal abortion â€Å"with a view to its general suppression†. They concluded that a fetus was a living person at the moment of conception, and this belief was encouraged by an even stronger report from the same committee in 1871. The History of Abortion :: Women's rights, murder of a child Abortions have been mentioned throughout recorded history, simply not a prevalent issue. In the times before Christ, typical abortion methods would be to poison the mother (in hope that she lived while the fetus died), or to abuse the mother’s abdomen. Hippocrates and Soranos, who were considered the greatest of all ancient gynecologists, both opposed abortion, though whether it was for the protection of the mother or fetus is not clear. The Hippocratic Oath, formulated around 400B.C., prohibits abortion and was taken verbatim by U.S. physicians (Gilbert 1). Once abortions became better developed and they started to be considered safe, the Catholic Church felt compelled to condemn the practice. It was considered murder and a horrid mortal sin. The Church struggled to find the appropriate time in the pregnancy cycle to consider abortion murder of the baby’s life. Different beliefs about when the baby was actually alive caused much disagreement. The Church prohibited abortion during many different times, sometimes at conception, other times when the baby first moved, and still other times when the pregnancy was four months along, also known as quickening. However, Judaism, Catholicism, and Protestantism always prohibited abortion of an animate fetus, or one considered alive with a soul. The problem was simply figuring when life began. During colonial times, medical guides gave recipes to abort the baby, with herbs that could be grown in one’s garden. By the mid-eighteenth century, these herbs were so widely available that they caused the first abortion laws to actually be considered poison control laws. The sale of commercial abortifacients was banned, however the action of the abortion was not. The laws made little difference (History 2). Even today, as Beverly Wildung Harrison, a feminist, says, â€Å"The withdrawal of legal abortion will create one more massively profitable underworld economy in which the Mafia and other sections of the quasi-legal capitalism may and will profitably invest† (390). Until the last third of the nineteenth century, when it was considered a criminal offense, abortion was legal before quickening. Under common law, post-quickening abortion was considered homicide or manslaughter. Statutes usually differed throughout the states, but generally abortion was punished after quickening as manslaughter and prior to quickening as a misdemeanor (Gilbert 1). In 1857, the American Medical Association appointed a committee on Criminal Abortion. Its purpose was to investigate criminal abortion â€Å"with a view to its general suppression†. They concluded that a fetus was a living person at the moment of conception, and this belief was encouraged by an even stronger report from the same committee in 1871.

Body and Nature as Signifying System in Jane Smileys A Thousand Acres :: Smiley Thousand Acres Essays

Body and Nature as Signifying System in A Thousand Acres The fascinating aspect of theories about the bodies, is that our bodies lie somewhere in the grey area between the physical and the intellectual realm (in itself testifying to the falsity of such dichotomies). On the one hand, they are biological; genetically programmed flesh. On the other, they are continuous sites of signification; embodying (no pun intended) the essentially textual quality of a human subject's identity. A Thousand Acres foregrounds issues raised by the perspective that one's body can be the vehicle for understanding of the self and the world. One of the ways this is done, is a part of a larger project of ecofeminist rhetoric, creating numerous analogies between the body and nature. This is first seen when Ginny utilizes nature by the Scenic. Not only are "the cattails green and fleshy-looking"(7, italics mine), but the natural scene forms a signifying system like her own body, a way to metaphorically internalize the problems of human interaction. Wonderfully incorporated into this is also the intertextual body created by A Thousand Acres and King Lear. In the storm scene, Lear calls Regan and Goneril "those pelican daughters" (III.iv.75, meaning that they feed on the parent's blood). By the Scenic, Ginny sees pelicans reemerging after supposedly being annihilated by her farmer ancestors, foreshadowing the reemerging of her self after a life of suppression. She can read nature like a text about her own suppression and the suppression and hiding of what is actually going on between the characters in this novel: "The view along the Scenic, I thought, taught me a lesson about what is below the level of the visible" (9). Nature, for Ginny, is understood by way of the intertwining of its and her body's past. She "was always aware [...] of the of the water in the soil, the way it travels from particle to particle", an awareness that eventually evolves into an understanding and identification. She reflects upon the millions of years and billions of "leaves, seeds, feathers, scales, flesh, bones, petals, pollen" (131) that constitute the soil they live on. The hope is that this is a large-scale development of corporeal transformation that transcends the petty exploitative farming of a patriarchal society, and that she is a part of it. After all, her body is not only a part of the soil, and vice versa, but of the poisoning of nature: "My inheritance is with me, sitting in my chair. Body and Nature as Signifying System in Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres :: Smiley Thousand Acres Essays Body and Nature as Signifying System in A Thousand Acres The fascinating aspect of theories about the bodies, is that our bodies lie somewhere in the grey area between the physical and the intellectual realm (in itself testifying to the falsity of such dichotomies). On the one hand, they are biological; genetically programmed flesh. On the other, they are continuous sites of signification; embodying (no pun intended) the essentially textual quality of a human subject's identity. A Thousand Acres foregrounds issues raised by the perspective that one's body can be the vehicle for understanding of the self and the world. One of the ways this is done, is a part of a larger project of ecofeminist rhetoric, creating numerous analogies between the body and nature. This is first seen when Ginny utilizes nature by the Scenic. Not only are "the cattails green and fleshy-looking"(7, italics mine), but the natural scene forms a signifying system like her own body, a way to metaphorically internalize the problems of human interaction. Wonderfully incorporated into this is also the intertextual body created by A Thousand Acres and King Lear. In the storm scene, Lear calls Regan and Goneril "those pelican daughters" (III.iv.75, meaning that they feed on the parent's blood). By the Scenic, Ginny sees pelicans reemerging after supposedly being annihilated by her farmer ancestors, foreshadowing the reemerging of her self after a life of suppression. She can read nature like a text about her own suppression and the suppression and hiding of what is actually going on between the characters in this novel: "The view along the Scenic, I thought, taught me a lesson about what is below the level of the visible" (9). Nature, for Ginny, is understood by way of the intertwining of its and her body's past. She "was always aware [...] of the of the water in the soil, the way it travels from particle to particle", an awareness that eventually evolves into an understanding and identification. She reflects upon the millions of years and billions of "leaves, seeds, feathers, scales, flesh, bones, petals, pollen" (131) that constitute the soil they live on. The hope is that this is a large-scale development of corporeal transformation that transcends the petty exploitative farming of a patriarchal society, and that she is a part of it. After all, her body is not only a part of the soil, and vice versa, but of the poisoning of nature: "My inheritance is with me, sitting in my chair.

International and Strategic Marketing Essay

â€Å"If you stop building stars, which we never do, you wouldn’t be in business. †- (McMahon, 2010) Dreaming of big and successful businesses, would be a convenient task to do but when it comes to fulfill it, troubles, pain, hardships and hurdles are already in attendance to welcome. Starting up a business or even launching it in other countries is not as easy as it may sound. Choosing an industry, that matches ones interests and wants is definitely a thorny job. A slightest decision or choice made if goes wrong affects the whole business and its profitability especially when the purpose is to expand it internationally. Taking a business from bottom to the peak is another tough job that’ can not be possible if proper guidance is not present. Many small organizations became huge after expanding there business internationally and now they are taken in the list of the top and the most successful organizations of the planet. All the success is not achieved in a day or month but wise and effective decisions and appropriate budget is needed to be there not only these but also the proper allocations of the finances help businesses in climbing up the ladder. The expansion of the business is not only obliging to the entrepreneurs but also to those who work for the organization. Every person would desire to be associated with a company that has a name recognized internationally. As we are related to the fast food chain industry, and up till now we have opened up almost one hundred and thirteen franchises all around the country, due to which our organization has been able to make attractive profits and a good will among the general public. This could’ve also be done in another way by increasing the number of food items we serve in our menu but again this way the business will remain to be in a limit of only a single country and on the second thought we already have a menu carrying more than hundred dishes covering almost all cuisines. The idea of launching our business world wide may sound a big and a tough step but it’ll help the organization to expand more and also gain recognition on an international level we have examples present around us like Mc Donald’s, KFC, Coffee Day, Domino’s and others. The business will be able to maintain its good will among the international consumers. This is going to create an image of business success in the minds of people; besides this business expansion is usually seen as a prominent feature of the entrepreneur’s business efforts and also the efforts made by one to fulfill its vision. It’ll also help the business to increase the percentage of its share in the market. Not only will this but also assist our business to gain more capital through making more shareholders in the organization. By expanding our business internationally we’ll be able to produce more customers. Opening up a franchise will result in hiring more employees to take care of the business. This will not only help us but also will create job opportunities for others, causing more interests of other people regarding the business. There will be certain incentives given to the business, like tax exemptions, permit to use of property, granting loans if needed and others. The chances of easily benefiting ourselves from the economies of scale will amplify. To expand our business internationally all the strategies have been under gone. Having appropriate money for the expansion and also depicting the future of the business on an international level or how should we expand our business geographic wise or should the business line be extended? These are some important strategies made for a proper expansion of a business. (K, 2010) Keeping all these advantages in mind the idea is to introduce our fast food franchise in a developed country India. The analysis and studies have shown that fat food industry there is booming at an extreme fast pace that is the fast food industry is flourishing by 40% per year. Studies have shown that today more than 10 million workers are employed only in the food preparation and serving all over the world and the employee turnover can grow up to 200%. (Fast food industry in India, 2009). Moreover our fast food restaurant will get a chance to pioneer in those specific dishes that we provide domestically only. The Indian food industry is expected to generate billions of dollars in the coming years. No wonder the economy of India is growing incredibly giving chances to international business persons like us to expand our business in the lad of India. Fast food industry has been a blessing to Indian economy and is very much successful in financial ways and also in helping the quick service food to gain popularity among the citizens. (Shanker, 2010). We not only see the international organization flourishing there but also some big business tycoon’s have been generated from India like Tata Birla, Ambani and others renowned. India positions second in agriculture yield, like foresting, logging and fishing all of this contributes 17% of the Indian GDP in 2009 a slight decrease in its share in GDP, yet is the largest economic sector and also acts a vital role in the socio economic development in India (CIA-2007) The access supply of raw materials to the fast food industry in this country is present; because of the changing climate its soil holds plant variety with almost 15000 species of higher plants (Paroda and Mal, 1989) because of this reason other international fast food chains are flooding into this country. The home growing competition with other MNCs does have not only helped us in learning a lot of things but has also made us able to figure out our mistakes and improve them. We not only are improving inland but also that we have a number of people that are expertise in product development, quality standards and service levels. We have the best recruiters present in our organization. This way they’ll help in choosing the best management for us internationally. Coming up with a perfect and flawless franchise in another country will prominently give a tough competition to other fast food restraints. In many Indian cities families have an exposure to western media and western cuisine further the trend of increasing trend of women joining the workforce will also help us in creating awareness about the western cuisine amongst others who are unaware. But usually the western media accomplishes its job in making them know about our dishes we serve. This way some of our dishes we offer to our customers will not be seem strange or weird to them and they’ll get easily comfortable with the food. The economy of India has been eased up and most of the tariff and non tariff limitations are either lessened or have been completely removed from the country this has made possible for the international businesses to make their room in the Indian market. (Fast Food Industry in India, 2009) There are number of renowned MNC’s thinking India for their growth, and they are ready to bring upon changes on their menu according to Indian wants. KFC has amazingly increased the number of meals made of vegetables with receiving of 15% of its revenues on selling vegetable items. Mediratta, 2006) Not only this but Domino’s the global leader of pizza delivery, is now repositioning itself in dining out restaurants, as it doesn’t make sense to the staff of Domino’s to limit their business as a convenient delivery service provider (Kaul 2006) Hence it is important for all the big organizations generating successful businesses all over the world to bring up some changes and variations in their businesses according to the needs and desires of their customers. The customers are termed to be a key of success to such business. But these days Indian food industry is on a shortage of food processing infrastructure, that’s why the government is offering the foreign entrepreneurs with tax reduction and subsidies. (Everyone’s invited, 2006) With a lot of advantages challenges are equally important and tough to face and our business too have to face these challenges. Dealing with no challenges there are hardly any business that is tend to flourish. Every business, be it small or big has to face the hardships. Opening up our fast food franchise in India sounds and definitely is productive but at the same time we are loaded with extreme challenges. India is said to be the richest in culture and its traditions. There are many areas in India where eating at home is established centuries ago and the tradition is still carried on by the descendents. Creating the awareness of dining out with families and changing their eating habits is a slow moving procedure. Generally there are a set of people, Hindus and also non- Hindus who do not prefer eating meat or avoid all such meals that slow down the physical and spiritual development of a human body like garlic and onion (Fast Food Industry in India, 2009). Considering their opinions and wants and to show the impact of their opinions is necessary yet will be challenging. As our customers always have been our first priority, maintaining our standards it has to be our responsibility to satisfy and delight them through our services and food of their wants. There are people who are now diverging themselves towards the fast food chains due to the western media’s exposure in Asian countries this is a helping hand t us but not exactly solve all our problems as there are some fundamentalists who turn out to be a difficult barrier to cover. They provoke people to stand against such believes and force them to stick to their old eating habits. Dealing with such people and making them aware about our products will definitely be a difficult job to do. In addition to this, India has some strict labor laws because of which it slows down the creation of formal jobs in industries (BBC, 2005) As India is considered to be a hub of multi cultures there are people who belong to a culture where no dishes made of any kind of meat be it sea food or mutton or beef, their belief prohibits them to eat meals mad up of such meats. Cow slaughter is banned in India where Hindus are in majority, it is because what their religion teaches them. Cow they believe is to be holy and they are found to be worshipping them. They consider the beefing process to be forbidden to them by in their religion not only this but according to them not only untouchables, but Indian Muslims and Christians do eat beef. In India cow-worshipping is said to be a vital part of Indian culture (Harris, 2010). Our franchise shall operate in a distinguish way keeping in mind and taking care of all the barriers and limitations provided by the country. It has already mentioned above that customers are the main key to the success of any business, be it large or small. The franchise shall be opened up through out the day as India has an extreme night life in big cities and in such areas fast food culture prevails immensely. Not only this will the prices menu and location all be according to the expediency of the Indian citizens. The menu like always will be diversified and for all the vegetarian lovers our menu will have a vast number of dishes cooked with vegetables. As some people are largely concerned about their meals, and if on the other hand they are against eating beef, for such people a separate vegetarian staff will be appointed so that they remain contended with the hygiene issues if they would have any.

Ralph Jack in the Lord of the Flies and Jekyll and Hyde in the novel Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Essay

‘Lord of the flies’ and ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ both deal with the good and evil sides of man, even though Golding and Stevenson wrote their books in different historical periods. The novels are both dealing in the same theme. The authors use their characters to represent the struggle between good and evil. Golding uses a group of boys to show the divide of good and evil, while Stevenson used the good and evil within one person. As these authors use their characters to represent this struggle. It is important to see how they develop through the novel. Ralph in ‘Lord of the Flies’ is presented as a middle class boy at the beginning of the novel. Golding describes him as ‘the boy with the fair hair’, which is a symbol of a good person. The author describes how Ralph climbs easily through the undergrowth, which is contrasted with the way in which Piggy ‘clambers’ through it. The author has put Ralph and Piggy together because they are different in both mind and body. Together they will both make a whole good person. Ralph is tall, fit, good-looking and fair-haired. Ralph has a good background with his father being in the navy. This suggests that Ralph was brought up in a good way, so he should know the difference between right and wrong. This is a stereotypical good person, but Ralph is not a thinker. Ralph does do some bad things. He betrays Piggys name by telling all the other children what Piggys name was, when Piggy told him not to. Piggy is a short, plump; he wears glasses and is an orphan. Jack Merridew from ‘Lord of the Flies’ is first seen marching with his choir. The choir is described as a dark primitive being. Jack has a red hair, which suggests that he has an uncontrollable anger. He speaks to the choir in a military way. He talks down to them and ignores Simon when he faints. This shows that he has authority over the choir and he is insensitive towards other people’s weaknesses. Altogether I can see that he is hard, unsympathetic, cruel and possible a bully. The first time we see Dr Jekyll in ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ is at a dinner party. He is seen as a cheerful and confident man. He is wealthy and respected chemist. Stevenson describes him as ‘a large, well made, smooth faced man’. When Utterson mentions Mr Hyde he wants it to be a secret between himself an Utterson. He also does not want to talk about it. Stevenson gives Mr Utterson the role of narrator. This is because he wants part of the story to be missing (to allow the audience to be left guessing). Dr Jekyll is described through the eyes of Utterson and this could be bias because Utterson is a friend of Dr Jekyll. Mr Hyde is described for the first time in a story. In this story he collides with, knocks down and tramples a little girl. Hyde’s reaction is described as ‘hellish’. When other people arrive he brings out the worst in them. Even the doctor wants to kill him. When Hyde id threatened by scandal he aggress to pay compensation. He writes a check out at Dr Jekylls house with Jekylls signature. Utterson thinks he his blackmailing Jekyll. In both novels the evil gets and takes the chance to dominate. Jack and Mr Hyde both show their more primitive side. An example of Jacks primitive side is when he hunts for pigs. He is described as ‘dog-like on all fours’ and sniffing the humid earth. This suggests that he is more like a cave man, than a civilised human being. Mr Hyde on the other hand murders Carew. In the chapter ‘search for Mr Hyde’, Utterson describes Mr Hyde as ‘trodlodytic’, ‘Dwarfish’ and ‘hardly human’. This also suggests that Mr Hyde is more like primitive man. Further backing this up, he takes a ‘hissing intake of breath’, which is what a frightened animal would do. Both authors are saying that the primitive side of man will dominate if it has the chance. Darkness, which represents evil, and people are scared at night. Darkness is a big theme in both of the novels. Jack does his hunting in the forest, which is described from the beginning of the novel as a dark place by Golding. When Jack steels Piggys glasses he uses darkness as his cover. Simon gets killed in a frenzied attack, which happens at night. Mr Hyde is mostly seen at night. His home in So-ho is seen through a curtain of ‘swirling fog’. All of this information leads you to think that these people should be associated with darkness and evil. The novels are reflecting events in the authors’ lives. In Golding’s time an example of how evil can flourish without people doing anything is the concentration camps of WWII. Stevenson is writing about the hypocrisy in Victorian England. Many men went to prostitutes and then they promoted family values. Ralph and Dr Jekyll are the respected ‘civilised’ people in the two novels. Ralph is middle classed; you can see this when he talks about his father as ‘daddy’. Ralph is sensible and wants to rule democratically by using the conch and lets everyone have a vote. He has sensible ideas, to stay alive and get rescued, like the fire and shelters. Dr Jekyll is also middle class. He is a respected chemist. The painting, which he gave Mr Hyde, shows that Dr Jekyll is cultured. The ‘pleasurable dinner parties’ he gave showed he was a confident and cheerful. Both of these characters try to take control early in both novels yet they are not successful. Even though both of these characters are ‘civilised’ they are not perfect. Ralph was rude to Piggy and disrespected his wishes. Ralph also took part in the killing of Simon, which shows that even he can be evil. Dr Jekyll also not perfect. He already leads a double life. Hyde grew from Dr Jekyll. Dr Jekyll did things he was ashamed of. He ‘already committed to a profound duplicity of life’. At the end of the novels order if restored and the civilised side of man takes over again. In ‘Lord of the Flies’ order is restored by the arrival of the navy officer. When the navy officer arrives so do rules and order. This is what the navy and more importantly adults’ represent. At the end of the ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ Dr Jekyll has to die for the evil of Mr Hyde to die. Mr Hyde kills himself. I think this was because he gains the knowledge of what he has done. He gains a conscience, which drives him to kill himself. I feel that ‘Lord of the Flies’ is more depressing view of human nature because it deals with children which are meant to be innocent and not capable of killing. It also deals with more than one person, which shows that it could happen to everyone.

Lack of technology at my work

The term technology is a concept that deals with the knowledge and usage of tools and crafts and how its ability to control and adjust to the environment is affected. Technology also refers to material object that are useful to human nature. They include machines, hardware or utensils amongst other things, at times; it encompasses systems, organizational methods, and techniques. The term can also be generally applied or to specifically applied to specific areas: medical technology, computer technology or construction technology. It has made it easy for people to research on the internet both academic and general information. Different people have done researches and are still doing and making it available to the net. This therefore means that for works of any company to improve their performance and compete favorably with others, they need enough equipment in their offices so that they can acquaint themselves with knowledge. Lack of or not enough of these equipments will lead to the incompetence of the workers hence low productivity.   (Borgmann, 2006) Thomas Friedman in his book the world is flat tries to look at technology and its effect on Globalization. To him its technology that has made the world to become a small village. Technology started when man realized the need to make his work easier. In the attempt to make hunting easier, man invented the weapon from the stones; there was also the invention of fire. These discovery helped increase the availability of food and the wheel invention assisted humans in traveling and environmental control. This was due to the need to improve the livelihood of the man. As the time moved by and with the increase of population, there also arose the need for man to supplement his food. He was to move from hunting and gathering and start cultivating some crops. This cultivation was to be done with the aid of tool hence technology. However, the recent development in various fields like printing press internet and telephone have has greatly made it easier to communicate. It has made human beings to interact as they share ideas on a global scale as Friedman puts it. In a local setting, information flow in the country moves very first to the citizens with the help of mass media. People now can access any information via the internet and also through their mobile phones. This is as a result of technology. The convergence of media has done a great improvement and raised the standards of living. Doctor nowadays can monitor the patient from far using different communicative devices connected to the patient. Operation in the theatres by medical doctors is now easily done with the use of computers. (Thomas 2005) Technology however is made to make the work more efficient and time saving. For any substantial development at any industry, technology becomes a major driving issue. This is because the workers need to get the necessary support as they do the work. Having enough computers in the office for instance makes it easy for the worker to perform their duties effectively hence the productivity will go high as everybody will be doing his or her best. Lack of the same hinders some or rather reduces performance as more time will be on none constructive issue as they wait for the few to be shared. However, as we embrace technology, we have to look at both the positive and negative effectives. This is to say that it has had some negative impact to the society and its surroundings in a several ways. In the places where we have industries, there is pollution of the environment hence affecting people’s health. According to the report of June 2000, on the effect of mobile phone, it says that mobile phones are good devices to use but their side effects are immense. For instance, there develops ear cancer if overused and can even cause importance to men when exposed to private parts for a long time because of the radiations they emit. (Borgmann, 2006) Technology also has got negative impact on the social values. It is because is the accessibility  Ã‚   to different cultural orientations across the world. This complexity whereby some are constructive while others are destructive might be harmful especially to young ones. The issue of pornography for instance is now an issue at hand. How can it be stopped, remains the big issue with technology? Is it at the uploading side or at the down loading side? The mode of dressing too is borrowed from the same internet which is a product of technology. Young people tent to borrow some dressing mode that do not conform to the norms and values of the society. This always brings about conflict with parents and other members of the society. In a nutshell, in any growing world, technology and development go hand in hand. It is easy and time saving. Workers therefore should be provided with enough and efficient equipment for them to be able to operate with easy. This will ensure maximum production. However as we embrace this technology, we should very careful with type of equipment that are being bought. Some of them might be outdated and instead of helping, they cause more harm than good. Others might be expansive digging deep into the company’s pocket yet its performance is not felt. (Borgmann, 2006) All in all technology is part and parcel of every day life and can not be avoided but be made available for the people use it   for good not evil.   (Bormann, 2006) Reference Borgmann, A. (2006): Technology as a Cultural Force: For Alena and Griffin; The Canadian Journal of Sociology 31 (3): 351-360. Heinzelin, J. (1999): Environment and Behavior of 2.5-Million-Year-Old Stiegler, Bernar

Non Parametric and Chi-Square Distribution

Individual Paper #3: Non parametric and Chi-square distribution Brief Summary: I worked for a logistic company. My major responsibility was in charge of the storage and transportation of parts of cars between two areas, which are about 1400 miles apart. One of my jobs is collecting the goods from suppliers and arranging the trucks to deliver them. There are five truck drivers, and each of them is assigned to deliver on each weekday throughout a whole year. Before the delivery, we will check the quality of the goods and Make sure that there are no damaged goods.When arriving at the destination, the staff will check the goods again and record the damaged goods that occurred in transit. At the end of every month, we will pay for the compensation according to the number of the defective goods. In order to reduce the number of the damaged goods during the delivery, I want to identify the reasons why they are damaged. In this study, I want to find out that whether some drivers are more pro ne to make the goods damaged during their delivery.Variable to be measured: Two variables are to be measured. The first variable is just the five truck drivers, and the second one is the quality of the goods after the delivery. Determination of Population: Population in this case is defined as the all goods delivered from Tianjin area to Guangzhou area. Statistical method: To analyze relationship between the two variables above which are both nominal in terms of data type, I decide to use Chi-squared test of a contingency table. Sample Selection:The information about delivery is recorded in our computer system, including the delivery date, name of the driver, the number of damaged goods and so on. I take out the data about 52 weeks during the previous year and record them into the following table: | Quality| | Truck Driver| Passed| Damaged| Total| Driver A| | | | Driver B| | | | Driver C| | | | Driver D| | | | Driver E| | | | Total| | | | Hypothesis: The objective is to describe whe ther there is a relationship between the five drivers and the number of damaged goods.The null hypothesis will specify that there is no relationship between the two variables: H0 : The two variables are independent The alternative hypothesis specifies one variable affects the other, expressed as: H1 : The two variables are dependent Use the formula: ?2=i=1k(fi-ei)2ei ? =(r-1) (c-1) which calculates the test statistic. Or use the Excel by importing the data into the function of Data Analysis Plus, Contingency Table. Then I could acquire chi-squared Stat, p-value. The number of degrees of freedom v=(r-1)(c-1)=(5-1)(2-1)=4.If I employ a 5% significance level, the rejection region is X2> X2 a, v = X2 . 05, 4 = 9. 49 Comparing the results, if the p-value is greater than 9. 49, there is not enough evidence to infer that there is a relationship between the five drivers and the number of damaged goods; if the p-value is not greater than 9. 49, I can reject the null hypothesis in favor of th e alternative, which means there is a relationship between the five drivers and the number of damaged goods. So I can reduce the number of damaged goods through improving the drivers’ conditions.

Chapter Outline Chapter 2

Chapter Outline Chapter 2 I. Developmental theories and the issues they raise A. The Importance of Theories 1. Guides the collection of new information a. what is most important to study b. what can be hypothesized or predicted c. how it should be studied B. Qualities of a Good Theory 1. Internally consistent– its different parts are not contradictory 2. Falsifiable– generates testable hypotheses 3. Supported by data– describes, predicts, and explains human development C. Four Major Theories (psychoanalytic, learning, cognitive developmental, contextual/systems) D. Nature/Nurture 1. Nature– genetic/biological predisposition . Nurture– emphasis on experience/environmental impact E Goodness/Badness of Human Nature 1. Hobbes– children are selfish and bad and society must teach them to behave in a civilized way 2. Rousseau– children are innately good and society must not interfere with innate goodness 3. Locke– child born neither go od nor bad, but like a tabula rasa or â€Å"blank slate† F. Activity and Passivity 1. Activity– control over one’s development 2. Passive– product of forces beyond one’s control (environmental or biological) G. Continuity/Discontinuity 1. Continuity– gradual change (small steps) 2.Discontinuity– abrupt change 3. Qualitative or quantitative change a. qualitative– changes in a degree b. quantitative– change in kind c. developmental stages part of discontinuity approach H. Universality/Context-Specificity 1. Universality– developmental change common to everyone 2. Context-specific– developmental changes vary by individual/culture II. Freud: Psychoanalytic theory A. Sigmund Freud: Viennese Physician and Founder of Psychoanalytic Theory 1. Emphasis on motive and emotions of which we are unaware 2.. Theory less influential than in the past B. Instincts and Unconscious Motives 1.Instincts– inborn biological forces that motivate behavior 2. Unconscious motivation– instinctive and inner force influences beyond our awareness/control 3. Emphasis on nature (biological instincts) C. Id, Ego, and Superego 1. Id a. all psychic energy contained here b. basic biological urges c. impulsive d. seeks immediate gratification 2. Ego a. rational side of personality b. ability to postpone pleasure 3. Superego a. internalized moral standards b. perfection principle (adhere to moral standards) 4. Id, ego and superego conflict common/inevitable 5. Problems arise when level of psychic energy unevenly distributed D.Psychosexual Development 1. Importance of libido– sex instinct’s energy shifts body locations 2. Five stages of psychosexual development a. oral stage b. anal stage c. phallic stage d. latency period e. genital stage 3. Conflict of id and social demands leads to ego’s defense mechanisms defense mechanisms– unconscious coping mechanisms of the ego i. fixationâ⠂¬â€œ Development arrested at early stage ii. regression– Retreat to earlier stage 4. Phallic stage– Oedipus and Electra complexes (incestuous desire) resolve by identifying with same-sex parent and incorporating parent’s values into the super ego 5.Genital stage– experienced during puberty a. conflict and distance from parents b. greater capacity to love and have children in adulthood c. teen pregnancy due to inability to manage sexual urges because of childhood experiences E. Strengths and Weaknesses 1. Difficult to test and ambiguous 2. Weak support for specific aspects of the theory (e. g. , sexual seduction by parents) 3. Greater support for broad ideas a. unconscious motivation b. importance of early experience, especially parenting III. Erikson: Neo-Freudian Psychoanalytic Theory A. Neo-Freudians– Important Disciples of Psychoanalytic Theory 1.Notable neo-Freudians: Jung, Horney, Sullivan, Anna Freud 2. Erikson is most important life span ne o-Freudian theorist 3. Erikson’s differences with Freud a. less emphasis on sexual and more on social influences b. less emphasis on id, more on rational ego c. more positive view of human nature d. more emphasis on developmental changes in adulthood B. Psychosocial Development 1. Resolution of eight major psychosocial crises a. trust versus mistrust– key is general responsiveness of caregiver b. autonomy versus shame– terrible twos c. initiative versus guilt– preschool sense of autonomy d. ndustry versus inferiority– elementary age sense of mastery e. identity versus role confusion– adolescence acquisition of identity f. intimacy versus isolation– young adult commitment g. generativity versus stagnation– middle age sense of having produced something meaningful h. integrity versus despair– elderly sense of life meaning and success 2. Personality strengths â€Å"ego virtues† developed during stages 3. Stage develop ment due to biological maturation and environmental demands 4. Teen pregnancy explained as due to weak ego or super ego (management of sexual urges rooted in early childhood) C.Strengths and Weaknesses 1. Its emphases on rational, adaptive nature and social influences easier to accept 2. Captures some central development issues 3. Influenced thinking about adolescence and beyond 4. Like Freud, vague and difficult to test 5. Provides description, but not adequate explanation of development IV. Learning theories A. Watson: Classical Conditioning 1. Emphasis on behavioral change in response to environmental stimuli 2. Behaviorism– belief that only observed behavior should be studied 3. Rejected psychoanalytic theory and explained Freud using learning principles 4.Conducted classical conditioning research with colleague Rosalie Rayner Watson and Rayner condition infant â€Å"Albert† to fear rat a. loud noise was unconditioned (unlearned) stimulus b. crying (fear) was uncon ditioned (unlearned) response c. white rat became conditioned (learned) stimulus producing conditioned response of crying after it was paired with loud noise 5. Classical conditioning involved when children learn to â€Å"love† caring parents 6. Reject stage conceptualization of development 7. Learning is learning B. Skinner: Operant Conditioning 1.In operant (instrumental) conditioning learning thought to become more or less probable depending on consequences 2. Reinforcement– consequences that strengthen a response (increase probability of future response) 3. Positive– something added a. positive reinforcement– something pleasant added in attempt to strengthen behavior b. positive reinforcement best when continuous 4. Negative– something removed a. negative reinforcement– something unpleasant taken in attempt to strengthen behavior 5. Punishment– consequences that suppress future response a. positive punishment– something unp leasant added in attempt to weaken behavior b. egative punishment– something pleasant taken in attempt to weaken behavior 6. Extinction– no consequence given and behavior becomes less frequent 7. Skinner emphasized positive reinforcement in child rearing 8. Physical punishment best used in specific circumstances like†¦ a. administered immediately following act b. administered consistently following offense c. not overly harsh d. accompanied by explanation e. administered by otherwise affectionate person f. combined with efforts to reinforcement acceptable behaviors 9. Too little emphasis on role of cognitive processes C.Bandura: Social Cognitive Theory 1. Humans’ cognitive abilities distinguish them from animals– can think about behavior and anticipate consequences 2. Observational learning (learning from models) most important mechanism for behavior change 3. Classic experiment using â€Å"Bobo† doll showed that children could learn from mode l 4. Vicarious reinforcement– learner changes behaviors based on consequences observed being given to a model 5. Human agency– ways in which humans deliberately exercise control over environments and lives self-efficacy– sense of one’s ability to control self or environment 6.Reciprocal determinism– mutual influence of individuals and social environments determines behavior 7. Doubt the existence of stages 8. View cognitive capacities as maturing over time 9. Learning experiences differentiate development of child of same age D. Strengths and Weaknesses of Learning Theory 1. Learning theories are precise and testable 2. Principles operate across the life span 3. Practical applications 4. Doesn't show that learning actually causes observed developmental changes 5. Oversimplifies development by focusing on experience and downplaying biological influences V. Cognitive developmental theoryA. Jean Piaget Swiss Scholar Greatly Influences Study of Intelle ctual Development in Children 1. Emphasizes errors in thinking (wrong answers) 2. Argues that cognitive development is qualitative in nature B. Piaget's Constructivism 1. Constructivism– active construction of knowledge based on experience 2. Stage progression due to interaction of biological maturation and environment C. Stages of Cognitive Development (sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operations) 1. Sensorimotor stage a. birth to age 2 b. deal with world directly through perceptions and actions . unable to use symbols 2. Preoperational stage a. ages 2 to 7 b. capacity for symbolic thought c. lack tools of logical thought d. cling to ideas they want to be true 3. Concrete operations stage a. ages 7 to 11 b. use trial-and-error strategy c. perform mental operations in their heads d. difficulty with abstract and hypothetical concepts 4. Formal operations stage a. ages 11 and later b. think abstractly and can formulate hypotheses c. can devise â€Å"g rand theories† about others D. Strengths and Weaknesses 1. Pioneer with long lasting impact 2. Many of Piaget’s concepts accepted (e. g. children active in own development) 3. Influential in education and child rearing practices 4. Too little emphasis on motivation and emotion 5. Questioning of stage model 6. Underestimated children’s cognitive skills VI. Contextual/Systems Theories A. Changes Over Life Span Arise from Ongoing Transactions and Mutual Influences Between Organism and Changing World No single end-point to development B. Vygotsky: A Sociocultural Perspective 1. Russian psychologist who took issue with Piaget 2. Sociocultural perspective– development shaped by organism growing in culture 3. Tools of a culture impact development . Cognitive development is social process 5. Children co-construct knowledge through social dialogues with others 6. Paid too little attention to biology C. Gottlieb: An Evolutionary/Epigenetic Systems View 1. Some conte xtual/systems theories have arisen from work by evolutionary biologists a. influenced by Darwin’s work b. genes aid in adapting to the environment 2. Ethology– study evolved behavior of species in natural environment a. birdsongs in the wild b. species-specific behavior of humans 3. Evolutionary/epigenetic systems perspective of Gottlieb a. evolution has endowed us with genes . predisposition to develop in certain direction genes do not dictate, make some outcomes more probable c. Gottleib’s emphases: i. activity of gene ii. activity of neuron iii. organism’s behavior iv. environmental influences d. interaction between genes and environmental factors e. instinctive behaviors may not be expressed if environmental conditions do not exist i. duckling vocalizations ii. baby rats seeking water f. normal development is combination of normal genes and normal early experience g. experience can influence genetic activity and change course of development i. ice che wing and impact on genes ii. lactose tolerance higher in cultures with dairy farming tradition h. difficult to predict outcome (multifactor influence) i. view people in continual flux and change is inevitable D. Strengths and Weaknesses 1. Complex like human development 2. Cannot predict outcome (wide range of paths) VII. Theories in Perspective A. Stage Theorists: Freud, Erikson, Piaget 1. Development guided in universal direction 2. Influenced by biological/maturational forces B. Learning Theorists: Watson, Skinner, Bandura 1. Emphasis on influence of environment 2.Deliberate steps taken by parents to shape development C. Contextual and Systems Theorists: Vygotsky, Gottleib 1. Focus on dynamic relationship between person and environment 2. Focus on impact of both biology and environment 3. Potential exists for qualitative and quantitative change 4. Developmental pathways depend on interplay of internal and external influences D. Changing World Views 1. Our understanding of human d evelopment is ever changing 2. Contextual/systems theories prevalent today 3. Less extreme, but more complex positions  © Copyright 2006 Thomson. All rights reserved.