Saturday, April 11, 2020
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Free Essays on St. Thomas Aquinas
Reimer-1 The argument for God’s existence has persisted for thousands of years. Many great philosophers have attempted to prove, or disprove the existence of one, or many Gods. One Italian philosopher named Thomas Aquinas offers five different arguments for the existence of the catholic God. One of his arguments, I believe, holds great truth in proving the existence of God. This argument is commonly referred to as â€Å"The Teleological Argument.†Using simple and obvious ideas I will further defend Aquinas Teleological argument against some famous objections. I will do first by explaining the teleological argument. Secondly, by offering simplistic ideas that further defend the argument. Finally by replying to his two most common objections. Aquinas’ fifth argument, commonly called the teleological argument attempts to prove the existence of God. The argument states that unintelligent beings or things tend to act, grow, or develop towards an intelligent goal or end. The following is taken from Aquinas â€Å"Summa Theologica†explaining his teleological argument for God’s existence: The fifth way is taken from the governance of the world. We see that things which lack knowledge, such as natural bodies, act for an end, and this is evident from their acting always, or nearly always, in the same way, so as to obtain the best results. Hence it is plain that they achieve their end, not fortuitously, but designedly. Now whatever lacks knowledge cannot move towards an end, unless it be directed by some being endowed with knowledge and intelligence; as the arrow is directed by the archer. Therefore some intelligent being exists by whom all natural things are directed to their end; and this being we call God.(Aquinas-19) To illustrate consider a natural object that lacks intelligence, much like a tree. When the tree experience a drought it extends it roots down deeper into the soil. It... Free Essays on St. Thomas Aquinas Free Essays on St. Thomas Aquinas Reimer-1 The argument for God’s existence has persisted for thousands of years. Many great philosophers have attempted to prove, or disprove the existence of one, or many Gods. One Italian philosopher named Thomas Aquinas offers five different arguments for the existence of the catholic God. One of his arguments, I believe, holds great truth in proving the existence of God. This argument is commonly referred to as â€Å"The Teleological Argument.†Using simple and obvious ideas I will further defend Aquinas Teleological argument against some famous objections. I will do first by explaining the teleological argument. Secondly, by offering simplistic ideas that further defend the argument. Finally by replying to his two most common objections. Aquinas’ fifth argument, commonly called the teleological argument attempts to prove the existence of God. The argument states that unintelligent beings or things tend to act, grow, or develop towards an intelligent goal or end. The following is taken from Aquinas â€Å"Summa Theologica†explaining his teleological argument for God’s existence: The fifth way is taken from the governance of the world. We see that things which lack knowledge, such as natural bodies, act for an end, and this is evident from their acting always, or nearly always, in the same way, so as to obtain the best results. Hence it is plain that they achieve their end, not fortuitously, but designedly. Now whatever lacks knowledge cannot move towards an end, unless it be directed by some being endowed with knowledge and intelligence; as the arrow is directed by the archer. Therefore some intelligent being exists by whom all natural things are directed to their end; and this being we call God.(Aquinas-19) To illustrate consider a natural object that lacks intelligence, much like a tree. When the tree experience a drought it extends it roots down deeper into the soil. It...
Saturday, February 22, 2020
Romance in the workplace Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Romance in the workplace - Research Paper Example (Quinn, 1977) It is important to know that how these workplace romances affect an individual’s productivity and all the negative sides of this phenomenon and positive sides; if there are any. The substance of this prose focuses on this highly intriguing aspect of the society that is gaining so much popularity. The prose will further highlight the positive and negative consequences and how various authors and research analysts view the subject. There has been much debate on the subject and this prose will objectively discuss all facets of workplace romances and how it compromises professionalism in the workplace. II. Literature Review As mentioned earlier, there are a number of researchers who have done substantial amount of researches regarding romance in a professional environment. Robert E. Quinn was the pioneer in producing a prolific research and article that provides ample amount of information on the subject. The study was then followed by Lisa Mainiero, who further disc usses and updates the research conducted by Quinn in 1977 that paves way for an accurate comparative analysis to be drawn and clearly shows how the society has changed from what it was in the 70’s to what it has become now. According to Robert E. Quinn, about 60% of people had either known about a workplace romance or were in such a relationship themselves. A more recent research in to the matter by Lisa Mainiero puts the figure at 76% and this only shows how drastically the numbers have risen. As professional life becomes more and more challenging for an average individual, it often renders them incapable of maintaining a healthy social life. As a result, people usually turn to people in their workplace in search for romance and hence, there are a number of repercussions that an individual experiences. (Mainiero, 1989) Hence, the most commendable fact about the researches done by Mainiero and Quinn is that their hypotheses are backed up by statistical evidences, which not on ly gives qualitative but also quantitative insight in to the subject. Quinn has further stated that only 10% of the cases resulted in increased coordination amongst the employees and led to greater understanding. However, in most cases the romance usually creates more problems in the working environment than benefits. Though, there may be some statistical variation but Quinn’s work is the pioneer and forms the basis for further research. (Mainiero, 1989) III. Study of Human Effectiveness The study of human effectiveness has a strong association with how one function in his or her professional environment. Professional growth is highly important aspect that contributes to self-actualization as hypothesized by John Maslow and this ideology was further propagated by his hierarchy of needs. Therefore, office romances not only hinder one’s ability to view things objectively but also results in nepotism and widespread favoritism in the workplace. The findings of Quinn showed that only 10% of organizations showed increased coordination and understanding amongst employees, however, the remaining 90% of the organizations showed a highly negative impact of workplace romances on the entire fabric of the organization. (Montana & Charnov, 2004, p. 238; Quinn, 1977 cited in Mainiero, 1989) It is human nature when an individual becomes romantically involved with someone in his or her workplace, the individual is likely to become biased and often treat
Thursday, February 6, 2020
Swot Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Swot - Research Paper Example As at 2011, the sales of the worldwide subsidiaries totaled to $65 billion despite the product recalls and the legal issues that the Company has battled in recent years. Other than dealing in medical products, Johnson & Johnson Company also produces baby and beauty products whose consumption is overwhelmingly popular in many of the consumers in the world market. With this, this essay will delve into the SWOT analysis of the Johnson & Johnson Company and the ways in which the company may improve its operations in order to increase the profit generation levels. List of Johnson & Johnson products Acuvue contact lenses Corn Huskers Lotion Johnson Baby powder Aveeno Ponstan Euthymol Healthy Woman Johnson’s Baby Combatrim Ideally, the products manufactured by J & J are in three categories namely medical devices, diagnostics, and health care products with its employee base amounting to one hundred and twenty nine thousand people. As of 2012, these products brought in $67.2 in revenue s, which translated to high profit margins for this pharmaceutical product manufacturer. SWOT Analysis Strengths One of the leading reputation that the Company holds is that it has attracted the admiration of many because of its involvement in the manufacture of consumer products that meet the quality standards in the globe. In 2011, the company received recognition from the UN for an award through its active participation in its campaign dubbed ‘Healthy Mother, Healthy Baby’, which influenced its brand to retain its market acceptability across the globe. The other strength that J & J Company has been that it operates in more than fifty-seven countries hence lowering their business operations risks through the widespread investing. The other strength is that J & J as a brand has been in existence for many years hence influencing its target market to have immense trust in the products manufactured by the parent company or its subsidiaries. Further, J & J has a vertically integrated supply chain in that the subsidiaries of this company have unity because they all have a common owner despite the fact that each of the supply chain members produces different products (Harrison, Lee & Neale 263). Therefore, J & J has control of its supply chain as this has helped in the improvement of coordination among the various subsidiaries spread across the globe. Moreover, J & J has diversified in the products that it manufacturers in that the Company has stable operations as this lowers the operational risk while increasing its value (Hendrikse J & Hendrikse L 41). This means that if one of the production systems brings in losses, then the other arms provide cash flow that may be applied in making investments. Therefore, this strength has helped J & J to operate in volatile markets and be profitable even when it is experiencing challenging times. Weaknesses Over the years, J & J has had to battle various challenges such as various litigations and product recalls that have made the Company to record dismal performance. Product recall In 2010, a subsidiary of J & J voluntarily recalled children’s medicine accessible over the counter totaling forty-three that appeared to have been endangering the lives of the users. McNeil Consumer Healthcare did so after conducting a routine check on its facility and ascertained that the products produced did not meet the quality and
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
The United Nations And Human Rights Essay Example for Free
The United Nations And Human Rights Essay The developments that immediately preceded the Second World War in field of state-relations irreversibly changed the landscape of the international communities. The biggest development, if not the most significant, was the establishment of the United Nations. This move to theoretically unite a war-ravaged world was ambitious and prone to many pitfalls.            Among the immediate developments that were ushered in by the creation of this supranational institution was the Human Rights Machinery. This significant progress came â€Å"[a]fter centuries of inadequate, piecemeal efforts to protect citizens from abuse by their own governments, in 1946 the international community founded a global human rights institution.  The United Nations Commission on Human Rights became the first international body empowered to promote all the human rights of all the world’s peoples. The founders assumed that improved respect for human rights would help individuals and would also serve the United Nations’ primary peacekeeping gal by eliminating repressive practices which provoked war.†[1] The importance and legitimacy of the respect for Human Rights and the international promotion of it among the different nations of the world was further â€Å"highlighted in Chapter IX of the Charter dealing with international economic and social cooperation in terms of a pledge or commitment of all Member states.†[2]            Like with many other issues in the political arena, there is a wide schism between the word and the act. â€Å"The contributions of the UN must neither be understated nor overstated. The UN has been an intellectual pioneer in the issues of economic and social development, much more than is often recognized. At the same time, there have often been omissions and distortions in its work.†[3] While the ideals proclaimed by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, through the different Conventions and texts are many, there is a vocal number of people that believe that the United Nations, together with the mentioned Commission is all rhetoric. In this, there is a â€Å"[s]trong tendency†¦to put blame for this unsatisfactory state of affairs on the United Nations and it is true that the Organization is in many respects inapt and ineffective in converting the theory of its own words into actual practice. However, those circles who for good reasons criticize the United Nations would be well advised to do some more soul-searching as to their own direct or indirect share of complicity in bringing about and maintaining structures of injustice.†[4]            The human rights machinery refers to the different organs and procedures dealing directly with human rights in the United Nations system which includes: Intergovernmental organs established on the basis of the Charter of the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, and the Commission on Human Rights. The commission on the Status of Women and the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice also address human rights issues within their respective mandates; Bodies established by human rights treaties; Reporting, communications, and investigating procedures established by policy-making organs and treaty based bodies; the parts of the United Nations Secretariat responsible for human rights activities, especially the United Nation High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Division for the Advancement of Women and the centre for International Crime Prevention have also human rights responsibilities. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Decision for the Advancement of Women adopt joint work plans.[5]       â€Å"The Charter of the United Nations, with respect to Human Rights bridged the gap between human rightly established a close link between human rights and other world-wide concerns, viz. the maintenance of peace and the promotion of economic and social development. (†¦) The United Nations played a dynamic role in strongly supporting the quest for independence of colonial countries and peoples was instrumental in terminating colonial domination and combating racial discrimination. In no other area did the United National proclaim and defend human rights principles with so much vigour as in the fields of decolonization and racial discrimination.†[6]            There is said to be three stages of differently focused activities that capture the essence of the Commission’s work in the domain of Human Rights: (1) Standard-Setting (2) Promotion (3) Protection. These three stages are essential in analyzing the work, whether in a positive or negative light, of the Commission.            The Standard-setting stage started the inception of the body of the United Nations itself and lasted a decade after (1945-1955). The most significant output of this stage, and perhaps one of the most significant in human history, was the articulation of the International Bill of Rights; and for this one must give credit to the Commission who was entrusted with this enormous task. During the first decade, the Commission â€Å"spent most of its time on the elaboration of the draft international covenants and concluded its drafting work with respect to those instruments in the mid-fifties.†[7]            â€Å"Despite adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, concern with and promotion of human rights as such often played little part in the UN’s early work on economic and social development. The fulfilment of many economic and social rights was certainly implicit in UN concerns and actions for economic and social advance, but references to rights in this work were few and far between.  Moreover, political and civil and cultural rights mostly got forgotten or ignored in economic writing on development and were treated more as a matter of political and ideological debate in the U.N. Indeed, in development discussions, the belief became popular that authoritarian regimes had some advantage and even some justification because of their ability to take the tough decisions requiredfor example, to raise the rate of savings in poor countries. It was argued that more democratic leaders would find it difficult to take these hard decisions.†[8]            Although the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was and is considered a huge achievement for the international community, the acceptance was not as ready, much like all the new ideas that come into the field, like gender mainstreaming. When a popular support for the ideas embodied in the Declaration did not appear on the horizons, the United Nations began a widespread promotional campaign, the second stage (19955-1965). â€Å"It was assumed that studies, advice and measures in the field of education and information would in the long run provide a more fruitful basis for enhancing the cause of human rights that the treaty-making process which was undertaken with the elaboration of the International Covenants.†[9]           However, this particular stage did not receive resounding success either. The interest that was sparked was not proportionate to the resources of time, energy and money expended to undertake the promotional activities. â€Å"[T]hey failed to grasp the interest and the imagination of the United Nations membership and of the public at large. Moreover, they were too far removed from the main political currents in the World Organization. The human rights program was functioning in isolation and it seemed to lack the political relevance and for that matter the impetus which is needed for dynamic evolution.†[10]            Apparently, the fact that â€Å"[i]t is one thing to draw up international standards, it is quite another thing to have those standards implemented†[11] began to painfully dawn on the Commission. It must be said, however, that this unforeseen lack of support was entirely due to the incompetence of the United Nations in general and the Commission, in particular. External factors of the current times have to be taken into consideration as well. Despite the end of the war, there was still prevalent â€Å"[d]istrust and tensions between nations and peoples, extreme disparities in economic and social conditions between and within nations, religious and ideological antagonism, persistent patterns of racial discrimination and class domination and numerous other factors, including selfishness of individual human beings, affect the realization of human rights with the various societies. It should also be taken into account that any approach from the viewpoint of violations of human rights is, in the context of inter-State cooperation, a most precarious and delicate undertaking inasmuch as it focuses mostly on weaknesses and failures.†[12]            It is undeniable, looking at the United Nations history, that the machinery met great difficulties in the human rights ideals across the world and to effectively integrate it into existing government practices. Due to the few successes of the first two stages, the stage of protection started off with a bumpy ride and is subject to much criticism, which will discussed in the later paragraphs.            Despite the shaky two decades, it is undeniable that â€Å"the Commission has contributed to the inadequate but nevertheless incremental growth of supranational authority capable of scrutinizing practices that had previously been exclusively within governments’ sovereign jurisdiction.†[13] The third stage, protection, came right after the standards were set and the same were promoted to the individuals and national governments. The protection stage is actually the collection of events, still undergoing now, that enforces the standards by â€Å"responding to specific complaints against over seventy governments. The process has increased the Commission’s visibility ad dramatically transformed its operation while exacerbating fundamental differences over whether political or economic, individual or collective rights deserve priority.†[14]            To guide the protection of the world’s population, the Commission refers to now only their shining accomplishment that was the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but other treaties such as the International Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Racial Discrimination (1966), the Convention of the Rights of the Child (1989) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. â€Å"There can be little doubt that the three greatest intellectual contributions of the United Nations have been human rights on a global scale†¦Ã¢â‚¬ [15]            Despite the pioneering efforts of the Commission, those that have resulted in both failure and success, a large number of people are highly critical of the United Nations, in general and the Commission, in particular, citing inefficiency, redundancy and an overly-bureaucratic structure as primary reasons. â€Å"American critics have made the sharpest attacks, venting their greatest anger prior to 1980 and since then against the UN in general and the Assembly in particular. The Commissions harshest critic claims that unfair procedures have been manipulated to subvert democratic governments and fundamental rights. The Commission’s defenders lament it limited impact on government practice and propose a variety of structural reforms.†[16]            One of the biggest concerns aired by the Eastern bloc is the supposed prevalence of Western values embodied in the different Declaration and Treaties. â€Å"Judging by the time spent in drafting and the norms adopted, the Commission appears to have given higher priority to Western sponsored political and civil than to Third World initiated economic and social standards.†[17] Economic concerns were definitely more pressing in the third-world countries where starvation trumped political freedom any day. Although in its defense, the Declaration did have economic rights included in the text. However, many complain that while that is true,†[t]he Universal Declaration and the two covenants give nearly consideration to economic rights, but create more effective enforcement procedures for civil liberties. The conventions on race discrimination and apartheid affirm the rights of groups as well as individuals but give no special priority to economic concerns. (†¦) The consensus decision-making procedure delayed and weakened the 1986 declaration on development. If any standard setting priority exists, the Commission has given the greatest attention to individual civil and political rights. Despite the strident rhetoric about balancing economic and political rights, the gross violations identified have involved considerably more political than economic injustice. (†¦) Complaints about forced labour, particularly involving children, have not prompted a response unless the violation involved mass killing or another top priority.†[18]            Assuming but not conceding that this prioritization were true, it must be said that such would be essential in the smooth running of an organization in order not to spread oneself too thin. This is particularly true for the United Nations because a â€Å"society must establish value priorities about which rights to protect by law and which violations to punish most severely. The international community is even more ideologically divided than its constituent members, therefore attempts to enforce universal human rights exacerbate fundamental political differences.†[19]            Among the popular criticisms of the United Nations Human Rights machinery, the most troubling would perhaps have to be the accusations of the employing double standards; standards that heavily favor Western aggression. These complaints found legitimacy in the now-infamous UN inaction during the Rwandan genocide. Furthermore, the deafening silence on the part of the UN during the American military operations against Afghanistan and Iraq hit the UN credibility hard and many more joined the others in crying foul. â€Å"Some critics have concluded that politically motivated double standards, selective enforcement and disparate treatment totally discredit the Commission’s enforcement program. When the Commission acts selectively, its exceptionally rare actions appear arbitrary and capricious. While Commission supporters also complain that too many serious violation escape scrutiny, they favor imperfect enforcement to none at all.†[20]            In conclusion, the Commission was â€Å"ill-equipped to cope with the underlying military and economic causes of the worst human rights violations. At best its measures temper and moderate the most extreme offenses. Once the killing has begun, human rights remedies, like United Nations relief for refugees, merely alleviates symptoms.†[21]            With that said, a new chapter of Human Rights’ protection through the United Nations system was ushered with the extinction of the Commission of the Human Rights in 2006. Its successor is dubbed the Human Rights Council. This brings to the playing field a shift in the field of Human Rights and is significant in several aspects. First, it addresses the issue of a much-needed ‘face-lift’ for the image of the United Nations main machine of human rights. The former Commission had its share of bad publicity and the creation of the Human Rights Council, even if will heavily base its action on those of its predecessors, makes the evolution in thinking and practice much more understandable by the general public.            Moreover, the Council ushers in a new era in which the Commission would have been hard-pressed to fit in. This misfit can perhaps be attributed to the fact that the former Commission was created during a different international field, at a time when war was still a fresh memory. In so many ways, the global community has progressed far beyond the nature of Post-World War II. Therefore, this new change will hopefully reflect mandates that would be more faithful and effective in these current times.            A cursory look at the working groups under the Human Rights Council shows that not all was changed, however, and rightly so. The Council is still carrying out the standard-setting stage, which the Commission excelled at. Under a standard-setting goal, the Council is currently looking into the expansion of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in order to more accurately portray the Human Rights’ needs of these rapidly changing times. In addition to this potential expansion, there is also a working group under the auspices of the Human Rights Council that is currently drafting a legally binding instrument for the protection of all persons from enforced disappearances. This latter on is merely a continuation of the Commission’s work.            The other working groups of the Human Rights Council do show that they are treading into new territory, which the Commission was criticized for not doing enough. Under the working groups for special procedures, there are experts on People of African Descent, Arbitrary Detention and Mercenaries.            There is incredible potential for the Council to do great work in the field of human rights and it is not weighed down by decades of bad publicity. Although it is too early in the game to call the outcome, this significant change in the United Nations framework will only be effective if the new Council learns from its predecessor’s mistakes in enforcement. Although the textual and intellectual contribution of the Commission cannot be disputed, these contemporary times need more than non-binding conventions that do not seem to scare those militant with complete disregard for the sanctity and dignity of human life.            Being a watchdog of human rights in the world cannot be constrained to formulating conventions and treaties. This was where the Commission excelled at and the Council should build on them but concentrate on actual groundwork where they are needed, on the ground and not from some lofty and comfortable climate controlled environment in New York. In many ways, this shows that the United Nations System has evolved with the times and the old complaints with the old machinery will slowly be forgotten. This is a perfect time for any enormous changes within the United Nations system in that there is an actual change of face, literally, with the new Secretary-General; therefore any new victories will be counted as part of the new Council, even if it were heavily rooted in the Commission’s work. [1] Tolley, H., (1987). The UN Commission on Human Rights. London: Westview Press. p.xiii [2] Cassese, A. ed. (1979) UN Law: Fundamental Rights. van Boven, T., United Nations and Human Rights: A critical Appraisal. p.119 [3] Jolly, R. et.al. (2004) UN Contributions to Development Thinking and Practice. Indiana: United Nations Intellectual History Project Series. p.276 [4] Cassese, A. ed. (1979) UN Law: Fundamental Rights. van Boven, T., United Nations and Human Rights: A critical Appraisal. p.120 [5] Symonides, J., (2003) Human Rights: International Protection, Monitoring, Enforcement. UNESCO Publishing. p.5 [6] Cassese, A. ed. (1979) UN Law: Fundamental Rights. van Boven, T., United Nations and Human Rights: A critical Appraisal. p.120 [7] Cassese, A. ed. (1979) UN Law: Fundamental Rights. van Boven, T., United Nations and Human Rights: A critical Appraisal. p.121 [8] Jolly, R. et.al. (2004) UN Contributions to Development Thinking and Practice. Indiana: United Nations Intellectual History Project Series. p.8 [9] Cassese, A. ed. (1979) UN Law: Fundamental Rights. van Boven, T., United Nations and Human Rights: A critical Appraisal. p.122 [10] Cassese, A. ed. (1979) UN Law: Fundamental Rights. van Boven, T., United Nations and Human Rights: A critical Appraisal. p.122 [11] Cassese, A. ed. (1979) UN Law: Fundamental Rights. van Boven, T., United Nations and Human Rights: A critical Appraisal. p.125 [12] Cassese, A. ed. (1979) UN Law: Fundamental Rights. van Boven, T., United Nations and Human Rights: A critical Appraisal. p.125 [13] Tolley, H., (1987). The UN Commission on Human Rights. London: Westview Press. p.xiii [14] Tolley, H., (1987). The UN Commission on Human Rights. London: Westview Press. p.xiii [15] Jolly, R. et.al. (2004) UN Contributions to Development Thinking and Practice. Indiana: United Nations Intellectual History Project Series. p.276 [16] Tolley, H., (1987). The UN Commission on Human Rights. London: Westview Press. p.187 [17] Tolley, H., (1987). The UN Commission on Human Rights. London: Westview Press. p.193 [18] Tolley, H., (1987). The UN Commission on Human Rights. London: Westview Press. p.193 [19] Tolley, H., (1987). The UN Commission on Human Rights. London: Westview Press. p.194 [20] Tolley, H., (1987). The UN Commission on Human Rights. London: Westview Press. p.203 [21] Tolley, H., (1987). The UN Commission on Human Rights. London: Westview Press. p.220
Monday, January 20, 2020
Origins of the Shadow in A Wizard of Earthsea Essay -- Essays Papers
Origins of the Shadow in A Wizard of Earthsea Ged, the main character in The Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. LeGuin, through an act of pride and spite unwittingly unleashes a powerful shadow creature on the world, and the shadow hunts Ged wherever he goes. After failing to kill Ged the first time, he learns the only way to destroy the shadow is to find its name. What Ged must realize is the shadow was created by the evil in his own heart. Also, the shadow is not entirely evil, and Ged can actually draw strength from it. In doing so, Ged will realize that the only way to discover the shadow’s name is to discover that he and the shadow are one. Carl G. Jung in Man and His Symbols, describes the shadow as containing the hidden, repressed, and unfavorable â€Å"tendencies†of the conscious personality. â€Å"Such tendencies form an ever-present and potentially destructive ‘shadow’ to our conscious mind.†This shadow takes form in mythology as a dark, shadowy, and imposing figure or as â€Å"the cosmic powers of evil, personified by dragons and other monsters.†(Henderson 111) This shadow is shown to Ged in different forms: â€Å"...Like a clot of black shadow, quick and hideous...it was like a black beast, the size of a young child, though it seemed to swell and shrink; and it had no head or face, only the four taloned paws with which it gripped and tore.†(LeGuin 61) As it appeared when the shadow was first created. Later as the shadow pursued him, it held the same form. â€Å"The shadow did not have the shape of man or beast. It was shapeless, scarcely to be seen, but it whispered at him, though there were no words in its whispering, and it reached out towards him.†(LeGuin 81). Once Ged stops running, the shadow takes on a more identifiable form â€Å"...now some likeness to a man, though being shadow it cast no shadow.†The last form the shadow takes are the images people that Ged has come across in his life, â€Å"An old man it seemed, gray and grim, coming towards Ged; but even as Ged saw his father the smith in that figure, he saw that it was not an old man, but a young one. It was Jasper: Jasper’s insolent handsome young face, and silver-clasped gray cloak, and stiff stride. Hateful was the look he fixed on Ged across the dark intervening air...and it became Pechvarry. But Pechvarry’s face was all bloated and pallid like the face of a drowned man, and he rea... ... to face his fears. â€Å"In silence, man and shadow met face to face and stopped. Aloud and clearly, breaking that old silence, Ged spoke the shadow’s name and in the same moment the shadow spoke without lips or tongue, saying the same word: ‘Ged.’ And the two voices were one voice. Ged reached out his hands, dropping his staff, and took hold of the shadow, of the black self that reached out to him. Light and darkness met, and joined, and were one...’Estarriol’, he said, ‘look, it is done. It is over...the wound is healed...I am whole, I am free.’†(LeGuin 179-180) On the condition that one succeeds in assimilating and integrating the conscious mind the lost and regained contents. Since they are not neutral, their assimilation will modify the personality, just as they themselves will have to make certain changes. â€Å"If we could see our shadow, we should be immune to any moral and mental infection and insinuation.†(Jung 79) Bibliography: A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. LeGuin, published by Bantam Spectra Books. Fantasy Novel Man and His Symbols, edited by Carl G Jung and M.-L. von Franz, Joseph L. Henderson, Jolande Jacobi, Aniela Jaffe, published by Dell Books, non fiction.
Sunday, January 12, 2020
Early Hominids and Tools
Early Hominids and Tools Jacky Thompson ANT 101 March 20, 2013 Even though humans seem to be the most advanced creatures walking this earth, we certainly had ancestors before us. We share similar genetic information of other animals. They are what we consider early hominids. Early hominids date as far back as 6 to 8 million years ago. Just like humans, they had to have some type of culture in order to survive and make a living. Culture is defined as a dynamic adaptive process of learned, shared, and integrated behaviors.But it is not so obvious that these hominids had culture, so the presences of stone tools and home bases might be the answer to determine if they had culture. Tools are defined as a device or implement used with the hand, to carry out a specific function. Primates learn and share in certain culture, but their social behavior is not as complex as those of humans. The earliest hominids were classified as Australopithecus, which is a type of ape. Scientists claimed that their brains were not big enough to fathom the thought of making tools. Perhaps they used tools to hunt animals.The animals that later hominids hunted were used for food and maybe the furs were used for clothing. This is what we consider hunting and gathering. It is a technique in which the men are responsible for hunting while the women gather the resources. In order for them to hunt they must have had tools to help them kill and clean animals. This process of hunting can be learned and passed on through generations, which are basic parts of culture. The use of tools allowed or ancestor’s opportunities to hunt and do other useful things that were off-limits before the use of tools.Scientist still really does not have clues as to how and why this transition took place. The actual history and time comes from the actual tools themselves. The act of making tools is an example of how developed our ancestor’s brains were. To actually create the thought of making tools and t o figure how they will be designed is a significant development in itself. This symbolizes culture because the process of making tools was probably passed down to generations, and they became better at using and making better tools.Early hominids used stone tool making. This is the deliberate fashioning of a stone into an actual tool. Throwing or bashing the stones against something created it. Archaeologists recognized four types of tools: choppers, flake tools, crude tools, and hand axes. Mostly found in Africa and the Middle East. Early hominids probably made tools with sticks, wood, horn, and other perishable materials. Besides previous uses of tools mentioned, they were also used for fishing out termites and other insects.These tools were supposedly long blades of grass that had been licked, and stuck into holes to get termites, which they ate in order to get proteins and the nutrients they needed. Besides humans, species in the animal kingdom, also shared culture behavior. Thi s was mainly seen in chimpanzees. Scientist often compared the culture of the two. Chimps are genetically the closest related relatives to humans, sharing 98 percent of our DNA. Seeing as to they were this closely related to us, of course they would be capable of making tools like earlier hominids did.Chimps made weapons to hunt. They hunted in things like nuts, fishing for termites. And just like earlier ancestors who ate them, the chimps did also. They choose branches, stripped it of its leaves, trimmed it, and put it to use. Unlike hominids, it is not really successful for chimps to hunt. This might be so because their brain is not as developed as ours. They mostly go after available resources such as, fruits and branches. Males used methods such as grabbing prey and killing it, while the females created the tools that were useful for catching the prey.Now, to the actual cultural behaviors of both humans and chimpanzees, we have a few behavior patterns in common. Humans have the ability to throw things, and more precisely, they are able to aim at an actual object then throw. Chimps have also showed this type of behavior. This type of behavior is not one that is passed on through genetics, but it is socially learned. Like little children who look at their parents, and mirror their actions, baby chimps also learn to do the same thing. So in this case, cultural is socially gratified even though it is not as complex as humans.Both species evolved upright or bipedal. Another culture characteristic is the way chimps wake. This gives us an idea of how our early ancestors begin walking. They no longer walked on all fours, they being to free their hands in order to carry valuable resources. Other characteristics include emotions. Chimps have ways to show fear, often displayed with a small smirk, just like humans. Perhaps this is a mechanism used not to show fear. They can also contract similar illnesses that humans have such as HIV and hepatitis but they do not show symptoms of the viruses.Much like institutionalized humans, chimpanzees whose social, intellectual, and physical, needs are not met, they show behavioral symptoms of stress. Chimpanzees exhibit such behaviors, as self-mutilation, continual rocking, and aggression. These are socially learned mechanisms within cultures. Evidence of early hominids have been seen everywhere, but to actually distinguish if they have cultural behavior is hard. Just like hominids, chimpanzees share, almost the same amount of DNA, giving them a better chance to act out as humans, versus other animals.Even though we share a fair amount of DNA, while chimpanzees are further studied, it is becoming more apparent that their intelligence is higher than we previously thought. Talking, for instance, is not a hard task for hominids, but for chimps, it is believed that they have the learning capacity to use spoken language, but their throats and vocal cords are not designed to make consonant noises and sounds. This eliminates the possibility of chimps actually being able to talk. However, chimps in opposition have been taught to understand English, communicate through with certain keypads, acknowledge certain symbols, and use sign language.Since early hominids were descendants of the same common ancestor as chimps, they most likely had the same resources available to learn the same things as humans did. Another thing that hominid cultures find to be normal is to let the male wander off while the females stayed put in a specific area. Chimps use a similar type method. Instead of the male going out to gather sources and goods, the female traveled while the male held the home base. Another behavior characteristic that we share is socializing. Chips show this by grooming, chasing, or playing.Like hominids they too, show affection, which includes kissing and hugging. Perhaps chimps use grooming to connect, while hominids were more successful through talking. We both show facial expression, and sho ckingly, language. Instead of verbal sounds, chimps make grunts and screams. When it came to hominids and chimps hunting, they both searched for meats and plants, making the both of them omnivorous. Even though many humans would prefer eating meats, chimps lean more towards fruits. One of the most common similarities of the wo are bipedalism. This is the act of walking on two legs. Chimps would be seen most of the time walking on all fours but they use bipedalism to further ahead of themselves. When comparing these two species we are able to find so many similarities. With almost the same amount of DNA, the resemblance is shocking. We both have the ability to hunt, walk on two legs, eat similar foods, and we lack a tail. Our behavior is learned, and shared. Chimpanzees and early hominoids, take on the responsibility of hunting and providing for there offspring.They both had the ability of making and using tools. Perhaps they inherited this ability from some common ancestor. Since ch imps did not learn from humans, we can accept the fact that we are related and originated from a common ancestor. Culture is socially stratified, thus making it important for chimps and humans to adapt to the social norm in order to communicate. So the presence of stone tools, and home bases do suggest that we both had culture, and I can conclude the fact the early hominids and chimps cultural behavior did strongly compare.
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