As a young child in school I can rememb Essay

As a young child in school I can remember saying to myself, â€Å"If I were a teacher I would never do that to my students! † At a very young age, as young as the first grade, my personal philosophy of Early Childhood Education was already in progress and surfacing. My personal philosophy is: to instill good morals and values in all children; respect all children and their families’ cultures, ethnicities, race, beliefs, and structure; treat each child fairly to ensure that all children feel equally special; have families, communities, and educators work as one; remain a  lifelong advocator of children; Exhaust all resources before deciding to hold a child back a grade; and to maintain a constant fun, loving, safe, and positive environment for each child. It is a philosophy such as the one I have set forth that will encourage all families to feel welcomed, all children to feel loved, and everyone to want to work together as one in order to aid in a child’s optimal development. It all began in preschool and kindergarten while attending a Montessori School in my town. My preschool and kindergarten experience has had a great impact on my ideas towards education. I felt safe, secure, and special in school. I remember specific activities that at my new school, when I transitioned in the 1st grade, were not available to me, such as learning and practicing everyday activities like cleaning silverware, folding our blankets from rest time, preparing and cutting fruit to eat, and keeping a clean and orderly classroom. Moreover, the root of my morals and values developed from this period in my life. I remember in school being taught the fundamental values of sharing, caring, listening, trusting, and being honest. I learned that lying,stealing , cheating, hitting, and disrespecting elders or each other were bad. Influential movies and cartoons such as the Care Bears, Hug-a-bunch, Free to Be You and Me taught me about love, hugging, sharing, caring, helping others and equality. My childhood from preschool to third grade was a critical time for me to grow and learn, and much of what I experienced in the classroom and at home influenced how I would develop later and then as the person I am today. As a Substitute Teacher with no background classroom experience or educational degree,  I brought with me the strong moral and ethical values I possess as a person, my patience, love and care for children, my passion for academics, and my past and personal experiences as a student in a classroom. One of the major intellectual influences was my experience in a Montessori School and then reading about the Montessori Method in my present graduate class. I never realized that Maria Montessori was the first woman to become a doctor in Italy, nor did I realize the specifics of the Montessori Method until I correlated my experiences with what was actually written and described about in the book. For instance, â€Å"She created objects for children to allow them to experience physical activities such as stacking, opening, closing, dusting, and connecting. [Maria Montessori] saw this goal-oriented activity as children’s ‘work’ and contrasted it with play, which she saw as unfocused and frivolous (pg. 16). † My personal philosophy coincides with her beliefs because it is through this child’s sense of ‘work’ that morals and good values are developed. A child saying, â€Å"You’ve got dirty hands, you ought to wash them (pg. 17)† is an example of a child who will continue to master society’s demands and  expectations on how to behave throughout life. Another person who has played an influential role in my life, and has acted as a mentor, is my second grade teacher. It’s amazing that out of all my teachers from preschool through graduate school, my second grade teacher left the greatest impression on me. She possessed great patience and clarity when explaining new material to the class. She made me feel comfortable to ask questions or speak up in class, and I specifically remember her creative ways of teaching, such as the knock-knock game for subtraction, which made learning in her classroom so easy and  fun. When I run into her she still shows concern for me and is eagerly open and willing to help as I become a teacher. She is definitely one of the reasons why I decided to become an early childhood teacher, and she is a person who has had a major impact on my beliefs towards academia. On the other hand, other teachers who have helped shape my beliefs have done so by providing me with negative experiences in the classroom. For instance, some teachers would punish the whole class because certain students were bad. I thought this method of correcting bad behavior was entirely unfair. Even though today I realize the technique behind the action, at the time I remember experiencing feelings of helplessness, and today I never want another child to experience that feeling again. Another unfair characteristic displayed by some teachers was favoritism. By showing favoritism, it didn’t make me, nor many of my classmates, feel special or secure in class. Lastly, my brother, who is one year younger than me, and I were very close growing up as children. However, in the first grade his teacher held him and 6 other students back a grade on account of being too immature. My family was furious and no matter how many times my parents spoke with the teacher and administrators, the decision remained the same. As a result, my brother and I at one point attended two different schools, we weren’t as close anymore, his self-esteem dropped immensely, he lost friends, and had to spend the rest of his life explaining and defending himself to those who questioned his age in comparison to his grade. My experience with having a family member subjected to being held back is why I believe that all resources must be exhausted before deciding to hold back a child. The decision should be a composite of the family, administrators, and other professionals’ opinions and thoughts. Most importantly, recognizing and knowing the child at hand, and how this decision will impact his or her life. My beliefs have been carried out as a Substitute Teacher in the classroom. For instance, my belief in fairness for all children was illustrated when I thanked the good children of the class at the end of the day for being on their best behavior. Interestingly, the students thanked me in return for recognizing them because they said that teachers rarely acknowledge their good behavior because they are too distracted by the students who misbehave. As a teacher I would use this same philosophy when treating my students. A good level of control and strictness would be provided, along with a great deal of love, patience, care, and attention for each child. A safe and secure feeling will permeate throughout the classroom in order to ensure an optimal learning environment for all children. My classroom for a second grade class would be setup and decorated as follows: two alphabets, regular and cursive would hang above the blackboards;  my posters would contain knowledge about good manners, famous men and women in history, and lots of multi-cultural pictures so everyone feels welcomed; seasons and thematic units will provide further layout for decorating ideas; the library area would have a big comfy chair for me to read and then small comfortable chairs and a rug for the children to read and sit on during quiet or free time; There will be math, language, and art games for them to play, and additional creative and unique learning strategies and games. I would have a very trusting and open-minded relationship with parents, colleagues, and  administrators. I would also keep an open mind when dealing with exceptional circumstances, such as a child with a special need, or a child that misbehaves frequently. Each family unit varies, so I must be sensitive to an array of circumstances, such as the various formations of a family and structure, a parent’s style and beliefs of parenting, a child and families’ living situation, and a family’s ethnicity and culture. Administrators’ and colleagues’ personal philosophies will be respected. However, the only way the child will develop positively  according to the school’s philosophy is if the administrators and teachers believe and exemplify this philosophy also. So when views may seem opposite, it’s accepting the differences, respecting each other’s differences, and working through the differences that will make any school a positive and safe place for the children to learn. Also when approaching exceptional circumstances, a teacher needs to again keep an open mind, take an objective stance, and be flexible in his or her views, expectations, strategies, and procedures in resolving an issue. As a teacher develops his or her beliefs about early childhood education it is important to reflect upon the period of time when one was a student. Keeping an open mind to the way society and education as evolved overtime is a key factor that will help teachers better understand families, children, faculty, and their role as a teacher today. The child should be the main concern of the school, family, and community at all times. We are the educators, motivators, inspirers, and disciplinary for children. What we believe as educators will be reflected in the growth of each child. By joining teachers, families, communities, and administrators together as one, we are building a positive foundation for the children who are will be the products of our future. re traditional Hindu residential schools of learning; typically the teacher’s house or a monastery. During the Mughal rule, Madrasahs were introduced in India to educate the children of Muslim parents. British records show that indigenous education was widespread in the 18th century, with a school for every temple, mosque or village in most regions of the country. The subjects taught†¦

A Day That I Can Never Forget

Saturday, April 3, 1990, became a day that I could never forget. After a long night’s sleep, I started the day with a smile on my face. On that day, I planned to be going on a simple bike ride with a friend. First, after I awoke, I was to call my friend and plan the ride. My friend and I had planned the bike ride to a place in town that we had never seen. Quicker than ever he arrived at my house. Upon arrival, we took two Gatorades and headed off on our way.While riding we saw a bike ramp that we had never before seen. The ramp screamed out with color, and that feature made it unusual. The ramp had pictures of animals drawn on it. We then both challenged eachother to go off the ramp. Agreeing to go off the ramp at the same time, we headed for the ramp at full speed. As we gained speed, we noticed a large swirling mass of light on the ramp. Trying to stop, we were thrown from our bikes into the mass of light.Next, we awoke from our fall to notice that we warped into a weird dim ension that was dominated by animals and humans were the animals’ slaves and pets. We realized that if we did not turn around and leave, we would be trapped. As we turned my friend noticed the porthole of light closing. Finally, we returned through the porthole just in time before it had closed. Just as we entered the real world I heard a loud buzzing sound. Lastly, I realized it was all just a dream, but it all felt too real to forget.

Computer Games †Good or Bad

Before we decide whether or not computer/video games are bad, there are many facts and opinions to consider. For example, many people feel that these games are too violent and that they cause an undervelopment in the frontal lobe. Others feel that games are helpful and educational. There is also a health concern. According to Professor Ryuta Kawashima, â€Å"The importance of this discovery cannot be underestimated. There is a problem we will have with a new generation of children – who play computer games – that we have never seen before.The implications are very serious for an increasingly violent society and these students will be doing more and more bad things if they are playing games and not doing other things like reading aloud or learning arithmetic. † I do not agree with this statement fully, though I can understand that it does occur in some cases. I love playing computer and video games. When I was younger I used to play a James Bond game with my frien ds. We also played Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. I used to love those games, and I remember making them â€Å"turn off the blood† because I ddin’t like that side to it.I still play video games, and though they may include shooting, fighting and other violence, you don’t see me beating up somebody because of a video game. I do know that there are some bad people in the world who have hurt someone because they were influenced by violent games. Another concern is the underdevelopment of the frontal lobe. As written by Tracy McVeigh, education editor, â€Å"Whenever you use self control to refrain from lashing out or doing something you should not, the frontal lobe is hard at work. Children often do things they shouldn’t because their frontal lobes are underdeveloped.The more work done to theicken the fibres connecting the neurons in this part of the brain, the better the child’s ability will be to control their behaviour. The more the area is sti mulated, the more these fibres will thicken. † I think I agree with this statement, becasue I have seen the behaviour of the people around me, they seem out of control sometimes. They speak before they think, they fight constantly and are always in other people’s faces. One guy states â€Å"I’m not going to argue that violent entertainment is harmless.I think it has helped inspire some people to real-life violence. I am going to argue that it’s helped hundreds of people for every one it’s hurt, and that it can help far more if we learn to use it well. I am going to argue that our fear of ‘youth violence’ isn’t well-founded on reality and that the fear can do more harm than the reality. We act as though our highest priority is to prevent our children fron growing up into murderous thugs – but modern kids are far more likely to grow up too passive, too distrustful of themselves, too easily manipulated†.I agree more wi th him than Professor Kawashima, because I don’t find that video games influence EVERYONE to be violent. I feel that they release anger by hurting fictional characters on a screen rathern than real-life people and animals. Professor Angela McFarlane says â€Å"Adventure, quest and simulation type games have a lot of benefit – they’re quite complex and create a context in which children can develop important skills†¦We’re not advocating arcate, shot-the-baddie type games†¦Now that’s interesting when the stereotype is that children play on the computer exclusively on their own.Teachers and parents then broke that down into skills of negotiation, planning, strategic thinking and decision-making. † I feel that if television can teach us, so can video games. Video and computer games can cause health problems. In every instruction book for games there are warnings. Some people suffer from a condition called Photosensitive Epilepsy. As sa id by Professor Graham Harding, â€Å"Photosensitive epilepsy is best defined as a tendency to recurrent convulsions, precipitated either by flashing lights or patterns. † I have only ever had one fit in my life, when I was younger.I was diagnosed with occipital epilepsy. I’ve always played video games and hadn’t had a problem. We got a PS2 (PlayStation 2) for Christmas last eyar, and while I was playing I felt dizzy. This occured with every game on PS2 except Buzz, though it’s a quiz game and doesn’t have all those flashy graphics. I can play on the Computer, my Nintendo DS and my GameCube without a problem, it seems to just be the PS2. I agree that video games can cause health problems, though if you do everything you need to (e. g. not playing a certain game, having a break etc. you should be alright. Computer games – are they good or bad? In my opinion, I think that they are enjoyable, though they aren’t for some people. Those peo ple who can be so cruel as to murder an innocent kitten or beat up a person due to these games are the reasons why there are doubts about computer and video games. Computer games are both good and bad. Good because they are enjoyable and can be educational, though bad because they cause some violence. Just remember, more people kill in the name of God than violent computer games.

The Labour Market Sector UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

The Labour Market Sector UK - Essay Example From the research it can be comprehended that the demand for labor in the United Kingdom is influenced by the availability of skills, expertise, and knowledge in the country. Different types of labor are required in the country to meet the demand of labour in various sectors. According to HRM in context, a labour market can be described as a mechanism through which labour is purchased and sold as a commodity. Labor demand is the number and types of jobs available in a country, whilst labour supply is the number and types of employees available. Therefore, the labour market of a country consists of a relationship between workers and work. The marketing intelligence of the labor market is important in that, one is able to relate the labor supply and labor demand of a country, and determine how the two aspects correlate with each other. Internal labor market refers to an organization’s internal supply of labour, whereby, employees are assigned specific roles in an organization. T he human resources in that particular firm concerns itself with the needs of employees such as training and development, retention, and job security among others. The external labor market represents the external supply and availability of labour. A country’s eternal supply of labor could be regional or internally, which may involve immigrants relocating into the host country. The main methods that will be used in this report are secondary and primary methods; however, secondary sources are most preferred, as they give accurate data, which cannot be found in primary sources. They are also less expensive compared to primary data that involves questionnaires and interviews. Secondary data already exists, for instance, Euromonitor and UK government statistics will offer genuine information regarding the labour market for several years. It also saves on time and assists in improving primary data by making it more specific; such sources include Euromonitor, keynote, national statistics, and the guardian and other academic sources, which will be applied to this report. According to FAO (N.d), secondary data availability contributes to the fast way of reaching to conclusions due to the quality of information these sources contain. In addition, secondary data is effective in solving problems by assisting the researcher to understand the actual problem. Reid and Bojanic (2006 p209) argue that the advantages of using secondary data sources include less cost, timeliness whereby an individual can access information very fast as opposed to waiting for weeks for the data to be collected and analyzed. In addition, frustration is reduced as the researcher can access the required information from appropriate sources. Primary data collection sources are advantageous, as data is collected straight from the population, for instance, with the use of questionnaires and interviews, hence providing original data and unbiased information. According to Goeldner and Ritchie (2009), primary data sources are original as they involve the actual collection of data; however, secondary data needs to be collected first before collecting primary data. Therefore, secondary data should be exhausted first before opting for primary data collection. According to Weinreich (2006), quantitative research techniques produce quantifiable reliable data especially when generalizing larger populations. Therefore, quantitative research provides a clear picture of the expectations of a research. This

Sexual offence Investigation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Sexual offence Investigation - Assignment Example The overview of laws will be provided and their efficiency will be evaluated. According to the statistics, 20-40% of girls and 1 out of 6 boys become victims of undesirable sexual contacts until they become 18. The so-called â€Å"rule of silence† around the theme of sexual offence allows to assume that such cases happen much more often. Sexual violence takes place when a personality, a child or an adult, is used by an older or stronger individual for the satisfaction of his own sexual desires. There are many kinds of violence: verbal, visual and physical contact without victim’s consent. In order to understand the nature and the consequences of sexual aggression in relation to children, it is essential to realize that the offence happens in the context of relations with a adult, who was supposed to defend a child and take care of it. In the majority of cases the offence is committed by an adult who has an easy access to child and has a certain power over it. Usually it is a relative or a friend of a family. In 12% of cases, which become known, a child is offended by a person, who was unknown to a child. The majority of offenders are men and they are usually much older than their victims. A great number of researches held in the USA, Great Britain, France, Germany proved that the growth of sexual crimes is connected with the development of pornographic industry. In 2003 the Sexual Offences Act was issued in Great Britain. According to this Act, any sexual contact with a person under 12 years is considered to be a sexual offence and the only possible punishment for that is imprisonment for life. However, the hard punishment for sexual offenders is only half the work. It is important to exercise control over the released criminal, whose crime is connected with sexual offence. Thus, the Violent and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR) was introduced in 2003 under the Sexual Offences Act

Reaction paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Reaction paper - Essay Example Indeed, if one really thinks hard, it was right that running out of gas was made illegal because it could have been dangerous for other speeding cars. It is no wonder that car manufacturers like Volkswagen, Porsche etc. were inspired to design and create new high speed models with low friction tyres, massive engine and sensitive suspension system which could attain great speed. But today, the speed limit on autobahn is imposed because of two major reasons: increasing traffic and to promote conservation of forest land that was being adversely impacted due pollution emitted by high speeding cars. Interestingly, autobahns have seen fewer accidents as against American interstate. The reasons could probably be contributed to conscientious Germans who have great road sense and road authorities who mandate strict driving criteria for its drivers. The autobahns have inspired other countries like America to create such network of long highways which connect far away states and nations. The au tobahns of Germany have indeed become a world symbol for super highways where one can still experience the exhilaration of extreme speed. (words: 294) Reference ‘Modern Marvels – The Autobahns’. Retrieved from:

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 24

Management - Essay Example ayo Clinic’s organizational culture and health care value chain are strengths that can be considered as long-term competitive advantages because they are rare, hard to imitate for competitors, and can be sustained. Its organizational culture is rare because of its strategic human resource management hiring and development policies and practices that ensure that the organization hires the right people who fit the values and strategic directions of the company (Niesen). Furthermore, Mayo Clinic has a well-coordinated, science-and-technology-centered, patient-oriented, user-relevant health care value chain that it has refined for more than 100 years that cannot be easily imitated by competitors. In addition, Mayo Clinic has a positioning strategy that merges cost and differentiation leadership. It is focused on reducing costs, but it also differentiates itself by being quality leader through research and development. Moreover, the basic meaning of the article is that it shows how difficult it is to become the best in a health care industry where costs are increasingly going up, but Mayo Clinic is succeeding because it has long-term competitive advantages, due to its dedicated, competent employees who have made a system that is not only cost-efficient, but also quality-centered. Mayo Clinic asserts that its success is a product of its systems and human resources. This is how its R&D works: â€Å"Our basic science and physician researchers are completely integrated into the Clinic and they work very closely with the physicians to understand the key questions that are out there, so that their work has real meaning† (Niesen). Its research is based on actual clinical problems. Moreover, Mayo Clinic underlines the value of its human resources to its success. For example, to drive efficiency, it hires and maintains competent engineers to focus on it: One of our secrets is weve had a very strong tradition of engineering at Mayo Clinic. We have 100s of engineers

Management Accounting Control System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Management Accounting Control System - Essay Example The needs of it vary for a different organization in accordance to business areas of their concerns. Its needs include: As stated, preparing management account periodically is recommended but not mandatory. But, for the sake of business, it is needed to maintain once in a month or quarterly in a year depending on company profile and size. It is very hard to run a business efficiently without them. In this era of information, an information system is not getting utilized as it was expected. In management account information needs to be applied properly and adequately. The best way is to break down so that the performance of different elements of the business can be measured. For example, for one integrated Circuit manufacturing company, different flows can be broken up and later on aggregated. Flows may include mask design, photolithography, oxidation and etching etc. Or, if a manufacturing industry has various processes such as moulding, embossing or welding then they can be segmented as per their sequence and finally need to be mapped together. If any financial institution is taken into consideration then, it might have more than one sales outlet and for this case, the separate report for each outlet is required. Management account specifically analyzes performances and includes sales, cash-flow and profit forecast which are treated as forward-looking elements. The analysis generally is carried out against forecast and budget that has been brought down during an initial period of the year.

American Sci-fi Films of the 1990s Research Paper

American Sci-fi Films of the 1990s - Research Paper Example At this point, we saw more realistic and even more grandiose computer-generated images on our movie screens. The digital world made the impossible possible and exemplified the reality that anything and everything can now be translated to the big screen (Hall and Neale, 253). Since everything can be done in computers, what was previously ‘unfilmable’ was now a distinct possibility for many filmmakers. Through digital technology, battles in space through the film ‘Starship Troopers’ became a much more realistic fare and floating on air became less of a wire-controlled exercise in the movie ‘The Matrix.’ The themes for most science fiction movies however, for the most part, retained elements of violence seen in earlier science fiction movies. Violence in these movies is in its bigger picture. It is important to note that the 1990s also signify the post Cold War period, and yet, the threats of smart bombs and high technology weaponry very much grace these 90s movies (Rukeyser, 45). We also see the media spectacles of the Gulf Wars translated in movies, and later, that of the war on terrorism. â€Å"The Cold War may be over and the threat of a nuclear war lessened, but in both the fantasies of science fiction film and the â€Å"reality† of the news, violence is in our face – enhanced and perfected with military and media technology, but violence nonetheless† (Rukeyser, 45). These new avenues for entertainment have taken on more picturesque images in film and the popularity of such films has grown even more. As the violence has evolved throughout the years, the darker and more violent image of the future have also been seen in these films. These darker and more violent depictions highlight the post-apocalytic images of the future, easily brought to life in the screen through computer-generated visual effects (Cornea, 161). These futuristic images are apparent in the movies, ‘The Matrix’, ‘ Johnny Mnemonic’, ‘The Lawnmower Man’ series, and ‘The Net.’ These movies also portray the fact that the violence and the darkness is not just in our surroundings or our environment, but they are also in us. Through these depictions the science fiction genre now exemplifies how the current reality can be thrown off guard and can be differentiated from our realistic experience of the world (Bould, 139). On a positive note, these movies seek to present a postmodernist view of the world, a rejection of all things modern and how such technological developments have ran rampant over the world and over our lives. To a certain extent, even as they utilize the modern technologies introduced in recent years, these same technologies are also depicted for the problems they have and will bring to humanity (Lopez, 137). ‘The Matrix’ movies especially show how technology has led to more problems and issues. These problems and issues created by technol ogy lend support to the importance of returning to the past and the traditional way of doing things (Rukeyser, 46). They present opposing views on modernism, portraying modernism as one which can potentially be more trouble than it is worth. The 1990s science fiction movies use different modern functions and powers. They often bring together opposing elements. In other words, science fiction is a double-edged sword (Schummer, 142). In effect, it can sometimes be rational and emotional, and it sometimes coordinates the secular and the scientific

Plato - Philosophy Essay Example for Free

Plato Philosophy Essay The Republic is one of Plato’s longer works (more than 450 pages in length). It is written in dialogue form (as are most of Plato’s books), it addresses major issues in almost all of the branches of philosophy. The central theme in the book seems to be the nature of justice, a topic in political philosophy, but Plato also has his characters explore issues in ? philosophical cosmology, ? philosophical theology, ? philosophical anthropology, ? ethics, ? aesthetics, and ? epistemology. The parts of the Republic that are contained in our text (pp. 107-123) focus on Plato’s idea (ideal?) of the Philosopher Ruler. According to Plato, ? the best possible political system (state) ? will be ruled (governed) ? by PHILOSOPHERS! (Is he kidding? ) Our reading selection contains the following themes/sections: ? ? Introduction on the unifying of philosophy politics (107) Why true philosophers would make the best rulers (108-12) †¢ What is true philosophy? (108-11) †¢ Love of wisdom (108) †¢ Knowledge of true reality (108-9) †¢ The distinctions between knowledge, ignorance and opinion (109-11) †¢ How is a true philosopher different from a lover of opinion? (111-12) †¢ Who is best suited to rule the state – lovers of opinion or true philosophers? (112) ? ? Political leadership and knowledge of the Good (112-13) The ascent of the mind to knowledge of the Good (113-123) †¢ The analogy between the Good and the sun (113-15) †¢ The image of the divided line (115-18) †¢ The allegory of the cave (118-123) The selection in the text begins at a point in the Republic after Socrates, Glaucon, other characters have been discussing the nature of justice and the marks of a just political system for some time. So we are coming into the middle of the conversation where Glaucon is pressing Socrates to state whether it is possible for a really just political system to come into existence. Before answering Glaucon’s question, Socrates wonders whether it is worthwhile to What does he say construct a theoretical model of a good political system even if such a system could about this? Do you agree? Why not actually exist. or why not? Back to Glaucon’s original question: Can a really just (or at least approximately just) political system exist? What would make it possible? (It is the separation of philosophy political power. ) And this leads to . . . . unless political power philosophy are brought together those who now pursue either the one or the other exclusively are prevented from doing so -neither our political problems nor our human troubles in general can be ended . . . . † (Text, pp. 108-111) True Philosophy True Philosophers What are the characteristics of a person who is naturally suited to practice philosophy? According to Socrates (Plato), a true philosopher ? loves the whole of wisdom and is satisfied with nothing less; ? recognizes the difference between particular things and the essences (or forms) of which particular things are likenesses (e.g. , beautiful things vs. Beauty itself); and ? knows the differences between knowledge, ignorance, and opinion. Plato argues that someone who really loves something must love that thing as a whole and not just some aspects of it. On that basis, he concludes that a true philosopher (lover of wisdom) must desire wisdom as a whole and not be content with having just some wisdom. Do you agree with this? Do wine-lovers really love all wines? A true philosopher recognizes the difference between particular things and the essences (or forms) of which particular things are likenesses (e. g. , beautiful things vs.Beauty itself). One of Plato’s major metaphysical theories is known as the â€Å"Theory of Forms. † According to that theory, ultimate reality is a realm of forms (essences) not accessible to the senses but only to the mind (intellect). He calls that level of reality the â€Å"intelligible realm† (because it is accessible only to the intellect). The perceptible world (i. e. , the world we perceive through our senses) is a reflection or copy of that higher intelligible world. (The Greek word for â€Å"form† or â€Å"essence† is eidos. ) Do you think it is possible for one thing to be really more beautiful than another thing? Well, how is that possible if Absolute Beauty does not exist? How can â€Å"A† be more beautiful than â€Å"B†? Doesn’t â€Å"A† have to be closer to Absolute Beauty than â€Å"B† is? But how can â€Å"A† be closer to (or â€Å"B† be further away from) Absolute Beauty if Absolute Beauty does not exist? A true philosopher knows the differences between ? Knowledge, ? ignorance, ? opinion. Plato’s view of knowledge, ignorance, and opinion (Text, pp. 109-111) State of Mind Knowledge Opinion Ignorance Object What is (Being, Reality) What is is not (Becoming) What is not (Nothingness, Unreality) Access Intellect Perception ? (Do you agree with this setup/theory?) Is Plato right about knowledge, ignorance, and opinion? Here’s a different view†¦. What about knowledge? The three basic questions in epistemology ? ? What is knowledge? How does it differ from opinion? How do we acquire knowledge? What are its sources? Rationalism vs. Empiricism. (What about Intuitionism and Revelationism? ) ? What are the extent and limits of knowledge? What can be known, and what cannot be known? A (fairly) standard definition of knowledge (and opinion) ? Knowledge is justified (i. e. , verified) true belief. †¢ To know is to believe. †¢ The belief must, in fact, be true. †¢ The belief must be justified (i.e. , verified, proved) by some standard and generally recognized means. ? Opinion is belief that may be true or may be false but that has not been or cannot be justified (i. e. , verified, proved) by any standard and generally recognized means. Of course, some opinions that are rationally defensible in the weak sense are â€Å"justified† in a limited way. And what about ignorance? Isn’t ignorance basically an absence of knowledge? Of course, opinion is also an absence of knowledge. So perhaps ignorance is a certain or special kind of opinion that is in some sense groundless (in a way based on nothing, as Plato says). ? There seem to be various types of ignorance, including unintelligent ignorance, as when someone asserts dogmatically that a false proposition is true or that a true proposition is false. There is also intelligent ignorance, as when someone does not know X and acknowledges forthrightly that he does not know it, etc. More thought is needed on this matter†¦. ? However, Plato’s view of ignorance as having non-being (nothingness) as its object does not seem correct (or at least not completely correct). ? ? ? Lovers of wisdom (philosophers) they recognize the existence of absolute, transcendental essences such as Beauty Justice in themselves, and they seek knowledge of such absolutes. ? Lovers of opinion -they recognize only particular perceptible things do not believe in the existence of absolute essences such as Beauty itself. So what is the nature of the Absolute Good? (Text, p. 112-113) In approaching the problem of defining the nature of the Absolute Good, Socrates (Plato) sets forth three very famous illustrations of his overall perspective on knowledge reality. These are I The Good the Sun The Good is to the mind as the sun is to the eye, i.e. , just as the sun’s light enables the eye to see in the perceptible realm, so the Good illuminates the mind and enables it to â€Å"see† in the intelligible realm. (See text, pp. 113-115) 2 The divided line (Text, pp. 115-118) States of Consciousness Philosophical Wisdom E Objects of Consciousness The Good Other Forms Knowledge D Intelligible Realm Scientific Knowledge Informed Opinion Delusion C B Mathematical Scientific Objects Opinion Perceptible Objects Images Perceptible Realm A (Text, pp. 118-123) Can you link the images on the following slide to Plato’s depiction of the cave world on pp. 118-121 in the text? Now that the prisoner has â€Å"seen the light,† ? What might happen to him if he were to go back down into the cave-world? (pp. 119-121) ? How does he feel when he looks back down into the cave-world? (pp. 119) ? How does the allegory of the cave illustrate Plato’s overall view of knowledge and reality? (p. 121) More questions: ? What’s the philosophical difference between coming into the darkness from the light coming into the light from the darkness? (p. 121) ? What, according to Plato, does the allegory of the cave tell us about what the process of education should be? (pp. 121-122) there are the big questions: Why should we want philosophers to rule? How are we going to get them to rule? Since we are asking them to come back down into the cave-world, won’t we be doing them harm by making their lives worse rather than better? (Text, pp. 122-123) What do you think of the following statements by Plato (Socrates)? â€Å"The best rulers of the state are those who know the Good, who don’t look to politics for their happiness, who live a higher life than the political life. † â€Å"Political power should be held by those who do not want it. † The End (for now).

Energy Consumption In India And Tamil Nadu Environmental Sciences Essay

Energy Consumption In India And Tamil Nadu Environmental Sciences Essay India is 7th largest country in world comes under Asian continent, containing 28 states and 7 union territories. India is a peninsular country surrounded by Bay of Bengal in East, Indian Ocean in South and Arabian Sea in West. The neighbouring countries are Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Burma, China and Sri Lanka Electricity by type.gif Above figure shows Energy produced in India from the period of 1990 to 2008. Its seen that Energy produced from Thermal power constitutes nearly 70 %, and in this coal, lignite, oil, natural gas are the main resource. Remaining 22% is produced through Hydro power projects, approximately 5% from nuclear energy and remaining from Geothermal, Solar, Wind and Wastes, and its seen that India has showed its interest towards renewable energy resource only in this decade Petroleum (Thousand barrels per day) Total oil production 878.73 Consumption 2,980.00 Demand 2,101.27 Natural Gas (Billion Cubic feet) Production 1365 Consumption 1811 Demand 446 Coal (Million short tons) Production 568 Consumption 637 Demand 69 Electricity (Billion kWh) Net Generation 761 Net Consumption 568 Amount of Carbon dioxide emission from fossil fuels alone accounts 1494.88 Million metric tonnes of CO2. Below table lists the amount of installed power production by region wise North Region 34,207.15 MW Western Region 37,099.86 MW Southern region 36,569.32 MW Eastern Region -18,881.95 MW Islands 80.69 MW As India being a huge country we are given our native state to discuss about Energy production and consumption which is Tamil Nadu located in Southern region of India. Tamil Nadu produces 10214 MW of energy and out of which 8348 MW is needed for Tamil Nadu, which has nearly 66 million populations. The main source of energy productions in Tamil Nadu are Thermal, Hydro, Wind, Biomass and Solar. Out of which Wind Energy dominates the other source of energy productions. Wind power sector started its growth from 1990 and many Foreign wind energy started to boom due to attractive subsidies and incentives offer by the government for setting up their manufacturing plants. Wind Energy contributes 3545 MW to the state. The farms are located in Aralvoimozhi, Palghat, Sea Shore, Shengottah and Theni. In which Aralvoimozhi is the largest producer contributing nearly 35% of total wind power to state. Secondly the most energy resource is Thermal power. In Tamil Nadu, there are 5 Thermal power plants which pump out energy. They are Ennore thermal power station (ETPS), North Chennai thermal power station (NCTPS), Mettur thermal power station (MTPS), Tuticorin thermal power station (TTPS) and one more major power station is Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) which is alone owned by the Central Government of India. Total Energy produced from Thermal plants is 3463 MW. Thirdly Hydro Electric Power plants which produce 2390 MW. Tamil Nadu has many rivers flows into it from Western Ghats to Bay of Bengal. The water collected into many small dams and used for agriculture purpose during summer and at the same time these are used for energy production too. One of the biggest energy producers is Metter Dam. Finally we have Solar and Biomass which contributes 102MW and 609 MW respectively and rest of them are from wastes. Out of 10214 MW, 5288 MW is produced by State, 1058 MW from private sectors and rest is contributed by Central government. Even though Tamil Nadu produces excess energy than its need, but the state has been suffering from lack of power every day. This is due policies which are framed by central government to share the produced energy with neighbouring states. Huge population cover which is 66 million out of which 11 million population is in Capital City , a bit more than the Swedens population, which could be the causes for energy demands and also Tamil Nadu is being one of the largest industrial state. So, it is obvious that energy demand raises and due to these effects, causes the state to use its all available resources. Change in seasonal rainfall has lead to less energy production from Hydro power plants. So, its been pushed to focus on energy production through non-conventional resources. India is being covered by three sides of coastal areas, its rich in Wind energy, Tidal wav es and Solar Energy. Tamil Nadu has renewable energy grid power with installed capacity of 4790 MW which is nearly 32% of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Boards total grid capacity. TEDA (Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency) was established in 1985 with following policies To set up RD To promote use of Renewable energy and to implement projects To promote energy conservation activities To conserve resources development on renewable source of energy Activities done by TEDA towards sustainability development Attracting investors through setting up demonstration wind farms , tax breaks Conducting Awareness campaign to educate people about use of renewable energy and energy conservation. Promoting renewable energy utilisation products like Solar light, solar heater, Wind mill water pumps in villages since majority of the population is in Villages and in small towns. Â  setting up of Grid Interactive Solar Power Plants India is being a heavy user of coal, which accounts in large amount of CO2 emission. Wind turbines can help to overcome emission of CO2 into the atmosphere. Wind farms are helping to reduce Indias reliance on fossil fuels and will reduce emissions by an estimated 50,000 metric tons of CO2 per year, which is comparatively large when compared with amount of CO2 emitted. India has aimed to reduce 20-25% CO2 emission. Apart from Wind Energy, Solar Energy is also a major source as far as India is concerned since it has sun light at an average of 9 hours a day throughout the year. India has planned to generate 22 GW of energy by 2022 from solar energy. Very recently off shore Wind farms are being installed and Solar energy is also being given importance.