Comparative of the Great Gatsby, Casablanca and Translations Essay

The texts which I have studied in my comparative course are â€Å"The Great Gatsby† (G.G.) written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. â€Å"Casablanca† (C.B.) directed by Micheal Curtiz and â€Å"Translations† (T.) written by Brian Friel. The cultural context of all three texts impacts on how and why the people behave the way they do. In this essay I will examine the elements which I thought had the most significant impact on the characters which contributed to their behaviour throughout the narratives. The first aspect I will examine is the setting of all texts – how it impacts on the way in which the main characters act and the consequences it has on their behaviour. G.G. is set in the â€Å"Roaring Twenties† in America. Fitzgerald set G.G. in an altered version of Long Island and Manhattan where Great and Manhasset Neck became East and West Egg and the large landfill site at Flushing is renamed the ‘valley of ashes`. This glamorous decade of the 1920à ¢â‚¬â„¢s was one of great cultural, artistic and social developments. WWI had ended in 1918 and left people disillusioned. This generation that fought and survived were ‘the lost generation`. At this time, America seemed to throw itself headlong into a decade of madcap behaviour and materialism. This era, also known as ‘The Jazz Age` was improvised and wild, jazz broke the rules of music just as ‘The Jazz Age` thumbed its nose at the rules of the past. Now, the ‘American Dream` became prominent and the idea of America being a land of opportunity was challenged and people came to believe that a determined and able individual could achieve anything, regardless of their social background. This was a pursuit of wealth. G.G., unlike the other two texts is set in a time where although having just came out of war, no other country imposed on America’s freedom, which I think led to freer morals and loser behaviour among the people (for example, the widespread infidelity). Unlike G.G., C.B is set in Morocco’s real costal city of Casablanca under Vichy French rule (a puppet administration for the Germans) during the early days of WWII. At this time, people from all over the world, especially Nazi occupied Europe, came to Casablanca. Some trying to escape and others, scam artists trying to get rich. It is described as a â€Å"torturous refugee trail† to reach Casablanca where they â€Å"wait† for passport visas (letters of transit) to escape. The social setting of C.B. is presented to us as we see a globe revolving slowly at the beginning of the film. An authoritative male voice gives us the time setting for the film. The main action of the film covers three days in the life of Rick Blaine, an American who has fled from Paris as the Nazis occupied it. He has set up a cafà © in CB as he tried to forget his past and a disastrous love affair. â€Å"Rick’s Cafà © Americano† is the most popular hang out, a place where shady dealings and gambling take place. T. differs from both texts as it celebrates the day-to-day and the wit and humour the mundane. Unlike G.G. and CB, T is not remotely glamorized. However, T and CB are alike in the sense that both texts contain people who strive to gain their countries independence. The setting of the play T. is a small rural Irish speaking community in the fictional townland of Baile Beag in County Donegal. The year is 1833 and Ireland is under British Rule and part of the British Empire. It is a community of tenant farmers and fishermen where inhabitants eke out a living from the land by growing potatoes by fishing or by rearing livestock. The local people worry about the possibility of potato blight, unlike the people in CB and GG who are hungry for achieving money through business and corrupt practices. The people of Baile Beag are dependent on the land, this is poignant considering the play is set not long before the Great Famine. There are very few employment opportunities in the area and people are shabbily dressed, whereas in both alternative texts the main characters have a demure fashion sense and look to be rich. However, like CB the people are eager to flee their county in T. Emigration is among the options available to those who want to better their situation. The British army arrives in Baile Beag to conduct a survey of the area in order to make a new map and the soldiers are required to anglicise the place names as they go along. The changing of the ancient place names will have a ruinous destructive effect on the culture of the area. The new English names are both meaningless and empty. Another aspect which I feel is a central factor in all three texts is the role of both men and women and how each sex act towards each other. The three narratives reflect similar values in relation to males being the dominating sex and often in a negative context. They are commonly the bread winners and superior to women. In GG, Tom Buchannan is very negatively portrayed. He is powerful and aggressive. We see Tom’s belligerent personality when he is physically abusive to Myrtle by breaking her nose with his open hand. Myrtle and Tom are both married to other people, but have an affair together. Tom is self absorbed and selfish, he does not give his wife Daisy a second thought when being unfaithful. This theme of negatively portraying men is also prominent in CB, Rick is selfish â€Å"I don’t stick my neck out for anyone†. In CB, Rick is shown not to respect Yvonne. He sends her on her way with a bar man who works for him because he thinks she is â€Å"too drunk†, Ugarte responds to this action, â€Å"you cannot throw women around like that, some day they may be scarce†. In all three texts alike, men fight for the love of a woman, which is illustrated in a macho sense. In GG Tom and Jay fight for Daisy’s love., in CB Rick and Laslo fight for Ilsa’s love and in T George and Manus fight for Marie’s love. Aspiration and optimism i s a common factor across the three texts. Daisy aspires to make it work with Tom, Ilsa wants to work her relationship with Laslo out and Marie will rekindle her love â€Å"when George returns†. All three women live in hope for a better tomorrow. The role of women is a common feature in each the texts. In all three women have no independence; they rely on the men to provide for them. They do not work and are all seen as weak. They are all dominated by men and accept this fact. In GG, Daisy is rich and lives a luxurious lifestyle. Daisy is a lazy character, â€Å"She made an effort to rise† when Nick entered the room but was â€Å"paralysed with happiness†. Daisy states, â€Å"I’ve been lying on that sofa for as long as I can remember† and says â€Å"We ought to plan something† to Jordan. However, she is presented as being unhappy â€Å"she cried and cried†, she describes her own daughter is seen as being a â€Å"beautiful little fool†. Daisy also engages in an affair wit h Jay Gatsby, the culture causes Daisy to behave in this immoral manner. In CB, women rely on men to make a life for them and free them from the confinement of Casablanca. They are portrayed as being vulnerable. Ilsa relies on the men, Rick or Lazlo to get her the letters of transit. The women in CB conform to the traditional roles In T. again, women have no independence, they depend solely on men to work and provide for them. Sarah succeeds in overcoming speech difficulty, but is then worse at the end of the play. She is presented as being weak and shy. She has a â€Å"waif-like† appearance. In my opinion, Sarah symbolizes the suggested fragility and vulnerability of women. But, Marie on the other hand is a strong character. She is a hard worker â€Å"look at the blisters† and makes an outspoken decision not to marry Manus, solely as a means of survival. Similarly in all three texts, we capture a soft and loving side to the women; Ilsa loves both Rick and Lazlo. But these loves are very different. Daisy loves her daughter tenderly and Marie falls in love with George. Although the three texts are alike in a sense, there is a great variation in the types of women we encounter across the three texts. In GG Myrtle is a feisty character, she stands up for herself to Tom â€Å"I’ll say whatever I like† but is dominated by him, the man whom she is having an affair with. He breaks her nose and she carries on meeting with him. Myrtle’s feisty independence has only a contradiction on itself however, as she only moves from ones mans dominance to another. She is under the control of her husband who has to provide for her. Jordan also has an incurable dishonesty; I don’t think she comes across as a nice character but I do not blame the characters for engaging in such dishonesty but only the culture in which they live. Another aspect of the cultural context which I feel contributes to how and why the people in the texts behave the way the do is religion. In the world of the three texts, religion is not an integral part of everyday life. It is not significant in their lives. Interestingly, in GG a dominant symbol within this novel is the billboard eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg. The eyes symbolize the loss of spiritual values in America. The billboard was erected to promote the business of an optometrist in Queensborough – the eyes symbolize the growing commercialism of America – life in America is all about making money, a lot of money as evidenced by the wealth of people like Tom Buchanan – a man’s success is measured in terms of how much money he is worth, not on what kind of person he may be morally. The billboard, like the spiritual values of America, is neglected – â€Å"But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days, under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground.† The old-fashioned values of America, which Nick Carraway returns to reconnect with in the mid-West are completely absent from the East, God seems to have abandoned America, leaving only Dr. T.J. Eckleburg behind to stare down with his empty eyes on people who have abandoned their spiritual values in the quest to achieve material wealth. In â€Å"CBâ€Å", religion is irrelevant in their lives. They have no time for religion. We see one reference to religion throughout this film which was when Ilsa said to Rick a heartfelt â€Å"Bless you†, however this still does not suggest a religion had a major role in the text. The lack of religion, I think is due to the diverse multi-cultural society. CB is a temporary destination for people fleeing. In stark contrast, in â€Å"T† we see an abundance of religious references which show us the extent of their faith. In this society, religion plays an integral part and influences their behaviour. It is a constant feature of their everyday lives and conversation – â€Å"God save us† and â€Å"The God’s truth†. All the characters have a strong, unflinching catholic faith. Religion is used as a crutch to help people get through the harsh realities of their lives. â€Å"Sweet God did the practise crop ever fail in Baile Beag†¦ Never†, this is an emphatic statement. â€Å"Never† shows their trust and faith in God it is a solace from their meagre and primitive existence. Religion fortifies them. Religion takes place in baptisms, wakes and funerals. There is a big difference in the prevalence and strength of religion in the three texts. There is another aspect which I feel impacts significantly on how and why the people in the three tex ts act the way they do, alcohol. There is a parity across all three texts. Alcohol is used for both celebration and comfort. In GG, alcohol is prohibited. Although it is illegal, it can be seen everywhere throughout the text. People who stayed sober were regarded as â€Å"deplorable and boring†. The ban of alcohol (â€Å"The Prohibition†) created a thriving underworld designed to satisfy the massive demand for bootleg liquor among rich and poor alike. Alcohol is seen as a source of comfort for Daisy on her wedding day to escape the harsh reality of not having Tom â€Å"as drunk as a monkey†. The reckless abuse of alcohol is also something that contributed to the death of Myrtle. â€Å"GG† is unlike â€Å"CB† where alcohol is seen as a way of socialising in this society. All the action throughout the film takes place in Ricks cafà © where alcohol plays a major role. Similarly to â€Å"GG†, we see alcohol being consumed for both celebration and comfort. Ricks toast to Ilsa â €Å"Here’s looking at you kid† with champagne is seen as them using alcohol to celebrate their future. Although we see Rick angry, bitter and so deeply hurt by the return of Ilsa that he drinks heavily. In Ricks time of despair he lashes out at Ilsa as a result of alcohol which is the only time we see the abuse of alcohol. However, in â€Å"T† alcohol is used as a sign of celebration whether it religious or social. When Owen returns home he promises his father â€Å"You and I are going to get footless drunk†. Hugh is seen to always of has consumed an amount of alcohol and never appears sober. I feel alcohol is a key factor that results in the people of the narratives acting the way they do. The final aspect I will explore which I think influences the varied societies to behave in certain ways is their social status, wealth and poverty. There is a stark contrast in the event of wealth in all three texts. In â€Å"GG† there is an abundance or wealth, opulence and extravagance. The majority of the characters live in an area of over indulgence. We learn that Tom gave Daisy a â€Å"string of pearls valued at $3500†. Social snobbery is prevalent for instance, servants. Jay Gatsby hosts lavish parties an there is no expense spared. His ostentatious mansion was bought to only please Daisy to try and woo her. George Wilson is an example of complete contrast to Jay, he lives in extreme poverty. The interior of his garage is described as â€Å"un-prosperous and base† In â€Å"CB† we see an obvious affluence in formal dress and gambling but not to the same extent as in â€Å"GG†. However, â€Å"CB† is similar to â€Å"GG† in the sense that wealth grants one power and freedom. Rick’s lucrative business puts him in the position of authority but in my opinion the transit papers appear to be the most valuable currency. â€Å"T† is the antithesis to the other two texts. The society is present as primitive and destitute. People are poor peasants who are dispossessed. The annual salary for a teacher is 56 pounds, thus highlights the poverty in contrast to the other two texts. I think there is a strong sense of stagnation in this text. There is a lack of finance reflects in the lack of health care and â€Å"infant mortality†. Maire knows she has to learn English to move forward economically. There are gedge schools where children are educated in comparison to the mansions in the â€Å"GG†. Malnourishment is prominent and is due to the lack of proper food. Sarah is described as â€Å"waif-like†. Through my study of the comparative texts, I have found that the cultural context of the narratives impacts on how and why the people behave the way they do. It allowed me to establish a greater understanding of the characters themselves and to appreciate the circumstances at a deeper level in the lives of the protagonists.

Prelude to Foundation Chapter 19 Dors

SELDON, HARI-†¦ it is customary to think of Hari Seldon only in connection with psychohistory, to see him only as mathematics and social change personified. There is no doubt that he himself encouraged this for at no time in his formal writings did he give any hint as to how he came to solve the various problems of psychohistory. His leaps of thought might have all been plucked from air, for all he tells us. Nor does he tell us of the blind alleys into which he crept or the wrong turnings he may have made†¦ As for his private life, it is a blank. Concerning his parents and siblings, we know a handful of factors, no more. His only son, Raych Seldon, is known to have been adopted, but how that came about is not known. Concerning his wife, we only know that she existed. Clearly, Seldon wanted to be a cipher except where psychohistory was concerned. It is as though he felt-or wanted it to be felt-that he did not live, he merely psychohistorified. Encyclopedia Galactica 91. Hummin sat calmly, not a muscle twitching, still looking at Hari Seldon and Seldon, for his part, waited. It was Hummin, he thought, who should speak next. Hummin did, but said merely, â€Å"A robot? Me?-By robot, I presume you mean an artificial being such as the object you saw in the Sacratorium in Mycogen.† â€Å"Not quite like that,† said Seldon. â€Å"Not metal? Not burnished? Not a lifeless simulacrum?† Hummin said it without any evidence of amusement. â€Å"No. To be of artificial life is not necessarily to be made of metal. I speak of a robot indistinguishable from a human being in appearance.'. â€Å"If indistinguishable, Hari, then how do you distinguish?† â€Å"Not by appearance.† â€Å"Explain.† â€Å"Hummin, in the course of my flight from yourself as Demerzel, I heard of two ancient worlds, as I told you-Aurora and Earth. Each seemed to be spoken of as a first world or an only world. In both cases, robots were spoken of, but with a difference.† Seldon was staring thoughtfully at the man across the table, wondering if, in any way, he would give some sign that he was less than a man-or more. He said, â€Å"Where Aurora was in question, one robot was spoken of as a renegade, a traitor, someone who deserted the cause. Where Earth was in question, one robot was spoken of as a hero, one who represented salvation. Was it too much to suppose that it was the same robot?† â€Å"Was it?† murmured Hummin. â€Å"This is what I thought, Hummin. I thought that Earth and Aurora were two separate worlds, co-existing in time. I don't know which one preceded the other. From the arrogance and the conscious sense of superiority of the Mycogenians, I might suppose that Aurora was the original world and that they despised the Earthmen who derived from them-or who degenerated from them. â€Å"On the other hand, Mother Rittah, who spoke to me of Earth, was convinced that Earth was the original home of humanity and, certainly, the tiny and isolated position of the Mycogenians in a whole galaxy of quadrillions of people who lack the strange Mycogenian ethos might mean that Earth was indeed the original home and that Aurora was the aberrant offshoot. I cannot tell, but I pass on to you my thinking, so that you will understand my final conclusions.† Hummin nodded. â€Å"I see what you are doing. Please continue.† â€Å"The worlds were enemies. Mother Rittah certainly made it sound so. When I compare the Mycogenians, who seem to embody Aurora, and the Dahlites, who seem to embody Earth, I imagine that Aurora, whether first or second, was nevertheless the one that was more advanced, the one that could produce more elaborate robots, even ones indistinguishable from human beings in appearance. Such a robot was designed and devised in Aurora, then. But he was a renegade, so he deserted Aurora. To the Earthpeople he was a hero, so he must have joined Earth. Why he did this, what his motives were, I can't say.† Hummin said, â€Å"Surely, you mean why it did this, what its motives were.† â€Å"Perhaps, but with you sitting across from me,† said Seldon, â€Å"I find it difficult to use the inanimate pronoun. Mother Rittah was convinced that the heroic robot-her heroic robot-still existed, that he would return when he was needed. It seemed to me that there was nothing impossible in the thought of an immortal robot or at least one who was immortal as long as the replacement of worn-out parts was not neglected.† â€Å"Even the brain?† asked Hummin. â€Å"Even the brain. I don't really know anything about robots, but I imagine a new brain could be re-recorded from the old.-And Mother Rittah hinted of strange mental powers.-I thought: It must be so. I may, in some ways, be a romantic, but I am not so much a romantic as to think that one robot, by switching from one side to the other, can alter the course of history. A robot could not make Earth's victory sure, nor Aurora's defeat certain-unless there was something strange, something peculiar about the robot.† Hummin said, â€Å"Does it occur to you, Hari, that you are dealing with legends, legends that may have been distorted over the centuries and the millennia, even to the extent of building a veil of the supernatural over quite ordinary events? Can you make yourself believe in a robot that not only seems human, but that also lives forever and has mental powers? Are you not beginning to believe in the superhuman?† â€Å"I know very well what legends are and I am not one to be taken in by them and made to believe in fairy tales. Still, when they are supported by certain odd events that I have seen-and even experienced myself-â€Å" â€Å"Such as?† â€Å"Hummin, I met you and trusted you from the start. Yes, you helped me against those two hoodlums when you didn't need to and that predisposed me in your favor, since I didn't realize at the time that they were your hirelings, doing what you had instructed them to do.-But never mind that.† â€Å"No,† said Hummin, a hint of amusement-finally-in his voice. â€Å"I trusted you. I was easily convinced not to go home to Helicon and to make myself a wanderer over the face of Trantor. I believed everything you told me without question. I placed myself entirely in your hands. Looking back on it now, I see myself as not myself. I am not a person to be so easily led, yet I was. More than that, I did not even think it strange that I was behaving so far out of character.† â€Å"You know yourself best, Hari.† â€Å"It wasn't only me. How is it that Dors Venabili, a beautiful woman with a career of her own, should abandon that career in order to join me in my flight? How is it that she should risk her life to save mine, seeming to take on, as a kind of holy duty, the cask of protecting me and becoming single-minded in the process? Was it simply because you asked her to?† â€Å"I did ask her to, Hari.† â€Å"Yet she does not strike me as the kind of person to make such a radical changeover in her life merely because someone asks her to. Nor could I believe it was because she had fallen madly in love with me at first sight and could not help herself. I somehow wish she had, but she seems quite the mistress of her emotional self, more-I am now speaking to you frankly-than I myself am with respect to her.† â€Å"She is a wonderful woman,† said Hummin. â€Å"I don't blame you.† Seldon went on. â€Å"How is it, moreover, that Sunmaster Fourteen, a monster of arrogance and one who leads a people who are themselves stiff-necked in their own conceit, should be willing to take in tribespeople like Dors and myself and to treat us as well as the Mycogenians could and did? When we broke every rule, committed every sacrilege, how is it that you could still talk him into letting us go? â€Å"How could you talk the Tisalvers, with their petty prejudices, into taking us in? How can you be at home everywhere in the world, be friends with everyone, influence each person, regardless of their individual peculiarities? For that matter, how do you manage to manipulate Cleon too? And if he is viewed as malleable and easily molded, then how were you able to handle his father, who by all accounts was a rough and arbitrary tyrant? How could you do all this? â€Å"Most of all, how is it that Mannix IV of Wye could spend decades building an army without peer, one trained to be proficient in every detail, and yet have it fall apart when his daughter tries to make use of it? How could you persuade them to play the Renegade, all of them, as you have done?† Hummin said, â€Å"Might this mean no more than that I am a tactful person used to dealing with people of different types, that I am in a position to have done favors for crucial people and am in a position to do additional favors in the future? Nothing I have done, it might seem, requires the supernatural.† â€Å"Nothing you have done? Not even the neutralization of the Wyan army?† â€Å"They did not wish to serve a woman.† â€Å"They must have known for years that any time Mannix laid down his powers or any time he died, Rashelle would be their Mayor, yet they showed no signs of discontent-until you felt it necessary that they show it. Dors described you at one time as a very persuasive man. And so you are. More persuasive than any man could be. But you are not more persuasive than an immortal robot with strange mental powers might be.-Well, Hummin?† Hummin said, â€Å"What is it you expect of me, Hari? Do you expect me to admit I'm a robot? That I only look like a human being? That I am immortal? That I am a mental marvel?!† Seldon leaned toward Hummin as he sat there on the opposite side of the table. â€Å"Yes, Hummin, I do. I expect you to tell me the truth and I strongly suspect that what you have just outlined is the truth. You, Hummin, are the robot that Mother Rittah referred to as Da-Nee, friend of Ba-Lee. You must admit it. You have no choice.† 92. It was as though they were sitting in a tiny Universe of their own. There, in the middle of Wye, with the Wyan army being disarmed by Imperial force, they sat quietly. There, in the midst of events that all of Trantor-and perhaps all the Galaxy-was watching, there was this small bubble of utter isolation within which Seldon and Hummin were playing their game of attack and defense-Seldon trying hard to force a new reality, Hummin making no move to accept that new reality. Seldon had no fear of interruption. He was certain that the bubble within which they sat had a boundary that could not be penetrated, that Hummin's-no, the robot's-powers would keep all at a distance till the game was over. Hummin finally said, â€Å"You are an ingenious fellow, Hari, but I fail to see why I must admit that I am a robot and why I have no choice but to do so. Everything you say may be true as facts-your own behavior, Dors's behavior, Sunmaster's, Tisalver's, the Wyan generals'-all, all may have happened as you said, but that doesn't force your interpretation of the meaning of the events to be true. Surely, everything that happened can have a natural explanation. You trusted me because you accepted what I said; Dors felt your safety to be important because she felt psychohistory to be crucial, herself being a historian; Sunmaster and Tisalver were beholden to me for favors you know nothing of, the Wyan generals resented being ruled by a woman, no more. Why must we flee to the supernatural?† Seldon said, â€Å"See here, Hummin, do you really believe the Empire to be falling and do you really consider it important that it not be allowed to do so with no move made to save it or, at the least, cushion its Fall?† â€Å"I really do.† Somehow Seldon knew this statement was sincere. â€Å"And you really want me to work out the details of psychohistory and you feel that you yourself cannot do it?† â€Å"I lack the capability.† â€Å"And you feel that only I can handle psychohistory-even if I sometimes doubt it myself?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"And you must therefore feel that if you can possibly help me in any way, you must.† â€Å"I do.† â€Å"Personal feelings-selfish considerations-could play no part?† A faint and brief smile passed over Hummin's grave face and for a moment Seldon sensed a vast and arid desert of weariness behind Hummin's quiet manner. â€Å"I have built a long career on paying no heed to personal feelings or to selfish considerations.† â€Å"Then I ask your help. I can work out psychohistory on the basis of Trantor alone, but I will run into difficulties. Those difficulties I may overcome, but how much easier it would be to do so if I knew certain key facts. For instance, was Earth or Aurora the first world of humanity or was it some other world altogether? What was the relationship between Earth and Aurora? Did either or both colonize the Galaxy? If one, why didn't the other? If both, how was the issue decided? Are there worlds descended from both or from only one? How did robots come to be abandoned? How did Trantor become the Imperial world, rather than another planet? What happened to Aurora and Earth in the meantime? There are a thousand questions I might ask right now and a hundred thousand that might arise as I go along. Would you allow me to remain ignorant, Hummin, and fail in my task when you could inform me and help me succeed?† Hummin said, â€Å"If I were the robot, would I have room in my brain for all of twenty thousand years of history for millions of different worlds?† â€Å"I don't know the capacity of robotic brains. I don't know the capacity of yours. But if you lack the capacity, then you must have that information which you cannot hold safely recorded in a place and in a way that would make it possible for you to call upon it. And if you have it and I need information, how can you deny and withhold it from me? And if you cannot withhold it from me, how can you deny that you are a robot-that robot the Renegade?† Seldon sat back and took a deep breath. â€Å"So I ask you again: Are you that robot? If you want psychohistory, then you must admit it. If you still deny you are a robot and if you convince me you are not, then my chances at psychohistory become much, much smaller. It is up to you, then. Are you a robot? Are you Da-Nee?† And Hummin said, as imperturbable as ever. â€Å"Your arguments are irrefutable. I am R. Daneel Olivaw. The ‘R' stands for ‘robot.' â€Å" 93. R. Daneel Olivaw still spoke quietly, but it seemed to Seldon that there was a subtle change in his voice, as though he spoke more easily now that he was no longer playing a part. â€Å"In twenty thousand years,† said Daneel, â€Å"no one has guessed I was a robot when it was not my intention to have him or her know. In part, that was because human beings abandoned robots so long ago that very few remember that they even existed at one time. And in part, it is because I do have the ability to detect and affect human emotion. The detection offers no trouble, but to affect emotion is difficult for me for reasons having to do with my robotic nature-although I can do it when I wish. I have the ability but must deal with my will not to use it. I try never to interfere except when I have no choice but to do so. And when I do interfere, it is rarely that I do more than strengthen, as little as I can, what is already there. If I can achieve my purposes without doing even so much, I avoid it. â€Å"It was not necessary to tamper with Sunmaster Fourteen in order to have him accept you-I call it ‘tampering,' you notice, because it is not a pleasant thing to do. I did not have to tamper with him because he did owe me for favors rendered and he is an honorable man, despite the peculiarities you found in him. I did interfere the second time, when you had committed sacrilege in his eyes, but it took very little. He was not anxious to hand you over to the Imperial authorities, whom he does not like. I merely strengthened the dislike a trifle and he handed you over to my care, accepting the arguments I offered, which otherwise he might have considered specious. â€Å"Nor did I tamper with you noticeably. You distrusted the Imperials too. Most human beings do these days, which is an important factor in the decay and deterioration of the Empire. What's more, you were proud of psychohistory as a concept, proud of having thought of it. You would not have minded having it prove to be a practical discipline. That would have further fed your pride.† Seldon frowned and said, â€Å"Pardon me, Master Robot, but I am not aware that I am quite such a monster of pride.† Daneel said mildly, â€Å"You are not a monster of pride at all. You are perfectly aware that [it] is neither admirable nor useful to be driven by pride, so you try to subdue that drive, but you might as well disapprove of having yourself powered by your heartbeat. You cannot help either fact. Though you hide your pride from yourself for the sake of your own peace of mind, you cannot hide it from me. It is there, however carefully you mask it over. And I had but to strengthen it a touch and you were at once willing to take measures to hide from Demerzel, measures that a moment before you would have resisted. And you were eager to work at psychohistory with an intensity that a moment before you would have scorned. â€Å"I saw no necessity to touch anything else and so you have reasoned out your robothood. Had I foreseen the possibility of that, I might have stopped it, but my foresight and my abilities are not infinite. Nor am I sorry now that I failed, for your arguments are good ones and it is important that you know who I am and that I use what I am to help you. â€Å"Emotions, my dear Seldon are a powerful engine of human action, far more powerful than human beings themselves realize, and you cannot know how much can be done with the merest touch and how reluctant I am to do it.† Seldon was breathing heavily, trying to see himself as a man driven by pride and not liking it. â€Å"Why reluctant?† â€Å"Because it would be so easy to overdo. I had to stop Rashelle from converting the Empire into a feudal anarchy. I might have bent minds quickly and the result might well have been a bloody uprising. Men are men-and the Wyan generals are almost all men. It does not actually take much to rouse resentment and latent fear of women in any man. It may be a biological matter that I, as a robot, cannot fully understand. â€Å"I had but to strengthen the feeling to produce a breakdown in her plans. If I had done it the merest millimeter too much, I would have lost what I wanted-a bloodless takeover. I wanted nothing more than to have them not resist when my soldiers arrived.† Daneel paused, as though trying to pick his words, then said, â€Å"I do not wish to go into the mathematics of my positronic brain. It is more than I can understand, though perhaps not more than you can if you give it enough thought. However, I am governed by the Three Laws of Robotics that are traditionally put into words-or once were, long ago. They are these: † ‘One. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. † ‘Two. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. † ‘Three. A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.' â€Å"But I had a†¦ a friend twenty thousand years ago. Another robot. Not like myself. He could not be mistaken for a human being, but it was he who had the mental powers and it was through him that I gained mine. â€Å"It seemed to him that there should be a still more general rule than any of the Three Laws. He called it the Zeroth Law, since zero comes before one. It is: † ‘Zero. A robot may not injure humanity or, through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.' â€Å"Then the First Law must read: † ‘One. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm, except where that would conflict with the Zeroth Law.' â€Å"And the other laws must be similarly modified. Do you understand?† Daneel paused earnestly and Seldon said, â€Å"I understand.† Daneel went on. â€Å"The trouble is, Hari, that a human being is easy to identify. I can point to one. It is easy to see what will harm a human being and what won't-relatively easy, at least. But what is humanity? To what can we point when we speak of humanity? And how can we define harm to humanity? When will a course of action do more good than harm to humanity as a whole and how can one tell? The robot who first advanced the Zeroth law died-became permanently inactive-because he was forced into an action that he felt would save humanity, yet which he could not be sure would save humanity. And as he became inactivated, he left the care of the Galaxy to me. â€Å"Since then, I have tried. I have interfered as little as possible, relying on human beings themselves to judge what was for the good. They could gamble; I could not. They could miss their goals; I did not dare. They could do harm unwittingly; I would grow inactive if I did. The Zeroth Law makes no allowance for unwitting harm. â€Å"But at times I am forced to take action. That I am still functioning shows that my actions have been moderate and discreet. However, as the Empire began to fail and to decline, I have had to interfere more frequently and for decades now I have had to play the role of Demerzel, trying to run the government in such a way as to stave off ruin-and yet I will function, you see. â€Å"When you made your speech to the Decennial Convention, I realized at once that in psychohistory there was a tool that might make it possible to identify what was good and bad for humanity. With it, the decisions we would make would be less blind. I would even trust to human beings to make those decisions and again reserve myself only for the greatest emergencies. So I arranged quickly to have Cleon learn of your speech and call you in. Then, when I heard your denial of the worth of psychohistory, I was forced to think of some way to make you try anyway. Do you understand, Hari?† More than a little daunted, Seldon said, â€Å"I understand, Hummin.† â€Å"To you, I must remain Hummin on those rare occasions when I will be able to see you. I will give you what information I have if it is something you need and in my persona as Demerzel I will protect you as much as I can. As Daneel, you must never speak of me.† â€Å"I wouldn't want to,† said Seldon hurriedly. â€Å"Since I need your help, it would ruin matters to have your plans impeded.† â€Å"Yes, I know you wouldn't want to.† Daneel smiled wearily. â€Å"After all, you are vain enough to want full credit for psychohistory. You would not want anyone to know-ever-that you needed the help of a robot.† Seldon flushed. â€Å"I am not-â€Å" â€Å"But you are, even if you carefully hide it from yourself. And it is important, for I am strengthening that emotion within you minimally so that you will never be able to speak of me to others. It will not even occur to you that you might do so.† Seldon said, â€Å"I suspect Dors knows-â€Å" â€Å"She knows of me. And she too cannot speak of me to others. Now that you both know of my nature, you can speak of me to each other freely, but not to anyone else.† Daneel rose.-Hari, I have my work to do now. Before long, you and Dors will be taken back to the Imperial Sector-â€Å" â€Å"The boy Raych must come with me. I cannot abandon him. And there is a young Dahlite named Yugo Amaryl-â€Å" â€Å"I understand. Raych will be taken too and you can do with any friend as you will. You will all be taken care of appropriately. And you will work on psychohistory. You will have a staff. You will have the necessary computers and reference material. I will interfere as little as possible and if there is resistance to your views that does not actually reach the point of endangering the mission, then you will have to deal with it yourself.† â€Å"Wait, Hummin,† said Seldon urgently. â€Å"What if, despite all your help and all my endeavors, it turns out that psychohistory cannot be made into a practical device after all? What if I fail?† Daneel rose. â€Å"In that case, I have a second plan in hand. One I have been working on a long time on a separate world in a separate way. It too is very difficult and to some ways even more radical than psychohistory. It may fail too, but there is a greater chance of success if two roads are open than if either one alone was. â€Å"Take my advice, Hari! If the time comes when you are able to set up some device that may act to prevent the worst from happening see if you can think of two devices, so that if one fails, the other will carry on. The Empire must be steadied or rebuilt on a new foundation. Let there be two such, rather than one, if that is possible.† He rose, â€Å"Now I must return to my ordinary work and you must turn to yours. You will be taken care of.† With one final nod, he rose and left. Seldon looked after him and said softly, â€Å"First I must speak to Dors.† 94. Dors said, â€Å"The palace is cleared. Rashelle will not be physically harmed. And you'll return to the Imperial Sector, Hari.† â€Å"And you, Dors?† said Seldon in a low tight voice. â€Å"I presume I will go back to the University,† she said. â€Å"My work is being neglected, my classes abandoned.† â€Å"No, Dors, you have a greater task.† â€Å"What is that?† â€Å"Psychohistory. I cannot tackle the project without you.† â€Å"Of course you can. I am a total illiterate in mathematics.† â€Å"And I in history-and we need both.† Dors laughed. â€Å"I suspect that, as a mathematician, you are one of a kind. I, as a historian, am merely adequate, certainly not outstanding. You will find any number of historians who will suit the needs of psychohistory better than I do.† â€Å"In that case, Dors, let me explain that psychohistory needs more than a mathematician and a historian. It also needs the will to tackle what will probably be a lifetime problem. Without you, Dors, I will not have that will.† â€Å"Of course you'll have it.† â€Å"Dors, if you're not with me, I don't intend to have it.† Dors looked at Seldon thoughtfully. â€Å"This is a fruitless discussion, Hari. Undoubtedly, Hummin will make the decision. If he sends me back to the University.† â€Å"He won't.† â€Å"How can you be sure?† â€Å"Because I'll put it to him plainly. If he sends you back to the University, I'll go back to Helicon and the Empire can go ahead and destroy itself.† â€Å"You can't mean it.† â€Å"But I certainly do.† â€Å"Don't you realize that Hummin can arrange to have your feelings change so that you will work on psychohistory-even without me?† Seldon shook his head. â€Å"Hummin will not make such an arbitrary decision. I've spoken to him. He dares not do much to the human mind because he is bound by what he calls the Laws of Robotics. To change my mind to the point where I will not want you with me, Dors, would mean a change of the kind he can not risk. On the other hand, if he leaves me alone and if you join me in the project, he will have what he wants-a true chance at psychohistory. Why should he not settle for that?† Dors shook her head. â€Å"He may not agree for reasons of his own.† â€Å"Why should he disagree? You were asked to protect me, Dors. Has Hummin canceled that request?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Then he wants you to continue your protection. And I want your protection.† â€Å"Against what? You now have Hummin's protection, both as Demerzel and as Daneel, and surely that is all you need.† â€Å"If I had the protection of every person and every force in the Galaxy, it would still be yours I would want.† â€Å"Then you don't want me for psychohistory. You want me for protection.† Seldon scowled. â€Å"No! Why are you twisting my words? Why are you forcing me to say what you must know? It is neither psychohistory nor protection I want you for. Those are excuses and I'll use any other I need. I want you-just you. And if you want the real reason, it is because you are you.† â€Å"You don't even know me.† â€Å"That doesn't matter. I don't care.-And yet I do know you in a way. Better than you think.† â€Å"Do you indeed?† â€Å"Of course. You follow orders and you risk your life without hesitation and with no apparent care for the consequences. You learned how to play tennis so quickly. You learned how to use knives even more quickly and you handled yourself perfectly in the fight with Marron. Inhumanly-if I may say so. Your muscles are amazingly strong and your reaction time is amazingly fast. You can somehow tell when a room is being eavesdropped and you can be in touch with Hummin in some way that does not involve instrumentation.† Dors said, â€Å"And what do you think of all that?† â€Å"It has occurred to me that Hummin, in his persona as R. Daneel Olivaw, has an impossible task. How can one robot try to guide the Empire? He must have helpers.† â€Å"That is obvious. Millions, I should imagine. I am a helper. You are a helper. Little Raych is a helper.† â€Å"You are a different kind of helper.† â€Å"In what way? Hari, say it. If you hear yourself say it, you will realize how crazy it is.† Seldon looked long at her and then said in a low voice, â€Å"I will not say it because†¦ I don't care.† â€Å"You really don't? You wish to take me as I am?† â€Å"I will take you as I must. You are Dors and, whatever else you are, in all the world I want nothing else.† Dors said softly, â€Å"Hari, I want what is good for you because of what I am, but I feel that if I wasn't what I am, I would still want what is good for you. And I don't think I am good for you.† â€Å"Good for me or bad, I don't care.† Here Hari looked down as he paced a few steps, weighing what he would say next. â€Å"Dors, have you ever been kissed?† â€Å"Of course, Hari. It's a social part of life and I live socially.† â€Å"No, no! I mean, have you ever really kissed a man? You know, passionately?† â€Å"Well yes, Hari, I have.† â€Å"Did you enjoy it?† Dors hesitated. She said, â€Å"When I've kissed in that way, I enjoyed it more than I would have enjoyed disappointing a young man I liked, someone whose friendship meant something to me.† At this point, Dors blushed and she turned her face away. â€Å"Please, Hari, this is difficult for me to explain.† But Hari, more determined now than ever, pressed further. â€Å"So you kissed for the wrong reasons, then, to avoid hurt feelings.† â€Å"Perhaps everyone does, in a sense.† Seldon mulled this over, then said suddenly, â€Å"Did you ever ask to be kissed?† Dors paused, as though looking back on her life. â€Å"No.† â€Å"Or wish to be kissed again, once you had?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Have you ever slept with a man?† he asked softly, desperately. â€Å"Of course. I told you. These things are a part of life.† Hari gripped her shoulders as if he was going to shake her. â€Å"But have you ever felt the desire, a need for that kind of closeness with just one special person? Dors, have you ever felt love.† Dors looked up slowly, almost sadly, and locked eyes with Seldon. â€Å"I'm sorry, Hari, but no.† Seldon released her, letting his arms fall dejectedly to his sides. Then Dors placed her hand gently on his arm and said, â€Å"So you see, Hari. I'm not really what you want.† Seldon's head drooped and he stared at the floor. He weighed the matter and tried to think rationally. Then he gave up. He wanted what he wanted and he wanted it beyond thought and beyond rationality. He looked up. â€Å"Dors, dear, even so, I don't care.† Seldon put his arms around her and brought his head close to hers slowly, as though waiting for her to pull away, all the while drawing her nearer. Dors made no move and he kissed her-slowly, lingeringly, and then passionately-and her arms suddenly tightened around him. When he stopped at last, she looked at him with eyes that mirrored her smile and she said: â€Å"Kiss me again, Hari. Please.† [1] All quotations from the Encyclopedia Galactica here reproduced are taken from the 116th Edition, published 1,020 FE by the Encyclopedia Galactica Publishing Co., Terminus, with permission of the publishers.)

William Henry III Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

William Henry III - Essay Example In Plato's Allegory of the Cave, Socrates presented a caveman who only knows of darkness. He further presented another caveman who went out, saw the light, came back and considered blind in the darkness. And then he asked who is better off between the caveman who remained and the caveman who left and then blinded by the light. (350 B.C.) The caveman who left is better learned but the caveman who remained can better see. So, are they equal In my opinion, men are never equal. With regard to the cavemen, being in the cave at that point in time, I think the caveman who remained is superior compared to the caveman who left. For if you are bound and chained inside the cave with no chance of escaping, what use is your knowledge of light However, if eventually, the caveman who left was able to adjust his vision so he is no longer blind in the darkness, he is superior. For he no longer has a handicap and yet he knows something the other caveman does not. In Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics he said that every art, inquiry, action and pursuit is aimed at some good. And that certain activities produce different ends. Some might result to the end itself or master end, while some might result in a product leading to the end or subordinate end. (350 B.C.) For example, the end of Medical Arts is health. Thus the act of the doctor of prescribing medicine to the sick and the act of the nurse of taking care of the patient all leads to the master end: health. However, the act of an x-ray technician only leads to a subordinate end: the production of the x-ray result. This is because without analysis of the result and without a cure given, health is not attained. Hence we can say a doctor is superior that an x-ray technician. With respect to medical arts, they are not equal. And this even applies to the normal work setting. In the office there are maintenance people, there's the staff and there's management. All of which are not equal. We have discussed the 'master end' in a particular art. However, there are different kinds of art and sciences. But is there a master art that in which all the ends of all the art fall unto to, the most superior art According to Aristotle, it is politics. Politics uses all the sciences, like medicine and economics. Thru legislature ordains what sciences to be studied, who should learn it and to what extent. It determines what we ought to do and what we should avoid doing. (350 B.C.) Politics directs the state and thus directs all individual men. In the modern day setting, politics is represented by the government. We abide by the law that it legislate. We pay taxes. And we accept punishment from it. Even the richest and most powerful private company answers to the government. Indeed, the government is superior compared to all the other institutions. So far we have established that within a certain activity, art, science or institution, there is inequality between men. William A. Henry III was right. Some are smarter, more diligent, harder to replace and simply better. So is this necessarily anti-egalitarian Does

Winning the West for Women by Jennifer M Ross-Nazzal Essay

Winning the West for Women by Jennifer M Ross-Nazzal - Essay Example In this book, Ross-Nazzal analyzes the situations that Emma DeVoe underwent as a suffragist in the American west and shows the clashes of personality, conflicts, disagreements and hard workings of the efforts to attain the vote for women in the American west at national level from the year 1889 till Emma’s death in 1927 (Ross-Nazzal 5). This book is fascinating in the sense that Ross-Nazzal stresses that Emma’s career offers a unique platform through which to fully comprehend the suffrage reform movement in America. In this, the career of Emma is a manifestation of women’s struggle to attain the vote. She clearly demonstrates how local and state suffrage unions or organizations in American west related to the National American women suffrage association and how this organization solicited for funds as well as depicting how suffragist attained the hard work of long distance travel and politicking. This book reveals that women suffrage movement was not monolithic a s they combined with other people throughout the country to raise money to fund the organization so that their grievances were heard. The author of the book presents DeVoe as radical feminist in that she used feminine perspective to influence people in endorsing enfranchisement and particularly the use of sweetness in talking to male voters. For instance, she emphasized her appearance as a woman during public forums and talks striving to look lady like in presentation and demeanor. It is interesting to note that DeVoe’s tactics were effective in the sense she managed to convert both sexes to raise money, draw the support of businessmen and politicians and lastly bringing sanity and respect to the movement for women’s suffrage. Ross-Nazzal states that the prominence of DeVoe in suffrage movement gained centre stage when she was in South Dakota in 1880. South Dakota was a rotten place in that it included prostitution and gambling in that there was no moral order in that place. Therefore, DeVoe started engaging in moral reforms in order to eliminate these ills, often singing to various reform audiences (Ross-Nazzal 6). In addition, DeVoe planned for campaigns while in Dakota in order to get voters to support the suffrage movement. It is these events that shaped the career of DeVoe in that she began expanding the role of reform and the road to national healing and reconciliation. In the 1880s, she moved towards working for women’s’ suffrage movement at a time when she came to belief in women’s political rights that would help eliminate prostitution, drunkenness and other social ills witnessed during her stay at Huron in South Dakota. In addition, it is interesting to note that while in South Dakota, she voted for constitutional amendment geared towards women’s suffrage. In her move to support amendments in the constitution, she oftenly spoke using patriotism, humor, memories of civil war and conciliatory perspectives to bo th sexes so as to persuade audiences. She received criticism during her South Dakota campaigns in that she was accused of self serving, selfish and ambitious. In this book, Ross-Nazzal states that DeVoe moved to Washington where she gained a national reputation as a true patriot. In addition, she was given the position of a lecturer at NAWSA. She travelled widely organizing State and local suffrage clubs and bringing in money. Her position as NASWA lecturer better placed in that she was now in a position to travel widely and popularize the suffrage movement. More so, she spent her time organizing and soliciting for funds in States like Illinois, Montana and Nevada (Ross-Nazzal 18). The relation between populism and suffragist delayed the movement objectives as in some such as North Dakota populists delayed the movem

Mass Media and Communication Technologies Literature review

Mass Media and Communication Technologies - Literature review Example Mass media and communication technologies have become integral parts of our life and our society. One of the most important roles of mass media to perform as a public watchdog. Mass media has to play a leading role in shaping, guiding and reflecting the public opinion. These functions of media help to establish democracy. Use of media in a democratic polity creates critical awareness among the people, and so it becomes an essential component of mass vigilance to keep authorities tenterhooks. The media may not be able to perform these functions unless the access to them is ensured to a large section of our population. Media access is important in the political sphere. Access to media is access to public opinion, so essential to protect and preserve democratic institutions. It is advantageous to both leaders and masses. Media can correct or distort facts, views, and attitudes and even create euphoria. Point to abysmal media performance on any number of issues: western intervention in I ndochina; the sanctions against Iraq which kill up to 200 children under the age of five every day; the machinations of business lobby groups in Brussels, Washington, London to further a 'deregulated' corporate-shaped global economy; the obstructionism of even mainstream business - such as the US Chamber of Commerce and National Association of Manufacturers - in the face of global warming; and the attempt of the 'greener' oil companies like Shell and BP to keep the emerging technologies of clean and renewable energy out of community hands. In other words, mass media performance - its omissions, biases, distortions, deceptions - reflects the fact that the mass media is itself part of the same power structure that plunders the planet and inflicts human rights abuses on a massive scale. Mass media are a mode of social interaction. Wittingly or unwittingly the dominant social institutions will make use of the media, to stabilize the existing social order. Mass media are support to act as agents of social change.

Graham Gibb's Reflective Model Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Graham Gibb's Reflective Model - Coursework Example The first part: - ‘description’, entails the description of the action/event as pertaining to the person’s experience. Here it is to do with examinations either CATS or Final term exams. Exams are (a set/sets of) questions formulated by teachers, internally or externally, that are given to the students according to their class placement this with the aim of evaluating them at a level playing field. Here I participated in both types of exams finishing with the end term final exams. The second part: - ‘feelings’, entails the reactions and or feelings that are experienced at the particular moment of performing the specific event; this being the sitting of the exams. I was a little tense, not quite yet composed but was confident and ready for the paper. This was to be contributed to by my studying pattern and system throughout the school term. The third part: - ‘evaluation’, entails the nature of the experience one has during the event this b eing either good or bad. It has consequential results on the resultant outcome of the exams. During the taking of my exam, thoughts of family issues interrupted and blocked my flow of thinking. For some time I was quite dazed and lost valuable time trapped in my own thoughts. The experience was negative due to the kind of issues present in my family life (Jasper, 2003, p 81). The forth part: - ‘analysis’, entails the kind of rational outcome that one makes of the experience that one underwent through during the performance of the specific event i.e. what one makes sense of out of the situation occurring. Due to the family issues, my mental pattern was disrupted, with focus shifting from the current issue at hand; final exam, to external but... The researcher of this coursework discusses the reflection in the Education system, where is the presence of different by symbiotically related events that combine to produce an enabling and beneficial environment in which the student can interact successfully. This usually include: - educational materials, technologies available to enhance learning, cultural events, trips and sporting events and also examinations in the form of CATS (Continuous Assessment Tests) and final semester exams. The researcher focuses on the event of exams and examination in the schooling system. This is an event that is continuous throughout the study lives of students, it is present in all school terms of the year. Exams entail the writing of essays or sit-in-cats or end term exams. The model the researcher will be using in his study is Graham Gibb’s Reflective model. It uses reflection based on an ‘on- action approach’ the incident of reflection having been chosen and already experien ced. This model entails a ‘cyclic structural flow’ of events that exhibits on ongoing event. The researcher will concentrate on the end term final examinations paper that he undertook in during the year. The parts that were discussed in his research were the following: ‘description’ stage, 'feelings' stage, 'evaluation', ‘analysis’, ‘conclusion’ and 'action plan', each of them were analyzed in details. The researcher concluds then as a student, he would enroll for some counseling sessions either in school or privately and try to deal with an issue explored at a time.

Problem question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Problem question - Essay Example The essay starts by defining criminal law as well as explaining the factors that constitute a crime of such magnitude. The body of the essay will develop through identification of specific crimes in relation to the given scenario involving Ahmed and Blanche in a bid to establish if there is any criminal liability. According to the online HG.org worldwide directories (http://www.hg.org/crime.html), â€Å"criminal law which is often called penal law, involves prosecution by the government of a person for an act that has been classified as a crime.† On the other hand, a crime is further defined as, â€Å"any act or (commission of an act) in violation of a public law forbidding it.† Thus, criminal law forms part of public law. Every citizen of a state has certain duties towards the state and in the interest of the society as a whole, the state prescribes certain norms of conduct that bind all members of the state upon which it has a jurisdiction to punish a person who trans gresses against these (Kleyn & Viljoen 2002). Thus, the persons who commit crime can be prosecuted in a criminal court and punished if found guilty. The punishment will be determined by the level of crime against the accused once convicted of a crime. It must be proved beyond any reasonable doubt that somebody has committed a crime and some facts have been recognised as crimes for many centuries and these mainly emanated from common law and they include but are not limited to the following: murder, robbery, shoplifting, rape, assault, arson as well as bribery among others (Anderson, Dodd & Roos 2003). Where there has been a commission of crimes of such magnitude, it is the state versus the accused whereby the state will initiate the prosecution whereby punishment will be effected once a person has been convicted of a crime. 1 The aim is to prevent further occurrence of similar crimes, punish the offender, rehabilitate and reform the offender as well as to protect the interests of th e society. Criminal law is often considered as the most effective technique that can be used to combat certain wrongful acts of conduct according to the Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy. It is thus seen as an effective way of dealing with certain conducts which are deemed wrongful and violate the prescribed norms in society. In the given case involving Ahmed, the facts are: Ahmed, a diabetic, has left his wife, Blanche, and his son, Calum, for Diva who has given birth to his daughter, Elaine but for two years Blanche who has suffered at Ahmed’s humiliating and violent treatment. It is after Blanche sets alight the flat where Diva and Elaine are killed and Ahmed is overcome with grief, forgets to take his insulin and, before the police arrest Blanche, takes his gun and returns to the former matrimonial home. Indeed, when Blanche opens the door, Ahmed fires at her but misses and kills Calum instead. In this regard, it can be noted that specific crimes are punishable because they threaten the interests of the individuals and society as a whole. It is the duty of the state to ensure that these interests are protected. There are specifically four different groups of crime that can be identified as criminal and these include crimes against: another person, against community mores, against the interest of the state and against another person’s property. (Kleyn & Viljoen 2002). The most serious crime against another’

Price bubble Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 16

Price bubble - Essay Example literatures have already emphasized that financial asset markets showed price bubble as an existing phenomenon that shorts selling opportunities, limits price change rules and margins buying opportunities etc. In laboratory marketing analysis, conducted as out-of-class computerized microeconomic theory markets, it has been observed that price is more likely to be bubbled above intrinsic value and then crashed back to intrinsic value too. Price in the third laboratory market also tended to be intrinsic more accurately that sought to have a common price expectation with an asset share. The above mentioned market-laboratory experiment was very important because it has been able to address the potentially critical issues regarding the price bubble and how it is robust to various factors like, 1) substantial increase in group size, 2) inter-trader information existing outside laboratory privacy, 3) non-monetary reward structure etc. The market experiments have used a cash reward system wh ereby small markets with around fifteen traders watching the phenomenon in the market-laboratory. The price bubble phenomenon has resulted consistently with cash-reward, small group and strict privacy lab experiment for little experienced traders. The computerized market laboratory experiment highlighted that people are ready to buy assets at very high prices, though the accurate reason is quite unknown, it has been detailed that those who buy in such high prices perhaps gain profits from such doings by earning dividends or by selling to others. An interesting outcome of the experiment was the approximation of risk-neutral expectation market equilibrium, which was due to that traders in all three model markets began to learn that common market price expectation that is from their expected dividend earning with asset shares.

Tort Coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Tort Coursework - Essay Example It was argued by Gray that he had been beset by these ills, as a consequence of the post traumatic stress disorder engendered by the negligence of the defendants2. Gray’s claim was that in the absence of the defendants’ tort, he would not have been deprived of his earnings. Therefore, he contended that he had been put to a loss. Moreover, Gray claimed damages for the loss of earnings, prior to and subsequent to his killing of the pedestrian3. The legal doctrine of ex turpi causa oritur actio implies that an illegal or immoral act cannot constitute the basis for a cause of action4. The courts are required to adopt a non rigid stance, whilst effecting the doctrine of ex turpi causa oritur action. As such, it is essential for the court to apply the test of public conscience. Hence, it should arrive at a judicious balance between the negative outcomes of granting relief against those arising from the refusal to grant relief5. In Gray v Thames Trains Ltd, Lord Hoffmann stated that the maxim ex turpi causa was more of a policy than a principle. Moreover, such policy depends on a combination of several factors; which could vary, in accordance with the situation obtaining, in a specific instance6. Therefore, the court does not encourage a plaintiff to recover some benefit out of his own illegal act. Gray’s capacity to earn had been rescinded, due to the imposition of the hospital orders. The House of Lords, opined that the award of damages to the claimant, in respect of the loss of earnings, for the period, during which, the latter had been subjected to the orders of the civil court; would be at variance with the policy, on which these orders had been made7. In this case the House of Lords analysed the issues relating to causation and public policy, with regard to psychiatric illness. Lord Phillips had opined that

Reort Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Reort - Research Paper Example ‘implementation stage’ (which is fourth stage of system development life cycle) of new information system so that other problems related to time wastage, decrease in productivity and organisational inefficiency could be resolved. As far as other solution is concerned, it must be highlighted that all information and data files prepared on new office system could be converted into old format by using convertibility option in new MS Office. For instance, Microsoft Office 2007 and Office 2010 versions (very user friendly) offer a tool through which an end user could convert word 2007 and word 2010 documents into MS word 1997 and MS word 2003 formats. Indeed, this solution is though feasible, yet time consuming as word, power point or excel files have to be first converted and then to be mailed to all other store managers who do not newest Microsoft Office System. Another possible solution is that store managers could send those new word documents on their personal email and open as a ‘Google document’ or in HTML format. (Laudon, Kenneth and Jane) and (Wong) Wong, Bianca â€Å"Managing positive intranet change: Watch out for the J Curve† Prescience Digital June 4, 2010 Available at http://www.prescientdigital.com/articles/best-practices/managing-positive-intranet-change-watch-our-for-the-j-curve/ As far as the strengths of current system are concerned, it must be pointed out that our Intranet has the capability to facilitate open information sharing and communication among employees as it offers real time discussion facility, email and organisational calendar. This in turn enhances coordination and collaboration among workers. In addition, timely communication resulted in increased workers’ productivity, efficiency and task accomplishment as they could easily access organisational database for information. Moreover, the intranet system is being used for self training purposes as store managers can download training material directly by using this

Trust is the key ingredient in leadership Essay Example for Free

Trust is the key ingredient in leadership Essay This weeks Assignment consists of viewing a scenario about Sandwich Blitz, Inc. , reading an article about integrity in leadership, and writing a two-page double-spaced paper. Integrity in leadership is absolutely essential. † In today’s world more companies are looking for people with integrity to head their organizations. † It is because of the lack of integrity that financial turmoil is happening in the world today. If you have integrity you will go somewhere in life. â€Å"Grenville Kleiser said, â€Å"You are already consequence in the world if you are known as a man of strict integrity. † Without integrity no real success is possible. â€Å"Trust is the key ingredient in leadership. If you cannot engender trust, you are unlikely to find many who are interested in following your lead. They assume that you are making the right choice based on ethics and proper morals. † Sometimes integrity may be considered an old fashioned word in businesses environment. Integrity is defined among other things as â€Å" being true to one’s values. † When a leader has a set of clearly defined values that determine the actions and decisions they take. Strong leaders must be consistent. Integrity breeds consistency by providing a clear set of principles to follow. With the proper amount of integrity a leader will follow through and do what is right. When integrity is maintained, positive results don’t need to be questioned or worried over. If you want to see successful leadership in your life you need to have integrity. â€Å"Integrity is what we, do, what we say, and what we say we do†- Don Gater. â€Å"Don Gater sums it up well in a short statement. As a man of integrity, your word is your bond. Integrity is an important part of leadership. Leadership is often clear as day when witnessed firsthand, without integrity a leader may find that no one is willing to follow him.

Group Counselling Essay Example for Free

Group Counselling Essay In an effective functioning group, the members are striving to carry what they are learning in a session into their everyday lives. They do this by formulating plans to practice between sessions, by making a commitment to do homework assignments and by practicing a variety of new behaviors outside of the group. Perhaps the two most important phases of a group are its beginning and its end. The beginning because that is where the tone of the group is set; the end because that is where learning is consolidated and action plans are typically formulated. (pg 164) There are some tasks to be carried out during the closing session! (ending a group) * Members are encouraged to complete any ‘unfinished businesses’ they may have with other group members or the leader. * Members are taught how to carry with them what they’ve learned and esp. how to talk to significant people in their lives. * Members are assisted in making specific plans for change and in taking concrete steps to put the lessons learnt into effect in their daily lives. * Leaders help members discover ways of creating their own support systems after they leave the group. * Specific plans for follow-up and evaluation are made. NB. The more behavioral approaches like; transactional analysis, behavioral group therapy, RE behavior therapy and reality therapy – place primary emphasis on the above mentioned tasks. This owing to the belief that, members ought to consolidate their learning, practice homework assignments and develop a specific action plan, if they expect to make significant changes in their lives. Body: Time is limited in a group counseling session. The leader therefore, constantly remains aware of that and teaches participants how to best use the time available to them. Leaders also need to train members on how to pace themselves so that they do not wait until the end of the session to introduce work that cannot be addressed in the short time remaining. Good Practice to Carry Out When Ending a Session: I. Asking Members to Sum up! The leader may allow about 10min at the end of a session for members to summarize what the session has meant to them individually. Some questions that may be asked to help members consolidate their learning include; a) Could you briefly summarize what the session has meant for you? b) What steps towards your goal are you willing to take between now and our next session to make changes in your life? c) Was there anything unfinished for you today that you would like to continue in our next meeting? d) What was the most important thing that you experienced during this meeting? e) What touched you most in other people’s work today?  f) What did you learn about yourself? g) Did you get what you wanted from this session? (what in specific?) Questions like these assist members in identifying specific behaviors they must want to change, both in the group and in daily life. They also reinforce their commitment to make changes. II. Dealing with Unfinished Work! In the case that some work in a session isn’t going to be finished before the group ends, the leader can help bring a sense of closure simply by acknowledging those incomplete explorations or feelings that are left unspoken. This he can do by simply asking the client to differ the discussion until the next session. For example, â€Å"Since we’re running out of time today, would you be willing to reflect on it a bit between now and the next meeting, maybe do some writing, and bring it up again then!† #Activity during this time# Psychodrama: There is a procedure for closing a group session in Psychodrama that increases the chances that members will be able to identify and deal with unfinished business. Psychodrama emphasizes allowing enough time for the sharing and discussion phase for each session. #Sharing which comes first, consists of nonjudgmental statements about oneself. Then after the personal sharing, time is allotted for a discussion of the group process. Members who have engaged in a role-playing enactment are invited to share their reactions to those roles. Others are asked to tell members who participated in a psychodrama enactment how they were personally affected by the work and what they learned from it. III. Arrange Homework Assignments!  Having members announce Homework assignments or some means of carrying further the work they have done in a session, and then report on the same, at the beginning of the next session is a closing technique – it also links the ending session to the next. Homework can be deviced by members themselves or the leader. Keeping in line with behavioral approach, it is important for leaders to teach members that; â€Å"the crucial change is the one that takes place in the real world.† And this is where homework comes in handy. The main point is that insight alone rarely results in behavioral change. [‘Insight needs to be translated into action for change to occur’ – premise of the Adlerian Perspective.]pg. 168. IV. Making Your Own Comments and Assesments!  Leaders may form a practice of giving their reactions, a group process commentary or a summary of the meeting towards the end of the session. Leaders might comment on; * The cohesion of the group  * The degree to which members freely brought up topics for work * The willingness to take risks and talk about unsafe topics * The degree to which they interacted with one another (as opposed to speaking only directly to and through the leader) * Their willingness to discuss difficult concerns Leaders might use write up notes about each session during the week and use those comments at the beginning of the next session as a catalyst for linking the sessions! Another way to close session is to set apart the last 5min for members to fill out brief rating/assessment sheets. The ratings can be tallied in a few minutes and the results presented at the beginning of the next session. A rating scale of 1-5 can be used. Questions that can be asked include; a) To what degree were you involved in this session? b) To what degree were you willing to take risks in the group? c) To what degree did you trust other members in the group? d) To what degree has today’s session stimulated you to think about your problems, your life situation, or possible decisions you might want to make? e) To what degree were you willing to share what you were feeling and thinking in the session today? f) To what extent are you willing to actively practice some new behavior this week? g) To what degree did you prepare yourself or think about this session before you came today? h) To what degree are you willing to non-defensively take the feedback you receive and consider it carefully? i) To what degree did you see the group as productive today?

Psychological Perspectives on Children’s Behaviour

Psychological Perspectives on Children’s Behaviour THE PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES AS APPLIED TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF CHILDREN’S BEHAVIOUR The main psychological perspectives as applied to the understanding of the development of children’s behaviour are; behaviourist, cognitive, social, psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive and the developmental perspective. The behaviourist perspective is the influence of the outer environment on children’s behaviour. It discards the idea that children pass through set developmental stages or milestones. But are affected by the environment to which they are exposed to. The behaviour perspective focuses on how the outer environment influences how a child behaviour. It also focuses on how the environment affects their behaviour. â€Å"The behaviourist perspective looks at learning as the result of conditioning and that behaviour is learnt by positive and negative reinforcement† (Foster, S., Green, S and Kellas, S. (2008) BTEC National Children’s Care, Learning and Development , Nelson Thornes) A key theorist linking to the behaviourist theory is Albert Bandura. His theory was the Social Learning Theory (Observational Learning). It was most recently called ‘Social Cognitive Theory’. This theory looks at the moral and social behaviour in humans. He believes we learn through conditioning and by observing others. Bandura’s experiment was called the ‘Bobo Doll experiment’. The responses were all convoyed with verbal responses. I.e. one of the types of behaviour the adult showed was aggressive behaviour. The clip showed the adult punching the Bobo doll on it’s side, placing it on the floor and sitting on it and punching it on the nose. Whilst the adult was punching the Bobo doll on it’s nose. The adult continued to kick the Bobo doll around the room. The television clip also showed the adult using a mallet and whacking the doll with it. After the television clip had finished the children were left in a playroom with the Bobo doll for ten minutes. The children were then let into a room to play with the Bobo doll. The children showed hostile and aggressive behaviour toward the Bobo doll. Some of the objects used were mallets, like the adult had. However other objects were used such as guns. The experiment revealed that beha viour can be copied through observing and imitating others. An example of this in placement would be when I was sitting at the table with the children during dinner time. During this time two children were playing around with their food and they throwing it. I showed them that we eat this type of food with our hands. I then then ate some to show them that it tastes nice and they shouldn’t be afraid to eat with their hands. This then resulted in two children copying me and eating their dinner with their hands. The second psychological perspective is the cognitive perspective. The cognitive perspective or approach is the â€Å"psychological perspective emphasising active and interpretive nature of human information of human information processing† (Coolican, H., Cherchar, A., Walley, M, Cassidy, T,. Penny, G and Harrower J Page 367). The cognitive perspective is about how children make their own choices. This perspective focuses on how what a child learns affects their actions. This means this what a child learns influences their actions. This is done by a child’s thoughts and how a child processes and stores information. The third psychological perspective is the social perspective biological perspective. This perspective looks at how a child’s behaviour is done to their genetics. This means this perspective looks at a child and how they develop an understanding of the world and their surroundings around them. A theorist that believes this is Vygotsky. Vygotsky believed children learn best through social interaction with other peers and through adult intervention and through this is, is how they develop other skills. Vygotsky felt that children were capable of achieving past their potential and their stages of development however only with support and assistance from adults. â€Å"The difference between these two levels was known as the ‘zone of proximal development’, and this has huge implications for the adult who would help extend the child’s learning and reinforce it†. (Hill., K., Tassoni P., Page 256)An example of this would be if a child who suffers from OCD. O CD is a biological condition. If something is not in the correct place, or doing certain actions. A child at one of my placements suffered from Autism and OCD, if that child didn’t have snack at a certain time, the child would get very upset. As I worked with him during reception, snack time was available throughout the whole day and was not at a specific time, he found this difficult time. To help this child, me or another teacher would go through what activities were available to him that day and what he would like to in order. This was very effective and beneficial as he knew what was happening during the day. An example of this in placement would be through free play, the children have a chance to interact and integrate with other children. Adult intervention is very important in my setting. We welcome each child into the setting and talk to them about how they feel and what they would like to do. Communication goes hand in hand with adult interaction with adult intervent ion. I and the other staff at my placement scaffold the children’s learning when needed with certain tasks and activities. An example of this would be me helping a child to build a tower with wooden blocks. I helped the child to build a tower, thus helping them reach their goal. The next time they were able to build a tower on their own. The fourth psychological perspective is the psychodynamic perspective. This perspective focuses on the subconscious and the part in plays in us making the decisions we do. Freud is a key theorist that links into this perspective. Freud’s theory is the ‘Psychosexual stages of development’. Freud’s theory is based on the early childhood experiences form the behaviour we acquire as adults. Early attachment relationships with parents form a great impact on this. The fifth psychological perspective is the humanistic perspective. Freud believed that â€Å"the unconscious mind has a large part to play in how we feel and that the influences of the unconscious mind come from past experiences and form our instincts.† (Foster, S., Green, S. Kellas S., Page 112) Freud’s developed five stages and these were ; the oral stage, the anal stage, phallic stage, laterncy stage and the genital stage. The oral stage is the first stage is about how a child finds pleasure in putting objects in their mouth. The child is intent on satisfying their libido, by placing all sort of objects in their mouth. This can however be replicated at a child’s later life by thumb sucking or nail biting. The oral stage is when a child is first born to the age of one. The anal stage takes place between the first, two years of age. The pleasure zone in this period is the anus. This stage focuses on a child controlling their bowels and bladder. This when the eg o starts to develop and starts to control the id, this is done by the child asking to achieve potty training and toilet training. The next stage is the phallic stage, this takes place between the ages of two and six. The pleasure zone during this period is the phallus. This stage focuses on how a child has developed an awareness of their genitals and how a child plays with their genitals and gain pleasure from it. At this stage the superego develops. The laercy stage follows and takes place between the ages of six and eleven years. This stages’ pleasure zone doesn’t have one. This perspective focuses on what makes a child an individual by focusing on what makes a child an individual, and that is their characteristics. The Odeipus (boy) and Electra (girl) issues are resolved. A child can now build on a relationship with a same sex parent without feeling jealousy. The last stage is the genital stage. This is between the ages of 11 years into adulthood. The pleasure zone for this is the genitals. Its main characteristics is how a child can develop having sexual feelings (puberty) to then in adulthood settling down into a relationship. Freud believed though that if an adult is fixed at a certain stage such as the oral stage, their only pleasure of the relationship would be from kissing and not from sexual intercourse. This theory may be linked into practice by if a child is fixed at a certain stage such as the oral stage (this may be nail biting or thumb sucking) may be experiencing anxiety at home, thus not being able to move on to the next stage. Freud believed that if a child didn’t progress through these set stages, then it would cause problems later on in life. He also believed that a child could stay fixed at a stage and this again would cause problems. This links into children’s development because this perspective believes that children are influenced by the world and what they see and what they do. The last psychological perspective is the developmental perspective. This perspective looks at the behaviour of a child and sees if they are meeting the requirements for their age and stage of development. A key theorist that links into this is Piaget and his four stages of cognitive development. This links into child development by seeing if children are meeting the development requirements for their age. An example of this at my placement is a behaviour specialist works closely with the school. She takes account of each child’s needs and see if they are meeting the requirements for their age and stage of development and if there is any issues. And if there are any issues, what can then be done to help the child to meet their targets. Theories have informed practice in early years settings majorly. A lot of theories are using the theories in practice every day. Each theory can be placed into a different category of development. B.F Skinner’s theory is that children use cognitive behaviour when given verbal communication. A key element in his theory is through trial and error. They will keep on trying until they succeed. A way a child learns this is through observing other adults and copy and repeats what they have heard or see. An example of this in placement would be was when I was sitting at the table with the children during dinner time. During this time two children were playing around with their food and they throwing it. I showed them that we eat this type of food with our hands. I then then ate some to show them that it tastes nice and they shouldn’t be afraid to eat with their hands. This then resulted in two children copying me and eating their dinner with their hands. One way to achieve this is by speaking clearly and getting down to their level and using eye contact. Another example of this in placement would be when a child was hitting another child. I got to the child’s lev el/ and used eye contact. I also used their name and said what that their behaviour was wrong and that we use ‘kind hands’ here and that their behaviour had made the child sad. I also said that you need to give the child a cuddle and say sorry. B.F Skinner also links into another theory of behavioural management. His This theory is that child should have a consistent behavioural management system. At my placement we respect that parents may have a different technique to the ones we use at placement, we take on board their wishes and use their technique to remain consistency so the child does not get confused about the consequences of their behaviour. There are many behavioural techniques to help manage behaviour, these are reward charts, child empowerment, inclusion games and assertive discipline. Vygotsky’s theory is linked to intellectual development. His theory is that children learn new skills with the help of adult intervention. His theory also supports that a child should be supported doing a new activity or during a new learning experience. I and the staff support this theory by assisting the children with new tasks and scaffolding their learning. This means giving them the resources they need to fulfil or complete the task and letting them find a way of completing the task, without showing them. We also give verbal praise when a child shows good social interaction skills with other children. John Bowbly is the theorist that is linked to emotional development. He links into the biological perspective. His theory focuses on that importance of early relationships a child has with their main caregiver. Bowbly believed children who had a positive attachment with their caregiver have more of higher self-esteem and children who have negative attachment their caregiver have a lower self-esteem. At my placement we support this by slowly introducing and easing a child into a setting. We had a new child recently who started. We believed it would be for the best if we slowly eased the child into the setting. This helps the child to ease into the setting, make themselves feel comfortable and familiar with the setting. This also helps prevent separation anxiety with the child and their main caregiver. References Foster, S., Green, S and Kellas, S. (2008) BTEC National Children’s Care, Learning and Development , Nelson Thornes, Nelson Thornes – 15/11/14 Squire, G., 2007. BTEC National Children’s Care, Learning and Development Student Book, United Kingdom: Heinemann 15/11/14 Image http://fateslayer99.hubpages.com/hub/Understanding-Psychological-Perspectives-and-the-Motives-Behind-Our-Actions Last Accessed on 15/11/14 at 18:12 1 Tejal Thanki

Rene Descartes Essay -- Biographies Bio Biography

Rene Descartes was a famous French mathematician, scientist and philosopher. He was arguably the first major philosopher in the modern era to make a serious effort to defeat skepticism. His views about knowledge and certainty, as well as his views about the relationship between mind and body have been very influential over the last three centuries. Descartes was born at La Haye (now called Descartes), and educated at the Jesuit College of La Flà ¨che between 1606 and 1614. Descartes later claimed that his education gave him little of substance and that only mathematics had given him certain knowledge. In this lament he joins a chorus of seventeenth century philosophers including Bacon, Hobbes and Locke. In 1618 he went to Holland to serve in the army of Prince Maurice of Nassau, in traveled to Germany with that army. On the night of November 10, he had a series of dreams which he interpreted as signs that he would found a universal science. The most important influence on Descartes at this time was the mathematician Issac Beeckman, who stimulated Descartes by posing a number of problems and discussing issues in physics and mathematics with him. His first substantial work was the Regulae or Rules for the Direction of Mind written in 1628-9 but not published until 1701. This work shows Descartes interest in method which he share d with many sixteenth and seventeenth century scientists, mathematicians and philosophers. One source of this interest in method was ancient mathematics. The thirteen books of Euclid's Elements was a model of knowledge and deductive method. But how had all this been achieved? Archimedes had made many remarkable discoveries. How had he come to make these discoveries? The method in which the results were pr... ...l could interact with the body in 1643. In response to Elisabeth's questions, Descartes wrote a short work which developed into the Passions of the Soul. The work is a combination of psychology, physiology and ethics, and contains Descartes' theory of two way causal interaction via the pineal gland. Two months before the publication of the Passions Descartes set sail for Stockholm, Sweden, at the invitation of Queen Christina of Sweden. Descartes' death in Stockholm of pneumonia, has regularly been attributed to the rigors of the Swedish climate and the fact that Descartes (no early riser) was sometimes required to give the Queen lessons as early as five in the morning. However unpleasant these conditions may have been, it seems plain that Descartes acquired his fatal malady as a result of nursing his friend the French ambassador (who had pneumonia) back to health. Rene Descartes Essay -- Biographies Bio Biography Rene Descartes was a famous French mathematician, scientist and philosopher. He was arguably the first major philosopher in the modern era to make a serious effort to defeat skepticism. His views about knowledge and certainty, as well as his views about the relationship between mind and body have been very influential over the last three centuries. Descartes was born at La Haye (now called Descartes), and educated at the Jesuit College of La Flà ¨che between 1606 and 1614. Descartes later claimed that his education gave him little of substance and that only mathematics had given him certain knowledge. In this lament he joins a chorus of seventeenth century philosophers including Bacon, Hobbes and Locke. In 1618 he went to Holland to serve in the army of Prince Maurice of Nassau, in traveled to Germany with that army. On the night of November 10, he had a series of dreams which he interpreted as signs that he would found a universal science. The most important influence on Descartes at this time was the mathematician Issac Beeckman, who stimulated Descartes by posing a number of problems and discussing issues in physics and mathematics with him. His first substantial work was the Regulae or Rules for the Direction of Mind written in 1628-9 but not published until 1701. This work shows Descartes interest in method which he share d with many sixteenth and seventeenth century scientists, mathematicians and philosophers. One source of this interest in method was ancient mathematics. The thirteen books of Euclid's Elements was a model of knowledge and deductive method. But how had all this been achieved? Archimedes had made many remarkable discoveries. How had he come to make these discoveries? The method in which the results were pr... ...l could interact with the body in 1643. In response to Elisabeth's questions, Descartes wrote a short work which developed into the Passions of the Soul. The work is a combination of psychology, physiology and ethics, and contains Descartes' theory of two way causal interaction via the pineal gland. Two months before the publication of the Passions Descartes set sail for Stockholm, Sweden, at the invitation of Queen Christina of Sweden. Descartes' death in Stockholm of pneumonia, has regularly been attributed to the rigors of the Swedish climate and the fact that Descartes (no early riser) was sometimes required to give the Queen lessons as early as five in the morning. However unpleasant these conditions may have been, it seems plain that Descartes acquired his fatal malady as a result of nursing his friend the French ambassador (who had pneumonia) back to health.

Community Service Gives Purpose to My Life :: Community Service Essays

During my last year of high school, I was looking for something productive to do. I didn’t know many people because I had just moved to town and everything was new to me. Searching for opportunities to get involved and make new friends I decided it would be a good idea to make an appointment with my student counselor and discuss what was available for me to do. While speaking with my high school counselor, she asked if I had an interest in performing community service. She then explained the advantages of community service, but I wondered to myself, â€Å"what can volunteering teach me and why would I not be paid for doing work?†. I began to investigate organizations where I could perform community service. I soon discovered the â€Å"Hispanic Cultural Center† , I immediately became interested because I am Hispanic myself and I thought it would be nice to learn some more about my culture and meet more people. I made a call for an interview, and I committed myself to begin as soon as possible. As the school year began to unravel I knew it would be difficult to spend my afternoons helping because of all the homework and assignments I had to do in order to pass all of my classes. For a second I doubted I could handle school and volunteering, but I embraced the risks and proceeded to do both. My volunteering hours consisted of endless office work, organization of events and decorating. I liked it, it was something I enjoyed doing and I felt competent of doing. I didn’t know this until later but doing all these things made me realize that at the same time I was working I was having fun, after all, vol unteering was teaching me a lesson. One day during November the lady I was working with and I went out to get lunch, we had become good friends and she seemed to enjoy my company. As we were having lunch and talking about different subjects she said she was thankful for people like me, I didn’t understand what she had just said but I knew it had made an impact in me. I felt proud of her words but I didn’t know why, until I finally decided to ask her when we were both in silence. The question escaped my mouth before I had anticipated or formulated what I had meant to ask. Community Service Gives Purpose to My Life :: Community Service Essays During my last year of high school, I was looking for something productive to do. I didn’t know many people because I had just moved to town and everything was new to me. Searching for opportunities to get involved and make new friends I decided it would be a good idea to make an appointment with my student counselor and discuss what was available for me to do. While speaking with my high school counselor, she asked if I had an interest in performing community service. She then explained the advantages of community service, but I wondered to myself, â€Å"what can volunteering teach me and why would I not be paid for doing work?†. I began to investigate organizations where I could perform community service. I soon discovered the â€Å"Hispanic Cultural Center† , I immediately became interested because I am Hispanic myself and I thought it would be nice to learn some more about my culture and meet more people. I made a call for an interview, and I committed myself to begin as soon as possible. As the school year began to unravel I knew it would be difficult to spend my afternoons helping because of all the homework and assignments I had to do in order to pass all of my classes. For a second I doubted I could handle school and volunteering, but I embraced the risks and proceeded to do both. My volunteering hours consisted of endless office work, organization of events and decorating. I liked it, it was something I enjoyed doing and I felt competent of doing. I didn’t know this until later but doing all these things made me realize that at the same time I was working I was having fun, after all, vol unteering was teaching me a lesson. One day during November the lady I was working with and I went out to get lunch, we had become good friends and she seemed to enjoy my company. As we were having lunch and talking about different subjects she said she was thankful for people like me, I didn’t understand what she had just said but I knew it had made an impact in me. I felt proud of her words but I didn’t know why, until I finally decided to ask her when we were both in silence. The question escaped my mouth before I had anticipated or formulated what I had meant to ask.