Reflection on Sending US Troops to Iraq

Reflection on Sending US Troops to Iraq Why The U.S. Should Leave Iraq. We have been in Iraq since President George Bush launched the invasion on Iraq in March 2003. Since then the war the U.S. has spent about seven hundred million dollars. While we still are in fighting to try to rebuild Iraq when we should be trying to save the U.S. from the down fall of our own economy since March of last year. From the National Priorities Project website I found this chart that shows the cost by year the money we are spending on the war in Iraq as well as Afghanistan. Another reason why staying in Iraq is just a bad idea, as John Weiss states, â€Å"We face a paradox in Iraq: the longer we stay, the stronger our enemies become. We cannot defeat either the insurgency or the civil war resulting from our invasion and occupation; in fact, both have grown stronger. Nor can we protect the Iraqis we came to save. A corrupt Iraqi government wastes the billions we have allocated for rebuilding, while the middle class flees to avoid the danger. The Pentagon trains Iraqis to fight, but we may well be training the army of our future enemies.†(Weiss) The longer we are there the more the people there will learn how to hurt the U.S. learn the ways to operate our own military forces. The longer we leave our troops the longer the people of Iraq have time to see what we do in the middle of war. The longer we stay the longer our nation stays unprotected, think about it we have all these troops across seas fighting when and if there is another terrorist attack we in a way have our shields down. It will take longer for us to get prepared or try to reassemble what just happened. Also I ask the question why are we sending more troops? Costing the nation more money, endangering the lives of more Americans? If we are doing what needs to be done and we are doing our job why send more? If they are fighting back harder than we are wasting our time trying to save a lost cause. Hurting our own nation to support a country just so oil prices will drop seems to be a little much some would say. Like Cenk Uygur says. â€Å"If were doing well, its because of the extra troops so we shouldnt pull them out. If were doing poorly, obviously we need more troops. Either way, we need more troops and need to stay in Iraq longer. This supposition is obvious nonsense, yet were taking it seriously.†( Uygur) On the other hand I guess you could say a reason why we should stay in Iraq is, by leaving our troops in Iraq and leave a few there set up a base to watch over operations of what is going on. In one article Marcus Fryman puts it, â€Å"You see, some people are just incapable of thinking long term. In the grand scheme of things, its better to keep US troops in Iraq just so theyll be ready to enter into combat operations in Iran. I mean, doesnt it seem pointless bringing them all the way back home only to deploy them back onto the streets of Tehran a month later?†(Fryman) Plus it could have the opportunity to set up more jobs in the future. Have you ever heard of the term PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder)? It is defined as a severe anxiety disorder can develop after exposure to any event which results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to ones own or someone elses physical, sexual, or psychological integrity, overwhelming the individuals psychological defenses. Symptoms include re-experiencing original trauma, by means of flashbacks or nightmares; avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma; and increased arousal, such as difficulty falling or staying asleep, anger. Formal diagnostic criteria require that the symptoms last more than one month and cause significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning, meaning trying to fit back into society or trying to get back to work after experience PTSD. In a test given to 2525 soldiers returning from a year-long tour in Iraq, 124 (4.9%) reported injuries with loss of co nsciousness, 260 (10.3%) reported injuries with altered mental status, and 435 (17.2%) reported other injuries during deployment. Of those reporting loss of consciousness, 43.9% met criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as compared with 27.3% of those reporting altered mental status, 16.2% with other injuries, and 9.1% with no injury. Soldiers with mild traumatic brain injury, primarily those who had loss of consciousness, were significantly more likely to report poor general health, missed workdays, medical visits, and a high number of somatic and post concussive symptoms than were soldiers with other injuries. However, after adjustment for PTSD and depression, mild traumatic brain injury was no longer significantly associated with these physical health outcomes or symptoms, except for headache. I found a story about a soldier call him Mr. K, a 38-year-old National Guard soldier, was assessed in an outpatient psychiatric clinic several months after he returned home fr om a 12-month deployment to the Sunni Triangle in Iraq, where he had his first exposure to combat in his 10 years of National Guard duty. Before deployment, he worked successfully as an automobile salesman, was a happily married father with children ages 10 and 12 years, and was socially outgoing with a large circle of friends and active in civic and church activities. While in Iraq, he had extensive combat exposure. His platoon was heavily shelled and was ambushed on many occasions, often resulting in death or injury to his buddies. He was a passenger on patrols and convoys in which roadside bombs destroyed vehicles and wounded or killed people with whom he had become close. He was aware that he had killed a number of enemy combatants, and he feared that he may also have been responsible for the deaths of civilian bystanders. He blamed himself for being unable to prevent the death of his best friend, who was shot by a sniper. When asked about the worst moment during his deployment, he readily stated that it occurred when he was unable to intercede, but only to watch helplessly, while a small group of Iraqi women and children were killed in the crossfire during a particularly bloody assault. Since returning home, he has been anxious, irritable, and on edge most of the time. He has become preoccupied with concerns about the personal safety of his family, keeping a loaded 9-mm pistol with him at all times and under his pillow at night. Sleep has been difficult, and when sleep occurs, it has often been interrupted by vivid nightmares during which he thrashes about, kicks his wife, or jumps out of bed to turn on the lights. His children complained that he has become so overprotective that he will not let them out of his sight. His wife reported that he has been emotionally distant since his return. She also believed that driving the car had become dangerous when he is a passenger because he has sometimes reached over suddenly to grab the steering wheel because he thinks he has seen a roadside bomb. His friends have wearied of inviting him to social gatherings because he has consistently turned down all invitations to get together. His employer, who has patiently supported him, has reported that his work has suffered dramatically, that he seems preoccupied with his own thoughts and irritable with customers, that he often makes mistakes, and that he has not functioned effectively at the automobile dealership where he was previously a top salesman. Mr. K acknowledged that he has changed since his deployment. He reported that he sometimes experiences strong surges of fear, panic, guilt, and despair and that at other times he has felt emotionally dead, unable to return the love and warmth of family and friends. Life has become a terrible burden. Although he has not been actively suicidal, he reported that he sometimes thinks everyone would be better off if he had not survived his tour in Iraq. Do we want more troops coming back with things like t his happening when they do not even what our help anymore? Is it worth it? I find myself asking the same question. With everything going on here in the United States I do not think we have the money and are running out of the resources to keep fighting a battle that just may be already lost. By pulling out bring most of our troops home back their families, saves lives, and makes a stronger nation. We can keep some troops there you know a small base let our presents be known. I think we need to keep an eye on them, but this fighting for lost cause just needs to end. Sources. Weiss, John. Why We Should Leave Iraq Now. History News Network. 10-9-06 . Uygur, Cenk. Three Reasons Why We Should Leave Iraq. Mo Rocca 180. 4-10-2008 . Cost of War. National Priorities Project . 2008 . Fryman, Marcus. 10 Reasons Why US Troops Should Stay in Iraq. Marcus Frymans 10 reasons why. 2-27-2009 . Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in U.S. Soldiers Returning from Iraq. The New England Journal of Medicine. January 31, 2008 . Friedman, Matthew. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Military Returnees From Afghanistan and Iraq. Treatment in Psychiatry. 4, April 2006 .

The Myth Of The Family :: essays research papers

The Myth of the Model Family THOSE OF US WHO grew up in the 1950s got an image of the American family that was not, shall we say, accurate. We were told, Father Knows Best, Leave It to Beaver, and Ozzie and Harriet were not just the way things were supposed to be—but the way things were It's probably good that life wasn't like the television shows in the '50s—we wouldn't have many women now. Take a look at the ratio of boys to girls on the most popular family shows. Ozzie and Harriet had two boys, no girls. Leave It to Beaver had two boys, no girls. Rifleman had one boy, one rifle, no girls. Lassie had one boy, one dog (supposedly a girl, but played by a boy), and no girls. My Three Sons had—well, that one's obvious. Bonanza had three grown-up boys. Although Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in real life had one boy and one girl, on I Love Lucy they had one boy. The only shows with daughters were The Donna Reed Show (one boy, one girl) and that lighthouse to womanhood—despite its title—Father Knows Best (one boy, two girls). Grown to maturity, that's a late-1960s dating population of fifteen men to three women. Almost all the households were mama-papa-kiddies: the nuclear family. (The exceptions were My Three Sons and Bonanza: Steve Douglas [Fred MacMurray] and Ben Cartwright were widowers.) There were no prior marriages, no children from prior relationships, no threat or even thought of divorce, and the closest thing we saw to physical abuse was Ralph Kramden's, "One of these days, Alice, one of these days . . . to the moon!" There were no infidelities, no drinking problems, no drugs (not even prescription tranquilizers), no racism (How could there be? With the exception of Hop Sing and Ricky Ricardo, there was only one race; even the Hispanic gardener on Father Knows Best was named Frank Smith). There was no dropping out of school, no political discussion (much less political differences), no unemployment (except for Ozzie's early retirement), no severe economic problem (except for a crop failure on Lassie, when they had to sell all the livestock, including Lassie; but just befo re being carted off, Lassie pawed the ground and struck oil, and everything was okay again. Except for Lassie, who looked as though the Exxon Valdez had dumped its forward holding tanks on her).

Meaning and Definition of Philosophy Essay

The term â€Å"Philosophy† is derived from two Greek words, Philia meaning â€Å"to love† or â€Å"to befriend† and, Sophia meaning â€Å"wisdom. † Thus, philosophy, means â€Å"the love of wisdom†. It was coined by Pythagoras, one of the sages of ancient Greece, born about the year 584 B. C. Philosophy is an activity people undertake when they seek to understand fundamental truths about themselves, the world in which they live, and their relationships to the world and to each other. As an academic discipline philosophy is much the same. Those who study philosophy are perpetually engaged in asking, answering, and arguing for their answers to life’s most basic questions. To make such a pursuit more systematic academic philosophy is traditionally divided into major areas of study. Characteristics of Philosophy Philosophy is distinguished from theology in that philosophy rejects dogma and deals with speculation rather than faith. Covers areas of inquiry where no facts as such are available. Philosophy attains knowledge, not by making use of the principles or articles of faith, but by the use of the principle of natural cognition, which may be obtained from the investigation of nature and the natural study of things. Methods of Philosophy Philosophy investigates the ultimate causes of things, it is enough for it to part from unquestionable experience. It employs rational inference as its main instrumentality. Hence, it is experiential, but chiefly rational. Philosophy uses the rational method in solving problems. The rational method means not only reasoning but also contemplation combined with and confirmed by experience, observation, reflection and tradition. Philosophy as a Science and as an Art Philosophy is a science that systematically develops a hypothesis with the use of analytical tools that would help resolve the problem through logical reasoning. It is open for debates as a human endeavor to seek the truth through learnt knowledge. Philosophy is an art because you require inherent skills & natural ability to apply the philosophical principles. Philosophy stands at the pinnacle of artistic pursuits. Philosophy is the crystallization of artistic expression. Distinction and Commonalities between Science and Philosophy a) Objects – Both science and philosophy attempts to understand and explain nature and reality. Science asks what and how and is only concerned with measurable data. In philosophy, it also asks why and is also concerned with things that can’t be measured. b) Methods – The methods of both science and philosophy is done through observation and rationality. The only difference is that science uses instruments while philosophy only uses reflection. c) Procedure – Both science and philosophy starts with a thing that is unknown which you want to know something about. The only difference between the two is that science uses scientific method to come up with a result while philosophy don’t. d) Conclusions – Both science and philosophy raises questions even after they have come up with a conclusion. Science’ conclusion, if proven, may become a law while in philosophy is only a way of how to look at things and can’t become a law. Main Branches of Philosophy Metaphysics It is a branch of philosophy that studies the ultimate structure and constitution of reality. It is usually concerned with questions such as, what is being, what is a thing, what is the thing hood of things and what makes our world a world of things at all? Aristotle, Plato and Aquinas are some of the people who supported Metaphysics. Ethics Also known as moral philosophy, the field of ethics involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior. Philosophers in this branch attempts to answer questions such as: what is good? What is right? Is morality objective or subjective? How should I treat others? Immanuel Kant and Plato are some who advocated ethics. Ethics today are divided into three general subject areas: meta-ethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics. a. Meta-ethics – Investigates where our ethical principles come from, and what they mean. Meta-ethics answers to the questions of, are they merely social inventions, and do they involve more the expressions of our individual emotions? b. Normative Ethics – Takes on a more practical task, which is to arrive at moral standards that regulate right and wrong conduct. Involves in having good habits, following duties, and knowing the consequences of our behavior on others. c. Applied Ethics – Involves in examining specific controversial issues, such as abortion, capital punishments or homosexuality. Aesthetics A branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of art, beauty, and taste, with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensory-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiments and taste. Some of the questions are concerned with the value of aesthetics and the variety of aesthetic attitudes, what can life be like? Immanuel Kant is the most influential theorist in this branch of philosophy. Epistemology It is the study of knowledge. Epistemologists concern themselves with a number of tasks, which we might sort into two categories. First is to determine the nature of knowledge; what does it mean to say that someone knows, or fails to know something? Second is to determine the extent of human knowledge; how much do we, can we, know? Aside from its focus on the nature of knowledge, Epistemology also focuses how it relates to connected notions such as truth, belief, and justification. a. Belief – Knowledge is a kind of belief. If one has no beliefs about a particular matter, one cannot have knowledge about it. b. Truth – Knowledge, then, requires belief. Of course, not all beliefs constitute knowledge. Belief is necessary but not sufficient for knowledge. We are all sometimes mistaken in what we believe; in other words, while some of our beliefs are true, others are false. As we try to acquire knowledge, then, we are trying to increase our stock of true beliefs. c. Justification – Just as knowledge requires successfully achieving the objective of true belief, it also requires success with regard to the formation of that belief. In other words, not all true beliefs constitute knowledge; only true beliefs arrived at in the right way constitute knowledge. Rational Psychology Metaphysical discipline that attempted to determine the nature of the human soul by a priori reasoning. Its subject-matter is the soul or mind, and its major task is to prove the immortality of the soul. It is also called Pneumatology, study of spirit or soul. One of three disciplines under â€Å"special metaphysics† in Christian Wolff’s division of metaphysics. Theodicy This philosophy study concerns God: His existence and His nature. It also attempts to reconcile the seeming conflict between the goodness of God and the existence of evil in the world. The term was coined in 1710 by German philosopher Gottfried Leibniz. Do you believe in God? Does God really exist? These are some of the questions that are raised in Theodicy. Social Philosophy The philosophical study of questions about social behavior of humans. The philosophy of social science can be described broadly as having two aims. First, it seeks to produce a rational reconstruction of social science. Second, the philosophy of social science seeks to critique the social sciences with the aim of enhancing their ability to explain the social world or otherwise improve our understanding of it. Thus philosophy of social science is both descriptive and prescriptive. What is the method of social science? Does social science use the same methods as natural science? These are some of the questions that concerns the philosophers. Logic Logic is one of the most important and oldest branches of philosophy and its subject matter falls at the core of philosophizing. Logic studies patterns of reasoning dividing them into those that are valid and invalid with respect to a set of given rules. Aristotle is one of the proponent of this branch of philosophy. Aristotle does not believe that the purpose of logic is to prove that human beings can have knowledge, instead, the aim of logic is the elaboration of a coherent system that allows us to investigate, classify, and evaluate good and bad forms of reasoning. Other Subfields Philosophy of Science This is probably the largest subfield generated by epistemology. Philosophy of science is usually divided into philosophy of the natural sciences and philosophy of the social sciences. It has recently been divided further, into philosophy of physics, biology, psychology, economics, and other sciences. Philosophy of science clarifies both the quest for scientific knowledge and the results yielded by that quest. It does this by exploring the logic of scientific evidence; the nature of scientific laws, explanations, and theories; and the possible connections among the various branches of science. How, for instance, is psychology related to brain biology, and biology to chemistry? And how are the social sciences related to the natural sciences? It is not an attempt to â€Å"do† science, but to ask questions about how science is done or why science is done and how and why it may be a good method. It is concerned with all the assumptions, foundations, methods, implications of science, and with the use and merit of science. This discipline sometimes overlaps metaphysics, ontology and epistemology when it explores whether scientific results comprise a study of truth. Plato, Aristotle, and Empedocles are some of the many philosophers of science. Philosophy of Education. A field of applied philosophy that examines the aims, forms, methods, and results of education as both a process and a field of study. It is influenced both by developments within philosophy, especially questions of ethics and epistemology, and by concerns arising from instructional practice. Some of the philosophers of philosophy of education: Socrates, contributed his dialectic method of inquiry. Plato and his vision of ideal Republic. Aristotle who considered human nature, habit and reason to be equally important forces to be cultivated in education. Philosophy of Religion. Philosophy of religion is the philosophical study of the meaning and nature of religion. It includes the analyses of religious concepts, beliefs, terms, arguments, and practices of religious adherents. The range of those engaged in the field of philosophy of religion is broad and diverse and includes philosophers from the analytic and continental traditions, Eastern and Western thinkers, religious believers and agnostics, skeptics and atheists. Philosophy of religion draws on all of the major areas of philosophy as well as other relevant fields, including theology, history, sociology, psychology, and the natural sciences. Aristotle, Peter Abelard and St. Thomas Aquinas are some of the major philosophers of religion. Six main focus of philosophy of religion: a) Religious Language and Belief b) Religious Diversity c) Concepts of God / Ultimate Reality d) Arguments for and against the Existence of God e) Problems of Evil and Suffering f) Miracles Philosophy of History History is the study of the past in all its forms. Philosophy of history examines the theoretical foundations of the practice, application, and social consequences of history and historiography. It is similar to other area studies – such as philosophy of science or philosophy of religion – in two respects. First, philosophy of history utilizes the best theories in the core areas of philosophy like metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics to address questions about the nature of the past and how we come to know it: whether the past proceeds in a random way or is guided by some principle of order, how best to explain or describe the events and objects of the past, how historical events can be considered causally efficacious on one another, and how to adjudicate testimony and evidence. Second, as is the case with the other area-studies, philosophy of history investigates problems that are unique to its subject matter. History focuses on the unique rather than the general. The founding philosopher of history is St. Augustine. St. Augustine was the first Christian to offer a comprehensive Philosophy of History. One of his greatest accomplishments was the sanctification of Plato’s understanding of the two realms: the perfect Celestial Kingdom and the corrupt copy. Philosophy of Politics and Law. Study of such topics as politics, liberty, justice, property, rights, law, and the enforcement of a legal code by authority: what they are, why they are needed, what makes a government legitimate. Philosophy of law (or legal philosophy) is concerned with providing a general philosophical analysis of law and legal institutions. Issues in the field range from abstract conceptual questions about the nature of law and legal systems to normative questions about the relationship between law and morality and the justification for various legal institutions. Three categories into which the topics of legal philosophy fall: analytic jurisprudence, normative jurisprudence, and critical theories of law. a) Analytic jurisprudence – Involves providing an analysis of the essence of law so as to understand what differentiates it from other systems of norms, such as ethics. b) Normative jurisprudence – Involves the examination of normative, evaluative, and otherwise prescriptive issues about the law, such as restrictions on freedom, obligations to obey the law, and the grounds for punishment. c) Critical Theories of Law – Challenges more traditional forms of legal philosophy such as, critical legal studies and feminist jurisprudence. Philosophy of Mind This subfield has emerged from metaphysical concerns with the mind and mental phenomena. The philosophy of mind addresses not only the possible relations of the mental to the physical, but the many concepts having an essential mental element: belief, desire, emotion, feeling, sensation, passion, will, personality, and others. A number of major questions in the philosophy of mind cluster in the area of action theory: What differentiates actions, such as raising an arm, from mere body movements, such as the rising of an arm? Must mental elements, for example intentions and beliefs, enter into adequate explanations of our actions, or can actions be explained by appeal to ordinary physical events? And what is required for our actions to be free? Aristotle is one proponent of this discipline.

Barney’s View of Our World

Barney’s (2007) shows on visiting the zoo as well as play reading were fantastic in that they revealed an extremely peaceful view of our world. As a matter of fact, the message of both of these shows was founded on the principle of friendship. Barney’s song in both shows, â€Å"I love you/ You love me/ We’re a happy family/ With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you/ Won’t you say you love me too? † is sensational not only because it focuses on family and love, but also for the reason that it does not leave any room for negativity in human relations.The children on Barney’s shows did not fight at all, neither did they try to beat others in various competitions. Rather, each child’s individuality was recognized and valued. Barney’s show on visiting the zoo expressed the child’s sense of curiosity in a wonderful way. The children had gone to the zoo for a trip of exploration. Moreover, the children were divided by age. Nevertheless, each child knew what was relevant for his or her age group. The younger children did not envy the older children because the latter were more knowledgeable; neither did the older children envy the cuteness of the younger.Rather, they all showed respect for the knowledge given them; and they cherished their togetherness. The show on play reading undoubtedly described reading as fun. Barney sang a song with the children: â€Å"Books are fun/ Books are great/ Let’s sit down with a book today. † All children danced and then sat with books through the song. The show also had a segment on art work. In this, all children drew and painted, without anybody trying to best the others through superior art.The theme of both shows was friendship with respect to learning. The message was: We learn best when we are with friends, when we are positive and happy rather than negative and BARNEY’S VIEW OF OUR WORLD Page # 2 sad. Furthermore, there is no tension of comp etition among Barney and his friends. He is a great group leader for the children, who follow him and love him absolutely.Although our culture is defined by competition, and violence rather than peace is on the news channel, Barney’s television shows remind us about our true universal values. Jesus comes to mind at this point, because he had said that adults must become like children before they can find their way to Heaven. In this way, Barney’s theme and message are totally applicable in our culture, seeing that most of us believe in Jesus’ words. Many children learn about competition very early in life. This competition is often sibling-related.In school, children may start competing for higher ranks. All the same, every individual would like the sense of humaneness whereby everybody is recognized for his or her own talents and skills. Such is the message of Barney, taking us back to perhaps the newborn stage of life when it really did not matter how better o r worse we were with respect to others. It may very well be that Jesus was talking about this newborn stage of life when he mentioned that we must become like children in order to find our way.It is obvious that Barney is not depicting our actual culture in the conditions we live through today. Rather, the show is reminding us about our true universal values – values that everybody forming a part of our culture believes in, unconsciously or consciously. BARNEY’S VIEW OF OUR WORLD Page # 3 References 1. Barney. (2007, March 5-6). Television. Nick Junior.

Pragmatism and teachers role Essay

Pragmatism is an American philosophy from the early 20th century. According to Pragmatism, the truth or meaning of an idea or a proposition lies in its observable practical consequences rather than anything metaphysical. It can be summarized by the phrase â€Å"whatever works, is likely true.† Because reality changes, â€Å"whatever works† will also change — thus, truth must also be changeable and no one can claim to possess any final or ultimate truth. C.S. Peirce on Pragmatism: C.S. Peirce, who coined the term Pragmatism, saw it as more a technique to help us find solutions than a philosophy or solution to problems. Peirce used it as a means for developing linguistic and conceptual clarity (and thereby facilitate communication) with intellectual problems. He wrote: â€Å"Consider what effects, which might conceivably have practical bearings, we conceive the object of our conception to have. Then our conception of these effects is the whole of our conception of the object.† William James on Pragmatism: William James is the most famous philosopher of Pragmatism and he’s the one who made Pragmatism itself famous. For James, Pragmatism was about value and morality: the purpose of philosophy was to understand what had value to us and why. James argued that ideas and beliefs have value to us only when they work. James wrote on Pragmatism: â€Å"Ideas become true just so far as they help us to get into satisfactory relations with other parts of our experience.† John Dewey on Pragmatism: In a philosophy he called Instrumentalism, John Dewey attempted to combine both Perice’s and James’ philosophies of Pragmatism. It was thus both about logical concepts as well as ethical analysis. Instrumentalism describes Dewey’s ideas the conditions under which reasoning and inquiry occurs. On the one hand it should be controlled by logical constraints; on the other hand it is directed at producing goods and valued satisfactions. What is the Role of a Teacher According to Pragmatism? According to pragmatism teacher is a friend, guide and philosopher to the child. He must educate the child in social environment so that he may attain social efficiency. There must be positive relationship between teacher and taught. His behavior towards children must be sympathetic. His attitude should be democratic and child must have academic freedom. His function is to suggest problems to his pupils and to stimulate them to find for themselves solutions which will work. His emphasis is not on the knowledge as arranged and systematized in the text-books. He wants the children to do one experiment or to have a particular experience. ‘Doing’ is more important than knowing. Like Socrates the Pragmatist teacher wants â€Å"his pupils to think and act for them, to do rather than to know, to originate rather than to repeat.† Pragmatism and School John Dewey maintains that school is a ‘Miniature Society’ here a child gets real experiences to act and behave according to his interests, aptitudes and capacities. Pragmatists regard school as a social institution where the child gains real experiences of actual life which develop in him social sense and a sense of duty towards society and the nation. Group games, working in laboratories and studying in libraries with others are the various activities and experiences which inculcate in children social qualities, social attitudes together with a spirit of mutual help and cooperative activities. In this way, according to Pragmatism the school is not a centre of education alone but it is also a community centre of various activities and experiences. Contribution of Pragmatism in Education Aims It lays more stress on social and vocational efficiency. Teacher It gives important place to teacher. Student It stresses on child-centered education. Teaching Method New teaching methods are the contribution of pragmatism. Curriculum It lays more stress on experience and learning by doing. Evaluation of Pragmatism Opposition of Pre-determined Ideas Pragmatism opposes pre-determined ideals and values. They are man-made and change according to the changes in circumstances, time and place. Opposition of Eternal Truth Pragmatism does not have any faith in eternal truth. Pragmatists believe that if the result of an activity is satisfactory then it is true otherwise not. No Fix System of Education. Pragmatism provides academic freedom to every institution which leads them nowhere. Pragmatism gives no fixed ideal to education. Such an education is bound to be fruitless. Emphasis on Material and Negation of Spiritual Values There is no room for spiritual values in pragmatism. It gives more Weight age to material values. Without spiritual values, we cannot achieve happiness, contentment and peace of mind and can go astray. Laxity in Discipline Pragmatism allows full freedom to the child who is not proper at the school stage and it leads to serious chaos and confusion. Condemnation of Formal Education Pragmatism advocates that all knowledge should be acquired through direct personal experiences. But knowledge is so vast and the span of life so short, that it is quite impossible to receive all knowledge through direct experiences. Hence acquiring all knowledge needs personal experiences and formal education both. Negation of the Past Pragmatism gives undue importance to the present. It ignores both past and future. The study of past is important to understand the present. Also there is need to link the present with future. Pragmatism is a Method Only. Pragmatism is not a philosophy of life but only a method of education, growth and development. In the words of William James â€Å"There is absolutely nothing new in the pragmatic method. It is just empirical attitude. It has no dogmas and no doctrines save its methods.† Pragmatism believes in Pluralism which is not proper. Merits of Pragmatism Project Method Project method is a gift of pragmatism. Through this method child attains knowledge by solving his practical problems. He performs the problematic acts in natural conditions. This method lays emphasis on learning through experiences. Importance of Child Opposing bookish knowledge and formal education, pragmatism lays great stress upon the development of child’s individuality by his own efforts. This makes education child- centre. Emphasis on Activity The principle of learning by doing is the main contribution of pragmatism. Children are active by nature. It emphasizes on the activity of the child. It prepares the child for future life in a very effective manner. Revolutionized the Process of Education This philosophy has infused life and zest in contribution. The concepts of ‘New Education’, ‘Progressive Education’ and Activity-centre curriculum which have changed the education outlook are the contribution of pragmatism. Social and Democratic Education Pragmatism infuses in a child a spirit of freedom, initiative, equality and also a sense of responsibility in relation to rights and duties of a citizen. This develops in the child love for democratic values and social efficiency which bring harmonious adjustment and development of personality. Progressive Attitude Pragmatism emphasizes the qualities of freedom initiative expression, experiences congenial, environment, purposeful creativity and development of human values for the welfare of whole mankind. In the words of Rusk â€Å"It is merely a stage in the development of a new Idealism that will do full justice to reality, reconcile the practical and spiritual values and result in a culture which is the flower of efficiency.† Pragmatism is an attitude and a way of living which, opposing the old doctrines of Idealism and Naturalism inspires the individual to look ahead and creates new values for an unknown future so that he leads a better, happier and a richer life.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Mainstream Supply Chains Essay

Strengths and Weaknesses of Mainstream Supply Chains - Essay Example As the report declares supply chain management is an essential component of the management tools of organizations dealing in the flow of goods and services. Value creation is important for organizations because the main objective for existence of companies is to make profits. It means that companies must design a competitive infrastructure through which all its supplies and products/services will flow. The ease of flow of which products/services from the manufacturers to the final consumer is tantamount to the efficiency, and largely the profitability, of such manufacturers. According to the research findings conversely, the manufacturers or service providers must design an efficient infrastructure through which raw materials flow from the supplies. Besides the suppliers and the final consumers of products and services, supply chains involve many other entities, who either create value or facilitate the movement of products and services across the supply chain. Accordingly, organizations employ supply chain management as a means of ensuring smooth flow of raw materials from the suppliers and efficiency in delivery of products/services to the end customers. The logistics of supply chain management increase tremendously when it comes to international businesses. The global context of the supply chain involves many middle parties from across the globe. As a result, Global Production Networks (GPN) becomes inevitable, particularly for multinationals with subsidiaries in far-flung countries where the supplies do not have a base.

Ambiguity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ambiguity - Essay Example It seems that the context for which ambiguity is expressed is the main deciding factor in its impact. Its impact should be judged on presumed results of that expression. If we consider the advertising industry, people often feel that the nature of advertising in the postmodern era needs ambiguous presentation at times to attract multitude of audience. They feel that ambiguous advertising can attract more audience while satisfying orthodox thinkers about the presentation nature of a product or service. For example, if we consider the marketing of a product that is treated as unconventional, ambiguous advertising can serve two purposes. Firstly, a viewer can get impressed by the appealing presentation of the product and more inclined towards acquiring the product (The Ambiguity of Advertising, 2008). Secondly, this nature helps in attracting multiple audiences with different perceptions (The Ambiguity of Advertising, 2008). It helps respective company and/or advertising agencies to defend their marketing strategy in case of any controversies. Moreover, the ambiguous presentation aids in attracting vast audience with minimal and intelligent investment. However, this attitude may sometimes backfire with its enormous negative consequences (The Ambiguity of Advertising, 2008). The reasons for it can be related to the same factors that hill attracting more customers. Lack of clarity in advertising the intended benefits of a product or service leads to confusion for the audience whether or not to opt for its service. Also, people who misinterpret or identify exactly the actual purpose of the advertisement may feel reluctant to acquire it. With the advancements in technologies and change of various dimensions in the world, the level of ambiguity at various levels has increased dramatically over the years (Alessandra, 2001). This nature has