Sunday, December 29, 2019

Positive Effect Of Disobedience - 877 Words

As we set out in the world for the first time, it is clear that the world around us is flawed. Most of us are shielded during our childhood in order to protect our innocence, but as we go out into the real world we need to understand that people defy the rules of society. There is a large difference between disobeying the laws that every citizen must abide by and standing up to a cause that we believe in. Disobedience is important to the progression of the world around us, but there are different types of disobedience. There is disobedience that has a positive effect, such as people peacefully protesting for what they believe in and fighting for a change. There is also disobedience that has a negative effect, such as people breaking the†¦show more content†¦For example, the Milgram Experiment was a psychological experiment that tested subjects by telling them to administer shocks to someone if the answered a question wrong. The voltage increased with every wrong answer, and some subjects stopped when they heard screams and some did not. Some did not stop because they were told to continue, and were relieved of any responsibility for the other person. The findings of this experiment got people talking about obedience and why we would put following orders before the safety of others. Another example is pro athletes kneeling during the National Anthem. This has started a conversation over the last year about disrespect towards to the flag and the actual cause players are advocating for. It is getting people to think about the rights that we have and those who fought for us to have those rights. It has also started a discussion about the real cause of the protests– racism and police brutality. Lastly, protests for legalizing gay marriage are the reason that it is legal across the United States. The government took action because people were refusing to accept that gay marriage shouldn’t be legal. Things will not change until the conversation is started. Disobeying authority is often viewed as a very negative thing, however, it is often the catalyst for social change. In our younger years we are always told that we need to respect the rules and laws set by those older than us. Although this is still trueShow MoreRelatedThe Importance Of Being Earnest By Oscar Wilde And Disobedience1079 Words   |  5 PagesOscar Wilde was a 19th century poet and playwright, well known for works such as The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest. One of Wilde’s famous quotes claims that, according to history, disobedience is a valuable human trait that promotes social progress. Disobedience is defined as the refusal to obey rules or someone in authority; in society, it is fueled by the free will of the people and their desire for freedom and justice. There have been both altruistic and malevolentRead MoreCivil Disobedience Essay958 Words   |  4 PagesCivil Disobedience Civil disobedience: â€Å"Refusal to obey civil laws in an effort to induce change in governmental policy or legislation, characterized by the use of passive resistance or other non-violent means† (Houghton, 2000). Although this definition seems broad enough to cover any aspect of a discussion, there is still much to be said about the subject. Martin Luther King wrote a fifty paragraph letter aboutRead MoreMethods Of Civil Disobedience Of Antigone And Martin Luther King1038 Words   |  5 Pages Civil disobedience is best defined as the act to peacefully protest actions that may seem unlawful, detrimental to society, or morally wrong. Both Antigone and Martin Luther King Jr. express civil disobedience in similar ways, but differ in that Dr. King utilizes his first amendment right and creates more planned, organized, and methodical ways to create a peaceful protest in which he does not defy the law, meanwhile, Antigone is very irrational in her methods and ultimately defies man’s law. WeRead MoreEssay about Civil Disobedience935 Words   |  4 Pagesthe centuries and is commonly known today as civil disobedience. Due to the works of Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr. civil disobedience is a well-known political action to Americans; first in the application against slavery and second in the application against segregation. Thoreau’s essay â€Å"Civil Disobedience† and King’s â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† are the leading arg uments in defining and encouraging the use of civil disobedience to produce justice from the government despite differencesRead MorePersuasive Essay On Civil Disobedience819 Words   |  4 PagesHave you ever heard of civil disobedience? It is a way of peaceful protest that has been used successfully in the past and in the present. Walkouts, boycotts, and marches are all forms of civil disobedience that have been used and are currently being used. During past four years, there have been womens rights marches, pro-choice marches, and kneeling during the national anthem. These are people that are actively trying to create a fair society themselves and for the people around them. As the realRead MoreObedience Essay1044 Words   |  5 Pagesaspects of life. Obedience is not defined to specific situations and its context can be portrayed in various ways. For example, Erich Fromm writes in his essay, â€Å"Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem; â€Å"Human history began wi th an act of disobedience, and it is not unlikely that it will be terminated by an act of disobedience.† This statement suggests that everything which we perceived to be true about obedience could ultimately lead to our demise as the human race. The thin line betweenRead MorePersuasive Essay On Civil Disobedience992 Words   |  4 Pagesno one has the leverage that the people do. The heart is to the body as the citizens are to the country. Without the active engagement of the people in the system, the country would fall flat of its responsibilities. With the absence of civil disobedience, social progress would be halted to a stop. Through protest, the government is informed of what they are doing wrong, as well as who they are upsetting. Specific groups of people often gather together to stand up for what they believe is rightRead MoreThe Civil Disobedience Protest Movement1034 Words   |  5 Pagesfight for women’s suffrage, and for civil rights. The consensus of authors like Herbert Spires and Mirko Grmek is that a strong, organized civil disobedience protest movement was necessary to combat the general apathy towards AIDS from both the government and from the medical community. However, there was some disagreement about this civil disobedience from people like John W Toomey. Additionally, the protest movement itself was divided into two factions, gay men on one side, and women and minoritiesRead MoreHenry David Thoreau Resistance To Civil Disobedience Analysis1508 Words   |  7 PagesDuring the era of the civil disobedience, individuals took stand and fight for their rights. the government took a ctions that violated the rights of others or took restrictions that angered residence. Resistance to civil government by Henry David Thoreau is an essay written about his opinion on opposing the government that was taking control of people’s rights, motivating his disagreement of slavery and the Mexican-American war. Mahatma Gandhi, a leader who fought for the Indians independent movementRead MorePlato and Rawls: Justice in Philosophy652 Words   |  3 Pagesphilosophical conceptions of justice. These are known to be the greatest theories of ancient Greece. Not only their theories of justice will be explained, but also how Plato and Rawls apply their own theories to controversial social issues like civil disobedience, punishment, equal opportunity for women, property rights, and international relations. For Plato, justice is a virtue establishing rational order. Meaning each part has to perform its appropriate role and to not interfere with the proper functioning

Saturday, December 21, 2019

Harmony Theory In Phaedo By Plato - 1498 Words

In Phaedo, by Plato, Phaedo recounts an incident with Socrates. The story starts with Socrates opening up saying that Philosophers should not only accept death, but welcome it. After all, although the body will pass, the soul is able to live on because it is immortal. He uses a lot of his intuition to back up his claim, but the main rationale is the Argument of Affinity. He claims that the world is very binary. Things are either incorporeal and invisible, or not. The body is physical, visible and corporeal. Things like the body that are visible are part of the sensible world and do not last. The soul however is not. It is invisible and incorporeal. That is why Socrates believes the soul is immortal. Simmias counters Socrates claim bringing†¦show more content†¦Clearly the harmony of the lyre is not immortal. Harmony doesn’t survive the lyre, but rather is dependent upon the lyre. The lyre is similar to the human body and soul. Harmony is divine and incorporeal. Howeve r, the human body is much like the lyre in that it is both corporeal and visible. Because the lyre is held together in the proper way and at the right degrees, it is able to exist just as the soul does only through the appropriate ways and make-up of the human body. This leads to the point that just because things are invisible and incorporeal does not necessarily mean they are immortal. We need to think of the soul as a different type of harmony. Socrates objects Simmias’ claims and refutes Harmony Theory many ways, but the one I find most notable is that Socrates believes that the soul is the master of the human body and directs and controls the body. Since the soul is eternal and the body is not, the soul controls the body throughout the entirety of its life. Socrates comments, â€Å"further, of all parts of a man, can you mention any other part that rules him than his soul, especially if it is a wise soul?† (Plato 132). Because it has this power, it tells the body what to do, where to move, and how to act. This is different than the harmony and the lyre. For example, â€Å"on the other hand, we previously agreed that if the soul were a harmony, it would never be out of tune with theShow MoreRelatedPlato: Immortality of the Soul1505 Words   |  7 PagesPHAEDO: IMMORTALITY OF SOUL In the dialogue Phaedo Plato discusses the immortality of the soul. He presents four different arguments to prove the fact that although the body of the human perishes after death; the soul still exists and remains eternal. Firstly, he explains the Argument from Opposites that is about the forms and their existence in opposite forms. His second argument is Theory of Recollection which assumes that each and every information that one has in his/her mind is related toRead MoreThe Utility Of Myth : Plato s Metaphysics1624 Words   |  7 PagesMetaphysics ï » ¿Plato speaking from the mouth of Socrates in Phaedo, tells us, â€Å"people are likely not to be aware that those who pursue philosophy aright study nothing but dying and being dead.† (61a) As a philosopher Plato sought to offer not only descriptions of the world him around, but prescriptions as well. The above quote when understood metaphorically, for him, shows the aim of philosophy, and goal of the philosopher is and should be to scratch at the surface of our faculties. To do this, Plato believesRead MorePreparing for the Ultimate Trial Essay1967 Words   |  8 Pagesword of Lachesis maiden daughter of Necessity. Souls of a day, here you must begin another round of mortal life whose end is death†¦Then (he) set before them†¦.different patterns of life , far more in number than the souls who were to choose them†¦ Plato, The Republic, Part 11/Book 10 In order to write this essay, I first had to understand Platos stand point on life and death, body and soul. What was his idea of a healthy way of leading your life? The very essence of Platonic thinking comesRead MoreThe Soul and the Body: The Writings of Plato1766 Words   |  7 Pagesrecorded history. Since the times of the Greeks and Romans, people have taken it upon themselves to question the reality of their worlds and to wonder what it is that causes people to behave the ways that they do and what it means even to just be human. Plato, one of the most famous of the ancient philosophers, was taught by another most famous philosopher, Socrates a man perhaps even better known than him. Unfortunately, Socrates was extremely critical of the social structure of his culture as well asRead MorePlato, An Ancient Greek Philosopher1458 Words   |  6 Pages Plato, an Ancient Greek Philosopher by Carly Rittenmeyer Bible and the Ancient World Spring 2015 Plato, a Greek Philosopher, is known for his writings that impacted people in the Ancient Greek society. He was a free thinker and lived in a free city, Athens. He was taught by multiple teachers including Socrates who was frequently mentioned in his writings as the central character. Plato’s novel, The Republic, influenced the idea of government and showsRead MoreAnalyzing the Philosophies of Chuang Tzu and Socrates2459 Words   |  10 PagesIt is unconditional and unknowable which guides all of reality. It is the process of nature which allows and demands all things to change so that the universe is in harmony. To those who followed the teachings of Confucius, it is only by performing virtuous acts, which are different from good ones, could a person achieve this harmony within themselves. Socrates philosophy regarding life and death was perhaps more complicated. He believed that life was about the accumulation of knowledge. To learnRead MoreBroken Family3761 Words   |  16 PagesMain interests: Epistemology, ethics Notable idea: SocraticMethod, Socratic irony Influenced: Most subsequent Western philosophy; more specifically, Plato, Aristotle, Aristippus, Antisthenes Spouse:Xanthippe Children:Menexenus, Lamprocles, Sophroniscus Aristotle Philosopher Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great â€Å"Personal background† Born: 384 BC Stagira, Chalcidice Died: 322 BC (aged 61 or 62) Euboea Nationality: Greek Era:Read MorePlato s Theory Of Love1789 Words   |  8 Pages Plato was a philosopher from Classical Greece and an innovator of dialogue and dialect forms which provide some of the earliest existing analysis of political questions from a philosophical perspective. Among some of Plato s most prevalent works is his dialogue the Symposium, which records the conversation of a dinner party at which Socrates (amongst others) is a guest. Those who talk before Socrates share a tendency to celebrate the instinct of sex and regard love (eros) as a god whose goodnessRead MoreSocratess Theory Of Love1818 Words   |  8 Pagesperspective. Among some of Plato s most prevalent works is his dialogue the Symposium, which records the conversation of a dinner party at which Socrates (amongst others) is a guest. Those who talk before Socrates share a tendency to celebrate the instinct of sex and regard love (eros) as a god whose goodness and beauty they compete (Naugle, 2016). However, Socrates sets himself apart from this belief in the fundamental value of sexual love and instead recollects Diotima s theory of love, suggesting thatRead MoreThe Republic Essay1514 Words   |  7 PagesThe Republic Plato was born around the year 428 BCE into an established Athenian household with a history of political connections -- including distant relations to both Solon and Pisistratus. Platos parents were Ariston and Perictone, his older brothers were Adeimantus and Glaucon, and his younger sister was Potone. In keeping with his family heritage, Plato was destined for the political life. But the Peloponnesian War, which began a couple of years before he was born and continued until

Friday, December 13, 2019

A Home Depot Analysis Free Essays

Final Exam Questions 1a. The way that Nardelli laid out his plan for change was one of the reasons I think it was so successful. He came in and addressed the problems that were easy to point out and also the ones that weren’t apparent to other employees. We will write a custom essay sample on A Home Depot Analysis or any similar topic only for you Order Now Nardelli needed to rebuild an organization that could easily compete with other big names, and this was relatively easy because the people at Home Depot knew the importance of taking advantage of its growing size. Nardelli did this by implementing a three strategy plan that involved enhancing the core, extending the business, and expanding the market. Nardelli’s first step in the process was enhancing the core. This involved improving the profitability of current and future stores, as well as in existing markets. From the article Heart of Change, I think that Kotter’s first step, increase urgency, relates the most to Nardelli’s first step. Kotter describes his first step like this; â€Å"A sense of urgency, sometimes developed by very creative means, gets people off the couch, out of the bunker, and ready to move† (Cohen and Kotter 690) essay writer life hacks. I think that this is what Nardelli was trying to make happen in his first step for change. He needed the people of the company to see what the issues were, and make a point to say that if we stay where are now, we will fall behind in a few years. This sense of urgency and improvement was the right step to getting Home Depot employees to care and start to make the best change for the company. The first step leads right into Nardelli’s second step which was, extend the business. Nardelli’s purpose with this step was to get employees to come up with ways to better serve the customers. This was to not only enhance customer service, but to become a standout figure among competitors. This was probably one of the most important steps and I think that Nardelli implemented it very well. I related this step to Kotter’s fifth step of empowering action. I chose this because Kotter outlines this step as â€Å"Key obstacles that stop people from acting on the vision are removed† (Cohen and Kotter 697). The obstacle that Nardelli needed to remove was the similarities between his company and competitors. He did this by offering related home improvement services such as tool rental and home installation of products. This set them apart and allowed them to overcome that â€Å"obstacle† and continue to move forward. I think that this was the most important step because it represents the major ‘bump in the road’ that Home Depot needed to overcome in order to continue to keep growing. The final step in Nardelli’s plan was expanding the market. This was one of the easiest steps to correlate to Kotter because I think that it made the most sense, without specifically saying that same thing. Kotter’s seventh step of don’t let up is described as this; â€Å"a change effort will have direction and momentum†¦ build on this momentum and make a vision a reality†. (Cohen and Kotter 700). The whole point of Nardelli’s third step is to take what they have learned and implemented in the company thus far and expand geographically, even serve new kinds of customers. This was his way of carrying the momentum of success out as far as it could go, and making sure that Home Depot didn’t let their success slip through their fingers. This a very good move on Nardelli’s part, and attracting new customers such as commercial contractors and even women, made a huge impact on the overall morale, and success of the store. The only thing that I would have suggested Kotter adds to his plan, was the implementation of metrics. The Home Depot article talks about how in the beginning there was some harsh resistance to the change, â€Å"Resistance to the changes was fierce, particularly from managers: Much of the top executive team left during Nardelli’s first year† (Charan 64). Nardelli did use metrics, and they did make a difference. However, I think that if he had made them a part of his plan and used them earlier in the process they would have made an impression on the executives that did end up leaving. If Nardelli had used metrics I think that they would have correlated with Kotter’s fourth step, communicate for buy-in. This is described as â€Å"simple heartfelt messages sent through many unclogged channels† (Cohen and Kotter 697). Those metrics were the heartfelt messages that needed to be expressed to get people motivated even sooner. With my suggestion Nardelli’s plan should have looked like the following: Enhance the Core, Express Metrics, Extend the Business and Expand the market. Overall, I think that Nardelli did an excellent job, and that taking my advice, would have only yielded better results. 1b. When Nardelli first arrived at Home Depot, the culture was one that was very close-knit and family oriented. I chose this term to describe the culture because the former CEO and chairman were often thought of as father figures by other employees; â€Å"Many employees simply couldn’t picture this company without these father figures† (Charan 63). When reading the article about Home Depot, there was one specific sentence that stood out to me because it described the pre-Nardelli culture very well, â€Å"It was marked by and entrepreneurial high-spiritedness, a willingness to take risks; a passionate commitment to customers, colleagues, the company, and to the community; and an aversion to anything that felt bureaucratic or hierarchical† (Charan 62-63). Looking specifically at this description of the culture, I can find characteristics that relate directly to low-context cultures, as well as to O’Reily, Chatman and Caldwell’s Cultural Characteristics. I came to the conclusion that the culture at Home Depot was a low-context culture specifically because high-context cultures are based largely on hierarchy. According to our class notes on culture low-context cultures are described as â€Å"cultures that focus on that which is explicit. People are specific and clear in their communication† (Culture Notes 1). This description fits the culture of Home Depot, not only because it strays away from hierarchy, but also because it was very much based on entrepreneurship; which requires specific and clear communication. I believe that the entrepreneurial high-spiritedness that is described above contributes to the feeling of a family oriented and close knit company. Relating the culture to the cultural characteristics of O’Reily, Chatman and Caldwell was relatively easy as well. Specifically there were three characteristics that stood out to me: innovation and risk taking, attention to detail, and people orientation. I chose these because of the way the culture is described. Innovation and risk taking is described as the degree to which employees are encouraged to be innovative and take risks. Not only was it said outright that this was a characteristic of the company, but I feel as though the close-knit environment promoted this kind of thinking; making everyone feel comfortable and open to sharing their ideas. Attention to detail was not as direct as the previous example, but I related this to the description of entrepreneurial high-spiritedness. Attention to detail is described as the degree to which employees are expected to exhibit precision, analysis and attention to detail. This definition drew me to lean towards entrepreneurship because I thought that all of the qualities listed are qualities that would be necessary to be a successful entrepreneur. Again, these are all characteristics that thrive in a close-knit family style culture. Finally, I chose people orientation. This is described as the degree to which management decisions take into consideration the effect of outcomes on people within the organization. This definition not only relates to the passionate commitment to customers, colleagues, the company, and to the community part of the description, but it also relates to the definition of low context culture. I know that specifically people orientation talks about people within the company, but I think that part of the reason Home Depot was so successful was that it reached outside of the company to impact people’s lives. Lastly, a major part of the low-context culture definition is that people are specific and clear in their communication, and I believe that people orientation would not be successful if this were not a major factor. The pre-Nardelli culture was very easy to define, and point out specific aspects that made it easy to describe and compare. When talking about the post-Nardelli culture, the only thing that really stood out to me was a difference in the feel of the culture. By this I mean specifically it went from a close-knit, family style culture, to a big corporation style that is highly focused on building the organization to take advantage of its outrageous growth. Instead of focusing specifically on the people in and outside of the community, this post culture was a focus on merchandising and collaboration between regional and store operators. Everything was on a larger scale, and even little thinks such as shelf organization and signage were standardized and enhanced, so they were able to stay on the playing field with competitors such as Wal-Mart. While I think that this doesn’t change the fact that it is a low-context culture, because there is still a focus on people and communication and an avoidance of hierarchy, I do think that it changes some of the relatable characteristics of O’Reily, Chatman, and Caldwell’s cultural characteristics. I do not think that they lost innovation and risk taking, attention to detail and people orientation, but simply that the focus was significantly diminished. Instead a focus on team orientation and aggressiveness was emphasized. Team orientation is defined in our notes as the degree to which work activities are organized around teams rather than individuals. While the pre culture wasn’t so individually focused that it was everyman for himself, it’s that the post culture needed teams to make sure that all of the new projects like, merchandizing and reevaluation of the store environment, were successful. Finally for the post culture, there was a definite lean toward aggressiveness, which is defined in our notes as the degree to which people are aggressive and competitive rather than easygoing. I do not think that in the pre culture that they were quite on the level of stability from our culture notes, but that Nardelli promoted an environment that allowed people to be assertive and aggressive towards achieving more growth. For the most part I thought that pre- and post-Nardelli cultures were very similar, minus the shift in focus from family business, to large corporation. How to cite A Home Depot Analysis, Papers