The Caste System By Mashasweta Devi - 902 Words

â€Å"Please don’t play your games with a helpless poor girl† declared Dhowli. The Misra boy leaned in closer to her replying, â€Å"I’m not playing games.† Dhowli then shouted back â€Å" You’ll leave after you tire of the game, and what will become of me? Am I to be like Jhale? No, deota, not that.† (238). I’m hesitate to keep reading after this line thinking to myself how I feel sorry for Dhowli and who she is going to become since getting pregnant with a Misra boy who is dominant in the caste system. Dhowli creates an ambitious, courageous, and philosophical figure in the short story â€Å"Dhowli† by Mashasweta Devi. In the short story the caste system is well defined showing of social stratification of two opposite levels of the social chain in India. To an American reader the foreignness of how India treats single mothers is how this short story stands out. Dhowli plays the role of an untouchable that is very poor who gets pregnant by a Misra boy, which is on the top of the caste system. Dhowli and her mother work on the Misra boy’s family’s land doing the worst chores for the littlest about of millet and grain for Dhowli and her mother to live off of. The chores consist of sweeping the garden, while managing the wind, and tending to the goats. The word about Dhowli’s pregnancy spreads through the village rapidly. When Dhowli goes outside she gets stares and has to watch her every move since she is an untouchable and people do horrible things to untouchables. When the Misra’s family

Astrology And Fate By Daryn Lehoux Analysis - 1126 Words

Summary The purpose of this analysis was to establish the connection between astrology and fate. Written by Daryn Lehoux, author and professor of classics and philosophy at Queen’s University, the text explores the varying philosophical and astrological technical tendencies that were commonly used in ancient times. He also shows the reasoning behind why astrology is able to predict certain things, and why it is believable, via philosophical explanation. With the aid of ancient greek and roman philosophers at hand, Lehoux illustrates the differential case of fate vs free will in a complex manner, leading to contemplation of existence. All of these claims are pseudoscientific, as they have not been proven, however there are no other ideas†¦show more content†¦Although the article was very informative, as an aspiring astronomer myself, I found myself to contemplate some of the pseudoscientific concepts, as I, myself, with the small amount of knowledge of the cosmos I hav e acquired over the years can personally debate some of these topics. One could suggest that astrology is a field which is not scientific, after reading this article, as it does not rely on evidence and specific experimental results, but on coincidence (â€Å"fate†) and inaccuracy. Philosophy is based upon thinking and contemplation, much like how astrology is based upon this as well. Astronomy, however, is the scientific derivative of this, and is based upon mathematical calculation and specific evidence, â€Å"It is just the dependence of astrology on the uncertainties of physics that steps astrology as a science down a rung from astronomy. Where the truths of astronomy, being mathematical, are certain and knowable, the truths of astrology, being physical, are merely probable.† (Lehoux, 10) It is good that the author did compare both sides of the topic, but this still left some gaps in explanation as to why astrology could determine fate, because how do â€Å"theyâ €  know? There is no specific evidence to back up the philosophies behind these theories, only the fact that they have not yet been disproven.

Explain the difference between rule Free Essays

Explain the difference between rule, act and preference utilitarianism (25 marks) Utilitarianism is the ethical theory behind Justifying an action for being for the greater good. This is a teleological theory because it looks at the consequences of an action. Utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory. We will write a custom essay sample on Explain the difference between rule or any similar topic only for you Order Now There are three types of utilitarianism: Act, Rule and Preference. Jeremy Bentham began the Utilitarianism theory. Utilitarianism is a hedonistic theory because it is based on pleasure and happiness. Each utilitarian has a different theory of Utilitarianism and this will be explained in my essay. First there was Jeremy Bentham the one to think of the Utilitarianism theory. Bentham was an act Utilitarian. Bentham was interested in the principle of utility, this is the theory of usefulness that suggests that an action is right if it brings the greatest happiness for the greatest number. He developed his ethical system based on ancient hedonism, which perused physical pleasure and avoided physical pain. Bentham believed that a moral act is one that maximises pleasure and minimises pain. From this Jeremy Bentham invented something called the ‘hedonic calculus’ this was his way of measuring the good and bad of an action. Bentham said: the principle of utility aims to promote happiness, which is the supreme ethical value†¦ An act is right if it delivers more pleasure than pain and wrong if it brings about more pain than pleasure. ‘ To help people choose what would have the best possible consequence, Bentham provided a way of measuring it. This is the ‘hedonic calculus’. There are seven elements: the intensity of the pleasure; the duration of the pleasure; the certainty of the pleasure; the remoteness of the pleasure; the chance of succession of pleasures; the purity of the pleasure and lastly he extent of the pleasure. Bentham invented this to help people weigh up and measure how much pleasure an action will produce. Bentham was interested in the ‘greatest good for the greatest number’ and therefore his theory is quantitative. Bentham’s view is described as Act Utilitarianism. Act Utilitarianism is Eudemonistic because actions are based on the happiness it brings; Consequentialist because the consequences an action will bring about and also Act Utilitarianism is measurable (by the hedonic calculus) and also quantitative because its based on the ‘greatest umber’. Act Utilitarianism is teleological because it aims to maximise the pleasure of the majority and has an end aim. Act Utilitarianism is also relative due to the fact that there is no notion of absolute right or wrong. On the other hand, Stuart Mill didn’t agree with Bentham’s Act Utilitarianism. Mill stressed that happiness was more important than pleasure. Mill said: ‘The Greatest promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness’. Here Mill is suggesting that happiness is the importance when looking at a moral action. Something that Mill also criticised about Bentham’s view was the quantitative emphasis. Mill thought that actions should be measured in a qualitative way instead of quantitative way. Mill was interested in the quality of the pleasure. Mill looked at intellectual pleasures such as reading poetry and not pleasures such as eating or having sex. To add, Mill thought about the difference between animal pleasure and human pleasure. He said: ‘ It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied†¦ ‘ Furthermore, Mill suggested that in order to derive the principle of the greatest appiness for the greatest number we should have a principle of universality. Mill believed that we need moral rules to produce social order and Justice these rules should be followed universally. Mill was therefore seen as a Rule Utilitarian. Rule Utilitarianism is Consequentialist as is Act Utilitarianism; Rule Utilitarianism is Universalistic and also qualitative. Rule Utilitarianism is deontological due to the fact that rules take priority. It is also relative because actions are based on the maximisation of pleasure for a particular society where the rules are used. Contrasting to Act and Rule Utilitarianism there is Preference Utilitarianism; this is the most recent form of Utilitarianism. R. M. Hare, Peter Singer and Richard Brandt all have different views though they are all Preference Utilitarianists. Preference Utilitarian’s Judge moral actions according to whether they fit in with the preferences of the individuals involved. R. M Hare’s approach argues that when making the decision on whether an action is right or wrong we must consider our own preferences and those of others. Hare said: ‘equal preferences count equally, whatever their content’. One problem is that sometimes people’s preferences may clash therefore Hare suggested that we should ‘stand in someone else’s shoes’ and try to imagine what they would prefer. Hare thinks that people should treat other with impartiality and he argues for universalisability. Peter Singer was also a Preference Utilitarian though he suggests that we should take the viewpoint of an impartial spectator. Singer said: ‘our own preferences cannot count any more than the preferences of others’ and so, in acting morally, we should take account of all the people affected by our actions. How to cite Explain the difference between rule, Papers

Country Investigation Report Philippines

Question: Discuss about theCountry Investigation Report for Philippines. Answer: Introduction : About Philippines The Republic of Philippines is located in South-eastern Asia. It is an archipelago which lies between the South China Sea and the Philippine Sea, east of Vietnam (Country Reports, 2016). Philippines is made up of over 7000 islands but the majority of its population resides in only 11 of these islands (BBC News, 2016). The Philippines islands are mountainous as well as active seismically. Earthquakes are a common occurrence and several active volcanoes are a part of the landscape. The country has a total area of 300,000 sq. km of which 298,170 sq. km is land and the remaining 1,830 sq. km is water. The coastline is 36,289 km long. The countrys population was 102,250,000 approximately as in 2016, with an annual growth rate of approximately 2%, which has put it among the fastest growing as well as the most populous nations of the world Basic Facts About Philippines The capital city of Philippines is Manila which has a population of 1.7 million people. The largest city is Quezon City with a population of 2.7 million people while the other major cities include Caloocan with a population of 1.4 million and Davao City also with a population of 1.4 million people. Filipino and English are the main languages spoken in Philippines (About.com, 2016). The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Philippines was worth 291.97 billion US dollars in 2015. This value represents 0.47 percent of the world economy (Trading Economics, 2016). The main industries in the Philippines consist of agriculture, fishing, mining, garment and footwear manufacturing, electronics assembly and wood products. It also has a tourism industry which is quite active. The nation also boosts of an industrial sector which is strong and based on the manufacturing of electronics along with other high-tech components for the various companies present overseas. The nation is endowed with rich natural resources with significant reserves of oil, coal, copper, nickel and chromite being present (About.com, 2016). Economy of Philippines The Philippines economy is one of the most dynamic economies in the region of East Asia, having economic fundamentals that are very sound along with a competitive workforce that is recognised globally. It has remained resilient and shown strong growth during the previous decade despite there being a fuel and food crisis globally which led to slow growth globally. Even though the increase in the prices of rice on a global scale had a serious impact on the nation, the affect of the global financial debacle was much less in comparison to other nations. An average growth of 5% was registered in the last decade which was much higher than the previous decades. Towards the end of 2009, the country attained the rank of Lower Middle-Income Country which implied a lesser reliance on aid and an increased capacity of shaping its development on itself (United Nations Philippines, 2016). Regionally in terms of growth the country has stood behind only China and Vietnam (The World Bank, 2016). The g rowth of the economy in 2015 was also solid due to strong demand domestically despite the net exports dragging (Asian Development Bank, 2016). In terms of supply, the services sector is the key engine for growth whereas agriculture underperformed continuously due to the intensification of El Nino. In terms of demand, high growth in case of private consumption as well as the rebound in the spending of the government in the latter part of 2015 helped in tempering the weak demand externally. Sustained high growth in the non-agricultural sector along with the effective programs of the government is assisting in improving the welfare of the poorer sections of the society. The performance of the country in terms of human development has been respectable and it is classified as a country with medium-human development index. It has a ranking of 112 out of 187 nations (The World Bank, 2016). Philippines is a unitary presidential constitutional republic. Rodrigo Duterte is the current President of the country There has also been a deterioration of governance since 1996 as reflected by the percentile rankings of the World Governance Indicator which indicates constant episodes related to human rights violations, failure of coordination, decrease in regulatory quality, weakened control over corruption and political instability. Two of the longest persisting armed conflicts globally Communist Insurgencies and the Maro exist in Philippines. The ownership and access struggle by Indigenous People for Ancestral Domain also continues leading to disturbance of peace (United Nations Philippines, 2016). Conclusion Food security, tight constraints fiscally, poor governance along with armed conflict has been the continuous challenges faced by the country. The main fiscal constraint for the nations growth is the weak generation of revenue particularly the poor and further deteriorating tax effort of the national government. Investment in appropriate technologies and infrastructure has been poor. Additionally, there has been a slowdown of productivity in the rural and agricultural sector due to the slow pace of development of agri-based enterprises, industries which are labour intensive and questionable policies in relation to self-sufficiency of rice. The country has the emerging economy status. Steady growth has been witnessed by the nation in the recent years primarily as a consequence of the inflow of remittances and foreign direct investment. It is also the largest centre globally for business process outsourcing. References About.com, 2016. The Philippines | Facts and History. [Online] Available at: https://asianhistory.about.com/od/philippines/fl/The-Moro-Rebellion-in-the-Philippines-1899-1913.htm [Accessed 31 August 2016]. Asian Development Bank, 2016. Philippines Economy. [Online] Available at: https://www.adb.org/countries/philippines/economy [Accessed 31 August 2016]. BBC News, 2016. Philippines country profile. BBC News, 15 July. Bohane, B., 2016. Rodrigo Duterte: How the Philippines' new President plans to solve decades worth of problems. ABC News, 15 July. Country Reports, 2016. Philippines Facts and Culture. [Online] Available at: https://www.countryreports.org/country/Philippines.htm [Accessed 31 August 2016]. Index Mundi, 2015. Philippines Economy - overview. [Online] Available at: https://www.indexmundi.com/philippines/economy_overview.html [Accessed 1 September 2016]. The World Bank, 2016. Philippine Economic Update April 2016. [Online] Available at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/philippines/publication/philippine-economic-update---april-2016 [Accessed 1 September 2016]. Trading Economics, 2016. Philippines GDP. [Online] Available at: https://www.tradingeconomics.com/philippines/gdp [Accessed 1 September 2016]. UNdata, 2016. Philippines. [Online] Available at: https://data.un.org/CountryProfile.aspx?crName=PHILIPPINES [Accessed 1 September 2016]. United Nations Philippines, 2016. United Nations Philippines. [Online] Available at: https://www.un.org.ph/country-profile [Accessed 1 September 2016].