Monday, November 4, 2019
The Institutions paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
The Institutions paper - Essay Example al., 20). The Senate and the House of Committees functions start with checking on 10,000 bills every year. These bills are the proposals that later become new laws. Out of the 10,000 bills, only 650 bills pass to become laws. The Senate and the House of Committees always execute this process in one building but they meet in separate venues (Plesser 33). Both the Senate and House of Representatives have special committees to scrutinize the bills in ensuring that they are studied carefully. Each committee analyzes a bill with a particular topic, say, farming, taxes or environment. If the committee finds that the bill is good, they present it to the House or Senate. Subsequently, if the committee approves the bill, they will pass it to the president to sign it (Jenkins 27). The Congress is also responsible for setting up the structure of the Department of Homeland Security. Still, it pays the military forces and chooses the states to add to the Union. The Congress as well takes an investigative role and assesses the executiveââ¬â¢s operations. Besides, the Senate also works together with the presidency to appoint the officials in the executive branch as well as high-ranking judges. The representation of the people is evident in the House of Representatives since it bases on population. However, the Senate has a discriminatory quality by having only two senators from each state. Nevertheless, there has been great electoral popularity in the Senate after the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913 (Greenberg & Benjamin 13). In ensuring the effectiveness of the Federal government, the presidency also plays numerous roles. To begin with, the president of America is the chief executive according to the constitution. The president is the supervisor in the executive; he appoints the officials and also ensures full implementation of everything that happens in
Saturday, November 2, 2019
Key elements in consumer behavior and why it is relevant to marketing Term Paper
Key elements in consumer behavior and why it is relevant to marketing - Term Paper Example Further, the article discusses some of examples wherein the companies had addressed individualism in consumer behavior Theory Consumer behavior can be described as ââ¬Å"The study of individuals, groups, or organizations and the processes they use to select, secure, use, and dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society.â⬠(Perner, 2010) Understanding of consumer behavior would help firms improve their marketing strategies, by addressing the issues like how consumerââ¬â¢s reasoning and selection between different alternatives, level of consumer knowledge, how to improve marketing campaigns to effectively reach out to consumers Consumer behavior and preferences has changed over the period of time and would continue to evolve in the future also. We can analyze some of the key elements of consumer behavior globally. For example, todayââ¬â¢s consumers place considerable value on self -expression and their individual identity. This also includes exerting their power and control as consumers. This element of consumer behavior represents consumersââ¬â¢ desires to be themselves and to be recognized as having personal needs rather than being part of the mass market. Accordingly, consumers value products and services that complement their individualityââ¬âproviding them with a sense of personal and social identity. This trend represents values such as ââ¬Å"being meâ⬠, ââ¬Å"trusting myselfâ⬠, ââ¬Å"finding my own answersâ⬠and ââ¬Å"making my mark on the worldâ⬠in a world of opportunity and freedom. The desire for individuality is not new. It has just become more attainable for more people due to rising prosperity in society and the fact that technological advances facilitate easier, more cost effective personalized products and services. With rising prosperity there has also been a growth of post-materialist societies where values emp hasizing self expressing and individuality have grown. Let us see some of the drivers, particularly from marketing perspective, which are driving individualism in consumer behavior: 1. There are several database methods of consumer research such as store loyalty programs which is strengthening more personal forms of marketing 2. Supply side: manufacturers are increasingly tapping into the desire for more personalized products as a point of differentiation (increasingly to help offset the escalating private label threat). Individualized value added services are increasingly becoming the norm 3. Brand hegemony, particularly in the context of private label growth and copycat innovations, has contributed to the demand for personalized goods that offer genuine points of differentiation Key take-outs and implications: the growth of individuality creates a more engaged, confident and vocal consumer 1. Self-expressive contemporary consumers will increasingly choose brands that offer compell ing platforms for expressing oneââ¬â¢s individuality. 2. In emerging economies, the desire for self expression/individuality is more complex. Emerging economies are typically more collectivist consumer cultures that have been ââ¬Ëmuddiedââ¬â¢ by the growth of more self expressive values that have typically accompanied economic prosperity. 3. Research has documented that people who exhibit more individualistic tendencies are more assertive, more
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Business strategy in global environment Assignment
Business strategy in global environment - Assignment Example The competitors in this market are holding their ground; they are trying very hard to slice of some customers from Fastwayââ¬â¢s customer base, but so far, no competitor has been successful in accomplishing this objective. Even though the current operations of the company are redundant, but still the company has been very successful in meeting its customersââ¬â¢ expectations with significant ease. Nevertheless, the company cannot keep operating like this for too long and it will have to take initiatives to improve its current processes. Moreover, the company needs to decide whether it would use its strong capital base to expand into new market or if it will continue to serve in its current market. In this regards a decisive action is needs from the companyââ¬â¢s management. Introduction: Tough economic climate has made it imperative upon companies to improve their operation methods, restructure their cost structure and identify new market segments, which the company can serv e profitably. In this regards, if a company wants to ensure its survival, it should start its operations in the global arena. A company by initiating its operations in the international arena can expand its customer base and take advantage of the opportunities presented by globalization. To reap the benefits of globalization, the company needs to adopt a global strategy. ... Part 1: Strategic Choices and Options for the Company Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) Matrix: Strength: The company was formed in 1983 in New Zealand, and is now the worldââ¬â¢s largest franchise courier service company. The companyââ¬â¢s management is renowned for coming up with exceptional company policies. Companyââ¬â¢s internal structure, comprising of policies, procedures and staff is perfectly tailored to fit the requirements and expectations of local market. The company has a very strong organisational culture in place, which is perfect for handling any unprecedented circumstances in the companyââ¬â¢s external and internal environment. The company is offering a product mix that is highly suitable to meet the needs of the local market. The company has strong brand equity in its local market. The company has strong infrastructure and is highly technology oriented; the company firmly supports innovation in its existing company processes. The comp any has a strong positioning statement to differentiate it from competitors operating in the market. The company has operational processes which enables it to deliver a package in a very quick time. This further leads to its name being synonymous to quick and timely delivery. The company has a strong capital base which allows it to maintain a large fleet in the marketplace. The company has a strong network of hubs, airplanes and trucks which allow it to offer fast track services. The company holds 50% of the market share of the parcels in the shipping industry. The company is firmly customer oriented and this fact is professed by means of its customer service.
Monday, October 28, 2019
Cause of action assignment Essay Example for Free
Cause of action assignment Essay Task A (1) ââ¬ËDuty of careââ¬â¢ means to exercise a degree of attention and caution to avoid negligence which would lead to harm. Duty of care in a childcare setting is keeping children and young people safe, protecting them not only from physical harm but also emotional and sexual harm. Working with children and young people need a significant amount of duty of care, the younger and more vulnerable the child the greater the duty of care because of a childââ¬â¢s limited ability to care for themselves. Good vigilance is needed to keep a child safe, for example to foresee and cope with potential dangers. This extends to respecting the rights, cultural beliefs and values of the parents and family. (2) Duty of care contributes to the safeguarding and protection aspects of a setting. An example would be carrying out risk assessments to prevent potential hazards which would then reduce the risk of harm to the children. A further example would be setting clear boundaries/ expectations by communicating with the children what is unacceptable behaviour. Consistent reinforcement of this may be necessary to discourage the children from repeating hazardous behaviour that could cause harm to themselves or others. Understanding of the signs of neglect/abuse if any signs/indicators of abuse or neglect were noticed they should be reported to the relevant third parties to protect the child. Making observations and assessing children help to check to see if individual children are progressing and developing at suitable rates, if not so then I would need to take relevant action with other parties such as parents or professionals Task B Example of potential conflict orDilemma | How to manage the risk| Where to get additional support| Risk taking ââ¬â such as a child accidently slipping of a step of a climbing frame and the childââ¬â¢s parents asking for that equipment to be put away, this would conflict with all childrenââ¬â¢s opportunity to develop and learn | The risk would be managed by explaining that in order for children to learn to cope with risky situationsand acquire life and physical skills these small risks must be taken, in asafe environment. Also by filling ina risk assessment to minimize any risk | People such as my room supervisor, Manager or Ofsted, the EYFS may also be helpful | Confidentiality- such as if there was concerns we had about abuse of achild, in order to safeguard it mayoverride the families right to privacy .| It would be managed by only sharing the information with appropriateprofessionals to protect the right to privacy | I would share the information with Only my room supervisor/managerFor advice on what steps to take and Refer to the polices and procedures On safeguarding | Weather disturbance- such as itââ¬â¢s wet and cold outside but the children wantto have their outside play| Make sure a full risk assessment is completed (including all wet/slippy equipment is wiped down and large puddles are brushed away), all children have suitable clothing and shorten the length of time theyââ¬â¢re outside for| Refer to the EYFS that states childrenShould have outside play and also Discuss wi th colleges | Task C The main points of a complaints procedure include ensuring complaints are handled in a way that protects the rights of individuals involved. Issues or concerns are encouraged to be resolved verbally as they arise. If a concern cannot be resolved immediately the person raising the concern should ask to speak with a manager, and a meeting can be arranged at a certain place and time. If satisfactory resolution still canââ¬â¢t be found, a written formal complaint can be raised. If the manager feels that the situation is a child protection allegation, they should inform the designated child protection officer. If any individual involved in the complaint has reason to believe a criminal offense has been committed then they will contact the police.
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Young Peoples Time Perspectives: From Youth to Adulthood
Young Peoples Time Perspectives: From Youth to Adulthood Summarise and critically evaluate the article (Brannen, J Nilsen, A 2002) ââ¬Å"young peoples time perspectives focusing on; A) Its conceptual and theoretical framework and B) Its methodology and approach to evidence. The Author Brennanââ¬â¢s history includes her being a professor in Sociology for the University of London. She has written books and researched in on topics relating to gender and families with young people and children. She also co-edits, the International Journal of Social Research Methodology: theory and practice. The co-author history included Nilsen being a professor at the Department of Sociology, University of Bergen in Norway. She has researched in topicââ¬â¢s relating to womenââ¬â¢s life course, biographical methods and time and environmental sociology. She is also the co-editor of the Journal of Psychology. The article under discussion examines three bodies of theory: individualization, the life course, and concepts of time. It cross-examines these theories with respect to the following questions: how young people speak about the future; the bearing of young peoples situations and time perspectives upon the way they envisage the transition to adulthood. Empirical d ata is taken from five different European countries and material from focus group discussions and interviews are conducted with young people taken from west-European countries, Britain and Norway. They analyzed variations in young peoples ways of thinking about their future lives, and propose, as a basis for further research, three ideal typical models. The concepts include Nowotneys concept of ââ¬Å"extended present, which is the notion of planning for the future, which may be altered by the experiences of the presentâ⬠. It is has been stated by Sennett 1998, that a shift from linear concept of time can mean people no longer try to predict the future and the notions of planning loses its meaning, Brannen and Nilsen have scrutinized all the theories and concepts mentioned. The purpose of their article was to begin to develop a language of description (Bernstein 1996) for representing and interpreting the nuances and diversity in young peopleââ¬â¢s orientation to adulthood which may be applied and modified in future research. They aimed to look at theories of life course processes and wanted to observe how young people think and speak about the future. The cross national study ââ¬Å"young peopleââ¬â¢s orientation to the future reconciliation of employment and family lifeâ⬠, This initial cross-national analyses focus was on young peoples viewââ¬â¢s of future in general and did not set out explicitly to examining the future in general, neither or their conceptualizations of time. There work related to another parallel study carried out with interviewing Norwegian men and women, (Nilsen, and Brannen 2002). The study method included 12 focus groups with three different groups for interviews; they tried to make each group as alike in terms of demographics as possible, however theory did not discuss what measures of precaution they took. The groups were divided by education and training levels, by occupational level, and by those in manual or while collar jobs. Questions about merging employment and family life were for most young people at the time of interview were hypothetical. The study was not concentrating on the issues such as time perspectives and theories linking to it, thus they were not able to examine methodically the interactions of gender, age and social class to the three models thinking about the future. The explicit focus of the study was on future reconciliation or employment and family responsibilities. Nilsen and Brannen were interested in gathering a qualitative approach. They did not however take into consideration the time scale was short and the research funding wa s low, there lack of planning and budgeting was thus seen. They explained further that is when the aim of when they decided to change it from a qualitative approach to an exploratory one. They employed focus groups ranging from 3-10 people. They do however agree to that fact that it is not justifiable, in which focus group methodology can generalize about young people to produce biographical material. They further stated that as well as focus groups, interviews were conducted with selected young people aged 18-30 however they did not provide evidence and document the findings in the article, which leads to questions of the purpose of such interviews. They talked about the theoretical perspectives including in the Individualisation theory (Beck 1992, 1994; Beck-Gernsheim, 1995; Giddens, 1991, 1994). This theory holds the idea that the processes remove structural separations of gender, social class and age. The assertion that individual choices become more important and the choice biography replaces the standard biography 1996. This theory has received much speculation, by Beck, Giddens 1994, Bauman 1998a, and Nowotney 1994. The ââ¬Å"extended presentâ⬠which takes account of ââ¬Å"choice biographyâ⬠and suggest it is untried as argued by Brannen and Nilsen that the way people pass through the transition to adulthood is prejudiced by their experiences of time. Brannen and Nilsenââ¬â¢s came to the conclusion of explaining there findings through proposing, three models. Brannen and Nilsen looked at three theories, 1) Individualization, 2) The life course 3) concepts of time. The models they obtained suggested a larger range in ways of thinking and planning for the future than the individualization theories. They attempted to apply theory to empirical data. They stated they were looking for a qualitative approach which then talked above exploratory, which leads the reader feeling a bit baffled. They compared the findings form both countries of Norway and England. They have put forward three models in the conclusions, model of Deferment, the model of Adaptability and the model of Predictability. There work carries no internal or external validity, when a test has content validity; the items on the test represent the entire range of possible items the test should cover. Individual test questions may be drawn from a large pool of items that cover a broad range of topics, however in Nilsen and Brannen study this was not the case. Brannen and Nilsen stated that young people were chosen as young people focus on time, a feature of social experience which has been ignored in empirical research. Brannen and Nilsen have put forward three ideal typical ways that have been identified in and applied to new material. One of the models of deferment, they have presented a critical case of younger women consider adulthood in looser terms, than the women in the second group the model of adaptability. From their findings they did report that imposing a dichotomy upon peoples lives in terms of either the ââ¬Å"choice biographyâ⬠is too simplistic. Brannen and Nilsen did not agree with other researchers they argued looking at their own models that a greater array of though processes and planning for the future in comparison to Individualization thesis ââ¬Å"choice Biographyâ⬠. They proposed that there are many factors affecting time orientations; these include the opportunity structures of education and training w hich have influence for employment aspirations. They argue that the complex material of social, cultural and discursive resources available or not, to young people together with the way young people adjust themselves in time, lead to construction of their identities .Brannen and Nilsen focus was differing from the cross-national analyses published by Brannen et al 2002. In that study the focus was on examining the view of the future in general neither or their conceptualizations of time. This article presented draws on a separation of cases from Norwegian and British seeking to apply to theories in time .At the end of the study all participants should have been given a full debrief, it is not clear from their article if this was carried out or not. All study participants should be told about procedures and any potential risks he confidentiality must also be maintained. They explained that the life course is no longer so clearly gendered .They researched that the decline of unskilled and semi skilled jobs in Britain and Norway led to led to men holding adult responsibilities at the same time as pursuing their youth, however women expected to have a job first then go down the route of motherhood, Brannen et al 1997. They also found that youth as a period of preparation for adulthood is going through change (Furlong and Cartmet ). The sources the authors used included their own research areas and past research that they had carried out. (Brannen and Moss, Owen Wale 1997, also Brannen and Nilsen and Smithson 2002; Also from Nilsenââ¬â¢s 1998, and 1999 studies).This article appears to be an extension of the areas of attention brought forward from past research experiments. The rhetoric and style of the article seems to be quite informal and loosely structured. Although some areas of their experimental explanations are clear, other areas are quite unclear with regard to the methodology and gathering of data. As a reader one is not convinced of their findings as t hey are qualitative and can not draw generalization to the wider public. Cultural issues were not considered in the countries studied carried out in, it is difficult to generalize the findings from cross-national studies, as every country to some degree has their own cultural patterns in youth to adulthood. In total they reported five countries were studies however he results qualitative that they may have been, was not mentioned. Other countries studied were not talked about a great deal nor the results discussed. Their study held no concurrent validity, construct validity or any predictive validity, as no tests were employed The intended audience to receive the data and outcomes of this research can be interpreted as the government and large organizations, as their focus was orientations over time, this would be beneficial to know. Also Cross-national studies lead to practical implications. The observations made can lead to a comparison of the employment/ education levels along with areas that each of the countries studies .This information is useful in the knowing which country is economically developing, along with attitudes of the public. Bibliography: Brannen Nilsen 2002, a ââ¬ËYoung Peoples Time Perspectives: From Youth to adulthood. 2002. Falmer 2000. Connecting children and family life in later childhood, Routledge D. C. Howell 2002. Statistical Methods for Psychology, 5th edition, Duxbury/Thomson Learning. Weiner, I., 2003. Handbook of Psychology. New York, NY: Wiley 1
Thursday, October 24, 2019
My Educational Philosophy :: Philosophy of Education Teaching Essays
My Educational Philosophy Education is diverse. Due to the various natures of knowledge and students, it is difficult to place my educational philosophy in one category. Each student is unique; curriculums vary depending on many factors. I feel that many educational philosophies are beneficial to education. The nature of students reflects many things including heredity, home life, and society as a whole. Through my experiences working with Americorps/Energy Express, I learned children from lower income families tend to lose three months of education during the summer break. The students never regain these losses. While lower income children lose learning, children from higher income families gain a month of learning. This demonstrates the importance of home life in the nature and education of students. When teaching, one must always consider the aspects that may affect the studentsââ¬â¢ nature along with the nature of knowledge. Knowledge is both relative and absolute. Literature is an example of relative knowledge. Interpretation of books or poetry depend on the person reading the material, the place where the literature is read, and the time period in which the person is living. Science and mathematics are absolute. One plus one equals two regardless of the time, place, or person. Acquiring knowledge, whether absolute or relative, is the purpose of education. Public education is important to improving society and the future. Like Plato, I feel education gives people the ability to think critically instead of being blindly led by others. As a future teacher, I am idealistic in that I hope to encourage students to challenge themselves, I also hope to encourage students to continue learning throughout life, and prepare for college. To accomplish these goals, I will incorporate pragmatic methods like hands on activities through laboratory experiments and problem solving into my teaching. This also falls under experimentalism. The Socratic method of small group discussions, lecturing, and questioning will be used to help students acquire knowledge. Using many methods will help all students to understand the material presented. Discipline will play an important role in reaching my goals for the students. I plan to use pragmatic methods also in establishing rules.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Philosophy and Science Essay
Philosophy, science, art and religion are all major achievements of the human mind. Like science, philosophy calls for careful reasoning and exact language. The nature of philosopher and science are somewhat similar in that they have both relied on logical thinking and a quest for deeper truths regarding life and human nature. There have been great philosophers who have become scientists such as Copernicus and there have been scientists like Albert Einstein who have later become philosophers. Thus there is a subtle relationship between science and philosophy. In ancient times all fields of study including religion, science and art were accepted as parts of philosophy. Science particularly, has been considered very important in every philosophic system. But with the rapid advance of knowledge the sciences and the humanities separated from philosophy (Grolier, 1979). They developed their own methods of investigation and their own vocabularies. Philosophers in recent times tend to focus on general ideas common to different fields. Thus we find that natural philosophy took its root in scientific investigation and later evolved into modern science. Philosophy can be understood in either a popular way or a technical way. In the popular sense, any set of deeply held beliefs about man, nature, society and God is called a philosophy. Everyone who has wondered about the meaning of life and found an answer that satisfied him as his own philosophy. In its more technical sense, philosophy means a highly disciplined and reasonable method of criticizing fundamental beliefs to make them more clear and reliable. This method was first developed by the ancient Greeks in the 6th century B. C. Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes, Pythagoras, and other learned men began to speculate about the underlying causes of natural phenomena like birth and death, rainfall and drought, the perfectly regular motions of the planets, the reach of fire toward the sky, and the fall of heavy objects toward the earth. In the world of today, science is regarded as an activity based on the experimental gathering of facts, the mathematical modeling of its results, and the framing of hypotheses. Philosophy on the other hand deals with unanswerable ultimate questions about ethics and metaphysics, the meaning of life, or the nature of truth. Todayââ¬â¢s philosophers and scientists travel along different paths, it is interesting to note that science and philosophy have had a common background and history. Till the emergence of special scientific branches in the 19th and 20th centuries, ââ¬Ënatural philosophyââ¬â¢ covered all scientific activity. Isaac Newton called himself a ââ¬Å"natural philosopherâ⬠, and telescopes and air pumps used to be classified as ââ¬Å"philosophical instrumentsâ⬠. Natural philosophy or ââ¬Å"philosophia naturalisâ⬠referred to the exploration and analysis of all things under the sky including stones to human mental functions and the winds and the stars. The natural philosophy evolved into modern scientific thought through the years 1200 to 1700. This period includes the introduction of Aristotleââ¬â¢s works into the nascent universities to the establishment of stable scientific institutions such as the Royal Society or the Acadà ©mie des Sciences. Science as is kno wn today isà were characterized by experimentation, mathematical modeling, the publication of research results, and the sponsoring of scientific collaboration. Science is usually associated with acquisition of knowledge and more specifically science is connected to theoretical knowledge compared to practical knowledge. The word ââ¬Å"scienceâ⬠has its roots from the word ââ¬Å"Scientiaâ⬠originally meaning knowledge (Ross, 1996). Modern dictionaries define science as ââ¬Å"the observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of phenomena through methodological activity, discipline, or study.â⬠The true nature of science is best understood by focusing on its methodology. Fundamentally, then, science can be characterized as a method of obtaining reliable ââ¬â though not infallible ââ¬â knowledge about the universe around us. This knowledge includes both descriptions of what happens and explanations of why it happens. The knowledge is reliable because it is continually tested and retested ââ¬â much of science is heavily interdependent, which means that any test of any scientific idea entails testing other, related ideas at the same time. The knowledge is not infallible; because at no point do scientists assume that they have arrived at a final, definitive truth. Science is mostly about natural processes and natural events. It involves both description and explanation. Description tells what has happened whereas explanation tells why it happened. According to Science, future events may be predicted only based on knowledge of such events. The ancient Greeks formed the word ââ¬Ëphilosophyââ¬â¢ from ââ¬Ëphilosââ¬â¢ meaning ââ¬Ëloverââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ësophiaââ¬â¢ meaning ââ¬Ëwisdomââ¬â¢. A philosopher according to them was a person who devoted his lfie to the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake without regard for its practical uses. The kind of knowledge that interested Thales and other philosophers of the 6th century B.C. was knowledge of nature and its laws. Philosophy on the other hand deals with the fundamental nature of existence, of man and of manââ¬â¢s relationship to existence. Whereas science tries to take a microscopic perspective in problem solving, philosophy tends to take a macroscopic perspective in problem solving. In general, philosophy questions often are a series of ââ¬Å"why-questions,â⬠whereas science is often said to ask ââ¬Å"how-questions.â⬠In the words of Ayn Rand: ââ¬Å"In the realm of cognition, the special sciences are the trees, but philosophy is th e soil which makes the forest possible.â⬠(Ayn Rand in ââ¬Å"Philosophy: Who Needs Itâ⬠) Generally speaking philosophy is an attitude, an approach, or even a calling to answer or to ask or to comment upon certain peculiar kinds of questions. Science and philosophy have always supported each other. While philosophy utilizes scientific discoveries to give it strength and a basis for generalizations, science utilizes philosophy to get a world view and perceive things from the framework of universal principles. It is a well known fact that early scientific ideas came from philosophers. The atomic structure of things was first expressed by Democritus and later expanded on by Lucretius and Diderot. What was hypothetically conceived by them was declared a scientific fact two centuries later. The Cartesian reflux as it is known in science was proposed by philosophers to explain conservation of motion in the universe. Spinoza hypothesized determinism based on a general philosophical perception. The idea of the existence of molecules as complex particles consisting of atoms was developed in the works of the French philosopher Pierre Gassendi and also Russiaââ¬â¢s Mikhail Lomonosov. The hypothesis of the cellular structure of animal and vegetable organisms, the idea of the development and universal connection of phenomena and the principle of the material unity of the world were all obtained through philosophical thought. Lenin as a philosopher formulated the principle of the inexhaustibility of matter which scientists consider as a firm methodological base (Spirkin, 1983). Just as science progressed through philosophical thought, philosophy was also enriched by science. The philosophical world view and methodology was impacted greatly with every major scientific discovery. à Philosophical theories, statements and conclusions are deduced on the basis of scientific facts. Moreover, philosophical propositions, principles, concepts and laws are discovered through the generalization of these facts. Euclidian geometry and the mechanics of Galileo and Newton are scientific discoveries that impacted human reasoning in a significant manner. Copernicusââ¬â¢ heliocentric system changed the whole conception of the structure of the universe and Darwinââ¬â¢s theory of evolution, changed the general perception of manââ¬â¢s position in nature. Mendeleyevââ¬â¢s table of chemical elements enhanced understanding the structure of matter. Einsteinââ¬â¢s theory of relativity exposed the relationship between matter, motion, space and time. The theory of higher nervous activity evolved by Sechenov and Pavlov deepened the philosophersââ¬â¢ understanding of the material foundations of mental activity, of consciousness. The creation and development by Marx, Engels and Lenin of the science of the laws of development of human society contributed further to philosophy in the realm of natural and social vortex of events (Spirkin, 1983). The history of natural and social science shows that scientists, on several occasions have leaned on world-views and methodological principles, categories and logical systems evolved by philosophers in the process of their researches. All scientists who think in terms of theory have expressed their gratitude in their writings and in their speeches. Thus, we find that the connection between philosophy and science is mutual. But this statement is found to be debatable among experts. There is a strong argument among scientists and philosophers that the two disciplines of science and philosophy do not necessarily need each other for growth. But there are others who feel that science can be informed by philosophy. Philosophy is highly valued due to its interconnection with life. But then, there are others who argue that philosophy is based on vague theorizing and it should not have any link to science. However, it is significant to note that there is no such warning for philosophers to keep away from science. The specific sciences cannot and should not break their connections with true philosophy (Spirkin, 1983). Most scientists, especial those who work with theories would agree that creative activity is closely linked with philosophy and that without serious knowledge of philosophical culture the results of that activity cannot become theoretically effective. Scientists with a powerful theoretical grasp, have always accepted the significance of philosophy to the growth of science. Philosophy does not replace the specialised sciences and does not command them, but it does arm them with general principles of theoretical thinking, with a method of cognition and world-view. In this sense scientific philosophy legitimately holds one of the key positions in the system of the sciences. Truly scientific thought is philosophical to the core; just as truly philosophical thought is profoundly scientific, rooted in the sum-total of scientific achievements. Philosophical training gives the scientist a breadth and penetration, a wider scope in posing and resolving problems. Sometimes these qualities are brilliantly expressed, as in the work of Marx, particularly in his Capital, or in Einsteinââ¬â¢s wide-ranging natural scientific conceptions. The interconnection between science and philosophy that has existed through the years has only grown stronger with time. It is impossible to achieve complete understanding of theories related to global problems without a broad grasp of inter-disciplinary and philosophical views. There are some people who argue that science has no need of philosophy. It is their contention that science is in itself philosophy. They hold that scientific knowledge is sufficient to provide answers to all problems including philosophical problems. But the ââ¬Å"cunningâ⬠of philosophy lies in the fact that any form of contempt for it, any rejection of philosophy is in itself a kind of philosophy. It is as impossible to get rid of philosophy as it is to rid oneself of all convictions. Many scientists who have maintained the positions of crude empiricism and scorned philosophy have eventually fallen into mysticism. Absence of philosophical assumptions leads to intellectual narrowness. Science needs philosophy due to its diversified branches. As Science has become so ramified, no can today master any particular subject such as medicine or biology or mathematics. Scientists are trying to know as much as possible about as little as possible. This kind of specific specialization is both good and bad. Without narrow specialization there can be no progress in science and at the same time, such specialization must be constantly filled out by a broad inter-disciplinary approach, by the integrative power of philosophical reason. Narrow specialization has no breadth of vision and can thus lead to empiricism, to the endless description of particulars. While science requires researchers to look externally, philosophers tend to look both internally and externally ââ¬â at the world around man and manââ¬â¢s place in that world. This wholesome perception provided by philosophical consciousness is reflective in its very essence. Philosophy is not only an abstract science. It also deals with moral principles, ethics, and conscience. Today, advances in science have brought many kinds of conflict to society. For example, there is the question regarding nuclear bomb. Is it wrong for a nation to acquire nuclear bomb? Only ethical thinking combined with scientific thinking can provide the right answer. Such questions as this one cannot be answered by science alone. While there are many examples showing that philosophical thought was behind many scientific discoveries, Bernal conceived that science was the starting point for philosophy; it was the very basis of philosophy. Marxist social theory emerged within this process. For Bernal, there was no philosophy, no social theory, and no knowledge independent of science. Science was the foundation of it all (Sheehan, 1985). As Bernal saw the transition to the future, scientific and socialist philosophical thinking played a key role. à For a long time, philosophers as diverse as David Hume, Karl Marx, and Edmund Husser felt that philosophy was ââ¬Å"scientific.â⬠But, Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) felt that there are some problems that science alone can deal with and others it couldnââ¬â¢t. Science and philosophy are both different paths taken by different people who desire to explore the truth. Scientists and philosophers can be considered as seekers of true knowledge. These two subjects differ today in the nature and methodology. Despite these differences, true scientific theories are based on philosophy and true philosophical statements have their foundation in science.
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