David Hume Essays (4099 words) - David Hume,

David Hume "I was from the beginning scandalised, I must own, with this resemblance between the Deity and human creatures." --Philo David Hume wrote much about the subject of religion, much of it negative. In this paper we shall attempt to follow Hume's arguments against Deism as Someone knowable from the wake He allegedly makes as He passes. This kind of Deism he lays to rest. Then, digging deeper, we shall try our hand at a critique of his critique of religion, of resurrecting a natural belief in God. Finally, if there's anything Hume would like to say as a final rejoinder, we shall let him have his last word and call the matter closed. To allege the occurrence of order in creation, purpose in its constituent parts and in its constituted whole, regularity in the meter of its rhythm and syncopations, and mindful structure in the design and construction of Nature is by far the most widely used and generally accepted ground for launching from the world belief in an intelligent and omnipotent designer god. One does not have to read for very long to find some modern intellectual involved in the analysis of some part of Nature come to the "Aha!" that there's a power at work imposing order, design, structure and purpose in creation. Modern religious piety salivates at the prospect of converting scientists and will take them any way it can. From Plato to Planck the problematic lion of religion must be rendered safe and tame. Religion must be reasonable, after all, we are reasonable "men." Einstein writes that the scientist's "religious feeling takes the form of rapturous amazement at the harmony of natural law, which reveals an intelligence of such superiority that, compared with it, all the systematic thinking and acting of human beings is an utterly insignificant reflection." We have been struck dumb, however; we can no longer be incautious with such temptations to believe, with such sirens sounding for sensible, systematic sureness. The Design Argument has been mortally wounded by David Hume. The god arrived at by arguments on the one-way street of effect to the cause is dead; we should never have allowed him to live. In Section XI of the Enquiry, and throughout the Dialogues Hume subjects the Argument from Design to searching and searing philosophical analysis, to the point in his mind that it is forever dead, and to the point in our minds that we wonder why the world has not yet received the obituary. Why did it not die from the exposure to which Hume subjected it? Who resurrected this false phoenix? Has the Design Argument been forever altered by Hume? Can it render service in post-Hume discussions? These are the questions we should confront. David Hume's philosophy of religion is fatal to the natural revelation of Deism. His arguments the camp of unbelief have appropriated. It is an argument against any inductive proof for God's existence. What Hume seeks to show is the failure of this argument to establish the type of deity that belief in a particular providence or divine action must require one to assert. This he sets out first and in preliminary fashion in Section XI of the Enquiry and with more plethoric attention in the Dialogues. In both books he employs the dialogue form to embody his attacks. The argument of the former is mistitled. Fourteen of the seventeen pages have nothing to do with immortality or "particular providence." Hume's argument here is from the particular effect to the existence of a cause sufficient for its production. Causes are to be known from effects alone; to ascribe to it any superfluous qualities goes beyond the bounds of strict logical reasoning. The imagination must be philosophically bridled. When ten ounces are raised in a balance one can surely surmise a counterbalance exceeding ten ounces, but one can hardly offer any justification for the counterbalance to weigh 100 ounces. Transferred to philosophical theology, it is impossible to derive legitimately from a natural theology any relevancy in conclusions arrived at over and above what can be independently and directly supported by empirical study of the universe. Such innocuous-sounding, even camouflaged assertions by Hume were in actuality a D-Day invasion on the Normandy Beach of the Deists. The first salvo is a statement of the terms of reference: You then . . . have acknowledged that the chief or sole argument for a divine existence (which I have never questioned) is derived from the order of nature, where there appear such marks of intelligence and design that

Industrial Revolution Essays - Rockefeller Family, Gilded Age

Industrial Revolution Essays - Rockefeller Family, Gilded Age Industrial Revolution Corporate development during the Industrial Revolution was made in part by entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs were the people who took responsibility for the organization and operation of a new business venture. These business men often risked the initial money for setting up different types of businesses. With the risk of large sums of money, some of these entrepreneurs made enormous profits. Two major entrepreneurs of American history are John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie. The Standard Oil Company founded by John D. Rockefeller and the U.S. Steel Company founded by Andrew Carnegie, both were two corporations that had a great impact on the lives of most Americans. The Standard Oil Company and U.S. Steel Company were made successful in different ways due to the actions of their different owners. The companies differed in their labor relations, market control, and structural organization. In the steel industry, Carnegie developed a system known as vertical integration. This means that he simply cut out the middle man. Carnegie bought his own iron and coal mines, because using independent companies was unreliable, cost too much and were inefficient. By doing this he now was able to undersell his steel making competitors, because they had to pay the competitors they went through to get the raw materials. Unlike Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller integrated his oil business from top to bottom, his distinctive innovation in movement of American industry was horizontal. This meant he followed one product through all its stages. For example, Rockefeller controlled the oil when it was drilled, through the refining stage, and he maintained control over the refining process turning it into gasoline. Although these two powerful men used two different methods of management their businesses were still very successful (Conlin, 425-426). Entrepreneurs or better known "Robber Barons" like Andrew Carnegie, "the steel king," and John D. Rockefeller, "the oil baron," exercised their genius in devising ways to circumvent competition. Although, Carnegie inclined to be tough-fisted in business, he was not a monopolist and disliked monopolistic trusts. John D. Rockefeller came to dominate the oil industry by bringing a new energy and overwhelming strategy into his business. With one upward stride after another he organized the Standard Oil Company, which was the nucleus of the great trust that was formed. Rockefeller showed little mercy in his business dealings. He believed primitive savagery prevailed in the jungle world of business, where only the fittest survived (Social Darwinism). He pursued the policy of "ruin or rule." Rockefeller's oil monopoly did turn out a superior product at a relatively cheap price. Rockefeller believed in ruthless business, Carnegie did not, yet they both had the most successful comp! anies in their industries (The American Pageant, pages 515-518). Rockefeller treated his customers and competitors in the same manner that Andrew Carnegie treated his workers: cruel and harsh. The Standard Oil Company desperately wanted every possible company to buy their products. For example Standard Oil used ruthless tactics when Rockefeller threatened to start his own chain of grocery stores and put local merchants out of business if they did not buy oil from Standard Oil Company. Carnegie dealt with his workers with the same cold lack of diplomacy and consideration. Carnegie would encourage an unfriendly competition between two of his workers and he goaded them into outdoing one another. Some of his employees found working under Carnegie unbearable. These rivalries became so important to the employees that some did not talk to each other for years (McCloskkey, page 145). Although both Carnegie and Rockefeller created extremely successful companies, they both used unscrupulous methods in some aspect of their corporation building to ! get to the top. The success of the Standard Oil Company and U.S. Steel company was credited to the fact that their owners ran them with great authority. In this very competitive time period, many new businesses were being formed. It took talented businessmen to get ahead and keep the companies running and make the fortunes that were made during this period. Work Cited: Bailey, Thomas A. and David M. Kennedy: The American Pageant. pp. 515-518. 1987. Conlin, Joseph R. History of the U.S.: Our Land, Our Time. pp. 425-426. 1985. Latham, Earl: John D. Rockefeller; Robber Baron Or Industrial Statesman? (Problems in American Civilization Series). pg. 39.

Plato vs the gospel of John Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Plato vs the gospel of John - Essay Example There is a great power of soul and this fact cannot be denied. Soul is responsible for self-movement and in case it is unable to move, then it loses its power and remains standing still on the Earth. A human being is associated with an earthy frame for the soul and once it is captured in this frame, it results in a mortal human being. In the gospel by John the main emphasis is made on the importance of a human being as a child of light. There is no serious emphasis made on motion, but it is more important to associate a human being with light. People are children of light for sure and this fact underlines that their souls and bodies are highlighted. Once a human being meets darkness and is captured by the hands of darkness, he feels destroyed. Moreover, there is more about a way of perfection in the gospel. Jesus clarifies pure truths to his followers and claims that it is necessary to follow his words and love him, because Jesus loves people and wants to breed the same feelings amon g his followers. Jesus is positioned as a mediator between God and people on the Earth. He outlines possible ways to self-perfection in the modern world. A way to God is a way of teachings and instructions of this divine entity imposed on the followers. Nevertheless, there is a strong necessity of every Christian to follow this thorny path and to live in compliance with the laws of God. A blind following the laws of God underlines a strong inner power of his follower and makes his people strong-willed and self-confident in case they are able to listen to the words of their Teacher. Therefore, in both abstracts there is a discussion about a way of perfection and the role of the soul. For Plato the role of the soul is one of the most crucial for every human being. Every soul should be open for a proper food and in this case it will not lose its wings. It is possible to claim that Plato considers a challenging way of the soul’s development on the Earth and in case this soul obta ins knowledge absolute in existence absolute than it returns to the Heaven and comes back home. Therefore, to reach the Heaven is to follow all the directions of God and be a strong person, which is striving to reach God’s goodness and tolerance. The highest part of the soul reflects its ability to be open to God’s new prospects and considerations. Thus, Plato is more focused on the power of soul and inner harmony, while in the gospel there is a clear dominance of a human ability to follow God’s laws. Still, a way of perfection and further life of the soul depends on the human ability to follow the laws of God. Otherwise it is impossible to reach forgiveness, tolerance, to love God and to be loved by him. There are different types of the souls and depending on the way the soul lived a life in certain frames, it will either survive or not in the human embodiment on the Earth. Of course, there are more philosophic considerations in the work by Plato, but there are more religious ideas in the gospel by John. Two different modes of narration are united by a common theme of God’s doctrine. Perfection of a human being is a perfection of his soul. This fact cannot be denied and it is evident that a human being has numerous opportunities to follow his way, but only the most steady, tolerant and patient ones, which are able to listen to the words of God will become immortal creatures and enable their souls to live many other life cycles. Therefore, a way of perfecti

Hospital Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Hospital Management - Essay Example This hospital is isolated from the public during the rainy seasons since the roads are impassible. It receives funds for running its affairs from various organizations. The bed management system is a system that involves crucial issues that improve on the rate of efficiency at the hospitals projects. The problems within the hospital can be solved though implementing the bed management system. With the introduction of the bed management system, an auditor may be in a position to audit the transactions taking place in the right way in the institution. The value of this system is to provide the organization with proper management techniques through determining the hospitals capacity and having a current and forecasted program that indicates the number of beds that are demanded by the source and the status of the pending discharges. The incorporation of sophisticated workflow system and rules that are tailored towards improving the status of the organization should also be incorporated within the organization. It has been observed that the hospital looses their patients due to diversion, delay, cancellations and isolations during the rainy seasons but the problem can be solved through optimally utilizing the beds turns, eliminating the hidden costs and unnecessary holds as well as accelerating the rate of the discharges within the hospital. ... The implementation of the management or the patient in ternary module can be used to reduce the unnecessary delays through having a central expediting care process and also help in the discharge of the tasks of the hospital in the right way. The patient management system can be used to ensure that tasks are completed at the right time through making proper coordination programs, real-time communications, task queuing and the escalation of the notifications in the appropriate way (Wolper, 2004: 866). Electronic management system would ensure that the hospital is in a position to cut the cost of operations and ensure that the affairs of the organization are undertaken in the right manner. The operation would ensure that the response time required to process the patient's information is indeed the right one and therefore the process of collating, collecting and retrieving of information would be undertaken in the right way. The system helps in the provision of the process management tools such as the modeling, analysis and simulation of information within an organization. The usefulness of implementing the above systems is that it would provide proper delivery of services to the patients, improve the health status of the patients, increase the rate of productivity of the nurses and the doctors and it reduces the time spent when filling in the patients details in the forms. The patients may also be given proper care at the hospital and this would enable it to reduce its costs of operation. The auditor would be in a better position to understand the way the transactions take place to reduce time spent while tracking hospitals activities. The

The Confederate State Essay Example for Free

The Confederate State Essay If our founding fathers were here today, they would perhaps weep for the country they bled for. The history of the American people is a history of certain individuals giving up what they had for what they believed in – struggle for independence, justice, equality, freedom and personal responsibility. It is the tale of the common man’s determination to take charge of his life and to build a nation where their children will live in a free nation (Finkelman, 1996). It was to be a nation where justice prevails, where the everyman can live and move freely without being beleaguered or harassed by his fellow man. Considering the principles on which this nation was founded and the current state of things, one cannot be blind to the disparity that exist. We the people of America have deviated from the principles that â€Å"ought† to govern this nation. We have lost sight of the important things that should guide our daily lives and have been carried away by the irrelevancies. The question here is how have we deviated from these principles? The draftsmen of the American constitution saw a nation where the principles of justice, domestic peace, individual liberty and freedom prevail (Bernstein, 1987). This is expressly written in the preamble of the constitution and this constitution was written to guide the running of the nation. In this essay, I would be making a comparison of what ought to be the case in our country as against the present situation of things in America. As mentioned above, one of the major principles on which this country was founded upon is the principle of individual liberty. I will define liberty as the â€Å"state of affairs, within important limits, in which law-abiding citizens can live according to their own choices rather than those of someone else† (Yates, 2001). Although this does not mean that people are free to do just anything which might result to anarchy but the state where people are free from external restrains to do what they want to do in as much as they are not tampering with the rights of their fellow man. However, the America we know today is a country where people are indirectly restrained to do certain things. Hiding under the guise of the greater good, some fundamental human rights are being infringed. I fail to see fairness in the fact that an individual can not choose to spend the money earned from his hard work without the government poking its nose into it. This, to me, is a deviation from the principle of individual freedom. Furthermore, the people of America now sleep with an eye closed. It is not a new thing for people to be harassed or told wear national ID cards. Citizens of this nation are being subjected to massive searches of their private property by federal agents all in the name of feeling secure (Yates, 2001). This violates the principle of freedom which is core to the establishment of the nation called America. In addition to this, all men and women alike should be treated alike if we are to fulfill the principle of equality. It is sorry to note that it was not until early this year that it was enforced that women can collect the same wage for doing the same job that a man does. Apart from this, the idea that some people are entitled to medical care than others is against the principle of equality. With these problems encroaching on us and aggravating every day, we the people must make a move to fulfill the hopes and aspirations of our founding fathers. We must go back to the drawing board and seek to redress our priorities – creating a nation where justice prevails and where people are not afraid to move freely. A nation that is one and is indivisible under God. Reference: †¢ Yates, S. (2001). Exploring America’s Founding Principles: The Need Has Never Been Greater. Retrieved from http://www. lewrockwell. com/yates/yates41. html on April 16, 2009 †¢ Bernstein, B. (1987). Are We to Be a Nation? The Making of the Constitution. Harvard University Press. †¢ Finkelman, P. (1996) Slavery and the Founders: Race and Slavery in the Age of Jefferson (M. E. Sharpe, 1996)

Larry Ellisons Contributions to Computer Technology Essay -- Technolo

Abstract Larry Ellison is among the top names in the computer industry. He has been fiercely competitive with Bill Gates over the years. That competitive nature may very well be the driving force behind some of his contributions to the world of computer technology. Childhood and Education It is important to understand the background and education of Larry Ellison in order to understand what drives and motivates him in his adult life. Ellison was not a child of privilege. He did not grow up with parents who were scientists or pushed him to excel. According Wikipedia, Larry Ellison was born to a 19 year old unwed Jewish mother who felt compelled to give him up to her aunt and uncle to raise him. He grew up in a two bedroom apartment in a Jewish community in South Shore Chicago. Academy of Achievement website states in the biography about Ellison, he left the University of Illinois during second year final exams when his adoptive mother died. Later that fall he enrolled in the University of Chicago but dropped out after the first semester. Academy of Achievement goes on to say, â€Å"His adoptive father was now convinced that Larry would never make anything of himself, but the seemingly aimless young man had already learned the rudiments of computer programming in Chic ago.† CEO of Software Development Labs According to Academy of Achievement, Ellison moved to California where he worked with a few different companies. One of those companies was Amdahl Corporation where Ellison was able to participate in building the first IBM-compatible mainframe system. Ellison and two other co-workers pursued founding a new company named Software Development Labs. Ellison functioned as CEO of this newly founded company. It was at this company h... ...n Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 15, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Larry_Ellison&oldid=379100685. "Larry Ellison Biography -- Academy of Achievement." Academy of Achievement Main Menu. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Aug. 2010. http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/ell0bio-1. "What are relational databases?†. (March 23, 2001). HowStuffWorks.com. Retrieved August 15, 2010. http://computer.howstuffworks.com/question599.htm. "Larry Ellison 1944 - Biography - Early life, Software development laboratories, Relational databases, Building oracle, Maturity, The internet revolution, Downturn." Reference For Business - Encyclopedia of Small Business, Business Biographies, Business Plans, and Encyclopedia of American Industries. N.p., n.d. Retrieved August 16, 2010. http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/biography/A-E/Ellison-Larry-1944.html.

Life on the Color Line Essay

A- Gregory Howard Williams wrote the book. Before you read the book you have no idea who he is. Once you read the book you find out that he is mulatto and was raised in a community that was extremely prejudice against blacks. The authors’ point of view is his own story. P-The book takes place in Virginia at the beginning of the book from 1943-1952, and then in Muncie, Indiana from 1952-1969. The source was produced in 1995. The meaning of the source doesn’t really change at all, but now that it is after the problems of racial segregation and discrimination, we are able to read it and look back on the problems of our society and make sure it doesn’t happen again. P- Other than what I learned from the book, I actually knew a lot. I knew that in the 1940’s-50’s there was a major problem with racial discrimination. I knew that the way whites treated blacks was terrible and unjust. I also knew that blacks looked toward whites as horrible people and that it was taboo to interracially date/marry. This helped me better understand why the whites were treating Greg the way that they were and why the blacks had a hard time accepting him into their community. A- The audience is for teenagers and adults. It’s pretty graphic so it is intended to be taken seriously and with an open mind. It is it is more so towards teenagers and people with hard lives to show that they aren’t the only ones going through something difficult, because he went through some really complicated times and is now leading a successful, happy life. R-This book was produced in order to show what life was like for the mulatto race and how difficult it was for them. It is an inspirational book to tell people that they can go through anything if they keep their eyes on a goal and work towards it, no matter how hard it gets. T-The theme of the book was trials and success. It tells of his early child hood having to be both white and black in a community that was extremely prejudiced. It shows how he finds his way by keeping with the black influence and embracing it as his own lifestyle. It shows the difficulties he had with bullies and ignorant people and how he used academics as a way to stay out of trouble. It shows how he has to live with an alcoholic father and how he takes care of him even though he would probably be better off not worrying about him. It shows how he went through an extremely difficult childhood and was able to graduate college with a doctorate in law. S-This book is significant because it gives us a deeper look into how messed up our society was during the late 1900’s. It gives us a better understanding into the life that we aren’t familiar with because we usually just look at the black or white side of the story. Life on the Color Line makes us realize that it was just as hard for mulattos in that time as it was for blacks.