J. Robert Oppenheimer

J. Robert Oppenheimer was born on April 22, 1904, by his mother Ella, and his father Julius. The house in New York that Oppenheimer grew up in was a very luxurious place for the time period. Oppenheimer became an abnormally repulsively good little boy as stated by his father. His father was a German immigrant who made his money by importing textiles into New York City. At the age of 5 Oppenheimer went on a trip to visit his family home in Germany, where his grandfather lives. His grandfather Ben gave him a small bag of minerals, which triggered a hobby that was to last for years Mineralogy. Oppenheimer was to spend hours-collecting samples, and cataloguing and polishing them. By the age of 11 he had been elected a member of the New York Mineralogical Club. About a year later he delivered his first paper there. His parents said that there was no doubt that he was clever, and at school a star. Although both his parents were Jewish, they rejected orthodox Jewish society and culture. They sent Robert, and later his brother Frank (who was 8) to the school run by the New York Society for Ethical Culture. The schools founder was another German immigrant, Felix Adler. He believed that human values did not make a person, nor did they make them less important. He taught that man should form his own attitudes towards the unknowns, and lifes mysteries. Oppenheimer was very hungry for knowledge, so he decided to take up something that involved a lot of thinking. He was very interested in Greek. In fact he would stay after class and read a book by the name of Homer and Plato. By the age of 11 he was able to challenge an older cousin of his to ask me a question and I will answer you in Greek. He had absolutely no taste for sports. He was driven everywhere as a child, attended by servants, and even teachers became critical to his avoidance of physical activity. Felix Adler once l...

Ten Arguments Against Teen Abstinence

Ten Arguments Against Teen Abstinence Continued from the article 10 Arguments For Abstinence - Pros and Cons of Abstinence, Part I Ten Arguments Against Abstinence Telling teens to be abstinent isnot realistic at all said Bristol Palin, daughter of 2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, in her first interview after giving birth at 18.Abstinence means different things to different people, and some forms of abstinence can still spread sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Teens who abstain from vaginal intercourse but engage in oral sex, mutual masturbation or anal sex can still be infected by STDs. Any skin-to-skin contact including genital-to-genital, hand-to-genital or mouth-to-genital can spread disease.Abstinence only works if teens stick to their pledge. But according to researcher Janet E. Rosenbaum of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Taking a pledge doesnt seem to make any difference at all in any sexual behavior.Over the past five years, several major studies have found that abstinence-only education has no effect in stopping or delaying sex. According to Emerging Answers 2007, commissioned by the nonpartisan N ational Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, there does not exist any strong evidence that any abstinence program delays the initiation of sex, hastens the return to abstinence, or reduces the number of sexual partners. Teens who break their vows of abstinence are much less likely to use contraceptives than those who do not pledge abstinence. A report published in the January 2009 issue of Pediatrics found that teens who break their pledge are less likely to get tested for STDs and may have STDs for longer periods of time than teens who do not pledge abstinence.Since teens who pledge abstinence are much less likely to use contraceptives if they break their pledge, their risk of becoming pregnant is significantly greater. A sexually active teen who does not use contraception has a 90% chance of becoming pregnant within a year.The declining in the rate of teen pregnancy nationwide is now recognized as due to increased use of contraception, and not abstinence. According to the Guttmacher Institute, Recent research concluded that almost all of the decline in the pregnancy rate between 1995 and 2002 among 18–19-year-olds was attributable to increased contraceptive use. Among women aged 15-17, abou t one-quarter of the decline during the same period was attributable to reduced sexual activity and three-quarters to increased contraceptive use. Abstinence sends the wrong message to girls and young women. Author and womens issues advocate Jessica Valenti argues, While boys are taught that the things that make them men - good men - are universally accepted ethical ideals, women are led to believe that our moral compass lies somewhere between our legs....Virginity and chastity are reemerging as a trend in pop culture, in our schools, in the media, and even in legislation. So while young women are subject to overt sexual messages every day, theyre simultaneously being taught - by the people who are supposed to care for their personal and moral development, no less - that their only real worth is their virginity and ability to remain pure.The states with the highest teen pregnancy rates and teen birth rates in the U.S. are either states that do not mandate sex education or HIV education or stress abstinence-only as the primary method of preventing pregnancy.Teens who realize that they may engage in sexual activity take resp onsibility for preventing pregnancy by choosing a method of contraception in advance. For sexually experienced females age 15-19, nearly all (99%) used some form of contraception at least once during sexual intercourse. Sources:Boonstra, Heather. Advocates Call for a New Approach After the Era of Abstinence-Only’ Sex. Guttmacher Policy Review. Winter 2009, vol. 12, no. 1.Bristol Palin: Abstinence for all teens not realistic. CNN.com. 17 February 2009.Sanchez, Mitzi. Teen Pregnancy: No Contraceptive? 90% Chance Of Getting Pregnant. Huffingtonpost.com. 15 February 2012.Vilibert, Diana. Jessica Valenti Debunks the Purity Myth. MarieClaire.com. 22 April 2009.

Tangible Property of Wal-Mart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Tangible Property of Wal-Mart - Essay Example Similarly, the enactment of state and federal legislations that protected workers from workers exploitation led to a stronger employee’s awareness of their rights and duties. In the contemporary world, various governments have put in place adequate measures to ensure that employees are not under any form of discrimination. In cases of discrimination against color, region, nationality among others, strict measures should be taken on employers. Based on the emerging technology, it is significant for managers of small and large organisations to improve their security systems as a major way of protecting their tangible properties. This paper seeks to identify major employment relationships and their legal considerations, discrimination issues and their legal consideration as well as measures that a Wal-Mart manager should take to identify and protect the tangible property rights of his organisation. Employment relationships and associated the legal considerations One form of emplo yment relationship is permanent employment relationship. This refers to the arrangement whereby workers are compensated by their employers. In addition to the basic salaries, the employees are eligible to receive health care benefits, sick off and contribution to retirement plans among others. Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is one of the legal consideration that established minimum wages and salaries for permanent employees (Burkhauser et al, 1989). In addition, the occupational Safety and Health Act is focused at promoting security within the work place. Private employment entails working arrangement whereby the employment relationship is between private employers and the workers. According to 1985 Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), voluntary or involuntary termination of the employee’s duties should not deter him or her from continuing with his or her health insurance. Employees Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) is an additional regulation that se ek to prevent frauds within private pension funds. ERISA stipulates that the sponsoring employer cannot invest more than 10% of the pension’s funds in his or her securities. Discriminatory issues and the associated legal considerations One of the major types of employment discrimination is disparate-treatment. This is a situation whereby an employer discriminates a particular employee on the bases of his race, sex, religion or nationality. The second type of discrimination is the disparate-impact discrimination. This occurs when an employer discriminates against an entire protected class within the organization. For example, if a rule is set that all the sales executives should be 5.8 feet tall regardless of their gender, there is a possibility that more males will be hired as compared to females. This amounts to disparate-impact discrimination. Title 7 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers from discriminating their employees on the basis of education, color and housing. Other aspects prohibited by the act include discrimination in hiring, promotion, payment of fringe benefits and job training Methods for managing legal risk arising from regulatory compliance issues

International Marketing - 3 discussion questions Essay

International Marketing - 3 discussion questions - Essay Example One of the differences between domestic marketing and international marketing is that domestic marketing is considered to be easier than international marketing because a company doing local marketing already understands the local/country customs and norms. The focus then is effective marketing. On the other hand international marketing is usually more difficult because literal translation can often turn off prospects. Other differences include the uncertainty of different foreign business environments that are not in domestic marketing. This is because there is a difference in infrastructure, technology, competitive dynamics, legal and governmental restrictions, customer preferences, culture and many additional uncontrollable variables. Organizations should be more concerned about international marketing because their international image should be of more importance to them. Another reason for emphasizing on international marketing is the fact that if an organization has a good international image then automatically its domestic image becomes of a competitive organization that will excel in the future. There are different conditions that have led to the development of global markets. The first condition is the limitation that each and every country cannot produce all the goods and products of their need. Even if they do have the capability then the required quantity is not met. Another important reason is the quality of a product. For example a country might be able to produce a good but another country is making it of a better quality so they will prefer to buy it rather than producing it themselves. There is an increased interest shown by US Organizations in the global markets, the major reason being to boost up the profits. Other reasons are to maintain a high image of the organization domestically, to exploit the international markets where customers want quality products that are

Attributes of the ideal leader in higher or K-12 education Essay Example for Free

Attributes of the ideal leader in higher or K-12 education Essay Introduction The educational institution exists and cooperates in a network of dedicated, goal-oriented peers, in an environment of high expectations and immense collaboration. Communicating daily with adult education professionals and with students, a substantial background and specific competencies must be gained in this kind of practice. Faculty members are confronted with a fresh generation of students that live and study in a digital environment. They are challenged to convey persuasive learning milieus that are both instructionally evocative and thoroughly appealing to these digital students. Their job involves directing, guiding, or teaching adults. The online curriculum the knowledge and skills you need for working more effectively with adult learners and is designed for busy, working professionals. As the select few of these days higher educational institutions create and enhance their vision to meet the needs of the changing student population into the twenty-first century, the skills and attributes required are also changing. This paper attempts to provide an overview of the skills and attributes perceived as important in this changing environment. It is essential that the leaders and managers of our higher educational institutions welcome all their roles, contribute to the responsibility with the environment, and be acquainted with and incorporate change (Kincheloe, 1991). What makes a leader ideal? What specific qualities make an individual suited to handling responsibilities, various roles and demands that are expected in an institutional setting catered to adults and the like? What training development model should be used to train those seeking such positions in institutions of higher learning? Every now and then a decision maker in an establishment pre-determines a need for training but savoir-faire trainers constantly evaluate the analysis data before jumping on to settle on the training objectives. Why? This is because intuition-based training interventions frequently detect symptoms rather than root sources. On top of that training is never the key to all performance problems. Around 80% of performance obstacles are environment-connected. Developing occupation aptitudes will not advance these institutional issues (Yukl, 2002). Considerations should also include the personality type of the individual, the hopes and aspirations the person have within him/herself; and the type of institution that the individual is placed into-the subculture prevalent that influences the decision-making processes of all the people or constituents involve. All of which and more, are indispensable factors for consideration. Training, as most people assume about it, is concerned about developing particular skills. The function and relationship of preparation to the place of work is implied. Training dubbed as performance improvement has been the focus in instructional professional which includes solving performance problems to attain business results. Performance improvement covers skills training and considers other issues as well, such as does the organizational structure (decision making, supervision, feedback) sustain the workflow and are the environmental working situations (equipment, light, interruptions) suitable. The notion of performance improvement is frequently an easier sell to management and trainees than training for the reason that the emphasis moves from the person to overall performance of the organization. The ISD model, occasionally alternatively called Instructional Systems Development Model, consists of five phases, usually illustrated as analysis, objectives, design, delivery and evaluation. This training model is a methodical approach to managing human resources. Those who study and make use of that data in exclusive contexts are rightly described as professionals; in them lies the heart and soul of the profession. Abstract professional learning, on the other hand, can be infuriatingly difficult to classify. It expands past distinct responsibilities to embrace the combination of practice and insight. It requires rudiments of art as well as science. Transmitting abstract learning by means of instruction has parallel distinctiveness. Teaching in the professional education organization entails more than delivering subject matter. Good instruction is an art form in its own right. A first-class teacher can prevail over a poor curriculum, while a great curriculum will not replace with for a poor instructor. Industrial-age institutions look for routine and habit accomplished through standardized measures. Complex responsibilities are split into simple steps that are assigned to organizational positions to guarantee that employees are both interchangeable and effortlessly replaced. Bureaucratic hierarchies are likely to esteem proven evaluation of specific aspects of complex managerial tasks. In view of this, the picture of leadership is in reality changing as the image of organizations changes. Analysis ascertains those who require training and what skills or performance improvements are designated. Aims and goals set the restriction for the instructional outline and help attain the appropriate learning outcomes (Kincheloe, 1991). At the heart of any profession is a body of expertise and abstract knowledge that its members are expected to apply within its granted jurisdiction. Those who discover and utilize that knowledge in unique contexts are rightly described as professionals; in them lies the heart and soul of the profession. A good teacher can overcome a poor curriculum, while a great curriculum will not substitute for a poor teacher. In the industrial-age organizations seek routine and habit achieved through standardized procedures. Complex tasks are broken into simple steps that are assigned to organizational positions to ensure that employees are both interchangeable and easily replaced. Here are aspects of the systems analysis approach to education that are useful. There is nothing inherently harmful in developing competency lists, provided they are kept general in nature and viewed with the appropriate level of circumspection. Competency maps take on a wide variety of forms. The competencies might be called knowledge areas, skills, attributes, attitudes, components, tasks, traits, or simply competencies. Once identified, numbered, and listed, they are usually broken down into sub-components, which are also numbered, so they might be associated with the broader competency area or cluster of competencies. The mapping aspect comes into play when the competency areas are charted to training and educational objectives and events, and then ultimately to desired leadership behaviors. Competency mapping is chiefly appealing to analytically oriented decision makers. Advocates for aptitude and competency mapping stress that one can utilize a metric to determine the relative accomplishment of an individual competency that will predict success in associated leadership behaviors. Advocates refer to competency mapping as adaptive because the list and the educational experiences that match the competencies can continually be revised. Advocacy of competency mapping seems to be spreading. Its aim is to advance a blueprint, map, or matrix of desired skills, knowledge, attributes, and attitudes at various levels of the organization. The map is then used to direct recruiting, hiring, and training assessment. Competency mapping has gained a following in the human resources community and fashioned a cottage industry of business consultants and sellers who profess expertise in its application At the heart of list-based methods like competency mapping is a supposition that specific qualities such as motives, values, and skills can be acknowledged and reproduced through training and education, resulting in effectively led organizations. The roots of this approach lies in trait theories of leadership that correspond with Taylorism. Education scholars Joe F. Donaldson and Paul Jay Edelson have noted that â€Å"trait theory was developed in the first part of the twentieth century and took a psychological approach to specifying the personality traits of effective leaders. Although research has shown no relationship between individual traits and effectiveness, this approach still finds modern expression† (Donaldson Edelson, 2000). The trait approach has largely been supplanted by more sophisticated frameworks, yet leader competency mapping is proof positive that despite its dubious foundation the approach endures. Noted leadership author and scholar Gary Yukl has observed: â€Å"Early leadership theories attributed managerial success to extraordinary abilities such as tireless energy, penetrating intuition, uncanny foresight, and irresistible persuasive powers. Hundreds of studies were conducted during the 1930s and 1940s to discover these elusive qualities, but this massive research effort failed to find any traits that would guarantee leadership success. One reason for the failure was a lack of attention to intervening variables in the causal chain that could explain how traits could affect a delayed outcome such as group performance or leader advancement† (Yukl, 2004). Peter Northouse, author of Leadership: Theory and Practice observed the revival of an all-encompassing skills-based model of leadership distinguished by a map for how to reach efficient leadership in organizations (Porthouse, 2004). He recommended that the classification of specific skills which can be improved by training has an intuitive appeal: â€Å"When leadership is framed as a set of skills, it becomes a process that people can study and practice to become better at their jobs† (Northouse, 2004). He also suggests that although the skills-based approach claims not to be a trait model, it includes individual attributes that look a great deal like traits. The act of leadership is also an exercise of moral reasoning. In their book Unmasking Administrative Evil, Guy Adams and Danny Balfour caution against elevating the scientific-analytical mindset higher than all other forms of rationality. Even as the rise of â€Å"technical rationality led inevitably to specialized, expert knowledge, the very life blood of the professional,† it also â€Å"spawned unintended consequences in the areas of morals and ethics as the science-based technical rationality undermined normative judgments and relegated ethical considerations to afterthoughts† (Balfour, 2004). Distinguished scholar Ronald Heifetz on the other hand, developed a definition of leadership that takes values into account. He maintains that we should look at leadership as more than a means to organizational effectiveness. Efficiency means getting achievable decisions that execute the goals of the organization. â€Å"This definition has the benefit of being generally applicable, but it provides no real guide to determine the nature or formation of those goals. † (Heifetz, 1994). Heifetz went on to say that values such as â€Å"liberty, equality, human welfare, justice, and community† are inculcated with first-rate leaders (Heifetz, 1994). It is a necessity then, the infusion of these principles into the leader and from the leader into the organization. Reference: 1. Joe L. Kincheloe, Teachers as Researchers: Qualitative Inquiry as a Path to Empowerment (New York: Falmer Press, 1991), p. 77. 2. Draft US Army HR System Project Plan, Fort Leavenworth, Kans. , 21 January 2004. 3. Joe F.Donaldson and Paul Jay Edelson, â€Å"From Functionalism to Postmodernism in Adult Education Leadership,† in Handbook of Adult and Continuing Education, ed. Arthur L. Wilson and Elisabeth R. Hayes (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000), p. 193. 4. Gary Yukl, Leadership in Organization (5th ed. ; Upper Saddle River, N. J. : Prentice Hall, 2002). 5. Peter G. Northouse, Leadership Theory and Practice (Thousand Oaks, Calif. : Sage, 2004), pp. 35-52. 8. Guy B. Adams and Danny L. Balfour, Unmasking Administrative Evil (Armonk, N.Y. : M. E. Sharpe, 2004), pp. 31-36. 9. Ronald A. Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers (Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard Univ. Press, 1994), pp. 21-22. 10. R. L. Shaw and Dennis N. T. Perkins, in Tara J. Fenwick, â€Å"Putting Meaning into Workplace Learning,† in Handbook of Adult and Continuing Education, ed. Arthur L. Wilson and Elisabeth R. Hayes (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000), p. 296. 11. James G. March, A Primer on Decision Making, How Decisions Happen (New York: The Free Press, 1994), pp. 96-97.

College Sports - Women in Sports and Title IX Essay -- Argumentative P

Women in Sports and Title IX Since the 1972 conception of Title IX of the Education Amendments, the number of women participating in intercollegiate athletics has increased five-fold, from fewer than 30,000, to more 150,000 in 2001. However, more than 400 men’s athletics teams have been dismantled since Title IX, the law forbidding sex discrimination at institutions receiving federal funds, became law. Some would say this is due, in part, to Title IX enforcement standards like proportionality. Proportionality requires that an institution’s athletic population must be of an equal ratio to its general student body. Among some of the 400-plus teams dismantled by Title IX are several former Colorado State University teams including wrestling, baseball, gymnastics, men’s swimming and diving, and men’s tennis. CSU student athletes no longer sport the opportunity of participating in these activities at the NCAA Division I level, and the days of the student body rooting for their ram team s are gone, possibly forever. Now the search is on to find a solution to the problems associated with Title IX if, indeed, a solution is ultimately necessary. The debate over Title IX is a complex one, with many sides relentlessly attacking each other’s approaches regarding the law. The Title IX advocates, largely comprised of women’s organizations such as the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), take the approach that the law is the major reason women have achieved somewhat equal opportunities in athletics. The NWLC contends that abolishing Title IX would undo years of progress so far achieved. In sharp contrast with the Title IX advocates are the Title IX opponents, who are largely comprised of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (... ...as images of the gloried days past. Works Cited Coniff, Ruth. â€Å"Title IX: Political Football.† Nation Mar. 2003: 19. Davis, Michelle R. â€Å"Title IX Panel Contemplates Easing Proportionality Test.† Education Week 11 Dec. 2002: 22. Epstein, Richard A. â€Å"Just scrap Title IX.† National Law Journal 24 (2002): 35 Gable, Dan. â€Å"What to do with Title IX.† Sporting News Feb. 2003: 7. Robinson, J., Peg Bradley-Doppes, Charles M. Neinas, John R. Thelin, Christine A. Plonsky, and Michael Messner. â€Å"Gender Equity in College Sports: 6 Views.† Chronicle of Higher Education 6 Dec 2002: B7+. Salant, Jonathan D. â€Å"NCAA president opposes changes to Title IX anti-discrimination law.† Washington Dateline 4 Mar. 2003: Sports 1. Will, George F. â€Å"A Train Wreck Called Title IX.† Newsweek 27 May 2002: 82. â€Å"Women and sports.† Christian Science Monitor Apr. 1995: 20.

The Warriors of Ancient Sparta

The Warriors of Ancient Sparta Sparta, also known as Lacedaemon, was an ancient Greek city-state located primarily in the present-day region of southern Greece called Laconia. Life was very different in ancient Sparta than it was in the rest of ancient Greek city-states. The Spartans were proud, tierce, capable warriors. No great works ot art came out ot Sparta. But the Spartans, both men and women, were tough, and the Greeks admired strength.The population of Sparta consisted of three main groups: the Spartans, or Spartlates, who were full citizens; the Helots, or serfs/slaves; and the Perioeci, who were neither laves nor citizens. The Perioeci, whose name means â€Å"dwellers-around,† worked as craftsmen and traders, and built weapons for the Spartans. In Greek mythology the founder ot the city was Lacedaemon, a son ot Zeus, who gave hls name to the region and his wife's name to the city.Sparta was also an Important member of the Greek force which fought In the Trojan War. I ndeed, the Spartan king Menelaos started the war after the Trojan prince Paris kidnapped his wife Helen, offered to Paris by the goddess Aphrodite as a prize for choosing her in a beauty contest against fellow oddesses Athena and Hera. Helen was said to have been the most beautiful woman In Greece and Spartan women In general enjoyed a reputation not only tor good looks but also spirited Independence.All healthy male Spartan citizens participated In the mandatory state-sponsored education system, the Agoge, which emphasized obedience, endurance, courage and self-control, but more on that later. Spartan men devoted their lives to military service, and lived together well into adulthood. A Spartan was taught that loyalty to the state came before everything else, including nes tamlly. The Helots, whose name means â€Å"captives,† were fellow creeks, orlglnally from Laconia and Messenia, who had been taken over by the Spartans and turned Into slaves.The Spartans' way of life woul d not have been possible without the Helots, who did all the day-to-day tasks and unskilled labor required to keep society going: They were domestic servants, farmers, military attendants and nurses. Unlike such Greek city-states as Athens, a center for the arts, learning and philosophy. Sparta was tocused on a warrior culture. Male Spartan citizens were allowed only one ccupation: to be a solider. This lifestyle began early. Spartan boys started their military training at age 7, when they left home and entered the Agoge. The boys lived collectively under grim conditions.They were subjected to continual physical competitions (which could involve violence), given little to no rations and expected to become skilled at stealing food, among other survival skills Spartans, who were outnumbered by the Helots, often treated them cruelly and repressively In an ettort to prevent uprisings. Spartans would humiliate the Helots by doing such things as orcing them to get drunk on wine and then m ake fools of themselves In public. (This practice was also intended to demonstrate to young people how an adult Spartan should never act, as self-control was a prized trait. Methods of abuse could be far more extreme: Spartans were allowed to kill Helots for being too smart or too fit, among other reasons. The teenage boys who demonstrated the most leadership potential were selected for participation In the cryptela, which acted as a secret murder those who were troublemakers. At age 20, Spartan males became full-time oldiers, and remained on active duty until age 60. The Spartans' constant military drilling and discipline made them skilled at the ancient Greek style of fghting in a phalanx formation.In the phalanx, the army worked as a unit in a close, deep formation, and made coordinated mass maneuvers. No one soldier was considered superior to another. Going into battle, a Spartan soldier, or hoplite, wore a large bronze helmet, breastplate and ankle guards, and carried a round s hield made of bronze and wood, a long spear and sword. Spartan warriors were also known for their long hair and red cloaks. Spartan women had a reputation for being independent-minded, and enjoyed more freedoms and power than their counterparts throughout ancient Greece.While they played no role in the military, female Spartans often received a formal education, although separate from boys and not at boarding schools. In part to attract mates, females engaged in athletic competitions, including Javelin-throwing and wrestling, and also sang and danced competitively. As adults, Spartan women were allowed to own and manage property. Additionally, they were typically unencumbered by domestic responsibilities such as ooking, cleaning and making clothing, tasks which were handled by the helots.

Analysis of Anselm’s Ontological Argument Essay

This premise does not state that God’s strengths as this argument is to prove his existence, not whether or not God is all-powerful, all-knowing and all-good. The second premise means this greatest possible being is either an imaginary being that one has thought of or, a being that we not only is not only thought of but also exists. The third premise and its sub premises states because existing in reality is greater than existing in thought, then the God we have thought of exists in reality or there must be a greater, or more perfect, being that does exist and that being is God. This leads to the conclusion, if you accept the premises then you accept the existence of the greatest being possible, God. This concept of God’s existence is also led with the idea that God is a necessary being, a being that is not dependent of something greater in order to exist. If God relied on another being, like how a children rely on parents to conceive them, then this being called God is not God because it would be imperfect. Therefore, there must be another to call God that meets all the requirements for perfection. One of the first popular objections was created by Gaunilo of Marmoutiers. The premise and conclusion to Gaunilo’s argument is identical to Anselm’s argument except with the replacement of the word â€Å"God† with â€Å"the Lost island† and the word â€Å"being† with â€Å"island†. As simple as that, though Gaunilo’s argument is completely absurd, Gaunilo’s reductio ad absurdum also proves to be as deductively valid as Anselm’s argument. However, this â€Å"Lost Island† could in no way exist. The absurdity and validity of â€Å"the lost island† quickly brought up questions as to how Anselm’s Argument cannot be absurd. Anselm’s argument was not proven invalid until Immanuel Kant, a german philosopher during the 18th century, proposed an objection that would be the decisive blow to the Ontological argument (Immanuel Kant. Wiki). Kant’s objection is how existence is not a predicate (Mike, screen 25). A predicate is used to describe something the subject (this being God in Anselm’s Argument) is doing. In Aselm’s Argument, Anselm premise rely on that being conceived and existing in reality is something that describes God. This rationality does not follow because to exist or conceive does not describe the subject, it only tells us whether it exist or not. Much like how fictional characters do not exist, describing cartoon for example would tell us details of what this cartoon looks like, what its habits are and common antics it goes through, but not whether it exists or not. The question of existence must fall in a separate argument that does not define the character. As there are Arguments to prove God, there are debatable arguments to disprove the God. The First version of â€Å"The Argument from Evil† goes as follow: 1. If God were to exist, then that being would be all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good. 2. If an all-PKG existed, then there would be no evil. . There is evil. [Conclusion] Hence, there is no God (Sober, 109) The first premise is the definition of what God would be if he were to exist. That is a being that has the power to do anything, had knowledge of everything throughout the span of time and is in all ways good. The second premise is created with the first premise in mind. To expand on the second premise i t states, if God were all-powerful he could stop any form of evil from happening, if he is all knowing then he has knowledge of when evil will occur and if he is all-good then God would stop all evil from happening. If god cannot stop all evil from happening then the definition of God must be incorrect. He then must not be powerful enough to stop all evil, and/or he doesn’t know when evil until it has already occurred and/or good is not all good in that God does not wish to stop all evils. The third premise is stating the fact that there is evil in the world. The conclusion derived since that there is evil, then is what may be defined as God must be lacking in one or two of his qualities and therefore God, by definition, does not exist at all. In order for God to be compatible with evil, God must only allow the evils that would, in turn, lead to a greater amount of good and must take the route that leads to the least amount of evil to gain the greatest amount of good. The soul building defense was created in mind that evil and God co-exist in our world. The defense is that without any evil in the world, our souls would not nurture, or, understand the concept of evil. This defense does not hold true because there has been many evils in the world that seem unacceptable, even though it may have been for the purpose of soul building. God, and all-good being, would then only allow the evils that are essential in soul-building. This would only mean that evil that man commits against man. The reason for this is because anything that happens in nature exceeds soul-building essentials. Another defense is God having given us free will, humans ultimately are the causes of this evil. That is true but the common objection to this is that human do more than enough evil to ourselves, it is going too far to have God throw tornados, volcanic eruptions, and hurricanes at us too. At what point do human have such control over nature. The last defense is that God simply works in mysterious ways. Who can explain why natural events take so many lives and injure many others or why some children have to go through great deals of suffering and live through it? It is God’s way and ultimately, no matter how incomprehensible the evil is, it is for the greater good. Certainly the question to God’s existence has been pondered upon by philosophers for over a very long period of time with no progress as whether God exists or not. The ontological argument created by Anselm withstood a great deal of criticism until it was disproved by Kant over 600 years after the fact.

Colonization and Greed in Heart of Darkness essays

Colonization and Greed in Heart of Darkness essays Colonization and Greed in Heart of Darkness The book Heart of Darkness written by Joseph Conrad is a masterpiece in literature. Conrad obtained many of his perspectives for his work from `hands on experience' and also from his harsh background and childhood. When Conrad was still a child his father was exiled to Siberia because of suspicions on plotting against the Russian government. After his mother died, Conrad's father sent him to his mother's brother in Krakow for education purposes. This was the last time Conrad ever saw his father. After Conrad had turned seventeen, he traveled to Marseilles and spent the next twenty years on an English ship, (eight years later he became a British subject). Conrad began writing his first novel Almayer's Folly in 1889, and began to actively search for a way to fulfill his dream of traveling to the Congo. In 1890 Conrad took command of a steamship in the Belgian Congo. Conrad's experiences in the Congo paved the way and the outline for his brilliant novel Heart of Darkness. During his t ime in the Congo, Conrad's health took a devastating blow so he returned to England to recover. Returning to sea twice before finishing Almayer's Folly in 1894 Conrad wrote several other books including one about Marlow which was called Youth (a narrative before beginning Heart of Darkness in 1898). Conrad wrote most of his other major works Lord Jim (which features Marlow), Nostramo and The Secret Agent as well as several collaborations with Ford Madox during the following two decades. Conrad died in 1924 but will always have and hold a place in the hearts of many readers. In his book Heart of Darkness Conrad gives the reader an understanding of how the Africans were mistreated during colonization. The book also pinpoints many cases that show the greed and selfishness of imperialism. The evilness of how the Africans were treated is critiqued well in a quote "the men who work for the company describe what the...

Free sample - Principles of perception. translation missing

Principles of perception. Principles of perception1. The principle of figure and ground In this principle, the terms figure and ground are used to explain how people use the elements of the scene, which contain a similarity in shape and appearance and group them together as one whole entity. All similar elements (figure) tend to be perceptually contrasted with dissimilar elements (ground) in order to create the impression of a whole (Spelke 1993, p. 1490). For instance, in a picture of a lighthouse with blue horizontal lines, the lighthouse stands out as the figure, while the horizontal blue lines are perceived as the ground (Lohr 2000, p. 49). However, it is not always easy to separate visually the figure from the ground. Sometimes, creative artists may make drawings that illustrate how difficult it is to pick out the figure from the ground on which it is positioned. Psychologists have traditionally been using carefully designed art that plays around with the figure and ground in profoundly fascinating ways (Goldstein 2009, p. 298). In such works of art, the figure and ground appear to interchange. However, nature also provides perceptual intrigues that are difficult to point out without the use of the principle of figure and ground. In most cases, this takes the form of camouflage, whereby the principle facilitates the breakdown of figure and ground. The objective is always to make the figure seem like the ground so much it disappears from view. It is only with immense difficulty that one can separate a chameleon from the green leaf stalk on which it is perched. This is because the figure and ground have been merged together. This principle perfectly explains the tendency by some people in an organization to hide their true attributes mainly through pretense. A prospective employee who perceives his background to constitute an undesirable trait may suppress this negative attribute, by pretending to possess only the attributes that are needed for the job. For instance, they may claim to have associations with renowned professionals in a field for which the employer is seeking a job candidate. Employer may have to request for further information in order to determine whether the employees are telling the truth or not. 2. The principle of similarity, proximity, and continuity The principle of similarity indicates that objects that share visual characteristics like color, shape, texture, size, orientation or value are seen as belonging together. These features make similar objects create varying impressions, even though they are equidistant from those objects that are the odd ones out within the group. For instance, in a groups of small and large circles, the large circles will appear to belong together just because of the similarity in their size. The same thing will apply to the small circles. In terms of proximity, things that are closer together are regarded as belonging together. For instance, when horizontal rows made up of small circles are closer to each other than the vertical columns that they form, they are perceived as two vertical lines. In terms of continuity, it becomes easy to predict the preference for continuous figures. For instance, the image of a black cross is perceived as two crossed lines instead of four lines that meet at the center. The principle of similarity, proximity, and continuity explains the behavior of people within organizations, whereby individuals are judged according to the people they associate with (Ferguson 2004, p. 39). When people adopt mannerisms, habits, memberships in certain clubs and societies, likes, and dislikes that are typical of a given caliber of people, they are automatically classified in the same group with such people. The concept of proximity is used to determine the commonness of purpose among everyone within the organization, despite the various individual differences, personality traits, and personal interests among them. Similarly, the concept of continuity defines the disposition by people in an organization to appreciate success in its entirety without paying attention to personal sacrifices of certain individuals, exceptional transformational leadership qualities of the manager or some unethical behavior among some employees in efforts to achieve the desired outcome. Â   References Ferguson, M 2004, How social perception can automatically influence behavior, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 33-39. Goldstein, B 2009, Sensation and perception, Penguin Books, New York. Lohr, L 2000, ‘Three Principles of Perception for Instructional Interface Design’, Educational Technology, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 45-52. Spelke, E 1993, ‘Gestalt relations and object perception: a developmental study’ Perception, Vol. 22, No. 12, pp. 1483 – 1501.

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

Ethical dilemma - Essay Example agreement by society as to whether the decision to have an abortion should completely be on a medical basis without considering the rights of the unborn child. Many religions condemn the ending of life, especially of a defenseless unborn child. The Muslim faith sees life as sacred. The same applies to other religions and hence abortion is strongly condemned. In Kuwait, having an abortion is considered killing the unborn child mercilessly. However, when the life of the person carrying the pregnancy is in danger, the real moral issue as to whether to consider the unborn child as a real human being arises (Lindahl, 1999). Many Muslim faithful in Kuwait view the pregnancy as a person with a soul and hence should be respected as any other human being. In cases where the pregnancy was not planned, or birth control methods did not work, many potential mothers are left with the dilemma of deciding whether to carry the pregnancy to full term or to have an abortion. Reasons for such thoughts could be financial inability to care for the child or the shame of getting pregnant outside marriage. Many such women would opt to have an abortion to avoid the consequences of having to deal with such a pregnancy. Nevertheless, the thought of killing an innocent "child" with the potential of growing into a complete human being does not stop ringing in their minds thus such women are really troubled as to what is the best action to take. Society is bound to shame or completely reject them associating with other people because of such pregnancies, hence such women are forced to avoid such occurrences by having an abortion. On the other hand, their relationship with Allah never leaves them, placing them in very unsure situations as to what is the best way out of such a situation Nurses and doctors are not also left out in this never ending debate on abortion. A religious nurse or doctor might find himself or herself faced with a situation whereby chances of both the mother and unborn