Philosophical Dialectic vs. Sophistic Rhetoric free essay sample

Analysis of Platos Gorgias, specifically dealing with the importance of philosophical dialectic in the Socratic method, as well as Socrates criticism of sophistic rhetoric. This paper is an in depth examination of Platos Gorgias. It focuses on the importance, for Plato, of demonstrating that philosophy, not rhetoric, is the basis of the good life and of human happiness. The author explores both political and personal, and philosophical implications. Among some other topics touched upon are Platos definition of the good, his understanding of the soul, and his basic political philosophy. Rhetoric, the art that Gorgias claims to possess, is in every way opposed to wisdom and the good. Plato emphasizes this point from the very beginning of the dialogue. Socrates lateness to Gorgias declamation is a deliberate tactic. Whereas Gorgias speech is meant to be a performance, Socrates is interested in a discussion. Philosophical conversation is concerned with dialectical definitions and essences, while rhetoric is concerned with mere appearances. We will write a custom essay sample on Philosophical Dialectic vs. Sophistic Rhetoric or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Socrates compares the distinction to the difference between the way a chef prepares food, purely to impress the diners, to the way a nutritionist does, scientifically and using reason.

Free Essays on Impact Of Huey P. Newton In African American Culture

In the last 25 years, Huey Newton has made one of the biggest impacts on the youth as a revolutionary. His messages were simple; let the black community arm themselves to defend against the racist power structure. As Minister of Defense for the Black Panther party for self-defense, he helped usher in a new feeling in the black community to stand up and revolt. During his time in jail, the â€Å"Free-Huey† movement gave him as sense of martyrdom. Such quotes as â€Å"Free Huey! You Can Jail a Revolutionary, but You Can't Jail the Revolution" He became the new leader for a generation of blacks that were sick of the police brutality, and racial injustices. My report is a brief look at the life of the Black Panther Party Minister of Defense and co-founder Huey P. Newton. Through his life he tried to serve the black community in a way that no other black activist had done before. Where Malcolm X’s threats and wit startled the racist power structure, Huey P. Newton help to carry them out and show that they were possible of doing. In his economic ideology, he wanted an end to capitalist exploitation of the black community. Many of his ideas were never carried out. Maybe the teachings of Huey P. Newton will inspire a new generation of blacks to set out and continue his journey. Huey P. Newton was born the youngest of seven children in Monroe, Louisiana on February 17 1942. Soon after his birth, his family moved with to Oakland, California. As an illiterate high school student, Newton graduated high school with all D’s. A counselor rushed him through high school and told him he wasn’t college material. Newton taught himself how to read before attending Meritt Junior College in West Oakland. In college Newton never took over eight or nine units (credit hours) a semester. He also made an effort to make A’s. Newton was very up to date on things that were true and false in any subject matter and could see if facts were valid. Bobby Seale ... Free Essays on Impact Of Huey P. Newton In African American Culture Free Essays on Impact Of Huey P. Newton In African American Culture In the last 25 years, Huey Newton has made one of the biggest impacts on the youth as a revolutionary. His messages were simple; let the black community arm themselves to defend against the racist power structure. As Minister of Defense for the Black Panther party for self-defense, he helped usher in a new feeling in the black community to stand up and revolt. During his time in jail, the â€Å"Free-Huey† movement gave him as sense of martyrdom. Such quotes as â€Å"Free Huey! You Can Jail a Revolutionary, but You Can't Jail the Revolution" He became the new leader for a generation of blacks that were sick of the police brutality, and racial injustices. My report is a brief look at the life of the Black Panther Party Minister of Defense and co-founder Huey P. Newton. Through his life he tried to serve the black community in a way that no other black activist had done before. Where Malcolm X’s threats and wit startled the racist power structure, Huey P. Newton help to carry them out and show that they were possible of doing. In his economic ideology, he wanted an end to capitalist exploitation of the black community. Many of his ideas were never carried out. Maybe the teachings of Huey P. Newton will inspire a new generation of blacks to set out and continue his journey. Huey P. Newton was born the youngest of seven children in Monroe, Louisiana on February 17 1942. Soon after his birth, his family moved with to Oakland, California. As an illiterate high school student, Newton graduated high school with all D’s. A counselor rushed him through high school and told him he wasn’t college material. Newton taught himself how to read before attending Meritt Junior College in West Oakland. In college Newton never took over eight or nine units (credit hours) a semester. He also made an effort to make A’s. Newton was very up to date on things that were true and false in any subject matter and could see if facts were valid. Bobby Seale ...

A Comparison of Japan and the Culture of the United States Research Paper

A Comparison of Japan and the Culture of the United States - Research Paper Example Work and business practices that are culturally relevant provide for the development of economic success for a nation. In comparing the Japanese culture with the American culture, it is clear that the Japanese exist in a collective state where as Americans not only are individualistic but aspire towards individualism as a respected state. In comparing the cultures of Japan and the United States, it is clear that the differences provide for very different outcomes in relationship to economy and success. Japan Education and Family The central government is involved in the success of their school systems. School systems are the same throughout the nation with moves from one region to another meaning that a child will not be in a different state of educational advancement in one place compared to another. Equity is achieved through the centralized control of the education system. Communities are not responsible for defining their own education system, but rather there is a high quality o f standardization that exists though out the country (Berger, 2009). Children spend longer days, longer weeks which include Saturdays, and a longer period of the year in school. School systems are only shut down for one month out of the year. Three fourths of the children attend supplemental public school which is called juko (Berger, 2009). Japanese children routinely score higher on science and mathematics tests. One criticism, however, is that so much time is spent on rote learning that concept of meta-cognitive skills are not as well developed. Learning discipline through memorization is emphasized while thinking skills are not fully developed to the capacity that could be achieved. In 2002, the Japanese government made changes in order to create more relaxed learning in order to maximize controlled curriculum at 30% with the rest of the curriculum being devoted to teaching children how to think (Berger, 2009). Family life in Japan, therefore, is based upon the importance of the group dynamic. Georges (2009) shows that the ideal family relationship is one in which â€Å"a feeling of oneness† exists to the point that the members of the family understand one another without having to discuss anything. Contrasting to American ideas of teenage life, when polled on how much teenagers believed that their family understood them, Japanese teens indicated that their mother understood them by 72%, their father by 65%, and their siblings by 63%, while believing by 77% that they understood the other members of their families. It is possible that Japanese generally gain self-esteem by their membership in their family, rather than through direct self- enhancement (Georges, 2009). The family is structured with the male as the head of the family, but the mother taking responsibility for the emotional security and welfare of the family. She takes the responsibility of the children, holding them to her in a method through which she prepares them for the external soci ety through creating meaning in the connection to the family group. Children are responsible to each member of the family and it is through the shame of failure that their success is born. They owe their success not to themselves, but towards the continuation of the family through their efforts. Work and Business Work and business are a continuation of the nature of the Japanese culture through which the needs of the collective are more important than the needs of the individual. A class system has evolved in which a family is ranked socially by the reputation of the company for which he works. The work culture

Radical Approaches in Journalism Research Paper

Radical Approaches in Journalism - Research Paper Example This paper will cover journalism in the western democracies and how the works of two philosophers have influenced the journalism process in these western parts. The two philosophers to be covered in this case are Slavoj Zizek and Jean Baudrillard. Slavoj Zizek was born in the year 1949 and is known to be a Slovene Philosopher as well as a cultural critic. He writes on a varied range of topics which include: culture studies, psychoanalysis, political theory, theology and film theory. Zizek is an individual who aims at provoking the society to think anew about many issues that happen around. His work in the eyes of many is seen to represent one of the two current notions of a progressive substitute- that of socialism rather than organizational imagination. There are two major themes of evaluation of ideas from Zizek which are lack of firmness in argumentation and failure to point out an effective alternative in his condemnation of current economic, social and political arrangements. Hi s political and philosophical positions have always been known not to be clear because of his lack of proper argumentation. He critiques have also made him known as a failure since he lacks consistency in his work. He has claimed to offer support to the revolutionary project by Marxist but one thing that has made the project unclear is his lack of vision. Zizek’s work is generally known to lack facts of history which makes his work be more provoking rather than infighting.sighting. In this case he is generally known to bring on confusion because he contradicts what is produced by other individuals. Information disseminated to the public through various ways is contradicted by his own findings because he lacks historical facts and has poor argumentation. This gives a clear impression that individuals who go through his findings are usually confused since they do not know whether to believe Zizek or other sources of information. It makes it difficult for people to understand th e happenings around them due to contradiction that occurs between the sources of information. In the western democracies, Zizek has played a role in undermining the importance of journalism because of his undertakings. Journalism is meant to brief people on all that happens so as to keep them posted but is has been difficult for them to understand because of Zizek’

The Ontology-based Software Co-Evolution of Cloud and Mobile Computing Literature review

The Ontology-based Software Co-Evolution of Cloud and Mobile Computing - Literature review Example Lanois (2010, p. 29) explains cloud computing from a socio-technological perspective in the following words: â€Å"As consumers are spending an increasing amount of time online and demanding convenient, instant access to more content, cloud computing is becoming a rapidly growing technology and the industry’s new buzzword. In a nutshell, the idea behind cloud computing is that instead of having the software and data stored locally on a user’s own computer, they can all be stored on Internet servers, or â€Å"in the clouds,† and accessed as a service on the Internet.† According to the works of Shang et al (2010), the concept stack of cloud computing has four major components. These are the computing resources, the operating system & grid middleware, the cloud middleware and the application layers. Shang et al (2010) have taken a layered approach and the computing resources have been assigned as the baseline layer of this stack structure. Above this layer is the layer of grid middleware & operating system. Its role is to harness cluster computing facilities and virtualisation from the pool of computing resources. Next is the cloud middleware layer where the computing facilities are synchronically modified, organised and distributed. Finally, at the top of the stack model, there is the application layer where the real requirements of end users are addressed though a service oriented architecture or SOA. (Shang et al, 2010, pp. 150-151) Mobile computing, on the other hand, is a technology that has given rise to scalable networks with the help of different handheld and portable computing devices available to the end users. It emerged relatively earlier than cloud computing, and primarily used Internet based telephony and communication techniques. As early as the 1990s, experts defined adaptability to be the most critical feature of mobile computing, since it involves a diverse range of software and hardware platforms that must work togeth er and interact seamlessly (Satyanarayanan, 1995). The research team led by de Oliveira (2010) have presented a detailed cloud computing taxonomy which can be utilised in an ontological approach (please refer to Figure - 1). In taxonomical construct of cloud computing, mobile devices are categorized under the sub-taxonomy of access. Along with the thin clients, mobile is the type of access to clouds apart from the desktop with handheld devices or mobile phones. Mobile computing can facilitate access to the cloud computing resources with the help of phones instead of the static workstations and desktops. (de Oliveira et al, p. 56) With the lapse of time, end users are becoming increasingly mobile. On the go, they not only need portable devices but also demand powerful computing facilities. This has given rise to the concept of â€Å"mobile workforce† (Liu, 2010, p. 4). In order to support such a mobile workforce at the business model sub-taxonomical cohort of cloud computing t echniques (please see Figure - 1), organisations are looking forward to mobile cloud applications. These applications would be highly adaptable at the programming side, synchronising various kinds of hardware and software platforms ranging from similar to disparate configurations. Figure – 1: Taxonomy of cloud computing. Please note the position of mobile technology in the sub-taxonomy of â€Å"Access† located at the lower left-hand side corner of the illustration. Source: de Oliveira et al (2010, p. 52) 2. Migrating Existing Software to Mobile Cloud Application

Environmental Issues For The Countries Of Asia Environmental Sciences Essay

Environmental Issues For The Countries Of Asia Environmental Sciences Essay Asia and its various countries have considerable environmental issues which are cause for concern if not managed effectively. Most of these issues stem from the introduction of capitalism, which has meant rapid industrialisation at a pace difficult to keep up with. Environmental issues arising from capitalism are exploitation of land and natural resources, with devastating effects. Rapid population growth has seen an increase in air pollution and has also been a major issue in developing countries. This paper will look at some of the important environmental issues in Japan, China and Indonesia. It will also look at what governments and transnational organisations have done to address them. Currently, environmental issues are population, water eutrophication, air pollution, waste management, nature conservation, chemical management and international co-operation for environmental conservation  [1]  . Japan currently has one of the worlds highest life expectancies at 81.25 and ranked at the 10th most populated country with 127 million in 2006  [2]  . It has been anticipated that due to falling birth-rates the population will be lower in the long term, yet the current ageing population will rise from 6% to 15% by 2025  [3]  . One issue is how the smaller, younger working generations will support the larger ageing generations  [4]  and what plans the government has in store to address these issues. From an environmental viewpoint, on one hand the workforce and younger generations contribute to the economy, and so balance out their own greater energy consumption. However it is thought that the older generation will ultimately consume more energy via the residential sector  [5]  . Another issue is how to keep Japans modest natural resources for e.g. land, air and water healthy for future generations  [6]  to enjoy. Lake Biwa provides a good example of water eutrophication. Post Second World War economic activities led to economic growth of Japan  [7]  . Due to no knowledge of water quality management, contamination from local industry and agricultural runoff led to rapid and intense pollution and deterioration of many water systems e.g. Lake Biwas plankton biomass, red and bluegreen algae blooms and eventual high rate of eutrophication  [8]  .The introduction of wastewater treatment, banning of certain detergents containing polyphosphates and construction of wetlands to support drainage by local government and community efforts led to a halt in degradation  [9]  . At the same time as Lake Biwa, Minamata Bay was being poisoned. Minamata Disease was not discovered until it was realised that approximately 4000 victims  [10]  had in common the fact they had all eaten fish from the Minamata Bay. After years of testing, along with protests from the Nippon Chisso Company who had a defective production process for acetaldehyde, it was finally determined that massive amounts of mercury had been dumped into the bay by the same company, and had caused much suffering and death  [11]  . Industrialisation has caused air pollution to be a major issue in Japan. In the 1950s and 60s it experienced levels of pollution 3-5 times higher than current national ambient air quality standards  [12]  hence very high rates of asthma and other respiratory illnesses  [13]   Japans population, limited resources and past environmental experiences have meant moving toward more sustainable development. The government has recognised the need to address these problems. The Millennium Project is one strategy whereby the government is committed to achieving set Millennium Development Goals to help reverse international problems of poverty and sustainable development  [14]  . Concurrently, ESRI (Economic and Social Research Institute) began a study called A study on Economic Social Structure in the 21st Century, which manages issues of ageing impact on the environment. Strict regulations; strong monitoring abilities; overhauling of relevant legislative framework; setting new standards and monetary assistance for research on sustainable technologies have been effective in the implementation of environmental policy  [15]  . Family policy was implemented in the shape of pension reform; the introduction of the LTCI (Long Term Care Insurance) and its reform in 2005  [16]  and Health Policy  [17]  . All are all ways in which the government and transnational organisations have attempted to address the environmental problems. China According to Thavasi and Ramakrishna, China represents 20% of the global population with 1.3 billion people. There is no doubt that the urbanisation of the Chinese population and environmental issues are directly connected. The link between population growth, the need for economic growth and energy consumption unfortunately overlaps with agriculture, natural resources and industrial activities. This overlap is has a negative impact upon human health and the immediate environment, and according to Bannister is irreparable in the medium term  [18]  . Many would agree that air pollution is one of Chinas major environmental issues and is determined by some to be one of the leading causes of death. It is caused mainly by burning of fossil fuels for electricity production and transport  [19]  . The transport sector has grown in conjunction with the population over recent decades. The consumption of petroleum for transport increased on an average 6.7% a year between 1990 and 2002. Although China was a primary producer of petroleum, they began importing in 1996 as consumption outweighed produce. By 2007 Chinas net oil imports including crude and refined petroleum products had increased rapidly at an astonishing rate of 22 percent annually, reaching 197 million tonnes in 2007  [20]  . About 90% of the fuel used to generate electricity from consists of coal, making thermal power stations a major source of concentrated pollution. This pollution consists of primary particles and S0à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ emissions, of which China is classified as 99 in the world based on its C0à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ emissions per capita  [21]  . Larger power plants are more efficient in terms of coal use than smaller plants because they have higher combustion efficiency, so less coal is needed to create the same amount of power. Also, the taller smoke stacks of the larger power plants disperse pollution over a much larger area making them appear less damaging per ton than the smaller plants, whose pollution is spread over a more concentrated area  [22]  . Government strategies have been to close down the smaller plants, limit mining of high -sulphur coal and encourage encourage high stacks on power plants. These strategies were not enough to keep emissions below the emission standards. In 2004 the government implemented a decree to raise fees for sulphur emissions. All new plants will install desulphurisation and older plants will install over time  [23]  . Most recently, the government plan to reduce sulphur emissions is to install (FGD) flue gas desulphurisation so that by2010, emissions will be reduced by 6 000 million tons  [24]  . With the exception of cement manufacturing which is spread throughout urban and rural areas, heavy industry such as chemical manufacturing plants and large iron and steel mills were a major part of Chinas economy in the past. By means of government policy of the time, these plants and mills were built close to cities to create employment and increase economy  [25]  . Human exposure to these and other air pollutants can cause health issues such as respiratory illnesses, chronic bronchitis, skin and eye irritation, chronic and obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary heart disease, asthma and lung cancer  [26]   Water quality has also been affected by industry. Population growth led to expansion of cities and industry. This resulted in a large increase of freshwater aqua cultural fishing, more dumped industrial waste, agricultural runoff, and sewerage which has caused rapid decline of Chinas water supply and similar to Japan, the worsening eutrophication of lakes  [27]  . Between 2000 and 2005, an increase from 30% to 45% in wastewater treatment should have seen a slowing down of eutrophication. However, due to the mentioned expansion, the amount of wastewater entering the lakes continues to increase accordingly. The four trophic states of a lake are ogliotrophic being most pure, mesotrophic, eutrophic and hypereutrophic being virtually dead. To reach the hypereutrophic state could take thousands of years if at all. However the waste continually enters the lakes at such a rate that it has caused some like Dianche Lake, to change from eutrophic to hypereutrophic in less than 20 years  [28]  . Measures implemented by the government to reduce water pollution include building more wastewater plants and sewer collection systems, promoting clean production in factories, control of types and quantities of pesticides used, and more environmentally friendly methods of irrigation. Research on economical technologies into prevention of damage from fertilisers is also being conducted by the government in conjunction with local communities  [29]  . South-east Asia The most important pressures on Japans environment today originate from transport, agriculture, industry and, particularly, the growth of energy demand and private final consumption. Priority environmental issues include urban air pollution (NOx, suspended particulate matter, toxics), waste management, water eutrophication, nature conservation, climate change, chemical management and international co-operation for environmental conservation. The Ministry of the Environment was established in 2001, 30 years after the Japan Environment Agency (which it replaced), with extended or strengthened environmental responsibilities such as waste management, international environmental co-operation. http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/0/16/2110703.pdf Environmental performance review of Japan:summary and conclusions

Survey of American History Essay -- US History

Over the course of American history many radical movements have forever changed the historical landscape of the United States of America. Since the beginning of American history, radical movements have played an important role in bringing about change in U.S. society and the U.S. relationship with other countries. They have also experienced major failures and defeats. Major concrete achievements and failures of radical movements have been present in changing the mainstream of the society since the end of WWI. Radical movements such as, labor/socialism, women’s rights, civil rights and peace have played a significant role in the development of U.S. politics and society and forever changed the past, present and future of the United States of America. The Labor/Socialism movement, supported mainly by the lower classes was a prominent radical idea that manifested itself into American society around the conclusion of WWI. â€Å"The very fact that the Soviet Union, the revolutionar y successor to Imperial Russia, was the first country to establish a Communist political and economic state was a major threat to the United States† (Brown 4). Influenced by the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, the Socialist movement gained momentum from oppressed workers and thus managed to successfully run hundreds of candidates around the nation for several decades. â€Å"The Socialist Movement was painstakingly organized by scores of former Populists, militant miners and blacklisted railroad workers, who were assisted by a remarkable cadre of professional agitators and educators† (Zinn 340). Socialism became extremely popular especially due to its endorsement by writers like Mark Twain, W.E.B. Dubois and Upton Sinclair as well its representation by Eugene Debs. With ... ... Great Society and Obama’s health care reform came into existence. Without the socialism/labor movement the civil rights, women’s rights and peace movements and their lasting impacts on society would never have happened. Works Cited Bloom, Alexander, and Wini Breines. "Takin' it to the streets": A Sixties Reader. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford UP, 1995. Print. Brown, Archie. The Rise and Fall of Communism. New York: Ecco, 2009. Print. Burkett, Elinor. "Women's Movement." Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. Web. 15 Dec. 2010. . Guttmann, Allen. "Protest against the War in Vietnam." The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 382.1 (1969): 56-63. Print. Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States: 1492-present. New York: HarperCollins, 1999. Print.