Evaluate the Strategic Leadership of Michael O’leary

Is Michael O’Leary an asset or a liability to Ryanair? The case suggests that he is both. Students could debate the pros and cons of Michael O’Leary’s continued leadership of the company. The characteristics that have driven the company forward – his enthusiasm and energy, his strategic insight, his determination and mission orientation – can be carried too far. Is it all part of an integrated inseparable whole, so do you have to take the good with the bad? Is this where we may enter the realm of Sidney Finkelstein’s failure warning signs, when you have too much of a good thing? In fact, some schools of thought would value Michael O’Leary’s relentless energy and his thriving on adversity. It shows a lack of complacency – quite the opposite of what Finkelstein points out as a danger signal. The capacity to irritate may bring about conflict and change. Also, in Michael O’Leary’s favour, as Ryanair’s largest single shareholder, he literally ‘puts his money where his mouth is’. Another way of looking at Michael O’Leary’s leadership is whether he was the right person for the job during the change era, but does the company now require more of a ‘manager’ than a ‘leader’ during a consolidation era? In other words, this is a ‘horses for courses’ approach to the evaluation of O’Leary’s leadership. One may ask whether and/or for how much longer Michael O’Leary wants to stay in the job. Will he get bored and retire to his cattle farm, currently his hobby? There is a suggestion that he would not be happy to preside over a static comfortable situation. Or, would he be headhunted by another airline or by another business altogether? Students might consider whether they would headhunt Michael O’Leary, and why or why not. Chapter 10 discusses types of leaders, i. e. transformational versus transactional and types of leadership emphases and approaches. It is an interesting exercise to see how students would categorise Michael O’Leary. Perhaps what emerges is that he is difficult to categorise. What does this imply?

Cause and Effect Essay: Marijuana in Schools

Cause and Effect Essay Marijuana can be found on every college campus in Canada and is the drug of choice coming in right behind alcohol. The Department of Justice Canada conducted a survey and found that, â€Å"almost one-third (29%) of college students had reported using marijuana during the previous 12 months of 1998. (http://www. justice. gc. ca/eng/pi/rs/rep-rap/2002/qa02_2-qr02_2/p2. html). According to a similar study, the majority of students on college campuses that use marijuana will also participate in other high risk activities.This destructive behavior includes things such as cigarette smoking, binge drinking and sex while intoxicated. Marijuana is so easy to obtain and can be very tempting to experiment with, especially if you have already had a few drinks and your thinking is impaired. Marijuana causes many internal and external problem for a college student, Marijuana can lead to academic problems, addiction, and physical/mental issues, marijuana can also lead to ser ious problems with the law. All these issues can potentially damage the outcome of a student’s future.Marijuana prices have a major effect on the amount of use by college students at any given point in time. Although it may be more socially available on college campuses, the price still determines the usage. The fact that marijuana is illegal in Canada helps to keep the price at a seemingly higher level. This artificial price illusion regulates the buying, selling and usage among college students. Compared to alcohol, marijuana is much more accessible, especially on college campuses. Getting alcohol requires an ID or someone with an ID.Getting marijuana only requires someone that supplies the drug. So even though it is illegal, marijuana is seemingly more common. Since possession of marijuana is illegal, it is not surprising that the consequences can be so debilitating. While attending college with federal financial aid, you run the risk of jeopardizing your federal aid by be ing charged with a misdemeanor. Possession of marijuana is considered a misdemeanor and if you are charged, the federal government has the right to take away any government aid that you were granted.So not only do you have a record for possession, but more than likely you are going through the judicial system of the college or university and may be suspended or expelled. Marijuana use can also lead to academic problems. Students that participate in these behaviors have a tendency to spend more time socializing than concentrating on what they should be, their academics. These students spend more time partying than studying which greatly affects their academic performance. Two of the physical effects of marijuana that directly affect academics are difficulty in problem solving and poor memory.Students may become less and less motivated to be involved in campus activities, and also may become decreasingly concerned with their long-term goals and career plans. Users may have a hard time limiting their use and may build a tolerance to the drug. This tolerance means that the user now requires a larger amount of the drug to get the same effect, and may develop problems with their jobs and personal relationships because the drug becomes such a major part of his or her life. Many students see marijuana as a â€Å"recreational† drug.With increased â€Å"recreational† use, the drug can become addictive. It is not so much an addiction, but a psychological dependence for smoking, and that feeling of intoxication. However, besides being illegal, marijuana may contain unknown contaminants that can severely harm your brain and lungs. With all of the risks of the drug, it is amazing that people still use it â€Å"recreationally†. It is common for students to first experiment with their peers, whether it be a friend, sibling or just an acquaintance. The peer pressure is the most likely cause of first time users.Physical effects of marijuana are different ac cording to the way in which it is taken, where it is used, the expectations and or ideals of the user, and whether or not it is used in conjunction with other drugs. Users often have chronic bronchitis and increased chances of getting lung cancer. Someone who smokes marijuana regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers have. Marijuana also affects the brain, researchers say that THC changes the way in which sensory information gets into and is acted on by the hippocampus.The immediate effects of marijuana other than a feeling of intoxication are: bloodshot eyes, anxiety, confusion and paranoia, loss of coordination, and increased appetite. Mental effects show that the drug can impair or reduce short-term memory, alter sense of time, and reduce ability to do things which require concentration and coordination. Marijuana’s effect on a student can tally up to some very serious consequences that a student can suffer, the cause and effect of marij uana lead to problems of addiction, health problems, trouble with the law and poor academic performances.

Impact of Leadership in Organizational School Culture Essay

Impact of Leadership in Organizational School Culture - Essay Example She acknowledges that they do not respect each other due to lack of a consistent culture. The principal thus decides to institute a culture week to have the students showcase different cultures to ease the apparent tension. Lack of a homogenous school culture is both oppressive and discriminatory for other subgroups found within the school. The decision to include students in the management of their affairs is critical in effecting change that directly touches on their problems. Second: Staff stability to facilitate the development of strong cohesive school culture. Patricia Morgillo was posted to Quinnipiac Elementary School a priority school by designation of the state. The design was based students needing an intervention on the CMT. The school would receive more funding from New Haven school district, but stigma was directed to its teachers and pupils. She decided to refer to the school’s data to mobilize support for improvement from students and teachers. Previous adminis trators had not used hard data effectively to improve students' potential. "In fact, when I first came here, they used check marks to track students mostly on behavior, Morgillo said. Quinnipiac was a community school, and Morgillo knew staff had to examine statistics and soft data to implement change. Dr.Osborne, an executive in the district’s priority schools devised an action plan for addressing low test scores, strengthened professional development, and using data to effect change in different strands of the Connecticut Mastery Test.

Granada Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Granada - Assignment Example In another ruling the International Court of Justice suggested that the right to self-defense could be invoked in an isolated low-intensity strike.4 Regardless there is a general standard that is safe for self-defense and where authorized by the UN Security Council force may not be used against another state not even for the purpose of â€Å"rescuing one’s nationals abroad, saving aliens from widespread deprivation of human rights† or as a pre-emptive strike â€Å"against a grave but distant threat†.5 The doctrine of ‘opinio juris sive necessitatis’ which allows an opinion of law or a necessity of law together with â€Å"state practice† dictates that the exceptions to the use of force in international law are far more flexible than they were when the UN Charter 1945 came into being.6 Since the end of World War II, the world has changed significantly to the extent that threats may be perceived differently. The invention of nuclear weapons, an i ncrease in international human rights, â€Å"and the emergence of global terrorism† have â€Å"significantly affected attitudes toward permissible uses of force†.7 In assessing current conditions in the world today, Durant and Durant maintain that international law as it is currently constructed cannot adequately regulate peace and security. A State â€Å"must be ready at any moment to defend itself† and â€Å"when its essential interests are involved† a state â€Å"must be allowed to use any means it considers necessary to its survival†.8 Controversy and debate continuously challenged whether or not there are limitations on the right to self-defense. For example, when the US proposed the Kellog-Briant Pact of 1928, the Pact stated that no prohibition on war could restrict the right of a â€Å"sovereign state† to use force in self-defense.9 A similar statement was made by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in 1948 which est ablished that state sovereignty alone made self-defense an inherent right.10 The international law on the prohibition against war and the right to self-defense is therefore contested. If the doctrine of opinio juris and state practice creates customary international law, it can be argued that virtually any threat, regardless of how serious might be interpreted as a situation in which the right to self-defense can be invoked. Moreover, if state sovereignty prevails, the inherent right to self-defense gives states the authority to use force against another state for any number of reasons including pre-emptive strikes, or rescuing nationals, or any other purpose that can be peripherally justified, provided the state is protecting its sovereignty. The Invasion of Grenada The US’s invasion of Grenada is just as â€Å"controversial† as the international law prohibiting war except in self-defense.11 When the decision was made to invade Grenada in 1983, it was justified on the grounds that American citizens were in danger and it was necessary to restore peace after a coup. However, it was well-known that the primary goal was to stop the spread of communism anywhere near

(anything is fine) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

(anything is fine) - Essay Example Black women have raised themselves from being considered beasts of labor, assigned to jobs typically considered to be male occupations, to gaining recognition to now leading a nation. Cooper explores how women of color have had a rough time in America, but there is hope for a better future because of their ability to fight back in an embodied way to disprove the public racist opinion. Brittney Cooper is an appropriate person to present a study of this nature as a professor with vast experience in Women’s Studies. Her experience as a black woman and as an expert in women’s studies gives her article a lot of credibility. Moreover, she has pointed out and referenced several articles written by fellow women and black women rights’ campaigners. Cooper gathers several pieces of verifiable evidence to support her arguments ranging from documented historical racism and the black woman’s position from slavery through the civil rights era into current events includi ng public opinion regarding Michelle Obama’s rise to the White House (Cooper, 2010). She has also included her own practical experience as a black woman and reveals telling encounters she's had with white people. There is a lot of evidence available throughout this study that is also generated from credible sources. The article is conclusive due to the quality of the evidence provided by Cooper. However, Cooper did not carry out any original research to prove her points. She could have done so using either questionnaires or survey forms to assess the black and white women’s opinions regarding the claims she was planning to make in her article. From the early days when Sojourner Truth felt it necessary to expose her breasts to a crowd of men to today's public appearances of Michelle Obama, one of the major claims Cooper makes is that the black woman's role in the public domain has been very focused on her body. According to Cooper (2010) black women have always used str ategies such as Michelle Obama’s dedication to presenting a fit body dressed in fashionable and appropriate clothing to defend their negative portrayals in public. Michelle Obama's appearance is a direct challenge to claims that black women are in poor shape and live in the ghettos. Like Sojourner Truth's bare breasts, the image of Michelle Obama cannot be easily argued away. These strategies play a major role in ensuring democracy because she is very clearly a lady of taste and refinement which she has shown in a positive and peaceful but uncompromising way. There are several arguments by Cooper, Darlene Clark and Evelyn Brooks regarding the bodily appearance of women in the public domain as well as their public self-representation and what it means to society as a whole. While the black man’s body has also been used to express concerns about racism and address some of the discriminatory and vulnerability issues that still exist, it is the woman's body that is most ef fective perhaps because the female form is most open for scrutiny in our society. Cooper (2010) attempts to give hope to black women who were initially subjected to sexual discrimination and other forms of exploitation through the use of these examples of black male oppression. Black women have always worried about their role in society as a result of their extreme oppression during slavery and through the forces of racism and discrimination that have

Issues about using an Internet service in Education Essay

Issues about using an Internet service in Education - Essay Example EFL classrooms for the children would be the point in focus because of its overriding linguistic and ethical issues. The paper discusses the educational search engines in general and its advantages and disadvantages. Stress is, then, given to EFL learner in an age group of 7-9 years and how search engines could contribute to their learning process. Finally ethical and moral dimensions of doing so are examined. Search engines are huge databases of web page files. It responds and takes the users to those web files they are looking for in the Internet. Search engines are particularly useful when the user does not know the website(s) where the information they require might be located. It is also widely used to find those websites of which users are not aware of the location. A comprehensive definition of a search engine is given by Teeler & Gray (2000): "a search tool that collects information from the Web by running an automatic program which visits huge numbers of web pages. It stores this information in a database and searches it by keyword when it receives your search request. It then provides you with a list of sites that include your keyword(s)." Search engines help people find information stored on other sites. ... For the search engine managers, once developed, this is an automated process with only maintenance and updating required. A user connected to the Internet from anywhere in the world can avail these facilities with an ordinary Personal Computer of minimum hardware capacity and an Internet browser. Two types of search engines exist. There are individual search engines that compile their own databases on the web and there are 'metasearchers' that do not compile databases but search the databases of a cluster of search engines simultaneously. Based on this, a wide array of search engines exists catering to assorted needs often in a specialized manner. For broad educational requirements Academic Info (www.academicinfo.net/index.html), Britannica.com (www.awesomelibrary.org), Gateway to Educational Materials (www.thegateway.org) and Library Spot (www.libraryspot.com) are available with overriding academic focus and with their primary intended audience at the schools and university levels. Recognizing the learning requirements of the children a number of websites and web databases are available especially dedicated to them. Some of the prominent ones are Yahooligans! (www.yahooligans.com), Ask Jeeves for Kids (www.ajkids), Berit's Best Sites (www.beritsbest.com) and Surfing the Net with Kids Archive (www.surfnetkids.com). These sites are designed for young web surfers and are carefully reviewed, safe and recommended websites for children and contain literally all information that this segment of users need. Research is an important component of students' activities. Researching generally requires high access to a wide array of information. Furthermore, research usually is time specific, which is strictly enforced particularly to the students. Search engines

Cog Therapy & Gay & Lesbian Counseling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Cog Therapy & Gay & Lesbian Counseling - Essay Example This leads to development of feeling of worthlessness and hence, depression. This feeling of worthlessness and rejection is being faced by the gays and the lesbian population, as the society is yet to accept homosexuality as normal thing (Bringaze, Tammy and White 162). This has led to many homosexual people suffer from psychological disorders. Their psychological disorder is a result of both, the social attitude and their own negative perception of the self image. Hence, cognitive therapy, which aims to resolve the problem from roots, is one of the best therapy to use while counseling gays and lesbians. According to Beck and Weishaar (1986), â€Å" Cognitive therapy is a system of psychotherapy based on theory which maintains that how an individual structures his or her experiences largely determines how he or she feels and behaves† (Freeman and Dattilio 3).Cognitive therapy is mostly based on the quality of the interaction between the therapist and the patient. According to Beck and Weishaar (1986), â€Å"it is a collaborative process of empirical investigation, reality testing, and problem solving between the therapist and patient.† Cognitive therapy has proved to be extremely effective in treating problems related to mind as it not only tries to fix the problem on surface but works on the root cause of the problem by dealing with emotional and behavioral disorders (Freeman and Dattilio 3). Cognitive therapy works effectively because it believes that the behavior pattern of a person depends on how he perceives the self and his relationship and adjustment with people and society around him. According to Horney (1950) and Adler (1936), the behavior pattern of a person

Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 13

Report - Essay Example The author, Klitzman, gives detailed information on the procedure that would help prevent passing on of the gene mutations (1). The author uses a critical language and calls for attention to the ethical and social issues surrounding the PGD. Additionally, the topic of the article is in the form of a question. It asks whether genetic testing of humans is playing God. This shows that Klitzman calls for attention to genetic testing of humans. The article is comprehensive and articulates numerous instances of the severity of Huntington disease and that of the pre-implantation genetic diagnosis procedure. The author articulates that Woody Guthrie succumbed to Huntington disease. He also notes that some people opt not to be tested because they fear getting a genetic test is similar to acquiring a death sentence. Additionally, the author also articulates how a woman he interviewed was afraid to know whether she had the Huntington disease. Though the woman wanted to safeguard her children against the disease, she was worried too that she would be playing with God. These examples have been used to emphasize on the criticality of the matter in discussion. Klitzman, Robert. "Opinion: Is genetic testing humans playing God? .com." CNN. CNN, 22  Feb.  2014. Web. 24  Feb.  2014. . This article details how the popularity of CNN, one of the biggest News Channel in the world, has gone down considerably because of reporting errors. According to the author, Carr, the biggest blow to CNN was the error report they gave on the defeat of President Obama’s health care law. However, many people still impulsively look to CNN when big news breaks. The broadcasting station also dealt a blow on its reputation after CNN’s correspondent King reported that a suspect had been arrested, which later turned out to be false (Carr 1). The article also

Comparative politics and Governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Comparative politics and Governance - Essay Example France is taken to be the birthplace of liberal democracy in the modern era, sharing leadership culturally in the development of democratic society internationally with Britain and the USA. The ideals of democracy can be found in literature and transported to any location, but their implementation as a system of government is most strong in the USA and France today. Britain still has the House of Lords and Monarchy which illustrate the feudal patterns of society which liberal democracy replaced, and Spain also has a Constitutional Monarchy and King. The patterns of democratic liberalism found in the USA and France are used as a basis for development of similar systems in nation-states around the world in the process of modernization that relates to democratization internationally. Jurgen Habermas (1994) discusses the process of democratization as it aligns with modernization in his work, â€Å"Three Normative Models of Democracy,† relating the different stages a nation may ent er into as the people emerge from feudal power relations. (Habermas, 1994) Following this theory, liberal democratic structures will increase in a society as the culture develops economically and through education, adopting scientific standards, and becoming globalized. This theory would suggest that the world’s most advanced economies, such as the U.S., France, and Spain, would be also the most free historically, or have the highest advocacy for democratic institutions. Yet, China has the second largest economy globally, and it is often found to be lacking in liberal democratic openness on these standards. Similarly, Russia replaced the Soviet regime with a technically democratic system, and still has a strong economy today, yet international watchdogs regularly report human rights abuses and undemocratic processes in the country. This leads to the conclusion that there is not a direct relation between the size or advancement of an economy and liberal democracy as a politica l system inherently, as seen particularly in Russia and China today, but also in historical examples from around the world. Nevertheless, the relationship between modernization and democratization does proceed together in many nations historically, as Barber and other show in their studies on political sociology. (Barber, 2003) 2: The separation of executive and legislature is a fundamental requirement of democratic government’. Discuss. The separation of the legislature and executive is not the fundamental characteristic of democratic government, because the Parliamentary system of government links the Prime Minister directly to the ruling party and its control of the majority of legislators. What is more important than the relationship of separation of powers and indicative of a liberal democracy historically is the use of a constitution in the establishment of the system of government itself. Habermas, in such works as â€Å"On the Internal Relation between the Rule of La w and Democracy† (1995), describes the existence of a constitution as a foundation document in a system of government as characteristic and a predictor of democratic liberalism. (Habermas, 1995) Yet, France, Spain, US, Russia and Nigeria all have constitutions and make claims to political liberalism, but in practice display

The Issue of Internet Addiction Syndrome Essay Example for Free

The Issue of Internet Addiction Syndrome Essay The phenomena of Internet Addiction Disorder/Syndrome (IAD/IAS) are not new phenomena that are really not new when one stops to think about the underlying aspects of it. It is simply a new variant on traditional Obsessive Compulsive Behavior (OCD) and addictive personalities. For those unfamiliar with the term IAD, it refers to an obsessive compulsive behavior approach to the internet where one invests significant amount of time â€Å"socializing† online or even performing academic pursuits or isolated leisure pursuits such as reading online to such a degree that other aspects of interaction – personal or interpersonal – are completely excluded. This behavior becomes so absorbing that the person can not pull him or herself way from the computer despite the fact that there are negative consequences that can result. Hence, the continuation of a particular behavior despite the fact that there are negative repercussions that may result is a textbook definition of the term addiction and, to a certain extent, I, myself, have suffered certain IAD type behavior patterns.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In general, an article written by Lisanne Carothers effectively describes the behavioral patterns of individuals who embody the traits of this condition:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"A recent study of [a multitude of] participants conducted revealed obsessing over   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   e-mail and the Internet [has the potential to severely damage common] daily   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   relationships and work performance. Those suffering from IAD most often have     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   [lacking relationships in the real world] and†¦develop a new persona, play out   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   sexual fantasies or have instant access to [new people, places and experiences].   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For myself, my own compulsive behavior manifested in the form of message boards that dealt with personal interests of mine. This may not seem like a â€Å"big deal† to some, but the reason I eventually curtailed my own personal ‘time-wasting’ in this pursuit was because it was getting to be, well, addictive and compulsive. For example, for a period of time in my life I developed a passing interest in videogames. In an attempt to learn more about videogames I would frequent message boards for more information. Eventually, this led to me writing questions on message boards and then reading the answers that were provided. This may seem benign and, to a great degree, it was. My Own Experience   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In time, I began to interact more and more with people in the message boards and this became somewhat of a social function. This social interaction started to become somewhat repetitive on my part and, honestly, started to become frequent enough that the patterns bordered on compulsive. At this point, I became somewhat uneasy about my own behavior and simply stopped spending the amount of time that I previously spent on the project. This never manifested itself in me into any sort of serious problem. For others, however, the addiction to this new world of the internet becomes so severe that they lose perspective and do not pull themselves out of it. As such, their compulsions become debilitating. The Potential Damage   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Is there anything wrong with all this? Is it really such a bad thing to have to deal with? To a great extent, the answer is yes although most people do not realize this. The reason they do not realize it is because: The joy that they receive from the internet clouds their judgment. They do not realize how much damage is occurring do by their time commitment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Issue of Internet Addiction Syndrome – Page 3 Obsessing over fantasy personas and their online experiences keeps them out of the real world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Consider the following notion in regards to this:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   [The real world ceases to be important for them. even common everyday things    such as] food, personal cleanliness, relationships, even [something as critically   Ã‚   important for health such as] sleep are forgotten in the world of †¦the Internet.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   More and more of their conversations, social activities and even personal   Ã‚  Ã‚   relationships [develop through the origination point of electronic mediums    rather             then anything] face to face. (Watkins) Clearly, this is not the best way to go about life. This is something that I realized early and quickly divested myself of the problem. I have, however, noticed the prevalence of this problem in other people and it is not a good path that they are on. The reason for this is that when people opt to create a life for themselves that is one of â€Å"virtual reality† as opposed to absolute reality, there will be an instance where they must confront absolute reality sooner or later. Often, if they invest too much time in their online interactions, they will be at a severe disadvantage in the proverbial real world. Public Opinion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Also, I find it troubling that many do not even believe a condition such as Internet Addition Syndrome even exists. Like many issues of mental health and stability, the public will often take a dismissive attitude towards the subject matter and instead label the problem a character flaw or weakness. This is unfortunate because it does not allow the person to receive the proper counseling, treatment or advice they need. This causes the condition to perpetuate and, possible, get worse. Hopefully, as the awareness level of this condition continued to expand more and more people will take the condition serious and those in need of help will receive the help they need before the condition becomes overwhelming.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As noted by Robert Purdy in his essay â€Å"Internet Addiction,† the best way to treat this condition is to slowly and gradually reduce one’s time on the internet. I, myself, however, was more abrupt in my discontinuation of the vast majority of my internet time, but this is due in great part to the fact that I was not as obsessive as others are. For those who are struggling with more severe forms of Internet Addiction Syndrome, a gradual reduction would be well advised. Bibliography Carothers, L. â€Å"Internet Addiction.† 1 December 1997 Retrieved 24 September 2007 From     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.bcmag.com/features/9609net.html. Stonecypher, L. Are You Addicted to the Internet? 2004 Retrieved 25 September 2007   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From http://www.kudzumonthly.com/kudzu/jul01/addiction.html Purdy, R. â€Å"Internet Addiction.† Date Unknown Retrieved 24 September 2007 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/students/purdy/addiction.htm Purdy, R. â€Å"The Internet: Boon or Detriment to Society?† Date Unknown Retrieved 24   Ã‚   September 2007 from http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/students/purdy/index.htm Watkins, R. â€Å"Geek Speak.† 1998 Retrieved 25 September 2007 From   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/geekspeak/Addict.htm

The Expansion Of London Heathrow Airport

The Expansion Of London Heathrow Airport Introduction The Labour Party and many business leaders have been arguing for expanding airport capacity in the South East and the quickest option is to expand Heathrow by adding a third runway. They are arguing the expansion would maintain Heathrows competitiveness, create quality jobs, boost businesses and help the UKs shaky economy. However, the green groups and local residents are concerned and arguing that expanding Heathrow airport is unnecessary and would increase noise and air pollution significantly. The conservative and Liberal Democrats were arguing against expansion. In 2010 the Conservative Party formed the Government with Liberals and according to their manifesto pledge the plan was cancelled. The Conservative leadership now believes the expansion is necessary and good for UKs economy, but there are concerns and opposition within the party against expansion (Pettinger, 2012). [4] Due to opposition to expansion in the Conservative Party and its manifesto pledge in 2010 general electi on, the Prime Minister has postponed Heathrow expansion decision until 2015 (Out-Law.com, 2012). [6] Background In 2003 the Department for Transport published its White Paper The Future of Air Transport in the United Kingdom. The White Paper stated for an urgent need of additional runway capacity and plans to be completed within 12 years in order to deal with future air travel demand. Socio-economic consequences of building additional airport capacity and the question of potential benefits and the need for Heathrow expansion caused concern for Greater London Authority. Greater London Authority undertook a brief review regarding White paper arrangements, especially the potential benefits of Heathrow airport expansion (GLA, 2006, p. ii). [1] Issues Expanding Heathrow will cause destruction of a community to make way for a third runway. If the plan goes ahead the entire village of Sipson could disappear of the map, according to the consultation document no more than seven hundred houses would need to be demolished in order to make way for the third runway. Campaigners say around four thousand households could lose their house and forcing ten thousand people to find new places to live (Beattie, 2007). [2] Environmental campaigners are concerned that the additional flights will increase CO2 emissions thus it would contribute to the global warming. They argue that the CO2 emissions will outweigh the economic benefits of the expansion, so the expansion could seriously weaken the UKs role to play its part in tacking climate change (Greenpeace, 2013). [3] (Millward, 2012) [13] Aims and Objectives Due to Heathrow Airports congestion issues (operating at 99% capacity) and the rise of international competitors like Paris, Frankfurt and China, the third runway is considered a solution to the capacity issues and also boosts UKs economy by making direct connections to countries around the world like Chile, Philippines and Peru (Valentine, 2012). [5] At the moment Heathrow Airport faces a considerable number of flight delays which is considered one of the worst in Europe due to operating at almost full capacity, which means that delayed flights affect other flights, and that means that there is no space to avoid that unless a new runway is made. Economically, the owners of Heathrow Airport claim that the lack of capacity is costing the economy 14 billion pounds every year (Sky News, 2012). [14] Stakeholders At the moment there are great numbers of entities that are interested in building the third runway and there are also entities that are concerned about it. These entities are the stakeholders of this project and primarily they are the following: BAA Government Airlines Environmental Associations Passengers Local Community Local Government Airport suppliers Organizations in the Region Parking Operators Since there is much at stake with the expansion project, these stakeholders are divided in way that some are very interested in the project like the BAA and the Airlines that are aiming to make money with this and against this project we have got stakeholders like the Environmental Associations and the Local Community because they claim that the runway will cause environmental issues and also there are people that will lose their place to live (Schaar et al., 2013 p. 109). [16] Decision Makers This is a large infrastructure project and it is difficult for a Government to decide and deliver. Any Government after 2015 general election first and for most will need to bring all the parties together and make a decision about airport capacity and to look at the issue carefully and bring about the changes, which will address Heathrows capacity problem that will have in future and UKs hub status. Now the decision making process lies with an independent inquiry into the UKs airport capacity and it will be carried out by a commission, chaired by former head of the Financial Services Authority Sir Howard Davies. The commission will look at all the evidence and publish an interim report this year that will include recommendations to the Government. The final report and the decision on action are expected after the next general election (Out-Law.com, 2012). [7] Case Justification Expansion of Heathrow Airport has become an important issue that both government and local people have an idea and overview about it. Labour Government thinks that third runway will cause a growth in UKs economy. If the capacity of the Heathrow airport stays the same, it will cause a decrease in tourism and competitiveness. Also building a new airport (Thames Estuary) will take long time which means there will be a lot of time wasted. Most of the local people dont want this expansion as they dont want to move away from their houses. Local people are also concerned from noise and pollution. Also Environmental campaigners think that third runway will increase co2 emissions and they say that this is plan will cause global warming. In this case study we will have a look at these advantages and issues, so we can evaluate this plan in detail. By Researching the opinions and we can come to a point that if this expansion needed or not. Expansion of Heathrow is currently a potential problem for the local people so they have already started to protest the plan by putting up posters on to the local shops indicating that they dont want this expansion. This plan is a major topic that being discussed in the area at the moment. So we thought that this case would be an ideal case to study in order to find out the benefits and problems of the expansion of Heathrow Airport. Since this case is quite complex and there are different aspects that may influence the final decision, the most predominant sides of the spectrum are the economical and ethical sides. The key driver of this project is without a doubt economical and we chose to provide economic information to the decision makers (Moore, 2012). [12] Critical Decision Making Information How much Heathrow is losing by not implementing the project? Lack of capacity at Heathrow airport costs the UK economy billions a year in lost trade, published in report commissioned by British Chamber of Commerce. British Chamber of Commerce calls for urgent and clear aviation strategy, which implement measures to keep Heathrow as a global hub. Also reading this information we have established lack of enough capacity at Heathrow would deter business leaders in other emerging economies like Brazil, India and China to do business with countries that have better air connection with their countries rather than the UK (British Chamber of Commerce, 2012). [9] Research shows that business leaders in emerging economies as mentioned above see direct air link as important to maintain the UKs prospect in global market. This information could be accessed in British Chamber of Commerce and readily available by surfing the internet for free and the information could easily be accessed in other forms such as interviews and surveys, which were carried out by World Travel Market (WTM) (Woodman, 2012). [10] There are lots of good and up to date information is available as well as some opposing information, which explains it sufficiently accurate in details that would be beneficial to the decision makers. The information we have been looking at comes from respected organization such as British Chamber of Commerce and has been published in many news sites such as BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) and other news group, so the reliability of information comes from these organization could be trusted to support decision making. As we have carefully examined all the information we have been reading and also checked the provider of source of information, so we have identified some propaganda in opposing the economic side of expansion that could be dismissed and disregarded as propaganda. We will store this information as data in a secure database and will be displayed as a table in the system to be accessed by all decision makers (Osborn, 2009). [8] How much Heathrow will earn by making the project? There are currently two runways and five terminals operating at the Heathrow Airport. More than 69 million passengers a year visit Heathrow airport. This number will increase around to 82 million passengers a year. Heathrow airport is operating at 99% capacity, which means any unforeseen situation would cause lots of disruptions. As the capacity is stretch to its limit British Astronomical Association (BAA) cant sign new contracts with airlines for more flights. By building the third runway, BAA would sign new contracts with airlines for more flights so BAA will earn more money from landing fees and staying fees (Osborn, 2009). [17] According to British Chambers of Commerce expansion of Heathrow airport will produce  £30bn of economic benefits. The research shows that in order to stay in the completion with global competitors like France and Germany Heathrow Airport should be expanded. This report was published in the media and in many websites like BBC. This shows that we can trust the information on this report, which British Chambers of Commerce published. This information could be accessed in the report that British Chamber of Commerce produced about Heathrow Airport. This is a study funded by Future Heathrow (a lobby group for the third runway). This information is available on internet and can be accessed by any internet user (British Chamber of Commerce, 2012). [18] By expanding Heathrow airport, capacity will increase, more passengers will travel and this will put Heathrow airport ahead from their continental competitors. Increasing flights means more tourists, more landing and more staying fees. More shops will be opened after the expansion of Heathrow airport, which will be located in the new terminal (Terminal 6). This means BAA will earn more money from the rents of the shops. How much will it cost? How Heathrow may have an edge over its competitors? Knowing how the competitors may affect this project is an important factor to consider when making the decision on actually going through with the project or not. The reason for this is that the growth of competitors will definitely hinder the purpose of Heathrow as a hub airport and therefore have a negative impact in the UKs economy. However there may be key aspects of Heathrow Airport that can make it more desirable than its competitors and we can find that out. This information can be found in the International Air Connectivity for Business briefing which includes information on how connected the UK airports to the worlds main business destinations. This briefing is available in the internet and can be accessed by anyone. This briefing includes quality information since it takes data from Heathrows main competitors (Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt) and compares the connectivity between them with the rest of the world. The data was obtained during the busiest month of the year in the airports and we can assume that the data provided is quite accurate although it is a bit outdated (2011). Moreover, the briefing is reliable since it was produced by AirportWatch and WWF. In our system, this information can be used to estimate the potential of building the third runway by storing the information in a spread sheet and making a graph containing the possible new connections and contrast those connections with its main competitors. The purpose of doing this is to determine if Heathrow can actually compete with the other airports and to support the decision maker by stating if going through with this project will be worthwhile or not (LeftFutures, 2013). [15] Simulation Modelling We are suggesting Stella model, a decision support tool that would help the decision makers to decide in a complex situation as expansion of Heathrow. By using Stella modelling, a model could be created to visualize by linking components together that represents the related mathematical expressions. Stella provides a practical way to stimulate and dynamically visualize how a complex idea works (iseesystems, 2013). [11] Potential Monetary Loss The time that the third runway planned to be built, will affect the success of this project. Decision makers will have to be sure that its the right time to implement this project. Before implementing the third runway, decision makers have to calculate how much money they are going to lose every year that this project is delayed. Potential money loss due to a delay would be reasons like; lack of capacity for new flights or during the time that this project is delayed, other competitors may make new deals with the airlines, so that this can cause a loss in future flights. A model is needed to show the stats to decision makers and by having a clear knowledge about the potential monetary loss every year, the decision makers can make better decisions. This model will be a graph that will calculate the potential money loss for every year that the third runway will not be implemented. The variable of this model will be the time spent to decide to do this project and the time of the construction process. Capacity over demand The current capacity and the current demand for additional capacity will no doubt affect the mind-set of most decision makers that are involved in the third runway e.g. the more demand there is the more capability there is so handle varying flows of customers. Having said that it is of the utmost importance to fully understand the information that is being handled and the implication of any decision that are given the go ahead. One applicable way to allow for the full comprehension of any information is to model it. There are varying methods of data modelling that are applicable to this situation. With data modelling the user is able to alter variables and can see the effect that these altered variables will have to a given situation. One way in which the variable can be displayed is in a graph, the user will be able to alter the demand to show the effects of increased demand on the airport, also the user will then be able to view the required capacity to allow the airport to run efficiently. Long Term Effect of Heathrows Competitors Predicting how the competitors will grow in the future, it is possible to estimate how much they can influence the success of the third runway. The reason for this is that they will take away potential business opportunities and therefore impact negatively the success of the project. To measure this we decided to build a model to allow the decision makers to see how the competitors may affect this project and it will allow them to calculate how risky this project may be. This model will be a graph that will allow comparison between Heathrow and its competitors. The variables of this model will include the growth in flight connections of each competitor and it will have a negative correlation with Heathrows flight connections. Therefore it will also show the amount of business opportunities the airport will lose. For example, if the decision maker decides to set Frankfurt airports growth high, it will show how much it will impact Heathrow airport.

Population Ecology vs. Neoinstitutional Theory Essay -- Environment, E

Organization-environment relations depict certain areas of UCSB in their entirety in which two of those theories include population ecology and neoinstitutional theory. Population ecology and neoinstitutional theory looks at UCSB in divergent perspectives: population ecology studies organizations if they are a living or dying species whereas neoinstitutional theory highlights the organization’s importance as an establishment to its field of expertise. With this, I am going to compare both, population ecology and neoinstitutional theory, in relation to the University of California – Santa Barbara. I will further discuss each of their strengths and weaknesses in accordance to the behavior and environment of institution, faculty, staff, and its students within this organization. Within nature, any form of species focus on selection and adaptation towards their environment to better themselves; organizations exert this idea as a metaphor to personify the organization-environment theory of population ecology underlining any organization functions as a living or dying species. Primarily, population ecology reflects both a rationalist and naturalist perspectives. Population ecology echoes rationalist theory since power is frequently controlled by those in superior positions inside the organization (Taylor 25). Also, population ecology is natural because it denies specificity and predictability due to the organization’s dependence of the fluctuation of environmental resources (Sutton 1/20/11). Ultimately for any organization to adapt and change the future of the establishment, it is compulsory for workers in a dominant position to ruminate any strategies and environmental opportunities and threats (Hannan 930). Henry Yang, as UCSB’s ... ...rsity. Conformity limits the organization values and appearance to which they cannot change unless the organization wishes to achieve any backlash. Overall, population ecology and neoinstitutional theory are part of organization-environment relations and are applied throughout UCSB. Population ecology and neoinstitutional theory are two theories describing and affecting the organizational environment at UCSB from two perspectives: the population and institutions as a whole. With population ecology, UCSB faces competition dilemmas to keep their organization from â€Å"dying†; and additionally, neoinstitutional theory shows UCSB how to appear legitimate through conforming to society’s beliefs and expectations. Although both concepts are vastly differently, they aid UCSB, as well as other organizations, to understanding the lifespan and appearance of its establishment.

The Protagonist and Antagonist of Crime and Punishment :: Crime Punishment Essays

The Protagonist and Antagonist of Crime and Punishment      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Crime and Punishment is considered by many to be the first of Fyodor Dostoevsky's great books.   Crime and Punishment is a psychological account of a crime.   The crime is double murder.   A book about such a broad subject can be made powerful and appealing to our intellectual interests if there is a link between the reader, the action, and the characters. Doestoevsky makes all these links at the right places.   The action takes place between the protagonists and the antagonists.   The protagonists include Dounia, the Marmeladovs, Sonia, Razumhin, Porfiry Petrovich, and Nastaya.   The antagonists of the story are Luzhin, Ilya Petrovich, and the landlady.   Raskolnikov could be considered to be the primary protagonist, while Svidrigailov could be thought of as the primary antagonist.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In every story the protagonist is the character that the reader cares most about.   In Crime and Punishment the reader cares about Rodion Raskolnikov.   He is the primary and most significant character in the novel. We are introduced to this complex character in Part 1.   We get to know the poverty stricken condition that he resides in, and we get to know his family situation as we read the long letter from Raskolnikov's mother. Then we witness the murder as it is graphically described by Doestoevsky. After reading this graphic description of the murder, how can the reader be sympathetic towards Raskolnikov?   How can the reader believe that a murderer is the protagonist?   It is, in fact,   not hard to accept this murderer as the protagonist.   Raskolnikov believed that by murdering the pawnbroker, he rid society of a pest.   We realize that if the victim would have been someone other than an evil old pawnbroker the crime would never had taken place.   He could never have found the courage to kill an innocent person.   It would not prove anything to him.   So, Raskolnikov was not a criminal. He does not repent because he does not feel that he had sinned. All he did was violate laws that were made by society.   Raskolnikov definition of crime was evil will in action.   Raskolnikov knows that he possesses no evil will, and so he does not consider himself a criminal.   He is capable of justifying his crime.

Video Game Propaganda :: Entertainment Advertising Papers

Video Game Propaganda Propaganda is hidden in our literature, spews from our radios, and is even inside our televisions. Propaganda, information or material spread to advance a cause or to damage an opponent's cause in such a way as to hide negative aspects, surrounds us all in every aspect of our lives. It is unavoidable and now it is gaining ground in yet another technology. Throughout the years technology has always been used to wield propaganda. Even canvas paintings have had their hand in such a form of information with depictions of current events that resemble the style of some of today's political cartoons. The printing press provided the ability to mass produce pamphlets supporting or putting down a cause. Thomas Paine's Common Sense comes to mind when one thinks of propaganda pamphlets because of its large impact it had on informing the thirteen colonies of the importance of the American Revolution. The radio not only allowed a message to be able to reach a wider audience in a shorter amount of time, but messages could even reach those who were illiterate. The television and movies reach a wider audience still and a visual style becomes very important to propaganda and helps immerse the viewer into the information. More recently propaganda has been wielded through computer technology. Web sites for the respective governments and factions of the U.S. military are all over the World Wide Web. Banner ads (essentially mini posters that are sometimes animated) appear on various web sites that are chosen in much the same way that companies choose which television shows to buy advertisement time during. In all occasions of propaganda infiltrating the newest technologies the purpose is always to reach the audience the propaganda is directed towards and that is certainly no exception with propaganda's recent involvement with video game technology. Video game propaganda is just as effective as past incarnations of propaganda if not more so because of its immersive nature. The US Government's History with Video Game Technology In the late 1970s a video games started their long relationship with the U.S. military. An arcade game entitled "Mech War" was introduced into an Army War College. This was the first of quite a few games introduced into colleges to be used as skill-enhancers. The military recognized the ability of video games to hone reflexes and hand-eye coordination. In the 1980s the U.S. Army modified "Battlezone," a futuristic 3D tank battle game that actually introduced the idea of a first person shooter.

Brief Analysis of Music Essay

In Joel and Ethan Coen’s unique take on referencing Homer’s Odyssey in the form of a 1930’s Great Depression comedy-adventure film, â€Å"O Brother, Where Art Thou? †, the most noticeably intelligent attribute was the genius song and music choice that, in more ways than one, dictated scene build-up, characteristic, and transition, thus keeping the theme of the â€Å"old-time,† old-country† atmosphere well intact throughout. The variety of American roots music songs used in the scenes gives cinematic emphasis to the characters’ circumstances and plot situations. Moreover, the assortment highlights the realness of time and setting presentation in telling the story of trio convicts and just where, when, and how their adventure unfolds. Brief Analysis of Music Selection in Joel and Ethan Coen’s â€Å"O Brother, Where Art Thou? † As the film opens with a lengthy line of hard-toiling inmates along the rail-road iron linings, collectively and heavily chanting verses from a rather hauntingly soothing blues tune entitled â€Å"Po Lazarus† (Track 1), the audience is at once audio-visually oriented and introduced into the state of the times, surroundings, over-all atmospherics, and mood of the film. The relative simplicity of life through the rather depressed and trying times is kept through notable scenes. An example of which is when the odd trio of Ulysses Everett McGill, Delmar O’Donnell, and Pete, together with Cousin Wash, all enjoyed an after-meal, quality-entertainment radio offering via Norman Blake’s country classic â€Å"You are My Sunshine† (Track 3). Moreover, the music presented in each of the scenes not only offers musical genre variety of roots country and folk, blues, bluegrass, gospel, and much in between through certain scene transitions, but more importantly highlights the tone of each separate scene in between dialogue, one distinct from the other, effectively and memorably. An example of this was the on-going quarrel of Everett and Pete which was overshadowed by the mass baptismal gathering and singing of a traditional gospel hymn â€Å"Down to the River to Pray† (Track 4), wherein all except Everett opted to clean his spiritual slate. Another was the scene seduction by the sirens, which is musically accompanied with â€Å"Didn’t Leave Nobody but the Baby† (Track 10) by Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, and Gillian Welch, and also with Tommy’s would-be hanging in the sound of â€Å"O Death. † All of these scenes are observably different from one another, but the rather musically enchanting versed sung melodies even give the scenes both an emotionally accessible and later-on cinematically nostalgic feature which stays with the viewers even after the film is over. The song selection provides the proper build-up, eventual transition through, and even main story twists which fuel the story’s eventualities. An example of this was when the trio headed to a local radio station in hopes of garnering a means of self-financial aid, they sang â€Å"Man of Constant Sorrow† (Track 7), disguised on the airwaves as the â€Å"Soggy Bottom Boys† accompanied by musically skillful, guitar-equipped Tommy Johnson—who played a particularly important scene role for the film’s story. The song performed was not only quite entertaining, but its definitions also constituted what a traditional American folk song truly is, which gave the scene much credibility and realness in every extent. The music also provides the film with a sense of scene consistency without compromising the story and, as the quality of song recordings are kept to its truest form even more enriching the old-time aspect of the film. As Evan Cater (2009) points out, â€Å"These recordings, which were made without the meddling clarity of digital technology, give the film much of its power and authenticity† (n. p. ). The excellent selection and execution of music and scene inter-play gives the film a characteristic of its own and none like other. References Burnett, D. (2000). Man of Constant Sorrow [D. Tyminski, H. Allen & P. Enright]. O Brother, Where Art Thou Soundtrack [CD]. Nashville: Mercury Records. Cater, E. (2008). O Brother, Where Art Thou?. AllMusic. com. Retrieved January 21, 2009 from http://www. allmusic. com/cg/amg. dll? p=amg&sql=10:hifixqu0ldse. Coen, J. (2000). O Brother, Where Art Thou?. California: Touchstone and Universal Pictures. Davs, J. & Mitchell, C. (2000). You are My Sunshine [N. Blake]. O Brother, Where Art Thou Soundtrack [CD]. Nashville: Mercury Records Harris, E. , Krauss, A. , and Welch, G. (2000). Didn’t Leave Nobody but the Baby [E. Harris, A. Krauss, G. Welch ]. O Brother, Where Art Thou Soundtrack [CD]. Nashville: Mercury Records. Lomax, A. (2000). Po Lazarus [J. Carter]. O Brother, Where Art Thou Soundtrack [CD]. Nashville: Mercury Records. Traditional (2000). Down to the River to Pray [A. Krauss]. O Brother, Where Art Thou Soundtrack [CD]. Nashville: Mercury Records. Traditional. (2000). O Death [R. Stanley]. O Brother, Where Art Thou Soundtrack [CD]. Nashville: Mercury Records.

Aristotle and Plato Essay

One of the greatest philosophers of all time was a man named Aristotle, the ancient greek philosopher. He was practically influenced every area of conceptual modern thinking. His mind set was in terms of materialism, which he essentially viewed substance on Earth before ideas and qualities. He genuinely believed in the notion of analyzing compounds and characteristics of people and their actions. Aristotle, who was a student of Plato, believed in â€Å"virtue of character and thought†, which means that virtue results from teaching, experience, and habits rather than Plato’s idealism notions of ideas and qualities (pg.265-266). He believed that peoples noble actions would lead to virtue and that all things in life had an end. That all ends must result in something good, an example would be an acorn, the end of an acorn would be an acorn tree. Aristotle believed that it was inevitable for humans to obtain happiness over a course of time and that this was the end for a human being. He believed that in order to be virtuous, one must first avoid temperance and deficiency. Aristotle also claims that justice can mean both lawfulness and fairness or injustice can mean unlawfulness and unfairness. His notion was that the law encouraged people to pursue virtue, therefore, the lawful person would result to being virtuous. In essence, he claims that people who pursue virtue will be just and those who do not pursue virtue will be unjust. He believed that sensory perceptions in the human soul are reflections of objects, and thoughts in consciousness are based on what we have already seen. Plato believed that the average person could not see the truth, therefore, the noble lie was essential to get people to pursue their natural form or task. A simple ascetic city with the notion of everyone having natural abilities to do a certain job was justice for Plato. In contrast, Aristotle, did not believe that humans had access to these perfect forms in their minds as a way to reach justice and the perfect city. He argues that justice is a complete virtue when exercising virtue in relation to others and that it requires intellectual virtue. That a virtuous person should pursue the most pleasant and happy life, which is the philosophical life of contemplation and speculation. The highest good for Aristotle is the end of a human, which is gained through virtuous action over their course of a life time. In order to live a life of virtue according to Aristotle, one must find the mean or good actions, which finding the mean is virtuous actions. By exercising virtue in relations to others is a good thing that will lead to a virtuous happy life and this will inevitably lead to an end of a human being, which is happiness. He was not a hedonist, his highest good reflected on reason, virtue, and experience that gains practical wisdom and that people learn from mistakes. This notion of a human gaining happiness by living a virtuous life reflects on his notion of a content society. Aristotle’s perception of justice was similar to Plato’s in the way that virtue related to both temperance and courage, but in all other aspects they were completely in contrast. Virtue consisted of habits and making right choices for the individual to be just, according to Aristotle. Virtue of temperance and courage causes people to be in a â€Å"good state† and to perform their â€Å"functions† well (pg. 269). Therefore, in order to acquire justice in Aristotle’s perception, virtue would have to take place within the individual’s state of character and reason for the whole in order to pursue virtue. Equality being about justice and exercising freedom was permissible according to Aristotle. He was really about diversity, but not a feminist, he clearly reduced the women’s roles in society, which was normal due to an era of sexism. There where three forms of happiness according to Aristotle- a life of pleasure and enjoyment, a life of free and responsibility, and a life as a thinker and philosopher. He rejected the imbalance of these premises and it was essential in human relationships. Therefore, finding the mean and his example of not to be cowardly or impulsive, but courageous. Aristotle believed in the mixture of constitutions, which means that if you mix â€Å"oligarchy† and â€Å"democracy†, which would be essentially â€Å"polity†; bringing a large middle class, then there can be more equality and justice among the citizens (pg. 403). He described democracy as a form of government that would overthrow the rich. Therefore, where the poor are predominant, there will be democracy. He’s implying that there is a better way; modern way to conduct a government where the people are not ruled by a monarch or tyranny. This means that if you rely on one type of constitution, then it would inevitably lead to depravity by changing into a bad constitution. An example would be if monarchy was established, then it would lead to tyranny or aristocracy to oligarchy. Aristotle’s notion was that in order to have equality, then a mixture of constitutions was necessary for justice. He he elaborates on constitutions, he is indicating the system of government that should be established. This relates to virtue because in order to be virtuous depravity must be impermissible and having a mixture of constitutions brings a balance to good. He advocates on having a massive middle class would be essential in order to have a balance of equality and fairness. He supports on having this large middle class because it will genuinely bring a balance in society and impact on politics according to Aristotle. The virtue of justice belongs to the city, a self-determination of what is just. He advocates on the art of acquisition; that wealth should have a limit. He does not seem to like people who are upset with moneymaking. He emphasized on that a democracy was essentially the worse type of government; just as a tyranny. If there is no large middle class, then democracy denounces to rule by the poor and Aristotle believed that it should be the rule of everyone or the many. Therefore, the mixture of democracy and oligarchy was essential to Aristotle for the sake of polity. Being a just person can lead to a life of virtue, which is acquired by noble actions and experience, in contrast with Plato’s ideology of perfect forms in the human mind being to abstract and delusional. However, Aristotle’s notion is to pursue a virtuous life by making right choices and learning from mistakes, which is very good because human beings are not perfect. Happiness would be considered the end of a human being and it’s acquired by virtue according to Aristotle and making choices on whether to be or not to be a just person. His perspective revolved around people living in communities or political communities and that politics was a characteristic for the well-being. He also incorporated public education being the means of a community and through the development of practical wisdom because he wanted people to learn from their mistakes, stating that there is no perfect idea of a society. When an individual acquired happiness, which was the highest good over their course of life, it was done by pursuing virtue and noble actions. Therefore, Aristotle’s theory involves a fair political view where there is a higher class, lower class, but more importantly, a massive middle class where everyone must participate in politics. In accordance to Aristotle’s and its success can be determined by the happiness of the citizens. Where each citizen has acquired the point of where they derive in moderation and are capable of distinguishing the means and the extremes and the good of society. He criticized Sparta on their austere culture and the citizen structure of a military society because he genuinely believed that it was not a content community. He did not lack humane values and he emphasized on how people should exercise virtue in relations to others. In essence, Aristotle’s theory offers a well established broad and fair view of a justice for a society and politics.

Irrationalism

TABLE OF CONTENTS: 1: Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 2 2: What is Irrationalism?†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 2 3: Origins of Irrationalism†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 2 3. 1: The Limits of Rationalism†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦2 3. 2: The Religious Issue†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 3 4: Historical Synopsis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦3 4. 1: Ancient Greek Era†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦4 4. 2: Medieval Mysticism†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 4 4. 3: Modern Era†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢ € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4. 4: The Historical Culmination of Irrationalism†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 5 4. 5: The Twentieth Century†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦6 5: Critical Evaluation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦7 5. 1: Irrational vs. non-rational†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 7 6: Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 8 7: References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦9 1. 0: INTRODUCTION: The term irrationalism, which depicts a 19th and early 20th century philosophical movement, is a trend that claims to enrich or broaden human apprehension of life beyond the horizon of reason.This movement, as shall be demonstrated in this work, arose as a sort of reaction against the traditional over bloating of the capacities of human reason. Thus, it sought to incorporate other aspects of human life such em otions, will, passion and even faith. Accordingly, such movements like voluntarism, mysticism or religion, romanticism et al, find their place within this trend. But it must be noted at once that this movement does not seek to negate or refute the capacities of human reason.Instead it seeks to postulate that with rationality alone, human beings cannot explore certain areas of life which are in themselves unavoidable experiential data of human life. It is to delineate elaborately on the tenets of this trend that this work is poised to do. To achieve this, we have opted to render this exposition in accordance with the above given outline. 2. 0: WHAT IS IRRATIONALISM? Irrationalism refers to â€Å"any movement of thought that emphasizes the non-rational or irrational element of reality over and above the rational† .More than a school of thought, irrationalism is a multi-faceted reaction against the dominance of rationalism. As such, it played a significant role in western cultur e towards the end of the nineteenth century and at the beginning of the twentieth century. Irrationalism need not be opposed to reason. It can consist of a simple awareness that the rational aspect of things tends to be overemphasized and that this needs to be compensated by an emphasis on intuition, feeling, emotions, and the subconscious, etc . 3. 0: ORIGINS OF IRRATIONALISM:There are at least two main sources of irrationalism, viz: ?The Limits of Rationalism: First, we see that even the most consistently rationalist approach of the world will yield, in the end, some ultimate notions that can no longer be grasped or expressed through rational language. Such include questions of truth, goodness, beauty, and so on). This clearly appears in ancient Greek philosophy. In the eighteenth century Enlightenment, a somewhat superficial confidence in reason was often maintained, and the question about ultimate realities was thus avoided.Still, Voltaire, a typical representative of the  "Lumieres,† was very skeptical about the natural lights of human reason and the ability to find definitive answers. Nineteenth century Positivism, finally, appeared as the culmination of human confidence in reason based on scientific advances. The positivists’ belief that scientific reason would make all other approaches obsolete, however, was soon largely rejected as a naive illusion. Irrationalism has therefore acted as a recurrent challenge to the belief that analytical or deductive reasoning was the alpha and omega of human mental activity . The Religious Issue: A second challenge to the preponderance of reason has come from the religious side. All the world’s religious traditions, based on immediate experience as much as revelation, have an acute awareness that the human predicament is at odds with the very ideal of perfection and happiness. In Christian thought, there is the dual notion of God’s judgment and his grace, a position best expressed by th e apostle Paul and revived most famously by the Reformers, such as Martin Luther King Jnr. nd Jean Calvin. The very notion of sin in a world created by an omnipotent and good God seems contradictory to reason. This dissonance is heightened by such paradoxical biblical formulations like, â€Å"those who want to live will die and those who want to die will live† and â€Å"the first shall be the last. † Thus, in the religious context, irrationalism takes on the nature of paradox and mystery. It is not possible for unaided human reason to fully grasp the meaning of the human condition.It has to be accepted that two basic facts (God and evil) coexists in a way that cannot be rationally explained. Only faith or spiritual intuition can somehow comprehend what is meaningless for reason alone. This position maintains a strong presence, even where attempts at offering rational explanations abound. In various different contexts, other world religions have approached the same basi c issue and offered a response that invariably amounted to a rejection of rationalism .In the religious world of the Far East (notably India and China), the response has often been sought in higher wisdom involving spiritual perception and allowing the believer to see how seemingly contradictory notions can harmonize on a higher plane. There is also a general insistence on the need to find the right attitude in approaching everyday life and its ultimate questions. Finally, in Zen Buddhism, enlightenment through direct experience, by which one is jolted out of one’s habitual condition, is seen as the answer.Thus, religion’s response to the limits of reason tends to have a strong emotional, experiential, and voluntary component. 4. 0: HISTORICAL SYNOPSIS: The history of western philosophy has been overwhelmingly dominated by the notion that reason and intellect determine the value of thought, culminating in eighteenth century rationalism, nineteenth century positivism, a nd twentieth century logical positivism . Irrationalism has thus mostly been a secondary reaction defended by a few minor figures, an element embedded in the thought of otherwise rational thinkers, or an underlying and largely hidden element.A closer look, however, reveals the importance of non-rational issues and the emotional factor, notably in fields like ethics, aesthetics, education, axiology, and even such a bulwark of rationalism as epistemology. Irrationalism became a major force in western culture for the first time in the nineteenth century. Its impact reached far beyond philosophy and the academia and was felt in the whole of society, including the political sphere, from the Romantic period to World War II, and beyond. ?Ancient Greek Era:Ancient Greek philosophy is generally recognized as the paragon of rational thinking. Its giants, Plato and Aristotle, viewed the rational mind as the essence of human identity. For Plato in particular, the realm of emotions linked to phy sical existence represented the lower counterpart to the eternal beauty and goodness of immaterial, rational souls. But his philosophy in fact culminates in a strongly mystical form of idealism. The immortality of the soul, eternal truth and beauty in particular, are introduced as the result of a higher insight, not of deductive or analytical thought.Such a trend continued in Neo-Platonism. Plato and his mentor Socrates are also related to the Mystery religions of ancient Greece which are often referred to in mythical form in the Platonic dialogues . The Eleusian Mysteries and the Delphic Sibyl are two examples of what Nietzsche would later call the â€Å"Dionysian element of exuberance and spiritual drunkenness† in Greek culture—an element that would combine with the plastic and formal element of light, the Apollonian element, to produce the masterpieces of Greek culture.In earlier Greek philosophy, that element could already be found in the works of Empedocles and Py thagoras. It was very influential in Greek tragedy and poetry. The cryptic aphorisms of Heraclitus, another pre-Socratic philosopher, also stand in stark contrast to the smooth flow of rational discourse, though his dialectic does not directly advocate irrationalism . Finally, the notion of destiny of fate arbitrarily willed by the gods of the Olymp constitutes an endorsement of irrationalism. Within such notions, things don’t make sense.They just have to be accepted. ?Medieval Mysticism: In medieval thought, irrationalism appears in the form of mysticism and voluntarism. Even Thomas Aquinas, probably the most rationally oriented of the middle age theologians, had a mystical experience towards the end of his life in which it appeared to him that all he had written was like â€Å"straw† . Mystically oriented writers like Meister Eckhart and Jakob Bohme saw knowledge of God as limited to negative theology. For the via negativa, the only positive statements that could be made about God were those negating ossible limitations of his Being (God is not finite, etc. ). The whole history of medieval thought – which reflected Christianity, Judaism and Muslim—was about defining the boundaries of the rational philosophical approach in its confrontation with faith, i. e. an approach that transcends human reason. ?Modern Era: Among the great metaphysicians of the seventeenth century such as Descartes, Leibniz, inter alia, French Catholic thinker Blaise Pascal represents an illustrious exception.The highly intellectually gifted mathematician came as an early precursor of Christian existentialism and famously stated that the â€Å"heart has its reasons that are unknown to reason† . Pascal also made the equally famous distinction between the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the â€Å"God of the philosophers,† i. e. , understanding through revelation and understanding through reason . Pascal’s position somehow forms a contin uation of the Augustinian tradition defended by Duns Scotus and its volutaristic emphasis on the will to believe, rather than rational conviction. The Historical Culmination of Irrationalism: The real breakthrough of irrationalism came with the backlash against the rationalism of the Enlightenment and the subsequent wave of Positivism. At the end of the eighteenth century, Immanuel Kant had concluded that reason cannot give certain and ultimate knowledge about reality, especially not about God and the transcendent. In this, he wanted to make place for faith, which he also saw as a form of reason. The question over what counts as reason and what does not would thus later become an important one.For many, â€Å"anything not related to scientific knowledge of the empirically known universe does not qualify as reason† . For others, especially in the era of Romanticism, â€Å"the mind’s innate ability to recognize the reality of the Ultimate represents the highest peak of reason† . At this point, one has a convergence between rationalism and irrationalism, with mostly a difference of terminology. Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi, Jakob Friedrich Fries, and Johann Georg Hamann are noted representatives of that period .The German Idealists are another example of thought systems developed with great emphasis on rational thought, but culminating in often highly irrational speculation. This is true even of Hegel, and his panlogism, and much more so Schelling, especially in his later, mystical phase . With Arthur Schopenhauer, irrationalism is embraced fully in the form of voluntarism . A blind will is presented as the foundation of existence, while the world of rational representations only forms the deceptive surface of things (in ways similar to Indian thought).Friedrich Nietzsche was equally skeptical of the west’s rational tradition and its shallow ethical codes, stressing such notions as the will to power and the playfulness of a child . In the Christian tradition, Soren Kierkegaard was strongly critical of the rational constructions of Hegel and proposed the â€Å"leap of faith† of the existentialist attitude as an alternative. His overall orientation, usually without the Christian connotation, would be maintained in the thought of twentieth century existentialists like Jean-Paul Sartre.For Henri Bergson, whose intuitivism was based on the notion of elan vital (vital thrust), rational thought was equally ill-equipped to grasp the essence of things. Finally, even a strongly intellectual philosophy like Edmund Husserl’s phenomenology is based on intuition as an element that comes prior to rational analysis in the perception of reality. The above list of names, to which many others could be added, exemplifies what Paul Tillich had in mind when he referred to the strong irrational undercurrent in western thought.Philosophical irrationalism would expand into many other areas of culture, including history (as sho wn in the works of Wilhelm Dilthey and Oswald Spengler) and, most famously in psychoanalysis (as shown in the works of Sigmund Freud, Carl-Gustav Jung). The latter’s implication is that irrational unconscious forces are really shaping human life. William James would espouse another form of non-rational emphasis in explaining the workings of the mind and that is Pragmatism, which argues that positions are essentially justified when they work. The Twentieth Century: The clash between rationalism and irrationalism would continue throughout the twentieth century, with rationalism being reinforced by the stunning development of science and irrationalism being bolstered by the obvious senselessness of many world events. A possible point of convergence has been contemporary science’s recognition of the inadequacy of the traditional mechanistic worldview and its advocacy of a much greater sophistication in attempts to grasp the nuances of its key notions.This has led many to a bandon scientific reductionism and its denial of the unfathomable realm of the spirit. In the philosophical world, postmodernism has seen a wholesale rejection of all hitherto accepted certainties. Thus, there is paradox of a contemporary world where humankind has a firmer grasp and control over natural phenomena than ever, but one in which, at the same time, the rational nature of that world has been increasingly challenged in ontology and epistemology as well as in ethics (e. g.Nietzsche and more recently Michel Foucault and their refusal to accept given norms) . 5. 0: CRITICAL EVALUATION: From the foregoing, it is clear that much of what passes for irrationalism, in fact, does not challenge the validity of reason, but rather opens the possibilities of other realms of investigation that had been previously ignored by the rationalist tradition. This comes together with a rebellion against the rationalization of a reality that is perceived as absurd or ethical rules that are perceiv ed to be abusive in their pretension to be rationally grounded.Nevertheless, the thrust of our evaluation herein shall focus on distinguishing between two terms that may seem compounded. This shall enable us with the ability to conclude whether the philosophers of this trend were either irrational or non-rational. ?Irrational vs. Non-rational: The difference between non-rational and irrational is not as easy to define as it may appear. German authors, like the philosopher of religion Rudolf Otto, often use the equivalent of the English â€Å"irrational,† but translators of their writings prefer to use â€Å"non-rational† to avoid giving the impression of an anti-rational bias.Indeed, in a context such as Otto’s, irrational is meant to convey the meaning of something that eludes the grasp of reason, a depth dimension of the human psyche that cannot be appropriately expressed in rational language. It does not mean that the author rejects the rational discourse alt ogether. In the case of Otto, the contrary is the case. This author strongly stresses the need for academic discourse to proceed according to strict rational rules and to avoid the excesses of romantic enthusiasm. Otto merely wants to show that reason is not alone and that once it has spoken, something remains that can nly be grasped intuitively and expressed in symbols. Similarly, today’s sociology of religion generally understands myths as a genuine and irreplaceable component of the human discourse, one that can express certain realities better than straight scientific talk and even reach where that talk cannot go. There is no negative connotation attached to myth under these circumstances. 6. 0: CONCLUSION: In the end, the understanding of irrationalism in the sense of non-rational or irrational is a matter of worldview.For those who consider that the universe and if applicable, the Supreme Being, form a whole that is non-contradictory and where intellect, emotion, and wi ll coexist harmoniously as different aspects of that reality, non-rational will have to be chosen as the proper expression. In that perspective, irrational will have to be reserved for the cases of opinions or behavior that fails to abide by the accepted rules of reason—not to describe that which transcends the realm of reason. In the main, few will defend a strong version of the opposite position that contradiction lies at the heart of everything.Such a position would make any discourse impossible, including that of those who hold this position. But various thinkers have emphasized the paradoxical nature of reality. In such a view, reality may not be fully contradictory, but it presents essential features that will always stand in paradoxical position to each other. Such is in general, the position of dialectical philosophy. Other strong forms of irrationalism are those which argue a fundamentally absurd nature of the world or the complete irrelevance of the rational discour se.Be these as they may, we rest our case in the contention that irrationalism stands at par with rationalism with only a slight difference in their respective emphasis. REFERENCES: ?Benne, Kenneth D, Contemporary Irrationalism and the Idea of Rationality, In: Studies in Philosophy and Education. Volume 6, Number 4 / December, 1969 ? Bergson, Henri, Creative Evolution. Dover Publications, 1998, ISBN 978-0486400365 ? Dewolf, L. H, Religious Revolt Against Reason, Greenwood Publishing, ISBN 978-0837100616 ? Kierkegaard, Soren, Concluding Unscientific Postscript.Princeton University Press, 1941. ISBN 978-0691019604 ? Kierkegaard, Soren, and Howard Vincent. Philosophical Fragments, Princeton University Press, 1962. ISBN 978-0691019550 ? Nietzsche, Friedrich, Beyond Good and Evil. Digireads. com, 2005, ISBN 978-1420922509 ? Nietzsche, Friedrich, and Walter Kaufmann, On the Genealogy of Morals and Ecce Homo, Vintage, 1989. ISBN 978-0679724629 ? Pascal, Blaise, Pensees, LGF Livre de Poche, 2000, ISBN 978-2253160694 ? Plato, The Symposium, Penguin Classics, 2003, ISBN 978-0140449273 ?Schopenhauer, Arthur, â€Å"Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung†, 1818/1819, vol. 2: 1844 (The World as Will and Representation, sometimes also known in English as The World as Will and Idea), Dover Publications, 1966. ISBN 978-0486217628. ?Stumpf, Samuel E, â€Å"Philosophy: History and Problems†, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. , 1221, Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY, 10020, ISBN 0-07-240635-6, Sixth Edition, 2003. OTHER SOURCES: ?Encyclopedia Britannica. com. ?Guide to Philosophy on the Internet. ?Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. ?The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Maple Leaf Foods Essay

In the summer of 2008 there was a widespread outbreak of listeriosis linked to deli meats produced in a Maple Leaf Foods, Inc. (Maple Leaf) plant in Toronto, Canada. The outbreak claimed over 20 lives and sickened hundreds. This reaction paper will take a deeper look at the crisis, analyze the company’s response, and address ethical issues related to the case such as responsibility, honesty, and transparency. Similar cases involving recalls made by Menu Foods, Tylenol and Mattel will be discussed as a contrast. Listeriosis is an infection caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria is a common bacterium found in all sorts of food plants but is dangerous at high levels, especially for adults over fifty, pregnant women, newborns, and people with a weakened immune system. The listeria at Maple Leaf was found in two of its industrial sized slicers. The experts believe it was buried deep inside the machines where it couldn’t be cleaned during sanitation. Hospitals and retirement homes were providing the contaminated Maple Leaf meats to their patients and residents respectively. Seniors, vulnerable to the bacteria, became ill and some eventually died. Michael McCain, Maple Leaf’s CEO, offered a sincere apology immediately after the officials confirmed the link between the outbreak and Maple Leaf products. He described the crises as â€Å"the toughest situation we’ve faced in the 100 years of this company’s history.† He then, as a precaution, expanded the recall to include all 220 products produced at the Toronto plant. The costs were estimated at $20 million. So who was responsible? Obviously, the listeria was linked back to Maple Leaf, but what about the regulators? Shouldn’t they have set more stringent policies to prevent such occurrences? Or maybe situations like this can’t be avoided since listeria can’t be fully eliminated from food plants like Maple Leafs. Maybe the hospitals or retirement homes should be more careful with the food they provide to people with weak immune systems. Some of the points given might be stretching it but they are valid arguments, nevertheless. Maple Leaf had a choice to make; it could have tried to defend itself and divert responsibility by pointing fingers or it could have taken responsibility. Mr. McCain made the choice to take full responsibility. â€Å"We had a breach, and we took accountability† he says in an interview with Maclean’s magazine. He expanded the recall to include all 220 products produced at the plant, which cost an estimated $20 million. He committed to implementing safety standards that are amongst the most conservative in the world. Finally, he decided to handle lawsuits as promptly as possible by giving people what they wanted for the most part. The decisions that Mr. McCain made seem to be costly ones, at least in the short run. It can be argued that Maple Leaf, being a public company, has an obligation to maximize shareholder first and foremost. Increased costs could negatively impact shareholder value. So did Mr. McCain make the right choice? To answer this question we use Menu Foods, Tylenol, and Mattel as examples and summarize using Tucker’s five questions. In March 2007, Menu Foods, a manufacturer of over 90 brands of dog and cat food, recalled 60 million cans of pet food after it was discovered that the pet food contained wheat gluten tainted with melamine and cyanuric acid. The combination of the chemicals caused kidney failure and death in some cases. The source of the toxic chemical was traced back to Chinese pet food manufacturer, ChemNutra. The company did not handle the recall in a timely manner and it failed to assume full responsibility. Rather the CEO tried to portray the company as a victim. Ultimately, the recall cost Menu Foods an estimated $53.8 million and the company faced multiple lawsuits. The company’s stock price fell as much as 91% within a year of the recall and was eventually purchased by Simmons Pet Food in August 2010. In 1982, several people died as a result of taking Tylenol, which was contaminated with cyanide. After investigation it was discovered that the Tylenol were tampered with. Johnson and Johnson, the parent company, recalled all 31 million bottles and created a tamper-proof bottle. The recall and the new bottle design cost Johnson and Johnson over $100 million. It was a costly move for the company in the short-run but it was a smart and ethical strategy in the long-run as it helped rebuild costumer confidence in the company’s products. Similarly in August 2007, Mattel recalled 20 million Chinese manufactured toys that had potentially toxic lead paint and magnets that could be dislodged. Mattel’s CEO took personal responsibility and the company aggressively notified the public about the recall. Mattel handled the recall quite well and was able to maintain a good brand reputation. From the three examples provided above, the observation can be made that consumers react much more favourably to companies that take full responsibility when they make a mistake, work quickly to resolve the problem, compensate those affected fairly, and act in an honest and transparent manner. Tylenol and Mattel might have made costly decisions in the short run but were able to restore customer confidence and improve shareholder value in the long run. Tucker’s five questions is a useful way to assess Mr. McCain’s decision to take full responsibility and take costly measures to improve the safety program of Maple Leaf. First, was the decision profitable? In the short run no, but in the long run yes the decision was profitable as sales levels were maintained. Two, was it legal? Yes. Three, was it fair? Yes, for the most part it was fair. The people that lost family members will not get them back, but impacted individuals were compensated as fairly as possible. Furthermore, the consumers and shareholders were communicated to in an honest, genuine, and transparent manner. The fourth question asks, was it right? Yes, the right thing to do in a sensitive situation like this was to admit to the mistake and act in the most virtuous way possible to correct the wrong. The final question asks, was it sustainable? Maple leaf committed to making its safety standards among the most conservative in the world. This commitment was a long-term decision that has helped foster a culture of high standards that will enhance sustainability in the long run. In conclusion, Mr. McCain’s decision to take full responsibility and act in an honest and transparent manner was the right and ethical decision to make. He was able to restore customer confidence in the company and increase shareholder value in the long run.