Sunday, April 26, 2020

Stranger Philosophy Essays - Philosophy, Absurdist Fiction

Stranger Philosophy "It has been said that Camus '?was haunted with the notion that our world is a universe which has no place for us, in which our life makes no sense?" The Stranger reflects this philosophy in a myriad of ways. Mr. Meursalt is the main character. He seems to live in his own world, socializing with others, but not caring too deeply about what happens in his life. For example, when his mother died, his thoughts were, "Mother died today. Or, maybe yesterday; I can't be sure" (Pp. 1) He did not have any extreme feelings about her death; he just accepted it and decided that is was what was supposed to happen. He kept himself busy indulging himself in creature comforts like smoking, drinking, and sex. His girlfriend, Marie, wanted him to marry her, and his reply was that if she wanted to get married they would. His reflections about it were, "Marie came that evening and asked me if I'd marry her. I said I didn't mind; if she was keen on it, we'd get married." (Pp. 52) He didn't seem to care one way or the other. His life was full of existentialism, for he believed that life just happened, nothing you could do would change the future, and that everything happened for a reason. At several parts in the book, Meursalt observes his neighbor walking his dog. Salamano would beat his dog, it would run ahead, and the man would beat and swear at it again. Everyday it was the same thing. One day, Meursalt came across Salamano in the hall. Salamano was all distraught because his dog ran away. Meursalt could not understand this philosophy because he thought the man hated his dog. Why would he be worried about it? At the end of the story when Meursalt was going to be executed, he pondered his fate. He seemed to extricate pleasure from the thought of everyone shouting at him with all the bitterness and hate that had built up inside of them. At the same time, he didn't seem to worry too much that he was going to. He refused to see the priest before his execution because he felt that he had done nothing wrong when he shot an innocent man in the street.

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Free Essays on The Environment Around Us

The environment around us controls who we are, what we do, and how we act. The individual may have a slight control of what they do but the over looking factor in them is the environment they are put in. We learn what to do and how to change our behavior due to what the environment puts forth. Free will does not exist in the world that we live in today. Free will is only an illusion that people believe that have. When one looks at life, external forces on their life control them. You can tell this by how a person will change when they are put in a totally different environment then they are used to. In schools the teacher is who conditions kids what they are going to be able to do and how they are going to be able to act. We as behaviorists believe that in a classroom that the teacher should teach with reinforcement. This will shape the kids to do what they are supposed to. With giving reinforcement the kids will learn material matter even if they do not want to learn it or believe t hat can’t learn it. We behaviorists are the opposites of existentialists who believe that free will is the most apparent thing in a individual. The alter of an environment will alter a person’s perception on the world and curriculum. That is why behaviorists believe that school officers should make the curriculum. The student learns what higher officials put forth; the student has no say in what they want to learn. Environment the main part of life and the main part of the making of an individual is critical to one’s attitude and look at life also including school subject matter.... Free Essays on The Environment Around Us Free Essays on The Environment Around Us The environment around us controls who we are, what we do, and how we act. The individual may have a slight control of what they do but the over looking factor in them is the environment they are put in. We learn what to do and how to change our behavior due to what the environment puts forth. Free will does not exist in the world that we live in today. Free will is only an illusion that people believe that have. When one looks at life, external forces on their life control them. You can tell this by how a person will change when they are put in a totally different environment then they are used to. In schools the teacher is who conditions kids what they are going to be able to do and how they are going to be able to act. We as behaviorists believe that in a classroom that the teacher should teach with reinforcement. This will shape the kids to do what they are supposed to. With giving reinforcement the kids will learn material matter even if they do not want to learn it or believe t hat can’t learn it. We behaviorists are the opposites of existentialists who believe that free will is the most apparent thing in a individual. The alter of an environment will alter a person’s perception on the world and curriculum. That is why behaviorists believe that school officers should make the curriculum. The student learns what higher officials put forth; the student has no say in what they want to learn. Environment the main part of life and the main part of the making of an individual is critical to one’s attitude and look at life also including school subject matter....

Monday, March 2, 2020

Gods and Goddesses of Norse Mythology

Gods and Goddesses of Norse Mythology When Ymir lived long agoWas no sand or sea, no surging waves.Nowhere was there earth nor heaven above.Bur a grinning gap and grass nowhere.- Và ¶lusp-The Song of the Sybil Although we know a little from observations made by Tacitus and Caesar, most of what we know of Norse mythology comes from Christian times, beginning with the Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson (c.1179-1241). Not only does this mean the myths and legends were written after the period when they were routinely believed, but Snorri, as is to be expected, occasionally intrudes his non-pagan, Christian worldview. Types of Gods The Norse gods are divided into 2 major groups, the Aesir and Vanir, plus the giants, who came first. Some believe the Vanir gods represent an older pantheon of the indigenous people whom the invading Indo-Europeans encountered. In the end, the Aesir, the newcomers, overcame and assimilated the Vanir. Georges Dumezil (1898-1986) thought the pantheon reflected the typical pattern of Indo-European gods where different divine factions hold different societal functions: military,religious, andeconomic. Tyr is the warrior god; Odin and Thor divide the functions of the religious and secular leaders and the Vanir are the producers. Norse Gods and Goddesses - VanirNjà ¶rdFreyrFreyjaNannaSkadeSvipdag or HermoNorse Gods and Goddesses - AesirOdinFriggThorTyrLokiHeimdallUllSifBragiIdunBalderVeViliVidarHà ¶dMirmirForsetiAegirRanHel The Gods Home Norse gods dont live on Mt. Olympus, but their abode is separate from that of humans. The world is a circular disk, in the center of which is a concentric circle surrounded by sea. This central portion is Midgard (Mià °garà °r), the home of mankind. Across the sea is the home of the giants, Jotunheim, also known as Utgard. The gods home lies above Midgard in Asgard (sgarà °r). Hel lies below Midgard in Niflheim. Snorri Sturluson says Asgard is in the middle of Midgard because, in his Christianization of the myths, he believed the gods were only ancient kings worshiped after the fact as gods. Other accounts place Asgard across a rainbow bridge from Midgard. 9 Worlds of Norse Mythology The Gods Death The Norse gods are not immortal in the normal sense. In the end, they and the world will be destroyed because of the actions of the evil or mischievous god Loki who, for now, endures Promethean  chains. Loki is the son or brother of Odin, but only through adoption. In reality, he is a giant (Jotnar), one of the sworn enemies of the Aesir. It is the Jotnar who will find the gods at Ragnarok and bring about the end of the world. Norse Mythology Resources Individual Norse Gods and Goddesses Next page  Ã‚  Creation of the World   Page 1,  2

Saturday, February 15, 2020

Competitor Analysis of Apple Inc Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Competitor Analysis of Apple Inc - Case Study Example In future trend of communication and networking is primarily focused towards wireless products from the market. Apple is already positioned very strongly in this region as the company already provides many products for the market which will help a lot for the company to grow in this sector of market. The AirPort wireless networking technology from Apple allows high speed connection within a specified region. The increase in demand of wireless high speed internet connections will boost the top line growth of Apple Inc.New digital hub platformApple’s new digital hub platform with the combination of iTunes is transforming the MAC platform for the customers to provide video contents directly into the television and portable devices of the customers. This new hub has great potential for Apple business in digital contents for its rapid growth in recent future.Market for MP3 playerThe increasing popularity for MP3 player from Apple Inc is rising high at a very fast pace. The market s hare for the company has increased from 71 % in 2005 to 78 % in the year 2006 and has great potential to in countries outside US. With more retail presence in both domestic and international market the company is expected to increase its product line of digital contents. This segment can act as key growth driver for the firm in short term. The current strategy of the company is to target the market with its own Operating system. Apple recognized that the competitors of the company primarily rely on the operating system of any third party. Like Dell computers use Windows XP for their products. Apple on the other hand have managed to incorporate its own hardware and software for the all its product line with the flexibility to use whatever the user wants similar to the other operating system. The company also segments the market based on geographical segmentation. It includes America, Japan, and Europe which acts as the core regions for the business process. The company also has retai l stores in the particular regions for operating and overseeing the activities at different parts of the world. The integrated system of the Apple Inc helps to drive its entire business model at the same time. It provides the complete solution for the customers. Customer buying iPod will have to download music through iTunes. For most of the average users the computer provided are from Apple Mac. This creates a great control of the market with the complete solutions offered by the company to the market. The diversified product line from the company also gives a chance for the consumers to get introduced to the brand. Many people are not much

Sunday, February 2, 2020

The movie Gladiator Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The movie Gladiator - Essay Example This also includes the role of Rome in terms of power and world domination which would create a clearer picture as to what it was like then. These aspects created a clear image of the setting; what Rome was like during those times, and how power struggles affected society, their behavior, and their decisions. Basic information or details about the movie were also included, as well as the camera’s angles and shooting styles were described in detail so as to define how the emotions evoked by the movie came to be. In other words, how well-made the movie is depends upon the watchers’ reactions – and it has a lot to do with how the camera shifts from scene to scene, as well as the angles used in each scene. Learning about Rome paved a clearer understanding of the way of life that it was easy to define how power, violence, and blood played a role that could easily be the epitome of Roman culture during that era. Yet, as disturbing as it may be, it was their reality. Al though in history the Roman culture was described as refined and had high regards to the arts and sciences, it seems that they had nearly no regard for human life – except for their own. What is portrayed in the movie is not a culture of refinement and scholarly behavior; rather it was of violence and barbaric behaviors. During that time, it seems that men and beast were the same when it came to power, and the struggle for power made them more like beasts fighting over a slab of meat – it was worth killing for.

Saturday, January 25, 2020

DXM vs. a religion we call the media: the day the world shat its pants :: essays research papers

DAY ONE â€Å"I don’t know. I drink half-a-bottle of cough syrup and I end up with this ingenious poem. Go figure†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Well I suppose I’ll give it a try.† DAY TWO   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Dude, look at this painting I did because of the cough syrup.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"See dude, I told you. It makes you smarter.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Totally.† Then they tell two friends And they tell two friends And they tell two friends And so on And so on GENERATIONS LATER Soon word gets around to big names Big names tell the right people The right people turn DXM into a pill designed, Not to prevent coughs,   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‚   But to, As it says on the box it comes in,   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‚   Make you smarter. DXM becomes mainstream A household substance approved by the FDA Everybody does it Everybody likes it Everybody wants it   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Except for those metalling kids who hate everything that is mainstream. MORE GENERATIONS PASS Those metalling kids grow up Get hair cuts Get jobs Get married And have metalling kids of their own Their own metalling kids grow up and have more metalling kids   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Out of all the metalling kids populated in this world, one of them catches a break and becomes a big rock star   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He’s looked up to   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Idolized and praised   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  By millions of metalling kids who hate mainstream JUST LIKE HIM So he’s up there. His name is thrown all over the media. His name is big. His name means something. It means â€Å"I HATE MAINSTREAM† and â€Å"I'M A METALLING KID, JUST LIKE ALL OF YOU† â€Å"I'M YOUNG† â€Å"I'M CUTE† And â€Å"I'M REBELLIOUS† And now that all of you look up to me I can’t let you down I gotta find something I can attack   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  And I gotta rock   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  And I gotta roll And I gotta rock and roll hard So I ask myself â€Å" what am I gonna attack?† And I answer myself â€Å"I'm gonna attack mainstream.† And I ask myself again â€Å" what am I gonna attack that is mainstream?† And again, I answer myself by sayingâ€Å" the mainstream I am going to attack is a little old miracle substance forever known as DXM† So our little metalling rock star goes into hiding for a while trying to find all the dirt he can about DXM: the drug that makes you   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   smarter. Days pass Weeks pass Months pass And all the while All the fans All over the world   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Are splitting up into two categories   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Appalled and The Obsessed The Appalled say   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He’s gone, and he’s never commin back, EVER It’s time to move on. And The Obsessed say   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Just you wait. He’s commin back and is gonna be better then ever   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  And I'm gonna be waitin   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Right here. And believe it or not, a whole year passes.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Immigration and Islam Netherlands and France

Immigration and Islam in France and the Netherlands After the post-war, WWII, era Europe faced a shortage of labor, at the same time it had to rebuild its infrastructure and economy. France and Netherlands both faced the same problem and like their counterparts in Europe they found the answer in guest-workers. These guest workers were immigrants from former colonies and other developing countries. However, these guest-workers later settled down and brought their families. This led to a larger influx of immigrations. The largest, most significant, and most controversial are the Muslim immigrants. This study will focus on the different approaches of integration France and the Netherlands have implemented, the growing discrimination of Muslim immigrants, and the role Islam has in this dilemma. France had a long colonial history in the Maghreb, North Africa, mainly Algeria. To fill in this gap many male immigrants flocked to France in need of work. There was also a large immigration from the Mediterranean, Turkey, in this case. The largest make-up of French immigrants have been Algerians and others from the Maghreb. Netherlands, similar to the French had immigrants from the Mediterranean, Maghreb, and former colonies (Surinam and Antilles); the largest group being Turkish and Moroccan immigrants. These immigrants became a large factor in the rebuilding of the economy but as the economy slowed immigration became more of a problem for Western European countries. France proposed an assimilation model, where it endorsed pluralism in the private sphere. The Laicite, the separation of Church and State/private and public played a large role in the French system of assimilation. In the public sphere you were expected to be French in language and ideals. The private sphere was left for your own beliefs and customs. This can be seen in the expression of symbols in the public schools, where wearing the veil is not allowed because it threatens this division of public and private. However, this still doesn’t explain the dilemma that many second or third generation French citizens from immigrant backgrounds face. Even though they are â€Å"French†, they are not accepted by the system—accordingly because they still aren’t â€Å"French† enough. This creates disparity on both sides; the French politicize this dilemma by taking a harder stance on immigration and assimilation, giving rise to far-right parties like National Front under Le Pen. (GS, page 123) The immigrants unfortunately at times result to violent riots in protest and anger at the discrimination they face. The end result being stricter immigration regulations, more assimilation, and seeing â€Å"Islam† as incompatible to European standards. The Netherlands have the same end results but have come to them from a totally different background. The Netherlands has endorsed a multicultural integration from the beginning. (Coenders, M. , Lubbers, M. , Scheepers, P. , & Verkuyten, M. (C. L. S. V)) The Netherlands have been one of the foremost in democracy and liberalism, ranking third in the world. Its capital, Amsterdam, is the hub liberal and free lifestyle. Since the 2000’s homosexual marriage and euthanasia have been legalized. (GS 192) Compared to France’s full assimilation the Netherlands has put forward a multiculturalism approach, however this has taken a drastic change in the last decade, especially against Muslim immigrants. In the early 2000’s Pim Fortuyn, a leader of anti-immigration and pro-assimilation party (Liveable Netherlands and latter List Pim Fortuyn), voiced his opinion on Islam being a backwards religion and a threat to liberal European/Dutch ideals. Even though both countries had different policies of integration they both ended up in the same situation against Muslim immigration. How can these phenomena be explained in these democracies that embrace liberal ideals? For it was France, that in 1789, coined the motto, â€Å"All men are born free and equal†, but now it can be seen that some men are born more free and equal than others. The realistic conflict theory explains this situation as a reaction to materialistic scarcity; jobs and housing. In the post-war era there was a surplus of jobs and also the need of cheap labor, the immigrants rushed in and filled these positions. However, after the slowing of the economic boom employment became scarcer. This led to higher un-employment rates and the native citizens started to see immigrants as a threat, leading to discrimination and pro-assimilation. Though this does explain a significant factor, there is still the growth of anti-Islamic sentiments. The Muslims aren’t the only immigrants in France or Netherlands, but they are the ones who face the blunt of the attention. (C. L. S. V) So the realistic conflict theory falls short in explaining this. More than Two Decades of Changing Ethnic Attitudes in the Netherlands, a study done to explain the attitudes the Dutch had on immigration, saw that social and ideological contents also affect peoples outlook as much as materialistic means. (C. L. S. V) This gives explanation to far-right parties such as List Pim Fortuyn and Le Pen. The parties that use anti-Islamic and anti-immigration sentiments as political platforms, they play on the fears’ of the people. Yet, how is it that these fears can grow and flourish in such liberal and democratic societies, the â€Å"Heralds of Democracy†? People fear what they don’t understand. Islam is this â€Å"other† and the media and politicians play on this. The Muslim immigrant populations don’t help either because they themselves are in a transition phase. They are trying to find a way to live with an Islamic background and Western ideals. Some see total assimilation as an answer others find a compromise and yet others turn to radicalism. This struggle has been going on since the mid-19th century, between the â€Å"West† and Islam. Some essentialists like Huntington and Fukuyama, see this as the next power struggle for the â€Å"West† after the fall of the Soviet Union, â€Å"The Clash of Civilizations†. According to some 9/11 and other terrorists acts just prove this theory, however even though there are radicals, they are in the minority. The majority of Muslims don’t have problem with the â€Å"West†, most even are pro-Western, they support democracies and liberal views. Maybe, it is not the same as Europe or America but they are trying to find the middle ground and negotiate between the two. This is no different for the immigrants in France or Netherlands. Ahmet Yukleyen in his study of social movements in the Netherlands has focused on Turkish immigrants and the role religious movements have played a role in their lives. His studies show that there is not one Islamic front in Europe or a â€Å"Euro-Islam† as some have supported. Even though the Islamic community is one ummah, they all interpret and practice Islam in slightly different ways. The fundamental tenets are the same, but Islam is flexible according to time and place; taken from a historic or even contemporary perspective this can be seen. Euro-Islam† was supposed to be the liberal Islam for European standards, the Islam with lacite, secular Islam. This view has been supported by pro-assimilates, like France. However, this didn’t turn out to be true because it would have compromised too much from Islam, it would no longer be â€Å"Islam†. What happened, like in the Netherlands, was th at people joined different social/religious movements and institutions. This was truer for second and third generation Turks, who felt the need of religion more than Turkish nationalism in their lives. They saw themselves as Dutch, liberal and democratic in their views but still Muslim. Yukleyen, names a few organizations, like Milli Gorus, the Gulen Movement, and Suleymanli. Each movement represents different set of ideals but each represents a facet of Islamic life in Europe. It also shows that Muslims can negotiate between European and Islamic ideals, finding a niche their society. Not only that, but by having dialogue and inter-faith organizations an atmosphere of tolerance and multiculturism can flourish. Maybe, dialogue and negotiation is the answer to the dilemma facing Europe and the Muslim immigrants, the inability to understand one another. Work Cited Coenders, M. Lubbers, M. , Scheepers, P. , & Verkuyten, M. (2008). More than Two Decades of Changing Ethnic Attitudes in the Netherlands. Journal of Social Issues,  64(2), 269-285. doi:10. 1111/j. 1540-4560. 2008. 00561. x. Maillard, Dominique (2005). The Muslims in France and the French Model of Intergration. Mediterranean Quarterly. Yukleyen, A. (2009). Localizing Islam in Europe: Religious Activism among Turkish Islamic Organizations in the Netherlands. Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs,  29(3), 291-309. doi:10. 1080/13602000903166556. E. Gene Frankland. (2009). Global Studies Europe. McGraw Hill Companies.