Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Philosophy - Essay Example America’s Visions Different continents in the world have dissimilar myths about human identity. For instance, in America, the first story is on Emergence, which states that all human being came from a different world and settled in the one they are currently living. The other world, which is the womb, is considered as the earth mother. This emergence is often referred to as giving birth. The midwife in this case is a female who is like a spider woman. In this emergence story, the male human beings are not featured anywhere. In this case, the formation of human beings is often done in dissimilar stages of growth and change. This is necessitated by inner forces in the womb, and finally the people emerge from a hole and eventually settle in their present homes. The ex nihilo story is found in many cultures, America included, which means â€Å"out of nothing†. Human identity is brought about by the thought of a creator who through his dreams and breath was able to form a hu man being. Through the creator’s bodily secretions, they believed that a being would be formed because of that. This is solely from within the creator who does not exist in the physical world. Another story is the world parent, which describes the union of two parents when they are both disjoined from one another. These two parents are referred to as the Sky and the Earth, which describes the male, and female respectively. ... East Asia In East Asia, and particularly Japan, their vision of human identity was similar to the American and Central Asian cultures. At first, there was chaos, and out of it came light that formed the sky. It later formed the earth. Both the sky and the earth formed various creations and it is at this time that the roots of two people Yang and Yin who were male and female respectively begun to grow in the sky and the earth. At this time both of them were united together and they started separating to create a man and another light brought another person who was like him and he taught him to make clothes to cover himself because he was naked. Another version is of how a bird was sent under the water to create a land inside the water where people can live. The bird then went splashing water apart with its feet at the same time creating the earth when people will live. They believe that their ancestor was a bear because of their hairy bodies. They also believe that two people a male a nd a female were sent to the earth and had a son from where they originated. Australia and the Pacific vision A vision on the Australian myths was about analyzing every animal and its features, which included why the emu has long legs, why the snake has no legs and the reason why the koala has no tail among others. They tell of the formation of the Milky Way and the migration of animals to Australia. They tell of how the first humans came into existence in the continent and how the beginning came into existence. They believed in a wondrous being that went all over the world creating trees, animals and everything in the world and lastly created human beings. African Vision In

The killer inside me by Jim Thompson and Ceremony by leslie marmon Essay

The killer inside me by Jim Thompson and Ceremony by leslie marmon silko - Essay Example They’ll listen to reason.† Persons in authority need to think what they are doing to help the people? For what they will be remembered for! Are they making a difference by making others live better, richer, and happier? Lou Ford must be thinking on similar lines. He must have done his bit to reform a boy by tendering him proper counseling and yet he accepts the compliments with utter humility. When the boy’s father tells him, â€Å"And always he talks about you—what a good man is Deputy Lou Ford,† he replies, â€Å"I didn’t do anything,† I said. â€Å"Just talked to him. Showed him a little interest. Anyone else could have done as much.†(p.4)Normally the suffering (or guilt) that one undergoes leaves an impact on the disposition of the man and his dealing with the people with whom he interacts. Though the people considered Lou a bit slow, it was on account of his sickness when he was younger and many people did not know about it. Lou is a sociopath and he is aware of it. Therefore his conversations are a bit philosophical. He is desperately trying to hide his â€Å"sickness† that he carries since his childhood, now threatening to resurface. So, the above conversations need to be understood in the context that Lou is a psychopath, and he is trying to wear the mask of simplicity on his real face.

Multilateral Diplomacy: The Preferred Path?

Multilateral Diplomacy: The Preferred Path? When states are confronted with diplomatic challenges or in the conduct of their foreign policy, international actors make use of several types of foreign policy strategy: multilateral, bilateral and unilateral. For the purpose of this essay, this paper will focus only on multilateral and bilateral diplomacy. Multilateral and bilateral diplomacy are sometimes seen as twines from the same destiny, for example the European Union constitutes an emerging diplomatic order in which multilateralism and bilateralism are intertwined and bilateralism, whilst constituting a significant component of this multilateral order, is at the same time being re-situated within it and policy areas re-located from predominantly bilateral to the multilateral framework or a mixed bi-multilateral set of processes (Keukeleire,2000: 4-5 cited in Batora and Hocking, 2008:14). The rise of multilateral diplomacy can be traced back to the nineteenth century when the concert of Europe sat around the table together a t the congress of Vienna. Yet this diplomacy, developed in its full form in the twentieth century with the creation of the League of Nations in the aftermath of the First World War and with the United Nations, embodiment of multilateral diplomacy, born after the Second World War (Moore, 2012:1). Today, the UN has a worldwide membership and the global landscape is peppered with economic and regional institutions that are multilateral in nature, such as World Trade Organisation, the International Monetary Fund, the European Union and the G20 (Moore, 2012:1). For the purpose of this essay, this paper, first and foremost seeks to define the terms bilateral and multilateral diplomacy respectively. The paper will examine whether multilateral diplomacy is the preferred path for larger states. It will then proceed to examine if bilateral diplomacy still have a role to play. Multilateralism will be discussed from a realist and neoliberals perspective. The paper will also look at bilateral diplomacy in a multilateral context using North Korea as an example. This paper will finally draw a conclusion, by arguing that both multilateral and bilateral diplomacy have various roles to play, multilateral diplomacy is the preferred path for larger states. DEFINITION OF BILATERAL AND MULTILATERAL DIPLOMACY On one hand bilateral diplomacy is characterised by a-sometimes asymmetric-focus on the goal of two actors. It usually means the consensual handling of bilateral relations between two sovereign states. Equal sovereign states are the central actors in the relationship, and any conduct of the relationship needs consensual will from both sides (Klein, Reiners, Zhimin, Junbo, and Slosarcik, 2010:6-20). On the other hand, multilateral diplomacy is defined as a situation where three or more actors are engaged in voluntary and (more or less) institutionalised co-operation governed by norms and principles, with rules that apply (more or less) equally to all (Klein, Reiners, Zhimin, Junbo, and Slosarcik, 2010:7). Furthermore, multilateral diplomacy is viewed as a process linked with norms and ideals about greater international justice, legal equality (or at least non-discrimination) and legitimacy. It is not solely about the number of participating states (Johnson, 2009:56). Moreover, it is defined as the management of international relations among three or more states through diplomatic or representatives without the services of a specialised secretariat (Diplomats, 2009:1). According to Moore, multilateral diplomacy is academically defined as diplomacy conducted via conferences attended by three or more states on the basis of generalised rules of conduct, while a UN envoy has defined it in simpler terms, depicting the diplomatic form as a bunch of countries pushing their own barrows but in the one room (Moore, 2012:1). For the purpose of this essay, this paper defines multilateral diplomacy as a collective, cooperative action by states when necessary in concert with non- state actors-to deal with common challenges and problems when these are best managed collectively at the internal level. In other words, it is the negotiations and discussions which allow these collective and cooperative actions between states and non-states (Cockburn, 2012:1). IS MULTILATERAL DIPLOMACY THE PREFERRED PATH FOR LARGER STATES The growing importance of multilateral diplomacy is a phenomenon of the 21st century, partly because the 21st century has thrown up problems which are universal in nature such as human rights, the international control of disease, the international flow of capital and information, humanitarian assistance, labour rights, trade, natural environmental issues with transnational fall-out and environmental issues of an international nature (Cockburn, 2012:1). The above mentioned problems supersede national sovereignty and this have required some form other and above bilateral diplomacy in order to address them (Cockburn, 2012:1). However, a mounting backlash against globalisation is mingling with widespread loss of faith in the multilateral system- with the conspicuous gap between expectations and outcomes in Copenhagen being merely the latest example. This matters a great deal, because if publics believe that cooperation doesnt work, governments will have greater difficulty marshalling the political will or financial resources to carry out multilateral solutions (Jones, 2010:4). Critiques of multilateral diplomacy argued that multilateral agreements will have to target ambiguous and sometimes elusive common denomination of the many national interests involved and this tends to the lowest common denominator of all the countries involved as a result of the need to reach a political consensus among the participants (Reich, 2009:13).The negotiation and drafting process is usually decided by the large and powerful countries, whereas the small countries have almost no ability to influence the outcome of multilater al negotiation (Reich, 2009:13). Again in a multilateral agreement, it is extremely difficult to reach the necessary consensus in order to conclude such an agreement and therefore in many cases it remains a desirable, but unattainable goal (Reich, 2009:17). Additionally, the US, Russia and China all fail to recognise the international criminal court, thus this drastically reducing its power. Also the most published fight against global warming appears to have been brought to a halt by the failure of the major powers to sign up to the Kyoto protocol (Cockburn, 2012:4). Cockburn again argued that multitude of multilateral treaties concerning weapons of war have ended up very little of what they promised because of major powers refusing to sign them. These are black marks against the name multilateral diplomacy and there are cases where rather than recognising a common good and making concessions on all sides, national interest have triumphed (Cockburn, 2012:4). Although achieving broadly multilateral efforts admittedly has its own set of obstacles and pitfalls, but it also has benefits that are inherently is not possible for any nation, even the United States to, achieve when it acts without others or even with a select few (Jentleson, 2003-4:9). For the purpose of this essay, this paper argues that multilateral diplomacy is the preferred path for larger states. The global war against terrorism has only proven the importance of multilateral cooperation. Much of the successes that have been achieved thus far in the war on terrorism has been through broad multilateral cooperation on a number of lower-profile fronts such as intelligence sharing, border security, economic sanctions and law enforcement (Jentleson,2003-4:9; Rademaker, 2006:1). Multilateral diplomacy, has a comparative advantage, by which different nations, relevant international institutions, and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) all bring to bear their complementary expertise based on their own historical experience, traditional relationships, and policy emphasis (Jentleson, 2003-4:9). The redistribution of power on a global scale pushed by the emergence of new centres of power and the urgency of global challenges (the financial crisis, climate change, maritime security, to name a few) highlights the need for a multilateral diplomacy that deliver global public goods and contain emerging rivalries (Policy brief, 2011:2). As stated by Jones, the 9/11 attacks on the United States intensified multilateral cooperation both through formal and informal institutions, to tackle a range of transnational threats (Jones, 2012:2). Furthermore, there are a category of circumstances which may require only multilateral action through multilateral diplomacy. One example of such is the fight against international money laundry. This fight cannot be handle by a single state due to its nature. However, it has been successfully carried out by a multilateral strategy aimed a t all countries with no exceptions. It is done through a multilateral body named the Financial Action Tax Force (FATF) (Reich, 2009:22) Moreover, multilateral agreements, through multilateral diplomacy offer of course the advantage of lower transaction costs in one central negotiation and drafting process that results in the binding of all the parties to mutual obligation to one another (Reich, 2009:25). And other reason to prefer multilateral action is in circumstances where bilateral action will give unique advantages to the stronger party to the negotiation, and lead to suboptimal outcomes either from a distributive justice or efficiency perspective. In such situations multilateral negotiations that allow weaker countries-such as developing and least developed countries- the possibility to coordinate their positions and bargain collectively with the stronger countries may lead to better results (Reich, 2009:26). This paper argues that in an increasingly interdependent and globalised world, multilateral diplomacy is of value more so ever before in its history. The UN, if reformed accordingly, will continue to be used as a viable multilateral channel to counter fresh global challenges which confront not just a few states but all states (Moore, 2012:1). To further demonstrate how important multilateral diplomacy is to larger states, in his 2010 national security strategy, President Obama acknowledged the fact that the US had been successful after the second world war by pursuing their interest within multilateral forums such as the United Nations and not outside of them( Moore, 2012:2). The global financial crisis of 2008 and the European Unions sovereign debt crisis have demonstrated just how interdependent the economies of the western world are and this crisis has created an age of austerity in which multilateralism is needed ever than before (Moore, 2012:2). With the United States now working multilaterally through the UN and with the onset of a multipolar world, it appears that multilateral diplomacy will continue to be relevant in the 21st century, with the United Nations as the foremost institution for international cooperation. This position has restored UN credibility and revitalised multilateral diplomacy (Moore, 2012:3). The increasingly global nature of the threats that the world faces and the interdependency that is present amongst states shows that multilateral diplomacy remains and will continue to remain, relevant in the 21st century (Moore, 2012:3).The Libya campaign and the efforts to counter Irans nuclear threat are perfect examples of multilateral diplomacy being used effectively in a post 9/11 world. By taking all of these factors into account, it is therefore logical to concur with G.R. Berridge that multilateral diplomacy is here to stay (Moore, 2012:3). DOES BILATERAL DIPLOMACY STILL HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY The past few years have witnessed an outburst of bilateral diplomacy and treaties signed in the field of international law, in general, and in international trade in particular (Reich, 2009:1). Even the United States of America a former champion of multilateralism, which only in 1985 signed its first bilateral free trade agreement (with Israel), has been in a signing spree of such bilateral agreements, with the count now standing on no less than 37 countries with which the US has signed or is in the process of negotiating an (FTA) (Reich, 2009:1). Accordingly, in the field of international investment protection, the attempt by the OECD to create a multilateral investment agreement (MAI) failed in 1998, instead around 2009 we had some 2,750 bilateral investment treaties (BITs), with the number constantly on the rise (Reich, 2009:2). In certain instances, bilateral relations, including the formation of free trade zones, were described as a supplement to the multilateral negotiations on the liberalisation of the trade and the programme explicitly referred to trade relations with the US, Canada and Korea (Czech Republic, 2009:28). Bilateral arrangements also free states from multilateral rules and the demands of diffuse reciprocity; it allows states to obtain benefits from their relationships with weaker states (Klein, Reiners, Zhimin, Junbo and Slosarcik, 2010:22). Furthermore, bilateral-policies enacted by two parties are relatively easy. Simple negotiations reveal what each party wants and does not want. They can quickly resolve differences and move ahead with policy (Jones, 2011:1). Despite all the benefits associated with bilateral diplomacy, this paper still argues that multilateral diplomacy is the preferred path for larger states. As the world becomes smaller through advances in technology and communications, and the more independent the world becomes, the further multilateral diplomacy will develop as a vehicle for international cooperation on major global issues. Regional diplomacy is beginning to develop further with the creation, in the last decades of organisations such as the African Union, the continued enlargement and integration of the European Union after 9/11, and established organisations such as NATO and the Arab League remaining prevalent (Moore, 2012:2). MULTILATERALISM, REALISM AND NEOLIBERALISM Both realist and neoliberals make the assumption that states can be treated as unitary, rational actors pursuing their interests in an anarchic international system (Johnson, 2006:57). For the realist, the international system is portrayed as a brutal arena where states look for opportunities to take advantage of each other, and therefore have little reason to trust each other. Daily life is essentially a struggle for power, where each state strives not only to be the most powerful actor in the system, but also to ensure that no other state achieves that lofty position (Mearsheimer, 1995:9). However, realisms anarchy problematique is outdated, and multilateralism needs to address the more substantive-global problematique of trans-border human security challenges, such as poverty, pollution, climate change, terrorism, drugs, crime and violence- not just state security but human security (Johnson, 2006:57) Realists frame the world in terms of sovereign states competing to maximise their power and individual security. Multilateralism is viewed as a kind of mechanism through which states that rely on self-help can cooperate on the basis of temporarily shared interest (Johnson, 2006:58). Furthermore, the realists consider that the practices, processes and outcomes of multilateralism essentially reflect the participating states power and interest which may shift overtime. By contrast, neoliberals see the institution itself playing a role in embedding norms and practices that integrate themselves in further multilateral practice and institutions, in the neoliberal view, even if the realist are correct in believing that anarchy constrains the willingness to cooperate, states nevertheless can work together and can do so especially with the assistance of institutions (Johnson, 2006:59). MULTILATERALISM VERSUS BILATERALISM: THE CASE OF NORTH KOREA When assessing negotiation approaches for global problems such as nuclear proliferation, it is convenient to assume the liberalist stance of multilateral diplomacy. The commonly cited indispensible element of any negotiation would be to involve all the parties with interests (Diplomats, 2009:1).There are other reasons why multilateral diplomacy such as the six-party talks seems to make sense. Instruments of diplomacy such as economic sanctions and diplomatic pressure are thought to be weaker unless applied multilaterally and there is also the likelihood that a number of bilateral negotiations, where there are conflicting goals, can derail an ongoing multilateral diplomatic effort (Diplomats, 2009:1-2). For the purpose of this essay, this paper suggests that it is better to think multilateral and act bilateral. The bilateral discussions must pre-empt any multilateral talks especially when the North Korean leaderships shows interest to talk. This could be in a series of bilateral meetings (Park, 2005:75-91). A combination of bilateral and multilateral negotiation strategies is the essence of progress in North Korea. The focus however should be on bilateral negotiations that pre-empt framework that suggest Thinking multilaterally and acting bilaterally. This reduces the impact of perceived weaknesses of bilateral approaches such as less effective sanctions and conflicting goals and methods. As long as the overriding multilateral framework has transparency and is cloaked by efficient reporting, no issues of isolation, belligerence or lack of consensus would arise (Diplomat, 2009:3-4). CONCLUSION Having critically examined, whether multilateral diplomacy is the preferred path for larger states, and whether bilateral diplomacy still have a role to play, looked at multilateralism from a realist and neoliberals perspective, and made a thorough examination of the two diplomatic approaches, this paper arrives at a conclusion. The position of this paper remains that in as much as bilateral diplomacy has a role to play, multilateral diplomacy remains the most effective diplomatic strategy in confronting current global threats.

Evening With A Pagan :: essays research papers

An Evening with the Pagans~ A brief history of paganism~ Over 25,000 years ago, our ancestors across the continent practiced an ancient form of religion known as paganism. During the Neolithic and Paleolithic time era, our ancestors were in awe of the great manifestations of nature. Due to lack of scientific thought, they were riddled with ignorance and superstition. Everything had a supernatural explanation. They associated each naturalistic phenomena with a type of god, inscribing inanimate objects with life -like characteristics .This practice is referred to as animism. Every element ,be it thunder ,rain or the sun ,was thought to be a god (or goddess) within it. Eventually their gods became an object of worship   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  known as polytheism. Eventually many forms of polytheism evolved to what is known as paganism. Modern Paganism Now defined as :The worship of a god or goddess whose roots are in pre-Christian Western Europe. Modern paganism is alive and well today. It consists of many sub-divisions .These include ~Wicca ,druidism Santeria and many others. Wicca focuses on the worship of a god and goddess .In Wicca ,there is a plethora of pantheon of deities that one can choose from including: Greek, Norse ,roman etc...... Focusing on a Greek Wiccan tradition ,this will be describing the pagan festival of Hectare. The Festival of Hecate The festival of Hecate is celebrated between the 3rd and 4th Saturday of August. (which ever is closest to the new moon) It is in honor of the Greek goddess Hecate. She was first worshipped in ancient Greece -called the triple goddess of magic. She is often represented in triple form ; maiden (youth) ,mother (fertility) and crone (the wise woman). In ancient Rome ,she was known as trevia ,the cross road with three paths. Hecate is symbolized by the phases of the moon. Each attribute correlates with a particular phase of the moon. The waxing moon (maiden),the full moon (mother) and the new moon( crone). The Ceremony~ Upon arrival at the festival in Georgetown Delaware, everyone gathers for the lecture. This is to educate the newcomers as to what the ceremony entails. The ceremony is always rehearsed before it is performed. After the lecture ,there is a large potluck feast to keep everyone energized for the evenings festivities. The processional~ When the sun sets, the processional begins. With everyone in their appropriate magical attire,(consisting of a robe and jewelry) everyone lines up proceeds with the first phase. This is called consecration- each person is consecrated . This is done by covering the body in incense smoke and sprinkling of water. This is a purification process that cleanses the body of negative

50 Years from Now

What will life be like 50 years from now? In the future, we will be having many different changes, some predictable and some a complete mystery to us. In 50 years we may have a complete breakthrough in medicine. Cancer, aids, and all sorts of ilnesses may be cured. We might even discover a new life form from another planet. There is just so much we can do in 50 years and predictions must be made.In 50 years we will have the ability to go outer space without need of all the training that astronauts nowadays require, and our cars will be nothing like how they are today because within 50 years the world as we know it will be completely different. Life in fifty years will be a lot different then it is now. In most people’s eyes they see the world having flying cars and floating houses, but the way I see it, it’s a lot different. In 50 years we might not have fresh air to breathe or clean water to drink.If humans don’t stop burning oil and coal, the greenhouse gases i nto the atmosphere are about to cause extremely high temperatures and the coldest places on Earth might one day have the best climate for humans. In conclusion, the greatest minds of this planet are saying the possibilities of what can happen in 50 years is endless. There are just way too many theories and too many possibilities to account for. It seems that 50 years from now, it will be a completely different world than it is from the world we live in now .

Respiration System of Animal

1. Respiration System of animal: The respiration system is important to all animals, this system interacts others system in our body to provide energy and maintain life. Animals inbreathe oxygen, the body though metabolic process to produce ATP (energy source) and carbon dioxide, finally, carbon dioxide would be exhaled to animal body. Operation System in company: Company provides some resources such as place, money, human resource. Managers operate the activities in the company and make decisions. The output in this system is the profit or loss of the company. . A firm can survive and succeed in the long run if it successfully develops strategies to confront 5 competitive forces that shape the structure of competition in its industry. These include rivalry of competitors within its industry, threat of new entrants, threat of substitutes, bargaining power of customers and bargaining power of suppliers. Some competitive strategies can be used to minimize the competitive force: cost le adership strategy, differentiation strategy, innovation strategy, growth strategies and alliance strategies. . The more suitable hardware peripherals for input in a retail operation are touch screen and optical scanning. The touch screen can provide a more user friendly interface to the staffs, even though they have less computer knowledge. Also, optical scanning can provide the faster and easier usage. Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and matrix printers are suitable for a retail operation, because LCD provide a thin, flat display to use less space. Furthermore, matrix printers can use less time to make some copies in the same time. In using the secondary storage for a retail operation, hard disk drives are more suitable. Hard disk drives allow higher speeds, greater data-recording densities, and closer tolerances within a sealed, more stable environment. Nowadays, the capacity of hard drives is up to many terabytes of storage, it can use less space to save more data in one hard disk drive.

The Life of Christine De Pisan

The Life of Christine De Pisan Free Online Research Papers Few can rival Christine de Pisan’s success in writing. A woman in the early 1300’s and late 1400’s, she challenged the social standards of women in France. Her unprecedented work showed critics that women are just as intelligent as men, and are entitled to their own political opinions. De Pisan was born in 1363, the daughter of Tommaso di Benvenuto da Pizzano, an Italian scholar. He was an appointed scholar and physician of the court of Charles V of France. In 1369, a very young De Pisan and her mother moved to live with him, where he taught her many subjects such as literature and the sciences, despite her mother’s opposition. She also had access to the family’s expansive library. In 1389, De Pisan wed Etienne du Castel, a lesser member of the French court that her father had known since she was a born. Though she was only fifteen years old, and he was twenty-four, they shared a marriage of mutual respect for one another. Castel supported De Pisan and encouraged her academic growth. The couple had three children; a daughter in 1381 who would later become a nun, a son who died in infancy, and a second son in 1385 who was raised by the Earl of Salisbury. In 1380, tragedy struck Christine de Pisan and her family. Charles V died and her father was dismissed from the French court. Not long afterwards, he grew ill and passed away. In 1389, her husband died of the bubonic plague. The death of her father and husband left De Pisan with several debts and two children to support. Rather than remarry, Christine de Pisan chose instead to use writing to support herself. During this time, intellectuals of the period popularized an argument on the role of women in society. Christine de Pisan wrote several responses on this argument, among which were the slightly humorous The Epistle to the God of Love, The Tale of the Rose, and possibly her most influential work, The City of Ladies. The City of Ladies was a collection of the stories of notable women in history, as well as a discussion on he role of women in society and their lack of education. Her later writings focused almost entirely on politics of the time. She frequently wrote of restoring peace to the French kingdom. De Pisan’s last work was a narrative account on Joan of Arc, celebrating her achievements at Orleans, as well as praising her dedication to Christianity. In 1431, Christine de Pisan passed away at the age of ninety-six. She is considered one of the greatest writers of the time period and the first feminist author, a well-deserved title. Research Papers on The Life of Christine De PisanQuebec and CanadaThe Fifth HorsemanBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 219 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Assess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 Europe