Free Essays on Awakening The Self

Awakening the Self Human consciousness, or â€Å"self,† is shaped by our perception of the experiences that we go through on a day-to-day basis. The social theory of symbolic interactionism clearly defines â€Å"self† as just that; our interaction with others and our environment creates a more active human being (Charon, 2001). Renowned author and neurologist Oliver Sacks found that his patients with encephalitis lethargica were â€Å"awakened† by active social interaction. Whether you look at Oliver Sacks’ patients, the symbolic interactionism theory, or my four month old daughter Sasha, our sense of â€Å"self† is shaped by our interaction with others. When Oliver Sacks just began to practice neurology, he had been taught to treat the problem and go on to the next patient. He quickly realized that there was much more to curing a neurological illness. There is a connection between the body and the â€Å"self† that requires healing on both levels. The two parts, body and self, are correlated in ways that may not have been considered. One patient, a mathematician, came to Dr. Sacks suffering from migraines that kept him from being able to work. Dr. Sacks â€Å"cured† him from the migraines, but the man lost his mathematic creativity in the process. â€Å"Along with the pathology, the creativity disappeared†(Sacks, 1990) Another set of patients that shaped Dr. Sacks ideas were those inflicted with encephalitis lethargica. â€Å"When I came to the hospital, I found some eighty patients who were, for the most part, completely ‘frozen,’ frozen in strange statuesque attitudes-and some of them had been in this state for forty years.†(Sacks, 1990) After experimenting with a new drug called L-DOPA, the patients began to â€Å"awaken† from their frozen state. They could walk, dance, talk just like they had never been frozen. One patient Miron V.(Sacks, 1990) was reunited with his family and allowed to work in the hospital. This ga... Free Essays on Awakening The Self Free Essays on Awakening The Self Awakening the Self Human consciousness, or â€Å"self,† is shaped by our perception of the experiences that we go through on a day-to-day basis. The social theory of symbolic interactionism clearly defines â€Å"self† as just that; our interaction with others and our environment creates a more active human being (Charon, 2001). Renowned author and neurologist Oliver Sacks found that his patients with encephalitis lethargica were â€Å"awakened† by active social interaction. Whether you look at Oliver Sacks’ patients, the symbolic interactionism theory, or my four month old daughter Sasha, our sense of â€Å"self† is shaped by our interaction with others. When Oliver Sacks just began to practice neurology, he had been taught to treat the problem and go on to the next patient. He quickly realized that there was much more to curing a neurological illness. There is a connection between the body and the â€Å"self† that requires healing on both levels. The two parts, body and self, are correlated in ways that may not have been considered. One patient, a mathematician, came to Dr. Sacks suffering from migraines that kept him from being able to work. Dr. Sacks â€Å"cured† him from the migraines, but the man lost his mathematic creativity in the process. â€Å"Along with the pathology, the creativity disappeared†(Sacks, 1990) Another set of patients that shaped Dr. Sacks ideas were those inflicted with encephalitis lethargica. â€Å"When I came to the hospital, I found some eighty patients who were, for the most part, completely ‘frozen,’ frozen in strange statuesque attitudes-and some of them had been in this state for forty years.†(Sacks, 1990) After experimenting with a new drug called L-DOPA, the patients began to â€Å"awaken† from their frozen state. They could walk, dance, talk just like they had never been frozen. One patient Miron V.(Sacks, 1990) was reunited with his family and allowed to work in the hospital. This ga...

Situation Ethics as an ethical theory Essays

Situation Ethics as an ethical theory Essays Situation Ethics as an ethical theory Paper Situation Ethics as an ethical theory Paper Situation ethics is an alternative ethical theory, particularly influential in Protestant Christianity, similar to utilitarianism, in that it is a way a deciding upon the correct action that is to be taken in a given situation, but where happiness has been substituted for love. It does however take an individualistic approach, with the emphasis being upon each person, rather than on looking after the majority, as is the case in utilitarianism. The theory is based on love, and revolves around doing the most loving thing for the greatest number of people. It is teleological which means that is consequential and not based on rules. St. Augustine of Hippo Regius was one of the first to articulate this theory, love and do what you will, however it is more closely associated with Joseph Fletcher. An American professor of ethics, Fletcher developed Situation ethics as a result of his critique of Legalism and Antinomianism. Fletcher disliked like the way in which so many ethical theories, such as utilitarianism, were based upon and around a basic set of rules; that is to say, that they take a legalistic approach. He believed that this was too rigid, and that it did not allow for exceptions. He also firmly disapproved of antinomian approaches where there are not fixed moral principles and where one should act spontaneously, because it Rejects the idea that there are any authoritative laws, rules or regulations that you ought to obey in a decision-making situation. Rejecting these ethical models, he proposed a more relativist version. He circulated this theory in the 1960s, having used his beliefs and concerns to come up with, what he believed, was a fair way of deciding what the right action to take in a situation should be. Instead Fletcher used love as a general rule in decision making; not storge love, to love a country or place; not philia love, to love a family member or friend; and not eros love, to make love and to lust for someone; but instead agape love, unconditional and self-giving love, as is demonstrated by Jesus dying upon the cross. To Fletcher, agape love was fundamentally sacrificing, without any reward or pleasure, as the teachings of Jesus are told in the Bible, and he took a lot of his ideas from this. The quote in Matthew saying, Love your neighbour as you love yourself, epitomises what agape is all about; where agape love is the ultimate duty. He believed that something could be determined as good or evil, depending on whether or not love had been fully served. Fletcher made four presuppositions before setting out his theory: i) Pragmatisim the course of action must work towards an end, where love is that end. ii.) Relativism there are no fixed rules that must be obeyed, but all decisions must be relative to Christian love. Fletcher is quoted as saying, that Situation ethics relativises the absolute, it does not absolutize the relative. iii.) Positivism this can be divided into two categories; natural positivism, where reason deduces faith from natural phenomena or human experience, and theological positivism, where reason works within faith as opposed to being the basis for faith. Though religious knowledge or belief can be approached in either way, people must understand that love is the most important thing. iv.) Personalism situationists put people first, asking what to do to best help them, instead of putting laws first as a legalist would do. Value is only added to something when it is useful to love (working for the sake of persons). In addition to these, Fletcher proposed six fundamental principles: 1.) Only one thing is intrinsically good; namely love: nothing else at all. Love is the only thing that is good in itself, and is good in all situations. In other words, an action is good if it expresses love for others, and bad if it doesnt. 2.) The ruling norm of Christian decision is love: nothing else. You are only required to follow laws, rules and regulations if they serve love, therefore it replaces, and cannot be equalled by, any other law. Good actions should not be done for reward, but for their own sake. 3.) Love and Justice are the same, for justice is love distributed nothing else. Love and justice cannot be serperated from each other, as justice is love at work for the whole community. 4.) [L]ove wills the neighbours good, whether we like him or not. Love is not sentimental or erotic, but driven simply out of desire for the good of the other person. 5.) Only the end justifies the means, nothing else. To ensure that the end is the most loving result by weighing up the consequences of moral actions, we are sure to make the most moral decision. 6.) [L]oves decisions are made situationally, not prescriptively. If an action will bring about an end that serves love most then it is right, and this decision (of which action to take) is made depending on and relative to the situation at hand. 2.) How far does it succeed as a strong ethical theory? For some Christians, Situation ethics appears as the perfect theory, as love is at the heart of the morality, which harmonises with the teachings of Jesus. Even the idea of an act done for love rising in superiority over all rules is supported by Jesus teachings, as he taught Paul that love is the highest principle above the Law. Fletcher argues that, because Christianitys God is a personal one, its moral approach should be centred around human beings too, as opposed to focusing on a worship of laws and principles. Additionally, a key strength this theory possesses is flexibility, and many argue that it allows for pragmatic decisions to be made without having to follow rule-based ethical systems built on absolute commandments, which means that exceptions can be made. For example, Roman Catholics deduce their morality from Natural Moral Law, and believe in the sanctity of life (where life is sacred and must be preserved). Therefore if a terminally ill patient in a hospital desired to be allowed to die to end his suffering, a Roman Catholic would deem this immoral. However someone following the guidelines of Situation Ethics may be able to grant the patient their wish, if it was the most loving thing to do in that situation. However, despite its evident strengths and popularity, Situation ethics has been criticised on a number of important points. Perhaps the most damaging attack is the assessment of this theorys practicality. Fletcher argued that in order to do the most loving thing in every situation we must look at the long term consequences of the options available to us. Unfortunately, this is incredibly difficult; some claim it is impossible. As limited human beings, we are not gifted with perfect foresight. We simply cannot accurately predict the consequences of an action, as there are always a large number of factors, some of which we may even be unaware of, and the required calculations are by and large far too complicated to be done at all, let alone on the spur of the moment in a pressing situation. Some argue that this renders Situation ethics unpractical as an ethical theory. Another devastating attack on Situation ethics is the argument that love is subjective; that it means something different to every individual. What this means, is that in a given situation one person may calculate the most loving thing to do by using Situation ethics, yet another person may perform the same calculations, using exactly the same guidelines and principles, and arrive at a different result. We can also enter into this the actuality that peoples emotions and feelings change daily, so the morals that we hold one day may have changed by the next. The undeniable fact that love does not mean the same thing to everybody calls into question the supposed universality of the theory. In addition to this, Situation ethics can in theory allow acts such as murder, lying, cheating and stealing, for if they were done in the name of love and produced the most love for the community, then by Situation ethics they would be announced morally just. For example, it is generally considered wrong to steal a gun, but if by stealing that gun you prevented the murder of numerous people then your action would be justified, as you had acted in order to serve love. Your theft is non-accountable, as in fact the only accountability in Situation Ethics is whether your actions will result in the highest possible expression on love for others.

Word Choice Stationary vs. Stationery - Proofeds Writing Tips

Word Choice Stationary vs. Stationery - Proofeds Writing Tips Word Choice: Stationary vs. Stationery What do you call a pencil that can’t move? Stationary stationery! If you didn’t find that hilarious, we assume it must be because you’re not sure about the difference between â€Å"stationary† and â€Å"stationery† (we refuse to accept that our puns are inherently unfunny). Why arent you laughing? Is this thing on?(Photo: flickr/Benjamin Ragheb) More seriously, the terms â€Å"stationary† and â€Å"stationery† are commonly confused due to looking so similar on paper. However, since they also refer to completely different things, you need to use them correctly if you’re writing for college or work. Stationary (Not Moving) â€Å"Stationary† is an adjective meaning â€Å"immobile† or â€Å"not moving.† If you’ve ever been to a spinning class at a gym, for example, you’ll have ridden a â€Å"stationary bicycle.† Spinner 1: Are we nearly there yet?Spinner 2: Just shut up and pedal. It can also be used to describe something that can move, but isn’t currently: The driver collided with a stationary vehicle, but nobody was hurt. Another use of â€Å"stationary† is to describe an unchanging condition or quantity, such as in: A stationary population can enhance social stability. In either case, â€Å"stationary† refers to something that doesn’t move. Stationery (Office Materials) The noun â€Å"stationery† refers to office supplies, particularly paper and other writing equipment: We’re running low on stationery, so I’ve ordered paper and toner. It can also be used as an adjective when describing something related to stationery, such as a â€Å"stationery set† (a set of writing equipment) or a â€Å"stationery store† (a shop that sells stationery). Technically, the coffee doesnt count as stationery, even if most office workers would stop functioning without it. Stationary or Stationery? Since one of these terms is spelled with â€Å"-ar-† and the other with â€Å"-er-,† the key thing is remembering which is which. Luckily, this is made easier by the fact that â€Å"paper† is spelled with an â€Å"-er† at the end, as well as being an important office supply: Paper is a type of stationery. As such, if you’re describing something that, like paper, can be found in an office, the correct term will typically be â€Å"stationery.† Otherwise, the right word will be â€Å"stationary.† Remember: Stationary = Not moving Stationery = Office supplies

Childhood obesity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Childhood obesity - Essay Example Obesity as a consequence of reduced physical activities is becoming more and more frequent in the modern world and is increasing at an especially alarming rate in children. Globally 155 million children with ages ranging from 5-17 years are overweight. Lobstein et al. (2004) claimed that of these 155 million children approximately 30-45 million are obese (cited in World Heart Federation 2007). According to our own National Health Service (NHS, England , January 2008) statistics on obesity, physical activity and diet, 16% of children aged from 2-15 are classified as obese. In the under five year old group the figures for 2007 show that there were approximately 22 million overweight children and that roughly 75% of those live in the low-middle income bracket (WHO, 2008). We are creating an increasingly obesogenic environment where this rising trend in obesity may be associated with the increase in: Technologies and affordability of televisions, computers, etc. Fox (2004) suggested that the time spent being physically inactive by playing video-games, watching television and using computers has increased. Transportation has increased allowing little expenditure of calorie intake due to fewer or reduced physical activities (St-Onge et al., 2003). Children are driven to school or use public transport rather than walk as parents are worried by the apparent lack of safety in the communities in which they live (Fox, 2004). In a cross sectional study by Voss et al. (2005), within a cohort of 277 families in Britain 75% of parents with overweight children did not realise that their children were overweight; 33% of mothers and 57% of fathers thought that their children were at the correct weight when they were, in fact, obese. The current school curriculum allows for a minimum of two hours of physical activity per week. 86% of schools in Britain

KFC topic and marketing yes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

KFC topic and marketing yes - Essay Example limited products, though unique, KFC has been impacted by fierce competition from competitors like McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Burger King among others. A close analysis of the case study draws to the conclusion that there is need for KFC to diversify its products while attempting to retain its uniqueness in order to remain viable in the long run. In the early 1950s, Harland Sanders embarked on a franchising strategy which saw KFC rapidly growing in America to become one of the most recognizable brands. Having been taken public and listed on the New York Stock Exchange, KFC grew a strong foothold in the United States which prompted it to venture into international markets. Thus, the major motive behind PepsiCo’s acquisition followed a strong belief that the restaurant industry complemented their business of soft drinks and snacks. It was believed that restaurants increased the number of outlets to sell soft drinks and this would also increase the organisation’s popularity. Given that KFC was an already established business entity in the market, PepsiCo sought to capitalise on this through an acquisition which would sort of transfer all the loyal customers from KFC to them. PepsiCo believed that it could take advantage of the numerous synergies available for operating different businesses under one umbrella name. Management skills could be transferred among three businesses. The company had earlier own acquired Pizza Hut and Taco Bell which were leaders in pizza and Mexican categories which could create a synergy with the chicken brand. These synergies were hoped to create competitive advantage for PepsiCo since it would be operating different lucrative businesses which will help it gain more market shares. It can be seen from the case study that the fast food industry is characterised by stiff competition from other rival competitors. Reynolds and Lancaster (1999) suggest that Porter’s Five Forces Model is an ideal business strategy that is used to analyse

The Issue and Challenge of E-commerce in B2C Business Essay

The Issue and Challenge of E-commerce in B2C Business - Essay Example The example of B2C can be the selling of the shoes to an end customer. Though, buying those shoes from a retailer or buying leather for the shoes refers to B2B. When suppliers cooperate with a business, or wholesalers sell to retailers – these are all the examples of business-to-business activity. We are living in the era of high technologies as well as computerization. No wonder, that approximately 50% of the B2C world turnover can be ascribed to e-commerce. The term refers to any commercial operation that is carried out in the Web. It also pertains to â€Å"any form of business transaction in which the parties interact electronically rather than by physical exchanges or direct physical contact† (Allen, 2001). The procedure of trading on-line is not as easy as it may seem – it covers many rules, activities, laws and creativity. To put it another way e-commerce is a kind of science that is to be studied in order to be effective and bring results. Despite the grow ing popularity of the Internet sales and therefore of e-commerce, the latter has many pitfalls and bottlenecks that can lead to the reduction of the customers’ number. This essay aims to analyse the challenges of e-commerce in B2C. It is very important to investigate this problem since 80% of all operations on-line belong to the B2C ones. The rest 20% make up the wholesale, some financial services, and operations at a Stock Exchange. This topic was chosen because of its importance nowadays and because of its ‘under-research’. It means that not many scientists penetrated into this problem. The first cause for this is the relative youth of the Internet and e-commerce itself. The second reason is that trading on-line, as mentioned above is not considered to be a kind of science in a business world. It is considered to be the way to earn money, or the way to gain new customers. Studying this topic will empower anyone in future to apply this knowledge on practice and carry out the profitable e-commerce. It must be emphasized that e-commerce has become an essential part of B2C, though there are many challenges that are to be taken into account. Notion of B2C â€Å"Business-to-consumer (B2C, sometimes also called Business-to-Customer) describes activities of businesses serving end consumers with products and/or services† (Baker 2010). Speaking about selling through the Internet it is to be mentioned that here B2C means selling goods that are bought by a customer for his own use. The brightest example of e-commerce B2C in the Internet is the site of Amazon. It is the electronic bookstore that was founded in 1995 and since that time became the world main book retailers. Others examples of B2C on-line can include traveling services, web-money, real-estates services and any information that can be used by a customer. Such sites as Facebook, Tweeter and others also represent the example of B2C. They do not sell anything but suggest communication on-line that is also consumed by a customer. E-commerce has not always been as effective as it is now. In 2000 when the company Nasdaq, that maintained the majority of on-line operations failed, the most of the e-commerce firms had to do away with their selling on-line. They had to shift to a more traditional way of carrying out B2C activity. That year some experts claimed that e-commerce would never restore its reputation since it endangered the private information about the clients. Despite the

Management and Organisational Behaviour Assignment

Management and Organisational Behaviour - Assignment Example A myriad of factors which contribute to chaos in an organisational setup and tarnish OB will also be identified. High absenteeism rate and rotten work attitudes are among the basic factors for polluting an organisation’s environment and stem from negative OB. On the other hand, involvement of staff in the change process amidst other steps can foster a culture that has a high rate of workers’ satisfaction and will to achieve big feats. For this purpose, this report will stress a deep understanding of OB in relevance to job satisfaction, motivation and work attitudes by taking example of Apple Inc.2.0 How Influential Are Motivation and Job Satisfaction in Directing OB?It is an undeniable reality that a motivated and satisfied workforce is a critical asset for any organisation (Chen 2010, p. 66). Such a workforce helps in sustaining the richness of OB yielding multiple benefits for a business. Numerous grave repercussions in reference to OB start dominating the scene when nonchalant managers do not make wise investments in inculcating a sense of organisational commitment in the employees (Perry 2010). In contrast, motivated employees are more satisfied with their jobs, are happier personally, and show a staggering tendency to improve their organisation’s productivity. It is because of the highly deterministic role played by job satisfaction and motivation that leaders and managers should invest more time in implementing various valuable theories of OB to steer the workforce in the right direction. The type of attitudes employees have towards work and how content they are speaks a lot about how likely are any infringements on OB. 3.0 How Successful Is Apple Inc. in Terms of Workers’ Attitudes and Job Satisfaction? Apple Inc. is a well-reputed and widely popular example of OB management done right because this large business organisation has made significant contributions to making employees feel included and valued at the workplace. Foun ded in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, this company originally only specialised in personal computers (Harrigan 2003, p. 258) but due to constant hard work and never undermining emotional and psychological needs of its employees, it soon became a symbol of sophistication and one of the most influential names on the face of Earth. A good