Aristotle In Virtue Ethics

Aristotle In Virtue Ethics Aristotle was a Greek philosopher, scientist as well as logician who lived between 384 and 322 BC. Aristotle is highly regarded as one of the famous thinkers in various fields such as political theory. He is an ancient thinker who was an effective contributor together with his teacher Plato. His desire and contribution started at an early age, at the time he was in school ‘in Plato’s academy in Athens’. He has moved places in search of philosophical and biological knowledge. He moved to places such as Asia and Lesbos. His life was known to have the greatest influence to his political thought. Through his travelling, he had various experiences in different kinds of political systems and hence gained a lot in the field of politics. Not only in history he also made an effective contribution to other areas such geography whereby he concluded that the earth was round instead of the earlier believe that it was flat. Aristotle contribution has been of great positive eff ect to man’s life and even in today’s community there are still his findings ‘which are applicable’. One of the many areas that Aristotle contributed and his contribution was noted ‘is the topic on virtue ethics? Briefly virtue ethics is concerned with traits of characters that are found to be essential for human flourishing. Virtue ethics emphasizes the role played an individual’s character and also the virtues that determine his behavior. It forms the basis to normative ethics ‘which the opposite of deontology’. According to Aristotle, happiness is referred is an activity, hence referring it a way of life and it is depicted on how we act and not how or whom we are. The general concept behind virtue ethics is that it looks into what the individual should choose to be rather than depending on the external factors to change a person. People have the power to choose what they ought to be rather than depend solely such as culture. Vi rtue ethics is currently one of three major approaches in normative ethics. It looks more into the moral character rather than duties and rules (deontology) or rather one that deals with consequences of actions simplified as consequentialism. According to Aristotle, virtue means excellence happiness whereby people can only be happy when they have fulfilled their basic function or purpose. People need to act well and practice reasoning. Aristotle divided virtue into intellectual and the moral virtues. According to Aristotle the highest target of all people is directed by happiness which he defined as continuous contemplation of the internal and external truth. This happiness is attained trough virtuous life as well as development of wisdom and reason. An individual needs sufficient external goods to ensure opportunity for virtuous action. Virtuous acts need mindful choice and moral reason or inspiration. However, moral virtue cannot be achieved abstractly but rather requires moral ac tion in any social environment. Both ethics and politic are close to each other as Aristotle refers to politics like a science of making the society in which people can have the good life as they develop their full potential. Despite the work of Aristotle, he tries hard to convince us what is virtuous. This has differed from the teaching from the modern moral philosophers. This is because he put very little effort on the moral development of individuals. For one to be a good person he needs to practice so as to gain the good habit and the virtue is a good state of soul that is acquired through habit of an individual.

Is college worth the cost(investment) to attend Essay

Is college worth the cost(investment) to attend - Essay Example People believe that their investments would be returned to them in spite of high price for education. People dream about numerous chances and opportunities of having higher returns after their investments into education. At the same time, there are different political parties, which, on the one hand, promote their social shifts through educational institutions, but, on the other hand, do not want to make reliable investments in education. Argument 1 Different prospects of higher returns are often misunderstood by people and they are often concerned about financial side of education and its high financial returns. Quality of education and personal striving in this process is often omitted. Education requires a high emotional and mind contribution. Different studies of the past years summarize the following assumptions about education: â€Å"the idea that college is an excellent investment paying a high return in terms of lifetime income has been buttressed by numerous studies over the years purporting to show that college graduates earn a large premium over a lifetime in comparison to individuals who earn only a high school diploma or who attend some college without completing a four-year degree† (Wood 210). Again the matter is about financial and material side of the education. There is no word about qualitative and emotional load of education. A high intellectual attainment is very much required from the stud ents in the process of education. Educational institutions are on the way of improvement of their potential goals. A marketplace credential and a diploma of higher education are two different things. There is no way to compare them. A student’s wholeness and intellectual attainment are proved by the diploma. Intellectual maturity and mind’s ability to produce emotional and creative power should be the main points for confirmation in the process of higher education. Argument 2 The University has often been

Operational Management 302 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Operational Management 302 - Essay Example The implementation of these standards is usually through the national standard bodies. In particular, ISO 9000 deals with quality management systems. ISO 9000 is a family of standards that provides organizations with quality management standards as well as quality products and services. Some of the notable standards include the ISO 9001: 2008 that provide the specific requirements that are set for a quality management system. Another standard is the 9000: 2009; this provides the basic concepts that are applied as well as the language. In order to increase the efficiency and the effectiveness of a quality management system, the ISO: 9004: 2009 comes into play. The most recent in this family is the ISO 19011: 2011; this one provides guidance on the audit of quality management system. ISO 9000 provides for a system audit in order to ensure adherence to set standards. Auditing is done in two main ways, firstly, by an external auditor and secondly by an internal auditor. The main objective of auditing is to ensure that at no given point will the system fail while providing continual improvement of the system. In some cases, the company can make a step of having the clients conduct an audit of the quality management systems. Auditing makes the company to develop an initiative of regular monitoring of its systems in order to ensure there is compliance with the set standards. Full compliance with the provisions of the ISO 9000 standards makes an organization to be ISO 9000-certified. The process of certification requires that an accreditation body be hired to conduct the assessment in order to prove whether there is compliance or not. The assessment of the organization is done from the staff level where they are interviewed in order to ensure they have an understanding of ISO compliance. In addition, the paperwork is assessed; a report is then made that details all the requirements that have been met as well as those that do not comply.

Analyse the causes of the Credit Crunch Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analyse the causes of the Credit Crunch - Essay Example What is also significant to understand that the current crises are not just the result of the subprime mortgage crises but encompass different other reasons which have necessarily increased the overall severity of the crises. Further, banks also started to repossess the homes taken as collateral against the subprime mortgage loans which resulted into the decline in the prices of real estate. Credit Crunch is defined as a sudden decrease in the available funds for the purpose of lending and as such the credit crunch that resulted into US and spread to other countries includes a drastic reduction in the credit extended to private sector as well as consumers. The apparent reason for this credit crunch is subprime mortgage crises however; there are three major reasons that are often cited as the key reasons behind the overall credit crunch experienced by the developed world. Banks are considered as the main actors behind the current credit crunch episode due to their imprudent lending policies. Over the period of time, banks started to lend to those borrowers who had relatively high credit risk however, due to their higher credit risk, they also offered an opportunity to earn higher returns. In order to increase their profitability, banks and other financial institutions therefore started to lend to subprime borrowers in mortgage markets. What is however, important to understand that the banks, in order to recoup their lost liquidity, started to bundle these subprime mortgage loans into mortgage backed securities and sold them in secondary markets. The problems aroused when subprime borrowers started to default on their payments and banks have to take other funds to payback their obligations against mortgage backed securities. The process of securitization therefore further aggravated the situation. This is because of the fact that the funds that were available for the lending were used

Role of Zoos in Conservation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Role of Zoos in Conservation - Essay Example Role of Zoos in Conservation The tropical rainforests have high humidity owing to excess moisture from rainfall, heavy cloud cover and transpiration due to loss of water from leaves. Rainforests are known to generate a majority of their own rain and precipitation. For instance, the Amazon generates almost half of its own rain. Rainforests have a characteristic vegetative structure with several layers named overstory canopy, understory, shrub layer, and ground level (Butler). The canopy is the dense part of the forest consisting of a ceiling of leaves and branches of closely spaced trees. The overstory is the upper canopy about 100-130 above the floor of the forest. The understory occurs below the canopy. The shrub layer is about 5-20 feet above the forest floor and mostly consists of shrubs and tree saplings (Butler). The wildlife varies based on which level of the forest it inhabits. Tropical rainforests have extremely high biological diversity. They are extremely important, complex yet fragile ecosystems. They , especially the Amazon rainforests, are considered the lungs of the planet because they recycle most of the carbon dioxide to oxygen. A vast majority, i.e. more than half of the world’s plant, animal and insect species live in tropical rainforests. At least 80% of human’s original diet came from tropical rainforests. They provide a large number of food and medicinal products. They are extremely vital for the maintenance of normal climate as well as the biological diversity of the planet. Tropical rainforests cover only about 6% of the earth’s surface.

Budgets Forecast for Energy Drink Company Essay

Budgets Forecast for Energy Drink Company - Essay Example Marginal costing takes into account variable costs during production while Fixed manufacturing overhead is treated as period costs. It is believed that only the variable costs are relevant to decision-making and that the reason why they are considered in production. Fixed manufacturing overheads will be incurred regardless there is production or not. Appendix 1 illustrates a cost statement using marginal costing. The contribution margin is positive; therefore the plan of manufacturing an energy drink is a viable one. The fixed costs are not useful in the decision-making process that is why contribution margin is used as it excluded fixed costs. Break-even analysis is used in showing the relationship between selling prices, sales volume, variable costs, fixed costs and profits at various levels of activity. It is also referred to as cost-volume-profit analysis. It used in determining the break-even point. BEP is the level of activity where the total revenue equals the total costs. Therefore, no profits are realized at the BEP. However, break-even analysis has its limitations. To begin with, breakeven analysis assumes that fixed cost, variable costs and sales revenue behaves are linear. However, this is not the case since some overhead costs may be stepped in nature. As a result, the straight sales revenue line and total cost line tend to curve beyond a certain level of production Another limitation of break-even analysis is that it assumes that all the stock produced is sold. Therefore, changes in stock levels are not taken into account in the breakeven chart. Finally, breakeven analysis is only suitable for providing information to relatively small companies that produce one type of products. Thus it’s not suitable for companies producing a different product. Forecasting is used in estimating future performance of the business. It is useful in the financial planning process which entails assessing future financial needs.

Affirmative Action Essay Example for Free

Affirmative Action Essay Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, â€Å"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.† This statement will always ring true especially on the subject of equal opportunity when it comes to employment and education here in the United States. It’s no secret that equality has been something America has always lacked, but at the same time has always been something America stood for. In fact it can be easily inferred that equality among all men has been something America has stride for since it gained independence from the British in 1776. Our founding fathers were the first to have this initial thought, that being best portrayed in the declaration of independence, which state’s We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.(qtd. In declaration of independence) To me this means our founding fathers believed that every man from birth has the god given right to a life of liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but somewhere during Americas journey as a country it forgot it’s true creed and became it’s own tyrant preventing people from reaching their full potential while also denying it’s own citizens liberty and a pursuit to happiness. And although achieving equality in this country has been nothing short of easy with countless set backs and hypocritical ideas, equality among all its citizens is still something America does strides for, and nothing brings you direct equality quit like Affirmative Action does. If you consider affirmative action for its intentional purposes than Affirmative Action is very just, its purpose being to equalize the education and economic gap between minorities and causations. Although it is not a perfect method to achieving equality in this country, it is essential to accept it for why it’s been put into place and that it is all part of a process. Of course affirmative action is far from perfect and has a fair deal of problems, like promoting reverse discrimination while backing up negative stereotypes. I researched all of these aspects while pondering the question â€Å"is affirmative action still needed in today’s society?† In this paper I will be explaining what affirmative action is. The History behind affirmative action like how it all unfolded, who made it, and the history as to why it is in effect now. I will also list some pros and cons of affirmative action, how the United States could better affirmative action for the future and f inally a conclusion, which is my opinion on the topic. But what exactly is Affrimative action? Born of the civil rights movement three decades ago, affirmative action calls for minorities and women to be given special consideration in employment and education acceptance decisions. Universities with affirmative action policies generally set goals to increase diversity. Affirmative action decisions are generally not supposed to be based on quotas, nor are they supposed to give any preference to unqualified candidates. And by no means is affirmative action supposed to harm anyone through reverse discrimination. The purpose was to create equal opportunity for the people who had been unjustly treated in the past. It was set out to correct this wrong, and make it right. But at the same time too often is Affrimative action is looked upon as a solution for a nation once ill with, but now cured of, the evil disease of racial discrimination. Some would say Affirmative action is, and should be seen as, a temporary, partial, and perhaps even flawed cure for past and continuing discrimination. But all in all affirmative action is defined as â€Å"The positive steps taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded. When those steps involve preferential selection—selection on the basis of race, gender, or ethnicity† (Fullinwider) Of course affirmative action has a very deep history to it, and to why it was put into place. Now that you understand the purpose for which it was made, le t me explain who made it and why affirmative action was created. The history of Affirmative action, the first step in affirmative action was the creation of it. President John F. Kennedy first introduced it in 1961. The following is in sections to show the timeline of affirmative action in the begging stages of its creation: * March 6, 1961 Executive Order 10925 makes the first reference to affirmative action (Timeline) President John F. Kennedy issues Executive Order 10925, which creates the Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity and mandates that projects financed with federal funds take affirmative action to ensure that hiring and employment practices are free of racial bias. * July 2, 1964 Civil Rights Act signed by President Lyndon Johnson The most sweeping civil rights legislation since Reconstruction, the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination of all kinds based on race, color, religion, or national origin. (Timeline) * June 4, 1965 Speech defining concept of affirmative action In an eloquent speech to the graduating class at Howard University, President Johnson frames the concept underlying affirmative action, asserting that civil rights laws alone are not enough to remedy discrimination: You do not wipe away the scars of centuries by saying: now, you are free to go where you want, do as you desire, and choose the leaders you please. You do not take a man who for years has been hobbled by chains, liberate him, bring him to the starting line of a race, saying, you are free to compete with all the others, and still justly believe you have been completely fair . . . This is the next and more profound stage of the battle for civil rights. We seek not just freedom but opportunity—not just legal equity but human ability—not just equality as a right and a theory, but equality as a fact and as a result. (Timeline) * Sept. 24,1965 Executive Order 11246 enforces affirmative action for the first time (Timeline) Issued by President Johnson, the executive order requires government contractors to take affirmative action toward prospective minority employees in all aspects of hiring and employment. The rest of the affirmative actions timeline from here on out is mainly just Supreme Court cases, which can help define what exactly it can do and what exactly it can’t do. * In the 1978 Supreme Court case University of California vs. Bakke, a white male named Allan Bakke claimed reverse discrimination because he was rejected twice from medical school while less-qualified minority students were admitted to fill a quota that required 18 out of every 100 places be filled with minorities. The Supreme Court ruled against inflexible quota systems, but did not outlaw affirmative action as a whole.(Timeline) Most of the lawsuits were against Universities since many universities also adopted affirmative action programs in the 1970s. These programs were aimed at increasing black enrollment and the number of black faculty. None more notable then Jenifer Gatz law suit again the University of Michigan â€Å"Gratz vs. Bollinger and Grutter vs. Bollinger.† It ruled that affirmative action fulfills a compelling interest in obtaining the educational benefits that flow from a diverse student body. The purpose of affirmative action policy shifted from redressing injustice to promoting values of diversity. But even after all these deciding cases on affirmative action it’s still a heated matter of dispute. After much legislation and many Supreme Court decisions, affirmative action continues to be controversial (Legal History, Ongoing Debates section, para. 1). These controversies lead to questions, which can only be answered by understanding why affirmative action was put into effect in the first place. It is important to remember affirmative action is still a work in progress to achieve something much bigger than any one individual. People tend to forget that and the history to why affirmative action was put into place. It cannot be denied that Americas history is full of mistreatment of minority individuals. Women did not have a chance to vote for nearly a century and half after the birth of the country. African Americans were captured and forced into slavery, Although the Thirteenth Amendment ended institutionalized slavery in the United States in 1865, African Americans were not treated equal to whites in the eyes of the law for nearly another century, they were considered only one third of citizen. So with the two hundred years of slavery coming to an abrupt end a new regime or prejudices was to come into effect. Of course even after the end of slavery African Americans were consistently denied employment, housing, and education. In the south discrimination was a daily routine supported by â€Å"Jim Crow laws.†(Affirmative action) Unjust social statues and norms were passed in the 1800s that establish separate, inferior, public facilities, schools, waiting rooms, railways cars, and restrooms for African Americans through out the country. This has caused a domino effect on our society that still seen today. Those outrageous social norms were practiced in America until late in the civil rights movement when president JFK finally acknowledged the struggle for equality and the idea of Affirmative Action was born. After President Kennedy’s assignation, President Lyndon B. Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It banned discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, and sex in the areas of employment, public facilities, and government programs. The idea of equality in America, that every man is created equally was slowly and surly becoming more realistic, due largely to Martin Luther Kings efforts. Here are Dr. King’s own words on the idea of Affirmative action from his 1963 book â€Å"why cant we wait† King states: â€Å"Among the many vital jobs to be done, the nation must not only radically readjust its attitude toward the Negro in the compelling present, but must incorporate in its planning some compensatory consideration for the handicaps he has inherited from the past. It is impossible to create a formula for the future which does not take into account that our society has been doing something special against the Negro for hundreds of years. How then can he be absorbed into the mainstream of American life if we do not do something special for him now, in order to balance the equation and equip him to compete on a just and equal basis?† – Martin Luther King J.R (Wise) In his 1967 book, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? King argued: A society that has done something special against the Negro for hundreds of years must now do something special for him, to equip him to compete on a just and equal basis.(wise) Continuing: â€Å"†¦for Two centuries the Negro was enslaved and robbed of any wages: potential accrued wealth which would have been the legacy of his descendants. All of Americas wealth could not adequately compensate its Negroes for his centuries of exploitation and humiliation. It is an economic fact that a program such as I propose would certainly cost far less than any computation of two centuries of unpaid wages plus accumulated interest. In any case, I do not intend that this program of economic aid should apply only to the Negro: it should benefit the disadvantaged of all races.†- Martin Luther King J.R (Wise) It is clear that these are some of the reasons why Martin Luther King J.R and others thought affirmative action should be and eventually was put into effect. A large part as to why affirmative action is in effect is so Compensation can be made to those who are at a disadvantage due to past racial biases and predjedism. You should now have a better idea as to what exactly affirmative action is, what it’s intentions are, the history behind who made it and the deeper history as to why it is still in effect and why it was originally put into effect. Affirmative action is however a major controversy in the United States, ever since it’s beginning, the concept of affirmative action raised difficult questions. â€Å"Many civil rights activists see affirmative action as a necessary step in achieving equality for groups that had faced discrimination in the past. However, critics of affirmative action argued that individuals should be treated on their own merits without regard to color, national origin, or sex.†(Affirmative Action) The Benefits of Affirmative Action â€Å"The one benefit of affirmative action is to correct past discriminations such as the mistreatment of women and slavery. This remedial justification of affirmative action recognizes that wrongs have been committed in the past and acknowledges a moral obligation to set things right† (Affirmative Action Pros and Cons, The Origins Of, Legal Treatment Of, Political and Social Debates, The Future, Pros and Cons section, para. 1). It is important for injustices to be redressed. â€Å"Slavery and institutionalized racism have not been redressed yet in America and around the world. In order for justice to be served, it is necessary for the main losers of racism in America (African Americans) to be compensated for their loses through affirmative action.† (Affirmative Action) And affirmative action does just that, not in the sense of giving physical money, but through opportunities in education and in life. The following are the benefits affirmative action provides: Affirmative action has provided many opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds and income levels who ordinarily would not be considered for admission to colleges and universities. This means that the pool of talent coming out of the higher education system is larger and better able to contribute as productive members of the workforce. Affirmative action has had a profound effect on employment hiring and promoting practices. Historically, â€Å"close to 90% of all jobs are filled without being advertised, with the majority of positions going to friends, relatives, or acquaintances of company employees.†(Wise) This is often the case with a lot of jobs. Unfortunately it can boil down to whom one knows not what they know. The result of this practice is that employers often end up with employees who are not the best person for the job if it were properly advertised. Affirmative action has encouraged many companies to engage in employment practices that set minimum standards of job definition, recruiting, outreach, and evaluation that result in choosing the right person for the job. Finding the right person for the job or the promotion is critical in letting business efficiently utilize the workforce and allow each person to reach his or her full potential. Diversity in itself is desirable, it has been since the birth of this country, but it won’t always occur if left to chance. But when affirmative action is working like its initial purpose was intended too miraculous things can happen, and there are good facts to back that up. â€Å"Between 1981 and 2001, the total number of degrees awarded to Native Americans rose by 151.9% because of affirmative action policies.† (Patterns) Also, from â€Å"1982 to 1995, there has been an increase in the percent of black managers from 5 to 7 percent. Hispanics have shown a 3 percent increase from 5 percent in 1982.†(Patterns) Affirmative Action has been successful in providing minorities with opportunities. â€Å"At the same time a recent study has shown a person with a white sounding name has a 50% more change of getting a call back from a interview than those with black sounding name even when qualifications are indistinguishable.† (Tim Wise) Again equality is desirable but it won’t always occur if left to chance. â€Å"Eliminating affirmative action can lead to the re-segregation of higher education. When affirmative action was outlawed at the University of Texas in 1995, the number of black students at the UT Law School dropped from 65 in 1996 to 11 in 1997 and Latino student enrollments have been cut in half since the decision.† (Patterns) this isn’t necessarily a pro, but interesting enough. With affirmative action being banned in Texas the number of white students also dramatically increased while the number of Asians skyrocketed. I guess the best-qualified applicants where accepted. Here is a statistics that shows why affirmative action is still needed. For â€Å"every dollar earned by men, women earn 74 cents, African American women earn 63 cents and Latina women earn 57 cents.† (Patterns) This unjust statistics will continue with out the help of something like affirmative action. It is the reality inequalities like this that suggest maybe affirmative action should be left alone till equality is fully reached or a better solution is thought of.