Rene Descartes six meditations Distinction of Self from the Body Essay Example for Free

Rene Descartes six meditations Distinction of Self from the Body Essay Rene Descartes was a French Mathematician and a modern Philosopher who developed an original philosophy based on sciences aimed at being stable and likely to last. His method was based upon premises of senses, reason, doubt and belief. Like most philosophers his quest was for Truth and knowledge. However the nature of Truth and knowledge remains debatable among philosophers to this day. It is worth noting that a contemporary modern philosopher said at the beginning of the 21st century, the beginning of ‘ Information Age ‘ , â€Å" Study of philosophy is now reduced to the study of language. We are distinct from our bodies ! Since the advent of human civilization many men have preoccupied themselves with philosophical thoughts of the distinction of self from the body. These metaphysical ideas , sometimes ontological, lie on the borderline of religious theology and philosophy. With discoveries in the field of physical sciences like Einstein’s ‘ Relativity ‘ the human conception of space, matter, time and forces has become clearer. This has further fuelled interest in the field of philosophical investigation of the relationships between mind, matter and the supernatural. This activity is a commonplace past time of the educated and curious. The scientific and methodological study of any branch of knowledge involves the formulation of – Thesis, Hypothesis and Anti – Thesis. Every Thesis has an Anti–Thesis. Is the self distinct from the body ? The senses are deceptive! What we see is spurious. Our memory deceives us. Hence a Truth that can be established is that nothing is certain. Hence it can be assumed for the time being that our senses and bodies are not true. We are probably distinct from our bodies. Rationality is questionable ! Man is known as a ‘ rational animal’. But the idea of rationality and the distinction between a man and an animal are debatable. Man certainly has to face an obvious ‘ identity crisis’ if material knowledge is to be trusted. The idea of a soul distinguishes self from the body ! All phenomena can’t be explained by sense-perception, thinking and physical bodies. They have to be attributed to a super-natural phenomena , ‘ the soul’. If the self is to be distinct from the body it could be in the form of the soul. The power of self-movement, sensation and thought as according to the judgment of Rene Descartes are foreign to the nature of body. These conclusions are based on Descartes philosophical experiments with himself using the faculty of his mind. He uses his mind to probe the co-relation between subjectivity, objectivity and their distinctness from body. This method has been Descartes most powerful tool and which makes him unique in the family of modern philosophers. The awakening during sleep is an experiment. Descartes argues that when asleep he has perceived through senses many things he can’t perceive through senses while awake. These are once again Descartes experiments with himself. Descartes is careful nough to recollect his thoughts and experiences for the object of philosophical study. ‘Thinking’ is separate from ‘being’. Descartes uses his imagination to conclude that he might exist separate from his body as a source of ‘thinking’. In his legendary famous statement he once declared , â€Å" I think therefore I am. â€Å" Human mind and judgment are prone to error . Hence the truth has to be away from the Human mind and body. Descartes reached a conclusion that there does exist a God. God is perfect in his judgment because his mind is infinite. This is obviously not true with human beings. Hence their judgment is subject to errors and faults. There is also a philosophical method of reaching the Truth by elimination of errors. Considering the belief that their does exist a Universal Truth away from the limitations of the human body it is reasonable concluding that we are distinct from our bodies. The existence of God is an irrefutable evidence ! Thesis that there does exist a God strengthens the concept of distinction of self from the body. It would be contradictory associating God to a body; God, Descartes assumed is infinite. Also, the idea of life after death in the form of soul which is the belief of literally every religious heology strengthens the belief that we are distinct from our body. Rene Descartes experimented with the mind ! Descartes claims in ‘ The Fourth Meditation’ that he has trained his mind to separate from his senses and dwell only in the intellect. The result were observations and conclusions that he was totally separate from matter. Descartes uses his ability at philosophical meditations, the popular method of study and research by a philosopher. The Human Will Descartes concludes extends beyond the bodies. With the human will, many philosophers believe it is possible to meditate and separate the consciousness rom the body. Modern Science refutes distinction of body from mind thesis. Descartes himself was once a scientist before he took to philosophical pursuits. A scientist, for example a Doctor would immediately rubbish the claims of the separation of self from the body citing encyclopedias of scientific evidence. Carl Jung’s Experiment nulls the idea of a soul. This famous Psychologist conducted an experiment and concluded that there is no soul ! The distinction between self and body is not recognized by modern psychology books. Philosophical methods might be fallacious. Philosophers employ methods based n speculations and subjectivity. These might be inaccurate and also subject to a difference of opinion even amongst philosophers. Whereas science is based on empirical experiments which no one can challenge once accepted and established. There is a self concept in the science of Psychology. The self concept has an aura of mysticism associated with it. No one can see, feel or touch the self concept. It is reduced to ‘I’ and ‘me ‘ from the common sense point of view by nearly all domains of knowledge. Popularly the psychologists associate the self concept , the I – Self, with the ndividual and his states of mind – Conscious, subconscious and the unconscious. Body- Ego concept can be an evidence of self and body singularity. The genesis of mental structure advocated by Hartmann, Kris and Loewenstein advocate an ego state known as the Body Ego. They suggest with impressive arguments that the ego and the id should be conceived the result of an undifferentiated state. Conclusion : The embodied self concept generates a tension. The stream of consciousness can be believed to be located within the boundaries of a creature. The self ( its memories, eliefs and traits ) might not located within the boundaries of the creature. Our intuition equates ourselves with our consciousness. A point to be noted is that there is a dualism not only between mind and body but also between consciousness and mind ! The ancient scholarly philosophical debate ‘ Self is distinct from the body ’ is a challenging interdisciplinary study. However, the philosophy student is best equipped to handle it. The debate seems to have no end. That is what makes a debate an interesting academic field of study. Philosophers and philosophy students have to be cautious that in their xuberance they do not unwittingly clash with scientific evidence or infringe with cherished religious and theological beliefs. The society punished Galileo because he was ahead in time than the people. The times have changed remarkably. These days society is more tolerant to new ideas. Even blasphemy against Jesus doesn’t shock the West anymore. Recent headlines of a popular newspaper says that the church has forgiven Beatles for claiming they were more popular than Jesus. Philosophers and philosophy students can play a timely role in all ages. The clear message is that they need not ostracize themselves from the society.

EarthQuakes Essay example -- essays research papers fc

Earthquakes Earthquakes, one of the most destructive natural phenomena, consist of rapid vibrations of rock near the earth's surface. Because of their unpredictable occurrence and enormous capacity of destruction, they have brought fear to mankind since ancient times. A single shock usually lasts no more than a few seconds, but a series of smaller quakes may last for as long as five minutes. The quake felt on the surface is always the result, not the cause of some underground geologic process, and in many cases the damage done is immense. The Greek word for shaking, and (when applied to the earth) earthquake, is seismos. Therefore, the science of earthquakes is called seismology (World Book Dictionary 1985). Earthquakes have been recorded as early as 526 A.C., but seismology is comparatively new. Until the 18th century, few accurate descriptions of earthquakes were recorded, and little was known about what caused them. When seismology was introduced it was learned that many earthquakes are the result of sea floor spreading, but most are caused by volcanic eruptions and plate tectonics. The plate tectonic theory explains that the earth is made up of 20 different plates that are always moving slowly past each other. This action pulls and compacts the plates, creating intense forces that cause the plates to break. This, in turn, causes earthquakes. The energy released then travels along fault lines in seismic waves (World Book Encyclopedia). Seismic waves are either P-waves (primary), or S-waves (secondary). P-waves create a relatively low wave train and arrive at the surface first. On the surface they create a push-pull effect, thus moving the surface up and down. Their low amplitude and vertical movement create an effect much like a dangling slinky. S-waves arrive second and are much more damaging. The high amplitude of S-waves, combined with their horizontal movement cause crippling effects on the earth’s surface and man made structures (Watkins, Bottino, and Morisawa 30-32). Earthquakes occur around us all the time. Most are too small to notice and cause little to no damage. However, every so often large earthquakes do occur. Large earthquakes leave catastrophic damage a... ...On shifting ground p.17-19) Earthquakes that occur in the area surrounding the Pacific Ocean, at the edges of the Pacific plate, are responsible for an average of 80 percent of the energy released in earthquakes worldwide. Japan is shaken by more than 1000 tremors greater than 3.5 in magnitude each year. The western coasts of North and South America are very also active earthquake zones, with several thousand small to moderate earthquakes each year. (U.S.G.S.) Intraplate earthquakes are less frequent than plate boundary earthquakes, but they are still caused by the internal fracturing of rock masses. The New Madrid, Missouri, earthquakes of 1811 and 1812 were extreme examples of intraplate seismic events. Scientists estimate that the three main earthquakes of this series were about magnitude 8.0 and that there were at least 1500 aftershocks. (The ocean of truth p.67-69) Bibliography "Earthquake† World Book Encyclopedia. Vol. 6. 1987. "Seismos." World Book Dictionary. Vol. L-Z. Ed. Barnhart, Clarence L., and Robert K. Barnhart. 1987 Watkins, Joel s., Michael L. Bottino, and Marie Morisawa. Our Geological Environment. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company, 1975.

Defensive Homicide Essay

Under defensive homicide in the crimes act (2005), A person who, by his or her conduct, kills another person in circumstances that, but for section 9AC, would constitute murder, is guilty of an indictable offence (defensive homicide) and liable to level 3 imprisonment (20 years maximum) if he or she did not have reasonable grounds for the belief referred to in that section. Explain the law of self defence in relation to homicide cases The law of self defence in relation to homicide case are that a person is not guilty of murder if he or she carries out the conduct that would otherwise constitute murder while believing the conduct to be necessary to defend himself or herself or another person from the infliction of death or really serious injury. In regard to an Alternative verdict of defensive homicide on charge for murder, If on the trial of a person for murder the jury are not satisfied that he or she is guilty of murder but are satisfied that he or she is guilty of an offence against section 9AD (defensive homicide), the jury may acquit the accused of murder and find him or her guilty of defensive homicide and he or she is liable to punishment accordingly. The reasons why the defence of provocation was abolished in Victoria in 2005. The reason as to why the defense of provocation was abolished in Victoria in 2005 was because it was a recommendation by the Victorian Law Reform Commission in a review of defenses to homicide. Reasons as to why it was in review in the first place was because it promoted a culture of blaming the victim and had no place in a modern society, also it had served to excuse male violence against women. Provocation was abolished because the Victorian legislature believed it was outdated and no longer reflected the norms of modern society. Specifically, it was no longer appropriate for the criminal law to have a defense available that for all intents and purposes condoned male violence against women and blamed the female victim for her own fate. Other reason as why it was abolished was that it shouldn’t be used for an individual loss of self-control is an inappropriate basis for a partial efence—people should be able to control their impulses, even when angry, gender biased, privileges a loss of self-control as a basis for a defence, the test for provocation is conceptually confused, complex and difficult for juries to understand and apply, is an anomaly—it is not a defence to any crime other than murder and is an anachronism—as we no longer have a mandatory sentence for murder, provocation should be taken into account at sentencing as it is for all other offences. Do you believe the objectives of the Government when it introduced this crime have been subsequently achieved in court cases? Fact: the majority of men convicted of defensive homicide have been males killing other men). Refer to TWO (2) Victorian cases which have applied the offence of defensive homicide. I do not believe that the objectives of the government when it introduced this crime haven been subsequently achieved in court cases. The government introduce this law with the intention to be a reform of the law when someone had a genuine motivation of self-defence but the change to the law has failed to work as intended and instead appears to be being used by offenders to escape full responsibility where they deserve to be convicted of murder. The law of Defensive homicide is intended to be applied in cases where people kill to defend themselves or others – such as victims of prolonged domestic violence. Instead males are killing other males and are using the defence homicide charge to get a lower sentence. One case is R v Smith [2008] VSC 87 (1 April 2008), the victim and the offender had a conflict at a party that they both attended, the victim left then returned in aggressive state. A Fight ensued and the offender stabbed the victim. The Victim was also using a knife against the offender. Mr Smith pleaded guilty to defensive homicide and was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment and non-parole of 5 years. The other case is R v Edwards [2008] VSC 297 (13 August 2008), the victim initially threatened to hit the offender with a table leg. The offender grabbed the table leg and hit the victim in the head also used glass bottles as well. The Attack continued after victim was unconscious and occurred in presence of offender’s son and victim’s partner. Mr Edwards pleaded guilty to defensive homicide and was sentenced to 9. 5 years imprisonment and non-parole of 7. 5 years. Describe some criticisms that have been made of defensive homicide. Some criticisms that could be made against defensive homicide could be that defensive homicide is being misused on the basis that it has been used almost exclusively by men who kill other men, and not for those for whom it was intended. Defensive homicide was introduced as a ‘safety net’ for women who kill their violent abusers once provocation was abolished. The law is meant to protect battered women being abused by brutal men. Defensive homicide applies when an accused believed – although unreasonably – that they needed to defend themselves or another person using force, and this resulted in the victim’s death. The offence may therefore be proved when a victim has behaved in a way, such as committing or threatening to commit an act of violence, which led the offender to unreasonably believe that lethal violence was necessary to defend themselves. However, in six of the 16 guilty plea convictions, it appears there was no prior violent exchange (physical or verbal) between the victim and offender. So they are using this defense but in the outline of defensive homicide it states that when a person kills another while believing the conduct was necessary to defend themselves or another from death or really serious injury where they did not have reasonable grounds for this belief, but they aren’t having to show that they were in fright of their life. Also not having to go to court and pleading out the case is another criticism, so for an accused to plead guilty to defensive homicide, the prosecution must agree to withdraw any other homicide-related charges, including murder. The decision to enter and accept a guilty plea has been made by the prosecution and the accused only. As a consequence, the public is left to trust that these parties have upheld the same judicial principles that would apply to a conviction after trial. Your reflections on whether or not defensive homicide should be abolished and whether you believe further reform is needed in this area I don’t believe that defensive homicide should be abolished because if it was to be abolished would the law adapt and deal with cases that have a long term family violence which this law was attended to apply to. Maybe defensive homicide should only be limited to serious family violence. The law is there for a safety net for women who kill violent partners who have been violently abusing their spouse for an extend period of time and not for males to kill other males. One in five Victorian women report being physically or sexually abused by an intimate partner at some time in their life and if the law was to be abolished maybe the victims would feel as if no one understands what they are going thru or care to. And by doing that more women might stay in a violent relationship and more women might end up dying. The law of defensive homicide needs to be reform if it is to be kept because it has become a blur so to speak, it has failed to realise its intended purpose.

The Determinants Of Exchange Rate Essay - 2043 Words

A Time Series Analysis of the Determinants of Exchange Rate: The Case of Bangladesh Raafi Zakaria ID: 13105025 ECO 430: Econometric Analysis April 2015 Submitted to: Tanvir Sobhan This paper was prepared for a course requirement in ECO 430: Econometric Analysis in Spring 2015 at BRAC University. Abstract This study aims to formulate a model to determine Bangladesh’s exchange rate based on several economic indicators. By analyzing data from 1981 to 2013, it is observed that macroeconomic factors such as liquidity, net trade, debt and foreign exchange reserves relative to the US are significant in Bangladesh’s exchange rate determination. Interest rates, output and inflation are however insignificant, contrary to theory. This paper also discusses the relevance of unobserved effects and government interventions in exchange rate movements. . Engle-Granger Cointegration test does not exhibit a long run relationship between exchange rate and its determinants and therefore calls for further analysis. Introduction Exchange rate- the price of one country’s currency in terms of another, is one of the most keenly monitored, analyzed and governmentally manipulated economic indicators. For the free market economies of the world, exchange rates are hugely significant since they have a crucial part in determining the level of international trade and investment. According to Uddin, Quaosar Nandi (2013), the greater the exchange rate, the worse the circumstancesShow MoreRelatedForeign Direct Investment1674 Words   |  7 Pageswatch). The determinants of foreign direct investment may be the socio-economic, financial and the cultural factors which usually have positive and negative effect on the foreign direct investment. The risk is attached to the determinants of foreign direct investment. 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