LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL, the trial and death of socrates book Essay

LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL, the trial and death of socrates book - Essay Example t or wrong - acting the part of a good man or of a bad.† (Plato, 48) Socrates believed that danger and fear of death are irrelevant from a moral standpoint and he provides significant illustrations from the Greek epics, suggesting that Achilles never had any thought of death and danger. A man ought to remain in the place which he has chosen or that in which he has been placed by a commander at hour of danger and he should not think of death or of anything, except about disgrace or shame. Socrates condemns danger and fear of death as the source of all unwise deeds and they lead one to disgraceful or shameful deeds in life. â€Å"For this fear of death is indeed the pretence of wisdom, and not real wisdom, being the appearance of knowing the unknown; since no one knows whether death, which they in their fear apprehend to be the greatest evil, may not be the greatest good. Is there not here conceit of knowledge, which is a disgraceful sort of ignorance?† (Plato, 49) In shor t, Socrates provides convincing description and illustrations for the â€Å"virtuous life†, danger and fear of death, and â€Å"shame†. According to Socrates, the laws of Athens will be damaged if he escapes his death sentence and he provides striking reasons for claiming so. Socrates believes that a State cannot subsist and be overthrown, if the decisions of law have no power, but are set aside and overthrown by individuals. Every citizen of Athens, especially a clever rhetorician as Socrates, should have a good awareness of the evil of setting aside the law which requires a sentence to be carried out. Socrates believes that he has been in an important contract or agreement with the laws of Athens according to which he should abide by the sentence of the State. Thus, he fears the contempt of the state for not obeying this contract. â€Å"Tell us what complaint you have to make against us which justifies you in attempting to destroy us and the State? †¦ Has a philosopher like you failed to discover

Indias Participation in Global Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Indias Participation in Global Economy - Essay Example The Indian society is now subject to western imperialism and quite a distinct reflection of the western culture, styles, and language and business activity. The economic environment of India, after the reforms has predominantly changed from socialist policies to more liberal policies, facilitating an expansion of international trade. Some cultural values are very strongly established amongst the Indian workforce and may deter further expansion of international trade but Indian culture is one of business orientation because of its historical significance and industrial background and thus strongly supports trade activity. Yet there remain some economic challenges that may deter further growth of the economy. These include an inadequate infrastructure to support a growth rate of 8%. With so much international pressures to quality conformance and timely production, India must invest in up gradation of its ports, rail networks, roads, and power and water supplies. Hence, in order for Ind ia to capitalise on its economic benefits, it must overcome these economic challenges and increase its international market presence by developing indigenous brands and thus expanding international trade. 1.Problem Identification and Analysis With the highest population in the world of about 1.1 billion, second largest to China, India has made its way amongst the world’s leading economies in the year 2007. ... ccording to the World Bank Report, its economic growth rate was 8%, close to 10.4% of China, despite the high dependence of its economy on the agricultural sector (World Bank 2004). Recently the economy has moved towards massive production orientation in the manufacturing sector and there has been an observable proliferation of information technology and telecommunications. It is the augmentation within this sector, the software companies and call centres that have fuelled the economic growth in India. India has developed the right infrastructure to facilitate this rapid economic growth through development of an educated, English speaking workforce and thus has become a hub for outsourcing for large multinationals and overseas services to US companies (Banik 2007). Many companies like Ford Motors, General Motors and software companies have subcontracted their business services including customer service support, business support and troubleshooting computers, to this sector of Asia. Moreover, the country also has some skilled personnel to conduct customer surveys and research that provides the foundation for its international trade. Many companies are considering outsourcing their most expensive marketing process that is research, to the low cost researchers in India (Suresh 1999). The main reason that has fuelled this structural change is the emergence of a class characterised with young business professionals. It is also the culture of the country that promotes diligence, struggle and goal orientation (Kumar and Agarwal, Liberalization, Outward Orientation and In-house R&D activities of multinationals and local firms 2000). Therefore, the impact of globalization has been tremendous on Indian economy. With more and more companies looking to outsource in attempt to

Gymnastic Techniques Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gymnastic Techniques - Essay Example Many components work together to make a gymnastic composition successful. An element is the shortest gymnastic exercise that is complete ((Jastrjembskaia, Titov 1999 pg 4). Each element consists of different movements of some of the various body parts (movements may be with or without apparatus). A movement is change in the orientation or position of the whole body or one of its parts. In a competition, judges judge each element according to some characteristics. These characteristics include originality, degree of difficulty, virtuosity of performance and mastery Each element technique has its own basis which includes the movements of the exercise and which distinguish an element from other elements (Jastrjembskaia, Titov 1999 pg 4). The basis of an element technique develops from independent preparatory, main and finishing phases. In the preparatory phase, all the body movements of the technique are involved in preparing a way for the main phase. For instance, a gymnast needs a preparatory phase to attain good speed or rotary motion to throw an apparatus. The main phase of the element includes all the movements performed according to the objective of the element (Jastrjembskaia, Titov 1999 pg 6). For instance if a gymnast is about to perform jump or leap the main objective is the gymnast's flight. If a gymnast is about to throw an apparatus then the main objective is the apparatus's flight. In finishing phase, a gymnast completes the objective he started in the main phase. The gymnast also changes his direction or speed of motion in this ph ase. For instance, in order to land from a leap, a gymnast in finishing phase stops his momentum and speed that he needed to make the leap. Spondylolisthesis among GymnastsYoung female gymnasts engaged in training and practice all year round place excessive demand on their back all year round. In a study, on one hundred female gymnasts, incidence of pars intercularis defect was four times higher than the incidence of 2.3% reported in general female Caucasian population (Jackson, Wiltse and Cirincione, 1976, pg 68). In another study young female Caucasian volunteers participated that represented their different teams in gymnastic competition from national to international levels (Jackson, Wiltse and Cirincione, 1976, pg 68). In the study, a questionnaire answered by each girl listed her height, weight, hours of practice per week and years in competition. In this study, eleven of one hundred females evaluated had bilateral L5 intercularis defects (Jackson, Wiltse and Cirincione, 1976, pg 68) Six of these had first-degree spondylolisthesis of L5 on S1. Eighty-nine had no pars intercularis defect. Of these eighty-nine girls, nineteen had an episode of back pain signinificant enough to interfere with their training. In the group of girls with spondylolisthesis, six of the eleven had prior back pain (Jackson, Wiltse and Cirincione, 1976, pg 68) . The girls with pars defects described their pain as dull aching and cramping. It was persistent and usually not related to specific injury but was aggravated markedly by activities like hyperextension (Jackson, Wilt

Initiation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Initiation - Essay Example Theseus sends his illegitimate son, Hippolytus to live in Troezen with his great-grandfather where he expected his stepson to inherit the rule of Troezen. Hippolytus only worshipped Artemis, the goddess of hunt, and failed to acknowledge the other gods. This angered the other gods in particular Aphrodite, the goddess of love. As a result Aphrodite plots Hippolytus’s death by making Phaedra, his step-mother, to fall in love with him (Gieseler 17). Aphrodite causes Phaedra to desire Hippolytus but her stepson is chaste. Hippolytus refuses the advances of his stepmother, who ultimately commits suicide because of this rejection. In her suicide letter to her husband Theseus, Phaedra accuses his stepson of raping her. After reading the paper, Theseus curses his stepson and the curse ultimately leads to his death. Hippolytus as a prince was expected to undergo an initiation process in order to become a member of Pandion’s land. It was during this solemn mystic rite event that her stepmother, Phaedra notices him and develops intimate feelings for him; influenced by the power of Aphrodite In the mythological essence, Hippolytus has no major character flaw that might make him the protagonist of this poem. His only mistake is turning down the advances of his stepmother, in a bid to stick to his chaste principles. His death is tragic, in the very least, but he lacks a major character flaw that led to the downfall of renowned protagonists such as Brutus (Gieseler 24). His father, on the other hand, is blinded by revenge and curses his son. Hippolytus is cursed by people he dearly loved, Theseus, for a sin he never committed. The death of Hippolytus does not fit death of a child motif. His father asked, â€Å"Woe is me! Is it a child’s life death robs me of?† (Gieseler 21). Death of a child motif is always applicable when a child dies without his or her parents’ involvement. However, in the play, Theseus’s curse on his son leads to his death. Hippolytus

Problems and Prospects of Global Governance Regime in Migration Essay

Problems and Prospects of Global Governance Regime in Migration - Essay Example The paper tells that the usage of the term global governance is quite complex. In modern international relations, the policy as well as the academic origins of the term merged substantially. It has been noted that the definition of the term global governance, the degree of governance, what it controls and how, tend not to be explicit in the increasing literature on the subject. Global governance has been created in response to the evolution of trans-boundary issues. There are numerous issues which tend to be trans-boundary to an extent since the characteristic of the problem is one that goes beyond the borders and thus cannot be dealt with by a single state acting in remoteness. A few of the significant trans-boundary issues are climate alteration, transmissible diseases, international trade, terrorism and transitional crime. States have tried to create forms of institutionalised international cooperation in order to address the problems. Globalisation, because of rising trans-bounda ry interconnectivity, has developed a growing requirement for governance that goes beyond the nation-state. The requirement for global governance is related with globalisation and the need to state cross-border spill-overs as well as externalities. However, one of the modern expressions of globalisation has been international migration. By its definition, it is considered as a trans-boundary problem which is not possible for the states to address individually. It has not been successful at creating a rational, multilateral global governance framework. (Dito, 2000). Global migration governance is based upon variety of formal as well as informal institutions which operate at numerous levels of governance. It is worthy of noticing the fact that the institutions that control states’ responses to human trafficking as well as smuggling are not alike the states that tend to monitor responses to skilled labour migration. In each class of migration, there is multifaceted range of regi onal, inter-regional, and bilateral agreements with distinct level of governance possessing greater significance with regards to certain categories of migration in comparison to others (Dito, 2000). Migration Defined Internationally According to the United Nations’ (UN) suggestions in the data related to international migration, an international migrant is someone who alters his or her home country. When a person does this for at least one year, then such person is known as long-term migrant. On the other hand, a short-term migrant is someone who tends to alter his or her country and moves to another country for a time frame of as a minimum three months, however below a year, except in cases where the movement to that particular country is for recreation, business, visiting friends and relatives or religious pilgrimage. The characteristics of the duration measures the period of the

Civil Rights vs Public Order Essay Example for Free

Civil Rights vs Public Order Essay Civil Rights means that people have the right to be treated no better or no worse than any other of their fellow citizens. It is the rights to personally liberty for everyone. Most importantly, it’s their freedom. Here in recent years, we have been giving up many of our civil rights in the name of public order. I’m going to present evidence to back up my opinion. Whereas I must first define what public order is. Public order is the idea that everyone in the public behaves themselves. It’s the lack of crimes being committed and everybody obeying the laws and rules. Public order itself means everything is safe and secure. This in itself is a great thing, but at what cost? My example would have to be 9/11 and the after effects of terrorist threats. Our nation was attacked by terrorists that had hijacked airplanes. Flights are grounded for a while after this event. Flights once again resume. Every so often, there is a threat of terrorism involving an airplane. To maintain public order in the airports and on the planes themselves, new rule about flying had to be implemented. Airport security now has the power to see inside of our clothing, they get can conduct the most invasive of searches, and can even pull you out at random for additional screening. In the wake of these events, many people have been outraged about all of the invasive procedures they need to undergo just to make a flight to see someone. This has also affected the sale of airline tickets, as a lot of people are no longer willing to put up with it in order to fly. Many civil rights taken away right there in the name of safety. My opinion on this matter is actually quite simple. I honestly believe things were better in a pre 9/11 world. Flying used to be such a great experience. Not only has security changed, but what you can and can’t take on board an airplane has as well. They want to pull out things as harmless as video games, cigarettes, and a bottle of water. Our society functions a lot better when it didn’t have to be constantly watched.

An Individuals Identity Is Formed By Society Media Essay

An Individuals Identity Is Formed By Society Media Essay An individuals identity is formed by society in which media plays a predominant role. There is a daily interactive relationship between the subject and the object, that is, human agents and the conditions of their subsistence, respectively. Theories of the individual emphasize on differences between people and deem these differences as natural. Individuals are constituted as the possessors of positions throughout the effects of social relations. Alternatively, other theories of the topic concentrate on peoples general experiences in society through watching TV, surfing the internet or reading the newspaper. It is these general experiences that are the most significant way of distinguishing who we are. Thus, subject identity is a social construction, not an ordinary one. When we connect with the media, we act and are acted upon, use and are used by the system. Ideology is not precise, but implicit in images, structures, and sign systems evident in the media which task is to establish the individuals as subjects. We have social identities conferred unto us, mainly through the mass media. For example, take the popular medium of magazines. Magazines are an easy way of targeting the exact audience that has been set out to be. This is important as not only are individuals capable to choose which magazine they would desire to read but they are also capable of utilizing it to assemble their own identity. One of the most outstanding images found in magazines is that of the thin and beautiful model, numerous females would glance at these images as a source of inspiration as to what their bodies should look like and would think that they were inadequate if they do not look like the models featured. For example a perfume by Giorgio Armani called Sensi, saying that I sense, therefore I am and a model lying across a table giving the impression that one must need this perfume in their everyday life, and the emphasis on womens fragrance. Our society today has been affected in such a materialistic world that it is so easy for advertisers to promote any old debris and still be assured that consumers will buy into it, regardless of the cost of the product. The media has us brain washed very well, and know how and what to promote to us in a very effective way. It is through the modern media apparatus that people achieve a sense of identity. There is no doubt that contemporary media is a culture possessed with the self. Via the mass media we are told ways in which to develop the self. We buy books, read articles in the newspaper, and we watch lifestyle programs. The mass media supply us with the talent to transform, create, re-create and mass produce identity. The media permits us to transform the very way we think of ourselves, for that reason it allows us to become and be seen the way we desire to be. A popular contemporary medium for transformation is found in the ability of an individual to build a web page on the internet. It offers a unique opportunity to write ones self on a global stage and for the author to believe about their identity. Generating such pages offers an exceptional chance for self-presentations in relation to several dimensions of social and individual identity to which one chooses to allude. We seek to be as straightforward as we would like to present ourselves to the human race. This technology is greatly about viewing ourselves a certain way, as it is about having other people view us. By abstracting oneself onto a web page, one sets a target to which one must stand true. It is understandable that due to the contemporary media with which we engage it is more likely that instead of achieving, experiencing and learning our identity, we are more likely to purchase and use our identity. Since personality is largely a subject of outward behavior and appearance, individuals begin to use consumption as a means of creating a social self. Thus identity becomes constructed, rather then exposed and variable, rather than preset. A fundamental support in the construction of identity is fashion. The problem with this type of construction is that by dressing a certain way, the fashion industry offers a new you. In acquiring certain styles of fashion and particular brands, people consequently relate themselves with the meanings embedded in those goods. These modified meanings thereby become piece of the perceived self. It creates a fake ideology, a mask for one in which one can change who they are by means of changing the way they dress. For example, Jerry Seinfeld i s backing up American Express Michael, Paul Reiser wants you to use ATT, and Jordan is selling you Gatorade. Why do these famous stars emerge on commercials and show up in ads? The idea is to subliminally give the product traits that it never even deserves, like wealth, fame, and even success. When you see Michael Jordan drink that Gatorade and then go for a 360 slam-dunk, they desire you to think that, Hey maybe if I drink Gatorade, I can turn into as great a basketball player as Michael Jordan. Now when you see someone like Jerry Seinfeld with American Express, they want you to think, If somebody as prestigious and successful as Jerry Seinfeld adores American Express, then it MUST be a great card to have. Besides the less obvious, there is just the fact that someone needs a famous celebrity to present and sell their product, rather than some ordinary person who holds no social figure in society. Society and mass media are primarily split between different desires, interests, and engagements, and so is the subject. There is an essential lack between personal identity and identification with the mass media: a gap that prevents identification from ending up in a state of clean identity. Identity is a case of building and articulation because as individuals we do not have a definite position in our social structure. We create identity in relation to those surrounding us and much of the cause for our own uncertainty about our identity is because the nature of society is endlessly changing. As beings that innately desire to be accepted, the way in which other people view and judge us has become of great importance. Hence as individual we all try to be as well as manage to conform to the ideas extended by the media. This is due to the detail that there is a need to feel part of a group, a want to feel as though one belongs, and to improve ones identity in the eyes of others. Studies report that communication allows young people to facilitate social involvement and thereby make a recognizable identity. Contemporary society and mass media produces the end of the individual, and encourages conformity. The mass media are responsible for brain washing the people of the paradox, your identity is only individual when it is the same as everybody else. The media operates as a needle which injects attitudes, ideas, and beliefs into the viewers who as a defenseless mass have little choice but to be influenced. As an outcome identities are assembled from the material generated by the media. The mass media establishments do have the authority to set the agenda, to select, to frame, to classify and to define appropriate issues. Consequently, media communication is a prearranged activity, which frames the social reality in accordance with the dominant ideology. The meanings that are collected from the media do not have to be final but are open to refashioning and reshaping. Ultimately we only get to choose from a selected few issues which reflect the interests of capitalists and large corporations. It is from these narrow issues that an individual assembles their identity. Certain standards and ideologies are imposed unto us, with no opposing views to counteract their influence. Thus, we can only illustrate from the cultural collection accessible to us. Mass communication can influence cognitive change amongst individuals, mentally order and manage the world for us and also plainly create conflict or violence between people in society. Therefore, authorities or interest groups who have enormous control on media especially the government, newspaper and television program producers need a proper consideration for media use as well as being accountable for consequences. Evidently the modern media penetrates everything that we bump into in our everyday life. The author of Understanding Power the Indispensable Chomsky, Chomsky showed how the conventional press is run by the political economy and how the spectator is made into a pawn. The author constructs a propaganda model in which he exposes how the government exploits the media to implement control over the people. The mass media, therefore, is a business tool that is used to program the population. The spectator is told what kind of desire he/she must have. The messages we obtain are selective, diverse, and contradictory. It is through the magazines, television, news papers and the internet that, at its disposal, society has a great deal of resources accessible to them. There is no such thing as a set identity; it is negotiable and constantly being altered in order to keep up with the altering nature of society as identity is assembled in relation to others. The media supplies us with tools, allowing us to develop into the person we want to be, and fit in with those around us. In my opinion media is a reflection of society, not the other way around. So if we want to really deal with violence, we should to start with ourselves, not with the media that is basically showing us the world as it is. You cant blame TV and music for all the unconstructive things that people do. Its the persons responsibility to be interpreting the message the correct way. You cant deny the fact that media does project wrong images towards young people but its how they interpret the messages and act in response to them thats important. Parents should explain to their kids that most of the stuff on TV is fictional. The majority of us watch TV; but most for people, these messages and images do not elicit nor drive impulsive behavior. However, because media has a huge impact on society, whatever is displayed and conveyed has a great effect on people, especially on younger minds. I think that violence and sex on TV and in music is used as the lone scapegoat as crime arises. The crime can only be blamed on the individual. Eminem and Marilyn Manson have the right to speak what they wish, people have the right to listen or not listen. But, no one has the right to murder. And if someone does commit murder, I dont think music, or violence that they see or listen to can or should be solely responsible for their crime. Is censorship the response to the problem of violent entertainment? Should we tell people what they can or cant read or watch? The simple respond to this question is no, we cant censor violent entertainment. Because of freedom of speech but there is a fair ratings system which works most of the time. Rappers, writers, performers, and singers write based on their life and what has gone on in it. A rapper raps with reference to poverty, shootings, and robberies, why? Because thats what the majority of them lived through. Eminem raps about things that board his nerves. Why? Because he lives with those feelings and emotions. People who use these artists as reasons to be brutal are wrong. Music and TV do not commit crime its the society and the people themselves. Thus I believe that although the media plays an essential role in defining who we are and establishing our identities, it does not govern our actions. 1. Parenti, Michael. Inventing Reality- Politics of News Media: St. Oartins Press, 1993. 2. Chomsky, Noam; Mitchell, Peter. Understanding Power: The Indispensable Chomsky, 2002. 3. Lorimer, Rowland. Mass Communication in Canada, 1996. 4. Kilbourne, Jean. Killing Us Softly. (Video)