Descartes Sixth Meditation Essay -- essays research papers

In his sixth meditation must return to the doubts he raised in his first meditation. In this last section of his sixth meditation he deals mainly with the mind-body problem; and he tries to prove whether material things exist with certainly. In this meditation he develops his Dualist argument; by making a distinction between mind and body; although he also reveals their rather significant relationship. Primarily he considers existence of the external world and whether our experience hold knowledge of this world or whether this knowledge is merely an illusion. He makes it quite clear how misleading some of external sensations can be. We are never sufficiently aware of subjectivity of our own thought and senses. The only thing we directly experience is the nature of our own ideas and we do not realise how our own appreciation of certain concepts may be very different from the objective character of the external world. Descartes takes a look at memory, imagination, hallucination, dreams, predictions, etc. which he calls our (sensory awareness) as these are part of the way we perceive the external world, he doubts at first that any of these internal experience holds any truth or existence. As he is very sceptical he raises the problem whether any of these given experiences contain truth or objectivity at all. Since we never have the chance to stand outside our own perception, it is imp ossible to contrast it with the external world. Descartes is hopeful to prove subsistence of the external world (physical objects located in space), and so he returns to a very basic stage and acknowledges the existence of minds as an immaterial substance and God. He then accepts that matter exists as long as it is not a projection of his own mind or God. As Descartes previously established the existence of God as a perfect being, he therefore has concluded that God is not a deceiver. This very clear concept leads him to accept his clear and distinct sensory experiences are a result of external objects of material nature. Once these corporeal things (objects of a tangible, material nature) can be considered as self-evident ideas, they can no longer be products of the mind or God. Right in the beginning Descartes makes a very clear distinction between imagination intellectual thought. He states that intellectual thought is abstract and without shape, Descartes would call it e... ...ares this mind-body relationship with a pilot in his ship, as they are two very close entities, although the body cannot exist without the mind, like the mind can without its extension. Descartes sixth very conclusive meditation has similarly to the first very basic concepts. What makes Descartes meditations so remarkable is his methodological approach to his philosophy. He starts right at the foundation of knowledge building his own basis and thoroughly working himself upward. Even though some of his thoughts are slightly contradictory he still manages to make them plausible, and one can accept certain incongruities as one considers the time and social structure he was living in. I believe the fact that Descartes returns to the doubts raised in the first meditation bring more sense to the rest of the five writings and in a way holds them together. He very effectively uncovers his dualist ideas but he does not exaggerate or make them absurd as he also continually reminds us of the great importance of the mind and body relationship. Most importantly he proves his existence and the existence of others which is considered as one of the main problems all philosophers are faced with.

The darkness of man’s heart in “Lord of the Flies” Essay

To â€Å"explore the darkness of man’s heart† is one of the key themes in William Golding’s novel Lord of the flies. As the boys on the island regress from well-behaved, well-mannered children aching for rescue to cruel, bloodthirsty hunters who have no desire to return to civilization, the boys naturally lose their sense of innocence that they possessed at the beginning of the novel. This novel is about young English boys Marooned on an uninhabited island, with no adult supervision, forcing them to create their own â€Å"civilization†. Three key ideas of darkness of mans heart are loss of innocence, characters and symbolism. Golding also suggests that every person has the evil within them and often it takes a special event to these things to materialize Paragraph 1- Loss of innocence Golding highlights darkness of mans heart by showing the boy’s loss of innocence. One of the key quotes to describe â€Å"Darkness of mans heart† is â€Å"Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of a true, wise friend called Piggy†. This quote is at the end of the novel where the boys encounter the Naval officer, who appears out of nowhere to rescue them. When ralph sees the officer he realizes that he is now safe and will be returned to â€Å"actual civilization†. Ralph understands he has lost his innocence and learned about the evil that loiters within all human beings. In the Novel Golding does not expose this loss of innocence as something the children have done but he implies that the loss of innocence comes naturally. It is ironic how the boys become evil savage and cruel to each other creating a war just like the one they have fled from. Agnolishes Paragraph 2- Characters Golding explores the darkness of mans heart by showing the good of young English boys then he shows how â€Å"how every person has a dark side†. The boys naturally lose the sense of innocence that they possessed at the beginning of the novel. Ralph, the novels protagonist, is a 12-year-old boy who is elected leader on the island. Ralph tries to create a civilization though- the boys are not co-operating and tension rises. Ralph loses his belief in the innocence of humanity, because he himself does not commit any immoral act, from memory. Whereas Ralph and Jack stand at different ends of the â€Å"battlefield† between civilization and savagery. Paragraph 3- Symbolism Darkness of mans heart can be interpreted in the novel by using symbolism. â€Å"Lord of the flies† is the bloody, severed sow’s head that jack spears in the forest glade as an offering to the beast. This symbol becomes the most significant image in the novel when Simon confronts the sow’s head in the glade and it speaks to him. Telling him that the evil lies within every human heart. Lord of the Flies biblical meaning is named â€Å"Beelzebub, a powerful sometimes thought to be the devil himself. Golding uses Piggy’s violent death symbolically to represent an end to civilization and order on the island. Roger, the symbol of evil, releases the giant boulder that smashes the conch and kills Piggy his death is incredibly symbolic, especially in the way he dies being smashed by a boulder is not only an extremely violent way to die, but it is also senseless and meaningless. The moment is a snapshot for the most important theme of the novel Darkness of mans he art and savagery. Conclusion: William Golding novel has successful portrayed the darkness of mans heart through these key points, Loss of innocence

Is Love More Powerful Than Hate? Essay

In our brains love and hate are right next to each other, but which one is more powerful? Hate, makes people physically aggressive, unreasonable, consequently very dangerous but in order to hate you have to love, first. You might say you hate someone without even knowing them, but how do you know you hate them? Do you have a reason to hate them? Maybe not or maybe yes. But if you do hate them then that means you once loved them and even if you hate them you still care about them and still care about their feelings. You might say I hate you to everyone but hate is a strong word and you might hurt their feelings, so you have to think before I say â€Å"I hate you†. Do you really mean it? Or are you saying it just to hurt their feelings? If you’re saying it to hurt their feelings it’s because you care about their feelings and you don’t hate them, you love them. Love can also be dangerous because love can lead to hate. For example, when you’re on a relationship and the guy finds out you’re cheating on him, if he loves you so much he’ll probably get very angry and ager leads to hate, or he’ll let it go. In depends on the person. Everyone has a different meaning for love and hate. Hate is destructive, not powerful. Love can destruct hate. But can hate destruct love? No, because love can heal the hate that you have for that person. Hate might be dangerous but it’s not powerful, how do you know you hate someone? In your brain, the feeling, love and hate are right next to each other so you can’t tell if what you are doing is for love or because you could do something you think is for love but really is for hate or the other way around. But again if you hate someone that means you once loved them and you can heal the hate that you have for them, so in my opinion love is more powerful than hate.

The Theory of Plato’s Ideas

Does Plato Believe There can ever be a Just Society In answering this question I first need to describe what a just society would consist of. A perfect state can only be lead under perfect conditions. Civil Society would be a better name for this state. A just state would be made up of three parts. First, a state is a structure with parts that work together like an organism. If the parts do not work well together then the whole thing breaks down. It must have virtues, voices, it can be wise and brave. The state must have everyone performing there jobs to their best ability. For a state to be just the people within the state must also be just. A man is just when he has a well ordered soul because then you will do the right thing by performing good and just actions. A soul must be allowed to perform its proper function. In a state you cannot define justice by a man because a man can decay into ugliness. Instead you must define justice based on forms. Plato says that the forms are eternal and ever lasting. What constitutes an unjust society is a lack of knowledge. So ignored to create a just society we must educate people. The society must be well rounded in their education for if they are not they will have problems in society. A society must be fit, participation in athletics, they need to be sensitive to prose poetry, and have knowledge of mathematics and science. Education can not be on specialties, but everything mind, spirit, and body. Having a well rounded education will help people to communicate in all areas. The more you know in many different areas the better over all communication a society has. One of the reason there are inequalities in a society is due to lack of knowledge. Everyone in the society must to some extent be a philosopher because they seek education and knowledge. A just society must also have a just ruler. A just ruler would need to be a philosopher, he would have to offer honest leadership which reflects the will and knowledge of society. A perfect society must have temperance, knowledge, and wisdom. In justices occur because of a lack of knowledge resulting in greed. In order to get rid of injustice everyone in the society must be educated starting at birth. Women and men need to be equally educated in a well rounded fashion in order to promote a just society. In asking if this society could ever work the answer is no. The only way it could work is if all of society is willing to accept knowledge and work hard for education. Even though there is no such thing as a truly unjust society a totally just society will never happen until people are willing to work for it. Another reason there can never be a perfectly just society is because everyone†s perception of just is different. We know that the idea of justice is there, but to explain it to where everyone agrees to the idea would be hard to achieve. However, in trying to find true justice the society becomes stronger and more just. Expressing individuality that benefits or hurts a society however, reflects assertiveness, incentive, thought, and creativity, which strengthens the society. If a society ever got to the point of being just, the society would no longer have greed, drive for a better life, it would not have poverty or wealth. The society would just stop. There would be no more invention, growth, or change. The only change from Plato†s time to ours is technology. We are still searching for the perfect government, the question of who is better than who is still asked, and education is still a major principle to whether or not you are successful.

Homework Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 20

Homework - Assignment Example 33. Matter on earth is constantly raising where by pressure increases as it is exerted. The geometry axis of the earth is forced to be flat creating a pull that is gravitational. The pull is a continuous one on matter that is on the universe. 34. The law of Harmonies gives a clear connection between the period of the planets and distance of the same planets from the sun. The relationship is that the square of the periods is equal to the cubes of the distance. Having a distance P=10, the period will be identified by making P to be the subject of the formulae. By replacing the distance with 10, the period will be a square root of 1000. 35. By the definition of the universe, the universe is understandable. The feelings experienced o the universe is connected to the harmony. The universe is well understood from the naturally elements are able to move up and down making other substances to be lighter while others are heavy. 36. The moving bodies have nature and destiny thus entail a natural way of lines that are moving. Therefore, there are various circular motions which lead to a corresponding substance during the moving. Moreover, the substances should be qiute perfect and well exalted. Basically, it is the main reason why the stars are perfectly and systematically exalted. 37. With respect to galaxy formation, various masses and forces are experienced during the process. Therefore, in relation to galaxies cluster, the mismatch occurs between the mass of the galaxies and the masses of gravity thus enhancing the masses and forces brought about by the dark matter. 38. Moreover, the experienced process is known as the Big Bang nucleosynthesis. Despite light elements existence, heavier ones in comparison to hydrogen also exist. Therefore, a function of density is created. In addition, there is an involvement of changes in the core of the mantles at the earth. The core fuses hence enhancing the atomic weight increase. 39. The reason

Arsenic in Groundwater in Eastern New England Research Proposal

Arsenic in Groundwater in Eastern New England - Research Proposal Example In eastern New England, the high concentrations of Arsenic occur in groundwater. Several researches have established that underground water contains arsenic due to bedrock geology (Environmental Science and Technology, 2006). A sample of 790 groundwater test samples from bedrocks within Maine and Augusta revealed that 31 of the samples contain arsenic greater than 10 milligrams per litre. High amount of geogenic arsenic within subsurface water in eastern New England has generated a lot of public health concern within US and the entire world. With a population of approximately 103, 000 majority of the inhabitant have private wells that supply drinking water. A large proportion of these wells have not complied with the requirement of Maximum Containment Level (MCL), which is 10 ÃŽ ¼g/L worldwide (De, Belkin & Lima, 2008). This situation increases exposure of the people using water from these wells to arsenic element. In this scenario, anthropogenic activities such as lumbering, use of pesticides and manufacturing contribute immensely to high levels of the element in groundwater (Henke, 2009). The private well owners by not complying with the MCL recommendations contribute to high increase in arsenic in drinking water drawn from the wells. However, drinking water drawn from unconsolidated aquifers contains less concentration of arsenic. Naturally, unconsolidated sedimentary rocks as well as bedrock aquifers contain arsenic. High concentrations of the chemicals are in glacial, alluvial, and volcanic basins occupied by sedimentary aquifers. In most instances, high concentrations of arsenic in groundwater occur due to geologic units in earth. These include Eliot formation, Berwick Formation, Rangeley Formation, and Ayer granodiorite (De, Belkin & Lima, 2008). Consequently, wells lying on metasedimentary bedrocks in New Hampshire and Maine produce water with the highest

DHT2 capstone Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

DHT2 capstone - Research Paper Example When blood sugar levels rise, risk of infection increases, and organs can fail. Morbidity and mortality result. Careful glycemic control is crucial to a diabetic’s survival and recovery. Nurses can take the lead in improving the implementation of ICU clinical protocol, and their critical thinking skills are invaluable for determining such protocol (Plost, Nelson, 2007, p 155). What obstacles prevent ICU nurses from full compliance with protocol for glycemic control during the first 48 hours of a diabetic patient’s stay in the ICU, and what steps will raise compliance? A2.Participants The participants in this study are registered nurses with bachelor’s degrees and at least two years of experience in the ICU, and they work together in the ICU of a community hospital. Most work full time, but several are part time. Nurses with less than two years of experience in the ICU are excluded. They range in age from 25 to 59; older nurses have been in the ICU for decades and younger ones seem poised for long careers, as well. Such longevity produces expertise, but also precludes innovation. These nurses come from different nationalities and ethnicities. Although their educational level are similar, their learning styles differ markedly. Also, what motivates each of them has an impact on the implementation of protocol. They have not been involved in developing protocol. The researcher observed a lack of compliance with protocol for glycemic control in the ICU. B1. B . Outline the problem: During the first 48 hours after ICU admittance, patients have poor glycemic control because the policy and protocol for blood glucose monitoring is not followed. In this community hospital, it has been observed the patients’ blood glucose level during the first 48 hours of their admission is high and is not being managed according to the national standard. The main problem is to identify the reasons nurses do not comply with the treatment plan. What causes nurse s to not follow the protocol? And how can we improve the compliance? B3.Causes of the problem Compliance with new legislation costs money. Examining and tracking the quality of care is a financial concern. In facilities with strict budgetary restraints like this one, pressures are enormous to delay or deny compliance. The facilities many not be able to comply in every aspects of patient’s care. This ICU does not have an internal audit nurse which could have been befitted to compliance program. Before something has become a clinical concern, compliance programs are especially ineffective. â€Å" The better trained the staff, the better the quality of care and the more compliant a facility will be (Abell,T,2011)†. All staff members need to respect compliance with regulations, a fact which is not observed in this ICU. Staff nurses are not sure if the protocol and previous training they have received was effective. How was the follow up? Staff is not aware of any. This ICU must ensure qualified educators are performing the training, and the protocol has to take into account the nurses’ level and the needs of the community. Interventions always have to be meaningful which is not observed in this ICU. Another concern nurses feel is that they are very busy in ICU with the acute care needs of the patient; there is not enough time, or not enough staff. Nurses believe