Thursday, October 31, 2019

Emerging Market of Saudi Arabia Research Proposal

Emerging Market of Saudi Arabia - Research Proposal Example The initiates taken by both the government and the private sector players have promoted the investment opportunity in Saudi Arabia by creating effective partnerships with the Saudi Businessmen in effort to bring newer industries or modern technology to the country. Added emphasis is being given on attracting the infrastructure promotion and power generation but the investments made in these sectors are yet to exhibit the financial attractiveness in it. The existing capital investment from foreign institutions specifies three conditions (U.S. department of Commerce , n.d. ), The Saudi Arabia is a rapidly growing region among Arab countries and hence the empirical evidence gained from the choice each firms make on their capital structure (Leverage ratio) could be used to gauge their financial performance in the emerging scenario. This aspect as been considered on the reason that detailed and more exhaustive studies are needed to make valid conclusions on the best capital structure for any company (Rajan & Zingales, 1995, Harris and Raviv, 1991). Further, a few researchers have alos raised an opinion of the influence of organizational characteristics on the corporate leverage level, thus making this research more valid (Fan et al., 2004; Hall et al., 2004; De Jong et al., 2007). Thus, in order to understand the better performance of business organizations in the emerging market the criteria it is proposed to adopt the debt / equity ratio as the most appropriate parameter. Further, Saudi Arabia has a highly conservative financial market where the interest from debts is considered as illegal. Thus this creates a situation of very low leverage. Thus as companies have decided to undergo the process of financial planning the present approach would be turned from the debt to be linked more to equity approach. Thus this study could open newer vistas of academic research in the area of financial planning for the companies and proposing better investment options. 2: CONTRIBUTION TO KNOWLEDGE & STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The topic of capital structure is very important considering the potential of investment that the Saudi Arabian companies claim to have. The leverage signifies the amount of the debt securities the is issued by an establishment in event of the capital requirement. Hence, the extend of leverage that the firm carries in its capital structure is very important to understand the exact picture of financial performance. Thus the uncertainty of future profitability would loom large as the company would have to make regular interest payments besides the principal repayment. While the increased use of debt would result in a higher value of debt to assets ratio which explains the proportionate amount of fund the firm have borrowed with respect the assets owned by it. Thus the leverage or debt/equity ratio highlights the profits for a firm with positive earning while exposing the loses for a firm with negative records in earning. Thus in the research would help to

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

The Unity of Heaven and Human Essay Example for Free

The Unity of Heaven and Human Essay Your assignment is to write a paper that compares and contrasts the ideas of any two of the following three philosophers: Confucius (aka Kongzi), Mozi, Zhuangzi. In your comments, you should try to adopt the perspective of one of these three thinkers. For example, if you are comparing Confucius and Zhuangzi you might present Zhuangzi’s perspective on Confucius: Which of his ideas are similar to your own and therefore worthy of praise? Which ideas are different from your own and therefore reprehensible? Six different permutations are possible: Confucius on Mozi Mozi on Confucius Zhuangzi on Mozi Mozi on Zhuangzi Zhuangzi on Confucius Confucius on Zhuangzi The paper should be 3 pages (typed, double-spaced, with no unusually sized type fonts). It is due in class on Wednesday, October 16. Late papers will lose one grade step (e. g. B+ to B) immediately and an additional step every day until they are turned in. For your reference, I am putting the following books on Reserve in Hale Library: Vitaly Rubin, Individual and State in Ancient China. Arthur Waley, Three Ways of Thought in Ancient China Basic Writings of Mo Tzu, Hsun Tzu, and Han Fei Tzu, translated by Burton Watson Sources of Chinese Tradition, edited by Wm. Theodore de Bary The use of these books or any other sources apart from assigned class readings is entirely optional. Bear in mind that if you borrow any ideas from any printed sources (including books, articles and Web sites) you should indicate your source, and if you borrow their exact words you must use quotation marks. There is no need, however, to cite me for material in your notes that is based on class lectures and discussions. For course purposes, such material is considered to be in the â€Å"public domain. † In citing sources, for assigned reading and any of the four books listed above it’s OK to use a parenthetical citation such as (Ivanhoe, p. 109) or (Rubin, p. 25). If you cite any other sources, it would be best to provide a footnote or endnote providing full bibliographical information in the first instance. Please check with me if you are unsure how to proceed.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Feminism And Feminist Epistemology And Science Sociology Essay

Feminism And Feminist Epistemology And Science Sociology Essay The word feminism is very challenging and difficult to describe specifically but it has a greater value in todays society mostly in the developing areas like Nepal, Srilanka, Bangladesh etc. The women of developing countries are facing so many problems like inequality from political issues to even in their house. To eradicate such inequality problem from the existing society the word feminism developed. Feminism refers to the beliefs that are injustices against women and they have been devalued and denied full equality (1). Feminism helps to exaggerate the women roles, power and their contribution to the society. It gives the full freedom to the women about their choices of lives. This feminism refers to the equality between men and women. They have equal rights and responsibility towards the society. In the mid-1800s the term feminism was used to refer to the qualities of females (2). The term Feminism was derived from the French word feministe in the 1892 after the first international womens conference in Paris. The term feministe means belief in and advocacy of equal rights for women based on the idea of the equality of the sexes. Although the term feminism in English is rooted in the mobilization or women suffrage in Europe and the US during the late 19th and early 20th century (3). The feminist movement is divided in to three waves; First wave begin during the 19th century and it refers on a newer feminist movement that focused as much on fighting social and cultural inequalities as further political inequalities (4). The second wave in the early of 1960s, feminism saw cultural and political inequalities as inextricably linked and this movement encouraged women to understand aspects of their own lives as deeply politicized and reflective of a sexiest structure of power (5). The third wave movement arise ideology of A post structuralist interpretation of gender and sexuality in the early 1990s (6). These three movements encourage the women for their rights and their equality. The ideology of feminism starts influencing throughout the society after this movement. It brings a revolution in the way men and women are equal to each other and effects fundamental change in society. It entails that the women have equal rights and duty as a man in all aspect. What is feminist epistemology and science? Epistemologist focus on the nature, origins and the limits of human knowledge (7). It is the nature of knowledge itself and its study focuses for acquiring knowledge and differentiate between truth and falsehood. Epistemology concerns every scientific discipline which helps to the collective efforts of human beings. In the modern days the epistemology is the debate between the empiricism (i.e., knowledge is obtained through experience) and rationalism (knowledge can be acquired through reason). There are many aspects of knowledge like social, economical and many more but many of the epistemologist focus on the social aspect of knowledge where the production creation and discovery concerns. Social epistemology is the study of the relevance of social relations, interests, and institutions to knowledge (8). Feminism has also roles in social investigation of knowledge and its epistemology is concerned to the whose knowledge is being considered. Feminist epistemologist does not confess about the empirical evidence but instead of that it suggests knowing the social contexts and social beliefs because of its factuality. Feminist epistemologists of science typically argue that the way science is done includes cultural and social standards in the description of nature. Gender is both part of the cultural idea that shapes how nature is described and is also described by the process of science. The feminist critiques of science: The feminist critique of sciences is a crucial subject where the science may be negatively impacted by postmodern or feminist critiques in a similar way to humanities and social sciences. There is also a debate between the realism and relativism. Realism is that there is an objective world which people learn about. Relativism is the idea that truth is relative in one way or another. It is easy to fall into the trap that a feminist social epistemology-and any field which it makes a statement about, even science-is relativist, and many thinkers have addressed this, either making cases that relativism is correct or making claims for a realist feminist science. Background for the feminist studies of objectivity in sciences: Objectivity is commonly taken to be the extent to which we allow our scientific beliefs to be driven by some impartial and non arbitrary criteria rather than by our wishes as to how things ought to be (9).1 Science is more objective than other areas such as art and literary criticism. To be a science the research programs must follow some criteria, certain norms and rules (i.e., scientific method) rather than the prejudices, guesses and emotions. According to the great philosophers, Thomas Kuhn and Paul Feyerabend suggested the views that emphasize the degree to which what we call science is constituted by factors that seem to fall outside the realm justification. They are not trying to focus on the extent to which science is independent of who does it but instead of that it raise the questions about the real level of objectivity in science and how the scientist outline or modeled which hypothesis or theories pass for scientific knowledge. It is the crucial things to distinct between the real sciences and the rest things (non sciences). Another philosopher, Quine also raised a question about how autonomous science is from the other subjects such as prejudices, guesses and emotions i.e., metaphysical commitments. He suggested that science is not separable from other social, political beliefs that we have. The ideas given by Kuhn and Quine raise a question about the objectivity of science and these doubts arose well within what is sometime considered traditional philosophy of science.9 When the issue of gender was raised mostly many feminists were interested in determining what the possible factors of gender counts are as a scientific knowledge. A feminist tries to find out how the gender plays a role in recreation of scientific knowledge. Moreover, Gender is related with the sexism here the word sexism refers to the male, female and assumption about the superiority of one gender to the other gender however there is no conclusive evidence for that assumption. The way of women are ignoring and demoralizing in almost every field so the feminists began to criticize on those things in which science excluded women, ignored scientific issues pertaining to women and even the scientific theories influencing by the womens societal views reveal a question about the real objectivity of science. Science as Social (Helen Longino Harding): The problem seen by Harding regarding the objectivity in science is that she assumed the traditional conceptions of objectivity. To revealing and assessing the role of cultural and personal interests and values in sciences is very difficult to measure and assess. If the role is being played by cultural and personal interests and values then it is judged to be bad for science, or if the role played is considered inappropriately large then it is argued that it need have a way to eliminate or mitigate this role, thus increasing the extent to which science is objective(10). Harding was the person who finds the way to reveal and assess interests and values in science is to examine them from an alternate point of view, and she claims that current conceptions of objectivity are inadequate for these tasks. Helen longino also face the same problem as seen by Harding and longino tries to solve this problem by focusing on how the scientific community is comprised and behaves instead of not givi ng attention to what individual scientists are doing. Longino claims that science is social, in the sense that doing science requires the interaction of individuals. Feminism and post-feminism: Feminism refers to the belief that women are equal to men. Some feminist argue that women need is not equality rather they need to be recognized and valued in their differences from men but some feminists believe that women need liberation from oppression instead of equal treatment and respect for their differences to men. Feminism seeks to improve the lot of those people who have been made into women, but it cannot rightly be said that feminism seeks to improve the condition of women that would be an impossible, self-contradictory mission (11). According to Rosalind Delmar, it makes more sense to speak of a plurality of feminism than a single one (1986:9). It means that there must be some underlying commitment that all feminist share and make them feminist. Valerie Bryson says that all feminists share the belief that women are disadvantaged in comparison with men, and that this disadvantage is not a natural and inevitable result of biological difference but something that can and should be challenged and changed (Bryson 1993: 192). But some feminists would reject even this, perhaps on the grounds that womens biology does disadvantage them but that recent technologies such as the contraceptive pill allow women to overcome their biological limitations (Firestone 1970). Post-feminists believe that women have achieved second wave goals while being critical of third wave feminist goals. The term was first used in the 1980s to describe a backlash against second-wave feminism. It is now a label for a wide range of theories that take critical approaches to previous feminist discourses and includes challenges to the second waves ideas.(39) Other post-feminists say that feminism is no longer relevant to todays society.(40) Amelia Jones wrote that the post-feminist texts which emerged in the 1980s and 1990s portrayed second-wave feminism as a monolithic entity and criticized it using generalizations.(41) One of the earliest uses of the term was in Susan Bolotins 1982 article Voices of the Post-Feminist Generation, published in New York Times Magazine. This article was based on a number of interviews with women who largely agreed with the goals of feminism, but did not identify as feminists.(42) Some contemporary feminists, such as Katha Pollitt or Nadine Strossen, consider feminism to hold simply that women are people. Views that separate the sexes rather than unite them are considered by these writers to be sexist rather than feminist.'(43)(44) Conclusion: 39.Wright, Elizabeth (2000). Lacan and Postfeminism (Postmodern Encounters). Totem Books. ISBN  978-1-84046-182-9. 40.^ Modleski, Tania (1991). Feminism without women: culture and criticism in a postfeminist age. New York: Routledge. pp.  188. ISBN  0-415-90416-1. 41.^ Jones, Amelia. Postfeminism, Feminist Pleasures, and Embodied Theories of Art, in New Feminist Criticism: Art, Identity, Action, ed. by Joana Frueh, Cassandra L. Langer and Arlene Raven. New York: HarperCollins, 1994. 16-41, 20. 42^Rosen, Ruth (2001). The world split open: how the modern womens movement changed America. New York, N.Y.: Penguin. pp.  444. ISBN  0-14-009719-8. 43.^Pollitt, Katha (1995). Reasonable creatures: essays on women and feminism. New York: Vintage Books. ISBN  978-0-679-76278-2. 44 Strossen, Nadine (1995). Defending pornography: free speech, sex, and the fight for womens rights. New York, N.Y.: Scribner. ISBN  978-0-684-19749-4.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Abortion is Baby Murder :: abortion argumentative persuasive argument

Abortion is Baby Murder      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Abortion.   What is it?   Why do people do it?   Is it killing a human life?   What are the benefits for having an abortion?   Should it be made illegal? These   questions I will try and answer on the key issue right now on abortion. I   will tell you my side and how I fell, and hope that after this you would agree with my opinion.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Abortion is the killing of a child before the birth.   They usually take a needle and put it into the mothers womb, and kill it.   Although that is not the only way to do it.   There are other ways also of killing a child.   There is a abortion called have abortion.   It comes out of the womb half way, then they kill it.   To me that is just sick.   I think that it is in humane to kill a live child.   Just think, it is alive.   It needs oxygen to breath.   It needs food to live. And if you don't take care of the baby, it wouldn't come out.   Like if you do drugs or alcohol, it will ruin the child.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is one exception   that I would have is if the girl got raped. Even though I still wouldn't approve of it, I think there should be an exception. I think that if the woman had any brains, that she would want to have the loving child.   Just think   you come home from work one day, and all of the sudden your kid gives you a great big hug.   That shows love.   And after a long days work, wouldn't anybody want some love from a child.   Yeah when they are little they scream, and kick, but they also give love, and affection, and can be the cutest thing.   And if you abort, you wont get that will you?      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Some people also just want to make amends for what they have done. Maybe they have screwed up in their life and don't want there parents to know. Or maybe they just aren't ready for a kid.   Well let me tell you, you should have thought   about that before you had sex.   My mom once told me and this has

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Banyan Tree Case Essay

Banyan Tree is founded in 1992 by Ho Kwon Ping.The first Banyan Tree opened in 1994 in Phuket Island.The resorts were designed to blend into the natural environment. Corporate Strategies  K. P. Ho thinks that company should consider the physical and human environment when making business decisions Business Strategies Goals : â€Å"†¦one of the top two or three dominant players in a global space which is very niche but nevertheless very global† K. P. Ho said. Scope : Banyan Tree provides a luxury retreat for guests.The Banyan Tree target market is narrow and affluent. Competitive Advantage : Banyan Tree goes into locations that are not heavily developed and create sustainable resorts. Logic : Banyan Tree intends to expand locate in diverse locations Differentiation : Focus through a differentiation Environmental Analysis Sociocultural Factors Terrorist attacks September 11,2001 and the Bali bombings The SARS outbreak of 2003 Economic and Natural Factors The Asian Financial Crisi of 1997 The Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004 Porter’s Five Forces Model Customer Buying Power Tends to be moderate Customers are few in number High buying power Few readily avaible Supplier Bargaining Power Tends to be high Due to the unique locations and high quality products Only a limited number of suppliers available to provide these products and services Entry Barriers Tend to be high Large capital requirements and government regulations Substitutes Due to Banyan Tree’s niche market and concept it is important for them to be aware of readily available substitutes Rivalry Among Existing Firms Banyan Tree Competition Aman Resorts Como Hotels Six Senses Hotels One and only Resorts Angsana Competition Four Seasons Shangri-La Hotels Strategic Direction Mission Statement We want to build a globally recognized brand which by inspiring exceptional experiences among our guests,instilling pride and integrity in our associates and enhancing the physical and human environment in which we operate, will deliver attractive returns to our shareholder. Vision Statement To build on its brands, Banyan Tree and Angsana to create a diversified group of niche resorts and hotels in strategic locations throughout the world, which would be complemented by residence and property sales,spa and gallery operations. Organizational Resource Analysis Strengths Well known and reputable brand name Strong brand identity Brand visibility Customer Loyalty Weaknesses Lack of knowledge of target market in global Small talent poot to choose from because properties are in remote locations Organization Resource Analysis Physical Unspoiled,unique locations Outstanding facilities Sustainability Sensitive design Human CEO is a major source of competitive advantage Well trained and motivated employees Corporate Partners such as American Express,Citibank etc. Financial Profits have risen significantly since the 2004 Tsunami High price to cost ratio Strong links to financiers General Organizational Resources Brand and organizational reputation Aspirational brand position Knowledge and Learning Entrepreneurship strategy Diverse culture

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

QVC SUCCESS, STRATEGY AND CHALLENGES essayEssay Writing Service

QVC SUCCESS, STRATEGY AND CHALLENGES essayEssay Writing Service QVC: SUCCESS, STRATEGY AND CHALLENGES essay QVC: SUCCESS, STRATEGY AND CHALLENGES essayDespite the fact that QVC emerged in the televised shopping industry much later than its competitors, it managed to quickly surpass them in many ways. Today, it occupies a dominant place in the television-retail sphere. The success of the company can be explained by strong commitment of its workers to quality and convenience of the products offered to the customers. The company also has a competitive advantage in the television-retail market. There are a number of reasons of why QVC became a leader in the television-retail industry during a short period of time. Among the reasons for the company’s success are close attention to the competitor’s weaknesses and strengths, employment of qualified TV producers with much experience in the required field and maintenance of high quality of the television-retail products. The three major values of the company are quality, convenience and value (Williamson, 1999). These principles form the basis of the company’s route to success. Each product of QVC undergoes strict quality control tests before they reach the TV screens. Finally, one more key to success of QVC is a guarantee of absolute money back assuring first-time and repeat customers in the trustworthiness of the company (Gudelunas, 2002).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The basis of the QVC’s strategy is customer orientation. Thus, back in the 1990s, the company created its own internet division to prove its loyalty to convenience. Over the years, the website of the company has undergone many changes and became more customer-friendly and convenient to use. The customers can put online orders 24 hours per day and 7 days per week. Furthermore, QVC aims at staying far ahead of its competitors by diversifying the range of products it offers to the customers (Williamson, 1999). The strategy of the company includes constantly improving the variety of goods that now range from clothing and accessories to electronic devices and food. The company also aims at learning the needs of its target audience to optimize the sales process. Moreover, QVC uses professional advertising campaigns to make its brand different from its competitors. Finally, the strategy of QVC is the controlled and well-though expansion of the company. Today, its products can be purchased worldwide from Great Britain and Germany to Japan (Gudelunas, 2002).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ever since the company has occupied a leading position in the television-retail industry, its major challenge is to be in advantage over its competitors and be focused on the expansion and growth in the future. So as to make sure that QVC maximizes its profits, the management of the company has to deal with a challenge of inventing new goods that would ensure high profits gained by the company (Porter, 1999). In order to make the business even more profitable, the customers’ desires should be met to full extent and QVC strives at achieving this goal. However, this can be a difficult process requiring resources and much time. The company strives at evolving so as to discover new products that would meet the needs of the mass market and still be of the highest quality which is the top priority of the company. QVC also faces a challenge of attracting the attention of new customers and expanding its client base so as to prevent the decline (Gudelunas, 2002). The company has successfully ventured into the new industrial markets in Great Britain, Germany and Japan, but the company’s expansion should not stop at this point. Today, QVC makes efforts to venture into other markets worldwide to further expand its customer base. Furthermore, another challenge for QVC is the planning related to future business environment. That is why the management of the company constantly strives for protecting the well-being of the brand evaluating the business environment (Porter, 1999). It shou ld be admitted that as long as the QVC Company does not lose its core mission of quality, convenience and value, it will most likely remain on the top of popularity in current and future television-retail industry.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Finke and Starks Vision of Winners and Losers

Finke and Starks Vision of Winners and Losers The history of the American church is closely connected with the history of the country. The first colonialists at the American lands intended to liberate themselves in the religious visions as well as in relation to their political situation and economic state. Thus, the situation changed, and the mainline denominations could not satisfy the people’s needs anymore.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Finke and Stark’s Vision of ‘Winners’ and ‘Losers’ specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In their book The Churching of America, 1776-2005: Winners and Losers in Our Religious Economy, Roger Finke and Rodney Stark examine the system of the US churches and their attractiveness for the public with references to the definite economic model, stating that the US churches develop according the principles of the free market economy. Thus, to compete within the market, it is necessary to attract m ore people to join this or that church. From this point, the mainline denominations lose their first positions because they cannot compete effectively within the religious market when the upstart sects succeed because their propositions are more attractive for the public, and as a result, the mainline denominations are the losers and the upstart sects are the winners in this situation. Church was extremely significant during the colonial period, but the impact of the European churches decreased along with developing the American sects as the popular churches satisfying the needs of the public with being closer to the people and with interpreting the doctrines according to the public’s expectations. Finke and Stark’s vision of the system of churches in the USA as the specific market is rather controversial. However, the authors provide a lot of arguments to support their ideas. The main statement presented by Finke and Stark in the book is that â€Å"since at least 177 6 the upstart sects have grown as the mainline American denominations have declined. And this trend continues unabated, as new upstarts continue to push to the fore† (Finke Stark, 2005, p. 237). Thus, it is possible to state that the upstart sects are the real winners in the process when the mainline American denominations lose their influence. The conclusions about these processes are based on the data in relation to the numbers of people who belong to different churches. From this perspective, the decline of the mainline denominations should not be associated with the decline of the role of religion in the country because the number of persons who identify themselves as belonging to the church also grows. The problem is in the fact that the majority of these persons belong to the sects, but not to the mainline churches.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Speak ing about the upstart sects, Finke and Stark concentrate on the role of the Baptists and the Methodists in the process. These upstarts can be discussed as winners according to Finke and Stark’s terms and the proposed model of the religious market. It is important to note that the Baptists continue their development, and the church’s status increases along with attracting more members when the Methodists lost their influence during the history of the US religious environment’s development. Today, the winners are the churches which are even newer than the mentioned Baptists. The modern influential upstarts are the Pentecostals and Evangelicals (Finke Stark, 2005). The authors compare the development of the tendencies in relation to the mainline denominations and upstarts, â€Å"the mainline denominations do not qualify as rockets that suddenly ran out of fuel in the sixties – their market shares were falling in the forties and fifties too, and throughout the century†, however, â€Å"the evangelical groups – some of them rapidly becoming the new upstart sects of our era – do look like rockets† (Finke Stark, 2005, p. 247). According to Finke and Stark, the process of developing the new sects into the influential churches was not gradual. Nevertheless, there should be significant reasons to make people rely on the new sects instead of joining the mainline churches. Finke and Stark promote the vision of the problem which is based on the economic implications. Thus, â€Å"people tend to value religion on the basis of how costly it is to belong – the more one must sacrifice in order to be in good standing the more valuable the religion†, and moreover, â€Å"the more ‘mainline’ the church (in the sense of being regarded as ‘respectable’ and ‘reasonable’), the lower the value of belonging to it, and this eventually results in widespread defection† (Finke Stark, 2005, p. 238). That is why, it is possible to conclude that people act in relation to their religion and belong to the definite church according to those patterns which they use to analyze different economic operations. It is also possible to determine the more obvious reasons of the public’s choosing the upstart sects instead of the mainline churches. However, these reasons can be considered as the methods and techniques used by the religious organizations to attract more people in relation to the economic model and principles of the commercial world.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Finke and Stark’s Vision of ‘Winners’ and ‘Losers’ specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Thus, the pastors of the upstart churches are close in their speeches to the public. They can be characterized as passionate and emotional that is why the public receives the significant emotional response to their questions (Ahlstrom, 2004). The doctrines are not as accentuated as the significance of the spiritual growth is emphasized. According to Sundberg, the ecumenical movement influenced the development of the mainline churches, â€Å"ecclesiastical officials and theologians have put an enormous amount of time, money, and energy in an effort to unify denominations through bilateral and multilateral dialogues and agreements† (Sundberg, 2000, p. 26). The author states that this has been done â€Å"in the belief that a united church can witness more effectively to a secular world† (Sundberg, 2000, p. 26). In their turn, Finke and Stark stress that spirituality is more attractive for the people than secularization. In addition, the sects were the results of the first public meetings during the colonial period that is why the principles of their organization were familiar for the Americans. Roger Finke and Rodney Stark’s book The Churching of America, 1776-2005: Winners and Losers in Our Religious Economy is rather provocative in relation to the approach proposed by the authors to discuss the tendencies in the American religious environment. The focus on the religious economy as the basic aspect for the development of the correlation between mainline churches and upstart sects helps determine the factors influential for changing the priorities. Thus, the mainline churches became losers because they could not compete within the religious market according to the definite commercial principles when significance of the upstart sects grew because of their successes in attracting more people. As a result, the Americans can be discussed as people who pay much attention to their spiritual development and belonging to churches, but they choose contemporary sects instead of mainline churches. References Ahlstrom, S. (2004). A religious history of the American people. USA: Yale University Press. Finke, R., Stark, R. (2005). The churching of America, 1776-2005: Winners and losers in our religious economy. USA: Rutgers University Press.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Sundberg, W. (2000). Religious trends in twentieth-century America. World and World, 10(1), 22-31.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Free Essays on The Qumran

The sect of the Qumran is a sect of Jews so devout to their perception of the Judaic God that they chose to segregate themselves from the rest of Judaic society. A society which they labeled the ‘men of falsehood.’ The Qumran sect existed in a state of fear from what they perceived to be a wrathful God. This fear overtook the sects being and manifested itself in the form of spiritual purification. This form of purification was thought necessary to become as close to their God as possible. Further, the idea of purification dominated the individual of the sect, and as that individual gave their being to God they also gave up their individuality to the collective society. This group society formed their lives in a strict order in fear of offending their God, and thereby obtaining purification. The strive for personal purification moved on to a collective purification. With even grander aims than the societal purification, it grew into a manifestation of Gods army as t he sect envisioned itself as ‘the war of the sons of light against the sons of darkness.’ The group of the Qumran is a puritan group who chose to segregate themselves from the rest of the Judain society; â€Å"they shall separate from the congregation of the men of falsehood and shall unite†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (IQS 5.1-6.8, ln 4-5) Further the author of the Qumran establishes the materialistic, impious nature of the ‘men of falsehood.’ The covenant or promise of Gods truth to Israel is the key to the Qumranite faith, and anyone who betrays this truth is to be dealt with in harsh terms of punishment by God. â€Å"For they sought smooth things and preferred illusions†¦and they justified the wicked and condemned the just, and they transgressed the Covenant and violated the Precept.† (CD I. I-2. I3, 27-32) Strong terms are used in the Qumran to establish a solid sense of their exclusion from the rest of society. The author relates to prominent biblical names in relatio... Free Essays on The Qumran Free Essays on The Qumran The sect of the Qumran is a sect of Jews so devout to their perception of the Judaic God that they chose to segregate themselves from the rest of Judaic society. A society which they labeled the ‘men of falsehood.’ The Qumran sect existed in a state of fear from what they perceived to be a wrathful God. This fear overtook the sects being and manifested itself in the form of spiritual purification. This form of purification was thought necessary to become as close to their God as possible. Further, the idea of purification dominated the individual of the sect, and as that individual gave their being to God they also gave up their individuality to the collective society. This group society formed their lives in a strict order in fear of offending their God, and thereby obtaining purification. The strive for personal purification moved on to a collective purification. With even grander aims than the societal purification, it grew into a manifestation of Gods army as t he sect envisioned itself as ‘the war of the sons of light against the sons of darkness.’ The group of the Qumran is a puritan group who chose to segregate themselves from the rest of the Judain society; â€Å"they shall separate from the congregation of the men of falsehood and shall unite†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (IQS 5.1-6.8, ln 4-5) Further the author of the Qumran establishes the materialistic, impious nature of the ‘men of falsehood.’ The covenant or promise of Gods truth to Israel is the key to the Qumranite faith, and anyone who betrays this truth is to be dealt with in harsh terms of punishment by God. â€Å"For they sought smooth things and preferred illusions†¦and they justified the wicked and condemned the just, and they transgressed the Covenant and violated the Precept.† (CD I. I-2. I3, 27-32) Strong terms are used in the Qumran to establish a solid sense of their exclusion from the rest of society. The author relates to prominent biblical names in relatio...

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Approaches to error correction in language teaching, and how it has Literature review

Approaches to error correction in language teaching, and how it has evolved - Literature review Example Language is correlated to culture, and understanding a people’s language is a prerequisite to understanding their culture. A second language is very vital to the lives of many people because it affects their careers, identities and future lives. It is therefore, an important task when one engages in helping people to acquire a second language (Cook, 2008, p. 1). In fact, it would be very difficult for tourists to enjoy their tour in a foreign country, for instance, if they were unable to express themselves in the language that is commonly spoken in that language or if the tour guides in the foreign country did not have sufficient spoken and written knowledge on the tourists’ language. However, language teaching, especially second language teaching, is associated with errors among learners. This means that language teaching incorporates error correction. Various approaches to error correction in language teaching have been proposed by various scholars and researchers. Initially, attention was focused on the language that the learner produced and the technique of error analysis focused on the differences between the learner’s speech and that of the native speaker. Language teachers or instructors were interested to know how the learner’s language was like (Cook, 2008, p. 6). Naturally, it is very difficult for a foreigner to attain the same language proficiency as that of a native speaker. Therefore, this approach could not be effective in evaluating achievement of a language learner because it is not guaranteed that such learner can attain absolute proficiency in spoken or written language. It has been noted that second language learners do not achieve proficiency in language which can measure up with native-speaking individuals in terms of speaking and writing. One of the reasons why this phenomenon is varied is becau se of instructional issues (House, 2011, p. 61). During the 1950s and 1960s, the

Friday, October 18, 2019

Searches and Seizures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Searches and Seizures - Essay Example A search usually occurs when an expectation of privacy that is considered by the society as reasonable is infringed by a government employee. A seizure is the interference of the possessory interest in property of a person. The Fourth Amendment protects a person against any search and seizure which that violates their reasonable expectation of privacy (LaFave, 2004). A reasonable expectation of privacy exists if one expects privacy and if the expectation is thought to be legitimate by the entire society. The Fourth Amendment Mary Ellis was awakened on Saturday morning and finds her neighbor Mr. Clyde Stevens lying unresponsive on the floor. She calls 911 and the police and EMS personnel arrived minutes later and Mr. Stevens is pronounced dead from a large butcher knife in his back. Crime scene investigators then started investigating William’s bedroom as the crime scene without any search warrant. The investigations started shortly after the arrival of the police officers. The investigators took charge of the investigation and conducted an exhaustive warrantless search on the Mary Ellis apartment which included development of blood fingerprint, photographing the print and recovery of a blood sample of William for a DNA analysis. The Fourth Amendment prohibits any government official from searching a home without any warrant which must include specific information like the name and address of the person. The Fourth Amendment requires all searches and seizures to be reasonable. If the search and seizure are declared unreasonable, then the police cannot use the evidence obtained from the search and seizure in criminal trials. Warrants are issues under a probable cause which should be supported by Oath or Affirmation which describes the place to be searched and the persons and things that need to be seized (Chamelin, 2003). A judge can only find a probable cause though the examination of the totality of all the circumstances presented. However, the police ca n enter a private residence without a warrant if an officer enters a building or a place of residence to assist in any form of emergency if the officer receives consent to search the residence without a warrant, if an officer has placed the person under arrest and if the search is administrative in nature which is done for the purposes of law reinforcement. The police can also enter a private residence without a warrant if they suspect that the house harbors a person carrying or in control of firearms illegally and are not in proper control of the arm and may injure or kill a person as a result of their mental condition (LaFave, 2004). They also enter a private residence without a warrant if they have a reasonable ground to suspect a firearm offence if the house contains illegal drugs and if someone in the house is at large after escaping from prison. The legal rights of the police to access the Ellis household The search done on Ellis household is not constitutionally permissibl

Leadership issues you experience in your work as a political Essay

Leadership issues you experience in your work as a political activist(democrat) - Essay Example Unlike formal organizations, political activists are likely to find it troublesome to exert any position power, coercive power or even reward power. Nevertheless, political activists might exert referent power or expert power, but the fact is that considering the size and scope of the Democratic Party, it might take several years for a person to gain expert power. The point here is that leaders who are political activists find it difficult to retrieve a sustainable and influential source of power, in the absence of which they fail to emerge as strong leaders (Fiedler and Chemers 87). There are no doubts about the fact that leaders can only build their credibility and command respect through living by a code of conduct and ethics. However, the fact is that in common practice, people differ in their personal definitions of â€Å"right† and â€Å"wrong.† Even within the Democratic Party, there are different viewpoints on issues such as same sex marriage, civil unions of sa me sex couples, abortion, foreign policy issues, fiscal issues, and others. It is likely that people would perceive their viewpoint or political position as the ethical and moral one, and in a political party, which is as large as the Democratic Party, these differing viewpoints and ethical perceptions are likely to cause disputes and disappointments, and it is for the leader to intervene and ensure harmony and consensus. Important here to note is that the job of a leader is not to suppress the opposing viewpoints but to learn something from those opposing viewpoints and subsequently incorporate them in the overall agenda or at least, acknowledge their presence (Yukl 45). In an alternative scenario, there are times when leaders in politics realize that a certain political position is contrary to the ethical and moral standards but it gathers fervent support due to its necessity or context. In those situations, it becomes the ethical and moral responsibility of the leader to ensure t hat the leader leads his or her people in the â€Å"right† direction (House et al. 14). Even when compared to the corporate world, politics is the name of making tough decisions, regardless of its consequences and reception. In order to gather support and command respect, leaders have to make popular decisions. However, political activists, while acting as leaders, are less likely to find any room for making decisions primarily to widen their support base, but they also have to take decisions that might directly hurt the interests of the followers or subordinates. The challenge for the leader in such a scenario is to persuade people about the inevitability of the decisions and to demand compromise with a promise of future favors and compliments. In terms of the managerial grid, leaders have to ensure that they demonstrate a high concern for task and an equally high concern for people as well (Yukl 45). Quite understandably, in situations when the leader has to ask his or her subordinates and followers for compromises, it depends extensively on the relationships of the leaders with his or her subordinates that define his or her success in such ventures. Furthermore, credibility also plays a crucial role, as people would only give up their self-interests and viewpoints for a leader whom they can blindly trust. Therefore, my goal is to ensure that I could earn the

The Critical appraisal of two research articles,critically analyse and Essay

The Critical appraisal of two research articles,critically analyse and evaluate the streights and weaknesses - Essay Example Critical appraisal is â€Å"the process of carefully and systematically examining research to judge its trustworthiness, and its value and relevance in a particular context† (Burls, 2009, pp. 1-8). Its practice in medical field is highly relevant to delineate the useful discoveries from the harmful ones. A quality research is not just one that reflects good composure or format rather it is one that has internal validity which is being free from bias. Therefore, the research must be reviewed particularly in the selection, performance, detection and attrition where bias commonly occurs. Analysis must be conducted from data gathering, collation, down to analysis. In this paper, the author aims to clinically appraise two researches on health and social care. The first is entitled â€Å"Efficacy and safety of hyaluronic acid in treatment of leg ulcers: a double-blind randomised controlled trial (Dereure, Czubek and Combemale, 2012, pp. 131-139)† while the other is â€Å"The experience of patients with complex wounds and the use of negative pressure wound therapy in a home-care setting (Moffatt, et al. 2011, pp.512-527).† Both are in pursuit of a reliable and sustainable practice caring for patients with chronic wound. The first is a method to hasten healing of chronic wounds through the use of a topical medicine and the other is regarding the social and psychological needs patients with chronic wound under pressure treatment. Each will be presented separately and both research design and methodology will be critiqued. There will be no comparison between the two researches since they differ completely in design and methodology. After discussions and analysis, conclusion of what transpired will be stated. The author elected these studies on chronic wound care as it poses great demand on the current health care system. With the world directing to an aging population, health problems related to obesity, immobility, chronic illness such as diabetes b ecome rampant. These health problems commonly results to chronic wounds that has poor healing and required vast attention from clinicians. In 2009, it was declare to be a great public threat to health and economy as it results to government expenditure of at least 25 billion dollars per annum (Landro, 2012, par.5). Chronic wounds, particularly on the lower extremity, have high prevalence, high cost, and poor clinical outcome. They are often managed by a non-integrated healthcare system which consequentially resulting in an erratic healthcare arrangement. This challenges scholars and scientist to discover and create better technology and technique to better manage chronic wounds in a more sustainable and cost-effective manner (American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 2007, pp.1-8). For years, several methods have reached popularity in the medical scene of managing these type of wounds such as debridement and other surgical procedures, compression dressing, wound dressing with a variety of topical medicines, negative pressure wound therapy, cultured skin cells, pressure redistribution mattress, oxygen chambers, etc. (Landro, 2012, par.4); all of which acclaims to be effective in the healing process of complex wounds. Efficacy and safety of hyaluronic acid in treatment of leg ulcers: a double-blind randomised controlled trial (RCT) (Dereure, et al.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Concepts of Caring Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Concepts of Caring - Essay Example The staff must look at the use of their body language as well. According to (Justice, 2006) the staff must watch how they use body language and more importantly the way the voice is used. â€Å"These are known as linguistic, non-linguistic and paralinguistic communication skills. The staff must watch their tone, pitch, and loudness. The staff must also watch their body posture, proximity and facial expressions. All of these features are very necessary to make sure that the staff comprehends what is going on in the case.† The staff must show that you know what you are doing right from the start or you will not make any progress with the patient. In your immediate observation of the patient the staff will notice that she is highly anxious. The other subjective signs could be that she could be holding the abdominal area. Emma could also be crying or yelling out. The staff has to build a rapport and gain trust with the patient in order to gain the basic information you need to gai n a diagnosis. The staff will need to feel confident in their decisions, for example if you would decide to call her parents about her location and her problem. The staff will have to decide about the issue of confidentiality and informed consent. Remember In the medical profession or any profession ‘Do No Harm’. Emma will need to be handled with care body, mind and soul. She needs to be told what to do to bring understanding of her physical and emotional health even if she doesn’t want to hear it. Psychological Theories In working with Emma the staff can use Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and go through the steps of the hierarchy for Emma’s case and it could look like this: 1. Physiological needs- To be able to address her complaints of abdominal pain and the health of her baby. 2. Safety needs- To keep her and her baby safe from hurting her due to her anxious feelings. 3. Belongingness and Love needs- She has a friend, but is not sure on who she want s to trust with what is happening to her. 4. Esteem needs- She may feel bad about herself for becoming pregnant, running away from home and what is happening to her at this moment. 5. Self-Actualization- The nurses can try to teach and tell her that it is not her fault that her parents separated, if that has happened. The nurse can also try to teach her that running away is not the answer to any problem. The nurse must try to talk to her about the abdominal pain she is feeling could mean. When she starts to calm down she will realize that it is just not her but her baby who needs her to care for herself. (Myers, 2004) In trying to help Emma the nurses will need to show empathy to her and maybe they can share with her some of what they may have gone through as a teenager. The staff can share some of the good and the bad choices that they may have made. The staff nurses may get Emma to talk about herself just enough to make her comfortable, so you can begin your assessment for example , about her family history. Let her know that she counts in this life and her baby’s life. This idea follows the Humanistic theory set by Maslow and Rogers. When continuing your physical assessment of Emma you can begin to notice things like how she communicates whether verbally or nonverbally. When she first entered the hospital she is very

Analysis of Terror Attack in the USA Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis of Terror Attack in the USA - Assignment Example However, there were survivors, and an example is Leaky Behrman (Harrington, 2014). During this attack, she spent most of the time helping in rescue efforts, despite being one of the victims. She recently came to our University and gave a lecture on her experiences during this time. One of the lessons from this lecture is that the surviving victims of the terror attack were emotionally affected by the events. For example, Behrman argues that the first ten years were very painful to her. This is because she had sad memories of the attacks, which were brought forth with memories of death and injuries. During this period of time, Behrman argues that she was able to reflect on the events, and as each year passed, she was able to heal. However, it took a long period of time, before she was able to acknowledge that this event was a tragedy. From these arguments, I was able to learn that terrorism has a very negative consequence. Terror attacks would cause emotional instability and pain. People suffering from these conditions normally take a long period of time to heal. For example, since the September 11th attacks, the American civilian population has not healed. This is because Americans are still vulnerable to terror groups, which are natured by Al-Qaeda, a major terrorist organization that America was fighting. These groups include Al-Shabaab in Somalia, and ISIS, in Middle-East. ISIS is accused of carrying out barbaric attacks against Americans, and this includes the beheading of James Foley (Glenza, 2014). Such kind of attacks has made Americans feel insecure since they are vulnerable to terror attacks. This is the reason why the president declared war on ISIS, the terror group. It is important to denote that ISIS is an affiliate of Al-Qaeda, a terror group that America has spent over the last ten years fighting. In conclusion, this event was very beneficial to me.  

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

The Critical appraisal of two research articles,critically analyse and Essay

The Critical appraisal of two research articles,critically analyse and evaluate the streights and weaknesses - Essay Example Critical appraisal is â€Å"the process of carefully and systematically examining research to judge its trustworthiness, and its value and relevance in a particular context† (Burls, 2009, pp. 1-8). Its practice in medical field is highly relevant to delineate the useful discoveries from the harmful ones. A quality research is not just one that reflects good composure or format rather it is one that has internal validity which is being free from bias. Therefore, the research must be reviewed particularly in the selection, performance, detection and attrition where bias commonly occurs. Analysis must be conducted from data gathering, collation, down to analysis. In this paper, the author aims to clinically appraise two researches on health and social care. The first is entitled â€Å"Efficacy and safety of hyaluronic acid in treatment of leg ulcers: a double-blind randomised controlled trial (Dereure, Czubek and Combemale, 2012, pp. 131-139)† while the other is â€Å"The experience of patients with complex wounds and the use of negative pressure wound therapy in a home-care setting (Moffatt, et al. 2011, pp.512-527).† Both are in pursuit of a reliable and sustainable practice caring for patients with chronic wound. The first is a method to hasten healing of chronic wounds through the use of a topical medicine and the other is regarding the social and psychological needs patients with chronic wound under pressure treatment. Each will be presented separately and both research design and methodology will be critiqued. There will be no comparison between the two researches since they differ completely in design and methodology. After discussions and analysis, conclusion of what transpired will be stated. The author elected these studies on chronic wound care as it poses great demand on the current health care system. With the world directing to an aging population, health problems related to obesity, immobility, chronic illness such as diabetes b ecome rampant. These health problems commonly results to chronic wounds that has poor healing and required vast attention from clinicians. In 2009, it was declare to be a great public threat to health and economy as it results to government expenditure of at least 25 billion dollars per annum (Landro, 2012, par.5). Chronic wounds, particularly on the lower extremity, have high prevalence, high cost, and poor clinical outcome. They are often managed by a non-integrated healthcare system which consequentially resulting in an erratic healthcare arrangement. This challenges scholars and scientist to discover and create better technology and technique to better manage chronic wounds in a more sustainable and cost-effective manner (American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 2007, pp.1-8). For years, several methods have reached popularity in the medical scene of managing these type of wounds such as debridement and other surgical procedures, compression dressing, wound dressing with a variety of topical medicines, negative pressure wound therapy, cultured skin cells, pressure redistribution mattress, oxygen chambers, etc. (Landro, 2012, par.4); all of which acclaims to be effective in the healing process of complex wounds. Efficacy and safety of hyaluronic acid in treatment of leg ulcers: a double-blind randomised controlled trial (RCT) (Dereure, et al.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Analysis of Terror Attack in the USA Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis of Terror Attack in the USA - Assignment Example However, there were survivors, and an example is Leaky Behrman (Harrington, 2014). During this attack, she spent most of the time helping in rescue efforts, despite being one of the victims. She recently came to our University and gave a lecture on her experiences during this time. One of the lessons from this lecture is that the surviving victims of the terror attack were emotionally affected by the events. For example, Behrman argues that the first ten years were very painful to her. This is because she had sad memories of the attacks, which were brought forth with memories of death and injuries. During this period of time, Behrman argues that she was able to reflect on the events, and as each year passed, she was able to heal. However, it took a long period of time, before she was able to acknowledge that this event was a tragedy. From these arguments, I was able to learn that terrorism has a very negative consequence. Terror attacks would cause emotional instability and pain. People suffering from these conditions normally take a long period of time to heal. For example, since the September 11th attacks, the American civilian population has not healed. This is because Americans are still vulnerable to terror groups, which are natured by Al-Qaeda, a major terrorist organization that America was fighting. These groups include Al-Shabaab in Somalia, and ISIS, in Middle-East. ISIS is accused of carrying out barbaric attacks against Americans, and this includes the beheading of James Foley (Glenza, 2014). Such kind of attacks has made Americans feel insecure since they are vulnerable to terror attacks. This is the reason why the president declared war on ISIS, the terror group. It is important to denote that ISIS is an affiliate of Al-Qaeda, a terror group that America has spent over the last ten years fighting. In conclusion, this event was very beneficial to me.  

The German economy ready for war in 1939 Essay Example for Free

The German economy ready for war in 1939 Essay To what extent was the German economy ready for war in 1939? Consider all the economic strategies implemented between 1933 and 1939 in your answer. (15 Marks) Germany made military moves to expand its borders into Eastern Europe in 1939. There is certainly evidence to suggest that Germany was no-where near the targets set by Hitler for total re-armament. As well as this factor though, there is another question to consider, had Germany set out for all out international war or was it just an attempt to expand lebensraum when they took the actions of invading Poland and Austria in 1939? This is an important question because it helps to understand the motives of Hitler when he ordered the invasion of Poland. Basically, war to what extent must first be established. On the 5th November 1937 a meeting took place between Hitler and all his important military generals. The minutes from this meeting were taken down and became known as the Hossbach Memorandum. They stated that it was agreed that by 1943 active steps towards lebensraum were to be taken. This was all that was firmly agreed though; there were no steps to preparation towards a full international war. Nothing was even mentioned of the USSR. According to Tim Mason this suggests that when Hitler invaded Poland in 1939 he had no ideas of world domination just yet. He calls the invasion of Poland a, War of plunder. By this he meant that the only intention was to gain some extra land and resources for Germany to live off. This is supported by the fact that by 1939 the push for arms had become very strenuous and there was a shortage in resources, labour especially. This would support the theory that Hitler was not ready for an international war by 1939, but only ready to make attempts to expand Germanys land in-line with his ideology of creating lebensraum so that he could increase his resources. After all there were still German nationals living in Austria and Poland from when land was taken from them under the Treaty Of Versailles. This would mean that the plans that were suggested in the Hossbach Memorandum were forced to be brought forward because of the unexpected strain on resources. This evidence gives us an overall impression that Germany was only ready for a war to gain living space, through, Wars of plunder, But not ready for an international war. The counter argument to this though is that by 1939 rearmament had gone so well that Germany was ready for war. Between 1936-37 there had been an 80% increase in the rearmament budget and this resulted in two thirds of government spending by 1939 was being spent on military causes. It is evidence that leads to the idea that Germany was ready for a full international war. Indeed, by 1939 it has been suggested, there was a blueprint for World Domination being put into action. A firm subscriber to this opinion is Richard Overy. He counter-acts Masons argument as previously discussed by referring to his Marxist beliefs. Insisting that he adds too great an emphasis on the resistance from the working class- a key factor in any Marxist line of thinking. He uses evidence such as Goring investing so much in rearmament and Schacht leaving because of his reservations over the rate of rearmament. To consider whether it is Mason or Overy that my opinion lies with I must first analyse the various economic policies that were implemented during the time 1933 to 1939. This will give me an idea as to whether which sort of war Germany was attempting, World Domination or a War of plunder, And whether Germany was ready for it. One of Hitlers most famous ideological thoughts was this idea of autarky, or self sufficiency. It was not a new idea but certainly raised a few eyebrows at this time when the world was just starting to come about into a world market of imports and exports, more so than ever before after the first world war. Autarky would enable Germany to live off its own land and have no need for imports. This was essential to Hitlers plans for war. It meant that Germanys important goods would not stop being supplied in times of war. It would enable Germany and its military to maintain strength. As soon as the Nazi party came into power in 1933 provisions were made to achieve this goal. This was first seen in 1934 thought in Schachts New Plan. Regulations on imports and exports were made. Importers into Germany were forced to apply for permits so to regulate the commodities. This policy is known as a protectionist policy. Farming protection was also a huge part of this policy of autarky. This provided Germany with food so that they could fight on without looking to import from abroad. It was in farming and agriculture that autarky could not be achieved. From 1932 to 1938 there had only been a slight increase in production rates. And this was with a rapidly growing population. This would mean that it was not possible for the economic expectation to be where it should be if a world war was to take place in 1939. Hence, the economy was not ready for war by 1939 as the policy of autarky had not been achieved. This would suggest that when Hitler invaded Poland in 1939 he was trying to gain living space to make Germany stronger. This is in-line with Masons view of, War of plunder. Another rather famous thought of Hitlers was to achieve total employment. By this he meant that everyone that could work was in work. Not only would this mean that every person would be regulated and watched over, and indeed, kept out of trouble but it also had massive positive effects on the economy. If everyone was in work then this meant that money was going into the economy for such causes as rearmament. This was a hugely successful policy. These figures are simple; in 1934 there were 2.4 million people unemployed. By 1939 there were no people unemployed. This quite simply an amazing success, and undoubtedly gave the government, and Goring the resources to pour into rearmament ready for war. The amazing success of this policy by 1939 suggests that Hitler was ready for a quest of world domination, not just a war of plunder to gain resources this is because he had achieved one of his main targets. This evidence goes hand in hand with the theory that Overy puts across that when Hitler invaded Poland in 1939 he was starting his quest for the aryanisation of the world. Rearmament was an important factor in the German economy from 1934 onwards. This was due to Hitlers obsession with rearming Germany for war. It is not an easy topic to discuss. There are differing accounts which may lead some to believe that by 1939 Germany was not ready for war, but some may interpret that Germany was ready for war in 1939. I shall deal with the latter first. By 1939 Germany had attained total employment. According to Hitler this was essential before launching any attempt at war. Much of the economy had been devoted to the rearmament cause. Some sources tell us that between 1933 and 39 half of the MEFO bills, a government acknowledgement of debt, were issued in the rearmament cause. This is a substantial amount, especially when considering that the German economy was only just recovering in 1933. This would suggest that such substantial spending on rearmament would have meant that Germany would have been ready for war by 1939. This is supported when we look at the change in attitude of Hitler from 1937 onwards. Before then Germany had always taken action with caution in the hope of appeasement by the other European nations. From here onwards any foreign action taken was risky and always had the possibility of war, such as the militarization of the banned area, the Rhineland and the goal of Anschluss completed, the union of Austria and Germany. These arguments show that the German economy must have been ready for war as these risks were taken. Hence, it can only be assumed that Hitler knew that war was to occur when he invaded Poland in 1939. The invasion of Poland though can only be seen as a desperate attempt to sort out the economy- and not a prelude to world war. The Hossbach document showed that Hitler and his military official expected Germany to expand its living space in 1942-43. This is when the economy was expected to be as efficient as it could be. This estimation was wrong though, Germany was running out of resources. Hitlers hopes of autarky were to be dashed unless he took action. This is seen by the failure to meet industrial targets. In 1938 the production for rubber was only at 4.2% of its target for 1940, explosives only 20.2 for the same dates. This showed an inadequacy in the materials needed by 1940 for war. The invasion of Poland therefore can be seen only as a mission for living space and resources, in which Germany lacked both. From this analysis it is fairly plain to see that Germanys invasion of Poland in 1939 was not an attempt to trigger a world scale war. Nor was it hopeful of beginning the quest for world domination. Instead it is more in-line with Masons view that the invasion of Poland was a, War of plunder. In which the resources of Poland would be plundered or stolen and used for Germanys benefit. It is true that Germany had achieved many of their economic aims by 1939, economic recovery, arms production but more importantly total employment. Indeed these were essential if Germany was to launch an attempt at world domination but, would not suffice without the ultimate goal of autarky being achieved. This by 1939 was not. It is mentioned by Hitler many times throughout his tyranny in Germany that before Germany could achieve world domination there would need to be total autarky. It was even laid down in his book, Mein Kampf. This ultimately means that the German economy couldnt have been ready for war in 1939 because it did not match up to Hitlers standards.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Mukia Maderaspatana Antioxidant Properties

Mukia Maderaspatana Antioxidant Properties Plants have the ability to synthesize a wide variety of chemical compounds that are used to perform important biological functions and to defend against attack from predators. Mukia maderaspatana (L.)M. Romer, is an annual monoecious climber, belonging to Cucurbitaceae family. This plant specify many medicinal properties such as constipation, cough, vertigo, burning sensation, dyspepsia and dental pain.. In this study, ascorbic acid content from fresh leaves and fruits were carried out. Also, the phytochemical analysis such as Total flavonoid, total phenolics contents of the plant were characterized, and found that leaves of M.maderaspatana is rich in ascorbic acid, an antioxidant than that of fruits and also contains adequate amount of phenolics and flavonoid contents in leaves as compared to fruits. Keywords: Mukia maderaspatana, Phytochemical activity, Antioxidant activity. Introduction: Plants (fruits, vegetables, medicinal herbs, etc.) may contain a wide variety of free radical scavenging molecules, such as phenolic compounds (e.g. phenolic acids, flavonoids, lignans, tannins), nitrogen compounds, vitamins, terpenoids (including carotenoids), and some other endogenous metabolites, which are rich in antioxidant activity (; Zheng and Wang, 2001; Cai et al., 2003). Phytochemicals present in plants have been shown to have diverse biological activities like cardioprotective, cancer prevention and inhibiton of bone resorption. One of the most common activities of the phytochemicals is the antioxidant .(B.R.Srilatha and S.Ananda., 2012). The total antioxidant activity of plant foods is the result of individual activities of each of the antioxidant compounds present such as vitamin C, carotenoids, and phenolic compounds, the latter being the major phytochemicals responsible for antioxidant activity of plant materials (Javanmardi, Stushnoff, Locke, Vivanco, 2003;) Plants are the natural source for many biochemicals, fragrance, food coloures ,flavors and medicines with less side affects. Most valuable phytochemicals are the products of secondary metabolism .The use of plants as medicines predates written human history. All the plants produce chemical compounds as a part of their normal metabolic activity. The scientific interest in identifying novel natural antioxidants for use in foods has considerably increased in recent years, because the use of synthetic antioxidants as food additives is limited by specific regulations in various countries, established on the basis of their safety.(Spiridon Kintzios et al.2010). Many plants synthesize substances that are useful to the maintenance of health in humans and other animals. Compounds like flavonoids, phenolics are widely distributed in plants fulfilling many functions. They are most common group of polyphenolic compounds in human diet, and are known for their antioxidant activities. Pharmaceutica ls and food manufactures have become interested in these compounds for their medicinal properties especially their putatitive role in inhibiting cancer or cardiovascular diseases. Antioxidant plays an important role in the living system and it prevents the oxidative damage that may result in cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. (Sangilimuthu Alagar Yadav et al.,2012) Ascorbic acid , which is commonly known as vitamin C is common antioxidant . Ascorbic acid present in medicinal plants has attracted the attention of many researchers because of the wide range of their biological activities. (Mallika Jainu et al., 2008). Many studies have correlated high intakes of vitamin c, with low rates of cancer, particularly cancers of mouth, larynx and esophagus. Use of plants to treat diseases is almost universal among non industrialized societies, and are often more affordable than purchasing expensive modern pharmaceuticals. Many of the pharmaceuticals currently available to physician s have long history of use as herbal remedies including aspirin, digitalis, quinine and opium. Leaves and Fruits of Mukia maderasapatana Melothria madraspatana (Syn. Mukia maderaspatana L.) is an annual climber with hair shoots. It is an edible plant typically low in calories, low in fat, high in dietary fibre, high in iron and calcium and very high in phytochemicals such as Vitamin C, vitaminK, carotenoids, lutein, folate and polyphenolics compounds such as flavonoid etc. The whole plant is useful as it has valuable medicinal properties, cough, dental pain, burning sensation, and ayurvedic properties such as Rasa, Guna,Virya, vata, pita. In scientific literature M. maderaspatana has been shown to be anti-inflammatory, anti arthiritic Immunomodulatory, anti platelet ,hepato protective and antimicrobial. (B.R.Srilatha and S.Ananda., 2012). So the present study was carried out to evaluate the total phenolics, flavonoid and ascorbic acid contents in the leaves and the fruits of the plant. Materials and methods Plant material: M.maderaspatana were collected from vellore institute of technology (VIT) garden, vellore, Tamilnadu, State of India. Chemicals: Ascorbate, Trichloroacetic acid, DNPH (2,4 Dinitro phenylhydrazine) reagent, Thiourea solution, FC ( Folin ciocalteau)reagent, Catechol, Sodium carbonate, Ethanol, Quercetin, Aluminium Chloride, Potassium acetate. Estimation of Ascorbic acid The amount of ascorbic acid present in leaves and fruits of M.maderaspatana was estimated by method of (Roe and Keuther1943).Fresh leaves and fruits (1gm) were homogenized with 10ml of 4% TCA and centrifuged at 2000 rpm. The supernatant obtained was treated with pinch of activated charcoal for 10 min. Centrifugation was repeated and clear supernatant was obtained. Two different aliquots of supernatant (0.5 and 1.0ml) were taken as test sample . The volume was made upto 2.0ml with 4% TCA ,0.5ml of DNPH, 2drop of 10% thiourea solution was added and incubated for 3 hour at 37ËÅ ¡c . 2.5ml of 85% sulphuric acid was added and absorbance was read at 540 nm against blank . Ascorbate was used as standard. The ascorbic acid was expressed as mg equivalent per gram of extract. Preparation of ethanolic extract for phenolics: The leaves and the fruits of the plant were shade dried and powdered in the grinder. The powder leaves and fruits (25gm) was extracted with 85% ethanol (100ml) and kept overnight. The ethanol was evaporated next day using water bath and the residue was dried and used for further analysis. Estimation of phenolics: The total phenolic content present in leaves and fruits were assayed by (Mallick and Singh 1980). 10mg of plant extract was dissolved in 1ml of 80% ethanol. Further dilution were made up to 1mg /ml and different concentrations ( 10 µl,50 µl,100 µl and 250 µl) were taken and made up to 3ml with distilled water. 0.5ml of Folin ciocalteau reagent was added and incubated for 3min at RT. 2ml of sodium carbonate was added and kept in boiling water bath for 1min, cooled and absorbance was measured at 650 nm against blank .Catechol was used as standard. The total phenolic content was expressed as Catechol equivalent in mg per gram of extract. Estimation of flavonoids: The total flavonoids contents present in leaves and fruits were assayed by (Chang et al.,2002).10mg of plant extract was dissolved in 1ml of 80% ethanol, further dilution were made upto 1mg/ml and different concentrations ( 10  µl,50 µl,100 µl and 250 µl )were taken, 0.1ml of 10% aluminium chloride and 0.1ml of 1M potassium acetate and reaction mixture were made upto 3ml with distilled water. After 30min incubation at RT, the absorbance was measured at 415nm, against blank. Quercetin was used as standard. The flavonoid content was expressed as Quercetin equivalent in mg per gm of extract. Results: Standard graphs of Ascorbate, Catechol and Quercetin for Ascorbic acid, Phenolics and Flavonoid respectively are shown below, and The total content of these phytochemicals, present in M.maderaspatana were assayed using these standard graph The amount of Ascorbic acid, Total Phenolics and Flavonoids present in the leaves and fruits were investigated. The amount of Ascorbic acid is expressed as mg ascorbate /g. Graph1: (Standard curve equation Y= 0.007 x, r2 = 0.992), The total amount of phenolics is expressed as mg Catechol/g. Graph 2: ( Standard curve equation Y = 0.029 x, , r2 = 0.995) and The total amount of Flavonoid is expressed as mg Quercetin /g. Graph 3: (Standard curve equation Y = 0.012 x, r2 = 0.993) is tabulated below. Discussion: Medicinal plants are reported to be rich in antioxidants, namely polyphenols, flavonoids, vitamin A, C, E and several other constituents, which are necessary for maintaining good health and useful for therapeutic purposes against various diseases (Scalbert, Johnson, Saltmarsh, 2005) Medicinal plants are gaining a lot of importance as an alternate medicine against therapy and prevention from various diseases.(Raj Kumar Dutta et al.,2012). The result of present study in quantitative analysis of Ascorbic acid in leaves of Mukia maderaspatana were high (99.046  ± 1.413  µg/g) comparatively to that of fruits, (24.52  ± 1.43  µg/g) and various studies have revealed that ascorbic acid is an antioxidant vitamin that acts synergistically with tocopherol to preserve antioxidant function in chronic disease states (Bruno et al.,2006; Traber Stevens, 2011, Nuri Andarwulan et al .,2012). And Total Phenolics (31.08  ± 0.5291  µg/g) and Flavonoid (25.388 à ‚ ± 0.0174  µg/g) contents were also high in leaves to that of fruits (14.97  ± 1.127  µg/g ),( 6.47  ± 0.012  µg/g ) respectively .In the whole, leaves showed the higher amount of contents as compared to that of the fruits, and the antioxidant property of ascorbic acid were high when compared to phenolics an flavonoid contents in M.maderaspatana plant. Conclusions: The data presented in the study showed that Mukia maderaspatana is rich in antioxidant properties, especially Ascorbic acid, which is necessary for the treatment and prevention of scurvy and reduce neurological defects. The plant also contain adequate amount of flavonoid and phenolic content, which have anti-germ activities, anti tumor and anti inflammatory properties with reduced risk of heart disease  and many chronical diseases. Thus determining the antioxidant activities from M. maderaspatana could be valuable for pharmaceuticals and even for the food industries as they are abundantly found.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Essay on Food as a Control Mechanism in Handmaids Tale :: Handmaids Tale Essays

Food as a Control Mechanism in Handmaid's Tale      Food traditionally represents comfort, security, and family. We recall the traditional concept of comfort food and the large family dinners in Norman Rockwell's piece Freedom from Want. However, for many, food is also a serious, and potentially damaging, method of control. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia are classic examples of psychological syndromes, related to control, that express themselves with eating disorders. Prisoners of war are denied food as the most basic method of torture and control. Like all humans, Offred, the main character of Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale, finds that food is a central and important feature of life. Food has many meanings in the novel, nourishment, fertility, and luxury; however, this paper will focus on food as a control mechanism of Gilead's government. First, page 11 in the novel introduces tokens,à ® which are the method of payment for food in Gilead. Tokens do not have any writing on them at all, only basic pictures. Here it is important to recognize that handmaids, and all respectable women, in Gilead are not allowed to read. Gilead has biblical mandate for this rule, without doubt, yet the most significant aspect of the rule is its use as a control mechanism. Women are denied the power of knowledge, and hopefully, from the government's perspective, women will eventually lose all ability to gain any knowledge that is not fed to them. We see this same idea expressed on pages 25 and 27 when Offred described the storefronts. All the stores, but specifically the food markets, no longer have written names and signs. The names of these stores are all expressed using rudimentary pictures. As an example, a wooden sign with three eggs, a bee, and a cow indicates Milk and Honey. There is further significance of the tokens mentioned above. Because handmaids must use these tokens to purchase food, they have no choice or free will regarding food at this stage. The food they pick up at the store will be based purely on the tokens that have been given to them, they will hand these tokens to a man behind the counter, and he will hand her the food. It is very simple and extremely passive. The limitation of free will using tokens is expounded upon when Offred realizes that Milk and Honey has oranges, a rare luxury. Offred is longing for one of these fruits yet cannot have it because she doesn't have a token for it (25).

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Debating Immigration Essay -- Illegal Immigration, Illegal Immigrants

Debating Immigration Immigration is the movement of people into another nation with the intention of living there permanently. After a four centuries of immigration have passed and people have moved from region to region, the breeding of different races has caused there to be over two thousand different races. The social construction of stereotypes has a far greater impact on race. This is what leads to discrimination and finally unequal treatment and even hatred among immigrants of all shades of skin pigment. Like the history of past colonists who migrated to the USA started in the early 1600's, most modern day immigrants are motivated to relocate far from their original homes for the desire to improve their economic situation. These people are known as economic immigrants, who resettle in other countries such as USA in search of jobs, farmland, or business opportunities. Americans often view immigration as a problem, even though the USA has been shaped by immigrants. Born Americans often look down on new immigrants. Facts from the Encarta Encyclopedia states, "Immigrants are frequently targets of criticism, especially when the new arrivals come from a different country, rather then to be already among the established community. The vast majority of immigrants coming to the USA have come in search of jobs and the chance to create a better life for themselves and their families. In all of American history, less than ten percent of immigrants have come for political or religious reasons" (Encarta Encyclopedia). American's do expect immigrants to absorb the benefits and standards of American society, but most of them do maintain some of there cultur... ...about the value of immigration and the labors they provide to the USA" (U.S. Commissions Immigration Reform). Bibliography: Work Cited Completing Blue Prints for an Ideal Legal Immigration Policy. Center for Immigration Studies. Mar. 2000. Washington. 17 Sept. 2001 Congressional Authorization. U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform. 7 Mar. 1998. 18 Sept. 2001 "Microsoft Corporation." Encarta Encyclopedia Online. 1993 - 2000. Encarta Encyclopedia. 18 Sept. 2001 Reason for Immigration. Immigration Issues. 1999. American Immigration Lawyers Association. 20 Sept. 2001 Tibbs, Brad. Personal Interview. 20 Sept. 2001. Timothy James McVeig. One Life for 168. Tribune-Star 2001. Indiana. 19 Sept. 2001 U.S. Immigration Citizenship Information. DV Information. 2000 - 2001. Commercial Services website. 19 Sept. 2001

Friday, October 11, 2019

Hiroshima Paper

The book begins with the telling of what the main six characters were doing before, during, and shortly after the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. The book goes on to show how the people believed that it only affected the general area, and how they realized that it affected the entire city. Many people were injured and scorn. Some people were even trapped under buildings. It continues to show when the Japanese Emperor announced on the radio that Japan was going to surrender to the U. S.In the few days, survivors, Japanese scientists, and government leaders discovered that the weapon was actually a new type of bomb. The government was very careful and indistinct in reporting details to the public. The fates of the main characters were described, and they all suffered from some form of radiation sickness. The Japanese were able to figure out from analyzing the people and the remains of the bomb what is was made of. The last chapters tell you about the atom bomb victims a year to forty ye ars after the bomb. It also tells how the city rebuilt itself and recovered from being attacked by a nuclear weapon.Even though the six main characters went through the same situation in a different way they all fought to overcome the damage left behind y the bombing. Through reading this booking two characters that stood out to me were Father Wilhelm Kleinsorge and Dr. Terufumi Sasaki. These two stood out because I felt they helped a lot of people even when they could not help themselves. I have much admiration for Dr. Sasaki because he when called stood up to the plate, and was able to go on with his life. Father Wilhelm is a thirty-eight year old German priest.Father Wilhelm was in his room reading and got scared when he saw the flash. He somehow ended up outside in vegetable garden pacing around. The only physical marks he had were cuts. He helped a man escaped, but the man ended up running back into the fire. He went to a park called Asano Park where he helped assisting in help ing people. Father Wilhelm was able to help the people in the park until he was taken to a Catholic Novitiate outside of the city. He took two children with him by the name of Kataoka who he able to reunite with their mother.In the book it says that Father Kleinsorge may have had the worst sickness of all the main characters. He was sent to a hospital in Tokyo for over three months. He suffered from symptoms such as: high fever, low white blood cell count, and anemia. When he was finally allowed to return to Hiroshima the doctor told him that every day he should take at least a two hour nap. Even though the doctors told him to do this he did not follow instructions. He seemed to always put his work before his own health. When August came he was so sick he had to return to the hospital for a month's recovery process.Since his exposure to radiation and constant working habits on behalf of others he ended up repeating the cycle of getting better and ending back up in the hospital. He d id not slow down until his body gave out on him. He wanted o bad to help the people that he got Japanese citizenship and changed his name to Father Makoto Takakura. After some really bad sicknesses in the 1950s, he was finally transferred to a small church in Mukaihara, the same town as Dr. Sasaki. He ended up getting a cook by the name of Yoshiki-san, who in the end is there to take of him in came to thank him for the wonderful things he had done.In 1976 he slipped on some ice and became bed-ridden for the rest of his life. Yoshiki-san was there by his side to take of him, and a year later he fell into a coma and never woke up. Dr. Terufumi Sasaki was a surgeon working at the Hiroshima Red Cross center. At the time of the bombing he was bringing blood to the laboratory. Dr. Sasaki was thankfully left undamaged because when the bomb hit he was lucky enough to have taken a step beyond the window and crouched down. He ended up being one of the six doctors left that was not hurt so he had to treat a lot of people.At one point in time he had to work three days only having one hour of sleep. From working so much and not getting but six hours of sleep he ended up losing twenty pounds. The medical equipment he had to work with was not the best, and he was only working off of onations that people were making. He gained some since of his old self and ended up getting married to Dr. FuJii. They to live in a summer house, but a flood destroyed the house and he was forced to leave. He then opened a clinic in the suburb of Hiroshima, and rebuilt a successful practice.He had to travel to Yokohama for training, and here is where he finally came to a realization Atomic bomb survivor. He soon found that he had to get his whole left lung removed, which almost resulted in his death. This occurrence made him appreciate life and he vow to treat his patients ore compassionately, and to spend more time with his wife and four children. Dr. Sasaki's only regret was that he had not bee n able to more carefully record the identities of all the Red Cross Hospital corpses so that they would not be wandering in the afterlife, upset at not being properly remembered. Dr.Sasaki was the person who distanced himself from his Hiroshima experience through making a life somewhere else, while Father Wilhelm could not separate his self from Hiroshima resulting in his death. All six characters in this book were lucky because after the bombing unlike many people they still had their lives. Some were able to go on with their lives, while others let the situation take over them. The sickness was something that they all suffered from and was a negative that they all faced. Some of them dedicated and were obligated into helping the other people who were not as fortunate as them.It had to be hard seeing people around you dying and there not being too much you can do. Father Kleinsorge passage was basically saying that was it right that people had no say so in their lives being taken. Kind of like saying should the people suffer for the decisions made by one person, when they do not even know what is going on around them. The people who consider it Just an attack that affected the civilian do not look at the broader aspect. The bomb was the ending result of something much bigger.The people Just so happen to be a sacrifice in the situation. It was like the leaders of Japan were so caught up in evil that they did not realize that they were hurting the people of Japan. The bombing was like a realization to the government that they had been killing the people so much spiritually, and this was the physical outcome. It to me was kind of like they could not appreciate the good that they received after the bombing until they went through the bad. The good was that the initial war ended, but so many lives were lost in the process.These lives being loosed I think had to happen because if it were smaller the people would have wanted to retaliate instead of come together and stop the violence. Reading this but the movie seemed to focus more on the American side of the bombing rather than side from the people in Hiroshima. The movie makes it seem as if the bomb had to be dropped, while reading the book you see that Japan could have been overtaken without the drastic measures. The book does not go into detail about the attack Japan has before, which was the cause of the bombing.The movie and the book both focus on making one side seem more Justifiable or victims than the other. I think John Hersey book Hiroshima is a great book for college students to read because it gives them an outlook on the other side of the spectrum. This will allow them to decide for themselves who was wrong and right in the situation. It also even Just gives them a more detailed event of what actually happen August 1945. The book also gives students an outlook of how something major can happen to so many people and affect everyone in different ways. So the book should be read bec ause either way it will be some type of learning experience.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

René Descartes Essay

â€Å"My purpose is to persuade all those who think metaphysics worth studying that it is absolutely necessary to pause a moment and, regarding all that has been done as though undone, to propose first the preliminary question, ‘Whether such a thing as metaphysics can be even possible at all? ’† (Kant 233) These types of questions asked by philosopher Immanuel Kant revolutionized the way humans make sense of the world, and more specifically how the human mind functions. Kant shed a light on prior theories and analogies, eliminating some of the most important beliefs as â€Å"unjustifiable†. He synthesized the two prior beliefs of Rationalism and Empiricism, and preached that in our world, â€Å"Concepts without intuitions are empty, intuitions without concepts are blind†. (Fehir) I believe that Kant’s Constructivism is a superior alternative to Rationalism and Empiricism. Before Kant’s idea of constructivism, philosopher David Hume made a claim that all objects of human reason or enquiry may naturally be divided into two kinds; relations of ideas, and matters of fact. In simpler terms, all knowledge must either be classified as a prior (prior knowledge), or posteriori (post knowledge). Kant’s put this theory to a test and asked â€Å"if a truth is not true because of our experiences, nor is it true because of the grammar or meanings of the sentences of our language, how else could it be defined? †(Higgins and Martin 232) Kant synthesized rationalism and empiricism by discarding their flaws and combining their strengths. Grisell 2 Kant agrees with philosophers such as Pluto and Descartes that there are innate ideas. Knowledge of the nature of reality derives from ideas of the intellect, not the senses. The concept of self, substance, and identity do not need to be tested through science; we know they exist simply by thinking and understanding. Furthermore, Kant agrees that the self is real and discernible through immediate intellectual intuition. This understanding relates to Cogito ergo sum, a statement from Descartes, which recognizes that someone wondering whether or not he or she exists is, in and of itself, proof that something, an â€Å"I†, exists to do the thinking. Kant also agrees with philosophers such as Aristotle and Hume who state that our senses are the primary, or only, source of knowledge of world. For example, we know that water boils at 212 degrees because we have observed it through experience. Kant explains that there are two different worlds; the phenomenal (apparent) world versus the noumenal (real) world. The phenomenal world is a world of things, publicly observable, describable by science, known to the senses, and determined by physical laws. In this world, we can generate facts through trial and experiment, using our senses to determine a definitive answer (e. g. water boils at 212 degrees). Through Kant’s improved theory of constructivism, he can make conclusions based upon his findings. Both rationalism and empiricism are wrong when they claim that we can know things in themselves. Rationalists are wrong not to trust senses; in the phenomenal world, senses are all we have. Hume is wrong when he claims the concept of self is unsupported by senses, and therefore false. Rather, the experiencing self is a pre-condition for having any experience at all (Descartes was right). Kant’s â€Å"Copernican revolution of the mind† synthesized rationalism and empiricism. What Kant suspected, and what many philosophers believe today, is that â€Å"our â€Å"ideas†-our Grisell 3 concepts and our language- do not just correspond to reality but in some sense shape and â€Å"set-up† the world, impose upon the world (and) the structures we experience. † (Higgins and Martin 230) He believes that objects conform to knowledge. An example that displays this type of thinking is the Abraham Lincoln analogy. If a fuzzy picture of Abraham Lincoln is displayed to someone who is familiar with what Abraham Lincoln looks like, they can make sense of the image and acknowledge what they are seeing. A person who has no clue what Abraham Lincoln looks like will have no understand of what their eyes are viewing. This requires prior knowledge from a person, gained through personal experience using their eyes. Although it is simply an analogy, this type of idea was what gave Kant the principle of Synthetic a prior. Kant’s revolution changed our conception of reality, our conception of knowledge, and most importantly, our concept of ourselves. I personally believe that Kant gave philosophers a definitive solution to how the mind and our reality interact. He gave philosophers a renewed ideal of certainty, for he argued that we can be certain of the rules of our own experience. I think Kant says it best when he says, â€Å"reality is the world of our experience, as we constitute it through the concepts of our understanding† (Kant 232) Grisell 4 Work Cited Higgins, Kathleen M. , and Clancy Martin. â€Å"Knowledge; Kant’s Revolution. † Introducing Philosophy. By Robert C. Solomon. 10th ed. New York: Oxford UP, 2012. 230-33. Print. LaFave, Sandra. â€Å"Kant: The â€Å"Copernican Revolution† in Philosophy. † Kant: The â€Å"Copernican Revolution† in Philosophy. N. p. , n. d. Web. 02 Nov. 2012. Fehir, Aaron. â€Å"Hume’s Fork and the Problem of Causality. † Lecture.