“Panopticism” by Michel Foucault Essay

â€Å"Our society is not one of spectacle, but of surveillance; under the surface of images, one invests bodies in depth; behind the great abstraction of exchange, there continues the meticulous concrete training of useful forces; the circuits of communication are the supports of an accumulation and a centralization of knowledge; the play of signs defines the anchorages of power; it is not that the beautiful totality of the individual is amputated, repressed, altered by our social order, it is rather that the individual is carefully fabricated in it, according to a whole technique of forces and bodies.† (240, Foucault)In the essay, Panopticism, by Michel Foucault, he makes the argument that we live in a society of â€Å"surveillance†. It is mainly this surveillance that forms the basis of authority that draws the individual to believe that the world he lives in is one that is continually watching over him. This becomes another aspect of power where it underlies the main idea of separation as one of the many forms of forces in the Panopticon. The effects of surveillance are clearly discussed in Foucault’s essay. The infected population was always observed by presenting themselves at their windows for attendance. If they did not look out the window at that time, they would be considered and marked as dead. Their family would be removed, the house would be cleaned out, perfumed, and then, mere hours later, people would move back in. Obviously, the fear of not being watched would be strong in this situation, resulting in drastic measures taken once someone could not be watched. The plague stands as a representation against which the idea of discipline was created. The existence of a whole set of techniques for measuring and supervising abnormal beings brings into play the disciplinary mechanisms created by the fear of the plague. The Panopticon, is a prison that is â€Å"a machine for dissociating the see/being seen dyad: in the peripheric ring, one is totally seen, without ever seeing.† (228, Foucault) This means that those who are being seen can not see one another and the one who sees everything can never be seen. For the observer, the benefit of being observed is that is establishes the ability to control, change and influence the person. The observer separates the individual from the group by observation, thereby making them individually  aware of themselves, but mainly the observer. This helps obscure the concept of cohesion with others and prevents organization and conspiracy. The panopticon architecture in which everyone is observed and analyzed is incorporated in a building that makes these operations easy to perform. The theory of discipline develops out of the need for surveillance shown in the plague. Plague measures were needed to protect society, which as a result allowed the panopticon to operate power efficiently. Foucault makes this assumption about today’s society by saying that we are always being watched whether we know it or not. One always keeps an eye over their shoulder as a result of the constant fear that someone is watching them. The power gives those in charge a safety net, making the individual conscious of the presence of a hidden watcher, causing them to think twice before acting. An example found in today’s society would be the notion of Santa Claus and how Santa Claus can be used as a form of power to make children behave. â€Å"He knows when you are sleeping. He knows when you’re awake. He knows if you’ve been bad or good. So be good for goodness sake.† The song about Santa Claus is more than a Christmas carol, it is used to plant the constant fear in the mind of a child that they are being watched even when they can’t see who is doing the watching. The mere threat at Christmas time of this hidden force is enough to keep children well behaved. Another example is that when we are born, we are given a social security number and a record of our birth. Information goes into a database that is accessible to many people. The government and head offices in the United States can track us with ease since ever job and school we can attend uses our social security number. There is not a single bank account we can open or a loan we can receive without people in higher places knowing about it. Even though we can not see people watching us, we are constantly being watched and tracked by our government. These are examples of many in our society. Also, verbal communication in the Panopticon was not an option. The prisoners  were not allowed to speak to one another. This limit on communication dehumanizes the inmate. If one cannot communicate, not only is new knowledge difficult to gain, but one cannot feel comfort in the simple knowledge that they are not alone. Throughout this endless mind-game, people do not have the idea that they are fabricated and reshaped. Being under surveillance has brought discipline. â€Å"In the central tower, one sees everything without ever being seen.† (226, Foucault) Foucault describes the inside of the Panopticon where in the center stands a guard. Whenever we walk into a retail store, we are always under observation. There is a circular glass piece on the top of the ceiling with a rotating camera looking down upon each of our movements. We think someone is watching us. And from that, we react with discipline. It has proven to be a form of behavior to give us a guilty conscious or the simple fear of being caught. In conclusion, Foucault’s argument may not be easily understood given the difficulty of his writing, but with the examples and proof of such the mind-games that we live in in our society today is a good way of understanding his point of view. Michel Foucault’s Panopticism shows that society is under surveillance. The panopticon represents the way in which discipline and punishment work in modern society, where it shows how the processes of observation and examination function. Schools, factories, hospitals and prisons resemble each other, not just because they look similar, but because they examine pupils, workers, patients and prisoners, classify them as individuals and try to make them conform to the â€Å"norm†. The fact that the modern citizen spends much of his life in at least some of these institutions reveals how far society has changed. We live in a society that watches over one’s movement to judge if their behavior is wrong. It is in ultimate fea r and anxiety that we live out our lives everyday.

History of Advertising

TRACE THE EVOLUTION AND GROWTH OF INTERNATIONAL ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATION WORLWIDE. FOCUS ON ITS OPERATION IN NIGERIA, EVALUATING ITS LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT AND THE IMPACT OF ITS PRACTISE ON CORPORATE SUCCESS. The History of Advertising Introduction â€Å"Advertising, a form of commercial mass communication designed to promote the sale of a product or service, or a message on behalf of an institution, organization, or candidate for political office. † In a primitive form, advertising has been around almost as long as Homo sapiens in a recognizably modern form. It has been around for almost 2500 years. Despite its venerable age it is still sprightly growing. Moreover there are good reasons to believe that its usefulness to consumer and therefore to economics, will keep on growing for another century or two at the very least. Even the dumbest futurologists would not try to predict further ahead than that, so I rest my case in advertising being a far larger and more important global industry in AD 2099 than in AD 1999 Advertising can be looked at from various perspectives. As the quote above states, its purpose is to increase the number of articles or products sold. These are not only things we can buy in different stores, for example clothing or supplies for our daily life, but also such simple things as a message placed by an institution or organization asking for attention of the public to raise money or to make them aware of a problem, such as anti-smoking ads. Even political parties use advertisements and commercials to state the opinion of their candidate. I think we have all experienced that quite extensively during the presidential campaign in the United States. Advertising became big business in the 20th  century, offering many different jobs in advertising agencies and the marketing section. The use of the media, like newspapers, television, direct mail, radio, magazines, outdoor signs and of course the Internet made this growth possible. It is a form of transporting information to the consumer, but which does not only have positive sides. There are many critical aspect about it, like persuading people to doing unhealthy things, like smoking, or producing special stereotypes everybody tries to follow. Nevertheless, advertising has become international, since producers and companies try to sell their products on a globalized market in almost every corner of the world. It is therefore not surprising to see a big sign for Coca Cola in third world countries. 19th and 20th Century Advertising In the 19th century new technologies were developed and brand-new methods invented. As a result a surplus of production was formed. Warehouses of many factories were overflowing. In this way it was necessary to create useful advertisements, which would cover all large spaces, utilizing a large variety of mass media sources. The first advertising agent who created such a network was Volney Palmer. In 1841 he proclaimed himself as an advertising agent in Philadelphia and then created similar offices in Boston and New York. About 20% of the commission for media brokers was paid to the publishers. Texts of ads were offered by the head of the company or its representative. People who wanted to put their ads in the newspaper paid him a commission. Such activities became very popular during the second part of 19th  century in all European countries. Significant advances in advertising development were made by American brokers. In the early 1850’s, John Wanamaker caused a revolution in the retail trade. He created a price lists for a variety of goods and returned the money if the commodity was not of the promised quality. As a result, he gained a lot of profit by using this strategy and he then opened a network of consumer goods shops. The reason of such great success was professional advertising. In 1880 businessmen employed the best creator of advertising texts – D. E. Powers. Powers started to develop advertisements using brand-new information. This strategy had become very popular in American trade circles and by the 20th century advertising had become a form of science. â€Å"In the 1880s a new era of advertising began: New methods of manufacturing led to greatly increased output and decreased the costs for the producers of consumer goods. The products now could be packaged at the plant. Moreover the telegraph network was in place and the continent has been crisscrossed by a network of railroads†¦. † All these were assumptions that now allowed nation-wide distribution and nation-wide advertising. This state supported the growth of advertising agencies and dictated their activities. During 19th  century the majority of advertisements were published in the newspapers and advertising leaflets. Although newspapers were a prerogative of well-off class of community but the situation began to change in the early 1860’s when people got the opportunity of receiving publications by post. First magazine advertisements appeared in  The Southern Messenger. For a few years the editor of this magazine was Edgar Po. Many of the magazines that began to publish advertisements as the separate charter in the 19th  century have continued doing it nowadays. Such editions are  Cosmopolitan, Ladies’ Home Journal, Readers Digest  and some others. Despite of the popular brands of newspapers the majority of information in the advertisements was unreliable and apocryphal. Moreover advertisements sometimes were immoral and absurd. For example in the countryside of one American city advertisement was placed in the monument of a non-existent person and it stated: â€Å"This person killed himself with the handgun with Colt system†. Then â€Å"publishers† enumerated the value of this handgun. As the result of such inhuman actions people stopped trusting advertisements and began to consider advertising as something negative. The first radio-advertisement was broadcast in 1922 in New York on the WEAF radio station. Thus in the 1920s advertisers and their agents had come to realize radio's possibilities. With its drama and immediacy, radio could convey their message directly to the consumer who would not need to purchase a publication or even need to be literate. In the 1950s television was introduced and quickly developed into THE advertising-media. In the 1950’s common income from the advertising industry rose to $ 10 billion a year. In 1980’s this index was $ 100 billion! Now advertisers could demonstrate the use of their products and present well-known figures to praise it. They could also affect emotions through television. THE HISTORY OF PUBLIC RELATION EARLY DEVELOPMENT. Although the concept of public relations as systematic social activity and the term itself, were not recognized until the first decades of the twentieth century, its more elementary functions of publicity, persuasion , and press agentry are many children old. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of political communication, such as painted messages. , in ruins of ancient civilizations, just as thousands of communicators publicize today’s Olympic Games ,so did their predecessors promote the first contexts in Greece. Caesar’s commentaries, glorifying the emperor, and the four gospels of the New Testament represented other forms of publicity and persuasion. As Peter G. Osgood, president of the public relations firm, remarked, â€Å"St john the Baptist himself did superb Advance work of P. R for Jesus of Nazareth. 19TH AND 20TH PUBLIC RELATIONS As the wave of industrialization, mechanization and urbanization swept the nation after civil war, the public became concerned about many aspects of big business, including concentrations of wealth and control. In 1888 the mutual Life Insurance company sought to improve its image by employing newspaperman Charles J . Smith to write press releases. A year later Westinghouse corporation created what is said to be the first in-house publicity department. In 1897 the term public relations was used ,perharps for the first time, by the Association of American Railroads. Twentieth –Century Developments. The first publicity firm, known as the publicity bureau, was established in Boston in 1900, with Harvard University as one of its clients. Within the decade a number of other such bureaus were established. Among them was the office oof Ivy Ledbetter Lee and George Parker. Ivy lee belief that much of the public’s antipathy toward business at that time-an antipathy exploite by the muckrakers (publications and writers who exposed corruption and exploitation) – resulted from the fact that most businesses operated in secrecy and most business people would not discuss their policies in operations with the public. Ivy lee used his PR techniques to restore peace and good image to the U. S coalindustry which was experiencing tumoil as aresult of shattering strikes. Lee continued to develop such techniques which werelater applied in various situations. Another dimension was added to public relations concept during world war 1, when the committee on public information was established by the federal government under George Creel,a former newspaper reporter. The committee conducted a massive and successful publicity campaign to mobilize the American public behind the war effort. The values of such massive communications efforts were impressed upon those who worked with Creel, and some of them became pioneers in the establishment of public relations firm designes to conduct similar campaigns for private clients. They included Edward L. Bernays , who in 1923 coined the term public relations counsel to describe a function that was to become the core of public relations, and Carl Byoir, whose firm became highly successful. After world war II public relations developed rapidly,in business and industry at first and later in nonprofit institutions. The number of public relation workers soared from only 19,000 in 1950 to 250,000 in 1990. In Nigeria the need for public administration arose after second world war. At that time there was need for effective public information as a result of growing unpopularity of the then colonial government. In the private sector, UAC established thr first PR department in 1949 under Charles Newman to explain the company’s work and policies to the people. EVALUATING THE OPERATIONS AND LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT OF ADVERTISING IN NIGERIA Few studies have examined the cultural reflections and the role of advertising in the national development of Nigerian or other African countries. This study, which explored the meaning of development, the debate on the role of culture and mass media on social modernization, African political economy as well as Nigerian history, politics, economic and ommunication development efforts, serves as an attempt to bridge that gulf. This study focused on the role of advertising in the process of social mobilization and modernization in Nigeria by examining the cultural reflections, the nature and characteristics of the messages, and the values and symbols conveyed in Nigerian mass media advertisements. The findings demonstrated the difficulty of ascertaining th e role of the mass media including advertising on a nation’s social, economic and national development and modernization. However, some of the conclusions drawn from the exploration could be summarized as follows: (1) The Nigerian government as well as native-owned enterprises and public corporations do not use advertising adequately to promote their goods and services; (2) Nigerian advertisers used both Western or traditional African cultural values, but neither of them dominated the other; (3) Developmental themes were found in Nigerian mass media advertisements, but they tended to concentrate on individual instead of group goals as traditional African value system dictates; (4) The nature and target(s) of advertisements in Nigerian mass media demonstrated that the Nigerian economy is distorted and underdeveloped; (5) The underdeveloped nature is clearly demonstrated because the majority of consumer products and services advertised in Nigeria were of foreign origin and mostly non-essential; (6) The products advertised often targeted the elites because the Nigerian masses could not afford them; (7) Fin ancial advertisements were the most dominant products and services of Nigerian origin because they promoted more products and services that the average Nigerian could afford. This study demonstrated that advertising holds both promises and problems for Nigerian economic and social development. Its promises deal with its ability to relay useful information on social issues and on the availability of goods and services to the masses. On the other hand, the problems deal with its ability to promote unfair competition, consumerism, lack of interest in social matters, and immoral attitudes, which could distort the economy or undermine traditional values and national economy. However, advertising should be encouraged, not discouraged. It could be monitored by practitioners and government officials in order to make the medium an effective vehicle for promoting goods and services as well as values that would assist the socioe conomic development of Nigeria. Advertising remains an important vehicle for the various tiers of Nigerian government to use for promoting their services and for explaining national issues in order to promote national integration and the social welfare of the masses. The use of advertising to promote socioeconomic development could be achieved by adopting â€Å"developmental advertising. The idea calls for the incorporation of relevant cultural values and developmental themes in product and servi ce advertisements by the private and public sectors. The goal is to help public corporations and businesses in marketing their products and services, thus enabling Nigeria’s economic and social growth. It could assist Nigerians to adopt useful modernization habits. THE IMPACT OF INTERNATIONAL ADVERTISING ON A CORPORATE BODY The advertising business has become such an important factor in the economy of many countries, especially in Nigeria, that it also changes the economy itself, society, culture, and the political system. The stimulation for the demand of products and services helps the  economy  grow stronger and stronger. New inventions become known much faster and can establish their spot in the sales figures of the economy. If there are more people buying these products the overall costs will drop and the product will become cheaper for the customer which raises his willingness to buy even more. On the other hand advertisements are very expensive and some economists believe that these costs are put on top of the actual price paid by the customer. Advertising has a serious impact on the  culture  of a country. The globalized economy uses the same commercials in a lot of different countries, which leads to a break down in the differences of these societies. Children will grow up not knowing how their culture has been before in their country. It can also lead to a lot of discussion about moral values if we just think about the very controversial ads. Critics argue that advertising can also have a huge influence on  society. It tells the consumers that only purchasing products makes you happy and therefore people compare each other on their belongings. Women also compare themselves with the beautiful and very skinny models they see on commercials and ads. This sometimes results in eating disorders and a low self-esteem of women who don’t look like these models. Another bad effect is, that minority groups, especially in the United States are portrait in a subordinate position, which settles in the minds of people. Commercials are also an important part of the income of a TV station which leads to the suspicion that a news channel might not report on an incident about a company they depend on. A lot of TV shows are also based on these commercials, and if the ratings aren’t good enough the show will be stopped. Only those shows which attract a lot of viewers will be shown, which is not very differentiated and put minorities like older people at a disadvantage. Finally advertising can also have an impact in  politics. Millions are spent on advertisements and TV commercials in any elections taking place in the country. It gives the opponents the chance to respond to charges very quickly reaching a few million viewers. But since this is very expensive only very rich people have to chance to run for a political position or at least depend on the donation of wealthier people who could have a huge impact on democracy this way. The political issues talked about in an election are also very much simplified because the spots are only about 30 seconds long, and you can’t really discuss a lot in such a short period of time. ————————————————- The Challenge of Public Relations and Good Governance in Nigeria The role of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations in enhancing communication between Governments, organisations and the public cannot be over emphasized. By ensuring free flow of communication, public relations practitioners help to reduce conflict and misunderstandings in the society. As you are all aware, good governance, accountability and transparency are important ingredients of democracy. In other words, the objective of good governance, as being implemented by this Administration, is to ensure the provision of better quality of life for all Nigerians. it is my opinion that public relations practitioners have the responsibility to understand public perceptions and truthfully communicate these to government. They should endeavor to provide free flow of information on government policies and actions to the general public for the good of all. In this highly technological information age, the Public Relations professional needs to have a high sense of intellectual judgement, creativity, confidence and above all courage. I dare to say therefore that given the relevance of your profession, which is all about helping us to manage our relations with all our publics, a lot is expected of you. As you are all aware, we are now dealing with more informed and discerning publics. They are hungry for knowledge and truth and the success of any government in marketing its policies and achievements – external and internal – will depend on the level of professionalism, which you as Public Relations practitioners provide. I urge you therefore to tell the Nigerian story from our own perspective at all times. In Nigeria, Public Relations has become a strategic management function. Most Nigerian organizations either have full public relations department or retain the services of PR consultants. In corporate bodies, PR is now acknowledged as a major tool in achieving social, economic and political goals and objectives of an organization. Public Relations has had numerous impact in an organization through publicizing an organizations activities and maintaining cordial relationship with the media (information and communication). Researching on corporate image, public motivation issues and trends. Public Relation has helped extensively in corporate identity management of an organization.

Write a one page business memo follow the gathering data assignment Essay

Write a one page business memo follow the gathering data assignment introduction - Essay Example I also chose to count trucks and cars in the afternoon on the same day because this would help in maintaining consistency in the data. This would also help in comparing the morning flow of traffic with that of afternoon on the same days. I chose to collect data between 11.10 and 11.15 in the morning and between 14.50 and 14.55 in the afternoon. I chose these times randomly to ensure that my data was unbiased within one day. I did this by writing the morning and evening times on papers; I then mixed the pieces and picked them indiscriminately. The benefit of analyzing data from different times separately is that it enables the marketing firm to determine the best period to conduct marketing campaigns in a day. However, this approach has a limitation of consuming more time than when the data is analyzed by combining the different time periods. This means that combining data saves time, but it fails in that it does not inform the marketer about the variation of traffic at different times in a

Albee's play, The American Dream Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Albee's play, The American Dream - Essay Example Simply how life used to be prior to the existence of contemporary society. The sole purpose as to why both dad and mum stayed with Grandma is because she represented the old set of values that have since been eroded by the contemporary values. This character was symbolically used by the author to depict the power of the past to predict the happenings of the future. This is demonstrated by Grandma being able to tell the truth concerning the real intent of the visit by Mrs. Baker. Additionally, this power is demonstrated by her knowledge of the Young Man being an identical twin of the first son of the family. In the social sphere, this character would otherwise be considered obscene. Her role as the oldest person in the play is somewhat unique with regards to theatre plays. It is imperative to reiterate the fact that all the characters of the play are symbolic in a way of the American society. As such, when Grandma becomes an exterior commentator away from the main scene, it symbolizes a shift from the old values that have eminently existed in the American society. The interaction between Grandma and the Young Man represent a collision between the old and the new. As such, in the conversation between Grandma and the Young Man, the Young Man asserts that he has no talents. The metamorphosis of the old to the new seems not to have been complete. Grandma represents a holistic being while the Young Man is a representation of the corrupt and incomplete being of the contemporary society. When Grandma refers to the Young Man as the American dream she asserts that he is the evolution of old into new. She states that he is the embodiment of what the American dream entails and what it would mean for society. The character of Grandma is a rather wise and cunning element in the play. She demonstrates her nature of being wise by knowing what is right for daddy and mommy. She understands that the presence of the Young Man in the family will be good to the family in the end. He r cunning nature is demonstrated by her decision to pretend that she had been taken by the van man. Moreover, when she returns to the scene, she gestures to Mrs. Baker to ignore her presence. The name of this character in context of the contemporary society signifies an aging or phasing out of the old rules. Simply put, a fading and non-relevance of the old values in the modern world. The Young Man When Grandma left the house, she left the Young Man to represent her. Simply put, he was a replacement of the old values of society by the new values. However, unlike Grandma whose personal possessions are represented by boxes, the Young Man is empty inside. The Young Man is the principle focus of the American Dream, he represents the future prospects of society as a whole. As such, when he says that he has no inner emotion, it translates to mean that the American Dream does not have substance to propel its realization. The American Dream, in the wider sense, has no feelings. When the You ng Man knocked on the door and subsequently entered the life of daddy and mommy, his sole motivation was money. This sheds light into the driving force of contemporary society. Their material minded nature is symbolized by this behavior of the Young Man. He is depicted as physically perfect. However, he is devoid of any inner substance. The Young Man is for sale. He states that he would do anything for money. His service and contribution to the family and the society as a whole are for sale. He represents the vanity associated with the contemporary

Social Issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Social Issue - Essay Example I. Thank You for Smoking At times, the feelings that sound produces is so compelling that albeit it contradicts we understand to be scientifically true, we hold to it anyhow. Although we understand, for instance, that since space is a vacuum sound cannot be transmitted in it, we are entirely obliged by the sounds of intergalactic battle or only spaceships travelling at perverting speed in almost every space. Conversely the explosion of a gunshot never sound as enjoyably long or loud in actual life as they do in Thank for Smoking Again with the bass cranked way up. Ultimately, in many of those great Hollywood musicals, the greatest songs are not really performed by Audrey Hepburn, but by little known singers like Marnie Nixon, whose faces and statures don’t seem as attractive on-screen a those of the key stars. The director of Thank you for Smoking was keen on resounding applause for Nick Naylor huge sum than the real viewers of extras is able to offer. Thank you for Smoking ha s sound tracks that augment sounds that are not effortlessly available as ambient noise. At times, sounds can be amplified to a film from the annals of sound effects. There is also sound prop, including the floor, which has offered different forms of footfalls. Thank you for Smoking rolls on the screen, and the sound artist has matched the type of sound the filmmaker wanted to the images projected (Leo 1). In some scenes the images changes from solid, sprightly colors that bounce off the screen to a darker, grainer, more dark and dowdy, less colorful appearance when the lead character is away from Loring’s. In general, the contrast works perfectly well, and the image actually appears its best whereas the setting is at the Loring household. The episodes, such like as standard shot of Juno after the start of the movie, appears exceptionally soft. A Reddish tint appears to find its way in at times, noticed frequently in skin tones. All the colors are a bit dreary, certainly on t he end of the spectrum and entirely opposite of Thank You For Smoking. Better yet, it is effectual and establishes the mood of the movie. The lighting Juno however will quite never be reference grade material on Blue ray, the lighting is definitely a plus, and recreates the mood of the movie with a laidback authority (Leo 1). The editing of the film Thank for Smoking has both its strong and weak points. But the continuity editing errors seem to surpass the editing strong points. For instance, in the last dinner meeting of the Merchants of Death, the gun lobbyist gets a share of pie with cheese on it. He takes a small bite; consequently the alcohol lobbyist assaults it with her fork for a bite, hauling all the cheese off and tumbling the little American flag in it. The next continuity mistake is shown in the subsequent shot; a lock up of the dessert, all the cheese is back on it and the flag is vertical again. Finally when they are editing their last dinner, the cheese atop the apple pie becomes unmelted and then melted continuously between shots. The other editing error that is seen in the movie is during the Subcommittee Hearing episode. The person slumped on the seat comfortably behind Nick Naylor, on the left, transforms repeatedly between scenes. Right before he is requested to come forward, the seat is taken by a certain lady

Critical Appraisal of a Piece of Research Essay - 1

Critical Appraisal of a Piece of Research - Essay Example frequently not implemented in health care systems because of doctors being unwilling to take the initiative to discuss alcohol problems with their patients. With decrease in state controls on the availablility of alcohol, effective interventions are required, which can be administered to many people with the purpose of reducing the demand for alcohol. Screening and Brief Intervention (SBI) is an approach which systematically identifies people with hazardous drinking, and provides concise advice on reducing this behaviour (Kypri et al 2004). Yes, a double-blind randomized controlled trial, the study used a random method of selecting an experimental group and a control group, at the university student health service. Participants scoring 8 or more on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and consuming more than 4 to 6 standard drinks, both males and females, on one or more occasions in the previous 4 weeks were assigned randomly by computer to either the control group or the intervention. The computer carried out the randomization in blocks of 10 consisting of 5 control and 5 intervention, so that equal numbers of participants could be recruited in a short period in both groups. Equal numbers of men and women were ensured through separate recruitment by sex (Kypri et al 2004). Yes, a total of 167 students in the age group of 17 to 26 years were recruited. They were required to complete a three-minute web-based screening test â€Å"including the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) questionnaire† (Kypri et al 2004, p.1410). Of the 167 students, 112 tested positive; from among them a total number of 104 students including 52 women who had agreed to receive the follow-up intervention participated in the trial. The participants were randomized to two groups: the intervention group of 51 students who received 10 to 15 minutes of web-based assessment and personalized feedback on their drinking, and the control group of 53 students who received

Natural rights in John Lockes, the second treatise on government Essay

Natural rights in John Lockes, the second treatise on government - Essay Example As such, everyone is entitled to enforce natural law in order to uphold these rights. Secondly, he purports that as an individual ventures into societal relationship with others, he trades what goods he possesses for goods he does not, and as such forms a reason to formulate methods to facilitate the trade of goods, such as the use of money, since money is non-perishable in contrast with food. As such, when money is injected into the system, individuals may pertain to give up their natural rights in order to be governed by a select group of people who exist solely to protect their welfare and property. These representatives work by introducing a system of laws and rules that expand over the societies they govern, and are in charge of enforcing them. However, they must only adhere to the interests of the societies at large, and hence, are at the complete disposal of the individuals and are subject to replacement at the people’s discretion. Locke thus emphasizes a Laissez Faire style of government which respects tolerance and moral values announced by natural rights than a strict measure of communism or monarchy. His political ideology promotes distinct sense of social awareness and respect by all of natural law. Argument against John Locke’s theories Locke’s focus on individual precedence over societal matters suggests two things. The first pertains to the regulation of civil society in that the people realize a need for preservation of their material belongings such as house and property, a measure they cannot administer individually by way of natural right as that might render their judgement partial and unjust. As such, they resort to giving up their natural rights so a body of executives can adjudicate on their behalf. This is because if individuals resorted to upholding their natural rights themselves against those who wronged them, only the strongest would survive. By letting an executive handle the adjudication for them, the judgement is deemed impartial. Of course, in conjunction with this right, Locke states that every child is born free, independent and pure, â€Å"a subject of no country or government† (Locke 118). However, in order to be respectful of other’s rights he must first attain majority and then make an informed decision as to which community he must partake in, for being part of one would mean his giving up of some natural rights in order to follow the customs of the community. Thus, before he attains that majority, the child is essentially without affiliation, under the care of his father, and rendered â€Å"stateless in the very state he was born† (Klausen 763). This gives rise to patriarchy which defines the child’s governing system resulting from tacit consent. Moreover, Locke suggests that tacit consent is binding on the individual as it forms part of his contract within the community he is born, but as the child grows up into majority, he is allowed to leave the p atriarchy to which he has adhered and choose a community to consensually give up his natural rights to. This effectively declares tacit consent as NOT binding. Moreover, Locke’s policy of independence and attainment of natural liberty is only possible if there is â€Å"

Unitarian Universalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Unitarian Universalism - Essay Example It then establishes the historical and philosophical connection between Buddhism and UU. Unitarian Universalism emerged primarily from Christian roots but has drawn extensively from other beliefs and faiths, a practice that has grown to include practically all religions throughout the years. The Unitarians formed in Britain in the 1500’s during the time of the Protestant Reformation, an era of religious enlightenment at least in the context of that period in history (Hamilton, 2005). The Unitarian philosophy introduced people to new ways of thinking including the concept that Jesus was only a man, not a god or the son of God. Instead they maintained, much the same as the Jewish viewpoint regarding Jesus, that he was an important prophet and teacher. Instead of blindly following the Christian or any other religious doctrine, according to the Unitarians, people should employ reasoning and reject superstition with regards to their personal spirituality. It is not only acceptable but preferable to question the authority of the church, its dogma and beliefs but their own beliefs as well. John Murray introduced Unitarianism to America in the early nineteenth century (Hamilton, 2005). His church’s membership consisted predominantly of middle and upper-class intellectuals. The Universalist religion was formed during the eighteenth century based on the belief that all people, not just Christians, receive salvation and emphasized the significance of being compassionate and helping others in need. As opposed to the Unitarian Church in the U.S., Universalism was a populist movement that drew its membership more from the middle and lower-classes. However, both groups were very much alike in that they had disassociated themselves with the traditional Christian doctrines which prescribed dogmatic trials of faith. In addition, â€Å"they emphasized individual freedom of personal belief, individual responsibility to synthesize

Importance Of E-learning For Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Importance Of E-learning For Education - Essay Example More specifically, I am going to focus on paragraph 2 and paragraph 3. In paragraph 2 of the outline, I briefly mentioned on the effect of the introduction of eLearning to teachers. According to a research conducted by Boston College in 2010, where they were evaluating the effect of eLearning on the teacher's mastery as well as their students, they found out that eLearning was important to the teachers since they were able to better master the content. However, due to continued use of eLearning, some were found to be highly dependent on it and did not deliver effectively. The students were also found to be able to get the proper mastery of the content taught since they could read the books, even from their phones as long as they could connect to the internet. (Laura, 20). Thus, from this information, it is very open that the use of learning does not have a negative effect on the teachers as it is usually asserted, on the contrary, it helps the teachers to effectively dispense their activities. I also focused on the regulation of learning activities by the governments in this paragraph. Basically, governments have the power to alter or influence the activities carried out in their jurisdictions. This being the case, the regulation of learning by governments in different countries is not a matter of much worry, assuming that the governments in question will act in good faith and in order to balance different activities for the good of its citizens. In paragraph three, I mentioned about the effects that the use of eLearning technologies has had on the publishing world. Though there are various thoughts and conviction, it is evident that the eLearning technology has had effects on the publishing industry. However, there is every reason to encourage the use of e-learning technology despite the danger it poses to the publishing market.

Describe Scene Essay Example for Free

Describe Scene Essay Cameran Highlands is accessible by road. Cameran Highlands is about a 3 hours drive either from KL or Penang Its strategic location makes it a favourite weekened escape for cityfolk/ city-dwellers from all over the coutry. It is a popular haunt for both local and foreign tourists to let their hair down. For those who are faint-heated the ride along the steep, narrow roads can be quite an unnerving experience as there are numerous hairpin bends along the route from Simpang Pulai. After about a three-hour ride in Dad’s Pajero, we finally reached Kampung Raja. We could feel the goose-pimples on our arms. We had to put on our jackets to keep ourselves warm. Standing about 1400 metres above sea level, this hill resort is certainly an ideal retreat for city dwellers like us who long to get away from scorching tropical heat. Besides, its high altitude together with its invigorating coolness will leave a person refreshed and is the ideal place for the rat-race and the hustle and bustle of city life. Read Also:Â  Descriptive Essay Rubric On our journey to Tanah Rata, we stopped at a scenic lake. Although the chilly weather and freezing water will make us to think twice about whether or not to don our swimming wear, we can enjoy the solitude of nature with only the swish swashing of the gurgling water to disturd us. Thus, in spite of the cold weather, my little sister, my brother and I could not resist the urge to jump into the water and splash around. Hardly a minute in the ice cold water and we were out again, teeth chattering. At Tanah rata, we checked into a motel. As soon as we had dumped our luggage in our rooms, we went out again. The street in which our motel was situated had a fine vista of a sprawling town against a backdrop of lush greenery. At that moment , We felt ravenously hungry, Hence, we settled for a sumptuous meal of nasi kandar. Undeniably, the number of eateries that have sprung up is indeed alarming. Satiated, we turned in for the night. We put on the appropriate gear and headed for Gunung Beremban for an hour of jungle-trekking. Hikers will certainly enjoy traversing the jungle paths, for they are well-maintained and easy to follow. If you find the jungle trails a little monotonous, the blossoms of brightly coloured wild flowers along the way will provide an interesting diversion. My mother, who is extremely afraid of heights, was soon down on all fours, not daring to look down and yelling at the top of her voice. It was such a rib-tickling sight. Our next destination was a tea plantation.

Impact of Financial Leverage on Firm Value

Impact of Financial Leverage on Firm Value Introduction If there is debt in a companys capital, such a company is termed leveraged or geared company. A gearing ratio demonstrates the relationship between fixed interest and equity capital in the finance of a business Measured: Fixed Interest Capital OR Fixed Interest Capital Capital Employed Equity The financial lever is a norm in measuring the scale of using debt in the firms capital structure. One of the most important issues in financial discussions is obtaining a blend of capital structure which has the most attractions for the investors. The structure of capital is a required link between debt and the equity that provides financial needs for preparing the companys properties. STATEMENT OF RESEARCH QUESTION There is a negative and significant correlation between financial leverage and firm. 1.There is a negative and significant correlation between financial leverage and earnings per share 2.There is a negative and significant correlation between financial leverage and price earnings ratio. 3.There is a negative and significant correlation between financial leverage and returns to equity. 4.There is a negative and significant correlation between financial leverage and operating profit. WHY INTERESTING The above research questions are interesting as they will address the following: Provide answer on the impact of gearing on the firms value; reconcile the argument as to whether financial leverage has relationship with earning per share; the level of correlation between financial leverage and price earnings ratio as well as operational profit. The questions will also seek to highlight the risks associated with leverage. Relation to previous research (Theoretical Framework) CAPITAL STRUCTURE THEORIES A companys capital structure shows all the sources of finance a company is utilizing to finance its operations. Capital structure refers to how a company finances its operations and it is usually made up of: Ordinary share capital Preference share capital Debt capital. There are two main theories about the effect of changes in gearing on the WACC and share value. There are: a.The traditional view b.The net operating income approach For which a behavioral justification was proposed by Franco Modigliani and Melton H. Miller (M M) in 1958 (Gitman, 2006). TRADITIONAL VIEW The traditional view states that debt capital is cheaper than equity and that such a company can increase its value by borrowing up to a reasonable limit (the optimal level of gearing). Return Kw Ke Kd P GEARING With the traditional theory, the following assumptions hold sway: Â   1.The cost of debt will remain constant until a significant point is reached when it would start to rise. 2.The WACC will fill immediately an external source of finance is introduced and will bring thereafter as the level of gearing increases. 3.The companys market value and the market value per share will be maximized where WACC is at the lowest point. M-MS SUPPORT OF THE OPERATING INCOME APPROACH The original normative theory of company valuation and capital structure was put forward in form of a behavioral justification of the Net Operating Income Approach by Franco Modigliani and Melton H. Miller (M-M) in 1958 (Gitman, 2006). To appreciate the propositions by M-M, it will be better to understand the M-M assumptions which are stated below. From these assumptions, M-M set out their three propositions. PROPOSITION I This states that a company cannot change the total value of its securities just by splitting its cash flow into different streams; the companys value is determined by its real assets, not by the securities it issues. Thus, capital structure is irrelevant if the companys investment decisions are taken as given. PROPOSITION II The expected rate of return on the equity of a geared company increases in proposition to the debt-equity ratio (debt/equity), expressed in market values; the rate of increase depends on the spread between the expected rate of return on a portfolio of all the companys securities, and the expected return on the debt. PROPOSITION III This provides a rule for optimal investment policy by the company: The cut off point for investment in the company will in all cases be the WACC and will be completely unaffected by the types of security used to finance the investment. Consequently, if the first two propositions hold, the cut-off rate used to evaluate investments will not be affected by the type of funding used to finance them, whatever may be the capital structure. The gain from using debt (at lower cost) is offset by the increased cost of equity (due to increased risk) and WACC therefore remains unchanged. Proposed methods STATEMENT OF METHOD Secondary data from financial database will be used. To determine the impact of leverage on the value of firm, a thorough study will be taken on each entity in the integrated chain. My choice of the above data collection method rested on their validity and research question. I also consider them to be less costly in relation to others. The study will try to integrate various academic literatures and examine the impact of financial leverage on the value of firms. Therefore, I shall obtain unbalanced panel comprising 25 companies listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange for the period ranging from 2001- 2010 with relevant information over the last years. These firms and their published accounts will be used to determine the variable that will be stated. CHOICE OF THEORY There are two basic theories about the impact of financial leverage on firms value; the traditional theory and the Modigliani Millers theory. I shall base my study on the theory which seem more realistic with empirical fact. CAPITAL STRUCTURE In the academic literature, there two possible indictors of capital structure, namely, debt-equity ratio, defined as total debt divided by book value of common equity, and a ratio of debt total assets. In this analysis, the ratio of debt to common equity will be used. This will be more useful to explain the choice of a capital structure as compared to the ratio of debt to total assets. This variable shall be denoted as CS in our analysis. DATA COLLECTION The collection tools for the research project includes: Financial times statistical data from Nigerian Stock Exchange, Augusto rating on debt Equity Companies, Financial Index Journal. Others tool include the companys annual reports and account, the internet, financial newspaper particularly, Thisday, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) journals, Financial Standard, Business Times and some other foreign journal consulted at various library. The testing technique to be employed is regression and correlation analysis with the chi-square X2 distribution, which allows comparisons of an actual observed distribution with a hypothesized or expected distribution. This method is often referred to as a goodness of fit test. SAMPLE FRAME The secondary data above will be used in addition to the financial statement and Accounts of selected companies: Nigerian Breweries Plc, Pharma Deko Plc and Evans Medicals Plc. The result of the investigation will be analyzed and tested. The firm size shall be determined by its log of sales as published in their financial statements. Firms turnover as a percentage of capital employed will be used in our model. It is often argued that performance is a function of firm size and if we are to make a regression model with performance as response variable, it is important to incorporate firm size in our model. Firm size may be positively or negatively related to leverage. Odeleye (2014) come forward with the idea that large firms may exercise economies of scale, have better knowledge of markets and can employ better management personnel. Firm size also measures a firms market power or level of concentration within the industry. Reflections Finance: The execution of this project required substantial financial outlay. The sourcing and gathering of data, paying working visit to firm, conducting enquiry to the operations of the company and packaging available information into coherent project, required funding. Time: It takes time to conduct inquiry, investigation as well as gather, compile analysis and interprets data and then organizes them into a research work. The researcher worked under severe constraints of time as there was a deadline for the submission of the project. Attitude of the Practitioner: Although some information was readily provided by staff of the organization, a few other relevant ones were considered as confidential and strenuous efforts had to be made to collect some of the information that were regarded as confidential. Altogether, the limitations were so severe as to vitiate the research outcome, more especially because the researcher managed to overcome the obstacle. Physically, only some selected leveraged companies in manufacturing activities as an option for growth enhancement of market are included to minimize the expenses. Another limitation is that not all leveraged companies turn out to be successful in relation to market values; this research does not cover those companies. I obtained all the necessary information I needed for empirical analysis considering the advanced nature of the financial reporting of the firms under review which confounds to international standard? The financial regulation in Nigeria might not be up to date with respect to submission of financial statement. The gathering of data from some of the companys department required some payment. This expenses which was budgeted for constituted a challenge, yet there was a possibility of missing some data which is not found on the financial statement of the companies. This study was carried out with a sample of firms listed on the Nigeria Stock Exchange. The first empirical obstacle will be the availability of data for a minimum of ten trading years for the firms under study. The financial regulations in Nigeria require firms to submit their audited financial statements as well as certain information regarding their firms value. However, the data submitted by firms are in hard copy format and they are thus stored at the companys department in paper format. Given that availability is limited to hard copies, I feel that I will need to bear into mind the time factor involved in the manual gathering of relevant data. Moreover, data regarding a single company might be in different volumes and this might involve delay out of proportion in this assignment. Timetable July 2015 Proposal Submission August 2015 Proposal Approval September/October 2015 Literature review November 2015 submission and amendment of chapter 1based on examiners approval/comment December 2015 submission and amendment of chapter 2 based on examiners approval/comment January 2016 submission and amendment of chapter 3 and 4 based on examiners approval/comment February 2016 submission and amendment of chapter 5 based on examiners approval/comment March 2016 Proof reading, final editing, printing/binding and project submission References Akinsulire, O. (2002), Financial Management 2002. COEMOL Nig. Ltd Gitman, L. (2006). Leverage and Capital Structure (4TH Ed). Boston: Pearson Anderson Wiley. Odeleye, A. (2014) Corporate Financing and Efficiency of Indigenous Energy Firms in Nigeria: A literature Review. International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy. 4(1).

Relationships: Now and Then :: Marriage Puritans Essays

Relationships: Now and Then Do we still live in the seventeenth century? It’s very interesting to look back at the differences and similarities in men’s and women’s relationships since then. My husband, Sean, and I were brought up very differently; he was only raised by his mother who provided everything for him food, shelter, and love whereas I had the more traditional family in being raised by both parents. My father was the provider, a construction worker who worked long hours five to six days a week, and my mother, a homemaker, tended the home doing the cooking, cleaning, and also caring for us children. Now that I’m older and have my own husband and children, I find myself using the traditional traits that I’ve seen and learned from my parents. Tending to my husband’s and children’s every need not only seems to be a normal feeling, but it’s a natural instinct for me. According to Edward S. Morgan in The Puritan Family: Religion and Domesti c Relations in Seventeenth-Century New England, â€Å"In each relationship God had ordained that one party be superior, the other inferior†¦.Wives were instructed that woman was made ultimately for God but immediately for man†¦.† In living in the twenty first century, relationships seem to be better now than they were in the seventeenth century. Men and women today are marrying for love and happiness, and also building their lives together as a team whereas the Puritans married because it was a law of God where the husband was in charge of his wife and being happy didn’t exist. Marriage in seventeenth century New England meant that duties were forced upon both husband and wife. It was the husband’s duty to support his wife and family, and the wife’s duty to care for her husband and tend to his home. Morgan states, â€Å"When [a woman] became wife, she gave up everything to her husband and devoted herself exclusively to managing his household.†¦ her duty was to ‘keep at home, educating her children, keeping and improving what is got by the industry of the man.’† Personally, I couldn’t see myself passing anything to my husband and after we got married I didn’t. While the little I did own continues to be mine, whatever we own now became ours whereas being a Puritan wife meant owning nothing and being owned.

From Oppressed Slaves to Champion Soldiers :: American America History

From Oppressed Slaves to Champion Soldiers This is just a small example of the doubt and hatred that was bestowed on the African American soldiers. However, during the war, they proved themselves to be brave and courageous men on and off the battlefield on many occasions. Despite deep prejudices and harsh criticisms from the white society, these men were true champions of patriotism. The cause of the Civil War was tension between the North and the South. The sectional division between the areas began in colonial times, largely resulting from geographical differences. The South was ideal for growing tobacco due to the warm climate and the fertile soil. Plantations brought in black slaves from Africa to provide most of the labor required for growing the crop. In time, other plantation crops such as cotton, sugar cane, indigo, and sugar beets were to thrive in the South. "By the onset of the Civil War, 2.4 million slaves were engaged in cotton production" (Long 16). A rural way of life that supported an agrian economy based on s lave labor was quickly established in the South. The North, however, was a cooler, rockier climate that would not support the development of plantations. As a result, the North's economy came to depend more on trade and industry than on agriculture. This economy supported the growth of cities, although many lived in rural areas during the colonial period. The sectional division between North and South had widened enormously by the mid - 1800's. The United States had expanded all the way to the Pacific Ocean and was rapidly becoming a major industrial and commercial nation. However, industry and commerce were centered in the North. The Northerners welcomed modernization and the constant changes it brought to their way of life. Their ideals included hard work, education, economic independence, and the belief that the community had the right and responsibility to decide whether an action was moral or immoral. While Northerners looked forward to a different and better future, Southerner s held the present and past dear. They enjoyed a prosperous agricultural economy based on slave labor and wished to keep their old way of life. By the 1800's, northerners viewed slavery as wrong and began a movement to end it. Even though an antislavery minority existed in the South, most Southerners found slavery to be highly profitable and in time came to consider it a positive good. From Oppressed Slaves to Champion Soldiers :: American America History From Oppressed Slaves to Champion Soldiers This is just a small example of the doubt and hatred that was bestowed on the African American soldiers. However, during the war, they proved themselves to be brave and courageous men on and off the battlefield on many occasions. Despite deep prejudices and harsh criticisms from the white society, these men were true champions of patriotism. The cause of the Civil War was tension between the North and the South. The sectional division between the areas began in colonial times, largely resulting from geographical differences. The South was ideal for growing tobacco due to the warm climate and the fertile soil. Plantations brought in black slaves from Africa to provide most of the labor required for growing the crop. In time, other plantation crops such as cotton, sugar cane, indigo, and sugar beets were to thrive in the South. "By the onset of the Civil War, 2.4 million slaves were engaged in cotton production" (Long 16). A rural way of life that supported an agrian economy based on s lave labor was quickly established in the South. The North, however, was a cooler, rockier climate that would not support the development of plantations. As a result, the North's economy came to depend more on trade and industry than on agriculture. This economy supported the growth of cities, although many lived in rural areas during the colonial period. The sectional division between North and South had widened enormously by the mid - 1800's. The United States had expanded all the way to the Pacific Ocean and was rapidly becoming a major industrial and commercial nation. However, industry and commerce were centered in the North. The Northerners welcomed modernization and the constant changes it brought to their way of life. Their ideals included hard work, education, economic independence, and the belief that the community had the right and responsibility to decide whether an action was moral or immoral. While Northerners looked forward to a different and better future, Southerner s held the present and past dear. They enjoyed a prosperous agricultural economy based on slave labor and wished to keep their old way of life. By the 1800's, northerners viewed slavery as wrong and began a movement to end it. Even though an antislavery minority existed in the South, most Southerners found slavery to be highly profitable and in time came to consider it a positive good.

Essay on Euthanasia and Doctor-Assisted Suicide -- Euthanasia Physicia

Understanding Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide    This paper will address some of the more popular points of interest involved with the euthanasia-assisted suicide discussion. There are less than a dozen questions which would come to mind in the case of the average individual who has a mild interest in this debate, and the following essay presents information which would satisfy that individual's curiosity on these points of common interest.    Euthanasia and assisted suicide are legal in the state of Oregon and in the country of the Netherlands; these are the only two jurisdictions in the world where laws specifically permit euthanasia or assisted suicide. Oregon permits assisted suicide.(Oregon) The Netherlands permits both euthanasia and assisted suicide.(Review) In 1995 Australia's Northern Territory approved a euthanasia bill.(Rights) It went into effect in 1996 but was overturned by the Australian Parliament in 1997. Also, in 1997, Colombia's Supreme Court ruled that penalties for mercy killing should be removed.(Republic) However the ruling does not go into effect until guidelines, still to be drafted, are approved by the Colombian Congress.    The difference between euthanasia and assisted suicide is seen this way: One way to distinguish them is to look at the last act - the act without which death would not occur. Using this distinction, if a third party performs the last act that intentionally causes a patient's death, euthanasia has occurred. For example, giving a patient a lethal injection or putting a plastic bag over her head to suffocate her would be considered euthanasia. On the other hand, if the person who dies performs the last act, assisted suicide has taken place. Thus it would be assisted suicid... ...1 Medscape. Available at http://www.medscape.com/Medscape/psychiatry/clinicalMgmt/CM.v03/pnt-CM.v03.html, citing Jamison K.R., Night Falls Fast, New York, NY: Alfred Knopf; 1999. Accessed 3/19/01. Oregon's "Death with Dignity Act" (ORS 127.800-897) passed in November 1994 and went into effect in 1997. Republic of Colombia Constitutional Court, Sentence # c-239/97, Ref. Expedient # D-1490, May 20, 1997. "Review of cases of termination of life on request and assistance with suicide" was approved in April 2001. "Rights of the Terminally Ill Act," Northern Territory of Australia (1996). Wanzer,Sidney H. M.D. et al., "The Physician's Responsibility toward Hopelessly Ill Patients: A Second Look," 320 The New England Journal of Medicine (March 30, 1989), p. 848. Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language, Second edition (1976).

Literature in contemporary societies Essay

The art of literature in contemporary societies has always led to more critical discussions between man and himself and between man and his neighbor. Literature pushes us to rethink our stance on normal societal norms and beliefs. Sula is such a work of art. It is the based on two women living at the †Bottom† in Ohio, a predominantly black community. Helen Wright is a socially conscious and quite a conservative woman. She has one daughter; Nel. Hannah Peace a beautiful flamboyant and a woman with many men at the Bottom is the mother of Sula. Sula is raised with Eva Peace, her grandmother who does not stifle her granddaughter’s freedom unlike Nel who comes from a restrictive household. Nel and Sula develop quite an inseparable and good friendship, a friendship that does not settle well with Helen who possesses grave misgivings due to the reputation of Sula’s mother however she does not object openly after her realization that Sula is a very polite house guest. After High School these two great friends diverge ways for 10 years. Sula goes to college where she experiences a new wave of sexual promiscuity much like her mother. Nel On the other hand is married by a Bottoms resident, Jude Green. Their separation last for period of three years before Sula comes back from the college and their relationship resumes without any hindrance. However, this relationship is cut short when Nel learns of the relationship between Sula and Jude. This affair ends both the relationship between Jude and Nel as well as that of Nel as Sula who leaves the bottom for three years. Nel is forced to raise her two children alone and she doesn’t communicate with Sula for the three years that she goes away. Their next meeting occurs when Sula is terribly sick and almost dying. Their last conversation before Sula dies constitutes the literary wealth of this masterpiece; it is the discussion between good and bad. She dies and is buried at the Bottom cemetery. Thereafter, Nel visits Eva Peace who is quite old and is kept in a nursing home where she tries to retell the moments she had together before Sula died. While walking home she begins to feel the loss of the relationship with the death of Sula, her single and true friend. Her judgment of Sula as bad begins to haunt her as she recalls an incident that happened when they were friends; the Chicken Little incident. Chicken little was a young boy who also lived at the Bottom. When playing on a tree, Sula lost grip and the child plunged in the river and drowned. They kept this secret for the whole of their lives. These are the memories that unsettled Nel emotionally, she begins to challenge the concepts of good and bad and the choices and sacrifices people make in life. Later on, she kills her drug addict sun as she struggles to raise his family single handedly. Sadly, we see her sitting and crying over Sula’s grave at then cemetery as the story comes to an end. The story questions the decisions that people make in life; the calls for a rethinking of common societal problems. Critics mention the humor in the novel. For example the place called bottom is actually at the mountain top. The creation of binary oppositions in the novel not only makes it too interesting and informative but also lets the reader glance at the depth of common conventions in the community and the effect these societal conventions have on the lives of children who are supposed to be brought up in a comparatively free world where people are supposed to make free will. Satire as a theme is also developed in the story and it fuse well with the binary notion. The complexity of characters in the story conveys an account of human flaws in decision making and in the way we relate to other people in the community. While parents do everything in their power to ensure that their children justifiably lead a good life, little is done in ensuring that the children also get freedom. This makes the children not to acquire their own experiences in life but only proceed to copy the characters of their parents and grandparents. The fact that Sula turned out to be an exact replica of her mother and grandmother is an attestation to this fact. The book is feminine masterpiece and there is also an element of female chauvinism. This can be justified by the fact that all the major characters in the book are women and their actions are affected by men in a very little sense. Jude, Chicken Little and Nel’s son who became a drug addict after leaving the army are all victims of the women’s stereotyped dispositions. Shadrack being physically and emotionally scarred fro the experience of war is disowned and almost excommunicated by the community without the community fully understanding the reasons behind his behavior. Let us now give a critical analysis of Sula, the main character. Sula is the major influence on his friend Nel. Sula has been influenced by her mother leading to the passage of what can be argued to be a bad character trait through generations. Eva is a strong woman. She has endured loneliness, abject poverty but she is proud and unrelenting. Sula is quite an extraordinary woman, she is energetic but she has no suitable outlet to release her energies. This makes her potentially dangerous in that that she has no knowledge of wrongdoing. She does not understand that she sins when she sleeps with men and carelessly tosses them aside. Her sin is unintentional. The community, however do not understand the context of her upbringing or they simply do not care. They despise her but tolerate her. One very interesting aspect is that Sula is quite independent in her isolation, she does what she pleases and she simply does not care what everybody else does. She lives her the way it pleases her effectively earning her isolation from the community. After her death the rules shift suddenly, there is a renewed sense of acceptance, of defining right and wrong, good and bad. It is important to try and delve into the reasons why Nel and Sula united even after Sula betrayed their friendship by having an affair with Nel’s husband, Jude. Nel realizes that Sula was neither good nor evil; she was just indifferent to everything and everybody. Wives had to put extra effect in making sure that their husbands do not fall into bed with Sula, children were treated better so that they don’t grow into adults who are indifferent and uncaring like Sula. This is good fortune to the bottom community because they were held together in the rethinking process. Remember the National Suicide day? After Sula’s death the community did not have any productive outlet to channel their energies, they could not just sit and talk and so they become enraged and tear up the tunnel the result of unfocused energy. This eventual realization went a long way in ensuring that the residents of Bottom engaged in productive work for their survival. If Sula would have directed her energy to something else, maybe something a little more worthwhile would have resulted. Racial prejudice is highlighted when Jude is denied a chance to engage in the building of anew bridge, because of the color of his skin; he is denied the opportunity even though he is willing to do something productive. He stands in line for six days while the white boys get an opportunity to build the new River Road, his job at the hotel is demeaning and an insult to his masculinity. The scarcity of job opportunities remains to be the why Eva and Hannah had very little chance of gainful employment. They had to contend with the injustices being meted out on them because they were females and most importantly black. To escape the pangs of hunger in the winter, they have to prepare canned food in the summer. The life of Sula Peace, her childhood and her death in 1941is surrounded by the inability of the environment to shape her into a ‘good’ woman The black community residing in Medallion; â€Å"the bottom† is judgmental but not in any way assisting to solve the crisis within itself. Sula’s life story shows us how the community and family can shape somebody’s identity. She not only displays how children are nurtured but also her later relationship with the same community who natured her. She is a strong independent character but the community does not see her positive potentiality. To go against these societal norms she is not married and she sleeps around. The Peace family has been frowned upon by the Bottom community. This could have elicited an element of antagonism from Sula because she does not follow accepted societal conventions but in this case she is the protagonist and not the community. The novel poses her as the central character and the community constitutes only bits and pieces that seem to knit her life together in a predetermined fashion from the time of her birth to death. If change is to take place the community remains the playing field and Sula undoubtedly remains one of the players in the field. Whether she deserved to be rewarded for fearlessly instigating the rethinking process is not a matter of discussion as it is evident that her one and truly friend had in her own way knowingly or unknowingly lent credit to her stance in life by crying over her grave at the cemetery after realizing what Sula stood for. The character Sula is structure less, that any character interaction with her only invokes an element of structurelessness. This is because philosophically her evil is not her own but a reflection of what had been unknowingly imparted in her. Fortunately, her story is one where what is regarded as evil triggered change in the society. In analyzing one of the important masterpieces in the history of black American writing it is prudent to expunge on the growth of protagonism and non conformism in the society. The society’s vilification of the ‘heroine’ Sula who does not fit into the society’s conformation of a heroine is a classic example of the inability of a people to look within themselves and try to solve the problems within its own structures. Works Cited Daniel Dawkins: A Character Analysis of Sula; Considering Morrison’s Main Character as the Protagonist. 2008 Black Community Racism Racist Essays. Solomon O. Iyasere and Marla W. Iyasere. Understanding Tony Morrison’s Beloved and Sula: Selected Essays and Criticisms of the works of Nobel prize winning author. 2000

Learning From Failure: Biosphere Ii Essay

Biosphere II was a project done in Arizona received recognition on 26th September 1991. Eight people; four men and four women were used in the experiment. Biosphere 2 was an air tight structure with its base made of steel pan and surrounded by an above ground structure that was made of glass and steel. Inside the biosphere was all that could be found in the real world. There was a desert, a marsh, a rain forest, a savannah, an agricultural land, an ocean and human Habitat. This was in an effort of creating something close to the earth’s ecosystem. These people were to live on air, water and food produced by plants (Allen & Blake, 2007). The goals of the experiment were to determine the possibility of building an artificial biosphere and the potential of such biosphere surviving. Also incase the biosphere didn’t thrive then the causes would have been established. However, Biosphere II proved to be a great failure which had consumed a lot of resources in its establishment. Trouble started soon as the crew got into biosphere II. First, they experienced a shortage in oxygen supply hindering them from functioning well. The oxygen decreased to low levels such that more of it had to be injected into the system. When the crew were forced to pump in more oxygen into the system in order to sustain them, this indicated that biosphere II was not self reliant. At first they did not figure out what the problem was but they later discovered that was caused by carbon dioxide which had accumulated in the system. The carbon dioxide accumulated at a very high rate especially in the savanna and rain forest regions. This was associated with the presence of high organic matter which the microbes metabolized and in the process consumed a lot of oxygen resulting to high levels of carbon dioxide. It was also expected that the trees would play a very crucial role in regulating amount of carbon dioxide in the air and would have been able to supply the crew with sufficient oxygen through the process of photosynthesis. However, the plants did not seem to accomplish this role instead the level of oxygen kept on decreasing while carbon dioxide kept on increasing a phenomenon that was later discovered to have been caused by concrete that was used to build the biosphere II. Instead of carbon dioxide being used up by plants it reacted with calcium hydroxide a major component of concrete which resulted to formation of water and calcium carbonate. This was confirmed by the scientists after testing the walls and realizing that the inner surface of the walls had calcium carbonate levels which were ten times the level of the outer walls (Alling, Nelson &Silverstone, 1993). While making their selection, the scientists had chosen different species of animals, insects and plants that they thought would survive best in the biosphere II. However, by the end of the project only a few species had managed to survive. The rate of extinction was higher than predicted and most insect species got extinct which had a negative impact on the plants since they were no longer pollinated and thus were unable to propagate themselves. Statistics show that of the 25 species of small vertebrates present in Biosphere II only 6 survived by the end of the mission. However some species were favored by the environment in biosphere II. While others got extinct; ants, cockroaches and katydids flourished together with some plant species such as the morning glory. The morning glory grew vigorously that it almost choked the other plants. The crew had no alternative but invested most of their time working to get food. They experienced a shortage in food supply and faced hunger most of the time. Before the two year period ended the crew had grown 85 percent of the food they consumed and got the remaining15 percent food from their emergency supplies. Since they relied on sunlight which came through the glass to grow food, the winters of 1991 and 1992 affected the amount of food they could grow (Marino, Odum &Thomas, 1999). This proved that the project was incapable of sustaining an ecosystem that was balanced. They also faced various challenges some of which included shortage in clean water. This was as a result of pollution experienced in the water system. Many nutrients accumulated in the water systems therefore polluting it. They had to clean their water using algae mats. Other atmospheric imbalances followed suit where by levels of dinitrogen oxide in the air increased in an alarming rate such that the crew risked brain damage because vitamin B12was synthesized at an extremely slow rate (Allen & Blake, 2007). The experiments shortcomings were also seen when the crew quarreled. The members were supposed to work together as a group in order to bring out the best results but this never happened. Instead they split into groups comprising four members each and got to the point of not talking to each other except when it was necessary to run the biosphere. The lessons that can be learnt from this failed experiment come from the mistakes committed by the scientists. First we learn the importance of taking time to plan whatever we intend to do. Before attempting any thing one should take all measures required for proper functioning of the project. Also another critical factor to consider is the reliability of the materials and equipment to be used in the project (Alling, Nelson &Silverstone, 1993). If proper materials had been used in construction of the biosphere II then the problem of insufficient oxygen could not have occurred. The importance of using qualified personnel also arises. They used an architect who was incompetent this resulted to designing biosphere II with many faults. However what can be learnt from this experiment in general is the importance of relating well with each other. For any thing to succeed then there should be cooperation among people concerned this translates to excellent working conditions which leads to better outcome. References Allen J. & Blake A. (2007) Biosphere 2: the human experiment . New York: Viking publishers. Alling A. , Nelson M. & Silverstone S. (1993) Life under Glass: The Inside Story of Biosphere 2. Oracle: Biosphere Press. Marino B. D. , Odum H. & Thomas M. (1999) Biosphere 2: Research Past and Present Amsterdam: Elsevier publishers.

Healthy fear Essay

Fear is a feeling; it is a reaction to something we are frightened of, a natural instinct when faced with something we feel may endanger us. However, fear can be healthy and/or unhealthy; for instance, being afraid of spiders is slightly unhealthy as they can not actually do any harm but if a person is afraid of developing cancer and as a result of this they stop smoking, this is a healthy fear. In biological terms, when any fear is experienced, certain areas of the brain such as the amygdala and the hypothalamus are activated which control the initial, physical response to fear. Chemicals such as adrenaline and the stress hormone cortisol are then released into the blood stream causing certain physical reactions such as; a rapid heart rate, increased blood pressure, tightening of muscles, sharpened or redirected senses, dilation of the pupils (to let in more light) and/or increased sweating. (Native Remedies) Having a phobia is a fear of something. Whatever this phobia may be, it creates a feeling of fear and causes irrational and sometimes inexplainable behavior. Being afraid of confined spaces can cause some people to avoid travelling in elevators at all costs, others who are are fearful of flying may never travel abroad. There are fears in everyone, a fear of growing old or a fear of dying is possibly an unhealthy fear as ageing and death comes to us all. Fear can present itself when feeling nervous about something, perhaps before an important occasion or a speech in front of people; there may be a fear of forgetting what to say or a fear of embarrassing oneself. Apprehension is fear and sometimes an apprehensive manner is due to the unknown, expecting something bad will happen creates a sense of apprehension. Anxiety is also fear, having experienced something that created dissatisfaction or dislike, there can be a fear in this feeling recurring, therefore an anxious fear is felt. In some people anxiety can control their lives and medication is necessary, normal worries and healthy fear are less likely to make you feel this way. Fear in children is slightly different to fear in adults. As they are unable to rationalize and compare their fears to anything other than the way they feel, a child feels an actual threat by what they are in fear of, sometimes this can cause inconsolable behavior, only rationalized when they are able to understand they are not in any real danger. Fear can be controlled by the mind. It is the brain that gives the message of something to be afraid of; if that fear is an irrational fear (spiders), then it is possible to overcome this fear by thinking logically. Unless you are faced with a wild tarantula, the tiny spider can do no harm. By telling yourself that the spider is more fearful of humans may put your fear in its place. Fear is completely normal and is a useful tool when recognizing and distinguishing danger; how we respond is according to our fear.

Basic Teleological Assumptions of Classical Design Theory Essay

The Old School of Intelligence Design presupposes the existence of an intellectual being behind the creation of the universe. Through inference, it often acts as a proof in support of a theistic God. The Design theory is usually supported on two major points – the complexity of the universe and the teleological nature of all natural organisms that constitute the universe. Traditionally, the old design theory resorts to an analogy of the machine, which is complex with an absolutely immaculate correspondence between the parts and the whole and has a ‘purpose’ or ‘telos’, thus teleological. Using Paley’s now legendary example of a mechanical watch that begins its ‘Natural Theology’, one can say that a watch in good condition comprises a number of devices that are intricately connected to each other in such a way, that if one part moves, it in turn set the other parts into movement, thus making the clock work. The watch is thus a ‘complex’ machine. At a second or higher level, there is a ‘purpose’ behind this entire operation, i. e. the ‘purpose’ of the watch – to tell what time of the day it is to its user. Thus, all parts contribute to the whole leading to a well defined ‘purpose’, thereby making the device ‘teleological’. Paley’s inference, which he extends to include all kinds of being and is developed into the central argument of the Old Design theory, is that ‘there must have existed, at some time, and at some place or other, an artificer or artificers who formed it for the purpose which we find it actually to answer; who comprehended its construction, and designed its use’. (Paley) Old Design theory, following Paley’s formulation, goes on to extend the analogy to include all natural beings to argue that the universe, being so well organized and infinitely more complex, thus presupposes the existence of a much higher intelligence, or a being with a much higher intelligence, who must have created this teleological universe. The general logic that establishes the thesis is: 1. Machines are produced by intelligent design 2. The universe resembles a machine Therefore, 1. Probably the universe was produced by intelligent design. (Rowe, p. 59) As a proof of this line of logical conclusion, we can look at anything of the natural world around us, both animate and inanimate, although the animate makes us understand the logic better. A tree, for example, is sustained by the nourishment that is produced by the leaf. The leaf works like a machine, with its every constituent carefully designed, arranged and contrived in such a manner so as to serve its exact purpose – carrying out photosynthesis and providing the tree, of which it is a part, with the necessary succor. It is thus a teleological unit within a bigger ‘machine’ – the tree. The tree, in its part, has all its constituent parts built and organized in such a way so as to make it serve its purpose – to exist and reproduce by creating more of its like. In order to understand this analogy, we can derive on the example of a car. A car, in itself, is a teleological unit serving the purpose of commuting people from one place to another. However, it is a combination of many smaller teleological units – the carburetor, for example, with parts to suit its express purpose – of providing the necessary combustion for the car to move. (Rowe, p. 57) Thus, a purposeful machine can be a combination of many constituent purposeful machines, which add up to carrying out the purpose of the whole. Any part of the human anatomy (like Paley’s example of the eye), and its relation to the human body in general can be counted as an example of teleological design in the natural world. Furthermore, Sartre’s existentialism can be taken as a normative school of thought elaborating on teleological renditions. As an existentialist belonging to atheistic principles, Sartre viewed subjectivity as the underlying source of inspiration behind creation. In other words, it is only the subjective understanding of things that he thought to be the fundamental purpose of beginning. The example of a paper-cutter can be aptly suited here to the context of explicating Sartre’s philosophical doctrine. The postulate that Existence precedes essence, as he came upon, can be justified by reasoning with the purpose behind the making of a paper-cutter. As is obvious, there are two sides to it. Firstly, the person who makes a paper-cutter knows what he is doing and what a paper-cutter is. So it directly involves the utility of a thing being made or created. Secondly, the process of making is also known to the maker. Hence, a logical inference can be drawn from these two interconnected preconditions that help assigning a teleological meaning to the whole. Needless to mention, it is unlikely that the person making the paper-cutter should be ignorant of its end-use (Sartre, p. 2) Arguments Old and New Till the end of the nineteenth century, the Design Theory, with certain qualifications, was thought to be adequate as an explanation behind creation and its unsurpassed complexity, through the presence of a super-intelligent being. However, right from the beginning of its existence and even before, serious questions and fallacies have been raised in the logical reasoning that draw correspondence between the mechanical and the natural world, leading to Intelligent Design theory. These criticisms are in fact older than even when the Old design was laid down as a philosophical foundation. Hume was one of the earliest critics, and Darwinism was one of the last and most potent criticisms of intelligent design – almost forcing the point of view to refashion and re-present itself into the New Design theory. The foremost accusation against the Design theory is that it is ultimately an analogy. Although Rowe proves in his article that analogy is necessary to reach the truth, yet he proves the significance of analogy only through another analogy, and thus laying the base of his logical inference weak. However, even if we take, for the sake of argument, Rowe’s formulation to be true and believe in analogy to be a way to reach the truth, there can be serious complaints raised against the way the analogy works itself out. One of the first problems to be thrown up by the machine analogy is that the creator of the watch is himself created by something external to his own self, and therefore the creator, an intelligent agency capable of action, needs to be created. Design theory often quite consciously avoids delving into the nature of the creator, just as it does about the ‘purpose’ behind the universal design. ‘Does intelligent-design theory provide explanatory power? ’ asks Young and Edis, ‘If so, it must provide information about the details of the design and, to this end, about the nature of the designer. ID theory, however, deliberately avoids the answers to this question’. (Young and Edis, p. 193) Even if we take into account the theological connotations of the theory that establishes the creator as a self-created, self-creating being, there are other problems that are foregrounded by Rowe. First, does a universe comprising teleological components itself become teleological? To prove that all natural objects that comprise the universe have a ‘purpose’ does not necessarily prove that the universe itself has a ‘purpose’. All that remains is transference that if the constituent objects have a purpose, then the world itself must have a ‘purpose’ where being constructed by a being that transcends ordinary intelligence, it is impossible to grasp that overarching ‘purpose’ behind creation. Such an argument runs into a danger of fallacy, because if ‘Design Theory’ is propounded to prove the presence of a God (or an intelligent being) behind creation, then we cannot take the presence of the being as a presumption. In that case we take to be proven what we are out to prove. Secondly, we can take into account Hume’s classical criticism of the Old Design theory, which says that it is presumptuous to take the teleology and the machine-like orderliness as the very pattern of the whole universe. Here we run into the danger of taking our argumentative basis as only that small section of the universe that is apparent to our sensory perception as the general model of the universe itself, something that we would never know. There may be, and probably are, other parts of the universe located outside the ken of our knowledge where chaos reigns. The greatest criticism of the Old Design theory comes in the form of Darwinian Theory of ‘Natural Selection’. Darwin started off as a believer in Paley’s theological model of Design theory, but as a result of his experience, defected and put forward his own theory of ‘Natural Selection’. It states that in order to be machine-like in teleology and perfect in construct, nature does not necessarily need a divine and intellectual being. Nature works in spite of such a presence or an absence in order to make its organisms best suited to the environment, whereby only the organisms that manage to suit themselves to the changing environment exist while the other perish. The survivors manage to make anatomical adjustments to survive in the environment, thus combining the part to the whole and carry on the acts of existence and procreation. Darwin’s locating the question of Intelligent Design within the question of the implicit ‘anthropomorphism’ of classical ID, is obvious when he talks about ‘Man’ and ‘Nature’ and their roles as agencies of creation: â€Å"As man can produce and certainly has produced a great result by his methodical and unconscious means of selection what may not Nature effect? Man can act only on external and visible character: Nature cares nothing for appearances, except in so far as they may be useful to any being. She can act on every internal organ, on every shade of constitutional difference, on the whole machinery of life†. (Darwin, p. 53) Till the beginning of the twentieth century, the Darwinian theory of Natural Selection reigned supreme in the field of scientific enquiry, while Design theory was more or less relegated to the recesses of religious and spiritual thought. However, the beginning of the twentieth century saw a resurgence of the Design theory, as Darwinian Evolution was made subject to questions and doubts. One of the most common attacks on Darwinism from the proponents of ID theorists has been from the lines of what is known as the mousetrap theory. The mousetrap is one of the most common and yet one of the most complex devices of our everyday life. However, if any of its component parts: the spring, the hammer or the platform is missing, it would fail to achieve its ‘purpose’, its ‘telos’: that is catching mice. Similarly, the immense complexity of even the most basic molecular organisms is so self sufficient and so ‘teleological’ that it cannot be explained by the theory of natural selection, since they do not appear as the result of any earlier form adapting to suit to the changing environment. It appears created out of an intelligent design. Michael J. Behe criticizes Darwin from precisely this position. New Design Theory: In Search for a Philosophic Co-existence However, Behe’s criticism that Darwinism does not account for the immense complexity of molecular organisms is not the same thing as to say that there is a supremely intelligent, benevolent and perfect being who has designed the universe. In fact, Natural selection can be made to account for the immense complexity of even molecular organisms. Neither does Dempski, who otherwise supports the ID theory, speak about the real nature of the intelligent being in question. Under such a situation where nothing could be proven conclusively, the design theory re-formulated itself in what is now known as the New Design Theory. One of the most significant positions of modern proponents of the intelligent design theorists is to dissociate and distance themselves from the earlier theological imports of the argument. As Manson states ‘the fact that modern ID theory is a minimalist argument for design itself, not an argument for the existence of God, relives it of much of the baggage that weighed down Paley’s argument’. (Manson, p. 277) Thus, much in response to earlier loopholes of ID arguments, a section of modern theorists is looking for a co-existence of Darwinism and ID, stating that they are not necessarily exclusive. The big-bang theory of creation is used very commonly as a point of departure. It states that the conditions conducive to life and existence required too many factors to act in too perfect a combination, and hence they do not look like an accident. Therefore, the presence of an intelligent being is needed in order to present the conditions from where nature could take its own course and get on with its act of existence and procreation. The presence of an intelligent being, whether in the form of a single theistic God or otherwise, is thus established, albeit through a new formulation. Religion, Meaninglessness and the Old Design Theory Questions of decaying morality and faith often encroach upon the spheres of religion. A man’s existence can grossly be measured on two parameters: his belief in the system of religion and other ethical means; and his actual loyalty to what he believes. If a man, out of compulsion or faith, remains loyal to what he regards as the most singular religious creed, he ought to have some degree of propensity to it. So he can be adjudged credible enough to be an individual who does not sway from his internal notions. But in reality, things turn out to be markedly different from the nature of our interaction with the world. Even the sternest believers are compelled to choose a life that hardly conforms to what he believes in and of itself about religion. Religion acts almost as an external element which is unplugged from the course of life and does not have anything to do with controlling man’s destiny (Tolstoy, p. 2). In relation to the Old Design Theory, it can be stated that God’s presence is rather nonessential with regards to the actual ordeal man has to live through in this life. As Rachels (293) argues, the ancient myth of Sisyphus is correspondent to conveying the ultimate meaninglessness of life. Contrary to the seep-seated Christian faiths of Tolstoy, this philosophy is more akin to Sartre’s doctrine of atheistic and nihilistic existence. Even if we go by the conjecture that there is in fact a supremely intelligent being at the heart of every phenomenon in the universe, the scope of redemption in mortal life is nearly impossible and therefore, the influence of a single entity, however powerful it is, is negated. References Manson, Neil A. (2003). God and Design. New York: Routledge. Young M. , and Edis, T. (2006). Why Intelligent Design Fails: A Scientific Critique of the New Creationism. Piscataway: Rutgers University Press. Paley W. (1837). Natural theology: or Evidences of the existence and attributes of the Deity†¦ With additions & notes. London: W. & R. Chambers. Darwin, C. (2007). On the Origin of Species: By Means of Natural Selection Or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life. New York: Cosimo, Inc. Rowe. The Design Argument: Old and New. Sartre, Jean-Paul. Existentialism Is a Humanism. Tolstoy, Leo N. A Confession. Grand Rapids: Christian Classics Ethereal Library. Rachels, J. (2005). The Truth About the World: Basic Readings in Philosophy.