Descartes, Leibniz, And Spinoza Essay -- essays research papers

If these great thinkers (Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz) were to discuss instead the soul’s connection to the body, what might each say (both on his own behalf and in response to the other)? Would they find any places where they might agree? If not, why not? (These are, after all, smart guys!)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Though this sort of meeting would strike me as a debate with as furiously disparate and uncompromising ideals as one would find in a meeting of Andrew Weil, Jerry Falwell, and David Duke, I expect that the philosophers would find some surprisingly common ground. Descartes, the Christian outcast, Spinoza, the Jewish outcast, and Leibniz, the creative mathematician all acknowledge that what we know better than anything is the mind. Given this, we can deduce that any knowledge we acquire of our perceived bodies does not necessarily relate to some external reality, physical substance, or biological bodies. However, from this point on the three scholars meander off in separate definitive arguments.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Descartes reasons in â€Å"Meditations on the First Philosophy: In Which the Existence of God and the Distinction Between Mind and Body are Demonstrated† that mind and body are real, extant, and separate products of God. He does this by suggesting that if the body were not real, then God would be deceiving us, which is unlikely from a perfect god. He also arrives at a proof for his mind’s existence by postulating the famous cogito, ...

Jean Piaget Essay

Jean Piaget is often quoted to have pioneered research in cognitive development (Hayes, 1998). The constructivist theory is a subset of the cognitivist theories. It is based on the learner –centred theories that emphases on the need to provide learners with responsibility for directing their own learning experiences. Schemata, assimilation and accommodation are some of the primary concepts in understanding the Constructivist theory of cognitive development. The other central features apart from three principles are the notions of equilibration and disequilibrium. This essay will briefly define the principles of schemata, assimilation and accommodation. It will also explain the importance of equilibration and disequilibrium in cognitive development. Schemata according to Dembo (1991) are cognitive structures that are formed through the obstruction of one’s earlier experience. It is stated that children are born with very f few innate schemata and that they keep on creating new ones as they interact with the environment. Hayes (1998) adds that schemata should be understood as â€Å"a theoretical construct which is generally understood as the being an internalized representation of the world, or at least some part of the world. † p. 473. Schemata therefore relate to specific bit of activity, and summarises the stored knowledge and experiences related to such an activity. All human thinking is centred on schemata that develop throughout an individual’s life through the process of adaptation. Adaptation involves organisms responding to the changes in their respective surroundings and situations. In essence, adaptation is achieved through assimilation and accommodation. The principle of assimilation refers to a process of making sense of the experiences and perceptions by fitting them into previously established cognitive structures. In other words, what is perceived by a person is altered so that it fits present cognitive schemata (Gage, 1998). Assimilation is said to have occurred when a person perceives a new event or object in terms of an n existing schemas. That is to say, person applies any mental structure that is available to assimilate a new object or event and actively seek to utilize this newly acquired mental structure. On the other hand, the theory of accommodation simply refers to the process of changing internal schemata to provide consistency with external reality. It happens when existing schemas are modified or new ones are created to account for a new experience. According to Borick and Tombari (1995) if a person succeeds in changing the existing schemata in order to understand a new event, object, information or experience is said to have undergone the process of accommodation. From it can therefore be inferred that accommodation influences assimilation in a certain way and vice versa. As a reality is assimilated, structures are accommodated. Cognitive development is a lifelong process that involves the creation and/or the development of schemata through the operation of principles explained above. The term that explains the operation of assimilation and accommodation, which can occur concurrently is called the process of Equilibration. Equilibration is defined as â€Å"the biological drive to produce an optimal state of equilibrium between people’s cognitive structures and their environment† (Duncan, 1995 as cited on http://www. coe. uga. edu/epiltt/pigeat. htm ) . It is an attempt to bring about a state of equilibrium between the other three factors and is very vital for cognitive development. It involves assimilation and accommodation (Russell, Jarvis &Gorman, 2004). This process is very significant because it is through equilibration that people develop their cognitive structures. This occurs as people conduct themselves in logical internal mental structures that allow them to make sense of the various phenomena in their surrounding environment. When the external reality does not match with the logical internal schemas or say when disequilibrium occurs, equilibration is there to come forth so as an effort to bring balance between assimilation and accommodation. In this way, organisms develop sophisticated schemas. McLeod (2009) as cited on http://www. simplypsychology. org/piaget. html points out disequilibrium connotes an unpleasant state when new information cannot be fitted in the existing schemata. O’Donnel (2006) states that the theory of equilibration is important to the learning process. It suggests the need to stimulate conceptual change in someone by challenging students existing concepts in an effort to create cognitive disequilibrium. Students in turn strive to restore equilibrium there by acquiring new knowledge and skills for understanding the world or subject matter in a lesson. Teachers should be able to engage students into unfamiliar areas in order to for them to learn. It suggests that students do not require studying things that they already know but that they can also accommodate new information (Dembo, 1991). However teacher need not to let learners over assimilate because it turns out boring. They should also not over accommodate students beyond their cognitive growth. In this ca se, it can be understood that equilibration is vital to the development of a child’s cognition as well as to the teaching and learning process. Furthermore, the notion of equilibration is important because it indicates that learners are active thinkers who can understand the world on their own. Therefore teacher need to involve students in the learning processes and only act as facilitators in constructing knowledge. The understanding of the constructivist theory with the understanding of how equilibration works has led to emergence of teaching methods such as discovery methods. Teachers can create deliberate disequilibrium in students by asking questions about some illogical statements made by the Lerner. As the learner reconciles his or her disequilibrium, their cognitive capacity develops. In conclusion, this paper has defined schemata as cognitive or mental structures that relate s to specific bit of an activity such as schemata for an object like a tree or more abstract notion like democracy. Jean Piaget contended that all thinking is centred on schemata (Hayes, 1998) and the number of a person schema continues to be constructed throughout a person’s life through the principles of assimilation and accommodation. It has also been noted that the operation 0f these two principles constitutes the notion of equilibration. Equilibration is very important because it is the impetus for cognitive development that makes individuals acquires higher order thinking skills to adapt to the ever changing surrounding. It is through equilibration that people explore the environment and make mental representation of reality. This is so because equilibration improves the sophistication of schemas to create a mental representation of reality.

Enterprise Rent-a-Car Essay

SWOT With Enterprise, the customer always comes first. This is a major strength that the company has capitalized on in order to separate itself from the competition. Their â€Å"We’ll pick you up!† slogan is the primary focus of the company’s customer service aspect. After the customers, the focus is on employees. Good customer service comes from only the best employees and Enterprise wants all of their employees to be happy with their jobs. By offering a sense of ownership and incentives to advance within the company, Enterprise employees are often very satisfied with their positions. Enterprise is the largest car rental company with the largest fleet and the most rental locations. Because of this, they are easily accessible all over the country. Their main market focus is the home/city market segment and they are the industry leader in this segment with the most market share. In order to stay on top, Enterprise has kept up with technology and has formed many long-term alliances with insurance agents and car repair shops to produce referrals. Shifting to the weaknesses of the company finds Enterprise falling short in a couple of areas. Enterprise does not have the largest market share in the entire car rental industry. The company has established itself in the home/city market and has not entered the largest segment of the industry†Ã¢â‚¬ airport rentals. As a result, they have low awareness in the industry. Another drawback is the lack of a frequent customer program. Most major car rental companies have these repeat-buyer clubs as they attract repeat business and create more customer awareness. Within the company, Enterprise is also having problems recruiting good employees. Because awareness of the company is low and the image of working for a car rental company isn’t that glamorous, college graduates often overlook employment opportunities with Enterprise. The biggest foreseeable opportunity for the company to take advantage of is the airport market segment. This is the largest market segment of the car rental industry and it’s been left untouched by Enterprise. Next would be the under 25 yr. old segment. Rental car companies often leave out possible customers in this segment by either not renting to them or adding large fees  to the normal rental rates. Enterprise on the other hand, does rent to the under 25 segment and charges a small fee or no fee at all. The leisure rental market is another segment that Enterprise can expand into. This market is largely made up of people that want to rent more expensive cars (SUV’s and convertibles) for the weekend. Another opportunity for the company is to expand its system of alliances with businesses and schools/universities. More incentives can be offered to this segment in hopes of opening up more business opportunities. Enterprise will have to watch out for threats in the industry to keep its competitive position. One of the threats is the opportunity for other car rental companies to enter the home/city segment, which is the stronghold of Enterprise. In order to be competitive in the future, Enterprise must keep up with technological advancements such as Internet applications. Alternatives There are three broad alternatives that Enterprise can choose to implement if they want to meet their profit and growth expectations for the future. Enterprise could do nothing, target the vastly untapped 25 and younger market, or move into other segments of the overall rent-a-car market. These three alternatives could be used alone or in combination. One option for Enterprise is to do nothing. The next option for Enterprise is to target the vastly untapped 25 and younger market. This market is an exceptional opportunity for Enterprise because they are one of the only car rental companies that rents to drivers under the age of 25. To target this group takes commitment and creativity. First and foremost Enterprise needs to come up with more creative ads targeting this segment. Another angle for Enterprise would be to get its name onto college campuses across the country. They could do this by giving presentations at various Universities’ or having a creative national contest for college students. Finally to fully reach and keep the under 25 market, Enterprise must keep up with technology. This segment is the most computer savvy of all age groups and to fully target this market Enterprise must be  the industry leader in technological innovations. The Final option for Enterprise is to move into other segments of the overall rent-a-car market. Enterprise dominates the replacement rental segment of overall rent-a-car market. The replacement rental segment only accounts for twenty-seven percent of the total market. Therefore, there is a huge market consisting of the business and leisure/discretionary markets that enterprise has currently not entered. Criteria In implementing these alternatives there must be a way to measure the action to see if they are working. The advertising we propose is more of local nature than national. We believe that the National advertising campaign should still be done, but a local one should be done also to compliment the National campaign. The local campaigns should be in the form of newspaper ads and radio ads. The local branch should monitor and select the media. Then the revenue generated from the ad should be four times the cost to run the ad. Once this 4to1 ratio is not met, its time to change the ad or find another media. The Enterprise company culture is such that each individual branch is responsible for its sales and service. To stay in the parameters of this culture each branch should be responsible for its own advertising also. In measuring the college presentations and the creative contests, Enterprise should monitor the number of resumes that they receive. If the presentations and/or contests do not generate a sizable amount of resumes, then the programs must be reevaluated. Moving into the other segments of the overall rent-a-car market can be measured by profits. Once an airport branch becomes profitable, then Enterprise should start looking at other airports for expansion. In the leisure/discretionary market, track how many weekend rentals and luxury rentals that are being used by each branch. Evaluation of Alternatives 1. Marketing to the 25 yr. and younger segment Our first alternative is to develop a marketing campaign to the 25-year and younger market segment. Targeting this segment will benefit Enterprise by developing a significant growth in increased awareness not only locally, but  also nationally. Increased awareness for the local/city segment will greatly help their all ready prosperous market niche. The recruitment of high quality employees and building superior brand awareness will enable Enterprise to stand above its competitors. Targeting the 25-year and younger segment, Enterprise will develop a younger clientele and will have a wider range of employees to select from. This can be accomplished by setting up presentations at respected universities around the United States and promoting incentive contests with rewards. Other benefits will include increased profit potential and being a step ahead of its competitors with technology. Technological advancements in the Internet and World Wide Web could add convenience for customers with the creation of an on-line reservation system. On the other side of the spectrum, some risks could be associated with the targeting 25 and younger segment. These risks will be associated with larger costs in advertising, marketing, and recruitment. Time and energy will also be contributed since a long-term commitment is required. Also, consumers might question the security of on-line reservations. 2. Moving into new market segments Our second alternative is to move into and gain a share of new market segments. These new markets are the airport segment and the leisure/discretionary segment. The airport segment is the largest in the rental car market, due to the immense amounts of business corporations renting out cars for their representatives. Enterprise can distinctly take control of this market segment and more profits and revenues can be attained. With sharing or controlling this market segment, awareness will expand among these business travelers and discounts and incentives can be introduced to incorporate repeat business. For the leisure/discretionary segment, Enterprise can introduce more luxury vehicles that will appeal to the distinctive traveler. The benefits of moving into the new markets are considerable. Some negative issues can affect Enterprise by moving into new market segments. One is that it is very expensive. There could be numerous costs resulted by missed judged opportunities or mistakes rendered by managers at  these airport locations. Secondly, it is very risky trying to penetrate an all ready saturated market, such as the airport segment. Spending money, time, and energy into a new market segment where Enterprise does not have a firm hold can be financially costly and damaging to Enterprises image. Recommendation Our recommendation, as the Base One Consulting firm, to Enterprise Rent-A-Car, begins with a slow penetration of the business segment (airport rentals) of the car rental market. By entering this segment of the market, Enterprise can penetrate a market in which it formally had no presence in. Also, with the business segment being the largest segment of the car rental industry, there is huge profit potential. We would recommend starting the segment penetration with only the larger airports to limit the cost and risks associated with entering this new segment. Within two years enterprise should evaluate their progress in this segment. If it proves to be profitable, Enterprise should continue to expand into smaller airports across the country, and have a national presence, in the estimated 150 airports within five years. This will be necessary to maintain the present growth rate of 25% for the company since the home-city market is only growing at about 10 to 15% per year. However, to remain consistent with the companies â€Å"decentralized† operations, we feel that the business segment of the industry should be run and managed as a completely separate region, no matter where it is located. This will prevent the loss of focus on Enterprise’s primary market segment, the replacement market, with particular emphasis on neighborhood locations. The second part of our recommendation for Enterprise Rent-A-Car involves increasing advertising targeted towards the under 25-year-old market. Allowing time for budgeting and the creative process, the advertising campaign should be implemented immediately. This can prove to be very valuable because some other firms will not rent a vehicle to anyone under the age of 25. Similarly, a great opportunity to develop brand loyalty lies in this segment. By â€Å"getting a jump† on the other car rental companies in the mind of the consumer, Enterprise can put itself at a strategic advantage. Enterprise has already begun to do this somewhat, with a lower charge than other companies, for the under 25 years old rentals. However, we  recommend using a national advertising campaign to not only increase the awareness of renting to younger customers, but also to increase awareness of the company as a whole. This in turn, will help ease the difficulty of penetrating other segments. Furthermore, a localized campaign, managed by each region, should be implemented to increase awareness, catering to local trends and needs, once again, keeping consistent with the companies â€Å"decentralized† operations format. Included in this local advertisement campaign, an emphasis should be placed on the company itself and its job opportunities, highlighting to the younger audience the promotion from within process and profit-sharing opportunities. Another aspect of the local advertising campaign should focus on employee recruitment. We recommend some type of contest involving a cash reward to generate interest in becoming employed by the company. For example, we suggest implementing a contest rewarding the best creative taped interview or resume with a $10,000 cash reward and an employed position. This contest will generate interest and provide Enterprise with a database of potential employees. Ultimately it will broaden the pool from which Enterprise is able to choose its employees from. This is very important for the future of the company. Lastly, we recommend that Enterprise continue to keep up with, or ahead of, technology. This continues the emphasis on the younger audience and top-notch employees. Advanced tracking systems, such as the one Enterprise currently utilizes, and convenience are key factors in the future success of the company. Advancements in the area of the Internet and computers is crucial to the sustained growth of this company, especially in the travel segment of the market. Enterprise must consider the financial aspect of the recommendation by Base One Consulting. If approximately 15 airports location were opened and used to judge the profitability of this segment, and an estimated 125 cars at each location (based on Exhibit 1), with the cost averaging about $20,000 per vehicle, Enterprise would be looking at an initial investment of about $37.5 million. However, the company’s revenue is estimated at about $2.61 billion per year from the replacement market. The profit potential can only be estimated since airport rates very widely. Since the overall car rental  market generates an estimated $14.62 billion per year, and the business rentals account for about 40 percent of that figure, there is potential to penetrate an over $5.5 billion dollar market (Figures from Exhibit 2). In comparison, the costs to implement an aggressive advertising campaign, both nationally and locally, must be estimated from past advertising figures (Exhibit 2). Since Enterprise spent an estimated $22 million in advertising last year, and a more aggressive campaign will be implemented, we can estimate an advertising budget of about $55 million. This should cover all of the national and local advertisements. Although the advertising budget will more than double, it would only account for about 2.1% of the company’s budget. This is less than the industry average of 2.8% of revenue. Overall, by implementing the recommended strategy, Enterprise would be looking at expenditures of about $92 million. Although this is almost 40% of the company’s revenue for one year, many of the funds will come from long-term loans and other sources. Also, the revenues that will be realized by implementing the recommendation must be considered.

African Americans Status in 1890 Essay

There were many problems that African Americans faced in the 1890’s some of which still exist in today’s society. African Americans have come a long way and earned many rights but still live with the hardships that they had in the 1890’s. The status of African Americans at this time in United States history was not good. Blacks had a very hard time living especially in the south. The problems that blacks dealt with were primarily found in the south where they were not accepted. Segregation became huge across the entire south after the Supreme Court ruled that â€Å"Separate but equal† was legal in the Plessy v. Ferguson case. Everything was separate but it was almost never equal. Whites always had things better than African Americans did. Blacks could not ride in the same train cars as whites. The national government gave blacks the right to vote but southern state governments took away that right through the use of poll taxes and literacy tests. A big problem that blacks faced was trying to stay alive. Many blacks were killed for no reason during this period of time. Jim Crow laws were set up to keep blacks from enjoying the same rights and privileges that whites enjoyed everyday. The Ku Klux Klan was set up by whites who had hatred for blacks. Blacks in the south feared for their lives and their families’ lives everyday. It was certain that African Americans would be confronted by racism each and everyday in the south. Relationships between blacks and whites have greatly improved in the last century but things still are not perfect and it is unlikely that they ever will be. The greatest changes were made during the civil rights movement in the 1950’s and 1960’s when blacks stood up for themselves and gained their rights as American citizens. Laws were finally passed that made literacy tests and poll taxes illegal. Segregation came to an end after Brown v. Board of Education turned over the ruling made in Plessy v. Ferguson. There was no longer â€Å"Separate but equal†, it was now just equal. Although many big steps have been taken to stopping racism and segregation it still exists in our lives today. African Americans still see racism everyday even though they are now doing many things with whites. Blacks and whites have been able to peacefully interact with each other for decades but you still see newspapers talking about segregation and racism. The overall improvement has been very significant. Comparing today’s society to the 1890’s show a lot of good change yet there are still problems in our society with race relations.

Compare and Contrast 2 American poets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Compare and Contrast 2 American poets - Essay Example Many scholars and poets consider Walt Whitman as one of the most influential American poets who sought to use transcend traditional epics and eschew normal aesthetic form to define the nature of the American experience and its democracy. On the other hand, Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet born in 1886 in America. Notably, the two poets had unique writing styles although they were both American. Many people consider them as the founders of modern American poetry. Indeed, modern poets borrow from their works although the prowess of the two poets stands out. A careful consideration of their works shows numerous differences in terms of writing styles. From the physical inspection, Emily Dickinson’s poems are short and seemingly simple while Walt Whitman’s poems are long and seemingly complex to read and understand. The poems, â€Å"To a stranger† by Walt Whitman and the poem, â€Å"I am alive-I guess† by Emily Dickinson confirms this assertion. Indeed, Walt Whitman’s poems use extensive descriptions to elongate his ideas. This portrays him as an outgoing, social, and talkative poet. For example in the poem â€Å"Crossing Brooklyn Ferry,† each line and word insinuates a picture in our minds and the poem goes on for a long time (Lehman 131-136). On the other hand, Emily Dickinson uses compact and concise words and lines to describe her works. Indeed, we can derive so much meaning from just a few words in her short poems. The short lines and phrases in her works allow the audience to derive their ow n meaning from her poems. It is thus clear that she uses few words to create diverse meaning. The poem, â€Å"Much Madness is divinest sense† uses the terms â€Å"Much Madness is divinest sense-to a discerning eye-Much sense-the starkest madness-Tis’ the majority† to derive a deeper and diverse meaning. Nevertheless, although their writing styles are different, the two poets

Compare the films dead Poets Society and Stand and Deliver from two Essay

Compare the films dead Poets Society and Stand and Deliver from two perspectives a) Educational Theories discussed in the course b) Mass Media Theories Studied in the book Four Theories of the Press - Essay Example â€Å"Literature uses the normal means of communication – language images, symbols, codes, stories – but uses them with more complexity and subtlety than is normal in everyday communication† (Lye, 2003). Films are able to employ more than mere words, however, as they also use sound, music, light and motion to make the story come to life. Responsible film makers have used films as a means of raising the social consciousness regarding a variety of issues, adopting a libertarian stance to the use of media. By studying films such as Dead Poet’s Society (1989) and Stand and Deliver (1988), one can begin to understand and appreciate the libertarian media and its benefits as it is applied to the question of educational reform. At its most basic level, the concept of the libertarian media as it is demonstrated through these two films is a concept based on the philosophy that the media should serve as a ‘check’ on the power structures of society. Although much attention in this regard is given to the media of newspapers or printed material, the theories and approaches are recognized in most arenas as being equally applicable to the other forms of mass communication, such as films. According to Siebert (1956), the libertarian philosophy is founded on the assumption that man is an end in himself. â€Å"The happiness and well-being of the individual is the goal of society, and man as a thinking organism is capable of organizing the world around him and of making decisions which will advance his interests† (Siebert 40). From this stance, the role of the government was established to be as the representative of the people with the primary duty of securing a space in which the individual could fully explore his or her own happiness and well-being. However, the individual must be aware of what the government is doing in order to make sure that it

Communications Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Communications - Assignment Example 228). Friend shifts are alterations, or changes that occur when one decides to change their friends. Usually, this occurs when one of the friends, changes their perception about the friendship (Ivy, 2011, p. 216). Self-disclosure is the act of telling your friend about yourself, your hidden secrets that define your personality (Ivy, 2011, p. 199). Friendship intimacy is the close relation that two friends share in a friendship (Ivy, 2011, p.220). Jocular sparring refers to unique way that men between themselves and it usually go wrong when used with women (Ivy, 2011, p. 230). Male-male friendships and female-female friendships differ in the content of their conversation. Female friends talk more often and their conversations main topics center on intimate topics, sex differences, personal and family matters. Men friends always talk less than their female counterparts where their conversations center on sports. The principal dissimilarity between the two types of friendships is based on the sex-stereotypical assumptions, which tend to favor men and not women. Female-female friendships are always intimate unlike male-male friendships. This implies that female friends disclose their intimate selves. This creates more liking and a cohesive bond between them (Ivy, 2011, p. 220). Male friends rarely disclose their intimate self and friendships are not that intimate and therefore do not develop strong bonds (Ivy, 2011, p. 220-221). Female-female friendships are characterized by voluntary relations between the friends. Another major characteristic is the emphasis on conversational and emotional expressiveness. These friendships are also characterized by talks of family and personal matters (Ivy, 2011, p.