Abortion is Not Murder Essay example -- Argumentative Persuasive Topic

Abortion is Not Murder Is abortion murder?   Murder is defined as "illegal killing with malice aforethought." Abortion fails this definition for two reasons. First, abortion is not illegal, and second, there is no evidence to suggest that expecting mothers feel malice towards their own flesh and blood. Not all killing is murder, of course. Murder is actually a small subset of all killing, which includes accidental homicide, killing in self-defense, suicide, euthanasia, etc. When pro-life activists call abortion "murder," they are suggesting that abortion fits the definition of murder, namely, "illegal killing with malice aforethought." However, abortion fails this definition for two reasons. First, abortion is not illegal, and second, mothers hardly feel malice towards their own unborn children. Some might object the first point is overly legalistic. Just because killing is legal doesn't make it right. Exterminating Jews in Nazi Germany was certainly legal, but few doubt that it was murder. But why do we still consider the Holocaust murder? The answer is that we hold the Nazis to a higher law. When the Nazis were tried in Nuremberg for their war crimes, they were not accused of "crimes against Germans" or even "crimes against Jews." Instead, they were charged with "crimes against humanity." The reason is because there was no legal basis to charge them otherwise. The massacre of Jews was legal under German law. So in order to punish the German leaders for clearly wrong behavior, the Allies had to evoke a higher law, a law of humanity. (1) The Holocaust was condemned as illegal, and therefore murder, because it violated this law. Many pro-life advocates claim that the same reasoning applies to abortion. Alt... ...heir legal basis is still a matter of controversy. Germany never signed an agreement of international law prohibiting genocide -- indeed, genocide was declared a violation of international law only at the Nuremberg trials themselves. In other words, the Allies retroactively applied international law to the Nazi war crimes. Ultimately, the legal basis for the Nazis' prosecution rested on the law of world opinion, or even, many claimed, the law of God. This raises many thorny questions, such as: whose opinion? And whose God? When the criminals are as obviously evil as the Nazis, then world opinion tends to be united, and there is no controversy. But what about a subject like abortion, in which the majority of public opinion is pro-choice, and on which most religions have different teachings? In this case, evoking a "higher law" becomes problematic, to say the least.

Educational Principles Essay

Jean Piaget’s theories continue to have a major impact on both teacher training and classroom practices. This essay will discuss the three educational principles derived from his theory and also discuss the limitations of preoperational thought from his point of view. The first educational principle is discovery learning. In this principle, children are encouraged to discover things for themselves by interacting with the environment (Berk, 2010). Teachers provide them with things that will promote development thru their imagination and exploration. By providing a variety of materials like art supplies, books, building blocks, musical instruments and more, teachers are offering opportunities to widen their creativity and enhance their learning (Berk, 2010). Through their exploring and thinking students are taking on an active role in their learning and knowledge building. According to Castronova (n. d), â€Å"Piaget was the first to show that children were not â€Å"empty vessels† to be filled with knowledge, but active builders of knowledge. With our current access to so much on the internet and through technology, there are many more opportunities for teachers to introduce children to discovery learning. Another principle is sensitivity to children’s readiness to learn. In this theory, teachers introduce new activities that build on their current skills while challenging their incorrect ways and allowing them to practice those new skills. They do not push them before they are ready (Berk, 2010). It is ok to allow children to experiment and search out answers for themselves. Teachers should assess and identify a child’s strengths and weaknesses. This is where Piaget saw the teachers as facilitators and there to guide the students (Ginn, n. d). Children need to make mistakes and be able to learn from them. The third educational principle is the acceptance of individual differences. Piaget’s theory assumes that children develop at different rates, but in the same sequence, so teachers must plan activities for small groups and individuals (Berk, 2010). This theory’s implication is that instruction should be adapted to the development level of the learner and that the content is consistent with that level of learning (Piaget, n. . ). A child needs to be compared to their own previous level of development. The limitations of preoperational thought from Piaget’s point of view are described by him as what they can’t understand (Berk, 2010). The term preoperational suggests that he compared them to older, more competent children (Berk, 2010). One of these limitations is egocentrism. Piaget assumes that the egocentric child assumes that other people see, feel, and hear exactly the same way that they do (Berk, 2010). This is responsible for animistic thinking that inanimate objects have lifelike qualities (Berk, 2010). Children also have the inability to conserve. That is, something stays the same in quantity even though it’s appearance changes. For example, two children have identical boxes of raisins, but when child 1 spreads their raisins on the table, child 2 is convinced that they have more (Berk, 2010). Preoperational children also have the inability to reverse steps. They can’t mentally go through steps in a problem and reverse direction to the starting point (Berk, 2010). Lastly, they have difficulty with hierarchical classification. This is the inability to organize objects into classes and subclasses based on their differences and similarities (Berk, 2010). In conclusion, according to McLeod (2010), Piaget drew a number of conclusions about the limitations of preoperational thought: (1) Understanding of these situations is ‘perception bound’. Child is drawn by changes in the appearance of the materials to conclude that a change has occurred. (2) Thinking is ‘centered’ on one aspect of the situation.  Child notices change in level of water or in length of clay without noticing that other aspects of the situation have changed simultaneously. (3) Thinking is focused on states rather than on transformations. Child fails to track what has happened to the materials and simply makes an intuitive judgment based on how they appear ‘now’. (4) Thinking is ‘irreversible’ in that the child cannot appreciate that a reverse transformation would return the material to its original state. Reversibility is a crucial aspect of the logical (operational) thought of later stages.

Middle Class and Hard Work

In life, all individuals want to stand out. They want to be the diamond in the rough, but only a few of them can ever be such a thing. According to Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers, he asserts that individuals who are granted opportunities and advantages, which not everybody is given by fate, are more successful. He implicates that opportunity, hard work, birthdate, 10,000 hours rule, and the background of the person are essential factors when being an outlier.Out of these aspects, working ard would have to be the one factor that surpasses the rest in this scenario. Malcolm Gladwell emphasizes many characteristics on what being an outlier is. The most important is hard work, â€Å"†¦ [for] if you work hard enough and assert yourself, and use your mind and imagination, you can shape the world to your desires†(1 51). Without hard work, nothing will ever be accomplishable. Tonina Hoang, a McDonald's franchisee, writes, â€Å"l work hard to ensure that they stay motiva ted and develop their careers†¦ Nothing ever comes without having to work for it.Everyone who is famous, or a doctor, or a lawyer has gotten through the baby steps and have overcome many obstacles to reach where they are now. Gladwell states that, â€Å"No one who can rise before the dawn three hundred sixty days a year fails to make his family rich†(137), further emphasizing that success is achievable if hard work is put in. Hard work will eventually pay off in the end. â€Å"A Success Story' an article in the Infotrac Newsstand claims that â€Å"hard work, patience and dedication helped Muhammad Ayub of Wasa] become assistant director (legal) from a Junior pump operator. Always have optimism because one may think people do not notice what one does, but in fact, everyone notices whether one is putting effort or Just going through the motions. Gladwell touches on how â€Å"We overlook Just how large a role we all play–and by ‘we' I mean society–in determining who makes it and who doesn't†(33). Sometimes people do not see how big of an impact they have to the society, but everyone is essential in order for the society to function properly. Gladwell fortifies diligence when he asserts â€Å"Hard work is only a prison sentence when you lack motivation†(42).In order to be successful, the individual must have the motivation to pursue their ambitions without feeling obligated to. Although working hard is a critical aspect in becoming an outlier, there are other factors that are important but not as critical. Gladwell claims â€Å"It comes from our time: from the particular opportunities that our place in history presents us with†(58). People are given different opportunities; they all depend on the time one was born nd how each and everyone's background began.Not everyone had the same openings. For example, a lower class family would not have had the same chances as a middle class family. Gladwell affirms, †Å"It's knowledge that helps you read situations correctly and get what you want†(87). Being highly intelligent is perhaps another key factor in becoming an outlier, for not being so, one would not have as much success as others. However, none of these things would ever be possible if one does not push oneself and commit to work harder than others.Outliers play a huge role on society It we did not nave them, some ot the high quali corporate items, like Apple products, would have never been created. Success does not come as easy as it may seem. However, if one decided to stand out from the rest of society with Gladwell's guidelines, they could possibly become the next outlier. Outliers are not Just born out of the blue (although some may be); they work hard, take the opportunities when they are given the chance, and overcome their social status.

Does the End Justify the Means? Essay

The ‘end justify the means’ is a philosophical maxim popularized by Niccolo Machiavelli during the renaissance era. This maxim is supposed to justify the actions of a leader or what Machiavelli calls ‘the Prince’, to do whatever is in his power in so far as the ‘end/s’ justifies the ‘means’ of attaining it. Machiavelli highlighted that the ‘end’ that a ‘Prince’ or a leader should focus on is the maintenance of his regime, authority or power. This theory is often mistaken as a standard principle usually by a few who rules a group of people, a community or a nation. They always believe that what they are doing redounds to the benefit of the majority. This few will not accept that what they have done is evil even if it produced good results for many people. History will tell us that many events in the past have gained favorable comments from some individuals but different from the point of view of the majority. Take the case of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing by the American forces during the war to weaken the morale of the invading Japanese forces in the Far East, which resulted to a lifetime tragic memory for thousands of Japanese victims (Walzer, 2004). If we are part of that era, perhaps we would simply say that it was the only way to stop the Japanese aggressors. For the Japanese and its allies, it was an evil act for the Americans to involve innocent Japanese civilians in the war. Leaping forward to the present era where people have become broad-minded and peace-oriented, many Americans have condemned the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and a number of big organizations have initiated moves to restore America’s image to the world especially to the Japanese people. But there are also sectors including the military who believe that the war would not have ended if the bombing was not done. Does the end justify the means in this case? Certainly not; according to Christine Smith in her article entitled, The End does not justify the Means, committing any acts of evil, regardless of any given circumstances, is always considered wrong. This writer may be right in saying this except that she fails to manifest the exact definition of evil in her statement. When the national interest is at risk to preserve democracy, the military is given a free-hand by the government to thwart rebellion. After a series of democratic process with maximum tolerance and the rebels adhere to their hard-line principle of a â€Å"coup d‘etat,† the military has the ultimate option to use arms. On the side of the relatives and advocates of the aggressive movement this could be evil, but on the side of the government and those against undemocratic process of government take-over, this could be reasonable. Let’s analyze another case, the downing of Korean Airlines Flight 007 in Russia way back 1983 which carried 269 passengers including the crew where most of the victims were Americans and Koreans. It was argued by Russia that the plane violated its airspace, with a hint that it was a spy plane, which led to its ultimate decision to shoot it down, while the U. S. quickly denounced the brutal act of Russia, justifying the cause of air space violation as an aeronautical miscalculation of the pilot. As far as the Russians are concerned, the end justified the means, but on the side of the Americans and Koreans, that was an act of terrorism. In this particular case, the element of ideology has to be refuted. While the brutal act was considered by the Russians as a way to suppress any threat to their ideology, they did it in any way possible even if the world would condemn it as an evil act. Russians believed that the tragic end has justified the means involving the interest of the Soviet Union. Given that it was an aeronautical error to violate airspace, Russia should have instructed the pilot of the ill-fated airplane to follow an emergency landing for investigation concerning the alleged espionage instead of downing it, considering that it was a passenger aircraft and not a military one. Even assuming that it was a language barrier between pilots that could have been the cause of the immediate military response, still it can never be justified. On the part of the victims’ relatives, the incident was intentionally done and Russians must be stiffly penalized. For a few who ruled the military, it was part of an exercise. For communist allies, it was the right thing to do, but for the rest of the world, it would be remembered as a massacre in the sky. Same is true for any kind of religion which has a great concern for human life; the act was inspired by the devil. In cases of tortures, human rights abuses, military actions and capital punishments, the end may not justify the means. Even if the ultimate result is good for the majority or even to a nation, if the means was done in a vicious way, then, that could never be justified. But for soldiers who are engaged in war, it is entirely a different philosophy. A soldier has to follow orders from his superiors to protect the sovereignty of a nation, that’s his duty. When he goes to the jungle in search for the enemies, he carries with him a mandate from his superiors. But when he is out there to engage in combat, a different scenario occurs. He becomes primarily concerned about his own life and to return to his family alive, the mandate becomes secondary. Very few want to be a hero and much lesser to be friendly with the enemies. A soldier is a military machine, that’s how he was honed and oriented; he has to kill the enemy before the enemy kills him. He has to execute a rapid action if his life is endangered. That’s the game of war, that’s the game of chance if he wants to survive. But if a soldier is engaged in killing innocent people just because he could not identify the enemy exactly, then, his action does not justify his motive. If he tortures an enemy or a group of people in search for truth, it can be held unjust. If he is trigger-happy and involved in mass execution because he fails to identify the enemies exactly, he must be condemned and be subject to a court-martial. There can never be an excuse for killing people at an instant without concrete evidence backed up by reliable logistics, and in so doing, his conscience must be directly involved. But how do we gauge and monitor his professionalism in the battlefield? A soldier is dispatched with a troop and a leader who keeps track of all his moves. There is a saying that â€Å"foul odor will always come out in the open,† especially when the victim’s relatives submit a complaint with corresponding evidence. Let’s take a look at Teresa M. Hudock’s article entitled, ‘The End Does Not Justify The Means’. She said that the best example of a credible perfectionist is one who does not use military force and violence in any given circumstances, even in self-defense, and he must be an advocate of human rights. This might be an ideal scenario. War or no war, when life is at stake magnanimity will be a subject for legal arguments especially when self-defense is in question. No person will allow others to take his life without doing anything except for born-heroes. Therefore, justifying the end by the course of action taken depends on how people look at it and it varies on the standpoint of different sectors of the society. In essence, the end does not always justify the means. Nonetheless, there are extreme instances or ‘supreme emergencies’ wherein the ends bring about the greater good which justifies the means of attaining it. References: Hudock, T. M. The End does not Jusifies the Means. Retrieved on January 26, 2009, from http://www. usc. edu/dept/LAS/ir/calis/pdfs/171w. PDF Machiavelli, N. (1515). The Prince. http://www. constitution. org/mac/prince00. htm Smith, C. (2008). The End does not Justify the Means. Retrieved on January 25, 2009, from http://www. nolanchart. Com/ article4573. html Walzer, M. (2004). Emergency Ethics. New Haven and London. Yale University Press. P. 33-55

Forensic Archaeology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Forensic Archaeology - Essay Example Ground Penetrating Radar GRP) and Resistivity Mapping are the two popular techniques in this field. Geographic survey conducted for forensic perspective has mainly two aspects. The first survey is carried out on the surface. For the second, at every survey geophysicist prepare ‘map’ of the sub-surface. There are different techniques used for this mapping process. Based on the measurement they collected from the survey, they constitute the ‘hot-spot,’ in terms of geophysics it is called anomalies. If any kind of extreme natural variations detect, it clearly stress that the presence of subsurface disturbance like graves may drawn in that locality. Resistivity mapping: - In this method the presence of electrical materials of the subsurface is identifying by passing electricity through the ground. Wet soil passes electricity (I) more effortlessly than dry soil and hard rock. Practical case this method conducted by passing electricity between two electrodes and calculate the electrical potential (V) in this area. Electrical resistance (R) is find out by R= V/I. When regarding the readings of this survey at particular intervals, make out a grid of readings. Different resistance readings will obtain from the same place based on the electrode array and electrode division. This survey is conducted frequently by raising the electrode separation. Various types of resistivity of electrode array are; Wenner array and pole-pole array. Here ‘R’ is represented in ohms, ‘p’ is represented as in ohm meters and ‘a’ is represented as in meters. In archaeological mapping pole-pole array is commonly used than Wenner array because it gives simpler anomalies which help for identification of noisy environment easily than pole-pole array anomalies. Some factors which cause potential for avoiding the resistivity of the ground includes buried body interruptions which take place while burying the body. This will cause fluctuations

Four HR Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Four HR Questions - Essay Example However, it is vital to note that the decisions taken under particular situation may not hold good for all situations, in fact they may give negative results under different circumstances. This implies that effective leadership calls for consistently making situation based decisions. From literature, situational leadership advocates for greater participation of employee in decision making on the premise that the more employees participate in decision making the more they will accept the decisions taken. It with this line of thought that Vroom and Yetton (1973) proposed a Situational leadership model called the normative decision model. The normative model identifies five different decision procedures that range on the situation and level of involvement from autocratic to consultative to group-based decisions. Even though, situational leadership advocates for greater employee participation, Vroom and Yetton (1973) identified that not all decision making situations need to go throu gh the process of consultation. To enable leaders isolate the instances where decision making would require consultation from those where consultations would add little value, Vroom and Yetton (1973) formulated seven questions which leaders can use to determine the level of subordinate involvement in decision making. The seven questions touch on problem information, commitment, and decision quality and acceptance. Putting Vroom and Yetton (1973) normative model to use it can be discovered that consultation would be a waste of time in the following circumstances: (1) where the leader has sufficient information to make a high quality decision and acceptance of the decision by subordinates is not critical for its implementation; (2) where neither the nature of the solution nor the acceptance of the decision by subordinates is critical to the implementation of the decision; (3) where the nature of the solution is not critical and whatever the leader decides it is reasonably certain th at his / her subordinates would accept; (4) where the nature of the solution is critical but the leader has sufficient information to make a high quality decision. In this instance even though the acceptance of the decision by subordinates would be critical to its implementation, if the leader is reasonable certain that he / she has sufficient influence over his / her subordinates to the extent that they would most certainly accept his / her decision then consultations would be a waste of time. In conclusion, to enable effective decision making a leader would find using Vroom and Yetton (1973) seven questions and normative model a critical tool that will save him / her time, effort and likelihood of success for the decisions that he / she takes. Identify the potential difference in human resource management (HRM) policies between two organizations where one follows a low-cost strategy and the other follows a differentiated, quality enhancement

Finance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Finance - Assignment Example Tax Solutions Inc. is targeting to offer solutions so as to help businesses reduce tax exposures, capitalize on available tax incentives and hence increase their cash flows for growth. It targets small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the USA to grow and create value with them. Among the tax incentives that Tax Solutions Inc. guide businesses on are industry specific and include Domestic Production Activities Deduction for manufacturers through its tax specialists in manufacturing industries irrespective of the nature of manufacturing. In addition, Tax Solutions Inc. team of experts will help them assess how a given tax credit fits with your overall tax strategy and timing. 31/12/20X4 - There are 7 employees working at Tax Solutions Inc., and they received their salaries at the weekend. The work week has 5 days and starts on Sunday and ends on Thursday. Weekly salary is $170,000, and it is paid every Thursday. December 31 fell on a Tuesday. This is a list of all closing balances of ledger accounts pertaining to a particular period. It is in this list that ledger balances are grouped either into debit balances and credit balances.1 In this regard, assets and expenses are debited while capital, revenues and liabilities are credited. At the end of the day, the debit and credit entries must be equal, and financial statements are then prepared using these balances. First, since its preparation id based on the principle of double entry, it is used to check the arithmetic accuracy because the debit and credit entries must be equal2. Second, it is used, to summarize, financial transactions that have taken place over a certain period. Third, it is used to trace accounting errors back to the journals and ledgers. Fourth, it is used by accountants as a working paper and the initial step towards the financial statements preparation. Despite the uses described above, trial balance suffers from serious