Consider knowledge issues Essay Example for Free

Consider knowledge issues Essay â€Å"That which is accepted as knowledge today is sometimes discarded tomorrow.† Consider knowledge issues raised by this statement in two areas of knowledge. Nowadays, due to for example technological development, every day can bring us a new knowledge. Something that yesterday was unthinkable, today turned into reality. Does that work in the opposite way? Does knowledge from hundreds of years ago is still considered as truth? Does knowledge have a period of validity? I found it very interesting considering the fact that most people believe in everything what famous scientists say. They are learning things, which are written in books or newspapers and they consider it as truth. But how do we know that something is truth? There are various of theories which are created every day and overturned after few days or even hours. While thinking about all knowledge theories, one question is coming to our mind, how do we know that previously accepted knowledge is timeless, and when it is accountable to be inverted as new thinking emerges? On those questions I will try to answer in my essay. To accurately answer the question posed in the task, areas of knowledge to which I am going to relate my work are history and human sciences. Technological development which was mentioned before allowed us to verify whether created theories are true or false. Theories from which we obtains our knowledge are changing constantly. Some of them could be overturned after they were assessed as unreliable. Such assessment can be done due to development which we already obtained. However, technology can also be used to improve the reliability of such knowledge. As an example of such theory I will use biological cell theory. In 1590, Hans and Zacharias Janssen invented a microscope under which in 1665 Robert Hooke firstly discovered cells, the basic units of structure and function of all living organisms. There was not many informations about this new discover. For years, scientists have expanded their knowledge about cells and they are doing it even now. Thanks to technology, now we know almost everything about cells. How they replicate, what they contain inside of them. The theory has been improved so this is still considered as reliable knowledge. Another example of improvement in sources of knowledge could be found in physics. In ancient Greece, Democritus discovered the smallest unit of matter atom. Due to  many various experiments performed till now, theory about atom has changed many times and it is still not over. Scientists are always looking for new informations, therefore they are collecting new knowledge. From this knowledge new theories are created and then, by new technologies those are considered as true or false or improved. Another example of knowledge which was discarded after a long time is psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis is a method of understanding and treatment of human psychology and the theory allows to explain the different social and cultural phenomena. It was begun in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century by the Viennese physician Sigmund Freud. For many years, psychoanalysis was considered as the best method of treatment of mental disorders based on assumptions psychoanalytic theory. It assumes that the primary cause of the symptoms is unconscious memory, which involves strong emotions, resulting in a traumatic situation. Goal of psychoanalysis as a therapeutic method is to restore the consciousness of those memories. Critics of psychoanalysis as a scientific theory argue that it cannot be verified experimentally, so it cannot be classified as science, but only to literature, pseudoscience or para-science. In addition, many authors believe that Freud in many places falsify his observ ations to confirm his theory. Karl Popper took example of psychoanalysis as a theory unfalsifiable, and therefore unscientific. Unfalsifiable of psychoanalysis can be represented by the following example. A person smokes a cigar. Psychoanalysis claims that in this way this person satisfies his oral needs. If this person confirms, it would constitute proof of the veracity of the claims of psychoanalysis. If, however, deny that the reasons for the denial of that to be found in ignorance and denial. Thus, it also confirms the truth of the claims of psychoanalysis. Except Freud, there are many other psychoanalysts. As an example I will use Alfred Adler. Alfred Adler was an Austrian medical doctor and psychotherapist who found school of individual psychology. Different case in point how knowledge can be discarded we can find in case of penicillin. It was the first antibiotic found in 1928 by Alexander Fleming. Firstly, it was considered as the best known to humanity treatment for almost all the diseases. The mechanism of action of penicillin as  antibiotics by blocking the activity of bacterial enzymes. It lend a hand to a lot of people with their diseases and sufferings and it brought a great success to scientists which found it. They even got the Nobel Prize in 1945 for inventing penicillin. However, after a few years when penicillin was on the market, many people started to complain on side effects of penicillin. It turned out that a lot of them are allergic to penicillin and therefore they have huge problems with their health. Some people even had anaphylactic shock after first dose. Moreover, users of penicillin were complaining from fever, chilling, profuse sweating, cyanosis or hypotension. These facts have rejected the recogniti on of penicillin as the best antibiotic and therefore knowledge that penicillin is the best antibiotic was discarded. Nowadays due to technology we have much better kinds of antibiotics. Many of them are antiallergic and therefore may be used by all people suffering from different diseases. Except science, knowledge changes also on historical ground. It mainly refer to revisionist historians. History we learn is changing all the time, as revisionist historians change things so as to fit the truths more likely than it is. As it is known, history is always incomplete. There are many facts about we do not have a clue or we dont know why something happened. Thanks to revisionist historians, old theories are in fact changed into the new ones, which are considered as better and therefore more accurate truth of the world is created. In this case, old theories are not discarded, but evolved to adjust to the flow of time and new informations possessed. Therefore, theories created by earlier generations are accepted but changed in future to fit the truth more likely. This brings us to consensus that even though a few years ago something was considered by historians as truth, today due to technology and revisionist historians it may be considered as totally different. As we can see, nothing stays forever on our planet. Everyday everything changes, new knowledge is discovered and new theories are created. World is constantly evolving and brings us new technology by which we can discover new informations and therefore knowledge. Psychoanalysis, discover of penicillin, cell theory, revisionist historians and discover of atom are all  an examples of how can knowledge change due to the passage of time and technology development. Taking this into consideration, the statement mentioned in the subject That which is accepted as knowledge today is sometimes discarded tomorrow. perfectly represents the idea and speed of development of modern world. Even though today we think that something is true and different theory is unacceptable, in few years or centuries it could be discarded or evolved into the new theory.

The Jungle :: Socialism, Sinclair

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout American history, people that have challenged themselves with a cause have had at least some control of major issues present during their lives. Upton Sinclair was one of these influential people. Using his talent for writing, Sinclair wrote his most successful novel, The Jungle. This novel stressed a need to improve conditions for industrial workers, and exposed the faults of Capitalism in order to promote his cause; which was Socialism. Sinclair achieved his goal of promoting Socialism with the story of Jurgis Rudkus and his family. By describing the harsh system in which workers were consumed by, Sinclair uncovered faults in Capitalism, and inversely promoted Socialism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Sinclair’s story, he vividly described the family and the disagreeable situation they were in. The accounts of the meatpacking industry, developed mainly on truth from personal experience, were filled with examples of an unjust work system, corruption by employers, and the resulting low living conditions. For example, Packingtown laborers would be forced to work repeatedly faster, only to see their wages cut numerous times. Also, families became impoverished, causing the children to work. As a result, Elzbieta's son, Stanislovas, was eaten alive by rats. Such major problems in the Capitalist system were focused on throughout the novel. The problems in the meatpacking industry related to issues concerning the entire industrial labor force. Sinclair continued to show that these problems could have been solved by Socialism. The fact that Jurgis joined the Socialist Party and was dedicated to improving his surroundings was how Sinclair displayed the fact that Socialism was a more practical system. The Jungle :: Socialism, Sinclair   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout American history, people that have challenged themselves with a cause have had at least some control of major issues present during their lives. Upton Sinclair was one of these influential people. Using his talent for writing, Sinclair wrote his most successful novel, The Jungle. This novel stressed a need to improve conditions for industrial workers, and exposed the faults of Capitalism in order to promote his cause; which was Socialism. Sinclair achieved his goal of promoting Socialism with the story of Jurgis Rudkus and his family. By describing the harsh system in which workers were consumed by, Sinclair uncovered faults in Capitalism, and inversely promoted Socialism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Sinclair’s story, he vividly described the family and the disagreeable situation they were in. The accounts of the meatpacking industry, developed mainly on truth from personal experience, were filled with examples of an unjust work system, corruption by employers, and the resulting low living conditions. For example, Packingtown laborers would be forced to work repeatedly faster, only to see their wages cut numerous times. Also, families became impoverished, causing the children to work. As a result, Elzbieta's son, Stanislovas, was eaten alive by rats. Such major problems in the Capitalist system were focused on throughout the novel. The problems in the meatpacking industry related to issues concerning the entire industrial labor force. Sinclair continued to show that these problems could have been solved by Socialism. The fact that Jurgis joined the Socialist Party and was dedicated to improving his surroundings was how Sinclair displayed the fact that Socialism was a more practical system.

Eva’s Print Shop

Eva’s – – Print Shop: tripled bottom line operates as a social business and a corporate structure divided in terms of it’s two businesses some horizontal connection between the teams but not a clear functional structure hybrid between functional and divisional innovative features: social business (mohamed yunous) – integrating the production (commercial) and the teaching (social) business side – bringing in money to sustain the organization social side 2002 – they used to be funded by federal grants BUT caveat w. overnment funding required the trainees to be paid†¦ issue: these are homeless youth and they are being taken off the streets – giving them homes and are taught basic survival skills on how to live, and take care of themselves any kind of not for profit formula has strict guidelines which is why they switched because it was counter intuitive to the social goal. Case: Who: (names and position): – Andrew Macdo nald and the Advisory Board (primary stakeholders) – Eva’s initiatives What: (Key Issues): – Whether or not to expand and if so how Why: (Root Causes): Funding Will the business side fund the social side?Need to help more at risk youth is pressing – growing problem When (Timeline): – No, just as it works for the company – Changing the funding has put some constraints on the economic business, BEP Analysis: (application of course concepts, models, theories): – Performance: changing in funding formula away from government funding was made after 2005 strategic review – allowed Eva’s Phoenix †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. How did this impact its organizational design?Strategy: integration of its social and commercial elements of the enterprise – triple bottom line, includes environmental – uses Bullfrog Power Models: – triple-bottom line – effectiveness measures: goal approach – internal process model: h ow does the training side interact with the commercial side? How are conflicts resolved? resource model: by choosing bullfrog power, they may be paying more for their power but using homeless youth – they may be comprising their efficiency and quality – Balancing Act between the 2 – Professionalism – more professional you’re staff, the more you have to pay them Decision Criteria 1. ncrease youth participation 2. increase efficiency on the economic business side 3. feasibility and funding 4. keeping or increasing the synergy 5. no compromise the social or environmental objectives for the business objectives 6. complexity in the design structure 7. maintaining your volunteers Alternatives: 1. Keep the structure the same but tweak it, make economic more efficient (incremental efficiencies) 2. Grow the business using the same structure – just bigger 3. Grow geographically – replicating the model in different cities where there is a simila r need 4.Separate the print shop and the social initiatives Evaluation of Alternatives 1. Incremental efficiencies will allow for more professionalism and customer focus – some basic training before anyone works in the print shop handling customer materials – meets a, b, c & d 2. Growing the†¦ Recommendation/Implementation/contingency – finding a suitable location – must find advisory board and volunteers – securing funding to run a similar operation – finance volunteer – finding customers and sales volunteer – onnecting with volunteer agency in the designated city to source homeless youth and discuses details on how to manage the process hiring staff with the expertise needed to run both the print side and the social side create and accountability Constrains – Budgetary issues – Timelines Downside Risk: – Failure of program – volunteer not committed – Not find youth who are interested in staying and learning new skills – Not enough customers Contingency: partnering with a local social agency and try to implement the program using their infrastructure and recourse while providing your expertise

Existentialism And Akhilleus State Of Affairs - 1182 Words

Existentialism and Akhilleus’ State of Affairs in Homer’s Iliad Existentialism is a philosophy that deals with human existence. This philosophy is a complex subject that asks questions about life that include meaning, purpose, choice, morality, ideology, and individuality. When reading other texts one could easily make connections to existential themes within the book’s literary tropes. Occasionally, some books have an overloaded abundance of existential themes. Homer’s Iliad is one of the books that comprise of an abundance of existential themes. The Iliad is a Greek epic composed in dactylic hexameter. Homer created the poem in the Greek Bronze Age around c. 1194–1184 BCE. The story begins in the middle of the Trojan War. The Greeks attack Troy because Paris, who is the son of the King of Troy, seduced one of their leader’s wives. The Greeks have a large army compiled of leaders and soldiers from different city-states. These leaders inclu de Akhilleus, Odysseus, Agamemnon, and Diomedes. The Greek’s main objective is to seize Troy and rescue Helen in the name of honor and justice. Akhilleus is a Greek soldier and a demigod with strength and agility that surpasses all humans. His mother is a sea goddess named Thetis. When he was an infant she dipped him in the river Styx, which separates the underworld from the Earth. Akhilleus receives enhanced capabilities from the river that include agility, strength, and keenness. When Thetis dipped him in the river she held him by his