Berkeleys Theory of Immaterialism Essays - Perception, Ontology

Berkeley's Theory of Immaterialism As man progressed through the various stages of evolution, it is assumed that at a certain point he began to ponder the world around him. Of course, these first attempts fell short of being scholarly, probably consisting of a few grunts and snorts at best. As time passed on, though, these ideas persisted and were eventually tackled by the more intellectual, so-called philosophers. Thus, excavation of "the external world" began. As the authoritarinism of the ancients gave way to the more liberal views of the modernists, two main positions concerning epistemology and the nature of the world arose. The first view was exemplified by the empiricists, who stated that all knowledge comes from the senses. In opposition, the rationalists maintained that knowledge comes purely from deduction, and that this knowledge is processed by certain innate schema in the mind. Those that belonged to the empiricist school of thought developed quite separate and distinct ideas concerning the nature of the substratum of sensible objects. John Locke and David Hume upheld the belief that sensible things were composed of material subezce, the basic framework for the materialist position. The main figure who believed that material subezce did not exist is George Berkeley. In truth, it is the immaterialist position that seems the most logical when placed under close scrutiny. The initial groundwork for Berkeley's position is the truism that the materialist is a skeptic. In the writing of his three dialogues, Berkeley develops two characters: Hylas (the materialist) and Philonous (Berkeley himself). Philonous draws upon one central supposition of the materialist to formulate his argument of skepticism against him; this idea is that one can never perceive the real essence of anything. In short, the materialist feels that the information received through sense experience gives a representative picture of the outside world (the representative theory of perception), and one can not penetrate to the true essece of an object. This makes logical sense, for the only way to perceive this real essence would be to become the object itself! Although the idea is logical, it does contain a certain grounding for agnosticism. Let the reader consider this: if there is no way to actually sense the true material essence of anything, and all knowledge in empiricism comes from the senses, then the real material essence can not be perceived and therefore it can not be posited. This deserves careful consideration, for the materialist has been self-proclaimed a skeptic! If the believer in this theory were asked if a mythical beast such as a cyclops existed he would most certainly say no. As part of his reply he might add that because it can not be sensed it is not a piece of knowledge. After being enlightened by the above proposed argument, though, that same materialist is logically forced to agree that, because the "material substratum1" itself can not be sensed, its existence can not be treated as knowledge. The materialist belief has, in effect, become as futile as proving that the cyclops exists; his ideas have lead him into skepticism. Having proven that the materialist is, at best, a doubter, Berkeley goes on to offer the compelling argument that primary and secondary qualities are, together, one thing. As the materialist believes, primary qualities of an object are those things that are abstract (not sense oriented). Examples of these would be number, figure, motion, and extension. Secondary qualities are those things that are concrete (sense oriented), such as color, smell, sound, and taste. The materialist feels that these primary qualities persist even when the secondary ones are not there. Thus, if a person were blind, then that individual would not be able to hear or to touch items; yet the so-called real qualities such as figure would remain existent in the objects. As previously shown, the materialist is agnostic in his belief of these real (primary) qualities. It is here that Berkeley directs an alternate hypothesis: that the abstract primary qualities don't exist at all. In fact, the immaterialist position states that these qualities are merely secondary in nature, as they, too, can not be perceived as being separate from an object. For inezce, if a person is asked to imagine a primary quality

The South Vindicated from the Treason and Fanaticism of the Northern Assignment

The South Vindicated from the Treason and Fanaticism of the Northern Abolitionists (1836) - Assignment Example He explained the life of a poor laborer in the north is far worse than the life of a southern salve. A northern poor laborer might work hard, unrelenting jobs under horrific conditions and still not make enough income to support himself and his family. He may do this his whole life and never come up in the world or provide for his loved ones. He shares that the experience of a southern slave is much more secure. Although they are work hard and tirelessly, they are provided comfortable living arrangements, proper food, and better hygiene and treatment of sickness than the northern worker would ever receive. A slave has fewer worries in life and security, the author believes that the slave’s existence is far more attractive than that of a northern laborer. He believed that educating slaves was dangerous and unfair. It is dangerous for slaves to be influenced by the false messages of abolitionists would rile them up and make them eager to seek freedom, which in turn would force southern whites to take greater and stricter measures to keep the salves in line. By educating them would be to, potentially, expose them to information that will only misinform them and lead them down a path that will only end in punishment and pain. He believes that the southern way of life is more a reflection of what human beings should be like. Because slavery relieves the white man from the day-to-day labors and basic necessity concerns, like food, income, and shelter, they can focus on more important things. Many men had more time to involve themselves in politics and educating themselves. All white men in the south are equal to all other men because there is no labor class per say as in the north. This country was founded on the principals that all men are created equal. The south believes that statement only applies to the white man. Therefore the universal mentality of equality in the south is closer to

PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING - Essay Example The marketing mix is customized to match the needs of the targeted consumers in the market that is vital to enhancing the attractiveness of products and services supplied by a given company. In addition, the branding of the MAC Cosmetic products has been influential in enhancing the attractiveness of the business that is vital to sales revenue generation. Consequently, this paper evaluates the influence of marketing strategies of MAC Cosmetics in enhancing the welfare of the business. The mission statement of MAC Cosmetics is one of the attributes that has enhanced its attractiveness in the market. This is due to the role of mission statement in articulating the intention and objective of a business organization in offering services or goods to the targeted market (Kotler & Keller, 2012). Consequently, the mission statement of MAC Cosmetics in extending its services and goods to the targeted market has been able to reinforce the marketing effort of the company in attracting consumers in the market. The mission statement of MAC Cosmetics Company is as reflected below. The mission statement indicated above for MAC Cosmetics reflects that the company embraces the diverse global community. This is instrumental in enhancing the acceptance of the company’s products since it caters for possible negative undertone a product may face from market (Carey, Knowles, & Towers-Clark, 2011). Consequently, the mission statement of MAC Cosmetic is vital in enhancing the penetration of its products in the market. The financial performance and position of MAC Cosmetics is one of the vital aspects that reflect how the marketing efforts of the business enhance the welfare of the business in enhancing the wealth of consumers. Accordingly, the recent financial statement of MAC Cosmetics indicates that the marketing strategies of the company have been vital in enhancing the generation of sales revenue. The sales revenue of the company in 2012 stood at