Free

Free Will Essay Essay Many people in the western world hold very dear the idea of independence, that they can think freely, choose freely, and express themselves freely. This all is connected to the idea of free will that many believe is what makes us human. Many people cannot, however, define free will. There is always the feeling that one can do whatever he/she wants. That is probably why this idea is such a pleasing concept. There is just one serious flaw in the free will concept. People cannot determine everything; there are some things, even before one is born, that determines who he will be in the future. Since people do not choose their parents, or the nationality of their family this creates a serious flaw in the free will concept. Now if people were able to choose these sorts of things they would be gods. It is not up to people to choose their skin colour, nationality etc. When one looks at this issue the concept of soft determinism is probably the safest solution to answer this problem. Since in this concept there are things determined for people, if one knows what he is doing, and the choice is not, in any way, forced by the circumstances the action that he is performing is free. (Roberts 2012) It means that even though one does not have full control over his life, meaning that one does not determine anything before he is born, people are still able to make conscious choices given that the circumstances allow it, fore example, like I am going to do this tonight, or I am visiting this person tomorrow, but these are simple choices, while there are others that you cant choose freely, like external forces have control over it than your own free will. On a smaller scale, who one person might become is really decided by the governments, society, and religions. Religions restrict the activities and freedom of those who follow it and live under its rules, just like in other countries, people are slaves to their political system. On a similar note and this is a very rare and cruel case, in countries ruled by dictators the rulers determine whether people live or not. Next comes the laws created by the governments, usually they restrict certain activities that people have to do. Also, governments make rules, regulations and legislation that determine what people will have to do. Lastly, societies impact the freedom and choices of the person who lives and interact within that society, because his choices are limited. There are many factors that would prove that free will doesn’t exist; religion is the most undecided one of them all. In the Bible particularly, many sources suggest that everybody that believes in God already has his faith determined. Various quotations, starting in the Old Testament, state that people already have their paths determined for them. In the letter to Ephesians St. Paul writes In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will (Ephesians 1:11, Jerusalem Bible). It clearly says that if one believes in God and Jesus Christ has his life determined. In another letter to Thessalonians Paul writes that from the beginning â€Å"Because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation† (2 Thessalonians 2:13). This clearly emphasizes the previous point that everyone who believes in God will has his life determined as one of the chosen people who will be saved by God. This is true for every religion, however it relates to salvation only, not man’s ability to choose his own path. In the very first book of the Old Testament one can interpret the fact that we are created in God’s image, therefore we posses God’s ability to be free (Genesis 1: 26, Jerusalem Bible). Staying with the Bible, in the book of Genesis, Adam and Eve, against God’s will ate the fruit of knowing good and evil. This in itself is a proof that humans can see what is right and wrong and therefore choose for themselves whether they want to be on one side or the other. â€Å"So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God† (Romans 14:12, Jerusalem Bible) tells people that everyone will have to, in his own heart and soul, give God the account of his own actions! On another note, the Qur’an is often wrongly interpreted as being based on determinism. This is false; if a life of a Muslim was determined for him/her at birth there would be no point in him/her trying to find out the nature of his sin, Allah would not have had to send prophets to teach his people the way, because all their actions would be already determined by them (Gorjian 2010). This suggests that, as far a religion goes people are free to do as they feel is right. This however does not justify the fact that governments take away this freedom from their citizens. Governments taking away freedom from their subjects can be traced back in history, and one the greatest examples for this would be the war of ideologies known as World War II. Political systems are based on ideas like fascism which helped Germans in their economic crisis, communism overthrew the Tzars in Russia which gave the proletariat all the influence they needed, while liberalism promised freedom. This all seems perfect, however, as it is all well known, there were flaws in each of those systems. Nazis under Hitler were only nice to a great portion of Germans as they were trying to create the master race. All others: Slavs, Roma, Jews were hated and discriminated against. In occupied Poland Nazis closed schools, denied access to education, confiscated automobiles, (Cosby 2010) houses, land and riches. The Only secondary education available was trade school which trained youth for a specific job denying them the opportunity to express themselves in different fields. They took away people’s freedom putting them in concentration camps and Ghettos; death camps like Auschwitz detained not necessarily Jews but also Poles, Czechs, Gypsies and even Germans (Biega 1996). For the sake of creating the master race they were determined to kill and enslave, even their own people which meant that one could not choose his affiliation freely, he was either with or against Hitler. In Russia during the Bolshevik Revolution aristocrats were condemned to death. In democratic, liberal countries the process of taking away free will is different. But sticking with the systems; theory of taking away human rights, one has to talk about people operating the machine of terror. Behind every tyranny there is a tyrant including Hitler and Stalin who are probably the most reviled dictators with a very bad reputation. Out of all the evildoers in the world, they were the most remembered for imposing their will on hundreds and thousands of people leaving a stain that makes saying their name in public an awkward thing. Their acts are known to all who knows the history of the 20th century. Their actions caused a lot of distress, killing and exploiting people, imprisoning innocents and denouncing everybody simple rights, no matter if he was a friends or foes. Nobody was allowed to publically speak their minds, people could be killed for any simple reason. Both of them used concentration and death camps where people would be stripped of their freedoms and their rights did not exist and their bodies were exploited for hard labour or experiments. In these countries dictators were the law. Now if one looks at a country like North Korea with Kim Il Sung, the previous leader of the nation, he denied people rights of information, freedom of press or freedom of speech. He ordered the whole nation to be brainwashed to believe he was god. Aside from being an attack on one’s free will it was an attack on one’s understanding of the world. When the supreme leader died, people fell into chaos as they did not know what will happen the next day, if there was a next day. Kim Il Sung took away not only their freedom, but also their whole world. These are things that would be unthinkable in a democratic society. In democratic states laws are a fundamental part of the society. People are afraid of anarchy more than they are scared to lose their rights even though these laws are just written statements of already known moral facts. It is logical that killing someone is immoral, stealing is wrong; all sorts of sexual act are cruel for the victim. Laws are supposed to protect people and make sure that others are shielded from the evildoers who break the law. There is a difference though between punishing someone for what he has done and changing the laws to suit someone’s personal goal. Looking at the terrorist attacks on September 11 2001. The aftermath of this horrible event sparked even more terrible actions taken by the lawmakers. The Patriot Act was something that unjustifiably took away peoples’ rights to act free not for something that they have done but rather something they might, maybe, probably be doing. The Patriot Act targeted many innocent people who were under suspicion of being terrorists not because they took part in terrorist training, but rather because they were of a certain skin colour or race. An initiative was put together by editorial cartoonists to present the very hurtful truth of how freedom was taken away through laws. Thus, for example Lalo Alcaraz created a cartoon that presents President Bush saying that liberty is secured while on another panel the Statue of Liberty is seen in prisoner outfit handcuffed and presented like detainees from Guantanamo Bay, commentary is unnecessary for this one. Another work by Clay Bennett demonstrates workers using materials from house labelled privacy to build a fence around this house which was labelled security. What the author was trying to present is the scandal with phone calls being listened to in order to prevent another attack while trying to listen for any terrorist activity (USA Patriot Art Show). The types of activities presented in the previous argument are shunned upon by many people because they invade their privacy and freedom. On the other hand laws and regulations with the word ‘freedom’ in them are very highly thought of by citizens since they are an assurance of their freedom and ability to express it. Laws, such as the freedom of speech, freedom of information, and freedom of religious expression or sexual expression, are important, they work as a manifestation of country’s liberty. How is it than that many of these laws, even though they say freedom, do not really give people the right to exercise these rights freely? That is because they contradict with many other rights granted by the government. And so one has the freedom of speech yet he cannot say racist things or anti-homosexual slurs as it violates the anti hate speech law. This is a very big and unsubordinated flaw on the part of the governments if they are able to pass two contradicting laws. If they do that hen freedom of speech is not so free anymore and takes away one’s ability to say whatever he wants, no matter how offensive or inappropriate it is. However, as much as we can see governments and religions as factors that manipulate or free will, society can be considered one of the biggest factors too. Society, the people we interact with, live by, and see everyday, those are the ones that constraint your choices and free will. Society even though it is not shown clearly, it still forces the individual to forget about making free choices that will deviate him/her from the norm. destructive attitudes such as racial prejudice, attitudes can lead our thoughts and actions. Social influences can affect human behaviour by changing our attitudes. So, actions like what i just mentioned affect our choices, and limits the options we have to choose from in life. Society can limit the ways you think, behave, choose, act, and develop, which makes it the perfect tool to completely strip away someones freedom without showing that its forcing this freedom to be taken away, basically, how society works is it makes us think we are free willed, but we are not free to choose what we want to do. There was enough said in this essay, maybe even too much. There were a lot of thoughts meant to be conveyed and views to be shared. There is only hope that one might understand the fact that governments don’t have to be evil fascist dictatorships or communist oppressors to control its citizens. Even though we may feel like we have complete control over our free will, there are external forces that impact the way we make our choices and the the paths we choose. Societies, religions, and governments are the major part of these external forces that manipulate our choices and our free will, so in the end, this idea of complete free will might be an illusion since humans are controlled by and external force whether it be government, religion or the society and individual lives in. â€Å"Because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation† (2 Thessalonians 2:13, New Revised Standard Version) In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will (Ephesians 1:11, Jerusalem Bible) In the very first book of the Old Testament one can interpret the fact that we are created in God’s image, therefore we posses God’s ability to be free (Genesis 1: 26, Jerusalem Bible) â€Å"So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God† (Romans 14:12, Jerusalem Bible).

Passenger To Freighter Conversion Of Aircrafts Engineering Essay

Passenger To Freighter Conversion Of Aircrafts Engineering Essay The purpose of the report is to provide detailed description for future aerospace engineers on how and why a P2F (also known as PTF or Passenger-to-Freighter) conversion is carried out. 1.2. Background Ever since the new millennium started, P2F conversions on aircrafts have become more common in the civil aviation industry. Major civil aviation industry companies (Airbus, Boeing, etc.) started researching with designs on how to modify an airframe structure of their ageing passenger jets to cargo freighters. In conjunction with the current economic situation, civil aviation logistic companies are trying to find ways to cut down expenses on replacing older cargo freighter aircrafts- buying P2F converted aircrafts. Furthermore, P2F conversions extend lifespan of passenger jets, providing first-hand quality P2F cargo aircrafts at second-hand cargo freighter prices. Since there is an increase in demand in the cargo freighter industry more companies will look at P2F conversions .Mainly because it is more economical for the company and they can gain the same amount of revenue at the same time. 1.3. Methodology The information was gathered from a few websites through the internet, books and magazine references .The content was retrieved from websites like http://www.eads.com , books like, magazines like. 1.4. Scope The Focused areas are mainly about the structural differences between a freighter aircraft and a passenger aircraft. In addition, the report will include structure of freighter planes. In addition, it will include the pros and cons of P2F and how the conversion is carried out. Lastly, this report includes the technical effects to the aircraft structure. 2. P2F Conversion Procedures There are various types of P2F conversion procedures. The various procedures are basically created by primary manufacturers (Boeing and Airbus) and assorted conversion companies (EADS (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company) and SIAEC (Singapore International Airlines Engineering Company)).As a result , there are many different procedures for a P2F conversion to be complete. The following procedures will be according to the 4-month conversion of the Airbus A310 wide-bodied airliner into the Airbus A310-200F by Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW).In the following few paragraphs I will discuss about the different procedures carried out during a P2F conversion procedure. (SPG Media Limited, 2010. Airbus A310-200F Freighter Aircraft-Aerospace Technology [online]. Available from: http://www.aerospace-technology.com/projects/a310-200f/) 2.1. Preparation before conversion The airplanes paintwork is scraped off. Thereafter, a fraction of the passenger cabin is taken out. The aircraft is then jacked into a neutral stress point for 4 weeks for the modification of the airframe. With the plane partially empty it is jacked up into a neutral stress point for 4 weeks for the adjustment of the aeroplanes body. (SPG Media Limited, 2010. Airbus A310-200F Freighter Aircraft-Aerospace Technology [online]. Available from: http://www.aerospace-technology.com/projects/a310-200f/) 2.2. Plug windows Now that the aircraft does not carry any more passengers, windows in the aircraft are useless. The windows previously used for passengers to look out of the aircraft are now plugged (covered up). As u can see in the image below, there are no more windows in a freighter aircraft because it saves time on maintenance and for safety reasons. Therefore the windows are plugged.(Marcel van Leeuwen, 2006, Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter Arrives in Seattle [online]. Civilian aviation news. Available from: http://www.aviationnews.eu/2006/09/17/boeing- 747-large-cargo-freighter-arrives-in-seattle/) Figure 2.6: Plugging of Windows (Airbus Freighter Conversion, 2010) 2.3. Removal of unwanted material Anything in the aircraft that is not needed anymore is removed from the aircraft. Passenger- related facilities and structure (like seats and carpet flooring) is take out of the as it does not come in handy for a cargo freighter. This is to make room for the installation of the new freighter equipment. With the removal of redundant material it creates space for the cargo. (SPG Media Limited, 2010. Airbus A310-200F Freighter Aircraft-Aerospace Technology [online]. Available from: http://www.aerospace-technology.com/projects/a310-200f/) 2.4. Fitting of cargo door The front-end of the fuselage section is opened up in 2 stages for the installation of the cargo door. The upper frame shell is held at its position and is secured by riveting the frame to the fuselage. The old lower frame shell section is substituted with a new lower frame shell that is lowered into the prepared cut-out location and incorporated strongly to the airframe. The frames forward and aft of the cut-out are entirely replaced by reinforced frames. After the installation of the frames, electric components and hydraulic systems are added for the cargo door to operate with ease. (SPG Media Limited, 2010. Airbus A310-200F Freighter Aircraft-Aerospace Technology [online]. Available from: http://www.aerospace- technology.com/projects/a310-200f/) Figure 2.1 à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ Cargo door of Boeing 747-200BDSF http://www.iai.co.il/sip_storage/files/6/34576.wmv, 2002 2.5. Installation of new flooring The normal flooring on a passenger aircraft cannot be used. Hence, the flooring on a passenger plane has to be removed and reinforced with a higher strength floor to resist heavy cargo loads. To move the cargo in the aircraft easily, ball mats and roller tracks are installed onto the cargo flooring. With the new flooring the aircraft can carry more load and be tough at the same time and move the cargo within the aircraft easily.(SPG Media Limited, 2010. Airbus A310-200F Freighter Aircraft-Aerospace Technology [online]. Available from:http://www.aerospace-technology.com/projects/a310-200f/) Figure 2.2-cargo loading system of airbus http://www.eads.com/eads/int/en.html 2.6. Final checks after conversion Once the body of the aircraft has been converted and all thatà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s left to do is to do a final check on the whole aircraft. Firstly, the aircraft avionics is adjusted before tests are carried out. Thereafter, the customer inspects the flight to make sure everything is in working condition. However, before the aircraft is handed over to the customer the documentation for the conversion is finalised. With all these procedures done, the P2F conversion is complete. (SPG Media Limited, 2010. Airbus A310-200F Freighter Aircraft-Aerospace Technology [online]. Available from: http://www.aerospace-technology.com/projects/a310-200f/) 3. P2F conversionà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s cost impact 3.1 Replacement of ageing Freighters by P2Fs. Since the current condition for the economy is not at a very healthy condition, many aero- logistic companies would scout around for second hand cargo freighters. However, second-hand freighters have now reduced in numbers so drastically that most of them will stop flying within a few years. Hence, P2F conversions will help solve the problem of ageing cargo freighters in the near future. In 2009, airbus presented their 20-year forecast of their future freighter fleet. In their statistics shown in Fig3.1, Airbus emphasised on P2F conversions as the way to go to solve the problem of freighter insufficiency Therefore, by 2028 more than half the freighters around the world will be P2F converted. This is because P2F conversion requires low cost, shorter time and less material than manufacturing a freighter from scratch, making it a cost effective solution. (J. Leahy, L. Rouaud, 2009. Global market forecast 2009-2028 [online], 164.Avaialable from: http://www.airbus.com/en/gmf2009/appli.htm ?onglet=HYPERLINK http://www.airbus.com/en/gmf2009/appli.htm?onglet=page=HYPERLINK http://www.airbus.com/en/gmf2009/appli.htm?onglet=page=page= .) Figure3.1: graph of PTF in demand (Airbus 2009) http://www.airbus.com/en/gmf2009/appli.htm?onglet=HYPERLINK http://www.airbus.com/en/gmf2009/appli.htm?onglet=page=HYPERLINK http://www.airbus.com/en/gmf2009/appli.htm?onglet=page=page= 3.2. Demand of P2F aircrafts P2F conversion will take the freighter industry to a whole different level. In addition, the wider range of freighter types from P2F conversion will create a new generation of small jet freighters (e.g. Airbus A320 P2F).Besides that ,majority of Airbus freighter demand will be aided with P2F conversion as 96% of freighters in 2028 will be P2F aircrafts. This shows that the future of the P2F conversion industry will have a bright future. (J. Leahy, L. Rouaud,2009. Global market forecast 2009-2028 [online], 164.Avaialable from: http://www.airbus.com/en/gmf2009/appli.htm?onglet=HYPERLINK http://www.airbus.com/en/gmf2009/appli.htm?onglet=page=HYPERLINK http://www.airbus.com/en/gmf2009/appli.htm?onglet=page=page=.) figure3.2: graph on small jet freighters (Airbus 2009) http://www.airbus.com/en/gmf2009/appli.htm?onglet=HYPERLINK http://www.airbus.com/en/gmf2009/appli.htm?onglet=page=HYPERLINK http://www.airbus.com/en/gmf2009/appli.htm?onglet=page=page= 4. Benefits and limitations of P2F conversion Despite its many advantages such as its ability to save money time, material and manpower needed. Alongside, it helps extend an aircrafts life and replaces ageing freighters in the market. However, its disadvantages include acceptable use of market price as well as availability of aircraft. The next few paragraphs will explain and elaborate more on the benefits and limitations of P2F conversion. 4.1 Benefits 4.1.1 Saves cost Companies around the world who are looking to purchase freighter cargo aircraft would most likely try to save up on anything they can save on. One of the benefits of P2F conversions is that it helps companies save money. A P2F converted aircraft costs nearly one third of a freighter aircraft made from scratch. Since ità ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s just part of the aircraft that is reconstructed, it will help save cost on the amount of material used. When there is less work to be done, less manpower is needed. Hence; they can save cost by employing fewer engineers to work. Therefore, P2F conversions help save money for companies. (According to Phillip Securities Research (2005), initiating coverage Singapore) 4.1.2 Extends aircraft life A P2F conversion helps extend an aircrafts life span as well. When an aircraft is almost reaching its age of retirement it can either be scrapped or reborn again. In this case the aircraft is sent to companies that deal with conversions. The old structure is replaced with new structure in order for it to fly safely. Therefore, P2F conversions help extend the lifespan of an aircraft.(EADS media centre, Rising (like a phoenix [online], available from: http://www.contentforce.de/iptv/player/macros/_s_eads/_x_s- 35848193/mediacenter.html?height=500HYPERLINK http://www.contentforce.de/iptv/player/macros/_s_eads/_x_s- 35848193/mediacenter.html?height=500width=1024attrs=scrolling=noHYPERLINK http://www.contentforce.de/iptv/player/macros/_s_eads/_x_s- 35848193/mediacenter.html?height=500width=1024attrs=scrolling=nowidth=1024HYPERLINK http://www.contentforce.de/iptv/player/macros/_s_eads/_x_s- 35848193/mediacenter.html?height=500width=1024attrs=scrolling=noHYPERLINK http://www.contentforce.de /iptv/player/macros/_s_eads/_x_s- 35848193/mediacenter.html?height=500width=1024attrs=scrolling=noattrs=scrolling%3Dno) (SIA engineering company websiteprovides information on what P2F conversion is) 4.2 Limitations 4.2.1 Acceptable used market price P2F conversions serve as a form of investment for airline companies. If the cost of the conversion is more than the proposed price to sell the aircraft, the owner selling the P2F converted aircraft will incur a loss. In addition, different models of aircraft go through different kinds of conversion processes. Hence, the standard of quality and the workmanship to set prices for the P2F aircrafts vary widely, which might lead to underpriced P2F planes. (Hamilton, http://museair.googlepages.com/ThePassingofanUnrecognisedIndustryGi.pdf , 2007) 4.2.2 Airframe availability In order to perform a P2F conversion, there must be available airframes. The airframe needs to be from an airworthy passenger jet which is not in service anymore. If not, it would make no sense just to make an aircraft and convert it. Therefore, the number of used jets there are out there is limited to availability. (Hamilton, http://museair.googlepages.com/ThePassingofanUnrecognisedIndustryGi.pdf , 2007) 5. Conclusion The P2F conversion procedure may seem simple to digest. However, it is much more sophisticated compared to the other areas in the aeronautical market. Regardless, the freighter market is shinning their spotlight on P2F conversions to give old passenger aircrafts a second chance to fly again as freighters. In addition, P2F aircrafts are able to perform almost as well as new freighters made from scratch. No matter how advanced P2F conversion gets, there are limits for the acceptable used market price. Otherwise, the conversion will result in heavy loss financially. 6. Recommendations P2F conversion is a very profitable market to invest in. Companies dealing with P2F can take one more step by making use of more advanced technology when they are converting aircrafts. It can help save cost by using less material and maybe even with efficiency. Therefore P2F conversions can take one more step ahead by doing more research in this industry as there will be a rise in demand for freighter aircrafts in the future. III. References SPG Media Limited, 2010. Airbus A310-200F Freighter Aircraft-Aerospace Technology [online]. Available from: http://www.aerospace-technology.com/projects/a310-200f/ [Accessed 16 august 2010] Marcel van Leeuwen, 2006, Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter Arrives in Seattle [online]. Civilian aviation news. Available from: http://www.aviationnews.eu/2006/09/17/boeing-747-large-cargo-freighter-arrives-in-seattle/, [Accessed 16 august 2010] J. Leahy, L. Rouaud,2009. Global market forecast 2009-2028 [online], 164.Avaialable from: http://www.airbus.com/en/gmf2009/appli.htm?onglet=HYPERLINK http://www.airbus.com/en/gmf2009/appli.htm?onglet=page=HYPERLINK http://www.airbus.com/en/gmf2009/appli.htm?onglet=page=page= .[Accessed 16 august 2010] like a phoenix [online], available from: http://www.contentforce.de/iptv/player/macros/_s_eads/_x_s-35848193/mediacenter.html .[Accessed 16 august 2010] SIA engineering company websiteprovides information on what P2F conversion is. [Accessed 16 august 2010] Hamilton,http://museair.googlepages.com/ThePassingofanUnrecognisedIndustryGi.pdf , 2007 [Accessed 16 august 2010]

Milk And Dairy Industry Uk Economics Essay

Milk And Dairy Industry Uk Economics Essay The  area of Great Britain and Northern Ireland  (commonly known as the  United Kingdom) is the sovereign state  located near northwest coast of  continental Europe. It is an  island country  spanning with an  archipelago, accumulated with the northeast part of  Ireland, and many small islands.  Northern Ireland  is the only part of the UK  with a land border, sharing it with the  Republic of Ireland.  Apart from this land border, the UK is surrounded by the  Atlantic Ocean, the  North Sea, the English Channel  and the  Irish Sea. The largest island, Great Britain, is linked to  France  by the  Channel Tunnel. (Wikipedia Information.net) SOME POLITICAL FACTS ABOUT THE COUNTRY The United Kingdom is a  constitutional monarchy  and   unitary state  consisting of four  countries:  England,  Northern Ireland,  Scotland  and Wales.  It is governed by a  parliamentary system  with its  seat of government  in  London, the  capital, but with three different  national administrations in  Belfast,  Cardiff  and  Edinburgh, the capitals of Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland respectively. SOME ECONOMICAL FACTS ABOUT THE COUNTRY The UK is a  developed country, with the worlds  sixth largest economy  by nominal  GDP  and the  seventh largest  in  purchasing power parity.  It was the worlds first  industrialized  country  and the worlds  foremost power  during the 19th and early 20th centuries,  but the economic cost of two world wars and the decline of its empire in the latter half of the 20th century diminished its leading role in global affairs. The UK nevertheless remains a  major power  with strong economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence. It is a  nuclear power  and has the fourth highest  defense  in the world. It is a  Member State  of the  European Union, holds a permanent seat on the  United Nations Security Council, and is a member of the  Commonwealth of Nations,  G8,  OECD,  NATO, and the  World Trade Organization. (Wikipedia Information.net) The Dairy industry contributes  £6.8 Billion which is about 10% of GB GDP.   The contribution has been steadily rising over many years. The industry contains many different specialist sub-sectors and, increasingly, changes in technology have led to changes in the nature of jobs within the industry. The trend towards fewer, more skilled and better-paid employees , necessitates a significant further investment in education and training. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Flag Royal coat of arms Anthem:  God Save the Queen[1] The United Kingdom (dark green) shown in relation to the European Union  (light green) and other areas of  Europe(dark grey) Capital (and largest city) London 51 °30à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ²N  0 °7à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ²W Official languages English  (de facto) Recognized regional  languages Irish,  Ulster Scots,  Scottish Gaelic  ,  Scots,  Welsh, Cornish (wikiPEDIA INFO.NET) REVIEW OF THE MILK AND DAIRY INDUSTRY INTRODUCTION The dairy industry represents around 18% of the gross agricultural output of the UK, and dairy farmers are an important and sizeable part of the National Farmers Union NFUs farming membership. Dairy farmers have endured difficult times in recent years, notably with regard to farm gate profitability. Soaring prices on the world dairy commodity markets in 2007 resulted in rises in farm gate prices, totaling an average increase of 8ppl by the autumn. This has created optimism in the dairy industry and allowed most farmers to start breaking into a profit. However, there are ten years of underinvestment and debt to make up for and farmers now need a sustained period of higher prices to enable some long-overdue investments in their businesses. While the outlook of the British dairy industry is broadly positive, the confidence of dairy farmers remains fragile. Production costs have risen massively in the last twelve months. Higher feed, fertilizer and fuel costs are eroding the benefits of higher prices. In addition to this are the substantial infrastructure costs that dairy farmers face under the proposed revisions to the NVZ (Nitrate Vulnerable Zones) Action Program. With these issues in mind, this document provides a background briefing to the dairy farming sector and looks at the future challenges and prospects. Britains Dairy Farmers Dairy farmers in the UK are amongst the largest and most competitive in the European Union. Dairy farms are situated across the UK, but are concentrated mostly in areas where the climate encourages favorable conditions for grassland farming. In recent years milk production has gravitated towards the West and South West of England, West Wales and Northern Ireland. The number of dairy farmers in the UK has fallen dramatically, and continues to decline. In 2001 there were 26,110 registered production holdings in England and Wales. By February 2009 this had fallen to 12,465. This figure represents a 5% fall on February 2008 figures, and therefore reflects the continuing pattern of decline. Until recently, for every farmer leaving the industry another farmer was willing to expand. Consequently, the average size of dairy herds in the UK has increased from 72 cows in 1999 to 95 in 2010. At the same time, genetic and management improvements in dairy cattle have seen the average cow increase milk production from 5,000 litres a year in 1993 to 9609 liters in 2011. In recent years however, the industry has seen a decrease in production, suggesting that either larger milk producing herds are leaving or the number of herds expanding has decreased. (Wikipedia Information.net , The Dairysite.com) A Brief History of the British Dairy Industry Since the 1920s- 1994, the market for raw milk was managed by four statutory milk marketing boards (MMBs). One Board bought and sold all wholesale milk from farms in England and Wales. The MMBs were wound-up in the early 1990s allowing existing farmers to sell milk either to new farmer co-operatives created in their place or directly to dairy processing companies. The co-op, Milk Marque, was created for broker milk sales in England and Wales. In the early days following the abolition of the Boards, dairy farmers enjoyed a relatively prosperous time as milk prices had increased to 27 pence per litre (ppl). However, the rise in milk price coincided with a unique set of economic circumstances driven by Black Wednesday and the UK pulling out of the Exchange Rate Mechanism, which devalued the Pound against major EU currencies that had increased the value of EU market support and the competitiveness of UK dairy produce. Prices started to slide in 1998/9 and more and more producers opted to leave Milk Marque to supply dairy companies directly who offered a higher price as an incentive to join. Around the same time, a legal case was brought against Milk Marque by milk processors through the then Dairy Trades Federation, who argued that MM was operating as a complex monopoly and was abusing its dominant position in the raw milk market. In 1999, the Monopolies and Mergers Commission produced a report supporting the case brought to the Office of Fair trading by the DTF. The result of this case led to the break-up of Milk Marque. In its place, three daughter co-ops Milk Link, Axis and Zenith were set up in 2000. In recent years these businesses have consolidated, Axis brands merging with Scottish Milk brands to form First Milk and Zenith with a small milk co-op, the Milk Group to form Dairy Farmers of Britain. The Dairy Industry in modern times The dairy industry had seen remarkable consolidation at all levels in the last decade. While there were over 100 milk buyers in the country, six large dairy companies dominate the GB market. The largest dairy companies are: Dairy Crest The Company buys approximately 2.4 billion litres every year from 1,400 direct supplying dairy farmers, the majority of whom are located in southern, central England and South Wales (as well as some milk brokered from milk co-operatives, especially FirstMilk). Dairy Crest manufactures liquid milk and a range of dairy products, including cheese, milk powder, desserts, butter, and cream. Its best known brands are Cathedral City and Country Life. Arla Foods -Swedish/ Danish farmers co-operative of approx 9,400 members, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary in the UK. The company focuses on supplying fresh milk to retailers as well as managing dairy imports from Scandinavia and New Zealand. UK has a workforce of 6,300 and processes 2.3 billion liters milk at 13 plants, supplied mostly by the Arla Foods Milk Partnership, a farmer group of around 1,600 members. Dairy Farmers of Britain Farmer co-operative with around 2,600 farmer members, predominately located in the North of England and Wales. DFB makes a broad range of products including liquid milk, cheese, butter, ingredients and desserts, both for supermarkets and own brand. DFB also supplies milk to other dairy companies and runs eight separate processing sites and sixty distribution depots. Robert Wiseman Dairies Private dairy company that specializes in processing and delivering fresh liquid milk throughout Great Britain. It operates from 6 major processing dairies in Aberdeen, East Kilbride, Glasgow, Manchester and Droitwich Spa and a new dairy in Bridgwater, Somerset. The company has developed relationships with a number of major supermarket groups, resulting in more than 70% of its sales to multiple retailers. Milk Link Farmer co-operative essentially making cheese, ingredients and desserts. Milk Link supplies all the UKs major food retailers, many of its largest food processors, and food services organizations. It is the UKs largest cheese producer, with the bulk of its members being located in the South and South West of England. First Milk Farmer-owned business, with 2600 farmer members, formed in 2001, from the merger of two leading dairy groups. As well as supplying other dairy companies (notably Robert Wiseman Dairies in which it has a 15% stake and Dairy Crest) with milk, the company owns creameries in Cumbria, West Wales and the Scottish islands. There are also a large number of small to medium sized local or specialist processors such as Lactalis/ McLelland, Belton cheese, J Heler, Muller Dairies, Fresh ways, Medina Dairies and a small number of milk buyers that operate largely as intermediaries, supplying milk to a range of different markets. (http://www.ipaquotas.com/dairyfarmer.htm) The Current Dairy Market- The UK The British dairy market is observed as a domestic market. The UK is around 90% self-sufficient in milk and dairy produce and half of all raw milk is sold as fresh liquid milk. In the past, much of this would have been sold on doorstep rounds. Now the highest proportion is sold through major multiple retailers. Cheese takes up a further 28% of the market. Consumption of liquid milk had been declining until recently where statistics indicate stabilization in consumption, with increasing demand for low fat milks. Utilization of milk by UK dairies 2010/11 (million litres) The concentration of the industry on liquid milk and failure to add value has had important consequences for British dairying. The industry has, to some extent, become more commoditized and struggled to capitalize on real growth markets. It has also seen the value of imports increase compared to the value of exports with recent estimations that the deficit. OBJECTIVES OF THE REPORT The following objectives will be covered in the report in detail: To study the Milk production in U.K. To study the reasons for decline in milk production Pricing factors for the industry Challenges faced within the industry To analyze the milk and its products consumption in the British families (Via Survey Method) Milk production in U.K. Deliveries to dairies in the 2010/11 milk year totaled 15,212 million litres. Adjusting this figure for the presence of a leap year gives total milk deliveries of 16,176 million liters, the lowest cumulative figure since deregulation and around 500 million liters (4.2%) down on the five year average. 5 year average daily 2010/11 average daily Looking at average daily deliveries by month shows the milk year started off relatively well with April deliveries only 0.9 million liters per day less than the five year average. This was a result of a mild spring encouraging good grass growth and early turn out. The three months from May to July were the wettest on record which was one of the factors that led milk deliveries in July to fall to an average of 35.4 million litres per day. That was three million liters per day (7.8%) lower than the average for the month. This deficit decreased towards November with better weather and prices. However the effect of the earlier poor weather on silage quality and rising feed prices appears to have impacted on milk deliveries in the final four months of the milk year with daily deliveries averaging 3.5% lower than the five year average. The UK dairy industry employs more than 23,800 across 600 workplaces nationwide. It includes the operation of dairies and the manufacture of dairy products, such as iceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ cream. There are many wellà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ known companies, such as Yeo Valley Farms, Danone, Dairy Crest Ltd., Unilever iceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ cream and Wensleydale Dairy Products. 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 Key facts: There are 23,800 people working in the dairy industry, of which: 87% of the workforce is in the operation of dairies and cheese 14% in the manufacture of iceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ cream The industry represents 6% of those employed in Great Britains food and drink manufacturing sector. 36% of the workforce is 45 years or older. 45% of the current workforce will be eligible for retirement within the next 20 years. 13% of the workforce has a degree or equivalent qualification . The highest qualification for much of the workforce is GCSE grades Aà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ C (20%) or A Levels (13%). 19% of the workforce has no qualifications. Workforce statistics Number of UK employees: 23,800 Number of UK employers: 600 Gender: 76% male 24% female Ethnicity: 92% of the workforce is white, 5% Asian/British Asian and 3% Black/Black British 2,300 migrant workers (nonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ UK nationals) are estimated to be working in the industry Age: 26% of the workforce is aged 16-30 years 14% is 30-34 years 15% is 35-39 years 13% is 40-44 years 22% is 45-49 years Disability: 7% of the workforce has some form of work limited disability. [N.B. Data derived from Labour Force Survey, 2010 and Annual Business Inquiry, 2009.] Reasons for decline in milk production In most instances in the dairy industry, increases in production costs have offset/negated any efficiency gains made by expanding producers. More recently, this logic has been tested as milk production has gradually fallen over the last 5 years. 2011 was an exceptionally bad year due to the additional effects of poor weather on grazing conditions and winter forage quality. Cumulative production to March 2011 stood at just 13,215 million liters, which was 2% lower than last year and represents a production figure not seen since the 1974/5 milk production year. In addition, in the 2010/11 milk production year, the UK was a massive 986m liter (7%) under quota. Research suggests that the falling trend of milk production in the UK will most certainly continue in the short term. The low level of confidence has led to reductions in producer numbers and a reduction in the number of farmers willing and able to expand further. Coupled with this, the industry has suffered many years of underinv estment due to a sustained period of low milk price. In light of the challenges ahead in the form of environmental regulation, coping with the impacts of disease and higher variable production costs it is likely that we will see further contraction in the industry in the immediate future. Recent price increases have however brought some confidence back to some producers in increasing milk production on their holdings. The 2010 Farmer Intentions Survey from Dairy Co revealed that 37% of dairy farmers intend to increase milk production, yet 7% of dairy farmers intend to exit the industry in the next two years. This forecasted increase in production on some farms, coupled with a reduction in the number of dairy farmers will result in a further fall in milk production by 2012/13 in Britain of 0.6%. Pricing factors for the industry Milk pricing and profitability are the biggest issues affecting dairy farmers. The average farm gate milk price for 2007 was 20.66 ppl with a February 2008 average milk price of 25.62 ppl. This reflects a much needed 8ppl increase on the average farm gate price of just 18ppl in 2006 which has increased drastically in 2011/12 by 48ppl. Since the mid 1990s, the industry has seen a general decline in dairy farm profitability and massive restructuring has taken place at farm level. To cope with Low Prices, farmers have sought efficiency gains to remain profitable largely through increasing herd size and cutting costs where feasible. In the past a combination of factors has driven farm gate milk prices including: Prices for internationally traded commodity dairy products EU market support Exchange rates The balance between the supply of raw milk and the level of demand for milk products Weak negotiation, due to structure of industry The costs of manufacturing milk EU and world commodity markets have been seen historically as the biggest driver in raw milk prices. They are still influential and are the biggest reason behind the well documented increases in milk prices in the UK and elsewhere in 2011. However, the British dairy market is essentially domestic, which should limit the exposure to commodity market forces The British retail market for dairy products is fiercely competitive. In respect of the cheese market, for example, regular tendering is the norm and with large quantities of cheese imported from Ireland and other EU member states, there is fierce competition to secure supply contracts. Costs of Milk Production It is notoriously difficult to establish average production costs, however over the last three years production costs have increased dramatically as a result of oil, fertilizer and feed price increases and the escalating cost of farm labor. The First Milk/Promar report of March 2009 suggests that the true cost of production for UK dairy farmers is estimated to rise to 36.64ppl in the next year, not accounting for any profit margin. Challenges faced within the industry Access to raw material is key to global position Milk production is highly regulated by quotas and mobility of raw material is difficult Raw milk is perishable and cant be transported long distances Milk production is challenging: no compromises on food safety, labour intensive and milk is collected daily Seasonality of production leads to overcapacity Requires long term investments on farm and industry level Competitiveness of the dairy processors is increasingly decisive for the pricing of raw material milk to farmers Better regulation and simplification Flaws are identified, but results are not satisfactory Slow decision-making process Lack of predictability Horizontal regulations concerning feed, hygiene, claims and labelling New regulations for animal welfare and quality labelling? Milk specific regulation: drinking milk, spreads and preserved milk Route to market Access to world market Global players include different geographical regions in their business strategies, but SME ´s have difficulties in approach. Specific support mechanisms could be helpful Industrial policy is made too much on terms of agricultural policy Technical and sanitary measures are barriers to trade: animal disease outbreaks, divergent analysis and sampling methods, zero tolerances, milk products and animal health standards Innovations Innovations have been and are essential in improving the global competitiveness of dairy industry and creating value added products Innovations in the future are more and more linked to the health and well-being of consumers. This means that more scientific evidence is needed for marketing of these products EU should create and improve platforms to support such development in research. The Technology Platform on food research, called Food for Life is a good example of such development and creating science based innovations Claims are essential and needed for marketing and consumer communication of these new products. This means that approval of claims should not prevent or slowdown this development European level programs in science and research (7th framework program) are essential in boosting the science-based innovations in open environment. Probiotic dairy products are good examples of commercial success in this area SME ´s should have easier access to these programs Environmental Challenges Among the biggest challenges facing UK dairy farming is how the industry interacts with the environment. The industry is working hard to ensure that any environmental risks associated with milk production are minimized and to deliver positive environmental improvements. Some notable achievements include a 13.5% reduction in methane emissions from livestock since 1990 and a reduction in overall fertilizer usage in dairy farming by 46% since 1997. Over 35% of farmland managed for dairy farming in the UK is now in an ELS environmental stewardship agreement. Action on farm is being co-ordinate through the Environmental Plan for Dairy Farming (EPDF). The EPDF promotes integrated solutions to tackling the sectors environmental problems, i.e. solutions that tackle more than one environmental issue and are easy for farmers to implement such as nutrient management plans. In addition to the EPDF, the development of an industry Roadmap for the dairy sector in England identifies the environmenta l impacts of producing and consuming milk across the supply chain and sets targets for mitigating and reducing those impacts. Critically, the Roadmap promotes better understanding of the social, economic and environmental benefits of milk and aims to achieve a balance between productivity and environmental improvement, thus securing the long term sustainability of dairying. Other Challenges Animal health and welfare continue to be high priorities for the dairy industry. The UK dairy industry adopts the highest standards of animal health and welfare, monitored primarily through the Assured Dairy Farms (ADF) scheme, of which 95% of UK dairy farmers are registered. The England Cattle Health and Welfare Group (ECHAWG) also provide a forum for the veterinary profession, farmers, industry bodies and government to work together to tackle health and welfare issues such as Johnes Disease, mastitis ,lameness, bovine Tuberculosis, an increasingly serious issue for many dairy farmers and, most recently, Bluetongue. FINDINGS Analysis via survey method to detect the rise and fall in the consumption of milk and its products! This analysis was carried forward by using the survey method thereby utilizing the questions given in the form of a questionnaire to assess the participants on the total consumption of the milk and its products in the uk. A sample of 50 participants was drawn from the population for further analysis. A sample figure of the questionnaire is given below- The procedure of the experiment that adopted the survey method as a means of reaching its destination has drew the following findings. According to the survey, 38% of the individuals preferred first milk as a brand over other milk brands and least no of people preferred milk link as a brand. This difference between the preferences must have existed due to pricing of the products, its quality, advertising and its availability. Another interesting fact that emerged was preferences of individuals for choosing the type of milk and it was found out that 42% of people preferred whole milk over other milk types followed by least preference for skimmed milk with only 24%. This difference obviously existed due to quality difference and tastes of the milk types. Another fact that was found out was individuals preferences for powdered and bottled milk that showed a positive percentage for bottled milk with 78% and very little preference for powdered milk. This must be existent due to quality reasons of the milk and the freshness (preservatives vs. fresh milk). The end part of the survey dealt with the family preferences for milk consumption in the UK. It was noticed that maximum no of individuals purchased the milk on alternate basis resulting in 46% from the total. And the numbers of individuals consuming milk within the families are also ranked as high as 42% which reflected that all of the family members drink milk and its products almost on daily basis. It was interesting to note that most of the individuals went by the price of the milk compared to the quality of milk which meant that they usually compromised over the quality over the price thereby resulting in gains for companies that provided milk at a cheaper cost compared to others. Lastly it was asked as to which product of milk apart from its pure form was preferred the most and it was noticed that 46% of the British families preferred cheese product of milk and least preferred the butter 12% which shows the British preference of dairy products depending on their cuisines and dishes made in their homes. By the end of survey finally it was found that most of the individuals preferred milk as an essential nutrient for their daily breakfast needs (64%) compared to any other meal of the day which reflects the energy source and dietary supplements provided by the milk maximize the most over other food supplements. RECOMMENDATIONS FARMERS à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Know your cost of production and Add value by maximizing your contract. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Make use of the NFUs inputs monitor and challenge suppliers to seek out best deals. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Offer farmers proper milk contracts, in line with the NFU template, that provide long term stability and transparency on terms and price. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Be transparent about costs, markets and milk prices. Show how you are improving efficiency and cutting costs at the factory. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Promote the Red Tractor prominently, on front of pack, on all branded dairy products. RETAILERS AND FOOD SERVICE à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Food service sector to extend commitments to sourcing assured, British products to all dairy products and promote the Red Tractor to clients. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ All major retailers to increase the number of British, Farm Assured dairy product lines offered to consumers. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Retailers to promote the Red Tractor prominently, on front of pack, on all own label dairy products. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Retailers to establish direct, dedicated relationships with dairy farmers supplying British, own label cheese lines. GOVERNMENT à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ All government departments to adopt the NFU model clause and specify use of Red Tractor in its procurement contracts. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Establish a milk production taskforce to examine the reasons behind, and the solutions to, our falling milk production trend. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Make farmers aware of the support and funding streams that are available to them through the RDPE. RDAs to ensure that these funds are easily accessible. BANKS à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Banks to honor long term, established relationships with clients. Pass on base rate cuts in full and support farmers including tenants to invest for the future. NFU (NATIONAL FARMERS UNION) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Maintain the call for an independent body to take the politics out of animal disease and resist any attempt by Defra to transfer costs onto the industry. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Continue lobbying to improve milk contracts offered to farmers by milk buyers. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Maintain scrutiny on input costs to ensure that changes in prices are being passed down to farmers. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Lead a positive campaign to promote the benefits of dairy farming and the importance of productive British agriculture. CONCLUSION The outlook for the British dairy industry is broadly positive. Despite the irrefutable pressures that farmers continue to face, the future prospects for British dairy farmers is bright. Milk producers are efficient and operate in a prosperous, well-populated country, with strong traditions of consuming dairy products. Demand for many dairy products, worldwide, is increasing as a result of economic and population growth. Climatic factors appear to be pegging production in traditional export areas and the EU may be well placed to capitalize on world market growth in the long run. But there remain many significant short-term challenges.

Rwanda Genocide Compared to Blood Done Sign My Name Essay -- literature

From April to July of 1994 terror struck Rwanda as Hutu members of the nation brutally maimed, raped, and killed around 800,000 Tutsi members, along with partial Hutu members. Leading up to the genocide, there was tension between both ethnicities. Over the decades, people of the Hutu ethnicity took power of the country, in fact, Major General Juvenal Habyarimana, a moderate Hutu, took office for over ten years (History.com Staff, 2009). Correspondingly, in years leading up to the Rwanda genocide, in another country called America, the ethnic group of Africa Americans was being harshly discriminated against. In the 1900s, slavery was no longer legal in the states; however, a few decades before the Rwanda genocide, Oxford, North Carolina took a toll against punitive decimation and homicide based on someone’s ethnic group. On May 11, 1970 (fourteen years before the Rwandan genocide), Henry â€Å"Dickie† Marrow was murdered by three white men who, at the time, were very well known men in Oxford. He was brutally beaten and shot before eventually dying while under medical care. Marrow was murdered strictly based on the color of his skin and the where he came from. Although the thirteen amendment was passed in the 1800s, (The Library Of Congress , 2014), it took over to a century for racial discrimination against African Americans to some to a slow. Unfortunately, in smaller areas, such as; Denton, North Carolina, there is still racial discrimination today. During this event, a white boy named Timothy Tyson was watching the events, he later grew up to write a book with stories from different people on what happened, to get the actual facts. The book is now called, Blood Done Sign My Name. The horror began in Rwanda when a plane carryi... ...cide ended when the Rwandan Patriotic Front took over the country. This was a group of Tutsi who were from Uganda and were trained fighters (Rosenberg, 2014). This is into comparison with when the blacks won and the Teel’s where sent to trail and charged. Works Cited Armenian Youth Federation. (2014). Genocide in Rwanda. Retrieved April 30, 2014, from United Human Rights Council : http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/genocide/genocide_in_rwanda.htm History.com Staff. (2009). History.com. Retrieved April 30, 2014, from The Rwandan Genocide : http://www.history.com/topics/rwandan-genocide Rosenberg, J. (2014). A Short History of the Rwanda Genocide. Retrieved 2014, from Rwanda Genocide. The Library Of Congress . (2014, April 10). Primary Documents in American History . Retrieved April 30 , 2014, from http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/13thamendment.html Rwanda Genocide Compared to Blood Done Sign My Name Essay -- literature From April to July of 1994 terror struck Rwanda as Hutu members of the nation brutally maimed, raped, and killed around 800,000 Tutsi members, along with partial Hutu members. Leading up to the genocide, there was tension between both ethnicities. Over the decades, people of the Hutu ethnicity took power of the country, in fact, Major General Juvenal Habyarimana, a moderate Hutu, took office for over ten years (History.com Staff, 2009). Correspondingly, in years leading up to the Rwanda genocide, in another country called America, the ethnic group of Africa Americans was being harshly discriminated against. In the 1900s, slavery was no longer legal in the states; however, a few decades before the Rwanda genocide, Oxford, North Carolina took a toll against punitive decimation and homicide based on someone’s ethnic group. On May 11, 1970 (fourteen years before the Rwandan genocide), Henry â€Å"Dickie† Marrow was murdered by three white men who, at the time, were very well known men in Oxford. He was brutally beaten and shot before eventually dying while under medical care. Marrow was murdered strictly based on the color of his skin and the where he came from. Although the thirteen amendment was passed in the 1800s, (The Library Of Congress , 2014), it took over to a century for racial discrimination against African Americans to some to a slow. Unfortunately, in smaller areas, such as; Denton, North Carolina, there is still racial discrimination today. During this event, a white boy named Timothy Tyson was watching the events, he later grew up to write a book with stories from different people on what happened, to get the actual facts. The book is now called, Blood Done Sign My Name. The horror began in Rwanda when a plane carryi... ...cide ended when the Rwandan Patriotic Front took over the country. This was a group of Tutsi who were from Uganda and were trained fighters (Rosenberg, 2014). This is into comparison with when the blacks won and the Teel’s where sent to trail and charged. Works Cited Armenian Youth Federation. (2014). Genocide in Rwanda. Retrieved April 30, 2014, from United Human Rights Council : http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/genocide/genocide_in_rwanda.htm History.com Staff. (2009). History.com. Retrieved April 30, 2014, from The Rwandan Genocide : http://www.history.com/topics/rwandan-genocide Rosenberg, J. (2014). A Short History of the Rwanda Genocide. Retrieved 2014, from Rwanda Genocide. The Library Of Congress . (2014, April 10). Primary Documents in American History . Retrieved April 30 , 2014, from http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/13thamendment.html

Improving Management Styles Essay -- essays research papers

Improving Management Styles and Their Function   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the article When the Problem is Management, author Lawrence Sawyer takes a look at the different styles that managers have in their practice, how they can better perform their functions and how they relate to the four basic functions of management. As an internal auditor, Mr. Sawyer provides some insight to these managers in helping them and their departments make better use of the tools they have and points out what basic function they are violating. This article and its basic points relate directly to the assigned 1st week’s reading in our Management 330 textbook and is an excellent example in how to relate the reading to a real life example. Ways to improve one’s own organization or their specific department in their own organization can be taken and applied as well, as this article is an excellent review on the functions of management and how they put their practices into effect.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the article, Mr. Sawyer recalls many experiences he has had in dealing with managers of different organizations and how he has found that whatever flaws was found could be directly related to the four basic functions of management, which are planning, organizing, directing and controlling. Planning is described as the function preceding all other functions and allows a smooth and proper flow through the remaining functions by establishing objectives and goals and following procedures and rules that have been set. An excellent example was given of an audit performed for a company where a manager’s practice in governing his engineer’s time schedule was scrutinized. The manager was made to realize from his own work how he had three years of planned backlog. This was seen and accepted by the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Management Functions 3 manager and corrective action was taken to regain control of the tasks at hand. Better planning practices were implemented to establish priorities and cut completion time expectations for his engineers. Good organization practices are described more as a counter to failure than a guarantee for success. Responsibility, auth... ...ecisions that are very routine often consume much time in getting supervisory approval and would be very easy to delegate to the agents responsibility. Also, upper level management be surprised at how interesting it would be to an ordinary agent to learn about how forecasting works and the outcomes of other reports in our department. In conclusion, Lawrence Sawyer’s assessment of the importance of the four basic functions of management and the different styles managers have in implementing them was very informative. Anyone should be able to take this evaluation and better improve their own personal management habits and styles and see how they can be applied to their surrounding work environment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Management Functions 6 Resources Sawyer, Lawrence B. (1998, August). When the problem is management. Internal Auditor Vol. 55 Issue 4, p33, 6p. [EBSCOhost]. University of Phoenix Online Collection. Available: http://www.apollolibrary.com/srp/ubm/mgt330.asp: (2002, August 5).

Is There Sufficient Evidence in Sources D-I to Explain Why the Troubles Broke Out in 1969? Essay

Introduction Throughout history England has ruled Ireland. For Over 300 years there has been conflict between Catholics and Protestants. The whole conflicts was rooted in religion, but within the last centaury the troubles have escalated to include political and economical issues for example; in 1921 Protestants set down things like the penal laws in the 17th centaury, Catholics were excluded from politics; they were treated as if they were below Protestants. Problems like this have led Catholics fighting for what they believe is right and for their equality, they have shown this in non-violent and violent forms one example is bloody Sunday in 1969. In 1918 Ireland was partitioned into Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. Ireland was split into three separate parties; Nationalists were home rule and to be part of the British Empire, Unionists were to be completely ruled by Britain, Sinn Fein were to be entirely independent with their own government and rules. In the following essay I am going to describe and evaluate sources D-I in telling us why violence erupted in 1969. I will be exploring the sources reliability, accuracy, whether it is fact, whether it is biased and basically discussing whether they are reliable evidence to show us exactly why the trouble did brake out in 1969. Source D Source D is an adaptation written by a Catholic civil rights spokes person named B Devlin in 1969. B Devlin based this piece of writing on how a young Roman Catholic school girl described her days. Source D tells the reader about how the vice principle of St Patrick’s Academy, Mother Benignus felt towards the English and protestants, as well as how she gave her opinion to the students of her school. Mother Benignus’s opinion was that protestants may have been powerful but they certainly were not Irish. This woman was brainwashing her students into learning about the ‘greatness’ of Catholics and Ireland and the ‘wonderful’ history behind it, making them believe that protestants and the English are horrible. Does Source D Show Why Violence Broke Out in 1969? Source D is biased therefore comes across as ‘anti-protestant’, there are no other point of views about protestants in this source. Because of this we can not trust B Devlin’s adaptation, it is not reliable; containing more of someone’s opinions rather than factual dates, times or places. The source does tell us that B Devlin adapted this source giving us evidence that she may have taken this source from a school girl but then possibly changed the source to create an even more anti-protestant view therefore making it biased. We know this could be true because B Devlin was a Catholics Civil Rights spokes person. This source shows no violence, however because the students were being brought up with an anti-protestant attitude this could lead to a future violent scene. My opinion is that this source is unreliable there are no dates apart from when it was written, and the source contains no factual proof. Source E Source E is a nineteenth century protestant cartoon. It was drawn by a protestant artist. The cartoon shows Erin, the lady of Ireland dressed in rags; she holds her head down as if she is ashamed and also looks upset. Erin has been tied up in rope by the Catholic priest; she is being punished. The Catholic priest is dressed smartly, he looks angry and in control of the situation. This source symbolizes the religious tension between Catholics and Protestants during that time period, giving the effect that Catholics have taken charge of all the churches. Does Source E Show Why Violence Broke Out in 1969? This source is biased towards the protestant point of view. The cartoon shows a protestant’s view on how the Catholics treated them, how they took control of all Protestants. They achieve this by giving the effect that protestants are innocent, also that Catholics are rich, evil people who try to make protestant’s lives a misery. During the time this source was drawn, Catholics were against Protestants and were ruling Ireland. This source does not contain violence however it could lead to violence because Catholics would want revenge for the ‘image’ they are known as. I would not trust this source considering that it was drawn by a protestant and effectively tells us that all Catholics are out to get Protestants. Source F Source F is a map showing the Gerrymander in 1966. A Gerrymander is to divide an area into election districts in such a way, as to give one political party an electoral advantage. The map tells us that in 1966 the population of Derry was 30376 people; it goes on to tell the reader that 20102 were Catholics and only 10274 were Protestants, telling us that during 1966 Derry was a catholic dominated area. Does Source F Show Why Violence Broke Out in 1969? Source F is a reliable piece of information because it is a map. From this we know that all the data that is written, is known as fact. The source uses accurate pieces of data involving numbers of the population and dates, as well as giving us a clear view certain roads in Derry; this includes Strabene Road, Irish Street and Urrivady Road. Although this map does not show any signs of violence, it is because of sources like this that we understand why there were Catholic protests in 1969, two years after this source was created. The map contains some writing telling us that more Protestants than Catholics became boundary commissioners because most Catholics refused. A piece of the paragraph then says, ‘The boundaries of the constituencies favored Protestants’ this tells us that the Protestants have Gerrymandered the Catholics. I believe because the catholics refused to become boundary commissionaires, this meant that the Protestants took over their jobs making them more powerful. Because of this, Catholics lost the right to vote, be represented or even buy a house. By 1969 Catholics were tired of Protestants having all the power so they wanted Civil Rights. They showed this by violent and non-violent protests. Concluding my theory this is a truthful source that could lead to violence. Source G Source G is a protestant’s view of Catholics attacking Protestants from 1641. The image shows Catholics dressed in clothes carrying swards forcefully pushing the shamed Protestants that have been stripped of all clothing. The scene shows violence, as there are bodies lying on the floor looking as though they are either in great pain or dead. There are some strong words above the picture; The Catholics are forcing the English Protestants to be Irish ‘turned into the mountains,’ ‘whereof many hundreds are perished,’ The Catholics are testing the Protestants, to analyze whether they are strong enough to become Irish. It goes on to say ‘Now you are wild Irish men as we’ this tells us that the writer believes that Catholics feel so strongly towards their religion that they will do anything for it. Does Source G Show Why Violence Broke Out in 1969? This source is unreliable because it is a drawn picture that only shows a biased point of view. However this does give us a possibly exaggerated image of how the Protestants were treated by Catholics. Source G shows violence drawn 330 years before the troubles of 1969. This source could lead to violence because the Protestants may want revenge, and considering that there were many pictures like this one drawn in the 1600’s we have to understand that these images could have been used as propaganda against the Catholics. It is small things like this that helped toward the outbreak in 1969. Source H Source H is a photograph of Royal Ulster Constabulary offices trying to take charge of an out of control civil rights march on the 5th of October 1968, in Derry. The photo shows a couple of Catholics so they may have been the hard to deal with trouble makers who took it too far, but they are shielding their heads and trying to run away whilst the RUC (Protestants) are in charge. From the source we know that the Protestants used violence to stop this march. But were they forced into using violence? Was it the only way they could get to the Catholic protesters? However from the source we are led to understand that the Catholics are weaponless, and that they are not fighting back. The Catholics have obviously started this march because they are unhappy about the way that they are treated. Does Source H Show Why Violence Broke Out in 1969? Because source H is a photograph we know that it is a fact. However from it, like any photos, we have a ‘snapshot’ from only a few seconds of the whole civil rights march we do not know what happened before or after this photograph was taken. Because of this we can only guess why the RUC had to lead to violence. No one is going to understand who started the fight from this source, or why it lead to what looks like horrific violence. From what we know source H contains violence and as it was taken in 1968 just one year before the outbreak in 1969 this source could of definitely lead to violence. I would say that this source is accurate to some extent but because it is just a few moments worth it is still fairly unreliable. In comparison this photograph is pure fact no matter how much information it can give us. Source I This source is a photograph of a peaceful civil rights march in 1968. underneath the source it tells us the economic demands of the protestors ‘One house, one man, one job’. By this time period all Catholics wanted an equal, civilized society. The picture shows police standing calmly as it seems that there is no trouble to be expected. From the source we can see that the march is a well organized non-violent protest. Does Source I Show Why Violence Broke Out in 1969? Because this is a photo we know that it is a fact, however this photo contains the very opposite to source H. Although the scene looks like a peaceful civil rights protest it could have stormed into violence at any minute, therefore I cannot trust this source. If this protest was created after the march in source H the conditions would have improved; but personally I believe that Source I was taken before source H. I feel this way because after the Catholics had tried to protest in a peaceful manner they were still not listened to, so they would have got impatient and therefore turned to violence to show that they are serious. My theory would also explain why this source the could of led to the trouble in 1969. This source is accurate yet unreliable because we do not have enough data. Conclusion I believe that although not all the sources were entirely reliable, they would all be somewhat useful towards why the troubles broke out in 1969. The only source that I found entirely reliable was source F because it gives us stated facts containing accurate data. Sources H and I are both photographs and although they are both also facts, they contain image proof and dates and to me they show the clearest ideas as to what happened, they are however fairly unreliable because as I mentioned earlier we do not know what happened before or after the photo was taken. Sources D, E and G are all biased, therefore they are not bound to be truthful and are exaggerated facts. Although because of these sources we now know how people were made to think about Protestants and Catholics. We understand that biased points of views were spread about the two different religions as if it were propaganda, this could have also led to some of the violence in 1969. Personally I feel that sources D, E and G show how people have spread thoughts and feelings and brainwashed the rest of the country into civil war, as well as clearly showing the religious tensions that has lead to riots, bombing terrorism and violence. Overall on their own these sources did not give sufficient evidence to tell us why the trouble broke out in 1969, we needed more evidence about why the Easter Rising corrupted. In comparison I feel that when combined the sources are rather reliable.

Rationalism: Empiricism and Knowledge Essay

First published Thu Aug 19, 2004; substantive revision Thu Mar 21, 2013 The dispute between rationalism and empiricism concerns the extent to which we are dependent upon sense experience in our effort to gain knowledge. Rationalists claim that there are significant ways in which our concepts and knowledge are gained independently of sense experience. Empiricists claim that sense experience is the ultimate source of all our concepts and knowledge. Rationalists generally develop their view in two ways. First, they argue that there are cases where the content of our concepts or knowledge outstrips the information that sense experience can provide. Second, they construct accounts of how reason in some form or other provides that additional information about the world. Empiricists present complementary lines of thought. First, they develop accounts of how experience provides the information that rationalists cite, insofar as we have it in the first place. (Empiricists will at times opt for skepticism as an alternative to rationalism: if experience cannot provide the concepts or knowledge the rationalists cite, then we don’t have them.) Second, empiricists attack the rationalists’ accounts of how reason is a source of concepts or knowledge. 1. Introduction The dispute between rationalism and empiricism takes place within epistemology, the branch of philosophy devoted to studying the nature, sources and limits of knowledge. The defining questions of epistemology include the following. 1. What is the nature of propositional knowledge, knowledge that a particular proposition about the world is true? To know a proposition, we must believe it and it must be true, but something more is required, something that distinguishes knowledge from a lucky guess. Let’s call this additional element ‘warrant’. A good deal of philosophical work has been invested in trying to determine the nature of warrant. 2. How can we gain knowledge? We can form true beliefs just by making lucky guesses. How to gain warranted beliefs is less clear. Moreover, to know the world, we must think about it, and it is unclear how we gain the concepts we use in thought or what assurance, if any, we have that the ways in which we divide up the world using our concepts correspond to divisions that actually exist. 3. What are the limits of our knowledge? Some aspects of the world may be within the limits of our thought but beyond the limits of our knowledge; faced with competing descriptions of them, we cannot know which description is true. Some aspects of the world may even be beyond the limits of our thought, so that we cannot form intelligible descriptions of them, let alone know that a particular description is true. The disagreement between rationalists and empiricists primarily concerns the second question, regarding the sources of our concepts and knowledge. In some instances, their disagreement on this topic leads them to give conflicting responses to the other questions as well. They may disagree over the nature of warrant or about the limits of our thought and knowledge. Our focus here will be on the competing rationalist and empiricist responses to the second question. 1. 1 Rationalism To be a rationalist is to adopt at least one of three claims. The Intuition/Deduction thesis concerns how we become warranted in believing propositions in a particular subject area. The Intuition/Deduction Thesis: Some propositions in a particular subject area, S, are knowable by us by intuition alone; still others are knowable by being deduced from intuited propositions. Intuition is a form of rational insight. Intellectually grasping a proposition, we just â€Å"see† it to be true in such a way as to form a true, warranted belief in it. (As discussed in Section 2 below, the nature of this intellectual â€Å"seeing† needs explanation. ) Deduction is a process in which we derive conclusions from intuited premises through valid arguments, ones in which the conclusion must be true if the premises are true. We intuit, for example, that the number three is prime and that it is greater than two. We then deduce from this knowledge that there is a prime number greater than two. Intuition and deduction thus provide us with knowledge a priori, which is to say knowledge gained independently of sense experience. We can generate different versions of the Intuition/Deduction thesis by substituting different subject areas for the variable ‘S’. Some rationalists take mathematics to be knowable by intuition and deduction. Some place ethical truths in this category. Some include metaphysical claims, such as that God exists, we have free will, and our mind and body are distinct substances. The more propositions rationalists include within the range of intuition and deduction, and the more controversial the truth of those propositions or the claims to know them, the more radical their rationalism. Rationalists also vary the strength of their view by adjusting their understanding of warrant. Some take warranted beliefs to be beyond even the slightest doubt and claim that intuition and deduction provide beliefs of this high epistemic status. Others interpret warrant more conservatively, say as belief beyond a reasonable doubt, and claim that intuition and deduction provide beliefs of that caliber. Still another dimension of rationalism depends on how its proponents understand the connection between intuition, on the one hand, and truth, on the other. Some take intuition to be infallible, claiming that whatever we intuit must be true. Others allow for the possibility of false intuited propositions. The second thesis associated with rationalism is the Innate Knowledge thesis. The Innate Knowledge Thesis: We have knowledge of some truths in a particular subject area, S, as part of our rational nature. Like the Intuition/Deduction thesis, the Innate Knowledge thesis asserts the existence of knowledge gained a priori, independently of experience. The difference between them rests in the accompanying understanding of how this a priori knowledge is gained. The Intuition/Deduction thesis cites intuition and subsequent deductive reasoning. The Innate Knowledge thesis offers our rational nature. Our innate knowledge is not learned through either sense experience or intuition and deduction. It is just part of our nature. Experiences may trigger a process by which we bring this knowledge to consciousness, but the experiences do not provide us with the knowledge itself. It has in some way been with us all along. According to some rationalists, we gained the knowledge in an earlier existence. According to others, God provided us with it at creation. Still others say it is part of our nature through natural selection. We get different versions of the Innate Knowledge thesis by substituting different subject areas for the variable ‘S’. Once again, the more subjects included within the range of the thesis or the more controversial the claim to have knowledge in them, the more radical the form of rationalism. Stronger and weaker understandings of warrant yield stronger and weaker versions of the thesis as well. The third important thesis of rationalism is the Innate Concept thesis. The Innate Concept Thesis: We have some of the concepts we employ in a particular subject area, S, as part of our rational nature. According to the Innate Concept thesis, some of our concepts are not gained from experience. They are part of our rational nature in such a way that, while sense experiences may trigger a process by which they are brought to consciousness, experience does not provide the concepts or determine the information they contain. Some claim that the Innate Concept thesis is entailed by the Innate Knowledge Thesis; a particular instance of knowledge can only be innate if the concepts that are contained in the known proposition are also innate. This is Locke’s position (1690, Book I, Chapter IV, Section 1, p. 91). Others, such as Carruthers, argue against this connection (1992, pp. 53–54). The content and strength of the Innate Concept thesis varies with the concepts claimed to be innate. The more a concept seems removed from experience and the mental operations we can perform on experience the more plausibly it may be claimed to be innate. Since we do not experience perfect triangles but do experience pains, our concept of the former is a more promising candidate for being innate than our concept of the latter. The Intuition/Deduction thesis, the Innate Knowledge thesis, and the Innate Concept thesis are essential to rationalism: to be a rationalist is to adopt at least one of them. Two other closely related theses are generally adopted by rationalists, although one can certainly be a rationalist without adopting either of them. The first is that experience cannot provide what we gain from reason. The Indispensability of Reason Thesis: The knowledge we gain in subject area, S, by intuition and deduction, as well as the ideas and instances of knowledge in S that are innate to us, could not have been gained by us through sense experience. The second is that reason is superior to experience as a source of knowledge. The Superiority of Reason Thesis: The knowledge we gain in subject area S by intuition and deduction or have innately is superior to any knowledge gained by sense experience. How reason is superior needs explanation, and rationalists have offered different accounts. One view, generally associated with Descartes (1628, Rules II and III, pp. 1–4), is that what we know a priori is certain, beyond even the slightest doubt, while what we believe, or even know, on the basis of sense experience is at least somewhat uncertain. Another view, generally associated with Plato. (Republic 479e-484c), locates the superiority of a priori knowledge in the objects known. What we know by reason alone, a Platonic form, say, is superior in an important metaphysical way, e. g. unchanging, eternal, perfect, a higher degree of being, to what we are aware of through sense experience. Most forms of rationalism involve notable commitments to other philosophical positions. One is a commitment to the denial of scepticism for at least some area of knowledge. If we claim to know some truths by intuition or deduction or to have some innate knowledge, we obviously reject scepticism with regard to those truths. Rationalism in the form of the Intuition/Deduction thesis is also committed to epistemic foundationalism, the view that we know some truths without basing our belief in them on any others and that we then use this foundational knowledge to know more truths. 1. 2 Empiricism Empiricists endorse the following claim for some subject area. The Empiricism Thesis: We have no source of knowledge in S or for the concepts we use in S other than sense experience. Empiricism about a particular subject rejects the corresponding version of the Intuition/Deduction thesis and Innate Knowledge thesis. Insofar as we have knowledge in the subject, our knowledge is a posteriori, dependent upon sense experience. Empiricists also deny the implication of the corresponding Innate Concept thesis that we have innate ideas in the subject area. Sense experience is our only source of ideas. They reject the corresponding version of the Superiority of Reason thesis. Since reason alone does not give us any knowledge, it certainly does not give us superior knowledge. Empiricists generally reject the Indispensability of Reason thesis, though they need not. The Empiricism thesis does not entail that we have empirical knowledge. It entails that knowledge can only be gained, if at all, by experience. Empiricists may assert, as some do for some subjects, that the rationalists are correct to claim that experience cannot give us knowledge. The conclusion they draw from this rationalist lesson is that we do not know at all. I have stated the basic claims of rationalism and empiricism so that each is relative to a particular subject area. Rationalism and empiricism, so relativized, need not conflict. We can be rationalists in mathematics or a particular area of mathematics and empiricists in all or some of the physical sciences. Rationalism and empiricism only conflict when formulated to cover the same subject. Then the debate, Rationalism vs. Empiricism, is joined. The fact that philosophers can be both rationalists and empiricists has implications for the classification schemes often employed in the history of philosophy, especially the one traditionally used to describe the Early Modern Period of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries leading up to Kant. It is standard practice to group the major philosophers of this period as either rationalists or empiricists and to suggest that those under one heading share a common agenda in opposition to those under the other. Thus, Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz are the Continental Rationalists in opposition to Locke, Berkeley and Hume, the British Empiricists. We should adopt such general classification schemes with caution. The views of the individual philosophers are more subtle and complex than the simple-minded classification suggests. (See Loeb (1981) and Kenny (1986) for important discussions of this point.) Locke rejects rationalism in the form of any version of the Innate Knowledge or Innate Concept theses, but he nonetheless adopts the Intuition/Deduction thesis with regard to our knowledge of God’s existence. Descartes and Locke have remarkably similar views on the nature of our ideas, even though Descartes takes many to be innate, while Locke ties them all to experience. The rationalist/empiricist classification also encourages us to expect the philosophers on each side of the divide to have common research programs in areas beyond epistemology. Thus, Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz are mistakenly seen as applying a reason-centered epistemology to a common metaphysical agenda, with each trying to improve on the efforts of the one before, while Locke, Berkeley and Hume are mistakenly seen as gradually rejecting those metaphysical claims, with each consciously trying to improve on the efforts of his predecessors. It is also important to note that the Rationalist/Empiricist distinction is not exhaustive of the possible sources of knowledge. One might claim, for example, that we can gain knowledge in a particular area by a form of Divine revelation or insight that is a product of neither reason nor sense experience. In short, when used carelessly, the labels ‘rationalist’ and ‘empiricist,’ as well as the slogan that is the title of this essay, ‘Rationalism vs. Empiricism,’ can retard rather than advance our understanding. Nonetheless, an important debate properly described as ‘Rationalism vs. Empiricism’ is joined whenever the claims for each view are formulated to cover the same subject. What is perhaps the most interesting form of the debate occurs when we take the relevant subject to be truths about the external world, the world beyond our own minds. A full-fledged rationalist with regard to our knowledge of the external world holds that some external world truths can and must be known a priori, that some of the ideas required for that knowledge are and must be innate, and that this knowledge is superior to any that experience could ever provide. The full-fledged empiricist about our knowledge of the external world replies that, when it comes to the nature of the world beyond our own minds, experience is our sole source of information. Reason might inform us of the relations among our ideas, but those ideas themselves can only be gained, and any truths about the external reality they represent can only be known, on the basis of sense experience. This debate concerning our knowledge of the external world will generally be our main focus in what follows. Historically, the rationalist/empiricist dispute in epistemology has extended into the area of metaphysics, where philosophers are concerned with the basic nature of reality, including the existence of God and such aspects of our nature as freewill and the relation between the mind and body. Major rationalists (e. g. , Descartes 1641) have presented metaphysical theories, which they have claimed to know by reason alone. Major empiricists (e. g. Hume 1739–40) have rejected the theories as either speculation, beyond what we can learn from experience, or nonsensical attempts to describe aspects of the world beyond the concepts experience can provide. The debate raises the issue of metaphysics as an area of knowledge. Kant puts the driving assumption clearly: The very concept of metaphysics ensures that the sources of metaphysics can’t be empirical. If something could be known through the senses, that would automatically show that it doesn’t belong to metaphysics; that’s an upshot of the meaning of the word ‘metaphysics. ‘ Its basic principles can never be taken from experience, nor can its basic concepts; for it is not to be physical but metaphysical knowledge, so it must be beyond experience. [1783, Preamble, I, p. 7] The possibility then of metaphysics so understood, as an area of human knowledge, hinges on how we resolve the rationalist/empiricist debate. The debate also extends into ethics. Some moral objectivists (e. g. , Ross 1930) take us to know some fundamental objective moral truths by intuition, while some moral skeptics, who reject such knowledge, (e. g. , Mackie 1977) find the appeal to a faculty of moral intuition utterly implausible. More recently, the rationalist/empiricist debate has extended to discussions (e. g. , Bealer 1999, and Alexander & Weinberg 2007) of the very nature of philosophical inquiry: to what extent are philosophical questions to be answered by appeals to reason or experience? 2. The Intuition/Deduction Thesis The Intuition/Deduction thesis claims that we can know some propositions by intuition and still more by deduction. Many empiricists (e. g. , Hume 1748) have been willing to accept the thesis so long as it is restricted to propositions solely about the relations among our own concepts. We can, they agree, know by intuition that our concept of God includes our concept of omniscience. Just by examining the concepts, we can intellectually grasp that the one includes the other. The debate between rationalists and empiricists is joined when the former assert, and the latter deny, the Intuition/Deduction Thesis with regard to propositions that contain substantive information about the external world. Rationalists, such as Descartes, have claimed that we can know by intuition and deduction that God exists and created the world, that our mind and body are distinct substances, and that the angles of a triangle equal two right angles, where all of these claims are truths about an external reality independent of our thought. Such substantive versions of the Intuition/Deduction thesis are our concern in this section. One defense of the Intuition/Deduction thesis assumes that we know some substantive external world truths, adds an analysis of what knowledge requires, and concludes that our knowledge must result from intuition and deduction. Descartes claims that knowledge requires certainty and that certainty about the external world is beyond what empirical evidence can provide. We can never be sure our sensory impressions are not part of a dream or a massive, demon orchestrated, deception. Only intuition and deduction can provide the certainty needed for knowledge, and, given that we have some substantive knowledge of the external world, the Intuition/Deduction thesis is true. As Descartes tells us, â€Å"all knowledge is certain and evident cognition† (1628, Rule II, p. 1) and when we â€Å"review all the actions of the intellect by means of which we are able to arrive at a knowledge of things with no fear of being mistaken,† we â€Å"recognize only two: intuition and deduction† (1628, Rule III, p. 3). This line of argument is one of the least compelling in the rationalist arsenal. First, the assumption that knowledge requires certainty comes at a heavy cost, as it rules out so much of what we commonly take ourselves to know. Second, as many contemporary rationalists accept, intuition is not always a source of certain knowledge. The possibility of a deceiver gives us a reason to doubt our intuitions as well as our empirical beliefs. For all we know, a deceiver might cause us to intuit false propositions, just as one might cause us to have perceptions of nonexistent objects. Descartes’s classic way of meeting this challenge in the Meditations is to argue that we can know with certainty that no such deceiver interferes with our intuitions and deductions. They are infallible, as God guarantees their truth. The problem, known as the Cartesian Circle, is that Descartes’s account of how we gain this knowledge begs the question, by attempting to deduce the conclusion that all our intuitions are true from intuited premises. Moreover, his account does not touch a remaining problem that he himself notes (1628, Rule VII, p.7): Deductions of any appreciable length rely on our fallible memory. A more plausible argument for the Intuition/Deduction thesis again assumes that we know some particular, external world truths, and then appeals to the nature of what we know, rather than to the nature of knowledge itself, to argue that our knowledge must result from intuition and deduction. Leibniz (1704) tells us the following. The senses, although they are necessary for all our actual knowledge, are not sufficient to give us the whole of it, since the senses never give anything but instances, that is to say particular or individual truths. Now all the instances which confirm a general truth, however numerous they may be, are not sufficient to establish the universal necessity of this same truth, for it does not follow that what happened before will happen in the same way again. †¦ From which it appears that necessary truths, such as we find in pure mathematics, and particularly in arithmetic and geometry, must have principles whose proof does not depend on instances, nor consequently on the testimony of the senses, although without the senses it would never have occurred to us to think of them†¦ (1704, Preface, pp.150–151) Leibniz goes on to describe our mathematical knowledge as â€Å"innate,† and his argument may be directed to support the Innate Knowledge Thesis rather than the Intuition/Deduction Thesis. For our purposes here, we can relate it to the latter, however: We have substantive knowledge about the external world in mathematics, and what we know in that area, we know to be necessarily true. Experience cannot warrant beliefs about what is necessarily the case. Hence, experience cannot be the source of our knowledge. The best explanation of our knowledge is that we gain it by intuition and deduction. Leibniz mentions logic, metaphysics and morals as other areas in which our knowledge similarly outstrips what experience can provide. Judgments in logic and metaphysics involve forms of necessity beyond what experience can support. Judgments in morals involve a form of obligation or value that lies beyond experience, which only informs us about what is the case rather than about what ought to be. The strength of this argument varies with its examples of purported knowledge. Insofar as we focus on controversial claims in metaphysics, e. g.that God exists, that our mind is a distinct substance from our body, the initial premise that we know the claims is less than compelling. Taken with regard to other areas, however, the argument clearly has legs. We know a great deal of mathematics, and what we know, we know to be necessarily true. None of our experiences warrants a belief in such necessity, and we do not seem to base our knowledge on any experiences. The warrant that provides us with knowledge arises from an intellectual grasp of the propositions which is clearly part of our learning. Similarly, we seem to have such moral knowledge as that, all other things being equal, it is wrong to break a promise and that pleasure is intrinsically good. No empirical lesson about how things are can warrant such knowledge of how they ought to be. This argument for the Intuition/Deduction Thesis raises additional questions which rationalists must answer. Insofar as they maintain that our knowledge of necessary truths in mathematics or elsewhere by intuition and deduction is substantive knowledge of the external world, they owe us an account of this form of necessity. Many empiricists stand ready to argue that â€Å"necessity resides in the way we talk about things, not in the things we talk about† (Quine 1966, p. 174). Similarly, if rationalists claim that our knowledge in morals is knowledge of an objective form of obligation, they owe us an account of how objective values are part of a world of apparently valueless facts. Perhaps most of all, rationalist defenders of the Intuition/Deduction thesis owe us an account of what intuition is and how it provides warranted true beliefs about the external world. What is it to intuit a proposition and how does that act of intuition support a warranted belief? Their argument presents intuition and deduction as an explanation of assumed knowledge that can’t—they say—be explained by experience, but such an explanation by intuition and deduction requires that we have a clear understanding of intuition and how it supports warranted beliefs. Metaphorical characterizations of intuition as intellectual â€Å"grasping† or â€Å"seeing† are not enough, and if intuition is some form of intellectual â€Å"grasping,† it appears that all that is grasped is relations among our concepts, rather than facts about the external world. Moreover, any intellectual faculty, whether it be sense perception or intuition, provides us with warranted beliefs only if it is generally reliable. The reliability of sense perception stems from the causal connection between how external objects are and how we experience them. What accounts for the reliability of our intuitions regarding the external world? Is our intuition of a particular true proposition the outcome of some causal interaction between ourselves and some aspect of the world? What aspect? What is the nature of this causal interaction? That the number three is prime does not appear to cause anything, let alone our intuition that it is prime. These issues are made all the more pressing by the classic empiricist response to the argument. The reply is generally credited to Hume and begins with a division of all true propositions into two categories. All the objects of human reason or inquiry may naturally be divided into two kinds, to wit, â€Å"Relations of Ideas,† and â€Å"Matters of Fact. † Of the first are the sciences of Geometry, Algebra, and Arithmetic, and, in short, every affirmation which is either intuitively or demonstratively certain. That the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the square of the two sides is a proposition which expresses a relation between these figures. That three times five is equal to half of thirty expresses a relation between these numbers. Propositions of this kind are discoverable by the mere operation of thought, without dependence on what is anywhere existent in the universe. Though there never were a circle or triangle in nature, the truths demonstrated by Euclid would forever retain their certainty and evidence. Matters of fact, which are the second objects of human reason, are not ascertained in the same manner, nor is our evidence of their truth, however great, of a like nature with the foregoing. The contrary of every matter of fact is still possible, because it can never imply a contradiction and is conceived by the mind with the same facility and distinctness as if ever so conformable to reality. (Hume 1748, Section IV, Part 1, p. 40) Intuition and deduction can provide us with knowledge of necessary truths such as those found in mathematics and logic, but such knowledge is not substantive knowledge of the external world. It is only knowledge of the relations of our own ideas. If the rationalist shifts the argument so it appeals to knowledge in morals, Hume’s reply is to offer an analysis of our moral concepts by which such knowledge is empirically gained knowledge of matters of fact. Morals and criticism are not so properly objects of the understanding as of taste and sentiment. Beauty, whether moral or natural, is felt more properly than perceived. Or if we reason concerning it and endeavor to fix the standard, we regard a new fact, to wit, the general taste of mankind, or some other fact which may be the object of reasoning and inquiry. (Hume 1748, Section XII, Part 3, p. 173) If the rationalist appeals to our knowledge in metaphysics to support the argument, Hume denies that we have such knowledge. If we take in our hand any volume–of divinity or school metaphysics, for instance–let us ask, Does it contain any abstract reasoning concerning quantity or number? No. Does it contain any experimental reasoning concerning matter of fact and existence? No. Commit it then to the flames, for it can contain nothing but sophistry and illusion. (Hume 1748, Section XII, Part 3, p. 173) An updated version of this general empiricist reply, with an increased emphasis on language and the nature of meaning, is given in the twentieth-century by A. J. Ayer’s version of logical positivism. Adopting positivism’s verification theory of meaning, Ayer assigns every cognitively meaningful sentence to one of two categories: either it is a tautology, and so true solely by virtue of the meaning of its terms and provides no substantive information about the world, or it is open to empirical verification. There is, then, no room for knowledge about the external world by intuition or deduction. There can be no a priori knowledge of reality. For †¦ the truths of pure reason, the propositions which we know to be valid independently of all experience, are so only in virtue of their lack of factual content †¦ [By contrast] empirical propositions are one and all hypotheses which may be confirmed or discredited in actual sense experience. [Ayer 1952, pp. 86; 93–94] The rationalists’ argument for the Intuition/Deduction Thesis goes wrong at the start, according to empiricists, by assuming that we can have substantive knowledge of the external world that outstrips what experience can warrant. We cannot. This empiricist reply faces challenges of its own. Our knowledge of mathematics seems to be about something more than our own concepts. Our knowledge of moral judgments seems to concern not just how we feel or act but how we ought to behave. The general principles that provide a basis for the empiricist view, e. g. Hume’s overall account of our ideas, the Verification Principle of Meaning, are problematic in their own right. In various formulations, the Verification Principle fails its own test for having cognitive meaning. A careful analysis of Hume’s Inquiry, relative to its own principles, may require us to consign large sections of it to the flames. In all, rationalists have a strong argument for the Intuition/Deduction thesis relative to our substantive knowledge of the external world, but its success rests on how well they can answer questions about the nature and epistemic force of intuition made all the more pressing by the classic empiricist reply. 3. The Innate Knowledge Thesis The Innate Knowledge thesis joins the Intuition/Deduction thesis in asserting that we have a priori knowledge, but it does not offer intuition and deduction as the source of that knowledge. It takes our a priori knowledge to be part of our rational nature. Experience may trigger our awareness of this knowledge, but it does not provide us with it. The knowledge is already there. Plato presents an early version of the Innate Knowledge thesis in the Meno as the doctrine of knowledge by recollection. The doctrine is motivated in part by a paradox that arises when we attempt to explain the nature of inquiry. How do we gain knowledge of a theorem in geometry? We inquire into the matter. Yet, knowledge by inquiry seems impossible (Meno, 80d-e). We either already know the theorem at the start of our investigation or we do not. If we already have the knowledge, there is no place for inquiry. If we lack the knowledge, we don’t know what we are seeking and cannot recognize it when we find it. Either way we cannot gain knowledge of the theorem by inquiry. Yet, we do know some theorems. The doctrine of knowledge by recollection offers a solution. When we inquire into the truth of a theorem, we both do and do not already know it. We have knowledge in the form of a memory gained from.