All for Love Essay Example for Free

All for Love Essay A parent-child relationship involves a lot of complexities. Basically, parents are responsible to provide for their children’s needs, whether material or immaterial. They are expected to perform duties to their children in spite of personal issues they have to deal with. Conversely, for children, there is the constant struggle to win their parents’ approval. These complexities in the parent-child relationship are illustrated in Sherman Alexie‘s, â€Å"Because My Father Always Said He was the Only Indian who Saw Jimi Hendrix Played ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ at Woodstock† and D. H. Lawrence’s â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner. † Analyses of the characters’ traits and motives provide a better understanding of how these complexities affect the relationship between parents and children. In addition, plot analyses help draw out a possible solution to the conflict. Told in the first person, â€Å"Because My Father Always Said He was the Only Indian who Saw Jimi Hendrix Played ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ at Woostock† is a short story that talks about a father-son relationship. The son named Victor, serves as the narrator, who gives a picture of his father’s relationship with him and his mother by revealing his father’s character—his racial ideologies, hobbies, and behavior. In his revelation, the narrator gives a lighthearted view of the conflict zeroing on his father’s irresponsible behavior. Citing his father’s claim that he was the only Indian who watched Jimi Hendrix play the national anthem, the son establishes his father’s uniqueness and at the same time, his hippie attitude. Likewise, his father’s appearance to famous magazines as he knocks down an officer in defense of his political ideologies, illustrates the father’s aggressive and violent nature. Moreover, the accident the father suffers from while riding a motorcycle demonstrates his adventurousness. In sum, these descriptions show signs of the father’s irresponsible behavior, the wrong decisions he makes throughout his life. Particularly, the claim he makes regarding the concert of Jimi Hendrix demonstrates the tendency of the father to create and amuse himself with lies. Moreover, as Victor implies, his father is preoccupied with his own ambition and adventures, and he covers up his shortcomings by telling stories, and attributing his life-long search for meaning to his cultural origins. The father reasons out that his being an Indian affects him to behave the way he does. He uses his cultural origin to justify his weaknesses as a father, his obsession for music, and his erratic behavior. Parenting proves to be a difficult task for the father, mainly because of his confinement to his own affairs, his irresponsible nature. His attempt to establish individuality makes him unable to perform his obligations to his family. His acts of merrymaking with his friends and continuous search for adventures show his unpreparedness and incapability to fulfill his role as a husband and father. The difficulty of becoming a good parent is likewise tackled in D. H. Lawrence’s story. However, unlike the personal issues that the father deals with in Alexie’s story, the conflict is associated with the mother’s materialist disposition. Due to the extravagant life she is used to, the mother always feels the need of the family to produce more money. Even the house is personified as someone who whispers, â€Å"There should be more money. † Hence, the mother is always preoccupied with the thought of finding money, or as she tells her son, to being â€Å"lucky. † The excessive materialism of the mother causes her to feel indifferent towards her children. The narrator states that deep inside, â€Å"she knew that at the centre of her heart was a hard little place that could not feel love, no, not for anybody. † This indifference is what Marx (111) refers to as â€Å"alienation† in his â€Å"Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844. † In simple terms, Marx implies that as people’s material needs grow, the need to produce money and to work becomes greater. In this process, workers or proletarians such as the mother soon lose control of their lives and their selves, just as they lose control of their work. Although the mother in the story is not characterized as a usual worker, her materialist needs make her a victim of the materialistic society in which she belongs. Considering this, the alienation she experiences is one that dehumanizes her, and disables her to establish emotional connection with her children. Considering the mother’s attitude of living beyond their means, the story closely mirrors Veblen’s (â€Å"The Theory of the Leisure Class†) view of the consumerist world. As the author claims, the consumerist equate personal happiness with consumption and the purchase of material things. In his â€Å"Theory of the Leisure Class,† the author discusses that people waste money and resources in order to display a higher status than others. In the story, the family â€Å"lived in a pleasant house, with a garden, and they had discreet servants. † Although they cannot afford such luxury, the parents maintain a high standard of living in order to feel superior to their neighbors. Acknowledging the need to produce more money, the mother works â€Å"secretly† in town, designing dresses for women. Even this effort of the mother reflects her consumerist attitude. As Veblen views, for the consumerist, the woman’s role is limited to that of a housewife, as this would show off a mans success. In the story, the wife works secretly in order to pretend that the family has enough means support their needs. As Veblen proposes, by not allowing the wives to take outside professions, a man could show off his economic status, although in the story, these are all a facade invented by the mother. Like the father in Alexie’s story, whose individuality seems to come first before all aspects in the world, the mother possesses a selfish attitude, which considers everything alright as long as her material needs are met. This submission to material things illustrates nothing but her selfishness. According to Stebbins (82-83) â€Å"the person who has the least interest in continuing the relationship normally possesses the greater power and is most liable to resort to exploitative behavior. † In the two stories, we see the parents as those who are less interested to continue their relationship with their children. In â€Å"The Rocking-Horse Winner,† the selfishness of the mother is best reflected in her request to withdraw the full amount that Paul secretly endows her. Although the mother uses the money to provide better education to her children, these are all due to her pride, her ambition to be regarded as superior to their neighbors. Moreover, her disinterest to find out whoever bequeaths her the big sum proves her ingratitude and materialist disposition. Furthermore, her insensitivity to her son’s condition, the fact that the three collaborators, the son, the uncle, and the servant are able to continue their deals without the knowledge of the family, provides a more lucid proof of the selfish nature of the mother. As the story relates, the selfish behavior of the mother drives the son to eagerly and desperately please her. Snodgrass (191) offers Freudian analyses of Paul’s character, claiming that the son’s effort to win his mother’s affection is Oedipal in nature. However, one may note that there is no established feud between Paul and his father. In fact, not much is said about the father; therefore, this claim cannot be fully established. Nevertheless, through the selfishness of the mother, one may see why the son becomes obsessed in the betting game. Ultimately, it is the mother’s materialistic ambition that drives the son to engage in the betting habit. It is also that, which leads him later to lose his senses. It can be noted that during their conversation, when Paul inquires about luck, the mother points out, Its what causes you to have money. If youre lucky you have money. Thats why its better to be born lucky than rich. If youre rich, you may lose your money. But if youre lucky, you will always get more money. This statement makes the son realize the importance of money and luck. As the mother equates luck with having money, the son struggles to find luck in order to please his mother. As the narrator reveals, the children in the house feel the indifference in the look of their mother. Thus, Paul, imbued by a son’s inherent desire to gain approval and be loved, forces himself to be lucky. More than the competition that some critics establish between the father and the son, it is the son’s emotional needs that move him to create something to please the mother. The same need for affection and approval motivates Victor. As he illustrates the sacrifices he and his mother bear just to please his father, one gets the notion of a one-way relationship where the father is at most on the advantage. The attention Victor gives his father justifies this notion. Specifically, his effort to listen and learn his father’s music, the acquired love for Jimi Hendrix, and the mere belief that his father was the only Indian who watched Hendrix’s performance of the â€Å"Star-Spangled Banner† attest to the son’s struggle to win his father’s affection, and to keep the bond between them. The problem of winning their parents’ affection is very visible in the two stories. Although this issue may look petty for some, it is revealed to be a serious issue in the two stories, especially â€Å"The Rocking-Horse Winner. † As the story shows, this conflict is what makes Paul go insane, rocking his toy horse unceasingly until it gives him the idea of who will win the race. At first, one can imagine that the habit of the son may just be a simple game he plays, but at the end, as the mother witnesses his son rocks his toy horse like a madman in the middle of the night, one can sense the psychological damage that results from the child’s longing for his mother’s love. The behavior and illness that the son shows at the end demonstrate the psychological damage he undergoes. Particularly, as the races draw near, the child develops some anxiety to come up with a forecast of who will win the race. As he already loses in the first two races, his anxiety grows worse, realizing that he has only one chance left to win during the season. As such, the simple anxiety then grows worse into a General Anxiety Disorder (GAD), affecting his whole system, making him unable to sleep and eat, gain consciousness, or in other words, continue with his normal life. In addition to GAD, psychologists may also agree that Paul develops psychological gambling. According to Franklin (Psychology Information Online), psychological gambling is an â€Å"impulse control problem which consists in persistent maladaptive gambling that creates serious life problems for the individual. † It is different from recreational gambling in that it affects seriously the way one lives, suggesting failure to function normally as an individual. As the story portrays, Paul seemingly lose his senses as he rocks his toy horse in the middle of the night. He also shows abnormal behavior as he repeats, â€Å"Malabar,† the name of the horse that will win the final race.

Evolution by Natural Selection Essay Example for Free

Evolution by Natural Selection Essay a. Evolution by Natural Selection: This theory is developed by Charles Darwin as one of the parts of his theory of evolution. This theory embodies the thought that species change and evolve over generations and that the mechanisms for the species change along with it. b. Inheritance: This theory, introduced by Gregor Mendel, embodies the principle that traits are passed on from one generation to the next through the genes that carry them. This means that traits are inherited from the parents to the offspring through these hereditary factors. c. Cells: The Cell theory from Matthias Schleiden and Theodor Schwann, discussed that all cells come from preexisting cells and that cells are the basic elements for life to exist. d. Biological Classification: Carolus Linnaeus began the classification of different species according to their similarities and differences called nomenclature. e. Bioenergetics: is based on the concept that there is an energy that powers life and that it follows the rules of the energies that exist in the inanimate world. f. Homeostasis: Claude Bernard discovered that organisms function best under a narrow range of conditions and that they maintain internal conditions to maintain stability, which allows them to live in a larger range of environments. g. Ecosystems: This deals with the concept that organisms don’t exist alone but is part of a community of other living organisms that interact with one another. (â€Å"What is Biology? †) In relation to the news today and the theories’ applications in the 21st century, a test connected with the Inheritance theory recently revealed that genetics may determine the extent we are influenced by social drinking clues. The article states that a specific form of the Dopamine D4 receptor gene may make people more sensitive to craving caused by alcohol-related cues from other people. This, the article reports, â€Å"†¦may increase the risk for extensive alcohol use or abuse when spending time with heavy-drinking peers (Association for Psychological Science, 25 July 2010). 2. Scientific Method The website began with the question â€Å"Have you ever noticed if you place a plant near a window, that after a while, the plant grows or leans toward the window? † and was followed by the question â€Å"Have you ever wondered why the plant grows toward the window? † This required a hypothesis formulation in order for there to be a guide on how to arrive on the answer. The hypothesis that I have chosen for the experiment on the website was that â€Å"plants respond to the light which they need to make their food. † After selecting my hypothesis, I chose to â€Å"grow three plants with light to the left and glass to the right and three more with light to the right and glass to the left† and look for the difference in the â€Å"direction the plant is growing/leaning. † The result was that â€Å"The leaves of the plants with the light on the left turned toward the left and the tops of the plants grew toward the left. The leaves of the plants with the light on the right turned toward the right and the tops grew toward the right. † This supported my hypothesis that light was the reason that the plants grew toward the windows where the light was. In the scientific method, the whole process began with observation and questioning the behavior of the plant as it grew toward the window and analyzing the possible variables that may affect this behavior. Considering that I had a basic idea about how plants grow, I made a hypothesis that was likely the case, though there may be some other variables that influence the behavior. These other variables made me think of testing them along with the main reason I had been thinking about. In order to test all the elements involved, I proceeded testing with both the light and the glass. Putting all the variables in not only confirms one or more of the variables, but also eliminates other variables that might not have any weight on the observations made. With the results supporting the hypothesis, and eliminating other non-weight bearing variables (in this case, the glass), then the hypothesis is accepted. The explanation in this case would be that plants respond to the light that enables them to create their own food. From here, it is possible to have other questions that would lead to the repeat in the cycle of the scientific method back to observations and questions. These questions could include how plants would react when the source of light comes from different directions. In my own personal experience, I have applied the scientific method to some of the simplest questions I’ve had the chance to encounter in my life. One such example where I constantly apply it is when making projects whether they are for school or for personal enjoyment, especially when the project requires so many redundant details such as cutting strips of paper or stitching something up or anything else. Although this is not exactly the same in doing scientific experiments, the same principles apply. Since I am always concerned with efficiency in doing things, I always ask myself, what is the shortest way I’ll be able to do this while maintaining a standard of quality? This forms the observation and questioning phase. From past experiences and from certain observations, there are many methods that can be applied and I think of the best ones that might apply to what I am currently working on. These comply with the hypothesis that one of the methods that I have thought of will work, which brings me to the experimentation phase. Here, I test which ones work best on a small scale, checking which ones I finish more quickly and produce the same results despite separate repetitions of the method. Upon seeing the results of my experiments, I finally come to the conclusion that at least one of the methods is efficient and effective in producing mass quantities of material for the project I am working on. Sometimes, this leads to other questions such as whether or not the method can be applied to other materials, or which materials work best with that method. This may then catapult me back to the scientific method from the beginning. References What is Biology?. Retrieved July 27, 2010 from http://course1. winona. edu/mdelong/principles/ Lecture%201%20-%20Introduction. ppt Association for Psychological Science. (July 27, 2010). Genetics may Influence Social Drinking. Medical News Today. Retrieved July 27, 2010 from http://www. medicalnewstoday. com/ articles/195725. php

What Limits Vo2 Max?

What Limits Vo2 Max? Vo2 max is the maximum capacity of an individuals body to use and transport oxygen during exercise. Vo2 stands for the maximum volume consumption of oxygen. To measure an individuals vo2 max accurately the subject will undertake an athletic test usually on a treadmill or cycle ergometer, as the intensity of the workout increases the intake of oxygen and the concentration of carbon dioxide exhaled is monitored. The workload it gradually increased until there is a steady reading of both of these factors. This then shows the participants vo2 max level. However, an individuals Vo2 max can be limited due to a mixture of different restrictions and developments within the individual. These limitations can also have independent and dependant variables, such as, age, race or fitness. When researching into the limiting factors of the vo2 results two theories have been presented as the main limitations, the utilization theory and the presentation theory. The utilisation theory states that a lack of sufficient oxidative enzymes within the cell structure will limit how much oxygen is diffused and in turn affect the vo2 max scores. Oxidative enzymes are the enzymes which are the catalyst for the oxidisation reaction. Regular training can improve oxidative of the enzymes, which means an improved oxygen utilisation. This would create a better vo2 score as there is more oxygen being created. The presentation theory does not support the idea of the utilisation theory limiting the vo2 max results but suggests that it is more to do with how effectively the oxygen is delivered around the body. As the persons heart rate rises and the volume of blood being circulated increases the demand for oxygenised blood also increases. These two theories can be seen as supply and demand. A review of these two theories by Saltin and Rowell (1980) states that the utilisation (supply) theory is the more significant limiting factor. Studies show a relationship between an increase in oxidative enzymes and an increase in vo2 max results. One study by Costill DL, Thomas R, Robergs RA, Pascoe D, Lambert C, Barr S, Fink WJ (1991) measured the effects of a swim program on aerobic function. While oxidative enzymes were increased throughout the program, vo2 max increased until the last six weeks of the program The state of health of cardiovascular, pulmonary and respiratory systems would be a major if not one of the main limitations of a vo2 max. The cardiovascular is compiled of the heart, blood and blood vessels it also includes the pulmonary circulation which is the movement of blood from the heart, to the lungs, and back to the heart again. The respiratory system includes the airways and lungs where a gas exchange happens due to the diffusion of oxygen and carbon dioxide. The health of all of these systems will influence the results of a vo2 max test. A typically bad cardiovascular system will worsen the scores of a vo2 max test, during exercise the heart rate responds by increasing, as does the demand in delivery of oxygen around the body, therefore, an unhealthy heart would be less able to transport as much oxygen into the body in comparison to a less healthy one. In addition to this if the connection between the lungs and heart is weak, the pulmonary circuit, it is likely to have th e same response and trend in terms of the results of the vo2 max (Miller, Levine 2004). However it may not be the cardiovascular system with the problem, it could all come down to ones respiratory system, for example if an athlete has a small lung capacity they will not have the advantages of an athlete with a bigger lung capacity. Although it is all dependant on the lungs ability to diffuse the oxygen into the blood stream, as even though someone can have a smaller lung capacity if they diffuse ninety six per cent of the oxygen and the athlete with the greater lung capacity only diffuses fourth five per cent, the smaller lung capacity has actually overall got a higher vo2 max. This means it all comes down to the bodys ability to diffuse and transport oxygen around the body, the more it can transport the higher an athletes vo2 max is. Another limitation could be the gender of the athlete. It is speculated that males will typically have higher maximum oxygen consumption in comparison to females. Research by Heywood, V (1998) shows that the average vo2 max for a typical untrained healthy male is approximately 35-40 ml/kg/min which mean millilitres of oxygen per kilogram of bodyweight per minute. However, a typical healthy female will only reach an approximate score of 27-31 ml/kg/min. these scores are of course only averages and the outcomes can differ due to variables in the group of participants. This could be something such as the age of the males or females used, as the scores will generally deteriorate at a certain age. Also, the general fitness of the group could also be a variable as a more athletic person would average better than a non-athlete. Therefore an elite performer would have excessively higher oxygen consumption then an untrained participant, Tim Noakes (2001) studied sports where endurance is an i mportant component in an athletes performance, such as rowing, swimming and running. Noakes found that elite male runners can generate up to 85 ml/kg/min, and female elite runners can generate about 77ml/kg/min. A persons age would also play a part in influencing a vo2 test result. It can be said that the vo2 max decreases with age after a certain point of maturity. A large cross section study by Jackson , Beard , Wier, Ross , Stuteville and Blair (1995,1996) shows that the average decline of vo2 max is accepted as around one per cent each year or is better said as ten per cent each decade after the age of twenty five, this is when it said that most bodies start to deteriorate. The study shows that mens vo2 max generally decreases at a slower rate than womens with a 0.46 ml/kg/min (1.2%) for males and a decrease of 0.54 ml/kg/min (1.7%) for females. This would happen due to the aging process which causes many health problems. In accordance to vo2 max scores this would more likely respiratory and heart conditions which affect the vo2 max results. The decrease in vo2 max levels, however, does not always come directly from the aging process but more the increases in body weight which in some cases happens as people get older. The vo2 max is also a reflection on the body mass of a person, so in effect as the body weight of a person increases the vo2 max generally worsens and deteriorates. Training is an important part of an athletes life, Pollock (1973) found that aerobic training can on average increase vo2 max by fifteen to twenty per cent; this is if the athlete does a thirty minute aerobic training session at seventy five per cent of their aerobic ability three times a week for six months. However the result he got is only an average meaning that some people will respond better or worse it is all on the athletes ability on how high their vo2 max can go. Resistance training and intense anaerobic training have little or no effect on vo2 max readings, however improvements that did occur were only in participants that already had a low level of fitness (Kraemer, Deschenes , Fleck 1988). Resistance training alone does not improve vo2 max (Dudley, Fleck 1987). A considerable amount of training needs to be performed before an athlete can reach their maximum potential vo2 max, however when it is reached they do not have to train at the same intensity to maintain their opt imum level (Hickson, Foster, Pollock, Galassi, Rich 1985). Wilmore JH and Costill DL. (2005) states that altitude can also be a factor which can affect a persons vo2 max scores. Test performed by this source shows that a persons vo2 max results decreases as altitude increases above one thousand six hundred meters. For every one thousand meters that the person climbs above that, the athletes maximum oxygen intake decreases by a further approximate 8 to 11 per cent. The decrease is due to a reduction in the volume of blood plasma, which in turn decreases the heart rate and stroke volume. This is due to a decrease in the maximum cardiac output and therefore lowering the vo2 scores. As proven vo2 max has a lot of limitations, firstly the utilisation and presentation theories are the two which are considered to be main limitations. It has been shown that there are many other factors that can influence the results of a vo2 max test such as age, gender, health and training. However, the research used in this paper is outdated and therefore cannot be considered to be one hundred per cent reliable to date.

Ghost: The Relationship Between Past and The Future. A Book by Henrik

â€Å"A woman cannot be herself in the society of the present day, which is an exclusively masculine society, with laws framed by men and with judicial system that judges feminine conduct form a masculine point of view†. This is what Henrik Ibsen once said. In 1881, when Ibsen wrote one of his best works Ghost, the society was going through major change. It’s was a time were the society was questioning everything they were thought by the church. The mentality of people was being challenge and the influence the church had over the society was slowly losing its power. One of those who were questioning the method and the teacher of the church was Henrik Ibsen. In his play Ghost, Ibsen view of the methodology of the church was no longer beneficial for the society. In the play ghost, Ibsen demonstrates the consequences followed those who grasp the old practice in each character he had created. Ibsen used Mrs. Alving, to show how old attitude can strangle someone progressive ly, as she feel trap in a rigid society. Additionally, Ibsen explores how the past can come back in the form of â€Å"ghost† and how it haunts someone future. Osvald Alving through out the play is haunted by the sin of a father he did not know. Lastly, he show how living in patriarchal society can blind one’s own judgment as in Pastor Manders, who is looked at someone as holy and self-righteous but at the same time hypocritical. Consequently, those old tradition and belief endure someone life slowly but harshly and haunt them like ghost. The ghost that has been haunted Mrs. Alving for a very long time is the ghost tradition and of her duty. Nonetheless, it’s seem as if her duty has shaped her character for good. â€Å"I had my little boy, and I bore it for him†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Ibsen, 1881, p... ...e women is meant to accept his foolishness. Ibsen play â€Å"ghost† is portray of how a changing society should be. These changes are implying every aspect of live, not just marriage level but religions, and how a functional family should be. Ghost is a play, which represent a society unable to move forward, or a society unable to escape the past traditions and how being unable to escape only creates malfunction into people lives. Every character in the play are hunted by the past; someone life Mrs. Who’s past tradition has brought nothing but misery, as well as her son Osvald who even in his ignorant way is also hunted by the â€Å"sins of the father†. In addition, even those such as pastor Manders who promotes the old habits as a way of life, are surprise to these tradition hiding â€Å"Ghost† Works Cited http://collegeessaysforfree.blogspot.ca/2012/04/ibsen-ghosts_12.html Ghost: The Relationship Between Past and The Future. A Book by Henrik â€Å"A woman cannot be herself in the society of the present day, which is an exclusively masculine society, with laws framed by men and with judicial system that judges feminine conduct form a masculine point of view†. This is what Henrik Ibsen once said. In 1881, when Ibsen wrote one of his best works Ghost, the society was going through major change. It’s was a time were the society was questioning everything they were thought by the church. The mentality of people was being challenge and the influence the church had over the society was slowly losing its power. One of those who were questioning the method and the teacher of the church was Henrik Ibsen. In his play Ghost, Ibsen view of the methodology of the church was no longer beneficial for the society. In the play ghost, Ibsen demonstrates the consequences followed those who grasp the old practice in each character he had created. Ibsen used Mrs. Alving, to show how old attitude can strangle someone progressive ly, as she feel trap in a rigid society. Additionally, Ibsen explores how the past can come back in the form of â€Å"ghost† and how it haunts someone future. Osvald Alving through out the play is haunted by the sin of a father he did not know. Lastly, he show how living in patriarchal society can blind one’s own judgment as in Pastor Manders, who is looked at someone as holy and self-righteous but at the same time hypocritical. Consequently, those old tradition and belief endure someone life slowly but harshly and haunt them like ghost. The ghost that has been haunted Mrs. Alving for a very long time is the ghost tradition and of her duty. Nonetheless, it’s seem as if her duty has shaped her character for good. â€Å"I had my little boy, and I bore it for him†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Ibsen, 1881, p... ...e women is meant to accept his foolishness. Ibsen play â€Å"ghost† is portray of how a changing society should be. These changes are implying every aspect of live, not just marriage level but religions, and how a functional family should be. Ghost is a play, which represent a society unable to move forward, or a society unable to escape the past traditions and how being unable to escape only creates malfunction into people lives. Every character in the play are hunted by the past; someone life Mrs. Who’s past tradition has brought nothing but misery, as well as her son Osvald who even in his ignorant way is also hunted by the â€Å"sins of the father†. In addition, even those such as pastor Manders who promotes the old habits as a way of life, are surprise to these tradition hiding â€Å"Ghost† Works Cited http://collegeessaysforfree.blogspot.ca/2012/04/ibsen-ghosts_12.html

Poetry, History, and Dialectic :: Philosophy Argumentative Argument Papers

Poetry, History, and Dialectic Twice in the Poetics, Aristotle contrasts poetry with history. Whatever its didactic value, the contrast has not seemed to readers of special philosophical interest. The aim of this paper is to show that this contrast is philosophically significant not just for our understanding of tragedy but also for the light it sheds on Aristotle’s overall methodology. I shall show how he uses the method sketched in the Topics to define tragedy and explain why the same method will not define history. In particular, tragedy admits of definition because its parts constitute a unity, and much of the Poetics aims to show how, despite being defined through six distinct parts, tragedy can be one. In contrast, history, though a proper preliminary to poetics and concerned also with human action, does not admit of scientific treatment because it contains no essential unities. Aristotle’s understanding of ‘science’ is used here to explain why any attempt to create a scientific hi story would turn history into poetry. I Aristotle claims that the art of dialectic sketched in the Topics contributes to philosophical knowledge because it can be used to find indemonstrable first principles from common opinions: "for, being capable of examining, dialectic has a path to the principles of all disciplines" (à µB ¤  £Ã…“Å ¸Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃƒ  Ã‚ ¤) (I.2.101b3-4). Scientific knowledge of a subject consists of grasping its principles and demonstrating its essential attributes from them. How does one come to know the first principles? Obviously, they cannot be demonstrated from prior principles; they are first principles. As such, they are somehow determined by dialectic. Thus, dialectic transforms what we can call, for lack of a better term, a "subject matter" into a science. What is the state of this subject matter before dialectic discovers its principles? It is clear from our Topics text that this examination will look for common opinions, and it is well recognized that Aristotle's actual inquiries often begin from common opinions.(1) So the pre-scientific subject matter must contain common opinions about its facts. Aristotle has a name for such a setting out of facts: in the Prior Analytics, he speaks of deriving the principles of each field from experience and he refers to the account of the phenomena of a field as a "history" (Èà ³Ãƒ µÃ‚ ¦Ãƒ ²Ãƒ ¥Ã‹Å") (46a17-27). Evidently, "history" precedes "science," and transition is effected by dialectic. Aristotle has much to say about how knowledge is derived from sensation and experience, but he never explains how (or whether!) his many remarks fit together into a single process.

Nature Versus Nurture: Both Play a Role in Development Essay -- child

Nature versus nurture is a commonly debated topic in the scientific world. For example were all child molesters abused as children themselves or are their genes or other factors to blame for their bad decisions? Genes seem to determine much about children, such as eye color and height, but do they also determine behavior and overall health, or is the environment the children were raised in to blame? For example, when a child is misbehaving, is it the parents responsibility to take the blame for their offspring's behavior due to how they have chosen to raise their son or daughter, or is the child's genetic makeup to blame for their faults? Can a child's environment override the genes a child is born with? Mischievous children's genes and environment are both to blame for their actions. Just because a child sees his or her parents invest their time in drugs or alcohol does not make the child themselves end up in the same situation proving that environment is not the only determining factor in a child's behavior. Genetics play an important role as well. The environment a child is ...

Belonging †A Clockwork Orange Essay

The concept of belonging is essential. To belong is to form a connection which will allow a sense of identity, without this we lose our humanity; however, conformity is in a sense a facade of belonging, as it restrains our freedom and forces us to only mimic. My studied texts show how society demands us to conform, yet conformity prevents a sense of true identity being ever created. This notion is elaborated in the novel, A Clockwork Orange. Alex is a criminal who doesn’t belong anywhere within society. In the novel, the government attempts to suppress his criminality by physically preventing him from thinking of violence—thus making him conform to their standards. This is a prime example of how society attempts to make us conform to what is considered ‘normal’. Towards the end of the novel, the character F. Alexander tells Alex: â€Å"They have turned you into something other than a human †¦ being. You have no power of choice any longer. You are committed to socially acceptable acts, a little machine capable only of good. The quote shows us the central theme of the novel; if we cannot choose where we belong we lose our humanity—thus showing us the value of choice as well as the value of individuality. The metaphor and imagery of the title, a clockwork orange, symbolises what conformity does to a man. If we cannot choose where to belong we cease to be human but clockwork, or some type of mechanism. We need to be able to choose where we belong, for if it is not chosen its authenticity ceases. The novel ends with Alex choosing the path of goodness, the established normality of society. He states; â€Å"Perhaps I was getting too old now for the sort of life I had been leading, brothers† Alex chooses to belong to society, thus allowing a connection to be formed between him and the world. Conformity and the need to conform to a group or community is the central theme throughout both of the chosen texts I have studied, those being Strictly Ballroom and A Clockwork Orange. â€Å"Strictly Ballroom† also supports the fact that society attempts to make us conform to what is considered ‘normal’. The movie shows the disastrous effect conformity and fear have among members who gain their place inside the group at the price of conformity. Shirley Hastings, for example, lives a â€Å"life half-lived† cowering before what Barry Fife will say or think. She has let the Federation so dominate her that she has no respect for Doug and can only see her son Scott in terms of winning competitions. The movie represents belonging using a variety of techniques to distinguish between the world of artifice and the more realistic world. The image of the artificial world, shown as the ballroom world, is glitzy and colourful. Luhrmann has presented this world as having power, whereas the character of Fran, shown in plain clothes and reading glasses, is initially shown as powerless, because she does not conform to the ballroom world. The movie traces the shift from a world of false belonging dominated by conformity, fear and the cynical manipulations of the ultra-sleaze Barry Fife, towards the iconic last scene where the line between spectators and professional dancers blurs and is dissolved as Scott dressed in Spanish costume and Fran in Spanish-style red dress put passion back into dance, rescuing it from the deadening effect of the old brigade. Taking the similes of the two texts we can arrive at the conclusion that conformity allows us to become part of a functioning society but can in turn stifle individuality, expression and self-identity. I’ll leave you with two thoughts from â€Å"A Clockwork Orange†. â€Å"Goodness is something to be chosen. When a man cannot choose he ceases to be a man. † And so I ask you, ‘Is it better for a man to choose to be bad than to be conditioned to be good? † That is both the crux of the issues involved and the decision we must all, as individuals, make.