Foreign Currency Transactions Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Foreign Currency Transactions - Coursework Example Because of the widespread involvement of companies in foreign activities, accountants must be familiar with the problems associated with accounting for those activities. The expansion of international business has been of particular concern to accountants because of developments in the worldwide monetary system. These developments, coupled with the existence of a number of acceptable methods of translating foreign financial statements and reporting gains or losses on foreign currency fluctuations have become a challenge to accountants worldwide.Recording and reporting problems are encountered when transactions with a foreign company where investments are measured in a currency other than the country’s currency. Transactions to be settled in a foreign currency must be translated. This means they will have to be expressed in the original country’s currency before they can be aggregated with the domestic transactions of the firm. When a foreign branch maintains its account s and prepares its financial statements in terms of the currency of the country in which it is domiciled, the accounts must be translated from the foreign currency into original country’s currency before financial statements for the combined entity are prepared. Translation is necessary because useful financial reports cannot be prepared until all transactions and account balances are stated in a common unit of currency.The receivables or payables denominated in foreign currencies are subject to profits and losses because of changes in exchange rates.

Critique of Capitalist Economy Essay Example for Free

Critique of Capitalist Economy Essay Introduction Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels were great supporters of communism and were opposed to the capitalism way of economic system because they believed that it was a way of exploiting the poor and benefiting the rich in the society[1]. They did a lot of work as philosophers in addressing religious, political and economic issues. Karl Mark and Engels were supporters of communism and criticized the capitalism economy which was being advocated for by the developed countries. Thesis; communist economy is better than the capitalist economy. There has always been a conflict between the counties in the west and the Eurasia on the way economic policies should be set with countries like the US supporting capitalism while the countries that were formally soviet union oppose it and want continue with the communism way.   To critically assess the reasons why communism is better than capitalism, the following is the analysis of negative impact of capitalism and the advantages of the communist economy according to Karl Marx and Engels. The most notable writing is the communist manifesto. Communist Manifesto In 1848, Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels came together to write the   communist manifesto which was a proclamation of the unavoidable failure of the capitalist economy and wake up call to the workers all over the world[2]. The manifesto was commissioned by the communist league in England. Capitalism described as the economic scheme where there is free market of capital i.e. facilities and money, the natural resources and labor (production)[3]. This kind of system allows individual entities like people and companies to the business owners and not the central government. They run the production lines, make much profit as possible since they are also the decision makers of the issues that are affecting the production of goods and services plus the sale of the same[4]. Communism on the other hand is described as an economic system which allows the distribution of the countries resources with the intent of creating a non stratified society. In this type of economy, the government owns the production means and there are no private entities that own the same business or industry. Communism is intimately associated with a German philosophy, Karl Marx because he was an activists and an economist and wrote so much literature about communism and criticizing the capitalism. In his works, he put forward postulations that capitalism would be overthrown and ultimately replaced by communism. Since the individual ownership of the means of production would lead to exploitation, Karl Marx advocated for communism arguing that though the communism may vary from country to country, the following beneficial characteristics would still remain[5]; the planning, production and other operations in agriculture and industry are centrally organized, the system does not put up with opposition from other viewpoints and that only one political party runs the government. Communism developed as reaction of employees to the unacceptable working conditions during the emergence and the increased industrial revolution according to Marx and Engels. In Marx’s view, capitalist should[6] give a chance to socialism a chance to excel because capitalism was deemed to fail the economy because it would create two rivalry classes in the society of the â€Å"haves† and â€Å"have not† hence a new economic system would emerge and replace the capitalism[7]. Though not popular in the 19th century, the communist manifesto became widely used and read document as people sought to actually establish the most efficient economic system during the era of industrial revolution.   As discussed by Marx and Engels, the communism economy would come as a scientifically proofed issue and according to the historic changes of phenomena as continuous processes. Feudalism grew and as expected it had to transform giving rise to mercantilism which also naturally translated to capitalism, from this reasoning, Karl Marx expected that the supporters of the capitalist economy would accept change as it was inevitably going to take place with capitalism transforming to socialism (communism). Economy under Capitalism In the manifesto of communism, Marx and Engels argue that employment would be greatly affected by the owners of the means of production. It also addresses the idea of ownership of private property and idea of communism. The employees are depicted to be suffering from alienated labor; the alienation of labor is categorized in to four groups[8]; first, as soon as the product is made it is immediately taken away from the creator; second, the workers are exploited in the production line (too much work un-proportional to the pay), third, the human beings are meant to work and increase productivity blindly and not in agreement with the normal human nature (from species being), finally, mutual satisfaction of the human needs is replaced by the benefit resulting from the exchange of the products (from other beings). Marx analyses the Hegelian deduction of types of economies to explain how all the categories (salaries, rent, profits etc) were all alienated as a consequence of alienation of the human nature in the capitalist economy. This is because the structure of the economic system ultimately ends up dictating the way people come to live their lives in future, their behavior and determines the possible actions to be taken to stay on top. For instance, in the event that a capitalist economist intention is to remain in the industry (business venture) then he has to exploit the employees to the legal limit. The capitalist will definitely end up being a ruthless exploiter despite being wracked by guilt or not because of the need to stay in control of the economy and apparently everything.   On the same note, employees are forced to take on the work offer as there are no sensible alternatives. Marx and Engels insist that it is for this reason that people have to rise above such oppression and take the bull by its horns so as to have a collective control of their way of life in terms of economy and societal development. Commodity production is another aspect that is addressed by Marx as being used for exploitation. Commodity in the economy and business definitions is the product produced with an intention of exchange for legal tender or money in the market, as there exists a market, the product can be exchanged and that there is division of labor where a variety of products are produced, otherwise there would be no incentive for the exchange. With this kind of reasoning then, a commodity is described in terms of use and value. The use is easily understood, but the value becomes a complex issue to deal with and the relative value for the exchange has to be elaborated. For instance why does some amount of a product exchange for a different amount of another product? The elaboration has to cover the labor input during production of the product or rather the socially obligatory effort put in at average level of intensity to yield the commodity[9]. This is where the labor theory understanding and interpretation plays a big role, and it states that the quantity of socially essential work time needed to produce the commodity should be the determinant of its worth. In Marx view, this argument has two stages and the first is, to say if two items are compared by equations with an equal sign, there should be a third item of identical amount in both to which they are reducible and which is common, the second stage is to look for the suitable ‘third element’ and in this case labor is the only reasonable element[10]. Labor force is therefore likely to be exploited in order to increase the value of the commodity as the use remains constant. Capitalism is idiosyncratic; the capitalist economist does not only rely on the exchange of products as the source of profits but rather the progression of wealth, in the form of cash, with the intension of profit making by means of trading in the products and changing them into other products which can cost higher prices and generate more profits. According to Marx and Engels, no previous scholars have been able to clearly give an explanation of how capitalism as a whole would generate profits. There solution is that, the capitalists exploit the labor from employees, they buy employees labor effort for the day. The price (value) of the product is established by the same means that is, the socially essential labor force needed to make the product. In such an instance, the day’s labor effort is the worth of the products required to keep the employee alive for one day. Taking for example a situation where commodities take about five hours to create, the   first five hours of the day would be used up on creating value that is equal to the worth of the salaries the employees would be compensated, this is the necessary labor. Any other labor done above this is termed as surplus labor and it only benefits the capitalist economist to make surplus value for the profits. The analysis done by Marx reveal that labor called the variable capital and this because it is the only resource that can create more value than it is worth. Other items basically pass their value to the final processed product but cannot create any additional value and hence referred to as the constant capital. Profits generated by the capitalists are a result of employees working past the necessary labor to create value for the employer. This is the theory of profits as far as the surplus value of labor is concerned. The rate of profit making is bound to fall as the industry increases its mechanization under the capitalist economy, by the use of more constant capital and little variable. As it has already been established that labor is the only resource that can add value to a commodity, less advancement on labor as a result of less capital will translate to a fall in the profits. Marx emphasized on the shamed labor and value of commodity[11]. Labor Theory and Value The analysis of Marx and Engels basically emphasized on the reward of labor power and the other forces of production means, basically such resources as land and technology are necessary for production. The analysis of Marx differentiated the history of the means of production for instance the European nations developed from a feudal mode of producing products to capitalist economy. Marx believed that change would come at a fast rate because of the advance in technology. The understanding of the social relations of production to be involving groups of people who are classified based on the wealth they own or their income (social classes)[12]. Commodity fetishism is a description of what Engels termed as false consciousness and is intimately associated with the understanding of the ideology. The ideology was used to imply the ideas of the specific people (class) at a point in time in history[13]. Marx and Engels did not describe only the belief as half truth but as the most important political operation. This explains the way a class can control the production means in food and other manufactured goods, they contribute the ideas of production. People in capitalist are alienated from their own labor investment. The alienation of the labor power as expressed by the Marxist supporters indicates it as the major feature of capitalism resulting in commodity fetishism. Before the emergence of the capitalist economy in the European market, many people who operated their businesses as producers or merchants used to purchase goods and resell them to earn profits. The development of the capitalist economy came as a result of treating labor force as a commodity in itself; the peasants were allowed to exchange labor force with money from the rich people because they did not own any land which they could use to produce food from agriculture[14]. People were being paid according to the time they worked (they were selling labor and not commodity). Those who were in possession of land and the means of production were called bourgeois and they are the capitalists while the peasants who had to sell their labor power for survival were called proletarians[15]. The difference between the industrial capitalist and merchants is that the merchants purchase goods and resell them at some higher cost to earn profits depending on the changes of the laws of demand and supply in the market. The merchant practices arbitrage between markets while the industrialist capitalist exploit the labor market and the product under production[16]. For any profits to be created there has to be a surplus in labor market and value surplus. Capitalism on the other hand can be very productive and develop very fast because of the enticement to reinvest profits in the developing technology and capital facilities. It is also the most innovative economic system as it has always changed the means of production and caused notable improvements. With an attempt to cut down the labor cost, the capitalist economists are likely to invest more in the new technology and as a result considerably cut down the labor cost (less labor)[17]. Since Marx and Engels believed that the profits were from surplus labor, they also concluded that the profits would fall. Conclusion Marxism opposed capitalist and encouraged a move to communism (socialism) in which the economy distributes the resources equally to everybody in the community (nation). It does not promote private possession of assets and business.    References Antonio R.J Cohen. (2003). Marx and Modernity. Key Readings and Commentary. Blackwell Publishing Mark K. Engels F. (2007). Capital. A Critique of Political Economy Vol. 3 Part 1. The Process of Capitalist Production as a Whole. Cosimo Moore S.W. (1957). The Critique of Capitalist Democracy. An Introduction to the Theory of the State in Marx, Engels, and Lenin. Whitman Publishers. Preston P.W. (1982). Theories of Development. Taylor Francis Stalin J. Wells H.G (1937). Marxism vs. Liberalism. An interview. New Century Publishers. New York retrieved on 5th February 2009 from http://www.rationalrevolution.net/special/library/cc835_44.htm . [1] Antonio R.J Cohen. (2003). Marx and Modernity. Key Readings and Commentary. Blackwell Publishing [2] Mark K. Engels F. (2007). Capital. A Critique of Political Economy Vol. 3 Part 1. The Process of Capitalist Production as a Whole. Cosimo. [3] Mooore S.W. (1957). The Critique of Capitalist Democracy. An Introduction to the Theory of the State in Marx, Engels, and Lenin. Whitman Publishers. [4] Mark K. Engels F. (2007). n 2 [5] Stalin J. Wells H.G (1937). Marxism vs. Liberalism. An interview. New Century Publishers. New York retrieved on 5th February 2009 from [6] Stalin J. Wells H.G (1937) n 4 [7] Mark K. Engels F. (2007). n 2 [8] Mooore S.W. (1957). The Critique of Capitalist Democracy. An Introduction to the Theory of the State in Marx, Engels, and Lenin. Whitman Publishers. [9] Mark K. Engels F. (2007) n 2 [10] Antonio R.J Cohen. (2003). Marx and Modernity. Key Readings and Commentary. Blackwell Publishing [11] Mark K. Engels F. (2007) n 2 [12] Preston P.W. (1982). Theories of Development. Taylor Francis [13]Antonio R.J Cohen. (2003). Marx and Modernity. Key Readings and Commentary. Blackwell Publishing [14]Preston P.W. (1982). N 11 [15] Preston P.W. (1982). Theories of Development. Taylor Francis [16] Antonio R.J Cohen. (2003) n 6 [17] Mooore S.W. (1957). The Critique of Capitalist Democracy. An Introduction to the Theory of the State in Marx, Engels, and Lenin. Whitman Publishers.

Qualitative Research: When People are at their Happiest

Qualitative Research: When People are at their Happiest Abstract The main aim of this research was to assess when people are at their happiest, previous research that was carried out was explored for an in-depth knowledge of how individual states of happiness varies and also that happiness mean different things to different people. Happiness is one of the most important part of life for people to attain good health. Thematic analysis method was used in this qualitative research study and a semi structured interview was carried out on two participant’s one male and one female. There were four key themes that emerged from the analysed transcripts, the themes were: Relationship, Well-being, Hobbies and Achievements. (105 words) Introduction This research evaluated when people are at their happiest by using a qualitative research method to conduct an interview to gain a better understanding of people’s opinion on happiness. Most people main purpose in life is to find happiness in everything that they do, when people talk about happiness they relate it to pleasure of a particular moment in their life, or attaining a set goal, pleasure in some ways is a part of happiness but it is not the meaning of happiness. Happiness according to Peterson (2006). Is a very complex aspect of positive psychology, there are different traditional theories for happiness, the way each person measures happiness and its implications differs from one person to another. Perhaps some people thinks if they are financially secure, own a big house or car will make them happy, according to psychologist happy people are those that are not focussed on their set goals but instead the people that are involved in the presence of the moment. (Wiederm an, 2007). There are different routes to achieving a happy life, according to Seligman (2002). People need at least one route to attain a full potential happiness for them to accomplish their desire. The definition of happiness in a scientific aspect of subjective well-being, it is the feeling of satisfaction and affective balance for an individual. (Joseph Linley, 2006). Happiness entails a lot of other things apart from personal important goals that an individual might have set for themselves. Different experimental studies found out that happiness is connected to different desirable benefits that occurs in favour of an individual but because people compare themselves to others it creates an engender unhappiness (Lyubomirsky, 2005). But if happiness is strongly pursued, it can increase the chances for a person to fully attain such desire, especially for an extroverted personality, psychologist suggested that extroverts are happier people (Mauss, Tamir, Anderson, Savino, 2011). This therefore leads to the research question when are people at their happiest? According to the study carried out by Lymbomirsky (2005). It revealed a positive correlation between happiness and success, not that success brings happiness but rather successful people tends to be happier than people that are not successful. It is important to consider individual differences wh en discussing happiness, because it is a common issue that arises when we generalise what happiness means. There are different methods to measure what makes people happy but best and common method used on this topic question is to conduct a qualitative research using a semi structured interview schedule, this method will enable the researchers to gain personal understanding of the participant’s happiest moments and also it will allow them to consider individual differences on what makes them happy. (452 words) Method200 In this study there were two participants one male and one female who took part in a semi structured interview that lasted for approximately fifteen minute, the interview was conducted at a convenient location for both parties involved in the research, a tape recorder was used to take note. All ethical guidelines were followed and a detailed information form was given to the participant, also participants were told that the information provided will be confidential and recorded to be transcribed and analysed. The participant gave a verbal consent to carry out the interview after the research read out the information forms, at the end of the interview all participants were provided a debrief form that includes the details of the researchers in order for the participants to contact them if they have any further questions after the interview. They were also told that they can withdraw from the research at any time. Thematic analysis and a first order coding was used to transcribe and id entify patterns that were formed in the data, this further enabled the researchers to analyse the themes that emerged from the data and through this they were able to explore the data in detail, this also enabled a thorough assessment to be carried out, and subsequently able to identify the themes and sub-themes that emerged before analysing the data (Kvale, 2007). (223 words) Analysis and Discussion The main goal of this study is to analyse the interview that was carried out to assess participant’s state of happiness, there were two participants and I will analyse and discuss the different response to the same questions that were asked by the interviewer. It emerged that people’s view of happiness are different, we live in a world where happiness means different things to different people, some people are very materialistic, but some are not. Unfortunately material possessions does not bring happiness all the time. Due to individual life-style choices consequently have an impact on how we experience the world. Some of the targets that we set for ourselves can affect the way we experience the world and the level of happiness we experience. Thus from this research it is obvious that accomplishment and fulfilment are very important to peoples life. From the literature review psychologist have found out that when we focus on fulfilling this set goals we will more or le ss deny the processes of achieving the full potential happiness. Due to the rise of anxiety and stress levels from the pursuit of accomplishing this goals and to achieve their desires in life, therefore creates issues with the well-being, this happens most especially when it involves personal benefits (Wiederman, 2007). From the interview the most occurring theme was how the participants value their relationships with other people most especially families and friends. It is important to relate our source of happiness with other people. It is hard to see an isolated person who would say that they are completely happy (Wiederman, 2007). In this study wedding day seems to be the top of what makes people happy, the two participants also recognised that when they had their children was one of their happiest moment, this confirmed that we all need other people in order to attain a full potential happiness. There have been series of sequence that emerged during this research on when are people at their happiest? The two participants that took part in this study talked about their state of happiness, the interview schedule had six questions, and one of the example of the questions presented to the participants was: what does happiness mean to you? (See Appendix B). There were four key themes that emerged from the analysed data they are, Relationship, Well-being, Hobbies and Achievements. Theme One: Relationship This is the most salient theme that emerged from this study, ‘Relationship’ was severally referred to by the participant across different questions that was asked. The theme has different aspect to it, with sub-heading as: relationship with family and relationship with other people. Through this two sub-headings the main theme emerged. The sub-heading of relationship with family and others include comments from participants regarding how they take family life serious and also how they value there relationships with other people, both participants were immersed with happiness when they are with their families and friends. An example of the Relationship theme is this comment from participant one: â€Å"I enjoy having people around me, because as a family I am a father with 3 children they are the most important part of my life and seeing them with my wife around and healthy always makes me feel content and happy† ( Appendix D. line 009 – 012). â€Å"I like to be around my friends and families to share my happiness. Spending time with them also adds to my happiness† (Appendix E. Line 038 040) Theme Two: Well-being From the above theme on relationship and the quotations from the participants, ‘Well-being’ manifested as another important theme in the data. The participant relate his physical and spiritual well-being as what makes him happy, there were two sub theme for Well-being and they are social well-being and physical well-being. The participant’s view of happiness is not in one angle rather it was seen in different realm. The quotation was from participants 1 interview. â€Å"Personally I think happiness is a complete compendium which include my state of mind which is how I feel and it involved both my physical state and my spiritual state must all be in tune (in a good form) in order for me to be fully happy.† (Appendix D, Line 031 035). Theme Three: Achievements This theme came about from the sub-heading of goals, education, marriage and having children. The two participants discussed a lot about achieving their set goals and getting through university had boosted their happiness, but the achievements that stand out for the two participants was getting married and having children. From the literature review in the introduction section we can see what psychologist says about people that set goals in order to achieve happiness. An example for the Achievement theme was from participant 2: â€Å"Getting married and being a beautiful bride is something that I wanted as a little girl it was almost my first childhood dream. I was like a princess for the day.† (Appendix E, Line 051 055). . †Feeling that you are doing what you want to do and also achieve your goals.† (Appendix E, Line 033 034). Theme Four: Hobbies And the last theme was titled Hobbies, this theme was created to back up how people releases their daily stress (for instance stress from work or studies) in order to keep the level of happiness at the base-line will reduce anxieties that leads to stress, because people that are constantly stress are more likely to be unhappy. An example for the Hobbies theme was from the interview of participant 2: â€Å"I like to go for a run. This is what I enjoy it relaxes me and also I like to be fit. Especially as a nurse the work can be very stressful and demanding. I have to be on my feet long day. I enjoy running in the park not on the street though.† (Appendix E, Line 075 080). Reflexive Analysis250 During this research I might have impacted on the quality of the interview because of my health condition at the time it was carried out. For the period of the interview I was time conscious mainly because I do not want to over or under interview the participant, this might be due to the fact that it was my first time carryout an interview and also the layout of the questions for the interview could have been somehow expanded to enable the participant to think better in depth about their state of happiness. While I was carrying out the analysis I had a headache which made me grumpy, this might have impacted on the direction of this analysis. It is possible that someone else would approach the research in a different way depending on their mood and well-being. And in future I will create a better layout of questions to enable better understanding for the participants, which will cause less tension for me and therefore create a better experience for me and the participant. At some poin t during the interview session there were some silence’s that I found a bit uncomfortable, and also when the participant was talking about his sexual life, about how he loves having sex and it enables him to be more relaxed. But overall I had a great experience during this research. This interview has made me to realise that money cannot buy you happiness, and also that people are more likely to be happy when they achieve their aim in life. (256 words) References Joseph, S., Linley, P. A. (2006). Positive Therapy: A meta-theory for positive psychological practice. East Sussex: Routledge. Kvale, S. (2007). Doing interviews, chapter 5: conducting an interview,. London: Sage Publications. Retrieved from https://my.bucks.ac.uk/bbcswebdav/pid-396672-dt-content-rid-518515_1/courses/PS504-13SB/Doing interviews Ch 5 Kvale Steinar.pdf Lyubomirsky, S. K. (2005). The benefits of frequent positive affect: Does happiness lead to success? Psychological Bulletin, 131, 803– 855. doi:10.1037/0033-2909 .131.6.803 Mauss, I. B., Tamir, M., Anderson, C. L., Savino, N. (2011). Can seeking happiness make people unhappy? Paradoxical effects of valuing happiness. Emotion, 11(4), 807-815. doi:10.1037/a0024986 Peterson, C. (2006). A Primer in Positive Psychology. New York: Oxford University Press. Seligman, M. (2002). Authentic Happiness. New York: Free Press. Wiederman, M. (2007). Why its so hard to be happy. Scientific American Mind, 18(1), 36-43. doi:15552284

Essay --

JEAN PICO ENGLISH 102 11/23/13 ANNE SEXTON "HER KIND" Anne Sexton is an extorianary poem writer that during the time period she began to write poems specially about women , she was highly criticized because of her perspective how women were viewed and the shadow they had to live under. Male dominance was a huge impact that Sexton didn’t seem to agree with at all for which through her writing she didn’t want to promote a sort of rebellions against men but to show the people what was going on , demonstrate what was really occurring during this time period and how women where outcast by society specially Anne Sexton. Anne Sexton became the voice of women through her poems and promoted this stereotype of modern women and how women role has increased in society during the years . â€Å"Her Kind† by Anne Sexton describe all the boundary’s of a women judged by society and how this particular women the narrator in the poem describes her living condition a little different then the usual average women , she is described as a witch and expresses her isolation from society by showing how she departs from everyone and people may say she not right in her head for the simple fact that she is not the typical ordinary quite women , instead she is more of an independent women living her life. Various critics wrote about there perspective about this poem â€Å"Her Kind† and demonstrated there different views on weather they agree or disagree with the context Anne Sexton is demonstrating in her writing and go into details to explain why she seems to think about society in this way. The dream life of MS Dog by Karen Gut , is an article ab... ...and dissatisfaction with her place in life all of her life. In conclusion both critics Karen Alkalay-Gut and Artemis Michailidou Have different analyses and ideas of the poem "Her Kind" , although the poem may seem very complicated to understand at first when you read it further on it has a deeper meaning that explains Sextons life because thats what she would reflect in her writing. The writer often uses literary elements to tell their criticism weather it would be foreshadowing certain parts or the use of smilies etc but the main concept that both critics had over this particular Poem Her Kind is that Women used to live under male dominance until Anne Sexton's poems in general changed the perspective of a women and gave them more authority to stand up for themselves and become an influence of this modern feminist lifestyle .

Greek Society

Greek emphasis on reasoning bring to their views of nature and society? ADDED Greeks broke with the onomatopoeic outlook and started to view the physical world and human activities through reasoning and logical thinking. What changes did It make to nature and society? -Emphasis on reason marks a turning point for human collocation A) Philosophy -Marks the beginning of scientific thought, had an awareness of cause and effect, exploring the natural phenomena, principles of universe. Traditional mythical explanations are dismissed. -egg. Earthquakes commonly held belief that it was caused by Poseidon, god of the EAI, was offered with a logical explanation on how the earth floated on water. Discovered water as an element and rainbows certainly was not the goddess Iris. – Parricides' concept of unchanging reality apprehended by thought alone Influenced Plato and Is the foundation of metaphysics- the branch of philosophy that attempts to define ultimate reality, or Being. Democratic from Greek mainland renewed the Ionians' concern with the world of matter and reaffirmed their confidence in knowledge derived from sense perfection- and the senses indicated that change did occur in nature. -model of universe: empty space and an infinite number of atoms- a world of colliding atoms- everything behaved according to mechanical principles.Therefore essential to scientific thought thus emerged in embryonic form with Greek philosophers: 1) Natural explanations for physical occurrences (Ionians) 2) The mathematical order of nature (Pythagoras) 3) Logical proof (Parricides) 4) Mechanical structure of the universe (Democratic) with all these logical reasoning and ways of knowing, Greek philosophers pushed thought in a new direction. This approached allowed critical analysis of theories, whereas myths, accepted unconditionally on faith and authority, did not promote discussion and questioning. Made possible theoretical thinking and the systemization of knowledge- as distinc t from the mere observation and collection of data. -made attempt to prove underlying mathematical principles-> demonstrate that certain conclusions must flow from certain hypotheses. -able to distinguish between magic and medicine. B) The Sophists -early Greek thinkers. -they're the professional teachers and urged that Individuals Improve themselves ND their cities by applying reason to their tasks. -they answered a practical need in the Persian Wars. Sophists again arrived at a broader conception of humanity. That slavery was based on force or chance, that Pl were not slaves or master by nature, all Pl were fundamentally alike. -applied reason to human affairs- divine was useless and it's a human invention to prevent Pl from committing crime. -applied reason to law- all these to instill fear to citizens. -however, their doctrines encouraged loss of respect for authority, disobedience to law, neglect to civic duty ND selfish individualism- dangerously weakening community bonds.C) S ocrates -to comprehend nature, cosmologists discovered theoretical reason. -Socrates attacked sophist' relativism and questions them the questions that really mattered:- what is the purpose of live? The values? How to be perfect? But the sophists failed to answer. -indeed, sophists taught the ambitious to succeed in politics, but persuasive oratory and clever reasoning do not instruct a man in the art of living. -Socrates' central concern was the perfection of individual human character, the achievement f moral excellence. He believed that reason was the only proper guide to the most crucial problem of human existence: the question of good and evil. -because wrong thinking?wrong doing -supplied a method of inquiry called dialectics in urging Athenians to think rationally about the problems. -the good life, the moral life, is attained by the exercise of reason and by the development of intelligence- this percept is the essence of Socratic teaching- made the individual the centre of t he universe, reason central to the individual and moral worth the central aim of human life.

Global Warming Fact or Fiction Essay

Throughout their history, humans have witnessed all the environmental imbalances they have created in the world. The unstoppable technological advances of the world have greatly contributed to the enhancement of economic progress and improvement of the quality of life. However, the phenomenal growth of the economy and the increase of the standards of living are achieved at the expense of environmental destruction that is pressing the contemporary society. Hence, as human beings are the ones responsible for taking care of and preserving nature, they should impose certain limitations in their attempts to acquire economic progress in order to protect the environment. The pivotal change in the composition of the earth’s atmospheric condition gave birth to the term global warming, leaving the whole world unnerved of the damages it is currently causing and will continue to cause. However, we should consider if global warming is true or a mere product of our imagination. Some scientists argue that what we are experiencing right now is a natural occurrence and is a part of the earth’s climate cycle. Theorists believed that the earth is currently undergoing climate cycle, wherein the planet cools then heats up. Scientists pointed out that 75 million years ago, the earth experienced ten degrees higher than today’s temperature, but still, life was sustained. On the other hand, there is a strong evidence that global warming is not a natural phenomenon but is a result of human activities. Global warming is progressing at a rapid pace, with its damaging effects leading the world more and more to its destruction (Hopwood and Cohen). Thus, this paper aims to present information that supports the claim that global warming is a fact and is threatening human life. Global warming is considered as the worst dilemma faced by humans as a result of their constant neglect of the environment. Global warming developed through the increased emissions of the noxious greenhouse gases resulting in an increase on the temperature of the earth’s surface (SciDev. Net). Global warming renders a variety of changes that affects the environment and the quality of life. As a result of humankind’s neglect and carelessness, the Earth is now experiencing extreme shifts in temperature which result in heat waves, irregular weather conditions, and rapid unfreezing of icecaps and glaciers located at the two opposite poles of the earth. As the ice caps and glaciers melt, the sea level rises, resulting in occurrences of coastal flooding. Causes of Global Warming The main cause of global warming is the widespread emission of greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases are the natural blanket of the Earth located in the atmosphere. It traps some of the light to keep the surface warmer. Over the century, the Earth’s surface temperature increased by . 5 degrees Celsius and it was believed that this was due to the increased on the concentration of the main greenhouse gases, which are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorocarbons (Hopwood and Cohen). The natural phenomenon was named â€Å"greenhouse effect† because it has a similar effect created by the glass panes of a greenhouse. The greenhouse traps the heat inside preventing large amounts of heat to go outside. The greenhouse gases selectively transmit infrared rays emitted by the sun. It traps some of the waves and permits some to travel in space. The greenhouse gases then bounce the infrared rays back on the lower atmosphere causing the increase in temperature (Hopwood and Cohen). Carbon dioxide is one of the main components of the greenhouse gases. It is produced and emitted in the atmosphere through the process of photosynthesis. Carbon dioxide is emitted when humans exhale, when fossil fuels burn for energy, and through the deforestation of the planet (Hopwood and Cohen). The release of carbon dioxide is a biological function among humans and other animals which have a similar respiratory system. Fossil fuels are formed through the decay of the plants and animals a thousand years ago. People utilize these fossil fuels in the form of coal, oil, and natural gas to create a supply of electricity, to heat their homes, and to run their cars. The fossil fuels contain carbon which, when burned, mixes with oxygen, resulting in the formation of carbon dioxide (Hopwood and Cohen). Other greenhouse gases accumulate in the earth’s atmosphere due to the negligence of people. As they continue to strive for economic progress, they reinforce the causes of the environmental dilemma that can lead the planet to its destruction (Hopwood and Cohen). Deforestation is another cause of the production of carbon dioxide. Deforestation occurs though logging for lumber, pulpwood and fuel wood. Another factor contributing on deforestation is farming new land, which involves developing forests into farmlands and pastures. Deforestation takes away trees that absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. The less number of trees in the forest, the less carbon dioxide will be processed and made available in the atmosphere (Hopwood and Cohen). Thus, global warming is caused by humans’ unstoppable emission of noxious gases on the earth’s atmosphere and the denuding of forests. At present, the status of global warming is progressing, rendering detrimental effects to the planet and its inhabitants. Effects of Global Warming The increase of the amount of greenhouse gases present in the earth’s atmosphere has negative implications on the earth’s environmental mechanism. These effects only signify the existence of the environmental dilemma. Due to global warming, the planet is experiencing imbalances our environmental processes. The earth is suffering from heat waves, sudden unusual shifts in weather, and changes in precipitation patterns. The odd patterns of precipitation reinforced by the rise of the sea level result in coastal flooding and take away the land where people live. This circumstance induces migration, causing the population of the inland cities to escalate (â€Å"Global Warming: Early Warning Signs†). Global warming also has a direct effect on our earth’s hydrosphere. The increase in temperature contributes to the rise of sea level. The rise of the earth’s waters results from the expansion of water due to heating and the melting of glaciers and ice caps in the North and South poles (Raper and Braithwaite 311). Global warming also affects the daily lives and lifestyle of the people. It also causes a chain of events that raises extreme concern from environmentalists who are anticipating the worst scenarios resulting from this environmental issue (Hopwood and Cohen). Global warming renders both negative and positive effects in our agriculture. As for its benefits to agriculture, global warming helps to increase food production. Since one of the determinants of agriculture is climate, it is suggested that heating is better than cooling. Moreover, carbon dioxide is one of the essential factors needed by plants in making their own food. As the temperature rises, more farmlands will be available on the poles and the length of the growing season will be prolong. However, extreme rise in the temperature will cause drought that affects our crops. Extremely hot temperatures also prevent some of the crops to be planted due to the adherence of the climate (Hopwood and Cohen). Global warming also raises various health concerns. One of the most obvious effects on health is directly through heat. As the temperature of the earth continues to increase, more people will suffer from heatstroke, heart ailments, and other illnesses exacerbated by heat (Hopwood and Cohen). In addition to this, it was stated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that climate change develops a wide array of adverse effects on human health, resulting in significant loss of human lives. As temperature increases at the earth’s poles, pests and insects migrate toward these areas. Some of these insects and pests carry diseases, such as malaria and dengue fever, which could lead to an increase in the number of cases documented each year (Hopwood and Cohen). Thus, if the current situation will not be addressed, global warming is foreseen to create a chain of negative implications such as the spread of diseases, occurrence of droughts and fires, heavy rainfall, flora and fauna range shift, and population changes (â€Å"Global Warming: Early Warning Signs†). Conclusion The environment is continuously violated and destructed as people strive to achieve industrialization, economic progress, and improvement of the quality of human life. As a result, global warming has emerged as an alarming dilemma that stems from our negligence and exploitation of the earth’s natural resources. Thus, global warming is not a product of our imagination but a product of our continued destruction of the environment. Global warming is brought about by the escalated concentration of greenhouse gases, causing the earth’s temperature to increase as the gases trap infrared waves and bounce them back to the earth. The increased concentration of the greenhouse gases result from the neglectful emission of components that comprise the noxious greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide, the main component of the greenhouse gases, accumulates in the atmosphere as the amount of carbon dioxide recycled is reduced. Deforestation is one of the causes of the increased in the concentration of the harmful gases on the earth’s atmosphere. Global warming brings about various effects on the environment, human health, and people’s lifestyle. Although global warming has some advantages, such as prolonging the growing (of plants) season, it produces more negative implications. For instance, it can cause the spread of various diseases, the occurrence of droughts and wildfires, the unusual patterns of precipitation, and considerable shifts on the flora and fauna distribution. The sad truth is that global warming exists and continues to progress as we constantly neglect our environment. The current rate of its development causes concerns to arise, and the effects we are currently experiencing are proof of its threatening presence. Hence, as global warming continues to threaten human lives, attention and action are extremely needed not only to resolve the growing problems caused by global warming, but also to prevent further damages to the planet and its inhabitants. Works Cited Global Warming: Early Warning Signs. 1999.Retrieved May 8 2008 from http://www. climatehotmap. org/. Hopwood, Nick and Jordan Cohen. â€Å"Greenhouse Gases and Society. † University of Michigan. 1998. 18 July 2008 . Raper, Sarah C. B, and Roger J. Braithwaite. â€Å"Low Sea Level Rise Projection from Mountain Glaciers Icecaps under Global Warming. † Nature 439 (19 January 2006): 311-313. SciDev. Net. â€Å"Global Warming. † Climate Change and Energy. 2008. May 8 2008 .