Major Figures and Events in African History

Public Interest And Civic Duty Essay - 959 Words

Rebecca Barker Essay #1 I, Rebecca Barker, declare that I have neither received nor given any unauthorized assistance on this assignment. I think when you are in a position of power or strong influence, your obligation to put public interest and civic duty over personal morality, which is more likely to be challenged as you represent and/or influence more and more people, increases. The problem may not necessarily be if you should follow the law or not, but more about finding the line for when the law has broken off too far from your own morality for you to follow the law and how the more power a person has, the more conflicting personal conviction can cause problems for the general population. Laws in theory, should help make civilizations a safer and more functional places. Most of the time people as a whole seem to see laws as a way to layout a frame work of rules to support morals. However, as history and fiction has clearly shown, that isn’t always the case. More often then not laws become influenced by factors that may not come from any set of values and instead come from factors involving many other things like, finical motives, or motives that focus on a small groups self interest instead of the whole of the community. Another issue is that morality is not a simple one dimensional concept that stays uniformed and unchanged over time. It is difficult to look at one issue without wondering into other issues that may effect to context of the main issue. It is a greyShow MoreRelatedCivic Duty And Participation Of The United States1255 Words   |  6 Pages Throughout the years we have seen a decline in civic participation and duty in the United States. People can argue many different reasons on why there has been a decline in civic duty and participation, but the most influential causes are due to electoral campaigning, parental socialization, as well as news sources. These three issues have lead to a generational decline in United States political participation and these issues need to be fixed. If we cannot find a way of fixing these issues, ourRead MoreChristians Must Preserve Gods Creation By Driving Hybrid Cars1157 Words   |  5 Pagesin 2011, passenger cars and light-duty trucks (pick-up truck s, sport utility vehicles, minivans, and the like), accounted for 61% of the transportation emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) in this country. Greenhouse gases are harmful because they collect in the atmosphere, cause global warming, and have detrimental effects on the environment, for decades or even centuries. Because God commanded people to be good stewards of the environment, Christians have a duty to protect and preserve the environmentRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effects On The Environment1237 Words   |  5 Pagesin 2011, passenger cars and light-duty trucks (pick-up trucks, sport utility vehicles, minivans, and the like), accounted for 61% of the transportation emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) in this country. Greenhouse gases are harmful because they collect in the atmosphere, cause global warming, and have detrimental effects on the environment, for decades or even centuries. Because God commanded people to be good stewards of the environment, Christians have a duty to protect and preserve the environmentRead MoreAlexis de Tocquevilles Democracy in America Essay example982 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout his travels Tocqueville noted that private interest and personal gain motivated the actions of most Americans, which in turn cultivated a strong sense of individualism. Tocqueville believed that this individualism would soon sap the virtue of public life (395) and create a despotism of selfishness. This growth of despotism would be created by citizens becoming too individualistic, and therefore not bothering to fulfill their civic duties or exercise their freedom. Tocqueville feared thatRead MoreShould Mandatory Voting Be Banned?912 Words   |  4 Pagesfor not voting may simply be too high a price to pay†, which is valid as voting is a right and not a requirement to maintain the Canadian citizenship. Secondly, forcing citizens to vote is not the gateway to more political knowledge or even civic participation (Bardeesy, 2011). If voting was compulsory, many uninformed voters will choose a candidate without prior knowledge. This selection process of candidates and political parties would not represent the views of the majority of CanadiansRead MoreLiterature Review : Compulsory Voting1605 Words   |  7 Pages The American people and government pride themselves on the freedom of choice; the freedom to pursue life goals, happiness, and religion without fear. This ability was even written into the American Constitution as the First Amendment, giving the public the ability to voice opinions and express religious ideas without interference from the government. One of the liberties encompassed in the Constitution is the freedom to choose who to elect into power, giving the American population a say in electionsRead MoreThe Importance Of A Civic Engagement Opportunity As A Suppleme nt For Traditional Lecture And Reading Materials Essay1510 Words   |  7 PagesThe Civic Engagement assignment illustrates the value of incorporating a civic engagement opportunity as a supplement to traditional lecture and reading materials. While this assignment differs from service learning, the civic learning that takes place during the semester leads to the development of knowledge, skills, and community contacts that are necessary for active citizenship. As described throughout this paper, despite the passive-sounding title of courtroom â€Å"observation,† this assignmentRead MoreShould Compulsory Voting Be A Civil Right?947 Words   |  4 Pages Participating by voting in elections is a civil right we are given as Democratic Americans. While some people are eager to go out and vote, there are others who despise the system and neglect their duties as citizens and avoid voting in elections all together. Other nations around the globe have instituted a new system of Compulsory Voting; in which citizens are required by law to vote in elections or attend a polling place on a designated day. There are many pros and cons when it comes to compulsoryRead MoreAnti-Plastic Awareness1551 Words   |  7 Pagesevery corners streets of the cities.   The basic rules of civic sense is clearly notified in various public places. Any city goers or visiting tourists can easily see the Notice Board at all key points accessible to public. Surprisingly, the citys civic rules and regulation are strictly followed by local people so also the tourists visiting the cities.   No doubt that garbage/waste disposal facilities are made readily available to the public in a well hygienic manner. Infact, cleanliness drive asRead MoreRoot Cause Conflict Of The 2016 Presidential Election Essay1508 Words   |  7 Pageslong baggage train filled with scandals, which start at least as far back as her time as FLOTUS. There is the Whitewater scandal, multiple conflicts of interest around the Clinton foundation, paid speeches to Wall Street that run counter to her political messaging, conflicts of interest on multiple deals and on multiple levels between government duties and private life, outright lying about the cause for the Benghazi attack directly to the families of the victims, as well as the email and private email

Juvenile Delinquency And Religion Essay Example For Students

Juvenile Delinquency And Religion Essay Over the years, countless efforts have been made to find a comprehensive explanation for delinquency. The results of these efforts have offered possible reasons as being both biological and social. It is still debatable as to what forces have the greatest influence on youth crime, but it is undoubted that several factors clearly make an impact. The direct relationships a child has with concrete social elements, like his family and friends, are likely to give some intimation of his involvement in crime. However, it must be noted that there are more abstract contexts for socialization that also exist as potential explanations for a childs behavior. The most prominent of these less specific forces are the media, community, and religion. It has been argued extensively that these three elements represent a major source of delinquency in the U.S. today. Everyone has at one time or another heard accusations against television, for instance, and how it has such degenerating capabilities in relation to young minds. Equally common are the various public proclamations about the lack of brotherhood among citizens of this country. These complaints are nothing new to our society; before television was vilified, it was radio, and before radio it was comic books. In short, these problems merely exist as different manifestations of an age-old concern. Another, seemingly less obvious, aspect of this argument deals with the role of religion in society. In paralleling it to delinquency, for all its power and influence, religion is much more perplexing than the media or sense of community. For one, religion exists on many different levels and is extremely difficult to define in a fashion suitable to the debate. In addition, the fact that religion is such a controversial and sensitive subject only complicates the pursuit of characterizing and understanding it. These obstacles notwithstanding, the multifaceted effects of religion on crime have been argued for centuries. They will likely continue, as people observe that religion influences the behavior of people, serves as a set of values for society, and correlates with delinquency in several ways. The relationship between crime and religion has been explored for many years, with only a handful of theorists drawing any direct conclusions. Among few others, three of the most influential social philosophers of the past 200 years, Marx, Durkheim, and Weber, have all commented on the importance of religion to this issue. Marx believed that religion existed to give people a false hope for the future and to keep them motivated during the present. In accomplishing this, religion also deterred people from crime by making them concentrate on their social roles, while ignoring the oppression of stratified economic systems. Durkheim asserted that social order could be maintained only if people had common beliefs in something greater than themselves (Jensen and Rojek 309). He saw religion as very interconnected with social values as it contributed to a loss of strong communal bonds between the tenants of Western society. As people begin to believe more in themselves and less in a higher power, Durkheim argued, they become less committed to an interdependent society and highly prone to selfish acts of lawlessness. Weber, another distinguished sociologist, attributed social deviance to religious factors as well. He believed that religious institutions were intertwined with other institutions, contributing to both progressive and regressive social development (Jensen and Rojek 309). These three attempted to explain the social importance of religion, while only scratching the surface of its relationship to crime. Although they fail to adequately expand on the subject, the ideas of these influential thinkers represent some basic thoughts on the religious causes of crime, and they have led to successive investigations of religion and delinquency. Surprisingly, facts about crime and religion over the years have been rather indecipherable, as research findings from different studies have frequently produced contradicting results. Studies have shown delinquents being less religious than nondelinquents, religiously similar to nondelinquents, and in some cases more religious than nondelinquents. Even when differences between delinquent and nondelinquent relations to religion have been found, those differences have been only minor and insignificant. In one major study by Hirschi and Stark, it was discovered that high school students held interesting social beliefs relative to their church attendance .

Colonial Period Essay Example For Students

Colonial Period Essay The colonial period was A time of much change, as is themodern period. Many people viewed things differently in thecolonial period than they do today. The people of thecolonial period had much more traditional values than thepeople of today. The people of the colonial period thoughtof religion much more sternly than I do. John Winthropbelieved in a very stern God. John Winthrop writes, Now ifthe Lord shall please to hear us, and bring us in peace to theplace we desire, then hath he ratified this Covenant andsealed our Commission, and will expect a strictperformance of the Articles contained in it (43). He believesthat God acts completely as he wishes, without any thoughtfor man. Samuel Sewall used religion to help him when heneeded help. In his diary, Samuell Sewall writes, My Son,the minister, came to me p.m. by appointment and we prayone for another in the Old Chamber; more especiallyrespecting my Courtship(63). Sewall only acted religiouswhen it was convenient for him. I personall y believe in a Godmuch more caring than that Winthrop believed in. I alsobelieve that God is always around, not just when I need him. Different people have many different religious beliefs. Throughout history, views of love have changed. AnneBradstreet valued love as a strong romantic bond. InBradstreets poem, To My Dear and Loving Husband shewrites, I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold, Orall the ritches that Earth doth hold(51). In this excerpt,Bradstreet is speaking to her Husband. John Winthropviewed love as a religious bond between all men. He writes,Love is the bond of perfection (39). Winthrop gives fewreferences to romantic love. I personally think of love assomething that people feel for each other just because theyare both people. I believe there is an element of lovebetween all people. Love is viewed differently by differentpeople, but these beliefs have little to do with what timeperiod these people lived in. It appears that as time goes by,people view marriage more romantically, and lesseconomically. Samuell Sewell viewed marriage as a way toadvance monetarily. In his diary he writes, I said twouldcost L100. per annum: she said twould cost but L40 (63). This is just one example of him carefully calculating the costsof marriage. Anne Bradstreet viewed marriage more of away of expressing love. In her poem, To My Dear andLoving Husband Bradstreet writes, If ever man were lovedby wife, then thee; If ever wife was happy in a man,Compare with me ye women if you can(51). Bradstreetobviously married for romantic reasons. I believe marriage issomething that should be done for romantic reasons. This isa popular belief in modern America. Throughout time,marriage has changed greatly, and so have the reasonspeople marry. I personally saw myself relating to Bradstreetin many ways, but rarely agreeing with Winthrop or Sewell. In conclusion, overall, the people of the colonial period hadmore traditional values than people of today.

Micro and Macro Environment and Coke Industry Essay Example

Micro and Macro Environment and Coke Industry Paper Dozens of other workers have been intimidated, kidnapped, or tortured. In Career, members of the paramilitary murdered union leader Sister Gill in broad daylight inside his factory gates. They returned the next day and forced all of the plants workers to resign from their union by signing documents on Coca-Cola letterhead. The most recent murder attempt occurred on August 22, 2003, when two men riding motorcycles fired shots at Juan Carols Galois, a worker leader at Coca-Colas Barnstormers plant. There is substantial evidence that managers of several bottling plants have ordered assaults to occur and made regular payments to leaders of the paramilitary groups carrying out the attacks. These ongoing abuses have oaken their toll on Coca-Cola workers efforts to organize. Their union, SANITARIAN has suffered a dramatic loss in membership, as worker leaders are intimidated or forced into hiding. SENATORIAL has appealed for solidarity and allies in the U. S. Labor and social justice movements have answered their call. The United Steelworkers and the International Labor Rights Fund have filed a lawsuit against Coca-Cola on behalf of the union and victims families in U. S. Federal court. Other unions including the Teamsters and many community groups have launched public campaigns targeting Coke. What are workers in Colombia demanding? Acknowledge underlying Facts. The events alleged in the four Complaints filed in federal district court in Miami, Florida are objectively verifiable. For example, Mr.. Sister Gill was murdered in the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Career. We will write a custom essay sample on Micro and Macro Environment and Coke Industry specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Micro and Macro Environment and Coke Industry specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Micro and Macro Environment and Coke Industry specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The Plaintiffs are extremely 8 distraught that Coca-Colas public statements have labeled these allegations as false since this constitutes an effort to alter the historical record. Public Statements Denouncing Anti-union Violence. Coca-Cola and Panamas/ FEMMES should issue strong, public statements throughout the press in Colombia and in the world denouncing violence, and particularly anti-union lenience, by all armed actors in Colombia. The companies should state that such violence, regardless of who commits it, is seen by corporations such as themselves as being bad for business and investment. Specifically, they should publicly state that if the paramilitaries see themselves as protecting the interests of domestic and foreign investment, they are wrong; that their violent conduct, especially against trade unionists, is bad for business and investment and must cease. Coca-Cola and Panamas/FEMMES must also make public statements in the press indicating their belief that, contrary to the tenements made by local Colombian management, Senatorial is not connected with any armed groups in Colombia, and acknowledge that the violent acts described in the four federal complaints was unlawful. Human Rights Committee. Coca-Cola and Panamas/FEMMES must agree to support the creation of an independent committee to which workers can submit complaints about anti-union violence and intimidation at or around any Coca- Cola bottling plant. The Committee will work with such employees and the union to address such concerns in a productive way. Investigation and Training: Coca-Cola and Panamas/FEMMES must encourage the proper authorities in Colombia to investigate links between local Colombian management and the armed groups, particularly the paramilitaries. Further, the companies must conduct their own internal investigations and remove management with such links. This investigation must be subject to independent review. Coca-Cola and Panamas/FEMMES should also conduct training with all management personnel and employees in which they strongly stress that any collusion with armed actors or any encouragement of anti-union violence by these actors, whether material or moral, will not be tolerated and will result in immediate discharge. Address Anti-Loon Impact of Violence. As a consequence of the annotation violence that is the subject of the four legal cases, SENATORIAL has suffered significant losses of members and other institutional damage. In order to address this distinct aspect of the violence, Coca-Cola must agree to require its bottlers to negotiate with SENATORIAL and to agree to a process to repair the damage suffered by SENATORIAL. This shall include prohibiting any of the Coca-Cola bottlers from referring to the union in a derogatory way, such as calling it a guerilla union, reinstating union members who fled following specific death hearts from paramilitaries or who were discharged unlawfully for their union activity, and allowing SENATORIAL to have access to workers prior to elections in any of the subject bottling plants where SENATORIAL was decertify following the acts Of violence due to lost membership from terror and intimidation. Cessation of Criminal Charges. Coca-Cola and Panamas/ FEMMES must stop pressing criminal legal action against the Plaintiffs as they have done since shortly after, and in retaliation for, the Plaintiffs commencement of the civil human rights lawsuit in Miami. Compensation for Victims Environmental Devastation in India (selections from nondisclosure. Org) 9 Communities across India are under assault from Coca-Cola practices in the country. A pattern has emerged as a result of Coca-Colas bottling operations in India. Communities across India living around Coca-Colas bottling plants are experiencing severe water shortages, directly as a result of Coca-Colas massive extraction of water from the common groundwater resource. The wells have run dry and the hand water pumps do not work any more. Studies, including one by the Central Ground Water Board in India, have confirmed the significant depletion of the water table. When the water is extracted from the common groundwater resource by digging deeper, the water smells and tastes strange. Coca-Cola has been indiscriminately discharging its waste water into the fields around its plant and sometimes into rivers, including the Ganges, in the area. The result has been that the groundwater has been polluted as well as the soil. Public health authorities have posted signs around wells and hand pumps advising the community that the water is unfit for human consumption. In two communities, Appalachia and Impending, Coca-Cola was distributing its solid waste to farmers in the area as fertilizer. Tests conducted by the BBC found cadmium and lead in the waste, effectively making the waste toxic waste. Coca-Cola stopped the practice of distributing its toxic waste only when ordered to do so by the state government. Tests conducted by a variety of agencies, including the government of India, confirmed that Coca-Cola products contained high levels of pesticides, and as a result, the Parliament of India has banned the sale of Coca-Cola in its cafeteria. However, Cloacae not only continues to sell drinks laced with poisons in India (that could never be sold in the US and ELI), it is also introducing new products in the Indian market. And as if selling drinks with EDT and other pesticides to Indians was not enough, one of Cocoas latest bottling facilities to open in India, in Bali, is located in an area with a severe contamination of arsenic in its groundwater. Destroying Lives, Livelihoods and Communities Water shortages, pollution of groundwater and soil, exposure to toxic waste and pesticides is having impacts of massive proportions in India. In a country where over 70% of the population makes a living related to agriculture, stealing the water and poisoning the water and oil is a sure recipe for disaster. Thousands of farmers in India have been affected by Coca-Colas practices, and Coca-Cola is guilty of destroying the livelihoods of thousands of people in India. Unfortunately, we do not even know the extent of the damage as a result from exposure to the toxic waste and pesticides as these are long term problems. Most affected are the marginalia communities such as the Advises (Indigenous Peoples) and Dalais (formerly untouchables), as well as the low-income communities, landless agricultural workers and women. Taken in its entirety, thats a lot of people in India. The Struggles The arrogance of Coca-Cola in India is not going unanswered. In fact, the growing opposition to Coca-Cola- primarily from Coca-Cola affected communities- has spread so rapidly and gained so much strength that Coca-Cola is now on the defensive. Kola Dear, Restaurant In the state of Restaurant, the High Court ruled in November 2004 that all soft drinks in the state must state the level of pesticides on the product label, in addition to the ingredients. This 10 unprecedented ruling came only three weeks after a 2,000 strong demonstration to shut down the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Kola Dear, on the outskirts of Jasper in Restaurant. Over 50 villages are experiencing water shortages as a result of Coca-Colas indiscriminate mining of water, and struggle committees have been formed in at least 32 villages to confront Coca-Colas abuses. The Central Ground Water Board, a government agency, not only confirmed the declining water table as a result of Coca-Colas indiscriminate running of the water, it also faulted Coca-Cola for creating ecological imbalances in the area. In response to the court order to state the level of pesticides on their labels, Coca-Cola appealed the decision on the rounds that such an action would force them to compromise with their commercial confidentiality! Coca-Cola also submitted to the court that small traces of EDT and other pesticides are not harmful to the health of the consumers. The court rejected the appeal, and significantly, stated that commercial interests are subservient to fundamental rights. Appalachia, Kraal The single largest Coca-Cola bottling plant in India, in Appalachia, Kraal, remains shut down since March 2004. Initially ordered to shut down until June 15 (for arrival of monsoon rains) by the state government to ease rough conditions, the Appalachia bottling plant has been unable to open because the local village council (penchant) is REFUSING to reissue Coca-Cola a license to operate. The village council has maintained that the plant needs to shut down because it has destroyed the water system in th e area as well as polluted the area. The penchant is an elected body at the most local level in India, and forms the building block of democracy in India Penchant Raja- a model promoted extensively by Mahatma Gandhi. Cloacae, in typical fashion, has chosen to undermine democracy by appealing to the courts that he penchant has no jurisdiction over the plant and Coca-Cola, and that it should be the state of Kraal that makes the decision. Coca-Colas efforts to undermine local governance is being followed closely as the court ruling in favor of the penchant could set a significant precedence for local governance. The struggle in Appalachia is the oldest struggle against Coca- Cola in India and there has been a 24/7 vigil directly in front of the factory gates since April 22, 2002. The struggle in Appalachia has also enjoyed significant victories. In December 2003, the High court, in an extremely significant decision, ruled that Coca-Cola HAD to seek alternative sources of water and that it could extract only as much water from the common groundwater resource as a farmer owning 34 acres of land could. The justification being that the plant is located on 34 acres. Furthermore, the court held that the groundwater belonged to the people and the Government had no right to allow a private party to extract such a huge quantity of ground water which was a property held by it in trust. In another significant action in August, 2004, the Kraal State Pollution Control Board (PC), acting upon a Supreme court order, directed the Coca-Cola company to ensure that water supply through pipeline is delivered to the houses of all the affected communities in the vicinity. While the various court and government agencies are validating and acting upon the community concerns, Coca-Cola is busy putting more money into a public relations strategy designed to convince everyone that they have nothing to do with the water scarcity and pollution in Appalachia and in India. Impending, Attar Pradesh 11 More so than other struggles against Coca-Cola in India, the communities in Impending, a Village about 20 SMS from the holy city of Varnish, have more of an uphill battle because the local and state officials are turning a blind eye to the concerns of the communities. The water table has declined between 25-40 feet in the last four years, and Coca-Cola has been discharging its waste water into the surrounding fields, and now into a canal that feeds into the river Ganges, a holy river for millions of Indian. The landscape is very rural, and farming is the main source of livelihood in the area. Many farmers have yet to be compensated for the land that was taken from them in order to lid the Coca-Cola bottling facility. The movement to shut down the Coca- Cola plant has been growing rapidly for the last year. In August 2003, community members entered the office of the Regional Pollution Control Board in Varnish, and to protest their inaction, dumped sacks full of sludge from the Coca-Cola plant on the table of the regional officer. In September 2003, over 500 people marched to the Coca-Cola factory gates and were physically attacked and beaten by police and private security guards. In October 2003, a march was organized from the Coke plant in Impending to a Pepsi plant in Jaunt, about 150 km away. And in mid-December 2003, ten activists went on a five-day hunger strike in front of the plant. They were supported by fifty people sitting with them each day, and about 300 people went on hunger strikes of varied duration. And in June 2004, hundreds conducted a sit-in in front of the state assembly in Locknut. So far, not only have the authorities not cooperated at all, they have consistently refused to make good on their promises of inquiries and investigations to look into Coca-Colas practices that are depleting the groundwater and polluting the water and soil. In addition, the authorities have trumped up criminal charges against some of the key leaders of the struggle, and issued orders to these leaders preventing them from shouting slogans or making inflammatory speeches within 300 meters of the plant. The communities are determined to close down the factory in Impending, and the local organizers have been extremely successful in garnering local support in the area. They have also organized the community around a new Coca-Cola plant in Bali, about 250 SMS away. From November 15-24, 2004, a march will be conducted from the Coca-Cola factory gates in Bali to the Coca-Cola factory gates in Impending, demanding the closure of both the facilities. What are communities in India demanding? The first step that Coca-Cola must take is to admit to the severity of problems it has caused in India, and then find ways to address them operationally: They must permanently shut down the bottling facilities in Impending, Kola Dear and Appalachia. They must compensate the affected community members.

January Thaw essays

January Thaw essays Science has always been a subject that I found interest in, but I never put that interest to use. Ive taken many science classes in my life, but I can honestly say that I have not learned much. I do know, from my two days in Biology 100, that I am on the verge of learning more about science and becoming more enthusiastic about it. When I first bought A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold, I thought that it was for a literature class that I was taking this semester. It did not really seem like the kind of book to be used to teach Biology, or so I thought. I flipped through the book the weekend before classes started, and I actually read January Thaw at that time. Like I said previously, I did not know that the book was for my Biology 101 class. I found January Thaw to be a great read. I was very surprised when, on August 27, 2001, my professor said that A Sand County Almanac would be the primary text for the class. I already knew that I would be interested in the book from my pre-reading, so I was delighted to begin my journey in science. In this essay, I will discuss my responses to the essay January Thaw. When I read the essay January Thaw for the first time, I thought that it was merely a story about a persons love for animals. I thought that Leopold loved animals so much that he wrote a whole essay about his observations of them. Well, I figured that my initial response to the essay was too simple and not quite right. I begin to ask questions about the text in order to come to a more educated response to the essay. Why would someone write a whole essay about the actions of animals without having a point? Why is this essay, by Leopold, still read and discussed after so long, if it was merely about the lives of wild animals? I thought very deeply about those questions and could not really answer them, but I did de ...

Does Kant Adequatly Address the Problems Evident in the Controversy Essay

Does Kant Adequatly Address the Problems Evident in the Controversy between Empiricism and Rationalism - Essay Example According to Kant, the difference (dispute) that emerges between rationalism and empiricism is the level in which we are dependent on sense experience in order for us to gain and acquire knowledge. Rationalists claim that, very independent we gain knowledge and ideas (Kenny 45-46). This independent way of gaining concepts as it is own sense experience. Empiricists claim on the other side that sense experience is the final source of all our knowledge and ideals. When empiricists say that we are only able to access appearances, they are not saying that we only have access to illusory representations. To some level denying some confidence in their explanations, in this case, they ought to have been clear on this matter. Nonetheless, for Kant, appearances can, and in fact do, provide us with the ground for knowledge on facts and ideas (Kenny 48). To him the mind is the source of experience and knowledge, Descartes (1988). This is the concept, according to Kant, the concept of pure of cat egories. This is particularly clear in the sense that the mind makes contributions to experiences (Descartes 123). The mind plays a significant role and imposes on experience certain categories that make knowledge possible. In this case when Kant says that we cannot know the thing in itself he does not only mean that reality is inaccessible but also that we cannot experience anything outside in the way human mind operates Ann (1970). And from this explanation it is not a wrong concept, â€Å"but it justifies how human beings acquire knowledge† (Anne 90). Now, we have a look science and advancements in knowledge, it is evident that we have knowledge; Kant would never have denied it. Rationalist, in real sense have developed the argument in two ways. They say that there are circumstances when the content embodied in knowledge outstrips the information that can be provided in the real life experience. Also, they have build in some way, that reason in some form provides informati on and knowledge to the world. Empiricists, in this case provide some additional information of knowledge thought about the world (Kenny 50). Empiricists provide a sum up of lines and levels of thought. In that case they establish on accounts of how learning and experience provides on the information that rationalist provide, which according to Kant we have so far. According to Kant Empiricists will in most cases opt for skepticism as a lope to rationalism, Ann (1970). The say that if then experience cannot provide concepts or knowledge the rationalist cite, they then in that case do not have. In that case according to Kant, â€Å"empiricists attack the rationalists on accounts of how reason is a source of concepts and knowledge†. According to Kant, rationalist focus on what they call necessary truth. By this they articulate that some things are necessary true. Kant points that the simplest form of truth is the self-evident truth. In that regard, Kant says, that you even do n ot have to think. He illustrates that for instance as a simple calculation; one plus one, the answer is two Descartes (1988). This to him you do not have through the world to necessarily count this in order to prove it. Kant says that this is something you ought to believe that one plus one, the answer is two (Descartes 124). One of the criticisms that empiricists would set-forward is that, one plus one is two, is a mere trivial. It is tautological, suggesting it is true, certain, but not because it is not self