Government Internet Intervention Essays - Content-control Software

Government Internet Intervention Government Internet Intervention The Internet is a method of communication and a source of information that is becoming more popular among those who are interested in, and have the time to surf the information superhighway. The problem with much information being accessible to this many people is that some of it is deemed inappropriate for minors. The government wants censorship, but a segment of the population does not. The Internet should not be considered a bad source for people, considering all the uses and information it distributes. During the past decade, our society has become based solely on the ability to move large amounts of information across large distances quickly. Computerization has influenced everyone's life. The natural evolution of computers and this need for ultra-fast communications has caused a global network of interconnected computers to develop. This global net allows a person to send E-mail across the world in mere fractions of a second, and enables even the common person to access information worldwide. With the advances with software that allows users with a sound card to use the Internet as a carrier for long distance voice calls and video conferencing, this network is the key to the future development of technologies. At present this net is the image of the First Amendment: freedom of speech. It is a place where people can speak their mind without being reprimanded for what they say, or how they choose to say it. Recently, Congress has been considering passing laws that will make it a crime punishable by jail to send vulgar language over the net. The government wants to maintain control over this new form of communication, and they are trying to use the protection of children as a smoke screen to pass laws that will allow them to regulate and censor the Internet, while banning techniques that could eliminate the need for regulation. Censorship of the Internet threatens to destroy its freelance atmosphere, while methods such as encryption could help prevent the need for government intervention (Levy 56). The current body of laws existing today in America does not apply well to the Internet. Is the Internet like a bookstore, where servers cannot be expected to review every title? Well, according to an article written by Michael Miller in PC Magazine, The Internet is much more like going into a book store and choosing to look at adult magazines (Miller 75). The Internet differs from other forms of media. In that one cannot just happen upon a vulgar site without first, either entering a complicated address following a link from another source, or by clicking on the agreement statement at the beginning of the site acknowledging that one is of the legal age of 18. This lawless atmosphere bothered many people. One such person is Nebraska Senator James Exon (D), who is one of the founding fathers of the Telecommunications Decency Act of 1996 which regulates any obscene or indecent material via the Internet to anyone under 18 years of age.? Exon's bill would also according to an article written by Steven Levy in an April 1995 issue of Newsweek magazine criminalize private mail, Levy also stated emotional I can call my brother on the phone and say anything-but if I say it on the Internet, it's illegal (Levy 55). One thing that Congress seems to have overlooked in its pursuit of regulations is that there are no clear boundaries from information being accessed over the Internet from over countries. All it takes is a click of a mouse to access, even if our government tried to regulate information accessed from other countries, we would have no control over what is posted in those countries, and we would have no practical way to stop it. Today's Internet works much like that of our own human brains. In that if one barrier or option is taken, your brain tries to find an alternate route or option. Today's Internet works on a similar design, if a major line between two servers say in two countries, is cut, then the Internet users will find another way around this obstacle. This process of obstacle avoidance makes it virtually impossible to separate an entire nation from indecent information in other

Quotes by Comedian and Actress Mae West

Quotes by Comedian and Actress Mae West Mae West was best known as a comedian and actress whose bawdy plays and movies were full of double entendres and attracted the attention of industry censors. Less well known is her role as writer in many productions. Her film career- mainly at Paramount in the 1930s- seemed to stop in 1943, but she returned in the 1970s for cult classic Myra Breckinridge and Sextette. Selected Mae West Quotations I believe in censorship. I made a fortune out of it. If I asked for a cup of coffee, someone would search for the double meaning. I wrote the story myself. Its all about a girl who lost her reputation but never missed it. When Im good, Im very good. When Im bad, Im better. Too much of a good thing can be wonderful. Its hard to be funny when you have to be clean. Im a woman of very few words, but lots of action. I generally avoid temptation unless I cant resist it. It isnt what I do, but how I do it. It isnt what I say, but how I say it, and how I look when I do it and say it. Ill try anything once, twice if I like it, three times to make sure. When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one Ive never tried before. Marriage is a great institution, but Im not ready for an institution yet. I used to be Snow White, but I drifted. Why dont you come on up and see me sometime- when Ive got nothin on but the radio. Why dont you come up sometime and see me? Im home every evening. Come up. Ill tell your fortune. Ah, you can be had. Lifes just a merry-go-round. Come on up. You might get a brass ring. Shes the kind of girl who climbed the ladder of success wrong by wrong. When women go wrong, men go right after them. There are no good girls gone wrong, just bad girls found out. Is that a banana in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me? It is better to be looked over than overlooked. Keep a diary, and someday itll keep you. To err is human, but it feels divine. Love conquers all things except poverty and toothache. Ive been rich and Ive been poor. Believe me, rich is better. Sex is emotion in motion. Virtue has its own reward, but no sale at the box office. Those who are easily shocked should be shocked more often. I like my clothes to be tight enough to show Im a woman, but loose enough to show Im a lady. Youre never too old to become younger. I like restraint, if it doesnt go too far. Im the lady who works at Paramount all day... and Fox all night. I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number you get in a diamond. A dame that knows the ropes isnt likely to get tied up. Love thy neighbor- and if he happens to be tall, debonair, and devastating, it will be that much easier. Its all right for a perfect stranger to kiss your hand as long as hes perfect. Its not the men in my life that count, its the life in my men. Every man I meet wants to protect me. I cant figure out what from. A man in the house is worth two in the street. A girl in the convertible is worth five in the phone book. A hard man is good to find. Ten men waiting for me at the door? Send one of them home, Im tired. Give a man a free hand and hell run it all over you. A man can be short and dumpy and getting bald but if he has fire, women will like him. An ounce of performance is worth pounds of promises. Dont keep a man guessing too long- hes sure to find the answer somewhere else. Look your best- who said love is blind? Flattery will get you everywhere. Ive been things and seen places. Im no angel, but Ive spread my wings a bit. The score never interested me, only the game. Men are my hobby. If I ever got married Id have to give it up. So many men... so little time. I only like two kinds of men- domestic and imported. I only have yes men around me. Who needs no men? Save a boyfriend for a rainy day- and another, in case it doesnt rain. Some men are all right in their place- if they only knew the right places! I like a man whos good, but not too good... for the good die young, and I hate a dead one. I feel like a million tonight. But one at a time. Men are easy to get but hard to keep. Men? Sure, Ive known lots of them. But I never found one I liked well enough to marry. Besides, Ive always been busy with my work. Marriage is a career in itself and to make a success of it youve got to keep working at it. So until I can give the proper amount of time to marriage, Ill stay single. His mother should have thrown him out and kept the stork. Hes the kind of man a woman would have to marry to get rid of. Dont marry a man to reform him. Thats what reform schools are for. Opportunity knocks for every man, but you have to give a woman a ring. It takes two to get one in trouble. Too many girls follow the line of least resistance, but a good line is hard to resist. Good women are no fun. The only good woman I can recall in history was  Betsy Ross. And all she ever made was a flag. Good sex is like good Bridge. If you dont have a good partner, youd better have a good hand. Diamonds is my career. When it comes to finances, remember that there are no withholding taxes on the wages of sin. No gold-digging for me. I take diamonds! We may be off the gold standard someday. You can do what you want, but saving love doesnt bring any interest. Any time you got nothing to do and lots of time to do it, come on up. Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly. Kiss and make up- but too much makeup has ruined many a kiss. Brains are an asset to the woman in love whos smart enough to hide em. Some women pick men to marry- and others pick them to pieces. Say what you want about long dresses, but they cover a multitude of shins. Let men see whats coming to them, and women will get whats coming to them. Cultivate your curves- they may be dangerous but they wont be avoided. I didnt discover curves; I only uncovered them. The curve is more powerful than the sword. Ive been in more laps than a napkin. Id like to see Paris before I die. Philadelphia will do. I see youre a man with ideals. I better be going before youve still got them. Women with pasts interest men because men hope that history will repeat itself. Dont ever make the same mistake twice, unless it pays. Right now I think censorship is necessary; the things theyre doing and saying in films right now just shouldnt be allowed. Theres no dignity anymore and I think thats very important. The best way to behave is to misbehave. You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. Quote collection assembled by Jone Johnson Lewis. Each quotation page in this collection and the entire collection  © Jone Johnson Lewis. This is an informal collection assembled over many years. I regret that I am not be able to provide the original source if it is not listed with the quote.

Personnel Managent Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Personnel Managent - Essay Example People constantly converse about salary and pay issues. No matter how many times they where asked not to argue their remuneration and other workforce issues at work, they still do. Thus, grouping alike positions with similar duty and control into pay ranges, usually makes sense. Nothing influences confidence as much as individuals who feel they are underpaid in relationship with others based on their involvement and that of other related jobs. A good pay is considered when both employee and employer agrees on the terms and benefits. Mutual negotiation is done. An organisation that proposes better than average benefits may pay less salary and still have motivated, contributing employees. If the health plan fees go up and you maintain to pay the cost, this is the identical as pay in the employees' pockets. The variety of benefits offered, and the cost to the employer, is a significant constituent of any wages approach. The biggest fault organisations make is failure to correspond the worth of the benefits offered. While people consider every organisation can profit from industry comparison studies, if conducted by reputable organisations, the big question is whether it is competitive within the local market for most of the positions. Study the salary assortment for related positions and job descriptions. The job description is predominantly significant for comparisons but usually harder to find for evaluation. Establish whether employees are competitive with similar positions with organisations of similar size, sales, and markets. Find companies in the same business, particularly in the area or region that is an extra good evaluation source. The substitute is to use the wages scheme to create disgruntled, grumbling, unhappy people. Paying a gratuity or bonus that is determined independently based on the worth of the goals consummated and the person to the organisation. The organisation can give all workers the same bonus, based on group goal achievements, across the board. Also, use profit sharing in which a portion of company profits is paid out equally to every person who was in employment during the time. Ways to deal with bonus, as part of the generally pay system, are restricted only by thoughts. It is recommended that bonus structures that are fair, consistent, and understandable, communicated up front, and tied to measurable, achievable goals. The better the shared picture of what comprise eligibility for a bonus, by the organization and the employee, the more likely the bonus will result in employee enthusiasm and accomplishment. An organisation that offers better than standard payback may pay less salary and still have motivated, contributing employees. A job applicant parley his salary with a small company. His potential salary, from legitimate market pay studies, ranged from $120,000 to $210,000. The potential employer, because of its size, needed to settle at the low end; the candidate, of course, sought the higher end. During the negotiations, the candidate cited six market pay studies, which added to the complexity of the discussions. Market pay studies recognized by the potential employer, however, convinced the candidate that the company's offer was worthy, though not necessarily what the candidate desired. The company and candidate settled at $170,000. Market pay studies are significant for establishing impartial and fair reimbursement within your organisation. Attracting and retaining better-quality employees for your

Eithcs in finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Eithcs in finance - Essay Example In addition to this, we must establish what the rules of the game are and discuss ethics in business, including issues on deception and fraud. The Business Purpose The word business has a variety of meanings and could not simply be defined. Even in the Merriam- Webster online dictionary (2013), it has 10 possible meanings. Some of the few interesting descriptions of business include that it is a ‘purposeful activity’, ‘engaged in as a means of livelihood’, ‘transaction of an economic nature’, and ‘a serious activity requiring time and effort and usually the avoidance of distractions’. All aforementioned definitions are correct and are applicable in different business interests. Friedman (1970) mentioned that the primary purpose of business is to maximize profits. Whole Foods Market is a big natural and organic food company in the US. Its CEO, John Mackey agreed with this statement, but pointed out several good points to consider in his work in Conscious Capitalism. He introduced the purpose of business by first pointing out purposes of important profit- producing sectors in society. Doctors, for example, work to heal the sick. Teachers serve in lieu of educating the youth. Lawyers exist to advocate justice. All talk about promoting ‘public good’ and a ‘purpose beyond self- interest’, but how about business? Does it promote the same purpose? According to most economists, the purpose of business is to maximize pro?ts for the investors, but the major power in establishing business purpose lies on the entrepreneur. Mackey adds that in his experience, only a few entrepreneurs he knew engaged with a business purpose different from just ‘maximizing profit’, and reasons for choosing so were mostly personal (2007: 2). Verging into Entrepreneurship In 1987, Robert Goffee and Richard Scase defined entrepreneurs as ‘popular heroes’ since economic recovery in the 80â€⠄¢s was largely dependent on the ambitious efforts of fearless entrepreneurs. On the other hand, Robert D. Hisrich, PhD, Michael P. Peters, PhD, and Dean A. Shepherd, PhD provided the following definition for entrepreneurship: ‘Entrepreneurship is the process of creating something new with value by devoting the necessary time and effort, assuming the accompanying financial, psychic, and social risks, and receiving the resulting rewards of monetary and personal satisfaction and independence’ (2005). Entrepreneurs are risk- takers and innovators who deviate from the norm of being a wage employee and verge into being ‘their own boss’. Dr. Jyotsna Sethi of Small Industries India enumerates in her work Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurship three stages in the entrepreneurial process in with the main goal of profit generation. Income generation is the first stage, which is the simplest done, part- time engagement to supplement income. Self- employment is the second stage, which entails involvement in one’s own occupation and requires fulltime involvement. These boils down to entrepreneurship, coined as the third and

Theoretical Orientations In Sociological Analysis

Theoretical Orientations In Sociological Analysis The social world that we inhabit comprises of several peoples, groups, communities, relations, etc. Those who are interested in comprehending the social world around them and trying to make sense of the same, make use of reason and logic to clarify, label and develop ideas about who we are. These commonsensical notions about the world around us are different from ideas informed by logic and reason. Logical understanding of society finds expression in the ordering of ideas into concepts and the careful arrangement of concepts into hypotheses to be tested, validated and tested for reliability in order to arrive at universal generalisations of social phenomenon. The central purpose of this essay is to understand two interrelated questions: What is theory? And why do we need theory? We will explore the aforementioned questions by examining two different models of conceptualising society: Naturalistic and humanistic. While examining this point, we would also seek to clarify the need of social theory to exist in a separate domain from commonsensical and lay knowledge. This would be followed by bringing to light the methodological premises on which theory building rests and its implications on the production of sociological knowledge. The argument would attempt to clarify the case for finding a middle ground between methodological individualism and methodological collectivism in methodological situationalism for production of social theory. But before moving to these arguments, we would begin by understanding the relation of theory and concept, as one the most widely used definitions of theory uses concept. Social Theory and Concept We begin with the proposition that theories can be described as sets of inter-related concepts and ideas that have been scientifically tested and combined to magnify, enlarge, clarify, and expand our understanding of people, their behaviours, and their societies. A theory is a unit of knowledge that comprises facts, assumptions and hypotheses. This unit shows how facts can be subordinated to general principles or laws and how they relate to them. Theories can be verified by experiments or by methodological observation. Usually theories focus on one selected aspect of a phenomenon under consideration. This means that several or even many theories can be constructed dealing with the same phenomenon. Blumer highlights the issues concerned with using concepts in social theory. In terms of both origin and use, social theory, seems in general not to be geared into the empirical world. This is problematic because theoretical formulations rely heavily on concepts as means of capturing the em pirical world. It is quite evident that the concepts in social theory are vague because the objects of study include social values, norms, institutions, etc which cannot be grasped in their entirety, but can only provide a rough identification of attributes that can be included in the study. There is thus, a need to have clear concepts which can be used for social theory. The difference that Blumer points out is that there is a distinction between definitive concept and sensitising concept. A definitive concept refers to what is common to a class of objects, by the aid of fixed benchmarks of empirical science. A sensitising concept on the other hand gives a general sense of reference and guidance in approaching empirical instances. Concepts used in social theory largely belong to the latter category. They lack the precise referent and benchmark which can be used to grasp the concept. The empirical world of our discipline is a social world of every day experience. Every object can be subjected to consideration for social theory. This distinctive character of the empirical world and its settings make our concepts sensitising in nature. This is not to say that these concepts are unscientific in any way. Sensitising concepts can be tested, improved and refined. Their validity can be analysed through careful study of empirical references that they seek to cover. Dealing with questions of Agency through an exploration of the Naturalistic and Humanistic perspective The next section of this essay we will begin with the naturalistic model of social theory. The naturalistic model with its focus on developing a true and valid science of society aimed to align social theory along the lines of empirical science. An empirical science of society analyses the world abstractly as composed of objects and attempts to establish relations among these classes of objects. It is this analytical scheme of empirical science which influences research and also methods of data collection, classification and its implications on formulation of new theories. Social theory finds its fundamental problem, in such a scheme of analysis, as the relation between the empirical referent and the concept used to denote the referent in theory as social theory is largely made of well defined concepts and the relational value attached to them. The concepts that are used in social theory can be vague in nature, in the sense that they may not be able to determine with exactitude the p recise specification of attributes to be studied. (As mentioned before) The domain of sociology has at its centre the analysis of society, and all its related components. The subject matter of sociology becomes problematic because we inhabit the world we seek to analyse. The most critical question that presents before us is to understand how does a member of society become an objective observer of social phenomenon, while being a part of the social model, and thus produce scientific sociological theory. The task therefore is to delineate general phenomenon from sociological phenomenon. This brings us to the difference between common sense knowledge and sociological knowledge. There are different ways of approaching this question. We begin with the proposition that all the knowledge that we possess about the world may not have the element of truth in it. Human agents as concept bearing actors are aware of their actions and attribute certain meanings to them. To be a human agent is to knowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ what one is engaged in and why. There is a sense in which we cannot be wrong about what are actions are.. Giddens (1987:5). As actors, individuals operate out of their own understanding of what is true knowledge derived from social conventions and is contextual in nature. This knowledge at all times is contested knowledge. While there may be acceptance of different points of view, there could also the possibility of ideas being borne out of false premises or slanted beliefs. Our presumed knowledge about institutions (maybe)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ inclined to error Giddens (1987:4). The point is that knowledge can be false in the sense that it can be contextual, holding validity only for a particular cultural and social setting. Our actions are always oriented in a setting and a significant part of what a sociologist does is to uncover these premises and lay them bare for an outsider to grasp in the same manner as the actor. This non-discursive si de to our activities is of relevance to social theory and forms an important aspect of sociological analysis. This is where the role of social theory then begins to take shape. Social theory has the task of clarifying the generally held beliefs about social institutions and society at large. In fact, as pointed out by Giddens, our understanding of the social world owes a lot to sociological studies and researches. One should not underestimate the contributions which social research and theory can make to identify false or slanted beliefs widely held about social phenomenon. For such beliefs may often take the form of prejudices and hence contribute to intolerance and discrimination or might inhibit social changes that would otherwise be seen as desirable. Thereby to assert the difference between sociologically true and valid concepts from commonsensical notions, social theory makes use of its own conceptual metalanguage in order to grasp aspects of social institutions which are not described in lay terms. The study of the non-discursive aspect of social action reveals to us what we already know about the social world but also re-emphasises the need to know what we do and why we do. This also calls our attention to the category of unintended consequences of our action. Actors may perform certain actions being cognisant of only the intended results, while the unintended consequences may remain obscure. Social theory reveals these unintended consequences to help us understand the course of development of any sociological phenomenon as it takes into account what we know and intend to produce as well as the consequences that we are not aware of since they are not intended. This analysis is critical since, there is interplay between society and agency and that although agency creates social life in individual and personal experience and biographies, and it also reproduces the larger social history which exists independent of an individual actor. In performing duties as a daughter, sister or mother, women in any society reproduce the social institutions of family and kinship which they did not bring into existence. The activities are thus embedded within, and are constitutive of, structured properties of institutions stretching well beyondà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ time and space Giddens (1987:11). While Durkheim argued that the domain of social phenomenon is largely the ways of acting, thinking and feeling, which possess the remarkable property of existing outside the consciousness of the individual Durkheim (1982:51), he did not give enough recognition to individual freedom, volition and autonomy. This reduction of the individual as a mere reproduction of society makes the study of larger social institutions the object of analysis. This would not hold true in micro-sociological analyses, which give due importance to interaction between actors to understand basic features of larger social institutions. Methodologically, the study of sociology can either be informed by the concerns of the naturalist model or can follow a humanistic approach. The 19th century sociologists were advocates of a science of sociology and therefore, adopted a natural science model for the study of society. The natural laws however could not suffice in their explanation of social phenomenon. The humanistic approach, with its focus on, Verstehen as propounded by Weber found its ground as a methodological tool to take into account the meaning of social action. This contrast between explanation and understanding represented by a choice of either model becomes problematic for social theory. The point is that social theory is bound in what Giddens called double hermeneutics. Anthony Giddens (1982) argued that there is an important difference between the natural and social sciences. In the natural sciences, scientists try to understand and theorise about the way the natural world is structured. The understanding is one-way; that is, while we need to understand the actions of minerals or chemicals, chemicals and minerals dont seek to develop an understanding of us. He referred to the above as the single hermeneutic. In contrast, the social sciences are engaged in the double hermeneutic. Sciences like sociology study how people understand their world, and how that understanding shapes their practice. Because people can think, make choices, and use new information to revise their understandings (and hence their practice), they can use the knowledge and insights of social science to change their practice. In outlining his notion of the double hermeneutic, Giddens (1987: 20) explained that while philosophers and social scientists have often considered the way in which lay concepts obstinately intrude into the technical discourse of social science that Few have considered the matter the other way around. He explained that the concepts of the social sciences are not produced about an independently constituted subject-matter, which continues regardless of what these concepts are. Social theory studies human beings who are concept bearing individuals, engaged in social interaction which produce and reproduce larger social structures. The understanding of social actors and theorising about the same, is also appropriated by the same actors who reflexively reflect upon their actions. The findings of the social sciences very often enter constitutively into the world they describe Giddens (1987:20). Social Theory and its Methodological Concerns. The development of social theory cannot be understood completely without taking into account the methodological premises on which the production of social theory were built. We begin by categorising the theories as macro-sociological theories and micro-sociological theories. Macro-sociology can be understood as dealing with social phenomenon and institutions on an aggregate level. Such an approach entails the use of both theoretical concerns on a system level and the use of aggregate data to arrive at generalisations. Micro-sociology deals with smaller groups as the object of analysis focusing on cognitive order and social interaction between actors, significance of meanings, etc. Theories which can be categorised as macro-sociological in approach have at their core, the study of normative order. This proposition can be further explored by looking at Durkheims view of society. Durkheim was one of the chief proponents of a normative-functional integration model of society. For Durkheim, individual actors acted out of social norms which had been internalised by the individual through socialisation and education. These norms informed all the actions and contributed to the overall functioning of the society in perfect equilibrium. The social facts existed independent of the individual, were external and coercive in nature while being collective and general. For Durkheim, the pre-established harmony of society through individual agents was internally controlled and imposed. Micro-sociological approach has brought a remarkable shift in theorising where cognitive order has become the object of analysis. The methodological structure on which micro-sociological theoris ing is based takes into account cognitive processes that represent and interpret the relevance of values and obligations. It begins with the premise that the actor is a knowing, active subject. Micro-sociologists like symbolic interactionists view actors and meanings attributed by actors in social interaction as ways of understanding the larger macro issues of order. Meads conception of the self has the underlying notion of the individual as a composite whole of selves and also the notion of interior audiences where men attribute motives to each other from the perspective of the generalised other which can also be seen as an internalised reference group for giving meaning to action. Such a social theory then recognises the significance of a knowing and acting agent, and the study of related phenomenon not as coerced human action, but as informed human action, to study the manner in then social phenomenon is produced, contested, repaired, organised and displayed in social situations. Social theory then stands to reconcile both macro and micro approaches to the study of social phenomenon. Taking the above example, social order can be redefined by moving away from the traditional normative-functional-integration model to a cognitive model of micro social action which would take into account the actor not as a puppet in the hands of society but as an active agent in society. The distinctive feature of micro sociological approaches is the fact that they accord a privileged status to small scale social situations. These social interactions also have their place in macro sociological theory where they may be considered as building blocks for larger systemic conceptions. The point to be made is that social theory must find its ground between methodological individualism and methodological collectivism. Methodological individualism demands that all aspects of social theory be analysed in terms of the interests, activities, etc., of individual human beings. Methodological collectivism holds the view that the society is a whole which is more than just a sum of its parts and that society moulds individuals in socialisation so that they must be seen as dependent upon social institutions rather than their active constituents. An alternative to the dominant approaches of methodological individualism and methodological collectivism is methodological situationalism. Methodological situationalism replaces the model of the actor as the ultimate unit of analysis and leads to the production of knowledge that takes into account the practice through which members reproduce and acquire a sense of order while at the same time searching for order of rules and resources which presumably underlie and generate social conduct. We can summarise this section with the following remarks. Macro sociological theories have focused primarily on interrelations of social action. Micro sociological theories on the other hand, look at micro-social situations for theory building and theory formulations. Concluding Remarks The aim of sociological theory is not limited to understanding conceptual ambiguities but to reason systematically and scientifically about some of the major social problems that we face, to illuminate which values are relevant to the context and why, and to give some direction to what we should do. The general goal is to accomplish an understanding of reality. The importance of studying theory can be discerned by understanding the possible functions of theory- descriptive, analytical or explanatory, and to a certain degree predictive as well, and inherently prescriptive. Theory enables the researcher to make sense of the world around him. They guide and give meaning to what we see and observe. Theory helps in orienting the researchers mental framework to an established and accepted base from which the researcher can extract an understanding of the social reality around him, and proceed to develop his own hypothesis. Theories are often used to orient the mind of the reader to the pur pose of the research study. A strong theoretical background helps in introducing and justifying the need for undertaking a certain research study. When a researcher investigates and collects information through observation, the investigator needs a clear idea of what information is important to collect, which could be solved by using a theoretical tool to dictate the research enquiry. Theory and empirical research are intrinsically interrelated in the scheme of sociological enquiry. Following the scientific model of sociological enquiry, theory and research are linked in the both the inductive and deductive analysis of social reality. In the deductive model research is used to empirically test the validity and reliability of theory, while in the inductive model theories are developed on the basis of careful understanding and analysis of research data. If theory answers the question of what, why and how, research helps in indicating the purpose, object and end of what a particular theory is aiming to achieve. The significance of social theory can therefore, never be undermined.

Insanity vs Cleverness

Insanity and cleverness are defined as the state of being seriously mentally ill; madness and mentally bright; having sharp or quick intelligence. In this essay I will analyze the similarities Insanity and murder versus cleverness and murder as demonstrated in â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† and â€Å"Twins†. The information being examined will convey how insanity and cleverness are proven by the two characters the wife, Lucy, and the narrator, how both murders are planned and viewed in both perspectives, and the reactions towards their murders. To begin, insanity and cleverness are proven by the characters in a variety of ways.In â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† the narrator displays insanity by the characters desire to eliminate the eye, due to his mental instability. It was not his intentions to rob the old man nor kill him, it was his perceived threat and his obsession that consumed him and Influenced actions. â€Å"You should have seen how wisely I proceeded – with what caution – with what foresight – with what dissimulation I went to work! † (Poe, 1) the narrator, at this point had it planned in his mind that he needed to pursue his impulse and eliminate the eye. With precession and caution he knew exactly how he anted to proceed with this madness.The constant obsession of the eye demonstrated that in fact he was insane, shown by his periodic observations of the old man at night through the crack of his door, and his fixation with destroying the eye. The narrators frequent reassurance to himself that he was not mad rationalize his abnormal behaviors. The wife In â€Å"Twins† demonstrated cleverness by remaining calm about her husbands plan to murder her. As a result of her intuition it resulted in her survival. Lucy had no plan to react towards her husbands madness until he recorded with making his story come to life. â€Å"It wasn't a game.She said, it wasn't going to work† (Eric, 3) At this point she k new that her husband was going to shoot her, and with the advantage of knowing he had a gun she had unloaded it in order to save her life. This proves that she was clever by her removing the bullets out of the gun, and how she reacted to the gun being pointed at her. Due to her applied intelligence and understanding of the situation allowed for a positive outcome. Both murderers, Lucy and the narrator, had two deferent ways of proceeding with heir actions. The narrator displays madness when planning his murder by evolving the suspicion that he wanted to kill the evil eye.This was demonstrated by him changing his actions to be perceived as being pleasant towards the old man. With that, in his perspective he wasn't doing anything wrong but eliminating the eye, which increased his level of insanity. Also he appreciates the thought of murdering the evil eye to end the horror It put him through. â€Å"l made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye fore ver† (Poe, 1) this quote hill Lucy didn't. She had waited to see if her husband would re-load the gun when the time came to kill her.Lucy had listened to her husbands story and it allowed her to be intuitive and manipulated how the story was going to end. She had found the gun and unloaded it and waited in anticipation for her husband to pull out the gun and try to shoot. As she said â€Å"if she had not long known about the lady in the condominium, and if she had not come across his fishing tackle box with a loaded gun, the wig, the makeup kit, packed ready to go, while she was searching for a pair f pliers, she would never have wondered what he was up to† (Eric, 3), when the wife had found everything she did not allow the gun to make her react differently.As her husband pointed the gun at her she was confident that the bullets were not in the gun and had shot him her self. When the time came for the cops to find him she would be sure that a story could be made up. Fin ally, Lucy and the narrator had individual reactions towards their murders which caused them to be clever and insane. The narrator had woken the old man and had to make his move or there wouldn't be another chance † I placed my hand upon the earth and held it there many minutes. There was no pulsation. He was stone dead. His eye would trouble me no more. At this point his conscience had taken over and created a heart beat that only he could hear. The heart beat had made him panic and give in and admitted to the murder â€Å"Villains! † I shrieked, â€Å"dissemble no more! I admit the deed! ?tear up the planks! ?here, here! ?it is the beating of his hideous heart! â€Å". This proves his insanity for the reason that he continuously heard a heart beat that was boisterous. When Lucy was at gun point and she noticed there were no lets, her response was to kill her husband with the knowledge that her husband would try to kill her.Lucy had remained calm and collected and co ntinued his story however the story flipped and he was killed. In addition, she used her cleverness to wait until she called the cops to report her husband missing. When the cops had been called she was positive towards her reactions and her husband would not be found until spring. â€Å"When the first snow fell she knew they wouldn't find him until spring at the earliest, and then what would they find? A body, with no money in the allot, and the gun that killed him. She had used her cleverness to overpower her husbands murder plan and to her advantage her husband had already arranged the murder. The evidence above shows that the wife, Lucy and the narrator demonstrate insanity and murder versus cleverness and murder by the two characters the wife, Lucy, and the narrator, how both murders are planned and viewed in both perspectives, and the reactions towards their murders. As you can see with the evidence provided you are able to determine the differences between insanity and murde r versus cleverness and murder.

Morality and Obligation Essay

1. Two preliminary steps taken, that may be necessary, before one can intui? vely appreciate the rightness of an ac? on are thinking fully about the consequences of an ac? on. In other words, think before you act. Also give thought (considera? on) to the persons involved in said ac? on or your rela? on(ship) with the persons involved. 2. An ac? on is considered morally good in addi? on to being right when it is the right thing to do, while also stemming from a good place. When the person or â€Å"agent† performs said act because it is right, from a feeling of obliga? on, a morally good act is also right. 3. According to Prichard, an ac? on done from a sense of obliga? on, there is no purpose â€Å"consis? ng either in the ac? on itself or in anything which it will produce†. A mo? ve, being something that moves one to act, can be the sense of obliga? on, an ac? on done from a sense of obliga? on can indeed have a mo? ve. 4. Avirtuous act is done from a desire that is intrinsically good. A moral act may be done from obliga? on. There can’t be an obliga? on to act virtuously, because we can only â€Å"feel an obliga? on to act† or do something. We cannot, however, feel an obliga? on to act from a certain desire 5. It is a mistake to expect moral philosophy to prove through argumenta? on that we ought to ful+ll our obliga? ons, because moral rightness â€Å"cannot be demonstrated, only apprehended directly by an act of moral thinking†. The sense of obliga? on is a result of a moral thought or thoughts. Moral philosophy can provide re-ec? on on the â€Å"immediacy of our knowledge of moral rightness† and the intui? ve recogni? on of the goodness of the virtues.