Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Not Enough Drinking Water Essay Example for Free
Not Enough Drinking Water Essay Pop culture has recently become obsessed with trying to provide clean drinking water to those who do not have it. This is a pathetic issue to choose to fix. These poor people are a waste of space and need to learn how to fix their own problems instead of turning to the reach to fix them. Do you think the rich got rich by relying on other people? No. They found easy solutions to their difficult problems. People have wasted tons of money on giving these people clean water supplies when there are cheap solutions to get the job done. For one these people should just drink their own urine. It is full of vitamins and nutrients that at the time the body doesnââ¬â¢t need but will at a later date. It also would make an endless cycle and the people would always have a supply of it. Drinking urine would be almost completely free, all that would be needed would be some kind of bottle to collect and contain it in until it was needed again. With this solution every person would have their very own source of water and people would never have to fight over it or share supplies again. It would also teach people to become much more self-sufficient because they are supplying their own source of life. Another easy solution is to make the people of these very poor areas used to not having any water by contaminating the little supply they have and forcing them to become assimilated to their new way of life. This is a perfect example of natural selection, the most fit will survive and be able to reproduce while the rest will die off. This will cause future generations of people to be well adapted to having little water and let them live much longer. This would be completely cost free; the only thing that would need to be done is some mud will need to be thrown into the large sources of drinking water. Some people feel that giving these pathetic people drinking water or drilling wells will fix the problems but they wonââ¬â¢t this will only make the problem worse by showing these people that they can always rely on other people. Giving them other ways to get safe water is a complete waste of time and money. The world needs to see this fact and ban together to follow cheaper easier and faster ways of helping these poor pathetic people.
Monday, August 5, 2019
How Outsourcing is affected by the Current Economic Recession
How Outsourcing is affected by the Current Economic Recession An investigation into Companies Usage of Outsourcing and a Critical Analysis of How Outsourcing is affected by the Current Economic Recession, Specifically in relation to Northern Ireland. Aims and Objectives The Aim of this research is to determine whether or not the current economic recession has affected companies decisions to outsource. It is important to decipher whether or not companies have increased their usage of outsourcing as a direct result of the recession or whether the increase or decrease in outsourcing is due to other factors. The Aim of this research shall be applied in relation to Northern Ireland companies and build a general consensus that Northern Ireland based companies during this time of economic pressure are increasing their outsourcing. Based on this there shall be three objectives of the research. These shall be; To determine companies have increased their outsourcing during the unstable economic climate. To determine that this increase is due to the unstable economic climate; and To determine the relation of outsourcing and the unstable economic climate to Northern Ireland Companies. Importance of the Research In todays volatile and largely unstable economic climate, it is important to note that the recession as it is referred to affects not just large corporations such as banks and multinationals, but ordinary people living in an everyday environment. The state of the economy affects the modest corner shop consumer right to the small to medium sized business entrepreneur. The word recession has become a word synonymous in everyday language. It is due to this that it can be seen to be important that research is carried out to determine exactly how this has impacted the behavioural patterns of people, businesses and theories. This research is important, and more so relevant, to today than ever before with many companies being forced to cut costs and overheads, and inevitably, manpower, as they try to stem the tide of financial loss. The term Outsourcing is subcontracting a service to a third party and the decision to employ this concept is based upon the companies hopes to achieving a higher margin of profit by lowering their running costs. Lankford et al 1999 defines it as the procurement of products or services from sources that are external to the organisation It is believed today that firms should aggressively adopt the practice and the practice is almost becoming a given, and consultants presentations talk of a revolution in outsourcing. The academic literature on the subject has grown in kind. (Lonsdale and Cox, 2000) Outsourcing for businesses has been an integral part of a well oiled operating system for many years. It came to the fore in the 1980s and has since been used in business lexicon, and it is today in the midst of the economic downturn that it has been a vanguard of companies value systems. Few management practices have attracted as much attention as outsourcing is enjoying at the present time (Lonsdale Cox, 2000) The idea of a subcontracting deal to make the most of time and money in the depths of economic downturn would seem like a perfect opportunity to cut the cost of overheads and use resources efficiently. Faith (2009, p.36) agrees, stating As the recession persists, managements are enforcing stricter budgets. All departments are reviewing their processes to find ways to reduce costs and save money. Outsourcing is an area where companies can limit expenditure Research into the recession and its effect on outsourcing has never been more important than it is today, and while companies cannot predict when the recession is going to end, and with the increasing uncertain future and the possibility of more volatility, research into this area of business practice is vital. In a historical sense, the United Kingdom has experienced the onslaught of a recession before. The last recession struck in the 1980s, and this is where companies found the advantages of using outsourcing during a period of economic downturn (Charsley, 1986) Within Northern Ireland, research into the recession linked with outsourcing within Northern Irish companies has been under researched and indeed very little work has been published. So while periods of boom and bust continue throughout the decades in the worlds economy, research into aspects of the need of cost cutting exercises through outsourcing remain essential. There have been many research papers in the area of outsourcing and the implementation of such a business rationale, as there has been in the area of recession, however the development of one in relation to the other has only been lightly touched on, and this is one of the main reasons for the importance of research into this common area, and hopefully add to academic debate. Critical Literature Review A review of literature published suggests that the recession has caused many firms to reshape and refocus their energies into cost cutting exercises, and one of these comes in the form of outsourcing. The literature suggests that there are pros and cons of such an exercise, and that there may be a negative impact of such an implementation. This research is set to highlight the benefits of outsourcing as a key business tool, especially in a period of economic downturn and that it has increased during recent times in this period of economic instability. Past recessions have changed the way businesses operate and the ability to outsource entire departments have compounded this change. Industrial organisations in the late 1980s and early 1990s experienced a turbulent environment brought about by an increase in internationalisation and a downturn in the economy (Tucci et al, 1997) As a result of cost-cutting efforts during this period, many companies are opting to go the outsourcing route to cover either routine and/or non-core work. (Charsley, 1987) This proposal by Charsley would back up the research to determine that the increase in outsourcing is due to the unstable economic climate. The disintegration, outsourcing and off-shoring of manufacturing and other non-core functions have been seen as irresistible trends (Shi and Gregory, 2003, 2005; Sturgeon, 2002; Arnold, 2000) Outsourcing and the recession appear to come hand in hand when a business is restructuring to save costs. The advantages of such a restructuring and outsourcing during a recession have been highlighted in Joanna Faiths article in Outsourcing becomes luxury in recession where she states that the advantage of outsourcing rather than hiring internal resources is that if the state of the company declines, there is no need to make redundancies This helps stave the negative consequences of firing staff and leaving the workforce unsettled, while saving the companys reputation within the market. Mukesh Butani from BMR Advisors in India believes that If you outsource you can just terminate or alter the contract in seasons of peak and downturn however Graham Beck of PA Consulting stated that many firms who were involved in multi-sourcing were unaware of the risks. These include the integration of all the suppliers after the multi-sourcing, despite admitting that multi-sourcing would drive down costs. (Financial Management, 2009, p.7) PA Consultings outsourcing survey found that with the result of the recession firms are re-evaluating their outsourcing contracts or in effect outsource more elements of their firm. Research has also found that Human Resource chiefs have lost control over making outsourcing decisions, as finance directors and chief executives look to rein in costs during the recession (Logan 2009) In January 2009, a study by outsourcing firm Ceridian found that 20% of two hundred and fifty senior Human Resource professionals had the ultimate say in outsourcing recruitment, payroll and benefits for their organisation. Thirty one percent (31%) of the decision making went to the CEOs. Steve Joyce of Ceridian (2009) stated that The credit crunch has left no business function untouched, and it is clear in some organisations now that HR directors are not masters of their own strategy. Barker (2009) believes that In a recession, sometimes it is not possible to take a long-term perspective, especially where firms are really facing an emergency, and it becomes a matter of survival to cut costs wherever they can Charsley, 1987, states the opportunities brought about by outsourcing are several Charsley saw these as, firstly, management could balance the work force with the load, since contracted employees and can be brought on board or dismissed This could be done without the headaches generally involved in changing permanent staff levels. He also identified that management can focus on core work and more easily determine actual cost to the organization provided by non-core support units. In his book, Management Consultancy-A Cost Effective Resource Charsley states The ability to determine costs and allocate them across different parts of the organisation also allow management to consider new structural forms that might enhance the firms overall competitive position However in an interview of 1,000 firms all around the world about their experiences with outsourcing, also by the PA Consulting Group, the results show that the most common outcome was a fairly neutral one. As a result of the cost-benefit analysis comparing contract labour to company personnel, many managers were and are becoming more willing to opt for the contractor through outsourcing contracts because of the total cost of continuing the relationship with the company employee To summarise, there has been very little research conducted to verify whether or not within Northern Ireland the recession has had a direct impact on the decision of companies to outsource more of their business. By conducting further research into this field the purpose of this investigation is to shed more light on the topic as it is of high significance in this turbulent economic climate. Many authors agree that outsourcing is an integral part of the business acumen. The shaping and refocus of business objectives because of the recession has led to this. However there a handful of experts who believe that outsourcing has led to the relationship between the company and employee being stretched. Proposed Methodology The study being undertaken can be described as an exploratory research study. The research aims to find and explain the relationships between the outsourcing and the recession amongst companies in Northern Ireland. The research aims to assess the phenomena of companies outsourcing to cut their overheads and to maximise profit in the time of high economic uncertainty, and to find out what is happening; to seek new insights; to ask questions and to assess phenomena in a new light (Robson, 2002 taken from Saunders, 2007) This research project is set to explore data and develop theories from which will directly relate to previous literature. This is an inductive approach. The use of primary sources for the purpose of this research is decided on the fact that the researcher can focus on specific issues and have a higher level of control over how the information is collected and used. The research can be implemented on a strict timescale. A survey strategy shall be implemented in-order to meet the aims and objectives of the research. Survey strategies are popular in business and management research and are frequently used to answer questions raised by previous research. The benefits of a survey strategy are that they allow a large amount of data to be collected from a large population in an economical way. Survey data is also seen as straightforward to comprehend and illustrate. To conduct this survey, questionnaires shall be drawn up and sent to companies based around Northern Ireland. In social research, questionnaires are one of the most widely used in data collection. For the questionnaires a sample shall be selected from the wider population. The population in this case is all the registered companies in Northern Ireland. Because it is not feasible to send questionnaires to all the companies in Northern Ireland, for the purpose of the research, an appropriate sampling frame shall be drawn up. This is a complete list of all the cases from which the sample shall be made from. The sampling base shall be unbiased, current and accurate. Upon collaborating a suitable sampling frame the next stage of the process will be to decide how many (the sample size) and the method by which the companies shall be chosen. Large sample sizes can be sought without the burden of major costs, and produces quantifiable data. In this instance, systematic sampling shall be used. The reason behind this is it works well with either a small or large number of cases. It is also suitable for geographically dispersed cases. Actual lists are not always needed either. The relative costs are low and is relatively easy to explain. The next stage of the research having identified the method by which the data shall be collected, the sample and the sampling technique is to decide upon the technique of data collection. For this research it is proposed to collect the data via postal questionnaire. This is decided upon the characteristics of the respondents and the size of the sample. Having designed the questionnaire the next step is piloting. The purpose of piloting the questionnaire is to refine it so that the respondents have no ambiguity as so how to answer the questions and the questionnaire exhibits face validity thus ensures accurate feedback of results. In addition to this it shall provide some form of validity to the questionnaire and the results. Reliability of the results is the main aim here. Initially to pilot the questionnaire, a group of experts in the field of which the questionnaire is to given to, should be asked to complete it. Allowing suggestions to improve the questionnaire would further enhance the content of the questionnaire. Upon completion of the pilot, the necessary adjustments can be made. The pilot should also ensure that the structure of the questions is correct and there is an established flow allowing an easier understanding of what is being asked. For the purpose of this research it would be suggested that ten pilot questionnaire s be distributed amongst a field of experts to ensure that any trace of ambiguity or misinterpretation be eliminated before the actual questionnaires are distributed. The responses of the questionnaire will provide an idea of reliability and sustainability. It is good research practice to follow through with a pilot of the questionnaire. The final stage is administering the questionnaire. Attempts must be made to maximise the response rate. In order to do this, factors such as appearance, type of delivery and incentives, should be considered. In order to achieve the aims and objectives of this research, the key data collection method employed shall be interviews. For the purpose of the research the key figures to be interviewed shall be managers from the Human Resource (HR) departments. Reasons for this are that evidence from prior research suggests that it is this department who are in charge of outsourcing despite Logan, (2007) suggesting that many companies are taking this responsibility away from the HR departments. To conduct the interview for the purpose of the research a semi-structured interview shall be implemented as opposed to a fully structured one. The drawbacks of the fully structured interviews in research like this are the fact that the answers that may be given could be irrelevant, providing little or no use to the research, the questions are normally closed and thus does not allow freedom to operate outside the constraints of the questions and removes the interviewers ability to back track and highlight certain topic areas. As questionnaires shall be produced and sent out to various companies, the need for a structured interview is further outweighed as fully structured interviews are broadly similar to structured questionnaires. To complete the semi structured interview the main areas of the research to be covered shall be worked out in advance so the overall focus of the interview can be guided by the researcher. The advantage of using the interview situation is that the response rate can tent to be higher than perhaps if requesting information in a non face to face environment. The ability to judge the seriousness of the answers can be helpful in interpretation as well as noting body language. The planned sequence of questions may change during the semi structured questionnaire. This is a huge advantage, as a number of topic areas may covered simultaneously and the interviewee may revert back to a question to be covered in more detail. The naturalism of conversation can take effect and allow the interviewee peace of mind. Before the interview takes place, the interviewee shall be asked whether or not it is possible to ask for the interview to be recorded for further evaluation. This would be an advantage as the flow of the interview shall not be disturbed. In-order to gain access to the HR department within the companies, adequate time shall be allowed to let the organisations allow feedback, and the proceeding follow up contact. A clear account of purpose shall be given to the company. This should clear all concerns regarding credibility. The gatekeeper is the sole source through which contact should be made to gain access to the interviewee. This is done to ensure feasibility of the actual interview. The analysis of the semi structured interviews shall take the form of transcribing the conversations and from that withdrawing key themes and concepts which may help with the implantation of the research objectives. This is known as grounded theory approach, a widely used method for generating a theory from research. The data derived from this research method shall be qualitative data, and shall emerge from the data collected rather than being imposed. Having completed the transcriptions of the interviews, and the keys themes of note are recognised, the information must then be transformed into a form of quantifiable data which allows easier understanding. This involves coding. The data is split into segments which are relevant and meaningful to the overall research and the aims and objectives. The purpose of this is to highlight any trends which may appear from the qualitative data and add weight to what the research is investigating in a statistical manner. As more data is analysed the codes may change. The program used to carry out statistical analysis is SPSS. Time Scale The research shall commence on January 11th 2010 and will be collated over the course of the following fourteen weeks. It shall conclude on April 16th 2010. Here is a detailed plan of the timescale of each proposed stage of research. While conducting the research it will be important to note that there will be time allowed for contingencies should there be any unforeseen circumstances occur. Due to Undertake Activity Activity Week 1-3 Background reading Week 3 Construction of Questionnaire Week 4 Pilot questionnaire/Select Sample Size Week 5 Feedback from pilot questionnaire and modify accordingly Week 6 Perform final questionnaire, allow three weeks for postal surveys to return and begin interviews Week 9 Collect data from Postal Questionnaires. Begin interview Transcriptions. Week 10 Begin coding of questionnaire results Week 12 Results and Discussion Conclusion and recommendations Week 14 Final Draft prepared and Submitted
Sunday, August 4, 2019
Essay examples --
When you are walking down Main Street, what are you looking at? Storefronts are the main attraction to every oneââ¬â¢s eyes as they stroll down the street. They have the power to draw you in or push you away. You can tell a lot about what the store is by what their name is, things in the windows, signs, etc. This is what makes all storefronts unique and different from all other buildings, they tell you exactly what is inside without you having to walk in and discover it for yourself. The storefront is the most important architectural feature of all commercial buildings. It plays a very large role in the storeââ¬â¢s advertising and merchandise that draws customers and increase business. The storefront is the most commonly altered feature of a building for this reason. These changes can completely change the buildingââ¬â¢s architectural features that make up its historical features. The history of storefronts go all the way back into the 1700ââ¬â¢s. The Wild West days back in the 1800ââ¬â¢s when cowboys and outlaws roamed the free new land are we will start. Saloons, general stores, black- smiths, gunsmiths, etc. all had storefronts telling the cowboys and travelers what their store was. They all had windows you could peek into and see what each had to offer. If you were traveling and came into town, you would want to know where the general store and saloon where so you could get supplies and take the edge off and relax. Without these storefronts you would wander the streets clueless or would just continue traveling thinking that town had nothing to offer. Commercial establishments have been on ground level since the 18th and 19th centuries. They had residentially scaled doors and windows that were unrecognizable from surrounding houses. In rare cases,... ...lder store but can also detract from the visibility of the windows. Neon signs can be quiet effective since they are bright and grab your attention from a ways away. Neon comes in a variety of colors that can be used with your color scheme. Some people say that a neon open sign can be on of the most important features in a storeââ¬â¢s window. You also want to check sign ordinances to see if you are allowed to place a sandwich board on the sidewalk between the curb and the store. Storefronts vary from region to region with Jackson Hole, WY being full of tourist merchandise and high prices. Gatlinburg, TN is also a tourist town with tons of attractions and high priced souvenir stores full of junk. Cody, WY had tons of rust old western looking stores and merchandise. Storefronts in larger cities were more modern and industrial looking with nicer clothing and jewelry shops.
Saturday, August 3, 2019
How first Love Is Represented By Different Artists :: essays research papers
How "First Love" is Represented by Different Artists First love is represented in different ways by different artists in their writings according to their own experiences. Different artists experience different things when they are growing up and their first loves are not always the opposite sex. Some felt the love from their parents was the most important, when they were young, others felt the love of their lovers was the most important. But no matter who the other person or persons were that influenced the artist as their first love, all of the artists' first loves were equally important. First loves are important to most artists, no matter how, when or who. How first loves impacted the artists play a significant role in determining the lives of the artists and their topics of writing. In Robert Hayden's "Those Winter Sundays," Hayden writes about his father and the abandonment his family showed him even though he worked so hard to provide for them. Hayden writes, "â⬠¦cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday blaze. No one ever thanked him" (590). Most artists observe the fact that they did not know of their first loves and do not realize their mistakes with their first loves until they are grown up and are writing about it. It probably provides them with a good topic to start writing about in the first place. The lack of realization seems to be a powerful motivator in the lives of these artists. All of the artists in the readings seem to have gone through a period of lack of realization before wising up to what their experiences with their first loves meant. They probably did not know that their first loves were their first loves until later in their lives. In the case of Robert Hayden and Theodore Roethke, it took them their whole adolescent years to realize who their first loves were. But no matter how long or how they realized it, most of the artists were impacted greatly by their first loves or they would not devote their writing to it. When artists realize their first loves differs greatly also. Some realize very quickly who, or what their first loves are, and some do not realize for a very long time. In A.E. Houseman's "When I Was One and Twenty," Houseman writes about his ignorance toward his first love. He writes about how ignorant he was toward the whole situation and how relatively quickly he realized that he should not have been overwhelmed by the whole experience. Houseman writes, "Give crowns and pounds and guineas But not your heart awayâ⬠¦.
Drought and Global Climate Change :: Environment, Climate Change
Drought is a multi-causal and complex environmental issue, and can have serious socioeconomic consequences. Recently, IPCC (the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) in Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) concluded that South Asia and the Middle East would experience sever, prolonged droughts as a result of global climate changes, explicitly the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (IPCC, 2007). Drought is a weather-related natural disaster whose effect is aggravated by human activities. Sometime drought affects large regions and even several countries for a long period of time. Drought has a serious impact on food productivity of a land, and even on the life expectancy of inhabitants. The aftermath of drought involves in socioeconomic, ecological issues (WGA, 1996) (Jeyaseelan, 2005; Pongracza et al., 1996). Iran encompassing drylands has been periodically jeopardized by drought events, which have devastatingly affected society and environment (Shamsipour et al., 2008). Therefore, the study of drought needs several sources of datasets. In other words, the design of a planning project for a region for sustainable development, the acquisition of updated data is critical, particularly for countries with arid to semi-arid climates. The recent innovations in remote sensing methods have brought new solutions to study of environmental problems in geosciences. In the assessment of natural hazards like drought, remote sensing provides rapid, instant spatial data about the natural phenomena; they are useful in decision-makings as well as weather forecasts (Sunyurp et al., 2004). The monitoring of drought via remote sensing depends on the factors that cause drought (Jeyaseelan, 2005). Drought indicators and variables, obtained through remotely sensed data, can carry some uncertainties, which is induces by the sensitivity of factors, or their dependency to weather and environment conditions. Additionally, some non-standard algorithms might lead to wrong estimation of drought intensity. More effective methods for increase accuracy of assessment and analysis of remotely sensed data are applying models which can combine in data layers. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are used to combine the layers of data in the modeling of drought. Recently, space technologies, such RS and GIS, and the numerical modeling techniques have been developed as powerful tools for the ecological assessment of environment (Krivtsov, 2004; MacMillan et al., 2004; Store and Jokimà ¤ki, 2003). Utilizing these technologies not only supply a platform to support multi-level and hierarchically integrated analysis on resource and environment, but also integrate the obtained information in a comparative theoretical ecosystem analysis. Meanwhile, Plummer (2000) argued that perspectives of combining ecological models and remotely sensed data would focus on the estimation of accuracy, the issues of spatial and temporal scale, and long-term comprehensive datasets.
Friday, August 2, 2019
Hps326 Assignment Questionnaire
HPS326 Assignment Questionnaire Questions 1-5 (8% per question) 1. William Whewell coined the term ââ¬Å"scientistâ⬠in the year 1833. 2. The conflict myth was proposed by John Draper and Andrew Dickson on the relationship between science and religion. They termed the relationship as a mutual antagonism whose history was a conflict between the rationality of science opposed by the ignorance of religion. Two versions of this myth exist; the strong and the weak.The strong version states that the inherent differences of science and religion have eclipsed through history as science is represented with a need to rival against religion, making conflict unavoidable. The weak version claims this conflict is haphazard and is purely based on historical fact. 3. The historiographical distinction between ââ¬Ëmodern science' and ââ¬Ënatural philosophy' is that natural philosophy can be seen as a precursor of natural sciences (i. e physics etc. ). Natural philosophy is an entity that c an explain properties that can not necessarily be verified, classified or quantified.On the other hand, modern science is a development, divisional field of natural philosophy. It relies on the scientific experimentation for the growth of knowledge and advances in society and technology. 4. The ââ¬ËMerton Thesis', proposed by Robert Merton, states that the rise of science is linked to the values of Puritanism. It verifies the idea's of Francis Bacon as being inspired by the puritan ââ¬Ëwork ethic' which is accounted for by the volume of Puritans in the Royal Society. 5.According to Margaret Osler, in the 20th century, the conflict myth's support was attributable to; the positivism of Auguste Compte, and secularization of North American universities. In Compte's positivist philosophy, he founded numerous principles in which he claimed direct observation is the only way assertions can be established. This influenced numerous historians when they looked upon the history of scienc e and religion as they rejected all metaphysical thinking because it can not be proven empirically.This asserted that all sciences could be minimized to mathematics and physics driving a larger conflict between science and religion. The secularization of North American universities played a large role in the support of the conflict myth. This is due to the fact that the schools pushed an anti-religious approach and completely expunged any supernatural reasoning from the realm of science. This reinforced the rejection of metaphysics and furthered the perception of a conflict. Question 1-3 (20% per question) 1.The period form 1500 to 1700 was known as the ââ¬ËScientific Revolution'. This period is considered the ââ¬Ërevolution' as historians believed science began progressively separating from religion. Thinkers like Copernicus and Newton began to change the way people thought about the concept of nature. However, this view of a ââ¬ËScientific Revolution' is still highly prob lematic. Shapin contested that no such revolution occurred. He asserted this as no single definition of science emerged and no specific method was employed.He also eluded to the point that this period was only coined ââ¬Ërevolutionary' as the people of that time were interested in pursuing science and wanted to propel it as a professional field. Margaret Osler also termed this problematic as numerous individuals began challenging the fundamental principles of positivism. She also suggests that there was still an importance of theology in Newton's projects and a requirement of biblical interpretation to development of scientific methods. This suggests that religion and science did not separate in the ââ¬ËScientific Revolution' as religion was still needed to discuss science. . The 19th century ââ¬ËWhigs' ââ¬â an english liberal political party- are amalgamated with ââ¬ËWhig' history as people who perceived science as progressive. Science was the key to move humans alo ng the road to a better life. However, ââ¬Ëwhiggish' history is not acceptable today as it is too goal-centric. It claims that history has progressed along a predesignated path towards the goal of complete understanding. This was not welcome in ââ¬Ëmodern science' as it suggested that science was purely cumulative.However, scientific findings do not always continue building upon previous results. As well, Whiggish history focused too much on the ââ¬Ëgreat men' of science ââ¬â the male geniuses like Darwin, and Einstein ââ¬â even though modern science has been practiced and perfected by normal (even female) individuals. This is supported with Peter Harrison's view on science and religion as he states a need of Protestant approaches in the development of modern empirical science. Harrison claims that biblical interpretations of Protestant texts is liked to the rise of modern science.This favours ââ¬ËWhig' history as they campaigned the Protestant values and behavio urs which aligns with their view of science. 3. Early analytic philosophy avoided the study of philosophy of religion and opposed metaphysics. However, the emergence of an analytic philosophy of religion in the 1960s, was crucial for the emergence of science and religion as it's own field. It brought about the collapse of logical positivism as it began to self-refute. Analytic philosophy then tried to get rid of traditional philosophy- claiming that it was too unscientific- and progressed to a more scientific way of thinking.Yet, even with it's new scientific way of thinking it was taken over by Christian theology allowing for a renewed interest in metaphysical thinking and the philosophy of religion. This then began to combine science and religion under one roof in terms of a relationship. Analytic philosophers, who were trained in science, then began bringing up religious problems in terms of using science as the best model for rationality. This allowed the rise of the field of sc ience and religion because of the influence of scientific christian thinkers.
Thursday, August 1, 2019
Comparing the Ideologies of Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber
Comparing the Ideologies of Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber were three historical sociologists. Their views have become world renown and have shaped many ways of interpreting the social structure of many modern societies. This essay will take a glimpse into the three sociologistsââ¬â¢ ideals and expose the similarities and differences they may have. Karl Marxââ¬â¢s view of society was based around the economy. All other social structures according to Marx, such as religion, family values, and politics stem from the base, the economy.Religion played no part at all in Marxââ¬â¢s sociological views. He is known as an atheist. He believed that religion was nothing more than a burden on society. ââ¬Å"The economy that forms from the means of production results in the division of labor and forms propertyâ⬠(Simon 1). Division of labor can be described as the way in which tasks are divided in a society. Certain people are assi gned certain tasks which help to make sure that the social structure progresses smoothly. As society becomes more advanced, the division of labor becomes more advanced, because more tasks become necessary for society to stably exist.Therefore, in Marxââ¬â¢s opinion, the economy grows and advances society which fuels the division of labor that is necessary for harmonious living. Marx believed that social struggle was the main cause of social evolution. In a society there is always a group that is in some way oppressed. If we look back just a few hundred years we see this in slavery, and before that serfdom. So how does oppression promote social change? ââ¬Å"It is the ruling economic class that determines the dominant ideology in a societyâ⬠¦ And it is class interest that the proletariat must oppose with revolution. â⬠(Simon 2).The upper class in society rules over all the lower classes. When the oppression becomes an unbearable horror for the lower class, they must revo lt, according to Marx. We saw this with both given examples. Serfs often fled from their lords, and slaves sought refuge in non-slave states and sometimes even killed their owners. In the case of slavery, there was a complete societal split between the north and the south in America. The main dispute between the two sides was the subject of slavery. But if not for the slaves revolting and feeing, maybe no action would have been taken.This is Marxââ¬â¢s view of social evolution at its finest. The lower class fought for social freedom, and American society was forever changed. So basically, Marxââ¬â¢s cycle of social change is simply Oppression, revolution, uprising, and then the cycle repeats itself as another lower class becomes oppressed. Durkheim believed that social order is obtained through social integration, which is the extent to which the members of a society are held together. ââ¬Å"Durkheim advances his theory of social transition where he argues that social order i s maintained through social integration and regulations in a social equilibrium.All nations develop normative behavior patterns and belief systems in the evolutionary change process. During the transitional period the diffusion of new norms and values disrupts the equilibrium of traditional societies. â⬠(Zhao 2). Durkheim believed that society is held together by social integration, but when society is evolving, chaos takes over until new social norms are set. After these social norms are integrated into the new society, social equilibrium is once again achieved; that is until the next social evolution. This in between stage of chaotic change is fueled by what Durkheim called anomie. Anomie is described as a breakdown of social norms regulating individual behavior and social interaction. â⬠(Zhao 4). Durkheim claimed that is human nature to act in a chaotic manner and to seek evolution. The only way he believed that order was possible was through social integration. Religio n was a factor in the sociological views of Durkheim. ââ¬Å"Religion, in this manner, contributes to the constitution and protection of social order by supplying a moral order. That is to say that ââ¬Ësince society will always require periodic reaffirmation, religion is an indispensable, permanent social fixture. â⬠(Mazman 10). Durkheim does not hint whether he himself is religious or not, he simply states that religion is necessary to have social integration. He claims that a moral order is necessary in society. It is a set list of rights and wrongs for people to live by. This order is never changed or even questioned by the members of society in times of peace. This moral order cannot simply be insisted by a ruler of some sort, it is much more complex than that. The moral order must come from an unquestionable source. This is why religion is necessary.With religion ruling people, they are threatened not with a punishment in this life, but with eternal damnation. People fe ar what they do not understand; therefore religion is the only thing that can provide absolute social order. A higher being that no person can see or hear cannot be questioned. The fear of eternal punishment will force a large majority of members of society to submit to the moral and social order. Durkheim insists that religion is one of the greatest ways to prevent anomie which leads to the inevitable society revolutionizing chaos.Max Weber greatly opposed Karl Marxââ¬â¢s views on religion and economy. Weber believed that the economy was certainly not even close to the center of society. ââ¬Å"Economies result from communities, which are arranged in such a way that goods, tangible and intangible, symbolic and material, are distributed. Such a distribution is always unequal and necessarily involves power. â⬠(Simon 8). So in Weberââ¬â¢s opinion material possessions are the root of inequality. Nothing is distributed equally and therefore, leads to social injustice and in s ome cases oppression.Weber believed that religion was responsible for change in society. ââ¬Å"For Weber, religion, because it calls forth a type of personality through beliefs in ethical values, affects social life and interactions. These ethical values and religious ideas, in turn, are affected by social, economic and political conditions in a given society. â⬠(Mazman 13). Weberââ¬â¢s view on religion is similar to that of Durkheim. Weber believed that religion gave society a set moral order. Weber also claimed that as society advanced the religious views advanced to somewhat modernize the social order. Weberââ¬â¢s work is therefore an invitation to see the history of political institutions, the history of religions or the history of morals as guided by a diffuse program aiming at defining institutions, rules, etc. which will most efficiently respect the dignity and vital interests of all. â⬠(Boudon 6) Weber also dug even deeper. He claimed that certain religions prospered more than others. He actually did prove this. Weber showed that Protestants had the best religion, not in the sense of religious views, but socially and economically. Protestantism provided modern individuals with coherent, meaningful, ethical conduct in terms of seeking salvation and Godââ¬â¢s blessing in their worldly activities. â⬠(Mazman 13). The Protestants believed in vocation. They believed that whatever occupation they had in life was not simply by chance, but they were called to it. They were what most would call ââ¬Ëworkaholicsââ¬â¢ who dedicated every free second of their time to work. This made the Protestants statistically the most financially well-off group in most societies. This goes back to Weberââ¬â¢s view of the social structure.The Protestants were the wealthiest so they would be the leaders of society. So as I have shown, these three sociologists, Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber, had world renowned views of society. They all h ad points that were unquestionable yet others that were flaky at best. We often saw views of each man overlapping. One cannot help but to ponder what if another sociologist came along and took the best parts of their works and put the pieces together. Would the perfect sociological view be formed? Only time can tell. ?
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