WHAT HAVE I LEARNED ABOUT PHILOSOPHY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

WHAT HAVE I LEARNED ABOUT PHILOSOPHY - Essay Example Philosophy has been in existence with the coming of the first human being, and was present even before the ancient civilisations of Greece, China, India Egypt, and Mesopotamia had come into being. It started when the first man questioned ‘what is life?’, and slowly took a definite shape, as this questioning initially entered the realms of religious traditions and mythical aspects; then evolved further to become abstract in nature (initially wisdom was more religion oriented, and the philosophers/high priests were held in high esteem, thought to be in direct connotation with the Supreme Being, and thus not questioned by the common people, out of fear and reverence). Later, came the more secular thinkers (that is, philosophy which is not anti-religious in nature; but merely independent of religion), in and around 6th BC, that based their questions on reason and observation, rather than religion and tradition. It was then that philosophy took on a more humanistic form and a ppeal, and came down from the abode of the high priests and the Almighty God, to touch the lives of all the common people. These secular thinkers were thus the first true philosophers, the first seekers of true wisdom. Thus we can say that philosophy in its early form can be said to be a sort of inquiry that was secular in nature, and based on reason and logic. Some of the early well known thinkers were Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, sages from the ancient Hindu philosophy, and Buddha. Middle-ages philosophy saw the replacement of religion by science, and soon two branches of philosophy came into existence which soon separated from the mainstream philosophy; mathematics and science (referred to as the ‘natural philosophy’ till the late nineteenth century). Modern day philosophy deals with questions that fall beyond the scope of these two branches of sciences and cannot be solved by them. Well known philosophers from the middle ages

Health Risk of an Abortion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Health Risk of an Abortion - Essay Example The law of abortion was passed so that these people could be legally allowed to do whatsoever they may feel like. None the less it would not be wrong to say that the anti-abortionists came up with some pretty valid points, but then again it is on one’s freedom whether or not to cut short the birth process or continue with it. (Mohr, 1979) For decades now, abortion has been a hot topic and the same will continue to be the case in the years to come. Anti-Abortionists on the other hand agree in unison that it is pretty much in defiance as laid down in the holy books to commit such a heinous act like abortion. The rationale that can be provided here is that if at any point in time it was in defiance with the laws, then it is between the woman under question as she is the one who will be the recipient of chastisement with regards to the abortion decision that she has taken. A number of people are of the view that abortion can threaten a mother’s life and hence should be deemed as illegal right from the onset. Again there are some opinions which suggest that if the mother does not want to have the baby then it would be best to at least give birth to the newborn and give it to some orphan house so that those women who do not have children in their lives can raise their families in accordance. This seems pretty valid since giving a newborn for the sake of adoption is a good route none the less if a family is against the birth and the eventual raise of the baby. This is due to the fact that at times it has been seen that these children suffer immensely as they sit for ages in the orphanages making them look like unwanted guests in this world. Studies have shown that the health issues related with abortion could include breast cancer, clinical depression, increase in mortality rate and reproductive issues to surface within a woman. This means that all of these tangents are highlighted in a significant manner by abortion which indeed mars the very

Elizabeth Cady Stanton's Criticisms of the Nineteenth Century Gender Essay

Elizabeth Cady Stanton's Criticisms of the Nineteenth Century Gender Order - Essay Example We live in a world where each day there arise new issues on gender. The most striking part is the role of women in the society as opposed to that of their male counterparts. In the 19th century, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and other women activists realized that being denied influential rights such as the right to vote while men were allowed to was oppressing women. It was argued that since women were attached to men through husbands and fathers, men could vote for them. Men were also the main decision makers and women were only to submit to what had been decided. One wonders how women’s needs could be catered for if they could not be allowed to vote. There are issues which are unique to women and need only women to address them and focus is placed on Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a woman who feared nothing to voice out the plight of women at a time when the cultural values in America restricted women from trying to challenge or be above men. The woman was simply to give birth and take c are of the children and the husband. This paper presents some of the criticisms that were made by Elizabeth Stanton such as issues to do with birth control, divorce and voting rights and shows how she fought to correct them. It analyses this issues in the current America to show that though some gender issues have been given attention and solved, others continue to emerge hence the need for continual review of the issues affecting women. The fight to gain women rights started and still goes on!!! Colin L. Powell once said that women rights are human rights hence failing to address issues affecting women implies failing to address the issues affecting the entire humanity.... As a result many of the challenges facing them were not addressed in the governments in place. Women were expected to respect the will of the men and therefore their choices. She felt that men only exercised tyrannical leadership towards women and never cared about their needs. The fact that women did not vote, according to her, was an implication that they were mute. That their plights could not be heard nor addressed. At one point she was furious to the point that she asked why the ignorant black men and immigrant men were allowed to vote while educated white women who were natives of America could not be allowed to vote. She felt the need to sensitize other women to fight for their rights to vote for these could be the only way in which their needs were to be addressed. They had to come together and with one voice demand for the rights that they had been denied for years. They had to be involved in political maters for this could enable them to be free from the frequent exploitati ons and dependence on men. This suggestion was obviously going to be met with a lot of resistance since it touched on some of the cultural values of the American society, which had been held by the American people for a long time. This is why Elizabeth Stanton and her female friend Susan B. Anthony did not see this dream they held come true up to their deaths. It took a long time for the American people, more especially men, to agree to the adoption of the ideas advocated by Stanton and other American feminists of the time. Stanton was also opposed to the idea the idea that men should have better and advanced education than women. This, she had experienced when her father

What is the role of women in Things Fall Apart How does Achebe present Essay

What is the role of women in Things Fall Apart How does Achebe present them As subservient As dynamic members of the society - Essay Example managed to get the novel to depict women in a subservient condition as they, along with certain lbo castaway members, readily submit themselves to new religion. Women particularly give in to male orders without question. Such act implies anxiety towards the possible consequence or fate of disobedience instead of a gradual process in which a woman in this case may otherwise find confidence and time to think through better alternatives. Considering the dynamic part which women play in this type of society, diversity in role is spread throughout the novel. As priestesses, of the lbo village, women perform a traditional duty of spiritual leadership. With this role, women like Chika are largely feared (17), having the status believed to have attained the power of her god while the Agbala priestess would never hold back her firm command to Okonkwo. Being able to threaten the tribal chieftain indicates the woman’s portrayal of a figure who has constantly been revered by her subjects. Earth goddess Ani further shows the aspect of power in a significant role of woman as a supreme authority set to rule with judgment of conduct and morality of human deeds. Her power is even magnified through the attitude of the inhabitants who pay tribute by observing the Week of Peace before harvesting their crops believing that the goddess is able to prosper the farms with abundance and good growth (30). Moreover, the sense of connection to nature signifies the woman’s continuous communication of her responsibility such as the mother’s attachment to her child. This role strength is made emphatic when Okonkwo seeks refuge to his mother’s village in the time of great distress during exile (134). Here, the faith is established in the value that women can be much relied upon when desperate or unfortunate situations come. â€Å"The women [who] weeded the farm three times at definite periods in the life of the yam, neither early or late (33).† The line suggests that women may be found

Comparison of Saudi Aramco and Shell Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Comparison of Saudi Aramco and Shell - Essay Example †¢ Saudi Aramco uses a program that helps the employees focus on ethical behavior within the work place. To sustain itself, it has adopted a flexible and efficient organizational structure to achieve operational excellence. Shell has taken an energy efficiency approach and providing the necessary assistance to its customers.†¢ Saudi Aramco uses a program that helps the employees focus on ethical behavior within the work place. To sustain itself, it has adopted a flexible and efficient organizational structure to achieve operational excellence. Shell has taken an energy efficiency approach and providing the necessary assistance to its customers.Driving forces†¢ In this industry, companies focus on demand and customer satisfaction. In addition, the industry has also placed its focus on launching campaigns aimed at building and further developing the future.Porter’s 5 Forces†¢ The buyers have a strong bargaining power because of their large numbers and the pro ducts are considered to be valuable to the consumers. The supplier power is also high because of the nature and importance of the commodity they are dealing with. There is a moderate threat from substitutes in the industry and competition as well.Generic competition strategy†¢ Saudi Aramco has adopted a low-cost strategy by improving research on the commodity and fulfilling its goals and targets. Shell has placed its focus on reducing the cost of electricity, thereby making the company competitive.Market sizing

Pfizer - puffery or deception Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Pfizer - puffery or deception - Essay Example In order to avoid such as situation, Pfizer should use someone in the advertisement who is a practicing physician. The reason for this is so that their advertisement can be authenticated. 2. A likeable public figure should be used in Pfizer’s advertising campaign because this person will be well-known and satisfactory to the people interested in purchasing the product. It would be an added advantage if the person in the advertisement had a personal association with it and is not just collecting their pay check. The type of advertising used should avoid the use of puffery and spend more time on the evidence behind the drug Liptor. 3. A company crosses the line between puffery and outright deception when it tries to proclaim something without facts. Pfizer needs to be honest about the strengths and weaknesses so that their customers can make an informed decision before purchasing the

All of our Choices are Predetermined Essay Example for Free

All of our Choices are Predetermined Essay The Universe appears to be governed entirely by laws, studies of physics seem to show that atoms follow an extremely predictable pattern of cause and effect. This presents a difficult problem for philosophy; if all physical matter is governed by the laws of cause and effect, and we ourselves are comprised of physical matter, how could it be so that any choices we make could be seen to be free? The suggestion that our choices are set out by cause and effect is known as Determinism. Philosophers such as Ted Honderich have argued for determinism and for the consequences that it cancels out free will. It seems insensible to argue that we are not in the least bit determined, and almost all people know from personal experience that people act in a relatively stable and predictable way. For example, if I were to ask my father if he wanted tea or coffee, I would know that he would want coffee based on his love of coffee, and hatred for tea. This preference could not be argued in any way to be a choice made by him, we do not choose what we like, but simply do. Whether our preferences are based on nature or nurture is an ongoing debate, but regardless of the final conclusion, as long as our opinions are based on either of the two options, we would be seen to be determined. Nature is not in our control, neither on the other hand, is nurture. If our personalities are based on environmental or genetic factors and nothing else then our actions are surely determined. This position is extremely convincing and was famously used by Clarence Darrow to prevent two murderers from receiving the death penalty, he argued that they where a product of their upbringing and as such could not be held morally responsible for their actions. This meant, while they could be jailed to prevent threat to society, they could not be punished with the death penalty. The viewpoint of Determinism, while convincing, is by no means universally accepted. The argument seems to go against our intuitions that we are free -although it is notable at this point that our intuitions themselves are philosophically worthless, we cannot argue for an element of truth on the grounds that we feel it is true- and is seemingly incompatible with the view of a God who punishes and rewards his creations with heaven and hell. If our actions are predetermined, then it seems that punishment in hell would be arbitrary. God would simply be creating people in a flawed way, and then punishing them for his poor skills of creation. Needless to say, this viewpoint is not accepted by many Christians and so there have been many arguments for a lack of determinism in philosophy. The belief of Libertarianism, is that we are completely free; in the words of Jean-Paul Sartre I am not free not to be free. Though Sartres beliefs on free will were more assertions than arguments of proofs, he summarises the Libertarian view point perfectly. All our actions are completely freely chosen, our only confinement is that we cannot be confined. Libertarianism has the difficult task of explaining how it is possible to defend non-determined choices in an environment where all things seem to be determined by cause and effect. As already stated, if our personality is held to be nothing but a result of nature of nurture, then determinism must be accepted as a matter of logical consistency. From this, many Libertarians would stipulate the existence of a super-natural element to our personality. For example, if one were to believe in a soul, then it is possible to argue the physical laws of cause and effect have no bearing on our actions. This does seem to contradict fairly obvious observable evidence. Psychology has frequently found causes for human behaviour, and it is difficult to explain the consistency and successes of this particular scientific discipline if we do not accept that our choices are determined in some way. One of the more successful attempts of Libertarianism to discredit Determinism is the pointing to laws of physics that do not seem to obey causality. Heisenbergs Uncertainty Principle shows distinct examples of elements of nature acting randomly, and not due to cause and effect. There are two main criticisms that can be made of this argument; One, that this principle only functions on an minute level, while actual objects such as people still obey determined laws of physics (although science has proven the principle can be amplified to affect people), and; Two, that even where actions random, there would still not be free will, while we would not live in a predetermined environment, we would still live in a (randomly) determined environment. If one was to roll a dice in order to decide the actions a prisoner should take, they would not be considered free by any means. The fundamental flaw of Libertarianism, is that when we examine how it would work, it seems to collapse. As all choices are made according to our personality, a serial killer, is only so because he has a serial killers personality. This statement would suggest determinism and could only be argued against in two ways: Firstly, we could state that the serial killer has no personality, this however, seems nearly impossible to uphold. Without personality, we would have no preferences and without preferences we could not make any choice at all. Asking someone who has no preference of good over evil, or pleasure over pain, to make a moral decision would be rather like asking someone whether they prefer white to white. Without personality, we would not be able to make any choice at all, as no options would appeal to us over others. It could be argued, that decisions can still be made according to rationalism, but as rationalism and logic are consistent discipline this would make our actions even more predictable and un-chosen than determinism suggests. So this argument cannot be used to defend Libertarianism. Secondly, we could suggest that the Serial-Killer was in some way in control of his personality. That he chose his preference of evil over good. This again fails. As we have already stated, choices cannot be made without personality, so to choose a personality we would require a personality for us to choose, this initial personality would determine the personality we chose. We could attempt to argue that this initial personality was chosen, but very soon we would have to give way to infinite regression. With this in mind, Libertarianism and the suggestion that our choices are anything but pre-determined or random, is not only completely incompatible with the current model of physics and psychology, but more importantly is incompatible with choice itself (as choice requires preference, preference designates personality which in turn suggests determinism). Libertarianism is a self defeating system in that it requires an absence of will to prove free will, which would be rendered useless without will. There is also a logical argument against Libertarianism. J.J.C Smart points out that there are two possible states of things, i.e. determinism or indeterminism. Either determinism is true, or indeterminism is true, these exhaust all possible philosophical options. Determinism would prevent a Libertarian view as our choices are predetermined, indeterminism would seem to prevent Libertarian view also, as our choices are random and thus not controlled or free. From this argument, we can see that a Libertarian argument for free will is impossible. It seems undeniable therefore, that all our choices are pre-determined -or in the least part random, whether our choices are in fact pre-determined or random is largely down to physicists to discover, currently it seems to be that we are in fact pre-determined, but this cannot be assured without knowledge of all physics. Even if our choices are not predetermined, what they are not -as has been argued in the course of this essay- is freely chosen, at least according to the viewpoint of free will presented by libertarianism. But what would the effects of this be? Hard determinism would argue that we cannot claim to possess free will in a deterministic environment. The problem with this position seems to be that we have defined free will incorrectly. The view of free-will as indifference, has in the course of this essay been demonstrated as problematic, and if we adopt this view of free-will then hard determinism would seem an agreeable viewpoint, the problem is, that this seems an utterly meaningless way of discussing free will. Free will does not appear to refer to the ability of will to change itself, when we refer to a free lion, we do not mean it is free to change to a tiger or a bird, we simply mean it is free to act according to its nature. It would therefore seem to be more useful to discuss free will in the sense of a will being able to act itself out, we are free if we could have chosen otherwise HAD our will been different. This Compatibilist approach adopted by David Hume seems to allow us to discuss free will in a meaningful way, within what seems to be a predetermined environment.