Managing Information Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Managing Information Technology - Essay Example A request of a system demonstrates a comprehensive summary for business requirements along with the integration with business process in order to develop a business value. The concerned personnel or department who generates the request also called as project sponsor, works in parallel with the Information system department staff in order to perform feasibility study (Brown, DeHayes, Hoffer, Martin, & Perkins, 2009). The outcomes of a feasibility study illustrate essential aspects of the proposed project via project sponsor. It involves economic feasibility, organizational feasibility and organized feasibility. Moreover, the project sponsor collectivizes all the funding and resources and deploys a project manager during the initiation phase. Likewise, the concerned project manager requires developing communication with the business departments along with identifying prospects to enhance business processes.

Civil Disobedience Paper Essay Example for Free

Civil Disobedience Paper Essay Throughout US history, there were many occurrences performed by people that helped define American Identity. Some of the many aspects that helped evolve characteristics of American identity are civil disobedience, freedom of religion, and immigration. Historical happenings throughout time helped create how the US is today, and why certain freedoms are allowed. Civil Disobedience is one of the important aspects of american identity. Harriet Tubman played a great role in performing civil disobedience involving her freeing slaves. Harriet had a huge bounty on her head and still she rebelled against the law, rescuing more slaves. Henry David Thoreau also performed a part in the act of civil disobedience when he refused to pay taxes, because of his opposition to the Mexican-American War. He wrote an essay Resistance to Civil Government stating that citizens have the right to disobey the law if the law was considered unjust. Furthermore, Womans rights is another example of civil disobedience. Women werent treated as equal as men and were denied the right to vote. In 1848 the Declaration of Sentiments had 12 resolutions that called for equal treatment of women and men under the law and voting rights for women. Overall, civil disobedience plays a huge role in American identity. Freedom of religion is another aspect that highlights american identity. Many people came to America in search of religious freedom. Colonists wanted a chance to worship freely and have a religion they wanted to take part in. When the pilgrims came to American their goal was to escape the persecution of the puritans. Later on many religions began to disperse everywhere and therefor, population began to grow in America. The Salem Witchcraft Trials, and the Great Awakening of the 1730s played a great role in influencing freedom of religion. America became a refuge for those who wanted religious freedom and became a home to the many people that had the chance to improve their lives. Overall, religious freedom is a huge aspect defining American Identity. Since before America’s founding, immigration has been part of the American identity. In 1845, potato famine in Ireland stopped plants from growing and many families were starved and wished for an escape, nearly 3.5 million Irish migrated to America during the 1820s through the1880s. The Irish weren’t the only immigrants that migrated to America. The Germans had come to America during World War 1 in order to better their lives. Immigrants with money would buy farms in the country, and immigrants with very little money would stay in the city, mainly in New York. By 1855, New York homed at least seventy percent of the New York population. Many immigrants have come to America and still have many coming in and out of our country nowadays. Overall civil disobedience, freedom of religion, and immigration are just a few of the many traits given to the US over time. Because of all these happenings that have occurred in the US, we as citizens have many rights. Here in the US we are known to have different yet unique identities, all thanks to the acts of rebelliousness and righteousness throughout US history.

International Criminal Justice Between Soviet Union, Afghanistan, and A

An analysis of International Aggression: The scope of International Criminal Justice Through the years, the overt and covert conflicts between the United States and the former Soviet Union was often coined in terms of international aggression. The Soviet invasions of Afghanistan lead to a renewal of Cold War hostility between the Soviet Union and America. Afghanistan made headlines in 1979 as it brought to the forefront, the Cold War sentiments with the continued efforts of then U.S.S.R. to spread communism. Aside from the different conflicts between various countries who were allies of either of these nations, it is important that we note the climate that existed and what grew out of it. In the early days of the Cold War, mistrust was rampant and the aura of suspicion permeated every corner of society. Reflecting back on those times, there are countless instances allegations of espionage and examples of radical citizens partaking in criminal activity to benefit the mother country became prevalent. Two such cases which gained much notoriety included the espionage trial of Alger Hiss as well as the trials of both Julius and wife, Ethel Rosenberg. During this period of unrest there was a vast East vs. West competition, with much tension between alliances. After WWII the relationship between the U. S. and the U.S.S.R. became known as the â€Å"Cold War†. From the Soviets’ point of view, Joseph Stalin saw the world as being divided between capitalists and imperialists on one side and on the other saw the communists and progressives. The U. S standpoint was clear as President Harry Truman stated â€Å"We are two opposed systems: one free and the other bent on subjugating other nations† (History CH DVD). The Geneva summit of 1959 wi... ...entire societies are being sacrificed in the wake of their actions. One has only to scrape the surface lightly to find evidence of the underlying mistrust amongst the key players today and widespread espionage that continues today, fueled by new acts of aggression. Within our own nation we find America on the forefront of undisclosed fraud in government and new revelations of misinformation being shared to fuel rhetoric. How do we move forward as a global society, not to repeat mistakes of the past? References: Arms, T.A. (1994) Encyclopedia of the cold war. New York: Facts on File Publishing Haynes, J.E., Klehr, H. (2006) Early cold war spies: The espionage trials that shaped American politics. New York: Cambridge (2006) In search of History: Spies Among Us (History Channel DVD) (2003) Night Flight from Moscow. Fonda, Henry. (Personal DVD)

Converting Paper Records to a Computer Based Health Record Essay

Traditional utilization of paper based medical records leads to the dispersion of clinical information as a result of the heterogeneous character of hospital systems. Due to this, the development of a clinical information system that can integrate hospital information as well as enable cooperation amongst legacy systems became a difficult task. System integration as well as the development of an efficient clinical information management system was thereby dependent upon the creation of conceptual and architectural tools that will enable such an integration. In line with this, many healthcare institutions are currently seeking to establish the integration of their workstations through the utilization of technological tools. Such tools are effective in the arrangement of clinical matters as well as in the arrangement of administrative and financial information. Clinical information systems are utilized by healthcare institutions in their integration of information. At this point, the utilization of electronic medical systems in healthcare delivery is evident in countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, Hong Kong, Canada, as well as Australia. The current shift from a human memory based paradigm to a technological paradigm can be traced to the recent emphasis given on health care quality improvement and cost reduction. In lieu of this, policymakers started to adopt health information technology such as the Electronic Medical Record (EMR). According to Tim Scott in Implementing an Electronic Medical Record System, most information regarding the use of EMR systems are derived from the Regenstrief Institute, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the Department of Veterans Affairs, LDS Hospital, and Kaiser Permanente. The information derived from the following medical institutions shows the following. First, success is dependent upon the organizational tools rather than on the type of technology used. Second, minimal changes were noted in terms of increase of quality and efficiency as a result of the system’s adaptation. Such findings thereby led to the slow adoption and implementation of EMR systems since majority of medical institutions as well as healthcare systems required the high verifiability of the system’s utility. True enough, researches within these institutions also showed that EMR systems increase the quality of patient care as it decreases medical errors, however, the economic aspect regarding its use has not been well documented leaving most medical institutions adamant regarding its implementation. In lieu of this, the paper is divided into three parts. The first part will present the rationale behind the formation of the technology based medical paradigm. It will be formulated within the parameters of Thomas Kuhn’s conception of scientific revolutions. The second part present a discussion of the various EMR components and the problems encountered in its implementation at Kaiser. The last part, on the other hand, will concentrate on presenting possible solutions to the problems evident in the utilization of the EMR systems within the Kaiser program while giving specific emphasis on the role of the agent in successful implementation. Thomas Kuhn, in his work entitled The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, discusses the very nature and necessity of what he calls scientific revolutions. In this particular work, Kuhn sees an apparent parallelism between political revolutions on the one hand, and scientific revolutions on the other. Kuhn writes: â€Å"scientific revolutions†¦ (are) those non-cumulative developmental episodes in which an older paradigm is replaced in whole or in part by an incompatible new one† (2000, p. 50). On a preliminary note, paradigms are frameworks in and through which we approach phenomena, in general. They are models, so to speak. Naturally enough, different models employ different methodologies, different methodologies in turn, generate different types of knowledge, which, consequently, have different criteria of proof or validity. Scientific development, as Kuhn contends, may appropriately be characterized by paradigm shifts and this he calls scientific revolutions. It is important to note that scientific developments do not occur in a vacuum. For the aforementioned reason, there is a felt need to situate scientific developments in the historical context within which they are conceived, proposed and ultimately, institutionalized and integrated as part of society’s shared knowledge. This is to say that scientific revolutions are also proper objects of historical analysis and discourse in as much as political revolutions are. Kuhn contends that there is a parallelism between political and scientific revolutions. As pointed out earlier, it is important to note that he characterizes scientific revolutions as â€Å"those non-cumulative developmental episodes in which an older paradigm is replaced in whole or in part by an incompatible new one. † Kuhn’s characterization emphasizes two important points. First, â€Å"that there is a replacement of an old paradigm by a new one†. Second, â€Å"that the new paradigm is not merely something new; it is also incompatible with the old paradigm†. This is to say that the incompatibility or the irreconcilability of the new paradigm with the old paradigm serves as warrant for the necessity of such a revolution. Although there are significant differences in both scientific and political developments, Kuhn argues that one may be justified in using the notion of revolution as a metaphor for understanding them. He writes: Political revolutions are inaugurated by a growing sense, often restricted to a segment of the political community, that existing institutions have ceased adequately to meet the problems posed by the environment that they have in part created. In much the same way, scientific revolutions are inaugurated by a growing sense, again often restricted to a narrow subdivision of the scientific community that an existing paradigm has ceased to function adequately in the exploration of an aspect of nature to which that paradigm itself had previously led the way. (2000, p. 150) Kuhn’s parallelism is thus, founded on the idea that in both cases, a sense of malfunction (in our institutions as for the case of the political, and in our paradigms as for the case of the scientific) necessitates for the occurrence of a revolution. In relation to this, the shift from a human memory based paradigm to the technological paradigm may be likened to a revolutionary development within the field of medical data acquisition and retention. The difference between the human memory based paradigm as opposed to the technological paradigm stems from the ascription of greater subjectivity in relation to human memory based data as opposed to technologically maintained data. As was stated in the first part of the paper, the heterogeneous characteristic of medical institutions stems from the existence of various separate holistic systems within it. As a result of this, deriving and correlating clinical information becomes tedious. The main reason for this stems from human memory based paradigm’s utilization of paper based records which has a high probability of non-viability and unreliability. Examples of this are evident in evidence-based medicine’s non-adherence to the traditional methods of training and practice. Second, paper based records fall short of their original expectations. The objective of the healthcare record is â€Å"to identify problems and to understand the impact of the illness on the individual† thereby enabling the â€Å"amelioration of the problem to the patient’s satisfaction, within the bounds of medical capabilities and society’s resource limitations†(Simpson and Robinson, 2002, p. 115). The main limitation of the paper bound records, therefore, stem from their inability of being multiply accessible to members of society. On the other hand, Scott related the reasons for the development of a technology based paradigm with the high verifiability of the positive results of technologically determined medical care processes. According to Scott, â€Å"new technologies make it possible to evaluate and intervene to improve care in ways not heretofore possible† (2002, p. 2). In line with this, members of both the public and private sector lobby for the accessibility of technological improvements. For the members of the private sector, this is due to the inclusion of the medical industry within the business sphere. For the members of the public sector, on the hand, demands for greater accountability for health care stems from the prevailing belief that technological advancements must be made accessible to the general public. According to the IOM, information technology’s role in the substantial improvement of the redesign of the healthcare system is important since it ensures the formation of â€Å"a strong infrastructure in supporting efforts to reengineer care processes†¦ oordinate patient care across clinicians and settings and overtime, support multidisciplinary team functioning, and facilitate performance and outcome measurement for improvement and accountability† (qtd in Scott, 2002, p. 4). The results of the success of the EMR are traceable to the developments within the field of e-Health. According to Silber, EMR serves as the fundamental building bl ock for the development of various applications such as the use of ICT by the Primary Health Care Team. Others involve the use of ERM for validation of research or as an instrument in Continuing Medical Education. Information necessary for the functions ascribed above, in relation to the personal health record, are possible since the health record’s functionality enables the inclusion of the following: practitioner order entry, electronic patient record, document management, clinical decision support, administrative data, integrated communication support, as well as access to knowledge and resources. According to Raymonds and Dolds, the functions of each component are as follows. The electronic patient record presents the patient’s history. Document management, on the other hand contains the actions undertaken in relation to the patient’s diagnosis. Clinical decision support as compared to the later contains â€Å"the alerts based on current data from the electronic medical record, evidence based practical guidelines or more complex artificial intelligence systems for diagnostic support†. Access to administrative related information such as admission and discharge are contained within the section encompassing administrative data. Integrated communication support however provides the tools for the facilitation of effective and efficient communication amongst members of the patient’s health team. The last part enables access to other sources of information regarding the patient’s condition (Scott, 2007, p. 4). The Kaiser Permanente EMR implementation presented one of the main problems in relation to the utilization of the components of the technologically based paradigm. It was recognized that the problems arose due to several factors which range from the software’s lack of efficiency up to the non adherence of specific qualities of the program with the social conditions in the region as well as the team’s lack of background in relation to the efficiency the program necessitates with regards to the division of the work flow as well as its dependence upon all the players within the medical institutions that the program was implemented. Scott however stated that what should be given credence with regards to the above failed project is not so much as the failure of the program but the possibilities it opened in relation to the creation and implementation of new EMR programs in the future. Scott states, â€Å"success and failure are socially negotiable judgments, not static categories† (2007, p. 43). Hence if such is the case it is thereby possible to conceive of the problems noted by Hartswood et al (2003) in relation to the user-led characteristic of EMR. The social negotiability of judgments thereby ensures the possibility of reversals in judgments as soon as occasions arise wherein a perceived failure may be reconnected with an overall success. In line with this, the continuous developments within the various EMR systems produced and implemented within the country ensures the viability and possibility of a near success and perfection within the system which in a sense also ensures the possibility of another scientific revolution in the near future whose scope may extend beyond that of the technological sphere.

Plan: Realism in Great Expectations and Robinson Crusoe Essay

‘Realism falls short of reality. It shrinks it, attenuates it, falsifies it.’ (Eugà ¨ne Ionesco) Discuss the relation between realist literature and the world it represents. Actual Quote â€Å"Realism falls short of reality. It shrinks it, attenuates it, falsifies it; it does not take into account our basic truths and our fundamental obsessions: love, death, astonishment. It presents man in a reduced and estranged perspective. Truth is in our dreams, in the imagination.† Start by talking about realism and realist literature. Realism began in the 19th century? My interpretation of the question. Explain that the essay will respond to the quote with reference to Robinson Crusoe and Great Expectations. I will study how the texts attempt to construct reality with issues such as gender and race but do both have problematic features that support the argument raised by Ionesco. Realism began in the 19th century? Defoe seen as the father of realism Insert and analyse quotes where possible and respond to critics/opinions. Realism in Robinson Crusoe 1. Realism ‘The editor believes the thing to be a just history of fact; neither is there any appearance of fiction in it.’ (Preface to Robinson Crusoe) ‘Given its accumulation of ‘realistic’ descriptions and detail, its capacity to name and map out time and space as if it mirrored reality, realist fiction emerged as part of a culture obsessed with the truths and realities of an increasingly scientific and secular world’ (Sean Purchase, Key Concepts in Victorian Literature (Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006), p. 185) ‘According to Marxist critics, for example, realist Victorian fiction†¦ embodies middle-class ideologies and values, so that the very discourse of â€Å"realism† it provides is really a middle-class adaptation of reality from the outset’ (Purchase, p. 186) In The Rise of the Novel, Ian Watt identified the following elements as  characteristic of the early novel: A concern to account for probability; a concern to tell you who, what, why, where and when. Watt describes reading a novel as like listening to evidence in a court of law. Specific, recognisable and often present-day settings. Mixed characters, characters who change over time. Celebration of private, domestic (rather than public, heroic) virtues. Plain language.  (Ian Watt, The Rise of the Novel, London: Chatto & Windus, 1957) Locate evidence of each of the above in Robinson Crusoe. You might wish to focus on the opening three pages of the novel but feel free to look at any section. Defoe’s â€Å"Robinson Crusoe† began the literary genre of realistic fiction. The aspects of his writing that define â€Å"realism† would be the immense detail he uses; descriptive language; and the flow of his narrative (dialect included). Defoe concentrates on the qualities of different objects, which provide us with a picture to accompany the words. His first clay pot, the crude fashion of his garments, and the grindstone are a few of the things we can almost touch when reading. Defoe not only introduced this genre, but I believe that in many ways he is still the master. daniel defoe expresses his work in realism via : – first person narrator. – using specific dates . – using real places – using details – fallibility – diaries http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/discuss-realism-robinson-crusoe-and-why-daniel-126439 Unrealistic Rob Cru Although we do not think too highly of the literary experience of the average 18th century reader, even he would remain sceptical after taking the author at his word. Defoe’s solution to this problem is most original: Fact is his strategy, and triviality his weapon. Of course, this technique of describing as many trivial events as possible to make the story seem more realistic, has (again) become a common aspect of almost every novel to date. In almost 400 years, we have gone from one extreme to another: From a time when it was revolutionary to introduce this formula in literature, to a time where it would be almost revolutionary not to. It may seem as if I am saying I am strongly inclined to believe that Robinson Crusoe is both a terrific book and a novel which set a new standard for literature in its time. This is true. However, I am not oblivious to some of the weaker points of the book. My foremost criticism is this; Robinson Crusoe is not a real person. He is a character, faintly disguised as a person. At first we are fooled, for all that happens seems realistic enough, but as soon as Robinson is marooned on the island, the illusion is fading. His way of living, his sudden belief, his entire way of looking at the world suggests that someone indeed did make this up. Partly, this has to do with the environment. When Defoe decided to write a more realistic novel than was usual at the time, he could have done better that to opt for an uninhabitated island. It is very difficult to make a character seem more realistic when he is completely alone. It is very hard to describe in detail solitude on such a large scale of time and still remain true to realism. Solitude may be something we have all experienced at one time or other, but Robinson’s long time completely devoid of any human contact whatsoever and his logical despair is incredibly hard to describe convincingly. Realism in Great Expectations Get presentation made in seminar real and unrealistic GE: TOPIC FOUR: Genre: Realism and sensationalism In what ways might we think of this as a realistic fiction i.e. as a fiction that represents the experience of living in the world (of materiality)? What specific features make this a ‘condition of England’ novel (if any)? You should come prepared to define this term. In what ways is this an unrealistic text? You should think about the characterisation; the plot resolutions; the theatricality of some of the scenes and events; the style in which some parts of the narrative are delivered. Find at least three examples to discuss. In considering the above, you might wish to comment on the serialised form of the original publication. Is it melodramatic? Episodic? To what extent do you feel that the more melodramatic or sensationalists aspects of the text undermine its social comment (if at all)? Realism was developed by the middle of the 19th century as a response to the idealistic world of romanticism which had dominated for the past half century. It was an aesthetic movement which attempted to hold up a mirror to its society to show a true reflection of reality. Although claiming to offer a slice of life by emphasizing chiefly in the importance of the ordinary amongst the middle and lower classes, realism is a relative concept, a representation of reality which adheres to a loose collection of conventions. Many of these are offered in Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, which follows the life and struggles of the protagonist and narrator, Pip. Dickens uses techniques such as a chronological linear narrative, an omniscient narrator, the celebration of the ordinary, and the resolution of the enigma to drive the moral undercurrents of Pip’s everyday existence. This constructed realism is essentially a representation of reality based on Dickens ideology, offerin g social commentary and reflecting the values and attitudes of nineteenth century England. The basic structure of Great Expectations follows a chronological development of Pip’s life; from his childhood innocence, to his disillusioned expectations, finally his rejection of the high life and a circular succession ending back at the beginning. This chronological structure of which Dickens narrates exemplifies Pip’s learning process through his moral and emotional turmoil and complies with the opportunity to generate a realistic setting. For example, Pip’s description of London, â€Å"a most dismal place; the skylight  eccentrically patched like a broken head, and the distorted adjoining houses looking as if they had twisted themselves to peep down at me through it,† creates an archaeologically realistic description of London, and hints a sense of foreboding, foreshadowing the futility of Pip’s expectations. This ideology developed through Pips learning process is created through a†¦ Great Expectations a novel by Charles Dickens takes reader on an epic adventure filled with unexpected encounters with a myriad of people with vastly different backgrounds that ultimately shape Pip into the man that he becomes. Pip moves from the social class that he was born to, to one that he is elevated to by an anonymous benefactor. The two people that typify the conventional expectations of romanticism and realism are Pip the protagonist and Joe Gargery the humble blacksmith. Joe clearly shows his love for Pip the entire way through the book, a love that is only acknowledged or valued until the closing pages of the book. We will look at Pip’s journey from extravagance and utter self indulgence to his ultimate enlightenment and self fulfillment. Great Expectations is narrated by an older mature Phillip Pirrip or Pip and is his reflections and recollections of his childhood through his emerging expectation, to adulthood, often seen to make fun of his younger self. Pip was reared by hand by his older malevolent sister and her meek and submissive husband Joe Gargery, after the death of his parents. The protagonist always refers to his sister as Mrs Joe, showing the reader how domineering and heavy handed she is towards not only Pip but her husband Joe. She affords little compassion or kindness to either male and you start to see the difference between the characters and their reactions to her in relation to the conventions of romance and realism. Joe lending himself to looking at life through the eyes of a realist satisfied knowing his place, where as Pip being more romantic, dreams of escape and leaving the marches for a better life. Pip was apprenticed to his brother-in –law Joe the village blacksmith, when his direction in life was to change by the chance meeting of an escaped convict in the graveyard of his parents.

Radishes and Radicals

Radishes and Radicals Radishes and Radicals Radishes and Radicals By Maeve Maddox Both words, radish and radical, derive from the Latin word for root (radix). The vegetable we call a radish is an edible root. Radical, functioning as both noun and adjective, is used with multiple meanings, depending upon context. Its earliest use in the context of politics and political thought and action dates from the late eighteenth century: That the omnipotence of the state is not lodged, by the constitution, with the people, but with the whole legislative body in parliament assembled, was a radical doctrine of this obnoxious ministry.- OED citation dated 1783 â€Å"A radical doctrine† is one that would strike at the root of an established political or social norm. A radical is â€Å"a person who advocates radical or far-reaching political or social reform.† The earliest OED citations for the noun radical are dated 1822: Love is a great leveller; a perfect Radical. General Scott said Archer was a Radical and inclined to be Jacobinical. Note: As a political term, Jacobin derives from a French political club established in 1789 with the purpose of propagating the principles of extreme democracy and absolute equality. By 1800, the word Jacobin was used to refer to any political reformer. Every society is rooted in specific institutions and conventions. At the time that radical acquired its political meanings, European society was rooted in the model of a landed elite supported by a disenfranchised working class. In the early nineteenth century, efforts to accomplish the following were seen as radical ideas in Britain and the United States: end the employment of children in factories and mines extend the vote to all men extend the vote to women end imprisonment for debt end the slave trade grant full civil rights to Catholics and Jews provide elementary schools for the children of the working classes provide humane treatment for the mentally ill The verb radicalize in the sense of â€Å"to make radical, especially politically; to imbue with radical principles† appears early in the nineteenth century (1825). The earliest citation for the noun radicalization- â€Å"the action or process of making or becoming radical, especially in political outlook†- is 1867. Among the OED citations for radicalize and the noun radicalization are references to soldiers who were radicalized by witnessing the horrors of war and to â€Å"radicalized students of the late 1960s.† These political terms have been used to describe different degrees of radicalism, as indicated in this definition of the adjective radical in the OED: radical adjective: Advocating thorough or far-reaching political or social reform; representing or supporting an extreme section of a party; specifically (also with capital initial)   (a) British belonging to, supporting, or associated with the extreme wing of the Liberal Party which called for a reform of the social and parliamentary system in the late 18th and early 19th century.  (b) U.S. belonging to a faction of the Republican Party seeking extreme action against the South during the Civil War and Reconstruction. Now more generally: revolutionary, especially, left-wing. Although in the past, radical belief was sometimes accompanied with violent behavior- e.g., John Brown, Carrie Nation, the French Revolution- it was more often contained and acted on within a framework of constitutional or parliamentary changes. A â€Å"radical† could be any person who regarded some aspect of society as unfair or undesirable and believed that the way to change it was to overturn or uproot existing norms. In that sense, suffragettes and abolitionists were radicals. Nowadays, radical, radicalize, and radicalization have come to carry connotations of a type of extremism closely association with violence. This is how The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) defines radicalization and radical: radicalization At its root, radicalization takes the basic tenets of a faith or a political movement and carries them to extremes, extremes that often are drastic enough to adopt violence to intimidate others into accepting those extremes or to punish those who will not accept the extremes, and that process carries across lines of nationality or religion, from Mohammad Atta to Timothy McVeigh. radical The FBIdefines radical individuals as persons who encourage, endorse, condone, justify, or support the commission of a violent act or other crimes against the U.S. government, its citizens, or its allies for political, social, or economic ends. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:70 "Home" Idioms and ExpressionsSocial vs. SocietalWhen to Spell Out Numbers

Taoism and Confucianism Research Paper Example

Taoism and Confucianism Research Paper Example Taoism and Confucianism Paper Taoism and Confucianism Paper Essay Topic: Religion Tao Te Ching The Chinese spiritual experience is a synthesis of Taoism and Confucianism. I feel it is their shared quest that humans move away from being individuals to become a part of a greater whole, whether it is Confucius society or Lao Tzus nature. However, just as they have their similarities they, like all the other religions, have their differences, theirs being the way to becoming a part of the greater whole. In their different and similar aspirations, like the Yin and the Yang, Taoism and Confucianism is a combination which balances the Chinese character. I believe the Chinese spiritual experience is when humans strive by being or doing to become a part of the greater whole. Both Taoism and Confucianism urge humankind to shed their individuality for this goal. They both contend that individualism holds the individual back as well as fragments the essence of the greater whole. When more people become a part of it, the greater whole will become stronger. As Lao Tzu asks, What happens when 10,000 people go back into the woods? I think he might have answered the woods, nature, becomes that much greater by being able to guide life in its own way. Just as Taoism and Confucianism maintain a similar direction, they differ in other aspects. One difference they come across is what the greater whole is whether it be the Taoists nature or the Confucianists society. Another opposition they have is what process one takes in becoming a part of the greater whole. Where Taoism says the way to do is to be, Confucianism disagrees saying the way to be is to do. The two religions also differ as to what actually makes the other great. Whereas Taoism says the Tao (the way) makes people great, Confucianism teaches that people make the Tao great. I believe the most significant variance between Taoism and Confucianism is what is the greater whole. Taoists believe the greater whole to be nature. However, Confucianists feel it is society. They are both correct if we looked at the hierarchy of the Chinese experience that is self, society, nature, cosmos, and the great beyond (infinity). The difference comes in how far they travel to find the greater whole. The Confucianists stop at society because they see it as synthesis of effort put forth by every human being to make life better. Taoists look to nature because they see it as our creator and being our creator we should realize our potential to become apart of it once again. How a person becomes a part of society or nature is also a point the two religions split ways. In Taoism, the way to do is to be or simply the way to be will guide us to unity with nature. Confucianism disagrees noting the way to be is to do or plainly the way to do will make us a part of society. Taoism is the guidance of the way. The way can be defined in three manners. Taoism is the way of the ultimate reality. It is where everything originated yet we can only experience. There are no words or pictures to describe it, and all we can know is it is within us, it is outside us, it is everywhere and nowhere. Taoism is the way of the universe. It is the driving power in everything which exists. It is natures orderer. It puts everything in its place without any spark of prejudice. Taoism is the way of human life. It is humans emulating water. It is humans doing by not doing. It is humans allowing nature to guide them. Confucianism follows the way of doing. Its model figure is the Chun Tzu who in our society could be likened to a moral leader. Humans strive to become the Chun Tzu (Superior Man) because they must serve others. To become a Chun Tzu, one must first follow the way of Jen by respecting themselves and maintaining a sensitivity towards all humanity. One must strive to be just to others and to be understanding of others emotions. One must also follow the Silver Rule of not doing those things they would not have others do to them. Another division between the two religions is their contrasting beliefs as to what force makes the other great. Taoists believe it is the way or the Tao that makes humans great. This is because it is the Tao by which humans are able to rejoin with nature. By rejoining nature, we are able to regain power in allowing nature to do things or things to do themselves. However, Confucianists believe it is humans that make the Tao great. This is because only through the efforts of humans can society become great. Humans make the Tao great by choosing to follow it, giving power to its force. There are opposite forces in all corners of life. There is no day without night and no good without evil. Like the Yin and the Yang, these opposing forces are halves of a greater whole. Just as these forces merge to create a vivid existence so too does Taoism and Confucianism combine to create a brilliance in the Chinese Character. Without one the other would be greatly flawed, but their joined beliefs and practices make the one as well as the infinite greater. It is not hard to see that our western society could learn a lesson from the teachings of Lao Tzu and Confucius. Nature which we have coldly ravaged and our own streets would be safer. Politicians would actually work for the society instead of the powerful few. Even art would be supported for its value in bringing people together. However, we could never hope to attain the dedication both require because of our deeply rooted individualistic attitudes. If we followed the practices of Confucianism and we believed that serving others is great honor, then our western world would be a safer one. There would be no illegal drug use or sells for we would know this is harmful to those we live to serve. There would be no crime for we would live by sharing all that we have with others eliminating the main cause of crime, the desire to have what we do not have. Life as we know it would be transformed into a peaceful world where we care for others regardless of who they are. If politics were conducted based on Confucianism, the government would be a vessel for society. Politicians would not be indentured to private causes driven by personal gain because they would believe that their purpose is to serve society. They would be the rightful protectors of all they govern. They would also uphold the principles of Li for they would understand that they have been given a chance to make society greater and to maintain its greatness. If we followed Taoism or Confucianism, we would fully support the arts of our days. We would provide the means for artist to flourish and places to share their works. There would be no art critics for the purpose of art is to bring society together. Critics are deconstructionists and they would be a hindrance in the natural expression of art. It is in the naturalism of art that the two religions find its power of unity. Run by the Chinese religions, our society would appreciate art not because peoples analysis finds it excellent but because art is a grounds of bringing people together. We look to the stars in search of our future when we only need look at ourselves to find it. Before we can reach the stars we must be one entity. I believe this is the overall lesson of the Chinese religions that to be great we must be unified. Imagine what we could become and where we could go if we have our opposite forces working together. Once this were to happen, nothing could ever work against us.