Briefing note on philosophy article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Briefing note on philosophy article - Essay Example The concept of language ability isn’t realistically explainable in theory divorced from the full model of how the human function is organized. The full model of how the human function is organized is not realistic because we don’t have a clear picture of ourselves as a scientific definition. There are different ways of looking at a definition for natural kinds. In the scientific method, we’re searching for an understandable theory that explains who we are with the known design of the natural sciences. Natural theories focus more on the nature of the function and reasonable goals for that function as opposed to the actual achievement of function. Chomsky asserts that certain linguists postulate that when thinking of words, a picture associated with that word forms in the individual’s mind; however that doesn’t define the word as to meaning for that individual. He further asserts that language use is not able to be subjected to scientific definition or study, and neither can anything be learned from studying the functionality of the brain with regards to how it processes language concepts. Language use is thought to be part of our common sense understanding with a special place in helping to define human life and thought processes. Concrete objects are not subject to scientific theory, rather they have value dependent upon whatever value we give them. The scientific function of the mind acts to perform scientific theory similarly as the language function acts to acquire and use language; through sharpening the focus to enable complete understanding.

The Electronic Voting Technology Politics Essay

The Electronic Voting Technology Politics Essay Electronic voting (also known as e-voting) is a term encompassing several different types of voting, embracing both electronic means of casting a vote and electronic means of counting votes. An electronic voting (E-Voting) system is a voting system in which the election data is recorded, stored and processed primarily as digital information. Electronic voting technology can include remote internet voting system, optical scan voting systems and specialized voting kiosk [1]. Sanjay et al (May 2011) also define e-voting as any system where voters cast their vote using an electronic system instead of paper ballot. Sanjay further explained that this electronic vote which is stored digitally is transferred from voting system to a counting system [11]. E-Voting can be seen as a better form of voting as it eliminates several drawbacks in the traditional voting system. But Randolph C (2004) explain that even though e-voting system plays important part in the general election process, there are several other important factors that will contribute to the overall success of an election and this include processes, people and technology[17]. The current method of voting during general elections in Ghana is through paper base voting which comes with a lot of problems ranging from delay in voting resulting in long queues, spoilt votes due to wrong thumb-printing and delay in declaring results. Ghana has held eight (8) successful presidential elections after independence, but always issue of vote rigging and the credibility of the results becomes an issue[13][30]. These concerns arise from the fact that people dont have trust in the current paper base voting system. The current paper base system is perceived to give room for manipulation of votes by officials at various polling stations and also at the collation centers [13]. Also other issues faced with paper-based voting in Ghana are the perception of political opponents stuffing the ballot boxes with already voted ballot papers, and delay in counting after vote has ended. These concerns are the main initiator for the investigation into a possible electronic voting system implementation for subsequent elections in Ghana. Electronic voting if well designed and tested will try to alleviate these problems and perceptions, and reduce or do away completely with spoilt votes which in most cases, the percentage of spoilt ballot papers are more that the percentage received by some of the Presidential candidates[38]. E-Voting has been attracting a lot of interest in the country and has been a subject for discussion in various media during the past years. The interest of E-Voting is spreading across many sectors of the society, notably University and Polytechnic institutions where SRC elections are mostly conducted electronically through Electronic Voting System. As stated in Aviel D. Rubin February 27, 2004 report, elections allows the citizen to select their people who they deem fit to represent them. Naturally, the integrity of the election process is fundamental to the integrity of democracy itself. He further stated that any system that is design for election must be a system that can withstand any attack, and also must be a system which the voters can accept and the various candidates can accept the election results without any dispute [2]. But most often elections are being manipulated in order to influence their outcome. The design of a good voting system, whether electronic or using traditional paper ballots must satisfy a number of sometimes competing criteria. The anonymity of a voters ballot must be preserved, both to guarantee the voters safety when voting against a malevolent candidate, and to guarantee that voters have no evidence that proves which candidates received their votes. The voting system must also be tamper-resistant to prevent a wide range of attacks, including ballot stuffing by voters and incorrect tallying by insiders. The main aim of the research is to investigate and come out with the most feasible and acceptable electronic voting system and improve upon the current design for national elections in Ghana taking into consideration our current ICT infrastructural or ICT penetration in Ghana. Problem Statement Ghana Electoral Commission (EC) has conducted six (6) elections since the fourth republic, and in each of these instances we have been faced with challenges of bloated electoral register resulting into some voters voting more than once. There have been several reforms to ensure a credible voter register [3]. But after all these reforms multiple voting still exists. Secondly, our current paper base voting comes with several challenges which include the following: Delay in vote counting after vote has ended at polling stations Voters travelling long distance to polling stations to vote Low voter turnout as a result of voters queuing for long period at polling stations Multiple Voting Tampering of voting results High percentage of spoil ballot papers due to wrong thumb printing Overall cost of electoral materials (ballot boxes, ballot papers etc) The main focus of this research is to investigate and come out with suitable electronic voting system and improve upon the existing features for our national elections to curb these challenges. The research will investigate the suitability of remote electronic voting systems like internet voting and or voting electronically at various polling stations using a Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) something called a voting kiosk. Objective of the study The main objectives of this research is to investigate and discover the various methods of e-voting system that can be implemented for national elections, give a wide overview on the potential benefits and associated challenges in implementing Electronic Voting (E-Voting) in the Countrys general elections. The study has the following specific objectives: To identify the various e-voting system that will be feasible to implement for our national elections To find out which of these methods is more acceptable by the voting populace To improve upon the accepted e-voting system To examine the potential challenges that are likely to surface for each implementation Research Questions: What are various E-Voting Systems that can be implemented for National Elections? What will be the preferred e-voting methods for voters? What improvement or enhancement can be added to the preferred e-voting system? What are the potential benefits associated in implementing Electronic Voting (E-Voting) in the Countrys general elections? What are the associated challenges in implementing Electronic Voting (E-Voting) in the Countrys general elections? Significance of the study Implementing electronic voting system for national elections will reduce drastically the amount of resources we spent on manual voting systems [11]. It will also increase voter turnouts and delays in vote counting and declaration of results. It will also eliminate multiple voting and tampering of voting results. Voters will not have to travel a longer distance to a voting center to cast his/her vote; it will not require geographical proximity of the voters. Scope of the study This research is to investigate and improve on the current E-Voting systems that can be implemented for Ghana general elections, but considering the limited time and resources available I will focus on Internet Voting system and Direct Online Voting at polling Stations (Voting Kiosk). I intend to limit the scope of the research to the voters around the regional capitals only and Internet security expert and System Developers from Expresso Telecom Organization of the study The research work is organized into five (5) chapters. Chapter 1 discusses the introduction, the background of the study, problem statement, the objectives of the study, the significance, and scope of the study and the proposed methodology of the study. Chapter 2 of this thesis is a literature reviews some of the various methods of electronic voting techniques which have been used during elections around the world. The methods I employed to collect information about various e-voting systems are described in Chapter 3, and the results of this information collection and the responses to this survey which were received is presented in Chapter 4, analysis of the Case study is presented in Chapter 5 and the conclusions drawn from those results are summarized in Chapter 5.

The Public Choice Essays -- Education School Essays

The Public Choice For some parents, deciding on a school for their children can be a difficult decision. Many parents do not spend much time thinking about it; they place their children into the local school designated by where they live. Others attended a private school themselves and found that it was a beneficial experience and therefore want the same for their kids. But which is better: private schools or public schools? While there are many advantages and disadvantages in each (nothing is going to be absolutely perfect), we are going to focus on the benefits of an education in the public school system, or in other words, schools funded by the government that are for anyone to attend. An accurate definition found in the Encyclopedia of American Education (1996) states: â€Å"Any elementary or secondary school under control of elected or appointed civil authority, supported entirely by public tax monies, and, with few exceptions, open to all students in a designated district, free of any tuition charges.† (780) These include elementary, secondary schools and vocational schools. Public schools are a good choice in education because they provide a wide variety of subjects to study, are diverse in their student body, available to everyone, yet can sometimes be misunderstood. Imagine sitting in a class, completely bored out of your mind. This is not difficult considering everyone has taken a class like this somewhere along the road of their education. Not every class can be exciting and we should know that. Now imagine every class is of this level, with no â€Å"break†, or elective, classes incorporated into your day. Although this may not apply to all private schools, there are many that focus on specific topics. So even though the... ...des. Students who do well in a public school setting tend to feel better about themselves. They succeed because they want to, not because someone else forced them to. Whether someone prefers a public school or a private school, it all depends on the person. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to appreciate all that public schools have to offer because they get their vision blurred by all the benefits of private schools. The only thing holding them back may be cost. If these people would just take some time to find that there are just as many wonderful things about the schools our governments provide, they may feel more confident in their choice. Those never exposed to anything but private education miss out on the diversity among students, extra vocational and extracurricular classes, and may even continue to not understand all that public schools have to offer.

The African Diaspora

The term Diaspora means the dispersion of people from their original homeland. The term African Diaspora refers to the dispersion of the African people across the world throughout the human history. This is a complex process created by the movements and mobility of African people across the globe. The presence of the black people in the Americas, Asia and Europe is the result of African Diaspora. This paper will discuss the African Diaspora and in context of the modern era with a brief account of its history. African Diaspora Historically:The African Diaspora is not a phenomenon of the Middle Ages when the Western nations enslaved millions of Africans and transported them to the Caribbean, Americas. During the post Christian era the African continent has been a center of a glorious civilization. During the Islamic rule the Africans prospered and at that time invaded the Iberian Peninsula along the Arabs. This amalgamation of Afro-Arabic culture created the glorious Moorish civilizati on in the Iberian Peninsula which lasted until the 15th Century A.D.Many Africans settled across the Asian continent during this period of Islamic rule because of near absence of racial discrimination in the Islamic society. That’s why many people of African origin are still seen in Arabia, Yemen, Iraq, Indian Subcontinent and other predominantly Muslim areas. In the middle of the 15th Century the western explorers discovered new lands and continents in the Western Hemisphere. These discoveries unveiled potentials of riches and wealth by plantation in the Americas and Caribbean.To fulfill the needs of these Plantations the Western nations looked towards the African Continent. From this age nearly 11 million taken to the New World, 8 Million to the European Countries while 4 million were transported to the plantations in the Indian Ocean. (Larson, 1999) This was largest forced migration and dispersion of the people of African ancestry in the history and shaped the African Dias pora of modern times. African Diaspora in Modern Age: In the 21st Century both the people living inside the African continent and outside it are sustaining harsh and adverse conditions.People in the African continent are torn by Civil Wars, famine, poverty, fallacies of the leadership and the worst AIDs epidemic. Africans have the largest infant and maternal mortality rate in the world as well as the lowest life expectancy in the world. Most of the Africans are deprived of education, medication and other primary needs. The conditions of the Africans living abroad are also not that favorable. The largest group of people of African ancestry living outside the home continent is Afro-Brazilians.The situation of Afro-Brazilians is no better than their brethren living in Africa. Officially they constitute 45% of the population of Brazil but their contribution in education, business, military and legislation in nothing compared to their population ratio. Whites are dominant in every profit able sector and white collar jobs are only secured for Whites. Blacks living in cities are forced to live in segregated suburbs, where there are no modern municipal facilities provided.Other countries with prominent black populations are the United States and Canada (Combine population 4 million), Caribbean 15 million, France 2 million, U. K. 1. 6 million. (African Diaspora) Conclusion: The African Diaspora in the modern era despite all the slogans of racial equality has been deliberately deprived of all the rights and facilities enjoyed by the developed nations. If the developed nations didn’t take serious measures to cure the deteriorating situation of the African people things will go beyond control.

Desperate remedies Essay

They say, desperate situations need desperate remedies. The leaders of the feminist movement think on these lines. Several feminist groups sprouted all over the world, and used the word equality like a fighting soldier uses the sword. 70s and 80s saw this kind of upheaval in the society. In countries like USA, it appeared as though every household had a spokesperson for the cause of women. Atwood was a prominent part of this movement. Being a hardcore individualist, she did not join any group, but remained as the one-woman army. In USA, Feminist movements advanced like waters during the high tide, but all of a sudden, they met with several roadblocks like, the defeat of the Equal Rights Amendment, the election of Ronald Reagan as President, the assertion of religious rights etc. The fear of possible defeat in their cherished objectives alarmed the leaders of the feminist movement and the specter of the dawn of a new era of victimization seemed to be on the cards. Next, utter confusion prevailed among the feminist groups with regard to sexuality and pornography. The most forward thinking of the women said everything was fair, others cried a halt to such demeaning trends. Serious disagreements among the votaries of the common cause surfaced New alignments took shape like the one between the anti-porn zealots and the religious groups. The issue of protection of â€Å"good† women surfaced. Islamic women had heir own problems with the outward show of body curves. Many women reacted with repulsion for the writings and descriptions in Atwood’s novel. Satire is the strong point of the novel, but it carries the bitter taste with it. It hurts and wounds. This approach makes you condemn her, and she fails to win appreciation of many. Her biblical references look as if the Satan is quoting the Bible. Yet, the cause of women is dear to her and she pricks and penetrates the hearts of the readers, both men and women, in style. One feels extremely sorry for the characters she has created, the psychological labyrinth she has weaved, and the way she has depicted how two women are happy for a wrong cause. In patriarchal Hebrew era, it is the accepted social norm for a man to have sex and produce children by his slave servants, more so when his wife is infertile†¦and how a infertile woman embraces the fertile maidservant as she gives birth, with the bonus of legal transfer of rights on the baby to the woman who can not conceive. The establishment of a totalitarian theocratic state, the rigid dress codes for women, the themes of women subjugation and the related descriptions kindle the fire of revenge in women to raise the voice and fight against the tyrannical social norms. The hostility Atwood faces is not for the basic cause for which she fights, but for the anti-religious content and sexual references. The story is told from the viewpoint of Offred, a Handmaid. She is a patronymic which describes her unique and rigid functions in the Republic of Gilead. As one reads the entire story, even in the wildest imagination one feels that the sequence of events detailed and described can not be true. But Atwood has succeeded in her basic objective. To make women hate the society for which the rules are drafted by men, how men protect their dominant interests- and sex is the most dominant of them. To protect the interest, rules are framed, reframed, twisted and violated, all by men without any consideration for the feelings of women. The Handmaid in the novel with whom she is ordered to have sex, must be thinking to murder him, as he does the sexual act in the most inhuman and debasing manner like a robot. She has none to defend her and can not utter a word of protest. This is worst than hanging an innocent individual without trial, just because the King wishes so. The legal wife supports and co-operates in the act. Does she also do it willingly and with happiness? Some brutal force and the set of rigid rules of governing the society must be guiding her actions as well. She too is a helpless victim, though the privileged one. Look at the way how Offred describes the ceremony relating to producing the desired child. â€Å"My red skirt is hitched up to my waist though no higher. Below it the Commander is fucking. What he is fucking is the lower part of my body. I do not say making love, because this is not what he’s doing. Copulating too would be inaccurate, because it would imply two people and only one is involved. Nor does rape cover it: nothing is going on here that I haven’t signed up for. † (Atwood, pg. 116) The height of perversion goes to such an extent that once a Handmaid is pregnant, she is venerated by her peers and by the Wives. After her baby is born, it is given to the Wife of her Commander, and she is reassigned to another household. The plight of the women is more critical than the characters in George Orwell’s â€Å"Animal Farm. †