Joshua Wegner Essays - German Idealism, Kantianism,

Joshua Wegner Philosophy 101 12/07/00 Trentacoste Immanuel Kant vs. Joshua Wegner THE RIGHT TO PUNISH: RETRIBUTIVISM As a society we all accept the fact that if you do something wrong you must be held responsible for your actions and pay the consequences. We all accept the concept of punishment, even though we are aware that we, ourselves, could one day be subjected to answer for our actions. While we may all be in favor of punishment in general, it is often debated upon how or why we punish a criminal. According to Immanuel Kant's Retributivism argument, "the punishment must be in exact proportion to the severity of the wrongdoing..." (Kant, 585) Kant believes that crime causes the scale of justice to be imbalanced, and claims that punishment restores that balance. While I agree that Kant's motives for punishment are reasonable, I find his solution to be weak in some areas, and/or absurd. Before one can refute or defend a philosophical argument, he must first understand it. Kant's concept of Retributivism is a simple one; the punishment must equal the crime. It is important to note that Kant defines crimes as "Any transgression of the public law which makes him who commits it incapable of being a citizen" (Kant 586). "While criminals do not actually will their own punishment, their rational selves will the system of laws that involves the punishment they deserve." It is equally important to note that it is only the right of the sovereign as the supreme power to punish. His argument accuses all other standards as being "wavering and uncertain..." "...On account of other considerations involved in them, they contain no principal conformable to the sentence of pure and strict justice." (Kant 587) Everyone has their own ideas on why a criminal should be punished. Maybe it gives us a sense of security. Perhaps it offers us a piece of mind. In some situations, punishment may be thought of as ?help' for the criminal, rehabilitation, or possibly revenge. Along with the vast majority, Kant agrees on the importance of punishment; however, his theory is a little different. Equilibrium. In order for society to be balanced according to Kant, the punishment must equal or ?cancel out' the crime. While I don't disagree with his motives, I feel that there are many that he ignores. Shouldn't we take them all into account? The concept of punishment in itself is rarely questioned; however, the question of how we punish the convicted is still widely debated. According to Kant's theory, the answer is fairly simple: the punishment must fit the crime. Immanuel Kant is definitely one of those "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth", guys. He looks at society as a scale. Crime is placed on one end, making the scale unbalanced. In order to balance that scale, an equal amount of punishment must go on the other end. The problem occurs when we try to compare crime with punishment. There is no definite amount or degree of punishment that equals a certain amount of crime. It's like comparing a quantity of ?x' with a quantity of ?y'. Without a specific value assigned to both ?x' and ?y', the only way to compare the two is with speculation. Speculation leads to an imprecise resolution, thus resulting in an unbalanced scale (whether it be ever so slight). If there is no definite way to ?balance the scale', Kant's argument proves to be uncertain or fallible. On top of that uncertainty, there are several situations that make Kant's argument more questionable. To help clarify these uncertainties, Kant suggests that, "the undeserved evil which any one commits on another, is to be regarded as perpetrated on himself (Kant, 587)."While his argument provides solutions to many questionable situations, his answers are still a little shaky. Let's take theft, for example. According to Kant, he who steals makes the property of others insecure. Therefore, he robs himself of all property and security. Though he has the will to live, he cannot have or acquire anything. The problem with Kant's argument on theft is that there are varying degrees of theft. Suppose a person robs a bank, while another steals a piece of candy. Should the two suffer the same consequence? According to Kant, they

Johann Gutenberg and the Printing Press essays

Johann Gutenberg and the Printing Press essays Nearly five hundred and fifty years ago, Johann Gutenberg revolutionized the world when he developed the first printing press with movable metal type in Europe in 1450. History repeated itself thirty years ago, when the world was revolutionized again when the Internet was developed. The Internet provided, like the printing press, new ways for people to communicate ideas and is probably the most important way of communication and medium of the new "Millennium-Generation." In the past, in the present and especially in the future the Internet will certainly have a really great value for the society, economy and politics. This medium changed how information was spread throughout the world. and lowered the cost of spreading information. Five hundred years after the invention of the movable metal type printing press, the Internet was invented. A government project, the first type of computer networking began in 1969 to connect university computers across the United States. Unlike the printing press, the project was initiated to compete with Russia in the Space Race. The project was not the invention of just one person. This project was led by the Advanced Research Projects Agency and was further developed by BBN in Cambridge. By January 1971, over a dozen different universities across the United States were "online" with one another. For its first twenty years, the Internet was solely used and regulated by the government for research and education uses. In 1991, the University of Minnesota created the first friendly "Internet system" where a simple menu system was used to access files from a University based network. Similar systems named "gophers" were available over the world within a few years. In July 1992, the Internet became available for commercial uses. Widespread ownership of personal computers in the 1990's led to a commercial market for the Internet. Since the early 1990's, the Internet has become a place where informatio...

Case analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Case analysis - Assignment Example For example, in 2010 the company recorded low profits for the holiday quarter. The management blamed the sluggish global economy for the decrease in profits. Additionally, the Wal-Mart’s management argued that the cuts in food stamps would have a negative impact on the profits. They further singled out high taxation, reduce in government benefits, and tighter credit as threats to the store’s profits. 4. The store evolves around with social trends. For instance, Wal-Mart’s top management has embraced online shopping. Additionally, the business goes in line with the customers’ demand for healthier foods. However, Wal-Mart did not embrace the use of technology early. The store’s founder, Sam Walton, did not care about technology. Currently, the store’s website is behind its competitors. Their marketing in the social media did not yield much success. The alternative is for the store to give the best customer experience to its customers and hire employees that would give better service to the customers. Additionally, they have to make their business more attractive by making classy colors inside the store. Furthermore, the store has to give low prices to their goods. An improvement in the store’s public image will be a sign that they have improved the customer experience. If there will be an increase in the number of customers, it will be evident the store has reduced its prices and the goods are more affordable to all. A general rise in the profits will indicate the store has implemented all its alternatives. The company will be in the right direction if it improves the customer experience. However, no one can fulfill human wants because they are insatiable. Additionally, a reduction in price in order to attract more customers would hurt the store’s profits. The paper recommends the store to open more branches. It will make the store become more popular globally. The management should consider more

Annotated Bibliography& Academic Criticism Research Paper

Annotated Bibliography& Academic Criticism - Research Paper Example Such well-constructed annotations make all the difference when they are attached to a scholarly research paper. The skills required for such concise exposition has to be developed in a measured manner. A well-chosen annotated bibliography can raise the value of the research work and inform the reader of its reliability at the same time. Developing annotated biography demands greater intellectual and analytical skills. In order to achieve such skills of the higher order, greater efforts are needed and working on annotated bibliography equip the researcher with such finer skills besides familiarising them with formatting and other such aspects of creating annotated bibliography. In brief, the paper aims at developing the appropriate skills required to construct annotated bibliography which is well-directed, without compromising the refinement that it demands. Introduction The feedback received from peers and tutor can be summarised as below. The format of an annotated bibliography is s ignificant and its concise style holds the key. It has to be pithy and condensed. A forceful and uninterrupted progression of the thought stripped of all the details is an essential ingredient. Furthermore, a lucid style can retain the interest of the reader and convey the message or theme straightaway. It is worthwhile to keep in mind that the reader has greater importance than anybody else and therefore a narrative style that focuses on the theme and interest the reader has to be maintained throughout. Next up, the annotation must present the central argument vividly and convincingly. Listing the content is not the task on hand; the central recurring theme and the authority of the author are to be established beyond any doubt. It is always good to appraise and analyse the source content critically and evaluate its merit commenting on the author’s approach and way of presentation. In short, annotations are critical, concise and evaluative. Ebegbulem, J. C.(11June 2012).Corru ption and leadership crisis in Africa: Nigeria in focus. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 3 (11): 221-227. The paper by Ebogbulem throws light on the rampant corruption and inept leadership that plague post-independent Africa especially Nigeria. A country rich in natural resources bear the brunt of illiteracy, unemployment, malnutrition and poverty. Ebegbulem (2012) discuses in detail the factors that have contributed to the present crisis in Nigeria, that has brought democracy and economic growth to a standstill. Economic mismanagement and fraudulent misappropriation by people in power has spelled economic disaster, causing abject poverty for the people. The author further argues that the leadership crisis has been triggered by corruption. The paper categorically states that the leadership, both democratic and military, has ever inflicted untold miseries on the Nigerians, robbing public wealth. Ebegbulem goes on to examine how the democratic stability and econo mic growth are affected when corruption and its resultant bad governance strikes. Ebegbulem concludes that a strong leadership committed to the welfare of the people alone can reverse the trend. In the context of Nigeria the author drives home the point that corruption and bad governance destabilising the democracy and economy are entwined. The paper brings into limelight the stark realities haunting Nigeria. The narrative style is straightforward and objective. Obo,U. B &Obo E. B. (7 July 2013). Public Policies and the Crisis of Underdevelopment in Nigeria: A Critical

Sufficient Staff Training for Prevention and Management of Violence in Research Proposal

Sufficient Staff Training for Prevention and Management of Violence in Acute Inpatient Psychiatric and mental health care Units - Research Proposal Example This essay discusses that over the years, researchers have stressed on the relationship between caregivers and clients. Special consideration to this relationship is given in terms of behavioral health sciences because of the increased potential for aggression with this client population. Mental health caregivers can considerably reduce the number of violent incidents that are more likely to happen in an acute inpatient psychiatric unit. Studies have revealed that healthcare workers including nurses, physicians, psychologists and social workers are likely to experience physical assault or verbal violence from patients in behavioral health units. The amount of violence has increased in various workplaces and researchers such as Rippon have identified exposure to violence as a significant problem for health care professional as well. The need to offer timely staff training programs to the healthcare professions for the prevention and management of violence has been pointed out by such researchers as Doughty; Warshaw & Messite; and Flannery et al. Similarly, the adverse effects and negative consequences of patient violence on the health care workers have also been pointed out by such researchers as Doughty and Stathopoulou. The before and after studies conducted by researchers such as Calabro, Mackey and Williams have also revealed that staff training enhances the knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy, and behavioral intention of the participants towards violence in the work place.... ers including nurses, physicians, psychologists and social workers are likely to experience physical assault or verbal violence from patients in behavioral health units. The amount of violence has increased in various workplaces and researchers such as Rippon have identified exposure to violence as a significant problem for health care professional as well (Rippon, 2000). The need to offer timely staff training programs to the healthcare professions for the prevention and management of violence has been pointed out by such researchers as Doughty (2005); Warshaw & Messite (1996); and Flannery et al (2000). Similarly, the adverse effects and negative consequences of patient violence on the health care workers have also been pointed out by such researchers as Doughty (2005) and Stathopoulou (2003). The before and after studies conducted by researchers such as Calabro, Mackey and Williams (2002) have also revealed that staff training enhances the knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy, and b ehavioral intention of the participants towards violence in the work place. Training staff servicing in psychiatric and mental health care units are more likely to experience incidents of violence and therefore it is imperative that further researches are undertaken in this regard to identify how far staff training helps in preventing violence in acute health care units. The main objective of this research is to evaluate the correlation of trained staff working in acute inpatient psychiatric units and the number of violent incidents observed within the milieu. The research aims to give prominence to the need of training which is required to prevent and manage the incidents of violent episodes. This research will be helpful for the population in the medical field including nurses, doctors,

Gordon Gekko Character Analysis

Gordon Gekko Character Analysis The paper will describe a character, Gordon Gekko from Wall Street (Edwin Stone, 1987) from a psychoanalytic perspective of Dr. Sigmund Freud. This paper will pair several quotes of Gordon Gekko with the appropriate perceived diagnosed disorder. In particular, this will illustrate Gekkos two personality disorders: Antisocial Personality Disorder and the Narcissistic Personality Disorder. The paper will conclude by summarizing these faults and then present an opinion of how well these theories describe the person in question. Psychoanalysis of Gordon Gekko Bud Fox, a stockbroker has been relentless in arranging a meeting with his hero Gordon Gekko. He has called his office, every day, for over a month, but his attempts have failed miserably. He notices that it is Gordons birthday and as a final effort to get to the man he admires he pays a visit to Gordons offices in Manhattan. Armed with a box of the finest and most expensive Cuban cigars Bud makes his way to the receptionist. She returns after delivering the cigars and has Bud take a seat. After an hour has passed, she tells Bud he has five minutes with Mr. Gekko. His persistence and desperation to get to the top and work with the person he admires has now come down to this moment. As Bud walks into the office, he notices it is everything he could have imagined. The furniture, latest computer systems and view of downtown Manhattan give him a taste of the life he so desperately wants. Gordon positioned behind his desk is talking on the phone as Bud is admiring his surroundings. Gordon finally acknowledges Bud and asks him his intentions. Bud is there to pitch stocks to Gordon in hopes of landing him as a client, but quickly realizes he is not prepared as Gordon constantly calls his recommendations crap and is unimpressed. He finally tells Bud to give him something or get out. Knowing that he is losing his opportunity, Bud gives Gordon insider information on a stock that he received from his father the day before on an airline business his father works for. Gordon has Bud leave with the understanding he will think about it. Later that day Gordon calls Bud and places an order for the stock. After doing research on Bud, Gordon understands how Bud became aware of the insider information. He is impressed with the move and takes Bud under his wing, but challenges him to find new information at all costs on future stock deals and hostile takeovers. He tells Bud his five hundred dollar suits are not up to par and to invest in new ones. As more inside deals go through, Gordon takes Bud further into his world. The relationship deepens as Bud enjoys the perks and lifestyle he is creating by working for Gordon. Bud becomes wealthy, moves into an apartment, nicer office and gets the woman of his dreams. All of this was obtained through dealings with Gordon, and Mr. Gekko reminds him who the superior man is every step of the way. The relationship takes a turn for the worse when Bud finds out that Gordon is now using the same unethical business practices with his fathers airline company. Bud decides to manipulate the stock in order to push Gordon to sell instead of buy. Even though he knows that by doing this, he will lose everything. After realizing he was played, Gordon confronts Bud in Central Park, and both physically and verbally assaults him. Gordon lets Bud know that he is still the most powerful man on Wall Street, and he is now relegated to nothing. Using Freuds psychoanalytical approach and the incorporation of which therapeutic approach should be employed in concern to the psychoanalysis of Gordon Gekko from the film Wall Street (Edwin Stone, 1987) will be twofold: 1) diagnosis, and 2) practical therapy. First, point out the evident faults; next, create a conscious awareness of these faults and determine a means by which to work around these obstacles. Dr. Sigmund Freuds psychoanalytical approach is fundamentally set around human behaviors and the unconscious. He believes humans are somehow driven by instincts and these all originate in the unconscious (Ridgeway, 2007). Based upon that, from A Glossary of Psychoanalytic Terms and Concepts (Moore, 1967), here are the three applications of Psychoanalysis: a method of investigation of the mind and the way one thinks; a systematized set of theories about human behavior; method of treatment of psychological or emotional illness. With this in mind, Gordon Gekko is now set to experience Dr. Sigmund Freuds psychoanalytical approach. From the following quote within the film a duality of psychoanalytical constituents becomes evident: In the last seven deals that Ive been involved with, there were 2.5 million stockholders who have made a pretax profit of 12 billion dollars. Thank you. I am not a destroyer of companies. I am a liberator of them! The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms: greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge, has marked the upward surge of mankind Gordon Gekko, (Edwin Stone, 1987) From the view of the capitalistic mindset, this quote brings two rather evident perspectives together: it takes that perspective of the individual, the independent laborer who must make the utmost priority in watching out for the I, and then straddles that thin line between the better benefit of the group. Humans are social; we only benefit optimally by working together; humans benefit only through interactions with other humans; humans need humans to build such fortresses and provide for those 2.5 million corporate stockholders, right along with all companies and businesses in general. However, Gekko solely advocates the view of the individual while complete disregard to that of any collaborative effort. This is a red-flag to signal psychological disorders. A corporation is a legal entity separate from the persons that form it. It is a legal entity owned by individual stockholders -Gordon Gekko, (Edwin Stone, 1987). Lets start with the most apparent, Antisocial Sociopath Disorder. This illustrates certainly no regard for the concerns of others; people with this affliction will do anything to acquire self-satisfaction and feelings of self-entitlement with no respect for how their actions affect any other person. An antisocial sociopath is utterly indifferent to others around him or her. This person operates under a regime totally unfamiliar to social behaviors, including lying, cheating, and stealing. The conduct of these people goes well beyond any social norm of acceptable behavior, and purely in order to get ahead. Personality disorders typically begin in childhood, and then progress over time into rigid personality traits, obstructing social abilities and acceptable functioning when relating to other people. However, everyone can un derstand and recognize selfish behaviors, even selfish behavioral patterns, but this does not indicate that a person is becoming, has become, or may become an antisocial sociopath; one with this disorder can identify symptoms from childhood. Surely Gordon Gekko carried this affliction from an extremely early age, too. Greed is good -Gordon Gekko, (Edwin Stone, 1987). Like a puppet, greed in this situation pulls the strings motivating Gordon Gekko to operate by this tunnel focus. Yes, this personality disorder is prevalent in what we commonly perceive as spiteful, calculative, and manipulative materialists. Another feature shared by Gekko, particularly the greedy antisocial sociopathic feature of this character, rests in his complete lack of self-identification; antisocial sociopaths bring a sense of self-denial of any of this self-absorption. As much a paradox that this seems, due to the self-sacrifice he perceives because of self-denial, Gekko is so consumed in the self that he executes all his decisions with a complete lack of self-identification. Again, the antisocial sociopath disorder is the most apparent disorder of this character. In detailing how Gordon Gekko portrays the Antisocial Sociopathic qualities, Dr. Robbins conveys these characteristics: Antisocial Personality Disorder: These people generally have no regard for the rights of others; they are exploitative, they see themselves as better or superior, and are very opportunistic. They are deceitful, steal from people around them, and often have trouble with the law. They frequently engage in fraudulent activities, make very good scam artists, and tend to be irritable and impulsive. They often come in as a savior for a church, for example, and end up stealing everything. They have no remorse. Conduct disorder as a child often morphs into antisocial personality disorder. Examples include the Mafia Dapper Don John Gotti, or Tony Soprano in The Sopranos. TV shows such as Dateline or 20/20 are replete with stories revolving around antisocial personality disorders (Robbins, 2005). Gekko also displays features of the Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Understood and commonly underplayed as vanity or conceit, this personality disorder, dictates that the narcissist is right, while everyone else is wrong. If an object, ideal, occasion, etc., do not benefit the narcissist, then it is of no worth. We can all think of people who fit this ideal. We all bring these traits to the table, but the difference between a person with either of these clinical disorders and the rest of the normal crowd is that we identify these traits; any person with this clinical disorder cannot. In a nutshell, let us allow Dr. Lawrence Robbins to provide another bit of enlightenment: Narcissistic Personality Disorder: This is less common, and the people see themselves as being above others, they are grandiose, have a lack of empathy, and they feel self-important. There is a true sense of entitlement. They may be extremely vain and constantly require admiration. They are envious, arrogant, exp loitative, and can be very angry. Examples include General George Patton, Nicole Kidmans character in the movie To Die For, Michael Douglas character, Gordon Gekko, in the movie Wall Street, Kelsey Grammers character in Frazier, and the Chief of Medicine, Dr. Robert Romano on the TV show ER (Robbins, 2005). The applicable approach of Psychoanalytic therapy is to allow access to the unconscious. The treatment process can, at times, become blocked by the clients resistance (their unwillingness to provide information). Transference is a condition in which the client begins to consider their therapist in the same emotional way they would consider a person in their lives, such as a parent or sibling. Working with interpretation, resistance, and transference is sometimes called working through, a therapeutic technique in which the therapist helps the client better understand their conflicts and how to resolve them (Depression Guide, 2005). If Gordon Gekko had become a patient of Dr. Freuds I can only guess there would have been a considerable amount of time spent with free association in order to discuss child hood events, dreams or trauma that were repressed in the unconscious. Freud believed being greedy was natural, that we are born with it. He believed the unconscious was a place that consisted of unthinkable wishes and drives that needed to be socialized. Dr. Freud believed that we progressed through psychosexual stages as we grew from child to adult, and greed could be expressed in each of the stages. If you look at these stages it is easy to see where we could associate greed with each one. Oral greed could be in the form of a biting hunger-perhaps the kind that Gekko, who built his companys strategy around chewing up other companies, displayed. Gordon could have expressed anal greed either by keeping all of his money which he did in offshore bank accounts or by spending all of it on the finer things in life. Fi nally, Gordons business greed came from the ambition that characterizes phallic greed and was displayed by his desire to become the most powerful and wealthiest man on Wall Street.

The Role of Naturalism and Rationalism in American and British Gun Poli

Although they may not be aware of it, complex philosophic principles influence the simple actions of the mass’s everyday lives. In fact, long lasting and well defined contentions of basic philosophy concerning the actions of human beings has not only affected individuals, but also entire countries. Some of the greatest nations on Earth have been formed around key thoughts and opinions of several great philosophers. Primarily amongst these, however, or John Locke and Thomas Hobbes, both of whom wrote on â€Å"The State of Nature†, or the state of absolute freedom. While Locke and Hobbes had vastly different opinions on the natural state of a human being, no matter who you are your life is somehow affected by their philosophic writings. As previously stated, nations often base themselves and thusly their common laws off the chosen philosophy of the country. For instance, in the United States of America, police officers carry guns. In Great Britain, however, officers are banned from carrying extremely harmful weapons such as firearms and instead carry the classic truncheon. To the average citizen of each of these countries, the policy that their law enforcement adheres to makes perfect and logical sense, while the opposite country’s policy seems to be either dangerous and overly violent or as overly merciful. However, the reason as to why these two sibling nations differ so greatly comes down to one simple thing: the gun policy imposed on American officers are different from those used in Britain because of conflicting common philosophic beliefs found in both of the countries, where America takes on a naturalistic, believing that humans are inherently evil, viewpoint and Britain sports a rather rationali stic, where in which hum... ...ere is no need to use such extreme non-reversible and almost brutal violence on individuals which they believe can return to society. These two differing philosophic principles are the primary reason as to why the two countries differ. Whether the creators of these two countries intended for the principles of the 15th century philosophers to shape their respective nations or not, it is an undeniable fact that they obviously did and that Locke and Hobbes became two of the most influential philosophers in this way. Despite the contrasting opinions, however, it is clear to see that the philosophies on the State of Nature play an important role in forming the opinions of a country’s citizens by directly affecting their law. Be it gun laws or general culture and way of life, the theories of Naturalism and Rationalism are undeniably the basis of any nation.