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Two Issues in Philosophy J.L. Mackie on the Problem of Theodicy One of the most compelling issues addressed by philosophers over time is the so-called problem of evil. This problem is generally phrased in the form of a question, "why does God allow evil?" The philosopher J.L. Mackie, as described by Jonathan Westphal (30), sees a number of problems implicit in this question, among which the very existence of a theos is certainly paramount. Similarly, Mackie defines the problem of evil as focused on the argument that the existence of God or a theos is incompatible with the existence of evil - a formulation originally advanced by St. Thomas Aquinas (Westphal, 30). Mackie divides solutions to the problem of evil into two types: those that are logically adequate and those that are logically inadequate. Each of these solutions incorporates at least one of three initial propositions, namely, that God is omnibenevolent, that God is omnipotent, and that evil exists. For Mackie,

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The project is a reconciliation of the use of the terms costs, resources, and quality in health care and economics. The definitions are constant and the contextual use of the word determines the meaning. Health Care and Economics Term Comparisons Introduction The object is to compare and contrast the meanings of the terms resources, quality, and costs as they are applied in health care and economics. In fact, the wording of the assignment is "compare and differ in the world of health care and economics." In fact, the definitions are constant and the variations are the context in which they are used. Quality Quality has nine definitions in the dictionary, of which three and perhaps a fourth can be applied in health care or economics. The questionable is defined as, "the highest and finest standard (often used before a noun). In medicine it could be applied as a description of a treatment-"quality surgery", a skillful and well-performed operation. Quality can be d

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In discussing the legitimacy of rhetoric, Aristotle proposed that three elements were to be found in most arguments: ethos, pathos, and logos, either of which or all of which could be used to construct legitimate arguments capable of persuading listeners to accept a particular point of view (Cockcroft and Cockcroft, 1992, p. 19-21). At issue herein is a rhetorical critique of two different articles, each on the subject of the legitimacy of torture as a means of obtaining information from an identified enemy that can be used at least in theory to achieve some positive outcome such as a reduction in the loss of life due to the acts of a terrorist or a terrorist organization. Mirko Bagaric (2005, p. 1) argues that "the belief that torture is always wrong is, however, misguided and symptomatic of the alarmist and reflexive responses typically emanating from social commentators." In contrast, Christopher Pearson (2005, p. 20) asserts that "the use of torture by the state is not legit

1985

One One of my favorite Simpsons episodes, Bart Sells His Soul, originally aired in season seven of the long-running hit animation series. This episode is structured in three acts. In act one, Milhouse tells on Bart for replacing Sunday's church music "In The Garden of Eden" with "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida." While they are engaged in cleaning the organ pipes, their punishment, Bart tells Milhouse he does not believe in a soul and sells Milhouse his soul for $5.00. Bart plays a trick on Lisa with the magic dinosaur sponges he buys with his $5.00. When he tells Lisa where he got the money, she is horrified and warns him that Milhouse owns him now. When Bart goes to his room after ignoring her concerns, SLH growls at him and Snowball hisses and meows at him, the first signs of his lack of soul. Other signs are when Bart runs into the glass door of the Kwik-E-Mart and when he tries to fog the glass with his breath but it does not fog up. In the meantime, Moe considers changing

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A brilliant businessman once said, "It's better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you'll drift in that direction" ("Warren Buffett Says It Best," 2008). That wise man was none other than Warren Buffett, and his advice confirmed that my penchant for surrounding myself with high-caliber people was on target. One such individual was my second cousin, David, who was my constant companion growing up and eventually my mentor. David and my father worked together, so I made a point of spending time at his business whenever I could. Although David came to America with very little, he made a success of himself through hard work and an ability to recognize and take full advantage of opportunities. He started out owning one of the smallest shops in the Third Street Mall and ended up owning a business on Central Avenue in Los Angeles with annual sales comfortably in the eight-figure range. This success was not

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All music does not, necessarily, express "emotion." Howard Beckar (2001) sees music and other art forms as the product of a cooperative effort requiring the skills and participation of many different individuals; these individuals may not necessarily being to the creation of music identical or even substantive emotions. Beckar (2001) further suggests that the emotional responses of audiences to music are the result not of the

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The idea that the function of a piece of music is determined by its sound and structure has been advanced by any number of commentators. In most cases, as noted by Alan Merriam (1964), the concept of function can refer to operating or playing a part, representing non-randomness, reflecting an interdependence of elements that can be complex, and fulfilling the requirements of a situation or answering an objectively defined purpose. It is Merriam's (1964) contention that these particular approaches to understanding the function of music do not necessarily require that function be identified solely or even perhaps primarily by such characteristics as sound and structure. Merriam (1964) believes that music is involved with emotion and is a vehicle for its expression, but also takes the position that music acquires emotion as a consequence of the attributions made by listeners. What inspires one group of listeners to feel sadness or joy may not resonate with a different group in the same way. Consequently, this would suggest that sound or structure do

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Peter Burke (1978) makes the point in "Traditional Forums" in the text titled Popular Culture in Early Modern Europe that many celebrations, rituals, and public events functioned simultaneously as a form of social control and social protest. One of the key examples of this paradox described by Burke (1978) is Carnival, the period leading up to Ash Wedn

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Two events that occurred at opposite ends of the twentieth century have had significant effects on business today. The first of these was the modern production line as envisioned by Henry Ford; the second event was the opening of the World Wide Web in 1991. The modern production line made possible mass production of standardized parts. Not only did this make it possible for s

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Jeffrey Dahmer was born on May 21, 1960 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Even as a child, Dahmer had necrophilia impulses, collected dead animals, and impaled the heads of animals he killed on stakes in his yard (Jeffrey Dahmer, 2009). Abandoned by his mother after having been molested by a neighbor, Dahmer's childhood was one of rejection and feelings of loss. He lived with his father and stepmother and was abandoned again by these parents after he graduated from high school. He killed his first victim, a young hitchhiker named Stephen Hicks, when he was 18 years old, but did not kill again for nine more years (Jeffrey Dahmer, 2009). Overall, Dahmer was responsible for killing 17 people over a period of 14 years. In February 1992, Dahmer was sentenced to 15 consecutive life sentences for a total of 936 years. However, while in prison, he was murdered by another inmate at the Columbia Correctional Institute in Portage, Wisconsin (Mathews & Springen, 1992). Analysts who have studie

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In Truman Capote's novel In Cold Blood, he creates a new genre, the "non-fiction novel," through his journalistic approach, and his novel makes clear his negative views on capital punishment. Capote's novel is a true story based on actual facts, so unlike a regular novel, it is not the product of the author's flight of fancy. It is not ordinary non-fiction either, however, which would have portrayed the murders in a clinical manner without any storyline. What Capote does is to incorporate the facts of the case into his novel as though he were writing a fictional story, even while adhering to the truth. The book reads like a fictional novel, yet it is factual throughout. Rather than describing Holcomb, Kansas as a small town on the prairie, Capote (5) uses richly textured descriptive phrases such as "the keening hysteria of coyotes" and "the dry scrape of scuttling tumbleweed" to provide the reader with a landscape of sights and sounds that place him there just as a novel wou

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Change is difficult to implement effectively in modern organizations. According to Hoag, Ritschard, and Cooper (6), who conducted a survey of more than 500 organizations to discover the biggest obstacles to change, "A total of 89 per cent of respondents pointed to factors within the organization itself." In my organization, a dialysis facility, we recently failed at implementing change for what I believe were factors within the orga

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Letter to the Editor: Determination and its Significance Sirs: If we have learned anything over the course of the past two years during which the United States has witnessed a hard fought campaign for the presidency it is the determination of hundreds of thousands of Americans from all racial, economic, geographic, and ideological backgrounds to participate in the political process. We have witnessed what President Barack Obama (1) said on November 5, 2008 upon winning the presidential election: "If there is anyone out there who doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer." If not

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Peter Saunders (1) makes the case that something must be done to halt the escalation of the crime rate in Australia which has occurred in the last 40 years, positioning Australia behind England and Wales on the rate of victimization and higher than any other country with regard to crimes such as robbery and assault. The paradox he addresses is that while crime has increased significantly, Australia has become less willing to send offenders to prison and by the mid-1980s, about 30 individuals were incarcerated for every 1,000 serious crimes as compared to 120 offenders per 1,000 serious cries in 1964. Saunders (2-3) goes on to make the case that: 1) the reduced risk of imprisonment may explain the continuing rise in crime; 2) in four countries (Australia, New Zealand, England, Wales, and the United States), as the rate of imprisonment for each crime fell, the number of crimes continued to rise; 3) in the United States, a get tough stance on crime led not only to a higher per capita

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In the United States, Federalism refers to the "evolving relationship between U.S. state governments and the federal government of the United States" (Federalism 1). Separation of state and national powers equated to limited government, popular among a people subjected to the tyranny of the British Crown. Since the founding of the U.S., power has generally shifted away from the states and toward the national or federal government. During the last two decades of the 1700s, Federalism was the most significant political movement that stemmed from discontent with the Articles of Confederation. Advocates of Federalism fought for a strong national government but also shaped a new literary front. The Federalists sought a convention in order to forge a new Constitution for the U.S. From a series of essays known as The Federalist Papers to Joseph Dennie's Port Folio, the "preeminent Federalist literary magazine in the middle Atlantic," the Federalist movement was as much

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That the "self is formed by language and signs" is clearly evident in the slogan that represents the Barack Obama campaign and Obama supporters, "Change." Individuals take this word as a sign that means numerous things, from the hope of a better economy to the end of racial divisions in American society. According to linguistics professor Robert Innis (2), human beings are "sign-users" and "meaning-makers." It is language that transmits a potentially infinite system of signs through which we make meaning. This analysis will explore this concept using the example of "change" to show how we forge the self through language and signs. "Change" is such a strong self-defining signifier for Obama supporters, because it refers to a change from what most view as the flawed and failed policies of the Bush Administration. All of the cultural experiences and language used under the Bush Administration have found a new promise in the language of "change" wrought by Obama, because it equates to what people now want. Lanigan (2) explains that "The signi

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From a Child to an Adult: Changing Perspectives When I was a young child, one of the most interesting figures in my life was my Uncle "Dave," a single man about 35 or so who was my father's youngest brother. Uncle Dave was the kind of adult that I associated with fun. When he came to visit - almost always unexpectedly and without any warning - it felt like a party was going on. He brought amazing presents, the kinds of toys and games that a child would want and most parents would be reluctant to give them. He would plan picnics, trips to the zoo, ringside seats at the circus, horseback rides, and all of the activities that simultaneously thrilled and exhausted children. In a word, Uncle Dave was "fun" whereas my parents and other adult relatives, though kind and loving,

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Proposal & Outline Research Description/Question The topic of this research is a Harvard University Education Innovation Laboratory program known as Green For Grades, a program designed to improve academic performance and lower drop-out rates among urban city teens in Chicago. The program was developed by Roland Fryer, an African American economics professor at Harvard and is funded solely from private donations and the Education Innovation Laboratory (Vargas 1). The program targets only freshman and sophomores high school students, paying them $50 for every "A," $35 for every "B" and $20 for every "C" (Vargas 1). Over a two-year period a student with straight "A's" could earn $4,000, a move aimed at motivating higher performance in students. As Marcus Gilmer (1) writes, "Getting a check is really personal motivation. Students know if they work harder their personal checks will be bigger." The Green For Grades program has drawn controversy from some

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Apple, Incorporated is a strong consumer company that is known for innovation and quality in markets as diverse as personal computers and music downloads. It is thus both a hardware company and a content provider, and its branding is well-established. It has succeeded in an industry where it has a relatively small share of the market-the microcomputer industry-and it has redefined how the world listens to music through its iTunes concept. This research explores Apple's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats with the goal of understanding strategies that might be successful for other companies. Strengths Apple's internal strengths include its strong cash position, its lack of long-term debt, its strong brand identification with innovation and quality, a highly loyal customer base, and a longstanding commitment to research and development ("Apple 10-K," 2008). A strong cash position is important because it indicates that the company will be able

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The first part of the question is what channels comprise the European channels market. According to a European Union Study completed in 2004 it was estimated that there were approximately 1,100 national or transnational television channels in Europe, and that more than 200 of these channels target non-national markets. If this were no confusing enough there are approximate 1,900 regional and local channels of which almost 70 were carried on satellites. The question becomes one of definition. The comments in this study are based on those that are commercial profit making operations that depend on advertising for revenue generation. These numbers exclude the movie and sports channels that are transnational and show the fastest growth in viewership. (European Audiovisual Observatory, 2004) It is unclear where the news channels such as Euro news, CNN, BBC, Fox and CNBC Europe fit in these patterns. They do have substantial numbers of viewers. The questions of cable access and satelli

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There are advantages and disadvantages to both first-mover and late-mover positions in the development of a new product. The first mover can "capture market share much more easily without having to worry about rivals trying to capture the same customers" and will already be familiar to the consumer and an established brand with operational distribution systems when rivals show up on the scene ("First-Mover Advantage," 2009). On the other hand, a late mover can gain an advantage even greater than the first-mover advantage. Whereas the first mover must take all the risk and spend the extra capital needed to develop a new product or technology, the late mover can step in after all the groundwork has been done at far less cost and risk. Thus, neither the first mover nor the late mover is guaranteed an advantage or a lack thereof; either position must be leveraged properly to provide an advantage. Empirical data indicates that first movers "enjoy higher market share deri

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The process of implementation differs markedly between a small-scale and a large-scale organizational change. Small-scale changes, because they are less likely to disrupt business or the flow of work with other parts of the organization, can often be accomplished virtually ad hoc, with little planning or related transitions. Large-scale changes, however, requires advance planning, budgeting, an organized project team, and sometimes even a change management program. The implementation of a small-scale change can often be decided within the project group effecting the change, since it does not affect others within the organization. The small-scale project team may decide to accomplish the implementation by working through the night or over a weekend. They will likely not have to coor

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The inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama as the 44th President of the United States occurred in front of more than 1 million spectators along the National Mall was unique in American history because Obama is the first African-American elected to the U.S. presidency (Hunt, 2009). Being sworn in on the same Bible used by Abraham Lincoln, the "pomp and circumstance" lasted more than four hours on the Capitol platform with Obama assailing Americans to choose "hope over f

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Diderot's remark that "Only...great passions can elevate the soul to great things" reflects a well-known truth about human nature-people are the most motivated to excel at things about which they are deeply passionate. The soul rises to great things when it is stretched to accomplish something that stirs it profoundly. Women have lifted cars off their infants and men have survived against insurmountable odds to save their families in moments of crisis because their passion for those they loved drove them beyond the limits of their ordinary physical capabilities. People can seemingly escape the bonds of mortal limitation and reach superhuman levels of strength and insight when they are working to accomplish a purpose larger than themselves. In my case, one such passion is the pursuit of health and physical fitness. My decision to become a kinesiology major was an outgrowth of that passion. Although fitness gurus are everywhere, the few that have stood the test of ti

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Tom Wolfe's novel The Right Stuff chronicles the rise of NASA's initial seven astronauts, including legendary figures like Alan Shepard and John Glenn. While the story of the rise of NASA as well, the novelist clearly means to reveal that these seven men had special qualities he labels the "right stuff." As Wolfe (17) says of this concept among the "all-enclosing fraternity" at NASA, "Herein the world was divided into those who had it and those who did not." While these men are brave and courageous, Wolfe's concept of the "right stuff" goes beyond these qualities. For those who join the "Brotherhood of the Right Stuff" are more than their peers, for they become the stuff of heroic legend (Wolfe 17). In this sense, the "right stuff" equates to the category of heroic. There is no doubt that fearlessness is one quality that separates those with the right stuff from those without it. The NASA astronauts were willing and, in fact, thrilled to risk their lives in a hurtling piece of machinery every time they took flight. As Wolfe (17) maintains, the right stuff includes bravery and being willing to risk your life but with a fearlessness and skills not had

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