Product or brand success Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Product or brand success - Essay Example In this case, exiting investments can be accelerated, eliminated or de-prioritized. Again, the resources within the business can be allocated or re-allocated to active investments. Normally, portfolio decision approach is characterized by changing and unforeseen information, vibrant opportunities, various objectives and strategic considerations among many others. Also, a variety of decision makers and locations are considered. In determining product success, portfolio management incorporates or ignores a number of decision making approaches in the business. These include periodic evaluations of the all portfolio investments, making of decisions with regard to individual projects on a continuous basis (Product Success 7). Similarly, there is development of new product process characterized by a complete resource distribution decisions. Apart from decision making and resource distribution, new product portfolio control deals with future opportunities and events. However, there is a lot of information needed to make the best out of investments. First, there is need to understand that product portfolio control focuses on future chances and events. Therefore, most of the information needs to make investments selection decision process at its best. Secondly, the decision environment is a very vibrant one. The status and opportunities for investment in portfolio are continuously changing with the introduction of new information. Thirdly, projects in portfolio are at various stages of completion, although all the projects are competing for resources so that comparisons are made. Finally, resources to be distributed across the projects are restricted. A verdict to finance one project can mean that resources are not accessed by another and resource sharing between projects is not completely seamless. There are four major goals in portfolio management that leads to product or brand success. Actually, the goal that an individual wishes to focus on mainly is the one that will eventually determine the choice of portfolio approaches. These objectives include: Value exploitation Balance Strategic course Right number of investments With regard to value maximization, the main objective is to distribute resources with an intention of maximizing portfolio value. This means that the projects are selected so that the sum of values are maximize that are related to active projects. On the other hand, balance deals mainly with the development of balanced approach to realize the desired balance. For instance, the relevant balance in terms of permanent short term projects versus long term projects must be attained. Strategic direction as part of t he main objectives ensures that apart from all the other factors, the ultimate project portfolio truly gives a reflection of business approach. This should mean that the breakdown of using funds across markets, projects among other investments is closely related to business strategy. In relation to the right number of projects, most organizations have several continuing projects for the limited resources that are available. Therefore, an overriding objective is to make sure that a balance is reached between resources needed for the main projects and resources that are available. Product or brand failure In contrary to product success, product or brand failure means that the product in the market cannot meet the customer needs in the market (Hlavacek, Maxwell, and Williams 33). Marketers understand that they are supposed to maintain a steady

Writers Inventory Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Writers Inventory Letter - Essay Example Also, I have discovered that choosing topics is not as difficult as I initially found it to be – it needs creativity in many cases. One thing that I have never quite learned is how to make transitions when introducing new ideas. The use of connectors such as â€Å"so †¦ that, although, no sooner †¦than and thought† have proved to be quite challenging. Similarly, incorporating quotes and citing other people’s works in my writing has remained a challenge – maybe because I haven’t learned how to use some punctuations marks. Although my grammar has improved, I know I have quite a lot to do still. For example many times I misspell words that look so simple. Because my grammar is still inadequate, I often lack words to use in place of others. I will try reading more literature to learn more words and how to use them. I need to learn how to keep to the topic as I write. In many occasions, I have presented irrelevant information and far exceeded or presented inadequate material. I may start writing well but somewhere along the line I go off topic. I tend to use so many words to explain even simple concepts. I hope to work on these weaknesses. I will have to practice more to stick to the topic. I also want to thank you for being so helpful to me and to the whole of our class.

Reflective technique of listening Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reflective technique of listening - Essay Example The writer then goes on to explain empathy as the listener’s desire to understand the internal frame of mind of the speaker. The author explains the concept very well by giving examples of how empathy can be shown by saying phrases like â€Å"I follow you†; â€Å"I am with you†. He explains acceptance as accepting the person for what he is and not trying to judge him. It is closely related to empathy. When a person doesn’t try to judge the speaker; the speaker is encouraged to speak freely and discuss all aspects of the problem that he has been facing. Congruence is explained as being in the same external frame as you are internal. If you are angry, the writer feels it is better to tell the speaker than to show false sympathy as the speaker can always guess whether your concern is genuine or not. Concreteness is defined as the ability of the listener to focus on specifics rather than vague generalities and ideas. The listener should encourage the speaker t o be more specific in order to help him reach the root cause of this problem. The speaker may be trying to avoid it.In reflection, the listener should attempt to clarify and restate what the speaker is saying. I will not only assure the speaker that you are paying attention to what you are saying but will also clear your thoughts and help you to understand the speaker in a better way. Listening orientation and reflective listening are said to be mutually re-enforcing by the writer. One feeds on the other and helps the other to grow.... Congruence is explained as being in same external frame as you are internally. If you are angry , the writer feels it is better to tell the speaker than to show false sympathy as the speaker can always guess whether your concern is genuine or not. Concreteness is defined as the ability of the listener to focus on specifics rather than vague generalities and ideas. The listener should encourage the speaker to be more specific in order to help him reach the root cause of his problem. The speaker may be trying to avoid it. In reflection the listener should attempt to clarify and restate what the speaker is saying. I will not only assure the speaker that you are paying attention to what you are saying but will also clear your thoughts and help you to understand the speaker in a better way. Listening orientation and reflective listening are said to be mutually re-enforcing by the writer. One feeds on the other and helps the other to grow. The listener should try to react to only personal comments made by the speaker such as â€Å"I am worried about the job†. Instead of focusing on how is job is; reflective listening encourages the listener to focus on the worried part. Reflective listening basically lets the speaker take ownership of the problem. So the writer says that the listener should never try to lead the conversation but should only respond whenever necessary. These responses should be limited and should only be there to encourage the speaker to continue speaking. The most important aspect of reflective listening mentioned by the writer is to acknowledge; understand and respond to the feelings of the speaker rather than the actual content of what he is

Ceratopteris Fern Growth and Analysis Essay Example for Free

Ceratopteris Fern Growth and Analysis Essay I: Abstract Observing the effects of ammonium nitrate has on the germination days of C-Fern gametophytes by constructing an experiment with two spore-sown petri dishes, one control and one treatment – a normal nutrient-rich agar petri dish and an ammonium nitrate-containing petri dish respectively. The two petri dishes were each inoculated with three drops of spore suspension by a pipet, then spores were spread by a sterilized-bent paper clip to allow even distribution of spores. Gametophyte germination occurred approximately two weeks after inoculation for the control, and gametophyte germination occurred approximately three weeks after inoculation for the treatment; thus possibly suggesting ammonium nitrate worked to hinder the mitotic cell division in the haploid gametophyte. II: Introduction C-Fern begins with a haploid spore known as the spore imbibition (Hickok, Warne 2009), then after 3 to 4 days the spore will develop into a gametophyte via mitosis after germination. This is a photoautotrophic process. The gametophyte will then undergo differentiation (Hickok, Warne 2009), to form the antheridium and the archegonium after 6 to 8 days (Hickok, Warne 2009). Following the gametophyte displaying its hermaphrodite form, sexual maturity allows cross-fertilization to occur between the sperm from antheridium and the egg from archegonium. After one sperm fertilizes the egg, a zygote forms, thus forming a diploid cell (Hoshizaki 2001). The formation of the zygote exemplifies sporophytes’ alternation of generations via the diploid cell completing mitosis and meiosis yet still retaining a full set of genetic material. In other words, alternation of generation refers to going from a multicellular diploid form to a multicellular haploid form. (Hickok, Warne 2009). The fertilized egg develops into a sporophyte by mitosis to form a microscopic young fern (embryo), which is a gametophyte under the reproductive leaves called sporangia. Note that sporophytes are diploid and gametophytes are haploid. When the sporophyte reaches maturity, it releases spores via meiosis, then the spores will undergo mitosis, thus forming gametophytes, and the life cycle continues (Brooker 2011). Figure 1 is a pictorial depiction of the life cycle of a fern. [pic] Figure 1: The life cycle of a fern. [1] This experiment aims to discover the germination time of C-Fern under a controlled condition and a treatment condition. Experimenting if the treatment of ammonium nitrate will allow faster germination of the C-Fern. Some data shows that ammonium nitrate possibly functions as a fertilizer for many species of plants, however, not all plants will reap the benefits of ammonium nitrate (Aderkas 1984). [2] The null hypothesis of this experiment is that the ammonium nitrate will not hinder the rate of germination of the C-Fern, thus the data obtained from the control will not have a statistical difference from the data obtained from the treatment. III: Methods Two 60 mm petri dishes were prepared. One labeled â€Å"C† for control, another labeled â€Å"T† for treatment. The control contained a layer of agar and the treatment contained agar and ammonium nitrate. Petri dish for control was inoculated with three drops of C-Fern spore suspension via a pipette, and petri dish for treatment was inoculated three drops of C-Fern spore suspension via the same pipette. A Bunsen burner was used to sterilize a bent â€Å"T† shaped paper clip, the paper clip was used to spread the spore suspension in the petri dish for control. The same paper clip was sterilized again by a 70% ethanol solution and was used to spread spore suspension in treatment petri dish. Two petri dishes were each covered with a lid and now considered culture trays, culture trays then were transported to a climate controlled light dome for optimal growth. Light dome maintained a full spectrum of light 24/7 with temperature in the range of 28 to 30 degrees Celsiu s. Observations were made on every Friday at approximately 3:10 pm for the next 3 weeks. Spores were sown in the week of September 10th and no observations were made. First observation was made in the week of September 17th, Friday 3:08 pm, the control displayed some growth with flagella-like hair, however, no germination was observed. The treatment did not display any signs of growth, only air-like bubbles were observed. Second observation was made in the week of September 24th, Friday 3:10 pm, the control displayed germination, gametophytes were visible under the microscope, however, hermaphrodites were not significantly observed. The treatment still does not display signs of germination, only small green spores were observed under the microscope. Last observation was made in the week of October 1st, Friday 3:05 pm, the control displayed significant signs of growth, it appeared that fertilization took place and an embryo was in development. The treatment only displayed minimal germination, however, some spores appeared to be infested with fungus.

Ethics Of Hans Jonas Philosophy Essay

Ethics Of Hans Jonas Philosophy Essay Science and philosophy though are separate disciplines they co-exist with each other. Hans Jonas a prominent thinker not only has succeeded in bridging the gap of science and philosophy but also has taken science especially the Biology to the realm of philosophy. He has constructed Philosophical Biology. He is also known for his ethics of responsibility. As, one of the most prominent thinkers of 20th century, he has written on diverse topics such as the philosophy of biology, ethics, social philosophy, cosmology, and Jewish theology with a view to understand morality as the root of our moral responsibility to safeguard humanitys future. Jonass greatest work, The Phenomenon of Life sets forth a systematic and comprehensive philosophy of phenomenology and existentialism. In this paper I have tried to adumbrate his thought on life philosophy rather thematically with a special reference to Phenomenon of Life. I have also touched upon his most celebrated ethics of responsibility briefly f ollowed by my own reflections. 1. Life and Biography Hans Jonas was a well-known Jewish thinker, an early and influential biomedical ethicist, and an equally early and influential philosopher of technology. Jonas was born in 1904 in Monchengladbach, studied under Martin Heidegger at the University of Freiburg before Hitler came to power and Heidegger became chancellor of the university. He received his doctorate in 1928 from the University of Marburg. In 1933 he fled Germany and, in 1964, publicly repudiated Heidegger because of his Nazi connections. Jonas taught in Jerusalem and Canada before becoming a professor at the New School for Social Research in New York in 1955, where he was chair of the philosophy department (195763) and Johnson Professor of Philosophy (from 1966 until his retirement in 1976).  [1]  He Died in February, 1993 in New York. Jonass career is generally divided into three periods defined by the three works just mentioned, but in reverse order: studies of Gnosticism, studies of philosophical biology, and ethica l studies.  [2]  Jonass major works in English include:  The Gnostic Religion: The Message of the Alien God  and  the Beginnings of Christianity  (1958),  The Phenomenon of Life: Toward a Philosophical Biology  (1966), and  The Imperative of Responsibility: In Search of Ethics for the Technological Age  (1979).  [3]   2. Philosophical Biology in The Phenomenon of Life The Phenomenon of Life is a collection of essays, written over a period of more than fifteen years. The book covers topics ranging from the metabolism of an amoeba to the meaning of immortality. There are discussions of Orphic religion, natural selection, gnosticism, DNA, ancient versus modern mathematics, cybernetics, the relative strengths and weaknesses of seeing, hearing, and tactile-feeling, the being of images, theory versus practice, the images of man and the image of God. In this book he critiques the fundamental assumptions underlying modern philosophy since Descartes, primarily dualism. Jonas is exactly right to argue that life does need a distinct ontological category, and that the neglect of life in the Cartesian dichotomy of matter and mind is an important element in the historical path that leads to modern nihilism.  [4]  The book deals with organic facts of life and self-interpretation of life in human being. The themes dealt are not only of organic world such as m etabolism, sentience, motility, emotion, perception, imagination, mind etc. but also moral and metaphysical themes.  [5]   In the preface of The Phenomenon of Life, Jonas identifies the work as an existential interpretation of the biological facts. This description is significant: Jonas would attempt to carry what was valuable in the existentialist approach forward to interpret an area that philosophers had long neglected: the world of facts about living things; about hunger, about nourishment, about growth and about death. The very proposition that philosophy ought to interpret facts demonstrates Jonass unorthodox orientation. For Jonas, the old division of labor between the natural sciences, on the one hand, which deal in facts about nature, and the humanities, on the other, which concern themselves with values and concepts salient to the mind or spirit-this old division of labor is precisely the problem that must be overcome in order to get nature right. 3. Life, Death and the Body of Being and Philosophical Aspects of Darwinism Jonas says that when human being began to interpret the nature of things he found life everywhere. It means the primitive man found life in everything. Jonas calls for the construction of a philosophy of nature as the Greek philosopher Aristotle did long ago. By this he means that every philosopher must return to fields or to the working land. In this context his questions are: What is the difference between a human being, alive, and a corpse? What is there in man besides chemicals that constitute the human body? Some might be quick to answer, a human being is not just a body; he has a soul. But what is meant by this? Is the soul something to be opposed to the body-a sort of spiritual substance that inhabits a body and lives out its own destiny apart from that body? This was neither Jonass view nor Aristotles before him.  [6]  The position of these philosophers is closer to that which Friedrich Nietzsche expressed with his usual eloquence when he wrote in Thus Spoke Zarathustra: Body am I, and soul so speaks a child.  [7]  And why should one not speak like children? But the awakened and knowing say: body am I entirely, and nothing else; and soul is only a word for something about the body. Nietzsche says that the soul is a word for something about the body, we have an idea what that something is-its mortality, its relationship to death. An easy but significant answer to the question what is a living thing? is this: A living thing is something that can and will die. Unlike non-living matter-including the nonliving matter that makes up living bodies-the whole living body has a provisional sort of being. When death arrives, the extinction of an existing thing occurs. What is clearly gone in death is the bodys organization. Extinction of organism equals loss of organization. When the organism is alive, first, it is not a static thing, like the organization of marble into a statue or of wood and iron into a hammer. It is rather, a never ceasing, ongoing pro cess. Biological science calls this process as metabolism. Jonas describes metabolism philosophically: In this remarkable mode of being, the material parts of which the organism consists at a given instant are to the penetrating observer only temporary, passing contents whose joint material identity does not coincide with the identity of the whole which they enter and leave, and which sustains its own identity by the very act of foreign matter passing through its spatial system, the living form. It is never the same materially and yet persists as its same self, by not remaining the same matter.  [8]  Aristotles thought that all living beings nourish themselves, struck the idea of the mode of being as discovered by Jonas. A living thing does not simply exist-it exists by being constantly active, constantly reaching out into the world to capture those material parts it needs to preserve itself. Out of these captured elements, the organism builds itself anew or generates the energy needed for this building. Plants employ roots and leaves, a nimals employ gills, lungs, teeth, stomach-and also, on the hunt, legs and arms, eyes and ears, attention and memory. As Jonas conceives it, life, from the most simple to the most complex, is active and purposeful.  [9]  Organism and environment together form a system which determines the basic concept of life. Jonas remarks that the triumph which materialism achieved in Darwinism contains the germ of its own overcoming. Though by proving Darwins evolutionism it seems that mans metaphysical status is reduced due to his animal descent, in the realm of life as a whole mans dignity is restored. If man was the relative of animals, then animals were the relatives of man, and in degrees bearers of that inwardness of which man, the most advanced of their kin, is conscious in himself.  [10]  But man remains distinct, because of self-consciousness. 4. Is God a Mathematician? The third essay in The Phenomenon of Life considers the meaning of metabolism using the quote of Sir James Jeans. Jonas notes that a living being is one that is never the same from one moment to the next perpetual self-renewal through process. James remarks, From the intrinsic evidence of his creation, the Great Architect of the Universe now begins to appear as a pure mathematician.  [11]  Two questions can be asked on this statement: What does it mean and is it true? The question regarding the truth gives rise to another question namely, is the great architect of the universe is also the architect of amoeba. He must be both, or he is neither. For the amoeba is part of the universe and must be accountable for by its creative principle. The observation of James is the continuation of the long tradition from Platos Timaeus to Leibniz. Leibniz observes, Thus it is wonderfully made known to us how in the very origination of things a certain Divine mathematics or metaphysical mechanic s is employed and the determination of the greatest quantity takes place.  [12]  When God calculates and employs thought, the world is made.  [13]  Kepler deeply imbued with the Pythagorean faith in the mathematical essence of things and the consequent harmony in the world, said that God, too kind to remain idle, began to play the game of signatures, signing his likeness into the world, with the result that all nature and the graceful sky are symbolized in the art of geometry. Galileo believed that the great book of the universe is written in mathematical language, using symbols such as triangles, circles and other geometrical figures. Philosophy is written in the book of the universe.  [14]  The final answer to the question, Is God a Mathematician? is a distinct No. 5. Animal vs. Plants Jonas considers what differs from animal to plant i.e., motility, perception and emotion. The ability to move using the evidence of perception leads to the idea of freedom. Plants possess immediacy in life between environment and the organism; animals are more separated than this being required to treat the environment as different from them to some degree at least. For the animal the environment is always at a distance, but for plants the adjacent surroundings in one permanent context forms the environment. Motility, perception, and emotion make it possible for animals to have a genuine relation to a genuinely articulated world. These powers are, in fact, all manifestations of a common principle, tied to a common fact about animal life. The common fact is that the mobile animals live at greater distance from their relevant environments; thereforethe common principleanimal life is mediated life, animal life is rooted in the gap between subject and object, which gap is spanned by the distance-disclosing and distance-bridging powers of perception, locomotion, and appetite. Jonas argues, persuasively, that appetite is the heart of animality, prior to the more externally recognizable powers of perception and locomotion. Distance is requisite for desire, but it is desire which drives motion, guided by perception, to turn the over there into here and the not yet into now. It is desire which, while seeking to efface the spatial and temporal gaps, paradoxically, maintains the gaps (and the objects across them) as matters of interest, even as the gaps are spanned under its spur. Jonas concludes: The great secret of animal life lies precisely in the gap which it is able to maintain between immediate concern and mediate satisfaction.  [15]  Wakefulness and effort, want and fear, suffering and enjoyment give depth to the animal soul. 6. Cybernetics and Purpose According to cybernetics, society is communication network for the transmitting, exchanging, and pooling of information. Jonas analyses the ideas of cybernetics and some differences between machines and organisms noting that machines act by feedback mechanisms whereas organism is concerned in existing, this applies also to society where the cybernetic idea of information is empty. He draws out a crucial implication of the passionate nature of animal life. He shows the error in the efforts of cyberneticians and behaviorists to explain away the apparent goal-directed behavior of animals in terms of mechanical inputs and outputs and self-regulating feedback mechanisms. Exploiting the distinction between serving a purpose and having purpose, and using a marvelous example which compares a so-called self-steering torpedo and the same torpedo manned by a human pilot, he shows that all machine models of purposiveness fail because, unlike living things, machines are not creatures of need. It is the concern of life with its own continued existence that qualifies incoming data as messages, and then only if they are relevant to the organisms purpose; it is only such self-concern that energizes the active response as an action fit to the organic purpose. Concern, or, in the higher animals, desire, appetite, and emotion, is more basic than the outward-looking functions of perception and locomotion which it holds together. Animals, no less than man, are teleological beings; animals, no less than man, aim at their own good.  [16]   7. Image-making and the Freedom of Man Hans Jonas sheds light on philosophical anthropology where he shows the specific difference of human being in the animal kingdom. He deliberates on the properties of an object which determines the image. According to him the properties of image include:  [17]   1. The most obvious property is that of likeness. An image is an object that bears a plainly recognizable likeness to another object. 2. The likeness is produced with intent. It is not the natural resemblances like mirror images, shadows, and the like. 3. The likeness is not complete. It is not duplication. The incompleteness of the likeness must be perceptible. 4. The incompleteness of image-likeness includes omission and selection. 5. Incompleteness also involves dissimilarity and alteration of selected features. 6. The object of representation is visual shape. Vision grants the greatest freedom to the mediacy of representation. 7. The image is inactive and at rest, though it may depict movement and action. There is static presence because the represented, the representation, and the vehicle of representation are different strata in the ontological constitution of the image. The properties required in a subject for the making or beholding of images involve the ability to behold something as an image; and to behold something as an image and not merely as an object means also to be able to produce one. The requirement seems to be the ability to perceive the likeness. Animals perceive either sameness or otherness, but not both in one. Human persons have the apprehension of similitude. 8. Gnosticism, Existentialism and Nihilism The similarity and difference between two positions or movements of thought is: one is conceptual, sophisticated and eminently modern i.e., existentialism and another from misty past, mythological, crude i.e., Gnosticism. Jonas wrote on Gnosticism which was a widespread movement in late antiquity in the early era of Christianity. The Gnostics, often understood to be Christian heretics, held the view that the cosmos is a prison for the human soul; that the world is not Gods creation, but the work of lesser deities intent on keeping the soul imprisoned and apart from God; that all attachments between a human being and the world, his appetites, aspirations and conscience, are expressions of ignorance that must be overcome through true knowledge; and that this knowledge only comes as a gift from the savior beyond the world who can show the soul the way out.  [18]   The movement of modern knowledge called science has by a necessary complementarity eroded the foundations from which norms could be derived; it has destroyed the very idea of norm as such. To make his point fully emphatic, Jonas writes: Now we shiver in the nakedness of a nihilism, in which near-omnipotence is paired with near-emptiness, greatest capacity with knowing least for what ends to use it.  [19]   9. Heidegger and Theology This essay deals with how Martin Heidegger understands of Theology as interpreted by Jonas. Originally the Biblical word was equalized with the Greek logos. Philo Judaeus gives a reflection on Christian Theology through the etymology of the Biblical name Israel. It means He who sees God and Jacobs acquiring this name is said to represent the God-seekers progress from the stage of hearing to that of seeing, made possible by the miraculous conversion of ears into eyes. Philos views on knowing God rests on the Platonic supposition the truest relation to being is intuition, beholding. This eminence of sight gazed from the religious perspective enhances ones relation to God and also to the word of God. Philo quoting Exodus, All the people saw the voice (20: 18) comments: Highly significant, for human voice is to be heard, but Gods voice is in truth to be seen. Why? Because that which God speaks is not words but works, which the eye discriminates better than the ear (De Decalogo, 47).  [ 20]  After Philo the Christian Theology underwent a turn from the original hearing to the call of the living in other words the conversion of ears into eyes When we speak of Heidegger there is much secularized Christianity in his thought. The concepts like guilt, care, anxiety, call of conscience, resolution, authenticity-inauthenticity have a purely ontological meaning. Theology is also a primal thinking though it is derived from a revelation. But for Heidegger Revelation is self-unveiling of being. Heidegger adopts many Judeo-Christian vocabularies in his philosophy such as guilt and conscience and call and voice and hearing and response and mission and shepherd and revelation and thanksgiving etc. He says: Only from the truth of being can essence of the holy be thought. Only from the essence of the holy is the essence of deity to be thought. Only in the light in the essence of deity can that be thought and said which the word God should name.  [21]  Heideggers formulation c an be put in this way, philosophical thinking is to being as theological thinking is to the self-revealing God. Hence theology should be primal thinking concerning God.  [22]   10. Jonass Thought on Biology Organisms are, of course, as much a part of the physical universe as atoms and planets and cosmic nebulae. An organism is a whole and not just a collection of simpler parts. Nature is not a place of purposes but rather of bodies filling the void of empty space.  [23]  A living organism including human being-is a being that must always be at-work in order to stay the whole that it is. What Jonas adds to this account is an existentialist philosophers emphasis on the role of death. The existentialists, including Heidegger, think only about the consciousness of death, the anticipation of death that characterizes mankinds existence. But Jonas thought about death as a biological event. Mankind is not the only creature who walks in the valley of the shadow of death. All life is fragile and provisional; all life is wrested moment by moment from the threat of non-being. The key ontological divide is not between human beings and the rest of nature-it is between living nature and that which does not live and, so, cannot die. The essential feature of all life, then, is, first, the primacy of form over matter-the ontological persistence of an individual through material change-and, second, the purposeful action of the living individual to keep itself in being against the threat of non-being. The imputation of purpose to all life processes is perhaps the core of Jonass heresy. It is essential, for Jonas, those categories which modern philosophers and scientists have consistently applied only to mankind-purpose, intention, interest, care-should be seen as present throughout the organic world. To be alive is to exhibit an interest in continuing to be. Jonas formulates this at one point by saying that, through metabolism, life says yes to itself.  [24]  Jonas characterizes the essential property of all living things as a kind of freedom. Living things are free in that they exist independent of, though not apart from, their material.  [25]   11. The Imperative of Responsibility Jonas is best known for his neo-Kantian ethics of responsible caution in the face of the awesome power of modern technology, especially the power of modern biotechnology, including genetic engineering. He offers answer to the question what makes mankind unique?, Man is the only being known to us who can assume responsibility. The fact that he can assume it means that he is liable to it. This capacity for taking responsibility already signifies that human being is subject to its imperative: the ability itself brings moral obligation with it. But the capacity for taking responsibility, an ethical capacity, lies in mans ontological capability to choose knowingly and willingly between alterative actions. Responsibility, therefore, is complimentary to freedom; it is an acting subjects burden of freedom.  [26]  Jonas tells us: Responsibility exists with or without God and, naturally even more so, with or without an earthly court of justice. Responsibility is sown into the fabric of Bei ng. Jonas argues that it does and that we must learn how to think of the planet that sustains our being and the God-like nature that evolution has-wondrously and mysteriously-realized in our species as vulnerable things that must stay our hand and constrain our choices.  [27]  According to Jonas, we must consult our fears and not our hopes when understanding technological ventures that can have a potentially devastating impact on what it means to be human (and therefore ethical). The Imperative of Responsibility centres on social and ethical problems created by technology. Jonas insists that human survival depends on our efforts to care for our planet and its future. He formulated a new and distinctive supreme principle of morality: Act so that the effects of your action are compatible with the permanence of genuine human life.  [28]  Francis Bacon states that nature can be commanded only by being obeyed.  [29]   Critical Remarks and Conclusion Hans Jonas, a pupil of Heidegger, departs from his mentors work and reaches out into the depths of the deeply thinking mans way of understanding The Phenomenon of Life . The philosophy of Jonas is more than challenging in this technological era. I found it relevant for many reasons. a. His division of living and non-living beings is a new thinking which goes beyond anthropocentric division of man and rest of nature. This new aspect brings in the terrain of plants and animals to human life. They are nothing less in terms of living beings. Only non-living beings have neither birth nor death. This thinking paves the way for new ethical imperatives, respect for life and deep ecological concerns. b. His application of philosophy to science especially to biology is relevant. He tries to interpret nature in a holistic sense which upholds the meaning to life, proper use of technology etc. He acknowledges that human existence cannot be grasped without acknowledging radically different kinds of relation. c. The philosophy of Hans Jonas found in The Phenomenon of Life is a hard reading and bit complicated to understand in a first attempt. But as one goes or digs deep there are gems of thought and concrete experiences. The life and thought is worth studying for a present student of philosophy. His philosophy is a clarion call to study and do philosophy as well. It places humans as responsible citizens of cosmos to safeguard nature and surroundings. Thanks to his thought.

America :: essays papers

America What is the AMERICAN DREAM? I concluded the matter of dreaming about life’s basics wants that are exclusive to North America. The American Dream is the following: Go to college, get a good job, and finally get your own family. If we think about it, the American Dream is indeed a UNIVERSAL DREAM. The concept of the American Dream is created by this value system. The American Dream is intended to be a way of life attainable to all Americans. Whatever maybe the case, the act of trying to escape reality and the result such an act brings, is evident throughout the three novels Jews without money, by Michael Gold, Street Corner Society by William Whyte, and Passing, by Nella Larsen. All three of these books confront the myth of the American Dream. The American Dream can either be a reality or a nightmare depending upon the cultural prejudices and availability of freedom. Individuals who are united through some common bond, which may be religion social status of color, create a group or class of people. While individuals are subject to racial prejudices, which often makes up upward mobility not possible. Without equal opportunities to move upwards within society, the American Dream is not attainable. But it is possible in cases where people are willing to sacrifice their heritage culture etc. Nella Larsen, show us through this novel, that if people want, they can achieve the American Dream, but they would have to ‘pay a price for it.’ This is especially true of Clare Kendry. Her passing is motivated by her desire to improve the conditions of her socioeconomic life. She is successful in achieving her American Dream, but in the end she does face the consequences of her actions. She manages to rise from being a poor girl to settling down in a well household. Using her white skin color and blond hair as commodities, she escapes the reality of her true character. She gained wealth and respect in the community through marrying an affluent successful white man. But the truth is that she paid the price of ‘passing’ because she couldn’t express who she was and her true identity in the fear of being ‘caught’ and then left aside abandoned from the ‘whites’ and the ‘black’ communities. In her case, her decision to ‘pass’ was self-initiated. Clare was afraid to face everyone, especially her husband, with her blackness.

Act 2 Scenes 8-10 Essay -- Aboriginals Moore River Australia Essays

Act 2 Scenes 8-10 The scene starts at superintendent’s office at Moore river Native settlement, the date set 10 April 1933. It represents an institution of white power-a place of forced confinement and conformity. The importance of the construction of this place is to give a medium for the Aboriginals to resist such conformity, as demonstrated by Joe and Mary escaping from white control. It reinforces the theme of the play –‘the refusal of aboriginal people to submit to the ways of European invaders’ The 1930’s represented two major political turning points of Western Australia. Firstly, the loss of the James Mitchell’s seat as the premier of Northam to the labor government epitomises changing white attitudes by electing a fairer government system. In previous scenes, Mitchell’s desperate attempt to win the election by sending the Aboriginals to Moore River as an act of racial segregation reflects his inequality and exploitation of his political hegemony. The second political concern at this historical point was the success of the secession referendum vote. This secession of the 1930’s was led by the organisation Dominion League of Western Australia and in success of secession, Western Australia would break away from federation and the rule of the Commonwealth of Australia, therefore having dominion status similar to that of New Zealand. Despite the favoured votes for the secession referendum, by 1935 the proposition to Parliament was denied and WA still remained pa...