The Human Sciences Essay Example

The Human Sciences Essay Human behavior makes most sense when it is explained in terms of beliefs and desires, not in terms of volts and grams (Steven Pinker, 1954-). As Pinker correctly said, humans are characterized by their beliefs and opinions. Many people say that they try to and succeed in maintaining an unprejudiced outlook on daily life. However, in the attempt of being unbiased with their beliefs and conclusions, all humans fail dismally. All things that reside in a persons mind are subjective, and thus loaded with belief. According to the Oxford School Dictionary, a belief is a view or judgment of something not necessarily based on fact or knowledge, and a bias is prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair. If we accept these definitions to be true, then it concludes that it is impossible to have a belief that is unbiased. If one believes something, one has made a judgment of that thing, and thus is biased by that judgment. A belief is, by its very definition, a bias. A person may not have a specific bias for or against an issue, but he or she does have several previously formed beliefs that will lead to the formation of an opinion on that issue. Human scientists are no different. Frequently, while searching for trends in and attempting to define human behavior, scientists draw conclusions that are almost unknowingly laden with biased beliefs. In my opinion, every person, including human scientists, has fallen prey to the confirmation bias, the belief bias, and the prison of consistency while drawing a conclusion that he/she wishes to pass as a knowledge claim. We will write a custom essay sample on The Human Sciences specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Human Sciences specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Human Sciences specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In short, the beliefs of human scientists greatly influence their conclusions. The confirmation bias is the most frequently criticized aspect of human scientists conclusions. People are inclined to believe that the human sciences are more prone to bias (due to being less scientific than their natural science counterparts). Firstly, just like any other humans, human scientists are prone to commence their search for a conclusion about humankind with prejudices and biases about individuals and societies natures. People are more likely to think more highly of a branch of society that they are part of. For this reason, human scientists generally find it difficult to be open minded about contentious topics such as racial and gender differences. Secondly, due to the fact that the human sciences deal with individuals, and people are more likely to form emotional attachments with people, rather than math theorems and atom nuclei, over-identification with humans that a scientist is supposed to be analyzing is almost unavoidable. Just like Bruce Parry had to struggle to remain completely objective while on his stay with the Kombai tribe, human scientists struggle to remain free of previous belief and bias while drawing conclusions about humankind. All scientists, especially human scientists, are prone to being affected by bias and emotion when trying to use reason to conclude a general trend in humankinds behavior. For this reason, there exist all kinds of controversies and disagreements in human science. While trying to draw a conclusion, the confirmation bias leads to scientists only recognizing evidence that contributes to their conclusion. They only notice confirming evidence like such because they are biased to believe that their conclusion is true and they somehow have to prove it to be so. Perhaps the only solution to such confirmation biases is actively pursuing contradictory evidence, and analyzing and acknowledging criticisms that seek to discredit their biased research and conclusions.

THE EFFECT OF STALINS PURGES IN THE 1930S ON THE SOVIET UNIONS FOREIGN POLICY JUST PRIOR TO AND AT THE BREAK OUT OF WORLD WAR II essays

THE EFFECT OF STALINS PURGES IN THE 1930S ON THE SOVIET UNIONS FOREIGN POLICY JUST PRIOR TO AND AT THE BREAK OUT OF WORLD WAR II essays Less than a month before Hitler invaded Poland on September 1, 1939 and started World War II, he signed a non-aggression pact with Stalin. Less than two years later, he broke the pact and invaded the Soviet Union in the early morning hours of June 22, 1941. There were plenty of evidence for German aggression before the war broke out, yet Stalin nevertheless signed the pact which contained the secret protocol that divided Poland between Germany and the Soviet Union. The reason for signing the pact were complex, yet one of the most important ones were the domestic factors. Among them, the terrible effect of the purges during the 1930s on the population, economy and especially the army. The purges were set off on December 1, 1934 with the murder of Sergei Kirov. He was a member of the Politburo, leader of the Leningrad party apparatus and had considerable influence in the ruling elite. His concern for the workers in Leningrad and his skill as an orator earned him considerable popularity. Stalin used his murder as a pretext for launching a broad purge that would claim hundreds of thousands of victims and have lasting repercussion felt to this day. Stalin never visited Leningrad again and directed one of his most vicious post-War purges against the city Russia's historic window to the West. No segment of the society was left untouched by the purges. Anyone who caused the slightest suspicion was removed and numerous legislature was enacted to help enforce them. In 1935 a law was passed which lowered the age of criminal responsibility. That meant the death penalty could be applied to twelve-year-old children (McCauley, p.93). There was also a panic response in the primary party organizations to expel and "expose" people in order to protect oneself and to show "vigilance" (Getty, p.213) The slaughter of armed forces began on 12 June 1937 when Tukhachevsky and some top army men were executed, then spread to lower ranks and then to p...

Mobile Marketing Association Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mobile Marketing Association - Assignment Example The essay critically analyzes the MMA, how and when it was founded, its objectives, and how to handle its activities to achieve its objectives. MMA was founded through the 2003 merger between the Wireless Advertising Association (WAA) and the Wireless Marketing Association (WMA)(Haig 205). WAA was then a non – profit association based in New York while the WMA was based in the UK. Since its development, the MMA supported 10-20 member companies till 2005 when effective mobile marketing strategies began making immense meaning in the United States. In 2007, the association established two national chapters in Spain and Austria and more regional branches for the APAC and EMEA. In 2010, the board of directors appointed Greg Stuart to serve as the global CEO of the Association. Before his appointment, Greg served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Internet Advertising Bureau. The MMA has its global headquarters located in New York. Also, it has regional operational offices in Latin America (LATAM), Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA), and Asia Pacific (APAC). MMA’s local council offices are located in 17 countries the world over. Mobile marketing activities advocated by the MMA are broadly classified into messaging, advertising, mCommerce, apps and CRM. The activities span over all mobile devices, including tablets and smartphones. Mobile Marketing Association members include AdChina, American Express, Dunkin’ Brands, Colgate-Palmolive, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Facebook, Group M, Kellogg Co., Hilton Worldwide, MasterCard, L’Oreal, Microsoft, Inc. Pandora Media, and McDonalds. Additional members include Mondelez International, Proctor & Gamble, The Coca-Cola Company, R/GA, Unilever, The Weather Company, Walmart, Visa, xAd, Vodafone and Zenith Optimedia among other companies(Association 1). The MMA’s mission is anchored on four core pillars; cultivating inspiration,

Ethical Conduct in Scientific Research Assignment

Ethical Conduct in Scientific Research - Assignment Example In real sense, they were not being given penicillin which was the standard treatment for syphilis. The scientists who carried out the study as Tuskegee continued to examine the subjects and withheld information relating to penicillin from the patients. In addition, the scientists did not allow the participants to access syphilis treatments that were available to the other people in Tuskegee (Reverby, 2009). This resulted to suffering, pain, and even death for the participants. The revelation of the study made the federal government to have a closer look to studies involving human subjects and initiated changes to prevent ethical breaches that happened at Tuskegee. The resultant reforms in clinical research include, firstly, the researcher should notify partakers that their anonymity. This means that they will be informed that their responses will not be discussed with anyone else. Consequently, the privacy and confidentiality of the participants is maintained. Secondly, informed consent. The respondents need to be informed of the aim and nature of the study. Consent is about if a participant decides to participate in the study or not (Shrader-Frechette, 2011). The consent can be obtained directly or indirectly through third-party consent. Informed consent entails capacity which is the person’s capability to acquire as well as retain knowledge, information is where the participant accesses information regarding the study, and voluntariness involves the person willingly participating in the study. They also have the right to withdraw from the study at any time. Finally, harm protection. The researcher needs to ensure that none of the par ticipants is exposed to unwarranted psychological and physical harm (Adil & Shamoo, 2009). In the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, the scientists were engaged in unethical practice since they knowingly failed to inform the participants that penicillin was an effective cure for the

Analyze the significance of professional certification Essay

Analyze the significance of professional certification - Essay Example Florence Nightingale was the first nurse to record graduates for her nursing school. Licensure examinations are necessary as they are the measure of competency. To ensure public safety, â€Å"the international council of nurses passed a resolution that required each state to establish licensure and examination procedure for nurses† (Catalano p.41).Licensure is the major requirement for practicing nurses. It is mainly a state controlled activity that enforces powers to its regulatory board to protect public health, safety and welfare by enacting professional standards. There are some nursing organizations like National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission that accredits the nursing schools and it also ensures the standard of nursing teachings and practice. Another organization called American Nursing Association ensures, â€Å"certain standard yardsticks against which nurses are measured and are held accountable by courts of law† (Catalano 2005, p.48). The ANA also establishes the official code of ethics for professional practice. Nurses play significant role in the evolvement of health care system. They are Primary care providers. Initiation of Licensure and Certification would thus help in upgrading the level of care provided by the nurses. References . Catalano, T. Joseph (2005).

Old English

Old English ‘Without Latin, English would have an impoverished vocabulary Latin is one of the languages that has most influenced English since its birth as a language. In this essay we are going to approach the Latin influence in vocabulary along the periods of the English language to see if, without the Latin influence it would be as rich as it is now with it and if the language would be impoverished or not. Development In its beginnings, Old English did not have the large number of words borrowed from Latin and French that now form part of English vocabulary. Old English was a very flexible language capable of using old words and giving them new uses. Latin has been the second great influence on English. It was the language of an educated and sophisticated civilization from which the Saxon peoples wanted to learn. The contact between these people was at first commercial and military but then it also became religious and intellectual. Before going to England the Germans had already had contact with the Romans and of course, from this contact they acquired some Latin words. When Christian was introduced in England, the people living there adopted many Latin elements. English borrowings from Latin came in three waves that extended the resourced of their vocabulary. â€Å"A connection between Latin and English is indicated by such correspondences as pater with English father, or frÄ ter with brother, although the difference in the initial consonants tends somewhat to obscure the relationship† (Baugh, Cable 1993:18) Albert Baugh and Thomas Cable, in their book ‘A history of the English language divide the Latin influences in the vocabulary in three stages: The continental borrowing, the Latin through Celtic transmission and the Latin influence of the second period and the norman conquest. We are going to see three occasions in which borrowings from Latin occurred  ¿Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ¿before the end of the old English period: During the continental borrowing, the words were introduced because of the contact the German tribes had had with the Romans on the continent. Some of the words introduced were already present in the early Germanic dialects because of the trading contact. The Germans coming back from the empire brought with them words apart from goods. The words they adopted indicated new conceptions related with things they did not know or for which they did not have terms. The germans in the empire dedicated themselves to agriculture and war, as some words like camp (battle), segn (banner), weall (wall), pytt(pit), strÅ“t (road, street), mÄ «l (mile) and miltestre (courtesan) show. Owing to the commercial relationship most words are related to trade. One of the things they traded was wine and we can observe words like wÄ «n (wine), eced (vinegar). They also traded domestic and household articles plus clothing as in cytel (kettle L.Catillus). In the art of buildings and construction there were words like copor (copper), pic (pitch) or tigele (tile). The words the Germans borrowed reflected the kind of relationships they had. In the Celtic transmission, which had a poor influence on old English made the Latin influence be limited too during the roman occupation. The extent to which the country had been Romanised and the use of latin by the population were not influential. Some terms could be found in placenames but a direct contact between latin and old English was not possible during this period because the Latin words came thought the transmission of the celts and their interaction with old English was weak. Words like ceaster ( L. castra. Camp) which today forms English place names as Manchester or Doncaster or words like port (harbour, gate, town) from Latin portus and porta; munt (mountain) from latin montem were introduced. The influence of the language in the first period was the slightest of all. The Latin influence of the second period and the greatest of all was the Christianizing of Britain that started in 597. From this moment until the end of the old engliush period around 500 years later words made their way into English thanks in most cases to monasteries. It is needless to say that most of the terms introduced had to do with the new religion. Some words like church or bishop already belonged to the language because they had been introduced before but the vast majority of terms having to do with churches and their services were introduced in this period. Some examples are abbot, deacon, disciple, angel, althar, anthem, pal, pope, psalm. But the church did not only influence religiously speaking. Some terms related to the domestic life of people, clothes, food, trees, plants, education, miscellaneous things or literature were introduced. Words like cap or silk, lentil or caul (cabbage), pine or lily, the word plant itself, school, master, grammatic(al), meter, notary, a nchor, sponge or elephant or calend or talent. There was a great influence in the early years of Christianity in England. As the Latin influence always came and went hand in hand with the church new words when with the Benedictine reform. The imports were different now and they expressed scientific and learned ideas. But some words were still related to religious matters antichrist, apostle or demon. The words that predominated in this period were the literary and learned ones. Some examples are accent, history, paper, title. Plant names like coriander, cucumber, ginger. Trees like cypress or laurel, some terms related to medical matters like cancer, paralysis and some others related to animals like scorpion, tiger. Despite the introduction of all these words English did not always adopt them to express a new concept. An old word was generally applied to a new object or thing with a small adaptation in order to convey new meanings. The Anglo-Saxons, for example, did not borrow the words for which they already had a meaning. According to Baugh, as a result of the Christianizing of Britain some 450 Latin words appear in English writings before the close of the English period (Baugh and 1993:86) In spite of this, some words did not make their way into general use until later, when they were reintroduced but others were fully accepted and incorporated into the language. Before the Norman Conquest Latin was the language used by the church and the one of scholarship, international communication and administration but then, after the conquest, it was replaced by French. But the Norman Conquest was the period in which a larger number of Latin borrowings were introduced. In this period we include the words borrowed from French (derived from Latin) and those directly borrowed from Latin itself although they were less popular that the French and usually obtained their admission through written language. In the 13th and 14th centuries England could have spoken three languages English, French and Latin. Latin was also the principal channel through which Greek words reached English. The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries were really prolific in Latin borrowings. Some of them were conspiracy, distract, frustrate or history among many other common terms used in everyday speech. (Asiq teniendo en cuenta esto sin el latà ­n el ingles seria un idioma pobre porq no tendria ni la influencia griega que llego a travà ©s de à ©l ni la francesa que procede del latà ­n). As Barbara Strang mentioned in her book ‘A history of English it remains to note that from this super abundant wealth English has discarded a number of items picked up, jackdaw-wise, more for glitter than for use and that this was particularly noticeable among the Latin words of the 16c. (Strang 1989:129) The Renaissance in the 16th century and the revival of classical learning made the number of Latin borrowings increase. Many of these words came by means of French because in Middle English, Romanic elements were Gallicized but in Modern English they came directly from Latin. Related to this Barbara Strang said that â€Å"we cannot always be certain whether a word is a direct loan from Latin or mediated by French† (Strang 1989:186). In the 17 th and 18 th centuries there was a Latin diction. The writers that had been brought up in the tradition of the classics provoked a reaction in which the Saxon element of the language was glorified and made stronger. For them, the Latin and French words were very literary and abstract and they rejected them Cassidy says that English has been exposed to Latin influence throughout its history but the Latin borrowings found in our days are far smaller than might have been expected (Robertson 1954:152) To know how many exact Latin words have been borrowed into English is impossible. In our days it is important to mention that the most part of the modern and technique words in English, those related to computers, derive from Latin roots and not from Germanic. For example the word computer is a derivation of the Latin verb computare which means count or calculate. The word delete, which means ‘to erase what is written in a computer, comes from the Latin verb delere, which means to erase. Curiously, those people who have studied Latin know that the second person of the imperative of the verb delere is delete. Robertson also recognises this influence and says that â€Å"in present day technical and scientific English, Latin shares with Greek the source of a host of new coinages, or of few applications of words already adopted† (Robertson 1954:155) â€Å"This is not a matter merely of the number of words borrowed, for in that respect, Latin, at least, is ahead of French. What it means is that far more of the French words have become a part of the essential core of modern English† (Robertson 1954:155) Coger algo de la 187 a la 189 de Barber!! Y se acabà ³ Conclusion Ver pags 173 y 174 para la conclusià ³n en nà ºmero. English would be in some kind impoverished. BIBLIOGRAPHY AND SOURCES Albert Croll Baugh,Thomas Cable A history of the English language ELECTRONIC RESOURCES http://www.orbilat.com/Influences_of_Romance/English/RIFL-English-Latin-The_Inflluences_on_Old_English.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_influence_in_English http://www.wordinfo.info/words/index/info/view_unit/4197/?letter=Espage=4

Saint Augustine Research Paper

AuSaint Augustine was a bishop of Hippo Regius, a Latin philosopher and theologian. He was born in 354 in the town of Thagaste in Roman Africa. Growing up with a Pagan father and a Christian mother, Saint Augustine endured many experiences from which he produced a book of confessions. In this book he writes about his life and struggles with evil desires. He struggled with greed, gluttony and lust, which are three among seven of the deadliest sins. His main struggle was within faith and religion concerning sexual restrictions and church regulations.He overcomes these struggles when he finds his faith. The encounters of evil Saint Augustine battles with fluctuate throughout his life. In his book of confessions he states that committing greed and gluttony brought joy to him. He loved anything that would amuse him such as chariot racing, gladiator fights and theatre. He would venture in drinking; gambling, stealing and he participated in barbaric pranks on people. He focused more on his own pleasures other than helping others.What saved him was his mother, Monica, who prayed for Augustine’s wickedness to wither. Monica’s prayers were answered when she received a dream from God. During this time he became a teacher and over the years he saw that what he use to enjoy was dull and senseless. Slowly his immoral practices became nothing but regretful memories. His mother then started to persuade him to become a Christian in which he did. He found his faith and began a new life without sin. His most grueling struggle was the sin of lust.He was not chaste nor did he abide Christian precepts. In his book he describes that his actions were done to avoid mockery and to also be accepted by his peers. When his mother was directing him towards the good she proposed that he should marry. Augustine married a 10-year-old child and when waiting for her to evolve he had an affair. By overcoming this obstacle he finally converted to Christianity and refrained from any f orm of sexual pleasure. He states, â€Å"The evil was not in the sexual act itself but in the emotions that accompany it. He also considers lust to be an obstacle to obtain the virtuous life. Saint Augustine had a constant battle with himself towards church policy and restrictions. He struggled with the limitations towards sexual intentions, which included him to be faithful to his significant other and live a monogamous lifestyle. He disagreed with this because his number one struggle was his erotic desires. This was one of the reasons as to why he gradually converted to Christianity. His struggle to adhere faith was one of the obstacles to find his identity.He overcame this with the help of his mother and her prayers and he soon came to realize that his past was full of sin so he cleansed himself and became who he is known to be today. Saint Augustine had a life of sin. He struggled with lust, gluttony, greed, faith and religion. He then found himself and became a Saint. Like any body else Saint Augustine was human, he faced many obstacles concerning evil practices but in the end he overcame these struggles when faith prevailed.