Functional Area free essay sample

Children learn in many different ways, they are like little sponges that absorb everything. That’s why I keep some strategies that develop their cognitive skills. In order to keep children’s attention things around them must look interesting, so that can get their attention. It’s important to make them feel capable of doing new things, so they can be confident with themselves. I keep a strong communication with them so they know that there is someone caring so they get more interested on it. I provide them with tools they can use to discover new things. Asking and answering questions is important because that way I will know if the children are actually learning something. Competency Goal II To advance physical and intellectual competence. Functional Area 6: Communication To help children develop their communication and language I will encourage them to. Communicate with each other through activities and showing their feelings. We will write a custom essay sample on Functional Area or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I set up a dramatic play activity for children to interact with others while having fun. During closing circle time I talk to them asking open-ended questions and wait for them to answer. I also like to use songs for language development. For students whose home language is other than English I use different techniques, other songs that will be easier for them and at the same time they will be learning the new language. I also help children with delayed speech, I talk to them a lot and encourage them to participate and communicate with other children so they can improve their talking and language skills.

Learn the History of Bas-Relief Sculpture

Learn the History of Bas-Relief Sculpture A French term from the Italian basso-relievo (low relief), bas-relief (pronounced bah ree ·leef)  is a sculpture technique in which figures and/or other design elements are just barely more prominent than the (overall flat) background. Bas-relief is only one form of relief sculpture; figures created in high relief appear to be more than halfway raised from their background. Intaglio is another form of relief sculpture in which the sculpture is actually carved into material such as clay or stone. History of Bas-Relief Bas-relief is a technique as old as humankinds artistic explorations and is closely related to high relief. Some of the earliest known bas-reliefs are on the walls of caves. Petroglyphs  were treated with color, as well, which helped to accentuate  the  reliefs. Later, bas-reliefs were added to the surfaces of stone buildings constructed by ancient Egyptians and Assyrians. Relief sculptures can also be found in ancient Greek and Roman sculpture; a famous example is the Parthenon frieze featuring relief sculptures of Poseidon, Apollo, and Artemis. Major works of bas-relief were created around the world; important examples include the temple at Angkor Wat in Thailand, the Elgin Marbles, and images of the elephant, horse, bull, and lion at the Lion Capital of Asoka in India. During the Middle Ages, relief sculpture was popular in churches, with some of the most remarkable examples decorating Romanesque churches in Europe. By the time of the Renaissance, artists were experimenting with combining high and low relief. By sculpting foreground figures in high relief and backgrounds in bas-relief, artists like Donatello were able to suggest perspective. Desiderio da Settignano and Mino da Fiesole executed bas-reliefs in materials such as terracotta and marble, while Michaelangelo created higher-relief works in stone. During the 19th century, bas-relief sculpture was used to create dramatic works such as the sculpture on the Parisian Arc de Triomphe. Later, in the 20th century, reliefs were created by abstract artists. American relief sculptors drew inspiration from Italian works. During the first half of the 19th century, Americans began creating relief works on federal government buildings. Perhaps the best known American bas-relief sculptor was Erastus Dow Palmer, from Albany, New York.   Palmer had been trained as a cameo-cutter, and later created a great many relief sculptures of people and landscapes.   How Bas-Relief Is Created Bas-relief is created either by carving away material (wood, stone, ivory, jade, etc.) or adding material to the top of an otherwise smooth surface (say, strips of clay to stone).   As an example, in the photo, you can see one of Lorenzo Ghibertis (Italian, 1378-1455) panels from the East Doors (commonly known as the Gates of Paradise, thanks to a quote attributed to Michelangelo) of the Baptistery of San Giovanni. Florence, Italy. To create the bas-relief Creation of Adam and Eve, ca. 1435, Ghiberti first carved his design on a thick sheet of wax. He then fitted this with a covering of wet plaster that, once it had dried and the original wax had been melted out, made a fireproof mold into which liquid alloy was poured to recreate his bas-relief sculpture in bronze.

Deltic Timber Corporation Credit Analysis Research Paper

Deltic Timber Corporation Credit Analysis - Research Paper Example In line with this, it is recommended for the company to take up proactive strategic management options that will push its fortunes higher, especially when it comes to dealings with competitors. Currently, the company finds itself in a business environment where talks of monopoly are far from the argument. Due to this, the greatest hindrance faced by the company has been found to be that of the creation of a competitive advantage. Using a strategic management option that will make the company the focus of customers is thus the saving path for the company in years to come. Indicative with the ratios of the company given in the paper, it would be realised that the company continue to have high debt financing, which creates a decline for profit utilisation. This means that even though revenues are high, these are hardly translated into profits because of higher debts and other expenses. 1.0 Organizational Overview Listed on the New York Stock Excahnge, Deltic Timber Corporation engages i n forestry industry where its major activities include the ownership and management of timberland. The specialisation that the company gives to this venture has resulted in the useful management of 445,800 acres of timberland over the past years. As a means of gaining diversification in its core business operation, which is the ownership and management of timberland, the company also owns two sawmills and is actively involved in real estate1. This said diversification has been the main source of financial capitalisation for the company because it has always been offered the opportunity of internally funding the running of its parent operations using revenues from diversified business. Currently, the company is headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas. The market segment of the company has largely been focused on Arkansas and north Louisiana with very limited external and international markets. This situation comes with its own advantages and disadvantages for the company but the company has largely tried to live within its means of operations. This report is thus focused on critiquing the current credit situation of the company and offer recommendations. 2.0 Corporate Segment Deltic Timber Corporation’s corporate segment is reflected in its total asset as represented in the graph below. Generally, there are four segments that the company emphasises on. These are manufacturing segment, which takes 9% of total asset, corporate business, which is responsible for 7% of total asset, real estate, which accounts for 17% of the total asset, and woodlands, which take the highest portion of 68% of total revenue2. It is important to establish that the percentage gain of total assets as given above is not a direct reflection of the percentage of focus or corporate segment that the company gives to the various segment. Rather, the figures given above are a result of the contributions of gains that the various segments make to the company’s total asset. For instan ce in the 2012 Annual Report of the company, it was established that even though manufacturing is responsible for 9% of total assets, the company actually gives higher corporate segmentation focus to that segment than it gives to real estate, which earns the company 17% of its total assets. 3.0 SWOT Analysis 3.1 Strengths The company has an effective internally generated funding policy that is motivated by the fact that there are diversifying businesses that are managed under the franchise of Deltic Timber Corporation. The company has kept a very steady rise in revenues and operating incomes, making it have a very strong competitive engagement with its key competitions. 3.2 Weaknesses The company lacks

Discuss the microbial production of non Beta lactam antibiotics Assignment

Discuss the microbial production of non Beta lactam antibiotics - Assignment Example Actinomycetes are bound with bacteria in the same class of Schizomycetes but confined to the order Actinomycetales (Kumar et al., 2005). The actinomycetes are a group of bacteria which possess many important as well as interesting features. They have substantial value as producers of antibiotics and of other therapeutically useful compounds. They exhibit various ranges of life cycles which are unique among the prokaryotes and appear to play a major role in the cycling of organic matter in the soil ecosystem (Veigaet al., 1983). Thus it holds a prominent position due to their diversity and proven ability to produce new compounds, because discovery of novel antibiotic and non-antibiotic lead molecules through microbial secondary metabolite screening is becoming increasingly important. They are unicellular likewise bacteria, but they also produce mycelium which is non septate (coenocytic) and more slender, like true bacteria they do not have distinct cell wall and their cell wall is without chitin and cellulose (commonly present in the cell wall of fungi). Unlike slimy distinct colonies of true bacteria which grow quickly on culture media actinomycetescolonies show slow gowth, show powdery consistency and firmly stick to agar surface. They produce hyphae and conidia or sporangia like fungi. Some Actinomycetes whose hyphae undergo segmentation resembles bacteria, both by morphologically and physiologically. Actinomycetes are numerous and widely distributed in soil, compost etc and are next tobacteria in abundance. Plate count estimates gives value ranging from 10^4 to 10^8 per gram of soil. They are sensitive to acidity or low pH (optimum pH range is within 6.5 to 8.0) and waterlogged soil conditions. As we go deep into the soil, the population of actinomycetesincr eases. They are aerobic (requires oxygen), heterotrophic (cannot make its own food) and mesophilic (25-30Â ºC) organisms and some

Why did the U.S. government target Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 Research Paper

Why did the U.S. government target Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 - Research Paper Example Why did the United States choose to bomb Japan, and what factors led to the targeting of these particular cities, and the consequential high loss of human life? One argument for this use of deadly force is that the United States wanted to end the war with Japan quickly, before the planned invasion which was to occur a few months later. The bombs acted as a show of strength, as well as devastating the resources of the cities that were targeting and dealing a severe blow to the morale of the Japanese people. Understanding the factors that influenced the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki is important, as the world is currently in a nuclear age, where many countries have nuclear capability but other countries do not. Additionally, understanding the behavior of the United States, and what influenced the decisions that occurred during this period is crucial, as the United States currently exists as the primary world superpower. This essay discusses the factors that drove the United States to use nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with the focus that these attacks were focused on the nuclear weapons in Japan, rather than the citizens. How are nuclear weapons currently perceived? Nuclear weapons are extremely powerful, and have the ability to decimate cities, destroying buildings and killing people with no prior warning and no method of defense (Krieger 2003, 3) The devastation that occurred from Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Criticisms Of Ayers Logical Positivism And Logical Positivism

Criticisms Of Ayers Logical Positivism And Logical Positivism Ayer published Language, Truth Logic in 1936 when he was only 26 years of age. He was a part of the Vienna Circle; who were notoriously known for their philosophy of logical positivism. Logical positivism is a philosophical theory that holds meaningful only those non-tautological propositions that can be analyzed by the tools of logic into elementary propositions or are empirically verifiable. It therefore rejects metaphysics, theology, and sometimes ethics as meaningless  [1]  . In Language, Truth Logic, Ayer puts forth his own version of the verification principle. It is by this principle of verification in which these philosophers, including Ayer, assess whether or not propositions are meaningful. Furthermore it is by the principle of verification and the idea of the analytic-synthetic distinction in which the heart Ayers philosophy rests. Analytic propositions are propositions that are true or false in virtue of their meaning alone and synthetic propositions are proposition s that are true or false in virtue of how the world is. Ayers logical positivist position and principle of verification is faulty and unreliable as shown by many criticisms ranging from self-refuting nature of the principle of verification to the collapse of the analytic-synthetic distinction by Quine. To begin with, Ayers principle of verification goes as follows: a sentence is factually significant to any given person, if, and only if, he knows how to verify the proposition which it purports to express that is, if he knows what observations would lead him, under certain conditions, to accept the proposition as being true, or reject it as being false. If, on the other hand, the putative proposition is of such a character that the assumption of its truth, or falsehood, is consistent with any assumption whatsoever concerning the nature of his future experience, then, as far as he is concerned, it is, if not a tautology, a mere pseudo proposition. The sentence expressing it may be emotionally significant to him; but it is not literally significant.  [2]   In other words, a proposition is factually significant if it is a tautology or if it is possible to be empirically observed under conditions that would allow it to be rendered true or false. By wording it this say Ayer allows propositions such as there is oxygen on the planet Uranus to have factual significance because it could be possible under the right conditions to test that claim. However a claim such as God is omniscient does not have any factual significance and is nonsense in Ayers view, because it could never be verified due to God being outside of our experience. The same fate goes that of ethics and aesthetics by following Ayers principle of verification. By following this principle, one cannot say that the Mona Lisa is beautiful or that Murder is wrong because you cannot verify those things empirically. Also by assuming the Verification Principle it follows that scientific laws are meaningless statements, and are empty of informational content. The Verification Principle rules out all scientific laws, and therefore the whole of science. However Ayer tries to allow for such things as scientific laws by making a distinction between strong verification and weak verification. Strong verification refers to statements which are directly verifiable, that is, a statement can be shown to be correct by way of empirical observation. Weak verification refers to statements which are not directly verifiable but instead highly probable by means of empirical observation. However, the phrase highly probable introduces a sense of subjectivity. If one can allow for such things as scientific laws as meaningful due to them being highly probable then one can allow for such things as ethics as meaningful depending on whether you think the evidence at hand is enough to deem it highly probable. An additional criticism can be made here in regards to what is meant by empirically observable. By observable do we mean with the naked eye? If so, the concept of cells must then fal l to weak verification. However even if what was meant by observable allowed for such things as microscopes so that we did actually observe cells then what about the things in which we cannot observe at all such as black holes? We all believe there are such things as black holes but we cannot actually observe them but rather we observe the effects of black holes. Therefore, so to must black holes then fall to weak verification. Furthermore it is solely by seeing what follows from this principle of verification that one would desire to reject it. The greatest objection to the principle is that it is too much of a double edged sword; it cuts more good out of the world than it does bad. American philosopher and mathematician, Hilary Putnam, puts forth the argument that making a strong and weak distinction or an observational and theoretical distinction is meaningless. Putnam argues that making such a dichotomy is a problem from the start with four objections: something is referred to as observational if it is observable directly with our senses. An observation term cannot be applied to something unobservable. If this is the case, there are no observation terms. So to use the term observational in regard to anything we try to verify indirectly is in itself a mistake. The term is being applied inappropriately and the result is the conclusion of there being no observational terms. Some unobservable terms are not even theoretical and belong to neither observation terms nor theoretical terms. Some theoretical terms refer primarily to observation terms. This is to say that there is no clear distinction always. Reports of observation terms frequently contain theoretical te rms. Again he is collapsing the distinction here. A scientific theory may not contain any theoretical terms.  [3]   In conclusion Putnam states that following the previous objections there cannot be a distinction of observational (strong) and theoretical (weak) verification. A more moderate criticism to be made of Ayers principle of verification specifically comes from Karl Popper in his essay Science as falsification. One important fact to know about Popper is that Popper believed that scientific knowledge is provisional. That is to say, it is the best we can do at the moment. While Ayers principle of verification holds that meaningful statements are only those non-tautological propositions that can be analyzed by the tools of logic into elementary propositions or are empirically verifiable; Popper argues that such a method of verification is too strong a criterion for science and instead argues that the criterion of the scientific status of a theory is its falsifiability, or refutability, or testability.  [4]   Instead of the method of verification being whether or not a statement is empirically observable, the method instead is whether or not it can be falsified. One should not try to confirm a theory as the logical positivists try to but one shou ld try to falsify it. Instead one should operate by a method of deductive reasoning. Popper states, Every good scientific theory is a prohibition: it forbids certain things to happen. The more a theory forbids, the better it is.  [5]   Following from Poppers theory of falsifiability, the more predictions a theory makes, the better it is. The strength of Poppers method is solely that it did not use inductive inference as the positivists method of verification did and therefore Poppers method did not accompany the philosophical problems that come with the positivists method and Poppers method, while being riddled with its own problems, did not claim statements to be meaningless but instead unscientific for the time being. Another means of criticism features Ayers principle itself is its own demise. When considering the principle of verification a question comes to mind. How is it that the principle of verification is verified? The answer cannot be. The principle cannot verify itself. We could test the principle empirically but to do so we need an independent test for meaningfulness. If we dont have an independent test for meaningfulness then we cant test the verification principle to see if the hypothesis fits the data. Therefore, nothing verifies the principle of verification. If the principle itself cannot be verified then it is of no importance. It is nothing less than self-refuting and the whole of logical positivism collapses upon itself. A popular rebuttal to this objection is that the verification principle is more of a meta-theory rather than a theory and does not need to be verified as it is on a different level than that of theories. Any theory could be called a meta-theory just by saying so and then avoid self refuting criticism. By saying a theory is above other theories and does not need verification does not make it so. This is nothing short of a bias for the principle and not true inquiry. Carrying on from this idea that the verification principle is more of a meta-theory is the rebuttal to be made by the logical positivists that argues logical positivism is a philosophy of science and not an axiomatic system that can prove itself. However while it may not be presented as an axiomatic system that can prove itself, it is still an axiom. It is an assertion of a way to determine meaning that is not able to be proved correct. The principle of verification requires other axioms to establish the criteria of experiential proof as a prior condition, and they cannot be proven experientially or otherwise either without begging the question. Therefore, the principle of verification is meaningless. One of the strongest criticisms to be made, if not the strongest criticism to be made, against Ayers logical positivism was made by W.V.O. Quine in his essay Two Dogmas of Empiricism. Quines Two Dogmas is often cited as one of the most important works of twenty century philosophy. Quine argued that testing a meaning were holistic and by holistic what is meant that you cannot test ideas alone by themselves. When one tests one idea you test every idea that is connected to that idea also. For example, if one tested a certain hypothesis and the data that returned was not that was to be expected that would not conclude that the hypothesis is false because something may have went wrong in testing the hypothesis. The method by which one is testing may itself be flawed and not the hypothesis. However we assume that the methods by which we are testing by are correct. These assumptions could very well be incorrect and not the hypothesis. One might argue that we can then test these assumed idea s that we have but there is no practical way that we could test all of our assumed ideas that we have while testing a hypothesis without running into an infinite regress. Quine argues that there is no scientific way to make sense of the analytic-synthetic distinction and this is the first of the two dogmas. If Quine is correct in this holism then we also test our analytic belief. However analytic beliefs are supposed to be immune from empirical testing according to Ayer! Quine argues that we have a web of beliefs in which all of our beliefs make contact with the world through experience which is to say our analytic beliefs are indeed subject to falsification. For example when testing a hypothesis such as Grass is green, we are not just testing that, we are testing everything that this idea is connected to. If it turns out that grass is not green we might revise one of our other hypotheses such as are our eyes working properly or are we looking at grass. Even analytic beliefs may be revised as such has happened in modern physics with quantum physics and non-Euclidean geometry. It is not impossible to revise our analytic beliefs and if we are testing these and they are not true by definition and are by experience then the analytic-synthetic distinction collapses which is fatal for logical positivists such as Ayer. To summarize, as a logical positivist, Ayer held to a principle of verification that stated a proposition is factually significant if and only if it is a tautology or if it is possible to be empirically observed under conditions that would allow it to be rendered true or false. This principle of verification is not only an impractical philosophy to follow due to its renouncement of ethics, aesthetics and science but it is also a self-refuting one due to the principle of verification being unable to be verified and not being a tautology. It is because of these reasons that Ayers principle of verification and logical positivism as a whole be rejected.

Reactions to Death in Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying :: Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying

Reactions to Death in Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying Eventhough As I lay Dying is a story revolved around the death of a mother, Addie Bundren, the true content of the story develops from information given to the audience through a multitude of narrators. The relationship between each family member and their association with Addie's death differentiates from person to person. Through her husband, Anse, we are introduced to his philosophy that man should keep stationary. Anse explains, "The lord put roads for travelling; why he laid them down flat on the Earth. When he aims for something to be always a-moving, he makes it long ways, like a road or a horse or a wagon, but when he aims for something to stay put, He makes it up and down ways, like a tree or a man" (24). In comparing a tree to a man, Anse feels that eventhough alive, man was not created to move about. This idea exhibits a lack of suspense within Anse, which may or may not have been Annie's desire to have an affair which lead to the birth of her child Jewel. Interestingly, A nse contradicts his own beliefs to fullfill his wife's wishes to be layed to rest next to her own family. This act can also be seen as selfish when Anse really desires a new set of teeth. Other narrators's ideas on life are presented through the death of Annie. For example, DArl represents seperation from the rest of the world. Riding with Jewel, DArl suggests that, "It takes two people to make you, and one people to die. That's how the world is going to end" (27). In this thought, Darl explains that even though a person is created by the life of two people, in the end, that life will die on its own. The fact that Darl is so open to talk about his surety of Annie's approaching death, distinguishes him from Jewel or Dewy Dell, who cannot speak about it. Darl therefore is an outcast of the family, which is later explained by his participation in the war. By writing As I Lay Dying through the thoughts of a variety of narrators, William

Experience & self awareness Essay

In addition to my work experience, I have strong communication, customer service, office, and administrative skills and understand with the education theory from some of my modules I completed and have so much passion for the hospitality/tourism field. I am more than happy to learn new skills as this will help me gain experience for my future career and would be thrilled to work for a successful firm like Holiday Inn. Furthermore I can assure you my service will be of benefit ,I certainly look forward to hearing back from you soon. 1. Kathy lacked sufficient emotional intelligence to be effective in her new project manager assignment by Self awareness: Kathy had a deep understanding of her strength not her weakness to have time to talk to her staff. There was also lack of empathy as she failed to have the â€Å"ability to recognise the feelings and expectations of others and take them into consideration† as they were also local residents. Poor relationship with the staff resulted to â€Å"a campaign of passive resistance to her leadership†. 2. The element she exhibit successfully were: †¢Motivation: although the project became quickly bogged due to poor performance she still managed to motivate herself and â€Å"pushed her team hard†. Also by settling goals for staff and senior members of the project to â€Å"work long hours† to accomplish important milestones in order to complete the assignment. B. Main methods of communication include: Verbal communication either through sound, work or speaking to other members of the project or recorded clips of the senior members. Also Written communication either emailing or letters with the use of computers and internet for emails. In addition visual communication through graphs from excel or video clips on YouTube or television therefore contributing to the IT and applications. C. 5 Traits of emotional intelligence me: Self awareness: In high school was given a presentation on Kidneys, a sensitive topic managed to trust my intuition& took control of my emotions as that was my weakness. Self regulation: one of my cousins used my bag without asking, i had to think of how I was going to talk to them instead of fighting. Motivation: When given 2 or more assignments during college treated myself if i finished a day before the deadline& the days increased as the year progressed. Empathy: when my friend lost her job& i had just got a job I helped her with some of her bills as I had been in a similar situation before. Social skills: I managed to build a good relationship with my new workmates as well as maintaining one with my friends and family.

Then and Now Essays

Then and Now Essays Then and Now Essay Then and Now Essay Now and Then Interview â€Å"Times sure have changed† is a quote that comes to mind when thinking of the different between being an adolescent today compared to being an adolescent sixty years ago. To find out more about the differences I was able to speak with a male, currently age 82, and a female age 18. I am familiar with both of these individuals one, a close friend of the family, and my cousin’s daughter was able to answer some questions for me also. These two people both grew up in the United States. The eighty-two year old lived in Kentucky as an adolescent. The eighteen year old currently resides in Arkansas. Times have changed and I learned a little about just how much in speaking with my willing participants. These two people from such different times in this country taught me quite a bit about how things are different than they were sixty years ago. When speaking with the elderly gentleman I found he spoke of his adolescents as a working time in his life. He wasn’t able to attend high school because World War II started. His father owned a saw mill and needed help making railroad ties for the government. He gave up going to school for working six days a week, 10 hour days in the saw mill, in addition to the home chores he had to do before and after work to help keep his household going. This compares drastically to the current adolescent I spoke to. Things are much different today in age than they were back then. The adolescent of today is graduating high school this month, where she was able to take medical classes along with her college prep classes. This subject works 25-30 hours per week at a local fast food restaurant, but by her own choice. One major difference between these two besides the importance of education is that the eighty-two year old did not get paid a wage to work 50 hours a week. He worked to help out his family, not to earn a wage. This gentleman was content to be given enough money to go the movies most weekends. He didn’t expect to receive a paycheck for the work he did. In speaking with the elderly individual I didn’t get a feeling that working at such a young age adversely affected his vocational identity. He worked because it was what he had to do. Working from such a young age in his home doing mandatory chores, and additionally having to work outside the home to help his father gave him a strong work ethic. Even though he is retired, this gentleman still lives alone, owns three vehicles, which he does all basic maintenance himself. Reading from the text book on page 419, the author makes it seem that working at a young age can harm an adolescent. This goes against my personal beliefs and what I found in doing these interviews, going to school and working helped both of my interview subjects, and from my own personal experience, it gave even me a better sense of responsibility and expectation for becoming an adult. From questions about school and job situations I moved into asking these individuals about the relationships they have or had with their parents. Neither subject spoke of conflicts with their parents. They both shared that their parents trust them to make correct decisions. The elderly man shared that his community was small, so his parents would warn that if he did something wrong it would get back to them. He claimed that he and his siblings knew to â€Å"just be a good citizen,† and if they did something wrong not only would their parents find out, but neighbors would correct them verbally if they were found to do something inappropriate, â€Å"it was a neighborhood kind of thing. When speaking to the current adolescent she shared that her household rules include only a curfew, dressing appropriately, not being allowed to be home alone with her boyfriend, or have him in her bedroom. Other than not being permitted to do drugs or alcohol, she said her father doesn’t place as many restrictions on her because he knows he can trust her to make good decisions. It seems both people were able to gain the trust and re spect of their parents by the time they were adolescence, keeping the conflict that can arise to a minimum. From conflicts in the home we spoke about what types of activities they do/did in their free time. This doesn’t seem to have changed much over the years. Both said they would just hang out with their friends wherever they were able to. Sixty years ago it was more outside and at Church. Today with transportation being easier things have shifted some to being â€Å"at each other’s houses, going to the mall, (we go to) Wal-Mart a lot. † Per the conversation I had with the youth of today. Though the locations are different, the time spent is similar enough. Peer selection was based on who they went to school or Church with, who was around them on a regular basis to gain that friendship with. I did notice that the current teenager shared she has had several boyfriends, where the elderly man advised he didn’t have a girlfriend until he was able to get a car of his own, which wasn’t until he was in his 20’s. This makes it appear that transportation makes dating easier. Though, he did share that walking a girl home from Church â€Å"was special. The actions are different from sixty years ago to today when adolescents spend free time with each other, but that’s to be expected with transportation and the amount of activities available increasing with technology. In closing, I found that both interview subjects were helpful in showing how the experience of being an adolescent has changed from sixty years ago to today. People still react to the environment around them. If a child is raised in a home where work is ex pected and no other option is given, they will most likely become a hard worker. Gender roles have changed and both people I spoke with mentioned something about how things are different now for women. It used to be women took care of the household, so when the eighty-two year old got married he expected his wife to stay home and take care of the house as his mother had. When she got a part time job after their kids were in school, he was upset by it, but allowed it. The young lady I spoke to provides money to her father for her vehicle payment, for her use of a cellular phone, and to help pay for their cable bill. She plans to attend college and become a teacher, which is the career she has chosen for herself. This is something she will expect any future spouse to be accepting of. Times have changed, and the roles men and women play have changed also. I learned more than I thought I would, but also found that some things haven’t changed, and I hope they never do. References Berger, K. S. (2008). The developing person through the life span, 7th edition. New York, NY: Worth, P, 416-425. Lambert, A. (2010, April 27). Telephone interview. Picklesimer, E. (2010, May 1). Telephone interview.

Essay on Morality Research of Moral Pluralism Based on 3 Principles

Essay on Morality Research of Moral Pluralism Based on 3 Principles The greatest gift of human rationality is morality. The establishment of morality is based on the recognition that every human has a general set of basic needs to lead a life free of physical and psychological suffering. In Moral Relativism, Moral Diversity and Human Rights, James Kellenberger addresses different sorts of theories of morality, such as moral absolutism, moral pluralism, and moral relativism. Before I take any position on the issues raised by the differences between these various approaches, I need to offer a definition of morality. Morality, in the context of these different kinds of theories, can be defined only descriptively in relation to its purpose and to its function. Metaphysical questions such as Is morality an absolute truth? (which are not in the scope of this essay) are in fact, beyond comprehension by mere reasoning and argumentation. People can only try to provide different answers based on their own assumptions, faiths, experiences and intuitions. Thus, morality, in the most practical sense, is a tool or way of life used to promote the common good of human beings and eliminate harmful actions that bring negative consequences in life, goals based on the principle of reciprocity and empathy, and a set of universally recognized human needs and capabilities. In line with such grounding, I find that among different types of moral theories, moral pluralism can best serve the universal needs and well being of human kind. Pluralism recognizes that there is a plurality of moral points of view, and affirms that, among many moral points of view, no one is clearly superior to another. Yet, it insists on a certain set of context-independent values and an objectivity in judging value conflicts that is not determined by groups conventions or individual attitudes. However, the pluralistic nature of this theory and the fact that no complete objectivity is possible could be sources of its fallacies when it is put into practice. No one can be completely objective in their judgments because every human being possesses different perceptions and principles of life that contribute to personal bias. Thus, to avoid these possible sources of error, moral pluralism needs to be governed by three principles: 1) an unambiguous categorization of moral values, 2) the establishment of a minimalist common ground, and 3) a flexibility with regard to the prioritization of moral values. A clear and unambiguous categorization of values that are strictly moral in nature is essential as the founding basis of moral pluralism. Moral values should be strictly distinguished from other categories of values such as cultural norms or community values. Moral values, in their essence, should be geared only towards the goal of fulfilling universal needs of well being that are not governed by cultural practices or norms. For example, the prohibition against arbitrary killing can safely be categorized as a moral value. However, values such as that women are supposed to wear dresses can only be categorized as cultural norms. Even socio-political values like unity and collectivity are only conventional and cannot be strictly termed as moral values. The lack of strict categorization of moral values, I believe, is one of the biggest problems to be resolved even before the debates between different moral theories can continue. One common flaw among several forms of moral relativism is the failure to draw such clear distinctions between different categories of values. For instance, conventionalist relativism claims that secondary values are considered as relative and are dependent on conventions or social norms. In this context, secondary values are no longer strictly moral, but adulterated by other categories of values which are non-moral. Similarly, perspectivist relativism proposes that primary values have associated benefits and harms' that may be physiological (e.g., food and nature), psychological (e.g., love and humiliation), and social (e.g., respect and exploitation). It is easy to see that there are very blurry lines between physiological needs, social values, and moral values. In Problems of Moral Philosophy, Ralph Barton Perry addresses the phenomenon of arbitrary categorization of values by pointing out a distinction between the question: What does value mean? and the question: What things have value? Analogously, the statement that peace is a condition in which societies abstain from the use of violence in settling their disputes is different from the statement that the world is (or is not) now at peace. Too often, because of such an ambiguity in distinguishing the nuances between definitions, cultural beliefs and physical needs are arbitrarily lumped into subcategories of moral values. Equivocal overlapping of cultural values, community values, and moral values only jeopardizes the applicability of moral pluralism. Such a failure encourages abuse of the theory to justify actions for pure individual interests or social conventions. For example, in Jordan, women are tortured in the name of committing immoral acts when they are found to be talking to male strangers, even though the action of talking to male stranger could be intrinsically non-moral. Thus, it is important to draw a clear boundary between pluralistic moral values and other categories of values, such as cultural pluralism or religious pluralism. The establishment of a minimalist common ground is another important principle in the application of moral pluralism. A minimalist common ground requires that ethics be reduced to its most basic elements, those that are required for every human to behave ethically. Such a methodology is crucial especially in response to a pluralist society today. Before I further reinforce my claim, it is important to recognize a limit of the theory of minimalist ethics. One of the possible fallacies of minimalist ethics is that it implies that an action is ethical as long as it does not hurt anybody. The simplistic and consequentialist nature of this school of ethics provides loopholes for actions done for pure self-interest that indirectly bring negative consequences for others. Thus, the minimalist approach should only be interpreted as a methodology, not as a moral guidance. It is imperative that the minimalist ground should not be manipulated as the sole justification for all kinds of actions. How should a minimalist common ground be established to reinforce the applicability of moral pluralism? We should recognize that no single individual or group has precisely the same perception of truth and reality due to the differences in religious faith, personal experience and other factors. Just as cognitive relativism embraces moral relativism, cognitive diversity promotes different applications of moral values. In moral pluralism, the stress on certain context-independent values requires a certain level of cognitive agreement. To achieve such an agreement, it is pertinent to use a minimalist approach to establish a limit to the scope of acceptable moral grounds among diverse cultures. Such a limit signifies the line between ungrounded perspective (such as superstitions) and rational logic that is based on empirical examination and truths. The truths that are derived empirically, when combined with rationality and universally recognized moral values, form a solid minimalist grou ndwork. William James, a modern advocate of pragmatism, synthesizes the best elements of Empiricism and Idealism. He opposes the prevailing notion of his academic colleagues that only scientific methods can lead to an understanding of the human condition, yet, criticizes any extreme reliance on logic as the sole basis of philosophical truth. In line with his philosophy, the powerful combination of empirical truth and philosophical logic excludes ungrounded practices that are against common humanity. For example, in Southern Sudan, the practice of sacrificing the spear master by the Dinkas became completely unjustified when the tribe survived after the practice was outlawed. Thus, cognitive or cultural perceptions, which deviate from the examined truth and accepted rationality, should be excluded from the common ground. Apart from that, to ensure moral progress, the common ground requires that context-independent values not only supercede cultural practices, but also serve to reform the culture itself. Such a purpose should not be misunderstood as a form of ethnocentrism, which is the point of view that ones own way of life is to be preferred to all others. As John Kekes explains, for pluralism, moral progress occurs with a closer approximation of valued possibilities not just for one particular point of view but for humanity as a whole. Thus, in conclusion, moral pluralism needs a realistic common ground that is based on human beings basic needs, rationality and empirically examined truth. A flexibility with regard to the prioritization of moral values is another principle that should be emphasized to ensure that the goal of the common good be achieved. In Morality, Diversity and Human Rights, Kellenberger explains, For monismtheres only one and only one true ranking. For pluralism, there is a plurality of reasonable rankings in the light of different equally reasonable conceptions of good life. Thus, values that are prioritized in moral pluralism should be distinguished from the pre-established overriding values in moral absolutism or moral monism. The central claim of moral pluralism that there is not a single moral value that is superior to others, should not be seem as justifying the claim that there is no possibility of assigning priority among different moral values according to different contexts. The prioritization of moral values requires an ability to perceive the greatest good and act wisely. Admittedly, such an approach tends to borrow a shade of pragmatism the doctrine that a statement is true and meaningful according to the practical results that would be experienced if that statement were acted upon. However, it is important to recognize that such a flexibility should not be equalized with the extreme form of pragmatism, which normally involves an attempt to wipe out the distinction between different kinds of truths. For a pragmatist, an action is not true because it corresponds to reality; therefore, there is no need to worry what sort of reality that makes that action the right one to perform. Moral pluralism has its metaphysical forms and does not deny the distinction between objective reality and ultimate reality. A flexibility in prioritizing moral values is an antidote of the Kantian principle of the absolute moral law or the assumption of an absolute moral law. The French  utilitarian Benjamin Constant asks Kant to consider whether, in Kants mind, it would not be right to lie to a murderer who asks whether ones friend, who he means to kill, is hiding in ones house. Kant sticks with his opinion and responds that To be truthful (honest) in all declarations, therefore, is a sacred and absolutely commanding decree of reason, limited by no expediency,16 including human life. Such an over-rigid adherence to a single moral  value. Truthfulness defeats the whole purpose of  morality to promote good and eliminate evil. In Absolutism and Its Consequentialist Critics, Joram Graf Haber holds the position that one should be truthful to the murderer under whatsoever circumstances. He argues: If by telling a lie you have prevented murder, you have made yourself legally responsible for all the conseq uences; but if you have held vigorously to the truth, public justice can lay no hand on you, whatever the unforeseen circumstances may be. To me, it is not reasonable to cause an atrocity simply to avoid public responsibility. In fact, to achieve the greater good, it is justified that an individual ould prioritize his or her responsibilities to prevent inhumane acts and protect the good (innocence), with due consideration of the risks and possible consequences. It is important to make a clear distinction between the concept of the greater good, as employed in this theory of ethics, and that of the same term in utilitarianism. In utilitarianism, no actions are intrinsically right or wrong as long as the goal of an action is to achieve the greatest happiness. John Stuart Mill, in Utilitarianism, says, The creed which accepts as the foundation of morals, Utility, or the Greatest Happiness Principle, holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. In the concept of prioritizing moral values, one important basis is preserving the goodness and eliminating the evil. Happiness or pleasure is not the sole and ultimate motivation of action. In conclusion, moral pluralism stands out among all types of moral theories presented by Kellenberger. Understanding Kants concept that we will never be able to see the noumena but can only base our principles upon phenomena, I refuse to embrace moral absolutism. This theory leaves the question of what absolute moral command is founded on open and unanswered. Yet, the nature of moral relativism as over-tolerating (all perspectives are equally valid), makes it unrealistic and dysfunctional in reaching the goal of the common good of human kind. This theory denies the fact that judgements are crucial in ensuring social order and harmony. Among all categorizations of moral theories, only moral pluralisms reasonable balance of objectivity, diversity and universality ensures its survival in different cultural, social and spiritual contexts. However, there are still some possible sources of error when moral pluralism is applied in daily life, such as the impossibility of claiming total obje ctivity and the lack of a clear categorization of values that are intrinsically moral. Thus, the three principles proposed above, namely, the unambiguous categorization of moral values, the establishment of a minimalist common ground, and a flexibility with regard to the prioritizing of moral values, must be understood and integrated, to increase the applicability and universality of moral pluralism.

Ann Arbor Probation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ann Arbor Probation - Essay Example Due to this department being a state agency it reports directly to the governor and as a result, is indirectly influenced by citizen voters. This influence, fortunately, does not affect the day to day workings of the probation department. Management of the field operations administration falls directly on the correctional facilities management administration and then back to the director’s office. The political aspects rarely directly affect the workings of the probation department in this respect. The strengths of a tall hierarchy as seen in our local probation department is that they have the full power of the state of Michigan supporting their decisions and a clear chain of command allowing for a much better approach regarding efficiency. The weaknesses would originate from the political side and could potentially cause disruptions in service if allowed to directly affect the daily working of the department itself. Given the insulating effect of multiple layers of structure, the political leadership is, however, hampered in its ability to truly affect change at a base level within the organization itself. Would it be possible for this agency to move to a flat hierarchy and still maintain positive control of the daily workings within the department, the short answer would seem to be no. However, if the flat hierarchy was approached with a private mentality looking to a profit based outlay the possibilities begin to open up. For instance, using a flat hierarchy and a profit based structure for employees and management one could potentially prevent loss of command control through the use of financial motivation among the staff and individuals working there. The idea would be to base bonuses on a net profit/loss approach and drive productivity to reflect a desire for additional money.

Organized Crime Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 3

Organized Crime - Assignment Example The criminal organization is also known as underworld, mob or crime syndicate. This research paper would not only highlight different aspects of organized crime but shall even reflect upon the importance of waterways or ports. Organized crime is a specific category of crime and is highly distinguishable from financial crimes, white-collar crimes, war crimes, treason, state crimes and political crimes. There are measures being undertaken to safeguard countries from such organized crimes but support from higher authorities tends to increase the frequency of organized crime. Illegal drugs are transported through ports or waterways which forms an integral part of organized crime. High-profit margins are secured through transportation of drugs to various locations. On the other hand, illegal ammunition is also transported through waterways. This, in turn, enhances the strength of criminals and increases adverse impacts created by organized crime. Decreased level of inspection has facilita ted vulnerability of ports. Spatial characteristics and physical layout of ports are highly challenging in terms of law enforcement. The research aim of a study sets forth the purpose of any particular research study. This paper would aim at analyzing the significance of waterways or ports in organized crime. Waterways are always considered to be an ideal medium through which goods or services are transported to different locations. However, this form of transportation medium holds a great deal of significance within organized crime. Illegal activities are easily executed with the support of these mediums. Corruption or smuggling are vital components of organized crime and is exhibited with the support of waterways or ports. Research objectives for this study are – Thesis statement of the research study is – â€Å"ways in which organized crime operates in waterways and port areas.† This statement forms the basis of any research study and outcomes are based on th is thesis statement.