National Foundation for Educational Research Essay Example for Free

National Foundation for Educational Research Essay Over the last century different techniques have been used to organise children within schools according to what the public and government asked for and needed. For example after the Second World War the number and size of schools increased, the tripartite system of secondary education was introduced and there was increased competition for grammar school places Sukhnandan and Lee (1998 pg. 13). There was a drive for excellence and the 11 plus exam leant itself easily to the administration of streaming. However during the 1960s research was carried out that suggested streaming had negative social consequences for pupils, which could have been the catalyst for the shift of emphasis from excellence to equality. This resulted in a shift from streaming to mixed ability teaching that continued throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Ability grouping, in the form of setting and within class grouping, was sometimes used in higher year groups for linear subjects such as maths, science and modern languages but mixed ability was the main grouping method. The essay question implies that again there has been a shift, this time to setting. Boaler et al (1998) seems to imply that pressures from the government are to blame for this move; suggesting research (Gewirtz, Ball Bowe, 1993 cited in Boaler et al 1998) indicates some teachers regard the curriculum set out in the 1988 Education Reform Act as incompatible with mixed ability teaching implying that they have no choice. Todays Governments seem to be increasingly interested in achieving goals and raising standards, even if this means children missing out on the social advantages of mixed ability grouping. Setting seems to reinforce social divisions, as there are a higher proportion of boys, children of lower socio-economic status, children born in the summer and those of ethnic minority backgrounds in the lower sets (Boaler, 1997a, 1997b. Oakes, 1982. Sutton, 1966. Cited in Sukhnandan and Lee, 1998. ) whereas children in mixed ability classes tend to come from a range of different backgrounds. I find this quite extraordinary, as the Scottish Parliament has recently spent millions on an anti-racism campaign. Surely segregating the children, albeit unintentionally, will undermine the message sent out by this campaign? The essay will discuss the advantages and disadvantages research has told us concerning setting. It will begin with the discussion of the effect of teachers attitudes and expectations of the set that they are teaching. It will then discuss the limitations pupils face by being placed in sets. It will discuss the social gap created by teaching children in sets. It will also discuss the advantages to the teacher of teaching children in sets and the advantages to the pupils. The essay compares setting to mixed ability teaching on several occasions this is because mixed ability teaching was the technique used before the recommendation to use setting also there seems to only be limited research on the other forms of grouping. Research has shown there to be both advantages and disadvantages to setting. Boaler et al (1998) demonstrated many disadvantages to setting. In their paper they cited a worrying statistic Jackson (1963) 96% of teachers taught to streamed ability groups meaning they taught all the children without consideration into their individual differences. Boaler et al (1998) made reference to some of the experiences of pupils in setted mathematics classes, they reported that their teachers consistently made comments such as youre in the top set, you should be able to do this and youre in the bottom group your not going to learn anything. These attitudes are undoubtedly detrimental for the child. Boaler et al (1998) reported that children in higher sets were disadvantaged because their teachers had too high expectations of the children they were teaching, one third of the children taught in the highest sets felt they were being pushed to hard, that their lessons were paced too fast and they were under too much pressure to succeed because of their teachers expectations and the competitive ethos between pupils in higher sets. This was discovered to really upset certain children, Boaler et al, (1998) I mean I get really depressed it really depressed me, the fact that everyone in the class is like really far ahead and I just dont understand. It was reported that girls were the most affected by this citing the fact that although girls have been reported to be overtaking boys in all subjects boys still get the highest grades in mathematics (where the use of setting is dominant). The complete reverse was reported for those in lower sets, who felt that their lessons were too slow; they werent being challenged so lost interest. They believed that their teachers had no faith in them. This would then lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy, they have no option but to perform to the set that they are allocated, if they are not encouraged then they will languish in the bottom sets their entire school life. This causes a self fulfilling prophecy, if they are told that theyre incapable of anything more they will begin to believe it, so they wont try to do anything more. Even if the children in the lower sets worked to be moved up into the higher sets they are unlikely to be successful. Teachers teach the children in specific sets to different tiers of an exam, so those in lower groups will not learn the same things as those in higher groups so movement between the sets would be difficult. The idea that children are taught to specific tiers is generally problematic because children are allocated to sets up to three years before they sit the exam and as mobility is rare this can have detrimental effects on their attainment if they were aware that they could only get a low grade. Boaler et al (1998) reported that only some children actually knew the implications of this. The teachers high expectations of those in higher sets and low expectations of those in lower sets causes a further social gap between the sets, those in the top sets will be called boffins and those in the lower sets will be seen as stupid. This is further intensified by the allocation of better qualified and more experienced teachers to higher sets even though research suggests (Black and Wiliam, 1998, p42 cited in Boaler et al 1998) that this type of high quality teaching is more beneficial to those children in lower sets who need more guidance as they are more easily distracted. The lower ability children will recognise that the higher ability children are seen as better and again this will have detrimental effects on their self-esteem causing them to become interested in anti-educational activities where its cool to be alienated (Hallam article from TES website, Passmore 2002) and will heighten the rift between the ability groups. In a mixed ability class for example there is a reduced distinction between childrens ability, which is beneficial to the children. There is even the suggestion that children of lower ability use those of higher ability as role models. A further problem could be caused because of a distinction made between academic and vocational subjects. Only subjects such as Maths, Science, English and Modern Languages are set while subjects such as Art and Music are mixed ability as a general rule. Children who are good at art and music may not feel as valued as those who are good at maths. The emphasis for teachers seems to be applied to children in higher sets because they get taught by the best teachers and get taught in the best classrooms. Also the children who arent interested may distract other children in these mixed ability groups. Ultimately this will lower their self-esteem and have a negative effect on their attainment in and feelings for the subject. Of cause there must be advantages to setting otherwise the First Minister wouldnt have recommended it. One major advantage is that, compared to mixed ability teaching, its easier for teachers to implement as they can pitch work at a level that is more appropriate for the level the children are at. In mixed ability teaching a large majority of the class are unsupervised while setting lends itself to whole class teaching. This would appear to benefit those children in both higher and lower ability groups. Children in higher ability groups could be neglected and left to get on with their work in mixed ability classes while in sets these children will be given more attention, the children in with less ability will feel less inferior and more confident in groups of children with similar ability. Another benefit for high ability children is that low ability children who dont want to learn will not distract them. The government is aiming to raise standards so its understandable to want to give children of higher ability a better chance. Research (Kulik and Kulik, 1982. 1987. Cited in Sukhnandan and Lee, 1998. ) shows that gifted and high ability children achieve more when placed in sets than they do when placed in mixed ability groups. Its believed by some that high ability pupils benefit in groups with similar ability because it increases motivation by providing appropriate challenges and competition. There is also the implication that the children will be like-minded, facilitating the opportunity for them to discuss and bounce ideas between each other. Possibly the main reason why the First Minister recommended this form of ability grouping is because all the research conducted in this area conflicts resulting in there being no truly consistent findings on the effect of ability grouping for pupil achievement. His recommendation could therefore be based on the fact that setting is easier for teachers so it is more likely children will be taught effectively. His main concern appears to be with raising standards and setting is easier to manage and improve than mixed ability teaching as set guidelines can be given for the attainment targets for each set. The blame for these inconsistent findings has been given to the research methods used. Theres a suggestion made that the outcome of ability grouping isnt the only thing being tested. The quality of teaching, the teachers expectations, the pupils expectations and the materials available will all effect the pupils achievement. The evidence seems to produce more disadvantages to setting than advantages. The main ones being social rather than necessarily academic. However a child will perform better if they are happy and confident. Being labelled as set 6 is not good for a childs self esteem or confidence especially when teachers reinforce the idea that they are not as good as those in higher sets. This ultimately leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy, which eventually causes the child to lose all interest. If the First Ministers objective really is to raise standards then shouldnt he be focussing on these low ability children and trying to raise their attainment levels? High ability groups also suffer because of the expectation that they are more capable than they actually there. To improve this it might be necessary to re-teach teachers on pupil differences and explain that all the children within the set are not identical. For this to occur theyd have to be a reduction in the emphasis placed on meeting targets, teachers need the flexibility to return to areas that children are finding difficult. When all said and done isnt education for the benefit child? The First Ministers recommendation needs to be accompanied by guidelines for teachers on how they can avoid the negative effects of homogeneous grouping. These guidelines should include careful planning, using well-defined targets and remaining aware of the negative effects of ability grouping (GB. Scottish Office. HMI, 1996. Cited in Sukhnandan and Lee, 1998. ) There could also be a move away from emphasis on academic achievement to more recognition of non-academic achievements to restore the self-esteem of children in lower ability groups (Elton Report, 1989. Taylor, 1993. Cited in Sukhnandan and Lee, 1998. ) His recommendation was probably the right one considering the drive to raise standards and make teachers lives easier. Because of the lack of conclusive evidence for what type of grouping is more beneficial academically for the child he was right to choose the method that could be most easily implemented and controlled. However this lack of conclusive evidence means that more research needs to be carried out to discover what the best form of grouping is. To do this researchers will have to establish what is ultimately best for the child, possibly new ways of grouping could be developed or the old ways upgraded.

History of the concept of creativity

History of the concept of creativity History of the concept of creativity In spite of its current popularity, the concept of creativity, i.e. its name, is a recent notion that, nevertheless, went through a number of development stages and metamorphoses caused by the changes in the way the concept of creativity was perceived by societies at various stages of development. The process is not finished yet. Sometime in the future the general concept of creativity will hopefully be converted into a specialized concept, i. e. its regularities will be enumerated while its particularities linking it currently to a culture or a subculture will be eliminated. In the following text, the evolution of the concept of creativity throughout history is reviewed briefly, with the focus on important milestones and personalities. The milestones are arranged in a temporal sequence, whereas outstanding personalities are quoted where necessary, rather than presented in a strict temporal sequence. It is intuitively easy to accept the thesis that creative acts have been around as long as the homo sapiens, the humanoids and, indeed, living organisms. The concept of creativity appeared much later, and came forth very gradually. On the long way to establishing it, many intermediate new terms were generated, some of which have been used for centuries, in exceptional cases until our time. They help us understand more easily what creativity is and how it interacts with other operations in the intellectual sphere. Theoretical views of creativity follow the development of human culture and thought. Therefore, the concept of creativity is a component of the history of the human thought to the same extent as any other intellectual manifestation (Briffault, 1928). Much of the historical developments as accounted for in the following review are based on Tatarkiewiczs book (1980), Dictionnaire philosophique, and the following references: Verma (1969), Lindberg (1976), Abdus Salam (1984), Agar (2001), Ahmad (2002), Steffens (2006), Covington (2007), Roshdi (2007), and Medieval Classic civilization; An Encyclopaedia. Prehistoric times Remarkable and very advanced objects testifying to human creative genius are known from the art history. They originate from many parts of the world and from many different cultures and epochs. Perhaps the foremost examples of the earliest manifestations of creativity are various objects produced by the Australian Aborigines. The Aborigines are presumed to have moved to Australia from India some 50 000 years ago. Their most puzzling creative product is the boomerang for them hunting tool, for us an enigmatic object of scientific studies. Other important manifestation of human creative act and thought originates from Egypt and Mexico. These countries distinguish themselves not only by very advanced ability to produce objects, but also by the scientific (most often astronomic) knowledge embedded in these products. The pyramids of Egypt and those of Mexico, Guatemala, or Belize, the Mayan calendar, and the way of using mathematics in Egypt and in Mexico, are absolutely amazing even today. The Mayan astronomers had developed a spatial geometry parting from astronomy. The mathematics they used is still more accurate than the computational algorithms that make the flow of data in modern information networks possible (Ferrera-Balanquet, 2009). Another cultural area of great importance extends in Asia, particularly in the area comprising the present day Iraq, Iran, India, Sri Lanka and Cambodia. Buildings, materials and various concepts of physics embedded in the buildings testify to the high level of knowledge these peoples possessed thousands of years ago. In China and Japan, too, creativity enhanced knowledge in a manner that after thousands of years is still admired. India stands, as usual, apart in that it knew creativity as â€Å"insight† since times immemorial. For instance, in the extinct Pali language the word vipassanÄ  consists of the Sanskrit prefix â€Å"vi-â€Å" and the verbal root à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡paņº. It is often translated as †insight† or â€Å"clear-seeing,† One should not be misled by the â€Å"in-â€Å" prefix in â€Å"insight†.. â€Å"Vi† in ancient Aryan languages is equivalent to the Latin â€Å"dis-†. It is reasonable to conclude that in the word vipassanÄ  the prefix â€Å"vi-† generates the meaning â€Å"to see apart†, or discern. Alternatively, the â€Å"vi† can function as an intensifier. In that case vipassanÄ  may mean â€Å"seeing deeply†. A pali synonym for â€Å"VipassanÄ Ã¢â‚¬  is paccakkha, menaing â€Å"before the eyes,† which refers to direct experiential perception. Thus, the type of seeing denoted by â€Å"vipassanÄ Ã¢â‚¬  is that of direct perception and experience, as opposed to knowledge derived from reasoning or argument. It has also been adopted as the name of a kind of Buddhist meditation. Ancient Greece The people of Ancient Greece had no terms corresponding to â€Å"creativity† or â€Å"creator†. Yet, the poet was considered to be one who creates. Whatever was â€Å"creative† in the present sense of the word, was called art. The concept of art (in Greek  Ã…  Ã‚ Ã‹Å" Ã‚ Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ °, from which technique and technology evolved), implied subjection to rules. Poetry (from  Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ´Ã‚ Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ´Ã‚ Ã†â€™Ã…  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¼ to make) was an exception, although it was limited only to  Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ Ã¢â€š ¬Ã†â€™Ã…  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ °Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ´Ã‚ Ã‹â€  (poetry) and to the  Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ´Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ °Ã‚ Ã…  Ã‚ Ã… ¡Ã‚ Ã‹â€  (poet, or maker) who made it, rather than to art in general. The reason was that art was considered an imitation of what already exists, â€Å"the making of things, according to rules†, hence subjection to laws and rules. In painting, music, or literature, there was no freedom. They were governed by what was known as ÃŽÂ ½ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¼ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹ (the laws). This conservative attitude and need for subjection prevailed in the works of Plato who claimed, mainly in Timaeus, Dialogue of Ion, and in The Republic, that a good work is contingent on observing an eternal model as suggested by Nature, and never deviate from that model. The eternal models were within reach, in the surrounding world, of which artists were the imitators. They thus had to abide by certain rules. In the visual arts, freedom was curtailed by the proportions that Polyclitus had established for the human frame. He called them â€Å"the canon† (meaning, measure). Likewise, in music, no freedom was necessary because melodies for ceremonies and entertainme nt were known. They were prescribed as nomoi. Making of things according to rules, or à Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ µÃƒ Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ·, was not considered to contain any creativity at all. In fact, if they had contained creativity, the state of affairs would be considered bad by the Greek standards of that time: Something similar to the negative perception of creative accounting nowadays [Tatarkiewicz, 1980, p. 244]. Man ought to discover the laws of Nature and abide by them. Seeking freedom of action unnecessarily distracts him from seeking the optimum way. In Ancient Greece the artist was not an inventor, he was a discoverer [Tatarkiewicz, 1980, p. 245]. It means that he had to study the laws of Nature, discover and see how related entities interact, and use them as a model. This world-view had its own justification. Nature is both perfect and subject to laws. The artists ambition must be to discover these laws and submit to them, rather than seek the distracting freedom from these laws, a freedom that would deflect him from attaining the optimal state. Poetry stood outside these limitations. The poet invented a whole new world and gave it life. The poet differed from the artist, the imitator, in that laws did not bind him. In spite of the absence of the term for creativity, creation, or the creator, the poet, and only the poet, was understood to be a creator.According to the Greek view, the poet was an inventor, i. e. he put together unrelated entities and let them interact in an arbitrary manner. This is what made poetry the only exception from the rules applying to art. In terms of truthfulness of this world-view, Aristotle, who established the term truth, was not sure whether poetry required adherence to truth, i. e. whether it imitated Nature. He thought that poetry was in the realm that was neither true nor false [Tatarkiewicz, 1980, p. 245-6]. The concepts of imagination and inspiration, too, were restricted to poetry only. Poets were seen differently and they saw things differently. But not everybody was reconciled with this restriction. An example can be found in the Odyssey, where a question is posed why the singer should be forbidden to entertain his listeners with singing as he himself will. Yet, even in this rigid environment of dogmas, some progress took place. Thus, in the 3rd century, Porphyry of Tyros graphically visualized the concept categories of Aristotle. In the 4thcentury of the Christian era, Pappus of Alexandria searched for a science of invention. He named his techniques â€Å"heuristics†. Antique Rome The Roman civilization developed from the Greek civilization. It was younger, thus more progressive and more exploratory than was the civilization of Greece. Therefore, things were seen in a different light in Rome, and the Greek concepts were viewed as partially outdated. To begin with, the vocabulary was enriched with new concepts, which shook up the foundations of the Greek thought. This effort happened to follow two counter-directions. on the one hand, Cicero wrote that art embraces those things â€Å"which are known† (â€Å"quae sciuntur†) [Tatarkiewicz, 1980, p. 245]. Horace, on the other hand, elevated painters to the level of poets in giving them the privilege of daring whatever they pleased (â€Å"quod libet audendi†), instead of following the â€Å"eternal model†. Moreover, in the declining period of antiquity, Lucius Flavius Philostratus discovered a similarity between poetry and art, and found that art and poetry have imagination in common. Cal listratos expanded these ideas by stating that as much as the art of the poets and writers of prosaic literature is inspired, so are the hands of sculptors. They, too, are gifted with the blessing of divine inspiration. The novelty of these postulates follows from the fact that Greeks had applied the concepts of imagination and inspiration to poetry only, but not to the visual arts. The Greek language had no word for creating, whereas Latin had. Creare and facere were two Latin words corresponding to the Greek à Ã¢â€š ¬ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ µÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Yet, initially the two Latin terms had almost the same meaning (Tatarkiewicz, 1980, p. 246), and were thus interchangeable. Christianity Under medieval Christianity, the Latin â€Å"creatio† came to designate Gods act of â€Å"creatio ex nihilo† (i.e. creation from nothing). â€Å"Creatio† thus no longer could apply to human activities. Its meaning differed from the meaning of â€Å"facere† (to make). Applied to human activities, facere was the only word to be used. Cassiodorus, the important statesman and writer of the 6th century, explained that things made and created differ, because we can make but cannot create. His important works on this topic, written after his retirement, include De anima (published 540), Institutiones Divinarum et Saecularium Litterarum (published probably 543-555), and De Artibus ac Disciplinis Liberalium Litterarum [Tatarkiewicz 1980, p. 247]. This more or less â€Å"secular† interpretation of creativity collided with the archaic views of some Christian writers. To begin with, they believed that art did not belong to the realm of creativity. In this respect they had the same belief as the Greeks. Medieval Christian writers granted no exception to poetry. They claimed that poetry had to follow its rules. Therefore it was an art, i. e. a craft rather than a creative activity. The dominant figure among these writers was St. Augustine, a personality whose works are of interest even today. He is claimed to have used the word imagination as a precursor to creativity. Imagination, according to St. Augustine comprised disposition, multiplication, reduction, extension, ordering, any kind of re-composition of images, etc. (Rodari, 1983). These very same components of â€Å"imagination† are used even today [Tatarkiewicz, 1980, p. 247]. Further changes were recorded in the Middle Ages: poetrys exceptional status was gradually revoked, because poetry had its rules. It was thus regarded as an art, i. e. a craft, rather than creativity. The new, religious interpretation of the expression notwithstanding, the opinion that art is not related to creativity persisted. The works of two influential early Christian writers, Pseudo-Dionysius and St. Augustine, prove it. The same can be said the works of Hraban the Moor and Robert Grosseteste, in the 13th century. Renaissance There are two periods in European history, called the Renaissance. The first one is the 12th century Renaissance. It was a period of many innovative and creative cahnges during the High Middle Ages, such as social, political and economic transformations. Parallel developments in philosophy and science resulted in an intellectual revitalization of Europe. The second renaissance is the Italian Renaissance in the 15th century. Some historians claim that the changes having taken place in the Middle Ages paved the way to the Italian Renaissance, as well as to the scientific developments of the 17th century. The French historian Jacques le Goff, an agnostic, argues that the Middle Ages formed an entirely new civilization, distinct from both the Greco-Roman antiquity, and from the modern world. The medieval achievements of the human mind and the human hands can only be related briefly. The First Rrenaissance . The most creative political acts of the 12th century were the founding of the Hansa in Northern Europe (along the southern shore of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, with a few excursions deeper into Central Europe), the Crusades, the rise of towns, and the rise of the early bureaucratic states. In the cultural sphere the vernaculars began to replace Latin increasingly, higher education became more prominent, with universities sprouting all around the European continent between the Atlantic and the Theisse river, the Romanesque art was gradually replaced by the Gothic art, the liturgical drama, and a European system of law was established. These changes are true milestones. In the arts, more emphasis was put on architecture and sculpture, while in parallel there was a revival of interest in Latin poetry and Latin classics. An outer expansion began in the late 13th century, when the Venetian explorer Marco Polo set out to follow the Silk Road to China. His doc umentary Il Milone made Europeans more aware of the Far East, which inspired many missionaries (Giovanni da Pian del Carpini, Giovanni de Marignolli, Giovanni di Monte Corvino, and others) to go east and spread Christianity. The greatest leaps of human knowledge were, however, recorded in science and technology. Since Ibn al-Haytham (also known as Alhazen, 965-1039) laid down the foundations of the scientific method, the emphasis was put on seeking truth. Science thus became a formal discipline, different from philosophy. In early Middle Ages, the Byzantine Empire, the most advanced culture of antiquity, suffered losses and a decline in its scientific capacity. Likewise, Western Europe, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, suffered a catastrophic loss of knowledge. This was partially offset by the efforts of Church scholars, like Aquinas and Buridan, who preserved elements of scientific inquiry. In that manner, by translating and imitating the works of Islamic scholars Europe could begin catching up with the scientific discoveries of the Islamic world, the Mediterranean basin, India, and China. The most important steps to Europes scientific recovery at that time comprise the following events: Development of the scientific method (Alhazen, Biruni, Bacon, and Grosseteste); Arithmetic and Algebra (Al-Khwarizmi); Differential calculus (Bhaskara); Mechanics (Avicenna, with a later contribution by Ibn Bajjah, also known as Avempace, Buridan, Galileo, Descartes and Newton); Optics(Aristotle, Plato, Galen, Euclid, Hero of Alexandria, Ptolemaeus. In the 10th century, Alhazen proved empirically that light propagates linearly;Robert Grosseteste developed a theory of optics based on the works of al-Kindi and Ptolemaeus. Roger Bacon expanded on Grossetestess theory and integrated Alhazens optics into it. Finally, Kepler was able to use the foregoing findings to develop the modern theory of optics); Surgery(Abulcasis or Abu al-Qasim Khalaf ibn al-Abbas Al-Zahrawi developed procedures and instruments of modern surgery, such as the scalpel, syringe, vaginal speculum, etc.). In 1266, Theodo ric Borgogni published his Chirurgia, in which he advocates antiseptic surgery); Alchemy and Chemistry (The Jaberian Corpus, written in the 10th century by the Brotherhood of Purity (Ismaylia), the Summa Perfectionis, by Paulus de Tarento, the Secret of Secrets by al-Razi (Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariya Razi);Trigonometry (al-Tusi, Regiomontanus and Puerbach made these methods wider known in the 15th century); Navigation (the astrolabe and the portable compass, Peter de Maricourt); Accurate lunar models(Ibn al-Shatir; Copernicus is believed to have relied on al-Shatirs model); Incendiary weapons and bombs (flame-throwers, land- and sea-mines, and rockets). Among important technological accomplishments and developments, the following can be listed: The windmill, first mentioned in 1185 (England); Paper manufacture began around 1270 (Italy); The spinning wheel (13th century); The magnetic compass for navigation, and the astrolabe (toward the end of the 13th century); Eyeglasses, in the late 13th century (Italy); The Hindu-Arabic numerals introduced to Europe in 1202 with the book Liber Abaci by Leonardo of Pisa; The stern-mounted rudder, which can be found on church carvings. The philosophy developed in the Middle Ages was the Scholasticism. It is founded on a reinterpretation of the works of Aristotle, with further refinements by scholars like Avicenna, Averroes, Albertus Magnus, Bonaventure, and Abà ©lard. Scholasticism believes in empirical studies, and its practitioners supported the Catholic Church. Perhaps the most famous practitioner of Scholasticism was Thomas of Aquinas. His Philosophy of mind teaches that the mind of a newborn baby is a tabula rasa that was given the ability to think, and to recognize forms, patterns, or ideas through a divine spark. In the late Middle Ages, the rate of scientific progress declined significantly due to the decline of the Muslim empires and the Byzantine Empire. This situation lasted until after the Renaissance. The Italian Reanaissance. The Italian Reanaissance brought further changes into the mode of thinking and lifestyle of people. The Renaissance philosophy is that of Humanism, which perhaps is more a method of learning than a philosophy per se. An approximate, but generally accepted definition of Humanism is â€Å"the movement to recover, interpret, and assimilate the language, literature, learning and values of ancient Greece and Rome†. Unlike the medieval scholars, humanists would apply a combination of reasoning and empirical evidence in reading and appraising ancient texts in the original. Humanist education focused on the study of five humanities: poetry, grammar, history, rhetoric, and moral philosophy. Above all, humanists asserted mans genius and the ability of the human mind, which is unique and extraordinary. Humanism is more secular in some aspects, but it unquestionably developed against a Christian backdrop, particularly in the Northern Renaissance. That period gave mankind some outstanding theologians, all of them followers of the humanist method. They include Zwingli, Calvin, Thomas More, Erasmus, and Martin Luther. In particular, Dr Martin Luther must be viewed as the liberator of the human soul, with whatever effect it had on subsequent cataclysmic developments in society, science, business, and trade. Although the people of the Renaissance were well aware of their freedom and creativity, the term creativity was not established yet. It was not until the 17th-century that the word â€Å"creativity† was applied for the first time. The man behind it was Polish poet Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski (1595-1640), also known as â€Å"the last Latin poet†. Sarbiewaski applied the term only to poetry. In his treatise, De perfecta poesi, he wrote that a poet â€Å"invents,† and creates anew (â€Å"de novo creat†) in the manner of God (â€Å"instar Dei†) (Tatarkiewicz, 1980, p. 248). Other arts, in Sarbiewskis opinion, do not create. They merely imitate and copy. Why Sarbiewski regarded creativity as something that only poetry could be associated with, thus excluding visual arts, follows from his opinion that arts (other than poetry) imitate and copy, rather than create, in that they assume the material from which they create is already available, and so is the subject. At the end of the 17th century Andrà © Fà ©libien (1619-75) called the painter â€Å"a creator†. Spanish Jesuit Baltasà ¡r Gracià ¡n (1601-58) saw art as the second Creator that complements nature. This formulation is reminiscent of Sarbiewskis formulations (Tatarkiewicz, 1980, p. 248). In the 18th century, the occurrence of the concept of creativity in art theory kept increasing. It was complemented with the concept of imagination. In Joseph Addisons opinion imagination â€Å"has something in it like creation†. A similar opinion was held by Voltaire (1740). These authors, however, equated only poet with creator (Tatarkiewicz, 1980, p. 248-9). Contrary views proliferated, too, particularly in France. Diderot worked with imagination, which he viewed merely as â€Å"the memory of forms and contents†, which â€Å"creates nothing†. It only combines, magnifies or diminishes. â€Å"The human mind cannot create†, wrote Charles Batteux. He, too, saw its products as displaying the stigmata of the model used. Étienne Bonnot de Condillac (1715-80) and Luc de Clapiers, known as marquis de Vauvenargues (1715-47), proposed similar ideas (Tatarkiewicz, 1980, p. 249). There were three reasons why they rejected the idea of human creativity: Creation was at that time reserved for creation ex nihilo. The latter was beyond mans abilities. Creation is a mysterious act. Enlightenment psychology, however, had no room for mysteries. Artists of that time age observed their rules. Creativity, however, seemed irreconcilable with rules. The third objection was, however, weak. Houdar de la Motte (1715) was one of the thinkers who suggested that rules, too, â€Å"are a human invention† (Tatarkiewicz, 1980, p. 249). The philosopher Marsilio Ficino wrote that the artists work is the result of thinking it up (â€Å"excogitatio†). Leon Battista Alberti, the theoretician of architecture and painting, claimed that he preordains (â€Å"preordinazione†), and Raphael claimed that his ideas shape his painting. Universal genius Leonardo da Vinci claimed that it was his idea that determined how his painting was shaped, using shapes that do not exist in nature. Another painter, Raphael Santi, too, claimed that he painted according to his ideas. Giorgio Vasari claimed that nature is conquered by art. Paolo Pino, the art theoretician from Venice claimed that painting is â€Å"inventing what is not†. Likewise, Paolo Veronese declared that painters take the same liberties as they were poets and madmen. â€Å"A new world, new paradises†was what an artist shapes, maintained Federico Zuccari. Cesare Cesariano extended this to architects whom he considered â€Å"demi-gods.† In the realm of music, according to the Dutch composer and musicologist Jan Tinctoris, a composer was â€Å"one who produces new songs†. He thus associated novelty with a composers work. Writers on poetry were even more consequent. Capriano claimed that poetic inventions spring â€Å"from nothing†. Francesco Patrizi held that poetry was a â€Å"fiction†, â€Å"shaping†, and â€Å"transformation† (Tatarkiewicz, 1980, p. 248). The developments in the Renaissance science were as dynamic as in the arts. Science and the arts were intermingled, which manifests best in the works of Leonardo da Vinci. He made observational drawings of nature and anatomy, set up and conducted controlled experiments in water-flow and aerodynamics, systematic study of motion, and medical dissection. Leonardo devised principles of scientific research method in the spirit of holistic, non-mechanistic and non-reductive approach popular today. Leonardo deserves the epithet â€Å"the father of modern science†. The focus on the process for discovery, the scientific method, corroborated by influential proponents such as Copernicus and Galileo, is perhaps the most significant development of that time. This revolutionary way of learning about the world stressed the importance of empirical evidence, as well as the importance of mathematics, rather than highlighting a given discovery. Age of Reason In the 18th century, the Age of Reason and Change, the concept of creativity appeared more frequently in art theory. Once again, famous personalities needed an ancillary concept to explain and justify creativity. One such concept was that of imagination. It was first used in 1712 by the English essayist, poet and publisher Joseph Addison. He published 11 essays on imagination in The Spectator. In one essay he claims that only the sense of sight supplies ideas to the imagination. He speculated about a congruence between imagiantion and creativity. By the same time, the famous French author and philosopher Franà §ois-Marie Arouet de Voltaire distinguished between passive and active imagination. On the latter he wrote in his Dictionnaire philosophique that â€Å"Active imagination is that which joins combination and reflection to memory. It brings near to us many objects at a distance; it separates those mixed together, compounds them, and changes them; it seems to create, while in fa ct it merely arranges; for it has not been given to man to make ideas-he is only able to modify them†. Voltaire continued: â€Å"This gift of nature is an imagination inventive in the arts in the disposition of a picture, in the structure of a poem.† Both authors thus indicate that poets are creative, and they equate poet with creator. Modern times The resistance against recognizing art as creativity, seen in the preceding centuries, crumbled totally in the 19thcentury. Now art gained recognition as creativity and, moreover, art alone was regarded as creativity. At the turn of the 20th century discussion of creativity in the art as well as in the sciences, e.g. by Jan Ã…Â ukasiewicz (Sinisi, 2004), and in nature (cf. Bergson, 1907) began. At this point concepts proper to art were applied to the sciences and to nature [Tatarkiewicz, 1980, p. 249]. There was, however, a long waiting time to the scientific study of creativity. The thinking of some modern time scholars will be expounded in the subsequent chapter. The beginning of scientific study of creativity is generally taken to be J. P. Guilfords address to the American Psychological Association in 1950. Many scholars joined in the effort to explore creativity in the years to come. They took a more pragmatic approach to this esoteric subject. As creativity became established as a discipline, scholars realized that creativity depends on being practiced. Creativity reveals itself in accomplishments and deeds, rather than in words. While a sound theoretical approach still was important, more and more emphasis was put on developing practical creativity techniques. Important personalities illustrating this approach include Alex Osborn, who in the 1950s invented brainstorming. In the same decade, Genrikh Altov, later calling himself Altshuller, came up with his â€Å"Theory of Inventive Problem Solving†, better known as TRIZ. In the 1960, Edward de Bono became famous after having developed his influential theory of â€Å"Lateral thinkin g.† These and other theories and techniques are expounded in more detail in subsequent chapters.

The Endangered Arabian Leopard Sociology Essay

The Endangered Arabian Leopard Sociology Essay This project is about investigating the biodiversity and the importance of preserving biodiversity. Each group have chosen an Arabian species to evaluate it and to investigate its status. Every member of the group has to write one part of the report. Investigating biodiversity, the status of the species and how can we protect this species from loss. And how can the society as a whole contribute to the preservation of the biodiversity and the specific species that we chose to write about. Biodiversity is a very important subject, as today the world is facing a biodiversity crises. The biodiversity crises basically means the loss of many types of different species on earth that humans lives depend on (IUCN, 2010). Biodiversity is the variety of life it is the variety of all species on the planet. Biodiversity contains all the different animals, plants, creatures, insects, microorganisms and it includes the diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems. Biodiversity can be divided into three types Genetic diversity, organismal diversity, and ecological diversity. The genetic diversity covers the components of the genetic code that makeup organisms and the variations between the individuals in the population and between populations. Organismal diversity includes the taxonomic hierarchy from individuals to genera and beyond. Ecological diversity includes the scales of ecological differences from populations, niches, habitats, up to biomes (Gaston, K. Spicer , J. 2004). We have chosen to write about a very beautiful and amazing animal. This animal lives in parts of the Arabian peninsula. People used to kill it to save their cattle from being eaten by this animal, and then they used its nice patterned fur for decorating their homes, and they were also hunted for their teeth and claws (McGregor, T., Spalton, A. Hikmani, H. 2007). The animal that we will discuss is the Arabian Leopard, as we know that it is an endangered animal in the Arabian peninsula and we would like to explore more information about this gorgeous animal. Kingdom ANIMALIA Phylum CHORDATA Class MAMMALIA Order CARNIVORA Family FELIDAE Genus Panthera Species PANTHERA PARDUS Sub Species PANTHERA PARDUS NIMR The Arabian Leopard is one of the common names of this animal, the other common name is the South Arabian Leopard. The Arabian leopard is a sub species of the known leopard panthera pardus. The scientific name of the Arabian Leopard is Panthera pardus ssp. Nimr. The taxonomy of the Arabian Leopard is shown in the table below (IUCN, 2010). The trophic level of the Arabian leopard is Carnivore. The panthera pardus nimr is considered the smallest subspecies of leopards. Its total length is between 160 cm 220 cm, the length of its tail only is between 66 cm 100 cm. The Arabian leopard weight is between 28 kg 75 kg. The Arabian leopards has special small and widely spaced spots (Kingdon, j. 1991). The color of the Arabian leopards body is nearly pale brown or golden color. Its lower part of the body can be yellow or white. The spots are black and sometimes have the shape of a flower (Selim, M. El-Batanouny, K. n.d.) Hessa Aqab Shahin 200880840 The ecological niche means the species way of life or role in a community or an ecosystem and it includes everything that affects its survival and reproduction (Spoolman, S. Miller, T. 2008). The Arabian leopards depends on livestock, domestic goats, Arabian Tahr, and other small birds and mammals as a food source. The Arabian Leopard is considered a very powerful predator in the region where it is on control. The habitat of the Arabian leopard is mostly in mountainous and hilly areas and its rarely venture into open plains (McGregor, T., Spalton, A. Hikmani, H. 2007). Because of the lower numbers of the Arabian leopards in the region another predator has taken its place which is the Caracal (McGregor, T., Spalton, A. Hikmani, H. 2007). So the Caracal has taken over the Arabian leopards place and is occupying its area, and this can cause the Arabian leopards numbers to become less because there is another predator that is taking its food and habitat areas. According to local peopl e in Oman the Caracal is their enemy because it hunts their livestock in wadis and close to their homes while that Arabian leopard only preys on livestock in the mountains so they were aggressive towards that Caracal, they hunt it and kill it because it causes a lot of damage to them. Another thing that affected the Arabian leopards survival in the region is the constant civilization and building roads that reaches the top of the mountains, people also are taking its place by local housing expansion, over grazing, and farming (McGregor, T., Spalton, A. Hikmani, H. 2007). All these human activities and modernization are endangering the Arabian leopards survival in the region. Figure 1: http://www.biosphere-expeditions.org/images/stories/pdfs/reports/report-oman0607.pdf The Arabian leopard can only be seen in several areas in the Arabian peninsula. The distribution range of the Arabian leopard is shown in figure 1. Its distribution ranges from the mountains of Haqel in the north-west of Arabia, Yemen, the mountains of Hadramout to north-east of Oman, and the eastern mountains of the United Arab Emirates. The Arabian leopards extends from the rugged arid, to semi arid mountains along the coast of the Red Sea in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Al Johany, A. 2006). The figure below shows the distribution of the Arabian leopard in the Arabian peninsula and the neighboring region and it shows whether the Arabian leopard distribution is confirmed, probable, possible, or historical in that particular area. Hala Ibrahim 200601460 Species classified by Biologists that heading toward biological extinction as threatened, extinct and endangered species. Firstly, threatened species is a species that still abundant in its natural range but they continues to decrease and most likely to became endangered in the future. Also, threatened species can known as vulnerable species and the example of this kind of species is Dugong dugon. Secondly, some species not known in wild, it only can found in zoos or private collection such as Arabian Oryx and that an example of extinct species. Thirdly, an endangered species is a few numbers of organisms population that at risk to be extinct or threatened because of environmental changing or human impact and the Arabian leopard is an example of this species(Miller, T., Spoolman, S). Endangered species include 1 in 4 mammals, 1 in 8 birds and 1/3 of all amphibians(The plight of endangered species). However, many scientists and some university courses are focusing in this type of spe cies to preserve and protect them to not be extinction. Arabian leopard is one of this endangered species which estimated to no more than 250 mature individuals. Also, this number is subject to decline in the future which mean that Arabian leopards are able to be extinct because of the small population they have. The Arabian leopard was spread widely in the mountains of Arab countries such as Haqel in the northern part of Median Mountains, in Hijaz and the Sarawat Mountains. In addition, this leopard existed in the northern Yemen highlands, in the mountains of Ras al-Khaimah and the eastern region of UAE and in the Jebel Samhan and Dhofar mountains in Oman(Arabian leopard- critically endangered(CR)). However, the lack of awareness amongst the people in the past lead to decrease the numbers of leopards. What are the reasons that make species threatened and endangered? Hunting, killing and perishing are the causes of the reduction of Arabian leopard which mostly caused by people in a direct and indirect way. Sometimes leopards were killed accidentally when they was eating poisoned which is putted to wolves and hyenas. In 1986, four Arabian leopards killed in the Ras Al-Khaimah mountains in the UAE(Harman, A). Moreover, a recently killed leopard found in 1992 in the border area between Sultanate Oman and UAE, sadly, in the same area other two leopards found one of them killed and another injured. 50,000 leopard were killed during the early 1960s just in East Africa(Harman, A). In addition, some of farmers and cattle herdsmen are forced to kill the Arabian leopard to save them self and their livestock because they thought that leopard are attacking and killing their goats and may attack them and people who live around. On the other hand, some people are killing and hunting the Arabian leopards because of the commercial value they have. Hunters take the advantages from leopards through selling their skins and the leopard furs and that happened with some traders in Africa and Yemen(Harman, A). This kind of illegal situation could increase the income of traders but affect negatively in Arabian leopards which make them endangered and threatens their population. Habitat destruction it also considered as the most serious cause that threatens species when it mean the complete lose of areas with it all resources that species need to survive(Miller, T., Spoolman, S). Unfortunately, the increase of peoples population has a negative effect in areas that mammal live in, there is always a new construction of shopping malls, parks, developed houses and factories. Also, there is a daily cut of forests and Hala Ibrahim 200601460 grassland in areas that Arabian leopard and other mammals live in (Kirkland, G). Species are basically need food, shelter, water and the proper environment as human needs to survive and live in suitable environment (Bailey, R.) . Moreover, habitat fragmentation which represent the isolation of areas to many sections and make it difficult for species to feeding, migration and mating. Also, the number of Arabian leopard declined because of the reduction in numbers of deer and bucks that live in the mountain area that leopard live in and characterize as the main source of food for leopard(Arabian Leopard). Species affected by changing and rendering habitat and that changes come from draining wetlands, constructing flood-control reservoir and plowing native grasslands. Directly or indirectly, Arabian leopard can be affected and died because of the environmental pollution, that pollution can limiting and reducing the needs of the mammals. Some mammals die after drinking waters that contai ned a cyanide(Kirkland, G). Endangered species has some certain common characteristics that shared with other endangered and extinct species such as the large size. Some of endangered species has a large size which need hundreds or thousands of acres to support their population , when other mammals such mice need a small woodlot to live in. Also, endangered species has a low productive rate because some mammals naturally produce just one offspring each year and it is difficult to recover rabidly if the mortality rate is high(Kirkland, G). Compared to small rodents, they are able to produce many large litters in each year. Endangered mammals and Arabian leopards can also considered as a species that has a small population, rare and has high trophic level. Mammals as Arabian leopard become threatened if the specialized habitats they live in is widely separated to many spaces and in small sizes, because these species need a large areas in order to find their priorities of food and water to survive. Figure 2: http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/oman/oman-yemen-tie-up-urged-to-save-leopards-1.18006 Haya Sultan 200520663 Over the last million years, nearly five mass extinctions have occurred since the beginning of the universe. They either determine the end of an era of time or the beginning of another. The Ordovician-Silurian extinction, the late Devonian extinction, the Premian-Triassic extinction, the Triassic-Jurassic extinction and the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction was the five mass extinctions. Figure 3 Figure 3 Each one of them had causes, in the end of the Ordovician extinction about 447 until 444 million years ago; mark the border between the Ordovician period and the period following which is the Silurian. In that extinction there were several important changes in the size of carbon isotopes of essentials of the reaction and the biology of oxygen. Those changes refer to classified different stages in a single event. At that time, complex multicellular organisms lived in the sea, and about 100 families of them covers about 49 percent of the marine. More reliable estimate of species of the animals has become extinct. The earth lost brachiopods and small bi-valve bryozoans colonials, along with many families of trilobites and graptolites (small colonial marine animals). The late Devonian extinction was equivalent to the global cooling and has been suggested as a cause of extinction of the Devonian, as is also suspected of causing the extinction of the terminal Ordovician. Climate change and the drop of sea level caused the Premian-Triassic extinction also. In the Triassic-Jurassic extinction and the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction, the scientist said that a volcano caused it. Volcanoes release a range of Haya Sultan 200520663 gases into the stratosphere of which SO2 and CO2 are volumetrically the most important (Devine, J.D. Sigurdsson, H. Davis, A.N. (1984). Those causes that happened in the past naturally happened. But nowadays, we might face another mass extinction but this time humans are the main cause of it. The causes nowadays are many. First on is the destruction of species habitat and fragmentation. We remove many forests either to use the trees in making furniture or papers or either to make papers, which destroys lot habitats of many kinds of species. Second thing is rapid human population growth. Which means more land to be cleared to build houses and facilities. Third cause is genetic pollution. Pollution caused by factories and transportations. Forth cause is Global warming. According to wildlife Middle East news they said, The recent rapid decline of the Arabian leopard is due to a variety of reasons, most of which are caused by people. Rapid human population growth causes encroachment into wilderness areas, putting pressure on leopards and other wild. Depletion by hunting of natural prey such as Nubian ibex (Capra ibex), Arabian tahr (Hemitragus jayakari), Mountain gazelle (Gazella gazella cora), and rock hyrax (Procavia capensis) leaves little for leopards to eat so some are forced to prey on livestock. This leads to conflicts with villagers who kill leopards in order to protect their herds. Wealthy animal collectors who pay huge sums for Arabian Leopards encourage the trapping of leopards for the illegal market. Different sectaries in the UAE are taking action to protect the Arabian leopard. In 1993, the UAE set up the Arabian leopard trust which is planning to protect its habitat in the mountains, and conserving native Arabian wildlife in general. The Arabian Leopard Trust is trying to maintain the impact on the Arabian leopard locally and globally. Also in Sharjah there is a breeding center which successfully had the third litter of cubs born. We as individuals we can help protecting the Arabian leopard by stop introducing non-native animals and leave them in the wild. Also recycling and reducing pollution helps. Not just the Arabian Leopard, but also all the species that are threaten and endangered. And government can help by protect the mountainous habitats and set laws to stop hunters from threaten the Arabian leopard. The media also have a very big impact on people. It can spread awareness among people about endangers animals and how can we help in protecting them. Summary conclusion: Biodiversity means the variety of life on earth. The Arabian leopard is an Arabian animal that faces the danger of being extinct. Endangered species as Arabian leopard is a species that still abundant in wild but their population are able to decline. Human impact and environmental pollution has a significant role of the reduction of Arabian leopards population. This endangered leopard has some common characteristics such as low productive, small population and large size. There are also some initiatives done to protect this animal from loss. After doing research and writing this report we found out that animals and different species in the entire world are very important. Each and every animal, insect, plant, or even bacteria has an important role in this ecosystem and in maintaining the balance of life on earth. All these different species, both the ones we discovered and the ones we didnt, are interconnected in a way or another. For example the species that we based our report abou t; the Arabian leopard, has mostly disappeared from many regions so another animal took its place in that area like the caracal who is now attacking cattle more than the Arabian leopard would do if it was in its normal region. And this thing affects the ecosystem there. So we noticed that if any species is lost it affects the ecosystem in some way; thats why we should be concerned about saving the species and preventing them from loss, because we want to live in a balanced healthy world. And the species loss is breaking the balance and the harmony of life. Islam is a very merciful religion for both humans and animals. For example there is Hadith Sharif a saying by prophet Mohammed peace be upon him Narrated Abu Huraira: Allahs Apostle said, While a man was walking on a road. he became very thirsty. Then he came across a well, got down into it, drank (of its water) and then came out. Meanwhile he saw a dog panting and licking mud because of excessive thirst. The man said to himself This dog is suffering from the same state of thirst as I did. So he went down the well (again) and filled his shoe (with water) and held it in his mouth and watered the dog. Allah thanked him for that deed and forgave him. The people asked, O Allahs Apostle! Is there a reward for us in serving the animals? He said, (Yes) There is a reward for serving any animate (living being) . (Good Manners and form, n.d.). Thats why we should protect biodiversity out of our religion, and even out of the persons values also. If the status of our species was reevaluated when we are 50 years old. We think that Arabian leopards will be extinct in the wild, but there will be some raised in captivities and wildlife preserves. As we notice this huge development and change in the habitat of this species which lives in the mountains. But if the concerns about its loss started from now the situation might improve and we might have an increase in the numbers of the Arabian leopards. But they would probably be raised in places far from this development and they might create more preserves to save what can be saved from its habitat.

Essay --

Toni Morrison's â€Å"The Bluest Eye† set in post-WWI, Lorain, Ohio, narrates the lives surrounding Pecola Breedlove, a young black girl who wishes to be beautiful. Influenced greatly by her relationship with her mother, Pauline, Pecola adapts to a world of unworthiness and unattainable expectations beauty. Their mother/daughter relationship is just one of many examples throughout the novel further pinpoint its related themes of self worth and ugliness, both physically and mentally. An analysis of the relationship between Pauline and Pecola Breedloves—their contributions and conflicts—is used to highlight the theme of which the author is trying to express. A relationship, such as one between a mother and daughter, should be the last thing to be described as hateful, disconnected, or troubled—only in the case of Pauline and Pecola Breedlove, it was just that. The two were as distant as could be achieved while living under the same roof, â€Å"adults do not talk to us—they give us directions. They issue orders without providing information† (10). Pecola was merely a maid in her own house, expected to preform the daily chores whilst her mother was at work. The distance was a creation of Pauline's, even long before the birth of her children. Several unfortunate events in Pauline's life lead her to immerse herself in a fictitious world where she strove to be part of the most beautiful race around—white. Pauline frequently visited picture shows that portrayed only white actors and actresses (not uncommon for the 1930's). â€Å"White men taking such good care of they woman, and they all dressed up in big clean h ouses with the bathtubs right in the same room with the toilet. Them pictures gave me a lot of pleasure, but it made coming home hard, and lo... ...y allowed her to believe that she was finally beautiful. In summation, the relationship between Pauline and Pecola Breedlove in Toni Morrison's â€Å"The Bluest Eye† is filled with angst, hate, and disapproval. As one of the most prominent relationships in the novel, it is simple to determine the influence Pauline had over Pecola. Pecola's mental downfall, caused by her mother's constant neglect, highlights the theme of nature of beauty. It is this subjective beauty that the novel focuses on. Pecola Breedlove's constant alienation and ridicule from the people around her slowly broke her down further. Her lack of Pauline as a mother figure and the reflection of her mother's own self-hatred, spirals Pecola into insanity. From Toni Morrison, it can be gathered that beauty, mentally and physically, is carefully critiqued in the world and is the basis for judgment of others.

Aristotelian Perspectives on Social Ethics Essay -- Philosophy Medicin

Aristotelian Perspectives on Social Ethics I examine the philosophical perspectives of Aristotle on issues of medical ethics and on his social ethics in general, including the moral issues of abortion, euthanasia, and other issues of social ethics such as the issue of cloning. I have chosen the domain of applied ethics as viewed from the Aristotelian point of view precisely because certain issues have been virtually unexamined by scholars. I shall direct attention to certain treatises of the Aristotelian corpus such as On the History of Animals, On the Generation of Animals, On the Soul, The Nicomachean Ethics and The Politics. My main objective is to provide a more systematic account of the Aristotelian perspectives on the above controversial issues and to establish the Stagirite’s main approach to social ethics. For this reason, issues like the notion of personhood, his attitude towards death, and his theory of the will and ethical conduct of a moral citizen-agent will be examined. Throughout this investigation, the close interrelation between philosophy and medicine, both in antiquity and in modern times, will also become more apparent. I. Abortion Concerning the issue of abortion Aristotle's views are not considered as very clear or consistent throughout. We shall examine the relevant passages from both the biological and psychological treatises in connection with other of his contemporary — or not — medical findings. In our attempt to establish his main approach, we shall also unfold his views on the more modern notions of personhood as they are examined in his ethical and political works. According to the Hippocratic oath, abortion is forbidden as morally unjustifiable. A physician is not to help a woman abort he... ...Fye, Bruce W (1978): "Active Euthanasia: An Historical survey of its conceptual origins and introduction to medical thought", Bulletin of the History of Medicine 52, 492-502. Gracia, Diego (1978): "The structure of medical knowledge in Aristotle's philosophy", Sudhoff Archiv 62 (No.1), 1-36. Hartman, Edwin (1977): Aristotelian Investigation: Substance, Body and Soul, U.S.A.:Princeton University Press. Jaeger, Werner (1957): "Aristotle's use of medicine as a model of Method in his Ethics", Journal of the History of Science 77, 54-61. Kudlien, Fridolf (1970): "Medical Ethics and Popular Ethics in Greece and Rome", Clio Medica 5, 91-121. Veach, Robert M (1978): "Codes of Medical Ethics: Ethical Analysis", Encyclopaedia of Bioethics 4, 172-9. Westermack, Edward A (1906-8): The origins and development of the Moral Ideas, 2 vols., London: MacMillan & Co.

Script on aboriginal

I have chosen to do my following script from when Molly, Daisy and Gracie have just been captured and are being taken to Moore River Native Settlement. The reason I have chosen to start my script from there is because there will be a range of emotions that will be felt by the girls at that time I and will develop on them and hopefully get a bit of understanding of the torment they must have been going through. Molly Daisy and Gracie are in the back of Mr. Neville's care on the way to Moore River. Gracie is crying and Daisy is shaking. Molly: (Whispers to Daisy) It's going to be all right Daisy, I will get us back home. Daisy: (Still shaking) OK Molly, I trust you. Molly: (Turns to Gracie and whispers) Remember the spirit bird Gracie, remember spirit bird†¦ Gracie: (Tears running down her face, wipes her nose with her hand) The spirit bird will guide us home. Where are we going Molly, I'm scared Molly, I want to go home. Daisy: (in aboriginal) Molly is going to get us home Gracie. I know she will. Mr Neville: (sharp cold tone) Oi! Enough of your filth language. If you are to talk, talk in English. (to himself) Bleeding half-breeds. Molly: (Now shaking herself) Where are you taking us? Mr Neville: (not even looking at Molly) You will see in due time. But first I need to stop And fill up the tank. (He turns to Molly with a frightening look on his face) if You even think about trying to run away, I will do something even your spirit Bird can't guide you through. Mr Neville exits the car to talk to the petrol pump attendant. We see Molly's Grandmother enter the scene running and screaming in aboriginal. She runs to the car and tries to open the door, but Mr Neville was too quick. He whipped his cane across the face of the helpless old lady. Molly: (in shock, speaking in aboriginal) Grandmother! Molly covers Gracie's eyes as she begins to cry. Daisy tries to open the door of the car, but Mr Neville gets back in. Mr Neville: (laughing) I don't suppose you girls want to go the same way as your Grandmother, do you? No I didn't think so. Now you know what the Punishment will be if you ever try to escape from under my nose. Gracie: (still crying) Your big nose! Mr Neville: (fury overwhelming him) What did you just say?! Molly: (quickly) Nothing Mr Neville, sir. Honest. Mr Neville: (deciding not to take any action) As I was saying, even if you do succeed in Escaping, you won't ever see your grandmother again. Daisy: (with courage) You an evil- Molly: (coughs loudly) Mr Neville: (evil sneer) Where your going will change you lives forever. And it will be all Down to me. Over the years you will realise how much good is doing†¦ They slow down as they approach there destination. Molly looks around, already thinking about how they were going to escape. This script shows elements of power, freedom and control throughout. Mr Neville who is one of the most powerful people in the process of biological absorption has control over the aboriginals. He mentions what would happen to them if they tried to escape because all they want is freedom. It was an important part of the play because it was the first time that they were being taken to the camp. Everyone in the scene had different feelings and they all showed them in different ways.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning in an Online Class Essay

The advantages of asynchronous learning far outweigh the disadvantages and this approach has the ability to have an overwhelmingly positive impact on the overarching learning objectives for most courses. One such advantage is the result of the way asynchronous learning is employed. All comments from the students and the instructor are saved throughout the class and organized by discussion and date. This provides students with the opportunity to take in all of the materials that are presented and reflect on all of the concepts at an appropriate time. This advantage benefits students who generally take poor notes or are forced to attend extremely large classes by assuring they do not miss important information. One of the most prevalent and potentially problematic disadvantages of the asynchronous environment is the sense of being disconnected from the group that students may potentially develop. A student that does not feel connected with the class or instructor may lose motivation, interest and ultimately find that learning and retaining the material is nearly impossible. This disadvantage is exacerbated as students feel more and more isolated as time passes and no intervention takes place. The longer this sense of being disconnected continues, the more likely it is that course concepts will fail to become anything more than words on the screen causing a potentially serious disadvantage to become an almost insurmountable obstacle to success. In what ways should making money online have its limits? For example, is pornography, online gambling, etc, fair game? What are the ethical considerations involved? I honestly dont feel that there is a problem with making money online as long as its legal. When people have the opportuinty to take advantage of such things like porn and gambling,they get addicted to it and sometimes overuse it not know what the circumstances will be afterwards.