Assess the Impact Malcolm X Had on the Civil Rights Movement free essay sample

Malcolm X, a civil rights activist, had a significant impact on the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. Malcolm X challenged conservative Americans by the Civil Rights Movement exposing discriminatory practices which led to significant changes in what the legal system declared unlawful. Although Malcolm X had a different approach to Martin Luther and produced different results, their end aim was the same. His impact socially, politically and legally is still recognized today and he is commemorated for his constant fight for equality for African Americans. Malcolm X’s tragic childhood events, certainty influenced his motives for social change. Socially, Malcolm X’s views and approaches were different to the other civil rights activists of that time. Before Malcolm X, most blacks wanted nothing to do with Africa. But he taught them that â€Å"You cant hate your origin and not end up hating yourself; you cant hate Africa and not hate yourself. We will write a custom essay sample on Assess the Impact Malcolm X Had on the Civil Rights Movement or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † The response from this was positive and it raised African American cultural consciousness. Despite this, he was cast in the negative light and was seen as an opposer of Martin Luther King Jr. King and other activists refused to appear on the same platform as him. The Nation of Islam only had violent views, and as a result of this, Malcolm X rejected the non violent views of King and advocated for a violent approach. â€Å"I don’t even call it violence when it’s self defense; I call it intelligence. † says Malcolm X. The impact of this developed two approaches to Civil Rights. One group following Kings views and the other, a minority following Malcolm X’s views. It was this group which agitated for change through violent means. The white community saw all blacks as violent which negatively impacted on Kings cause. This also divided the black community, at a time were unity was needed. Further to this, Malcolm X advocated for both the establishment of a separate black community, rather than integration, and the use of violence for self defense. An added impact to this was that it heightened the controversy of Malcolm X and his approach, but also hampered any attempt of assimilation. White society retaliated, both on the streets and the media, impacting on societies views on Malcolm X. Ultimately, Malcolm X was pushing for a positive change, but it was perceived by the whites, and some blacks, as negative. Malcolm X’s social views had a significant impact politically and legally. Malcolm X and other activists all wanted the same end result, but the way they advocated for change, was different. Malcolm X ridiculed Kings â€Å"I have a dream† speech saying, â€Å"While King was having a dream, the rest of us Negroes are having a nightmare†. There was nothing subtle about Malcolm X’s message and he was not afraid of sharing his views and opinions to all. This approach pushed all sectors of society to question him and themselves. Legally, Malcolm X challenged the civil rights movement and exposed discriminatory practices. Not only did Malcolm X impact the Civil Rights Movement by helping to implement laws, he also made America look at how existing laws were routinely ignored. Malcolm X’s political push to ensure the education of black Americans clearly impacted on both blacks and whites, inspiring them to get an education. Malcolm X advocated both politically and legally for schools to be desegregated, as he states â€Å"Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today†. As a result of his impacts on the legal system, the US Supreme Court in 1954, declared desegregation in public schools unconstitutional. The desegregation of public schools had a large impact on the African American society and through this, the contributions of Malcolm X were seen and he gained credibility. After his separation from the Nation of Islam in 1964, he declared his independence and developed his cultural and political black nationalist philosophy in a speech titled, â€Å"The Ballot or the Bullet. † His break from the NOI was an important turning point as he was free to speak independently and he encouraged blacks to exercise their constitutional right to vote. Further to this, Malcolm X formed the Organization of Afro-American Unity. The purpose of the OAAU was to reconnect Africans Americans with their African heritage, establish economic independence, and promote African American self-determination. It impacted on the members of the OAAU as it gave them a place to speak for themselves and to fight for equality. Although the OAAU fell apart, it became the inspiration for hundreds of black power groups that emerged during the next decade. Even though Malcolm X did not directly initiate any fundamental changes, he questioned the law, created public debate and discussion amongst the black community and politicians, exposed discriminatory acts and pushed for change. He inspired not only American black youth, but also other disadvantaged groups around the world such as the 1965 Freedom Rides in Australia. However, as a consequence of his impact on the Civil Rights Movement, Malcolm X was threatened due to his radical ideas and on February 21st, 1965, he was assassinated. His assassination spawned the Black Panther Party, who took Malcolm X’s message of self defense for blacks and translated it into action. They inspired youth and blacks internationally to fight racism and police brutality. Malcolm X has been dead for 48 years, yet his influence in the African American community is much greater today than during his lifetime. He was an internationalist and revolutionary, who took a courageous stand for all African Americans for gaining equality. He agitated for change and made a significant impact in America socially, politically and pushed for changes in the law. Malcolm X’s impact on the civil rights movement can not be denied and his speeches and his message have stood the test of time. ?

The Rise of Hitler essays

The Rise of Hitler essays Exactly how did Hitler come into power? What drove him to become the way he was? Why did he kill all those people? In this report, Ill examine these questions and many others. Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 at Branau am Inn in Austria-Hungary. He went by his mother's last name Schicklegruber until 1876 when he took the name Hitler. He spent much of his childhood in upper Austria linz. He had a terrible record in school. He stayed in school until 1905 when he was 16 years old. He aspired to become an artist and applied for entrance into the Vienna academy but was rejected for lack of talent. Hitler's mother passed away five years after the death of his father. The death of his mother was an important event because it helps to explain his anti-Semitic views. His Mother Klara was diagnosed with breast cancer and treated with a kind of iodine. Their family doctor was Jewish and his name was Edward Bloch. Klara died on December 21, 1907. On Christmas eve Hitler went and thanked Bloch for doing all he could and then Bloch gave him the bill. His mother's doctor bill amounted to ten percent of his mother's estate. That was when Hitler became furious with Jewish peoples and began hating Jews. For the next few years, Hitler made his living writing postcards for advertisements. German generals requested armistice negotiations with the allies in November of 1918. Under the terms of the armistice, the German army was allowed to remain intact. They were not forced to admit defeat by surrendering. The French and British were convinced Germany would not be a threat again. The failure to force German general staff to admit defeat would have a huge impact on the future of Germany. The German general staff would support the false idea that the army had not been defeated on the battlefield and couldve fought on to victory. Many people believed in the stab in the back theory. German politicians who signed the armistice on N...

Business Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Paper - Essay Example Through this memorandum, I have given you the details of the law and have broken them down to a level that makes it more straightforward and understandable. You should make a decision about which way you would like to fix this issue as soon as possible. This will ensure that justice is pursued and attained accordingly. Reviewing and evaluating the legal aspects of decisions made at different situations is of paramount importance especially in this environment that is characterized by trickery and lies. Thus although your intentions towards charitable donations are geared towards enhancing the good of the society, relative relationships and agreements that you enter into need to be defined by legal provisions. From a legal point of view, it cannot be disputed that you were misled by Integral Health Facility into paying them that particular amount of money. This action raises various legal concerns regarding parole evidence, specific performance, recession and so forth. Undoubtedly, th e health facility breached the contract and the legal implications of this are diverse. Although factual information regarding these has been analyzed in the preceding segment, the final decision with respect to the legal measures to take is still yours. The problem To understand the legal implications that are related to your case, it is important to acknowledge the legal dimensions of this case. These provide useful insights regarding the bone of contention and enable you to make informed decisions. Respective understanding will for instance help you to understand the far you can go with regards to taking practical steps to address this legal concern. From the information provided, it cannot be disputed that you actually wanted to build a cancer health facility in remembrance of your mother. After being informed by Integral Health Center that they had plans to build a similar facility, you requested them to allow you finance the project and have it named after your mother upon com pletion. According to you, Integral Health Center wholeheartedly agreed to this proposition and you made the payments accordingly. You signed a contract which did not indicate that the facility would be named after your mother. However, you talked with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) about the naming ceremony that was set to take place once the institution was completed. Probably, you presumed that these provisions would be effected regardless of not having been documented in the contract. However, the institution did not begin the construction and after your first inquiry, it promised to start constructing after three months. This was not effected and at this point, you met the Chief Executive Officer. It is at this point that the CEO informed you that the institution’s decision to build the facility was not firm and that it was not going to pursue it. The CEO however promised that the financial resources were going to be used on another equally important project. The bone of contention in this respect is the institution’s failure to build the facility, even after receiving money from you. Your claim is that the institution builds the facility and names it after your mother as agreed upon. From this case, there are various legal concerns that arise. The Notion of Fraud in the Case To understand the element of fraud in this case, it would be important for you to be conversant with the legal constituents of this malpractice. To begin with, there needs to be a false statement in the entire scenario1. This is

Knowledge Management - Tools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Knowledge Management - Tools - Essay Example The holistic management of the knowledge and information that an organisation comprises defines the crux of the working of the concept of knowledge management. The focus of this approach is on integrated approach which deals with identification, capturing, evaluating and sharing knowledge for gaining maximum result (Wallace 2007). The major components of the knowledge management includes the data and information of an organisation which is made available to all it employees through the use of electronic and traditional mediums. The exact definition of the concept is not easy to define because it constitutes of the concept of knowledge which is very wide and difficult to define Knowledge management is that discipline which aims at making the individuals and teams enable for collectively creating, sharing and applying Knowledge. This plays an implant role in helping the organisation in achieving the organisational goals and objectives. Â  With the aid and sue of knowledge management t he organisation aims at creating intellectual base and knowledge based assets which play an essential role in increasing the returns and profits of the company. The major focus is on sharing of knowledge amongst the employees in order to devise the best working strategies. There are two major activities which play an important role in the arena of knowledge management which involves, capturing and documentation of both types of knowledge which includes tacit and explicit and disseminating the collecting information in the organisation for generating desirable results. The concept of knowledge management indicates that there exist a strong relation between the goals of the organisation and its strategy. The management of the intellectual knowledge of the organisation for some meaningful purpose so that it creates value and meaning for the business is the major focus of knowledge management (Civi 2000). Thus, the concept of knowledge management can be defined as the systematic and wel l planned management of knowledge assets which an organization has that play an important role in creation of value and meets the strategic requirements of the company. The following diagram explains the concept and major constituents of knowledge management: (Source: Civi 2000) Various tools and techniques have been used for the selection of knowledge management initiatives in small and medium sized organisations. The tools of knowledge management are divided into two parts that include information technology tools and web based tools (Debowski 2007). The purpose of knowledge management is to improve the performance of the organisation by providing certain tools, processes and systems for creation, and sharing of knowledge. These tools of knowledge management are effective for decision making processes of the organisation. An effective knowledge management tool ensures ease of use by the people. Knowledge management tool provides specialised knowledge for the management of organisa tion in an effective manner. These tools also ensure management of technical issues in an effective manner. These tools provide adequate access to the right knowledge at the right time (Awad 2004). Brainstorming is one of the tools of knowledge management, which is used by people for generating new ideas for a particular project or event. It is considered as an appropriate tool that is resilient in nature and provides a wide range of options to people. The process of brainstorming starts with taking the initiatives from

Mothers Against Drunk Driving Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mothers Against Drunk Driving - Essay Example She then went on to found MADD in May 1980. Now MADD has over 600 chapters and 2 million members and supporters (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothers_Against_Drunk_Driving#History). This interest group, which according to the website is made up of "dads and daughters, sons and uncles, friends and neighbors, and mothers"( http://www.madd.org/) has worked very hard over the years to help reduce the number of fatalities involving people who drink and drive. Starting just two years later in 1982, MADD helped pushed for a resolution for the first national Drunk and Drugged Driving Awareness Week to become law. By the end of this second year, MADD has already expanded into over 100 chapters. By the end of their third year, the government reported that 129 new anti-drunk driving laws had been passed (http://www.madd.org/aboutus/1179). The success story for MADD only continues as The Federal Minimum Drinking Age Law was signed by Ronald Regan on July 17,1984. By the end of 1984, MADD had expanded into Canada, and now had more than 330 chapters in 47 states. Just a few years later, in 1988, MADD helped push for another law, the Omnibus Anti-Drug Abuse Act, which extended the same right of other crime victims to the victims of DWI. Also, by the end of 1988, all 50 states had signed the federal bill, making the minimum drinking age throughout the county 21. All of MADD's grass roots style of work has only continued to expand through out the years. Because of the hard work of the organization, the numbers of drinking while driving deaths has decreased from the 1980s. Following statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), alcohol related deaths per year have declined from 26,173 in 1982 to 16,885 in 2005(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothers_Against_Drunk_Driving#History). This is a significant decrease in the number of deaths caused by drunk driving, and the numbers alone help show how much work MADD has done, and how greatly it had effected out society. By the hard work, telecommunications, and fighting for their loved ones, the people of MADD have been able to become, what they call a "non-profit grass roots organization with more than 400 entities nationwide" (http://www.madd.org/aboutus/1094). Recently, MADD has announced a new, national, campaign to end drunk driving. With a combination of new, stronger laws, and advanced technology, MADD hopes it can continue its battle against drunk driving into the future, and keep drunk drivers off the road. The new MADD campaign may seem extreme to some, but it has decided that it wants to "completely" get rid of drunk driving ( http://www.madd.org/campaign). Even thought MADD has seen its share of victories, there is some contempt for the group. The founder of MADD, Candy Lightner, left the organization in 1985 and has since then gone on to criticize what the group has become. She has called the group "new-prohibitionists", and that is worries to much about the problems of alcohol, and is not focused on specifically drunk driving, as was her original intent (Bresnahan). Writer Radley Balko says that, "In fairness, MADD deserves credit for raising awareness of the dangers of driving while intoxicated. It was almost certainly MADD's dogged efforts to spark public debate that affected the drop in fatalities since 1980, when Candy Lightner founded the group

Constitutional Monarchy and the Third Way in UK

Constitutional Monarchy and the Third Way in UK A constitutional monarchy is a type of a constitutional government, where either an elected or hereditary monarch is a head of state, unlike in an absolute monarchy where the king or queen is an absolute ruler not bound by the constitution. Most of the constitutional monarchs have a parliamentary system where legislation is passed and the monarch is the head of state with a prime minister as the head of government elected directly by parliament or appointed by the monarchy. This generally separates the official and head of state duties of the monarchy from party politics making the monarchy politically neutral thus can not vote. This provides political stability, continuity and national focus despite a change in government. The sovereign head governs according to the national laws and regulations stipulated in the constitution. However the UK does not have a written constitution but its governed by convections which are non statutory rules and are equally binding.   The monarch is advised by ministers who hail from parliament and it appoints the prime minister, approves legislation and confers honors. As a head of state the monarch is the head of the armed forces. The British monarch (the queen) today has two roles that of head of state and as head of the nation. As the head of sate for Britain she plays an important role in undertaking important constitutional and representational duties. E.g. opening of parliament, approving of the orders in of council, signing acts of parliament plus meeting and conversing with the prime minister and ministers concerning state matters. Other duties include those of representing the state of Britain to the outside world In relation to the government of UK that is headed by a prime minister. The British parliament consists of the monarchy as where the queen is the head, the House of Lords and the House of Commons-which posses the dominant political power hence always supports the government of the day. Her maje sty duties involve the opening of new sessions of parliament and addressing it through the queens speech. (Drafted by the government and outlines the government agenda), issuance of prorogue, dissolving parliament, assenting to bills and approving orders and proclamations through the Privy Council. Parliament can only meet without a royal summon if the sovereign head has died and parliament is not running. Other duties concern the devolve units of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. On April 10th 1998 the Northern Ireland assembly was formed as part of the Good Friday agreement. It has authority over all devolved responsibilities. The assembly has full legislative authority over education, agriculture, health, social services and on wealth creation. Scotland on the other hand has two parliaments. The Westminster assembly legislates on matters that touch on the whole UK as a state while the one in Edinburgh legislates for the devolved domestic matters. The legislation for legislation was taken from Scotland in 1707 and taken to London till the 21st century on September 1997 when the majority of the Scots voted for a Scottish parliament in a plebiscite. The parliament was official opened by the queen on July 1999 and the new building officially opened by the queen in 2004. It has jurisdiction over primary legislation on matters that concern education, police, environment, economic development law and sets the basic rate of income tax among others. The members of p arliament of the Scottish parliament take the oath of allegiance to the crown. The parliaments first minister is appointed by the queen and receives weekly report from the Scottish parliament. This is done under the statutory law that established the parliament. Waless power on legislation was devolved in 2006 where the Wales assembly has had power and authority to pass laws to address the local issues in Wales such as on health and education. These acts are passed without the approval of the UK-Parliament. These actions of devolution are clearly in line with the intension to bring the government closer to the people so as to be able to empower the people to be able to govern themselves more closely, a proposition that is in line with the third way philosophers in Britain. Socialism involves various economic and political theories that advocate for a collective ownership and administration of the means and factors of production as well as the distribution of goods and services through the state. The system has no private ownership of property. Its a step in the transition of the society between capitalism and socialism according to the Marxist theory. In socialism economic activity is carried out to maximize use value as opposed to exchange value. Socialist are antagonistic to capitalism which they view as concentrating power and wealth to a few elites and it exploits labor leading to formation of a stratified society (class). In recent years there is the notion of democratic socialism that is used to denote the democratic character of the socialist movement. It involves the active participation of the society as whole through workers management of the economy through ideals such as  Ã‚   democratic socialism. It proposes the radical reorganization o f the state through social and economic order through public ownership.   Neo liberalism on the other hand is about economic liberalization based on the neo classical economic theories. Which minimizes the role of the state in the economy  Ã‚   to maintenance of law and order and maximizes the private sectors role? The proponents of this school of thought are referred to as the leftist. Its major effect is seen through the rich growing richer and the poor growing poorer. Third way in UKs politics is about the renewal of the social democracy whose vision and mission is to move the state of Britain from the political limbo that it has been in between the leftist who favor the free market ideologies and the right those who favor the state.   There quest is a new form of political ideology that concentrates on adapting economies and the society in general to the forces of globalization (an advanced form of capitalism). Globalization- a step in capitalism development has resulted in inequalities, the misfortunes of social exclusion, isolation, despair, uncertainty, and politics of the extremes under democracy.   This has put pressure on the leftist to re think there stand politically and socially in these age of knowledge economy. Third way proponents advocate for new progressive values that has three premises i.e. the need for the government to promote equality, to all while safeguarding the underprivileged, a set of moral standards and principles t hat promotes mutual responsibility, while resisting the politics of entitlement and the politics of social abandonment. And finally it advocates for a new approach to governance that empowers the people to act for themselves. The party that was championing this was the new labor party under Tony Blair that shifted from its leftist position and won the British elections of 1997 with a landslide. hence the name new. Today its under Gordon brown. leaving the only leftist party to be the British Fabian society. Third way has been stated to be centrism where it has combined the traditions of the European democrats and the ways of the American economic liberals (proponents of the free market ideology) combining the new right approach to governance and Keynesian theories of economics. The government of the new labor party has been formulating its policies from a number of both leftist think tank bodies like the Fabian society and Demos plus neo liberal think tank bodies coming up with policies that touch on issues like welfare and work etc. This clearly shows that the third way was a compromise between the two. Reference Anthony G, 1998,  The third way: the renewal of social democracy  , Wiley-Blackwell.

Ethics and Social Responsibilities in Management :: Ethical Standards Management Essays

Ethics and Social Responsibilities in Management   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ethics can be defined as a process of evaluating actions according to moral principal of values(A.Alhemoud). Throughout the centuries people were trying to choose between profit and moral. Perhaps, some of them obtain both, but every time it could have roused ethical issues. Those issues concern fairness, justice, rightness or wrongness; as a result it can only be resolved according to ethical standards.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Setting the ethical standards for the way of doing business in corporation is primarily task of management. Corporations have to maintain the same standards as an individual person and, in addition, corporations, as organizational units, have their own social responsibilities toward customers, employees and society. However, any business should keep it's original purpose of functioning - making profit. Balancing the traditional standards of profitability and burden of social responsibilities is not an easy task. In recent years it has been a trend of setting standards of corporate ethics according to high degree of morale.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To be able to keep the ethical standards management must follow the law. However, there are some complications in enforcing it. The law affects and is affected by social forces and prevailing ethical standards. "Although the law can codify societies ethical ____________________________________________________ ____________________ Alhemoud, Ali " Management Ethics is Smart Business." values, ethical decision making transcends the law in that 1) the law deals with actions not with thoughts, and therefore it does not (and cannot) codify all ethical requirements; and 2) an individual or a group may perceive a given law as immoral, not as a guide to ethical behavior." ( A. Alhemoud). How, then, a company can ensure that its code of ethics is both followed and enforced ? " . ..Defense firm such as General Dynamics and TRW, and an information company, Dun & Broadstreet, have appointed internal ethics officers or ombudsmen. Whether employees have faith in these safeguards against corporate retaliation is hard to tell, though it is one step forward (The Economist August 19 1995)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ethical codes of corporations that that get so important nowadays also did not come into being at once. They emerged from individual ethical standards and corporate consciousness. Moreover, the public demand for prosecution of any violations of corporate, professional and business ethics has been increased. Finally, mass media made possible for society reveal secrets that were kept from public before. So, the business conduct regulations were created to "draft guidelines for ethical conduct, develop a process for monitoring business practices and recommend ways to correct questionable activities." (J.Byrne) All these measures were taken to balance various social responsibilities with the high degree of moral and sense of attainment.

Responsibility: are we really responsible for our actions? Essay

Have you ever wondered if the decision that you have just made was the best possible decision for you to make? An agent’s relationship between responsibility and his decisions in life are affected by the alternative choices that were not taken as well as the choices that were made. Thomas Nagel believes that an agent’s autonomy is always being threatened by the possibility of a viewpoint that is more objective than his own. His view on responsibility is such that in order to place responsibility on an agent, sufficient reflection about alternative choices must be considered. On the other hand, Carl Ginet claims that free will cannot be caused (free will is not determined), but rather that the will is free. He claims that responsibility is a result of the agent’s inherent free will to choose and is event specific. Ginet feels that since we are free beings, we are responsible for every decision that we make, but not for the causes of our choices. This is contrary to Nagel’s stance of responsibility. He asserts that in order for an agent to be held responsible for his decisions, the agent must have sufficient knowledge of both subjective and objective viewpoints. Nagel believes that this requires a highly developed view of the self and is very difficult to achieve. Responsibility  for our actions seems to only stem from the choices that we make, but the decisions that we do not make also affect our degree of responsibility. Ginet feels that the only two propositions regarding free will are either that the will is caused or that the will is free. He argues that if the will is caused no agent can be held responsible for his decisions. One of Ginet’s arguments is that if the will is to be caused and a choice is presented to an agent that â€Å"no one can be intelligibly described as knowing what his decision will be before he makes it because the claim to possess such knowledge is implicitly inconsistent,† (Ginet 50). He claims that since agents cannot know what decision they are going to make before they make them, that the agent’s decisions are not caused. There is no point in deciding to take a course of action that is already known to the agent. A decision, in this case, would be useless because an agent cannot ‘decide’ on  an action if the agent already knows what he will do. As Ginet points out, â€Å"if [the agent] does already know what he will decide to do, then he cannot by the process of making up his mind persuade himself to anything that he does not already know,† (Ginet 52). If this is the case than an agent cannot be held responsible for his decisions because he could not possibly persuade himself to take a new course of action. On the other hand, if the will is to be free, placing responsibility for the decisions of an agent is valid. Ginet believes that with free will, a decision should be self-determining, â€Å"?a decision is a specific event which, like a flash or bang, can be identified independently of inquiry into its causes,† (Ginet 54). A decision  is to be judged simply as an event and not by the events that caused it. If the will is free, responsibility can be placed on an agent, while if the will is caused, responsibility is discounted. Autonomy and the tradeoff between the subjective and objective points of view are at the heart of an agent’s decision making, according to Nagel. He contends that there are levels of autonomy but no one can reach the highest level (perfect autonomy). Higher levels of autonomy are reached through self-actualization and reflection on oneself. An agent’s autonomy stems from the objective reflection of his viewpoint. However, Nagel believes that an agent can loose his autonomy and ultimately his free will by being overly reflective as is shown in this quote, â€Å"?so the problem of free will lies in the erosion of interpersonal attitudes and of the sense of autonomy,† (Nagel 112). Nagel’s problem with free will, in making decisions, comes from the desire to possess both the objective (observer) perspective and the subjective (actor) perspective at the same instant. The problem here, is that an agent cannot be both causing the action and, at the same moment, be a passive observer. Why would we want to have both a subjective and an objective viewpoint at the same instant? To possess both would mean that the agent has the knowledge of the external perspectives affecting the decisions as well as the internal desires and the ability to act on them. Because an agent views his choice subjectively, there may be alternative choices that  are not made aware to the agent and that may eventually prove to be the best course of  action. An example of this particular case is as follows: a bank teller (who is relatively new to his position) is held up at gunpoint and ordered to give the robber the bank’s money. This bank teller mentally reviews his situation and finds that the best course of action is to hand over the money peacefully. While this is happening, the bank manager is also reviewing the situation and has decided that if he were in the teller’s situation that he would push the hidden button underneath the desk. This button would release a plate of bulletproof glass between the robber and the teller. Unfortunately, the teller is new to his position and does not have this objective knowledge. The question before us: is the teller responsible for the loss of the bank’s money? This question will be considered later. Subjective and objective viewpoints often coincide with autonomy and self-reflection. It is the choices from which we have to choose from, in any particular situation, that determine the degree of responsibility to which we attribute our actions. In order to answer the question stated in the preceding paragraph about the bank teller, one must choose to go along with Nagel’s or Ginet’s view on responsibility. If one holds to Ginet’s conviction that the will is free, then we are responsible for our decisions. However, judgment of the particular decision is limited to the decision being only a specific event and not of the preceding events. Judgment and responsibility in this case do not have anything to do with preceding causes in any way or the decisions that could have been made if the agent had a more objective viewpoint. In the case of the bank teller, his decision in giving the  robber the money and thereby choosing the safest and most peaceful solution was, indeed, the best decision he could have made. He is not held  accountable for the lost money. When Nagel’s outlook on responsibility is applied to assess this situation, we see that there was a better decision that could have been made. If the teller had the objective knowledge about the button under the desk that the manager had, he could have prevented the robber from stealing the bank’s money. However, if he only had this objectivity and not his subjectivity, he would not be in the position to produce the volition at all. The teller did not, in this case, choose the best decision, but at the same time is not fully responsible for the loss of the bank’s money. The teller is partly held accountable for the lost money because there was an alternative choice that would have made the overall outcome better off. Unfortunately for the teller, the knowledge of the hidden button was not made aware to him. This is why the teller is only partly responsible. Ginet asserts that responsibility is to be judged by the specific event while Nagel implies that there are different degrees of responsibility that vary with the amount of information that the agent has. Judgment on a decision can be assessed using Ginet’s ‘event specific’ outlook on responsibility or Nagel’s view that there are varying degrees of responsibility. Both of these methods rely on the agent’s knowledge of the particular situation to make the best decision, but only Nagel’s method of judging a decision incorporates objective knowledge that the agent may be partially (or not  at all) unaware of. Ginet’s stance on responsibility is that only the specific decision can be judged because the causes that led up to the decision are irrelevant when an agent finally comes to a conclusion when making a particular decision. Nagel states that in order to make the best decision possible, an agent must have both subjective and objective knowledge. In this case, responsibility is not only derived from the decision that is actually made, but is also derived from decisions that could have been made (even if the agent did not have enough knowledge to consider all his possibilities). Both methods of assessing responsibility are valid, but Nagel’s method may be considered ‘unfair’. The agent is being  held accountable for something that is out of his control (he does not have adequate knowledge). When we are faced with a decision, we must consider all that is before us in order to make the best possible choice. We will be held responsible for the decisions we make and for the decisions we did not make. Works Cited Ginet, Carl. â€Å"Can the Will be Caused?† Philosophical Review 71 (1962): 49-55. Reprinted in New Readings in Philosophical Analysis, ed. H. Feigl, W. Sellars and K. Lehrer (New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1972). Nagel, Thomas. â€Å"The View from Nowhere.† Cambridge University Press. (1979). pp.110-137

Fed Funds

Fed Funds "Fed slashes federal funds rate by one-half percentage points". This is what many headlines read after the Fed surprisingly between meetings, cut the short-term interest rates to 4.5%. In reaction to such a surprise, the Nasdaq Composite ended the day up 156.22 points while the Dow soared up 399.10 points. There are numerous reasons as to why the Fed controls interest rates and why in this case there was a surprise cut in the rates. Some of the reasons can be more opinionated than others.The money supply of Australia 1984-2007.First I will briefly describe what exactly cutting the interest rate means and what exactly it does. The federal funds rate by definition is the rate at which banks charge each other for inter-day or over-night loans. Banks make loans through the federal funds market to insure that their reserves meet the quota. Banks are required to have a certain amount of reserved money set by the Fed. So if they loan out too much than they will need to make quick loans to m eet the Federal reserve. The Fed simply acts as an intermediary as they transfer debt and give credit to other bank reserves. In this open market, the cost of borrowing and returning is the federal funds rate. This rate is not actually changed by the Fed as one would assume when these announcements are made. The Fed actually has no direct control over the rate. The Fed has a Federal Open Market Committee meeting every six weeks to choose a federal funds target. This target is reached through open market operations. Open market operations consist of either selling or buying financial assets. The rate also does not automatically go to the rate at which the Fed announced it would be. The rate is reached by trial and error. To...

Essay Time Heraclitus

Essay Time Heraclitus Essay Time Heraclitus The idea that you can have no such thing as moments in time is not possible in a human world. In Heraclitus' work he presents an understanding of time in which you have four basic premises: 1) That ‘X equals X’ at T1, meaning that X exists at a moment in time, hence being. 2) That time is infinitely divisible. 3) That because time is infinitely divisible you can have no ‘moments in time’ because for everything that you label a moment you will be able to further divide that moment. 4) That because you cannot have any moments in time at no time can ‘X equal X’ which results in a world not of being but in a world of becoming. While this is logically correct in the sense that all the premises accurately reflect a logical conclusion we are concerned with presenting the accuracy of these premises in the first. Heraclitus uses the metaphor of a river to explain his ideas about the constant flux of the world and the constant change that takes place. Pla to notes that according to Heraclitus, it is impossible to step into the same river twice. By this he means that the river is constantly changing and that the person entering the river would never be able to step into the same water twice, for this water would have been removed down river and replaced by new water. In order for this to be possible he stands in support of an ever changing world with no definable moments in time. This ever-changing phenomenon is not without faults, among them assumptions that time takes place regardless of humans and disregarding the fact that time and its divisibility is contingent upon the constructs usefulness to humans. In order for this ever-changing world to be rational it must be exhibited by physical matter held in a vacuum otherwise this pretense does not hold up well in the physical world. We shall start with the first premise. ‘X equals X’. This premise may come across as straightforward but must be explained here for it has implications on the rest of the argument. The statement of ‘X equals X’ is a statement of Being while ‘X does not equal X’ stands to mean that the item is nonexistent. Unlike statements of Becoming, Being implies that at a specified time, T1, a physical item actually existed whether in a physical or metaphysical form. This is juxtaposed to a statement such as Heraclitus' that we live in an ever-changing world. His world view is a clear statement in favor of Becoming in which we take a relative existence dependent upon what is exerting power upon us and the setting that we find ourselves in. According to Heraclitus, at all times then we are simply Becoming with no moment of Being. Quite backward I think. The second premise of the argument is that time is infinitely divisible. The idea of having time being infinitely divisible is not useful to humans. Because, as will be displayed below, time is relative and dependent upon humans for existence, time is simply a creation that we utilize because it is convenient and advantageous for us to do so. The idea that you can have no moments in time is not possible in a human world. If, as has been presented, time is infinitely divisible then it would be true that you can have no moments in time. However, in order for items and objects to interact with each other there must be a specified time, relative to the participants, at which two things come into contact. Therefore time must not be infinitely divisible, for time is relative to the object taking part in an action and is therefore a mere imposition of an abstract, unrealistic idea upon physical items. Therefore we must consider time as an abstract idea and decide if it is: Dependent or Inde pendent, Relative or not. Let us first begin by examining the relativity of time. It is my understanding that time is relative to the participants in a given situation and that time is imposed upon items through their relation to those who witness the event. In the cases of black holes we, who are not entering a black hole but observing

Indian culture ,Bhagavad Gita Analysis of a World Text see example in Research Paper

Indian culture ,Bhagavad Gita Analysis of a World Text see example in order instructuions - Research Paper Example e cause for this narration is Arjuna’s confusion regarding his relationships, bondage to people and the material world, and an effort to liberate himself from these bondages. Hence, the Lord advises Arjuna to follow path of Dharma (righteousness/duty) to achieve liberation from the materialistic bondages. According to Sankaracharya, this entire philosophy is assembled into 745 versus and based on four main principles, referred to as Purusharthas (Bhagavad-Gita, Gambhirananda, xii) in the Mahabharata; these include Dharma (The principle of righteousness), Artha (Wealth), Kaama (pleasure or desires), and moksha (spiritual freedom or self-realization) (qtd. in Rau, 25). All versus in the Bhagavad-Gita are based on these principles, and teach mankind how to abide by these principles. These teachings also include the effects of following and not following these principles on mankind and its future. The first principle of Dharma (righteousness/duty) guides all actions that man has to perform in order to successfully complete all the duties and eventually attain liberation. This topic is elaborated based on few teachings on Dharma (righteousness/duty), and explained in relation to achievement of self-liberation. For instance, the Lord advises Arjuna to focus on Dharma, which is righteousnes s of actions and duty. The Lord says, â€Å"Your right is for action alone, never for the results. Do not become the agent of the results of action. May you not have any inclination for inaction.† (Bhagavad-Gita, Gambhirananda, 2:47). Here, the lord explains that a man’s duty is only to perform actions and not expect results. Moreover, man should certainly perform actions and not escape from doing what is required. If man starts thinking about or expecting specific results from actions performed, then he will become a propagator of results desired from the work he does. This expectation could lead him towards inappropriate actions meant to achieve desired results.

Innovation and Technology Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Innovation and Technology Management - Essay Example They not only improved the amount of storage capacity, but also brought about many more features along with themselves. Using the multiple dimension of value framework, what factor or factors do you think influenced whether a) consumers, b) retailers, and c) movie producers supported Blu-Ray versus HD-DVD?   The conquest of market has extended over number of years between the two lead players of this innovative technology in the name of blue laser capacity over the disc. While their predecessors used red laser wavelength the successor duo makes use of blue laser wavelength for which they are fast at reading and processing and hence more advanced and better. Both provide state of the art features yet there are certain factors which enable one surpassing the other in context of consumer attention, retailer orientation towards the respective technology and the market leads for each of them that advocate and promote its usage. The consumers’ perspective: Consumers would always r ush towards a product or service that provides variety and improvement over the previous mode and model. The comparison can be drawn between the previous technology and current technology through the features that each possess. The Blu-ray and HD-DVD are seen as a generation step up process from the conventional DVD setup that we had around us. Apart from the storage capacity which has increased multi folds, they have improved the manner in which the entire viewing media operated. The quality of picture provided by the two is way better than the predecessors. While DVD can provide maximum of 480 pixel resolution, HD-DVD and Blu-ray are 1080 pixel enabled (Alez, 2012). Apart from the resolution edge, the compression patterns being employed by each of them are way better and improved in structure than the earlier form of digital storage patterns that were available. The concept is based on the usage of blue laser technology in the disc which reads faster, processes faster and hence pe rforms the tasks in a timely manner. The Nano meter capacity of each of them varies between 400 nm and 600 nm. The capacity provided by DVD is less than 5 gigabyte while Blu-ray and HD-DVD both provide storage option in double digits (Block, 2005). The dual layer support is another plus enjoyed by each of them which was absent in the DVD format. Audio formats and quality provided by each of them is another edge and outsmart of the earlier storage formats. Dolby True HD and DTS-HD are the formats supported by each of them and hence a visible improvement compared to the earlier DVD and Compact Disc formats. Besides this, the DVD players are not supported with the Blu-ray technology enabled discs while the latter provides backward compatibility (MediaCollege, 2008). Other features: while the above mentioned features were the technical and salient features, other side features include the pop up option which runs in parallel while the disc is on play and various other features. Transfer rates supported by Blu-ray disc are multiple times that of D.V.D and also faster than those of HD-DVD. They are supported for the rewriting function, recording over the disk and many other options and functions that are necessary to be part of any