venonous snakes :: essays research papers

     It all began around five years prior when my sibling had found me a line of work at the zoo. My entire life I had never truly been keen on snakes, I had consistently felt that they were futile and served no enthusiasm to me what so ever. My whole life I had consistently had an adoration for creatures and needed to go to vet nary school so I could generally associate with creatures, so Harold had allowed me to turn into an animal specialist.      I worked at the Scotch Plains Zoo for three and a half years before it was shut down do to absence of cash. While I had worked there I had become to cherish snakes and imagined that were astounding animals. This adoration developed to where I began taking in snakes that individuals didn’t need as pets any longer so I would think about them. I began with two constrictors one blood python and one red followed boa. I despite everything have both of these snake today the python is 7ft and ninety pounds and the boa is 5 feet and around fifty pounds. From the outset my folks would have a coronary failure however they acknowledge it now.      While I was working at the zoo I applied to step through the examination for thinking about extraordinary and imperiled creatures. It had taken everlastingly to get my licenses and even with them it is still difficult to buy a great deal of creatures. At the point when I moved out of my home and got my own place I needed to begin a reproducing program for venomous snakes for different zoos in the nation. I don’t offer my snakes to them I simply give them so others can see and gain from them that they are not Satan’s animals and are very tame.  â â â â The primary snake that I had bought was a horned pit snake (which had taken me around 5 months to get. I needed to hand assemble every one of my walled in areas because of the way that each snake needs unique dampness, light and fenced in area space. As time passed by I had gotten two all the more reproducing sets one russels snake and one demise viper. The two snakes have a high power of venom however not at all like the demise viper, in addition to the passing viper has one dreadful mentality issue. The passing viper is the third most venous snake on the planet and in the event that it bit me I would just have 10 minutes to infuse myself mind the neutralizing agent venom or I would be dead, and even with the counter serum I would in any case be hospitalized for quite a while.

Cognitive Appraisal and/or Personality Traits Free Essays

Proposed APA style reference: Li, M. (2009, March). Intellectual examination or potentially character qualities: Enhancing dynamic adapting in two kinds of distressing circumstances. We will compose a custom article test on Intellectual Appraisal or potentially Personality Traits or on the other hand any comparative subject just for you Request Now Paper dependent on a program introduced at the American Counseling Association Annual Conference and Exposition, Charlotte, NC. Psychological Appraisal as well as Personality Traits: Enhancing Active Coping in Two Types of Stressful Situations Paper dependent on a program introduced at the 2009 American Counseling Association Annual Conference and Exposition, March 22, Charlotte, North Carolina Ming-hui Li Ming-hui Li, EdD, LPC, LMHC, is an associate educator in the Department of Human Services and Counseling at St. John’s University, Queens, NY. His regions of claim to fame incorporate pressure adapting and versatility advancement. Understudies every now and again experience distressing circumstances (Dungan, 2002; Li, 2006). Some understudies effectively adapt to upsetting circumstances while others become casualties of the circumstances. The scientist has been keen on investigating factors that lead understudies to effectively adapt to distressing circumstances. Improving these components may encourage understudies to utilize dynamic adapting. The term dynamic adapting in the examination alludes to people’s adapting reactions that are described by taking care of issues, looking for social help, and non-shirking. The reason for this investigation was to investigate compelling indicators of dynamic adapting in two significant sorts of upsetting circumstances among understudies: connection and work. Consequences of this examination may give data to guides to assist understudies with adjusting better to school life by improving explicit factors in various unpleasant circumstances. Hypothetical Framework Researchers have not agreed on the idea of adapting. For instance, process-arranged scientists (e. g. , Albinson Petrie, 2003; Lazarus Folkman, 1984; Olff, Langeland Gersons, 2005) suggested that psychological examination decides the reactions people embrace to adapt to distressing circumstances. Conversely, diathesis-arranged scientists (e. g. , Abela Skitch, 2007; Li Yuan, 2003; Wagner, Chaney, Hommel, Andrews, Jarvis, 2007) recommended that a match between character qualities and stress types chooses adapting reactions. The current investigation investigated the degree to which a blend of these two hypothetical methodologies can decide school students’ work of dynamic adapting. Procedure arranged analysts (e. g. , Albinson Petrie, 2003; Lazarus Folkman, 1984; Olff, Langeland Gersons, 2005) suggested that adapting is a procedure (rather than a simple characteristic) where individual variables, for example, convictions, and natural components, for example, oddity, cooperate to influence adapting reactions through psychological examination. These analysts contended that character qualities and condition are inadequate to decide adapting reactions. Intellectual evaluation, they accept, is the thing that decides individuals’ adapting reactions. From their point of view, adapting reactions can be chosen simply after people have psychologically thought to be (a) how their lives are affected by the circumstance and (a) what they can do to manage the circumstance. Conversely, diathesis-arranged scientists (e. g. , Abela Skitch, 2007; Li Yuan, 2003; Wagner, Chaney, Hommel, Andrews, Jarvis, 2007) advocate that individuals’ character attributes impact adapting reactions in explicit settings. They contended that character characteristics impact adapting reactions most in upsetting circumstances that are firmly identified with those attributes. For instance, individuals’ self-viability (an undertaking related characteristic) has extraordinary effect on their adapting reactions to task-related upsetting circumstances, for example, searching for low maintenance work. Conversely, individuals’ secure connection (a connection related characteristic) is ground-breaking in affecting adapting reactions to connection related unpleasant circumstances, for example, coexisting with new flat mates. The two methodologies have been bolstered by past investigations. In any case, little consideration has been attracted to the chance of joining the two methodologies. The current examination tended to this chance. The examination was expected to investigate the degree to which a blend of these two hypothetical methodologies impacts individuals to effectively adapt to distressing circumstances. Subjective evaluation and three attributes (self-viability, secure connection, and versatility) were remembered for the consolidated model. As indicated by the procedure arranged methodology, subjective examination was required to anticipate dynamic adapting over the two unpleasant circumstances. In view of the diathesis-arranged methodology, self-adequacy was required to anticipate dynamic adapting in business related unpleasant circumstances, for example, searching for low maintenance work; and secure connection was relied upon to foresee dynamic adapting in connection related circumstances, for example, coexisting with new flat mates. Moreover, the analyst conjectured that flexibility can foresee dynamic adapting in both connection related and business related distressing circumstances since this quality reflects individuals’ general capacity to direct the negative impacts of pressure (Benetti Kambouropoulos, 2006). Psychological examination, self-adequacy, secure connection, and versatility were applied to foresee dynamic adapting in two sorts of unpleasant circumstances (connection, work), so as to recognize the viability of the consolidated model. The two theories tried in the investigation were: Hypothesis 1: In connection related circumstances, secure connection, psychological examination, and versatility can adequately anticipate dynamic adapting. Speculation 2: In business related circumstances, self-viability, psychological examination, and versatility can successfully foresee dynamic adapting. Strategies Members were 126 understudies enlisted from a school in Taiwan. Their age ran from 18 to 23 years of age. The mean age of this example was 19. 6. Members were classified into two groupsâ€a connection gathering and a work gathering, in view of their self-detailed unpleasant circumstances. The quantities of members in gatherings of connection and work were 76 and 50, separately. The specialist directed a poll to members when they were hanging tight for a class. Members marked educated assent shapes before they reacted to the poll. Information was gathered utilizing a poll containing the Resilience Scale (Wagnild Young, 1993), the Revised Adult Attachment Scale (Collins, 1996), the Coping Strategy Indicator (Amirkhan, 1990), the Chinese Adaptation of General Self-Efficacy Scale (Zhang Schwarzer, 1995), and class I (subjective evaluation) of the Student-Life Stress Inventory (Gadzella, 1991). The entirety of the instruments have been utilized to examine understudies and have shown sufficient legitimacy (develop or simultaneous legitimacy) and unwavering quality (Cronbach’s coefficient alpha range from . 6 to . 93). The entirety of the instruments aside from the Chinese adjustment of General Self-Efficacy Scale were interpreted by the analyst from English into Chinese. Two bilingual Psychology teachers and four bilingual doctoral understudies analyzed the interpreted instruments. A bilingual undergrad understudy, who was oblivious in regards to the first English instruments, back-made an interpretation of the Chinese variants into English. The first instruments and the back-interpreted instruments were exceptionally close in significance, showing right language transference. Inward consistency evaluations of unwavering quality (Cronbach’s coefficient alpha) were processed for every one of the instruments utilized in this examination. The qualities for coefficient alpha were . 89, . 90, . 75, . 87, and . 81 for the Student-Life Stress Inventory (SSI), the Resilience Scale (RS), the Revised Adult Attachment Scale (AAS-Revised), the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSS), and the Coping Strategy Indicator (CSI), individually. The alpha qualities for the three sub-sizes of the Coping Strategy Indicator (CSI) were . 86 (critical thinking), . 88 (looking for social-support), and . 68 (shirking). Furthermore, the alpha incentive for the class I (intellectual evaluation) of the Student-Life Stress Inventory (Gadzella, 1991) was . 84. The exploration structure of this examination was a correlational plan with four free (indicator) factors and one ward variable. The four free factors were intellectual examination, flexibility, secure connection, and self-viability. The needy variable was dynamic adapting. This exploration configuration comprised of two separate different relapse methods that were utilized to test the proposed model in two sorts of upsetting circumstances. Information Analysis and Results The information were broke down by utilizing SPSS 14. 0. Two methods of various relapse were applied to test the two theories. The progression savvy technique was utilized on the grounds that the accessible writing doesn't give guidance with respect to how the factors in this investigation ought to be gone into a numerous relapse condition. By utilizing the progression savvy strategy, the scientist permitted the PC to choose the model with the best factual â€Å"fit. † Correlations among indicator factors and between indicator factors and the reliant variable were analyzed so as to meet the necessities of various relapse. The anomaly was evacuated so it didn't affect the exactness of information examination. The rule used to screen anomalies were (an) a Cook’s separation more noteworthy than 1, and (b) a normalized lingering more prominent than 3. Speculation 1 was bolstered while Hypothesis 2 was not upheld. Results indicated that (a) psychological evaluation and strength can anticipate dynamic adapting in upsetting circumstances related with connection, and (b) secure connection can foresee dynamic adapting in business related distressing circumstances. Tables I and II indicated the outcomes. Table I. Outline of Regression Analyses of Resilience, Secure Attachment, and Self-Efficacy Predicting Active Coping in Relation-Related

Mercedes Zuniga Essays (819 words) - Law Enforcement, Prevention

Mercedes Zuniga Teacher Norton English 1C 5/25/2017 Destructive Use of Force: Police Brutality As of late, police activities, especially police misuse has come into perspective on a wide, open and basic eye. While residents stress over shielding themselves from hoodlums, it has now been indicated that they should likewise watch out for the individuals who should secure and serve. Cops have beate n and shot docile suspects. T hello have abused implement s, compound showers, and electroshock weapons. T h ey have harmed and executed individuals by putting them in dangerou s restriction holds. I accept prejudice and police severity goes connected at the hip. This has caused a significant worry in the present society in the United States. On March 3, 1991 in California, Rodney King an African American, was pulled over after a fast pursue, and in the wake of halting was beaten by four white cops (Worsnop 635). Tracy Brock additionally an African American was captured in Manhattan in November of 1986. An official crushed his head through a fortified glass window, when Broc k would not go into the official' s lounge (Police Brutality and Excessive Force in the New York City Police Department 14). Ki Tae Kim a Korean food merchant was ambushed when he was blamed for passing a fake bill. He was punched in the face, his head was hammered into the counter, and the official additionally exposed him to racial slurs (Police Brutality and Excessive Force in the New York City Police Department 17). Marcos Maldonado a Latino food merchant was confused with a suspect after a furnished burglary to his store. He was cuffed, tossed to the floor, over and again kic ked, and beaten with the official's nightstick (Police Brutality and Ex cessive Force in the New York City Police Department 17). Abner Louima a Haitian worker was captured outside a move club in Brooklyn, and was severely ambushed when he showed up at the police headquarters. These are only a couple of instances of the individuals who have been influenced of police severity, and bigotry. There are five phases through which power can master gress and lead to severity: v erbal influence, unarmed physical power, power utilizing non-deadly weapons, power utilizing sway weapons and destructive power, which the vast majority of the officials referenced before fell into this stage. The fatal forc e stage is possibly to be utilized when an official's life or someone else' s life is at serious risk. The lethal power stage ought to be ended, if not made illicit in t he United States. By having the savage power stage, by law you are allowing somebody to c ommit a homicide. In a large number of the cases expressed before these rules were damaged, and more grounded activity was utilized on the resident than would normally be appropriate. The officials who were blamed in these cases were accused of just minor offenses, and some were accused of nothing by any stretch of the imagination. More grounded activity ought to have been upheld on the cops that perpetrated these violations. These casualties referenced are from minority gatherings, and were hurt by white New York City cops. In under four years fifty-five individuals have kicked the bucket while being in police authority, in the New York City Police Department (Police Brutality and Excessive Force in the New York City Police Department 8). This number contrasted with before insights is by all accounts low, yet at the same time appears to be incredibly high, for the principles and guidelines the officials are sup presented to be following. Numerous law requirement authorities seem to have an intense outside towards wrongdoing, yet are touchy to wrongdoing within. Cops develop negative sentiments towards specific races, genders, or religions. Officials will in general get the feeling that in the event that one or a couple of individuals treat them with disregard, at that point others of that equivalent sex, race, or religion will treat the official similarly. It is demonstrated that not as much as f ive percent of all cops are the terrible component, however on the off chance that the other ninety-five percent remain around and sit idle, at that point that is the place the genuine issue lies (Worsnop 636). Regardless of whether an individual accepts police b rutality is a major issue, it must be halted. Now and again, where

Glass in Lolita A Struggle for Permanence - Literature Essay Samples

In his mind’s eye, Humbert Humbert in Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita lives in a world of eternal nymphets and time unchanging, of frozen crystals and glass. But reality is mobile and unfrozen, and try as he may to reject it H.H. is forced to recognize the impermanence of the external world through its mirror projection into his mind. Thus, H.H. struggles to freeze time behind glass surfaces only to be foiled by the harsh mirror reflection of transient reality. Humbert Humbert’s misunderstanding of â€Å"Our Glass Lake,† truly â€Å"Hourglass Lake,† reveals his desire to cease the flow of time and the obstruction of this dream by the stark reminder of reality reflected in mirrored surfaces. H.H. dreams of an â€Å"enchanted island† of â€Å"entranced time† in which all nymphets reside, eternally unaffected by age (Nabokov 16-17). This longing to freeze time is emphasized by H.H’s visions of frozen water. If surging, rushing water suggests the relentless motion of time, then ice and crystallization evokes its cessation. Indeed, before visiting the Lake, H.H. imagines it as â€Å"glazed over with a sheet of emerald ice† (54). By this glacial lake, H.H. dreamt of having a â€Å"quiet little orgy† with Lolita after feigning the loss of his â€Å"wrist watch† to escape from Charlotte (54). The loss of his timepiece further emphasizes H.H’s wish for the disappearance of time. L ater when he takes glasses for whiskey and soda, he thinks of the ice cubes as â€Å"little pillow-shaped blocks†¦ pillows for polar teddy bear, Lo† (97); he wants a frozen Lo, an everlasting nymphet Lo untouched by temporality, â€Å"emprisoned in†¦ crystal sleep† (123). The addition of liquid into the glass produced â€Å"rasping, tortured sounds as the warm water loosened [the ice cubes] in their cells† (97). Thus, H.H.’s predilection for crystallized, glassy surfaces and his aversion to flowing water depict his desire to halt the surge of time. However, his fantasies of time immobilized are shattered by mirrors, which constantly remind him of reality’s temporality. Hourglass Lake is a â€Å"curious Mirage† (56). A mirage itself is â€Å"an optical effect that is sometimes seen at sea†¦ that may have the appearance of†¦ a mirror in which distant objects are seen inverted.†[1] Thus Hourglass Lake emerges as a mirror and, far from being frozen, resides in reality in â€Å"great heat† (81). The liquidity, heat, and inverted mirror quality of Hourglass Lake reveals it to be the polar opposite of the crystallized Our Glass Lake H.H. envisioned in his mind. Its true evocative name further accentuates the temporality of reality that opposes H.H.’s internal frozen glass fantasies. Furthermore, while in his dreams he loses his wrist watch in order to tryst with Lolita, in reality his wrist watch remains on and perfectly intact, undamaged by the moving waters because it is â€Å"waterproof ;† within the mirror lake, H.H. cannot physically destroy or escape time (89). Thus mirrors in reality diametrically oppose H.H.’s internal fantasies and reveal to him the impossibility of his dreams of frozen time. H.H.’s memories of Lolita in cinematographic terms reveal further his longing to halt time. Motion pictures are formed from the projection of light through a glass lens onto a reel of film onto a screen. The replaying of film suggests a breach in time, a reliving of past images that intrude into the present. Glass imagery thus recurs in the lens and shows again H.H.’s struggle to preserve still moments behind glass surfaces. In the despair of remembering the beauty of Lolita’s tennis stroke, he laments, â€Å"I could have filmed her! I could have had all her strokes, all her enchantments, immortalized in segments of celluloid;† she would be timeless behind the glass lens of the film projector (232). When he closes his eyes he sees an â€Å"immobilized fraction of her, a cinematographic still† (44) as if she is a â€Å"photographic image rippling upon a screen† (62); film creates the illusion of movement by the rapid succession of frames, but like his aversion to moving water, H.H. here wants â€Å"segments,† â€Å"still[s],† a â€Å"photographic image,† the individual, unmoving fragments that freeze her; he doesn’t want the reminder of time. But once again, mirrors negate his dreams and force him to confront reality. He admits his struggle to freeze time by replacing time with space: â€Å"I substitute time terms for spatial ones† just as he substitutes cinematographic time with stills (16). But even so, control of time eludes him; mirror reflections, even if they are photographic stills, inevitably reveal age. H.H. writes, â€Å"I would have the reader see ‘nine’ and ‘fourteen’ as the boundaries – the mirrory beaches and rosy rocks – of an enchanted island haunted by those nymphets of mine† (16). Mirrors form the boundaries of H.H.’s fantasies. Most noticeably, one would have no realization of self-aging or the physical, external change of self without a mirror reflection. External reality of the self exists separate from internal perception until a mirror projects what is outside into the mind. Hence, mirrors force H.H. to see not only the ephemerality of nym phets but also his own mortality. As he passes a â€Å"dead† town without Lolita, he sees a â€Å"display of artificial diamonds reflected in a red mirror† and a â€Å"lighted green clock† to remind him of ever fleeting time and another crystal of phony permanence (282). In the end, the â€Å"crystal† of his wrist watch â€Å"was gone but it ticked† (304). His symbol of time halted, the crystal, disappears and time surges on. Ultimately, H.H.’s internal world of everlasting nymphets and immortality stands at stark odds with the external reality of impermanence that mirrors project into his consciousness and force him to see. However, in writing Lolita, he vies for dominance against this external transience. He projects his internal reality out into external space and fights to materialize the everlastingness that is his entire mental world.

Lithium Isotopes - Radioactive Decay and Half-Life

Ageism Discrimination Against Older People - 865 Words

Ageism Ageism is â€Å"discrimination against older people.† (Webster’s, 2003) The words age and racism combined to define this prejudice. There are studies that show one in every five workers in the United States are over fifty-five. Around sixty percent of workers state they have experienced ageism in the workplace. (North, 2013) Yet, the elderly are not the only ones who experience age discrimination. Ageism happens to children, teenagers, and middle-aged adults. Age discrimination appears to be prevalent in all countries. In Japan it s reported as early as thirty years old. Recruiting agencies there discriminate against workers at a young age. In the United States the magic number seems to be around fifty. Ageism is normal for our society today, it is common place practice. It is the one bias that is not talked about or advocated against. Individual Ageism The elderly experience ageism on a daily basis. Whether it is in the workplace, in the media, by family and personal relationships. Workers report that age discrimination has become common in their work place. Society trains us early on to â€Å"act our age,† and it carries into adulthood. Many believe that the elderly should retire and let younger workers have their jobs. Women report that this bias appears for them at a younger age than for men who are their contemporaries. This is especially true in the media, we tend to judge older women harder than we do older men. We are all guilty of ageismShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Ageism On The Delivery Of Nursing Care For The Older Person1736 Words   |  7 Pagesprovide the audience with an understanding of ageism in healthcare by critically analyzing the impact of ageism on the delivery of nursing care for the older person. This essay will be based from the perspective of the impact of a registered nurse’s ageist behaviour on the older patient, the nursing care of the older patient and the impact on colleagues in the health care team. This essay will also discuss theories and relevant principles of ageism, nursing care and the health care environmentRead MoreAgeism, By Robert Butler1092 Words   |  5 Pages â€Æ' According to Dittman (2003), â€Å"A survey of 84 people ages 60 and older, nearly 80 percent of respondents reported experiencing ageism--such as other people assuming they had memory or physical impairments due to their age.† What exactly is ageism? Ageism, termed by Robert Butler in 1969, is a form of discrimination or prejudice based on age. This can be emotionally or physically abusive for the individual. Elder adults are the majority that receive this kind of abuse. The elder populationRead MoreTaking a Look at Age Discrimination1444 Words   |  6 Pagesregarding specific age groups in society. Ageism could be ‘a process of systematic stereotyping and discrimination against people because they are old’ (Butler 1969, as cited in Snape and Redman, 2003, p. 79), although recent developments have resulted in ageism also being applicable to people being too young, as well as being too old (Palmore 1990, as cited in Snape and Redman, 2003). This paper will asse ss age discrimination through its causes, effects on older workers, financial motives, employer attitudesRead MoreEssay on Ageism or Agism621 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"Ageism, or agism, is a prejudice or discrimination against an individual or group in society on the basis of ones conception of age. A  prejudice is a  preconceived  mentality, judgement, or opinion that may have no  reason nor basis. Discrimination is the expression of prejudice resulting in differential treatment of different groups or individuals in society. This may include unjust behaviors, actions, language(s) and degrading terms, or limitations  restricting anothers rights. A person who participatesRead MoreAgeism, By Robert M. Butler1589 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Older people are likely to be seen as a burden and a drain on resources, rather than as a resource themselves†, this being a common interpretation many have on elderly because of Ageism (Irving, 2015, p. 72). The term â€Å"Agei sm† was developed in 1969 by Robert M. Butler, the director of the District of Columbia Advisory Committee on Aging (SOURCE). Ageism, meaning, the prejudice and discrimination against older people (Macionis, 2014, pg.104), has been an un-noticed growing stereotype. When many thinkRead MoreAge Stratification1183 Words   |  5 Pagesstratification and ageism are very closely related; one cannot exist without the other. Age stratification separates people into three primary groups according to their age; the young, the old and the rest. Ageism is the process of systematic stereotyping or discrimination, takes over from there by being an enacted series of prejudices against a person or group based on their age, just as racism and sexism accomplish with skin colour and gender. Ageism allows the younger generations to see older people as differentRead MoreAgeism : Stereotypes And Stereotyping Of Older People Today Essay1178 Words   |  5 PagesAgeism is a popular and important t opic to discuss as it represents a great issue in today’s society. The article â€Å"Ageism in America† focuses on the biases and stereotyping of older people here in America. The elderly is highly discriminated against and we tend to not realize this enough. Ageism is an ever growing concern in the United States and is an issue that needs to be resolved. There is a concern of what will become of ageism in the future. The term ageism is based on an individuals or societiesRead MoreReducing the Divide between Young and Old1299 Words   |  6 PagesThe area of diversity that we will look at here is Ageism. First we will discuss some of the more important barriers that are present because of age. We will discuss how this group is affected by discrimination, prejudices, and stereotypes and some of the sources that perpetuate it. Finally we’ll attempt to show some strategies that both young and old can use to promote communication and understanding to hopefully reduce the divide between the young and old. In ancient times the old we’re valuedRead MoreDiscrimination towards the elderly community is constantly being tolerated across the world. A600 Words   |  3 PagesDiscrimination towards the elderly community is constantly being tolerated across the world. A definition of age discrimination can simply be put into terms as; stereotyping and discriminating against a certain individual or group of people based upon their age. Which can also be classified as ageism: defined as the prejudice against older individuals that can lead into age discrimination.The elderly community is one common group of people that are constantly being put under discrimination becauseRead MoreDiscrimmination against the Elderly Essay955 Words   |  4 PagesRobert Butler (1975) was one of the first writers on ageism and he defined it as â€Å"a process of systematic stereotyping of and discrimination against people because they are old. . . . Old people are categorized as senile, rigid in thought an d manner, old fashioned in morality and skills† (p. 35). Ageism is a form of oppression of elders by youth and adults. Ageism intersects with classism and sexism to produce differences in distribution of retirement resources for the elderly. Women of all ethnic

Aristotelian Metaphysics & Political Philosophy-Free-Samples

Question: Explain Aristotelian Metaphysics within the Context of Eudaimonia. In other words, how does one achieve Eudaimonia or how does Aristotle link happiness to good character? Answer: As a Greek word, Eudaimonia literally implies happiness or welfare. As a central concept in Aristotelian metaphysics and political philosophy, Eudaimonia is being equated with the highest virtue, as Aristotle clearly states: "If happiness is activity in accordance with virtue, it is reasonable that it should be in accordance with the highest virtue. According to Aristotle, Eudaimonia is the central purpose of human life and existence, and he firmly believed that Eudaimonia can be achieved only through the cultivation of virtues. Aristotle argued that if an individual is virtuous, he can never be miserable. The virtuous man behaves in a reasonable way, and that begets him the Eudaimonia (Ryan et al., 2013). As an activity that essentially belongs to the soul, Eudaimonia is achieved when a human being lives well and does well in the affairs of the world. According to Aristotle, happiness is the ulterior aim and end that humans should try to achieve, and it is an activity that involves both moral and intellectual arte. Every human being is endowed with an inherent capacity to become good and noble, and a man can be good by constant practice, and thereby achieve Eudaimonia. The Doctrine of the Mean is an important doctrine of Confucianism, which is being known for representing a sense of moderation, rectitude, sincerity and rectitude. The important concept that guides and underlies the Doctrine of the Mean, is that no one should act in excess than what is required, and that a sense of balance and harmony is required for leading a healthy life. Aristotle has also spoken of the importance of following the Doctrine of the Mean. According to Aristotles Doctrine of the Mean, just the way excess of any element in body leads to disease, while the balance of the elements restores health, an excess of behaviour will also prevent a man from achieving ethical excellence (Dudley,2 017). Excellence of character can be achieved only when the acts and emotions of an individual are performed and experienced at the right time in the right way or the right amount. Self-watchfulness, Leniency and Sincerity are the three attributes that can help one achieve mean in life th at will lead to his happiness, enabling him to lead a virtuous life. The philosophers believe that there are two kinds of passion- the concupisciblepassion and the irascible passion. As far as the concupisciblepassion is concerned, the passion refers to those passions which stand related to a sense of good and evil. For example, love is an example of a concupisciblepassion that is related to good and again sorrow is also an example of a concupisciblethat is related to evil. Hence, passions such as joy, grief, sorrow, pain, or love are examples of the concupisciblepassion. The irascible passion, on the other hand, refers to those passions which are known for following the irascible appetite. Hence, fear, courage, hope and timidity are the common examples of irascible passions (Hauerwas, 2016). According to Aristotle, a soul is not a corporeal thing, and yet the structure of the soul is such that it does require bodily parts and organs for proper functioning. For example, one would need sense organs to enable to act of self-perception of the soul. Unlik e the body that refers to the matter, the soul refers to the form. However, since the soul if the form of the body, its structure makes it impossible to live without the body, according to Aristotle. Aristotle believes that the soul is nothing but the sum total of all the operations of the human body, and it enables a man to become a human being rather than a mere body of flesh. However, the immorality of the soul is an absurd concept. A wide variety of arguments have been claiming and establishing the existence of God. While Plato and Aristotle referred to the existence of a cosmological being, philosophers like Descartes claimed that a benevolent power like God does and should exist for the evidence of the senses to be meaningful. Without the existence of God, it is impossible to explain the origin of mankind or the world at large, establish a sense of meaning, control and harmony that acts as a guiding force in the Universe. However, Immanuel Kantclearly rejected the idea of existence of any God, by stating the clear distinction between the natural objects which we can actually experience such as the observable world, and supersensible objects such as God, divine being or soul. Kant believed that one can only consider the knowledge of those things which he can experience, and existence is not merely a property that can be attributed to any object or being like God. Similarly, David Hume has also rejected the ide a of God, by stating that human beings usually tend to attribute anthropomorphic attributes to unseen forces, which however can never the survive the application of scientific standards. Hume claimed that God is a complex idea the existence of which cannot be proved or disproved by human reasoning, and hence his existence cannot be established (Alter Howell, 2015). As far as the nature of God is concerned, God is deemed as the spiritual force that transcends everything and everyone on earth, and is distinguished from the ordinary mortals in its immortality. Although many religions have diverse names for Gods, God is believed to be one, undivided and an absolute power. Thus, immortality and spirituality define God. Besides, God is also believed to be the omnipotent, omniscient force that pervades within and without the world. Although there are some attributes present in both God and man, there is always an Otherness quality of God that distinguishes God from any mortal existing on the earth (Putra et al., 2015). God is not only immortal and invisible, but is also omniscient and omnibenevolent, offering justice to the world. Most importantly, God is self-existent who is neither created nor can be destroyed. On the other hand, any form of evil is a negative phenomenon, and it is something that lies in direct opposition to the creative nature of G od. Evil refers to a sense of destruction, pain and agony, and an act or a power is considered to be evil if he involves the act of un-doing the being. While good involves acts that assist in the creation of a better world, the evil reverses the process of becoming, and compels people to lapse into non-being. St. Augustine tried to understand soul in order to gain an insight into the idea of a Supreme Being. He believed that the human soul is essentially corporeal, and it is immortal. A soul enables one to think, judge, feel and reflect. Being incorporeal, the soul can never be perceived, but it is discovered to our consciousness by our living energy. The human soul is of two types- a pars inferior which possesses the vital and sensitive powers and a pars superior which possesses the intellectual or rational powers of the mind (Holscher, 2016). While discussing about material reality, Aristotle rejected the idea that there is any form of real or ideal world, apart from the material world one lives in. Aristotle stated that if such an eternal, unchanging world would have existed, how the world relates to the material, imperfect world of mankind. Thus, the former is imaginary, and the latter is real. However, as per the Christian metaphysics, there is an ideal world that is beyond the physical world. According to Aristotle, God is the Prime Mover and First Principle that is the ultimate cause behind the creation of earth and human beings. However, unlike the Christian view of God, Aristotle does not speak of a Holy Spirit, or Father, whose Holiness should be worshipped in the Churches. Aristotle believes that the body and soul both are interrelated parts of human existence, whereby while the body moves, the soul helps the body to move. On the other hand, the Christians believe in the immortality of a soul that represents the Divine Power, which is thoroughly rejected by Aristotle, who believes that soul has no independent existence outside the body. Plato brings in an idea of the Absolute Truth that is equated with the idea of ultimate reality of the world. The idea of reality according to Plato creates in people a sense of Absolute Truth. On the other hand, St Augustine believed reality to be external to human mind in general, and that a human being must have faith so that they can experience the semi-real reflection of reality. The absence of reality in a creature makes him non-God, while the presence of reality implies a Divine Truth. While reconstructing theological perspective on metaphysics, epistemology, ethics and politics, it can be said that the reason, an essential attribute of the human mind helps a man to distinguish between the right and the wrong. The idea of God is closely associated with the idea of performing virtuous actions, and leading a noble life, and hence the anything good, virtuous and noble is termed as just, and reflecting the principles of the Absolute Truth. Machiavelli believed in the individual power of a man in capturing and retaining his power, and consequently he took no interest in any abstract concept such as ideal world, or God or virtue. According to him, the highest pursuit an individual can engage in, is to capture and hold power, and thus his moral rules are not virtuous acts dictated by God, but are practical rules about how to hold power (Machiavelli, 2017). An action is good not because God commands it, nor because it comes from virtue, but because its consequences are the attainment and keeping of power. Machiavelli was a man who was believed that the political environment is corrupt and dangerous, and mankind is essentially wicked, hence one will not gain anything by believing in God, or upholding the importance of virtue in human life. Both Hobbes and Locke spoke of the man living in a primitive world, without the presence of nay political authority or formal checks on the behaviour of the respective individuals. However, if this was to continue man could never move out of his primate state and hence people realized the importance of natural law governing mankind. Hobbes and Locke both had argued that the state had arisen out of a voluntary agreement, or social contract, made by individuals who recognised that only the establishment of sovereign power could safeguard them from the insecurity of the state of nature. However, while Locke and Hobbes claimed that a man was inherently evil, and his natural state was man, and hence required a government, Rousseau believed that man was inherently good (Skyrms, 2014). According to him, that stage of society where the individuals could stay independent was the best. According to Hobbess theory of social contract, each individual man was interested in his own good, and he can fight with other men for his own glory. Hence, to keep his self-interestedness in check, an authority should be present. Unlike Hobbes, Locke did not believe man was immoral, but claimed that being free and independent, and hence he can take liberties with his rights (Ogbuju, S., Eneh, 2016). Hence, a king should be there whose power will be based on the consent of mankind. Rousseau, on the other hand, did not believe in monarchy, and claimed that a man should submit to the general will of the public, and not the political will of any man. According to Kant, the fundamental concept of morality is reason, and in fact pure practical reason is the only possible way of determining what ought to be done without reference to empirical contingent factors (Aune, 2014). A rational will is free from any bias, and is the most logical alternative to be acted on. As opposed to reason as taught by Kant, Kierkegaardbelieves that an individual can be moral if he believes in the absurd ideas such as God which cannot be proved rationally. Nietzsche does not believe in morality, as he states that moral codes are forcefully imposed on a specific section of people to favour the interest of a selected few. Sartre as opposed to Kant and Kierkegaard, believes in the individual responsibility of a man in deciding what is right for him, as his consciousness enables him to understand how things are or how it should be. Sartre does not acknowledge the importance of relying on a moral code of conduct external to human mind. The cogito ergo sum is an idea propounded by Descartes, which literally means I thinks, therefore I exist. Descartes believed that in case the entire world turns out to be an illusion, the only thing a person can be sure of, is his own existence. The only thing real in such an illusory world is the idea of I as he himself is capable of thinking. However, Descartes himself stated that all the senses can be trusted if God is said to exist. Since God is the omniscient and omnipotent being, the idea of human mind as an essentially defining feature of human existence is subjugated to the concept of a greater force (Hertogh, 2016). The terms are explained below: Realpolitik: It is a political system of a country based on the specific needs of the country rather than the moral obligations of its residents. Social Contract: It is a form of agreement between the ruled and the ruling people to determine the nature of society the people would live in, and to explain the moral obligations, each would have. Tyranny: This refers to the extremely cruel and oppressive government ruling a nation or a society. Despotism: This is a political scenario where the monarch or ruler holds absolute power, and is an autocratic leader, allowing none to ventilate any idea against him (Heywood, 2017). Plutocracy: Plutocracy is a form of government that constitutes only the wealthy and elite class of rulers ruling in favour of the interest of their class. Polity: It is an organized society, where a group of people have collectively united by a self-reflected cohesive force such as identity, who have a capacity to mobilize resources, and are organized by some form of institutionalized hierarchy. Monarchy: A form of government headed by a king. Dictatorship: A form of government led by one individual or party who works to keep his power intact. Oligarchy: A society governed by a small group of people. Democracy: A society governed by people elected by the common men as their representatives. Timocracy: A form of government where one needs to possess property and wealth to rule. Common Good: Common good refers to anything that is shared by or is beneficial to all the members of a society. Natural Law: Natural law states that certain rights are inherently and naturally present in human beings and cannot be denied. Liberalism: Liberalism is a political doctrine that believes in enhancing the liberty of all the members of the society. Utilitarianism: It is a doctrine that believes that an action can be considered to be right and moral only if it can prove to be beneficial to maximum number of people. Kierkegaards teleological suspension of the ethical implies the suspension of the ethical law in order to fulfil the divine purpose. Kierkegaard believes that an individual having absolute faith in God must set aside the normal canons of ethics and humanity before the command of religion (Kierkegaard, 2013). For example, Abraham sacrificed his son at Gods command, even though the act is immoral. According to Fidet et Ratio, faith and reason has a close relation as both combined together helps an individual explore the truth (Orr, 2014). It claims that the absence of either one will diminish man's ability to know himself, the world and God Reference List: Alter, T., Howell, R. J. (2015). The God Dialogues: A Philosophical Journey. Aune, B. (2014).Kant's theory of morals. Princeton University Press. Dudley, J. (2017). 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