Platos Myth of Er free essay sample

Fizza Raza Intro to Political Theory September 22, 2011 The purpose of the Myth of Er is to emphasize one of the points that Plato has been making throughout this whole book, that philosophy, or the quest for knowledge is essential in order to have a successful existence, either as a person or a group of people. One cannot work towards something until and unless he knows what that thing is and how to get there. It is only possible to study philosophy up to the point where one fully understands the Form of the Good, which is the ultimate form. Because of there being a limit to how much knowledge one can gain, it is not ridiculous to assume that one is able to reach that level of knowledge. Even though it’s almost impossible to perceive that there is an ultimate form of good, it is not unattainable because everything in existence is striving towards that. We will write a custom essay sample on Platos Myth of Er or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The catalyst that moves a soul to that goal is what philosophy is. Philosophy is the pathway to get to the ultimate kind of life: an untroubled and satisfying existence. This myth is meant for humankind in general. Humans have a tendency to act on self-destructive behavior such as succumbing to their wrongful pleasures (Plato 303). The wrongful pleasures are those that destroy a man’s character and make his soul unjust such as greed, gluttony, etc. In the group of people, or a city, the same characteristics are found so the same means- philosophy- must be used to exorcise those faults. The reason that any man would go towards these evils is because he is not aware of the harm that they are capable of causing, or what the consequences of these actions will do to his soul. Philosophy, therefore, is supposed to be the bridge between the physical world, and the realm of true knowledge. Without contemplation there is no way to achieve true knowledge about anything. The study of philosophy goes beyond the superficial elements of everything and therefore forces the student to see more than just what seems to be visible. The student has to realize that for the most part appearances and reality are completely different from each other (Plato 39). This pushes one to investigate further beyond what is clearly visible and what is not and how to differentiate between the two, thus finding the idea nearest to the truth. In politics the primary concern of politicians should be the well being of the citizens they have rule over, therefore this myth has everything to do with politics. The well being of any citizen cannot be achieved unless there is justice in the political system, and just as with everything else, true justice cannot be accomplished without the knowledge of what the just is. This knowledge is impossible to gain without philosophy. The leaders of a political system must be the most educated and informed of what true justice is because the system is flawed; all sections down to the citizens will also have the same flaws. This does not mean that there be a perfect and just system of governing because that would be unrealistic and lead to acts considered inhumane, such as tearing apart families or getting rid of everyone that is not up to the standards of the city. Justice is basically being able to differentiate between what is right and what is wrong, and if it so happens that the leaders of a particular regime cannot adequately do so then it is dangerous for them to rule over anyone, for the sake of all parties involved. This will not guarantee a perfect life, but definitely one that is less troubled than the rest (Plato 303). It is against human nature to choose such a life because there are no outstanding and obvious worldly rewards that come as a result of it; humans choose to rather live a life filled with fake promises and illusions of beautiful temporary things that will hurt their afterlife if their soul is in fact immortal. By minding one’s own business there is less stress and worrying involved in this life, and heavenly rewards in the next. This includes not causing harm to others as a result of jealousy, anger, fear, or any other emotion. Minding one’s own business leads to the most just life because by doing so you are able to investigate the ultimate form of your soul, which will inevitably lead to gaining knowledge about other things and in doing what is right in general. It wouldn’t be sensible if the ultimate form of a soul was unjust or wrong, so because someone strives for this form they are able to be more just than the rest. Although Plato demands that the perfect city do many ridiculous unrealistic things in order to make his point, his assertion about the philosopher being the leader of the city was very reasonable and would be beneficial to any situation. Just as this would apply to the city, giving power to the most knowledgeable and truthful of men, it would also apply to each individual in that it would be beneficial for the part of his existence that is the philosophizing part to rule above all the others. The Myth of Er is a noble lie because it fulfills the purpose of this kind of a lie which is to promote the well being of those who hear it, rather than causing them any harm. What is good or bad is not black and white, there is a lot of grey area where certain circumstances can change what was previously thought to be cruel and wrong to be good and necessary. Although a lie is considered to be a bad thing, this kind of lie is beneficial because the effects of it will ultimately benefit the people (Plato 93). In this myth there is a lesson to be learnt for everyone who hears it. It is told to promote the general well being of the population, pointing out what needs to be avoided and also what needs to be striven towards.

Ettore Sottsass-Carlton room divider Essays - Ettore Sottsass

Ettore Sottsass-Carlton room divider Essays - Ettore Sottsass Ettore Sottsass-Carlton room divider Museum Art Response ?Carlton? room divider was published in 1981 by the famous Ettore Sottsass and his designer crew known as Memphis. The crew Memphis is located in Italy where Ettore Sottsass spends most of his time creating art pieces. Memphis?s artwork focuses on creating nonconformist furniture. Carlton room divider is made of multicolored plastic laminates over wood and designed in postmodern style. The artwork consist of a large, freestanding, shelf system on a raised rectangular pedestal base with two drawers in the lower section, three horizontal shelves of varying length and a series of angled and vertical designs and supports. A collection of all the different sized and angled pieces gives a sense of rules being broken giving more interest to the viewer. The upper section constructed in the form of an anthropomorphic stick type figure with a cubic open box forming the design apex. The colored laminates used consist of a base in black and white speckled pattern, brown, black, red, dark blue, o range, pink, light blue, coral, lime green, primrose, dark grey and light grey. Strangely I observed manufacturer's marks inscribed on small rectangular aluminum plate located on the lower back panel of the base, printed, ?MEMPHIS / MADE IN ITALY / MILANO / ETTORE SOTTSASS / 1981. The art piece is approximately 6 feet tall and 5.5 feet wide. The tallness of the object gives a sense of intimidation since the majority of art pieces at the Dallas Art Museum weren?t as big. When trying to find out the depth of the object I used my shoe as a measuring tool. I came to the conclusion that the art piece was about a foot and a half in depth. When examining the texture of the piece of art I instantly realized that the material used wasn?t a fine form of differently covered wood. Instead it consisted of cheap colored laminates. The first design element I will be focusing on is color. Sottass did an amazing job at using the abstract colors that offers a sensory experience which the physical world doesn?t offer. This abstract object gave me a very dramatic feel that became overwhelming if looked at too long. Although it became overwhelming I thoroughly stilled enjoyed the colors used. The piece could easily fit in well with a house that has many abstract colors paired together. When comparing this art with the outside world and the colors involved in the physical realm I realized that grasping the opportunity of using abstract colors can be very difficult. This thought allowed me to better understand why she decided to choose cheap colored laminates. When I had a sense of being overwhelmed the light blue and dark blue used gave a calming effect which I deeply appreciated. After going into detail about the element of color I will begin to explain the uses that this artwork offers. Sottsass?s bookcase is about ideas. It is paradoxical. She uses cheap industrial materials combined with vivid color (red, green), and ornament (the speckled base) to create an object that is about both the banality and the excitement of the mass popular culture environment of the shopping mall and the Las Vegas strip. On one hand, Carlton is tacky. On the other hand, it is cheerful. On one hand, it is cheaply made. On the other, it was an expensive luxury object purchased only by design collectors. There are so many perspectives. The artwork can be used for many purposes such as holding your favorite collection of books or to hold up other smaller pieces of artwork. A shelf has a vast amount of uses in our everyday lives. Going in detail could take years but all the options a shelf has to offer are what interest me about the specific element of design. After spending much time trying to determine what the author?s purpose was behind the piece of art I finally came to a conclusion. This type of design object is about presentation in a photograph. Sottsass knew that Carleton and other wacky postmodern objects wouldn?t be mass produced, but he did know that they?d catch attention and spread in photographs. I felt he was fully aware that his popularity could

Mindfulness and the SAT

Mindfulness and the SAT SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips In this article, we'll discuss how to use mindfulness to crush the SAT (and everything else that stresses you out!). On Test Day â€Å"Our mind is constantly evaluating our experiences, comparing them with other experiences or holding them up against expectations and standards that we create, often out of fear.† -Jonathan Kabat-Zinn, Wherever You Go, There You Are When you walk into the gym/classroom/cafeteria on test day, it’s likely that you’ll be feeling anxious and scared. Even though you might have prepped for the SAT with all kinds of courses, you may be nervous. All kinds of important, but unpredictable, life situations produce these feelings. But here’s the thing: anxiety and fear actually impede (get in the way of) your ability to perform your best on the SAT. In fact, they impede almost everything we try to get done in a day. To boost our performance, the best thing we can do (besides personalized SAT prep) is try to minimize our anxiety, but most people have no idea how to do this. There is a simple solution: mindfulness. What’s mindfulness? â€Å"You can’t stop the waves but you can learn to surf.† -Jonathan Kabat-Zinn, Wherever You Go, There You Are Mindfulness, according to the Oxford New American Dictionary, is: 1: the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something; 2: a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique. So, it’s possible to be mindful in any given moment, not thinking about anything but the present time and place. But the practice of mindfulness is cultivating the ability to be mindful more frequently and more easily, and is the secret to the inner peace of Buddhist monks, among others. However, while monks meditate for hours every day to cultivate their mindfulness, it is possible for high school students (and, in fact, anyone) to use the power of mindfulness. Given any amount of time, but especially if you start well ahead of test day, you can harness the power of your own inner strength using mindfulness to get your best possible score. // What can mindfulness do for me? Life is stressful, especially for teenagers. There’s school, sports, extracurriculars, social life, family time, andon top of it alltest prep. Mindfulness is a scientifically proven, thoroughly researched way to reduce stress and provide a calm state of mind that can help you get through any situation, especially one as potentially anxiety-producing as the SAT. Read on for details of what exactly this means. Practice: how and when? Meditation, or mindfulness practice, is nothing but sitting, standing, laying or even walking while focusing only on the present momentwhat you see, hear, and feel right now. There are a million websites and books that discuss when, where and how to do it. But the great thing about mindfulness practice is that, while 30 minutes or an hour of daily practice can do wonders, even 5 minutes of intentional mindfulness every day (or even every few days, or every week) can seriously improve your ability to stay calm, focus, and perform better. If you follow our recommendation to do 100 hours of focused online SAT prep (it’s not as bad as it sounds!), you’ll end up with 250-500 minutes, or 4-8 hours, of mindfulness practice. That’s more than enough to boost your emotional and psychological readiness for the SAT, as well as the crazy stuff college is going to throw at you. We recommend that, before you start your SAT prep session, sit (on the floor, ideally) or lay down and focus on nothing but the present moment. Many people find that it helps to focus on the breath moving in and out of their body. Try to do it for 5 minutes, even if it is difficult or frustrating. By associating your mindfulness practice with your SAT practice, you’re training yourself to be mindful on test day. Discipline concentration â€Å"Discipline provides a constancy which is independent of what kind of a day you had yesterday and what kind of a day you anticipate today.† -Jonathan Kabat-Zinn, Wherever You Go, There You Are In addition to its other benefits, regular meditation improves discipline and concentration, which are key for any academic pursuit. You don’t have to do anything to gain this benefit: just do nothing for 5 minutes before every session of SAT prep you do, the more often the better. Try it out Right now, just sit cross-legged on the floor, close your eyes, and focus your attention on your breathing. Count the breaths, if that helps. When other thoughts pop up, acknowledge them and let them go, bringing your attention back to your breath. Try it for 5 minutes, and see if you don’t feel calmer and more centered afterward. If you found this helpful or interesting, please take a moment to sign up for our email list at right: we’ll never sell your email address, and we crank out great posts on SAT-related topics every week. Also, check out our Free SAT Guide:

The rise of business science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The rise of business science - Essay Example The workers have been accepting this, to their liking or disliking, though at times partially. The emergence of Marxism brought some changes to this ideology at least in some countries. Thus Capitalism is ideology and not science. Business is an integral part of Capitalist economy. Business is both art and science. It is the art of getting the work done most effectively. This part of it includes planning, organizing, guiding and supervising. Those in charge of business must plan for the action, make available the resources, motivate the workers, control them and guide them to achieve best results. They must ensure that everything goes on as per plan. There are bound to be problems. They should not loose heart. It is a challenge. Science is being explained as a volume of knowledge gathered from actual things or happenings which can be further investigated. Thus we can see that Economics which decides the future and fate of business ventures is science. Economics depends on past experiences. Further, it is developed as per mathematical theories based on assumptions. Economics attempt to satisfy innumerable needs with the help of the little sources available. For the success of any business establishments man power is the basic requirement. And hence, business firms are very particular that the candidates, whom they recruit, should aspire for an excellent, rewarding career and must possess the necessary skills to achieve that. In addition they must have the interest and ability to attain additional skills on the job or in training program of the company. Apart from the required degrees, the candidates are expected to have quantitative skills, which include mathematical skills, interpretation of charts and graphs and quantitative reasoning ability. Those who have quantitative skill can easily manipulate numbers. Their reasoning is based on their ability of handling numbers. Quantitative skills are practically applicable in every

Minimum wage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Minimum wage - Essay Example Kiddyland, a nonprofit daycare center, faces space and funding challenges. Larson, being the manager, ought to consider various options and choose the most suitable. Larson may consider implementing a fee program, where parents may pay a small fee for the project (Rowe, 2013). This will serve as the key funding for the program. The fee program may be in the form of a flat fee or a sliding scales plan. In the flat fee program, parents pay equal amounts. A sliding scales fee plan compels parents to pay amounts based on their income capabilities. In the sliding scale program, Larson ought to be cautious not to overcharge parents, in order to sustain the tax exemption from the government. Larson may employ the acquired money to run the most crucial activities of the daycare center. In case of surpluses, the money may be used in acquiring more land, in order to create more space for the daycare activities. Kiddyland daycare center is also church-based. As such, Larson may persuade capable members to donate land for this noble project (Rowe, 2013). High-income members may also opt to sponsor some children, which careful consultations. Additionally, since Kiddyland is nonprofit daycare center, it may qualify for government funding. However, it must conform to the various guidelines set by the Internal Revenue Service (Hopkins & Middlebrook, 2008). Additionally, government grants are extremely competitive, and mostly limited. As such, Larson and other concerned parties ought to sacrifice enough time while pursuing such grants and comply with the set regulations. Larson’s daycare center runs on a limited budget. As such, she ought to consider purchasing various products that sell at reduced prices. The center, being a nonprofit organization, may qualify for tax exemptions. For Kiddyland to qualify for tax exemptions, it must fill an IRS tax exemption form that ought to be approved first (Hopkins & Middlebrook,

Arguments For And Arguments Against Democracy Politics Essay

Arguments For And Arguments Against Democracy Politics Essay There are many benefits or arguments that are for democracy; since the ample population is given rights and autonomy. A very important characteristic that leads to being a benefit of democracy is that it allows citizen from all walks of life to participate actively in the political proceedings of their homeland. However, there are arguments against (disadvantages of) democracy also. One of the main defects in the idea of democracy is that the authority given to the masses can also be distorted, made improper use of and become the tyranny of the ample/ majority. This can become a double-crossing issue in democracy. Benefits of Democracy It has been noted that most countries in todays era believe in the ideology of democracy and in its various theories. Some of the most powerful and advanced countries believe in democracy and follow democratic peace theory. Followers of democracy also argue that it is better to have the tyranny of the majority rather than tyranny of the minority. A research by Diplomatic Changes in the Government Democracy can offer adjustments in government without antagonism. In a democratic government, power can be moved from one party to another through the method of elections. The authority that is the hands of citizens or general public of a nation makes the decisions for its ruling power. Avoidance of Monopoly In addition, any government is restricted to an election term after which it has to compete against other parties to recover supremacy. This mean avoids monopoly of the controlling party. The reigning establishment has to make sure it operates effectively for its citizens as it cannot continue being the power unless the people re-elect the same government to come to term again. A Sense of Appreciation This instills a sense of accountability towards the people. The ruling party owes their triumph in winning the elections and coming to authority to the citizens of the country. This brings about a sense of appreciation towards the people. This appreciation can help play a role in the governments motivation to function for citizens as it is because of the votes and trust of the citizens that the party has power to rule. Sense of Contribution An important for-argument of democracy is that the people attain a sense of involvement in the process of choosing their administration for their Nation. They acquire the opportunity to speak out their observations and views by the process of voting. This gives rise to a feeling of belonging to the people and they also feel as if they belong to the society and can contribute towards its betterment. Having an upper hand during war time: A leading research by Ajin Choi (affiliated by the International Studies Quarterly 2004, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea), says that democracies execute better in the time of war than non-democracies, that is they are more likely to win wars than non-democracies. The author (Ajin Choi) points this chiefly to the simplicity of the policies, and the constancy of their inclinations, due to which they are better able to deal with their partners. Avoidance of famine: Followers of democracy quite freely quote the famous economist,  Amartya Sen, who believed that no operating democracy has ever managed to damage a large scale  famine  to affect its people. Disadvantages of Democracy: Until quite recently, conformist beliefs have believed that economic progress or development, predictably and with rapidness leads to democracy. Even though reality does show that almost all of the developed and rich countries of the world are democratic. But reality also shows that, the relationship between economic development and democracy is actually quite weak. The increasing number of prosperous non-democratic countries advocates that great wealth single-handedly doesnt involuntarily direct to more political liberalization. This is proved by the economic success of China and other non- democratic states in Asia. Wrong choice can be made In democratic countries, it is the ordinary person who has the ultimate right to decide their parliament and their current powers to be. Also all people are not conscious of the political circumstances of their nation. The people may not also be up to date of the political issues in their country. This can lead to a wrong decision of voting to the wrong party by the citizens. Hitler was rightly elected through democratic elections; though later he turned into a Fascist. This shows how a political leader could play with the emotions of people into blackmailing them to vote for him, ultimately misleading them into making a wrong choice. Government May Lose focus The government is bound to changes and adjustments once they are elected or re-elected, it may operate with a short-term purpose. As governments have to go through the method of election once their tenure ends and have to re-elected, they may lose focus on operating efficiently for the people and give attention to winning the elections. Masses Have Power Since majority has power- there can be a tyrannical rule of the majority which ultimately works against the minority. It has been proved by a research made by World Bank that though USA is a popular democratic country with loads of power and is one the most affluent and developed country, domestic inequality is largely seen. A huge countrywide score on the  human development index  (HDI) is partnered by the differences in health, education, and income amongst the various ethnic sets. In USA, almost every state has an  infant mortality  which is greater for the African-Americans then for local white people. Citizens might vote in favor of a party under pressure of the masses, because of the influence of people around them and because of their opinions, and end up making the wrong judgments. Though democracy tries to prevent discrimination and supports collaboration and harmonization. It also slows things down, stops those in power from committing an action that is against the majoritys wish.

Canice Davidson

I would suggest combining your purpose and thesis statement into a single purpose statement and linking the outcome to some aspect of organizational behavior. For Instance†¦ The purpose of this paper Is to discuss how an organization can create a culture that has a positive influence on behavior at the individual, team, and organizational levels. (Or something like that†¦ ) The goal would be to be more specific so your reader clearly understands what you plan to write about. Take care, Ken MoThe purpose of this paper Is to show how an organization can create a culture that has a positive Impact on behavior at the Individual, team and organizational levels. In order for this t happen there must be diversity. In an organization, cultural diversity consists of the differences in the makeup of the members. This refers to race, age, religion, gender, color, or creed. TO make it sound simple, there should be a variety of different types of people. This has a positive effect, beca use it allows employees of the organization to establish relationships and recognize one another in spite of their differences.People usually define diversity as the things that you can see, but there are also things that make people diverse, such as their way of thinking, abilities, and experiences. There are so many benefits to an organization becoming more diverse. If you look around, our nation and workforce are becoming more and more diverse, and businesses that embrace that will have a more permanent fixture and more than likely be more successful. A diverse workforce stimulates economic growth.As more women, racial minorities and gay employees enter the workforce, our nation's human capital tremendously grows. A study that was conducted by McKinney & Company, found that women went from holding 37% of all jobs to of all jobs. This has accounted for about h of the current GAP. Most large companies import and export goods from other countries. This requires communication with pe ople from different countries and cultures. As these companies grow so does the need for communication. As these need Increases so will the need for a more diverse workforce.Hiring Individuals from other countries allows business to be conducted easily. Having a diverse workforce allows marketing to be more effective. It allows companies to market to consumers from different backgrounds, because you have a employees from different backgrounds and experiences who will know how to effectively reach the trademarked. This in return increases market share. Combing employees with different cultural backgrounds is essential to effective problem loving and Increases creativity and innovation.A 2011 Forbes conducted a survey of 321 large global enterprises that had at least $500 million In revenue. The end result was 85% agreed or strongly agreed, that diversity is critical to providing innovation in the workplace. Because there is such a variety of people that are contributing their ideas, viewpoints and knowledge, there is a wider variety of solutions and ideas to be considered. Canine Davidson By Candied instance†¦ The purpose of this paper is to discuss how an organization can create aThe purpose of this paper is to show how an organization can create a culture that has a positive impact on behavior at the individual, team and organizational levels. That women went from holding 37% of all Jobs to 47% of all Jobs. This has accounted these need increases so will the need for a more diverse workforce. Hiring individuals from other countries allows business to be conducted easily. Solving and increases creativity and innovation. A 2011 Forbes conducted a survey of 321 large global enterprises that had at least $500 million in revenue. The end