Memorandum for new model to FQHC Service Plan Essay Example for Free

Memorandum for new model to FQHC Service Plan Essay It is to propose a new service channel to the existing service model of FQHC which is currently doing community development activities in the nation. Recently we found that the local community does not have any drug rehabilitation center even though most of the men and women wanted to change their lifestyle. The alcohol consumption rate in adults is very high and is affecting the family lives and the development of the children. The income earning rate has reduced drastically during the past 3 years and work place absenteeism has increased. Family conflicts have increased and child crime levels are also showing up due to the lack of family discipline and reduced family income levels. The adult crime rate and workplace unrest has roused to beyond normal levels and the local police control is become inadequate during some instances. So the local community elders have decided to establish an alcoholic rehabilitation centers to bring reformation in the lives of the community people. The community elders wanted to cooperate the establishment by giving vacant land and building on lease for a period of 5 years to use them as drug de addiction centers. The community intends to have a paramedical clinic to facilitate the medical interaction to the community. Also the community requests that awareness camps on alcohol consumption risks and the hope for rehabilitation should be promoted more in the community to bring them out of addiction. In this regard, as a health consultant, it is proposed that FQHC should take the initiative and readiness on the community awareness programs. As the local community centers have the inability of establishing the Paramedical clinic for the drug rehabilitation due to the lack of know how and the lack of support staff and the lack of financial supplies. And it is identified that community needs technical and financial cooperation of FQHC to bring the functional program of alcoholic rehabilitation to the community, it is proposed that FQHC should invest initially in establishing the centers, where in it can draw funds gradually. And FQHC should validate the local community centers about their Stand of Capability to carry on the proposed program, conducting the free campaign for the general check up in the rural areas, conducting campaigns regarding the awareness. Through this FQHC can encourage the community initiative to bring the vulnerable drug addicts out of the addiction, by giving them a hope in life. As the local community centers exercise good established connections and rapo with the public, media and facilities they can employ to the best output of the program. The local communities can conduct training and awareness programs and can monitor the medical camps and the clinic and can report the FQHC on the program progress from time to time. Owing to the fact that FQHC, several health programs funded under the Health Center Consolidation Act, we request you to give the opportunity to serve the community by joining hands with you. References: FQHC Frequently Asked Questions, Retrieved November 8, 2000, from http://www. raconline. org/info_guides/clinics/fqhcfaq. php#certification DRUG DE-ADDICTION PROGRAMME, Retrieved November 8, 2000, from http://www. mohfw. nic. in/kk/95/ia/95ia0j01. htm Drug treatment and rehabilitation services, Retrieved November 8, 2000, from http://www. spym. org/drugprojects. htm George Kaplan, Health Status Disparities in the United States, Retrieved November 8, 2000, from http://www. wilsoncenter. org/events/docs/Kaplan1. pdf Drug Rehab Programs, Retrieved November 8, 2000, from http://www. drug-rehabs. com/ Michael G. Boyle Thomas P. Murphy, Guidelines for Linking Addiction Treatment with Primary Healthcare Developed for the Behavioral Health Recovery Management Project, Retrieved November 8, 2000, from http://www. bhrm. org/guidelines/BHRM%20Primary%20Care%20Integration. pdf Drug treatment and rehabilitation services, Retrieved November 8, 2000, from http://www. spym. org/drugprojects. htm How to Write Memos, Retrieved November 8, 2000, from http://elc. polyu. edu. hk/CiLL/eiw/memos. htm

Homeostasis And Goldfish Respiration Physical Education Essay

Homeostasis And Goldfish Respiration Physical Education Essay Every organism possesses a mechanism for maintaining homeostasis. Homeostasis is the ability of the body or a cell to seek and maintain a condition of equilibrium or stability within its internal environment when dealing with changes in the external environment. Regulation of temperature is most definitely the most important aspect of homeostasis. Fish are cold-blooded animals. Most fish cannot control their internal body temperatures. Most fish body temperatures change with the temperature of the water around them. In order to obtain temperature homeostasis, the fish seek colder or warmer water. They lose metabolic heat through their gills. There are different types of metabolic adaptations in fish. Temperature and blood pressure are two. Cold-blooded animals must regulate their body temperature by moving. Literary Discussion Homeostasis and the Respiration of Goldfish What is Homeostasis? Homeostasis is the ability of the body or a cell to seek and maintain a condition of equilibrium or stability within its internal environment when dealing with external changes (www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Homeostasis). The main function of homeostasis is to keep all the processes of the body stable even if there are variations in the weather and environment outside (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/what-is-homeostasis.html). Regulation of temperature is most definitely the most important aspect of homeostasis. Warm blooded animals are able to retain a more adjustable constant body temperature. In humans, homeostasis happens when the body regulates body temperature in an effort to maintain an internal temperature around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Homeostasis). For instance, when it is hot outside your body sweats to cool off, and we shiver to warm up during the cold seasons. Unlike humans, most fish cannot control their internal body temperatures. Fish are cold-blooded creatures. Some fish have mechanisms to keep a healthy temperature. In order to obtain temperature homeostasis, the fish seek colder or warmer water. Certain types of fish such as tuna fish control their body temperature by a specialized heat exchange system of blood vessels. Most fish are poikilothermic which means their body temperature changes with the temperature of the water around them. For instance, if the top of a pond is frozen over, the fish swims to the bottom of the pond to try to stay at a comfortable temperature. All animals create heat from metabolic activity. Metabolic activity includes breaking down food and movement (http://www.ehow.com/facts_7433473_fish-homeostasis-different-water-temperatures.html). Animals such as fish lose metabolic heat through their gills. This happens because the heated blood that runs through vessels in the gills comes into close contact with the colder water outside, and all the heat is lo st. Many diseases are a result of disturbance of homeostasis. This condition is known as homeostatic imbalance. Every organism will lose efficiency in its control systems as it ages. Homeostatic imbalance is responsible for the physical changes associated with aging along with the internal environment. Inefficiencies gradually increase the risk for illness because of the unstable internal environment. It has been seen where alleged negative feedback mechanisms become overwhelmed and destructive positive feedback mechanisms then take over. Negative feedback is mainly how homeostasis is maintained, and positive feedback includes processes like blood clotting (http://www.biology-online.org/biology-forum/about2004.html). In maintaining homeostasis, the kidneys, liver, and brain are the organs in which play an important role. The kidneys are responsible for controlling blood water level, and regulation of salt and ion content in the blood. The liver performs the function of stabilizing carbohydrate metabolism and metabolizing toxic substances (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/what-is-homeostasis.htm.l) Whereas, the brain helps in controlling the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system. Dehydration, hypertension, diabetes, hypoglycemia, etc are major homeostatic imbalance health problems. Homeostasis is extremely important for proper functioning of all human body systems. Enzymes even need a specific constant temperature to work at their optimum level. At higher temperatures, the enzymes will stop working. Homeostasis occurs to all humans, animals, and plants and is needed for us to stay healthy and alive. There are different types of metabolic adaptations in fish. Temperature and blood pressure are two examples. Body temperature for a fish mainly depends on the temperature of the water that the fish is in. This is the same for a fish in a tank, lake, pond, river, ocean, etc. A fish body adjusts to the temperature where the fish will be comfortable in the water. Cold-blooded animals cannot generate their own body heat; they must regulate their body temperature by moving. Absorptive and post absorptive are two metabolic states. Digestion, strength, respiration, salt and water balance, and heart rate are also included in this category. Glycolysis is an anaerobic metabolic pathway. Homeostasis in fish as well as in humans adjusts when the environment that it is in adjusts. If a fish is swimming in polluted water, the water is going to affect the fish. Its going to affect the fishs vision, the fishs breathing, and many other things. Just like polluted air causes humans to get a disease or any other illness, a fish can get a disease or illness as well. The temperature will affect the pace of the fish similar to the temperature affecting the pace of humans. Homeostasis, in biological terms means that the body is maintaining internal equilibrium to adjust internally and physiologically, in response to the external environmental changes(http://www.buzzle.com/articles/what-is-homeostasis.html). The main function of homeostasis is to keep all the processes of the body stable even if there are variations in the weather and environment outside (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/what-is-homeostasis.html). Regulation of temperature is most definitely the most important aspect of homeostasis. Vocabulary Effectors-are muscles or glands which work in response to the stimulus received from the motor nerves(http://www.tutorvista.com/content/biology/biology-ii/control-and-coordination/receptors-and-effectors.php). Receptors-are structures at the ends of the nerve fibers that collect the information to be conducted by the nerves (http://www.tutorvista.com/content/biology/biology-ii/control-and-coordination/receptors-and-effectors.php). Nares (Nostrils)-the nasal passages (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/nares). Mouth-the opening in which an animal or human takes in food, liquid, oxygen, etc. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mouth?s=t) Eyes- the organ of sight, in vertebrates typically one of a pair of spherical bodies contained in an orbit of the skull and in humans appearing externally as a dense, white, curved membrane, or sclera, surrounding a circular, colored portion, or iris, that is covered by a clear, curved membrane, or cornea, and in the center of which is an opening, or pupil, through which light passes to the retina.( http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/eyes?s=t) Operculum-the gill cover; a part or organ serving as a lid or cover, as a covering flap on a seed vessel. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/operculum?s=t) Lateral Line-the line, or system of lines, of sensory structures along the head and sides of fishes, by which the animal is believed to detect water current and pressure changes and vibrations. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/late-ral+line?s=t) Soft Dorsal Fins-the fin or finlike integumentary expansion generally developed on the back of aquatic vertebrates.( http://www.earthlife.net/fish/fins.html) Pectoral Fins-(in fishes) either of a pair of fins usually situated behind the head, one on each side, and corresponding to the forelimbs of higher vertebrates.( http://www.earthlife.net/fish/fins.html) Pelvic Fins-(in fishes) either of a pair of fins on the lower surface of the body, corresponding to the hind limbs of a land vertebrate; ventral fin.( http://www.earthlife.net/fish/fins.html) Gills-the respiratory organ of aquatic animals, as fish, that breathe oxygen dissolved in water.( http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/gills?s=t) Scales-one of the hard, bony or dentinal plates, either flat or denticulate, forming the covering of certain other animals, as fishes.( http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/scales?s=t) Vent-the anal or excretory opening of animals, especially of those below mammals, as birds and reptiles.( http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/vent?o=100074) Peduncle-a stalk or stem; a stalk like part or structure.( http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/peduncle?s=t) Anal Fin- the median, unpaired fin on the ventral margin between the anus and the caudal fin in fishes.( http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/anal+fin?s=t) Two-Chambered Heart-including one atrium and one ventricle.( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrium_(heart) Jaws- either of two bones, the mandible or maxilla, forming the framework of the mouth.( http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/jaws?s=ts) Equilibrium-a state of rest or balance due to the equal action of opposing forces. Vertebrates- are animals that have a spine or backbones.( http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/equilibrium?s=t) Cold-blooded- designating or pertaining to animals, as fishes and reptiles, whose blood temperature ranges from the freezing point upward, in accordance with the temperature of the surrounding medium.( http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cold-blooded?s=t) Ventilation-combination of movement of operculum and the floor of the mouth.( http://www.biology-resources.com/fish-01.html) Question, Hypothesis, Materials, and Procedure Question: Do various temperatures of water effect the way a fish breathe? Hypothesis- Cold water: Cold water will affect the way a fish breathe. A fish will take deeper, slower, and less breathes. Room Temperature Water: The amount of breaths a fish breathes will be normal. Hot water: Hot water will cause the fish to taker deeper breaths that are faster. Fish will inhale and exhale more breathes in hot water. Materials- Two fish Small sized container/fish tank Hot water Cold water Room temperature water Notebook/paper Pen/pencil Thermometer timer Procedure- First, set aside a bowl of water to get it to be room temperature. While that sits, create a table with three rows and eight columns. Label the first row experimental sample. Label the next two rows fish one and fish two. Label the columns room temperature, number of breaths, cold water temperature, breaths, hot water temperature, and breaths. Then, get extremely cold water and pour it into the container/fish bowl. Take the first fish and put it in the container with the cold water. Take the thermometer and put it in the bowl of water; wait till the meter stops moving. Record the temperature of the water. Next, set your timer to sixty seconds. Start the timer and count how many breaths the fish takes until the timer goes off. Record the time. Take the fish and thermometer out of the water and pour the water out. Pour the hot water into the container/fish tank and put the previous fish back into the container. Take the thermometer and sit it in the bowl until the meter stops. Record the temperature. Like before, set the timer to sixty seconds and count how many breaths the fish takes in that time. Record your results. After that, take the fish out along with the thermometer. Empty the container of the water. By this time the water that was set aside should be room temperature. Take that water and empty it into the container/fish tank and put the previous fish and thermometer in the bowl. Record the temperature of the water. Set the timer and count the breaths taken again. Record your results before taking the fish and thermometer out. Pour out the water. Repeat this process with the other fish and new water. Bar Graph and Frequency Table Experimental Sample Room Temperature Number of Breaths Warm Temperature Number of Breaths Cold Temperature Number of Breaths Time Fish #1 22Â ° C 89 27Â ° C 91 25Â ° C 59 60 sec Fish #2 23Â ° C 84 27Â ° C 69 25Â ° C 66 60 sec What is a fish? What is the mechanism in which fish breathe in water? A fish is any cold-blooded vertebrate animal that lives in water (http://www.myuniversalfacts.com/2006/03/how-do-fish-breathe.html). Fish live in nearly any water habitat and can be found in many different varieties of climatic conditions from near-freezing Arctic waters to the hot desert springs. Animals that live on land have a different respiratory system from aquatic animals such as fish. A fish is capable of breathing under water without taking frequent trips to the surface to breathe air unlike a whale which is a marine animal. This is because fish have gills. It is a process to fish breathing. First, water in the fishs surrounding enters its mouth. Water enters the mouth by the operculum and a very effective pumping system that involves the mouth. As a fish pumps water through the gills it opens and closes its mouth. Water is drawn into the mouth after the fish opens its mouth and the operculum closes. After water enters the fishs mouth it passes through a structure. This structure is called gill rakers. The gill rakers act as a filter system by straining out particles such as food or any other foreign particles that may have entered the mouth from the inflow of water. Next, the filtered water travels through the gill arches hence passing over the gills. Projected out into the water flow allows water to flow across the lamellae are gill filaments. Resulting, oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged directly across the capillary membrane. As water flows through the gills, the dissolved oxygen passes into blood circulating through the gill structures. The gill structures include the filaments and lamellae. Simultaneously, carbon dioxide which is the waste product, in the fishs bloodstream passes into the water. It is then carried away and out of the body through the operculum. This is the process by which fish breathe also know as respiration. Resources and References http://www.biology-resources.com/fish-01.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish http://www.myuniversalfacts.com/2006/03/how-do-fish-breathe.html http://teachers.guardian.co.uk/Guardian_RootRepository/Saras/ContentPackaging/UploadRepository/learnpremium/Lesson/learnpremium/scienc~00/post16~00/biology/exchan~00/gaseou~01/gaseou~01/breath~00/default.htm http://www.tutorvista.com/content/biology/biology-ii/control-and-coordination/receptors-and-effectors.php http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Two+chambered+heart http://www.dictionary.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrium_(heart http://www.earthlife.net/fish/fins.html

Poetry Of Nature :: essays research papers

Many poets are inspired by the impressive persona that exists in nature to influence their style of poetry. The awesome power of nature can bring about thought and provoke certain feelings the poet has towards the natural surroundings. If you bear in mind the disposition of some of the things in life that move us like human beauty, love or the beauty of nature you will understand that they have one thing in common. They do not last forever, as sad as it seems, Ladies and Gentleman. Yes they too will eventually die out. Why? Who knows? However it is a fact that when poets write a poem they wish to make their words appealing, as to impress the reader with the intensity of their own experience so they immortalize that sense of feeling that makes their poems last. Wordsworth’s poem, â€Å"Nutting† is a classic portrayal of a man finding time to escape the harsh bitterness of life and escaping to a world of isolation, solitude and loneliness that exists in nature. I’d particularly like to focus on the second part, which has a greater significance in regard to nature, then the other part, which might appear irrelevant. In demonstrating the use of descriptive features Wordsworth has created the perfect sanctuary that one can only ever dream about. The wording used in this section is uncomplicated and evocative. Common language served Wordsworth’s purpose well, for the simple words were direct in their purpose. They expressed feelings that had been known and repeated many times before, and therefore contained a certain durability in his speech. And I saw the sparkling foam, And-with my cheek on one of those green stones that fleeced with moss, under the shady trees, lay round me, scattered like a flock of sheep In this poem there is much evidence that expresses his loneliness, solitude, and isolation to the rest of the world at that moment in his life. And fade, unseen by any human eye; where fairy water-breaks do murmur on forever; It is obvious that through this perception Wordsworth is generally speaking of past experiences. Wordsworth believed that nature played a key role in spiritual understanding and stressed the role of memory in capturing the experiences of childhood. His poetry just like his beliefs relays a sense of feeling towards aspects of spiritual understanding.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I felt a sense of pain when I beheld the silent trees, and saw the intruding sky.

Essay on Camus’ The Stranger (The Outsider): Parallels Within

Parallels Within The Stranger (The Outsider) The Stranger by Albert Camus is a story of a sequence of events in one man's life that cause him to question the nature of the universe and his position in it. The book is written in two parts and each part seems to reflect in large degree the actions occurring in the other. There are curious parallels throughout the two parts that seem to indicate the emotional state of Meursault, the protagonist, and his view of the world. Meursault is a fairly average individual who is distinctive more in his apathy and passive pessimism than in anything else. He rarely talks because he generally has nothing to say, and he does what is requested of him because he feels that resisting commands is more of a bother than it is worth. Meursault never did anything notable or distinctive in his life: a fact which makes the events of the book all the more intriguing. Part I of The Stranger begins with Meursault's attendance at his mother's funeral. It ends with Meursault on the beach at Algiers killing a man. Part II is concerned with Meursault's trial for that same murder, his ultimate sentencing to death and the mental anguish that he experiences as a result of this sentence. Several curious parallels emerge here, especially with regard to Meursault's perception of the world. In Part I, Meursault is spending the night next to his mother's coffin at a sort of pre-funeral vigil. With him are several old people who were friends of his mother at the home in which she had been living at the time of her death. Meursault has the strange feeling that he can see all of their faces really clearly, that he can observe every detail of their clothing and that they will be indelibly impr... ...r has not done makes no essential difference at the end. The nurse at the funeral tells him, "if you walk too slowly, you'll get heat exhaustion, but if you walk too fast, then the cool air in church will give you a chill.† As he kills the Arab, he thinks, "Whether I fire or don't fire is irrelevant; the ending will be the same.† And at the trial, Meursault tells the prosecutor, "I have lived my life thus and did x, but if I had done y or z instead, it wouldn't have mattered.† And, ultimately, Meursault turns out to be correct; he discovers that when death approaches, all men are equal, no matter what their ages or previous lives. Meursault views death as an escape: you can't escape from it, but you can escape into it, and he prepares himself to do so, bit by bit. Each parellel incident is just one more winding round of the rope that will bind him completely.

Besides his military abilities, what made Alexander successful? What were the most important consequences of his conquests? :: essays research papers

Alexander was successful because of his willingness and ambition to be the best that he could be as a leader. In the beginning of his success, him and his army were deprived of money so he sought quick and decisive battles to gain money and supplies from the conquered territory. Because of Alexander’s ambition to be on the top, he thought of countless ways to be victories in battle, Alexander â€Å"won a smashing victory in characteristic style: He led a cavalry charge across the river into the teeth of the enemy on the opposite bank, almost losing his life in the process and winning the devotion of his soldiers. The coast of Asia Minor now open, Alexander captured the coastal cities, denying them to the Persian fleet (Craig, 105).†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another reason what Alexander was so successful was because of his greediness. Craig states that while Alexander was in Tyre, Darius offered him his daughter and his entire empire west of the Euphrates River in exchange for an alliance and an end to the invasion but Alexander wanted the whole empire. So Alexander’s greediness motivated him to create more battles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alexander seemed to be a very curious type of person. Alexander was filled with plans for the future, â€Å"for the consolidation and organization of his empire; for geographic exploration; for new cites and roads, and harbors; perhaps even for further conquests in the west (Craig, 107).† As history has shown it, Alexander was one of the greatest generals the world has seen, â€Å"he never lost a battle or failed in a siege, and with a modest army, he conquered a vast empire. He had rare organizational talents, and his plans for creating a multinational empire was the only intelligent way to consolidate his conquests (Craig, 107).† Also, Alexander established many new cities, which these cites promoted commerce and prosperity and introduced Hellenistic civilizations into new areas, as stated in Craig.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alexander’s most important consequences of his conquests was when he came to Persepolis, the Persian capitol, which held splendid palaces and the royal treasury, â€Å"this bonanza ended his financial troubles and put a vast sum of money into circulation, with economic consequences that lasted for centuries (Craig, 107).† Also, as part of his grand scheme of amalgamation and conquest, â€Å"he married the Bactrian princess Roxane and enrolled thirty thousand young Bactrians to be trained for his army (Craig, 107).

War Has Changed Through the Ages

War has been one of the key institutions of the practice of international relations, and has always been a central focus of the study of international relations. In the post-cold war period many observers have suggested that the nature of war is undergoing fundamental changes, or even that in some parts of the world at least, it has become obsolete. With the advance of economic interdependence through globalization, and the spread of democracy, some groups of states seem to have formed security communities where war between them is no longer a possibility.Elsewhere, however, war has continued to exist, and to take a number of different forms. For some countries, such as the United States, the use of advanced technology to achieve dramatic victories against conventional armies has led to suggestions that a revolution in military affairs is under way. Other parts of the world, however, have been characterized by warfare in whichnon-state actors have been prominent, the military technol ogy employed has been relatively unsophisticated, and atrocities have been commonplace. Such new wars, it is argued by many, are a direct result of the process of globalization.War has not disappeared as a form of social behaviour and shows no signs of doing so, though it is not necessarily an inevitable form of human behaviour and seems to have become ef ectively extinct in some parts of the world. Since the end of the cold war, the annual number of wars, the number of battle deaths, and the number of war-related massacres have all declined sharply compared with the cold war period. Between 1989 and 1992 nearly one hundred wars came to an end, and in terms of battle deaths, the 1990s were the least violent decade since the end of the Second World War (University of British Columbia, Human Security Center 2005: 17).Despite the overall decline in the incidence of war, however, in many regions it is very much present and is displaying some novel features in comparison to those typical of the cold war period. In the contemporary world there are powerful pressures producing changes to national economies and societies. Some of these can be seen to rel ect the impact of globalization, others are the result of the broader ef ects of post-modernity, but their cumulative ef ect has been to bring about signii cant political and social changes, which have in turn been rel ected in changed perceptions of the nature of threats coming from the external environment. is in turn has inl uenced beliefs regarding the utility of force as an instrument of policy, and the forms and functions of war. In the past two centuries, the ‘modern’ era of istory, war has traditionally been seen as a brutal form of politics, a way in which states sought to resolve certain issues in international relations, and an outcome of their willingness to amass military power for defence and deterrence, and to project it in support of their foreign and defence policies. e two ‘world w ars’ of the twentieth century typii ed this approach to the instrumentality of war. In the post-cold war period, the kinds of threats that have driven the accumulation of military power in the developed world have not taken the form of traditional state-to-state military rivalry, but have been a response to rather more amorphous and less predictable threats such as terrorism, insurgencies, and internal crises in other countries that seem to demand the projection of military force to resolve them.For some observers, the current era has seen a major evolution in the structure of international relations, with the dramatic political changes that followed the end of the cold war and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Changes in the international system on this scale are not common in history, and when they occur can be expected to have a major impact on the mechanisms by which the international system is governed.At the same time, and partly as a result of the evolution of the i nternational environment, changes are also occurring in the domestic attributes of many of the states that make up the international system. h ere has, for example, been a notable increase in the number of democratic political systems, but in the same period many other states have disintegrated into civil wars and insurgency. he identity of the key players in international relations has also changed since the end of the cold war. h e world has become temporarily subject to the hegemonic control of a single state,

Applied Definition: Virtue Ethics Essay

1. In what ways did the historical context from which virtue ethics emerged shape its basic principles? Presocratics, regarded as the first philosophers, brought the term logos to philosophy (literal translation: ‘word’; also denotes ‘logic’, ‘argument’, ‘reason’. Aristotle’s concept of Virtue Ethics regards humans as rational animals, implying that ‘logos’ is purely a human trait. Known as Plato’s most gifted student, Aristotle disagreed with his teacher’s view that the â€Å"essence of reality lies in some abstract world of Forms or Ideas† (Brannigan, 2005:60). Aristotle’s point of view directly contrasts his teacher’s, stating that the â€Å"source of meaning comes from concrete, physical reality† (Brannigan, 2005:60). This direct contrast with Plato leads to Aristotle opening his own school, which he called the Lyceum. Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics is his literary formation of his ethical theories. Aristotle believes that ethics originate from real world experiences, that there is not a set of rules to apply to life that will mold us into ethical beings, but rather the â€Å"individual exists in relationship with others† (Brannigan, 2005:61). Thus, ethics is based upon how the individuals relate to each other and the cultivation of good character. How do we cultivate good character? Aristotle states we must fulfill our human nature. He tells us that all things existing in nature have their own specific end purpose, which he refers to as telos (Greek term for specific end). For example, an apple seed’s telos would be to grow into an apple tree and produce apples. Aristotle tells us that only humans are capable of using logos as a form of thought, and that all humans are, by nature, rational animals. Therefore, the human’s end purpose is to â€Å"fulfill our human nature as rational animals by properly exercising our reason† and he also asserts that, â€Å"only in this way can we be genuinely happy† (Brannigan, 2005:62). Furthermore, Aristotle states that all humans have one end goal – eudaimonia (Greek for happiness), and that happiness is an â€Å"intrinsic good†. Intrinsic good means that we seek happiness for the sake of being happy, and we do not seek happiness to obtain something else. In contrast, instrumental good are steps we take to achieve this intrinsic and ultimate good of happiness. For example, students take college courses to fulfill a requirement, gain understanding, and so on. Regardless of the reason, ultimately students take courses to achieve something, with another goal in mind, thus making it an instrumental good. All goods are instrumental, except happiness. Human excellence and telos can be acquired, â€Å"only when we realize our true natures as rational animals, when we properly exercise our reason throughout our lives† (Brannigan, 2005:62). Aristotle terms human excellence with a new name – virtue; genuine happiness is to live virtuously, and only by living virtuously can we attain happiness, and living virtuously requires making a habit of practicing virtue to cultivate good character. Therefore only those with good character can be truly happy. To live virtuously, we must avoid extremes and maintain a balance, which Aristotle terms as the â€Å"golden mean†. The â€Å"golden mean† is the balance between the extremes, and we must use rational thinking and reasoning in a balanced fashion. He distinguished two types of virtues: intellectual and moral. Intellectual virtues require us to use out reason in two ways, one practical and one philosophical. First, â€Å"we reason in order to live practically in our day-to-day lives, which requires us to live sensibly through practical reason† (Brannigan, 2005:64), which Aristotle terms phronesis. Second, â€Å"we reason for the purpose of discovering higher truths†¦ so that we may contemplate higher, more theoretical truths and principles such as the idea of the Good† (Brannigan, 2005:64). Moral virtues (which Aristotle termed ethike) focus on our behavior and how we live our lives, and are the focus of Aristotle’s ethics. Aristotle’s belief was that moral virtues only came about with habitual practice, the Greek word for habit is ethos, which shows the link with ethics. In conclusion, a summary of Aristotle’s ethical beliefs: the goal/aim is to cultivate good character, which can be achieved only through habitual practice of virtue (intellectual and moral), which will create the condition of virtue, thus making us virtuous persons. Repeated actions lead to a condition, which makes an action distinct from a condition, therefore meaning one virtuous act does not make a person virtuous. Rather, acts of virtue must be an ethos(or habit), so that virtuous acts become a sort of second-nature. These repeated acts of virtuous ethos lead to the condition of virtue, and the condition of virtue = good character, and vice versa. Since acts of virtue are not acts of virtue unless logic, reason, and rationalization are utilized to find the â€Å"golden mean† between two possible extremes, one cannot achieve their telos and/or ultimately the condition of happiness, without finding balance in every decision that presents itself and then acting upon this balanced decision. This creates the assumption of a natural link between who we are and what we do, between being and doing. However, doing the right thing simply because you are following a rule or guideline does not make a virtuous person, thus placing the emphasis of Aristotle’s ethics on being rather than doing, meaning that an honest person will tell the truth because this person’s character/being is honest. The reverse of this would be a dishonest person will be dishonest, or a dishonest person will tell the truth because societal rules/guidelines say it’s the virtuous decision – either way, a dishonest person’s being and character is still dishonest, regardless of whether this person tells the truth or not – one act of virtue does not equal a virtuous person. â€Å"Virtue then is a state of deliberate moral purpose, consisting in a mean relative to ourselves, the mean being determined by reason, or as a prudent man would determine it. † (Brannigan, 2005:88) 2. What would virtue ethics suggest should be done in response to the dilemma of the school child who was made to turn his shirt inside out? Why? Virtue ethics really focuses on â€Å"the golden mean†, which is achieved through rational and logical thinking. By avoiding extremes habitually when making decisions, â€Å"the golden mean† can be achieved, leading to a virtuous person, and ultimately happiness and telos; this is the only way to truly achieve the ultimate goal of happiness and virtue. Blindly following rules, without rationalization and an effort to avoid extremes, does not make a virtuous person or achieve â€Å"the golden mean†. Thus, being virtuous leads to virtuous and ethical actions, but not vice versa. In the case of the principal, a virtue ethicist would argue that the principal was merely following a rule, therefore the action was not virtuous. However, the principal also exhibited balance between extremes, by making the child turn the shirt inside out behind a tree; the principal could have made an extreme choice by either ignoring the child’s shirt (and the rule in place) and letting him/her wear this shirt through the rest of the school day (deficit), or by sending the child home for the day (or longer) as punishment for wearing a shirt that breaks the dress code. When you look at the parents actions and choices from a virtue ethicist’s point of view, they have missed â€Å"the golden mean† when making decisions. In regards to the choice of dressing their child in a University of Michigan shirt, a virtue ethicist would state that this decision showed ignorance (since they were provided with a student handbook, which has dress code guidelines), but only if they neglected to read rules that they were provided with. If they simply weren’t provided with such rules, they still exhibited ignorance, but not because of being ignorant. If they read these rules and opted not to follow them because they did not agree, then they should be applauded for not blindly following rules for the sake of following them. However, the decision to send their child to school in a shirt that breaks the rules could be argued as a balanced decision. The deficit decision would be sending the child in all Oklahoma college apparel, just to stay within the guidelines; the extreme would be sending their child in a completed University of Michigan football uniform. It is clear that the parents miss finding the â€Å"golden mean† when deciding how to express their feelings about the rule, by going to the extreme and bringing it to the media’s attention (they could have met with school boards, or even the principal, to try to compromise). They also are on the extreme side of things when they accept gifts from the university (who surely appreciated the attention brought by the media). 3. Using your own personal ethical beliefs, in what ways do you agree or disagree with the decision and the reasoning used to reach the decision in the above question? I agree with the final statements brought out by taking a virtue ethical perspective, such as the principal making a balanced choice when taking action about the shirt, the parents possibly being ignorant of the rule through personal neglect or neglect from the school, and the choices the parents made following the shirt issue being extreme. However, I do not necessarily agree with how these outcomes were achieved through this view. First, I agree that there is a balance that needs to be achieved (or atleast attempted to be achieved) in most of the decisions and actions we make daily, but I do not thing that non-ethical choices and actions are made because the person’s â€Å"being† is bad. I feel like good people can and do make ignorant, unethical, or bad choices; vice versa being true as well. While I believe that being and doing definitely shape each other, I do not feel that one is formed ultimately by the other. As far as what I feel should have been done in this situation, I agree with the principal’s decision. Maybe the code needs refined a little, but your 5 year old having to turn his/her shirt inside out is a much better option than your 5 year old getting shot because the shirt holds a different meaning to a gang member. In class, it was argued that the University of Michigan’s logo held no meaning to the local gangs, but that does not eliminate the possibility of the logo being mistaken for something else, or even influencing a gang we don’t know about. The possibility that your child’s safety is in question should be plenty enough reason for the parents to, at the very least, complain to the school board instead of the media. The fact that the parents brought the media into the situation, I feel, decreases the credibility of their complaint, especially since they ultimately prospered from the incident and the resulting media attention (game tickets, university apparel, and so on). If the principal had ignored the shirt, let the child wear it throughout the day, and then the child became the victim of gang-related violence because of his shirt, I’m sure the parents would hold a different view-point about the rule – and still end up bringing the issue to the media’s attention.