Humanism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Humanism - Essay Example In contrast to the medieval humanists, the scholars of the new Humanist culture greatly popularized learning, because they focused on the way people describe the world rather than on its reality, and they are known as nominalists. They denied the existence or the knowability of the universal forms that supposedly make up the world It is important to comprehend the late medieval mystic and pious revivals as partly a reaction to the late medieval church hierarchy and the disorder of the church. These revivals as well as the ill-fated movements of doctrinal reform were characterized by lay mysticism and piety, female piety, the mystics, brethren of the common life, the Lollards etc. Therefore, the late medieval mystic and pious revivals reflected the widespread dissatisfaction with official teachings in the late 1300s and 1400s. Mysticism, or the interior sense of the direct presence and love of God, was an important consequence of the late medieval mystic and pious revivals, and it was illustrated by confraternities, or the religious guilds founded for laypersons. "The growth of lay piety was, in essence, an effort to give everyone access to forms of faith that hitherto had been restricted to a spiritual elite. Frightened by the disasters of the age, people hungered for emotional reassurance, for evidence of Go d's love and redeeming grace within themselves." (Tradition and Change in Europe Culture, 1300-1500).

Project 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Project 2 - Essay Example The second step is for the temperature to be allocated in various topological areas, using a model through which a single cell affects the next cell’s temperature. Alterations in the temperature of the whole plate goes on to the last spot when it attains equilibrium point. There are various tools to be used when plotting temperatures on a given scale. In this context, the contour plotting tool will be used to determine temperature distribution across diversified topologies in cases where different basic temperatures are utilized for the walls of a specified grid. In order to avoid too much theoretical work, tables and figures will be used to summarize some points in this assignment, and to clarify complex explanations. Four instance, the four types of topologies that have been used to explore temperature distribution are represented in the figure below and the table shows their matching details. This is simply to ease understanding and guide the

The toxicity of chemicals Essay Example for Free

The toxicity of chemicals Essay Remedy I would not endorse hazardous waste landfill, waste treatment plant, deep injection well, or incinerators near a residential community because of the hazardous threats brought by the chemicals. Even though they are built so that the trash of chemical plants and the residue from pest control, there are some instance where there is a leakage that can harm the community. Hazardous waste landfills are built so that the waste from chemical processes can be dumped in this area. They are designed to resist the power of the chemicals. A deep injection well is a special kind waste landfill where the chemical residues are injected on the soil so that not to penetrate more from the environment and to the atmosphere. While a waste treatment plant treats the chemicals that lessen the impact of hazards of the chemicals. They used methods and even chemicals to in order for the hazardous chemical power be minimized. While an incinerators burned chemicals in a combustion chambers. All these methods are almost perfect because they are designed by engineers to minimize the effects of hazardous chemicals. But somewhat they have drawbacks. If people who operate this kind of methods did not operate well and accurate, they are big chances that the community will be getting toxic. And this consumes more land that must be used by the people in the community. (Network, 2005) The most practical way to response to this problem is to locate a dumping site or a site that will be building up by the waste treatment plant, deep injection well, or incinerators that is far from a community. In this way, the toxicity of chemicals that can affect the health of people can be minimized. But the most remedy to this problem is to minimize the use of chemicals that harms the human health as well as the environment. We must seek on the natural ways in preventing pest in our farms. Reference: Network, S. W. A. (2005). Landfill. Retrieved February 20, 2007, from http://www. ccthita-swan. org/Tutorials/landfill. cfm

Globalization: The Homogenization Of Cultures

Globalization: The Homogenization Of Cultures The increased integration of humanity beyond the national borders is compressing the world into an interdependent global village. Today, many equate the process of globalization with the promotion of interests of the West, whose hegemony is propagated through the idea of liberalism. As a result of the Western superior power and cultural imperialism, the so-called Third World countries feel compelled to admit their superiority and subsequently to acculturate themselves, accepting the Western way of life as a norm. The greatest consequence of this is homogenization of cultures and the loss of identity in the process of implementing Western ideologies. Today, the world we live in is taking part in the process of an increased integration through the movement of people and goods. The growing development of communication makes the unification of the entire globe seem as something completely natural. Globalization of our societies and every day lives à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ However, the question that is being imposed upon us is whether this compression of the world into one global society means that the world is being enriched and unified, or will it be torn apart by nations self-interest conflicts in the battle for preservation of their identities? The wide variety and diversity of our cultures and identities has always been, without a doubt, a part of who we are. Societies and cultures learn how to grow and prosper through overlapping and borrowing from each other. Some would argue that cultures should not be perceived as individual, but that they need to be examined in a more general way, since they constantly change and evolve. Cultures stopped being related to a mere geographical area and its society; nowadays, they are linked to the contemporary time that they exist in, as well as to the entire globe. Thanks to the process of globalization, today we have unique emerging cultures, such as Internet culture, artists culture, culture of the young people from around the world and others that are becoming a part of a universal set of values and ideas, turning the world into one global culture. However, while this unification of cultures has its benefits, at the same time it brings along the risk of an intercultural and identity-related conflict. For some people, their culture is everything that makes them who they are, it is an essential part of their identity. For example, in a case of a possible dispute between cultures that have confronting views and prejudice against each other, their people will hold on strongly to their national identity and culture, because they feel intimately related to it and see it as their protection. In an effort to preserve ones culture, language or religion, people very often become involved in conflicts. Most importantly, these conflicts becomes aggravated by the consuming influence of biased media Furthermore, as a result of negative stereotypes, different cultures may view each other as alien and threatening and can lead to a clash of civilizations, as Huntington refers to it.FOOTNOTE NEEDED Additionally, an increased interaction between cultures can lead to the creation of a unified culture imposed by the more influencing and dominating one. Therefore, this would lead to the homogenization of the world. This brings around cultural imperialism as an inherent part, as well as a product of the overall process of imperialism, where one country with dominant economy, culture and policy has control over others. This causes the local cultures, especially those in the so-called Third World countries, to be exploited and challenged by the dominant, most often Western values. Unsurprisingly, this comes as an effect of many centuries during which West had the chance to establish its dominance in the world. Cultural imperialism occurs when one culture is presented in such a manner that is seems undeveloped and non-modern when compared to another. Accordingly, the dominant cultures standards and norms become gradually accepted by the locals who believe in its superiority. This is why some intellectuals equate globalization with the Western imperialism; they argue that the West is imposing its ideas of liberalism onto the rest of the world through the process of globalization and therefore ensuring and reaffirming its hegemony. Instead of physically colonizing the rest of the world, the West has chosen more subtle means of propagating its ideas. The spread of Western, namely American goods around the world is not a simple coincidence- it is a part of the process of cultural imperialism. In addition, instead of being a simple trend of consumerism of American products, cultural imperialism implies the implementation of American ideas such as freedom of speech and democracy. As a result, this process leads to the steady disperse of unique cultures across the globe as t hey succumb to the influence of the more powerful American culture. So, whats in it for the West and America and whats their real motive? Many people believe that the main reason is the protection of the unlimited access to foreign markets, along with an actual and concrete belief in the American superiority by their citizens. However, it is simple to convince the Americans of their own superiority, but when convincing foreign cultures, they have to be more assertive and creative. Thus, marketing, along with advertising, plays an extremely important role in the process of Americanization. Its importance lies in the fact that it has the ability to persuade others in the modernity and the advanced stage of development of those American goods. Consequently, they begin to dominate local markets, doing no good to the local economy; hence, the local production industry weakens and gives way to the American economic interests. Another way of influencing local cultures and identities is through the vehicle of Internet. It plays a huge role in propagating the American culture, and enables it to be extremely exposed to the entire globe. However, the users of Internet that wish not to be exposed to the influence of American propagating contents can easily avoid it, since they are the active players in the seek of information online. Nevertheless, those who choose to be exposed to it, Internet can severely increase it. Governments are aware of this, and some of them, like the Chinese and Cuban, have restricted their citizens from the free flow of information, in order to prevent the Western influence. Oxymoronically, by restricting them, their governments are reassuring the fact that their citizens will not be the providers, but mere recipients of the Internet information flow. On the other hand, there is a substantial number of scholars who believe that the process of Americanizing the world is, as a matter of fact, a good thing for the entire world. They argue that through globalization, people become aware of the importance of strengthening their identity so they work on its preservation. In contrast to that, cultural imperialism can also lead to the establishment of a homogenized global identity that would help bring the world together. Accordingly, it would have a positive effect, hence the world will be more secure and stable through the elimination of the diverse and conflicting cultures. The Americans are already on the way to establish a single world society with minimum or no cultural restraints. However, the question being imposed on us is whether the uncertain assurance of a world peace is enough to justify the gradual disappearance of the numerous local cultures. Even though indigenous cultures are aware of the growing impact of American cultur al imperialism, there is not much they can do to stop it, since they are not strong enough to compete. They could try to limit the access to information, but that would contradict with the basic human rights which guarantee that everyone is able to attain free and unlimited knowledge and information through any means of media. Theoretically speaking, every nation, religion, race and ethnic group are equal, as long as they fulfill the needs of their people. Unfortunately, having superior and inferior, dominant and subordinate cultures, equality among them seem to be impossible. However, domination is nothing new- it has always existed throughout the history of the world, especially during colonization when Western powers believed they need to civilize the indigenous nations, while they were in fact exploiting them. The need for a cultural dialogue : When it comes to globalization and the issue of cultural imperialism, there seem to be two opposing views: some believe that the interaction and unification of cultures will lead to a clash of civilizations, while others claim it will bring around the greatly needed dialogue and cooperation. The global culture of today is, without a doubt, being shaped by the West. Nevertheless, it can and must be challenged by those that are being influenced by it, who should not just adopt their norms, but adapt and shape them so they fit the framework of their own culture and values. In addition, the fact that it is not just one culture influencing the other should not be overlooked; it is actually a process of mutual interaction and impact. Despite the fact that it is one of the modern worlds greatest challenges, intercultural dialogue is probably the best solution to counter cultural conflicts and crisis. Instead of simply succumbing to the influence, or doing the opposite- refraining and prohibiting the goods, people and world organizations should try appealing to the American governments to pass laws to restrain their companies from selling goods that endanger the survival of local market, and those companies should be prohibited from doing business. America must be fair and admit that perhaps what is good for its own economy, might not be good for the rest of the world and that the rights of people should be put before the need to make profit.

The Underlying Message of The Tyger by William Blake Essay -- The Tyge

The Underlying Message of The Tyger by William Blake Blake’s legendary poem â€Å"The Tyger† is deceivingly straightforward. Though Blake uses â€Å"vividly simple language† (Hirsch, 244), the poem requires a deeper understanding from the reader. There are many misconceptions concerning the symbols in â€Å"The Tyger† (specifically the tiger itself). This often leads to confusion concerning the underlying message of the poem. Compared to Blake’s â€Å"meek† and â€Å"mild† lamb, the tiger is hard to accept. It is a symbol for that which people fear. For some, their fears are not reality, and are much easier to ignore than accept. But no matter how hard to accept, the lamb and tiger are equally important, and together create a balance that is ideally healthy for the world. The Tyger can be interpreted through many different theologies, as a form of the sublime, and as an essential part of human life. Because Blake is ambiguous about the tiger’s nature it is hard to understand. Blake uses paradox to his advantage in the first stanza, which creates an ambiguous effect: The expressions â€Å"forests of the night† and â€Å"fearful† have a menacing quality that is negative in nature. On the other hand â€Å"bright† and â€Å"symmetry† (a sign of perfection) have positive overtones, and are more commonly associated with goodness. Blake has given many clues; and the effect is such that the reader is led to believe that the tiger has both good and evil qualities. The one underlying question that Blake asks of the reader: what God could â€Å"dare† (l.24) to create such a creature? According to the Christian doctrine, there is one God who is the maker of everything. Though there is much argument over how much He partakes in the creation of evil. Nonetheless, this passage is found in the Bible: â€Å"I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.† (Isaiah 45:7). The tiger could very well be the expression of this God. There are many other beliefs in the world besides Christianity within which the tiger can be proven to reside. Monotheism, for example, is the â€Å"belief in a single, universal, all-encompassing deity†(Wikipedia). This deity could also be the â€Å"immortal hand† that formed the Tyger. Manicheanism, one of the major ancient religions, uses the theology of dualism as its main principle. The Dualism doctrine can be said to â€Å"consist of two basic opposing... ...he tiger and the lamb.† (250) Ultimatley, the reader must make the decision whether the tyger is a positive or negative part of life. Works Cited 1. E.D. Hirsch, JR. Innocence and Experience: And Introduction to Blake USA: Yale University, 1964. 2. The Holy Bible containing The Old and New Testaments, King James Version Toronto: Canadian Bible Society. 3. â€Å"Dualism†, â€Å"Monotheism†, â€Å"Christianity†, Manicheanism†, â€Å"Taoism† Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page. 4. Roy P. Basler. â€Å"The Tyger: A Psychological Interpretation† Sex, Symbolism, and Psychology in Literature. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1948. 20-24. 5. Morton D. Paley, â€Å"Tyger of Wrath†. Twentieth Century Interpretations of Songs of Innocence and of Experience. Ed. Morton D. Paley. USA: Prentice-Hall, Inc. 68-92 6. â€Å"Manicheanism† Encyclopedia of the Orient http://i-cias.com/e.o/manichae.htm 7. William Blake. â€Å"The Tyger†, Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. E.V. Roberts and H. E. Jacobs 7th Ed. USA: Pearson Prentice Hall 2004. 8. William Shakespeare, â€Å"Henry V† Shakespeare-literature.com http://www.shakespeare-literature.com/Henry_V/10.html

Nelly Dean of Emily Brontes Wuthering Heights :: free essay writer

Wuthering Heights - Nelly   In the book Wuthering Heights, the author, Emily Bronte, made Nelly the narrator. Many have questioned why Bronte would do so. Nelly never really had a life of her own because she lived at Wuthering Heights all her life.   Therefore, Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange was her life.   Nelly was more than a servant, and had a personal relationship with most of the characters,which is why her story is so efficient, and her lack of knowledge not as important.   She really loved them, and she shows it when she says, "I kissed Hareton good-bye; and since then he has been a stranger: and it's queer to think it, but I've no doubt he has completely forgotten all about Ellen Dean, and that he was ever more than all the world to her and she to him!" (Wuthering Heights Pg. 81)   Hareton probably doesn't remember her, but that shows the lack of appreciation everyone had for her.   No one praised her like   Heathcliff and Edgar praised Catherine, but no one hated her like Hindly hated   Heathcliff.   In fact, she's the "middle man" that makes the transition from   Wuthering Heights to Thrushcross Grange so smooth.   If she had not been the narrator we wouldn't know what went on at Thrushcross Grange.   Nelly manages to know what went on at Wuthering Heights because of her good relationship with everyone.   So even though Nelly is not present there, she still has the capabilities to know what's going on.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There really isn't a mother figure in the story, but Nelly's role sure imply that she's the mother.   It's odd that every time a lad is born, the mother died during the birth, which led to Nelly's "mother like" role.   She didn't only play her "mother like" role with Hareton and Cathy, (the two lads who's mothers died during labor) but she also played her role with Heathcliff and Catherine.   When Heathcliff retaliated against Hindly and decided not to eat due to his pride; Nelly brought him some food and made sure he was okay. She also aided Catherine when she was mad at Edgar.   Nelly's role is so important, and an example of it is when Nelly visited Wuthering Heights and Hareton was throwing   rocks at her and cursing at her.   This would not have happened if Nelly was there, and Hareton would have learned how to read.

7 Habits by Stephen R. Covey

Stephen R. Covey book is titled â€Å"The 7 habits of highly effective people† helps to develop individuals’ personality in relation with others. The author takes us on the journey thru becoming proactive. Than we learn to realize where are we going with our life. The next step is to set priorities in our life. What things are important and what things can wait. We also learn how to achieve compromise that is satisfactory to all parties involved in daily activities. The author teaches us how to practice empathetic communications and the importance of the team work. Once all of that is achieved we are reminded to renew ourselves thru elements of nature. The first habit is â€Å"Be Proactive†. It says to take control over your own future, and that every one of us is in control of their own future. The proactive people do not blame others for their misfortune. The first step to become proactive is to take initiative and to act or be act upon. When I was working in a plant, and wanted to advance to a supervisor’s, I took initiative. I have studied the blueprints; observed and learned from others, and then I became an assistant, and then a supervisor. There were several other employees that started their careers at the same time as I did, however, they did not take the initiative. When I was leaving the field they were still working at the same level when they have began. Listening to our language is another very important aspect of becoming proactive. My favorite phrase is Stephen R. Covey had mention in his book is – â€Å"Let’s look at our alternatives†. Many people like to say â€Å"There is nothing I can do†. Another very important aspect of becoming proactive is to look where we focus our energy. In his book, Covey refers to two circles: circle of concern and circle of influence. Proactive people focus on the circle of influence. This circle includes things one can do something about like, health, family or work related problems. Reactive people, on the other hand, focus their energy on the things that they have no control of, like terrorism; weather etc. â€Å"Gaining an awareness of the areas in which we expand our energies in is a giant step in becoming proactive†. (As cited in Stephenconvey. com, 2009 p. 1). Begin with the end in mind† is the second habit. Every creation, design or invention is first created on the paper before it is actually build. My next project is to build a shed. Before I will invest time and money on generating the material, first I will have to make a plan of that building. Once I will accomplish that I can began to build. According to the author we should always know where we are going with our lives. â€Å"To begin with the end in m ind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you’re going so that you better understand where your are now and so the steps you take are always in the right direction† (Covey, 1989 p. 98). The best way to get there is by creating Personal Mission Statement. That statement concentrates on where you want to be, and how to get there (Covey, 1989). In the first habit you are a creator. In the second habit you have a vision and in the third habit you put all those things into a prospective. The third habit is called â€Å"Put first things first†. This habit helps us manage our lives. There are four quadrants to our time management. Based on those quadrants, it is more convenient to schedule future tasks. Daily or weekly plan can be made to focus on the priorities. That plan is never solid; it will most likely change as the daily tasks progress. It is really important to manage priorities based on those quadrants (Covey, 1989). The fourth habit called â€Å"Think Win/Win† moves us into interdependence phase. Our relationships with others depend on our mentality of thinking. Many people would like to receive the promotion or save their marriage but, they were not able to properly interact with others. There are six paradigms of human interaction (Covey, 1989). The fifth habit is to seek to understand, and then be understood. That means that the listener should not just hear the other person, but try to empathize with him. Most of the people can hear what others have to say; however they don’t listen to others, the message that other person is trying to relate goes by them (Covey, 1989). The sixth habit is to synergize. The author is relating to work in the teams. He states that the all team members are worth more that each of them separately put together. The group depends on each other. The differences between the people make the group stronger because of their differences. Every individual has a different prospective (Covey, 1989). The last of seven habits is to sharpen the saw. Most people tend to forget themselves and tend to stay in one place. Many of the people tend to focus on the activities that are not relevant to their goals or values. Every person should continue to grow using the four elements of nature. That involves staying fit in physical condition. That can be achieved by proper nutrition and daily exercises. Mental fit refers to reading and writing. Social element of nature refers to servicing to others. The last element is to stay spiritually fit by studying and meditation (Covey, 1989). In conclusion, the seven habits written by Stephen R. Covey, teach us how to become internally focused. They are the simple set of rules for successful life. That refers to both personal and private life. We go thru seven changes that will make ourselves more aware of the world and people that surround us. References Covey, Stephen R. (1989). The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.