Monday, September 30, 2019

Useful Phrases for Structured Structured Monologue

Useful Phrases for Structured Structured Monologue M. Platonova â€Å"Materials for the Speaking Part of the Centralised Exam† Structuring When delivering a structured monologue, one of the ways to begin your presentation is to outline its structure, using one of the following phrases: I’ve divided my presentation/speech into three (main) parts. In my presentation/speech I’ll focus on three major issues. M. Platonova â€Å"Materials for the Speaking Part of the Centralised Exam† Effective Openings In order to grab the attention of the audience you may employ one of the following devices: Rhetorical questions;Interesting facts; Stories and scenarios; Problems to think about; Quotations. M. Platonova â€Å"Materials for the Speaking Part of the Centralised Exam† Rhetorical questions Is market research important for product development? Do we really need time management seminars? Interesting facts According to an article I read recently, †¦ Did yo u know that †¦ ? I’d like to share an amazing fact / figure with you. M. Platonova â€Å"Materials for the Speaking Part of the Centralised Exam† Stories and Scenarios Let me tell you what happened to me †¦ Suppose †¦ Imagine †¦ Problem Problem to think aboutSuppose you wanted to †¦ . How would you go about it? Imagine you had to †¦ . What would be your first step? M. Platonova â€Å"Materials for the Speaking Part of the Centralised Exam† Quoting a well-known person As †¦ once said, †¦ To quote a well-known writer, †¦ To To put it in the words of †¦ M. Platonova â€Å"Materials for the Speaking Part of the Centralised Exam† Introducing a Point When delivering the presentation on the particular subject it is relevant to introduce the key points. You may use one of the following phrases: First First of all I'd like to point out †¦ The main problem is †¦ The question of †¦Speaking of †¦ M . Platonova â€Å"Materials for the Speaking Part of the Centralised Exam† Enumeration of points If you are asked to provide several reasons, factors or arguments in a row, you have to organize them in the logical way. In order to structure your answer properly enumerate the main points using one of the suggested phrases: first first of all, I’d like to say †¦ in addition to that †¦ moreover, †¦ furthermore, †¦ another example of this is †¦ first, second, third †¦ Finally, †¦ M. Platonova â€Å"Materials for the Speaking Part of the Centralised Exam† Moving to the next pointThis leads directly to my next point. This brings us to the next question. Let’s now move on / turn to †¦ After examining this point, let’s turn to †¦ Let’s now take a look at †¦ M. Platonova â€Å"Materials for the Speaking Part of the Centralised Exam† Going back As I said / mentioned earlier, †¦ Let me come back to what I said before †¦ Let’s go back to what we were discussing earlier. As I’ve already explained, †¦ As I pointed out in the first section, †¦ M. Platonova â€Å"Materials for the Speaking Part of the Centralised Exam† Stating something as a fact Do not be afraid to state some information as a well-known act, if it is justified by the subject of discussion. However, you should be very careful when applying one of the following phrases: As As everyone knows †¦ It is generally accepted that †¦ There can be no doubt that †¦ It is a fact that †¦ Nobody will deny that †¦ Everyone knows that †¦ M. Platonova â€Å"Materials for the Speaking Part of the Centralised Exam† Giving Your Opinion There exist a variety of ways how to express your opinion when speaking English. The choice of an expression to be used in the particular situation depends on how strong your opinion is, i. e. how sure you are about a artic ular thing. M. Platonova „Materials for the Speaking Part of the Centralised Exam† Giving Your Opinion Neutrally I think†¦ I feel that†¦ In my opinion†¦ As As far as I'm concerned†¦ As I see it†¦ In my view I tend to think that†¦ From my point of view†¦ M. Platonova „Materials for the Speaking Part of the Centralised Exam† Giving a Strong Opinion I'm absolutely convinced that†¦ I'm sure that†¦ I strongly believe that†¦ I have no doubt that†¦ There is no doubt that †¦ I am absolutely certain that †¦ M. Platonova „Materials for the Speaking Part of the Centralised Exam† Expressing Uncertainty I definitely doubt if that †¦I am not sure that †¦ I am not certain that †¦ As far as I know †¦ It is very doubtful whether †¦ M. Platonova „Materials for the Speaking Part of the Centralised Exam† Giving reasons These standard phrases are useful in a variety o f situations, when you are asked to explain something providing additional information or giving the reasons. The reason for this is (that) †¦ I base my argument on †¦ I tell you all this because †¦ M. Platonova â€Å"Materials for the Speaking Part of the Centralised Exam† Rephrasing Expressions Sometimes we say things that other people don't understand, or we give the wrong impression.If you are asked to explain or clarify your idea, do not use the same expressions and/or phrases, try to reformulate it starting your answer using one of the following phrases: M. Platonova „Materials for the Speaking Part of the Centralised Exam† What I meant to say was†¦ Let me rephrase that†¦ Let me put this another way†¦ Perhaps Perhaps I'm not making myself clear†¦ The basic idea is†¦ One way of looking at it is†¦ Another way of looking at it is†¦ What I want to say is†¦ M. Platonova „Materials for the Speaking Part of the Centralised Exam† Indicating the end of your talk I’m now approaching / nearing the end of my resentation. Well, this brings me to the end of my presentation. That covers just about everything I wanted to say about †¦ As a final point, I’d like to †¦ Finally, I’d like to highlight one key issue. M. Platonova â€Å"Materials for the Speaking Part of the Centralised Exam† Drawing conclusions and sum-ming up The obvious conclusion is †¦ Last but not least †¦ The only alternative (left) is †¦ The The only possible solution/conclusion is †¦ In conclusion we can say that †¦ To cut a long story short, †¦ Just to give you the main points again, †¦ M. Platonova â€Å"Materials for the Speaking Part of the Centralised Exam†

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Independent Evolution vs Cultural Diffusion

Since the beginning of development, many different cultures came into existence. Civilizations began and of course empires grew. Several reasons lead to the evolution of large, powerful empires. Some include cultural diffusion, great leaders, inventions, and more. The main reasons were independent inventions and cultural diffusion. The best explanation for the evolution of the large powerful empires was cultural diffusion. Cultural diffusion is when a culture spreads from one group or empire to another and therefore the empires cultures are diverse and the more the diverse a community is the more stable it is. Independent inventions is when a culture invents new methods of life on their own, such as methods of gathering food, hunting, creating weapons, wood work, and as well as ceremonies. Culture diffusion was seen all through many civilizations. In Document 1, Confucius speaks about the importance of parents and how you piety and your reasoning in life is to first serve your parents. Confucius then says after serving the parents you serve the ruler. Cultural diffusion causes this asset to spread. In Document 2, Seng Du, states the serving the king is the assistance in the ruling of one’s country. Many civilizations followed the same moral. In Documents 6 and 7, the details in which the structures were built are very similar. Cultural diffusion is portrayed in the documents. The Romans began using columns just like the Greek. In Document 8, the trade routes were the main reason in cultural diffusion. Traders began meeting with others and began developing there languages and soon they brought them back to there own civilizations and the cultures spread. The evolution of large powerful empires was caused by independent inventions. In Document 4, In the Bhagavad-Gita the Hindu came up with there own way they saw the universe. The Hindus believed in spirits and the multiform world. The document describes the appearance of the deity. In Document 4, Ashoka practices morality and the once war machine ended. Since he is the ruler he believes in all men to be his children. Ashoka desires that all his children be happy in this world and in the after as he wishes for the men also. Ashoka believes that there should be growth of spirit of morality. Independent inventions are portrayed because there are different eliefs and different morals. In Document 5, Julius Caesar defeats enemies and then celebrates with five triumphs. Independent inventions are shown in the document because Romans came up with their own ceremonies. Julius celebrated five triumphs. The celebrations were after the war ended. Many civilizations had their own ceremonies and methods of life. Cultural diffusion also played an important role. Some additio nal types of documents that would help asses the development of empires are primary documents like journals. Journals from traders or citizens would be the best. Trading was the main reason of expansion and evolution. Traders were the reason new languages and cultures spread. With the spreading there were expansions and the empires evolved. As you can see, cultural diffusion and independent inventions were some reasons for evolution is the great empires. With cultural diffusion and independent invention a gradual change occurred in the empires. Beliefs and traditions spread and ceremonies evolved. Diversity became an important role and the more diverse a community is the more stable it is.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Movie theatre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Movie theatre - Essay Example He is directly behind the couple who are now standing, waving their arms at each other. They turn and look at him, then sit down and quit arguing. A few rows down from them, I see an even younger couple sitting next to eachother amongst a group of teenagers. The boy yawns tentively, and lays his arm across the back of her torn seat. She looks up at him and smiles sweetly. Off to the right of them, in the wheelchair accessible area is an older couple. Their backs are not as straight, she looks tiny and shrunken in her wheelchair. He leans toward her carefully and holds a drink so she can sip through the straw. He then places the drink back in the holder and lays his hand gently on her knee. They are content. The lights go down and the previews begin. I am struck with the idea that I have already seen all of life's drama before me, before the movie began. We watch movies to experience emotions of the characters; when true emotion is all around us. The young couple's first date, the argument of the younger adults, and the quiet contentment of the elderly make for an unmistakably real drama. It is a movie I will replay in my head, reminding myself that life is a stage and we are but actors upon it.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Current Market Conditions - Toyota Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Current Market Conditions - Toyota - Essay Example Toyota’s manufacture numbers get to a 726,103 units, which indicated the company’s overall growth of 12%. Due to increased consumption and healthy overall trend Toyota is looking forward to manufacture 9.32 million automobiles in the coming year. It has been estimated that a 9 percent increase in the market share will make Toyota the largest carmaker in the world, leaving behind General Motors, Ford and Honda. Toyota would also be able to end the rule of General Motors (GM) for more than 81 years. Overall an increasing trend in car selling was witnessed among all Japanese companies in last year. The trend is still going on and would increase in the coming year. So it is a healthier sign for Toyota. It has been analyzed due to increased demand for Toyota vehicles all over the world; Toyota has to boost up the supply of their vehicles in the market. It does require more than an increase in the efficiency of current manufacturing capacity. Obviously Toyota would have to install new manufacturing plants and units in different region of the world especially where the production cost is low. The overall increase of 4% in the demand in coming years would have to be served in a way without affecting the supply and demand relation. The analysis shows that major companies in car making industry faced trouble in maintain the equilibrium between demands and supply either due to unaware of the market forecasting or due to failure in increasing the supply. The failure of before time measures to increase capacity went on affecting the market share of those companies even after several years. Toyota is implementing lots of new regulations from government. It has been noticed that the federal government organization in charge for vehicle safety and security is continue to force Toyota to manufacture models of its trucks and pickups less easier for small children and infants. Obviously the argument behind that is to

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Whistleblowers Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Whistleblowers - Case Study Example y’s global business environment, white-collar crimes are extremely difficult to prosecute due to the underlying mechanisms available to suppress evidence. In this respect, whistleblowers come in handy. Rather than taking part in the actual misconduct, some individuals in the corporate setting will be enticed to report misconduct subject to the rewards availed. However, caution should be prioritized to avoid faked whistleblowing intended to collect the offered benefits. In general, high rewards will create an incentive for whistleblowers to expose business and corporate misconduct in the economy. Encouraging whistleblowing will undoubtedly have its negative consequences, but the benefits stand a better a chance to outweigh the negatives. To start with, promoting whistleblowing will force business players to adhere and comply with the relevant laws, rules, and regulations (Vandekerckhove 156). In the process, employer-employee relations will move towards enhanced trust and loyalty. In essence, whistleblowing will encourage both employers and employees to follow ethical codes of conduct. Speculating a culture of suspicion and distrust is only probable if misconduct is an underlying practice. Straight and ethical practices should not warrant fear or worry as far as whistleblowing is concerned. In this respect, whistleblowing will encourage trust, loyalty, and straightforwardness in the society. Amid this, the emergence of negatives cannot be ruled out. Whistleblowing could result in tense relations between employers and employees. In any setting where whistleblowing might occur , employees and employers should unite to do what is right, legal, and ethical. Even though the number of pursued whistleblowing cases is significantly low, the need to make penalties stricter is critical. To start with, increasing the penalty will act as deterrence for corporate misconduct (Richter and Frances 147). Persons intending to engage in any form of misconduct will have to come to

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Compare and contrast the critiques and solutions proposed by the Essay

Compare and contrast the critiques and solutions proposed by the reformers of the progressive Era to those of the New Deal Era to the problems posed by political and economic inequity - Essay Example The drift toward direct democracy throughout the period, allowed women to vote, professionalized rule, allowed voters more voice in selecting and evoking political officials, and even the freedom to vote in referenda on explicit matters. Similarly, the new deal era happened when America was facing one of its darkest moments in history. This is the period when president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, inherited a government that needed serious intervention on one of the most difficult and critical periods of American history. The economy was in total subside, unemployment rose to 30%, inflation skyrocketed, and GDP fell by 50%. This period was referred to as the Great depression, and it reached its peak in 1933. This was there Roosevelt took over office and people anticipated fast answers from him. To react to the people’s expectations, he and the FDR called an emergency session for congress and drafted the new deal legislation the first weekend of his inauguration (Gordon, 221). After America overcame the 1890s depression, the economy embarked upon an epoch of relatively swift growth. The growth was outstanding although blemished by infrequent downturns (Polenberg, 9). The lasting in industry continued to decrease the farm share of employment while attracting numerous new migrants into the mines ad industries in America. This growth in commerce also was allied with speed development in the dimension of manufacturing enterprises. Economic intensification and shifts in the organization of the economy often gave rise to new difficulties. Every downturn revived the fears of the repeat of the ruthlessness of the Depression of the 1890s thus resulting for people advocating for better techniques these recessions and assist those affected by the outcomes. Conversely, during the new deal era legislations were formulated to address issues dealing with

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Business Plan to create a Maintenance Training in Jakarta Research Paper

Business Plan to create a Maintenance Training in Jakarta - Research Paper Example This document provides an analysis of the market, demand condition and other relevant factors. The plan proposes solutions on how to recruit local staff and potential talent to enter the aviation industry. The scope of the report include corporate strategy, finance, marketing, and human resources. The report includes a feasibility study that examines the relevant risks and other dominant factors and matters which are relevant concerns prior to the commitment of resources into the project. The recipients of this report are the stakeholders that include the government of Indonesia and other players who are going to play various roles. This includes sponsors, institution management and other people at the helm of affairs in the training center. The primary focus of the research will be on the maintenance of investments and comparative analysis with other flight training services. The report invokes some elements of mandatory Full Flight Simulators (FFS) and the use of flight instruction s that will be seconded by ETOPS organization which is headquartered in Toulouse, France. The research concludes that it will be better to maintain infrastructure for Asian Aviation Academy in Asia but retain staff members in France and sending instructors to the Asian unit where necessary. This is because it will be expensive to maintain full-time paid staff members in the Asian unit. Also, it is strongly recommended that Asian Aviation Academy must use local resources to reduce costs and retain attractive offers to consumers in order to gain and maintain market share in contrast with other competitors in the industry. It is recommended that Asian Aviation Academy must commence with the Airbus. To this end, the focus of the business plan is on Airbus. As the company grows and the institution gets rooted in the region, the portfolio could be expanded to train other players like Bombardier, Emirates, ATR and other entities. The market analysis is conducted on the basis of this assump tion. CHAPTER 1 GENERAL CONTEXT This proposal focuses on training staff members in some aspects of the Airbus aircrafts and its relevant aviation management job training. In order to examine it, there is the need to undertake a critical review of the scope of work and the technical components of the Airbus family of aircrafts and devices. The primary focus of the Asian Aviation Academy (hereafter referred to as AAA) will be on the A320 which is the smallest and the most popular airline in the range. To this end, AAA will be positioned to train staff members with the management and running of the A320 aircraft and provide all the basic services in this aircraft. The basic services will provide a model for the integration of other airlines in the range and help to promote an efficient training system and structure. 1.1 Market Analysis In the macrocosmic sense, the aviation industry experienced a major boom after 1980 (Sinha 31). This is because deregulation and other liberalization ar rangements ensured that the number of airlines could be increased in nations. Also, the previous tradition of only allowing governments to own airlines was eliminated with the introduction of reforms and deregulation which allowed private participation in the global airline industry. Asia and the

Monday, September 23, 2019

Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Project - Essay Example First, it equips him with the foundation for understanding almost every human process within the Organization. Second, through it he will be aware of the necessary communication skills he needs to have so that he can attain organizational expectation. Finally, it will guide him down the path to a career as a communication expert in an organization. The aim of this paper was to find out what are the necessary features that a business requires to facilitate positive performance within the market sector. The study focused on the websites of Saudi Aramco and Marathon Petroleum Corporation for similarities and differences. The choice of the two companies was drawn from the fact that they do possess websites that are almost up to date with the current technology. The conclusion of this study was of great significance towards different businesses updating their websites with the purpose of increasing marketing of their product and easy interaction between the customers and many more. Communication within websites of any corporation is a crucial step towards achieving success. Communication within an organization either takes the form of internal communication and external communication. Proper communication is efficient, reliable, and saves time. Internal communication usually involves employees of a given organization right from the management level trickling down to departmental employees. On the other hand, external communication is always from a company to customers, and potential employees and the other way round. Presently, majority of corporations have heavily invested in websites. Apart from internal and external communication, they are used for marketing goods and services that different companies offer. For illustration, the information presented on Saudi Aramco’s website reveals it is a state-owned company. It deals with the production and exporting of crude oil, natural gas and many more. The current knowledge of the

Sunday, September 22, 2019

News brief Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

News brief - Essay Example In the past two years, the small businesses have increased steadily by 16%. This is attributable to the laws and regulations in the economic sectors. The government is awarding loans at exceptionally low interest rates to encourage investment in the small and medium enterprises. In the state of the nation address by the president, there were assurances to reduce the cost of doing business so that more individuals can venture into small businesses. The performance of small businesses in America is incredibly excellent. This is because of the affordability and availability of goods and services by the entrepreneurs. The impact of these businesses is exceedingly significantly on the entire Americas economy. Along with the above point, the small businesses are doing exceedingly well because of their capacity to acclimatize to the varying trends in the market. In America, most of the exporters are the small and medium businesses. The businesses provide massive employment opportunities and offer affordable goods and services to the customers. The quality of goods and services produced by the small businesses is high vis a vee those produced by the large firms. This explains why the products are doing excellent in the market. The government has reduced the cost of licensing the small businesses so that they can motivate people and make it an alternative means of employment and investment. Small and medium enterprises in America accounts for 52% of the work force in the country. The small businesses are increasing by 2%, and the employment rate is increasing by 6%. In 2012, 56% of the net export in America was accounted for by the small and medium enterprises. This is because they produce goods that are affordable by most people outside America. 38% of America’s gross domestic product is contributed by small businesses. According to small business administration, it

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Time in The Two Poems Essay Example for Free

Time in The Two Poems Essay The titles of these poems alone suggest there will be a theme of time in them; The title Days speaks for itself as days are a way of measuring time, Toads Revisited however is much more subtle but the notion of revisiting, indirectly tells us that he is going somewhere or doing something that he has done before in his lifetime. Days is a poem about Larkins views on death and how our approach on the subject can alter the way we live. Larkin begins his first stanza with the rhetorical question of What are days for?, though this is a question similar to the biggest question of all time What is the meaning of life? Larkin answers it with a simple monosyllabic response, Days are where we live. For such a broad and open question this is a very closed, unrefined answer. This could be a reflection of Larkins view on the meaning of life, that he feels it is not important to search for a complex answer. I get the impression that Larkin is tired of life and its repetitive structure, They come they wake us, time and time over this is shown by his impassionate language and monosyllabic style. Its seems as if he feels time is passing too slowly. Toads Revisited unlike Days is the second poem out of two, the first being similar in subject but written 10 years before when Larkin was at a different stage in his life. Toads Revisited is written in a much more day to day fashion where as Days is written on a more general topic. Toads Revisited is about Larkins distaste for work and his realisation that without it his life would be empty. He looks at the way in which people without jobs spend their time. He comes to the conclusion that without his job he would have too much time and he would become bored. When referring to the unemployed he says think of being them! Hearing the hours chime Toads Revisited is set in 9 stanzas all with four lines each, this repetitive structure is used by Larkin to reflect the content of the stanzas (the dull life of unemployment. ) Towards the end of the poem Larkins words become less monosyllabic which reflects the way he feels about employment, (that is is duller to be unemployed than employed because at least job fills- like syllables!) Days is set in just two stanzas which like its monosyllabic style reflects the simplicity of the message Larkin is sending out in this poem. The second stanza of Days is a response to the second question Larkin asks in stanza one Where can we live but days? in response to this Larkin does not answer but concludes that to tackle such a question will sooner kill you than lead you to an answer, solving that question brings the priest and the doctor in their long coats. This is a sinister image that personifies death. The last two stanzas of Toads revisited show Larkins acceptance of work but not in a way that he embraces the idea of work with love and passion, but that he has not alternatives What else can I answer. Like the poem Days Toads Revisited also end on a sombre note about death, give me your arm, old toad; Help me down Cemetery road, again here death has been personified in the eerie form of a toad. Both these poems send out the message that death is ominous and inevitable.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Nuclear Energy The Problems And Solutions Environmental Sciences Essay

Nuclear Energy The Problems And Solutions Environmental Sciences Essay Nuclear energy is a divisive issue that many people have mixed feelings about. Nuclear power has many dangerous effects to the environment and the people living near a power plant. Many countries use nuclear power as an alternate source of electrical energy from fossil fuels. Nuclear energy has to be handled with extreme care or it could lead to disastrous damages. These problems included radiation, disposing of nuclear waste, and high costs of building and maintaining power plants. But while it is extremely dangerous to use nuclear energy, it does provide an alternate source of energy that does not pollute the air. Let us look at what nuclear energy is and where it came from. Most early atomic research was focused on developing effective weapons for use in World War II. After World War II, the government allowed nuclear energy to be developed for citizen use. We generated our first electricity from nuclear energy in 1951. According to the European Nuclear Society, as of end 2011 the total electricity production since 1951 amounts to 69,760 billion kWh and the cumulative operating experience amounted to 15,080 years by end of 2012. Because of accidents and public reluctance for them a new nuclear power plant has not been ordered in the U.S. since 1973. So, what is nuclear energy? According to the EPA, nuclear energy originates from the splitting of uranium atoms in a process called fission. Fission releases energy that can be used to make steam, which is used in a turbine to generate electricity. Nuclear energy is generally used in a combine mixture with Uranium and Plutonium. EPA further states, in the plantà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s nuclear reactor, neutrons from uranium atoms collide with each other, releasing heat and neutrons in a chain reaction. This heat is used to generate steam, which powers a turbine to generate electricity. Unfortunately, nuclear energy also generates some nasty by-products like tritium, cesium, krypton, neptunium and iodine. Let us talk about what is it that makes nuclear energy so bad for the environment and to people living near power plants. Let us start with the dangerous information and knowledge of this process. Knowledge of how to create power plants is shared among many nations. The problems with sharing this knowledge, is that countries will have access to the knowledge of how to make nuclear weapons, which could be bad for some nations. The International Energy Agency or IEA is responsible for energy in many countries, but some have criticizes them for not being able to keep the knowledge from hostile countries. There have been many accidents with nuclear power plants. On April 26, 1986, a reactor at the Chernobyl power plant exploded. 30 people were killed instantly, including 28 from radiation exposure, and a further 209 on site were treated for acute radiation poisoning. The World Health Organization found that the fallout from the explosion was incredibly far-reaching. 985,000 deaths can be attributed to the Chernobyl accident between 1986 and 2004. The accident cost the former Soviet Union more than three times the economic benefits accrued from the operation of every other Soviet nuclear power plant operated between 1954 and 1990. Another accident happened recently in Japan. On March 11, 2011, an earthquake and tsunami crippled the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. The emerging crisis at the plant was complex, and, to make matters worse, it was exacerbated by communication gaps between the government and the nuclear industry. The plant suffered major damage from the 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit Japan on March 11, 2011 and, as of February 2013, is not expected to reopen. The earthquake and tsunami disabled the reactor cooling systems, leading to releases of radioactivity and triggering a 30 km evacuation zone surrounding the plant. On April 20, 2011, the Japanese authorities declared the 20 km evacuation zone a no-go area which may only be entered under government supervision. Radiation releases caused large evacuations, concern about food and water supplies, and treatment of nuclear workers. A few of the plants workers were severely injured or killed by the disaster conditions (drownin g, falling equipment damage etc.) resulting from the earthquake. There were no immediate deaths due to direct radiation exposures, but at least six workers have exceeded lifetime legal limits for radiation and more than 300 have received significant radiation doses. Predicted future cancer deaths due to accumulated radiation exposures in the population living near Fukushima have ranged from none to 100. There are also many environmental problems with using nuclear energy as well. All the steps in the complex process of creating nuclear energy entail environmental hazards. The mining of uranium, as well as its refining and enrichment, and the production of plutonium produce radioactive isotopes that contaminate the surrounding area, including the groundwater, air, land, plants, and equipment. As a result, humans and the entire ecosystem are adversely and profoundly affected. Some of these radioactive isotopes are extraordinarily long-lived, remaining toxic for hundreds of thousands of years. Presently, we are only beginning to observe and experience the consequences of producing nuclear energy. Nuclear waste is produced in many different ways. There are wastes produced in the reactor core, wastes created as a result of radioactive contamination, and wastes produced as a byproduct of uranium mining, refining, and enrichment. The vast majority of radiation in nuclear waste is given off from spent fuel rods. A typical reactor will generate 20 to 30 tons of high-level nuclear waste annually. There is no known way to safely dispose of this waste, which remains dangerously radioactive until it naturally decays. The rate of decay of a radioactive isotope is called its half-life, the time in which half the initial amount of atoms present takes to decay. The half-life of Plutonium-239, one particularly lethal component of nuclear waste, is 24,000 years. The hazardous life of a radioactive element (the length of time that must elapse before the material is considered safe) is at least 10 half-lives. Therefore, Plutonium-239 will remain hazardous for at least 240,000 years. There was a proposal to dump nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, a site that is considered sacred by the Western Shoshone. The plan was for Yucca Mountain to hold all of the high level nuclear waste ever produced from every nuclear power plant in the US. However, that would completely fill up the site and not account for future waste. Transporting the wastes by truck and rail would be extremely dangerous. Repository sites in Australia, Argentina, China, southern Africa, and Russia have also been considered. Though some countries reprocess nuclear waste (in essence, preparing it to send through the cycle again to create more energy), this process is banned in the U.S. due to increased proliferation risks, as the reprocessed materials can also be used for making bombs. Reprocessing is also not a solution because it just creates additional nuclear waste. There are a few different methods of waste immobilization. In the vitrification process, waste is combined with glass-forming mat erials and melted. Once the materials solidify, the waste is trapped inside and cant easily be released. There are many alternative energy sources that are sustainable and do not pose the accident risks inherent in nuclear energy production. Many of them are renewable and some have little risks to the environment. These other energy sources includes: bioenergy, geothermal, wind, solar, and tidal energy.Bioenergy comes from any fuel that is derived from biomass recently living organisms or their metabolic byproducts. Unlike other natural resources such as petroleum, coal and nuclear fuels, bioenergy is a renewable energy source. Geothermal energy is power generated from natural steam, hot water, hot rocks, or lava in the Earths crust. In general, geothermal power is produced by pumping water into cracks in the Earths crust and then conveying the heated water or steam back to the surface so that its heat can be extracted through a heat exchanger, or its pressure can be used to drive turbines. Wind energy form of energy conversion in which turbines convert the kinetic energy of wind into mechanical or electrical energy that can be used for power. Since wind power does not require the use of fossil fuels, it is considered a renewable energy source. Solar energy is energy derived from the Suns radiation. Passive solar energy can be exploited through architectural design, as by positioning windows to allow sunlight to enter and help heat a space. Active solar energy involves the conversion of sunlight to electrical energy, especially in solar cells. Hydrogen power is a term for the energy production and distribution of hydrogen as a viable fuel source to power buildings, homes and the transportation industry. Tidal energy is produced by the surge of ocean waters during the rise and fall of tides. Tidal energy is a renewable source of energy. Many more sustainable resources could be found and current resources improved if better technology were available and if the government and utilities actively promoted their development. There are many different alternative sources that are safer for the environment and human health then nuclear energy. The nuclear energy industry has been quick to declare this technology as the solution to global warming. Many claim it has a net positive environmental gain compared to fossil fuels, though this ignores the problems and dangers associated with nuclear waste. The United States currently has no acceptable, long-term strategy for managing nuclear waste and, thus, the risks to the environment are huge. For now, because of the devastating incident of Chernobyl and many other factors, nuclear power growth has slowed, but still is a problem that needs to address and hopefully fixed. In addition, nuclear energy always carries with it the threat of nuclear proliferation and terrorist attack on the plants. If a government is to maintain a non-proliferation policy, a non-nuclear energy policy must also be in place. Combined with the risk of a meltdown, it is clear that although nuclear energy may appear to be a solution to climate change, it only brings with it more problems. There is always the chance that there will be a meltdown at one of the United Statesà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ 103 commercial nuclear reactors or, even more likely, in a country with less stringent nuclear energy laws. Nuclear energy is not the solution it brings with it huge risks and has the potential to wreak havoc on health and on the environment. Sources: Peterson, P. F. (2001). The Pros and Cons of Nuclear Fuel Recycling. Science, 294(5549), 2093. Zehner, O. (2012). Nuclear Powers Unsettled Future. Futurist, 46(2), 17-21. Rugy V. No to Nukes. Reason [serial online]. July 2012;44(3):18-19. Available from: Academic Search Elite, Ipswich, MA. Accessed January 13, 2013. Lewis, J. (2008). the nuclear option. Mother Jones, 33(3), 56-92. Flory, P. W. (2006). Just the Facts. Foreign Affairs, 85(5), 149-150. EPA (2012) Nuclear Energy Ita, M. (2006). Nuclear vs solar energy, which?. New African, (449), 37-38. Lewis, H. W. (1986). The Accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and Its Consequences. Environment, 28(9), 25. LePoire, D. J. (2011). Exploring New Energy Alternative. Futurist, 45(5), 34-38. Funabashi, Y., Kitazawa, K. (2012). Fukushima in review: A complex disaster, a disastrous response. Bulletin Of The Atomic Scientists, 68(2), 9-21. doi:10.1177/0096340212440359 European Nuclear Society (2012). Nuclear power plants, world-wide

Thursday, September 19, 2019

My Growth as a Writer at State University Essay -- My First Year at St

If I had to describe my year at State University it would be just as describing a rollercoaster ride with a good experience afterwards. At first, you are convinced with the idea that the rollercoaster is going to be all fun full with laughter. All those advertisements and pictures of people having a good time and people saying it was fun afterwards. The real thing though, happens during the rollercoaster ride when you feel like the life you are living is going to end so badly. The same happened to me while at State University, I thought college was going to be full of fun and that stress and worries would perhaps eventually come, but not in the way I experienced them. The home sickness or as Sanders (n.d.) refers to it in â€Å"After the Flood† as nostalgia, stress with projects, tests, essays, and the management of money to pay bills were some of the main causes of why my year at State University felt like a rollercoaster about to crash. At the end though, there were some challenging tasks that had a positive scholarly impact on me. Just as in the movie â€Å"Up† by Docter and Peterson (2009) the main character Carl has a tough time during his life when his wife passes away, but in the end he manages to find something good which produced positive effects in his life like accomplishing his dream to see South America. Writing class helped me write about what I was interested in for my research paper as well as improving the way I wrote down my thoughts; somehow the writing class along with the research paper have helped me write more thoughtful, polished essays. I have grown as a writer and thinker in ways years ago I had no idea I was going to grow in. At first, it was really hard for me to write down every single th... ...the book â€Å"The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian† by Alexie (2007) at first thought he was not capable of doing things the white people did, but then he actually proves to himself that he is capable of learning just as or better than the white people can. I am convinced that for future writing classes I will welcome knowledge and guidelines with my arms wide open knowing that it will polish my writing. Therefore bringing only more improvements that in the end will give me the tools necessary to be capable of confronting my life in International Business and its challenges in the best way possible. Works Cited Alexie, S. (2007). The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. United States: Little, Brown and Company. Docter, P., & Peterson, B. (Directors). (2009). Up [Motion Picture]. United States. Sanders, S. R. (n.d.). After the Flood.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Demetrius in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Nights Dream Essay -- Midsumme

The Importance of Demetrius  in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night's Dream The character, Demetrius, in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night's Dream, is very difficult to identify except by his relation to the one he loves, or, more particularly, to the one who loves him. Helena's ridiculous chasing after him and his irritation with her are the primary marks of his character. While in this state, he even begins to threaten Helena with bodily harm, coming off as not quite the gracious courtly lover he truly means to be. It's simple to discover his unchivalrous character by how easily his eye was distracted from Helena by Hermia in the beginning. He could be a gentle, loving man if he truly desired, but he takes satisfaction being put in his place by others. In the end, still under the spell of fairy magic and therefore not seeing with true eyes, he seems a bit imbecilic laughing at the acted "lovers" in the play. He doesn't realize it, but he is in a play of his own. Likewise, as with the other characters, what happens to him is far more interesting than t he sort of character he is.   Shakespeare portrays the character, Demetrius, throughout the play as lacking self-confidence, rude, violent, lacking individuality and unromantic. Since Demetrius only has two lines throughout the entire first act, it shows that he can't stand up for himself, likewise, this lack of speech displays his lack of self-confidence and image: â€Å"Relent, sweet Hermia, and, Lysander, yield Thy crazed title to my certain right† (Demetrius, 1.1.93-94). Demetrius believes that since he has Egeus' approval, that Hermia should relinquish to him and states that Lysander is going against his privilege.   Demetrius takes advantage of his stature by claiming Hermia as a r... ...nsformation are all experienced by Demetrius to a great extent, especially with his lovers and enemies. His vile, yet sensitive personality really kept the reader examining what he could change into next, which seems as if they were more than just a single character. Demetrius, as a character, is essential to the play, for a backbone and plot. 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When quoting, you need to use quotation marks around the quotes unless you are separating the quote from you text by indenting each line.   Also, the final punctuation should come not inside the quotation marks but after the parentheses.   If you are using other sources it is very important that you put in parentheses the name of the author and the page number on which the quote can be found.   Also, if you are using other sources you should really, truly use a works cited so that others can find that same source.   

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

An Unforgettable Person Essay

Parents are–or should be–the teachers of their children in many areas, a natural relationship of handing down what they have learned to their offspring. But there is something special about the profession of teaching where an individual chooses to make an impact on students ,they hardly know on Day 1 of class and yet they have a goal of sending those young faces on their way to a well-rounded education in the 180 or so days they will have them in his or her care. At Vikas junior college, more teachers continued their influence on my life, and many of them have enjoyed long teaching careers. Several have retired, but several are still hard at it with the current crop of students The bell rings, and all the students waits for him to come. He is nothing but our math lecturer Mr.P.Ramesh. He is about 6 feet tall, thin man. He dresses himself in formals. He has a good hair style like wave’s .he is handsome too. His classes are so interesting. All the students get involved to listen to his classes. We never miss his classes. He is very friendly, polite, and casual. He is hailed by many students here and there. â€Å"Hello!† â€Å"Hi!† â€Å"Nice to see you!† Whenever he comes across anyone he knows, he always says hello to them first, wearing a big smile, whether or not they are older or younger than him. In this society where many people often pass by without greeting each other, seeing him might be like seeing an oasis in a desert. He loves children in ear..

Monday, September 16, 2019

Definition of Activity-Based Cost Accounting

The matching principle of accounting dictates that for every revenue generated, a corresponding cost should be attributed to it.   In order to determine the resulting profit properly, these components should be matched against each other.This has been the guiding convention of financial reporting since the practice of accounting became an integral part of the economy to evaluate properly a firm in a somewhat standardized format.Business firms, particularly, those engaged in production, adheres to the standards promulgated by their respective accounting standard-setting bodies.   However, as far as internal users are concerned for purposes of making business strategies, financial accounting is too narrow.As such, the management of a business firm can easily suspend this principle and adopt different methods of deriving cost information, as long as it would fit their specification.   This practice has different effects in the evaluation of the firm’s own performance.Throug h the years, several efforts were exerted to improve revenue and cost matching that provides relevant information for evaluation purposes, and one of these is Activity Accounting.   Activity Accounting has two phases: activity-based costing (ABC) and activity-based management (ABM).Whereas the first phase provides useful insights and feedback in improving competitiveness through effective resource management, the second one emphasizes continuous improvement of processes.   ABC is defined as a costing system in which numerous overhead cost pools are allocated using one or several non-volume related factors as bases.Even though ABC likewise traces direct materials and direct labor the same way as TCA, it traces indirect costs, not on the number of output, but on the activities involved in the production process.   As such, ABC is considered a more detailed and useful cost-tracing tool.To illustrate, assume a company producing two distinct products, Product A and Product B, has a ccumulated manufacturing overhead cost amounting to $1,000,000.00.   Assume further that it would take two direct labor hours (DLH) to produce Product A and five DLH for Product B, and total DLH for the whole period is 5,000.At the end of the period, there were 500 units of Product A and 1,000 units of Product B.   Finally, assume that direct cost per unit for Product A is $250.00 while that of Product B is $350.00.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Theory of Gravity Essay

Of all the current nuclear fusion reactor experiments JET and ITER are the largest. JET, Joint European Torus, based in Culham Science Centre in the UK, is the centre of Europe’s fusion research. JET is currently the world’s largest tokomak capable of delivering up to 30 MW of power, it is used by more than 20 European Countries and also used by international scientists. It is used to test the conditions that will be in use by commercial fusion power plants. JET began in 1978, in operation since 1983 and in November of 1991 became the first experiment to produce controlled nuclear fusion power. It has been a stepping stone for ITER, producing parameters that have been vital in its production. In 1997 a record of 16 MW of energy were produced by JET using the mixed deuterium-tritium fuel with an input of 24 MW; a 65% ratio. ITER, originally standing for International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor but dropped due to negative connotations of thermonuclear especially combined with the word experimental. ITER began in 1985, but it was only until 2005 that the south of France was decided on as a location for the reactor. ITER is supported by many countries worldwide including the USA, the EU, the Russian Federation, India, China, Korea and Japan. In November 2006, and agreement was signed which formed the international ITER organisation who owns the device and all aspects of the project. ITER was formulated because it was agreed that a larger and more powerful reactor was needed to emulate conditions in a commercial reactor and demonstrate its feasibility. ITER is built from the collective research made by all the many fusion experiments worldwide; a collaborative effort to provide cheap, clean fuel for many future generations. The first plasma is predicted to be produced by 2016. Nuclear Fusion is entirely feasible as a future energy source though it will be a long time before they will overtake traditional natural resources in terms of percentage of the Earth’s energy provided. Estimated put it around 2050 until fusion power plants are in full commercial use. It is proven that fusion is the most efficient energy source we have to date; 4 times more than that of nuclear fission. It is inherently safe, and there is no hazardous waste except some radioactive materials from free neutrons, though in future designs this could be eradicated. Research is currently going well; all that remains is for bigger more powerful models and with ITER on the horizon it will not be long before a self sustaining fusion reaction with a positive output is achieved. This means well into the future 100% waste free fusion plants could provide nearly all of the world’s electricity, resulting in a clean safe environment with a massively reduced threat of global warming. Bibliography C. R. Nave, 2006, HyperPhysics, viewed 13 September 2008 David Sang, 1995, Nuclear and Particle Physic, 2nd Ed. Thomas Nelson and Sons ltd.  https://www.euro-fusion.org/

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Ap European History Summer Assignment 2012

Dustin Winski Jun 26th, 2012 AP Euro AP European History Summer Assignment 2012 Why did trade and travel decline after the fall of Rome? After the fall of Rome, with no government to supply protection or to keep the rads and bridges repaired, travel became difficult and dangerous. This danger, coupled with ignorance and lack of desire to change the situation by the powerful lords, whose manors required little trade, led to the decline in travel and trade. Who was the first â€Å"Holy Roman Emperor† and how did he get that title?After restoring Pope Leo III in Rome from which he had been driven by invaders, Charlemagne was crowned by the Poe as â€Å"Emperor of the Romans†. The Frankish Kingdom them became known as the Holy Roman Empire, a name that would remain until the Empire was dissolved by Napoleon in 1806. What is the difference between the Roman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire? The Holy Roman Empire was started by Charlemagne and was centered in France. It was c alled the Holy Roman Empire† due to the fact that the Pope crowned Charlemagne as the Emperor.What were the connections between â€Å"The Holy Roman Empire† and â€Å"The Church†? The Holy Roman Empire was an endeavor by the Catholic Church and Christian kings to restore in their own image the crumbled remains of the secular achievements of the ancient pagan Roman Empire. Define feudalism and describe the characteristics of its organization. Feudalism was also a social and economics organization based on a series of reciprocal relationships. The king in theory owned the land which he granted to lords who in return would give service, usually in the form of military aid, to the king.The receiver of the land became a vassal, and these grants of land were known as fiefs. Sometimes these fiefs were larger than a lord could administer. So he, in turn, granted use of part of the land to lesser lords who pledged their service in return. This system continued on until, a t the lowest level, a knight administered only small feudal estate. Why were strong kings rare and central government generally missing under the feudal system? Kings under the feudal system generally had weak methods for gathering taxes and for ensuring their rule.For both, since the King's writ didn't extend directly through a country, they were often reliant on local governing mechanisms. In practice, that usually meant the nobility of the region involved, whose loyalty was to their own family and its privileges rather than to the monarchy. What were the benefits supposedly derived from the feudal system? Who benefited the most? Feudal manors provided both political and social organization. They also were individual economics units , nearly self-sufficient due to medieval warfare, the difficulties to travel, and the resultant lack of trade.The feudal estate featured a manor-home, usually a fortified castle surrounded by protective walls, belonging to the lord, surrounded by field s, herds and villages where serfs lived and worked. What was the importance of â€Å"The Church† and the Christian religion in the lives of the Europeans in the Middle Ages? Religion and the after-life became the focal point of thought and living. The influence of religion can also clearly be seen in the art, architecture, literature, and music of the time. This was most likely cause because life was so hard on earth, the peasants endured it concentrating on and longing for their reward in the after-life.How did the ritual and sacraments of the Church establish a constant, ongoing relationship with its individual members? The believers of the Roman Catholic Church believed the seven sacraments kept an individual constantly connected to God and the Church from birth to death. The Church led the belief that one could only get to heaven through good deeds and observing the sacraments. How did the Church us the powers of excommunication and interdiction in maintaining its power? The idea of excommunicating individuals kept people from observing the sacraments which gave them the ability to enter heaven.Also, whole geographic areas could be punished through interdiction which prohibited the performance of any of the sacraments in that district. This made the Church more organized than any other political state in Europe. How was Education, learning and knowledge of Europe preserved during the lowest point of the Middle Ages, the so-called â€Å"Dark Ages†? Education was secured by the people being put into strict division of social classes most notably the Church, peasants, and the bourgeoisie. What was the dominant philosophy of the Middle Ages called? Who was its most outstanding spokesman?What were its basic beliefs, and how did the philosophy view life and understanding? The dominant philosophy of the late Middle Ages was best articulated by St. Thomas Aquinas and known as scholasticism. Who belonged to each of the three estates of medieval Europe an society and what was the primary duty of a member of each estate? How was this different from the social classes in modern society? The first of the estates were composed of the Church. The main purpose for this estate would be to claim the authority of God. The second estate consisted of the nobility of ‘society'. The primary focus of the nobility were to function as warriors.The third estate had little to no power in that time of society and composed of peasants and laymen. This changed throughout Europe with the coming of feudalism. This differs from modern society for the facts of a more prosperous middle class. Describe the guilds. Who made up their membership and what was their influence on the business practices of the late Middle Ages? In the middle ages, the ‘Guilds' were labor market intermediaries organizing training, working conditions. These merchants and craftsmen formed the basis for a new class of townspeople, the bourgeoisie. They would be the basis o f the growing middle class.How did the guilds improve the lot of freemen? How did they help business and trade? How did they restrict its growth? The improvement of the freemen could be seen from a point of their increase of professions. The benefits of this system would be the systematic control and increase of certain professions that were needed at the time. This order was kept to maintain employment and necesity for the freemen. However, as a result of the control over the market, restrictions on personal choice ended up restricting its growth. Who were the bourgeoisie? Why did they not fit in the traditional class structure of the Middle Ages?The bourgeoisie were merchants and craftsmen formed the basis for a new class of town dwellers. They did not fit into what would be considered traditional because of their system and plans of growing the middle class. Why was the social structure of Europe challenged by the growing number of free townspeople and the changing economy? With the strengthening control of the kings, powers and influence of the feudal lords led to leaving more land in the hands of fewer people. This led to the even farther decline in the idea of feudalism. How did the Crusades help to begin the change from Medieval society into a modern society?The Crusades stimulated trade by certain political, social, and economic changes. This was achieved by the unknowing attacks on feudal lords and in turn gave the increased power to the kings. The changes developed after the old nobility lacked the wealth to keep up with the kings. Why are the Crusades sometimes called â€Å"Successful failures†? The Crusaders led to the eventual fading out of feudal states in the most of Europe and is an important part of European expansion and colonialism. Why and in what ways did kings and central governments grow stronger at the end of the Middle Ages?The Kings helped facilitate the forming of countries by uniting small feudal states into large kingdoms. T hey helped develop the idea of a central government within these kingdoms. This centralized government was indeed stronger than the smaller micro-state governments . What obstacles stood in the way of the creation of strong central governments? Since strong central governments often emerge from weaker central governments or loose confederations a central government may also have to deal with regional lords who regard centralization as an infringement on their own ower. Why was the re-establishment of trade so important to the transformation of Europe? Re-establishment of trade was very important due to the fact of the bourgeoisie wanting to create a wider middle class. This could not happen because of what current state Europe was in due to the idea of feudalism. Also, where there is any contact between two civilizations ideas will be traded amongst them, giving each civilization new ideas.

Counselling Model

â€Å"Evaluate the claim that Person Centred Therapy offers the therapist all that he/she will need to treat clients†. Word Count 2,508 During this essay I will present my findings as I view them. I am relatively new to counselling, this hinders my current experience and limits my opinions about therapy and what methodologies are more or less effective when offering therapy to clients.So, based on text book theories (only at this stage), I will present my findings about client centered therapy and incorporate a number of different methodologies that have assisted me to decipher the answer to this core question, and understanding how affective client centered therapy is as an approach. The research is informative and thought provoking. It certainly raises questions of how clients were viewed and treated in the past, right into the here and now. My task is to explore the above title, possibly uncovering a rather more complex theory than one may first assume.Initially I explored the world of psychotherapy to provide me with an insight and greater understanding on this subject, also identify the influences and changes that has occurred in a relatively short space of time in this developing area of psychology. As stated by Saunders (2002: pg 14). â€Å"From centuries-old ancient philosophies and cultures, through to current ideas in our own white European culture. A summary of the more recent landmarks would go back around 100 years to the work of Sigmund Freud†.Freud was a physician and the creator of many theories, primarily focussed on psychoanalysis. His work was from clinically derived experiences that were based on feedback from his patients during therapy. This gave birth to the ‘psychodynamic approach’ which stemmed from Freud’s collection of theories. Freud and his colleagues were psychologists who were treating their patients for depression or anxiety related disorders. Although shunned by the medical profession until late r in his career, Freud continued to shape and mould psychology as it is recognised today.Highly influential and extremely passionate professional men introduced their approaches into delivering the different theories/techniques, all of which have influenced and set the tone for the philosophy of psychology today. Definition of psychology, this was derived from the Latin it’s described in two parts, 1. â€Å"Psyche† meaning: Breathe, Sprit, Soul. 2. â€Å"Ology† meaning: Study of the mind. (Modern Latin, (Oxford dictionary 2000: pg, 652). Psychology emerged from Biology and philosophy, today it is closely linked with other disciplines including sociology, medicine, linguistics and anthropology.My main focus for study is Carl Rogers’s 1902-1987 (Rogerian approach). Counselling has emerged into a sophisticated therapy, thanks to Rogers’s intention to move towards supporting the client with a non-judgemental, kind and empathetic approach. Rogers develo ped his theories and debated about the vital skills required when a therapist engages with the client. Rogers not only theorised on mental illness he was also highly influential when developing other areas of therapies which I will explain further on.Rogers was resolute in his beliefs that the client’s success was based purely on his six core elements all blended together for an effective outcome. As the founder of client centered therapy Rogers was passionate about his ideas. The methodology he used was from a humanistic view and his techniques have made a huge impact into a world of psychology and psychotherapy. In 1942 the term ‘Non-Directive Therapy’ was born but changed nine years later by Rogers who preferred to use the term Client Centered Therapy.Other leading psychotherapy approaches were introduced from Albert Ellis (1913-2007), an American psychologist who instigated the ‘Cognitive approach’ known as Rational Emotional Behaviour Therapy (R EBT) that theorised that as people our thoughts control and depict our feelings it’s a directive therapy that is solution based. Whereas, Gerard Egan, founder of the ‘Integrative approaches’, claims to use whatever technique is appropriate according to the clients issues and is described as ‘middle of the road’ school of thought.From the beginning it was Rogers’s intention to provide a radical alternative to the then current â€Å"psychodynamic and behavioural† approaches. Psychotherapy was a vast unexplored area that was waiting for a new and different alternative which Rogers’s brought about. Psychiatrists are first and foremost medical practitioners who work from an established ‘Medical Model of Mental Illness’ Used by psychiatrists and mental health professionals to describe the full range of human psychological distress and disturbances. and according to Saunders ‘no more than a system of naming things (e. g. the term ‘neurosis’, [Literally meaning an infection of the nerves] is just a list of symptoms it actually explains nothing)†pg106. This was a long established method used when applying a treatment plan in which there was limited flexibility and had deep rooted entrenched guidelines. During the 1960’s Rogers began to use the principles of his approach into other areas such as education, management, group work and resolving conflict.Many years ago all treatments/ therapies were all encased under one label ‘medical treatment’ and in the early years psychotherapy would only be carried out in a ‘clinical environment’ where people were classified as ‘patients’ that need treatment to cure their illness. Counselling on the other hand can be viewed as both medical and educational. Rogers had to use the term ‘counselling’ as a requirement enforced by the American medical profession. The term counselling is deem ed suitable to use ‘if not causing medical disturbances but only deep issues in the mind’ (Saunders, (2002) pg107).Rogers conscientiously and gradually over time merged counselling/psychotherapy cohesively together. It is now virtually impossible to distinguish the differences between the two. The purpose of client centered therapy is to encourage the client to bring about their own self-awareness of their feelings. It is a nurturing process that functions without the counsellor/therapist suggesting or advising how to bring about change. It is not a solution based therapy. The therapist’s role when delivering this approach is to offer a safe and relaxed environment, where the atmosphere creates an aura of empathy, acceptance and no judgements.As stated by (Saunders 2006) â€Å"The unconditional positive regard element of this condition is not the same as ‘liking’ or ‘being nice to’ the client† pg 60. UPR is practised in client cen tered therapy no matter what the client chooses to disclose. This is achieved by the therapist reflecting and paraphrasing back to the client their inner feelings. The process will encourage positive feelings to facilitate in lifting the clients inner-self in this safe non-threatening environment. The aim is to encourage negativity to rise and bring about self-awareness for the client to explore their reasons for being in treatment.Carl Rogers assumed that all human beings, if given the right opportunity, are basically good and will strive towards goodness as their main goal. Secondly that the client’s experiences are unique only to themselves, and finally he felt that the client’s internal instincts would guide them into reaching their full potential resulting in self-actualization thus, creating self-healing as a ‘fully functioning individual’. Rogers states in his actualizing theory that â€Å"all human beings are drawn towards their natural tendencyâ €™, as we are more than just growth and survival†.Individuals need to understand their value and growth. All humanistic psychologists are focused on the person as a whole, where as the cognitive approach identifies ‘parts of the being’. Cognitive and behavioural approaches focus on irrational beliefs, effect feelings and are responsible for creating the behaviour. Rogers specified that we are instinctive ‘organismic’ individuals with the capacity of self-healing that involves psychological healing. Due to one’s self-doubt and an ingrained belief system (an instilled program since childhood) instils these self-defeating ideas into our psyche.Thus, creating a belief system of feeling scrutinized and judged. Person centered psychology is more interested in the clients own perception of their distress. We feel as individuals that our own beliefs are accurate and fail to recognize that these thought processes were planted by others (our primary carers and peers), through incidents and learnt behaviour. Client centered therapy is collaborative, it’s a guide to facilitate the client to seek out their own self-realization, which for some will be viewed as an advantage, it offers a free range approach to explore inner feelings, for both therapist and client.Client centered therapy encourages growth and its aim is in convert immaturity into maturity, this is vital for progress and healing. Rogers approach when implemented correctly should bring about activating the self-healing process he believes is found in each one of us as. Another well-known figure is Maslow who designed ‘A model’ shaped as a pyramid called the ‘Hierarchy of needs’ ‘Humanistic approach’ this is used in many areas of therapy including education and training in the work place.When Maslow’s basic core conditions are applied in a respectful, non-threatening manner they enable the client to direct the process of their phronesis (through their wisdom). Maslow’s theory consists of a five-step process, starting from the bottom and only raising to the next level by attaining that level of needs. Starting from a person’s basic physiological human need of survival require water, food and shelter. Stepping up again to the next level will accommodate the person’s requirement of personal safety and protection from danger and the emotional need for security.Raising again up to the third level it covers a person’s social needs that involve the need for acceptance by peers and friendship. Level four covers the need for self-respect and self-esteem. A person requires the emotional need for status and self-confidence, finally reaching the tip of the pyramid, is the need to reach and realise one’s own potential of self-actualisation. As stated in the chrysalis work book (module one: pg9), â€Å"Maslow believed that everyone is born with the potential to self-actuali se and that, given a good environment, this can be achieved†.He classified this as reaching a ‘peak experience’ which can be experiencing joy and unimaginable happiness. Rogers stressed the importance of his â€Å"six key conditions being both â€Å"Necessary and Sufficient† for therapeutic change to take place† as quoted by Saunders, P. (2006:9). The therapist and client have to have a genuine relationship based on a two way psychological connection. Rogers felt that if the client felt the slightest hint that this was not the case the counselling would be flawed from the onset. The client feels vulnerable and anxious and views themselves as needing assistance.The therapist needs to be balanced and healthy minded about their own residing issues and have dealt with their own issues during their training. As Rogers’s states, it is vital that the therapist â€Å"can accurately be himself in the relationship†. A fundamental requirement of C lient centered therapy specifies that the therapist actually feels a genuine regard towards the client. Rogers terms this as an ‘unconditional positive regard’ (UPR) an empathetic approach. The therapist needs to be authentic, transparent and a willingness to be open with self-disclosure.Rogers specifies that the client must be completely listened to without any interruption from the therapist, who should demonstrate that they have fully understood with a genuine regard to support the client. To support the number of approaches, Chrysalis designed ‘A Model’ (TIME) an acronym Temporal, Interventional, Multi- model, Empathy. This effective tool offers guidance when selecting an appropriate approach to be practiced accordingly with the formatted structure as a set of rules in which to be guided by. This is a profoundly simple tool that has been designed as a multi-model (it fits all).The TIME model’s function is to mix and match the client’s issu e/s, personality and suitability by selecting the appropriate treatment plan. Temporal meaning time, Interventional involves using other holistic therapies to run alongside these approached , which may assist with the cognitive side of the person for example using hypnotherapy by communicating with the subconscious, where positive suggestions and affirmations may be placed to replace the negative beliefs that are blocking/hindering progress. The client may relax enough to allow their own phronesis (practical instinctive wisdom) to appear.Multi Model is combining or selecting the different approaches from a variety of therapeutic sources. Chrysalis encourages the therapist to explore all approaches and form a comprehensive treatment plan that is tailored to an individual. The last area to discuss is empathy, all therapy is empathetic, and it would be impossible to implement without it. As suggested in Saunders primer (2006) â€Å"†¦ being empathetic is to perceive the internal frame of reference of another with accuracy, and with the emotional components and meanings†¦Ã¢â‚¬ pg 66.Empathy and communication is therefore essential. Disadvantages for some clients, if offering client centered therapy could be bring about discontentment, as it involves a long duration of time, (from the client’s perspective) they may not wish to attend numerous sessions, they may be unable to remain focused, affecting their motivation and stop attending. Client centered therapy may place too much pressure on the client if they themselves require direction and solutions to their predicament. Results are hard to gage thus, questioning its impact as a structured ystem. Client centered therapy may be seen as far too simple and the whole approach could be misunderstood thus, affecting its effectiveness. I like the feel of client centred therapy, for me it offers a kind, gentle and dignified treatment. The client may develop from this approach, however I can only surmise that as client centered therapy permits self-exploration, holistically healing the individual; it will not be suitable for all clients, as the question suggests but it is certainly suitable for dealing with the here and now and promotes self development.These modern times have seen a shift in emphasis with the medical approaches. The public are open to embrace different holistic therapies. Today the opportunities for people to try out new ideas and concepts are more readily available than ever before. Psychotherapy and counselling has flourished into a general acceptance. Some General practitioners promote counselling as a way forward rather than the patients only being offered powerful invasive drugs viewed with caution and some considered as highly addictive and not addressing the root of the client’s issue/s.I am in no doubt that through time and as this course progresses my perspective will change for the better. I have already started to question how I converse with peo ple on a one to one level. Questioning my ability to actually actively listen and observe my approach towards empathy & being non-judgemental. Feedback in class and group work will further contribute to these interpersonal skills in order to become a competent therapist.How I can/will deal with total honesty towards a client, under whatever circumstances, regardless of the client’s issue/s are certainly challenging tasks ahead of me. I am looking forward to practising the models and theories available. I understand that not every model or approach is suitable to every client and experience will help in my development for the good of the client. I am appreciative and thrilled to be living in today’s times, where opportunity and options are the norm for the majority of people.Today as a culture we not only require change but we encourage progress in the holistic world of therapies. REFERENCES: Rogers, C. (1951). Client Centered Therapy. UK: Constable & Robinson Ltd publi sher. Sanders, P. (2002). First Steps in Counselling. A Students’ companion for basic introductory courses Third edition, UK: Ross-on-Wye, Saunders, P. Franklin, A. Wilkins, P. (2009). Next Steps in Counselling Practise. Second edition, UK: Ross-on-Wye, PCCS Books. Saunders, P (2006). The Person-Centered Counselling Primer. UK: Ross-on-Wye, PCCS Books. Counselling Model â€Å"Evaluate the claim that Person Centred Therapy offers the therapist all that he/she will need to treat clients†. Word Count 2,508 During this essay I will present my findings as I view them. I am relatively new to counselling, this hinders my current experience and limits my opinions about therapy and what methodologies are more or less effective when offering therapy to clients.So, based on text book theories (only at this stage), I will present my findings about client centered therapy and incorporate a number of different methodologies that have assisted me to decipher the answer to this core question, and understanding how affective client centered therapy is as an approach. The research is informative and thought provoking. It certainly raises questions of how clients were viewed and treated in the past, right into the here and now. My task is to explore the above title, possibly uncovering a rather more complex theory than one may first assume.Initially I explored the world of psychotherapy to provide me with an insight and greater understanding on this subject, also identify the influences and changes that has occurred in a relatively short space of time in this developing area of psychology. As stated by Saunders (2002: pg 14). â€Å"From centuries-old ancient philosophies and cultures, through to current ideas in our own white European culture. A summary of the more recent landmarks would go back around 100 years to the work of Sigmund Freud†.Freud was a physician and the creator of many theories, primarily focussed on psychoanalysis. His work was from clinically derived experiences that were based on feedback from his patients during therapy. This gave birth to the ‘psychodynamic approach’ which stemmed from Freud’s collection of theories. Freud and his colleagues were psychologists who were treating their patients for depression or anxiety related disorders. Although shunned by the medical profession until late r in his career, Freud continued to shape and mould psychology as it is recognised today.Highly influential and extremely passionate professional men introduced their approaches into delivering the different theories/techniques, all of which have influenced and set the tone for the philosophy of psychology today. Definition of psychology, this was derived from the Latin it’s described in two parts, 1. â€Å"Psyche† meaning: Breathe, Sprit, Soul. 2. â€Å"Ology† meaning: Study of the mind. (Modern Latin, (Oxford dictionary 2000: pg, 652). Psychology emerged from Biology and philosophy, today it is closely linked with other disciplines including sociology, medicine, linguistics and anthropology.My main focus for study is Carl Rogers’s 1902-1987 (Rogerian approach). Counselling has emerged into a sophisticated therapy, thanks to Rogers’s intention to move towards supporting the client with a non-judgemental, kind and empathetic approach. Rogers develo ped his theories and debated about the vital skills required when a therapist engages with the client. Rogers not only theorised on mental illness he was also highly influential when developing other areas of therapies which I will explain further on.Rogers was resolute in his beliefs that the client’s success was based purely on his six core elements all blended together for an effective outcome. As the founder of client centered therapy Rogers was passionate about his ideas. The methodology he used was from a humanistic view and his techniques have made a huge impact into a world of psychology and psychotherapy. In 1942 the term ‘Non-Directive Therapy’ was born but changed nine years later by Rogers who preferred to use the term Client Centered Therapy.Other leading psychotherapy approaches were introduced from Albert Ellis (1913-2007), an American psychologist who instigated the ‘Cognitive approach’ known as Rational Emotional Behaviour Therapy (R EBT) that theorised that as people our thoughts control and depict our feelings it’s a directive therapy that is solution based. Whereas, Gerard Egan, founder of the ‘Integrative approaches’, claims to use whatever technique is appropriate according to the clients issues and is described as ‘middle of the road’ school of thought.From the beginning it was Rogers’s intention to provide a radical alternative to the then current â€Å"psychodynamic and behavioural† approaches. Psychotherapy was a vast unexplored area that was waiting for a new and different alternative which Rogers’s brought about. Psychiatrists are first and foremost medical practitioners who work from an established ‘Medical Model of Mental Illness’ Used by psychiatrists and mental health professionals to describe the full range of human psychological distress and disturbances. and according to Saunders ‘no more than a system of naming things (e. g. the term ‘neurosis’, [Literally meaning an infection of the nerves] is just a list of symptoms it actually explains nothing)†pg106. This was a long established method used when applying a treatment plan in which there was limited flexibility and had deep rooted entrenched guidelines. During the 1960’s Rogers began to use the principles of his approach into other areas such as education, management, group work and resolving conflict.Many years ago all treatments/ therapies were all encased under one label ‘medical treatment’ and in the early years psychotherapy would only be carried out in a ‘clinical environment’ where people were classified as ‘patients’ that need treatment to cure their illness. Counselling on the other hand can be viewed as both medical and educational. Rogers had to use the term ‘counselling’ as a requirement enforced by the American medical profession. The term counselling is deem ed suitable to use ‘if not causing medical disturbances but only deep issues in the mind’ (Saunders, (2002) pg107).Rogers conscientiously and gradually over time merged counselling/psychotherapy cohesively together. It is now virtually impossible to distinguish the differences between the two. The purpose of client centered therapy is to encourage the client to bring about their own self-awareness of their feelings. It is a nurturing process that functions without the counsellor/therapist suggesting or advising how to bring about change. It is not a solution based therapy. The therapist’s role when delivering this approach is to offer a safe and relaxed environment, where the atmosphere creates an aura of empathy, acceptance and no judgements.As stated by (Saunders 2006) â€Å"The unconditional positive regard element of this condition is not the same as ‘liking’ or ‘being nice to’ the client† pg 60. UPR is practised in client cen tered therapy no matter what the client chooses to disclose. This is achieved by the therapist reflecting and paraphrasing back to the client their inner feelings. The process will encourage positive feelings to facilitate in lifting the clients inner-self in this safe non-threatening environment. The aim is to encourage negativity to rise and bring about self-awareness for the client to explore their reasons for being in treatment.Carl Rogers assumed that all human beings, if given the right opportunity, are basically good and will strive towards goodness as their main goal. Secondly that the client’s experiences are unique only to themselves, and finally he felt that the client’s internal instincts would guide them into reaching their full potential resulting in self-actualization thus, creating self-healing as a ‘fully functioning individual’. Rogers states in his actualizing theory that â€Å"all human beings are drawn towards their natural tendencyâ €™, as we are more than just growth and survival†.Individuals need to understand their value and growth. All humanistic psychologists are focused on the person as a whole, where as the cognitive approach identifies ‘parts of the being’. Cognitive and behavioural approaches focus on irrational beliefs, effect feelings and are responsible for creating the behaviour. Rogers specified that we are instinctive ‘organismic’ individuals with the capacity of self-healing that involves psychological healing. Due to one’s self-doubt and an ingrained belief system (an instilled program since childhood) instils these self-defeating ideas into our psyche.Thus, creating a belief system of feeling scrutinized and judged. Person centered psychology is more interested in the clients own perception of their distress. We feel as individuals that our own beliefs are accurate and fail to recognize that these thought processes were planted by others (our primary carers and peers), through incidents and learnt behaviour. Client centered therapy is collaborative, it’s a guide to facilitate the client to seek out their own self-realization, which for some will be viewed as an advantage, it offers a free range approach to explore inner feelings, for both therapist and client.Client centered therapy encourages growth and its aim is in convert immaturity into maturity, this is vital for progress and healing. Rogers approach when implemented correctly should bring about activating the self-healing process he believes is found in each one of us as. Another well-known figure is Maslow who designed ‘A model’ shaped as a pyramid called the ‘Hierarchy of needs’ ‘Humanistic approach’ this is used in many areas of therapy including education and training in the work place.When Maslow’s basic core conditions are applied in a respectful, non-threatening manner they enable the client to direct the process of their phronesis (through their wisdom). Maslow’s theory consists of a five-step process, starting from the bottom and only raising to the next level by attaining that level of needs. Starting from a person’s basic physiological human need of survival require water, food and shelter. Stepping up again to the next level will accommodate the person’s requirement of personal safety and protection from danger and the emotional need for security.Raising again up to the third level it covers a person’s social needs that involve the need for acceptance by peers and friendship. Level four covers the need for self-respect and self-esteem. A person requires the emotional need for status and self-confidence, finally reaching the tip of the pyramid, is the need to reach and realise one’s own potential of self-actualisation. As stated in the chrysalis work book (module one: pg9), â€Å"Maslow believed that everyone is born with the potential to self-actuali se and that, given a good environment, this can be achieved†.He classified this as reaching a ‘peak experience’ which can be experiencing joy and unimaginable happiness. Rogers stressed the importance of his â€Å"six key conditions being both â€Å"Necessary and Sufficient† for therapeutic change to take place† as quoted by Saunders, P. (2006:9). The therapist and client have to have a genuine relationship based on a two way psychological connection. Rogers felt that if the client felt the slightest hint that this was not the case the counselling would be flawed from the onset. The client feels vulnerable and anxious and views themselves as needing assistance.The therapist needs to be balanced and healthy minded about their own residing issues and have dealt with their own issues during their training. As Rogers’s states, it is vital that the therapist â€Å"can accurately be himself in the relationship†. A fundamental requirement of C lient centered therapy specifies that the therapist actually feels a genuine regard towards the client. Rogers terms this as an ‘unconditional positive regard’ (UPR) an empathetic approach. The therapist needs to be authentic, transparent and a willingness to be open with self-disclosure.Rogers specifies that the client must be completely listened to without any interruption from the therapist, who should demonstrate that they have fully understood with a genuine regard to support the client. To support the number of approaches, Chrysalis designed ‘A Model’ (TIME) an acronym Temporal, Interventional, Multi- model, Empathy. This effective tool offers guidance when selecting an appropriate approach to be practiced accordingly with the formatted structure as a set of rules in which to be guided by. This is a profoundly simple tool that has been designed as a multi-model (it fits all).The TIME model’s function is to mix and match the client’s issu e/s, personality and suitability by selecting the appropriate treatment plan. Temporal meaning time, Interventional involves using other holistic therapies to run alongside these approached , which may assist with the cognitive side of the person for example using hypnotherapy by communicating with the subconscious, where positive suggestions and affirmations may be placed to replace the negative beliefs that are blocking/hindering progress. The client may relax enough to allow their own phronesis (practical instinctive wisdom) to appear.Multi Model is combining or selecting the different approaches from a variety of therapeutic sources. Chrysalis encourages the therapist to explore all approaches and form a comprehensive treatment plan that is tailored to an individual. The last area to discuss is empathy, all therapy is empathetic, and it would be impossible to implement without it. As suggested in Saunders primer (2006) â€Å"†¦ being empathetic is to perceive the internal frame of reference of another with accuracy, and with the emotional components and meanings†¦Ã¢â‚¬ pg 66.Empathy and communication is therefore essential. Disadvantages for some clients, if offering client centered therapy could be bring about discontentment, as it involves a long duration of time, (from the client’s perspective) they may not wish to attend numerous sessions, they may be unable to remain focused, affecting their motivation and stop attending. Client centered therapy may place too much pressure on the client if they themselves require direction and solutions to their predicament. Results are hard to gage thus, questioning its impact as a structured ystem. Client centered therapy may be seen as far too simple and the whole approach could be misunderstood thus, affecting its effectiveness. I like the feel of client centred therapy, for me it offers a kind, gentle and dignified treatment. The client may develop from this approach, however I can only surmise that as client centered therapy permits self-exploration, holistically healing the individual; it will not be suitable for all clients, as the question suggests but it is certainly suitable for dealing with the here and now and promotes self development.These modern times have seen a shift in emphasis with the medical approaches. The public are open to embrace different holistic therapies. Today the opportunities for people to try out new ideas and concepts are more readily available than ever before. Psychotherapy and counselling has flourished into a general acceptance. Some General practitioners promote counselling as a way forward rather than the patients only being offered powerful invasive drugs viewed with caution and some considered as highly addictive and not addressing the root of the client’s issue/s.I am in no doubt that through time and as this course progresses my perspective will change for the better. I have already started to question how I converse with peo ple on a one to one level. Questioning my ability to actually actively listen and observe my approach towards empathy & being non-judgemental. Feedback in class and group work will further contribute to these interpersonal skills in order to become a competent therapist.How I can/will deal with total honesty towards a client, under whatever circumstances, regardless of the client’s issue/s are certainly challenging tasks ahead of me. I am looking forward to practising the models and theories available. I understand that not every model or approach is suitable to every client and experience will help in my development for the good of the client. I am appreciative and thrilled to be living in today’s times, where opportunity and options are the norm for the majority of people.Today as a culture we not only require change but we encourage progress in the holistic world of therapies. REFERENCES: Rogers, C. (1951). Client Centered Therapy. UK: Constable & Robinson Ltd publi sher. Sanders, P. (2002). First Steps in Counselling. A Students’ companion for basic introductory courses Third edition, UK: Ross-on-Wye, Saunders, P. Franklin, A. Wilkins, P. (2009). Next Steps in Counselling Practise. Second edition, UK: Ross-on-Wye, PCCS Books. Saunders, P (2006). The Person-Centered Counselling Primer. UK: Ross-on-Wye, PCCS Books.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Gun Control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Gun Control - Essay Example This essay dwells upon the problem of gun control and its influence.There is a widespread perception that committing suicide is a long process that requires planning just like a wedding or something else. Studies have shown that suicide does not require much rational decision but it is something done spontaneously. This means that if a person came across a death striking murder is at the verge life and death. This might sound far-fetched, according to Boston Globe report, states with high level of gun ownership have a suicide rate almost twice as high as those states with low ownership level. More surprisingly, people who committed suicide were found to be seventeen times more likely to live with guns at home than not. Most criminals who cause a massacre utilize illegal weapons. Between 1982 and 2012, the US has heard an astonishing number of roughly sixty-two mass shooting which was propagated by gun licensing. Mother Jones research outlines that out of sixty-two shooting; forty-nine were perpetrated using legal weapons. It is worth noting that, half of all mass shooters use assault weapons and high capacity magazines. A few sensible restrictions could have saved a lot of lives. If a criminal is determined to pull off a massacre, he could do it very easily using a shotgun, handgun or even a musket. So putting controls on the assault firearms is a good thing and should be encouraged. Gun control decreases the number of lives lost through reckless act of senseless shooting thus it save lives. Australia parliament supports this action. In fact in 1996, a mass shooter killed thirty five people in port Arthur in a massacre, two weeks later, the prime minister by then , John Howard launched an aggressive clampdown on gun ownership that have never been experienced in the history of Australia. Within this exercise, around 650,000 automatic and semi-automatic weapons were destroyed and a whole raft of checks and controls brought in. As a result, individuals stop the aimless killing (Lott 52). In fact, the killing rate reduced to zero. The main aim of gun is consumed by the lifestyle of US citizen. Frankly, very few of those who

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Moral testimony Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Moral testimony - Article Example "Moral experts have no need to seek out others' moral expertise, but moral non-experts lack sufficient knowledge to determine whether the advice provided by a putative moral expert in response to complex moral situations is correct and hence whether an individual is a bone fide expert."1 The acceptance of moral testimony has been challenged on the basis that it does not make knowledge available to the recipient and therefore the use of such a knowledge is illegitimate.Before the reasons for this objection are discussed it is worth noting that little academic attention has actually been paid to the idea of whether or not testimony can be a legitimate source of moral beliefs.2 "we should be open to being persuaded by others, responsive to moral argument; but we should not take their word on moral issues, not allow ourselves to be influenced by the fact that they hold a certain view''.if, on the other hand, reliance on moral testimony is legitimate, there will still be questions about the conditions under which it is so". 3 This means that even though it is hard for us as humans to reject or accept moral judgements and considerations subconsciously , we cannot let these considerations to become a part of our analyses in real life. For example my idea that a certain person is "racist" or a "liar" is based on my own perceptions and experiences. When dealing with this person my prejudices will inevitably suffice (even though in a very subtle manner).However any action by a third party based on my views or "moral testimony" should not be relied upon. Even if my moral testimony does form the basis of another party's reaction or action and it is subsequently accepted Hopkins(2007) believes that there should be a more "solid" reason for doing so rather than my own value judgements. It has been further suggested that "moral discourse, for some reason or other, cannot meet the conditions necessary for learning from the word of others. Since the epistemology is wrong, there is no knowledge to be had from testimonial transactions on moral matters."(Hopkins 2007). It is for this reason that it is believed that it would be rather "illegitimate" to let other's claims guide one's moral belief. For example as an employer of a person I might be faced with the moral testimony of the hiring committee that this person has "moral shortcomings" but I cannot base my judgement on these moral shortcomings. Firstly because morality is largely a matter of perception and the evidence offered in this regard will also be based on "feelings" or the personal experiences of the moral expert, and not actual evidence of their shortcoming like theft or irresponsibility on the job. Of course the contrary view in this regards is that in the right circumstances, moral dialogue may meet and fulfil all the criteria of testimonies in general (Hopkins 2007). The problem however remains that moral testimony lies in a standard that only relates to morals and since knowledge is right, testimony does make moral knowledge available. (Hopkins 2007) For a more profound analysis of this issue it is necessary to delve deeper into what the words "moral" and "testimony" entail in