Alexander Pope and the Scientific Revolution Essay Example

Alexander Pope and the Scientific Revolution Essay In the seventeenth century many scientists and philosophers strayed away from the church’s way of thinking and began to seek out their own explanations of the world around them. Scientists questioned, even opposed theories the church had been teaching for centuries. Alexander Pope, a philosophical poet, wrote a very controversial poem that changed a lot of people’s views on God’s divine role in human kind, as well as inspired people to think for themselves. What made Pope’s ideas so unique? How did Pope incorporate the belief of God with the new scientific discoveries of his time? Exploring these questions gives a better understanding of the conflict between science and religion in the seventeenth century, and insight on a man who believed everyone should accept the world as they find it. The scientific revolution was a time of dramatic change. People began asking questions of the world around them, and instead of looking to the church for answers as they had for many years, started coming up with their own theories. Alexander Pope was very interested in the scientific discoveries of his time, particularly those of Sir Isaac Newton, and tried to incorporate them into his faith. This was dangerous however, because the Church opposed all of the new ideas being brought forth, as they felt it was challenging their beliefs. Pope’s main intent was not to oppose the Church; instead, he sought to build a bridge between religion and the new scientific discoveries as a way to glorify God. By writing â€Å"An Essay on Man†, Pope wished to present a God that was different from those in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. We will write a custom essay sample on Alexander Pope and the Scientific Revolution specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Alexander Pope and the Scientific Revolution specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Alexander Pope and the Scientific Revolution specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The faith that he presents in his poem is similar in that it is monotheistic; however, the new ideas he offers on humanity’s role in the universe was incomparable to any other religion at the time. This was just one of many examples of the critical thinking that was beginning to be used in the scientific revolution, and encouraged others to seek out their own explanations of the world around them. For centuries it had been common belief that the earth was the center of the universe and humans were God’s greatest creation; therefore, new discoveries in nature and the universe generally contradicted the Church’s teachings and beliefs. In Pope’s poem â€Å"An Essay on Man†, he explains God’s relationship to the world in a Newtonian way. Pope tried to use the new scientific discoveries in nature and the universe as a way to glorify God, showing that He was everywhere and a part of everything. The poem states that no matter how complex or evil the world seems to humans, it follows the natural order of God, and therefore should be accepted. Pope believes that the ignorance of people to the world around them inhibits their relationship with God. It was this kind of thinking outside of the norm that was present among many philosophers during the scientific revolution. The most important aspect of the scientific revolution is people began to ask questions of the world around them, and sought the answers for themselves. Instead of looking to the church for answers, they began to observe, examine and explore for themselves. Alexander Pope was one of many , who instead of accepting the Church’s beliefs, interpreted the universe and God’s place in it all in his own perspective and encouraged others to do the same.

Health Benefits of decriminalizing Marijuana Essays

Health Benefits of decriminalizing Marijuana Essays Health Benefits of decriminalizing Marijuana Essay Health Benefits of decriminalizing Marijuana Essay The thought of legalizing marijuana has elicited a raging debate with supporters of the move pointing out the benefits whereas the opponents citing the disadvantages of taking such an initiative. In the United States, individuals are generally opposed to the legalization of marijuana save for its medicinal use. According to a poll conducted jointly by the Associated Press and CNBC, 55% of the population is opposed to decriminalization of marijuana whereas only 33% of the population is for the legalization of the drug (Risling, para 5). In the poll, it was found that majority of those in support of legalization of marijuana belonged to an age group of below 30 years. The poll also revealed that the states in the Western region were most likely to approve medicinal use of the drug whereas women, Republicans, and rural folks were likely to argue against legalization of marijuana (Risling, para 5). Health Benefits of decriminalizing Marijuana: Those in support of legalization of marijuana points out that alcohol and cigarettes are legal substances yet marijuana is criminalized. Marijuana has been used for medicinal purposes from the historical past. Historians claim that cannabis has been used by mankind as an antiseptic and a drug in traditional societies. Other medical uses of marijuana emerged in the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe (Solomon, p 12). During the 19th century, marijuana became accepted for medicinal purposes by the medical practitioners within the western societies especially after the Napoleon army returned from Egypt. Previously, cannabis was restricted to treating burns. The Napoleonic army was interested in the drug’s ability to relieve pain and its sedative effects. In the United States, medicinal interest of marijuana developed during the 1860s when the Panel on Cannabis indica of the Ohio State Medical Society revealed the healing capabilities of the drug (Roth, para 5). Marijuana has been confirmed to be having medicinal benefits as it is associated with treating glaucoma, offering relief to chemotherapy patients, and treating psychological problems like the social and anxiety disorders. Marijuana is also known to relieve stress that comes from physical and emotional distress. Proponents of legalization of marijuana have also argued that though marijuana is associated with some harmful effects, other legalized drugs including tobacco and alcohol are even more harmful as research indicates that nicotine is highly addictive compared to marijuana. Also, there are more deaths associated with tobacco smoking and alcohol than from use of marijuana (Martine, para 1). Health Risks of Decriminalizing Marijuana: Opponents of legalization of marijuana argue that the drug has been associated with many health risks both mental and physical. It is said that marijuana smoke contains carcinogenic hydrocarbons which could lead to the development of cancer. Marijuana is said to cause ‘dysregulated growth’ of the epithelial cellular lining of the lungs which may be the starting point for the development of cancer. Since marijuana is a mind-altering drug, it leads to hallucinations and an impaired cognition. The long term use of the drug may lead to irreversible impacts on the brain and its functioning. There have been revelations that intensive use of the drug may lead to mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and suicidal tendencies (Martine, para 6). Decriminalization of marijuana for whatever reason whether it is medical or any other may lead to ease in accessing the drug for the wrong reasons. Legalizing the use of marijuana will amount to abandoning the already positive steps that have been achieved in the fight against drugs. The fight against drug use is facilitated through a well balanced model of deterrence, enforcement, and management of the drugs. Illegal drugs are so due to their harmful nature thus there is no need to decriminalize such substances as an afterthought. Marijuana smoking has not been scientifically approved as medicinal. The version of marijuana that has some scientific approval for its medicinal value is the ‘marinol’ (Boire, p 12). This therefore holds no ground for the legalization of marijuana in its whole meaning. In any case that the use of marijuana will be legalized; there is a high chance that high levels of use and addiction will be recorded (Solomon, p 25). Conclusion: There is no doubt that legalization of marijuana is a contestable issue with each side championing for its course. However, a keen look at the scenario indicates that the benefits of decriminalizing marijuana are of little significance when compared to the associated risks. The fact that tobacco and alcohol are legal despite their health risks should not be advanced in looking for the legalization of marijuana. Tobacco and other legal drugs are harmful to human health but that should not mean that we should introduce other harmful drugs in the market. Already we are feeling the toll of drinking and tobacco smoking in our society and adding marijuana to the equation would not help. Though the medicinal implications of marijuana can not be wished away, research should concentrate on other alternatives other than focusing on marijuana. Legalizing marijuana would bring a situation where it will be difficult to control its use as the drug will be readily available to abusers. Work Cited: Boire, R. Glen. Marijuana law. 1996. Oakland, CA: Ronin Pub. Martine, Michael. â€Å"Devil Weed† – To Legalize or Not. Retrieved on 12th May 2010 from; http://sirmons. wordpress. com/2010/04/20/devil-weed-to-legalize-or-not/. Risling, Greg. Most in U. S. against legalizing pot, poll shows: But more are accepting of medical marijuana, AP-CNBC survey says. 2010. Retrieved on 12th May 2010 from; msnbc. msn. com/id/36650347/ns/health-more_health_news/. Roth, Rebecca. Medical Marijuana. Retrieved on 12th May 2010 from; http://serendip. brynmawr. edu/exchange/node/1901 Solomon, Snyder. Legalization: A Debate. The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Drugs. 1988. Series 2. Chelsea House Publishers. New York.

Research methodology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Research methodology - Essay Example The use of technology has also been implemented in the social workers education and has impacted the overall working and education performance of the social workers. The use of computers, management systems, databases and internet has made it possible for the social workers to identify and research on the problems associated to people that need to be addressed to higher authorities and be resolved as soon as possible. The introduction of digital libraries and internet databases including projects of different researchers has helped in improving the knowledge and researching abilities of students. Moreover, technology has made it possible for the social workers to conduct researches in the limited time and resources available. Information soft-wares have helped them reducing the costs of researches and saved their time. In addition, the use of internet and technology has made it possible to access important information in a matter of seconds. However, researchers indicate that educati onal institutes lack technological studies as a part of their curriculum and the IT infrastructure creates problems for the qualified social workers when they enter in to the practical life. This paper further elaborates the situation. How can technology impact the efficiency of social work? How well has technology been integrated in social work education? What are the problems associated with the IT infrastructure for social work purposes? MIS: Management information system is a set of programs used to manage the internal controls of an organization. MIS is used for decision making for the operations of any organization like deciding on a cost/price etc. (Carrilio, 2005). User-friendly system: A computer system designed to help people who are not aware of the technicalities of the computer system. These are normally designed to facilitate people using computers at work and home but are not computer specialists. Distance Education: The use of

Value at Risk framework and its utility in Risk Management Assignment

Value at Risk framework and its utility in Risk Management - Assignment Example filed bankruptcy due to failure on their part to manage risk during the financial disaster that occurred in 1990s. If there is not proper management or poor supervision, then billions of dollars may be lost when a financial disaster occurs. VaR is a technique of evaluating risk that employs standard statistical methodologies employed on regular levels in other technical fields. VaR reviews the worst financial loss over a target perspective that will not be surpassed with a given intensity of confidence. Footed on strong scientific groundwork, VaR offers its users with an outline evaluation of risk in market. â€Å"For example, a financial institution might inform that its VaR of its trading assortment on a daily basis is $10 million at the 98% buoyancy or â€Å"confidence level†. This mean, there is only 1 opportunity in a 100, under typical market scenario, for a financial loss higher than $50 million to happen. This single number recapitulates the bank’s vulnerabilit y not only to the prospect of an unfavourable move but also to market risk.† It evaluates the risk employing the analogues' units as the bank’s bottom-line dollars. ... As a result, it is truly a futuristic risk evaluation. VaR is applicable to all financial instruments though in the initial stage, it has been applied only to derivatives. (Jorion 2007: ix) 2- Background Every morning, in J.P Morgan Chase, the global head of Market risk receives a bulk report that summaries the value at risk (VaR) of the bank. JPMorgan Chase's bank’s global risk management system is generating this report during every night. Today, many brokerage firms, many banks, investment funds and even nonfinancial companies employ analogues methods to estimate their financial risk. Securities market regulators, private sector groups and banks have widely acknowledged statistical based risk management strategies like VaR. (Jorion2007:18). Till Guldimann can be said to be the father of the concept VaR while he functioned as the head of global research at J.P Morgan in the late 1980s. J P Morgan’s risk management group had to decide whether fully hedged meant making investment in long-maturity bonds, thus creating a fixed and stable revenues but oscillations in market value or investing in cash thus making the market value as fixed. The J P Morgan bank concluded that â€Å"value risks â€Å"were more significant than â€Å"earning risks† resulting from the invention of VaR. (Jorion2007:18). During that period, there were more concerns in the bank about managing the risk of derivatives. The Group of Thirty (G-30) which had a delegate from J P Morgan offered a way for deliberating best risk management techniques. Through the G-30 report which was published in July 1993, the term VaR term found its way. (Jorion2007:18). On June 26, 1974, the German authorities closed a troubled midsized bank namely

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.-Jurist and his particular relevance in the Essay

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.-Jurist and his particular relevance in the world of Jurispudence - Essay Example His biggest achievement associated with justices was the elimination of the legal and official reasoning, which were actually supported by the philosophy of natural law and natural right (Watson). Historical Context Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. originally came from Boston and was a student of Harvard College. During his academic life, he participated in the Civil War of 1857, which had a great impact on his life and perceptions of the law and ultimately leaded him to join the Massachusetts Bar in 1867 after graduating from the Harvard Law School. He served in the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts till 1902, after which he joined the Theodore Roosevelt Supreme Court, where he remained held the position for about twenty-nine years. In addition to being associated with the judicatory, he was also a successful and renowned writer. Wendell and Jurisprudence Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. had the following basic visions and outlooks about the Jurisprudence (Watson): He convinced people tha t Law is basically sustained by the experience rather than logic as experience makes its life longer whereas logic at times is left behind. Apparently, he was the supporter of judicial control when the conventional judicial advocacy was targeted and condemned by the system of liberal activities. He induced the thought of realism in to the Court by introducing the concept of forecasting. He compelled people and lawyers to see law from other dimensions, that is, of the dreadful man and how he was convinced to break the law. He also proposed his arguments pertaining to positivism as opposed to ethical language in law. Wendell has also made significant contributions to the Pragmatic Approach of Jurisprudence, which was actually founded by him as he was the member of Harvard related club initiated by John Dewey. He was a person who used to keep a close eye on the consequences and results of a potential idea. He used to analyze things with exceptionally experiencing outlook as far as law and jurisprudence were concerned. He thoughtfully expressed this idea in his book The Common Law. He had a great emphasis over the external factors in the matters of court rather than the internal ones. Through his writings and expressions he demonstrated a strange dimension of philosophy of law, especially in the area of jurisprudence. He wanted to liberate the law from the restraints to the way of formality and automatic frame of deductive thinking. To do this, he applied the mechanical, experimental, experiencing and consequential approaches also known as ‘pragmatic maxim’ to the principles of law (Watson). Wendell had a distinctive thinking about law and jurisprudence. Previously he had a close relationship with the natural law and natural rights, which encouraged him to maintain a close eye on the consequences of law and jurisprudence. He considered that values and morals did not have a strong relationship with the proceedings of court. The right and wrong aspects attached to the cases presented in courts are not based upon the purposeful standards, which makes their significance very low. The law differentiates between the good and bad or the culprit and the innocent on the basis of prevailing norms of the society, which in reality do not have any affiliation with the constitution. The realistic approaches of Wendell denied the existence of constitutionalism. By the end of the Civil War, pragmatism had already founded its way into law and jurisprudence superseding the concept of natural law and n

The role of an Operations Manager

The role of an Operations Manager Operation management is the business function that plans, organizes, coordinates, and controls the resources needed to produce a companys goods and services. Operations management is a management function. It involves managing people, equipment, technology, information, and many other resources. Operation management is the central core function of every company. This is true whether the company is large or small, provides a physical good or service, is for profit or not for profit. Every company has an operations management function. Actually all the other organizational functions are there primarily to support the operations function. Without operations, there would be no goods or services to sell. The marketing function provides the needed capital. It is the operations function, however, that plans and coordinates all the resources needed to design, produce, and deliver the merchandise to the various retail locations. Without operations, there would be no good or services to sell t o customers. The role of operations management is to transform a companys inputs into the finished goods or services. Inputs include human resources, facilities and processes, as well as materials, technology, information. Outputs are the goods and services a company produces. LOreal is one of the leading cosmetics companies in the world. It has already been operating a Citrix terminal server farm for several years. However, by early 2004, the tried and tested manual installation practiced by the administrators had reached its limits, leading to instability in the system. LOreal was able to fully automate the installation of its terminal servers and thus considerably increase the stability and its IT infrastructure. LOreal beauty products with the range of cosmetics stylings products for men and women. LOreal has developed activities in the field of cosmetics, concentrating on hair colour, skin care, sun protection, makeup, perfumes and hair care. LOreal is active in the dermatological and pharmaceutical fields. Role of the Operations Managers Some people (especially those professionally involved in operations management!) argue that operations management involves everything an organisation does. In this sense, every manager is an operations manager, since all managers are responsible for contributing to the activities required to create and deliver an organisations goods or services. However, others argue that this definition is too wide, and that the operations function is about producing the right amount of a good or service, at the right time, of the right quality and at the right cost to meet customer requirements. Operations managers are responsible for managing activities that are part of the production of goods and services. Their direct responsibilities include managing both the operations process, embracing design, planning, control, performance improvement, and operations strategy. Their indirect responsibilities include interacting with those managers in other functional areas within the organisation whose roles have an impact on operations. Such areas include marketing, finance, accounting, personnel and engineering. Operations managers responsibilities include: Human resource management the people employed by an organisation either work directly to create a good or service or provide support to those who do. People and the way they are managed are a key resource of all organisations. Asset management an organisations buildings, facilities, equipment and stock are directly involved in or support the operations function. Cost management most of the costs of producing goods or services are directly related to the costs of acquiring resources, transforming them or delivering them to customers. For many organisations in the private sector, driving down costs through efficient operations management gives them a critical competitive edge. For organisations in the not-for-profit sector, the ability to manage costs is no less important. Decision making is a central role of all operations managers. Decisions need to be made in: designing the operations system managing the operations system improving the operations system. The five main kinds of decision in each of these relate to: the processes by which goods and services are produced the quality of goods or services the quantity of goods or services (the capacity of operations) the stock of materials (inventory) needed to produce goods or services the management of human resources. Operational strategy The operational side of marketing refers to the day by day tactics of how to manage things like advertising, pricing, and so on. It is just the same with operations. Operations strategy looks at the long-term issues of how to manage the resources which produce products and services. The more operational subject of operations management looks at the more detailed and shop floor issues of designing, planning and controlling, and improving the resources which produce products and services. Operations strategy is concerned with the specific decisions which shape and develop the long-term direction of the operation. Think of content as the building blocks of an operations strategy. The process of operations strategy refers to the procedures which are used to formulate operations strategies. It is the way we go about the activity of devising strategy. Think of operations strategy content as what the LOreal is deciding to do and process as how the LOreal has made that decision. The market requirements perspective starts from the commonsense notion that any operations strategy should reflect what the LOreal is trying to do in its markets. Companies compete in different ways, some may compete primarily on cost, others on the excellence of their products or services, others on high levels of customer service, others on customising their products and services to individual customer needs, and so on. The operations function therefore must respond to this by providing the capabilities which allow it perform in an appropriate manner to satisfy the requirements of its market. In some ways this is a translation task because the techniques and language used by marketing managers to understand the requirements of markets are different to the language and techniques used by operations managers to manage their productive resources. LOreals goals and objectives LOreal USA is the leading beauty company in America, which develops and manufactures haircare, haircolor, skincare, color cosmetics and fragrances. Our distribution network of salons, mass market, specialty and department stores makes us the most comprehensive beauty company in the U.S. We offer exciting positions, flexible development paths and outstanding rewards that will give your career a whole new look. The LOreal Sales Education Coordinator (LSEC) is an employee of Salon Centric, a wholly owned subsidiary distributor of LOreal USA. Salon Centric is a leading and rapidly growing national wholesale distributor of professional products to the salon and beauty industry. This position will be responsible for the development, management and execution of all education strategy and efforts within the assigned territory for the LOreal brands. RESPONSIBILITIES: Coordinate and participate in monthly sales meetings. Coordinate and facilitate regional quarterly trainings and certifications. Development, presentation and management of Elite salons education plans. Facilitate trainings for new sales consultants and participate in training boot camp. Must work in alliance with the respective Prestige Account Manager in the achievement of the regions goals and objectives. Teach a minimum of 12 classes per month, facilitate hands on workshops and coordinate cluster classes. Presentation of LOreal world tour, academy programs and strictly business programs. Shadow and mentoring of new LOreal Sales Education Coordinators and LOreal Artistic Educators. Open new color conversions and retail doors for Serie Expert, Texture Expert, Homme product lines Responsible for the delivery of strategic education classes, events and programs. Coordinate communication flow between key partners including LOreal Professionnel, SalonCentric and the customer. Provide support for salon specific events promotions. CONCLUSION In a nutshell, LOreal is one of the leading cosmetics companies in the world. They are very innovative and invest a lot of money in research and development. Products are positioned in high-priced segment because of their quality. They offer well coordinated products for different target groups. To keep their strength alive they have to observe their competitors. It is a very flexible development paths and outstanding rewards that will give your career a whole new look. LOreal will benefit from the end of destocking, easier comparison base and increased innovation.For next year, a return to 4% growth would require to keep a high single digit growth momentum in the Rest of the World and to return to low single digit growth in developed market, which we feel is a realistic assumption. However, most of it will be offset by a negative forex impact based on current rates.

Are calculators as effective as they were intended to be? :: Technology Education Mathematics Essays

Are calculators as effective as they were intended to be? I can remember when I was in elementary school, we were never allowed to use calculators. I always seemed to excel in math, so I never really found it necessary to use one, usually. It was when I got into junior high when I first found myself looking for a calculator to help me do my math homework. I was taking pre-algebra, and I was struggling with learning the concepts. I just could not seem to get all the steps in the right order ever. My dad, who is a math genius in my opinion, showed me how to use a sophisticated calculator that would help me check my answers. He would not let me do my homework with it, but he allowed me to check it with his calculator. The teachers always made us show all of the steps, and if we used calculators the steps would be missing on the paper. So, I found it very helpful to use a calculator to check my answers. But I also thought that the calculators were somewhat confusing and complicated. I always felt like I was doing so much work to get to an answer than if I did it on my own on paper. I felt that it was easier to do the steps on the paper, than to remember all the buttons that I would have to push on the calculator. This is when I started wondering if calculators were as effective and efficient as they were intended. I think that the way I was taught in elementary school really effected the way I thought in junior high. I always assumed that it was "bad" to use a calculator for math problems, because that is the message that the teachers in elementary school sent to all the students. By them not allowing us to use us them and experiment with them, I feel that we were "turned off" by them really. This may have been caused by the lack of experience the teachers actually had. Also, they had been doing math for so long and they never used calculators. They did not see the need for the use of them.