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

Economic Geography of Industry Location in India :: India Economics Industries Essays

Economic Geography of Industry Location in India ____________________________________ Paper prepared for the UNU/WIDER Project Conference on Spatial Inequality in Asia 3 Economic Geography of Industry Location in India Where do different industries locate? What factors influence the spatial distribution of economic activity within countries? Finding answers to these questions is important for understanding the development potential of sub national regions. This is particularly important for developing countries as they have relatively lower levels of overall investment and economic activity is concentrated in one or a few growth centers. Thus, regions that do not attract dynamic industries are not only characterized by low productivity, but also by lower relative incomes and standards of living. These questions on industry location and their implications are not new. Examining the locational aspects of economic activity has long been of interest to geographers, planners, and regional scientists (Weber, 1909; Là ¶sch, 1940; Hotelling, 1929; Greenhut and Greenhut, 1975, Isard 1956). However, analytic difficulties in modeling increasing returns to scale marginalized the analysis of geographic aspects in mainstream economic analysis (Krugman 1991). Recent research on externalities, increasing returns to scale, and imperfect spatial competition (Dixit and Stiglitz 1977; Fujita, et al. 1999; Krugman 1991) has led to renewed interest in analyzing the spatial organization of economic activity. This is especially true in case of geographic concentration or clustering. Models in the ‘New Economic Geography’ literature (see review in Fujita, Krugman, and Venables, 1999) allow us to move from the question ‘Where will manufacturing concentrate (if it does)?’ to the question ‘What manufacturing will concentrate where?’ These insightful theoretical models provide, for the most part, renewed analytical support for the â€Å"cumulative causation† arguments made in earlier decades on the core-periphery relationship, on agglomeration economies, and on industrial clustering. In this context, we are interested in finding empirical answers to these (very old) questions, and to go beyond, to ask, â€Å"What manufacturing will locate where and why†? Industry location and concentration decisions are driven by two fundamental considerations: a set of â€Å"pure† location or â€Å"economic geography† criteria, including well recognized elements such as urbanization and localization economies, market access, infrastructure availability, etc. The other is a set of â€Å"practical† or â€Å"political economy† criteria, where the state is a key player in industrial ownership and production, and uses location considerations that are different from the private sector. The private sector responds to the very strong influence of state regulations, and the result is an industrial geography that is shaped by factors of economic geography and political economy. To understand the process of industrial location and concentration, it is important to first analyze the location decisions of firms in particular industries.

Political Philosophy and Machiavelli Essay

Niccolo Machiavelli is best known for his highly controversial ideas on politics. He began writing about his political ideas after the French invasion because of his desire to reunite Italy after the fall of the republic. As a humanist, Machiavelli disagreed with the current religious based politics that were set in place at the time. His humanist ideas allowed him to focus his political ideas on human potential and achievement rather than religious themes. Even though Machiavelli had a harsh view on the nature of human beings, his unique understanding of the relationship between virtue and politics set the basics for modern political science, and many of his ideas can still be observed in American politics today. Before Machiavelli’s new ideas on political science, politics had been comprised around the ideas of the Christian church. Politics set up by the church relied heavily on good ethics and virtue. The church praised leaders that possessed qualities such as honesty, compassion, chastity, and faithfulness. Machiavelli rejected classic Christian values when thinking about politics and only considered qualities that were useful in preserving power. Machiavelli had a very different idea on the specific qualities that a good prince should possess. He assumed that people in power that possess virtuous qualities could be easily taken advantage of. He viewed these qualities most people deem as good qualities, as a weakness, which could mean the downfall of a state. He believed that the church should only practice its rights in the spiritual realm and not in politics. Since he felt that Christianity destroys the state, he believed that the church should have restricted power in politics. Thus resulting in his ideas on separating the church from state. The more Machiavelli’s ideas on government strayed from the Christian ideals, the more his ideas on politics began to reflect our current American government. This idea of the separation between church and state is only one of several similarities Machiavelli’s political ideas reflects American government. Similarities are seen in the organization of power through fear in the military. Also, his ideas can be seen in American politics when our presidents make decisions based on what is most beneficial, even if it is not always the most virtuous action. Probably one of Machiavelli’s most influential ideas on politics was his belief that it is better to be feared than to be loved. In his eyes, being feared was desirable over being loved since the circumstances of the world make it impossible to be both loved and feared in sequence. He understood it to be crucial that the people respect his authority and power in order for him to be able to maintain unity and loyalty from his people within the state. The only way he believed this to be possible, was to remove himself from compassion and build fear in the people through cruelty. As long as he was able to avoid being hated, this allowed him to rely on what he could control. This idea that it is better to be feared than to be loved can easily be seen within the American military. Powerful armies are not built under friendship and good virtue. They are built under fear and respect. As Americans, we have one of the most powerful military forces in the world. We do not achieve this power by making other countries love us. If we were simply loved to gain respect, rather than feared to gain respect, when the pressure of disagreement arose other countries would not hesitate in the decision to attack. So long as we are feared we hold more power over the decision to take rash action against conflict. Through fear our military guarantees our countries continuous security and prosperity. On the other hand, when it comes to our president’s stand on the question of being loved or feared, it would seem that they would take the opposite stance on the issue. Our American presidents don’t seem to aim at being feared over loved. They fill our minds with the characteristics we find desirable. They aim at making us love, trust, and respect them. Yet, they generally attempt to achieve this love through lies. The government wants us as citizens to love rather than fear, yet as an entire nation, the government aims at remaining a fearful and powerful force in the eyes of other nations. This leads to another difference between American politics, and Machiavellian ideas. Machiavelli stated, â€Å" it is proper to represent things as they are in real truth, rather than as they are imagined† (p. 8). He wanted to avoid creating an imaginary ideal society, as the Christian based politics had before him. In this issue, our government seems to reflect the Christian idea more than Machiavelli’s idea of truth. America’s presidential candidates create their campaigns according to the standards each separate political party would consider to be their ideal image of government. These candidates make promises of perfect ethics and virtue, however, after being elected into office, they very rarely follow through with these promises and ideas of perfection that they have convinced us to believe. They present us with these ideal characteristics in order to receive the popular vote, yet as Machiavelli has explained, as a ruler in order to maintain prosperity and security it is not ideal to follow through with fantasies of virtuous leaders. It would be nice if our presidents followed Machiavelli’s advice and were straightforward and truthful from the start. Since people do not vote for reality and would rather vote for the fairytale, it does not work out his way in our democracy. Machiavelli’s ideas on the significance of virtue in politics may be a result of the way he views human nature. Since he has little hope in the goodness of humanity, he does not hold leaders to the highly positive qualities that the church does. Machiavelli is well known for his negative views on human nature. Even today his name is still largely associated with wickedness. He believed all people to naturally be ungrateful, fickle, liars, and deceivers. He even went so far as to refer to people as wretched creatures. I feel that Machiavelli’s ideas are solid and well thought out. Although, that does not mean that I completely agree with all his ideas, especially those on the nature of humans. I refuse to confer that humankind is naturally evil willed. I like to see the good in people, and to me it seems that the good in this world greatly outweighs the bad. However, I also do not agree that Machiavelli is the tyrant that history has made him out to be. Overall, I believe that most of his ideas aimed at improving the well being of his state. Even though he came off as an evil man it seemed to me that he always had his state’s best interests in mind. The way I see it, his negative understanding of human nature forced him to look at issues from a different perspective than most people of his time, and drove his ideas behind the irrelevance of virtuous traits in a political leader. Many of Machiavelli’s ideas are reflected in American politics. Machiavelli believed in practicing the separation of church and state just as America does. He believed that with fear came power, which is apparent in the United States military. Although many of Machiavelli’s ideas reflect American government there are a few differences between the two, such as the qualities that can be viewed in presidential candidates and how our government goes about the real truth. Overall, Machiavelli’s ideas on virtue and fear, no matter how wicked in nature, seem to properly deem him the founder of the modern political science that our government has been founded off of still today.

Essay on Control theory, Anomie theory and Strain theory

Control theory, Anomie theory and Strain theory provide very different explanations of why people commit crimes based upon assumptions about how humans function. Control theory suggests that humans are naturally drawn to breaking the law. Humans are driven to fulfill their needs and desires. Crime provides one method by which humans can reach their goals. Control theorists would thus ask why everyone does not turn to crime to meet their wants and needs. The question shifts from the typical why do people commit crime to why do people not commit crime (Cullen and Agnew, 2011). Hirschi suggest that crime and social bonds are linked, such that crime occurs in absence of a strong social bond. The four elements of the social bonds are†¦show more content†¦Though the offender still believes that crime in general is wrong, they will justify or excuse their crime as necessary, morally correct or otherwise acceptable. Offenders might suggest that their crime was acceptable because the y are not responsible (â€Å"Denial of Responsibility†), no harm occurred (Denial of Injury), the victim deserved to be victimized (â€Å"Denial of Victim†), the authorities have it out for them (Condemnation of the Condemners) or there is a higher good served by their actions (â€Å"Appeal to Higher Loyalties†). The offender in all of these cases recognizes that their actions were deviant, but argue that it was justified (Sykes and Matza , 2011). Under these theories, humans are considered to naturally want to commit crime, but generally believe that crime is wrong. When they do offend, they consider their offense to be justified exceptions to their belief in the wrongness of crime, the result of a lack of self-control or social bond. Anomie theory posits that US society focus heavily upon monetary success, but places little emphasis upon how this success is obtained. Strain theory proposals a very similar concept, but focus upon smaller units within society. I t argues that while everyone aims to reach the middle class standard of success, people in some groups will be unable to achieve it via legitimate channels. These theories suggest that people how commit crime are trying to accomplish theShow MoreRelatedDurkheim s Theory Of Social Bonds1339 Words   |  6 Pagesestablished many sociological theories throughout his time that still are relevant today and have been studied by many sociologists during his time and now currently. One of the more popular theories that has been altered slightly but still used today is Durkheim’s Anomie Theory. The Anomie Theory has been studied by many other famous sociologists such as Robert King Merton and Robert Agnew. It eventually branched into what is now known as the Strain Theory. 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Racial Segregations and Hope for More Equal Life in...

In showing the youth of his mother and her abusive father, McBride identifies the racism of the South in 1940s. With mentions of his past he highlights the racial segregations in order to portray a more equal way of life. The racial segregation begins as he questions his identity wondering why his mom is white and he is black. When James goes to the bus to take him to summer camp and the kid shakes his father’s hand in a â€Å"hip† way and then says his dad is a Black Panther James yells for his mother then punches the other kid in the face (p. 36) which emphasizes his fear for his white mother’s safety due to his exposure of the Black Panther group being violent against whites. At the store McBride buys a carton of milk, which turns out to be†¦show more content†¦In James’s professional life as a writer, he attempts to stay away from people because of the racial comments that get thrown around (p. 261). This exposes how in a professional environment people are judged by the color of their skin more than their ability. James’ attempts to show the racial tensions hints at why he believes that the world needs to change and tries to help and change it. Throughout the book James McBride is looked at as second rate because he is black and wants to change how people look at him and his race, since he knows there is a better way. An example of early equality is when Jordan Hunter, a black man, marries Ruth and helps her with money and provides a fatherly figure to her children (Chapter DADDY). He helps Ruth out in ways, only known to loving relationships even thought it goes society. While James is looking for his mother in Suffolk he goes in to a synagogue where he is pleasantly surprised by the kind nature of the people there. He writes, â€Å"I found it odd and amazing when white people treated me that way, as if there were no barriers between us. It said a lot about this religion,† While this highlights how little James had experienced, it emphasizes that there is good in the world that will take you in and help you no matter your color. Later James’s mom explains to him that God is not black or white, â€Å"God is t he color of water. Water doesn’t have a color. (Pg. 51)† This quote presents Ruth’s idea of a more perfect