Philosophy - Absolute Understanding Essays - Philosophy, Religion

Philosophy - Absolute Understanding An elephant was brought to a group of blind men who had never encountered such an animal before. One felt a leg and reported that an elephant is a great living pillar. Another felt the trunk and reported that an elephant is a great snake. Another felt a tusk and reported that an elephant is like a sharp ploughshare. And so on. And then they all quarreled together, each claiming that his own account was the truth and therefore all the others false (traditional parable). None of the accounts that the blind men made about the nature of the elephant are absolute truths, nor are the accounts false. An absolute truth, or one that is true for all, can not be achieved because of the constant motion of circumstances of who said it, to whom, when, where, why, and how it was said. Instead of absolute truths, the concepts or beliefs that the blind men claim are viewpoints that each one clarifies the nature of the elephant. Everybody has learned to see things from his or her own sense of reason and logic. The many things that people experience throughout their lifetimes, help to determine the judgments toward the different issues and objects that they encounter. Because individuals has his or her own sense of reason and logic, the perceptions that people encounter are ultimately true, and not false. Life does not contain one truth for any idea or object, but truths can be found in one's perception. It is difficult to determine that anything is the absolute truth. One should not prove that any object contains a true meaning, but should develop conceptions surrounding the object. Attempting to prove anything then would be difficult, if not impossible. Our senses from smell to values to reality may differ from person to person. What may be true to one person may be different for another. Because everybody has different perceptions about life, it is difficult to weigh the content of any concept. Every account, of its own, is formed to be the truth of the one individual who assumes it. The variety of concepts may have the virtue of being considered. This is how people develop a deeper sense of understanding for all objects. Truth is achieved through the concept and not the object itself. Because many individuals hold different perceptions, they have many truths to consider, or not to consider. For example, it would be impossible to determine, whether or not, the cutting of trees is either "good" or "bad." One might have the conception that cutting trees destroys homes for birds and other animals. Another person might have the conception that cutting trees is necessary to satisfy the need to provide homes for humans. Whatever concept is understood from the object, may be the truth. Just because there may be other viewpoints to this situation, does not mean that there has to be false statements. The tree can be used for many uses from medicine to paper to boats and none of these views would be wrong. The tree remains to be a tree, but the values of the tree can differentiate, depending on who is using it. The conception of God, or the non-conception of God, is another issue that many people make the mistake of trying to prove. A well recognized philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard states, "For if God does not exist it would of course be impossible to prove it; and if he [or she] does exist it would be folly to attempt it." Demonstrating the existence or non- existence of God only produces reasons for belief, not the actual proof that God exists. Kierkegaard also claims, "...between God and his works there exists an absolute relationship: God is not a name but a concept"( Kierkegaard 72). The relationship between man and God is a concept. A person with belief in God, cannot prove its existence through his or her own relationship with God. Kierkegaard adds again, "The works of God are such that only God can perform them" We have no basis of proving God's works, nor do we know what kind of works God uses on different individuals. Yet, some religious groups have

Free Essays on Causes For Violent Crimes

Causes for Violent Crimes The political right believes that the root cause of violent crime is bad genes or bad morals. Not so, says the left. The root cause of violent crime is bad housing or dead-end jobs. I believe that while doing something about the causes of violence surely requires a political ideology, the only way we can determine what those causes are in the first place is to check our ideologies at the door and to try to keep our minds open as wide, and for as long, as we can bear. I realize that this is not easily done but, if you give it a try I think that you will find that violence does not have one root cause. Rather, violence has many tangled roots. Some grow toward the left and some grow toward the right. We have to find the largest ones, whichever way they grow, and only then can we debate how to cut them off. Gary Ross, in his article â€Å"Moving Beyond Blame† (1999), agrees that there are many contributing factors in violence today: These include changing family structure; the breakdown of communities, villages, and neighborhoods; cynicism about government and social institutions; the decrease in a sense of security, job performance, or close personal relationships;the decline of genuine spirituality as an ethical force in the culture; an explosion of information that creates anxiety over one’s worth or abilities; a lack of respect for older people and an over reliance on ‘self’ to find the meaning of life. (pp. 407-408) One main cause for violence is the way families function. Children learn response styles mainly through watching and interacting with the people who care for them frequently. Youth can learn to lead nonviolent lives if they grow and develop in positive, caring, supportive families instead of in families with inconsistent caregiver behavior and examples of antisocial actions. Key factors include: early family and home life; presence of caring father; readiness for parentho... Free Essays on Causes For Violent Crimes Free Essays on Causes For Violent Crimes Causes for Violent Crimes The political right believes that the root cause of violent crime is bad genes or bad morals. Not so, says the left. The root cause of violent crime is bad housing or dead-end jobs. I believe that while doing something about the causes of violence surely requires a political ideology, the only way we can determine what those causes are in the first place is to check our ideologies at the door and to try to keep our minds open as wide, and for as long, as we can bear. I realize that this is not easily done but, if you give it a try I think that you will find that violence does not have one root cause. Rather, violence has many tangled roots. Some grow toward the left and some grow toward the right. We have to find the largest ones, whichever way they grow, and only then can we debate how to cut them off. Gary Ross, in his article â€Å"Moving Beyond Blame† (1999), agrees that there are many contributing factors in violence today: These include changing family structure; the breakdown of communities, villages, and neighborhoods; cynicism about government and social institutions; the decrease in a sense of security, job performance, or close personal relationships;the decline of genuine spirituality as an ethical force in the culture; an explosion of information that creates anxiety over one’s worth or abilities; a lack of respect for older people and an over reliance on ‘self’ to find the meaning of life. (pp. 407-408) One main cause for violence is the way families function. Children learn response styles mainly through watching and interacting with the people who care for them frequently. Youth can learn to lead nonviolent lives if they grow and develop in positive, caring, supportive families instead of in families with inconsistent caregiver behavior and examples of antisocial actions. Key factors include: early family and home life; presence of caring father; readiness for parentho...

Diversity and demographic characteristics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Diversity and demographic characteristics - Essay Example This paper discusses different demographic and diversity factors that impact individual behavior. A demographic variable that has a great impact on individual behavior is socioeconomic status. Socioeconomic status is a measure of an individual or family’s relative economic and social ranking (Nces). Two primary factors that determine socioeconomic status are income and educational level. Higher income positively impacts the well being of people and affects their personal behavior. People in higher income brackets have the opportunity to enjoy activities such as going to fine restaurant, playing golf, vacation to other countries, among other expensive habits on a regular basis. A separation exists between the rich and the poor in a society. The educational attainment of a person opens up opportunities for people. The higher educational level a person achiever the greater the chances of obtaining a high paying job. A person with a high school diploma in the United States earns an average annual salary of $23,400, a figure which is $28,800 lower than college graduates. (Earn mydegree, 2008). Geographical differences cause behavioral discrepancies among the people of region. Two types of geographical differences are rural vs. urban and inner city vs. suburban. Rural life tends to be more passive which allows families to raise their children in a controlled environment. The lifestyle includes working farming agricultural and dairy activities. People typically have large homes with vast amount of land. In the city life is totally different. People are in a constant rush and spend a couple of hours a daily commuting to get from one place to the other. The urban area has higher levels of industrial activity and pollution. In China the population from the rural areas migrates to the urban region in search for employment opportunities that come from manufacturing operations. The second comparison is inner city vs.

Psychology - Self Esteem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Psychology - Self Esteem - Essay Example Materialistic people believe that possessing physical things or property will lead to their satisfaction, content, and happiness. Apparently, studies have found this to be the opposite, such that, with the increase in material wealth, people tend to be unhappier. Caprariello and Reis in their study identified that people who spend more on life-experience events were happier than those acquiring material possessions. Having been identified as two important factors in defining human character, research has also been carried out to identify the correlation between self-esteem and materialism. Some of the findings have identified that there is an inversely proportional relationship between self-esteem and materialism; people with low self-esteem tend to use material possessions to satisfy their self-consciousness and insecurities (Park and Roedder 73–87). People’s self-esteem and need for materialistic possession are the main causes of societal problems. One of the problems associated with individual’s self-esteem and materialistic needs is poor health. As we have identified in earlier statements, individual’s character is mostly defined by their desire to achieve attain happiness, and this can be achieved through high self-esteem or use of material possessions. However, since nothing is perfect in this world, those unable to cope with the realities of life will likely fall victim to various health problems such as anxiety and depression. In a study carried out by Sowislo and Orth, they identified that low self-esteem was strongly related to depression. The results showed that, low self-esteem contributed to depression and depression was found to erode an individual’s self-esteem. The study further identified that low self-esteem was also a determinant for anxiety (Sowislo and Orth 214). People experiencing low self-esteem are known to seek material possessions in order to fulfill their desire for content and

Barriers for Parent Engagement in Childcare Services

Barriers for Parent Engagement in Childcare Services Critically discuss the barriers that parents may face in engaging with one area of the children’s services. What role can practitioners play in overcoming some of these barriers? Parents and practitioners trying to access help for children with disabilities face many barriers when engaging with children’s services. While changes have happened in society over the past number of years it can still be said that there is always room for improvement in children’s services. This TMA will focus on children with a disability and how parents and practitioners face the barriers of being heard and accessing the help available to them. While children with disabilities have been integrated into mainstream school or given the opportunity within a special need schools, parents still face barriers of the integration of multi-agencies and getting the right help and advice. Over the past few years change has come about from children with special needs been hidden away to now being integrated into mainstream education or special need schools. This has developed as a result of the implantation of new laws and legislation to protect child’s rights e.g. children’s NI order (1995), Education Act (2011), and also the present Ten year strategy for children and young people in Northern Ireland 2006-2016. While this has brought about significant change and better quality of education for special needs children it can be critically argued that parents still face many barriers within the education system. Ashley Walter (2014) identified that children with disabilities have more unmet health needs. This was further seen more from children of rural areas. Parents are not only having to coping with the additional needs of their child’s disability, but also the barriers of seeking help and being heard for their child to receive the right education . As a foster parents for a disabled child I can refer to these parents as I too found the barriers of known what services was available as information is limited. Lambing (2009) supports these parents when his studies identified that parents face the barriers of not knowing how the system works and the support available to access for their child’s needs. It can also be equally argued that parents themselves set the barrier to engage with the services. This may be a result of not coming to terms with their child’s disability being in denial or that they feel ashamed of not being able to cope. I was inspired by the research of Brodhurst (2003) which shows that parents of disabled children have a social barrier in engaging in services. Chin and Philip (2004) support this when talking about Cultural capital, on how parents from different social strata define how their child is raised. It can be seen how parent’s aspirations can influence barriers as they can higher expectations for their child than they are capable of. This is when the role of the practitioner plays an important role to overcoming these barriers. Parents need the support in knowing that there is something wrong as well as learning that engaging with different services will overcome barriers. The integration of children’s services has been set up to reach out to these parents. Guaralnick J M talks about early intervention and its importance to both the child and their family. The development of Sure Start is seen as a crucial early year services. They provide an invaluable network of support and guidance to help overcome some of the integration barriers parents’ face. Cohan (2005) sees that while services change and multi-agencies work together, so too does the relationship with the child change. Parents are therefore faced with the new barriers of how the child will intergraded into this system. This is supported by the research reported in the Journal of developmental and behavioural paediatrics, where parents and providers both perspective in barriers where children with disabilities are unable to integrate into the system due to their complex needs of coping with change and new facilities. It can be critically argued that our system tends to fit the child into the services rather than the service into the child. Can appointments not be carried out in the home or school environment? Has the child condition been taken into consideration especially a child who can’t cope with new places or people? These are some of the many questions and barriers that parents face. As service providers it can critically be said that we have a tendency to l ook at what we think is best for the child rather than listening to child themselves. As a foster parent I too faced these barriers as the child I cared for found difficult is coping with change. When attending appointments it caused stress and anxiety given the many barriers to overcome. Child A had the difficulties of dealing with not only the new surrounding but also the different faces and assessments needs. Then there are the barriers of waiting on decisions. I can say that I found it hard to know the outcomes and faced the barriers of frustration in not knowing what is happen and how Child A needs were being met. It is important as services providers to remember while all areas of development are interlinked each child is an individual. Like Young C talked about in video clip three learning guide 17.2 while the contributing of information is important we have to consider how we gather this information as it can be seen an innovation when professional visit the setting within s hort period to carry out similar assessments. This is the same for parents attending numerous appointments as it becomes frustrating to getting the same feedback and not answers to the services their child needs. Turner (2003) research I feel is important as he talked about the importance for the child’s welfare of having numerous agencies while at the same time having the support of a co-ordinator known as a Key worker to work on their behalf to reduce stress. These methods would help reduce some barriers and provide the support for parents during difficult periods. As stated in the Warnock Report (1978) â€Å"Parents provide valuable if not unique information for professionals who can then decide on the appropriate course of action in the ‘best interest of the child.† Parent’s participation is crucial in the ongoing development of services as they will be there for the children when professional are not. An interesting Journal came to my attention was the Facilitators and barriers for co – ordinated multi-agency services which highlighted that while there is little evidence on the effectiveness of multi-agency it has been found that barriers are reduced of collecting information, clear aims and timelines. While we talk about partnership it is argued that it evolves, grows and develops a style of attitudes and working together, it can be critically argued that this attitude constantly influences relationship within the partnership and the children needs are met. Like Savage J in Video clip 2 Learning guide 17.2 states there is no point in ‘demonising’ agencies who are viewed as not contributing; it should be recognised that they have their own objectives which need to be linked to shared objectives which need to be linked to shared objectives. While this is true the barriers both parents and schools face are of professionals not wanting to over step their role in m aking formal decisions as they don’t feel they have the authority as its beyond their job title. The key to direction of interagency work was set out as a process of consulting the children, young people, and parents using the service. It is to enables the children to comment on their needs and issues directly related to interagency service delivery. While this is the aim barriers are still faced todays parents and practitioners. While the interagency is to help relieve these barriers as a childcare practitioner working in the early years I too face the barriers of been heard. In schools practitioners also have to overcome barriers to help the child as well as building parent’s relationship. As a practitioner we need the parents support as they are the main source of vital information for the child welfare. This can be challenging when a child is unknown to have a special need and is identified within the school. While the UNCRC (1989) legislates the right for children to be educated in mainstream schools both practitioners and parents face the barriers of being heard and having the support needed to allow their children needs met. In my own setting we face the barriers of children not been assessed before school age especially children that present with autism, this therefore leads onto being declined the support needed within the setting. These barriers have an ongoing effect not only on the child but the stress parents face to being heard. Guralnick J M (1991) highlights the importance of early intervention and the benefits it has on the child’s development as well Government DFE (2012) suggesting that poor provision for children and young people with SEND, particularly those with needs such as autism and dyslexia is likely to significantly affect their quality of life. However it does not always happen in practise. In my own voluntary organisation we do not have the support of the education system as we are seen as a pre-school and not a nursery even though the difference is the title. This therefore does not enable us to have the support of early intervention to get children assessed for autism. These children are suffering and barriers are set against the pre-school in providing services and helping parents to get the best start for their child. It can be seen that while new laws and legislation has seen improvements in children’s services it can be seen that the voluntary organisation who focus on the specific needs of the child, know more about children’s needs rather than the local authorities. The voluntary organisations work hands on with parents and children taking strategic partnership forward. It therefore is important that voluntary agencies are not set barriers but be included within partnership with children. Some families will turn to smaller community group for supporting needs resulting from the mistrust of statutory organisations. Voluntary organisations are user lead in that they are focusing on the child as well as the policy. That’s why it’s important that they feed into policy rather than local authorises which don’t work hands on. The sure start organisation has had a great impact in helping parents with barriers they face. Within the organisation they have provided a service where all personal meet under the one complex reducing the barriers for parents whose children have complex needs and find change difficult to cope with. It ca n however be critically said that some organisation only reach out to rural areas and parents outside this catchment area still face the barriers. It could be therefore said that the government need to review their services and enable all users to avail of the services. Voluntary organisations like the pre-schools also need to be included in these services so barriers can be reduced and children assessed at a young age. This would not only have the nature of the partnership been redefined but so too has the concept of childhood on the role of the community strengthened. As DH 2001 research shows that power can over view the resources needed and the children’s needs. In conclusion to this ATM it can be said that Law recognises disabled children as being in need. While many parents and practitioners still face barriers to accessing services for disabled children in need, many barriers can be overcome through multi – agency support services that has a evolve to adopt a ‘holistic’ approach with the child at the centre. Voluntary organisations integrating into government and state holders are contracting these powers, drawing them into policy process would give children and parents an important role in the shaping of government and how finance is distributed. This approach is supported by Tuner (2003) in research carried out with disability and young people for the Welsh Assembly, it was clearly demonstrated that the views of the disabled people and parents was of importance. There has been and will continue a constant shifting of barriers for children, parents and practitioners within the integration of agencies, to ensuring that our children’s wellbeing’s are met. References Barriersto inclusion Joseph Rowntree Foundation Dixon SD (2010) Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics: official Journal of society. Publisher: Wolters Kluwer Health Frost N, (2008) ‘Interagency working with children and families: what works and what makes a difference’ in Collins, Foley P Rixon A (eds), Changing children’s services, The Policy Press, The open University Bristol. Guralnick M J, (1991). The Next Decade of Research on the Effectiveness of Early Intervention. Published by University of Washington Hammond L, L, (2013). Integrated services for Aboriginal children and families, New Zealand, Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, Vol. 38 Issue 1 journals.lww.com/jrnldbp/Pages/default.aspx‎ Kimberly P (2014). Barriers and Facilitators of Access to Health and Support Services for Adolescents Living with Disabilities in a Rural Area. Publisher University Honours Program. Lesack, Bearss r, Celano k, Sharp m, William G. (2014) Parent–Child Interaction Therapy and autism spectrum disorder: Adaptations with a child with severedevelopmentaldelays. Publisher: Educational Publishing Foundation. Leverett S, (2008) ‘Parenting, practice and Policy’ in Collins, Foley P Rixon A (eds), Changing children’s services, The Policy Press, The open University Bristol. Lewis J (2011) From Sure Start to childrens centres: an analysis of policy change in English early years programmes. Publishers Cambridge University Press Meghan N. MD, D. (2014) Parent and Provider Perspectives on Procedural Care for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Volume 35 issue 3. Publisher: Wolters Kluwer Health Royston S Rodrigues L (2013) Breaking Barriers: How to help children’s centres reach disadvantaged families. Publishers The Children’s Society Sloper P (2004) Facilitators and barriers for coà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ordinated multià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ agency services, Volume 30 Issue 6. Publisher: Child: care, health and development, 2004 Wiley Online Library Stone B Foley P, (2008) ‘Towards integrated working’ in Collins, Foley P Rixon A (eds), Changing children’s services, The Policy Press, The open University Bristol. www.childrenssociety.org.uk (20 April 2014) www.sagepub.com/upm-data/25240_01_cheminals_ch_01.pdf (29 April 2014) www.foundationyears.org.uk (1May 2014) KE312 Working together for children Activity 17.2 KE312 Working together for children Activity 17.3 Sinead Bartley (Sb35636) TMA5 Page 1

Handmaids Tale :: essays papers

Handmaids Tale In the course Y2k and The End of The World, we've studied apocalyptic themes, eschatology, and for some, teleology. Apocalypse, which is to unveil or reveal, eschatology, which is a concept of the end, and teleology, the end or purpose to which we are drawn, are all themes used in Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. The book is apocalyptic in that it revolves around dystopian ideals. Atwood creates a world in which worst-case scenarios take control and optimistic viewpoints and positive attitudes disappear. It has been said about this book that Atwood's writing echoes numerous motifs and literary devices, such as in Huxley's creation of a drug-calmed society, her characters awaiting execution seem tranquilized by pills or shots. Atwood's Book has also been compared to other novels like it, such as Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, Burgess' A Clockwork Orange, and the most obvious, Orwell's 1984. These books have many things in common, including the perversion of science and technology as a major determinant of society's function and control. Like most dystopian novels, The Handmaid's Tale includes the oppression of society, mainly women in this example, the prevention of advancement of thought and intelligence, and an overwhelming sense of government involvement and interference. The Apocalyptic themes and situations found in Atwood's fictional city of Gilead focus around the mistreatment of all females. Women in this city, set 200 years in the future, have no rights, and get little respect. The rule by way of theocracy in Gilead also adds to the sense of regression and hopelessness in the future. The way babies are brought into the world, only through pregnant handmaids, the idea of a black market for things considered luxuries and privileges all add to the fact that society in this novel is in a desperate state of disrepair. Other Apocalyptic themes found in the book can be compared to sections of the bible, particularly the Old Testament. The Handmaid's Tale has many elements of social decline written into its plot. From the way women are mistreated to the way corruption and evil have infiltrated the government and army, to the way the black market plays a key role in many people's lives causing a majority of society to become criminals makes it clear how social decline plays a key role in the book.

Genetically Modified Organism and Monsanto

  Does Monsanto maintain an ethical culture that can effectively respond to various stakeholders? Monsanto Company is trying to maintain an ethical culture with various stakeholders. The company used the concept of Social Responsibility and Business Ethics to create a reputation value to various stakeholders. For instance, Monsanto gave fifteen million dollars to Donald Danforth Plant Science Center to do crop research in Africa. Also, the fund helped Brazilian children to maintain good health and basic hygiene. Additionally, Monsanto supported students who want to study agriculture.However, Monsanto Company’s regulation had become financial burden to many farmers. Farmers who buy seeds from Monsanto could not saved for future plant. Otherwise, Farmers will have to pay for Monsanto when they find out. Furthermore, Monsanto produced products that involved in the risk of animals and human health. Some of Monsanto’s actions should considered moral temptation. #2. Compare the benefits of growing GMO seeds for crops with the potential negative consequences of using them. As the GM seeds introduced to the United States and across the globe since 1990, many farmers stopped complaining failure of crops.This had helped farmers spent little expenses, but gain as triple profits. Farmers who using GM seeds applauded the existence of Monsanto Company, because with the same acre of land, they are able to double the crops. Thus, as far as the farmers are making profits, they will continue buying the GM Seeds. For this reason, there is a major concerned for consumer that the GM seeds could affect human and animals’ health for using it. However, the FDA clarified that â€Å"biotech crops are safe to use†, but critics’ doubt about the short-term period of GM seeds which unable to determined the long-term effects.3. How should Monsanto manage the potential harm to plant and animal life from using product such as Roundup? Monsanto Officials wan ted to calm the situation. They clarified to the critics that EPA has been studies and approved for Roundup Ready. Environment and human health won’t get effective. The company also defends that even though â€Å"1% of glyphosate contaminate ground water, it is soluble and will not have much effect on aquatic species† (P. 307). Reference Ferrell, O. C. , Fraedrick, J. , Ferrell, L. , (2008), Business Ethics: Ethical decision making and cases. Boston, MA: Houghton Miffin Company