The Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin - 881 Words

â€Å"The Story of an Hour written by Kate Chopin is one of the most popular short story in literature. This story is somewhere reflected on real life of Kate Chopin, where she had to raise six children by herself after her husband’s death and other struggles in society. Kate Chopin used her literature knowledge to show woman’s freedom and other role of woman in society back in 1900th century. â€Å"The Story of an Hour† is also related to woman’s role in society, the story talks about the wife and husband’s relationship, and freedom for a woman. One of the main characters in the story named Mrs. Mallard, who seems unhappy with her marriage life with Brently, and has some health issues. This leads to success of this story with a surprising and unexpected ending. The surprise ending of â€Å"The Story of an Hour written by Kate Chopin is successful due to her use of symbolism, foreshowing, and irony. First of all, Kate Chopin demonstrates her literately knowledge vie symbolism in her short story. She uses the symbol of freedom for a woman in society during that period of time, which leads to her story to surprise ending. One of the symbol she uses is an open window, when she mentions â€Å"She [Mrs. Mallard] could see wonderful blue shy, top of the trees which were aquiver with new begging, the exquisite breath of rain in the air from her open window† (Chopin 180). The open window and the view indicate new life and better future for herself with freedom, also other occasions that are waitingShow MoreRelatedThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin1241 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin is a wonderful short story bursting with many peculiar twists and turns. Written in 1894, the author tells a tale of a woman who learns of her husband’s death, but comes to find pleasure in it. Many of the elements Kate Chopin writes about in this story symbolize something more than just the surface meaning. Through this short story, told in less than one thousand one hundred words, Kate Chopin illustrates a deeper meaning of Mrs. Mallard’s marriage with herRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin855 Words   |  4 PagesThe Story of an Hour In the â€Å"Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin, is about pleasure of freedom and the oppression of marriage. Just like in Kate Chopin’s story, inside most marriages, even the ones that seem to be the happiest, one can be oppressed. Even though, one might seem to be happy deep inside they miss the pleasure of freedom and living life to the fullest. Just like, in this story Mrs. Mallard feels trapped and when she hears about her husband’s death she first feels distraught, but ultimatelyRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin1457 Words   |  6 PagesEmotions and Death Everyone who reads a story will interpret things slightly different than the person who reads it before or after him or her. This idea plays out with most every story, book, song, and movie. These interpretations create conflict and allow people to discuss different ideas and opinions. Without this conflict of thought there is no one devoting time to debate the true meaning of a text. Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour† tells about a woman who is informed of her husbands deathRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin987 Words   |  4 PagesIn Kate Chopin’s short story, â€Å"The Story of an Hour† reader’s see a potentially long story put into a few pages filled with rising action, climax and even death. In the beginning of the story, character Louise Mallard, who has a heart condition, is told of the death of her husband by her sister and one of her husband’s friends. Afterwards Mrs. Mallard is filled with emptiness and then joy of freedom. This joy of freedom is actually what consequently leads to her death in the end when she discoversRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin1061 Words   |  5 PagesThroughout the short story, â€Å"The Story of an Hour†, readers are introduced to characters whose lives change drastically in the course of this writing. Through Kate Chopin’s story we can identify many different themes and examples of symbolism in her writing. Chopin’s choice of themes in this writing are no surprise due to the time frame of which this story was written. Chopin often wrote stories with of women’s rights, and is noted as one of America’s first open feminists. As this story of an ill, helplessRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin972 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin expresses Ms. Mallard’s feelings towards her husband’s death in an appalling train accident. Due to her bad heart, her sister Josep hine had to be the bearer of bad news and approach his death gently to her. According to the quote, â€Å" But now there was a dull stare in her eyes, whose gaze was fixed away off yonder on one of those patches of blue sky. It was not a glance of reflection, but rather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought†, it lets us know thatRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin998 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The story of an hour† by Kate Chopin was a story that was ironical yet profoundly deep. As a student I have been asked to read â€Å"a story of an hour† many times, and every time I’m surprised by how I enjoy it. People can read thousands of stories in their life times and only a handful will every stand out to them, stories that can draw out an emotion or spark a thought are the ones that will standout more. For me and â€Å"a story of an hour† the thought of freedom is what draws me the most as a teenageRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kat e Chopin1542 Words   |  7 PagesIn the short story, â€Å"Story of an Hour†, Kate Chopin writes about a woman with heart trouble, Mrs. Mallard, who, in finding out about the death of her husband, Mr. Mallard, experiences some initial feelings of sadness which quickly transition into the exhilarating discovery of the idea of a newfound freedom lying in front of her. When it is later revealed that her husband is not actually dead, she realizes she will not get to taste that freedom. The devastation kills her. What Mrs. Mallard goes throughRead MoreThe Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin596 Words   |  2 PagesIn â€Å"The Story of an Hour,† Kate Chopin focuses on the idea of freedom throughout the story. Mrs. Mallard is a lonely wife who suffers from heart trouble. She is told by her sister Josephine and her husband’s friend Richards that her husband has passed away in a train accident. She locks herself in a room expecting to be devastated, but instead feels freedom. Later, she exits her room and her husband walks through the door, causing her to die of a heart attack. Chopin uses this story to demonstrateRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin886 Words   |  4 Pages In Kate Chopin â€Å"The Story of an Hour†, the reader is presented with the theme of prohibited independence. In Kate Chopin â€Å"The Storm†, the scenery in this story builds the perfect atmosphere for an adulterous affair. The importance of these stories is to understand the era they occurred. Kate Chopin wrote stories with exceptional openness about sexual desires. In â€Å"The Storm†, a short story written by Kate Chopin in a time when women were expected to act a certain way and sexual cravings was considered

PTSD and Hurricane Katrina Essay - 1112 Words

In times of emergency, life and death, and tragic despair, people often are reminded of the umbrella of stress that hangs over us. With such a world people live in today, at times its common to be caught up in the minor details of life; rather than enjoying the beauty of it all. Almost everyday, we live in a sheltered life, hidden away in our communities, just trying to skate by. But there are sometimes moments that occur in a lifetime, where that sheltered routine, that is so ingrained in our minds, is taken upon differently. August 29, 2005, day one of hurricane Katrina; this date, is one that is permanently ingrained in thousands of citizens of New Orleans. On this day, people have seen family members drown, houses destroyed, as well as†¦show more content†¦According to the journal of urban health, they stated, â€Å"The prevalence of symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of PTSD was 19.2%† (145 DeSalvo). The trauma for these victims did not stop there. Looking over to Marilyn Elias from USA TODAY, she states that, â€Å"The big surprise: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which typically goes away in a year for most disaster survivors, has increased: 21%† (16). But the true question is why is this happening? Why is the average among hurricane Katrina victims going through post-traumatic stress disorder increasing? When analyzing the actual causes of PTSD one must understand that, â€Å"Ordinarily, memories of particular events are remembered as stories that change and deteriorate over time... in PTSD the past is relived with an immediate sensory and emotional intensity† (Van der Kolk (quote within a quote)). Looking upon Van Der Kolk’s words, although Katrina victim’s endure most of their psychological stress through the memory of the incident, the increase diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder relating to victims after hurricane Katrina could be linked back to the inability to leave the city. Ultimately , for those who stayed during hurricane Katrina, they feel as if New Orleans is their only home. But because of this ignorance to flee the city, not only is post-traumatic stress disorder a common occurrence among victims, but it is increasing solely due to the fact that victims are reliving such a tragic memory in the locationShow MoreRelatedThe Severity Of People s Ptsd Symptoms Following The Hurricane967 Words   |  4 Pagespeople s PTSD symptoms following the hurricane was overtly connected to the amount of television coverage they watched of the damage which included the looting of New Orleans, rescue efforts, and evacuations in and around the Superdome and the Convention Center in New Orleans. People fared better in terms of PTSD symptoms if they watched less television coverage overall, especially of the looting. They also benefitted from using prayer as a way of coping with the stress of the hurricane. A naturalRead MorePost Traumatic Stress Disorder Essay1259 Words   |à ‚  6 Pagesstress disorder (PTSD) affects many individuals in the United States. This paper focuses on individuals who survived hurricane Ike and Katrina and as a result, suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder. PTSD can affect an individual for a couple of weeks to a few years after the exposure. People who suffer from PTSD can also suffer from depression and substance use (Odonnell Forbes, 2016). The period after a natural disaster can also feed the negative feelings that come with PTSD, depression, andRead MoreThe Effects Of Hurricane Katrina On The United States824 Words   |  4 Pageshistory was being created. This moment has come to be known as Hurricane Katrina. Her high wind speeds and three days of endless rain led to numerous deaths and astronomical amounts of damages for the residents of Louisiana and Mississippi. Although her terror only lasted for three taunting days, just like the residue she left behind, she also left residents with emotional, physical, and psycho social scars. The onset of Hurricane Katrina proved to be the very element that separated the economicallyRead MoreThe Effects Of Hurricane Katrina And Its Impact On The Mental Health2127 Words   |  9 Pages PTSD, Psychological Effects of Hurricane Katrina and its impact on the Mental Health By definition, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), is the †¦ It was not until the 1980’s that the diagnosis of PTSD as we know it today came to be. However, throughout history people have recognized that exposure to combat situations can have profound negative impact on the mind s and bodies of individuals in these situations. But there are other catastrophic events that can have such profound impact on peopleRead MoreRisks And Consequences Of Hurricane Katrinas Four Years After Katrina1029 Words   |  5 PagesFour years after Katrina, a mix of progress and inertia. USA Today, 28 Aug. 2009, p. 06A. Global Issues in Context, ezp.gvltec.edu:2048/login?url=http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A206816088/GIC?u=gvltec_mainxid=a646acc3. Accessed 1 Nov. 2017.Summary: In this article it puts into perspective the risk of living near the coast. That is the reason insurance near the coast is so expensive. This is because in the event of a hurricane you could lose your house. The insurance companies will be moreRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Hurricane Kat rina Essay1599 Words   |  7 Pagescranny of the world. No matter the severity, they all appear to have a similar effect: deterioration of mental health stability among those involved. Children and adults alike possess the risk of suffering from mental disorders, such as depression and PTSD, following exposure to a traumatic event. However, the circumstances of these events differ, simply because not all mass tragedies are the same. No matter what type of event occurs, a mass tragedy can mentally scar those involved, putting a population’sRead MoreThe Population Of Hurricane Katrina Essay1437 Words   |  6 Pagesstate, and local levels of government do this in an effort to help reduce injury and property damage as well as ensure the overall safety of the general population. The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season saw the costliest and one of the deadliest storms in United States history. This storm was Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina displaced of an estimated 645,000 Louisiana citizens (Cepeda, Valdez, Kaplan, Hill, 2010). This paper will examine†¦ This storm took a grave toll on the city of New Orleans. TheRead MoreZeitoun Fight or Flight795 Words   |  3 Pagesprotect your belongings and property when a Category 5 hurricane is barreling towards your city? Is it right to disregard reports about a storm because in past experiences the news has been wrong? In Zeitoun by Dave Eggers, a man named Zeitoun decides to let his family evacuate New Orleans without him so that he can stay behind and protect his several homes, business, and personal belongings from Category 5 hurricane Katrina. Once the hurricane passes, and he survives, the city turns into chaos. TheRead MoreZeitoun Essay example2192 Words   |  9 Pagesfor someone or something to blame, but in reality there was nothing to blame? Well, a natural disaster can be blamed on no one, but in times like that emotions run wild and blame can be put on someone who fits a certain profile. Racism and Hurricane Katrina were two forces that clashed together to create an even big ger problem for the victims. This is caused by an insecurity of the situation at hand. In the book Zeitoun by Dave Eggers, racism and racial profiling is the underlying themes in theRead MoreCrisis Management Essay1103 Words   |  5 PagesSystem Encyclopedia (2008) in the year 2007, there were 2,022 children ages 0-15 and 5,338 teens ages 16-20 who died in fatal car accident. Other crises include disasters. Since 2003 there have been 4 hurricanes (hurricanes Isabel, Ivan, Katrina, and Ophelia) in the United States. Hurricane Katrina displaced over 372,000 school-aged children (Dickenson, 2008). In the September 11 attack, there were 3,051 children who lost a parent (New York Media, 2008). Earthquakes, thunderstorms, and tornadoes

Lead Management Team Effectiveness Process-Myaasignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss about the Lead Management Team Effectiveness Process. Answer: Introduction My Aged Care is an organization dedicated to the welfare of older generation. It works for the assistance of aged people and provides online and telephonic service to get information regarding the number and range of services dedicated to the welfare of the senior citizens. The company provides information regarding all the services that can assist a person as he gets older, eligibility of a person to obtain aged care, and communicating and establishing communication regarding aged care. In the company, the primary role of the team is to consult the senior citizens and adults regarding the range of services that is provided to the senior citizens. Many times, the senior citizens do not know what services are available to them and what their requirements are, My Aged Care supports these people. It also provides services regarding maintenance of web portal for the clients, assessors (they asses thee requirements of the senior citizens) and the service providers to maintain the record a nd the assessment information. The service provider of Home Care Packages, Transition Care Program, and Respite Care Program also access the information from the companys database (My Aged Care, 2016). The team wherein I work provides response to the telephonic and internet query of the clients. There are twenty members in the team and their main role is to address the queries and issues of the senior citizens. Additionally, they also listen to the problems of the clients and identify their main needs and propose a solution accordingly. Skills and Consultation The primary role of the team is to provide services to the clients in accordance to their requirements. In this role, the primary skills required are empathy and patience, adaptability, clear and effective communication and knowledge. The foremost quality in addressing the requirements of the senior citizens is having empathy. It means the ability to feel and understand the feelings of someone else and what happiness means to them. It is also important to connect with the customers at an emotional level so that the customers can share their problem without any hesitation and the professional executives can understand them. The empathy is also essential in the providing solutions to the problems (Topchik, 2007). Along with it, adaptability is required to handle different kind of clients and customers. The service providers should be able to sense the customers mood and adapt in accordance. The executives should also be able to communicate with their customers effectively and complete each enquiry of the customer till he is satisfied. In order to provide solutions to the customers, the executives should have knowledge regarding most of the enquiries and problems that the customer faces. They should also have knowledge regarding where to turn, if the enquiries become too detailed. In order to perform effectively as a team, the team members should have effective communication skills, accountability and cooperation (Jones, 2004) Tuckman proposed a model of group development wherein four phases were defined, namely, forming, storming, norming and performing. These phases are essential to tackle challenges, problems and find solutions and work collaboratively. In the forming phase, the team meets and connect with other new members. At this early stage, the group members remain uninformed regarding the other team members and the team objectives. It is important to build an environment at this stage so that the members can easily connect with each other. The second stage is of storming wherein the team members form opinion about their team members and responsibilities. In this stage, due to bias and opinion forming, disagreement might occur between the members. In the third stage, norming occurs wherein the above clashes and disagreement are solved and a cooperating team spirit occurs. It is the last stage of the model. In this stage, the group members have established goals and responsibilities and achieve succ ess with them. The accountability skills are essential for the identification of the responsibilities and completing them. The collaboration skills are essential for the team to work collaboratively. The communication skills are essential for the team to communicate with each other and express their issues and problems (Nelson and Quick, 2010). Consultation is important for building a team and communicating the team members regarding the teams goals and objectives and the defining the individual responsibility of each team member. Consultation can assist the team development in articulating the mission, vision, role clarification, team building developing trustworthy relationships and decision-making. With consultation, the team manager can easily define and communicate the goals and the expected outcomes of each team members. After the team formation, consultation can assist in implementation of action plans, conflict management, and evaluation of the team performance and accountability of the actions. In personal experience, it has been observed that consultation assist in the resolving the issues and conflicts with the team members. It also assists in developing the efficiency of the team members by developing trust worthy relationships (Lussier, 2008). Performance Plan A performance plan is a document that outlines the expected outcome of each team member, how to achieve it and clear methods of its evaluation. Performance plan is important to measure the performance of each employees and the team as a whole (Rampersad, 2003). Team Performance Plan Objective: At present, the team is dedicated in solving the queries and the issues of the customers and the clients. However, several issues are encountered due to lack of cooperation between the team members. The organization does not have a system of team building and the people once hired works without any team Induction. It results in lack of trustworthy relationships and communication among the team members. The objectives of the present performance plan it to build relationship between different team members. Actions Timeline Responsibilities Resources Review dates Team Induction During team building Team leader will have key responsibilities in arranging the induction session of the new employees. Team induction is the training provided to the newly selected team members The team induction is the training process given to new employees and team members. The newly appointed members are given training regarding the operations and functionalities of the complete organization. Therefore, the employee will be given training through various means such as video, peer training and employee mentoring. All these methods will require finances and time from the senior employees. After every three months or joining of new candidates. Regular team meetings At certain intervals In the team meetings, all the team members will have responsibilities to show their progress regarding their individual goals. The personal goals are inspired by the collective goals of the organization. In order to conduct successful team meetings, participation and commitment from all the employees is required. The team manager should be able to obtain commitment and assurance from all the team members for regular participation and active membership. Although it will require time from all the team members, these team meetings will be beneficial in the evaluating the progress of the team. After every three months Get to know each other session after inclusion of each team member At specific intervals It is the responsibility of the team members to welcome the new member and make him comfortable in the new organization. The team leader can organize sessions so that a new team member can know about the previous embers of the team. These sessions are important for the team member as to enhance collaboration and cooperation. These sessions do not require any additional resources; however, they can enhance the productivity of the team as a whole. After every six months Regular team outings and fun At specific intervals The team leaders can organize team outings on weekends and holidays so that the team members will create friendly relations which will be further essential in the development of team spirit and enhance the productivity and efficiency of the team members. The team members will also be able to effectively communicate with their peers regarding any problems or issues. These activities require financial resources. Team outings and fun are important to inculcate the feeling of collaboration and support. Once an year Indicators or measures of success: Employees resistive towards such activities, skepticism and reluctance for additional work or financial resources. Potential barriers: Negative response of the management regarding organization of such activities Dependencies: The dependencies will be on the management and the members of the team d) Team Member e) Determined Outcomes f) Agreed responsibilities g) Standard to be achieved h) How the task will be measured i) 1 Leader j) Setting targets and developing performance plan for all the team members k) Making the new members of the team comfortable by initiating induction program and team meetings l) There should be reduction in the employee turnover in the team and the performance of the team should improve Every three months, the team will be evaluated for the performance, employee turnover and every employee will have to do fill an exit interview with the reasons for which he is leaving the team. 2 Coordinator m) Arranging team activities n) Making the time schedule for the regular meetings and team activities o) Induction programs should be conducted during the inclusion of each and every member p) A three months evaluation method will be used. With this method, the number of activities organized each month will be evaluated. The response of every employee will be obtained regarding the activities and its organization. q) 3 Negotiator r) Resolving issues and queries related to each team member Negotiator works for the resolution of any issues or friction between the team members. It is the primary responsibility of the negotiator to look if there is any disagreement between the team members There should be a written report regarding each conflict between the team member and the conflicting parties should be consulted regarding it (Davis and Davis, 2008). It is mandatory for the negotiator to report and document all the conflicts and the actions taken to mitigate them. These reports will be evaluated for examining the performance of the negotiator. Supporting the team members In a business organization, developing and growing teams is essential for the performance of the team. The organization can use coaching for inspiring the team members to perform and setting expectations. With coaching can team members can be easily communicated regarding what the company expects of them and how to accomplish these goals. After creating expectations, it is important for the team manager or coach to provide regular and honest feedback to the team members regarding their progress. It is also important to support the team members after the feedback on their performance (Hawkins, 2014). A mentoring program is focused to provide new insight and advice to fresh employees regarding their job functions. Mentoring programs are accomplished with the help of experienced employees who guide new recruits about the job process. It is also an effective way to maintain the organization culture and train the new staffers. There are several business mentoring programs such as one-to-one mentoring, resource-based mentoring, group mentoring, training based mentoring and executive mentoring. On-to-one mentoring is the most dedicated mentoring program as it dedicates one mentor to each mentoree. In this mentoring program, personal connection is developed between the mentor and the mentoree. The mentoree also gets personalized support from the senior employees. However, the primary issue of this mentorship is the limitation of mentors. This program can be made more flexible by providing choice related to mentors and mentorees (Clutterbuck, 2011). Develop strategies to encourage input from the team members In the present business world, the leaders all over the world are encouraging active participation of employees and team members to increase productivity and better strategic decisions. Encourage team members to provide input and solutions to organization problem (Ephraim, 2013). Be clear about organization and share information with the employees liberally. The team leader can also ask directly other members for input and active participation in decision-making (Zarate, 2008). References Clutterbuck, D. (2011). Coaching the Team at Work. Nicholas Brealey Publishing. Davis, D. and Davis, W.R. (2008). Team Performance Inventory: A Guide for Assessing and Building High-Performing Teams, Participant Workbook. John Wiley Sons. Ephraim, N. (2013). Collaborative Communication Processes and Decision Making in Organizations. IGI Global. Hawkins, P. (2014). Leadership Team Coaching: Developing Collective Transformational Leadership. Kogan Page Publishers. Jones, R. (2004). Oxford Textbook of Primary Medical Care. Oxford University Press. Lussier, R. (2008). Management Fundamentals: Concepts, Applications, Skill Development. Cengage Learning. My Aged Care. (2016). Getting started. [Online]. Available at: https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/getting-started [Accessed on 21 December 2016]. Nelson, D.L. and Quick, J.C. (2010). Organizational Behavior: Science, The Real World, and You: Cengage Learning. Rampersad, H.K. (2003). Total Performance Scorecard: Redefining Management to Achieve Performance with Integrity. London: Routledge. Topchik, G.S. (2007). The First-time Manager's Guide to Team Building. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. Zarate, P. (2008). Collaborative Decision Making: Perspectives and Challenges. IOS Press.

Upon examining issues of mind and thought, the que Essay Example For Students

Upon examining issues of mind and thought, the que Essay stions of artificial intelligence and its capabilities become important considerations for answering the ultimate question of what thought truly is. Computerized calculation is one of the few events that is somewhat analogous to human cognitive thought, so the extension of this current technology to more advanced future applications makes it a very interesting testing area for questions into consciousness. If one concludes that the advancement from cash registers to present day computers is a step closer to human thought, then we must concede that progressing technology will bring us closer and perhaps to the very point of true cognitive skills. The dilemma left to us philosophers and scientists is to determine when a machine has reached the point of thought, or at least to create a rough guideline. A.M. Turing proposed a test to solve this problem. Named, appropriately enough, the Turing test, it contains a controversial method of testing called the imitation game. The idea is to pu t one man and one woman in two rooms and have them questioned by an interrogator in a third room. The man would try to answer questions in a way which would suggest he is a woman. The woman attempts to answer in a way to reveal the truth of the matter. If the man fools the interrogator, it is said that he can think like a woman, or, at the very least, mimic a womans responses. This game can also be played with a computer in the male slot, trying to convince the interrogator that it is human. It would follow reason that if a computer could pass this test, it could think like a human, or at least mimic one. Perhaps the abilities showcased in the test alone would not be sufficient, but Daniel C. Dennett claims that the assumption Turing was prepared to make was that nothing could possibly pass the Turing test by winning the Imitation Game without being able to perform indefinitely many other clearly intelligent actions (Dennett 93). One often cited criticism of this notion is the idea of mimicry. Imagine a program that stored an almost infinite amount of information regarding sentences and grammar and was able to spit out contextualy appropriate sentences to a wide variety of inquiries. The computer has no knowledge of what the information means; it is acting much as a parrot does. Luckily for Turing, there is no shortage of responses for this claim. First of all, as Douglas Hofstadter points outs, the number of sentences youd need to store to be able to respond in a normal way to all possible sentences in a conversation is astronomical, really unimaginable (Hofstadter 92). The computer would also have to contain a complex microprocessor to keep up with conversation in a timely and manageable fashion. It would have to be so advanced indeed that such a microprocessor might be considered a small scale brain, sorting through symbols and their meanings to form contextually valid responses. Accordingly, if such a machine existed, it would pass the Turing test and vali date the method of testing at the same time. If a machine was capable of mastering the context-sensitive language we use, it may very well have a claim to true thought. At the very least, the computer would surpass mimicry and be labeled a simulation. Human thought is so complicated and demanding that any device that attempts to duplicate it with any success would have to be a highly sensitive simulation. Any machine that passes the Turing test must have a rudimentary knowledge of the information it is using and therefore is more than parrot . Assuming this is true, we must then ask hard questions about the value of simulation. The critical claim is that any simulation is just a simulation and not a real example of what it is simulating. Hofstadter finds this fallacious, as do I. First, any simulation can reasonable defined in this context as the recreation of a natural event by an agent other than nature. This view brings up the idea of levels in simulation. A good example is Denne tts simulated hurricane in Brainstorms. From the programmers vantage point, the God spot, of course the simulation can be easily identified as such. On the level of the simulation, however, no such preordained order can be seen. Perhaps if we all had the vantage point of nature, we would see the entire physical universe as a large simulation created by natural forces. Ultimately, it would seem unfair to discriminate between two like events on the basis of what agent set them into motion. We are still left with the largest concern, however. What does the Imitation Game really prove? As far as I can tell, the Imitation Game proves nothing at all, yet it does not have to. As pointed out as the beginning of this investigation, the job of the philosopher/scientist is to create a guideline for judging the relative intelligence of machines. Some critics say that the Imitation Game played with humans lends no insight into how the male thinks. They say that the test will never prove the man can think like a woman. Even if this is true, it does not invalidate the test as applied to machines. The cognitive abilities of men and women are so close in nature that the test may indeed lend no valuable information. With a machine, however, the cognitive differences from a human can be seen easily. The Turing test may not lay down a definite line for thought, but it is valuable for relative evaluations. For example, if one machine performs almost perfectly on the test, and another performs badly, one could conclude that the first machine is closer to human thought than its failing counterpart. What the test cannot do, however, it tell us how close the better machine is to thought. The identity of the computer as conscious cannot be proved. Kishan Ballal points out that we intuitively feel that personal identity is the paradigm for all other judgments of identity, even though personal identity cannot be justified through purely rational means (Ballal 86). The sad truth is that a t present there is no way to establish conscious identity other than asking the entity and hope it doesnt lie. G.W.F. Hegel supports this theory of conscious identity, commenting that the self-contained and self-sufficient reality which is at once aware of being actual in the form of consciousness and presents itself to itself, is Spirit (Hegel 637). In the Hegelian view, the computer is the only one with the correct insight to determine if it is conscious. Could this possibly suggest that the only accurate Turing test is one a computer runs on itself? Through self-inspection, or self-interrogation if you will, the computer may be able to draw conclusions on its own condition. Now while Hegel never saw the computer in any form, even he realized the limits of a test like Turings. From Hegels point of view, there is not even a test to determine if a human is thinking or merely simulating conscious existence. Personal conscious identity is an assumption. Like other elements which form our bedrock of assumptions, Ballal says, personal identity is without proof (Ballal 86). Normally, this is not a problem. The knowledge of self-existence is clearly a priori analytic. It is a self-supporting truth, exempt from the attacks of epistemological skeptics. We can then deduce that any similar being that shares the basic physiological structure probably shares the same conscious existence. These assumptions are rarely challenged except by the highly fallacious solipsism of young children. When we examine a computer, however, the same assumptions cannot be applied. Therefore, the Turing test can only go so far, for the assumptions it rests on are small in number. We must keep in mind that the Turing test is only a tool, not a proof. The test was not designed to tell if machines can think. After all, Turing himself says that question is too meaningless to deserve discussion (Turing 57). The test is a yardstick with no predetermined end. There is no prefect score for the test; the most current machine defines the best result. As machines continue to advance, the best result will constantly grow better, stopping only when technology advances to its peak. Thus the Turning test can only answer the question Can machines think? in two ways: No if technology stops advancing, or We dont know yet if it has not stopped. Ultimately, the Turing test does have flaws and limitations, but that should not sharply downgrade its usefulness as a tool for measuring a computers cognitive abilities. As science grows in scope, more tests may be devised to gauge these abilities, but for current use, the Turing test clearly accomplishes what it was set out to do. Perhaps it does not offer a comprehensive proof, but it does lend insight into areas of science which were previously .uc8bc8b85f9c8e27d373396939bce1ed9 , .uc8bc8b85f9c8e27d373396939bce1ed9 .postImageUrl , .uc8bc8b85f9c8e27d373396939bce1ed9 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uc8bc8b85f9c8e27d373396939bce1ed9 , .uc8bc8b85f9c8e27d373396939bce1ed9:hover , .uc8bc8b85f9c8e27d373396939bce1ed9:visited , .uc8bc8b85f9c8e27d373396939bce1ed9:active { border:0!important; } .uc8bc8b85f9c8e27d373396939bce1ed9 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uc8bc8b85f9c8e27d373396939bce1ed9 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uc8bc8b85f9c8e27d373396939bce1ed9:active , .uc8bc8b85f9c8e27d373396939bce1ed9:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uc8bc8b85f9c8e27d373396939bce1ed9 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uc8bc8b85f9c8e27d373396939bce1ed9 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uc8bc8b85f9c8e27d373396939bce1ed9 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uc8bc8b85f9c8e27d373396939bce1ed9 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uc8bc8b85f9c8e27d373396939bce1ed9:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uc8bc8b85f9c8e27d373396939bce1ed9 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uc8bc8b85f9c8e27d373396939bce1ed9 .uc8bc8b85f9c8e27d373396939bce1ed9-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uc8bc8b85f9c8e27d373396939bce1ed9:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Why I Want to Be a Doctor Essay We will write a custom essay on Upon examining issues of mind and thought, the que specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now

Thoreau And Emerson Comparison Essays - Lecturers,

Thoreau And Emerson Comparison A Comparison of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson's Beliefs Essay written by Kelly Cooper A Comparison of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson's Beliefs concerning Simplicity, the Value and Potential of Our Soul, and Our Imagination. Henry David Thoreau tests Ralph Waldo Emerson's ideas about nature by living at Walden Pond, where he discovers that simplicity in physical aspects brings deepness to our mind, our soul to its fullest potential, and our imagination to be uplifted to change our lives. These two men believe that nature is what forces us not to depend on others' ideas but to develop our own. Nature is ever changing so we must keep searching for explanations about human life. They feel that nature is the key to knowing all. Thoreau lives at Walden Pond to find the true meaning of life. He wants to experience things for himself. Thoreau says, I wanted...to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion (Thoreau 235). He takes Emerson's advice who says, Let us demand our own works and laws and worship (Emerson 215). Emerson tells how modern generations live life vicariously through the stories and traditions foretold. We do not experience things for ourselves. We take what our ancestors and others before us have said and do not think twice about whether we should try things for ourselves. Emerson decides not to conform to modern ways, but to be an individual. Furthermore, in Nature, Emerson says, Standing on the bare ground - my head bathed by the blithe air and uplifted into infinite space - all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eyeball (Emerson 215). Here, he is saying that being in such a simple environment he is able to see things more clearly. He has deeper thoughts. Like Emerson, Thoreau also wanted to live a simple life, in order to find deeper meaning in life. Thoreau says, I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartanlike as to put to rout all that was not life, ... and reduce it to its lowest terms (Thoreau 235). Thoreau also says, We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us (Thoreau 237). This means that some things which we believe make our lives simpler actually make it more complicated. Both Emerson and Thoreau believe that in order to find deep meaning in life, you must live simply. In addition to living simply, both men believe in the value of the soul. Thoreau goes to the woods to contemplate life and to get in touch with his soul He wants to get in touch with his soul. He wants to, get the whole and genuine meanness of it (Thoreau 235). Emerson similarly says, the one thing in the world of value is the active soul (Emerson 218). He also tells of the soul's boundless

Free sample - Nature of Frost. translation missing

Nature of Frost. Nature of FrostThis essay centers in one of the renowned poet of the twentieth century of the United States of America known as Robert Frost. I have chosen two of his popular poems of his career. Briefly i have looked at his private life and his career life for the purposes of this essay so as to understand the person Robert Frost was and his works. The biography in this essay is giving an account of the life of Robert Frost and how his career spanned during his lifetime. Frost was born in San Francisco, where he lived for the first eleven years of his life. Upon his father's death, a journalist, he moved with his mother and sister to Massachusetts near his paternal grandparents. His first poems he wrote as a student at Lawrence High School, he later was to marry, Elinor Miriam White in 1895. He entered Dartmouth College in 1892 but was there hardly a term; he retuned home to work at various jobs, such as factory-hand, newspaperman and teaching. In 1894 he sold the first poem, 'My Butterfly: An Elegy', to a New York magazine, The Independent. Both Frost and his wife taught school for some time, then in 1897 Frost joined Harvard College as a special student for a short period. He performed quite well at Harvard, but at the time his health became uncertain, he rejoined his wife in Lawrence. At the time his wife was expecting their second child. In October of 1900 his family settled on a farm in New Hampshire, bought for him by his grandfather. Over the next nine years, he wrote many poems that would constitute his first published volumes. Besides writing he tried his hand in poultry farming though not too successful. In 1906 he started teaching English at Pinkerton Academy, a high school in New Hampshire. During this time two of his most accomplished early poems, 'The Tuft of Flowers' and 'The Trial by Existence', were published. At the time he and Elinor had produced six children, two of whom died as infants. In 1912 he sold his farm and sailed with his family Glasgow, settling in Beaconsfield outside London. During his life he did spectacular works writing many books, poems and plays which were published both in England and in America. However Frost having been a polished writer he really believed in his capabilities to thrill his readers with captivating works and Frost's own formulation to an American friend in 1914 is helpful in thinking about his achievement: he told the friend, Sidney Cox, that the true poet's pleasure lay in making ‘his own words as he goes' rather than depending upon words whose meanings were fixed: 'We write of things we see and we write in accents we hear. Thus we gather both our material and our technique with the imagination from life; and our technique becomes as much material as material itself.' It was this principle that Pound saluted in Frost when, in his review of North of Boston, he remarked conclusively: 'I know more of farm life than I did before I had read his poems (Terry 52). This essay is focusing on the works of Robert Frost, picking part of his work to analyze literary and their application in the real life situations which gives reader a feel of someone who committed his whole educating people about the experiences of life and how to cope with challenge as we live.   One of the works of Robert Frost is his poem of 1916 known as 'The Road Not Taken'. In this particular work   can be interpreted in two perspectives. The first perspective is based on a personal interpretation of the works. This depicts how an individual can exercise his or her own independence and self reliance without necessarily involving other people in their decision making. Critically speaking in this work Robert Frost portrays and individual literary who is confronted by life situation to make a choice between two options which are a life challenge as well. The individual is seen first taking a look at the available options and evaluating the best available option though he does not know exactly what lies ahead in either of these options, the individual is convinced that whatever decision he is going to make will meet his desires and goals and therefore there is no need for any influence from third parties such as society and family members (Pritchard 15). In this work Frost also depicts the individual as having taken a decision and convinced that he had made the right decision soldiered on and true to his convictions that thy shall not regret about a decision once made it turns out that he had actually made a decision of his life time and in deed it was a good decision and that he has actually had great benefits. This work centers on encouraging individuals to face life boldly and never fear any challenges in life.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Always assess the situation within your self and do not shy away from taking decisions for it only you who can exercise your personal desires and goal while ignoring other influences. In political philosophy, individualism theory of government is such that they should protect individual liberty to act as they wish, so long as they do not infringe the liberties of others. There is what is termed as collectivist political theories, where, rather than having individuals to pursue their own ends, the governm ent ensures that the individual serves the whole society. This is a contrast to the individual liberties. The second perspective is mainly an ironic interpretation of the works. The ironic interpretation is that the poem is about making choices and rationalizing the decisions we hold with high esteem or regret .In this view, "The Road Not Taken" "is perhaps a famous example of the author's own claims to conscious irony. In the American poetry of a wolf in sheep's clothing, Frost warned â€Å"be careful of this one; it's a tricky poem – very tricky. According to this poem is made to a gentle jab at his friend and fellow poet Edward Thomas, with whom he used to take walks through the forest. Thomas always commented at the end-we should have taken different paths and seemed amused at the interpretation of the poem as inspirational. It also gives us the vigor to continually face life with an open mind so as to take up the consequences which may arise as a result of a decision or decisions we have made in life. In this interpretation it is in order to the view that the end justifies t he means (Finger 478). In this interpretation it is seen as inspirational in life and the works are taking life in another level where as one grows up they should know that they will face a life full of choices and these choices are about realizing ones desires and goals. Decision taking in life cannot be over emphasized in this piece of work and that whatever it whether an individual or the society as a whole they must face the choices available in life and take a decision which is in their best interests. However, if those decisions do not work in their favor they should face the repercussions with their heads high, for this is a show of taking responsibility in whatever actions one takes in life. It is the sociological element in this work which is of great interest since this may lead us to look at a political perspective because the society decision making may have to be shaped by a certain political leadership or dispensation. The society will depend largely on decisions made at position of leadership to look after the society's desires and goals and so their political, economic, social independence and self reliance as opposed to individualized decision taking which is informed by personal convictions. There are also situations whereby the society is segmented in groups in which case the decisions taken by a particular group will be informed by common goals of that particular group and decisions will always be taken in a unanimous agreement amongst the members of that particular group of people. The belief in the importance of the freedom of individuals also termed to as liberalism which is widely accepted in the United States of America and most western countries where i ndividuals are given the liberty to make personal decisions without the interference of the state is widely rejected by religious faiths such as Islam and many countries in Asia. The two interpretations are interrelated with the decisions we make in relationships. These decisions about relationships and family will largely be informed by individual pursuit for personal satisfaction or by societal affiliations. The same can also be affected by certain political aspects of groups and regulations of government. For example there are countries which permit gay relationships and others which are very strict that relationships should be purely between two adults of opposite sex. This political aspect will shape the kind of decisions one will make in relation with love and family. The society groupings will also shape these decisions since culturally they are bound to a certain way of life and that informs their daily life. Robert Frost in his poem 'Out, Out-''(1916) he is looking at death as speaks about a young man who dies as a result of injuries on body where his arm is severed off by a buzz saw. Death is the act of life ending. Naturally death is usually sudden and has devastating effects to the individual, family and the society at large which in ancient and modern society ist received with shock. In the United States of America a person is dead if a certificate is certified by a licensed medical practitioner. In literal interpretation of this work frost is depicting death as something which is investable and may occur at any time. It is also pointing out that death can occur to any person young and old alike. The young man dies minutes just before they could up their activities of the day. The way the death occurs is such that even the sister could not save him from being injured, and upon injuries even the presence of a professional doctor could not save the life of the young. The doctor tries to resuscitate the young man but all in vain (Parin 64). Death is also depicted as something which is individualistic and cannot be passed to someone else and cannot be shared to educe it severe effects on an individual. The young man dies in the presence of his dear sister who could not help out or even share the death effects. When death occurs different people receive the news with a lot of sorrow and tears and at times some waves of grief. The effects of death are adverse since when a family member dies and has been the bread winner of the family what it means is that the family will experience difficulties in terms of paying for their bills, it also causes emotional problems due to the loss of loved ones. Death has economic and social effects in the society when it occurs on persons who are on the productive age. It can also lead to low production as it affects labor as a factor of production when it occurs as a pandemic. However, in his work here Frost shows that death can be stopped if a little caution is exercised, had the elder and experienced operators of the buzz saw worked closely with the young man (Parin 64).   Coping with death in the modern society is varied and it entails a list of therapeutic measures which have been formulated to deal with the effects. These measures includes counseling, stress management and stress therapies to the affected persons so as to torn down the effects and help the affected persons deal with the loss. In his work Frost, he shows that once death occurs in as much as the affected have to deal with the loss, he points out that life has to continue for those who are living. Whether it occurs to loved ones life has to continue anyway and that once death occurs the next thin is to deal with the challenges ahead as a living person and the dead are dead no more. It also cites that death used to occur in the olden days and it occurrence did not mean that life will stop. In this poem it is cited that after the boy's heart is felt as it beats slowly dying and the doctor confirms the boy's life was no more and he informs the rest of the person present they are seen walking away in clear indication that life has to continue. In conclusion, Robert Frost works although some critics challenge his work based on literary perspective and criticism have helped people face life challenges will force and power and that as one continues to read his works you get the feeling that this is connecting you with real life situations. Finger, L. "Frost's "The Road Not Taken": A 1925 Letter Come to Light". American Literature 50 (3):   November 1978).   478–479'' Grant, R. Frost’s Destiny. New Hampshire: Time Books, 1924. Holt, D. Frost’s Poems. Chicago: Peterson Books, 1923. Parini, J. Robert Frost: A Life. London: Macmillan, 2000.   Pritchard, W.   "On "The Road Not Taken"". Illinois: University of Illinois, 2001. Pritchard, W.   Frost's Life and Career. New York: Routledge, 2000. Terry, D. The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-century Poetry in English. Oxford:   Oxford   University Press, 1994.

Crime Prevention - Video and Data Surveillance Essay

Crime Prevention - Video and Data Surveillance - Essay Example We live in a modern society filled with all sorts of crime, from muggings in darkened allies to cyber-crimes in the faceless forum of the internet. The world today can be a dangerous place. The implementation of Crime Prevention approaches have been, and continue to be, a large part of the solution to these problems. Crime Prevention is defined as the attempts made to deter crime, lower victimization, significantly enhance the gathering of data on criminal acts, and provide potential prevention response and preparedness (Rosenbaum, Lurigio & Davis, 1998). Video surveillance, or CCTV, has become a favored choice in the goal of preventing criminal activity in both businesses and private properties, and now by government and law enforcement to monitor potential criminal activities of the day to day populace. There are many people who are eager for that level of â€Å"persistent â€Å"security,† while others believe it is a blatant betrayal of individual privacy and civil rights. However, after reviewing the studies attempted, public response, and potential negative side effects, it becomes amply obvious that the video surveillance approach is misleading and not particularly effective in actually preventing crimes. Issues The Studies It can be difficult to study comparable efficiencies of video surveillance because of all the differing factors involved, the size of cities, population, and number of cameras is only a small part. The studies performed in the U.S. and Britain came to the same conclusion concerning video surveillance. Britain has embraced the video surveillance age and has for quite some time. There are approximately 4.2 million CCTV cameras in Britain; it is possible for one person to appear on a hundred different cameras in any given day. The U.S. by comparison has far less cameras (Landler, 2007). The U.S. studies were performed in California: the first by UC Berkeley in San Francisco and the second - by USC in Los Angeles. Regardless of the number of cameras, whether in the U.S. or Britain, there were no significant changes identified in crime rates over all. The Cost Despite the questionable success ratio, multiple other U.S. cities are encouraging the implementation video surveillance systems; Chicago and New York are just two. This is a very serious concern. Millions of taxpayer dollars are currently being invested in video surveillance, but entirely neglecting to look seriously at the efficiency, practicality, logistics, and cost effectiveness of the endeavors (Biale, n. d.). Combining the cost of the technology, the related equipment, the law enforcement cooperation necessary, and the staff needed to monitor and maintain the equipment, it becomes very obvious that video surveillance may be a complete waste of money, particularly, in these bleak economic times that the U.S. is still suffering. Even more so, after the ACLU, American Civil Liberties Union, published the results of studies showing that when a person stares at multiple monitors, after 20 minutes their attention span dramatically reduces, well below the acceptable levels ("What's wrong with," 2002). So the people who are supposed to be watching for â€Å"crimes† are compromised and not particularly efficient. Public Opinions Citizens of the U.S. seem care less about the ability of video surveillance to deter crime and more about whether it is a genuine invasion of individual privacy. The idea does bring up questions concerning if it is â€Å"just† for American citizens to be watched all of the time? Also, if people know they are being watched, will they behave differently? For many people it could create anxiety, paranoia, and forced unnatural behaviors to avoid â€Å"looking suspicious,† even when they are doing nothing illegal or inappropriate. It could also alter people’s daily routines, where they go and how often. The ACLU also warns that potential dangers of regular video surveillance

Journal 9 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Journal 9 - Essay Example This narrative will demonstrate just how a positive change in training habits can cause a player to become a better soccer player. When I was young, I was always elated at getting the opportunity of kicking the ball around the back yard with my father. I would especially look forward to the weekend when after I had finished working on all my chores, my dad would always reward me by taking me out to the park to play soccer with my friends; and if there was a soccer match being played near our home, he always made sure that he bought the tickets knowing very well that I would be very happy to go and watch the match. My soccer playing skills were however quite poor and I would often be kept as a substitute wherever our school team was playing against another team. This at times caused me to be quite despondent and my parents would often try to encourage me to not give up as I could improve and become a much better player. One winter morning, a new family moved into our neighborhood and I was elated to learn that the family had a young man about eight years my senior by the name of Todd who was quite a skilled player. Due to our shared love for football, Todd and I quickly became friends and one day while we were kicking a ball around his back yard, Todd promised that he would help me get good at the game. Admittedly, I had always loathed playing but loved playing however; Todd was quite the taskmaster when it came to coaching me. He would often cause me to do extensive workouts before even touching the ball arguing that I needed to first be physically fit. He took me through a lot of ball dribbling workouts and my game started to slowly improve. I watched a lot of training videos and was pleasantly surprised when with time; I discovered that I could now be able to dribble circles around my father. All this time while I was intensively training, I had so far never really been afforded the opportunity of finally getting to play for

John Chambers (Cisco CEO) - The Role of Decisiveness and Decision Essay

John Chambers (Cisco CEO) - The Role of Decisiveness and Decision Making - Essay Example In October 2011, Cisco’s net income dropped by 8%, while earlier in august this year, the net income had dropped by 36%, although it later on rose by only a small margin of 3.3%. Shareholder value creation is one of the most important strategies in an organization, and should be a priority for a CEO; however, Chambers has failed tremendously. According to Rappaport (2006), executives should always make decisions that aim at maximizing value. In addition, at times, it is wiser to return the shareholders cash in dividend form, rather than using excess cash in investments that end up being destructive. Therefore, excess cash should be returned to shareholders when the value-creating opportunities are not available. In addition, an organization should focus on the activities that contribute to long-term value in the organization. Decisiveness is one of the major qualities of a successful chief executive officer; the act of being determined is evident in Chambers such that, despite the rise of Cisco from $1billion to $40 billion followed by the challenges in 2001, Chambers has continued to hang on in the company’s leadership. ... argues that the continuous recovery of Cisco can be attributed to the CEO’s leadership skills, as he is known as an effective communicator and motivator of employees. Literature Review John Chambers, the Cisco’s CEO, has faced both negative and positive remarks concerning his role in the company. The failure to persuade the public that the company’s future earnings are reliable is one of the existing critics. Chambers replaced the top-down decision-making process with the committees of executives. This strategy required most managers to spend their time in committees; this absurd system was later on abandoned. According to Geothals, Sorenson, and Burns (2004, p.319), the presence of the correct information leads to informed decisions, whilst decisiveness creates room for timely actions. Nevertheless, inconsistency and failure to fulfill promises in a CEO creates an atmosphere of mistrust from the employees and the customers. Therefore, an open management style co ntributes to the development of trust, improved communication skills, and listening skills as well. However, ineffective communication leads to poor teamwork due to lack of collaboration, decrease in productivity, and high levels of turnover. Decisive managers are aware that their decisions may not be effective; hence, they leave room for modification, and therefore, they do not hesitate to modify their decisions once they realize that their original decisions are not effective. This is evident in Chambers case; for instance, when chambers changed the company’s top-down decision-making process to manager’s committee strategy, the new strategy proved ineffective as managers spent most of their time in committees. However, Chambers reconsidered changing the strategy after discovering that it did not

Organizational behaviour theories

Organizational behaviour theories 1.0 INTRODUCTION The purpose of this essay is to discuss the statement â€Å"organizational behaviour theories and concepts are only useful for managers† with real world examples supporting the discussion. Organizations are not buildings or pieces of machinery. Organizations are, indeed, people who interact to accomplish shared objectives. The study of organizational behaviour (OB) and its affiliated subjects helps us understand what people think, feel and do in organizational settings. For managers and, realistically, all employees, this knowledge helps predict, understand and control organizational events. Organizational behaviour is a field of study that investigates the impact that individuals, groups and structure have on behaviour within organizations for the purpose of applying such knowledge towards improving an organisations effectiveness (Robbins, Millett, Marsh, 2004). Though there is still considerable debate as to the components or topics of the area of OB, there appears to be general accord that OB includes the core topics of motivation, leader behaviour and power, interpersonal communication, group structure and process, learning, attitude development and perception, emotions, change processes, conflicts, work design work stress. To sum up OB is concerned with the study of what people do in an organization and how that behaviour affects the performance of the organization. To achieve the purpose the essence of this essay strives to analyze the controversial and complex theories and concepts of organisational behaviour to discuss those theories and concepts useful for everyone or only managers of an organisation. 2.0 Role of the Manager 2.1. Who is a Manager? A manager is someone who works with and through other people by coordinating their work activities in order to accomplish organizational goals. The changing nature of organizations and work has altered the role of managers. 2.2. What do Managers Do Describing what managers do isnt an easy or simple task! Just as no two organizations are alike, no two managers jobs are alike. A managers job can be described from various perspectives: functions, roles, essential skills, systems, and contingencies. Each approach provides a different perspective on the managers job. Management is the process of coordinating work activities so theyre completed efficiently and effectively with and through other people. Efficiency refers to getting the most output from the least amount of inputs. Effectiveness is concerned with completing activities so that organizational goals are attained. Efficiency is concerned with the means of getting things done and effectiveness is concerned with the ends. The process of management refers to the idea that management consists of a set of ongoing decisions and actions in which managers engage as they plan, organize, lead, and control. Planning involves defining an organizations goals and establishing strategies and plans to achieve those goals. Organizing includes designing a structure to carry out the plans. Leading involves motivating subordinates, influencing individuals or teams, communicating effectively, and dealing with employee behaviour issues. Finally, controlling includes monitoring, comparing, and correcting the organizations performance. Henry Mintzberg concluded that managers perform 10 different roles or behaviours. He classified them into three sets. One set is concerned with interpersonal relationships (figurehead, leader, liaison). The second set is related to the transfer of information (monitor, disseminator, spokesperson). The third set deals with decision making (entre-preneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator, negotiator). Robert Katz identified three skills managers need: technical, human, and conceptual. He showed that the relative importance of these skills varied according to the management level within the organization. The systems perspective can be used to describe what a manager does because organizations are open systems with interrelated and interdependent parts. Within this system, managers coordinate the various work activities so that the organization can meet its goals. The reality of work is that manager will either manage or be managed, and there are rewards and challenges in being a manager. 3.0 Organisational behaviour theories and concepts There are several crucial reasons why companies should utilize the concepts and theories of OB, as well as understand the key terms that are associated with organizational behaviour. One of the most important and broad-based challenges facing organizations today is adapting to diverse work environments. Organizations are becoming more heterogeneous in terms of gender, race, and ethnicity. For example, several key terms that must also be understood organizational culture, diversity, communication, organizational effectiveness and efficiency, organizational learning. 3.1. Attitudes Attitudes are evaluative statements either favourable or unfavourable concerning objects, people, or events. They reflect how an individual feels about something. When a person says, I like my job, he or she is expressing an attitude about work. The Theory of Cognitive Dissonance:Cognitive dissonance theory sought to explain the relationship between attitudes and behaviour. Cognitive dissonance is any incompatibility or inconsistency between attitudes or between behaviour and attitudes. The theory argued that any form of inconsistency is uncomfortable and that individuals will try to reduce the dissonance and, thus, the discomfort. In other words, individuals seek stability with a minimum of dissonance. Self-Perception Theory: People decide on their own attitudes and feelings from watching themselves behave in various situations. (Straker, c Syque 2002-2009) Usefulness of Attitudes Theories Concepts for Managers and Employees. Effective managers need to understand behaviours and attitudes of employees. Therefore knowing above theories Managers can pressure to reduce the dissonance when employees recognize that the dissonance is externally imposed and uncontrollable. The pressure is also decreased if rewards are significant enough to offset the dissonance. So the manager may point to external forces such as competitors, customers, or other factors when explaining the need to perform some work activity about which workers may have some dissonance. Or the manager can provide rewards that workers desire in order to decrease their attempts to get rid of the dissonance. Another implication for managers is that there is relatively strong proof that committed and satisfied employees have low rates of turnover and absenteeism. Knowing that managers would like to keep resignations and absences down, mostly among their most productive employees. Managers can do those things by generating positive job attitudes. Measuring employee satisfaction through attitude surveys can alert managers to any significant changes. The manager who knows about the above theories can reduce absenteeism and turnover by using those theories and concepts. Employees who know attitude theories and concepts try to reduce dissonance and decide on their attitudes and feelings which lead them to the successful job performance. Then furthermore successful job performance should lead to feelings of accomplishment, increased pay, promotions, and other rewards, all desirable outcomes that then lead to job satisfaction of employees. 3.2. Personality The sum total of ways in which an individual reacts and interacts with others, measurable traits a person exhibits. There are dozens of personality traits could use; for instance, aggressive, shy, ambitious, loyal, and lazy. The Big Five Model of Personality Dimensions: The big-five personality traits are; Extraversion: The degree to which someone is sociable, talkative, and assertive. Agreeableness: The degree to which someone is good-natured, cooperative, and trusting. Conscientiousness: The degree to which someone is responsible, dependable, persistent, and achievement oriented. Emotional stability: The degree to which someone is calm, enthusiastic, and secure (positive) or tense, nervous, depressed, and insecure (negative). Openness to experience: The degree to which someone is imaginative, artistically sensitive, and intellectual. Personality-Job Fit Theory (Holland): Identifies six personality types and proposes that the fit between personality type and occupational environment determines satisfaction and turnover. The six basic personality types of work environments are; Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, Conventional. Usefulness of Personality Theories Concepts for Managers and Employees. For managers the major value in understanding personality differences probably lies in employee selection. Managers are likely to have higher performing and more satisfied employees if consideration is given to matching personalities with jobs. The best-documented personality job fit theory has been developed by psychologist John Holland. His theory states that an employees satisfaction with his or her job, as well as his or her likelihood of leaving that job, depends on the degree to which the individuals personality matches the occupational environment. Furthermore it illustrates satisfaction is highest and turnover lowest when personality and occupation are compatible. Therefore its valuable for managers to know about personality theories and concepts. Also being a successful manager and accomplishing goals means working well together with others both inside and outside the organization. In order to work effectively together, managers need to understand each other. This understanding comes, at least in part, from recognizing the ways in which people differ from each other that is, from an appreciation of personality traits. In addition, there are other benefits to a managers understanding of personality. By recognizing that people approach problem solving, decision making, and job interactions differently, a manager can better understand why, for instance, an employee is uncomfortable with making quick decisions or why another employee insists on gathering as much information as possible before addressing a problem. Or, for instance, managers can expect that individuals with an external locus of control may be less satisfied with their jobs than internals and also that they may be less willing to accept responsibility for their actions. People who choose to work in an environment similar to their personality type are more likely to be successful and satisfied. For that reason knowing personality theories and concepts person can select a job that fit for him or her. For example, Artistic persons are more likely to be successful and satisfied if they choose a job that has an Artistic environment, like choosing to be a dance teacher in a dancing school an environment dominated by Artistic type people where creative abilities and expression are highly valued. Moreover knowing those theories help employees to work with their office mates/staff with an understanding. 3.3. Learning Learning occurs all the time as we continuously learn from our experiences. It can define as any relatively permanent change in behaviour that occurs as a result of experience. Classical conditioning: A type of conditioning in which an individual responds to some stimulus that would not ordinarily produce such a response. Operant conditioning: Operant conditioning argues that behaviour is a function of its consequences. People learn to behave to get something they want or to avoid something they dont want. Operant behaviour describes voluntary or learned behaviour in contrast to reflexive or unlearned behaviour. The tendency to repeat learned behaviour is influenced by the reinforcement or lack of reinforcement that happens as a result of the behaviour. Social-learning theory: Individuals also can learn by observing what happens to other people and just by being told about something as well as by direct experiences. So, for example, much of what we have learned comes from watching others (models)—parents, teachers, peers, television and movie actors, managers, and so forth. This view that we can learn both through observation and direct experience is called social learning theory. Shaping behaviour theory: Systematically reinforcing each successive step that moves an individual closer to the desired response. Usefulness of Learning Theories Concepts for Managers and Employees. Employees are going to learn on the job. The only issue is whether managers are going to manage their learning through the rewards they allocate and the examples they set or allow it to occur unsystematically. If marginal employees are rewarded with pay raises and promotions, they will have little reason to change their behaviour. In fact, productive employees, seeing that marginal performance gets rewarded, might change their behaviour. According to it managers can use learning theories and concepts to motivate employees to do thing as wanted. 3.4. Perception Decision Making Perception is a process by which individuals give meaning to their environment by organizing and interpreting their sensory impressions. Attribution Theory: Attribution theory was developed to explain how we judge people differently depending on the meaning we attribute to a given behaviour. Basically, the theory suggests that when we observe an individuals behaviour, we attempt to determine whether it was internally or externally caused. Internally caused behaviours are those that are believed to be under the personal control of the individual. Externally caused behaviour results from outside factors; that is, the person is forced into the behaviour by the situation. That determination, however, depends on three factors: distinctiveness, consensus, and consistency. Decision making is an integral function of management. Decision making involves selecting or choosing a particular course of action from among the various alternatives available in the decision making situation. Rational Decision-Making Model: A decision-making model that describes how individuals should behave in order to maximise some outcome. Step 1. Define the Problem Step 2. Identify the Decision Criteria Step 3. Weight the Criteria Step 4. Generate Alternatives Step 5. Rate Each Alternative on Each Criteria Step 6. Compute Optimal Decision Usefulness of Perception Theories Concepts for Managers and Employees. Managers need to recognize that their employees react to perceptions, not to reality. So whether a managers appraisal of an employee is actually objective and unbiased or whether the organizations wage levels are among the highest in the community is less relevant than what employees perceive them to be. Employees organize and interpret what they see, so there is always the potential for perceptual distortion. The message to managers should be clear: Pay close attention to how employees perceive both their jobs and management actions. Since the valuable employee who quits because of an inaccurate perception is just as great a loss to an organization as the valuable employee who quits for a valid reason. In addition, job satisfaction also influences organizational behavior, primarily through perceptions of fairness. That means â€Å"If employees dont feel that their supervisors or the organizations procedures or pay policies are fair, their job satisfaction is likely to suffer significantly. However, when employees perceive organizational processes and outcomes to be fair, trust is developed. And when employees trust their employer, theyre more willing to voluntarily engage in behaviors that go beyond the formal job requirements†. Usefulness of Decision Making Theories Concepts for Managers and Employees. Studies show that managers may spend up to 70 percent of their time in group meetings. Undoubtedly, a large portion of that time is spent formulating problems, developing solutions, and determining how to implement the solutions.Therefore it proved knowing decision making theories and concepts is useful for as individually managers. It helps to make decisions in order to gain maximum productivity. 3.5. Motivation Motivation is the process that account for an individuals intensity, direction and persistence of effort toward attaining a goal. In todays world motivation is seen as being best achieved by a combination of elements within the organization that combine to produce it: needs; job design; satisfaction. There are many theories of motivation that have emerged in organizational behaviour literature. Early Theories of Motivation Hierarchy of needs theory: Maslows Hierarchy of Needs (often represented as a pyramid with five levels of needs) is a motivational theory in psychology that argues that while people aim to meet basic needs, they seek to meet successively higher needs in the form of a hierarchy. Maslows Hierarchy of needs (Learning Theories Knowledgebase, 2009) Individuals cant move to the next higher level until all needs at the current level are satisfied. So they have to move up the hierarchy in order. Theory X Y: Very simply, Theory X presents an essentially negative view of people and Theory Y offers a positive view. Two-factor theory: motivation-hygiene theory proposes that intrinsic factors are related to job satisfaction and motivation, whereas extrinsic factors are associated with job dissatisfaction. McClellands Theory of Needs: McClelland proposed that an individuals specific needs are acquired over time and are shaped by ones early life experiences. Theory focuses onpeople havingthree fundamental needs that exist in different degrees, one being a stronger preference:- The need for achievement The need for affiliation The need for power (authority) A persons motivation and effectiveness in certain job functions are influenced by these three needs because they have different level of needs in each of these areas. (Edwards, 2009.) Goal setting Theory: Conscious goals affect action. A goal is the object or aim of an action. For example -: to attain a specific standard of proficiency, usually within a specified time limit. As industrial-organizational psychologists, our primary interest has been to predict, explain, and influence performance on organizational or work-related tasks. Thus, we focused on the relationship between conscious performance goals and level of task performance rather than on discrete intentions to take specific actions. Reinforcement Theory: In contrast to goal-setting theory, reinforcement theory says that behaviour is a function of its consequences. Goal-setting theory proposes that an individuals purpose directs his or her behaviour. Reinforcement theory argues that behaviour is externally caused. What controls behaviour are reinforcers, consequences that, when given immediately following a behaviour, increase the probability that the behaviour will be repeated. The key to reinforcement theory is that it ignores factors such as goals, expectations, and needs. Instead, it focuses solely on what happens to a person when he or she takes some action. Expectancy Theory: Expectancy theory states that an individual tends to act in a certain way based on the expectation that the act will be followed by a given outcome and on the attractiveness of that outcome to the individual. It includes three variables or relationships Equity Theory: This is a process theory that focuses on individuals perceptions of how fairly they are treated relative to others. The 4 most common ways to reduce a perceived inequity are to, Change inputs. Change outcomes. Distort perceptions. Leave the job. Usefulness of Motivation Theories Concepts for Managers and Employees. Managers can recognize individual differences by using above theories as almost every contemporary motivation theory recognizes that employees arent identical. They have different needs, attitudes, personality, and other important individual variables. Also managers can match people to jobs. Theres a great deal of evidence showing the motivational benefits of carefully matching people to jobs. For example, high achievers should have jobs that allow them to participate in setting moderately challenging goals and that involve autonomy and feedback. Also keep in mind that not everybody is motivated by jobs that are high in autonomy, variety, and responsibility. Employees have different needs, what acts as a reinforcer for one may not for another. Managers should use their knowledge about theories and concepts of motivation to motivate employee using different reward systems. Ex-: Individualize the rewards they control, such as pay, promotions, recognition, desirable work assignments, autonomy, and participation. Link rewards to performance. Allocation of performance-based wage increases Piecework bonuses Pay incentives is important in determining employee motivation. So as mentioned above managers can induce employees to achieve organizational goals through knowledge of motivational theories and concepts 3.6. Leadership The aspect of leadership is perhaps one of the most influential elements in organizational behavior. This is because the leaders are expected to direct the company in such a way as to maximize corporate objectives while minimizing costs. Leadership is a special case of interpersonal influence that gets an individual or group to do what the leader wants done (Wood, Wallance, Zeffane, Schermerhorn, Hunt, Osborn, 2001). Trait Theories: Trait theories are more traditional and focus on the personal traits of leaders from those of followers. Six traits associated with effective leadership included; ambition and energy the desire to lead honesty and integrity self-confidence intelligence job relevant knowledge Traits alone were not sufficient for explaining effective leadership. Explanations based solely on traits ignored the interactions of leaders and their group members as well as situational factors. Possessing the appropriate traits only made it more likely that an individual would be an effective leader. Behavioural Theories: Behavioral therapists take a different approach. Behavioralists try to determine the types of leadership behaviors that have produced a higher level of work performance. There are four main leader behaviour studies we need to look at. Managerial Grid Concern for people: measured leaders concern for subordinates on a scale of 1 to 9 (low to high) Concern for production: measured leaders concern for getting job done on a scale of 1 to 9 (low to high) Contingency Theory: In this section we examine five contingency theories. Each looks at defining leadership style and the situation and attempts to answer the if-then contingencies (i.e., if this is my situation, then this is the best leadership style for me to use) The Fiedler Model the Fiedler contingency model proposed that effective group performance depended on the proper match between the leaders style of interacting with his or her followers and the degree to which the situation allowed the leader to control and influence. The model was based on the premise that a certain leadership style would be most effective in different types of situations. The key was to define those leadership styles and the different types of situations and then to identify the appropriate combinations of style and situation. Fiedler proposed that a key factor in leadership success was an individuals basic leadership style. He further suggested that a persons style was one of two types: task oriented or relationship oriented. To measure a leaders style, Fiedler developed the least-preferred co-worker (LPC) questionnaire. This questionnaire contained 16 pairs of contrasting adjectives. After an individuals basic leadership style had been assessed through the LPC, it was necessary to evaluate the situation in order to match the leader with the situation. Fiedlers research uncovered three contingency dimensions that defined the key situational factors for determining leader effectiveness. These were: Leader-member relations: the degree of confidence, trust, and respect employees had for their leader; rated as either good or poor Task structure: the degree to which job assignments were formalized and procedurized; rated as either high or low Position power: the degree of influence a leader had over power-based activities such as hiring, firing, discipline, promotions, and salary increases; rated as either strong or weak Each leadership situation was evaluated in terms of these three contingency variables. Hersey and Blanchards Situational Leadership Theory focuses on followers readiness. SLT says if followers are; Telling (high task-low relationship): The leader defines roles and tells people what, how, when, and where to do various tasks. Selling (high task-high relationship): The leader provides both directive and supportive behavior. Participating (low task-high relationship): The leader and follower share in decision making; the main role of the leader is facilitating and communicating. Delegating (low task-low relationship): The leader provides little direction or support. Leader Participation Model related leadership behaviour and participation in decision making. The model argued that leader behaviour must adjust to reflect the task structure whether it was routine, nonroutine, or anywhere in between. Leadership Styles in the Vroom Leader Participation Model are; Decide: Leader makes the decision alone and either announces or sells it to group. Consult Individually: Leader presents the problem to group members individually, gets their suggestions, and then makes the decision. Consult Group: Leader presents the probelm to group members in a meeting, gets their suggestions, and then makes the decision. Facilitate: Leader presents the problem to the group in a meeting and, acting as facilitator, defines the problem and the boundaries within which a decision must be made. Delegate: Leader permits the group to make the decision within prescribed limits. Path-Goal Model which states that its the leaders job to assist his or her followers in attaining their goals and to provide the direction or support needed to ensure that their goals are compatible with the overall objectives of the group or organization. House identified four leadership behaviors: Directive leader: lets subordinates know whats expected of them, schedules work to be done, and gives specific guidance on how to accomplish tasks Supportive leader: is friendly and shows concern for the needs of followers Participative leader: consults with group members and uses their suggestions before making a decision Achievement-oriented leader: sets challenging goals and expects followers to perform at their highest level Path goal theory Leader-Member Exchange Theory indicates that leaders develop special relationships with trusted followers. Usefulness of Leadership Theories Concepts for Managers and Employees. Leadership may not always be important but the aspect of leadership is conceivably one of the most influential elements in organizational behavior. This is because the leaders are expected to direct the company in such a way as to maximize corporate objectives while minimizing costs. In perhaps more than any other area of organizational behavior the leadership aspect is a combination of learning theories, power, personality, performance appraisal and motivation. This is because leadership is the process whereby an individual must gain the voluntary participation of subordinates with the goal of attaining corporate objectives. Thus, a leaders personality and sense of power will influence this process. Further, motivation is a key aspect of leadership because goal will not be attained if subordinates are not properly motivated to achieve them and performance appraisal is a key element in this process. Without adequate feedback that is quantifiable, leaders will not be able to assess em ployee performance reliably or measure progress in attaining corporate objectives. So its important to have knowledge of leadership concepts and theories to both employees and managers to achieve organizational goals. 3.7. Groups A group is defined as two or more interacting and interdependent individuals who come together to achieve particular goals. Groups can either be formal or informal. Formal groups are work groups established by the organization that have designated work assignments and specific tasks. In formal groups, appropriate behaviours are established by and directed toward organizational goals. Five stage Group Development Model Forming stage: The first stage in group development characterised by much uncertainty. Storming stage: The second stage in group development characterised by intra-group conflict. Norming stage: The third stage in group development, characterised by close relationships and cohesiveness. Performing stage: The fourth stage development, when the group is fully functional. Adjourning stage: The final stage in group development for temporary groups characterised by concern with wrapping up activities rather than task performance. Group Behaviour Model Group behaviour emanates from the causes that contribute to the groups effectiveness. Usefulness of Group Theories Concepts for Managers and Employees. The group task is a whole and meaningful piece of work, with a visible outcome. According to

Rene Descartes Essay

Rene Descartes is one of the most influential thinkers in the history of modern Western philosophy. Not only did he contribute significantly in the area of mathematics and physics, but he also created a systematic approach to philosophy that is still followed today. During his time, he rejected much of the Aristotelian traditions of the medieval age and took philosophy in a new direction, attempting to integrate it with the sciences that were just beginning to come into their own. He also contributed to the theological discussion by studying the nature of God cosmologically and ontologically in his work Meditations. When one first reads Meditations on the First Philosophy: In Which the Existence of God and the Distinction Between Mind and Body are Demonstrated by Descartes, being aware of his reputation for being the â€Å"Father of Modern Philosophy,† and his claim to have arrived at a method of gaining knowledge about the world which had the same kind of certainty as knowledge of mathematics, they may be initially disappointed because of his refusal to completely abandon religious thought in favor of humanist ideology. In the Preface to Meditations Descartes states his aim is to explain the nature of the human soul and demonstrate the existence of God. To demonstrate the latter, Descartes presents multiple proofs of God’s existence, the cosmological and the ontological arguments. Descartes cosmological argument as to the existence of God first comes to light in the third part of Meditations and begins and ends with the existence of God as the initial cause of everything, including human reason capable of ideation of different realities. Following his maxim â€Å"Cogito ergo sum,† which translates into â€Å"I think, therefore I am,† Descartes begins with himself as existing, with existence perfect, and his existence caused by something. According to Descartes: â€Å"In order that an idea may contain this objective reality rather than that, it must doubtless derive it from some cause in which is found at least as much formal reality as the idea contains of objective; for, if we suppose that there is found in an idea anything which was not in its cause, it must of course derive this from nothing† (Med.  III, par. 14). Though Descartes can know himself, and he can know of perfection, even believing himself to be perfect, he is not perfect and could not be the cause of himself. To him, only God as a perfect being can truly possess infinite knowledge of perfection. As he states: â€Å"Although my knowledge increase more and more, nevertheless I am not, therefore, induced to think that it will ever be actually infinite, since it can never reach that point beyond which it shall be incapable of further increase† (Med. III, par. 27). As his knowledge of perfection is limited, and God is perfect, his idea that God is perfect is only possible if God preceded the idea and made it possible. Descartes follows causation from his existence back through the reasons for it, from his parents, to their parents, and so on, finally concluding that at the beginning there must be God, as only nothing can come from nothing. While Descartes’ cosmological proof that God exists relies on causality for its foundation, in part five of Meditations he also provides ontological proof to back it up. Descartes’ ontological argument takes a markedly different approach than his cosmological proof of God’s existence. Descartes’ ontological argument begins with his idea of God as being a perfect being of infinite substance as put forth in the third part of Meditations: â€Å"the idea by which I conceive a God [sovereign], eternal, infinite, [immutable], all-knowing, all-powerful, and the creator of all things that are out of himself, this, I say, has certainly in it more objective reality than those ideas by which finite substances are represented† (Med.  III, par. 13). To Descartes, objective reality is more perfect than ideas about reality, and because his idea of God is that He is a perfect being that nothing more perfect can possibly be imagined, he must be more real than any of his nonexistent thoughts. In essence, Descartes logical argument for his ontological proof of God’s existence is that he can experience the idea of God as a the most perfect being, existence is part of God’s essence and His existence is more perfect than human thoughts about it, so therefore God exists in reality as the most perfect being: â€Å"because I cannot conceive God unless as existing, it follows that existence is inseparable from him, and therefore that he really exists†¦the necessity of the existence of God, determines me to think in this way: for it is not in my power to conceive a God without existence, that is, a being supremely perfect, and yet devoid of an absolute perfection† (Med. V, par. 10). As the essence of Descartes’ idea of God is existence, much as having three sides is the essence of a triangle, God exists. While Descartes presupposes the perfection of existence and the idea that God is the most perfect being, his ontological argument fails to provide the sound reasoning as his cosmological one and speaks more of his Catholic assumptions than his intellectual emphasis on reason. Descartes arguments for the existence of God are born from equal parts philosophy and religion. While this could largely be explained by Descartes’ Catholicism, it might be equal parts of his realization that any potential thought that contradicted the Church would be met with punishment. The Mediations were published just a few years after Galileo was accused of heresy during the Inquisition for supporting the Copernican view of the solar system, in which the earth revolved around the sun, rather than the Ptolemaic view, in which the sun moves around the earth. Descartes even makes reference to his treatise on natural sciences in Part 5 of the Discourse, but in Part 6 specifically says he decided not publish it because of the condemnation of Galileo. With emphasis on proving the existence of God, Descartes assured himself protection from such persecution imposed on Galileo and other scientists and philosophers considered heretical, but also presented two arguments for it of varied questionability. The cosmological argument put forth by Descartes has far more credibility philosophically than his ontological argument. While a Catholic philosopher trying to prove the existence of God, it is impossible to expect atheistic indifference concerning the subject, but the ontological proof requires far more faith than the cosmological argument, which relies more on reason. The cosmological argument, rather than presupposing the perfection of existence and therefore the perfection of God as a perfect being that exists, questions the causality that brought Descartes to the point of even being able to question the existence of God in the first place. Through reason, he is able to deduce that there must be a cause for his thought, his life, his parents, the world, and all of existence, and seeks to trace the origins back to the beginning. While scientists and philosophers today would trace it back to the big bang or a cyclical theory of existence, Descartes only had knowledge of God to explain the origins of existence. The cosmological argument is one that had origins long before Descartes and continued to be posed long after him. Descartes ontological argument is far less convincing than his cosmological argument. He asks that too many presuppositions be made to justify accepting the existence of God. Instead of following with a line of thought that establishes human reason as the unshakable foundation of existence, Descartes asserts that a good God could not possibly deceive, and that therefore humans could confidently accept all the perceptions which the method of doubt had just led humans, including Descartes, to challenge. This begs the question that if the arguments for the existence of God are not valid, than will the whole system collapse? It also asks that existence be considered perfect, though provides little justification for this claim, while contradictorily offering gradations of perfection as a thing in itself. The cosmological question that examines the causality of existence and leads to the proof of God is far more convincing than the ontological argument that lacks its scientific and philosophical reasoning. For Descartes, God is the justification for accepting the evidence of human senses. But in practice very few people ever doubt the evidence of their senses. Even though reality can be warped by senses, which can often mislead, it is only discovered when reflecting on other evidence from the senses. By using his reason to argue for the existence of God, Descartes showed that faith needed not be the only tool used in the matter. His cosmological argument is far stronger than his ontological one, for the universe and everything in it must have started somehow, whether God or a prime mover. The ontological argument that proves the existence of God merely because humans can conceive of Him is not as strong, because the richness of imagination can create countless things that are not real outside of the mind. Even in recent years, as scientific discovery uncovers the Big Bang billions of years ago, Descartes’ cosmological argument still holds up, as God may have been the initial cause for the bang and all that followed.