Philosophical Analysis Essay

â€Å"In the case of an ordinary illusion of the senses we often say: This object seems thus or so; but in reality it is thus †¦ (but) the seeming is opposed to the reality only in so far as the chance experience of one point of view gets contrasted with what would be, or might be, experienced from some larger, more rationally permanent, or more exclusive and uniting point of view. † Truth is the embodiment of reality; reality is the embodiment of experience. Yet, truth and reality are problematic concepts. Reality, when expressed in categorical terms, is in itself manifest-creating concept; that is, there is no clearly defined boundary of finding the essence of entities. In short, an attempt to define reality will result to more questions. An attempt to examine the source or basis of reality will inevitably result to ambiguity. What is the implication of this fact to truth? Truth also becomes a manifest-creating concept. Its basis is, from a vantage point, a derivation of reality (Kant, 1786/1926). Here, there is a need to mention two bases of truth and reality. For some philosophers, reality and truth are generally derived from sense experience. Aristotle once argued that the fundamental basis of reality is actual reference to existing objects. Here, reality is objective; truth is absolute. For other philosophers, rationality rather than sense experience is the formal basis of reality. Descartes, for example, argued that sense experiences often result to disconcerting assumptions of what is real and ought to be real (Descartes, 1637/1999). An example may suffice this point. Suppose an individual sees an oar in the water. From sense experience, the individual will interpret the phenomenon as genuine phenomenon. However, the individual perception of what is real is compounded by illusory assumption of what ought to be real. Descartes argued that the oar in the water, when rationality is used as means to discern truth, is a reflection of an actual oar. 2) â€Å"The best definition of truth from a logical standpoint is that which is fated to be ultimately accepted by all investigators †¦ (and not something to be identified with) some purely personal end, some profit upon which a particular individual has set his heart. † For many centuries, philosophers pondered on the best definition of truth. Perhaps, the most influential philosopher who developed a systematic approach in analyzing the nature of truth is Immanuel Kant. According to Kant, truth in categorical definition is a derivation of collective facts (Kant, 1786/1926). Kant argued that when a set of facts are accepted to be truth by rational individuals, then it is by definition, part of truth. Subsequent philosophers such as Whitehead and Russell expounded on the concept of truth. According to these philosophers, there exists a set of truths which in character is both relative and self-sufficient. Truth is relative because the discretion of a group of rational individuals is also relative. It is self-sufficient because its consequence is self-compelling. When presented to different individuals, a truth compels the individual to believe and accept it as true. What is the general consequence of these assumptions of truth? In essence, such assumptions reject the notion of absolute truth. Absolute truth defines an epistemological basis of reality; that is, reality bounded not by the laws of nature, but by the law of necessity. One can refer to this reality as Being, Divine entity, or God. However, absolute truth is not necessarily a definitive clause of a Divine entity. Absolute truth is assumed by some philosophers to be manifested in quintessential entities; entities which are purported to exist in reality. It may be argued that this interpretation of reality may be a personalistic interpretation of ends. In any case, it is possible to prove this assumption. References Descartes, Rene. 1637/1999. Discourse on the Method. London: London Publishing House. Kant, Immanuel. 1786/1926. The Critique of Pure Reason. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.

Epidemly and biostats Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Epidemly and biostats - Assignment Example To do this, they have to contact hospitals and physicians. This activity requires a vast amount of resources and staff in order to accomplish its objectives and goals. a) The conclusion reached may be incorrect because proportional mortality was used when cause-specific mortality rates were needed. Cause specific rates are applied when calculating deaths from a specific disease (Polit, 2010). Proportionate mortality is applied when calculating the number of deaths in relation to the total deaths or all deaths (100%) a) The number of deaths from lung cancer in carpenters in 1949–1960 was greater than the number of deaths from lung cancer in bricklayers during the same period. SMR is often used to study the mortality in a specific occupation. From the data, carpenters have a higher mortality than brick layers during the same period. a)Reduce selection bias in the allocation of treatment. Treatment differences which are identified from nonrandomized trial designs possess methodological weaknesses. For example, cohort effects, selection bias and confounding. As such, the major purpose of a random assignment is to counter this methodological weakness. a)Avoid observer and subject bias. A double blind experiment design tests a drug or treatment’s effect by using groups of control and experimental subjects whereby neither the investigators nor the subjects know which drug is being used on which group (Grove, 2007). Therefore, this design eliminates the issue of prejudgment which can distort the

The Role of Leadership and Innovation in Sustaining Competitiveness Essay

The Role of Leadership and Innovation in Sustaining Competitiveness - Essay Example Therefore, organizations with creative and effective leadership will be able to sustain competitiveness in their business environment due to their superior strategic measures compared to their competitors. Organizational leadership involves the ability of management to achieve and protect a company’s benefits through the ability to balance employees’ needs and company targets by ensuring that there are no frictions between the two demands. This entails bringing employee demands and organizational needs together to work in an environment that will enable effective and efficient achievement a common goal. Consequently, organizational leadership has a central role of cultivating synergies between the organization and its employees. Leadership helps the member of an organization and working teams overcome workplace environmental challenges therefore working to achieve organizational goals in a worthy way (Kalamas & Kalamas and p.2004).   Innovative ideas can also motivate employees to give their best to the organization. Organizations that allow employees to undertake new and non-traditional ways of working will gain more from employees’ talents. ... Leadership is important for an organization since it enables the organization and organizational teams achieve their set goals. When leaders and the people led do not know where they are heading in terms of organizational goals and objectives, then leadership means nothing. Therefore, it is important for leaders in organizations to have a clear vision of how and where they see the organization in the future. According to Maxey (2000, p.48), vision of an organization represents a mental image of its possible and desirable future. The future of an organization depends on its leadership ability to recognize organizational changes accurately and use them intelligently for the improvement and sustainability of the organization. Sage and Rouse (2011, p.800) note leaders focus on the on the future and therefore the what separates a cultural change that fails from that which succeeds is the competent leadership at the top of organizational command. The importance of having a leader who is ab le to set visions for how the organization will operate in future can be demonstrated by the approach taken by Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs, as a strategic leader for Apple is an appropriate example in the area of creativity and innovation (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt 2008, p.36). He was able to position Apple to seize future markets through the firm’s strategy, which was based on insights into external opportunities. Steve Jobs recognized that Apple had a limited client base in the personal computing market. Nevertheless, Jobs maintained that the company was undertaking a long-term strategy that would see it operate beyond personal computer industry. Further, Steve Jobs claimed that he was waiting for the next big thing that was

Observation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Observation - Essay Example He is one of those people who have the talent for making a person feel really welcome. Though the shop is located in the suburbs, in a sparse neighborhood, yet all sorts of people prefer to visit this place owing to its rustic appeal, the social variety it offers, the jovial nature of old Joe and to have a cup of good coffee and a hearty cheese sandwich at a warm and friendly place. It is early morning and I am here to have breakfast after working long hours on a particularly difficult English assignment. As usual old Joe is sitting behind the counter, placing his chubby hands gently over his generous belly, passing a broad smile to every new visitor. I am rubbing my sleepy eyes, trying to get rid of the fatigue that has overtaken me. Going by the early hours most of the tables are still unoccupied. An aged couple is occupying the table to the left of me. They must be in their seventies. The husband is slowly munching a cheese sandwich while the wife is looking at him with tender eyes. Both of them are quiet, focusing more on the breakfast. The table in front of me has three young people sitting there, one boy and two girls, all the three in their early twenties, loudly laughing and chuckling as they talk over the breakfast. The table in the ill lit corner is occupied by a tall man with grizzled hair who looks really handsome. He is accompanied by a lady who seems to be a bit over weight, but otherwise cute. Both seem to be engaged in some intimate conversation, totally oblivious of other people in the shop. The place is gradually warming up with more people walking in. Here come a group of college students, five of them, three gents and two girls, all of them really loud. Being lost in my reveries I am not able to grab much of their conversation except for the bits and pieces like â€Å"History†, â€Å"Kills’, â€Å"missed the class†, â€Å"What a bore!†. Perhaps they are talking about the history

Survey result section with pie charts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Survey result section with pie charts - Essay Example From the results, some teachers felt that direct instruction to the students either individually or in class was an effective method. The numbers were however less (12%) as compared the group the group that preferred a cooperative learning approach moderated by the teacher (76%). In this method the learners would choose the topic of their liking and research on it before teaching their fellow students. None of the teacher preferred thought it was a good idea for the learner to be left to acquire the knowledge alone. This would deny the learner a chance to have a different perspective of the concept like the peers. The case study results indicated that 65 percent of the teachers (15) preferred to resolve the situation by dividing the students into mixed groups and letting them assist each other in learning (Answer 1). Some 22% of the teachers interviewed (5) thought it suitable to teach the whole group at the pace of the slow learner (answer 2). The remaining 13% or 3 of the interviewed teachers thought that the teacher should divide the student according to ability and teach them differently (answer 3). None of the teacher interviewed thought that teaching at the pace of the high level learning ability students was beneficial. From the results, a majority preferred the approach of combining the higher level learning ability with the low level learning students. This means that the students could cooperate with each other to effectively acquire the knowledge from their peers better. It should be noted that it is difficult to determine the learning pace of the slow students. This explains the reason why the method of mixed ability grouping was preferred by the majority. Dividing the group into two was not proposed by many. This because it would be difficult to foster social leaning between the learners and how the learners would benefit from each other is not

The Transferability of HR Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

The Transferability of HR Management - Essay Example The management of facilities and HR practices while being the core components to whether corporations are successful, they themselves are reliant on cultural factors. This creates a very complex arena in which global corporations do business, and unsaid laws to which they must adhere. It is a common belief among corporate researchers that cultural, institutional and societal conditions act as barriers or mediate corporate transfer. Along with this belief is the understanding that cultural and institutional conditions can only be understood within the context of their particular regions. In module 4, the author assesses the transferability of educational institutions and policies, as well as the reality of transferring policies to global corporations. This was found to be a very risky venture as some policy of practice were not easily transferable across cultural barriers. In the first section the author discusses one area of work on transfer that has originated within an educational arena. Turbin looks at the research of educationalists who have studied the transfer of educational practices, and sometimes systems, between the developed and less developed countries. (module 4) The focus on education and the transferability of HR management within the educational corporate structure is widely overlooked globally, but in the U.K. UCL is a leader in this position. It is one of the more profitable institutes in the U.K., as well as being one of the most prestigious. Its activity based management relies on the continuous improvement of the curriculum to enhance value of the degree it offers in the eye of the consumer, as well as in the eyes of the potential employers of that consumer. The newly ventured research, more often than not, is funded by grants, and is expected to be of substantial benefit to the community. It also makes the institute more creditable. Any new facility being built (i.e. a cafeteria, Library, stadium), any funding towards and extra curricular program (i.e. athletics, academic clubs, sociological studies,), or anything else that might draw positive attention to the University all classify as add-vale activities. Even once the Universitie s benchmarks have been complete, UCL is recognizable for its continuous growth, largely due to the merger. As of the financial portfolio for 2005, UCL was able to increase its value of endowment asset investments by 3 million. This was an increase to 78 million from the 75 million from the previous year. It borrowed 25 million from the Royal Bank of Scotland. The gross income of the University increased last year by 6.8%, earning them 489.8 million. There Academic fee income increased by 9.8 %, earning the school another 76.5 million. On top of this the University was awarded a 1.3% increase in Research Grants and Contract income which was an estimated 161.9 million. The University consists of 28,000 staff and students. This includes more than 3,800 academic research staff spread over 72 departments. They have the highest number of professors of any University in the country consisting of 600. They also have the highest number of female professors (UCL, 2005.) This focus on educatio nal practices put global transferability of HR and Facility management in a simpler perspective. It also makes a very

Analysis of Irony and Coincidence in Suzhou River Essay

Analysis of Irony and Coincidence in Suzhou River - Essay Example Lou Ye departs drastically from other contemporaries of Beijing Film Academy, takes an abrupt swing from the downbeat realism that characterizes their works, and embarks on a mystical treatment of the theme. He employs irony and elements of coincidence in portraying the theme of love in a complex and obscure manner that makes the movie a mysterious enigma for the audience. The movie deals with the romance between Mardar and Moudan, as narrated by an unnamed videographer. Mardar, a motorcycle courier runs the errand of riding Moudan from her father’s residence to a relative’s place whenever the father wants to engage in his assignations. The girlish Moudan, young an adventurous, asks him to â€Å"drive like Schwarzenegger.† (Ye, Lou). The couple falls in love but tragedy strikes in their lives in the form of Mardar’s betrayal of her. Mardar is associated with the criminal underworld and is forced to kidnap Moudan on the instructions of the gang he belongs to, in order to extract money from her father. Moudan learns about Mardar’s deceit, and heartbroken, she jumps into Suzhou River and disappears. Mardar is arrested for complicity in the incident and sentenced to imprisonment. When he returns he meets Meimei, a look-alike of Moudan, who works as a night club performer, dressed up as a mermaid. Mardar believes she is M oudan, and wants to seduce her. The videographer who is obsessed with Moudan tries to drive Mardar out of town. Tragedy strikes again when the couple gets consumed the metaphorical river. The mystic play of love and obsession between Mardar and Moudan, and the videographer and Meimei, between Meimei and Mardar, further underline the complexity of love, makes it impossible for the viewer to exactly know whether Meimei is actually Moudan’s reincarnation or just Mardar’s illusion or whether Moudan’s story is real or just a fictitious one. Lou Ye uses irony to good effect in alluding to the complexity of