Pragmatism and the Environment Essay Example for Free

Sober mindedness and the Environment Essay The earth is in question. The world we live in is a condition of moderate deathâ€that the world is biting the dust ordinary similarly as the human body loses body cells consistently. Each common asset of the world is ceaselessly manhandled without thought of the outcomes. As it were, individuals are that of an infection, a fundamental natural specie that devours a bounteous and generally helpful part, annihilates it, proceeds onward to another territory, and leaves the expended, useless, and obliterated. Be that as it may, human experience instructs us that we can't generally deny the characteristic law in light of the fact that as clear creatures fit for comprehension, we have the common capacity to adjust to any condition given and discovering available resources to endure. All things considered, the advancement of mankind is unimaginable notwithstanding our normal tendency of versatility, insurance of species, and endurance. In the exposition Pragmatism and Environmental Thought by Kelly Parker (1996), she makes reference to â€Å"what we should make an effort not to do isn't to ace the normal world, however to develop significant lives inside different situations. † This corresponds with the common law of flexibility, where individuals need not challenge principles as characterized naturally yet to saddle it and give vital methods for endurance. Down to business Knowledge and Environmental Issues Pragmatism intensely depends on genuine seeing as opposed to the total faith in the natural thoughts of the human brain. William James, John Dewey, Charles Pierce, among different organizers of American realism during the beginning of the century, contended that there are no inborn convictions in which information is based. This implies information isn't naturally transposed upon the human psyche. Or maybe, experience affirms this â€Å"baseless† information through real and cement understandingâ€that a belief system is possibly acknowledged as obvious in the event that it is to be discovered down to earth in application. Human experience is then the premise of such common sense and its honesty is characterized through functional arrangements. The earth isn't isolates from the realist or some other being. The earth is a piece of the experience, that there is an advantageous connection between the two natural frameworks just as other life frameworks. Parker (1996) underscored this point in her paper: â€Å"environment, in the most essential sense, is where experience happens, where my life and the lives of others emerge and take place† (p. 29). Each circle must have distinct limits in which it collaborates and from that association is the place experience spins. Through these encounters, there have been improvements in the field concerning the earth, particularly on morals. The advancement of ecological morals depends on the sober minded development. All the more explicitly, the association between the two distinctive world perspectives on nature prompts the possible advancement of these morals. These morals later become moral principles for individuals until they become a â€Å"norm† of living for most. Based from these useful encounters, these normal practices change into strategies for more up to date types of social obligation and upgrade ecological mindfulness, for example, new laws and enactments concerning the earth, grassroots activism, among others. The Ethical/Global Problem As gathered by the down to earth see, pragmatism’s job with nature is more on application instead of hypothesis. In a progressively broad viewpoint, people have the regular propensity to mishandle their encompassing and not to consider their own activities against various natural frameworks around them. This harmonizes with the discussion on moral pluralism and anthropocentrism. Moral pluralism determines â€Å"no single good guideline or general hypothesis of what is correct can be suitably applied in all morally dangerous solutions† (Parker, 1996, p. 31). There is no extreme and fundamental arrangement of good laws administering each situation of good issues. In view of the subjectivity of experience, it can't be applied to any ethical issue on account of the absence of objectivity. Comparable to ecological cases, there are diverse good norms (I. e. , culture, topographical area) that must be considered all together for a lot of good/ecological laws to be applied. These distinctive emotional requests on what ought to be secured, permitted, or prohibited come into a good dilemmaâ€whether it would be down to earth or not. Moral pluralism is likewise identified with the issue of anthropocentrismâ€the prioritization of qualities for individuals. Human life is set on more prominent significance as opposed to other outside components. In her article, Parker (1996) further clarifies this line of thinking: Again, it is not necessarily the case that human impulse is the proportion of all things, just that people are in actuality the measurers. This must be a factor in the entirety of our pondering in every single natural issue. We can and ought to talk for others sake when proper, yet we can't talk from their experience (p. 2). The article suggests that we make gauges and laws by representing ourselves and for the things that we need to secure dependent on our own encounters and judgment. For example, the supporters of imperiled species or an environmental subsystem speak to their â€Å"party† to other individual. It is through the supporters that these animals are spoken to in the discussion over human need. The Global Challenge With the approaching danger of a worldwide temperature alteration, ozone depleting substance, and other biological concerns, what we ought to do is focus more on legitimate activity and appropriate portrayal of all the various parts of the earth. We have just recognized a few issues that cause ecological pain as of late and from these issues, there ought to be a detailing of steps to rapidly neutralize these issues. Whenever left overlooked or persistently bantered upon with no solid recipes of execution, these issues will keep on developing until they become wild. The correct need of recognizing these issues will help in making various techniques just as defining lawful activities that will help ensure and safeguard natural issues. The verifiable and general viewpoint is the world is kicking the bucket and it keeps on disintegrating as the quantity of human populace increments. The matter of appropriate activity becomes an integral factor through the natural backings all around the globe that supports of renewing planet earth. Notwithstanding, there remains the way that people by and large view the earth as something that can be planted, made, devastated, and reproduced once more. This cycle suggests that even with human intercession, the normal law of nature will in any case have its spot. Society, particularly today, ought to figure out how to adjust and live amicably with nature so as to make a harmonious connection between the two. We additionally need to address the lack of care of people towards its condition. We should expel from the human outlook that the environmental framework that we live in isn't endless and it will before long evaporate in the event that we are to let our activities not reflected upon. By inspecting our activities, we may go to an acknowledgment that everything that we do may influence the earth in manners that we probably won't know. Expelling this oblivious fortification likely could be one of the keys in taking care of our natural issue. The consumption of our common assets, the unnatural impacts of nurseries gases and the developing number of human populace are only a couple of numerous ecological issues that ought to be given significance. In spite of the fact that these issues are now encountering intense advancements throughout the previous six years, we as of now have the activity and the innovation to some way or another diminish its consistent increment and may in the end, despite the fact that not basically kill, balance the hole between human condition of living and the earth. Living with an environmental framework, we should figure out how to adjust our activities and ways of life so as to manufacture a helpful relationship. Along these lines, everyone wins. Reference Parker, K. (1996) Pragmatism and Environmental Thought. In A. Light E. Katz (Eds. ) Environmental Pragmatism. London and New York: Routledge (21-37).

The Call of “Bartleby the Scrivener” and “Young Goodman Brown” Free Essays

Creators really have unlimited open doors most definitely. They can make impacts by what they state and they likewise can make impacts by what they don't state, or what their characters don't do. In nineteenth century American writing, we see the utilization of the last instrument in â€Å"Bartleby the Scrivener† and â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†, where writers don't give the full data about their characters and occasions to make the ideal impacts. We will compose a custom exposition test on The Call of â€Å"Bartleby the Scrivener† and â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† or then again any comparative theme just for you Request Now In Herman Melville’s â€Å"Bartleby the Scrivener†, the confounding title character â€Å"prefers not to† get things done. Then again, in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†, the lead character gives off an impression of being influenced by his own powerlessness to perceive reality and in this manner turns into a character that neglects to confide in any person or thing throughout everyday life. In this short story Hawthorne doesn't affirm us whether Goodman Brown’s involvement with all occurred or it was only a fantasy; however this keeping down of data makes the ideal impact that I will investigate right away. Our fundamental concentrate today is maybe not exclusively to look at the apparatuses creators use yet to examine how Bartleby and Goodman Brown, two characters that have the nineteenth century Dark Romanticism paint in them eventually encourages the beginning of vision or introspective philosophy, a mainstream type of the nineteenth century American writing. It is in human instinct to attempt to fathom the puzzles it faces or the inquiries that are advanced to it. Now and again writers give answers for the issues they depict and regularly they essentially leave indications and welcome the perusers to discover the appropriate responses themselves.Both â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† and â€Å"Bartleby the Scrivener† are stories that welcome the perusers to go looking for answers. Despite the fact that there are sure contrasts among Bartleby and Goodman Brown as far as their capacity, the two of them show a deficiency of information regarding what they should do. Contrasted w ith Bartleby, Goodman Brown just ganders at a misfortune about what he should do. Bartleby is a character who focuses on that he would prefer to do nothing than do only anything for doing it. He poses the general public to inquiry its own actions.Bartleby underscores vigorously on perceiving what we truly should do as opposed to simply taking the path of least resistance and do things that don't generally speak to us. Despite the fact that Bartleby doesn't develop to the point that he found what he would have truly wanted to do, he at any rate discovered what he didn't like to do †and that in itself is an intense position. Then again, Goodman Brown is a character who doesn't show any rule. He appears to be frail to the point that he continues carrying on with as long as he can remember with the individuals he questions. Hawthorne portrays a world that means the subjects of â€Å"Dark Romanticism†.He shows that human instinct is maybe not prepared to make itself great. Earthy colored appears to groups no instinct or inward mindfulness that can assist him with differentiating rights from wrongs. Despite the fact that the short story has all the earmarks of being exceptionally depressing, it gives a solid message. Hawthorne has set in the content certain components that propose the likely method to recovery. â€Å"Faith†, is a solid proposal that Hawthorne recommends Brown and all characters like him need. Here, â€Å"faith† is a quality that is a lot of a piece of a dreamer society or an attribute of transcendentalism.In â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†, the title character continues expressing the name â€Å"faith†, yet he doesn't have confidence in Faith. In the story, Faith’s pink strips are an image of honesty. At the point when Brown comes back from the wild, he despite everything sees Faith with the pink strips; and the creator gives no indications of any loss of blamelessness of Faith, however Brown can't confide in her. In the occasions this story was composed, there was a mentality in the general public that ladies were to be images of virtue and blamelessness and all men needed to do to make up for themselves is be related with a decent woman.In this story, the plot is mirrors this demeanor of the general public. Earthy colored attempts to spare himself by sticking on to Faith’s â€Å"skirts and follow her to heaven†. The response that â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is well on the way to draw out from its perusers is a sort of acknowledgment that Brown had a decision in the story to have confidence. He never finds any verification of evilness in his significant other or the regarded individuals around him, yet he despite everything decides to be far fetched. The incon spicuous message that the story gives is that â€Å"doubt† is the guilty party and men are to blame for surrendering to it. Questioning doesn't make Brown’s life any better. He never believed anyone and he were not hoodwinked by anyone. So the story shows that by having confidence, he could have completely changed him. He could have lived substantially more joyfully. In both â€Å"Bartleby the Scrivener† and â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†, we discover topics and qualities of â€Å"Dark Romanticism†. They speak to characters who don't totally have the foggiest idea what the most right activity is. Be that as it may, what both these works do is make a desire in the peruser to want for flawlessness. These two stories are progressively similar to extensions to transcendentalism.Even however the dull sentimentalism time frame in the New England drove by Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville and Emily Dickinson didn't completely grasp introspective philosophy, these two stories especially leave the peruser needing and considering more. The human psyche works in a mind boggling way and it must be set up for specific things to rise. These two stories fill in as a mirror that will assist us with looking inside us for something progressively divine, that will assist us with finding a more noteworthy comprehension of what we should do. In both â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† and â€Å"Bartleby the Scrivener† the writers play with some imperceptible or unsure elements.These dubious or undetectable components challenge the perusers to step into the shoes of Bartleby and Brown and figure what they would have done in their cases. Bartleby and Brown welcome us to rig ht the wrongs. They claim to us in various manners. Be that as it may, both approach us to watch and question how we get things done. In writing, the impact it makes is likely the most significant thing. The messages that get through these two short stories could have recently been given unequivocally and straightforwardly, yet that would not have had a similar sort of impact on us that the mind boggling nature, tone, demeanor and treatment of these two stories create.Bartleby’s call is solid as he takes a position against characters like Nippers and Turkey, against whatever or whoever chooses to abound in the commonplace exercises of the world with no thought of what one should do. A significant part of the story is simply the character of the legal counselor. The lawyer’s name isn't referenced in the story, which gives a noteworthy insight that after the entirety of his calling is his most prevailing character. The legal advisor attempts to get things done as a decent, kind-hearted man would do. Yet at the same time then he can't enter the puzzle of Bartleby.This recommends that even the obvious or ordinary great isn't sufficient. The intelligent, materialistic brain of the legal advisor isn't sufficiently profound, more is required. â€Å"Bartleby, the Scrivener† sets us up in quest for additional; it sets us up in quest for flawlessness. A conspicuous visionary of the nineteenth century American writing, Ralph Waldo Emerson stated, â€Å"Even the realist Condillac, maybe the most legitimate expounder of realism, was obliged to state, ‘Though we should take off into the sky, however we should sink into the chasm, we never leave ourselves; it is forever our own idea that we see. What more could a romantic state? † It is said that Herman Melville was impacted by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Regardless of whether he was not in all actuality, his work â€Å"Bartleby the Scrivener† without a doubt sets us up or if nothing else make us look toward optimism. Goodman Brown isn't a character that takes a position, yet the manner in which he succumbs to his own numbness constrains us to look towards vision too, on the grounds that as arrangement people will in general search for better. At the point when realism appears to be hopeless, men will undoubtedly look past into otherworldliness or look for extreme reality. Step by step instructions to refer to The Call of â€Å"Bartleby the Scrivener† and â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†, Papers

Types of Antidepressants for Panic Disorder

Types of Antidepressants for Panic Disorder Panic Disorder Treatment Print Classes of Antidepressants for Treating Panic Disorder By Katharina Star, PhD facebook linkedin Katharina Star, PhD, is an expert on anxiety and panic disorder. Dr. Star is a professional counselor, and she is trained in creative art therapies and mindfulness. Learn about our editorial policy Katharina Star, PhD Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on June 10, 2015 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD Updated on October 04, 2019 Arman Zhenikeyev/Getty Images More in Panic Disorder Treatment Symptoms Diagnosis Coping Related Conditions When first introduced in the 1950s, antidepressant medication was used to help reduce the symptoms of depression. However, research has shown that antidepressants can effectively treat a variety of mood and anxiety disorders. Antidepressants are currently one of the most common treatment options for panic disorder (with or without agoraphobia). How Antidepressants Treat Panic Disorder Neurotransmitters are naturally-occurring chemicals in the brain and are considered to be imbalanced for people with mood and anxiety disorders. Antidepressants work by affecting these neurotransmitters in a way that can help reduce anxiety and decrease the frequency and intensity of panic attacks. Different classes of antidepressants influence various types of neurotransmitters. The most frequently prescribed groups of antidepressants for panic disorder include the following. The Top Treatment Options for Panic Disorder Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, are a popular type of antidepressant that can be used to treat panic disorder. SSRIs work to balance serotonin, a neurotransmitter thats associated with the regulation of several bodily functions, including mood and sleep. By preventing your brain cells from absorbing serotonin, SSRIs can assist in enhancing mood and reducing feelings of panic and anxiety. SSRIs were first introduced in the United States in the 1980s and have continued to remain a popular treatment option for numerous mental health disorders. SSRIs are often preferred due to their safety, effectiveness, and likelihood of producing fewer side effects than other types of antidepressants. Some of the most common SSRIs include: Prozac (fluoxetine)Zoloft (sertraline)Paxil (paroxetine)Celexa (citalopram) How SSRIs Are Used to Treat Panic Disorder Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs) Tricyclic antidepressants, or TCAs, originated in the 1950s. Despite becoming less popular since the introduction of SSRIs, TCAs are still used to successfully treat anxiety and mood disorders. Similar to SSRIs, TCAs also work to balance serotonin levels. TCAs also affect norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter linked to alertness and the fight-or-flight stress response. Some common TCAs include: Elavil (amitriptyline)Asendin (amoxapine)Norpramin (desipramine)Adapin, Sinequan (doxepin)Tofranil (imipramine)Pamelor (nortriptyline)Vivactil (protriptyline)Surmontil (trimipramine) Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs) First available in the 1950s, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) are one of the earliest types of antidepressants. Due to the many dietary restrictions and potentially dangerous drug interactions associated with MAOIs, SSRIs and TCAs are often preferred over them. MAOIs are, however, still considered to be effective in treating conditions related to mood and anxiety. Like TCAs, MAOIs influence the availability of serotonin and norepinephrine. MAOIs additionally stabilize dopamine, a neurotransmitter thats linked to a variety of functions, such as a persons energy levels, physical movements, and feelings of motivation. Some common MAOIs include: Nardil (phenelzine)Parnate (tranylcypromine)Marplan (isocarboxazid)Emsam (selegiline) Antidepressants and Suicide Risk A warning was issued in 2007 by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after research showed a link between antidepressant use and the risk of suicide. Black Box Warning The FDA requires a black box warning on all  antidepressants  because of an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior in young adults, between ages 18 and 24, during initial treatment (first one to two months of therapy).   Most people on antidepressants will not run into this risk. However, young people just beginning on an antidepressant should be carefully monitored for increased depression, thoughts of suicide, and any unusual behaviors. Always consult your doctor if you have any questions and/or concerns about your antidepressant prescription.

Punctuation Commas, Colons, Semicolons, and Dashes

This exercise will give you practice in applying basic principled of punctuation. Before attempting the exercise, it may be helpful to review the use of commas as well as semicolons, colons, and dashes.   Instructions The following paragraph has been adapted from The Body in Question by author, physician, and television presenter Jonathan Miller. Throughout the paragraph, youll find a number of empty paired brackets: [ ]. Replace each set of brackets with an appropriate mark of punctuation: a comma, colon, semicolon, or dash. When youre done, compare your work with the punctuated version of the paragraph on page two. Note that in some instances more than one correct answer is possible. Hint: As you work on this exercise, try reading the paragraph aloud. Often, you may be able to hear where a mark of punctuation is needed. Exercise The idea of rites of passage was first introduced by the French anthropologist Arnold Van Gennep in 1909. Van Gennep insisted that all rituals of passing through occurred in three successive phases[ ] a rite of separation[ ] a rite of transition[ ] and a rite of aggregation. The person whose status is to be changed has to undergo a ritual which marks his departure from the old version of himself[ ] there has to be some act which symbolizes the fact that he has rid himself of all his previous associations. He is washed[ ] rinsed[ ] sprinkled or immersed[ ] and[ ] in this way[ ] all his previous obligations and attachments are symbolically untied and even annihilated. This stage is followed by a rite of transition[ ] when the person is neither fish nor fowl[ ] he has left his old status behind him but has not yet assumed his new one. This liminal condition is usually marked by rituals of isolation and segregation[ ]a period of vigil[ ] mockery perhaps[ ] fear and trembling. There are o ften elaborate rites of humiliation[ ]scourging[ ] insults[ ] and darkness. Finally[ ] in the rite of aggregation[ ] the new status is ritually conferred[ ] the person is admitted[ ] enrolled[ ] confirmed[ ] and ordained. Answer Key Here, with punctuation restored, is the original version of the above paragraph. Note that in some instances more than one correct answer is possible. The idea of rites of passage was first introduced by the French anthropologist Arnold Van Gennep in 1909. Van Gennep insisted that all rituals of passing through occurred in three successive phases: a rite of separation, a rite of transition, and a rite of aggregation. The person whose status is to be changed has to undergo a ritual which marks his departure from the old version of himself: there has to be some act which symbolizes the fact that he has rid himself of all his previous associations. He is washed, rinsed, sprinkled or immersed, and, in this way, all his previous obligations and attachments are symbolically untied and even annihilated. This stage is followed by a rite of transition, when the person is neither fish nor fowl; he has left his old status behind him but has not yet assumed his new one. This liminal condition is usually marked by rituals of isolation and segregation—a period of vigil, mockery perhaps, fear and trembling. There are often elaborate rites of humiliation—scourging, insults, and darkness. Finally, in the rite of aggregation, the new status is ritually conferred: the person is admitted, enrolled, confirmed, and ordained. Source: Miller, Jonathan. The Body in Question by Jonathan Miller. Random House, 1978

Ethical Issues Of Financial Accounting - 984 Words

Another important point is the reporting to whom. Financial accounting is meant for external reporting to all who are interested in the company’s activities. But in management accounting it is altogether an internal reporting aimed at helping managers in discharging their responsibilities. Financial accounting basically contains monetary information. But managerial accounting will contain both monetary and non-monetary issues that are helpful to the management. For example financial accounting will show only finance related data on a new product developed. But managerial accounting in addition to those data may also show other non-monetary data like expected time to develop the product, possible yield and risk associated with it, expected†¦show more content†¦Important parts of corporate codes of conduct are integrity, performance of duties, and compliance with the rule of law. They also uniformly prohibit the acceptance of kickbacks and improper gifts, insider trading, and misappropriation of corporate information and assets. Describes at least three managerial accounting techniques available and their application within a business or organization: Management accounting techniques give business leaders the tools to measure and increase profit margins while lowering operating expenses. The scope of analytical techniques is large enough to fill college textbooks, and the Institute of Management Accountants offers certifications highly valued by the accounting industry. Through careful application of management accounting techniques, leaders are able to steer their organizations in the right direction and enhance profitability. Breakeven Analysis: A breakeven analysis allows members of management to gauge how much of a product or service they need to sell to recoup operating costs and turn a profit. This involves calculating variable costs, fixed costs and expected sales volumes. Although the calculation is straight-forward in nature, determining the variable and fixed costs takes careful analysis. Administrative costs, rent and insurance are among the expenses that factor into the equation. If a breakeven analysis is performed properly, businesses stand a better chance of generating a

High School Students Designing A Night Full Of Organized...

The mere idea of high school students designing a night full of organized boxing matches against their peers seemed awfully far-fetched. When it came to actually executing the idea and putting it all into action, it was an absolutely unprecedented and seemingly unattainable feat. The legendary creation was first sparked while watching the much hyped Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather fight in my basement with some friends . As their match went on, I said imagine if we had a fight night for Prep kids. The initial reaction was as if I just dropped an atomic bomb. It blew them away and came off as such a ludicrous, yet magnificent idea. Pacquiao and Mayweather s disappointing fight droned on for 12 rounds with minimal action, so we†¦show more content†¦Being in charge of such a monumental event was both a blessing and a curse. It began to consume much of my time and it became extremely difficult to balance schoolwork and fight night obligations. Once Friday arrived, I was blown away by the level of fervor around school for the groundbreaking scene to occur. My email inbox was exploding, mainly from people informing me they ll be attending or jockeying for their preferred opponent to fight. It was all fun and games until it reached a boiling point on Friday afternoon. Prep s administration caught word of the polarizing event and called me to the main office via the intercom. I had no clue what the assistant principle Mr. Swanson would say to me but I was anticipating his forcing me to cancel the event altogether. My conversation with him consisted mostly of him confirming parents approved of fight night and reiterating how zero illegal activities such as gambling can occur. I cooperated with his requests and, in my mind, fight night was still on! Well, it all changed once I got the dreaded phone call from each of my parents. Both of my parents bluntly told me I couldn t do it anymore and had to call it off. They feared the myriad of negative repercussions it could trigger. So while my phone was endlessly vibrating with fight night texts I stood at a fork in the road. Would I just lie down and accept my parents ordersShow MoreRelatedFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 PagesThis online teaching and learning environment integrates the entire digital textbook with the most effective instructor and student resources With WileyPLUS: Students achieve concept mastery in a rich, structured environment that’s available 24/7 Instructors personalize and manage their course more effectively with assessment, assignments, grade tracking, and more manage time better study smarter save money From multiple study paths, to self-assessment, to a wealth of interactive visual

Competitive Strategies of General Electric-Myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Strategies that General Electric should Apply to Gain the Competitive advantages over their rival Business Organizations. Answer: Introduction The following paper is about defining and applying strategies that an organization should adapt to in trying to gain the competitive advantage over their rival business organizations. The organization that has been chosen to show the impact of the proper strategies and the motivation given by the leaders through their leadership style is the General Electric (GE). This company was established to merge up the two famous companies, namely Electric Light Company of Thomas Alva Edison and Thomas Houston Company of Charles Coffin. GE was established in the year 1892. This company became a business model by its brave leadership and management style in the beginning of the 20th Century. The later attributes of this company came through the hands of Ralph Cordiner and Peter Drucker (Ge.com, 2017). The purpose of this duo was to turn GE into a complete management system that was capable of innovative corporate management. The strategic planning was of utmost importance in this context because it had to be linked with the financial systems under Reg Jones in the 1970s. After these proceedings, the organization was under the leadership of Jack Welch for almost two decades (Ge.com, 2017). In his hands, the entire working system of the company went through a huge change and its strategy and organizational management gained improvement. In this paper, the purpose of discussion is to explain the core competencies that are needed for an organization to expand it in the international level. The leadership style of Jack Welch and Jeffrey R. Immelt has to be compared as well in order to understand the impact of perfect leadership style on an organization. Leadership style of Jack Welch Jack Welch had been an influential and revolutionary leader in the history of GE. He had made huge changes the entire system by his extraordinary leadership skills and approach. He had a tremendous farsightedness with which he executed his ideas and turned the management system to make innovative changes (Vaccaro et al. 2012). GE had flourished so much under his leadership and it enjoyed the best years in the corporate performance in the industry. GE under Jeffrey R. Immelt Jeffrey Immelt had taken over from Jack Welch as he had taken over from the leadership helm of GE in the year 2001. Just he had taken over the responsibilities; the despicable terrorist attacks on World Trade Centre on 9/11 took place (Keniston and Quinn 2013). After that incident the Enron crash had taken place that questioned the factors of good governance, business ethics and financial management in the corporate sector (Higgins 2012). Core competencies Core competencies are one of the most important elements in the business industry and it is considered as an intrinsic approach (Espinoza and Ukleja 2016). On the contrary, the business operations tool named the Porters five forces is considered as extrinsic approach. Organizational competitiveness is a critical thing to stay alive in the modern challenging business environment. Every organization has to develop and improve its core competencies so that they can stay strong and hold their positions in the business market (Espinoza and Ukleja 2016). Some of the important core competencies include risk taking abilities and providing guidance and directions to teams across countries and cultures. The important factors that have worked behind the success of GE in this century are their continuous efforts to improve the business environment and providing better options to provide the customers with better materials. One of the most important core competencies for GE has been customer focu s (Wilson et al. 2012). In trying to enrich the customer focus and improve the customer satisfaction process by implementing the six stigma process in the 1980s under the leadership of Jack Welch (Pyzdek and Keller 2014). The company workers had to be more effective in providing the consumers with much efficiency and they have to be more productive. The shift of focus came over as Jeff Immelt took over from Jack Welch. The main target of Immelt was the customer orientation in GE. This, he thought, would help to gain the confidence pf the customers at their disposal more and more (Korschun, Bhattacharya and Swain 2014). He used some tricks to implement that. He advised his workers to spend more time with their customers so that a bond of trust and faith could rise. He also said them to work on their various problems with seriousness and thus resulting in the value creation for them. GEs marketing function had to be evolved properly so that more increased investments were made in this scenario. The target gro ups of GE had to be provided with more integrated solutions and services from their parts (Hakanen and Jaakkola 2012). They also offered customer support, customer oriented business solutions by making a strong co-ordination between across its business functions. They introduced a new style of business functioning i.e. to create opportunities for cross-business marketing campaigns so all of their business options could see these options. The leadership style of Jeffrey Immelt S Jeff Immelt was strongly aware of the fact that he would be taking over the responsibilities from the maestro himself, the living legend and the best manager of the 20th century, he was very much cautious about his duties and leading GE to a beautiful future moving from its golden past. He could motivate his employees quite positively as he himself was filled with great energy (Lazaroiu 2015). He was a very friendly and a regular guy as he always encouraged his staff rather than putting heaves of pressure on them. On bases of principles, he is considered as a democratic person and he always encouraged the fact of innovation process (Palacios-Marqus, Merig and Soto-Acosta 2015). One of his best characteristics as the organizational leader was he always craved to keep good and open relations with all the investors and the stakeholders. The idea he promoted to innovate new things was dreaming with customers and to have some imagination breakthroughs was something he thought be essenti al to be a growth leader (Chesbrough 2012). The leadership style Immelt followed gave birth to the new leadership idea of imagination at work. This leadership style proved to be an iconic one on the long run. This was thoroughly an unconventional model of theory but this could easily fit into the transformational leader model if it has to be categorized indeed. Some of the important things that this transformational leader model had a deep impact on are the human capital, global presence of GE, the entire organizational structure and the most important thing was the technology and innovation (Narula 2014). These points have to be discussed in order to look at the entire idea from a better viewpoint. Human Capital The human capital of GE was developed and empowered to a great extent by the leadership style of Jeffery Immelt (Campbell, Coff and Kryscynski 2012). The early culture of the organization helped it to grow a human capital development. It was well-structured as well. Immelt went forward to enhance this and inculcated some aptitudes and skills in the managers so that they can become growth managers. He developed the five growth traits for the development of the organization. This also became an exclusive part of the HR review, the performance management system and subsequent plans for the managers that would lead to development (Buckingham and Goodall 2015). Growth became his personal mission of its human capital. He empowered it through structure, training and direction. Organizational Structure Immelt made many changes within the organization to run it smoothly. Some of these were visible and some were not. The most visible change could be considered in the change of the organizational structure of GE (Guadalupe, Li and Wulf 2013). The purpose of Jeffrey Immelt was to create a more responsive organization. This led him to change some of the structural set-ups made by the Jack Welch in his reign. He gave encouragement for building cross business integration within GE. In order to so, he focused on bundling of services and products so he that he could facilitate his vision to create the growth platforms (Christensen and Raynor 2013). The divisions that GE had were reduced to smaller sectors. The different sectors had to report to Immelt. The number of these business sectors was twelve in 2002. It was reduced to seven in the year 2010. Technology and Innovation The time was turbulent when Immelt had taken over from Welch. He had to face many difficulties as many unwanted series of events were taking place. This was aggravated by the terror attacks on 9/11 (Keniston and Quinn 2013). The entire business industry was shaken by the fall of World Trade Center. The main challenge of Immelt at this point was to secure the profitability within the organization. The innovation in the organization had led to its growth. The innovation projects that were taken were long, time-taking, risky and definitely in need of cooperation among the various business divisions. These innovation processes needed investment and attention of the target audiences. In order to achieve that, Jeffery Immelt had taken up the imagination breakthrough initiative (De Jong et al. 2013). These things would surely lead them to a grand success. Jeffrey Immelt himself used to approve all the imagination breakthrough projects and improvised all the budget related things. The normal budget pressures could not have any severe impact on these projects. Immelt had a firm belief that technology could drive the future growth of GE. The first and one of the most important changes that were made was to revise the RD budgets (Lin et al. 2012). The RD centers were upgraded and product quality was enhanced for customer satisfaction. Some programs that were launched by GE were the ecomagination, product and business development program and others. These programs helped to develop more co friendly products and better business solutions. Global presence The global market was as always competitive and the target for all the organizations was to capture the emerging markets. Immelt took GE to a certain level that they were at the position to compete with the fast emerging global markets. The great market success came for GE in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games from a coordinated approach across many business sectors (Bodet and Lacassagne 2012). GE had developed a marketing strategy named company to country that helped in the penetration of the local markets by the financial joint ventures that could work with the governments to meet the local markets needs for improvement in the infrastructure. An example can be given about the Abu Dhabi Mubadala partnership and Nigerian investments (Cugurullo 2013). The internationalization strategy was designed to develop the products and services that could help the local market needs. These features were considered to be the simpler, less expensive and de-featured versions of the emerging internation al markets. The demographics that GE had targeted were the aged people and supplied them the products of health care. They also began to address at the global and natural challenges like the global warming and scarcity of water (Dai 2013). These problems were to be solved by the use of technology and innovation. The strategy proposition of the GE can be evaluated by explaining the micro analysis of the business environment through the SWOT analysis (Grant 2016). Strengths GE is a global brand that has a wide recognition all over. It is a valuable brand to many of its customers (Grant 2016). They provide and supply quality products to their products. They have developed ecomagination program that is very effective in strategic innovation process. They provide opportunities for training that leads to the development of its workers. The leadership pipeline of GE is very strong and the role of the growth managers is handled very sincerely (Grant 2016). They are a trusted brand and always given advantage in the competitiveness. They take the contracts from the government that adds to their reputation. Weaknesses GE is too much diversified in the same sectors. Their revenue growths are very low. The working culture they follow is the working in silos. They have very little scope of working in the cross-functional working environment (Turkulainen and Ketokivi 2012). The role of the head office of GE works more as an overseer and interrogator for their works rather than a partner and coordinator. They have an internal competition between their different business units. They have many divisions which compete between themselves. Most of the managers are experts within their own sphere of knowledge only. They have very little knowledge of the entire working space. Opportunities They have a huge opportunity to globalize in their domain. The fact of internationalization can really expand their business market. Some factors that can really improve their business dealings are the mergers, joint ventures and the acquisitions. They can produce environmental friendly products and services. They are keen on technical innovation that could lead to their success. Their company to country program will be able to enhance the coordination between employees and customers (Strohmeier 2013). Their cross functional marketing and product selling can increase their market value multiple times. Threats The size of the company is very huge so that it is difficult to maintain it. The adversities to their expansion program are rapid expansion and the bubble burst syndrome (Prakash 2016). They have a lack of agility that can affect its business reputation. USA and international regulations of business can have a negative effect on GE capital. They face a lot of difficulties when they try to implement the simplicity across its functions. Business Environment of GE (2001-12) Jack Welch had presented GE with a remarkable growth of profits and stock market valuation in the last century. This success was against a backdrop of an economy that was gushed by optimism, confidence and growth. Immelt succeeded to the thrown of Welch and discovered that there was a huge gap in the economic balance in the organization resulting from the downturn of the 1990s and the exuberance of the same time. The results of this extraordinary downfall of the business were the business industries had entirely collapsed, the poor business models were roughly exposed to the world and large companies were almost bankrupt and the corporate credibility was no more beyond question. After taking over, Immelt had initially thought that the diversified portfolio would be able to provide GE stability in the economic part. It was thought that during the financial crisis, the contagion had become the main norm of the business perspectives. The problem is that if any business is affected by the economic factors, other businesses will be affected as well. Whenever, Immelt had always tried to tell them and put emphasis on the fact that his job was not to control the stock market price. Instead, as the CEO of General Electric, he was supposed to manage the company from all the aspects. He had believed that the only way GE can be run in a proper way is to increase its performance and the stock would be driven permanently. Immelt had identified all the potential challenges in the business environment and he had thought that he had to identify the potential resources that could profit GE in a large way. Some strategies that Immelt had taken were he created value cost reduction, eliminated all the underperforming assets and exploited all the opportunities offered for the financial services. The GE equation of 2012 shows the things that GE wanted to do. They believed in the equation that:- They look at what the world needs {A belief in a better way+ A relentless drive to invent and build things that matter} = A world that works matter. There are some factors that are responsible for the probable growth of GE. These factors can be listed as below:- They should invest in software and analytics. The future of the business is doing through the internet and the efficiencies have to be increased. The cost margins of business should be increased (Highsmith 2013). GE should capitalize on bettering infrastructure markets in countries like Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. GE should invest in and grow energy management (Pipattanasomporn, Kuzlu and Rahman 2012). The size of the GE capital should be increased. They should look to invest in their infrastructure more. The resources from financial services should be reallocated. It is, therefore, very essential to develop the infrastructure of the company and the factor of increased financial performance and return on investment (ROI) factors have to be illustrated properly. Increased Financial Performance, ROI to Investors and Shareholders GE should grow dividends and allocate capital on thinking many times (Ingram 2016). The Share Buyback program should be re-introduced in order to buy the shares in critical times. They should maximize their capitals on oil, gas and aviation sectors. They should focus on being the leading lender to middle market clients. The strategies have to be put into action for better results. The academic model named Balanced Scorecard invented by Kaplan has to be used in this regard for implementing the strategies (Kaplan 2012). According to this balanced scorecard, the scorecard is perfectly balanced when there is right measure between the short and long term goals, tangible and intangible metrics being balanced as well. A modern age company like GE must focus on different aspects like customer focus, suppliers, processes, technology and innovation and their target audience. The vertical scorecard has the people, financial aspects, learning metrics and internal processes. There should be a balance between strategic and diagnostic measures and the interests of the stakeholders (Ehrenfreund, Race and Labdon 2013). The other metric is the horizontal scorecard where the elements are the suppliers, leaders, investors, customers and employees. They are the key elements which have to be put into proper action throug h the key performance indicators (KPI). These indicators must have lagging measures (current performance) and the lead measures (long term value). All the things in the balanced scorecard include financial metrics, process improvement, total quality management and other things (Conti 2012). The aspects of service delivery, customer retention, customer satisfaction and strategic innovation must all be linked with the financial metrics and all of these strategic innovations, GE will definitely survive in the competitive structure and claim success in implementation and evaluation. Difference between leadership styles of Jack Welch and Jeffrey Immelt Jack Welch Jack Welch was more of an autocratic and task oriented leader (Rast, Hogg and Giessner 2013). His orientation was on efficiency and he was an iconic leader. He used to work within certain parameters. He focused on productivity and internal communication. He was a great manager and business driver. Jeffrey Immelt Immelt was much more people oriented and a democratic leader (Bhatti et al. 2012). He focused on innovation more. He focused on RD technology. He used to build good communicative relationships with the employees (Bhatti et al. 2012). He was a change manager. He was transformational and focused on marketing. He was a risk taking leader and a regular guy as well. Conclusion This paper can be concluded by saying that GE has been one of the pioneer organization in driving strategies for innovation in the modern competitive industry. The aspect of VUCA business environment that says that businesses in modern days are volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous are an indicator of effectiveness of taking risks in the business proceedings. The leaders have to be exceptionally dedicated and be able to take risks in the competitive market. This is why Jeff Immelt had to bring down the silos structure that helped to sustain development. He changed the business relationship between the GE headquarters and the business partners. Thus it can be said that the leadership style of Jeff Immelt is best suited in this modern business environment. His RD innovation strategy, integrated business solutions and other things have helped GE to move forward in order to achieve organizational sustainability. 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Quinton Richards Essays (370 words) - Gender, Identity,

Quinton Richards Professor Jenkins Social Service Policies 11/20/2017 How changeable is Gender and Gender Identity? Gender identity is one's personal experience of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with assigned sex at birth, or can differ from it completely. All societies have a set of gender categories that can serve as the basis of the formation of a person's social identity in relation to other members of society. In most societies, there is a basic division between gender attributes assigned to males and females. a gender binary to which most people ad here and which includes expectations of masculinity and femininity in all aspects of sex and gender, biological sex, gender identity, and gender expression. In all societies, some individuals do not identify with some or all the aspects of gender that are assigned to their biological sex, some of those individuals are transgender, genderqueer or non-binary. There are some societies that have third gender categories. Core gender identity is usually formed by age three or after age three, it is extremely difficult to change and attempts to reassign it can result in gender dysphoria. Both biological and social factors have been suggested to influence its formation. One's innermost concept of self as male, female, a blend of both or neither or how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. One's gender identity can be the same or different from their sex assigned at birth. To understand gender identity development and related issues, definitions must be emphasized for clarity. The topic of gender identity is often discussed merely in terms of dysfunction, and the diagnosis of gender identity disorder is a known phenomenon in both children and adults. However, physicians should remember that all individuals possess a gender identity and that the process of becoming aware of it is an important part of the psychosocial development of a child. In the realm of pediatrics, recognition of gender identity is a process rather than a milestone, and variance from societal norms can cause distress to both the child and the child's family. It is necessary to understand the varied pathways that lead to a mature and congruent gender role to fully assess a person's behavioral health.

Underage essays

Underage essays Minor Drinking and why its not right Minor drinking can cause many different problems in fact according to preliminary estimates, in 2000 there were 5,702 youth between the ages of 16 and 20 killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes. Teenagers make less than 7% of the nation's licensed drivers, but they are involved in 15% of all fatal crashes. Forty-one percent of fatal crashes involving teenagers occur at night between 9pm and 6am.After 11 years of decline in the number of high school seniors reporting daily drinking, the numbers increased 16 percent proportionally from 2.5% in 1993 to 2.9% in 2000. However, from 1999 to 2000 there was a 15% decrease in the proportion of high school seniors reporting daily drinking. While all 50 states and DC have a zero tolerance policy for youth under 21, 21% of 16-20 year old drivers involved in fatal crashes had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of .10 or higher in 1999. Fourteen percent of these young drivers were involved in fatal crashes where the BAC level was .10 or hi gher. With these numbers you can see why alcoholism in a minor is not appropriate. Minors are not as experianced as an adult. An adult has to have been driving for at least five years. Drinking and driving is not ok by any means, but a person who has had the experiance can control the wheel a lot better than someone who has only been driving for a year or so. The landmark inc. conducted a survey including 900 adults. This survey shows that adults believe in cracking down on minor drinking. Seventy six percent of adults believe that parents should be held responsible for their teen's drinking. Another Eighty Six percent call for restrictions in home delivery of alcohol. Seventy Four percent support restrictions on alcohol advertising. Even fifty four percent of adults agree on increasing alcohol taxes. Now thats a lot to say since adults are legally able to drink. That makes it harder for them to afford something the...

Can social media act as a platform for counter hegemony Research Paper

Can social media act as a platform for counter hegemony - Research Paper Example Social media channels did not cause uprising but played a significant role in sharing information. This paper seeks to discuss the primary role performed by social media during the 2011 Egyptian revolution (Attia, Assaf, El, Kaldas, Mo, & El-Shazly, 2011). It will explore the question whether the social media acted as a platform for counter hegemony. Finally, it will analyze theories discussing the linkage between social media and power, and how social media challenged the authority of Mubarak. Discussion Social media acts as the XXI century pamphlet, a way that individuals who are frustrated and unsatisfied with the status quo can plan and organize themselves and stage or coordinate protest. There are various theories that discuss the relationship between social media and power, for example, Antonio Gramsci and Marxism theory. Hegemony is a term that emanated from Karl Marx writing. It was intellectualized by a Marxist social philosopher, Antonio Gramsci, who lived in Italy. Gramsci subscribed to Marxist idea of the historical dialectic. This implies that based on the classic Marxist theories, communities or societies must change over time from oppressive systems of the economy to highly liberating ones till the society finally attains the Utopian communism state (Sowers & Toensing, 2012). Marx asserted that capitalism was a subordinate system of economy because of the unequal wealth and power distribution among the few powerful individuals. Moreover, he argued that ultimately, the capitalism would be overthrown by the masses and shift to the system that is less oppressive. Gramsci employs â€Å"hegemony† to theorize the fundamental condition for effective overthrow of both the powerful (bourgeoisie) by the proletariat (ruled) and its allies (for instance, the peasantry), and the bourgeois power structures in the Western European states during XIX and XX century. Gramsci’s â€Å"hegemony† is the process of intellectual and moral leadership in which subordinate or dominated classes of post 1870 Western European industrial nations consent to their own suppression by the powerful classes, rather than being coerced or forced into accepting inferior ranks. According to Gramsci, hegemony is a form of control practiced by a dominant or powerful group. In the Marxist idea of a group dominating production means; Gramsci uses â€Å"essential group† to represent the â€Å"ruling class† (Terryn, 2011). For him, the Western European nations dominant class represented the bourgeoisie, who according to the Communist Manifesto are â€Å"the class or group of modern Capitalists, wage labour employers and the owners social production means, whereas, the vital subordinate class represented the proletariat, â€Å"the group of modern wage-laborers, without means personal production means, and thus, must sell their labour power to survive. Gramsci’s hegemony use can only be realized in the light of some of the conce pts he established and those of the Civil Society and the state. Gramsci argues that media promotes powerful or dominant powers structures in his broadly used hegemony theory. In media studies, the term hegemony is defined as ways in which media motivates individuals to consent to the status quo structures of power. In the case of the Egyptian revolution, Gramsci and Marxism theory reveals that the authoritarian leadership did their best to block and cut Internet access by the mass. Unfortunately, despite their efforts,

Meiji Era (1868-1912) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Meiji Era (1868-1912) - Essay Example The government industrialized the nation with the assistance of investing in enterprises owned by the state, development of the infrastructure for industries and obtained technology, machinery form developed nations such as European countries and privatization of industries. Japan's isolation from other parts of the world did not begin industrialization as early as the other western European countries. The Japanese government by that time tried to resist western influence in trade, and until 1853, they closed their trading boarders and ports for any trading activity with foreigners. They engaged in no foreign contact unless it was decidedly necessary and the laws forbade any Japanese civilian to travel. Japanese government also ensured that there was only one seaport open to trade with any western nation. The port of Nagasaki was the connection point for any trading activity with the western countries especially the Dutch and Chinese ships.2 In 1853, the president of America at that time sent the American commando, Mathew Perry, with a fleet of steam-powered ships (the back ships) to force a trade treaty with Japan and open the Japanese ports and boarders to trade with other parts of the world. Captain Perry gave the Japanese government one year of decision-making, and when he returned in 1954, the Japanese signed the treaty under the influence of force and opened their gates to the world trading. This was an indication of how the Japanese were weak in both economy and military.3 Creation of industrial infrastructure The Japanese realized that they needed a strong modern military to avoid intimidation by any foreign nation. However, the old rule of Tokugawa did not share the view modernizing their weapons and military. In 1968, the old Tokugawa government collapsed, and marked the beginning of the Meiji era when the Japanese begun serious consideration of modernization. However, the military modernization and arsenal buildup could not come alone; it included th e industrialization and industrial buildup of Japan and its principal cities2. Even though, there were several oppositions against industrialization, the Meija government proceeded with the modernization process. The government begun with sponsoring the telegraph system that connected the greatest cities in Japan, then they built roads and, shipyards rail network. The Meiji government also facilitated the building of mines, textile industries, munitions factories, experimental factories and agricultural stations. The leaders reloaded their efforts of military modernization including compulsory military service for all men, establishment of small standing army and a large reserve army system to boost their national security. They also engaged in foreign military education and consultation from studying foreign military, using foreign military advisors and sending cadets abroad Europe and America to study military education4. The Meiji government’s chief aim was to restore Japa nese isolation, but still maintain their contact with the west.

A Review Of Groundhog Day

A Review Of Groundhog Day Groundhog Day is one of those rare films that has been entirely embraced as a cultural artifact by Western society. Roger Ebert says; there are a few films, and this is one of them, that burrow into our memories and become reference points. When you find yourself needing the phrase this is like Groundhog Day to explain how you feel, a movie has accomplished something. As a term it has been absorbed into popular speech, as observed by Ryan Gilbey; Its everywhere in travel writing, rock journalism, advice columns, horoscopes. Tony Blair refers to it in a speech about the Northern Ireland peace process, and it crops up in the Archbishop of Canterburys Richard Dimbleby Lecture in 2002. It makes its way into the headline of a restaurant review (a culinary groundhog day), a cricket report (Groundhog Day for the West Indies), and an editorial on the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq (No smoking guns, no huge breakthroughs, just a hint that Groundhog Day may be over) while a kidnap victim uses the phrase to describe his captivity in the Colombian jungle. It was even unofficially adopted into the American military jingo with reference to their conflict in Somalia at around the time that the film came out on VHS, and officially adopted into the United States Film Directory as being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant in 2006. It was screened in the New York Museum of Modern Art in a season entitled The Hidden God: Film and Faith along with works by Bergman and Rossellini, and the occasion was seen as an opportunity for religious groups to vocalise their suppositions as to its pertinence to their individual faiths. The most vocal were the Buddhists, with a popular urban legend regarding the film stating that in an early draft Phil was stuck in Punxatawny for 10,000 years, a significant number in Buddhist teachings. Danny Rubin, the films screenwiter, denounces this as untrue: Harold [Ramis, the director of the film] likes that allusion, and its good for the legend of the film because of the Buddhist connection. However, that wasnt on my mind. Some interpretations were that the film was intrinsically Jewish, (the movie tells us, as Judaism does, that the work doesnt end until the world has been perfected) or Christian (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦clearly the resurrected Christ). The film has also apparently been used in teachings by the Chinese spiritual movement Falun Dafa. If Nietzsche had been at that screening, however, I think that he would have revelled in it as intrinsically Nihilistic (in the positive sense), or (if the term existed when he were alive) Nietzschean. I have always been intimidated by Nietzsche, and indeed by Philosophy in general. I have always found the subject bewildering. Id hear outlandish quotes like God is dead, or about philosophical leanings like utilitarianism, empiricism or relativism, and be frustrated by their opacity, or at least by my inability to decipher what they are. But I also found it fascinating, at least from a distance. My aim for this thesis is to examine Groundhog Day a film I personally have a great love for using the parlance of the philosopher which most intrigued me, so as to better understand the work in the context of something which I have an afinity for. Nietzsches writings and musings had a huge effect on Populist opinion in the twentieth century, and it is my contention that this can be observed clearly in Groundhog Day. Chapter One examines Nietzsches notion of Eternal Recurrence, and how it appears in the film. Eternal recurrence is the idea that we have lived the exact life we are leading now an infinite number of times in the past and will do so an infinite number of times in the future. If weve enjoyed a particularly righteous or pleasurable life, this might sound like the greatest of outcomes. If not, eternal recurrence may strike us as a curse. Our misery, far from being over when we die, is destined to be repeated on us, eternal retribution for our mistakes. This is very obviously manifested in Groundhog Day. Chapter Two then will examine Phil seeking and achieving what Nietzsche refers to as the Ubermensch, or Overman. Nietzsche coined the term Ubermensch in his book Thus Spake Zarathustra; I teach you the overman. Man is something that shall be overcome. What have you done to overcome him? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ All beings so far have created something beyond themselves; and do you want to be the ebb of this great flood, and even go back to the beasts rather than overcome man? What is ape to man? A laughing stock or painful embarrassment. And man shall be that to overman: a laughing stock or painful embarrassment. The idea of the overman was misappropriated by National Socialism in the early part of the twentieth century. After Nietzsches death, his estate was run by his sister Elizabeth, a staunch nationalist and rampant anti-semite, two things which Nietzsche himself found unpalatable. She re-edited and reinterpreted Nietzsches work so that he became the representative philosopher for the Nazis, going so far as to print a book called The Will to Power posthumously, which was made up of notes and musings which he had no intention of publishing. This became something of a bible for National Socialism leading to Nietzsche being worshipped by the Nazis, an image which Nietzsche only overcame in the latter part of the Twentieth century. As you can imagine, the idea of the Ubermensch became a standard for the Nazis and their theories on eugenics and ethnic cleansing. But this was not Nietzsches intention. According to documentarian Simon Chu, Nietzsche proposes an ideal of self overcoming, an ideal he calls the overman, not by having recourse to a metaphysical realm outside of the human, but within the possibilities of the humanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ how can we as humans transcend ourselves? The idea of the overman came from Nietzsches own battle for self mastery. Human beings in general, he argued, had a duty to rise above their own condition. Nietzsche himself was quite limited physically due to perpetual illness, and socially due to self-imposed isolation, and Phil Connor is similarly limited by his own nature: he creates a bitter faà §ade which, through the course of the film, is broken down through his own endeavours at self-improvement. Ubermensch actually means overcoming, looking for a new path devoid of God. Chapter Three will deal with that notion: the association between Phil Connors self-betterment and the Nihilistic idea which must be embraced by the Ubermensch. Nihilism, as Nietzsche saw it, was not just a viewpoint that nothing in life has any meaning: Nietzsche proposed that we must look within ourselves to find a strong moral compass, rather than be corralled by the external ideals purported by religion. This type of moral opinion is negative; only from looking within ourselves can we find a true moral standpoint. When left to his own devices for an eternity of recurrence, Phil makes the choices which make him a better man for himself, not for anyone or anything else, Maybe the real God uses tricks. Maybe hes not omnipotent, hes just been around so long he knows everything. Eternal Recurrence Phil: What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered? Ralph: That about sums it up for me. Phil: I have been stabbed, shot, poisoned, frozen, hung, electrocuted, and burned. Rita: Oh, really? Phil: and every morning I wake up without a scratch on me, not a dent in the fender I am an immortal. Groundhog Day concerns itself heavily with the notion of Eternal Recurrence, or Eternal Return, to the extent of illuminating some conflicting interpretations of this key Nietzschean thought. In Nietzsches book The Gay Science, he first hits upon the idea of Eternal Return: What if some day or night a demon were to steal after you into your loneliest loneliness and say to you, `This life as you now live it and have lived it, you will have to live once more and innumerable times more; and there will be nothing new in it, but every pain and every joy and every thought and sigh and everything unutterably small or great in your life will have to return to you, all in the same succession and sequence even this spider and this moon-light between the trees, and even this moment and I myself. The eternal hourglass of existence is turned upside down again and again, and you with it, speck of dust! Would you not throw yourself down and gnash your teeth and curse the demon who spoke thus? Or have you once experienced a tremendous moment when you would have answered him, `You are a god and never have I heard anything more divine!' This statement makes the point that Eternal Return, though at first glance a hellish endeavour, is in fact a positive occurrence, if the person that he is referring to in the quotation is in fact happy to repeat their lives. The notion rears its head in earnest in Thus Spake Zarathustra. The semi-autobiographical text sees a fictional interpretation of the prophet of the Zoroaster people make his way down from his mountain retreat to spread the word of Nihilism to the people down below. He arrives during his journey to a straight road leading far off in distant directions under a gateway titled Moment. His dwarf travel companion makes this point: All that is straight lies, All truth is crooked; time itself is a circle. Zarathustra cannot reconcile with the thought of eternal recurrence quite as easily as his companion, largely because he would have to recognize that the mundanity of humanity that he so deplores will never be fully overcome, but rather will be repeated over and over again. This seems contradictory of what happens in Groundhog Day: Phil experiences February 2nd every day in the same small town, but every day he does something different, thus negating Eternal Recurrence as Nietzsche sees it. According to Deleuzes interpretation, Nietzsche was not in fact promoting the idea of the return of the identical but rather the return of the different. Each return selects the life-enhancing while rejecting the life-degrading, leading to each iteration being better than the last. As Deleuze says, We can thus see how the eternal return is linked, not to a repetition of the same, but on the contrary, to a transmutation. It is the moment or the eternity of becoming which eliminates all that resists it. It releases, indeed it creates, the purely active and pure affirmation. Groundhog Day contradicts both the outlined hypotheses. In Phil Connors world, there is no Nietzschean return of the identical he is able to act differently each time and cause different events to happen. And no repetition is more affirmative than the last Groundhog Day presents a far more human version of eternal recurrence. Phil mostly muddles his way through the situation, sometimes winding up less affirmative, sometimes more. Motivated by his love for Rita, he does finally reach a state of metamorphosis and at that point he is extricated from eternal recurrence. Luce Irigaray is perhaps the right philosopher for guiding us to unlocking the Nietzschean essence of Groundhog Day. Irigaray agrees with the conventional view that eternal recurrence concerns the return of the same. She objects to it on the grounds that it is a sterile thought that excludes any notion of the other, of outer influence. She writes of eternal recurrence as nothing but the will to recapitulate all projects within yourself. In other words, it is self-perpetuating and self-referential. We might think of it as a type of parthenogenesis it provides men with the ability to give birth to themselves over and over again, thus denying the role of the female. Irigaray wishes to promote the value of the other, which she largely conceives in female terms, in opposition to the traditional philosophical subject that she considers steadfastly male and masculine. She says For, in the other, you are changed. Become other, and without recurrence. In Groundhog Day, its Phil Connors love for his female colleague Rita that proves decisive. By immersing himself in otherness, by learning everything that makes Rita tick, he performs a type of metamorphosis, a rebirth in a sense rather than a return. He sheds his old, sexist form and emerges as a far more rounded human being, in touch with his feminine side (his inner other). As soon as he has fully achieved this, hes released from eternal recurrence. As argued by Irigaray, in any case. In Nietzsches conception of eternal recurrence, the individual has no memory of his previous lives. In Groundhog Day, Phil Connors certainly does. But hes the only one. All the others with whom he shares his eternal recurrence are perhaps in the classic Nietzschean position of having no recollection of their past existences. However, if they specifically interact (or even not specifically or personally) with Phil then their fate each time is no longer fixed, although they have no memory of the different paths Phil engineers for them. Phils circumstance is in this sense much more horrific than theirs. He is not dealing with eternal recurrence as an interesting hypothesis; he is a conscious participator and victim of it, entirely out of his control. Nietzsches eternal recurrence is, of course, logically problematic because if an individuals life is a repeat of previous lives then he would appear to have no free choice, yet Nietzsche seems to want us to alter our attitude to life in the face of the realisation of the harsh truth of eternal recurrence. If we accept his scenario in its strictest sense then our response to the concept of eternal recurrence is nothing over which we can have any control and our reaction, whatever it may be, is entirely futile, one we have exhibited an infinite number of times before and will do so an infinite number of times in the future. For Phil, this objection is removed. He can change; he has complete free choice. Its up to him to choose his attitude towards his metaphysical and existential predicament. At first, understandably, he experiences complete shock, before enjoying a brief sensation of omnipotence and omniscience. Then suicidal depression kicks in at the utter futility of everything he does. Of course, he is incapable of dying, so there is no way out. He then has few choices within the confines of Punxatawney. After much duress, Phil chooses to make the most of the world he now inhabits. He educates himself in many new fields and becomes accomplished as a scholar, artist, linguist and musician. He also develops as a person and achieves self-awareness, rather than the self destruction that he pursued previously. Through this enlightenment, he at last secures the love of the woman he has pursued from the beginning. In Jungian terms, Rita represents the Self that we all strive to find during our lifes journey. By winning her, Phil has completed Jungs arduous process of individuation, and become Nietzsches monument of self-improvement. This is so momentous that Phil actually escapes from eternal recurrence and re-enters causality, but now he is a transformed human being, completely reborn out of the hardships that he has experienced, given that chance to view the world through entirely new eyes. This then is the key to Eternal Recurrence: its not meant to be interpreted literally, but as an aphorism to guide people to whom Nihilism was becoming an increasingly attractive prospect when Nietzsche wrote about it in 19th Century Germany  [1]  . In a meta-physical sense, its like an Aesops Fable, with an easily discernible moral. Its not to be analyzed and dissected scientifically to ascertain its veracity: as said in The Simpson; Lisa: When a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound? Bart: Sure it does. Neeeeer-crash. To argue (as Nietzsche himself did), that there is a scientific grounding in the theory is missing the point, I feel  [2]  . The point is that the individual must strive for self-improvement, to aim to achieve the Ubermensch, as I feel Phil did in Groundhog Day. The Ubermensch I teach you the overman. Man is something that shall be overcome. What have you done to overcome him? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ All beings so far have created something beyond themselves; and do you want to be the ebb of this great flood, and even go back to the beasts rather than overcome man? What is ape to man? A laughing stock or painful embarrassment. And man shall be that to overman: a laughing stock or painful embarrassment. Larry: Prima Donnas. As said in Simon Chus documentary Human, All too Human, Nietzsche proposes an ideal of self overcoming, an ideal he calls the overman, not by having recourse to a metaphysical realm outside of the human, but within the possibilities of the human how can we as humans transcend ourselves? The idea of the overman came from Nietzsches own battle for self mastery.  [3]  Human beings in general, he argued, had a duty to rise above their own condition. Nietzsche (early on) was what was referred to as a Schopenhauerian, as in he became a disciple of the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer after reading The World as Will and Idea. Schoppenhauer was a huge influence on Nietzsche, and talks about the will. Schoppenhauers will is akin to Freuds id, an unconscious, striving, persistent force, it may seem that the intellect drives the will, but it is in fact the other way around. In a Darwinian sense, every individual is striving against the will of others in a self interested way. Schoppenhauer saw the will as essentially evil, and the only way out of this suffering and evil is the denial of the will, a refusal to take part in the egotistical contest for domination of others. Its interesting to take a look at Phil Connors with Schoppenhauers will in mind, seeing as he was such a huge influence on Nietzsche. Early in the film, even before the time loop comes into effect, Phil strives persistently to impose his higher status onto the people around him, mostly by belittling them. In the first three minutes, almost every line out of his mouth is vitriolic, from calling his fellow anchor hairdo, to diminishing Ritas authority through impersonating her, to fussing over the fact he wont stay in the hotel that Rita is staying in, to insulting how Larry eats, the list goes on.  [4]   After the loop sets in and the realization of we can do whatever we [want], he sets about dominating the whole town, to becoming the King of Punxatawney. The loop and the actions that Phil took eventually led to what Schoppenhauer referred to as the extinction of the self. This can all be interpreted as similar or influential on Nietzsches idea of the Ubermensch. Nihilism God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him.  [5]   Phil: Im a god. Rita: Youre God? Phil: Im a god. Im not *the* God I dont think.  [6]   Nietzsche does not deny the existence of values, but the denial of value is in some sense what he means by nihilism. Michael Tanner says, What he portrays, in book after book, is the gradual but accelerating decline of Western man into a state where no values any longer impress him, or where he mouthes them but they mean nothing to him any longer. Tanner, p 32. If forced to label Nietzsche as a particular sort of philosopher, one would label him as a moral philosopher. But unlike moral philosophers that had come previously, Nietzsche does not provide the reader with a set moral code. His aim is to motivate the reader to come up with their own moral code, one that comes from within. Morality is usually studied philosophically from two different perspectives: normative ethics and meta ethics. Normative ethics is concerned with what is good and what is bad, and providing a perspective for moral decision making. Meta-ethics is concerned with what we mean when we use the word good or bad, and where our definition of those words come from, ie where our morals come from. When we think of the word good, we are probably not tapping into some universal reservoir of goodness, rather our definition more than likely comes from the society we inhabit.  [7]   Nietzsche is mostly concerned with meta-ethical issues. Nietzsche is not so much concerned with the fact that our beliefs are false, but rather the belief about those beliefs. Why should we hold the beliefs that we do? When Nietzsche first declared that God is dead in The Gay Science, he means that society no longer has a use for God, that the belief does not help the survival of the species, rather it hinders it. The ethical implications of this are important, for with the death of God comes the death of religious morality, a morality that has underpinned Western culture for hundreds of years. Morality as it is still practiced derives from the Hebraic-Christian tradition, its origins to be found in the dictates of the god of a small middle Eastern tribe, and that its contents remain very much what they were. This brings us back to Phil Connors in his Punxatawney time-warp. Observing Phil superficially, we can surmise that he was probably raised in a Christian moral system, and would have been raised with the ubiquitous Western moral code. But as soon as he trusts in the fact that there will be no repercussions for his actions in the form of punishment from an external authority figure (a staple of the Christan moral code), he was able to cast aside his morals easily, Phil: Its the same thing your whole life: Clean up your room. Stand up straight. Pick up your feet. Take it like a man. Be nice to your sister. Dont mix beer and wine, ever. Oh yeah: Dont drive on the railroad track. Gus: Well, Phil, thats one I happen to agree with. This signifies that they were not his, merely the morals society applied to him. He then embarks on a spree of ethical naturalism. Ethical naturalism is the view that our morality can be based on our nature. For example, in a utilitarian sense, Our moral beliefs did not fall from heaven and neither are they credentials we can flash like a badge to establish our moral probity p30, Tanner And morality, meaning the variety of attitudes that we find officially espoused in our society? It ministers to our welfare, in its basic form, so that at least we feel safe when our backs are turned on other people Tanner, p31 If he sometimes thinks of himself as the prophet of nihilism, it is not in the sense that he is proclaiming arrival as something to be celebrated, but in the sense that Jeremiah was the prophet of the destruction of Jerusalem. Tanner, p32. What he portrays, in book after book, is the gradual but accelerating decline of Western man into a state where no values any longer impress him, or where he mouthes them but they mean nothing to him any longer. Tanner, p 32. Christianity has always been in a state of moral identity crisis. That, though a large factor in the moral bewilderment of the West, is a marginal issue for Nietzsche, whose main interest is in the nature of moralitys sanctions in general. Tanner, p 33. Its interesting to note the moral compass of the film itself. As (despite the philosophical ramification of the premise) a light-hearted entry into the romantic comedy genre, it was unlikely to go to a particularly dark place with the premise. What this means for the character is that Phil represents the morals of the progenitors of the piece: they were unwilling, morally, to allow Phil to become involved in any particularly unsavoury acts or crimes. The repeated suicides were a strong turn in the film (unusual in its genre), but Phil never acts upon his presumed darkest impulses to commit forceful sex acts or to murder. Im glad we dont have to watch a scene where a deranged Phil takes a meat cleaver to Ned, or brutally sexually assaults Rita, but I find it worthwhile to note the morally controlling influence of creator and audience. Imagine Gaper Noes Groundhog Day. Could it be said that this was, in fact, Phils punishment?

President Lincolns Struggle With His Cabinet Essay -- American Americ

President Lincoln's Struggle With His Cabinet Abraham Lincoln is regarded by many historians as the greatest president ever to stand at America's helm. This reputation is extremely well deserved, as Lincoln was able to preserve the Union and gain victory in the civil war, despite his fighting an uphill battle against his own presidential cabinet. Had he not been struggling against this divided government, President Lincoln could have achieved victory with extreme efficiency and a minimum of wanton bloodshed (Angle 659). After Lincoln was inaugurated on March 4, 1861, he was forced to battle a split cabinet because of campaign promises made to various Republican factions, which made it almost mandatory for certain individuals to be appointed to cabinet posts. He ruled his cabinet with an iron hand, and often acted without cabinet consent or advice. Although his opponents called his method of rule "dictatorial" and "unconstitutional," it was the only effective way to get anything done (Simmons 142). In the beginning, Lincoln's secretar... President Lincoln's Struggle With His Cabinet Essay -- American Americ President Lincoln's Struggle With His Cabinet Abraham Lincoln is regarded by many historians as the greatest president ever to stand at America's helm. This reputation is extremely well deserved, as Lincoln was able to preserve the Union and gain victory in the civil war, despite his fighting an uphill battle against his own presidential cabinet. Had he not been struggling against this divided government, President Lincoln could have achieved victory with extreme efficiency and a minimum of wanton bloodshed (Angle 659). After Lincoln was inaugurated on March 4, 1861, he was forced to battle a split cabinet because of campaign promises made to various Republican factions, which made it almost mandatory for certain individuals to be appointed to cabinet posts. He ruled his cabinet with an iron hand, and often acted without cabinet consent or advice. Although his opponents called his method of rule "dictatorial" and "unconstitutional," it was the only effective way to get anything done (Simmons 142). In the beginning, Lincoln's secretar...

West Virginia State Board of Education

It understandable that there are â€Å"certain unalienable rights† that we, as human beings, possess. These rights can†t be, or should never be, taken away from us. Of course, there have been many great crusaders who have fought with everything they owned to make sure that we kept those rights. The case West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 U. S. 624, is a case that really expresses the beliefs and interests of the time. The case reached the US Supreme Court after there was huge controversy on both sides of the debate. It just so happened that three years before this case, in 1940, the US Supreme Court ruled in the case of the Minnersville School District v. Gobitis, 310 U. S. 586, that it was necessary for every school student to stand to salute and pledge allegiance to the flag. The act of saluting and pledging, along with the teaching of American history and ideals â€Å"for the purpose of teaching, fostering and perpetuating the ideals, principles and spirit of Americanism, and increasing the knowledge of the organization and machinery of the government. – 1 The justices voted 8 to 1 for the Minnersville School District to force teachers to salute and pledge to the flag, leaving only Justice Harlan Stone to dissent. Then on January 9, 1942, Minnersville Board of Education came up with a resolution. This resolution contained recitals that were mostly from the Courts† Gobitis decision. The resolution said that every school student and teacher alike must salute and pledge allegiance to the flag, and if anyone disobeyed this law, it â€Å"would be regarded as an act of insubordination, and shall be dealt with accordingly. 2 This meant that they would be immediately be expelled from the school, and only be allowed back into the school if they denounce they†re acts and agree to honor the flag as stated in the resolution. And â€Å"any such child shall be treated as being unlawfully absent from school during the time he refuses to comply with such requirements and regulations, and any person having legal or actual control of such child shall be liable to prosecution under the provisions of this article for the absence of such child from school. 3 This parent or guardian is then in jeopardy of bein! g given a fine not to exceed $50 and jail term not exceeding thirty days. This, however, fueled a few sparks, especially among some relatively religious sect of people. Namely, the sect was the Jehovah†s Witnesses, which is a division between them and Catholicism. The Witnesses believe in God, as do regular Catholic Christians do, but they strongly believe that the â€Å"obligation imposed be law of God is superior to that of laws enacted by temporal government. 4 Basically, they feel that laws made by mere mortals can†t be obeyed when a law of God contradicts it. Their definition of laws from God comes from a very literal and precise interpretation of Exodus, Chapter 20, verses 4 and 5 5, which says: Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; thou shalt now bow down thyself to They feel that the flag stands for, or is a symbol, which directly contradicts their view of this message from God. For this reason they refuse to salute the flag. The boy, Walter Barnette, was taken out of class when he refused to stand for the pledge of allegiance. He was accused of disrupting the class, of being obnoxious, and of being a threat to national security. No matter how much of an overreaction this was, we have to remember this happened in the year 1943, about the time the Second World War broke out and at a time nationalism in this country was running high. He belonged to a family of firm-believing Jehovah†s Witnesses. His family pleaded to a District Court of three judges, and argued that they had a right to not stand if they did not want to. They also argued that it was a blatant denial of they†re First Amendment rights, including the freedom of religion and the freedom of speech, and that the laws were unconstitutional, violating their due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. The court restrained their enforcement of the resolution; the West Virginia State Board of Education took the case to the US Supreme Court by direct appeal. Once in court by March 11th, 1943, the hearings began. The Board of Education argued that just three years ago the court had decided that the Board of Education could force the students to stand to salute and pledge to the flag. Since the court had already decided that they were allowed to do this, the people had to abide by the US Supreme Court†s decision. Also, the West Virginia State Board of Education argued that since the job of the schools was to teach them US History as well as Americanism, all they were doing was teaching the students to be good, honest Americans. They argued that there was no difference between them teaching the students about great Abraham Lincoln and brave Stonewall Jackson then teaching them to the salute the flag-which would foster a healthy pride for their nation. They also argued that it was a matter of national security to keep the masses united. They felt that they had a duty to preserve the national unity, and the only way to make sure! this happened would be to make sure there is strong nationalism, which can be heightened be pledging to the national flag, which goes like this: I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands; one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. † The Board of education also argued that the boy†s parents had the option of sending them to a private school, instead of the public schools. They said that they didn†t have to go to a public school. And since the funds for the public schools come from the state, they had the right to raise the students as they pleased, which included teaching the students to be model Americans. The Jehovah†s Witnesses argued back that the ruling in the Minnersville School District v. Gobitis was tremendously biased, and was blatantly unconstitutional, since it was an incredible violation of they†re First Amendment rights, which includes the freedom of worship. They felt that since it was in their religion to not salute the flag, they shouldn†t be forced to do so. They also argued that the ceremony was too much like the salute Hitler forced his people to do-the salute where the hand is outstretched a little above the heart. Also, it was too much like the fascist compulsory salute. They argued that the idea of the gestures like that was extremely unconstitutional and takes away a lot of our rights that are seemingly guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. In the Minnersville School District v. Gobitis (1940), all but one of the Supreme Court Justices voted that the boards of education do have the right to impose the salute and pledge on the students. The only judge to dissent was the brave Justice Harlon Stone. However, in 1942, a year before the West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette case, there was a very interesting turn of events. There was a US Supreme Court case, not involved with either of the two flag salute cases, where the court reversed its decision and held the compulsory flag salute as being unconstitutional. Three of the initial judges, Justices Black, Douglas, and Murphy, publicly recanted their decision, making the case alive again. The next year, however, they didn†t make the same mistake. The Court ruled in favor of Walter Barnette and his family, that forcing people to salute to the flag was unconstitutional. However, their decision was based less on the Freedom of Religion clause under the First Amendment, but under the Freedom of Speech clause. They decided that it was a form of uttering that they were supposed to perform towards the flag, a symbol of the United States. In this manner, they were outlawing the enforcement of the resolution altogether-you didn†t have to have a religious conflict with saluting and pledging to the flag, you could just not agree with the idea of saluting and not do it all. On June 14th, 1943, Mr. Justice Jackson, along with the other 5 Justices of the previous Gobitis case, voted that it was unconstitutional for any board of education, or anyone in the United States, to impose their ideas on anyone in that fashion. The Court voted 6-3 in favor of the Barnettes and the Jehovah†s Witnesses. Justices Frankfurter delivered the opinion of the dissenting party. He felt sympathy for the minority in this case, but couldn†t find any constitutional right in their favor. According to him, he warned that â€Å"minorities can disrupt civil society †¦ nd there is NOTHING in the Constitution which subordinates the general civil authority of the state to sectarian scruples. † Because of the ruling of the court, a lot of questions and speculations were finally put to rest. It would be decades later before this type of flag case would need to be contested again. However, even in that ruling, the justices sided for the freedom of speech. The precedent was set and it has never been overturned. The West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 U. S. 624, was an extremely important case. Because of this case, people began to realize how much of a violation the enforcement of the resolution to salute the flag was. People realized such a practice can†t be enforced, but should only be done in a state of absolute pride for the country. Also, in a political sense, the people realized that it was still wrong to force people to salute the flag. The government thought it was doing the country such a favor by making every child in the nation patriotic, but since the utterance was done only because they were told to, it had no real meaning, and didn†t necessarily institute patriotism. During the Second World War (1939 – 1945), the government was eager to make sure that the union was really united. The sign that someone was saluting the flag raised eyebrows for more than the said reasons. Not only did they disrespect the rules of this nation, but the Jehovah†s Witnesses were also thought to have double interests. They thought the Witnesses could easily have been a threat to national security because they could a stirred a revolt amongst those who didn†t support the war. There are a lot of different sides to this case, and all the sides have really good reasons to support their case. That†s what makes this case so difficult to judge. However, I agree with Mr. Justice Jackson and the other judges who voted that Walter Barnette has â€Å"certain unalienable rights† that just can†t be taken away from him. He has the right to stand, sit, or do anything he feels like during the pledge. In his right to sit during the pledge, he is not hurting anyone or violating anyone else†s rights by doing so, so in my opinion, there shouldn†t be any reason to judge the case any other way. The argument that the nation would not be united if they didn†t all salute the flag is outrageous. First of all, the students aren†t saluting the flag because of there incredible sense of pride, but merely because they have to. Second of all, if the government forced us to all stand straight at the same time and recite a national poem glorifying the nation at the national flag (sounds very Hitler-ish, doesn†t it), then the very reason that millions have so much love and pride for this country will vanish with that freedom. We have to understand that we can†t force people to like something, they have to want to like it. In the case West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 U. S. 624, the judges decided that the board of education could not force any student to salute the American flag and recite the pledge of allegiance. This was a case where the very existence of the United States was at the hands of these fine justices as we know it. If it wasn†t for the extremely knowledgeable justices that judged the case, we would have lost something profoundly special.