Critical Thinking and Ethics Essays (614 words) - Thought

Critical Thinking and Ethics Essays (614 words) - Thought Critical Thinking and Ethics Victoria Mullally GEN/201 June 1, 2015 Kimberly Drager Critical thinking ethics, who can keep up? Defining these terms individually and together is one way to helping understand what they are and how they can help you as a student and a growing individual. Everyone could give a different answer to the question What is critical thinking? The way I would define it is thinking about things to find new meaning. Asking the w questions is a great way to start. Making sure you can find fact from fiction and informing yourself of such are just a few other benefits of critical thinking. According to "Defining Critical Thinking" (1987), Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing (para. 2). Sounds simple enough- ask questions and get a deeper understanding of what youre asking. Let me just say it may sound easy but there are steps to take when using the critical thinking process. The process of critical thinking requires remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. (Ellis, 2014, p. 205). Each of these steps is a different level of your ability to think critically. You may not have them down in order, you may be better at some steps then others, just remember if you practice thinking with each of these steps you will be on your way to using critical thinking in your everyday life. Applying personal ethics is just as important as using the critical thinking process. Ethics is what you think is right and wrong. Each person has a different style of ethics that is important to them. Ethics are used every day and everywhere. In a professional setting ethics are used to make decision that can affect the entire workplace. I believe this is the reason there should be more than one boss at a company. If only one person uses their personal ethics to make a decision then many others could be affected in a negative way. If more than one person uses their personal ethics to make a decision they can come to a compromise that will work for everyone. The same can be said in social matters. The people of a community have to work together to create an environment we can all be a part of. If people of a community cant come to compromise there would be chaos. On a personal level I prefer to use what is called a relationship lens. This means I care more about the fairness and equality of each person then I do about those with more power. I am said to be blind to equality. I believe in the process of equality too much that I will be blind to the fact that there is a chance of inequality even if the process is fair. Because of these beliefs making decisions, for me, is usually based on how my decision will affect others. I care too much for the treatment of others and equality. I want everyone in any situation to have the same rights, responsibilities, and care for eachother. If I have to make an important decision I want the input from the people around me. In the long run this could also be a downfall for me because the people closest to me become exempt from the equality I desire for everyone. Using ethics and critical thinking together to get through anything in life is going to take practice. Once you understand your personal thought process and the ethics you use to make decisions you will be better off. References Defining Critical Thinking. (1987). Retrieved from https://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/defining-critical-thinking/766 Ellis, Dave. Becoming a Master Student, 15e, 15th Edition. Cengage Learning, 2014. VitalBook file

Womens Strike for Equality on August 26, 1970

Women's Strike for Equality on August 26, 1970 The Women’s Strike for Equality was a nationwide demonstration for women’s rights held on August 26, 1970, the 50th anniversary of women’s suffrage. It was described by Time magazine as â€Å"the first big demonstration of the Women’s Liberation movement.†Ã‚  The leadership called the object of the rallies the unfinished business of equality. Organized by NOW The Women’s Strike for Equality was organized by the National Organization for Women (NOW) and its then-president Betty Friedan. At a NOW conference in March 1970, Betty Friedan called for the Strike for Equality, asking women to stop working for a day to draw attention to the prevalent problem of unequal pay for women’s work. She then headed the National Women’s Strike Coalition to organize the protest, which used â€Å"Don’t Iron While the Strike is Hot!† among other slogans. Fifty years after women were granted the right to vote in the United States, feminists were again taking a political message to their government and demanding equality and more political power. The Equal Rights Amendment was being discussed in Congress, and the protesting women warned politicians to pay attention or risk losing their seats in the next election. Nationwide Demonstrations The Women’s Strike for Equality took various forms in more than ninety cities across the United States.  Here are a few examples: New York, home to radical feminist groups such as New York Radical Women and Redstockings, had the largest protest. Tens of thousands marched down Fifth Avenue; others demonstrated at the Statue of Liberty and stopped the stock ticker on Wall Street.  New York City issued a proclamation declaring Equality Day.Los Angeles had a smaller protest, numbering in the hundreds, including women who stood holding a vigil for women’s rights.In Washington D.C., women marched on Connecticut Avenue with a banner that read â€Å"We Demand Equality† and lobbied for the Equal Rights Amendment.  Petitions with more than 1,500 names were presented to the Senate majority leader and minority floor leader.Detroit women who worked at the Detroit Free Press kicked men out of one of their restrooms, protesting the fact that men had two bathrooms while women had one.Women who worked for a New Orleans newspaper ran pictures of the grooms instead of the brides in engagement announcements.Inter national Solidarity: French women marched in Paris, and Dutch women marched at the U.S. embassy in Amsterdam. Nationwide Attention Some people called the demonstrators anti-feminine or even Communist. The Womens Strike for Equality made the front page of national newspapers such as The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Chicago Tribune. It was also covered by the three broadcast networks, ABC, CBS, and NBC, which was the pinnacle of extensive television news coverage in 1970.   The Women’s Strike for Equality is often remembered as the first major protest of the Women’s Liberation movement, even though there had been other protests by feminists, some of which also received media attention. The Women’s Strike for Equality was the largest protest for women’s rights at that time. Legacy The next year, Congress passed a resolution declaring August 26  Women’s Equality Day.  Bella Abzug  was inspired by the Womens Strike for Equality to introduce the bill promoting the holiday. Signs of the Times Some articles from the  New York Times  from the time of the demonstrations illustrate some of the context of the Womens Strike for Equality. The  New York Times  featured an article a few days before the August 26 rallies and anniversary titled Liberation Yesterday: The Roots of the Feminist Movement.  Under a photograph of suffragettes [sic] marching down Fifth Avenue, the paper also asked the question: Fifty years ago,  they won the vote. Did they throw victory away?  The article pointed to both the earlier and the then-current feminist movements as rooted in work for civil rights, peace, and radical politics, and noted that the womens movement both times was rooted in recognizing that both black people and women were treated as second-class citizens. Press Coverage In an article on the day of the march, the  Times  noted that Traditional Groups Prefer to Ignore Womens Lib.  The problem for such groups as the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Womens Christian Temperance Union, the League of Women Voters, The Junior League and the Young Womens Christian Association is what attitude to take toward the militant womens liberation movement.   The article included quotes about ridiculous exhibitionists and a band of wild lesbians. The article quoted Mrs. Saul Schary [sic] of the National Council of Women: Theres no discrimination against women like they say there is. Women themselves are just self-limiting. Its in their nature and they shouldnt blame it on society or men. In the kind of paternalistic belittling of the feminist movement and women that feminism criticized, a headline the next day in the  New York Times  noted that Betty Friedan was 20 minutes late for her appearance at the Womens Strike for Equality: Leading Feminist Puts Hairdo Before Strike.  the article also noted what she wore and where shed purchased it, and that he had her hair done at the Vidal Sassoon Salon on Madison Avenue.   She was quoted saying I dont want people to think Womens Lib girls dont care about how they look. We should try to be as pretty as we can. Its good for our self-image and its good politics.  The article noted that The vast majority of women interviewed strongly endorsed the traditional concept of woman as a mother and a homemaker who can, and sometimes even should, supplement these activities with a career or with volunteer work. In yet another article, the  New York Times  asked two women partners in Wall Street firms what they thought of picketing, denouncing men and bra-burning?  Muriel F. Siebert, chairman [sic] of Muriel F. Siebert Co., replied: I like men and I like brassieres. She was also quoted saying Theres no reason to go to college, get married and then stop thinking. People should be able to do what theyre capable of doing and theres no reason why a woman doing the same job as a man should be paid less. This article has been edited by and considerable additional material added by Jone Johnson Lewis.

Impacts of Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss as a Mathematician Term Paper

Impacts of Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss as a Mathematician - Term Paper Example In his lifetime, Gauss had hardly made a contribution to the field of mathematics. It is said that the German mathematician was aloof to the pubic world of the mathematicians notable in his days. Gauss only communicated to a few of his trusted friends who were also strongly inclined to mathematics. Besides Bolyai, Schumacher was one of Gauss’s trusted correspondence in which the latter confided to the former about his spending a â€Å"considerable time on geometry† (Tent, 2006, p. 214). On the other hand, upon the death of the gifted mathematician -- and the subsequent discovery of his mathematical notes and ideas -- the world of mathematics had never been the same. Particularly his contribution to the shaping of the so-called non-Euclidean geometry, Gauss had made an impact to the sphere of geometry. His schoolmate Bolyai had asked him, for several times, pertaining to his view to Euclid’s fifth postulate -- also known as the parallel postulate. But Gauss did no t disclose his discovery concerning the existence of the non-Euclidean geometry for the reason that he did not want to â€Å"rock the boat† (Tent, 2006, p. 215). True, Gauss’s non-Euclidean geometry -- first he called it as anti-Euclidean -- had caused a stir in the area of mathematics marked in the late 18th century. Non-Euclidean geometry is basically defined as an area in geometry in which Euclid’s first four postulates are held but the fifth postulate has a quite different and distinct version in contrast to what is stated in the Elements (Weisstein, 2011). Among various versions of non-Euclidean geometry, the so-called hyperbolic geometry is where Gauss belongs to. In one of their conversations, Gauss revealed to Schumacher about his anti-Euclidean geometry: â€Å"I realized that there also had to be triangles whose three angles add up to more or less than 1800 in the non-Euclidean world. I had it all mapped out† (Tent, 2006, 214, my italics). Here, Gauss categorized the fundamental elements of his newly found mathematics. That is to say, Gauss’s non-Euclidean geometry is a departure from two-dimensional geometry characterized in Euclidean mathematics. Gauss’s hyperbolic geometry, in fact, works greatly in three-dimensional geometry or space. Thence, the impact of Gauss’s mathematical discovery, if not innovation, was quite evident especially within the field of mathematics. For one, Gauss had opened up a new world or knowledge about the wider space or scope of mathematics, particularly geometry. That is, man does not live in a narrow two-dimensional space. Based from this paradigm (i.e., hyperbolic geometry), one can explore the multifarious possibilities laid open by non-Euclidean geometry. Perhaps the greatest impact of Gauss’s hyperbolic mathematics is found in the sphere of astronomy. In 1801, for instance, Gauss’s mathematics had greatly facilitated the discovery of a dwarf planet named Ceres (Tyson, 2004). Evidently, this is the triumph of mathematics. Utilizing the non-Euclidean geometry, it became possible for man to calculate the universe even without the use of advanced technology such as the telescope. Using Gauss’s hyperbolic geometry, man is able to see the cosmos beyond the Euclidean geometry can offer. Space, after all, is three-dimensional -- be it space in/on earth or in the universe. Generally, non-Euclidean geo

Chinese Contract Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Chinese Contract Law - Essay Example China views this as a way of enhancing political stability. Labor and business interest groups have been the most affected by the contact law. Many businesses have been forced to close as the cost of production increased. History and role of contract law Contracts are perceived to be the backbone of any market economy. China adopted a contract law in 1999. The law was divided into general and specific provisions. Besides, the contract law had supplementary provisions. The Chinese borrowed heavily from UNIDROIT principles. The laws had been drafted to cover a wide scope of contract issues. However, the Chinese needed a superior law that would sustain the economic growth. This led to enactment of another contract law in 2008. Contractual relationships are the essence of business transactions. Many countries agree that one of the keys of economic development is contact enforceability (Chow 2002). The usage of credit and capital is critical to the mechanism of market economy (Glinow & Te agarden 1988). Contracts are enforceable in a court of law, and this secures the possibility of credit sales. Weber argues that rationalization is one of the major characteristics of the modern society. Tasks are completed through broken down processes. The specialized rules are accessed in terms of the exact figures. Through this, future events are managed in a rational way. The process enables large-scale transactions to be conducted (Kitch 1980). A telling example is modern accounting. Accounts are broken down in balance sheets. This is followed by profit and loss accounts. The financial status of a business can be explained in terms of assets and liabilities (Zhang 2006). This explains when contract law is viewed as influential when it comes to economic and infrastructural development. China is no longer a place where cheap knock off products are developed (Jespersen & Skjoett-Larsen 2003). Although the practice of producing counterfeits continues, the quality of modern counterf eits is improved tremendously. The Chinese contact law puts immense emphasis on the clarity of contracts. Article 12 stipulates and describes what the contents of a written contract should be. Advantages of contract law China is nearly meeting the international standards when it comes to contractual legislation. The contract law has eliminated ambiguities when it comes to guidelines on entering into contractual agreements in China. Therefore, the outcome of foreign business contracts is predictable. Benefits The major provision of that gives credible interpretation to Chinese contact law is article 125. The contractual obligations can be supplemented through the provisions of the law (Yongping & Weidi 2008). This occurs when something vital fails to be captured in a contract. Some of those sources include the provision of laws, principle of good faith and transaction usage (Yongping & Weidi 2008). Articles 5 and 6 are firm on the concepts of good faith and fairness. These are some o f the benefits of the Chinese contract laws to the foreigners (Jespersen & Skjoett-Larsen 2003). There is an intentional move by the Chinese contract law to create a conducive environment for the foreigners. However, some of the provisions of the new law have an impact on the profitability of the foreign businesses. The article 92 of the Chinese contract law governs post contractual duties between the involved parties. The article suggests an employee is expected to act in a reasonable way

The American Life Style and fast food Essay Example for Free

The American Life Style and fast food Essay How much fast food do you guess you eat a month? The average American eats about 50lbs worth, that’s more than most children in 3rd world countries eat in total in 3 monthsWill you follow everyone else or will you stray from the beaten path, and dare to be different? Dare to be your own person? Or will you crumple from the influences and pressures of society? The truth is no matter how much you tell yourself that you are going to be independent and make your own choices and decisions regardless of what other people thing, every choice and decision you make are influenced by the people around you and the experiences you have faced. It is for this reason that accomplishing this task can be very challenging, however it is possible. And when you finally figure out who you are and what your values and morals it is believed you have finally â€Å"come of age†. A prime example of this would be in the fiction novel written by Mark Twain, the main character Huckleberry, also referred to as Huck runs away from home because the confines of society proved to be too overwhelming for Huck. On the run Huck meets a runaway slave named Jim and decides to help Jim escape with him despite the fact that he was raised and taught to be believe that slavery was a good thing and it is especially forbidden to help one to escape. It was for this reason that Huck struggles to see the blurred line between right and wrong. As Huck and Jim venture down the Mississippi River, Huck is introduced to many new experiences and is forced to make decisions that make him question his very own ideals, however it is those very own experiences and challenges that help him grow as a person and ultimately allows him to discover who he truly is as he himself comes of age. One of the many instances Huck is forced to make a difficult decision is when he encounters 3 murderers looting a shipwreck he and Jim came across while floating down the Mississippi. Huck overheard 2 of the murderers planning on stranding the other one on the wreck and taking his share of the loot, so he says â€Å"Quick, Jim, ain’t no time for fooling around and moaning;  there’s a gang of murderers in yonder, and if we don’t hunt up their boat and set her drifting down the river so these fellows can’t get away from the wreck, there’s one of’em going to be in a bad fix. But if we find their boat we can put all of’em in a bad fix† (pg.52) Huck originally plans to steal the murderer’s canoe so that none of them will be able to escape the wreck. However Huck starts to feel guilty as they start to float away from the wreck â€Å"Jim manned the oars, and we took out after our raft. Now was the first time that I begun to w orry about the men- I reckon I hadn’t had time to before. I begun to think how dreadful it was, even for murderers, to be in such a fix. I says to myself, there ain’t no telling but I might come to be a murderer myself, yet, and then how would I like it.†(pg.54) ,this is a crucial change in Huck because all his life he had wanted to be in a gang and kill people, but now that he felt he would be responsible for the murderer’s deaths he realized he was misguided and cannot handle the quilt if committing such an act. Finally Huck gives into his guilt and decides he could not live with himself if he left them there to die so he told Jim â€Å"At first light we will land and I’ll go fix up some kind of yarn and get somebody to go fetch that gang and get them out of their scrape.†(pg.55) Huck realizes that what they have done is wrong but if he had left them there he would be no better than they were. Huck learns something about himself on that wreck; he learns that the life he once wanted was not the life he was cut out for. Huck’s fight between his conscience and society greatens when he encounters a group of slave hunters. Huck feels guilty for helping Jim escape and starts to regret it, so Huck thinks things over in is head â€Å"Jim said it made him over trembly and feverish to be so close to freedom, well I can tell you it made me all trembly and feverish too, to hear that he was most free- and to blame for it? Why me! I couldn’t get that thought out of my conscience no how nor no way†(pg.66). It becomes obvious that Huck is torn between doing what is considered right and turning Jim in or what a part of him feels would be right and protect him. This conflict keeps eating away at Huck until he cannot take any more of it when he says â€Å"my conscience got to stirring me up hotter than ever†(pg.67) However the pressure of society finally get to Huck â€Å" until at last I say to it â€Å"let up on me- it ain’t too  late ill paddle ashore at first light, and te ll.† I felt easy, and happy and light as a feather; right off all my troubles was gone†. Huck convinces himself that turning in Jim is right thing to do. However as he approaches the slave hunters Huck realize he cannot do it. â€Å"What’s that yonder?† the slave hunters asked Huck. â€Å"Well there’s five niggers run off tonight, up yonder above the head of that bend. Is your man white or black?†(pg.68). Huck makes the conscious decision to lie to the slave hunters although it is not clear why â€Å"I didn’t answer up prompt I tried to, but the words wouldn’t come. I tried for a second or two, to brace up and out with it, but I warnt man- enough hadn’t the spunk of a rabbit. I see I was weakening; so I just give up trying, and up and says- â€Å"He’s white†(pg.68). Huck lies to protect Jim. Maybe he does this because he feels sympathetic for Jim and his family, or maybe Huck finally remembers that Jim has looked out for him and cared for him during their whole journey and realizes Jim is his only true friend, or it could be as simple as the fact that he made a promise to Jim not to betray him and Huck does not want to brake that promise. Whatever the reason this is a huge step for Huck when he decides not to turn Jim into the slave hunters and really allows him to slowly start to break loose from society and form his own morals. However despite Huck’s former breakthrough, Huck struggles to make peace with his conscience and the pressures of society get to him once again. To help ease himself Huck tries convince himself that it would just be for Jim if he was a slave. â€Å"Once I said to myself it would be better for Jim to be a slave at home where his family was as long as he got to be a slave and so I’d better write a letter to Tom Sawyer and tell him to tell Miss Watson where he was†(pg.160) Even though Huck is concerned that Jim might be punished for running away he still decides to write a letter hoping it will clear his conscience. Then Huck starts to think about what he’s done and what consequences he will face for his actions, â€Å"everybody naturally despises an ungrateful nigger and they’d make Jim feel it all the time and so he’d feel ornery and discouraged and then think of me! It would get all around that Huck Finn helped a nigger get his freedom and i f I was to ever see anybody from that town again id be ready to get down and lick his for shame†(pg.160), here starts to regret helping Jim escape and begins to worry  about what people will think of him when he returns home and hopes that he will be accepted into society again. With the hope that it will right the wrongs that he has done Huck decides to go on and write the letter here â€Å"I would do the right thing and the clean thing, and go and write to that niggers owner and tell where he was. I’ll go and write the letter then see if I can pray, why it was astonishing the way I felt as light as a feather right straight off and my troubles all gone, so I got a piece of paper and a pencil all glad and excited and set down and wrote. I felt all good and all washes clean of sin for the first time I had ever felt so in my life†(pg.161) This feeling of cleanliness helps assure Huck that he has done the right thing in the views of society. However Huck’s feeling of decency soon dissipates, â€Å"I happened to look around and see that paper, it was in a close place I took it in my hand, I was trembling because I got to forever betwixt two things, and I knowed it, I studied it a minute sort of holding my breath and then says to myself â₠¬Å"Alright then I’ll go to Hell† and tore it up†(pg.161) Huck finally decides he cannot bring himself to betray his only conscience and that he’d rather go to hell then do so. This is the point in Huck’s journey where he truly becomes his own person, where he breaks from the confines of society and decides to do what he in his heart feels is right not what other people think is right. This is an important decision for Huck and a crucial point in Huck’s life because growing up he was taught that slavery was a good thing and that African Americans were nothing but property as most boys were taught during that time period. However Huck discovers after meeting Jim that there is so much more to them, that they are a kind, and caring and sophisticated and loving people and that in turn helps Huck discover a little more about himself as well when he decides not to turn Jim in even though anyone else would have. Huck’s battles between his conscience and society force him to choose between being a part of society and becoming his own person, and while on his journey down the Mississippi with Jim he decides to be his own person and choose his own morals and values and by the end of his adventure he finally came of age with each experience along the way helping him grow as a person, whether it be near the beginning of the journey where he encounters a gang of murderers on a shipwreck and instead of leaving them there to die he decides to send help for them, or it be near half way through his journey where he comes  across a group of slave hunters and rather than turn Jim in, he lies to protect him even though the â€Å"right† thing to do would’ve been to turn him in. Or even near the end where he almost breaks his promise and betrays Jim when he writes a letter to Tom Sawyer telling him where Jim is, but instead of sending the letter he tears it up and decides to finish h elping Jim escape even if it means he’ll go to hell. All of these events are important in helping Huck create his own sense of right and wrong and in many ways, come of age.

THINGS FALL APART Essay examples -- essays research papers

Summary and Analysis of: Things Fall Apart   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many lessons that we learn in life. Chinua Achebe?s Things Fall Apart teaches one of life?s greatest lesson. True, lasting happiness matters more than ones social rank or ones rank of wealth. Okonkwo, who is the main character in this book, is trying his best to be the man that is father was not. His father was a well known bum and a man who owed a lot of debts. Okonkwo felt that men are always suppose to be strong, leaders, and do what people perceive are typical male tasks. But his father, Unoka, did not fit his description of what he felt a real man should be. He was ashamed of his father.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Okonkwo had an obsession. His obsession was his pride. And this led to him losing his head and everything that worked so had to obtain. One of his greatest fears that were portrayed in this book was that of showing any type of emotions, affection, or sorrow. He felt that showing them would make him look weak. It is okay to express yourself. That is part of being human. To protect his own image Okonkwo would do anything. He began to search for wealth and status by asking other villagers who were wealthy for support. He was loaned seed yams. This was just enough for him to begin a productive crop. He had to start at the bottom and work his way up to the top. He was able to do just that. He gained a very high standing in the Ibo tribe. And his ultimate goal was to become an elde...

Ethical Practices of Computer and Internet Technology

Computer and Internet technology use In the workplace gives rise to questionable ethical practices among employees as well as managers. For the last three (plus) decades the increasing availability and advances in technology has improved productivity; however the use of computers and Internet in the workplace leads to temptation to misuse the resource for personal gain.Employees and managers accessing private employee information for personal gain, improper data access to hose who are not privy to it and software copying were a few of the concerns discussed in the 30 year old article Computer Ethics: Questions Arise on Misuse in Business (Pollack, 1983). The social media boom of the last decade has brought with It additional questionable ethical violations In the workplace. Time stealing Is discussed in the New York Times online article Opting to Blow the Whistle or Choosing to Walk Away (Tugged, 2013).It states, â€Å"According to the Ethics Resource Center, a nonprofit research or ganization, the No. Misconduct observed ? by a third of 4,800 respondents ? was misuse of company time† (Tugged, 2013 Para. 4). Eric Swenson discusses the stealing of time through excessive personal use of Internet streaming and social media in his video Business Ethics & Stealing Time, by Eric Swenson, Demand Media Video (Swenson, n. D. ). In the words of Eric Swenson, misuse of company time Is time stealing. According to a study conducted by Eric Swenson, â€Å"The average employee in a white collar business spends 3. Hours daily on personal internet usage† (Swenson, n. D. ) However, he broaches the question does this matter? He calls the workers of the present and future, 2020 to be exact, â€Å"millennial employees who want to be connected and be Involved socially' (Swenson, n. D. ) Swenson states that employees now want to be online streaming videos, media, and music. Is this the way people work today? The consideration he gives is that he is more concerned about the productivity of the employee versus the exact method or use of time that it takes to get the work accomplished.My conclusion Is there Is definitely an ethical line to be drawn in personal use of computers and Internet technology within the work place. I would ascertain that if privacy is violated for personal gain or technology or work product is stolen as stated in the first article, it is most definitely ethical violation. As far time stealing, where the line gets fuzzier, It should be Judged on whether the time spent on Internet or social media has any impact on the productivity of the employee or benefit to their specific job.