Descartes on God Essay

Rene Descartes is a famous French philosopher and is considered as the â€Å"Father of Rationalism. † The aim of his philosophy was to arrive in a solid foundation for knowledge. In order to arrive in this, he used a method called the Methodic Doubt wherein he doubted the senses, mathematics, and even the existence of god. It was only until he arrived with a solid entity called â€Å"the cogito† was Descartes able to discover the center of his existence. Upon finding this center, he was able to use this entity as a means into explaining the existence of the things he previously doubted. In regards to proving the existence of god, we need to tackle first why Descartes needed to doubt the existence of god. This was a very important step in his philosophy because the theories in his philosophy would have a sounder foundation if he was going to use them to explain the existence of God. As what was stated above, Descartes used the Methodic Doubt in order to arrive with the cogito and say his phrase â€Å"cogito ergo sum† or I think therefore I am. This cogito exists in a metaphysical plane because Descartes believed that everything that existed in the physical world were not real. The reasons why he had to doubt the physical world include the fact that the senses deceive us. Examples of these are a pencil which gives the illusion of bending after placing it in a glass of water. Others include dreams which a person would consider to be so real until they wake up in bed. And finally, everything in this world is subject to change which he presented after burning a piece of wax and then asking if the residue of the wax is still considered as wax. After doubting the senses, he soon went to doubt the validity of the physical world. In order to do this, he asserted that there is a malevolent demon that would deceive us into believing that what we perceive is real. Now that he was able to discard god as the foundation of true knowledge, we now shifts his focus to the cogito. However, being left with the cogito could lead to solipsism, a view wherein a person believes that only the individual exists, since everything existed except the cogito. So Descartes needed to prove the existence of God in order to validate the existence of the physical world and free his philosophy from the perils of solipsism. Descartes gave some arguments that led to his proofs of the existence of god. His first proof dealt with the nature of ideas. He classified different kinds of ideas such as those that are innate in a person and those that were received through experience. Being rationalists, he considered ideas cause by the experience doubtful since they do arise from the senses, which he discarded as the means for a clear and distinct idea. So, he shifted his focus to innate ideas, or ideas that have been with a person since birth, and placed the idea of god under this classification. Now, Descartes asked from where these innate ideas came. It cannot be from nothingness since something cannot spring out of nothing. In addition, a perfect idea like that of god cannot come from a less perfect being and so he concluded that there was a first cause that placed the idea of a supreme being in my mind. This argument of Descartes can be compared with that of Saint Augustine’s first cause. However, the difference here is that the arguments of Saint Augustine dealt with motion and change within the physical world. Descartes arguments on the other had, tackle solely with ides and from where they came from. In addition to the argument of a first mover, Descartes was able to prove the existence of god through his own mortality. He asked himself how a person could think of an infinite being, such as god, if there is nothing to compare this form of existence with anything. It is from his own finite existence that he is able to create a distinction between the two modes of existence and prove the existence of an infinite and perfect being that is outside him. His next argument was derived from Saint Anselm’s ontological argument. Here, Descartes tries to justify his argument through describing a triangle. Whenever we would think of a triangle, the first thing that would enter our minds are its attributes, i. e. that it has three sides, all its angles have a total of 180 degrees, etc. Just like whenever we would think of the idea of god, we would usually first think of his attributes which are being omniscient, all-knowing, etc. The difference here is hat although we are able to think of a triangle, thinking about one does not necessarily entail it’s existence. On the other hand, to think of god as a perfect and infinite being must entail that he does exists for to say that a perfect being does not exists would mean that we are depriving god of one attribute and thus making him less perfect. So given this argument, Descartes asserts that existence is needed for perfection for there would be a major contradiction within the assertion of a perfect being that is lacking of any attribute. Finally, Descartes finally says that this god cannot be a deceiving god which he assumed in the beginning. This god cannot be a deceiver for this attribute cannot be found in a perfect being such as god because the act of deceiving someone arises from a certain defect. Upon proving the existence of god, Descartes was able to expand this philosophy by proving the existence of a separate world. He was able to do this by stating that the physical world exists since man was given a certain inclination in order to perceive the world. This inclination was given to us by god and we must believe that the world is true for god would not deceive us with this special inclination that he has given. After reading the proofs of Descartes, I would have to say that his arguments are very solid and logical that it would be hard to think otherwise. However, my only problem with Descartes philosophy is that he used the cogito as a scapegoat to all the problems that he encountered. What Descartes would do is that from the cogito he would begin to explain certain things such as god and the physical world. He would then explore these ideas but when he begins to run of way to explain his arguments he would go back to the cogito. AN example here would be when he tried to explain the existence of the physical world. He simply had to rely on the existence of god and that the inclination he gave man to believe that this world is true. This explanation, to me, seems more as a matter of faith in god as a non-deceiving being rather than a rational explanation.

Striving for Personal Success

Striving for Personal Success University of Phoenix Gen 200 Eleanor Roosevelt once said, â€Å"In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility† (Goodreads Inc. , 2013). Although life can be a major deterrent on success, it also can be one factor in obtaining college success. The personal responsibility a student holds is based on their motivation and self- sacrifices.Success in life and in college can only be measures by the hard work, drive, and dedication. Personal responsibility is defined as relating or pertaining to oneself and the state of responsibility as moral, legal, or mental accountability (Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 2013). One way of applying personal responsibility in a student's life is to continue to push the limits that other people have placed on them and pushing those boundaries to the max. With huge success can come countless opportunities, th rough these opportunities comes dedication and challenges.It is in how each person deals with those dedication and challenges that makes the sacrifices worth everything. When the idea of quitting occurs is when an individual must lean on his or her support systems to pull them through that state of mind. It is family, friends, and amazing instructors who can be the factors between persevering through the hard times and giving up. The question a student will then have to face is, what is most important to that person? By fguring out that question and realize the time and dedication that has already been applied would be a waste.At this final point the individual has to find the motivation and drive to re light that fire under them and ontinue to strive on. It is that personal responsibility of holding oneself accountable for the hard work that will lead that person to college success. Personal responsibility is a factor in achieving success in life and in college, but personal respon sibility also can be a hinder. By being a college student people not only have dedication to their schoolwork, but also their outside school, such as family, friends, and a Job.The struggle is trying to find that balance needed to succeed in all fields. Alexandra Escobar said, â€Å"Professional women often struggle as they try to alance their work and personal roles, while still trying to grow in both,† she currently holds a master's degree in education and holds a chair for the College of Education at University of Phoenix South Florida Campus (â€Å"How women in business can â€Å"lean in†,† personal roles, but as shown through her degree and position held in her college now the success for a degree is possible.The major factor is time management. Every person must learn to create time for what matters, whether that is to wake up an hour earlier or turn the television off to complete that one assignment. 0. 1. Simpson once said, â€Å"The day you take comple te responsibility for yourself, the day you stop making any excuses that is the day you start to the top† ([email  protected], 2001). If this degree and college success is what matters, that person will find a way to make it work, or that person will find a way to make excuses.The main question every person must ask themselves is success at this very moment more important than success for growth that can better one's future or not? Personal responsibility and college success are proving to be one and the same. Success in college and in life can only be achieved by one's own self-sacrifice and elf-dedication. Winston Churchill once said, â€Å"The price of greatness is responsibility' ([email  protected], 2001). Winston Churchill is right.It is the self-sacrifice of choosing to miss out on social events, school events, or pull extra work hours so that person can finish his or her assignments needed to succeed in their classes. The self-dedication will need to be applied to obtain such greatness. By applying self- dedication and personal sacrifices one is allowing themself to grow in personal success. Each hurdle completed in their college Journey is another step closer to obtain ollege success as well as being able to apply the knowledge obtained into their lifestyle and in return gain success in the workforce.It is each individual's personal responsibility to apply what is being learned in and out of the classroom through their college Journey that will truly allow them to have the greatest form of college success. An educational success will be obtained by a college degree, but also a workforce knowledge and personal growth that can be achieved only by experiencing that balancing act between personal responsibility and college success. In conclusion, personal responsibility is the key to success. Success is also determined by self-sacrifice and self-dedication.

Cellphone Addiction

Negative effects of cell phone addiction include isolation and unbalanced priorities. There are effective solutions for treating the addiction, once you identify the symptoms. Symptoms of Cell Phone Addiction Take a step back and ask yourself how important your cell phone is to your day. If your phone use reduces the quality of your life, you may have an addiction. Perhaps you carry the gadget around with you even when you do not leave home; you look at the screen as you walk and constantly check it for missed calls. Another symptom is you feel the need to have the device with you at the dinner table and look at apps rather than talking to family members over meals. Is your cell phone constantly in your hand or within your line of vision? You obsess over the item; your obsession is a cell phone addiction. Look at your phone bill. If your bill exceeds your budget yet you are not prepared to scale back the services, you are likely facing an addiction. Another factor to consider is whether the gadget is getting in the way of your social life. Perhaps you cancel lunches with friends in favor of staying home to keep up with social networks via your mobile. When the device gets in the way of your real life events in a negative way, you likely have a cell phone addiction. Causes There are many causes of the addiction. The cell phone may be just one part of a larger addiction to technology in general. After all, many smartphones are equipped with apps to play games, browse the internet, and send emails. Online social media networks are growing rapidly. There are several, with the big players including Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Your friends and family members are joining networks too. You often â€Å"talk† to one another on the networks as your schedules keep you too busy to meet face to face. If you have made new online friends through the networks, your cell phone provides a way to connect with these people when they live in other cities and even in other countries. You trade media links, such as articles and photos. The interaction is fun and you begin to spend more time daily on your mobile device. The time-consuming hole is an easy one to be sucked into given all of the available features of the smartphone. http://christywrites. hubpages. com/hub/cell-phone-addiction-the-symptoms-and-methods-of-treatment Cellphone Addiction Negative effects of cell phone addiction include isolation and unbalanced priorities. There are effective solutions for treating the addiction, once you identify the symptoms. Symptoms of Cell Phone Addiction Take a step back and ask yourself how important your cell phone is to your day. If your phone use reduces the quality of your life, you may have an addiction. Perhaps you carry the gadget around with you even when you do not leave home; you look at the screen as you walk and constantly check it for missed calls. Another symptom is you feel the need to have the device with you at the dinner table and look at apps rather than talking to family members over meals. Is your cell phone constantly in your hand or within your line of vision? You obsess over the item; your obsession is a cell phone addiction. Look at your phone bill. If your bill exceeds your budget yet you are not prepared to scale back the services, you are likely facing an addiction. Another factor to consider is whether the gadget is getting in the way of your social life. Perhaps you cancel lunches with friends in favor of staying home to keep up with social networks via your mobile. When the device gets in the way of your real life events in a negative way, you likely have a cell phone addiction. Causes There are many causes of the addiction. The cell phone may be just one part of a larger addiction to technology in general. After all, many smartphones are equipped with apps to play games, browse the internet, and send emails. Online social media networks are growing rapidly. There are several, with the big players including Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Your friends and family members are joining networks too. You often â€Å"talk† to one another on the networks as your schedules keep you too busy to meet face to face. If you have made new online friends through the networks, your cell phone provides a way to connect with these people when they live in other cities and even in other countries. You trade media links, such as articles and photos. The interaction is fun and you begin to spend more time daily on your mobile device. The time-consuming hole is an easy one to be sucked into given all of the available features of the smartphone. http://christywrites. hubpages. com/hub/cell-phone-addiction-the-symptoms-and-methods-of-treatment

Globalization and HRM Strategies Research Paper

Globalization and HRM Strategies - Research Paper Example Size A typical Wal-Mart store covers almost 108,000 square feet of space. The size of Wal-Mart supercentre can be almost 185,000 square feet, and a usual neighborhood market of Wal-Mart can be almost 42,000 square feet. The size of Wal-Mart express stores is average 15,000 square feet. In the year 2011, the total selling area of Wal-Mart was more than 617 million square feet and has continued to increase (Wal-Mart Stores, 2011; Wal-Mart Stores, 2011). Location Wal-Mart had established retail stores in several locations of the world by diverse styles and setups, which can fulfill the requirement of customers. Presently, the company is regarded as one of the fastest growing multinational corporations (MNCs) with 5366 stores across 27 countries outside the USA (Wal-Mart Stores, 2011). Number of Employees Wal-Mart is considered as one of the largest private establishments in terms of employment in the USA, Canada and Mexico. In global perspective, Wal-Mart employs almost 2.1 million peop le and the USA alone comprised 1.4 million in the year 2011 (Wal-Mart Stores, 2011). 2.0 Impact of Globalization on Human Resource Management (HRM) Globalization has huge impact on the performance of Wal-Mart. Due to globalization Wal-Mart had lowered their products pricing in order to compete with other retail companies. The major competitors of Wal-Mart in the international market are Carrefour, Metro Group and Tesco Plc among others which led Wal-Mart to reduce the operational cost of business. Aggressive cost cuts in the products is a significant impact of globalization for Wal-Mart which had also raised several human resource management concerns against the company such as low wages of employees and lack of health benefits among others (Masters, 2004). Cultural Impact on HRM Globalization has provided MNCs the opportunity to expand the market and business operations in order to increase their financial strengths, but it has also resulted in developing corporate culture to prote ct the human resources. In the global market, the major problem for Wal-Mart was inapplicability to the local culture. Low wages, power of unions and discrimination among employees have impacted the human resource management of Wal-Mart in the international market. For instance, Wal-Mart was strictly alleged for discriminating Chinese employees by remunerating them below minimum wage (Mesa Community College, 2009). Impact of Labor Market on HRM strategies Labor market can certainly form the HRM strategies and it is one of the major aspects in defining the ‘degree of freedom’ in an organization. The HRM strategy of Wal-Mart is determined by availability of labor in the market with particular ability, knowledge and proficiency. The pressure of global competition has led Wal-Mart to implement flexible labor strategies with more hazardous work provisions. In recent years, development in financial, political and industrial domains had expressively transformed the arrangement of labor supply and type of labor essential by the organizations. One of the most powerful aspects which formed the international labor market is enhanced process of globalization. The development of international financial system, manufacture structure, market structure and complex forms of international immigration had generated substantial interconnectedness among domestic and local labor markets. Consequently, it is significant for Wal-Mart to recognize the labor marketplace to

Management Operations Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Management Operations - Assignment Example It begins with an outline of the problem and its consequences, then presents a process map and a service blueprint to show the ideal processes that would lead to a good customer experience, allowing the problems areas within the process to be identified. The issues identified will be explained using operations management concepts and possible solutions presented. The report will conclude with a summary of the findings and a set of recommended actions for the college. The Problem For the past few years, further education college â€Å"Town College† has had problems with the presentation of courses for their part time degree students in the marketing discipline. Last year, during the second semester, the international marketing communications course went through three tutors in the space of four weeks, causing several problems for both the college and the students. For the students, there was the lack of continuity in terms of teaching content and style, causing inconsistencies in what was taught and conflicting information being given by different tutors. Secondly, this lack of continuity was compounded for the assessment schedule, with coursework being set and briefed by the first tutor, then briefed again by the third tutor because they would be marking the assignment; and the exam preparation having to be rushed as it was the last tutor who had to prepare it to the necessary standards having taught a single week and with no idea as to what had specifically been covered during the first part of the course. This caused further problems for the students, who were unclear as to what would appear in the exam, and whether or not they had been adequately prepared. Overall, for the students, the learning experience was extremely poor. For the final member of staff teaching the students, the additional responsibilities of marking the assignment and setting and marking the exam, above the normal weekly course preparation, caused problems as there were no records of what had been presented by the previous tutors, therefore setting the exam questions was a matter of hoping that the areas covered in the exam paper had been covered adequately during classes. It actually transpired that one area, marketing ethics, had not been covered at all, requiring some last minute remedial work to be undertaken long distance as classes had finished by the time this was brought to the attention of the tutor. In addition, availability of resources such as photocopiers, flipcharts and pens, and computer access was not as good as it should have been, with photocopiers frequently out of paper and no automatic access to them as the contract was temporary. For the college, the quality of the learning experience delivered overall was not up to standard. There were complaints from the students. There was much rushing around to complete tasks towards the end that should have been done already. Quality standards were potentially compromised, as both the tutor and exa m board had to be asked to take into consideration the circumstances surrounding the course,

AI Week 11 Criminal DB 153 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

AI Week 11 Criminal DB 153 - Essay Example It is therefore important to address the issue of whether criminal background should be applied in a blanket manner to influence hiring decisions. According to the every person should be given a second chance at proving their suitability to perform. Employers are faced with the ethical dilemma of balancing the safety of their businesses with fairness and in certain instances declining someone’s application for job could result into legal sues. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in the year 2012 released guidelines that prohibit adoption of blanket policies in disqualifying job applicants based on their past criminal records. a past a criminal record doesn’t mean one is incapacitated and EEOC holds that blanket policies treating blacks and Latinos having criminal pasts differently from whites is discriminative and hence illegal. Regardless of whether employers equally apply a law, it is illegal for as longs it harms certain protected groups more than others. This does not prohibit employers from conducting criminal background checks but requires them to prove that their policies are able to link certain c riminal offences and their danger with those risks inherent to particular job positions. In conclusion therefore criminal background checks if not carefully conducted can be discriminative and as such employers are to strive and meet the legal EEOC’S guidelines. Ones criminal past should be checked in terms of nature and gravity, the time that has gone by since one was convicted or completed their sentence and type of job one is applying for. employers should try not apply blanket policies by initiating the criminal backgrounds checks at least at interview level, ensure their policies are in line with necessities of the business, ensure fairness and constantly train the HR teams to apply the best practices of hiring and also

Air Transport Economic Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Air Transport Economic - Coursework Example There are certain factors influencing and perhaps hindering the continued growth of this air transport company. These factors include negligence of the procedural strategies in operating the daily functions. They are flexible factors that can easily be changed to turn the dwindling situation into a benefit. It can be worked out and through critical analysis of the entire organization. If the further studies discover that the expenditure is more than the income, the resultant effect is operational losses. The losses resulting from the summary of the present events at the Airlongways Bahrain could have to be closely associated with inadequate management, which could have led to poor decision-making and of course failure to achieve the strategic objectives. The major target of this research is to formulate more flexible and sustainable methods of ensuring that Airlongways Bahrain earns profits every year. Of course, every profit making organization aims at the achievement of high levels of profitability in whatever business they are engaged in and to maintain the standard of profit making. We therefore undertake to do an assessment of the challenges, which Airlongways Bahrain as a firm is facing and attempt to develop better methods of ensuring that we defeat the challenges in such a way that we facilitate the growth of this firm towards profit making. The way we conclude and recommend the operational methods of the financial attributes of the company from this study should catalyze the processes of Airlongways Bahrain daily operation through which it makes profits. This is when Airlongways Bahrain can remain relevant in the market and maintain the operation of its present routes, apart from adding ones that are more new. Objectives of the study The objectives of the study of Airlongways Bahrain financials are as listed below: a) To conduct an analysis of the current position of Airlongways Bahrain in terms of profitability and cash flow. b) To transform the opera tional model and implement changes that will raise the profitability of Airlongways Bahrain. c) To weigh options of routes and decide on the most profitable destinations and the number of trips per route d) To provide a cost cutting strategy for Airlongways Bahrain through reduced operational expenses. e) To formulate possible advisory recommendations this can facilitate the financial stability of Airlongways Bahrain. Potential Challenges Company The possible causes of failures of Airlongways Bahrain to attain its desired levels of profitability and cash flow is attributed too much commitment to serve a large number of routes, over commitment of capital, poor flexibility in the decision making as a result of bureaucratic processes and wrong combination of leadership. Another critical reason is the failure to get a sustainable and long-term competitive advantage over the air transport companies that compete with Airlongways Bahrain, as well as the inability of the management to impro ve the levels of revenue growth from diversified sources of income (Silke, 2009). Thirdly, Airlongways Bahrain is not consistent in its operation of certain routes, which remain unavailable or unused for long periods (Ramon, 2009). This reduces its reliability as a potential air transport com