Effective research based strategies Essay

Reading is an activity closely linked in the person’s ability to keep record. Readers aim to understand the meaning of the written text to enhance his or her knowledge and evaluate the significance of what they had read. Effective way of reading will be achieve by using the research based strategy of summarizing and note taking. This strategy will be a good help for the reader to recognize better the content of what he or she had read. Taking down notes of the unfamiliar words or phrases are useful tactic in reading. Those phrases and words will be a great help in the process of analyzing. Using the note taking strategy such as taking the important part of the text and looking for the meaning of the unfamiliar words will be an easier technique in understanding the flow of the reading assignment. Subsequently, summarizing what was given for a reader to read will be an effective way for him or her to know the useful content of the text. Removing the nonsense content and leaving the main points of the text will result a shorter and straightforward reading task. This will be easier and faster for a reader to evaluate the contents. In summarizing, the reader can also construct ideas in a way he or she can be aware of the same content of the text. One example intended for implementation of effective summarizing and notes taking strategy will be when there was a given assignment to increase a reading conception of a person. First, they should be well instructed on how to summarize the text. Teach them that while reading the content they should know how to remove words, sentences or phrases that doesn’t have much value and idleness, make the unfamiliar words uncomplicated to be known by giving terminologies that are simple to understand, likewise retain all the important points to be aware in the reading assignment, give a sentence that states the min idea of the paragraph. This was usually to be found at or near the beginning of the summary. Mathematics Mathematics as what defined to us is the study of connection between numbers or quantities. This kind of study usually needs of analyzing problems and familiarization of tricky formulas. Some persons are good in numbers and some are not, with this, the strategy in homework and practice will be a good help in learning. Particularly for students, it will be a good manner for them to do often solving problems not only at their schools but also at home. Given practice and home works sets of math problems will help students intimately familiarize their learning at this matter. Practice is one of the perfect ways in learning things because in doing it frequently has the high tendency to retain awareness and improve the performance. Homework in addition will train the students to have a study habit at home and must be in the guidance of their parents. Teachers will also be sure that their students are enforced to study their lessons especially when it was graded. They were sure that studying math problems by their students will be continued at home and not be left at schools only. An example for this will be giving students math problems to be done at home. Homework should fit the time of the students to answer and just to be sure that they will have a practice at home for more familiarity in solving math problems Implement proper instructions on how they have to answer the problems and appropriate recognition for finishing the given homework. Emphasize that they can ask support to someone at home but they should be the one to answer the problems, someone who will help them will only serve as guide for them to learn additional strategies and lessen the difficulties they encounter upon solving. Homework should be presented the next day after it was given to discuss and assess the result. So that if there will be a poor outcome it just imply that students still have to practice more concerning the topic and the teacher will know how to give his or her support to improve the learning system. Social Studies Social studies as we all know is the study that involves the relationship among people, and the environment. It also identifies the challenges and benefits of living in a different cultural and ideological society. Identifying similarities and differences will be an effective strategy to apply in this learning because here the learners will be able to connect ideas and make some patterns in order to construct thoughts on how they view their society. The difference and similarities can be use in societal study because in giving characteristics of that particular thing we have to make some comparisons and then develop system on how to organize such descriptions. Even correlations can still present the similarity of a thing and do some of comparisons by going further than the limited thinking of the learner and this will challenge him or her to much effective way in learning. Knowing the similarity and difference will explore more the thinking of the learner for the topic given and will be able to connect ideas easily. Example on how to execute similarity and differences for social studies will be in giving a topic concerning a particular society and let the learners explore their knowledge on how they can arrive to the similarity and difference of that topic. For the case of the societies before and nowadays, how can they build ideas by expanding their opinions in evaluating the scenarios occurred? Let the learners present all their ideas focusing on the topic then organize them by distinguishing the similar and difference. Thoughts that learners already know will serve as patter for them for create much higher thinking by knowing what they already know to that given topic. Integration of ideas through identifying similarity and difference will be an effective way to learn more in given topic and a good way to increase knowledge. Uses of realistic diagram such as images in comparing will also be effective to better analyze the particular situations and make it easier, this was the new approach on how learners express their ideas in creative manner. Reference: Focus on Effective Research Based Strategies, Retrieved August 16, 2007, http://www. netc. org/focus/strategies/them. php.

Physical and cognitive changes

What are some examples of the physical and cognitive changes people go through when they enter late adulthood? To avoid any confusion and to more clearly represent my personal opinions, perspectives and points of view, I think it necessary to divulge my age. I turned 55 on December 25, 2012. I must say that hitting 55 was a mental challenge for me. ARP considers the age of 55 to be Senior Citizen Status. May restaurants give discounts to their patrons who are 55 years of age or older. Our text sites many theories on aging and I have read them all.Since no one knows exactly why we age and die, there is no correct answer to the aging theory. I subscribe to the Damage Theories and specifically the Wear-and-Tear Theory. In quoting our text it suggests that Damage Theories relate to internal, microscopic damage to the organism and is responsible for death. We know that with use, machinery like cars and dishwashers break down. There is no definitive research linking death to wearing out, b ut it is one of the most common explanations people have about death. This view is called the wear-and-tear theory. Of course, the body is not a machine.Weight/body build Total body weight increase until the mid-ass then begins to decline. – Weight loss n later years is not due too sliming of the torso but a loss of muscle mass and bone. Voice Due to changes in the larynx, respiratory system and muscle control of the vocal cords, – the pitch of our voice lowers two or three notes on a scale and – may begin to quaver due to loss of control over the vocal cords. – there is also a decrease in volume The effects of age in internal system Bones – bones in your body loss strength as you age, due to loss of calcium and other minerals, – resulting greater vulnerability to fracture. Smoking, using alcohol, diet, and having a sedentary life all contribute to greater one loss Micro fractures Joints There are age losses in virtually every structural com ponent of the Joint! – the cartilage. Arthritis is a disease category that characteristically impacts the Joints, resulting in swelling, pain, and stiffness. Heat and cold compresses. Musculature – Between 40-70 muscle strength drops between 10-20% – between 70-80 the drop is 30-40% – Muscle mass is replaced with connective tissue that makes the muscle stiffer and heals slower after injury.Reaction time The time between stimulus onset and our response decreases with age. – Reaching peak in our teens and early 20. Cardiovascular serious limitations of the heart's ability to pump blood through the circulatory system adequately for all the cells. – The reduction in the ability of the heart to pump is due to ? » changes that affect the structure and functioning of the heart muscle wall ? » the cardiac muscle becomes less responsive to the neural stimulation of the â€Å"pacemaker† cells that initiate contraction ? » the effects of a ging and poor health habits on the arteries of the heart reduce flow as well. ? Under normal conditions During aerobic exercises or other strenuous activity ? Poor health habits Regular exercises Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. – Defined as any problem associated with the heart or blood circulation. – The likelihood of dying of some form of cardiovascular disease increases dramatically as we age. Included in cardiovascular disease are – hypertension (high blood pressure) Generally any systolic over 140 mm Hug and diastolic over 90 mm Hug. ? congestive heart failure stroke (cerebral vascular disease) and peripheral vascular disease – of which the most common is atherosclerosis. Heart disease Arteriosclerosis – – referring to the narrowing of the arteries Arteriosclerosis – Referring to a loss of elasticity and hardening – which restricts blood flow to the rest of the body including the heart itself. This process begins in childhood and is inevitable. The extent of the buildup and the ultimate impact on functioning is a product of our health behaviors. CAD – Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in later life. While men are more effected by CAD than women – women are still susceptible to the disease. Hormonal systems ? Most notable changes are in sex hormones (testosterone and estrogen and in the production of insulin) – the capacity of the pancreas to produce insulin reduces Diabetes mellitus – – Menopause – reduction in the production of estrogen and progesterone – Symptoms of menopause include hot flashes, vaginal and urinary tract changes, and some experience significant swings in mood or feelings of strong emotionality. ? Link to osteoporosis and CAD Immune system A reduction in the effectiveness of T cells, which destroy antigens (foreign substances like viruses that enter the body) as we age. S tress can also influence this – Whereas social support has been found to increase the effectiveness of the immune system. Neural systems We are born with nearly all the neurons we will have in our lifetime – and over time they die. – This loss does not mean there is an associated reduction in cognitive or other functions a we will see. Senile plaques. ? Neurotically tangles – Neurotically tangles Changes in neurotransmitters Supplies of all neurotransmitters decreases with age. Dopamine -controlling motor movement and other functions may become depleted uh to the aging of the substantial Nigeria. Morphogenesis – associated with learning and memory. – However, the decline in neurotransmitters that occur with normal aging do not result in dramatic changes in functioning or behavior. When a neuron dies other healthy neurons will generate new connections to compensate for the loss. This repair system is aided by cognitive stimulation, exercise, and health habits.Pulmonary The are usually measurable declines in the efficiency of the pulmonary system – the musculature system that controls breathing (diaphragm, chest cage stiffness) degrades in addition there may be loss of lung tissue and elasticity of the lungs. Health habits Stamina – Digestion/excretion The digestive system acts more slowly The social context of eating Healthy eating – Seniors who are depressed tend to eat irregularly and less than non-depressed structural changes to the kidneys that result in impaired efficiency adulthood. Incontinence effects 19% of women and 8% of men over 60 * Did you expect the age in which you currently are, would be different than it is? L, to this day have the mind of a 25 year old. I think, process, enjoy life and live through he eyes of someone much younger than myself but when it comes to the physical aspect of my actual age, I suffer greatly from chronic pain and feel as if Im about 80 years of age chronol ogically. My muscular-skeletal system has degenerated at a much more significant rate than my socio-emotional mind has.I fear that my mind may one day give way to age as a result of inundating it with constant pain. Eventually the brain will no longer endure and I will yet again experience the â€Å"Wear And Tear† theory and the brain will break down and I will suffer the consequences aforementioned and death will be inevitable. Where would you like to see yourself ten years from now in terms of your family life, career, and education? Ah, the imagination! The imagination gives us the ability to see ourselves in any circumstance, any wild and wonderful scenario, either in the world or out of it.It can take us on the â€Å"future trip† of all time, spinning our reality around until it is only vaguely recognizable. Look at how easily children create new realities to enjoy with their supple imaginations. Cardboard boxes can become snow forts, and a comfy chair can instant ly become an ancient regal throne. The bathtub an become a formidable pirate's ship, all decked out for navigating the perils and adventures of the high seas. Children can imagine themselves anywhere, doing anything. And that is what I try to do. It is important to dream, to envisage a possible future.As the poet, Longboats Hughes said, Dreams Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly. For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow. So, that is what we are going to do. I am going to encourage you to dream, to imagine. Stretch your imagination ten years forward. Imagine yourself really happy. See ourselves enjoying life, smiling. The rules that apply now, may not apply in the 10- years-from-now-world. Any sort of upheaval may or may not take place between now and then. So, I feel free to let my imagination run rampant about my future.Now, spend some time examining what your happiness looks like. What are the components to it? What ingredients are in the background? What contributes to that happiness? Then, slowly come back to the present. Now, think about what it might take to get you from here to there. Ten years is a pretty long stretch into the future. Ten years ago, Google was in its infancy. Many things we didn't believe were possible then, are in fact possible today. So even if what you are left with as the way to happiness seems silly, or improbable, give some time over to thinking what you can do to get there.The future changes, transmogrifies (my new favorite word), and shimmers into all kinds of unexpected places. But, if you start putting steps in place now, as the world shifts, your steps can shift as well. When faced with a life decision, think of yourself as happy, and ask â€Å"How will this decision help me get there? † I am not suggesting that happiness of self is the be all and end all. But we can do more for others if we are happy in the now, as opposed to miserable, or unsatisfied o r stressed beyond manageability.I am also not suggesting that a dream will always come true, or even that it should. But I do think that dreamers are happier. And I think that wishing for one kind of happiness can end us up at another kind, maybe even a better one. When I think of my own happiness, I am thinner, more physically fit, more engaged in an active community of people, more financially secure and helping more people purposefully. My own list surprised me. And there are things I can do now that I know will help me get there.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Case Studies Psychology Essay

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Case Studies Psychology Essay Qualitative approach Research methods are commonly divided into quantitative and qualitative research methods (Some researchers (Lee, 1991; Ragin, 1987) have suggested to combine these methods by triangulation). Qualitative research methods are designed to help researchers understand people and the social and cultural contexts within which they live. Kaplan and Maxwell (1994) argue that the goal of understanding a phenomenon from the point of view of the participants and its particular social and institutional context is largely lost when textual data are quantified. The strengths of qualitative research derive primarily from its inductive approach, its focus on specific situations or people, and its emphasis on words rather than numbers (Maxwell, 1996, p.17). A key difference between quantitative and qualitative research is that quantitative researchers work with a few (quantifiable) variables and many cases, whereas qualitative researchers rely on a few cases and many (primarily q ualitative) variables (Ragin, 1987). In this research a qualitative research approach is chosen for the following reasons. First, the nature of the research questions suggests a qualitative approach. They are as understanding of what are the factors that enable or inhibit people to share their knowledge. Second, the aim is to present a detailed understanding of the dynamics of sharing knowledge, requiring a focus on participants’ perspectives and their meaning. Third, knowledge-sharing individuals are studied in their natural setting. Knowledge sharing is a situated process, so removing participants from their organizational context would lead to findings that are out of context. And these contexts which determine the factors that enable o inhibit knowledge sharing process. The characteristics of qualitative methods are listed in Table 1 Characteristics 1, 2, 4 and 7 highlight the emphasis of qualitative data on providing richness of understanding of phenomenon in context (Du ncan, 1979; Yin, 1989). Quantitative methods â€Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦by themselves may ignore much of the process phenomenon associated with a particular research question so that a real understanding of what’s happened may not exist† (Duncan, 1979, p.424). The use of qualitative data collection and analysis methods increases the likelihood that the advantages of case study method can be obtained. Table 1 Characteristics of qualitative methods 1. Qualitative research is inductive. 2. Researchers look at settings and subjects holistically. 3. The researchers are sensitive to their effects on subjects. 4. Researchers try to understand subjects from their own perspective. 5. Researchers try to set aside their own beliefs, perspectives and predispositions. 6. Researchers try to see all different perspectives of subjects as valuable. 7. Qualitative methods are humanistic. 8. Researchers emphasis validity as prime research criteria 9. Researcher sees all settings and subjects a s worthy of study. 10. Qualitative research is a craft. Source: This characteristics adapted from Taylor and Bogdan (1984, p.5-8). Interpretive research All research is based on some assumptions with respect to methodology the most pertinent philosophical assumptions are those that relate to the underlying epistemology guiding this research. And it refers to the assumptions about knowledge and how it can be obtained. Different classifications of epistemological assumptions exist (Guba and Lincoln, 1994). For explaining the underlying paradigm of this research, the three epistemological stands distinguished by Myers are used: positivist, interpretive and critical. Positivism claims that social life should be understood and analysed in the same way that scientists study the ‘natural world’. Positivists generally assume that reality is objectively given and can be described by measurable properties independent of the observer and of one’s instruments. Positivist stu dies generally attempt to test theory, in an attempt to increase the predictive understanding of phenomena. On the other hand the interpretive stand base is hermeneutics and phenomenology. Interpretive researchers start out with the assumption that access to reality (given or socially constructed) is only through social constructions such as language, consciousness and shared meanings. They generally attempt to understand phenomena through the meanings that people assign to them. Interpretive research does not predefine dependent and independent variables, but focuses on the full complexity of human sense making as the situation emerges.

Bilingualism in Hong Kong schools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Bilingualism in Hong Kong schools - Essay Example In all bilingual communities providing children with appropriate language instruction is a very important issue for governments, educators, schools and finally language learners themselves. Due to contradictory results of studies concerning the association between bilingualism and cognitive functioning, it is very important to develop bilingual skills that will contribute to cognitive performance and, thus, will help students to achieve academic success. In Hong Kong, where being bilingual or trilingual has always been a competitive advantage, it is especially important to raise language skills of individuals and, thus, enable them to meet the needs and challenges of the society. Educational policies play a crucial role in developing additive bilingualism, which allows students to develop proficiency in a second language and maintain a high level of a native language at the same time. Thus, the government together with the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR ) has adopted several education policies reforms aimed to raise language skills in the community of Hong Kong. The term bilingualism has been defined in several different ways by researchers and theoreticians (Cummins & Swain, 1986). While some authors classified different kinds of bilingualism according to the age at which second language (L2) was learned (early versus late, simultaneous versus sequential), others considered such factors as the contexts of language learning (artificial versus natural, compound versus coordinate) and the domains of its use. Later studies confirmed these findings and showed that bilingual children had relatively low literacy skills (children of Finnish migrants in Sweden), arithmetic competences (English-speaking children educated in Irish-medium schools), vocabulary levels (low class Spanish-English children) and general verbal and academic skills (English-Japanese bilinguals in the United States) when compared with unilingual children.

Documentary Summaries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Documentary Summaries - Essay Example Lars Larson, a gay man, is the documentary’s first interviewee and speaks positively and in an undisguised manner about being a homosexual. The interview is followed by a CBS News poll that shows opinions from Americans that homosexuality harms America even more than prostitution or adultery. Another gay man is interviewed and he talks about coming out and being treated like a wounded animal, which differs from the opinion of the next interviewee, Warren Adkins, who claims his family treated him warmly. The documentary then talks about homosexuality’s legal aspects with North Carolina Judge James Craven, who notes that the US should decriminalize homosexuality like in England. Frank Kameny, the co-founder of the Washington D.C. Mattachine branch then makes an impassioned plea to allow security clearance for homosexuals. There is also a debate on homosexuality between Albert Goldman and Gore Vidal who argue for and against homosexuality respectively. The interviews end w ith a family man who claims he is gay and that the US was too narcissistic for two men to form a long-term relationship. The documentary ends with the filmmaker contending that the homosexual in America is anonymous, displaced, and an outsider. One of the most poignant moments in the documentary is the short interview involving the gay man, Warren Adkins, who contends that one’s sexual orientation is their innermost aspect and that, just as a heterosexual would not give their orientation up; a homosexual like himself would not either (Kraemer 1). He responds to a question on what causes him to be a homosexual by saying that he does not concern himself with it, putting his homosexuality in the same category as having blonde hair. He contends that he does not dwell on why he is gay, just as a person with blonde hair would not worry about the chromosomes or genes that caused them to have blonde hair. As a part of the broadcast documentary’s research, the TV station carrie d out a demographic survey, which found that at least 90% of people in the US considered homosexuality to be a sickness (Kraemer 1). Majority of them even favored legal punishment for acts of homosexuality carried out anywhere, including sex between two consenting adult males in private. One fascinating aspect of this segment is the manner in which it completely neglects to do a survey on lesbians as part of the society of homosexuals, while also portraying homosexual men as incapable of being monogamous long-term unions and as naturally promiscuous. Even as this point to the failures of civil rights and general trauma that these issues caused in the late 60s, it is interesting that the same debate rages on to date as the world argues on gay marriage and the right of gay men and lesbians to legalize their monogamous relationships in the long term. It leaves one wondering whether a documentary made on lesbians and gays today would sound as antiquated and foreign as this documentary f ifty six years from today (Kraemer 1). While this documentary was made and released at a time when the United States had transgender people, bisexuals, gay men, and lesbians had come out, these people were fewer than they are today, as well as courageous (Kraemer 1). This documentary is particularly important when looking at the people, in this case men, who have fought for the equality of homosexuals in society. Because these people were courageous enough to be on a documentary, including Albert Goldman and Lars Larsson, they made things happen and were important in the progress made towards equality. This documentary, especially its uninspiring and biased ending that claims homosexuals are

Faith Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Faith - Essay Example I have approaches few people that have products, discussed my plans with them, and I would be an agent and offer strategy and agreement between the product owners and the people that I direct to the websites. Commercial transactions would then follow and commission would be my income. Identifying and convincing product owners into the idea have been a challenge but I believe the idea will be successful because God has assured us of success. God’s words to Israelites that the Lord â€Å"gives you the ability to produce wealth† (Deuteronomy 8:18, p. 1) and that â€Å"thou mayest prosper and be in health† (3 John 1:12, p. 1) are the scriptures on which I stand. Failure to find product owners who liked my ideas and wanted to work with it and the fact that I have not yet implemented the ideas challenges my faith in God’s words and power but the scriptures strengthens me. I therefore believe that I shall overcome and attain my financial

The Socio-Cultural impacts of late night tourists on residents of Ayia Essay

The Socio-Cultural impacts of late night tourists on residents of Ayia Napa - Essay Example After the 1974 war in Cyprus, Ayia Napa has developed from being a small fishing town to one of Europe’s finest destinations. Through out the years it has experienced a mixture of changes in tourism demographics, by attracting visitors interested in the local culture twenty years ago to visitors who are mostly interested in clubbing now. This new inflow of mass tourism has affected the socio-cultural lifestyle of the village. Late night tourists are the visitors who come to Ayia Napa for clubbing and entertainment mainly. The number of the young tourists has rose in the last decades. Page and Connel (2009) argue that Sociocultural impacts are directly related with the host community of the destination and occur when tourists cause changes to the individual behaviour, social relationships, culture, lifestyle and value systems of the locals. Mathieson and Wall (1982) as well as Wolf (1977) agree and also state that the socio-cultural impacts are the different effects that tourists have on the host communities. Cooper et al (2008) note that the socio-cultural impacts can be both, positive and negative. Wall and Mathieson (2008) claim that most of the impacts are negative in contrast to the economic impacts that tourism can have on a host destination. Affeld (1975, cited in Wall and Mathieson, 2008) argues that the cultural and social impacts of tourism fall into three categories; the tourist, the host and tourist-host interrelationships. Fox (1977, cited in Wall and Mathieson, 2008, pp. 220) states that â€Å"The social and cultural impacts of tourism are the way in which tourism is contributing to changes in value systems, individual behaviour, family structure and relationships, collective lifestyles, safety levels, moral conduct, creative expressions, traditional ceremonies and community organisations†. Goeldner and Ritchie (2006) notes that local peoples attitudes and mode of life is determined by the way visitors

Academic Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Academic Argument - Essay Example tes need to enforce teachers to teach their cultural and social values to children so that they can reflect the signs of a strong local community when they grow up. Dewey discussed that the distinction between progressive and traditional education is not particularly meaningful: what really matters is the vision of society for action that an education embodies (Kaplan, 1997). Teachers need protection of the states even when they teach what the states want them to teach in order to perform required social development based on objectives learning. Based on a clear contract between a state or local schools and teachers, no one would criticize what the teachers teach. Moreover, increased job opportunities and a better job environment for teachers would also play a significant role in making this profession attractive for teachers. Parents have a strong concern about what teachers teach to their kids in local schools. States’ role in the development of curriculum is very important for parents to determine whether they should put their kids in public schools to learn particular curriculum of science, religion, or moral values or not. Obviously, parents play an important role of involvement and participation in terms of creating successful education endeavors. Curriculums help in determining what students need to achieve or do in any particular academic year (Perkins-Gough, 2003). Parents always expect schools to provide the best education to their children to help them in marking their educational achievements (Seginer, 1983). Performance appraisal helps in determining whether an employee is meeting the standards set by the company or not. In case of teachers, this appraisal will help in knowing whether teachers are doing their jobs in accordance with the standards or not. If a teacher is found negligent in following the standards, proper actions can be taken against him/her, whereas certain rewards and incentives can be given to the obeying teachers as

To what extent Thatcherism was hegemonic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

To what extent Thatcherism was hegemonic - Essay Example In what follows I want to explore his novel White Chappell, Scarlet Tracings as a text that uses the city as the site of opposition, as the locale for a critique of dominant ideology (John Corner and Sylvia Harvey, 1991: p. 11.) As many commentators have observed, the period of Thatcher's rule was one in which monetarist policies of enterprise and the manipulation of the nation's history went hand in hand. This relationship transformed a number of elements of English national identity. Gone was the post-war optimism in which Britain embraced a far more egalitarian form of social organisation. As John Corner and Sylvia Harvey assert of Thatcherism: "Freedom and independence derive not from civil rights but from choices exercised in the market (Perry Anderson, "The Figures of Descent", 1992, p. 184.) The sovereignty that matters is not that of king or queen, the lord or the white man, but the sovereignty of the consumer within the marketplace. Massive levels of personal debt and widespread unemployment marked this perceived sovereignty of the consumer. Indeed, as Raphael Samuels suggests, Thatcher's rhetoric managed to effectively obfuscate the fact that her government's policies led to a drastic rise in household debt, from 8 per cent at the beginning of her Prime Minister ship to 14 per cent by its conclusion. In 1983 close to 30 per cent of the London population were living, or in danger of living, below the poverty line. The inner city areas in particular suffered from high unemployment and substandard housing amid the proliferation of the modern movement's tower block public housing. Many commentators as necessary to slim the bloated government running costs and spiralling national production under Labour regarded the economic policies of Thatcherism. Yet as Perry Anderson has argued, Thatcherism economic record was based on luck as much as effective management. Thatcherism claimed that the Union movement was crippling British production, responsible for a downturn in productivity. Its draconian treatment of Union's in the miner's strike of 1984/5 was therefore portrayed as an economic necessity (Jerry White, London in the Twentieth Century, 2002. p. 222.) Antonio Gramsci's concept of Hegemony Hegemony was a concept previously used by Marxists such as Lenin to indicate the political leadership of the working-class in a democratic revolution, but developed by Gramsci into an acute analysis to explain why the 'inevitable' socialist revolution predicted by orthodox Marxism had not occurred by the early 20th century. Capitalism, it seemed, was even more entrenched than ever. Capitalism, Gramsci suggested, maintained control not just through violence and political and economic coercion, but also ideologically, through a hegemonic culture in which the values of the bourgeoisie became the 'common sense' values of all. Thus a consensus culture developed in which people in the working-class identified their own good with the good of the bourgeoisie, and helped to maintain the status quo rather than revolting (Gramsci, Antonio (1971). The working class needed to develop a culture of its own, which would overthrow the notion that bourgeois values represented 'natural'

The Role of Communication and Personality in Negotiation Research Paper

The Role of Communication and Personality in Negotiation - Research Paper Example The paper tells that one of the greatest successful negotiations in history is the Israeli Armistice Agreement in 1949 between Israel and its neighbors. After Israel had attained its independence in 1948, it was invaded by its neighbors led by Egypt. The negotiation was led by a black American known as Ralph Bunch, who had grown up under segregation for his color. At the beginning of the negotiation, neither party could even look or talk to the other. It was somewhat a miracle that the negotiation was a success in the end. Over the period of 6 months that the negotiation took place; Ralph managed to break down the conflict into manageable bits to be worked on differently in order to lessen the work. The strategy he used was starting with the easier bits as a way of building trust with the parties and then, later on, got into the hard bits. Every time the parties arrived at an agreement, Ralph would make sure that an agreement was signed just to ensure that the parties get into the ha bit of signing agreements. An example of one of the greatest failures in the history of negotiations would be the Geneva nuclear talks between Iran and the Western powers. The talk was between Iran and the so-called P5 + 1 group of world powers. The negotiations finally came to a halt when French walked out of the negotiations with the reason that they needed to get some form of control of the nuclear power. Over the past ten years, there have been a lot of negotiations between the Western powers and Iran on nuclear power. All the negotiations were never a success due to the fact that Iran always got the raw end of the deal. As much as Iran was willing to make a number of concessions, the Western powers, on the other hand, were not so lenient. The negotiation was more one-sided in terms of the concessions. Despite the unfairness, Iran was still willing to sign the deal. However, the Western powers still walked out of the negotiation with a number of excuses, which were quashed by th e Russian negotiators.

Interoffice Memorandum Essay Example for Free

Interoffice Memorandum Essay The Tarasoff case involved a murder victim, Tatiana Tarasoff, who was killed by an alleged acquaintance Prosejit Poddar. Poddar was a client of a psychologist employed by the University of California, and during a therapy session he revealed his intent to murder Tatiana Tarasoff. The psychologist assessed Poddar as a danger and informed the campus police, and was held briefly and released. Shortly after Poddar was released he indeed murdered Tatiana. The parents of Tatiana Tarasoff, plaintiffs, sued the school, campus police, therapists and anyone else who had contact. The argument was over whether the third party had the right to be warned and had the right to be protected. The defendants maintained they owed no duty of care to the victim, and were immune from suit. The court stated that when a client presents a serious danger of violence to another there is an obligation, both legal and ethical, to use reasonable care to protect the intended victim against such danger. The therapist must take steps to determine or within their standard of profession determines the danger. This may call for the therapist to warn the intended victim or others likely to apprise the victim of the danger, to notify the police, or to take whatever other steps reasonably necessary under the circumstances. This ruling imposes a liability on all human service professionals to protect a victim from violent acts. There is a duty to protect and a duty to warn the potential third party victims to violence. This may cause implications with the confidentiality of the client-helper relationship and may also cause violent clients to avoid treatment. This indeed will change the environment for human services and confidentiality; as now helpers may need to divulge confidential information to third parties in certain circumstances. The professional necessity of keeping a client’s information private is rooted in the ethical codes as well as in statutory law. As professionals in the human services realm we also have a right to withhold confidential information in a court of law. To stay within the law and the code of ethics that govern us it is necessary to consider the situation from all points of view, develop a list of issues that represent multiple viewpoints, generate the possible decisions on whether to break client confidentiality, and what would the consequences of each decision. Each case in which the outcome of this case may implicate the duty to protect and warn, we must make sure we are addressing every avenue within a small amount of time in case of imminent danger that exists. This will be an adjustment with our client-helper relationships, and must be shared not only with each other but also shared with our clients.

Easter Island Essay Example for Free

Easter Island Essay In the article, â€Å"Who Killed Easter Island† by Jared Diamond he states that people can affect and destroy our environment and natural resources. Easter Island can be used as a warning that cultural and environmental dangers exist due to overexploitation. Although, civilizations have vanished from the island it still has a remaining mystery and history to its untouched landscape. Easter Island was formed out of an ancient volcanic eruption; the island is only sixty-four square miles with habitable land and subtropical weather that makes the soil fertile. Easter Island was name by the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, on Easter in 1722. Easter Island is famous for its tight-lipped statues that stand across the island, which were erected by the Rapa Nui people between the 10th and 16th centuries AD. These are ancient wonders of the world that are still being studied to get a full understanding of how and why these statues were created. From written history the explorer’s first impression of the island was that it was a waste because the people who lived on the island represented it as being of insufficient and ruthless to them. With all the current studies that have consumed the island many are fascinated with the history and abundance of Easter Island. Many questions have arisen to Easter Islands existence because the people who are putting time and effort are very interested and curious. They have come to conclusion that many of the natural resources of the island were used in order for the first settlers to survive from using the forests to gather food and build canoes and also using the ocean to fish and drink. Remains that have been left on the island have been from fish, porpoises, rats, birds from both the land and sea, and even seals have been linked to the food chain of the people of Easter Island. Researchers have also linked cannibalism to the people of Easter Islands’ meat consumption. With today’s rising population around the world we have been exhausting our natural resources to fish more, ruin our tropical forests and create more fossil fuel that if we do not learn to conserve more that we will not have left for our children of the future. After reading this article by Jared Diamond, it has given me a better understanding that we as humans can and are damaging our own personal environment. We already have many extinction of animals and plants in our society today that we are busting our butts to learn to preserve and protect them. We have over done our part from over fishing, hunting, cutting down trees from out vital rain forests, polluting our rivers and oceans only to satisfy our craving for that moment then to conserve and protect for the future of not only ourselves but also the remaining people who will walk on this earth. If Easter Island can be still a habitable piece of land but have no people living on the island then what are doing to the rest of the lands that we have readily available and use at our discretion. We have to protect and consume less for not only the people who are living today but also for the animals and plants that will be protecting us in the future. Everyone on this planet has created their own catastrophic environment for themselves. We have to fight harder in order for us to be able to use our resources for our children’s future and our children’s children’s future and so on. Many questions have to be asked and the answer have to be legit because we are building skyscrapers left to right but what land are we building it on and whose environment are destroying by having these skyscrapers built. We are only benefitting human life but not thinking of the animal and plant life that have help us to be where we are today. With the way that we live today there might not be anything left for anyone in the world but where do we start first?

Factors Influencing Academic Performance | Literature Review

Factors Influencing Academic Performance | Literature Review Ema Marie Attard Extra (or essential?) Curricular Activities As stated by (Goldberg, 1946), extra-curricular activities, before they act as and become potentially enhancing to something else, we could say that they are beneficial in themselves. We can say this because they seem to present substantial values and skills to the participant, whatever the extra-curricular activity is. Whether the activity is sports or drama, dance or music, a successful participant of this activity will, at the very least, endure â€Å"satisfaction and joy for its own sake† (Goldberg, 1946). That being said, there are ‘secondary’ uses (so to speak) for these extra-curricular activities and studies (Miller, Moyer Patricl, 1956, Sybouts Krepel among others) have proved and seem to be continuing to prove, the effects of these extra-curriculars are real and valid. So much so, that they might even lead us to temporarily forget the aforementioned intrinsic value of said activities. In fact, advocates of extracurricular activities (Fozzard, 1967; Miller, Moyer, Patrick, 1956; Sybouts Krepel, 1984) claim that this less formal aspect of education is partially responsible for contributing to the development of good citizens, the development of a healthy approach to life, both mentally and physically, the direction of use of an individual’s leisure time, the development of personal interests and talents, as well as a positive outlet for creative expression. The belief in the significance and validity of extra-curricular activity involvement pervades many academically respected institutions. For example, as McCormick (1999) noted, the University of Chicago’s undergraduate admissions could fill the ‘freshman’ class to come entirely with Valedictorians, however the university specifically chooses not to do so in favour of opting for those students who possess more than just a high academic performance. That being said, the idea that extra-curricular activities are essential for important skills is not a view that is shared universally. There is a long-standing question if extra-curricular activities have any value at all (Coleman J. S., 1959). Some research actually states that extra-curricular activities may serve for little other than social function and detracting from more important academic work (Gose, 1996). Impacts of Extra Curricular Activities on Academic Performance Immediately what comes to mind when thinking of extra-curricular activities is the idea that participation in an extra-curricular activity could potentially help a student adjust to working within a team, help build and increase his/her self-confidence, learn to become more efficient and more social (Goldberg, 1946). We can also propose that it helps reap tangible rewards; such as the payments of a service given, or merely the satisfaction of, say, a public performance. Not to mention the fact of the possibility of hobbies becoming careers (the tennis player becomes the coach) and the friendships that stand the test of time and somehow enrich the individual’s future (Goldberg, 1946). We can also talk about the discipline it requires to properly engage in an extra-curricular activity and the added discipline it takes to maintain it whilst maintaining a satisfactory academic performance. That being said, the exact opposite has also been argued; the fact that extra-curricular activities are a distraction, that they split focus, are too demanding in of themselves and are a general waste of time. In fact, one of the foremost beliefs about extra-curricular activities is that they should, whenever it was deemed possible â€Å"grow out of curricular activities and return to curricular activities to enrich them† (Millard, 1930). However, as time passed activities which were not directly related to the academic were being perceived as frivolous and were beginning to be deemed as disadvantageous and detrimental to academic achievement (Marsh Kleitman, 2002), which then led to them starting to be discouraged. Another point that could also be made is that it is those adolescents who already have more developed interpersonal skills choose to participate in extra-curricular activities and therefore such activities are not necessarily responsible for the development of the skills (Rubin, Bommer, Baldwin, 2002). It has only been in more recent years that we have come full circle and educational researchers are, once again, taking a more favourable approach to extra-curricular activities and their effect on accomplishments in academia (Marsh Kleitman, 2002). According to Broh (2002), total extra-curricular activity participation (TEAP) is in fact correlated to an improved grade point average (to use American jargon), decreased absenteeism and also elevated academic goals and aspirations.. Although we can argue that, for the most part, researchers agree that extra-curricular activities do have an impact on academic performance, the National Educational Longitudinal Study found that while participation in select activities improves achievement and performance, participation in others reduces it. As cited by Broh (2002); Eccles (2003) and Marsh Willis (2003) found that participation in sports had a consistently higher rate for enrolment in colleges. Synder Spreitzer (1990) also found that college attendance was significantly higher for those who participated in sports than those who did not; to use their words â€Å"the athletic role enhances the academic role† Extra Curricular Activities Formal Education We live in a world in which it is the norm and tendency to view formal education as a place where information is simply passed on to students. These students are seen as no more than passive recipients who merely absorb and gather this knowledge which has been passed on to them. In an article, Swanson (2002), attempts to change the perspective on students’ behaviour as he begins to look at it from the point of view of â€Å"purposive action†. This view is one where both the formal as well as the non-academic pursuits serve as resources in which adolescents may deem fit to invest in, with the intention of attaining any possible future goals. In other, older, studies (Winner, 1923), emphasis is placed on the structure of schools and the formation of extra-curricular activities within the school. However, more recent literature wants to call attention away from this and focus on the possibility (and probability) of a wider selection of activities that could have a significant effect of the achievement of educational aims that occur outside the formal educational system, in other words: the classroom. At this point we have established that the way in which adolescents decide to use their free time will somehow probably affect their performance academically in some way or other. Schlesser (2004) states that students who participated in co-curricular activities were three times more likely to have a higher grade point than those who did not participate in extra-curricular activities (Schlesser, 2004). The National Centre for Educational Statistics (1999) also reported that students who used their time by engaging in extra-curricular activities had a significant (positive) difference to those who did not engage in extra-curricular activities. Factors such as unexcused absences, skipping class were significantly lower in students who participated in extra-curriculars, it was also found that theses students not only did well academically but were ranked in the highest quartile on math and reading, not to mention the fact that they were expected to earn a Bachelor’s degree or hig her. The Centre for Comprehensive School Reform (CCSR) carried out another study which talks about the correlation between the student involvement in activities and their performance in the classroom. It states that activities aid the students in forming strong and successful relationships among adults and peers alike, an attribute that is of the utmost importance both within a classroom and to the outside world. They also state that activity programmes help foster within individuals more personal expectations of excellence and dedication to academic success. Not to mention, of course, the fact that they promote a positive psychological, social, emotional and healthy well being all around. Adolescents as Rational Actors Investors Returns on Investment If when examining social behaviour we choose to take a rational choice perspective we are implying that, the reason for an adolescent taking any form of action is due to an intention of somehow increasing, to the fullest extent, that adolescent’s own personal interest in goals of importance to them. We are aware that in this respect, adolescents states of mind are more normally portrayed as being the result of their surroundings and their all-encompassing environment rather than being self motivated â€Å"rational actors† (Swanson, 2002). Despite this pre-conceived notion, as Swanson continues to argue, the decisions adolescents are confronted with, for example, in terms of time management and motivation, can in fact be seen as influential in their capability of fulfilling important milestones in their lives. Findings show that participation in activities shows criteria of both social exchange and that of investment. In the previously cited study done by Swanson (2002), there was evidence supporting high returns for college enrolment when there was involvement in both the official academic curriculum as well as in extra-curricular activities. In  economics, the law of diminishing returnsis understood to be the decrease in theoutput of aspecific production  process as the quantity of a single  factor of production  is gradually increased, while the amounts of all other aspects of production stay constant. The law of diminishing returns states that in most productive processes, increasing more of a particular factor of production, while keeping all others stable will eventually produce lower returns per unit. So, in tandem with Swanson’s idea of return on investment, when associations with overinvestment (of extra-curricular activities) were made, indications of diminishing returns were seen. The Zero Sum Hypothesis This ties in, naturally, with those studies that propose that not only do extra-curriculars not have a positive effect of academic outcomes but rather that extra-curricular activities are in fact, a hindrance to any positive educational outcomes. This hypothesis is largely credited to James Coleman (1961) who, in The Adolescent Society, is often referenced as the source on the ‘zero-sum’ model of transaction between extra-curricular activities and academics (Holland and Andre 1987; Marsh 1992). A very watered down explanation of the concept of the ‘zero-sum’ hypothesis is that one investor’s profit mirrors another investor’s loss (whereby for every 1 euro someone makes, somebody loses 1 euro). In his study, Coleman investigated the social order structure of students in the typical American High School. He notes that whereas popularity is pre-eminent (leading to participation in activities such as athletics and cheerleading), academic excellence is a ‘secondary consideration’. The zero-sum logic is very typically used in studies about participation in extra-curricular activities whereby time is a fixed commodity split among a various number of activities, due to the nature of the formulation (that there are only two competing alternatives) and that the total amount of time available is constant, the individual must reduce the time spent on one activity in order to increase time devoted to the other. Time The Zero Sum Hypothesis Hence, according to Coleman (1961) time used on extra-curricular pursuits must necessarily diminish any and all academic pursuits. We can also speculate that, it could be the case that time is not the most fitting variable to measure returns on participation in a particular activity. The amount of time dedicated to a pursuit in actual fact, tells us very little about the level of dedication the person has invested in it and even more so about how productive they have been during that time. An individual might use time from areas of strength in order to support possible weaker areas of performance. By doing this, we can see time is not a used like a ‘currency’ that can be spent on any activity but rather represents a ‘resource to invest’, used strategically on the activities that will knowledgably have the highest possible rate of returns on the investments. This idea problematises the straightforward relationship adopted by the zero-sum hypothesis regarding the return of extra-curricular activities and the time spent pursuing them (Swanson, 2002). That being said, other studies also support the idea of limiting time of extra-curricular activities so as not to encroach on time of studies. Laurence Steinberg (1996) in his book the Classroom: Why School Reform Has Failed and What Parents Need to Do, criticises the fact that a large amount of students are completely too wrapped up in extra-curricular activities. He even suggests to parents to limit the number of hours (not more than ten) that their children are allowed to take part in extra-curricular activities. However, another assumption of the above model is that all academic pursuits are uniformly beneficial versus the fact that all extra-curriculars are intrinsically disadvantageous. That said, years of research conducted have now consistently shown positive academic results associated with extra-curricular participation, thus increasing the tendency for the discreditation of the zero-sum model’s main predication. For example, the fore-mentioned Synder Spreitzer (199 0) study which showed that participation in Sports increases college enrolment, among others (Spady 1970, 1971; Otto 1975, 1976; Otto and Alwin 1977; Marsh 1992). Social Capital Cultural Capital Social Capital Mullis, Rathge Mullis in their study Predictors of academic performance during early adolescence: A contextual view (2003), attempted to decipher the relationship between academic performance in adolescents and their contextual variables. In particular, their study consisted of testing the idea that commonly known aspects of resource capital, social capital and student behaviour can in actual fact predict academic performance in young adolescents. Mullis, Rathge Mullis quantified social capital in two particular components; through parental networks and student activity networks. For the benefit of my study I will mostly be taking into consideration their findings and hypothesis on social capital in relation to student activity networks; whereby we mean student reports of school activities and non-school activities. According to their research conducted, the links between the idea of social capital and academic performance was not as significant as expected and documented in other research (Coleman, 1988; Schneider Coleman, 1993; Steinberg, 1996; Steinberg, Dornbusch, Brown, 1991) mentioned. What this research did state is that through these social networks, the student’s opportunities are somehow boosted which, in turn, could lead to a more favourable environments that lend themselves to achievement (Mullis, Rathge, Mullis, 2003). This means that, due to the fact that they have increased opportunities to succeed, they do in actual fact succeed more; however not due to the individual being more equipped to succeed but by just being more exposed to times when succeeding is an option. Cultural Capital Similar in terminology, though not so much in meaning; another concept is that of Cultural Capital. The term Cultural Capital references the social, non economic attributes that contribute positively to the idea of social mobility beyond financial means. For example, level of education, IQ and physical appearance. All these give a person advantages which in turn give them an elevated status within society. Pierre Bourdieu divided this idea of cultural capital into three subtypes: embodied, objectified and institutionalised (Bourdieu, 1986). Cultural capital is not something that one acquires instantaneously or at one moment in time. Rather, it is embedded over time as it leaves an impact on one’s ‘habitus’ (character and way of thinking). Exposure to different activities and different disciplines in the form of extra-curriculars may inherently add to the adolescent’s cultural capital by adding to their pool of knowledge and skills. At the more basic level, cultural capital refers to the understanding of the central conceptual and normative codes that are inscribed in a culture. In the article Does Cultural Capital Really Affect Academic Achievement (Jà ¦ger, 2011), Jaeger is reflecting on Bourdieu’s famous hypothesis that cultural capital is actually an important resources that adds to a person’s academic success. According to Bourdieu, as stated previously the cultural capital one has, i.e. knowledge, skills and general idea of knowing ‘the rules of the game’ is wh at in fact the educational system is after and rewards. This subject is one that has fascinated not only Bourdieu. In fact, a long series of quantitative research has been done and found that various measures of cultural capital are indeed correlated in a positive way to academic attainment and educational achievement. Among those who have researched said topics are DiMaggio, 1982; Cheadle 2008; Crook 1997; De Graaf, de Graaf, and Kraaykamp 2000; DiMaggio and Mohr 1985; Dumais 2002; Farkas et al. 1990 and van de Werfhorst and Hofstede 2007, among others. Even though we might be unawares, the educational system is in fact structured to recognise and reward cultural capital, whereby teachers and other individuals in the educational system misinterpret a child’s cultural capital as actual academic brilliance and hence encourage upwardly biased ideas of these children. In turn, these biases contribute to the possible positive returns the children with cultural capital receive as fruit of these perceptions and preferential treatment (Jà ¦ger, 2011). We could say that individuals are not academically stronger because their cultural capital has in some way affected their academic prowess but rather because their cultural capital sets them apart in terms of how their educators view them. This altered view, somehow induces preferential treatment from their teachers and peers which strengthens their academic development. Research has consistently found that participation in extra-curricular activities has had a somehow positive effect on academic achievement (Cheadle 2008; Covay and Carbonaro 2010; Lareau 2003). In terms of Jaeger’s research, he found that cultural capital has a causal direct effect of on academic achievement also, which is an important result due to the causality that is proven rather than merely an influence. Counterculture Analysis: Al Capone Counterculture Analysis: Al Capone Joey Hagel Al Capone was one of the most notorious leaders of a criminal syndicate in the 20th century (Biography). So how can Al Capones reputation as a gangster be interpreted as a counter culture? Firstly, a counter culture is a sub-culture that rejects the culture of the larger society (Thomas). Al Capone is notorious for his smuggling of alcohol during the Prohibition era (Biography). Establishing himself and the Chicago mafia as a counterculture (Biography). Alphonse Capone was an Italian immigrant living in New York at a young age (Biography). He dropped out of school during the sixth grade and joined Johnny Torrios street gang in New York City (FBI). After Johnny Torrio moved to Chicago Al Capone followed him there assuming the role as his right hand man (FBI). Torrio taught Capone the importance of an opulent and respectable front while running the businesses behind the scenes (Biography). Eventually Torrio retired giving the lead way for Al Capone to take charge after already establishing a fearsome reputation (FBI). It was the beginning of prohibition during the time Torrio retired and Capone took charge smuggling alcohol into the city conceiving the genesis of Capones fortunes (Biography). As a sign of his position Capone never walked around armed, he instead traveled with two bodyguards at all times (Biography). Capone eventually gained office in Cicero City after threatening voters with violence and kidnapped election workers (Biography). After the assassination of Capones mentor Johnny Torrio, Capone gained full titles as head of the mob, by owning Torrios nightclubs, whorehouses, breweries, and gambling dens and attaining a government position (Biography). After gaining power Capone was always out, unlike other gangsters, Capone was always well dressed and wanted to be viewed as a businessman (Biography). His bootlegging of whiskey and alcohol was making him rich, but a few incidents including the Valentines Massacre and the Adonis Club Massacre, Capone was blamed for these incidents but was never incarcerated due to lack of evidence (Biography). Finally, in October 1931 Capone was charged with tax evasion, but was never charged for smuggling alcohol (Berger). The Jury found him guilty on two misdemeanor and three felony counts (Berger). Capone was sent to Alcatraz until 1940 when he was released (Biography). The sociological perspective is a view that involves looking at social life in a scientific systematic way (Thomas). This view assists you in identifying the fact that all people are social beings, in finding a balance between personal desires and demands of your social environment, and in viewing your own life within a large social and historical context (Thomas). Using the sociological perspective one can develop a sociological imagination; which is the ability to understand your place in society and how your actions affect others in your society (Thomas). The actions of this counter cultural group has affected the American government immensely. Laws were changed due to the actions of the Chicago Mafia and Al Capone. By continuously smuggling alcohol into the cities of the United States and making a fortune for themselves, an amendment to the constitution was formulated in order to negate the amendment prohibiting alcohol (Constitution). This brought back the ability to sell liquor in the United States once again (Constitution). Not only that but they broke other important laws that brought attention to the government and fear to society (FBI). Ethnocentrism is the belief that ones culture is superior than other cultures (Thomas). Ethnocentrism is imminent in the larger society of America who restricts the sale of alcohol. Where Al Capone was smuggling and selling alcohol to the society that forbid the action to occur (Biography). The larger society of America established a law that prohibited the sale of alcohol in the United States (Constitution). Since the subculture, the Chicago Mafia, did not agree with the amendment they decided to sell the liquor illegally going against the norms of the larger society (Biography). So the larger society found this group as a counter culture for not only bootlegging alcohol, but for braking other laws and going against other norms as well. They have also murdered, ran a whorehouse, and frequently gambled (FBI). These actions have defied the laws that the larger society created and due to the attempt of their incarceration found themselves to be a more superior culture. Cultural relativism is judging a person with the standards of that persons culture not your own culture (Thomas). I believe that the Chicago Mafia acts the way they do because of the 18th amendment which prohibits the sale of alcohol (Constitution). Not only did they disagree with this they saw the opportunity to make profits off of this prohibition; which seemed to be quite fruitful considering Capone made millions of dollars (Biography). Due to the defying of these laws the U.S. government, or larger society, they attempted to incarcerate the people behind these crimes (FBI). Which brought on more crime from the Chicago Mafia involving murders and shootouts with cops (Biography). One of these shootouts resulted in the death of one of Capones brother which may have affected Capones choices of action during this time period (Biography). So due to the laws of the larger society, the Chicago Mafia made actions that defied these laws due to disagreement, desperation, and a chance at opu lence (Biography). Personally I agree with the philosophy of the sale of alcohol; although I do not agree with the direction of the actions that the Chicago Mafia underwent. I agree that the ethnocentric view from the larger society possessed its flaws through the prohibition of alcohol which could have made the government money instead Al Capone took advantage and made the profits for himself (FBI). I do not agree with the actions Capone took to have the ability to sell liquor (FBI). Some of those involving murders including some massacres (Biography). With a sociological imagination one can understand the emotions of the society Capone effected through his actions. Although by understanding cultural relativism one can understand Capones actions which involved the smuggling of alcohol into American cities (Biography). Through these sociological understandings one can understand the actions of the counter culture and the emotions and reactions of the larger society. Works Cited Al Capone. Biography.com. AE Networks Television, 03 Mar. 2016. Web. 11 Mar. 2017. Al Capone. FBI. FBI, 20 July 2016. Web. 11 Mar. 2017 Berger, Meyer. The New York Times. The New York Times, n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2017. Eighteenth Amendment. Constitution. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2017. LaVerne, Thomas. Sociology. N.p., 2003. Textbook. 11 Mar. 2017.

Terrorism and the Fight for Freedom Essay -- Exploratory Essays Resear

The Fight for Freedom      Ã‚   Most of the time, when thinking back to the sixties, people remember hearing about things such as sex, drugs, and racism. However, what they often tend to overlook is the large emphasis "freedoms" had on the era. This does not just refer to the freedoms already possessed by every American of the time. This focuses on the youth's fight to gain freedom or break away from the values and ideas left behind by the older generation. While some authors when writing about the sixties give serious accounts of the youths' fights to obtain these freedoms, others tend to take a different and more dramatic approach to showing the struggles involved in these fights. Yet, all of the authors have the same basic values and messages in mind.   They all, more or less, aim to show the many freedoms which their generation was fighting for. These fights were used to help push for freedoms from areas such as society's rules and values, competition, living for others first, and the older generation's beliefs as a whole including the freedom to use drugs. The younger generation just wanted a chance to express their own views rather than having to constantly succumb to the values and rules left behind by the older generation.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The two different approaches used by authors to express these views are often representative of the two main systems used by youths to help gain their freedoms. The first approach, taken by the Port Huron Statement and authors such as Gerzon, Reich, Revel and Gitlin, follows the ideals of the New Left. The New Left represents youths striving for political change through cultural means.   People are encouraged to work for their ideal... ...   The freedoms may not be fully there, but many of the beliefs and values behind the struggle to acquire those freedoms are still there.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   WORKS CITED          "The Port Huron Statement."   The New Left: A Documentary   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   History.   Ed. Massimo Teodori.   New York: The Bobbs-   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Merrill Co, 1969.    Reich, Charles A.   "The New Generation."   American Values in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Transition.   Ed.   Robert C. Bannister.   New York:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1972.    Rubin Jerry.   "Our Leaders Are Seven- Year Olds."   American   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Values in Transition.   Ed. Robert C. Bannister.   New   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1972.    Rubin, Jerry.   "We Are All Human Be-ins."   American Values in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Transition.   Ed. Robert C. Bannister. New York: Harcourt   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1972. Terrorism and the Fight for Freedom Essay -- Exploratory Essays Resear The Fight for Freedom      Ã‚   Most of the time, when thinking back to the sixties, people remember hearing about things such as sex, drugs, and racism. However, what they often tend to overlook is the large emphasis "freedoms" had on the era. This does not just refer to the freedoms already possessed by every American of the time. This focuses on the youth's fight to gain freedom or break away from the values and ideas left behind by the older generation. While some authors when writing about the sixties give serious accounts of the youths' fights to obtain these freedoms, others tend to take a different and more dramatic approach to showing the struggles involved in these fights. Yet, all of the authors have the same basic values and messages in mind.   They all, more or less, aim to show the many freedoms which their generation was fighting for. These fights were used to help push for freedoms from areas such as society's rules and values, competition, living for others first, and the older generation's beliefs as a whole including the freedom to use drugs. The younger generation just wanted a chance to express their own views rather than having to constantly succumb to the values and rules left behind by the older generation.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The two different approaches used by authors to express these views are often representative of the two main systems used by youths to help gain their freedoms. The first approach, taken by the Port Huron Statement and authors such as Gerzon, Reich, Revel and Gitlin, follows the ideals of the New Left. The New Left represents youths striving for political change through cultural means.   People are encouraged to work for their ideal... ...   The freedoms may not be fully there, but many of the beliefs and values behind the struggle to acquire those freedoms are still there.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   WORKS CITED          "The Port Huron Statement."   The New Left: A Documentary   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   History.   Ed. Massimo Teodori.   New York: The Bobbs-   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Merrill Co, 1969.    Reich, Charles A.   "The New Generation."   American Values in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Transition.   Ed.   Robert C. Bannister.   New York:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1972.    Rubin Jerry.   "Our Leaders Are Seven- Year Olds."   American   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Values in Transition.   Ed. Robert C. Bannister.   New   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1972.    Rubin, Jerry.   "We Are All Human Be-ins."   American Values in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Transition.   Ed. Robert C. Bannister. New York: Harcourt   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1972.

Theme of Courage in Harper Lees To Kill A Mockingbird Essay -- essays

To Kill A Mockingbird is a book about courage to what extent do you agree with this? Harper Lee's first novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, displays the life of a small southern family struggling through the depression in Maycomb, Alabama. Seen through the innocent eyes of a young child are the events and people of Maycomb. Courage is a major theme in the novel but there are other themes like the Hypocrisy, Protecting the innocent and Prejudice, which are brought out to the same extent. The author explores the idea of courage in the novel. Atticus shows true courage by defending Tom Robinson, a black man charged with the rape of a white woman. Atticus continues to fight for justice despite knowing he can’t win the case because he is doing what he knows is right. The town is against this†¦.. This is shown when Atticus watches over Tom Robinson outside his goal cell the night he has been moved to the local goal. There are concerns about the possibility of a lynch mob. Mrs. Dubose is another example of true courage in this novel. Mrs. Dubose always yells at the children, enraging Jem. One Day when she insults Atticus, Jem wrecks her garden. As Punishment he is forced to read to her for a month. During this time Mrs. Dubose seems in a fog and has fits towards the end of the sessions. About a month after Jem finished his punishment Mrs. Dubose Dies. Atticus explains that Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict because of her illness but she had decided that she wanted to leave this world beholden to nothing and nobody. By overcoming a morphine addiction, we see that Ms. Dubose was a woman of tremendous strength and character. She was not going to spend her last days as a drug addict, and despite the pain that it caused her, she succ... ...p the saintly J. Grimes Everett and the Mruna tribe in Africa they neglect to help the poor in Maycomb. They are happy to help people in another country but blatantly ignore the people in need on their own doorstep. This issue is important because it shows that how willing people are to help out people in another country but ignore the goings on of their own town. The idea of â€Å"true courage† is used throughout this text, however so are other equally important themes such as protection of the innocent, prejudice and hypocrisy. Despite that this book was written in the 1930’s it’s idea’s are still very relevant today. I feel that prejudice and hypocrisy are especially common in small towns such as Gunnedah. Although peoples attitudes towards things like racism have not completely changed we must not give up hope, we must have faith in the good of all people.

Black Bourgeoisie Reading Response :: Free Essay Writer

Black Bourgeoisie Reading Response In the first section of Frazier’s Black Bourgeoisie, â€Å"The World of Reality†, Frazier introduces his discussion of the interplay of class and race. He outlines the historical roots of the social place of most African-Americans in the U.S.A. and that of the black middle class. Frazier asserts the inconsequential place of middle class African-Americans and their resulting inferiority complex. He depicts the black middle class as living in a â€Å"no man’s land† in the dominant white culture of America. Frazier begins a more detailed explanation of his theories by discussing the place of the black bourgeoisie in the political and power structures of America. He contends that the black middle class has no real power in America at this time. He attributes the appearance of power to the fact that the members of the black bourgeoisie hold strategic positions in the segregated community. However, he maintains that all of these â€Å"power† positions still feed into the white power structure. Next, he discusses the break with traditional African-American culture. According to Frazier, the black middle class has abandoned the folk culture of â€Å"the black masses† in favor of shell of the middle class white world that rejected them. Therefore, the black bourgeoisie lives in what Frazier calls a cultural vacuum, disdainful of the culture of most African-Americans, dismissed by the white middle class culture. Finally, Frazier discusses the result of this displacement on the black middle class. Because the black bourgeoisie buys into the ideals of white America more and is simultaneously more exposed to its hostility, their sense of inferiority is compounded. They seek to fill this void in two ways.

Plato’s Republic

Thrasymachus takes the cynical but honest view, that there is more benefit in plainly appearing just than there is in actual being just. He does not necessarily refer to hypocritical villains, those who deliberately nurture a veneer of a socially just man in order to reap personal benefit. He could also be referring to those who have convinced themselves that they are good, apart from society recognizing them as good. As an example of the first we could take Moliere’s Tartuffe. He has entered the household of Orgon with deliberate intent to appropriate for himself the property of his landlord. He takes note of the superficial natures of Orgon and his mother, both of them who are fond of shows of piety and uttering platitudes. He tailors his conduct exactly to please these two. He makes sure that religion is always pouring from his lips. His conduct is always immaculate in the presence of them, and he is never short of advice to the others, who hold him is various degrees of suspicion, regarding the pious and just life. Tartuffe is not only a hypocrite but also a calculating villain. He is the sort that works his way to social standing and privilege by express knowledge that the larger part of society is weak to such charms. It is easy to see that anyone in Tartuffe’s position would lose out by trying to be really just to those he encounters. The counter argument to this is that villains like Tartuffe are usually found out in the end, and therefore suffer in the long run, at the hands of the same society. For example, Tartuffe overreaches himself when he tries to seduce the wife of Orgon, while at the same time courting their daughter. When he is found out he loses the favor of Orgon, after which point he resorts to outright villainy. But when Thrasymachus argues for the appearance of virtue he also has the example of Orgon in mind. For Orgon, and even more so for his mother, the appearance of virtue is the most important thing. So important is it to them that they do not realize that they a dealing with appearances. They believe themselves to be virtuous because they abide by the rules of conventional virtue and piety. Orgon is a wealthy man, and it is clear that his wealth is derived through his ability to adapt. He has no concern whether justice is really done, but only that it should appear to be done. He is so blinded by the show of virtue of Tartuffe that he does not even suspect ulterior motives in his lodger wanting to wed his daughter. When the daughter complains he signs away his property to the lodger in a show of defiance. Of course, his blindness is the cause of his ruin in the end, which is shown for dramatic purposes. But the general argument remains, which is that the likes of Orgon prosper is society. He does enquire into true justice, and any effort in this direction would disrupt his social standing from the root. The likes of Orgon happily give charity to murderers. The vanity of giving blinds them to all other considerations. The mistake of Thrasymachus is that he considers contingent benefits and fails to arrive at a comprehensive account. To provide such an account is extremely difficult, and part of the difficulty is that the listener must have an open and enquiring mind to be able to grasp the subtleties of it. This is why Socrates (Plato) provides three different explanations of why the just life is preferable to the unjust one, and the three responses are suited to the three different attitudes of the questioners. The rich Cephalus is smug in his righteousness that he repays his debts, and that he gives to charity. He is confrontational, and therefore it is only possible to contradict his smug assertions bluntly. This is why Socrates merely asks him to consider whether the returning of a weapon to its rightful owner, a murderer, is justice. Thrasymachus is more constructive. He claims that justice is merely what the powerful impose on the weak. To this Socrates argues that all constructive activity has the powerful acting in favor of the weak, not the other way round, as Thrasymachus contends. If justice be admitted to be constructive then Thrasymachus’ is plainly wrong. The more subtle argument concerning harmony is reserved for the honest enquiries of Adeimantus and Glaucon. Justice is introduced now as a harmony in a body, where the ruling part subdues and controls the rest of the body, so that no part is in discord with another. The final notion is not easy to grasp, for it seems to imply that rulers must have complete wisdom in order to rule, for only with complete wisdom will they be infused with the sense of harmony that is required to effect justice. As a first example we take a football team. The manager of the team is the ruling part of this body. If he can effect harmony here, between all the players, and each of them with himself, then the team will win consistently. But this very success is bound to bring problems. If the team is so good that it never loses, then after a point the players lose motivation, they become complacent. Only after a few bad losses are they able to regain their efficient level again. Complacency, however, is the least evil. Success brings in its train a plethora of evils, all capable of disrupting the harmony. The players begin to nurture big egos and there are personality clashes. In dire circumstances they had all stuck together; but with success even the manager is not beyond reproach anymore. Faced with all these problems the manager becomes more and more dictatorial rather than wise, and this in itself is a cause for disruption. The same is true of any organization. A company starting from scratch is fired with a zeal that is conducive to harmony amongst its employees. But we cannot call such a company absolutely harmonious before it begins to reap enormous profits, because harmony must be equated with success. We are applying the word â€Å"harmony† in the strict sense here, meaning that something in harmony cannot have discordant parts. A company that in unprofitable is not in harmony. Only when it has reached the very top of the field can we begin to harbor such notions as perfect harmony. Then again, the higher is aspires the less and less is management able to maintain harmony. Managers themselves start to look after their own instead of the interests of the business. And so we observe in real life that managers award themselves huge pay packets even when the business is floundering. The arguments of Socrates are always in favor of universals and opposed to particulars. Particular justice, or particular virtue, will not always make sense, but this is only because the all-encompassing or universal picture evades us. Socrates confesses that he does not know what justice is, or what virtue is, or what truth is. To know these would mean having a universal idea in the mind, which is not possible. If the arguments of Socrates mean anything, they are means by which one comes to believe in the universal ideal, becomes convinced that it exists. And so one must not despair if injustice or untruth appears to have the upper hand. Skeptics may easily cast doubt on the existence of universals. They might argue along the lines that we have no experience of universals. That all experience is particular and contingent, and that it is pedantic to introduce the notion of universals. They might say that all justice is merely a point of view. Different cultures evolve with different notions of justice, and this is the principle reason why nations go to war with each other, to fight for a particular notion of justice, or for certain ideas about beauty. The skeptics might argue that if there was a universal idea of justice then it would have been discovered by now and nations would live in peace. In response to such arguments Plato would emphasize existence. For example, people use the word â€Å"table† in everyday discourse. It doesn’t seem to spread confusion, but instead facilitates understanding. But this is strange, because there is no standard table in the world. All tables are different from each other. This difference is a source of confusion. And yet people from diverse cultures and diverse walks of life get away by simply mentioning the word â€Å"table†, and things are immediately clear to all parties as to what is being said. Such fluent communication would be impossible if not every mention of â€Å"table† was referring to a standard. And if this standard does not exist in the material world, then it surely exists transcendentally, something which Plato calls the world of ideals. We could not imagine the ideal table, for every effort in this direction would spring up a particular table. But it is an overwhelming certainty that we have language and communication, in the place of confusion and chaos. This is how Plato confirms the existence of universals. What is true of the word â€Å"table† is also true of the notions of justice, virtue and beauty. People hold relative notions of these, not only between cultures, but also between individuals of the same culture. The skeptics point to a cacophony in such matters, but they can never identify chaos. If difference was the norm, and no standard had ever prevailed, we must judge that there has been time enough for all structure to break down. But what we see in human society is miraculous as it is. The most miraculous structure of them all is the Republic. People can always find fault in the way the state is run. But if they could see things plainly, free from every sort of bias, they could not help marvel at the very existence of the Republic. It is a place where individuals meet with common notions of justice, virtue and beauty. So the existence of the state is a testimony that universal justice exists, as do universal virtue and universal beauty. Plato uses the existence of the Republic to prove that universal justice exists, and that the just life is preferable to the unjust one. Plato’s Republic Thrasymachus takes the cynical but honest view, that there is more benefit in plainly appearing just than there is in actual being just. He does not necessarily refer to hypocritical villains, those who deliberately nurture a veneer of a socially just man in order to reap personal benefit. He could also be referring to those who have convinced themselves that they are good, apart from society recognizing them as good. As an example of the first we could take Moliere’s Tartuffe. He has entered the household of Orgon with deliberate intent to appropriate for himself the property of his landlord. He takes note of the superficial natures of Orgon and his mother, both of them who are fond of shows of piety and uttering platitudes. He tailors his conduct exactly to please these two. He makes sure that religion is always pouring from his lips. His conduct is always immaculate in the presence of them, and he is never short of advice to the others, who hold him is various degrees of suspicion, regarding the pious and just life. Tartuffe is not only a hypocrite but also a calculating villain. He is the sort that works his way to social standing and privilege by express knowledge that the larger part of society is weak to such charms. It is easy to see that anyone in Tartuffe’s position would lose out by trying to be really just to those he encounters. The counter argument to this is that villains like Tartuffe are usually found out in the end, and therefore suffer in the long run, at the hands of the same society. For example, Tartuffe overreaches himself when he tries to seduce the wife of Orgon, while at the same time courting their daughter. When he is found out he loses the favor of Orgon, after which point he resorts to outright villainy. But when Thrasymachus argues for the appearance of virtue he also has the example of Orgon in mind. For Orgon, and even more so for his mother, the appearance of virtue is the most important thing. So important is it to them that they do not realize that they a dealing with appearances. They believe themselves to be virtuous because they abide by the rules of conventional virtue and piety. Orgon is a wealthy man, and it is clear that his wealth is derived through his ability to adapt. He has no concern whether justice is really done, but only that it should appear to be done. He is so blinded by the show of virtue of Tartuffe that he does not even suspect ulterior motives in his lodger wanting to wed his daughter. When the daughter complains he signs away his property to the lodger in a show of defiance. Of course, his blindness is the cause of his ruin in the end, which is shown for dramatic purposes. But the general argument remains, which is that the likes of Orgon prosper is society. He does enquire into true justice, and any effort in this direction would disrupt his social standing from the root. The likes of Orgon happily give charity to murderers. The vanity of giving blinds them to all other considerations. The mistake of Thrasymachus is that he considers contingent benefits and fails to arrive at a comprehensive account. To provide such an account is extremely difficult, and part of the difficulty is that the listener must have an open and enquiring mind to be able to grasp the subtleties of it. This is why Socrates (Plato) provides three different explanations of why the just life is preferable to the unjust one, and the three responses are suited to the three different attitudes of the questioners. The rich Cephalus is smug in his righteousness that he repays his debts, and that he gives to charity. He is confrontational, and therefore it is only possible to contradict his smug assertions bluntly. This is why Socrates merely asks him to consider whether the returning of a weapon to its rightful owner, a murderer, is justice. Thrasymachus is more constructive. He claims that justice is merely what the powerful impose on the weak. To this Socrates argues that all constructive activity has the powerful acting in favor of the weak, not the other way round, as Thrasymachus contends. If justice be admitted to be constructive then Thrasymachus’ is plainly wrong. The more subtle argument concerning harmony is reserved for the honest enquiries of Adeimantus and Glaucon. Justice is introduced now as a harmony in a body, where the ruling part subdues and controls the rest of the body, so that no part is in discord with another. The final notion is not easy to grasp, for it seems to imply that rulers must have complete wisdom in order to rule, for only with complete wisdom will they be infused with the sense of harmony that is required to effect justice. As a first example we take a football team. The manager of the team is the ruling part of this body. If he can effect harmony here, between all the players, and each of them with himself, then the team will win consistently. But this very success is bound to bring problems. If the team is so good that it never loses, then after a point the players lose motivation, they become complacent. Only after a few bad losses are they able to regain their efficient level again. Complacency, however, is the least evil. Success brings in its train a plethora of evils, all capable of disrupting the harmony. The players begin to nurture big egos and there are personality clashes. In dire circumstances they had all stuck together; but with success even the manager is not beyond reproach anymore. Faced with all these problems the manager becomes more and more dictatorial rather than wise, and this in itself is a cause for disruption. The same is true of any organization. A company starting from scratch is fired with a zeal that is conducive to harmony amongst its employees. But we cannot call such a company absolutely harmonious before it begins to reap enormous profits, because harmony must be equated with success. We are applying the word â€Å"harmony† in the strict sense here, meaning that something in harmony cannot have discordant parts. A company that in unprofitable is not in harmony. Only when it has reached the very top of the field can we begin to harbor such notions as perfect harmony. Then again, the higher is aspires the less and less is management able to maintain harmony. Managers themselves start to look after their own instead of the interests of the business. And so we observe in real life that managers award themselves huge pay packets even when the business is floundering. The arguments of Socrates are always in favor of universals and opposed to particulars. Particular justice, or particular virtue, will not always make sense, but this is only because the all-encompassing or universal picture evades us. Socrates confesses that he does not know what justice is, or what virtue is, or what truth is. To know these would mean having a universal idea in the mind, which is not possible. If the arguments of Socrates mean anything, they are means by which one comes to believe in the universal ideal, becomes convinced that it exists. And so one must not despair if injustice or untruth appears to have the upper hand. Skeptics may easily cast doubt on the existence of universals. They might argue along the lines that we have no experience of universals. That all experience is particular and contingent, and that it is pedantic to introduce the notion of universals. They might say that all justice is merely a point of view. Different cultures evolve with different notions of justice, and this is the principle reason why nations go to war with each other, to fight for a particular notion of justice, or for certain ideas about beauty. The skeptics might argue that if there was a universal idea of justice then it would have been discovered by now and nations would live in peace. In response to such arguments Plato would emphasize existence. For example, people use the word â€Å"table† in everyday discourse. It doesn’t seem to spread confusion, but instead facilitates understanding. But this is strange, because there is no standard table in the world. All tables are different from each other. This difference is a source of confusion. And yet people from diverse cultures and diverse walks of life get away by simply mentioning the word â€Å"table†, and things are immediately clear to all parties as to what is being said. Such fluent communication would be impossible if not every mention of â€Å"table† was referring to a standard. And if this standard does not exist in the material world, then it surely exists transcendentally, something which Plato calls the world of ideals. We could not imagine the ideal table, for every effort in this direction would spring up a particular table. But it is an overwhelming certainty that we have language and communication, in the place of confusion and chaos. This is how Plato confirms the existence of universals. What is true of the word â€Å"table† is also true of the notions of justice, virtue and beauty. People hold relative notions of these, not only between cultures, but also between individuals of the same culture. The skeptics point to a cacophony in such matters, but they can never identify chaos. If difference was the norm, and no standard had ever prevailed, we must judge that there has been time enough for all structure to break down. But what we see in human society is miraculous as it is. The most miraculous structure of them all is the Republic. People can always find fault in the way the state is run. But if they could see things plainly, free from every sort of bias, they could not help marvel at the very existence of the Republic. It is a place where individuals meet with common notions of justice, virtue and beauty. So the existence of the state is a testimony that universal justice exists, as do universal virtue and universal beauty. Plato uses the existence of the Republic to prove that universal justice exists, and that the just life is preferable to the unjust one.