Galileo Galilea free essay sample

Provides an in-depth look at the life and works of Galileo Galilea, including the opposition he faced from the Church and an analysis of his theories. This paper describes the life of Galileo Galileahis childhood, youth and how this affected his chosen path in life. It analyzes his theories as well as the harsh and life threatening criticism he faced from the Church. Galileos father was a musician who eventually challenged Aristotelian beliefs about music theory and who proved some of it wrong, so Galileo grew up in a forward-thinking house where beliefs that had been long-held by educated people were being questioned. His father was part of a small group of musicians who revolutionized the way music was written. These changes led to the birth of opera. He saw his fathers musical experiments, which contradicted the most basic assumptions regarding music theory. These older beliefs were also tied to church theology. We will write a custom essay sample on Galileo Galilea or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It was believed at the time that the rules of harmony paralleled the motion of the heavenly body. This concept was known as the music of the spheres.

ESL Beginner Reading Comprehension

ESL Beginner Reading Comprehension This dialogue involves an interview in which a customer speaks about what brands she likes the best. When comparing two brands use the comparative form, but when speaking about many brands use the superlative form to discuss which brand is best or worst. Teachers can use this lesson on the comparative and superlative forms to help practice the form. Practice using this dialogue and then have your own discussions about which types of products you like best. An Interview at the Shopping Mall Interviewer: Good evening, I hope you dont mind answering a few questions. Alice: How long will it take? Interviewer: Just a few questions.​ Alice: I guess I can manage to answer a few questions. Go ahead. Interviewer: Id like to ask your opinion about consumer electronics. As far as consumer electronics is concerned, which is the most reliable brand? Alice: Id say that Samsung is the most reliable brand. Interviewer: Which brand is the most expensive? Alice: Well, Samsung is also the most expensive brand. I guess thats why its the best. Interviewer: Which brand do you think is the worst? Alice: I think LG is the worst. I really cant remember using any of their products that I liked. Interviewer: And which brand is the most popular with young people? Alice: Thats a difficult one to answer for me. I think that Sony is probably the most popular with young people. Interviewer: One last question, Have you tried using any HP products? Alice: No, I havent. Are they good? Interviewer: I enjoy using them. But I didnt stop you to tell you what I think. Thank you for your time. Alice: Not at all. More Dialogue Practice - Includes level and target structures/language functions for each dialogue.

A Literature-Based Unit Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

A Literature-Based Unit - Assignment Example A focus will be on examining each piece of literature for its own sake and how that story relates to students' lives. This reading unit is prepared for eighth graders in a 7th-12th grade gifted program. Their reading list is based on some books that should probably be part of college coursework. Additionally, there are other books that are easier than college-level, just in order to give students a variety of material with which to work. Students should come prepared to class ready to discuss the texts in the context of how societal rules shape us, and how they shape the characters in these books. Further, students will have a rationale for reading each book and their links to language and culture. This novel will get everyone thinking about how societal cues are used and what are the unwritten rules of secret societies. "Privacy, he said, was a very valuable thing. Everyone wanted a place where they could be alone occasionally. And when they had such a place, it was only common courtesy in anyone else who knew of it to keep his knowledge to himself."1 This novel will get students thinking about the social morays involved in moral scruples that come along with the extramarital affair. This is advanced material and should not be taken lightly, as it is a very delicate subject for 8th graders: "He hadn't seen her for three days, and because of her husband's return from abroad didn't know whether it would be all right for that day or not, and didn't know how to find out. The last time he had met her was at his cousin Betsy's country house."2 3. Dahl, Roald. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. New York: Bantam, 1977. This novel is the story of a young boy who must overcome the social shame of being poor by winning a Golden Ticket to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory and ultimately overcoming his fears. This is a wonderful tool to demonstrate different attitudes among children. "Something crazy is going to happen now, Charlie thought. But he wasn't frightened. He wasn't even nervous. He was just terrifically excited. And so was Grandpa Joe. The old man's face was shining with excitement as he watched ever move that Mr. Wonka made."3 4. Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. New York: Penguin, 1997. Jane Eyre is a novel which is the story of a governess living in trying economic times amidst the societal strictness of early 19th-century England. It is about a woman overcoming her own personal struggles in order to find happiness. "To pass [Thornfield's] threshold was to return to stagnation; to cross the silent hall, to ascend the darksome staircase, to seek my own lonely little room, and then to meet tranquil Mrs. Fairfax,a nd spend the long winter evening with herto slip again over my faculties the viewless fetters of an uniform"4 5. Hardy, Thomas. Jude the Obscure. New York: Airmont Publishing Co., 1966. Jude the Obscure is somewhat of a depressing novel, but nonetheless, it is a good book concerning relationships. Jude Fawley is a

Gender Security and Education for All Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Gender Security and Education for All - Essay Example These sources are credible and more reliable allowing greater credibility of the exercise. The presentation of data was in the form of frequency percentages showing the proportion of women and men in a period ranging from 1970 to 2007. The frequency data represented in percentages makes it clear and easier to understand. Correlation measures like Pearson product that enables one to relate independent variables of modernity and career choice in early years. Correlations provide a measure of establishing the relationship between the variables. Research methods in community development and contexts Data collection methods and analysis are significant in the contemporary world in reiterating the influence of pure and social science in solving human problems. In community development, the methods signify a way data is used in understanding and exploring feminist opinions and beliefs. The methods are used in participatory monitoring and evaluation where they help assess the progress of obj ectives and their transformation into goals. Some methods in data collection also double as monitoring and evaluation tools, which determine relations between men and women in a polarized patriarchal society. These include focus group discussions, observation, interviews and questionnaires. These help the stakeholders to receive and gain knowledge on the status and progress of project work being undertaken at the community level. They are tools that assist in decision making among the project employees and sponsors. Research methods are undoubtedly the epitome of modern science. They are used to make inferences in academic research towards building the body of knowledge through proposition of theories. Action oriented research is intended to solve real problems affecting human life. The methods may involve assessing the problem and monitoring through observation so as to get appropriate and quick solutions. In market research, research methods helps to collect data concerning customer service, perception of consumers towards a new product and also to analyze their behavior. Human resource departments regularly use the methods to obtain employee information regarding motivation, work environment and promotions. In the nut shell, research methods are applied in every fien d of active science. The use of community development strategies, consultation and facilitation methods used in project work Mass mobilization involves influencing the masses of males to consider the change in attitudes, values and beliefs concerning early childhood education. The strategy is best implemented through the mass media where electronic, print and social networking sites like face book play a prominent role. Social action is the behavior of the influential institutions to change the social phenomenon of the people. The government can resolve to provide more incentives for those men willing to join the early childhood career. Citizen participation is critical in ownership and sustainability of the efforts to bring men on board. The participatory role of men is essential in ownership and sustainability of the change required. Public advocacy also helps to develop confidence in

Rewards Managemnet of Adidas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Rewards Managemnet of Adidas - Essay Example Introduction Adidas is a manufacturer of sports apparel and is consists of a Reebok company. Adidas was founded by Adi Dassler’s Whose aim was to ensure that every athlete with the necessary equipment (Adidas Group, 2010). The company was started in 1920 when Adi Dassler’s made the first shoe for sporting activity. Adidas has realized tremendous growth and has expanded because of their products that are preferred because of their quality and design .Adidas produces products like watches, shirts, bags and other sports related clothes (Adidas Group, 2010). The company has its products distributed across the globe and their brand is one of the most preferred by sport fans and players. In terms of employees, the company has a total of 42541 according to 2010 results and about 14250 working in Adidas headquarters (Adidas Group, 2010). The largest number of employees are the retailers. The FIFA games are a major source of success to the company. During such admired and renown ed sports, the company realizes a high turnover in their products hence more profits. The different products of the company have also been very instrumental in the reduction in fluctuations in return. As a sportswear manufacturer, Adidas main customer segments are the sports fan and other teams that prefer their clothes and other playing instruments (Adidas Group, 2010). ... The organization workers remuneration should reflect their value to the company. Reward management is therefore concerned with formulating, implementing, and reviewing of the employee reward system to ensure that the employees efforts are recognized in the attainment of the organizations goals (Redfern, 2009). Employees reward system should motivate the employees in offering their services to the organization. It is therefore an indispensable segment of management that must be closely monitored by the organization in their effort to ensure organizations success (Geoff & Druker, 2005). Human resource academicians have therefore developed an interest in the study of reward systems and have developed theories to explain the need why organizations should develop effective reward systems. One such reason why employees should be rewarded is to motivate employees and involve them in the distribution of the returns of the organization (Blyton & Turnbull, 1992). Purpose of a Reward System Org anizations reward their employees in order to attract the right employees for the right jobs at the right time (Heneman, 2002). Reward system is also maintained for the purpose of retaining the employees of the organizations by recognizing their efforts and contribution in the work place. Finally, employees will also be rewarded for the purpose of motivating the employees in order for them to do their maximum in the attainment of organizational objectives (Grant, 1990). These three are the primary reasons as to why employers will reward their workers. According to Shields (2007) other reasons why employees are rewarded and that form the essential characteristics of a good reward system include: Need fulfillment i.e. the employees reward should be

Brain in a Vat Critique

Brain in a Vat Critique Donald Davidsons philosophical writings include a variety of essays that plays an important role in the realm of Philosophy of Action, Mind, and Language. His profound essay Action, Reason, and Causes (1963) set about a standard for the action theory wherein he begins by claiming that reason rationalizes the action and that this rationalization of an agent (characterized as having a pro-attitude and a belief) is a species of causal explanation. In addition to this, Davidsons significant contribution to the Philosophy of Mind is his concept of Anomalous Monism which serves as a foundation of his philosophical work. Now, let us consider a sceptic argument of Brain in a vat, a fiction so created via scientific technique, as discussed by Renà © Descartes1 and Hilary Putnam. Just to assume, what if we are all brains in a vat, being fed electrical impulses by computers [as operated by scientist] impulses that alter our brain states and thereby create pseudo-experiences, and beliefs.2 If we regard this assumption to be true, then the hypothesis of Brain in a Vat in prospect brings with it the illusion of experience of performing an action and having some beliefs (that are actually being imposed by the scientist). Here, two positions are considered- one, Davidsons theory of Belief and Action and, other, the sceptical hypothesis of being a Brain in a Vat. So, considering Davidsons philosophical approach towards human actions, beliefs, and thoughts; in this paper, I intend to figure out his response to this given- assumed- situation of Brain in a Vat and the extent to which he can dissipate such sceptical argument, in order to justify his theory. I have divided my paper in three main sections wherein section I is an overview of Davidsons philosophy followed up by section II which takes into account the exposition of Brain in a vat argument. And finally, section III which shows Davidsons dissipation of such a sceptical hypothesis. I. An Overview of Davidsons Philosophy Davidson is accredited of presenting a suave philosophical account of interpreting human actions that depicts the very existence of human beings and so can be expressed as a means of self- expression.3 He maintained that every action that an agent perform (under a description) has a primary reason involved, inclusive of a pro-attitude (, i.e., desires, wants, urges) and a belief (, i.e., knowing, perceiving). This constitutes the rationalization of an agent (as governed by reason) which Davidson argues is a species of causal explanation. This can be formulated as: R is a primary reason why an agent performed the action A under the description d only if R consists of a pro attitude of the agent towards actions with a certain property, and a belief of the agent that A, under the description d, has that property.4 So it can be said that the essential point in Davidsons approach towards action is that an action so performed by the agent is voluntary in nature; it is an intentional act performed with reason, under a particular description. But, here, Davidson pointed out that to know the primary reason of an action so performed by the agent is to know the intention of an agent in performing the action, but the converse is not necessarily true.5 Moreover, he emphasized on the role of causal concepts in the description and explanation of human action6 which brings with it the foremost concern that even primary reason for an action is its cause.7 There is a proper pattern of cause and effect that is involved in explanation of an action that connects the physical event being performed with the mental event (or intention) of an agent. Now, a question can be asked as to what is this Mental that Davidson is talking about? What does he mean by Mental? Simon Evnine has clearly explained this notion by characterizing mental states into sensations (that an agent may feel) and the intentionality which includes beliefs, desires (that are also referred as propositional attitudes). Davidson is primarily concerned with the propositional attitudes that have propositional content and so has confined himself to the content-bearing, propositional states8. As he said: The distinguishing feature of the mental is not that it is private, subjective, or immaterial, but that it exhibits what Brentano called Intentionality.9 Moreover, mental states can be analysed from two perspectives: the first-person point of view and the third-person point of view. The former is according to agents sensations and the latter is in accord with propositional attitudes that is pertinent to Davidsons view. This is because, as Evnine mentioned, understanding in terms of rationality is a distinctive human activity (or is a communal activity) which is in principle public and observable to all. And the states like belief, desire play an important role in this way.10 Also, two kinds of laws are generally considered in relation to the Mental the psychophysical laws that connect mental states to physical states; and the psychological laws that connect mental states to mental states itself. Davidson denies the value or presence of both these laws and this is what he has in his mind when he talks about The Anomalism of the Mental. As he writes, . . . The causal dependence, and the anomalousness, of mental events are undeniable facts.11 Thereby, Davidson advocated his theory of Anomalous Monism which exhibits the fact that mental states or events cannot be given purely physical explanations; such that not all events are mental, while . . . all events are physical.12 This may mean that, since there is a categorical difference between the mental and the physical state, it is regarded that there cannot be any strict psychophysical law. As he stated in his essay Mental Events (1970): It is a feature of physical reality that physical change can be explained by the laws that connect it with other changes and conditions physically described. It is a feature of the mental that the attribution of mental phenomenon must be responsible to the background of reasons, beliefs, and intention of the individual. There cannot be tight connections between the realms if each is to retain allegiance to its proper source of evidence.13 Davidson pointed out that, although the two states of mental and physical cannot be connected with any particular law, in spite of having some causal interaction between them, yet it can be said that the characterisations of mental events somehow depend on the characterisation of physical events. This may be termed as Supervenience, i.e., an object cannot alter in some mental respect without altering in some physical respect.14 But this does not imply any sort of reducibility whatsoever. Further, as it has been observed that Davidson is primarily concerned with the interpretation of human actions, wherein both mental and the physical state or event has a distinctive role to pay, the next consideration demands the specific attribute of interpretation itself. The question may be asked: what makes interpretation possible? What is the role of understanding in interpretation? Given a situation, what if you land up in a place you are completely unaware of. You cannot understand the language or utterance of the people (of that unknown place) and so you are unable to interpret their happenings or the behaviour of the people of the unknown environment. This implies that without understanding, no interpretation is ever possible. In order to interpret the actions of the people (of the unknown place), to attribute beliefs, desires and other mental states to them, to assign meaning to their utterances and say what they are doing, we have to begin from scratch.15 Thereby, Davidson posits the problem of interpretation and maintained that All understanding of the speech of another involves radical interpretation.16 So, having a great influence of Quines Radical Translation, Davidson advocated (a little different) doctrine of Radical Interpretation wherein the interpreter tries to understand the actions of the people, allocating meaning to their sayings, according to the environment they are living in. In a way, Radical Interpretation, as Evnine explained, is a theoretical exercise designed to reveal the interrelations between the various intentional, or propositional states and events like beliefs, desires, linguistic utterances and actions, and the relation between these states and events and non-intentional states, and events such as brain states, noises; marks on paper and bodily movements.17 Now, Radical Interpretation has been credited of having two features- Normativity and Holism. Normative principles are general principles that is applicable to every other person in concern which deals with the question, how things should or ought to be? Davidson claims that radical interpretation should be guided by normative principles for mental states can justify other mental states, having an assumption that the person concerned is rational. So rationalization has an essential role in terms of attribution of mental states. However, rationality, here, is restricted in the sense of its relation to the world and actions being performed.18 Secondly, regarding the holistic feature of radical interpretation, it is claimed that mental states are adhered only in relation to other mental states. The attribution of the mental states is based on the behaviour of the agent performing actions, but such attribution is not fixed and so must be made according to the attributes of other mental states. So in the light of other attributions, the reason for an action can be considered.19 Thereby, it can be said that in Davidsons view actions and mental states mesh together in a holistic network . . . a web in which everything is connected, either directly or indirectly, to everything else.20 Thus, Davidsons account of interpretation as normative and holistic is about rational interpretation and attribution of mental states only. But this does not mean that no error in terms of interpretation is ever possible for there can be a gap between interpretation of belief of someone and his actual belief. This brings us to take into account the indeterminacy of interpretation which allows the possibility of having more than one set of interpretation. Moving on, can we say, in Davidsonian context- Is there any connection between Interpretation and Anomalous Monism? Quite obviously, there is a strong connection between Interpretation and Anomalous Monism that yields a correct analysis of utterance of the speaker. To explain this- utterance is an action, and so an event, and to interpret a certain event, we ought to describe it. And this description gives the meaning of the uttered sentence. So, in context of Interpretation and Anomalous Monism, we are concerned with events and descriptions. Events, in themselves, are opaque and meaningless. But they can be seen as intentional actions or mental events only when they are described in a certain way.21 As Davidson writes: we interpret a bit of linguistic behaviour when we say what a speakers words mean on an occasion of use. The task may be seen as one of redescription.22 Now, Radical Interpretation occurs only when the interpreter is able to understand the unknown language for which meaning of language is very important as the essence of language lies in understanding and its usage. But how can we account for the truthfulness of the sentences being uttered by the speaker? Or, how can we account for the validity of the interpretation itself? In order to answer this, Davidson accommodated The Principle of Charity, i.e., an assumption that the speakers utterances will be counted as true, in terms of his belief as well as his meaning. For the belief of the speaker and the meaning of the sentence incorporates the truthfulness of the sentences being uttered by the speaker. The underlying thought of this principle is the fact that given this Principle of Charity, it is generally assumed that the speakers utterances will be regarded as true and rational. Although even this assumption is guided by rationality (in broader context), however, the Principle of Ch arity also include the possibility of mistaken beliefs for its base is assumption only. The point is that The Principle of Charity cannot be sidelined if we are to adhere to Radical Interpretation, in Davidsonian context. This is so because the concept of belief, desire, meaning and intentional action are defined by what the theory, the principle of charity, says about them.23 But, even The Principle of Charity, which has been adopted as an across-the-board basis24, can be sorted out into two main principles The Principle of Correspondence and The Principle of Coherence. The former principle takes into account the assumption of the truthfulness of the speakers utterances per se whereas, the latter principle takes into account the principles governing attribution of attitudes to an agent and description of the agents behaviour so as to make the agent out to be by and large rational.25 Also, Davidson in concern with epistemology upholds the position that coherence yields correspondence; wherein coherence allows a set of true beliefs of an agent (as guided by his rationality and understanding). Again assumption plays a central role here as well, as he said: There is a presumption in favour of the truth of a belief that coheres with a significant mass of belief. Every belief in a coherent total set of beliefs is justified in the light of this presumption, much as every intentional action taken by a rational agent . . . is justified.26 However, it should be noted that Truth is not to be defined specifically in terms of coherence and belief, for truth is primitive, according to Davidson, and is always in relation of correspondence with the existing world. More so, in spite of adhering to his coherence theory as assuming the truthfulness of beliefs of an agent, Davidson accepts the possibility of even coherent set of false beliefs that an agent may have because of the gap between what is held to be true and what is true.27 II. Being a Brain in a vat The sophisticated form of the sceptical hypothesis of being a Brain in a vat in prospect has been addressed by Hilary Putnam in Reason, Truth and History (1981). This possibility urges us to assume, what if we are really brains in a vat? , i.e., what if the experiences (or sensations) I am currently having is as per the scientists wish? In other words, the argument of Brain in a Vat as stated by Putnam, says: A human being . . . has been subjected to an operation by an evil scientist. The persons brain . . . has been removed from the body and placed in a vat of nutrients which keeps the brain alive. The nerve endings have been connected to a super- scientific computer which causes the person whose brain is to have the illusion that everything is perfectly normal.28 This implies that a being can never know that he is not a brain in a vat because it might be the case that the experience he is having is being fed to him by the scientist, and that his experience is ex-hypothesi identical with that of something which is not a brain in a vat.29 Although Putnam considered such a fictional argument that has its space in some physically possible world, however, he denies the practical possibility of the sceptical argument by regarding it to be self-refuting in nature.30 I shall take up this view of Putnam later, for as of now my main focus is to assume the situation of being a Brain in a Vat to be true wherein all that the person is experiencing is the result of electronic impulses travelling from the computer to the nerve endings . . . that if the person tries to raise his hand, the feedback from the computer will cause him to see and feel the hand being raised.31 This may mean that the person is, as though, performing an action (of raising his hand) or having a sensation or feeling; in spite of being a brain as merely placed in a vat. In addition, another case of such a scientific fiction that can be put forward is that of Turings Test a test that can judge whether a computer (or machine) is conscious or not? Turing advocated the following test: let someone carry on a conversation with the computer and a conversation with a person whom he does not know. If he cannot tell which is the computer and which is the human being, then . . . the computer is conscious . . . the conversations are all carried on via electric type-writer.32 The point that Turing maintained is that even a machine can be qualified as being conscious, having thoughts, if it passes the test. But even the test that Turing advocated is criticized for the very fact that there is a gap between the concept of being conscious and the computers technical language. Now, as having considered the point that even a Brain in a Vat (in some sense) is performing some action or is having some belief that may have (in his perspective) some rationalization of his performing an action; although in actuality, those experiences are all being induced by the scientist. Here, let us consider that given this assumed-situation of being a Brain in a Vat to Davidson; let us figure out his response towards such a sceptical position. Quite obviously, Davidson dissipates such a position, but let us see how. III. Against Brain in a vat A Davidsonian version The very assumption of being a Brain in a Vat brings with itself the practical difficulties that can never be accounted for. The reason being that it is a mere scientific technique, a fiction that induces the illusion of having experiences, beliefs or performing actions, to the brain as kept in a created- scientific- environment, a vat. Putnam, himself, attributed such a hypothesis to be self-refuting in nature, and explicitly denies any junction between the brain in a vat world and the actual world.33 But, since my concern is with Davidsons version, let us consider his objection against this sceptical hypothesis with special reference to his Coherence Theory.34 Davidson assumed (and so asserted) that there are coherent set of true beliefs, however, he never rejected the fact that there can also be coherent set of false beliefs. He maintained that beliefs can be false as well but the very concept of false beliefs introduces a potential gap between what is regarded as being true and what is actually true.35 Although the possibility of having false beliefs is minimum in Davidsons context, yet this can be viewed directly against the Brain in a Vat hypothesis as the brain that has been placed in a vat- a created scientific environment, have illusory beliefs merely based on some sensory stimulations*  [1]  that are surely false, and the very fact that the brain in a vat have false beliefs itself shows that there is a practical- potential- gap between the created world of brain in a vat and the actual rational world of human beings. Even Putnam explained this by saying that there is no qualitative similarity between the thought of the brain in a vat and the thought of someone in the actual world.36 Secondly, to consider Quines view, he said that the meaning . . . [of] sentence is determined by the patterns of sensory stimulations that would cause a speaker to assent to or dissent from the sentence.37 Davidson argues that such an account will invite scepticism leading to the falsity of every sentence whatsoever. As he said, when meaning goes epistemological in this way, truth and meaning are necessarily divorced.38 He asserts that sensory stimulations can never be regarded as an evidence or justification for the belief (which is veridical in nature). In his words: Quine . . . ties the meanings of some sentences directly to patterns of stimulations . . . but the meanings of further sentences are determined by how they are conditioned to the original, or observation sentences. The facts of such conditioning do not permit a sharp division between sentences held true by virtue of meaning and sentences held true on the basis of observation . . . I now suggest [to give up] the distinction between observation sentences and the rest. For the distinction between sentences belief in whose truth is justified by sensations and sentences belief in whose truth is justified only by appeal to other sentences held true is as anathema to the conherentist as the distinction between beliefs justified by sensations and beliefs justified only by appeal to further beliefs. Accordingly, I suggest we give up the idea that meaning or knowledge is grounded on something that counts as an ultimate source of evidence. No doubt meaning and knowledge depend on experience and experience ultimately on sensation. But this is the depend of causality, not of evidence or justification.39 This, again, can be posited against Brain in a Vat hypothesis for the hypothesis, in itself, invokes vague- sensory stimulations which go against the possibility of having any valid stimulated belief. As a result, the stimulated belief of a brain which is placed in a created scientific environment of a vat is false. Moreover, to determine the content of a belief, Davidson endorsed the view that in radical interpretation, we should identify the object of a belief with the cause of that belief. This view can also be directed against Brain in a Vat hypothesis. The reason being that according to the sceptic, the content of brains belief is not dependent on their causes.40 But this is not acceptable to Davidson as, for him, causality plays an indispensable role in determining the content of what we say and believe.41 And as interpreters, we must consider the belief of a brain in a vat in accordance with its actual environment, the environment that causes those beliefs, with special reference to The Principle of Charity. So in the case of a brain in a vat, Davidson claims that one must have knowledge of computers technical environment. He argues that though the brain is functioning and is having a sensation of performing some action with an illusory belief, but the brain is only reacting to the featur es of its environment which is, in actuality, a computers technical data storehouse. So, therefore, the only way to interpret those actions is to correlate it with the bits of data that the computer is feeding in.42 And such an action cannot have any logical- valid- interpretation in a rational behaviouristic sense of being human. Further, just to consider Turings Test (as explained earlier in section II), Davidson argues against the Turings test of machines claiming them to be conscious. He gave an example of John, a rational human being and Robo-John, artificially created John proxy. Davidson explains that John is causally connected to the actual things outside in the actual world. But Robo-John is not causally connected with the things outside in the actual world. And so, unlike John, Robo-John does not think. Thus, Turing is wrong as John does think whereas his proxy Robo-John does not.43 If this is the case, then it is applicable to the Brain in a Vat argument as well (in terms of actions), for in such a created- scientific- situation there is no causal connection between the brain (as placed in a created environment) and the actual world. Lastly, Davidsons objection to this sceptical hypothesis can also be posited with the help of the notion of understanding. As Davidson maintained that the coherence theory is about beliefs or sentences held true by someone who understands them.44 But it can be questioned that does Brain in a Vat have any understanding as it involves rationalization pertaining to the normal human behaviour? There is a strong doubt that the functional brain which is placed in a vat is able to understand any activity, in spite of being induced the sensations, the beliefs by the scientist. So even though the hypothesis is accredited of performing some action which is a mere illusion, it will not have any capacity to understand things accordingly. Conclusion Thus it can be said that Davidsons position of an action being performed by an agent, that has a proper belief and pro attitude, is about a rational human agent living in this actual real world of human beings who are guided by reasons. It is certainly not about a brain being placed in a scientific- created- environment, a vat and, then, having an illusion of performing an action and having some illusory beliefs and sensations that are actually being induced by the scientist. Whatever actions or beliefs that a Brain in a Vat is experiencing is not grounded on any primary reason, for the brain in concern is merely having false beliefs of experiencing the reality, the false belief of performing some action, it is a case of mere illusion, hallucination that does not have place in Davidsons project. More so, since there cannot be any connection between the brain in a vat world and the actual world of beings, Davidson dissipates the position of being a Brain in a Vat whose scientific, co mputer- created- environment is completely opposed to that of being human and so can never be interpreted in accord with our behavioural patterns and the actions of human agents, as even to interpret the actions of someone, we need to attribute some beliefs in a holistic network according to our rationality. But this seems infirm in the case of brain in a vat. Though the brain placed in a vat is having a belief of performing some false action, still is restricted in his small created domain and so interpreting his actions will be determined in terms of his computer oriented environment which again is being created by a scientist and is contrary to the world of being human per se and hence, is not at par with the rationality of humans as well. And so to understand and interpret the actions or language of a brain placed in a vat in a holistic way would be like interpreting the actions of a swimmer (while swimming) without even knowing what basic technique is required to swim. Hence, t he actions of a Brain in a Vat is merely envision without having any substantial ground. For Davidson claims: If we cannot find a way to interpret the utterances and other behaviour of a creature as revealing a set of beliefs largely consistent and true by our own standards, we have no reason to count that creature as rational, as having beliefs, or as saying anything.45 Reference Notes 1 See Concept of Evil Demon by Renà © Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy, Trans. John Veitch, (Watchmaker Publishing, USA, 2010), 97-103 2 Richard Rorty, Davidson versus Descartes; in Dialogues with Davidson: Acting, Interpreting, Understanding, ed. by Jeff Malpas, (Cambridge: The MIT Press, London, 2011), 3 3 Simon Evnine, Donald Davidson, (Cambridge: Polity Press, 1991), 39 4 See Davidsons essay Action, Reason and Causes in Donald Davidson, Essays on Action and Events, second edition (Oxford: Larendon Press, 2001), 3-5 5 Ibid. , 7 6 Donald Davidson, Essays on Action and Events, second edition (Oxford: Larendon Press, 2001), xv 7 See Davidsons essay Action, Reason and Causes in Donald Davidson, Essays on Action and Events, second edition (Oxford: Larendon Press, 2001), 4 8 Simon Evnine, Donald Davidson, (Cambridge: Polity Press, 1991), 7-8 9 See Davidsons essay Mental Events in Donald Davidson, Essays on Action and Events, second edition (Oxford: Larendon Press, 2001), 211 10 Simon Evnine, Donald Davidson, (Cambridge: Polity Press, 1991), 9 11 See Davidsons essay Mental Events in Donald Davidson, Essays on Action and Events, second edition (Oxford: Larendon Press, 2001), 207 12 Ibid. , 214 13 Ibid. , 222 14 Ibid. , 214 15 Simon Evnine, Donald Davidson, (Cambridge: Polity Press, 1991), 10 16 See Davidsons essay Radical Interpretation in Donald Davidson, Inquiries into Truth and Interpretation, (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1984), 125 17 Simon Evnine, Donald Davidson, (Cambridge: Polity Press, 1991), 10-11 18 Ibid. , 11-12 19 Ibid. , 14-16 20 Ibid. , 39 21 Ibid. , 99 22 See Davidsons essay Belief and the basis of Meaning in Donald Davidson, Inquiries into Truth and Interpretation, (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1984), 141 23 Simon Evnine, Donald Davidson, (Cambridge: Polity Press, 1991), 113 24 See Davidsons essay Belief and the basis of Meaning in Donald Davidson, Inquiries into Truth and Interpretation, (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1984), 153 25 Kirk Ludwig, ed., Donald Davidson, (Cambridge University Press, 2003), 17 26 See Davidsons essay A Coherence theory of Truth and Knowledge in Truth and Interpretations: perspectives on the Philosophy of Donald Davidson, ed., Ernest LePore, (Basil Blackwell Ltd., 1986), 308 27 Ibid. , 308 28 Hilary Putnam, Brain in a vat, in Epistemology: Contemporary Readings, ed., Michael Huemer, (Routledge, 2002), 527 29 Jonathan Dancy, An Introduction to Contemporary Epistemology, (Blackwell Publications, 1985), 10 30 Hilary Putnam, Brain in a vat, in Epistemology: Contemporary Readings, ed., Michael Huemer, (Routledge, 2002), 528 31 Ibid. , 527 32 Ibid. , 529 33 Ibid. , 532 34 Davidson never directly attacked or objected Brain in a vat argument in any of his work. I have tried to postulate the objections that Davidson might have against such a fictional possibility and the so called illusory actions being performed. 35 See Davidsons essay A Coherence theory of Truth and Knowledge in Truth and Interpretations: perspectives on the Philosophy of Donald Davidson, ed., Ernest LePore, (Basil Blackwell Ltd., 1986), 308 36 Hilary Putnam, Brain in a vat, in Epistemology: Contemporary Readings, ed., Michael Huemer, (Routledge, 2002), 532 37 See Davidsons essay A Coherence theory of Truth and Knowledge in Truth and Interpretations: perspectives on the Philosophy of Donald Davidson, ed., Ernest LePore, (Basil Blackwell Ltd., 1986), 313 38 Ibid. , 313 39 Ibid. , 313-314 40 Simon Evnine, Donald Davidson, (Cambridge: Polity Press, 1991), 142-143 41 See Davidsons essay A Coherence theory of Truth and Knowledge in Truth and Interpretations: perspectives on the Philosophy of Donald Davidson, ed., Ernest LePore, (Basil Blackwell Ltd., 1986), 317 42 Richard Rorty, Davidson versus Descartes; in Dialogues with Davidson: Acting, Interpreting, Understanding, ed. by Jeff Malpas, (Cambridge: The MIT Press, London, 2011), 4 43 John-Michael Kuczynski, Davidson on Turing: Rationality Misunderstood?, (Principia 9, 1-2, 2005), accessed October 07, 2012; http://www.periodicos.ufsc.br , 114-115 44 See Davidsons essay A Coherence theory of Truth and Knowledge in Truth and Interpretations: perspectives on the Philosophy of Donald Davidson, ed., Ernest LePore, (Basil Blackwell Ltd., 1986), 308 45 See Davidsons essay Radical Interpretation i

Critiques of Ernest Hemingways Novel, Death in the Afternoon Essay

Critiques of Ernest Hemingway's Novel, Death in the Afternoon Ernest Hemingway's Death in the Afternoon shows a new side of Hemingway's writing which initially disappointed the critics. Published in 1932, Death in the Afternoon was not the expected fictional novel, but instead was more of a nonfiction description of bullfighting and Spanish culture in the 1920's and 1930's. In Curtis Patterson's words, "It is a tripartite work: bullfighting in Spain, plus semi-autobiographical details of the author, plus smut. The smut is lugged in by the ears, is unnecessary, is not amusing. The semi-autobiographical details make me faintly sick at my stomach. The explanation of, guide book to, apology for bull-fighting is absorbingly interesting."1 This book's focus on bullfighting is a complete transformation from Hemingway's previous novel A Farewell to Arms, which focuses on the war. Many critics see through this switch in subject matter, however, and propose that Hemingway's focus on bullfighting is really just a different way for him to express h is emotions towards the war. According to Malcolm Cowley, "Hemingway had found in bullfighting an emotional substitute for the war. It provided everything, travel, excitement, crowds like armies watching the spectacle of danger."2 The violent descriptions of the death and injuries of the bulls, horses, and bullfighters are expressions of his pent up feelings towards death and the war. When this book was first published, it sold poorly, in part because of the depression, and also because of the strange topic of bullfighting, which was unfamiliar to his readers. Although his writing style was still praised and respected, his subject matter was widely criticized, as H.L. Mencken... ...has interesting biographical facts and many pictures of Hemingway on his travels. www.lostgeneration.com/keywest.htm This website has excellent comments by Hemingway and reviewers about Death in the Afternoon, and his trips to Spain. 1 Stephens, Robert O., ed. Ernest Hemingway: The Critical Reception. New York: Burt Franklin & Co., Inc., 1997 p 118 2 Ryan, Frank L., The Immediate Critical Reception of Ernest Hemingway. Washington, D.C.: University of America Press, 1980 p. 19 3 Stephens, p. 123 4 Meyers, Jeffrey, ed. Hemingway: The Critical Heritage. London: Routledge &Kegan Paul Ltd., 1982 p.173 5 Stephens, p. 121 6 www.lostgeneration.com/keywest.htm 7 Meyers, p. 22 8 Stephens, p. 115 9 Stephens, p. 119 10 Stephens, p.109 11 Stephens, p. 108 12 Stephens, p. 111 13 Stephens, p. 131 14 Meyers, p. 22 15 Meyers, p.24 16 Stephens, p. 112

Product Identification

In taking the business global identification policies are needed due to the magnitude and complexity of promoting organic products. Product identification can work well for a business that wants to emphasize the quality of the product. Kathy will have to consider a rapid marketing plan because of the freshness of her organic foods. Kathy Kudler has to decide on how to promote and differentiate her line of organic foods from different organic products in Brazil. Kudler foods can use a slogan, the trademark, the brand name, and trade character to identify the organic products. Kathy has already made a name for Kudler Foods in California by providing customers with the finest selections of the very best foods. The Kudler Fine Foods brand can continue in Brazil as long and Kudler upholds a high quality of food and services. Justification Taking a business global, requires identification polices because of the complexity of expanding opportunities for use, and finding new niches. The demand for organic foods is still very low in Brazil (Ebrahimi, 2008). The growth expectations for the domestic market have caused the companies to diversify organic products. Kudler Fine Foods would have to search for raw materials suppliers who have small production scale; this will cause the products to become more expensive. Organic products may be more expensive the some of the similar conventional products. Besides the low demand for organic foods market in Brazil there is not much knowledge of organic foods in this country. The limited access to information is restricted to customers and suppliers. Kudler Fine Food will face difficulties, but overcoming the challenges Kudler Fine Foods can expect a bright future.

How to Talk About Fractions in Chinese

How to Talk About Fractions in Chinese Know that you know your whole numbers in Chinese, you can talk about rational numbers in decimals, fractions, and percents with the addition of a few more vocabulary words. Of course, you can read and write numbers- like 4/3 or 3.75 or 15%- using the universal numerical system in Chinese-speaking regions. However, when it comes to reading those numbers out loud, youll need to know these new Mandarin Chinese terms. Parts of a Whole Fractions can be expressed either as parts of a whole (half, quarter, etc.) or as decimal fractions. In English, parts of a whole are stated as â€Å"XX parts of YY,† with XX being the parts of the whole and YY being the whole. An example of this is saying two parts of three, which also means two-thirds.   However, the phrase construction is the opposite in Chinese. Parts of a whole  are stated as YY 分ä ¹â€¹ XX. The pinyin of 分ä ¹â€¹ is fÄ“n zhÄ «, and is written the same in both traditional and simplified Chinese.  Note that the number representing the whole comes at the beginning of the phrase.   One-half can be stated as either ä ¸â‚¬Ã¥ Å  (yÄ « bn)  or using the phrase construction mentioned above:  Ã¤ ºÅ'分ä ¹â€¹Ã¤ ¸â‚¬ (à ¨r fÄ“n zhÄ « yÄ «). There is no Chinese equivalent to the term one-quarter besides  Ã¥â€ºâ€ºÃ¥Ë†â€ Ã¤ ¹â€¹Ã¤ ¸â‚¬ (s à ¬ fÄ“n zhÄ « yÄ «). Examples of Parts of a Whole three-quarterssà ¬ fÄ“n zhÄ « sÄ n四分ä ¹â€¹Ã¤ ¸â€°eleven-sixteenthsshà ­ lià ¹ fÄ“n zhÄ « shà ­ yÄ «Ã¥  Ã¥â€¦ ­Ã¥Ë†â€ Ã¤ ¹â€¹Ã¥  Ã¤ ¸â‚¬ Decimals Fractions can also be stated as decimals. The word for decimal point in Mandarin Chinese is written as é »Å¾ in traditional form and ç‚ ¹ in simplified form. The character is pronounced as diÇŽn.   If a number begins with the decimal point, it can optionally be prefaced with é› ¶ (là ­ng), which means zero. Each digit of the decimal fraction is stated individually just like a whole number. Examples of Decimal Fractions 1.3yÄ « diÇŽn sÄ nä ¸â‚¬Ã© »Å¾Ã¤ ¸â€° (trad)ä ¸â‚¬Ã§â€š ¹Ã¤ ¸â€° (simp)0.5674ling diÇŽn wÇ” lià ¹ qÄ « sà ¬Ã©â€º ¶Ã© »Å¾Ã¤ ºâ€Ã¥â€¦ ­Ã¤ ¸Æ'å›› (trad)é› ¶Ã§â€š ¹Ã¤ ºâ€Ã¥â€¦ ­Ã¤ ¸Æ'å›› (simp) Percents The same phrase construction used in expressing parts of a whole is also used when talking about percentages. Except for when talking about percents in Chinese, the whole is always 100. Thus, XX% will follow this template: ç™ ¾Ã¥Ë†â€ Ã¤ ¹â€¹ (bÇŽi fÄ“n zhÄ «) XX.   Examples of Percents 20%bÇŽi fÄ“n zhÄ « à ¨r shà ­Ã§â„¢ ¾Ã¥Ë†â€ Ã¤ ¹â€¹Ã¤ ºÅ'Ã¥  5%bÇŽi fÄ“n zhÄ « wÇ”ç™ ¾Ã¥Ë†â€ Ã¤ ¹â€¹Ã¤ ºâ€

Conflict in Maus ll essays

Conflict in Maus ll essays The controversial graphic novel, Maus II is wrought with conflict. The characters are all at odds with each other, and while their arguments might seem petty, there are underlying themes with important messages. For example, the conflict between Art and his father Vladek represents the theme of a quest for understanding. Art has trouble understanding what his father went through and how he was affected, and Vladek has trouble understanding that his son is living in a new age, away from the Holocaust and his terrible past. Vladek and his son Art are from different times and places, and so they are constantly arguing and bickering. The inciting incident of this conflict in Maus II is when Vladek fakes a heart attack to get Art to come visit him. Immediately, the fact that Vladek needed to pretend to be dying just to get his son to visit him stands out as an obvious sign of an unhealthy relationship, at best. From this point on, it becomes increasingly apparent that there is a major conflict between father and son. Throughout the novel, Art tries, if grudgingly, to ease the tension that is ever present in his relationship with his father. After the false alarm of Vladeks heart attack, Art reluctantly stays with his father, to make sure that he can take care of himself. Though this act was in a sense an act of compassion and good will, it turns out to be a mistake. Vladek is a miserable roommate, especially for a married couple. Living with him, even for just a night, tries Arts already frayed patience. The conflict increases further when Vladek tries to sell half-eaten goods back to the market. Art does not understand his fathers interminable need to save money, as he never experienced anything similar to the Holocaust. Also, when they pick up a black hitchhiker, Art does not understand Vladeks racist views, since Vladek suffered so much due to racism. The conflict comes to a head when Art finds that...

International Culture and the Impact on Approaches to Managing People Literature review

International Culture and the Impact on Approaches to Managing People - Literature review Example From the data he gathered, he defined five critical dimensions that are important in understanding the cultural setting of a foreign market. Over the years, advances in research have made Hofstede’s cultural framework questionable. This paper will discuss the five dimensions and offer a critique of each dimension. Proponents of Hofstede’s framework have highlighted that it has a measure of relevance. Notably, that Hofstede’s cultural framework presents some appealing characteristics to some researchers. The fact that the cultural framework emerged when minimal data existed concerning the effect of culture to businesses makes Hofstede’s work outstanding. Moreover, during that time, there were minimal scholarly studies and the fact that Hofstede relied on one to develop his cultural framework made his work appealing (Blodgett, Bakir, & Rose 2008, p. 340). Moreover, he carried out several systematic studies with the same purpose of understanding how different societies held different cultural views. Finally, he combined data from all his studies and developed the dimensions of his cultural framework. One of the underlying factors that contribute to questioning of Hofstede’s framework is the definition of culture. Notably, exists is no specific definition of culture that has received acceptance from different scholars. There are numerous definitions of culture and the relevance of any cultural theory depends on the definition of culture used by the scholar. According to Hofstede, culture denotes â€Å"a collective programming evident in the mind† of individuals, belonging to a certain group, and that makes them different from other groups. Therefore, Hofstede developed his cultural framework based on the definition of culture as mental programming comprising of thoughts and feelings that determined how members of a certain group act. The reason why

Consumer Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Consumer Behavior - Essay Example The study of consumers helps firms and organizations improve their marketing strategies by understanding issues such as how: The psychology of how consumers think, feel, reason, and select between different alternatives (e.g., brands, products); The psychology of how the consumer is influenced by his or her environment (e.g., culture, family, signs, media); The behavior of consumers while shopping or making other marketing decisions; Limitations in consumer knowledge or information processing abilities influence decisions and marketing outcome;   How consumer motivation and decision strategies differ between products that differ in their level of importance or interest that they entail for the consumer; and How marketers can adapt and improve their marketing campaigns and marketing strategies to more effectively reach the consumer. â€Å"One "official" definition of consumer behavior is "The study of individuals, groups, or organizations and the processes they use to select, secur e, use, and dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society"  (Perner 2010). ... group (e.g., friend’s influence what kinds of clothes a person wears) or an organization (people on the job make decisions as to which products the firm should use). Consumer behavior involves the use and disposal of products as well as the study of how they are purchased. Product use is often of great interest to the marketer, because this may influence how a product is best positioned or how we can encourage increased consumption.   The impact of consumer behavior on society is also of relevance. For example, aggressive marketing of high fat foods, or aggressive marketing of easy credit, may have serious repercussions for the national health and economy. Reasons for studying consumer behavior; To stay in business by attracting and retaining customers. To benefit from understanding consumer problems To establish competitive advantage The subject consumer behavior is very interesting. â€Å"Through the application of sociology, psychology and demographics, marketers can beg in to understand why consumers form attitudes and make decisions to purchase. Consumer-behavior studies inform marketers, advertisers and public agencies how product and service selection is influenced by personality, perception, values and beliefs† (Kirchheimer 2011). For marketing, these influences are studied in the context of demographics, which includes ethnicity, age, marital status, size of  family, income,  education  and employment. Perception: Is how information is collected and categorized. Perception is affected by the amount of exposure to a stimulus and by individual interpretation. Personality: Is a weak component of consumer behavior, Personality means a pattern of behavior founded on an individual’s outlook and internal traits. In this use, outlook means point of view and traits