Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Fried Green Tomatoes At The Whistle Stop Cafe Essay examples -- essays
Love is one of the most powerful forces in the world, and one of the most difficult to describe. It is one of those emotions that words do not seem to justify a person may feel it, but may not be able to explain it. However, that does not mean that people do not know that love is out there. Many people believe that everyone has one true love somewhere in the world, and spend their lives searching for that person. Love is not difficult to find though. It exists in many forms, including love between family members, friends, different races, and even the love for oneself, both in the novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Frannie Flagg and in one's own life.The first and most basic form of love is found in the family. From the time a child is born, in usual circumstances, that child is loved unconditionally. A person grows up with their family, and is able to express who they really are. Because of this, ties within the family are usually quite strong. Take for example the relationship between Idgie and Buddy: Idgie (Imogene), a dare-devilish tomboy, and her older brother Buddy are quite close until Buddy's untimely death. Idgie takes his passing with difficulty: "You never saw anybody hurt so much. I thought she would die right along with him" (Flagg, p.37). Another example of the love felt within a family is Stump (Buddy Jr.), who is Ruth's son, Ruth herself, and Idgie. Stump's father is murdered, and grows up with Ruth and Idgie as his parents. Ruth and Idgie do everything possible to try and keep Stump happy. In fact, when Stump is feeling self-conscious about being with a female in the sexual sense, it is Idgie who arranges for him to have intercourse with a friend of hers: "'It's just that I'm scared, Aunt Idgie. I'm just plain scared'" (Flagg, p.266). "The door of the cabin opened, and a freshly bathed, powdered, and perfumed woman with rust-colored hair and apple-green eyes said, 'Come on in, sugar,' as Idgie drove away" (Flagg, p.267). Also, another example of family love is how hard Jasper Peavey works, and how he scrapes to white people to get enough money to support his family: "The burial policy for his family was paid off, he had sent all four of his children through college, and not one of them would ever have to live off tips. That was the one thought that had kept him going all the hard,... ...wful despair had started when she finally began to realize that nothing was ever going to change... She began to feel as if she were at the bottom of a well, screaming, no one to hear" (Flagg, p.63). As Evelyn becomes friends with Ninny, she learns from her that it is pointless to feel so hopeless and despondent. After Evelyn manages to rid herself of her alter-ego, Towanda the Avenger, she begins to understand and feel good about herself. She also attends a weight-loss spa where she "found her group, the group she had been looking for all her life" (Flagg, p.374). By the end of the novel, Evelyn is a happy, well-adjusted middle-aged woman who is finally able to love herself.Love can be uncovered almost anywhere. In the novel by Frannie Flagg, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, love is a powerful force that is found in many forms: love between family members, love between friends, love between races, and the love that a person has for themselves. This love is important because without it there would be an extensive amount of fighting between people, and a greater lack of respect between citizens. To maintain the sanity of the world, there must be love.
Plastics :: essays research papers
Plastics are a product that is very common in our everday usage. We use plastics everywhere ranging for Tupperware to the cars that we drive. Although most everyone has accepted the fact that plastics make our lives easier and has become essential to us, there are people out there who are perhaps unaware of how important plastics are to our society, or people who just don't approve of plastics because of its environmental harm. An advertisement in a Health Care magazine tries to convince this audience why plastics are needed and the usefulness of plastics. The advertisement tries to show its audience that plastics play an important role in our everyday lives and tries to make the audience question where we would be without the use of plastics. This advertisement, directed towards people that do not realize the usefulness of plastics or who do not approve of the use of plastics, through the use of pathos, logos, and ethos tries to persuade its audience that, "Plastics make it possible." The pathos plays on the audience's sympathy of why we should use plastics, the logos gives reasons how plastics are useful and why they are used in our society, and the ethos makes the audience feel that if unconvinced by the advertisement alone, there is more information available to them.First and foremost seen in the advertisement is pathos. The advertisement grabs the audience's attention by showing a picture of a bunch of boys playing football. Knowing that the children are our future and that the children of today shape our tomorrow, many people are concerned with the problems of our younger generations and care a great deal about what happens to our younger generations. The advertisement does a good job of playing on the aud ience's emotions by involving children. Half of the advertisement is covered by the picture of a bunch of little boys playing football. The boys are wearing football helmets and look as though there is not one scratch on any one of them. The advertisement is trying to convey is that if it were not for the football helmets, which happens to be made out of plastic, then the boys would be hurt and all bruised up. This gives the image that the reason the boys can be rough with one another and not be hurt is do to the fact that they are all wearing plastic helmets.
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
George Polya :: essays research papers
George Polya (1887-1985) -Chronological order: Fibonacci, Simon Stevin, Leonhard Euler, Carl Gauss, Augustus DeMorgan, J.J. Sylvester, Charles Dodgson, John Venn, and George Polya      George Polya was born and educated in Budapest Hungry. He enrolled at the University of Budapest to study law but found it to be boring. He then switched his studies to languages and literature, which he found to be more interesting. And in an attempt to better understand philosophy he studied mathematics. He later obtained his Ph.D. in mathematics from Budapest in 1912. He later went on to teach in Switzerland and Brown, Smith, and Stanford Universities in the United States.           Solving problems is a particular art, like swimming, or skiing, or playing the piano: you can learn it only by imitation and practice†¦if you wish to learn swimming you have to go in the water, and if you wish to become a problem solver you have to solve problems. -Mathematical Discovery      In 1914 while in Zurich Polya had a wide variety of mathematical output. By 1918 Polya published a selection of papers. These papers consisted of such subjects as number theory, combinatorics, and voting systems. While doing so he studied intently in the following years on integral functions. As time went by he was noted for many of his quotes such as the following. -In order to solve this differential equation you look at it till a solution occurs to you. -This principle is so perfectly general that no particular application of it is possible. -Geometry is the science of correct reasoning on incorrect figures. -My method to overcome a difficulty is to go round it. -What is the difference between method and device? A method is a device which you use twice.                               (www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk)      One of Polya’s most noted problem solving techniques can be found in â€Å"How to Solve it†, 2nd ed., Princeton University Press, 1957. 1. Understanding the problem 2. Devising a plan 3. Carrying out the plan 4. Looking back                                              This can be described as See, Plan, Do, Check.      Polya continued to write many more books throughout the years and has been distinguished as one of the most dedicated mathematicians. George Polya :: essays research papers George Polya (1887-1985) -Chronological order: Fibonacci, Simon Stevin, Leonhard Euler, Carl Gauss, Augustus DeMorgan, J.J. Sylvester, Charles Dodgson, John Venn, and George Polya      George Polya was born and educated in Budapest Hungry. He enrolled at the University of Budapest to study law but found it to be boring. He then switched his studies to languages and literature, which he found to be more interesting. And in an attempt to better understand philosophy he studied mathematics. He later obtained his Ph.D. in mathematics from Budapest in 1912. He later went on to teach in Switzerland and Brown, Smith, and Stanford Universities in the United States.           Solving problems is a particular art, like swimming, or skiing, or playing the piano: you can learn it only by imitation and practice†¦if you wish to learn swimming you have to go in the water, and if you wish to become a problem solver you have to solve problems. -Mathematical Discovery      In 1914 while in Zurich Polya had a wide variety of mathematical output. By 1918 Polya published a selection of papers. These papers consisted of such subjects as number theory, combinatorics, and voting systems. While doing so he studied intently in the following years on integral functions. As time went by he was noted for many of his quotes such as the following. -In order to solve this differential equation you look at it till a solution occurs to you. -This principle is so perfectly general that no particular application of it is possible. -Geometry is the science of correct reasoning on incorrect figures. -My method to overcome a difficulty is to go round it. -What is the difference between method and device? A method is a device which you use twice.                               (www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk)      One of Polya’s most noted problem solving techniques can be found in â€Å"How to Solve it†, 2nd ed., Princeton University Press, 1957. 1. Understanding the problem 2. Devising a plan 3. Carrying out the plan 4. Looking back                                              This can be described as See, Plan, Do, Check.      Polya continued to write many more books throughout the years and has been distinguished as one of the most dedicated mathematicians.
file vaults :: essays research papers
File Vault Help This software is free to use. In a recent article in Defense News (Vol 12 No 31) Aug 4-10, 1997 William Crowell, National Security Agency deputy director said "If a product of 64-bit strength were used by a military org... it would take 6,000 to 7,000 years to recover just one message." 1. File Vault - 64-bit (8 bytes) block encryption algorithm variable length key up to 448 bits File Vault - Places a number of user selected files in a single self extracting / self decrypting executable file called a File Vault. A File Vault can be sent easily to anyone over the internet and only accessed with your password. The recipient of a File Vault does not have to have any special software installed to decrypt or access a file vault. Each File Vault is totally self contained. This makes for easy attaching, receiving and general use. File Vault allows you to open the vault, access the files, then close the vault which performs a secure wipe of the files from the disk surface. In an encrypted file vault, filename information is encrypted too, so if someone examines the vault with a disk editor, no information on contents is available other than the optional description line entered during creation. Great for "Your Eyes Only" files... The encryption algorithm is the highly regarded BLOWFISH by Bruce Schneier, world renowned Cryptographer. See VGP information below for more detail. File Vault is available at... www.alcuf.ca/fv - - - - A word on compression: When you use Winzip or other compression utilities from Windows, they often will create temporary files that can reside on the users system which are complete duplicate files, or parts of files that you would rather be fully secured. Therefore, rather than zipping files and containing them in a vault, build a vault first which securly containes your files, and then create the zip (or other archive) file. That way any temporary stuff created by the archiver will be encrypted and remain secure. - - - - 2. Other free utilities included with File Vault --------------------------------------------- The following utilities are stand alone utilities that reside on your File Vault directory. These can be moved or deleted as you wish. DISKWIPE.EXE (and diskinfo.dll) - this utility is used to securly remove deleted information from a hard drive to prevent undeleting. Let's say you have a bunch of stuff you just deleted, and need to make sure nothing that was on the system can be undeleted and accessed again. This utility creates a file the size of the free remaining space on your drive and fills it with space, then deletes it.
History of Computers
Well, the English dictionary states that it is â€Å"Also called [a] processor. An electronic device designed to accept data, perform prescribed mathematical and logical operations at high speed, and display the results of these operations†(dictionary, 201 1). But, computers are much more than that. Computers are not Just pieces of equipment, they are tools that make up our everyday lives and greatly help and facilitate them; they make our lives faster, easier, simpler, and more efficient.They have only been around for a small amount time. They are part of the modern era†as some refer to it, and are the fastest growing technology in man's history (History of Computers, 2011). There are many debates going on about which computer was the first one to be invented. This question is very difficult to answer if it is not more specific. The reason being that it all depends on what you are looking for in a computer. There are many types of computers, and they can be arranged in categories.Some examples of categories include, analog computers, hybrid computers, portable computers, desktop computers, war computers, mainframe computers, mini computers, corrupters, and the list goes on and on (Types of Computers, 2011). The list could also Include things Like satellites, GAPS systems, and house security alarms. All these things can be called computers because they have characteristics of computers, and are processors. For this reason, there is no definite answer to the question â€Å"Which was the first computer ever built? â€Å". The question has not been left unanswered, though.The first programmable computer ‘Turing COLOSSUS' appeared in the year 1943, and by many has been named the first computer to exist. It was used to â€Å"decipher World War II coded messages from Germany†(The History of the Computer, 2011). This was the main task that computers had at that time. They were used as â€Å"war computers†and were used to encode and decode messages from enemies. As stated above, it was the â€Å"first programmable computer. This means that in that category, the programmable computer category, It was the first, but It does not mean that It was the first â€Å"computer†ever to be Invented.Others attribute the title of â€Å"first electronic computer†and â€Å"first computer†to MANIAC. This was â€Å"the brain†of Turing Colossus (The History of the Computer, 2011). MANIAC was developed by John W. Macaulay and J. Prosper Cocker at the university of Pennsylvania, and by many is considered the first computer. MANIAC set many records, including the cost, space, and material used to build it. It used an extraordinary number of 18,000 vacuum tubes and 1800 square Ft. Of space, to build. First Computers, 2011 MANIAC was a major step in the development of the computer, but two inventions that really spurred on the building of computers were the Silicon Chip and Transistor. Both made it possible for computers such as MANIAC, to be reduced to a much smaller size, which cost less and was also more efficient and safer. The Transistor was created by people working at Bell Labs, and the Silicon Chip was Invented by Jack SST. Claim Spiky of Texas Instruments. Colons Chips are still used In our modern portable computers, and they are the reason why we have portable computers since they greatly reduce the size needed for a processor. Amputees like MANIAC smaller, safer, and more affordable. This meant that instead of only government owning computers, now businesses could own computers. The computers were still too big, dangerous, and laborious for home use. The computers were not safe, because like the MANIAC, that had so many parts, it had to be maintained by professionals. These many parts also had to be replaced very often. Because of this, these tasks were extremely time consuming and meant that the computers were laboriously slow machines and were not yet efficient. The company that was responsible for many of the â€Å"first computers†was MOM.This company was the â€Å"unquestioned market leader in selling these large, expensive, error-prone, and very hard to use machines†(Mainframes to PC's, 2011). After the Silicon Chip came to be, the change from big computers to portable everyday-use computers, was under way. The portable computers started coming out in the early asses (Mainframes to PC's, 2011). The first major company to design computers was IBM but then companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Dandy Radio Shack started producing their own portable computers, which IBM had not yet done.IBM at this time was still not involved in the â€Å"portable computer business†(The History of the Computer, 2011). IBM was still producing government and business owned computers. The two first people to create computer code were Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Their program was called a BASIC program and later Bill Gates created Microsoft which old computer software (Personal Computer History, 2011). IBM was the first, though, to create a PC computer which could add pieces to its architecture (Mainframes to PC's, 2011).Apple's Macintosh was the first computer to come out with a GUI (graphical user interface). This meant that it could be programmed by people at home, was easy to use with its interface, and it included a mouse, which meant it was a personal favorite at home for the people, while IBM was well liked by businesses and big corporations because of its programs like Microsoft Word, Excel, Lotus 1-2-3, ND its spreadsheets (Mainframes to PC's, 2011). In 1977, Dandy Radio Shack and Apple had the only machines equipped with disk drives.This meant that their software could be sold on â€Å"floppy disks†and this made it easier for them, and helped their companies become very successful (Knight Dan, 2001). The portable computer industry continued to evolve and change, but it took a couple decades before th ey started producing the kinds of computers we have now. Next, came the evolution of the new portable computers. Just like the big computers MANIAC and UNIVAC, the portable computers had a â€Å"revolution†of their win, where they improved as better programs and better devices were created. This â€Å"revolution†is fairly recent, less than a decade ago, up until now.One of the major milestones in technological and computer advancements was the touchstones. Computers called tablet PC's started being produced, and touchstones smart-phones, too. Tablet PC's are capable of being written on with a special pen. Now, computer companies are trying to build the smallest, fastest, most portable computers, and these computers are being called â€Å"Notebooks†. Also, some of the newer computers re equipped with built-in internet, meaning that anywhere the user is, the computer receives an internet signal and it can connect to the World Wide Web (WWW).Apple â€Å"app stor e†of its own, meaning users can download applications ranging from school to games and these pap's prices range from free to around $50. Some have even called this a cultural revolution in computer development (Elliptic Antonio, 2011). There are also other computers that can have third-party software downloaded onto them. This means that any person that can create computer software can then share it with a community of people. This is all made possible by the World Wide Web. Computers have drastically changed the way we work, both the efficiency and productivity has sky rocketed.Computers are now used for science, calculations, medicine, and also things like D building. Our whole stock exchange market is made up of computers who calculate and then communicate the news to the public. Computers are also frequently used to create plans for buildings, homes, and businesses. They can also help save lives in the medicine and search fields. They can help prevent illnesses and can al so help find outbreaks from others and even cover new ones (The Pros and Cons of Technology Today, 2011). Next comes the World Wide Web (WWW), and it makes computers even more useful.The World Wide Web connects the entire world together with an internet network, and many new purposes for computers have arisen thanks to it. First of all, computers are very important for communication. We can now communicate with people on the other side of the world, in only a matter of seconds. This is done through social networks, emails, and instant messaging programs. All our technology has greatly increased our productivity as we can share our findings with others in a horn amount of time. Also, smart-phones have evolved so much that now they are being called â€Å"portable computers†themselves.We can almost do everything on our phones that we can do on our computers, now. This is the reason why many believe that in a few years, computers will have disappeared and smart-phones and tablet s will replace them. Some even say that in 2011, smart-phones and tablets will take over (Lour Steve, 2011). With all the positives stated above, there are also some â€Å"side-effects†created from computer usage. One example being that some people rely so much on technology hat when it fails them, they are unproductive. Also, computers now decrease the amount of exercise people get.Now, people tend to spend most of their day at work, on the computer ,and then at home in front of their TV's. This has greatly affected, for example, the obesity death rate in the United States. Around 600,000 adults each year die from physical inactivity and this number has been increasing each year (Obesity Levels in America, 2008). This is due to laziness among the people, created by use of technology, and has been an increasing factor in health issues. Many people are not getting enough exercise because they are on their computers too much, and this is one of the major negatives that compute rs have brought about.Also, it has been proven by many eye doctors that being in front of a computer screen for too long can damage the eye sight. Other health issues have arisen too concerning rays that could be emitted from computers and could be dangerous to our bodies (Hartmann Thomas, 2011). There have been many assumptions made about what will happen to the they will continue to evolve into ways that are at the moment unimaginable, and they ill make our lives more CEO-friendly. That is a major development right now in computers. Scientists are finding new ways to make houses CEO-friendly and more efficient in the way they work.This is all related to computers, since the houses are equipped with computer processors of their own. Some houses of the future will include automatic heating systems and automatic blinds. For example, they will receive data from a nearby weather station and then they will apply this to the house so that they can make the house cooler on a hot day and w armer on a cold day. They ill also have houses with refrigerators, for example, that display when they are about to run out of food and what they are running out of.There are lists that go on and on about the development of the future for computers and how they will change the way we think and live. Computers are huge parts of our daily lives and many experts believe that it will stay that way for a long time to come. They believe that the technology will improve and speed up our work and make it more efficient. There are others, though, that believe that computers are making our generations lazier and not as scholarly. This is major debate that is on going about computers and their pros and cons.
How can Marketing mix model help Manchester United build its global brand? Essay
The main purpose of this report is to introduce the definition of franchise and to analysis the advantages of it. The report comprises several advantages of franchise in almost every aspect, which have been proved to be essential and reliable. By this mean, the conclusion could be drawn that it is the best way to run an international business by franchise. 2. 0Introduction Franchise, is an authorization granted by a government or company to an individual or group enabling them to carry out specified commercial activities. For example, McDonald’s is one of the most famous brand franchising. As the franchisor, McDonald’s gives the right to the franchisee, as well as sell McDonald’s related products to someone who is willing to set up his own business. The license agreement demands McDonald’s to persist in manufacturing or operating ways and the quality of the good. This is a settlement that can suit both parties pretty well. Under a McDonald’s franchise, McDonald’s owns or rents the position and the building of restaurant. The franchisee buys the parts, the equipment and the right to manage the franchise in next twenty years. To confirm coherence throughout the world, all franchisees must use standardized McDonald’s menus, branding, administration systems and design layouts. 3. 0Main Section 3. 1 Justify of the reference Bernd Helmig is Full Professor, Chair and Head of Department for Business Administration, Public & Nonprofit Management at the University of Mannheim (Germany). Besides he acts as Academic Director for Executive Education of Mannheim Business School. He was Visiting Faculty Guest at Harvard Business School (Boston, Cambridge/Mass. ), and Visiting Scholar at the University of Edinburgh (UK). His research interests cover fields such as Nonprofit Marketing, Fundraising, Social Marketing, Failure of NPOs, and Corporate Social Responsibility (including Corporate Giving and Corporate Volunteering). Tansev Geylani graduated from University of Pittsburgh. He has such degrees as PhD in Industrial Administration (Marketing), Carnegie Mellon University, 2004,MS in Industrial Administration (Marketing), Carnegie Mellon University, 2002 MBA, Koc University and 1999 BS in Mechanical Engineering, M. E. T. U. , 1997. Tansev Geylani joined the Katz faculty in 2004. His research interests include distribution channels, retailing, product line strategies, information sharing, marketing & antitrust, media competition, and user-generated content. He was named Marketing Science Institute Young Scholar in 2009. Other awards he received include Management Science’s Distinguished Service (2009 ; 2011) and Meritorious Service awards (2012), the Katz Excellence in Research Award (2009), and the Katz Excellence in Teaching Award (2008). Alanson Minkler work as an Associate Professor, Economics for University of Connecticut at Storrs Mansfield. His subject areas include: Economic Rights, Alternative Economic Decision-Making. He also has degree like Ph. D. University of California-Davis, 1988 and B. A. University of California-Berkeley, 1981. His initial interests centered on worker contributions and motivations in firms, with particular focus on labor-managed and franchised firms 3. 2 Advantages of Franchise Being your own boss The franchisor regularly checks the standards of service, quality, value and cleanliness of the franchisee (Minkler, A. , 1990). The franchisee who gets all the training and support from franchisor is operating his or her own business so has much to lose as well as gain, which motivates them a lot to determine to succeed. Lower failure rate Once you use a franchise, you are buying a developed concept that has been successful. Figures show that franchisees stand a much better opportunity of success than people who start independent businesses; independent businesses count a 70 to 80 percent chance of NOT surviving the first few critical years while franchisees have an 80 percent chance of surviving (Michael M. Coltman, Franchising in Canada: Pros and Cons, Self-Counsel Press). Intensive initial training The franchisor has the duty to offer full-time training program which includes three stages to franchisee (Tansev G, 2004). Firstly, it starts with working in a restaurant, wearing the staff uniform, preparing for food and cooking. Secondly, it focuses on areas such as team building, business management, handling customer enquiries and leadership skills. Lastly, the trainee learns about stock control and ordering, legal side of hiring and employing staff and profit and loss accounts. These training methods are proved to be absolutely essential. Marketing help Franchisee could benefit from the parent company’s marketing programs, according to Entrepreneur. com. The marketing and advertising advertisements created by the franchisor leave franchisee with more time to focus on the daily operating of business. This is a win-win for both parties. It helps increase sales by means of franchise, which, on the other hand, allows the parent company to collect more fees. (Bernd H. 2008) Continuous support It recognizes that the success and profitability of many international chain brands are inextricably linked to the success of the franchises (Minkler, A. , 1990). A highly qualified group of professional advisers offer continuous support on everything from human resources to computers and accounting. The field adviser can become a valuable business partner and a sounding board for ideas. Guaranteed Territory In most cases, a franchise parent company would guarantee franchisee a predetermined territory and assist it in succeeding in that field (Tansev G, 2004). Territories vary depending on the company which is worked with, but not having to compete with another franchise location from the same company in territory can help to generate revenue. 3. 3 Shortages of Franchise One major problem for a new business is predicting how much business it might enjoy, running the risk of either cashflow problems or the difficulties associated with overtrading. The turnover and profit from any outlet will vary, depending on a wide range of internal and external variables. Each franchisee is expected to take a positive approach to building up sales, although an average rate of return of over 20 percent is generally expected over the lifetime of the franchise. When it comes to starting a business, many people think of buying a franchise as a shortcut to success (Bernd H. 2008). While there is some truth to this, not all franchises are created equal, and not everyone is cut out to be a franchisee. 4Conclusion By specific descriptions of many advantages of franchise and comparison them with its drawbacks, we can make the conclusion that franchise is the best way of international business.
Monday, September 30, 2019
Philosophy metaphysics Essay
In order to clearly answer the first question, it is important first to answer the question – â€Å"what is the soul for Aristotle†and as such give an account of how he views substance and separability. Aristotle posits in de Anima that the soul is the substance in the sense which corresponds to the definitive formula of a thing’s essence. That means that it is â€Å"’the essential whatness’’ of a body of the character just assigned. (Book II, 412b). As such, the soul is the essence of being and the essence of being is its substance. By being, Aristotle refers to the thing itself while by essence he refers to the primary essence of the thing itself wherein one is treated as the subject in its own right i. e. the good itself is treated as the essence of the good. It can be deduced then, using hypothetical syllogism that if soul is the essence of a being and the essence of being is its substance, then the soul is the substance of a being. He argued further that whatever is has a being, whatever has a being has a substance – this as the grounding of his epistemology. Hence, whatever is has a substance. This implies then that being is identical to substance. If such is the case, then using the principle of excluded middle, being is also identical to soul. Now, let us elucidate the concept of separability. Aristotle first distinguished the difference between the body and the soul. The body as he stated corresponds to what exists in potentiality, it being the subject or matter of a possible actuality. Soul, on the other hand, is a substance (actuality) in the sense of the form of a natural body having life potentially within it; it is the actuality of the body. Aristotle, Book II, 421b) As he delineates the dissimilarity between the body and soul, one should not be mislead in regarding the two as separate entities. They are at some point seems to be separate for in the former we are talking about a corporeal body in its spatio-temporal existence while in the latter we are talking of an incorporeal body transcending in the spatio-temporal world. However, their separability in terms of space and time does not mean they are separate as whole – that is an entity having life. As Aristotle argues â€Å"the soul is inseparable from its body, or at any rate that certain parts of it are (if it has parts) for the actuality of some of them is nothing but the actualities of their bodily parts†. (Aristotle, Book II, 413a). He argues further that â€Å"body cannot be the actuality of the soul; it is the soul which is the actuality of a certain kind of body. Hence the soul cannot be without a body, while it cannot be a body; it is not a body but something relative to a body. That is why it is in a body and a body of a definite kind†. (Book I, 421a). It can be deduced then that soul and the body are inseparable with each other. It is because the essence of both their existence lies in the interdependency of their telos – the soul actualizing the potential life in the body while the body providing an entity for the soul to actualize itself in the material world. Since the soul is the actuality of natural body, then naturally it would have certain functions which it can actualize. Aristotle has identified these functions to be the following: (1. ) powers of self-nutrition or the nutritive function; (2. powers of sensation which includes the sensory and appetitive function; (3. ) the power of movement and rest or the locomotive function and (4. ) the power of thinking. With these functions, he posited a psychic power of hierarchy. He claimed that of the psychic powers mentioned above, some kinds of beings posses all of these, some possess less than all while others posses only one. As such, evidently, the plants possess the p ower of self-nutrition wherein they can grow up or down and increase or decrease in all direction as long they can find nutrients in the soil. It is through their own means that they continue tolive. Even though the plants possess only one function of the soul, it is a great wonder how they continuously subsist on their own. Next is the power of sensation, which is possessed by all animals. All animals possessed the power of sensation because they all have the primary form of sense, which is touch. Aristotle defended and further elaborated this notion in de Anima. To wit: if any order of living things has the sensory, it must also have the appetitive; for appetite is the genus of which desire, passion, and wish are the species; now all animals have one sense at least, viz. ouch, and whatever has a sense has the capacity for pleasure and pain and therefore has pleasant and painful objects present to it, and wherever these are present, there is desire, for desire is just appetition of what is pleasant. (BookII, 414b) From the arguments stated above, it can be evidently inferred not just how Aristotle proven that all animals possess at least one sense, the touch, but also how he sci entifically deduced that all animals by virtue of their sensory function, possess appetitive function, too. From all these animals, there are some which possessed the power of locomotion, advancing them to a higher stratum. These are animals which can execute any kind of movements together with the capacity to halt such movement. Lastly, the human beings possessed all of the above-mentioned functions placing them on the top of the hierarchy. They posses the power of thinking, which is the essential feature of the human beings and which separates them apart from all other species. Analyzing the theoretical framework Aristotle succumbed to, it can be construed then that for him every being has a soul. This is evidently manifested in his attempt to prove the groundings of his epistemology extending his claim to the psychic hierarchy wherein he posited that every kind of living thing – any entity for that matter possesses certain function/s of the soul It should be put in mind, however, that even Aristotle posited the different functions of the soul; they are in essence, inseparable. An example of this is the function of nutrition (by eating) which human beings in particular do in order to properly and clearly think. The latter being also a function of the soul. Evidently, every function of the soul is interconnected with each other especially in the case of the Homo sapiens, who possessed all the enumerated functions of the soul. Aristotle notions of intellect can be rooted in his conception of knowledge – in his epistemology. It is from his conception of knowledge arises his other assertions on how he views the world. It is common sensical then to claim that his conception of the mind or any other things transcending from their spatio-temporal existence, his metaphysics, is grounded on his epistemology. As such, it is with utmost importance to first answer how Aristotle regards the nature of knowledge and how does one able to acquire knowledge so as to provide an answer on his notion of intellect. Knowledge for him can only be found within the material world – that is things, which are intelligible by senses. It is then through our experience with this objects in their spatio-temporal existence that we come to know them. He mentioned the processes of how we can arrive to know these objects – by perception, discrimination and thinking. By perception here, I mean the process of how our senses operate to recognize things in the material word. Discrimination then comes simultaneous with perception in order to give a concrete description of the thing being perceived. In example, upon the perception of a certain plant, we can able to distinguish its structure and other ontical features as the mind started to categorized. As a corollary, we arrived at the conclusion that what we perceived is indeed a plant. From there, we judged that what we perceived is indeed a plant and hence, arriving in the state of thinking. It can be deduced then that through thinking, one can able to comprehend the ontical features of an object and by virtue one’s reason, its primary essence. By primary essence, I mean the telos or the end itself of a thing. Since reason for Aristotle is innate in human beings so is intellect. It is because for Aristotle, reason is an essential property of the mind – that is of the intellect. If that is the case, then reason for Aristotle is relatively tantamount to the intellect. Husserl, on the other hand regarded the process of intuition as the first level of cognition wherein the objects are grasp in its original thru experience. This is also the case when one is cognizing objects of mere representations which includes but not limited to pictorial intuitions and any means of symbolic indications. To wit, experiencing is consciousness that intuits something and values it to be actual; experiencing is intrinsically characterized as consciousness of the natural object in question and of it as the original: there is consciousness of the original as being there â€Å"in person. The same thing can be expressed by saying that objects would be nothing at all for the cognizing subject if they did not â€Å"appear†to him, if he had of them no â€Å"phenomenon. †Here, therefore, â€Å"phenomenon†signifies a certain content that intrinsically inhabits the intuitive consciousness in question and is the substrate for its actuality valuation. (Husserl, p. 3) It is only but logical to infer that experience plays a vital role in the cognition of a certain object. As such, it is only upon experience, can one theorized and moved to a higher level of cognition. A thing must first be intuited before one can theorize about them. And after theorizing, comes the process of reflection. Evidently, both Aristotle and Husserl believed in the value of experience in which the former calls perception and the latter intuition. From these processes arises higher forms of cognition wherein the end result for Aristotle is thinking through the use of reason while for Husserl, it is pure reflection as a result of phenomenology. It is then with utmost importance to first clarify, what does Husserl meant by intellect and Ego. As such, in what process does a person uses his intellect. Furthermore, what is the difference of reflection from pure reflection and of the empirical Ego to the transcendental Ego? Also, one should answer the question â€Å"what is phenomenology? †and â€Å"why it is only through this process one can arrive at pure reflection? †For Husserl, intellect is identical with consciousness as Ego is identical to Self. As such, when one speaks of intellect, one is referring to consciousness and vice-versa. Such is also the case with the Ego and the Self. Reflection is the process wherein one is looking not towards the act of reflection itself but rather in the direction of the objects one is conscious of. As such, one is absorbed in reflecting how these objects exist rather than asking how they come into being or essentially, enquiring on their primordial existence. If the consciousness is moving towards this kind of reflection, then the Ego is only in his/her ontical (empirical) status. Pure reflection, on the other hand, is the process wherein the consciousness is reflecting his consciousness – that is the act of reflection per se. This is the case wherein the Ego transcends from his ontical stage by describing the events i. e. relating, referring, combining, et al in his consciousness. And this can only be done thru the process of phenomenology. What is phenomenology then? Phenomenology is defined as the science of consciousness. (Husserl, p. 5) It is the process of describing the things and events themselves in their primordial sense through the use of phenomenological reduction. Phenomenological reduction then is the process wherein one suspends his/her preconceived notion of things in order to objectively describe the objects and events as what it appears to them. It only thru this process that we can arrive at pure reflection because this is the only method wherein objects and events are describe as themselves without concurring to any established principle or assumption. Evidently, Aristotle’s notion of intellect and Husserl’s notion of Ego posited the strength of mind in general – transcending from space and time. If that is the case, then the conception of a person is not only confined within the physical realm – that is he can do things beyond the limit of his physical existence in his journey to unravel the primordial existence of objects and any discipline for that matter. However, what sets them apart from each other is their notion on how one can really grasp the ontological state of an object or in the words of Kant –their intentionality. Aristotle believed that one can only know the ontological state of a thing by referring to its primary essence, its telos as the context clue in able to grasp the object’s primary essence. For Husserl, on the other hand, it is only through the use of phenomenological method can one comprehend the ontological state of objects. In Being and Time, Heidegger attempted to know the meaning of a Being – that is the Dasein, by starting to ask and redefine the fundamental question of â€Å"What is a Being? †He further continued this method by asking the ontological question of Being – that only a being can know his Being because he is consciousness to his Being by his being. His starting point is the fact that a being is a Being-in-the-World. He is a being situated in this world. As such, it is only him who can know his being by virtue of his ontic-ontological character. If that is the case, then it is only him who can determine his possibilities by virtue of being a spatio-temporal entity. Since no other entities can determine his possibilities as a being conscious of his existence, then the Dasein solely can ascertain his existentiall. It can be deduced then that the task of Dasein is to transcend to his existentiell in order to arrive at his ontological status. He can only do this by maximizing his possibilities to know himself thru the things which are ready-at-hand – things which can help him to reveal his being to him. It should be kept in mind that this process of knowing the Dasein does not go in hermeneutic circles rather on a back and forth condition Dasein as a spatio-temporal entity is facing a hard time to know his being because there is a tendency that he might be too absorb in his world or fall. Yet what Heidegger wants to emphasize is that he as a Dasein should not conceive his being as a spatio-temporal entity an encumbrance to his Being. It is because it is only through this world he can have his possibilities. This separates him from other entities and makes him a Dasein. Evidently, Heidegger’s notion of Dasein greatly gives importance to the relationship of the Being and the world which is also apparent in Aristotle notion of intellect and Husserl’s notion of Ego. However, what separates the former from the latter is that it focused on providing an answer on how one can transcend to his facticity in order to ontologically know his Being. The latter, on the other hand, focuses in discovering the essence and the ontological existence of the objects in the material world. Transcendental phenomenology is defined in general as the study of essence. It designates two things: a new kind of descriptive method which made a breakthrough in philosophy at the turn of the century, and an a priori science derived from it; a science which is intended to supply the basic instrument for a rigorously scientific philosophy and, in its consequent application, to make possible a methodical reform of all the sciences. (Husserl, p. 15) Essentially, transcendental phenomenology then is a description of phenomena. Husserl, then, laid down the method to achieve the objective of reforming all the sciences. The first step is the use of phenomenological epoche or reduction or bracketing wherein one suspends or take away all his/her biases and prejudices in order to â€Å"objectively describe†a phenomena. By doing this, we can arrive at a universal description of a phenomena. This will be followed by the compare and contrast method which one will have to undertake in order to arrive at the pure data of things. It appears then that by suspending one’s judgment and undergoing the intersubjectivity test, we can arrive at the â€Å"pure data of things†. In relation to this, Husserl claims that this method should be followed by all sciences in order to answer their primordial condition. It is held that sciences cannot escape their dogmas because it fails to question how they come to be. What they are just doing is a mere adaptation of established principles proven in the past to be true. Since these established principles were proven in the past to be true, scientists or people who work in the sciences do not make any attempt to further verify the truthfulness of their established principles – that is how and why is it the case that such principles were held to be true. For indisputably, things cannot just come into being without any rationalization, scientific explanation for that matter. Sciences have constructed ready-made answers to all things – their nature, existence, feature, et al; grounded on the preconceived notion that sciences have already provided sufficient answers to the primitiveness of these objects. While sciences are busy in explaining these things [the ready-made answers], they failed to realized that they were not able to arrived at the Isness of these objects, on how they come into being. However, since the sciences had already deceived the people, that in the past, it already provided sufficient answers to the primordial existence of things, it appears then they are seemingly contented and satisfied by what the sciences have achieved. This is what phenomenology wants to deconstruct – it wanted to create a paradigm shift by destroying the â€Å"tradition†institutionalized by science and overcoming relativism and subjectivism by the use of phenomenological reduction. From these, one can arrive at the pure data of consciousness. It is in this sense, that phenomenology becomes transcendental. Phenomenology is different from descriptive psychology because it draws upon pure reflection exclusively, and pure reflection excludes, as such, every type of external experience and therefore precludes any co positing of objects alien to consciousness. (Husserl, p. 7) Descriptive psychology then does not depend upon pure reflection exclusively; it needs psychological experiencing which would result to the reflection of the external experience. As such, consciousness itself becomes something transcendent, becomes an event in that spatial world which appears, by virtue of consciousness, to be transcendent. (Husserl, p. 7) It can be inferred then that phenomenology focuses solely on the consciousness per se of a being making it the science of consciousness while descriptive psychology focuses on the consciousness of a being in his psychic experiences. Transcendental idealism states that â€Å"everything intuited in space and time, and therefore all objects of any experience possible to us, are nothing but appearances, that is, mere representations which, in the manner in which they are represented, as extended beings or as series of alterations, have no independent existence outside our thoughts. †(Kant, p. 1) As such, it posits that one cannot have the knowledge of the realm beyond the empirical – that is one cannot experience objects outside space and time. It is because the mind as Kant argues having certain constraints [in reference to space and time] – can only grasp the noesis of the object but not its noumena – the object’s intentionality. It can be inferred then that transcendental idealism’s fundamental assertions lies on two grounds: first, objects by themselves exudes intentionality; and secondly, we can never know their intentionality [or noumena] because our mind can only grasp the noesis or what is appearing to us. Phenomenology believes on Kant’s first claim that indeed objects have their own intentionality but vies the second assertion. As such, its emergence as a domain of study in philosophy is grounded on its thrust to prove that indeed the mind can know the noumena of objects. Phenomenology believes that this can be done using eidetic reductionism proving to all that the mind can transcend beyond the physical realm – beyond space and time. Essentially, all the philosophies which were tackled in this paper seek to explain and interpret the world – including the objects within it and the beings living in it; from the primordial existence of things up to the authentication of one’s Being.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)