Philosophy Paper Essay Example for Free

Philosophy Paper Essay One of the most heated debates that troubled the church in the Middle Ages was the question of universals. This question goes back as far as Plato’s Forms. It has to do with the relationship between the abstract and general concepts that we have in our minds (what is the relationship between Chair with a capitol â€Å"C† and chair with a small â€Å"c†? ). And from this, two radical viewpoints emerged, realists and the nominalists. The realists followed Plato in insisting that each universal is an entity in its own right, and exists independently of the individual things that happen to participate in it. An extreme form of realism flourished in the church from the ninth to the twelfth centuries. Among its advocates were John Scotus, Erigena, Anselm and William of Champeaux. On the opposite side were the nominalists and they held that universals were just names, and therefore, have no objective status apart from that which is fabricated in the mind. Nominalists, such as Gabriel Biel and William of Occam (see O section), said that the individual is the only existing substance. Unfortunately, their treatment of nominalism removed religion almost entirely from the area of reason and made it a matter of faith beyond the comprehension of reason. 1 And here lies the significance of the French theologian Peter Abelard (1079-1142). Between the two extremes, Peter Abelard proposed a more moderate form of nominalism. Though critical of the idea of the separate existence of universals, he nevertheless believed that resemblances among particular things justified the use of universals for establishing knowledge. More specifically, Abelard proposed that we ground the similarities among individual things without reifying their universal features, by predicating general terms in conformity with concepts abstracted from experience. This resolution (which would later come to be known as conceptualism) of the traditional problem of universals gained wide acceptance for several centuries, until doubts about the objectivity and reality of such mental entities as concepts came under serious question. Thomas Aquinas favored a moderate realism which rejected the view that universals exist apart from individual entities in favor of the view that they do indeed exist, but only in actual entities. 2 Anaximander (Milesian School): Anaximander (610-547/6 B. C. ) was one of the three key figures that comprised the Milesian School (the three prominent figures associated with the Milesian School is Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes). Together, they worked on problems concerning the nature of matter and the nature of change, and they each proposed a different material as the primary principal. 3 Anaximander seemed to be quite modern in his view of reality. He believed that the world was cylindrical like a drum, and that the earth rested on nothing. He also invented an undefined non-substance, called the apeiron, a neutral, indeterminate stuff that was infinite in amount. Anaximenes (Milesian School): Anaximenes (546 B. C. ), the other member of the Milesian School, returned back to the idea that everything derives from a single substance, but suggested that substance was air. Though it is likely his choice was motivated by wanting to maintain a balance between the two views of his predecessors, Anaximenes did provide solid grounds for his choosing; first, air, has the advantage of not being restricted to a specific and defined nature as water, and therefore more capable of transforming itself into the great variety of objects around us. Second, air is a more likely source of this variety than Anaximander’s apeiron which seems too empty and vacuous a stuff to be capable of giving rise to such a variety and profusion. 4 Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury: In (452 A. D. ), twenty-two years after Augustine’s death, Rome fell, bringing on a period of conquest and chaos, and degree of order was ultimately realized through the emergence of feudalism. The church, which had managed to survive the social and political upheaval, gradually assumed responsibilities that previously had been relegated to the civil government. This involvement in government led in turn to the secularization of the church. Bishops became ministers of the state, and church dignitaries became warriors. In the tenth and eleventh centuries, many within the church were so involved with the secular world that a movement led to the emergence of the monastic life as a force within the church. Those who wanted to escape the temptations of the secular world and pursue holiness were naturally drawn to the monasteries and among those who followed was Anselm (1033-1109), the archbishop of Canterbury. The greatest Christian thinker between Augustine and Thomas Aquinas was Anselm (1033-1109). He was born to a wealthy family in northern Italy, whom, to their disappointment, left home in (1056) to fully dedicate his life to God. Following a period of travel, he arrived at the Norman Abbey at Bec, where he took his monastic vows in (1060). Within a few years, he became prior of the abbey, abbot in (1078), and then archbishop in (1093), which he held until his death. His writings range from treatises on logic to an explanation of the divine inner logic of the atonement in Cur deus homo. Anselm stood in the tradition of Augustine and Platonic realism. 5 Following the tradition of Augustine, he held that faith precedes and leads to understanding, and, like many other medieval thinkers he drew no sharp distinction between philosophy and theology. In his famous ontological argument for the existence of God, Anselm presents a defense based on the fact that it is self-contradictory to deny that there exists a greatest possible being. 6 He claims that the more universality, the more reality. And from here it follows that if God is the most universal being, he is also the most real; if He is the absolutely universal being, he is also the absolutely real being, ens realissimum. He has, therefore, according to the conception of Him, not only the comparatively greatest reality, but also the absolute reality. A reality in which no greater can be thought. 7 Aquinas, Thomas: By common consent the greatest philosophical theologian of the Middle Ages was Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274). Everything about him was big. In his later years his voluminous writings, massive in scope, won him the title of the Angelic Doctor. His life was dedicated to the intellectual defense and propagation of the faith, as he understood it. It was during his teaching career (1252) in Paris that Aquinas, being drawn into the critical debates of his day, started battling the objections posed against Aristotelianism and its place in the university. By this time, Plato was known only through the imperfect translations of the Timaeus, the Phaedo, and the Meno. Islamic Jewish thinkers were much better acquainted with Aristotle, and for nearly two centuries they had been wrestling with questions posed by Aristotelianism to religious faith. For Aquinas and his Christian contemporaries the issue was doubly acute. On the one hand, there were questions posed by Aristotle’s way of thinking. On the other hand, there were the answers already given by Islamic and Jewish scholars which were hardly acceptable to a Christian thinker. Aquinas decided to face the problem head on. He made his own study of Aristotle, on whom he wrote extensively. He also made his own study of non-Christian thinkers. He subjected all ideas to rigorous scrutiny, giving due recognition to the truth of ideas, wherever they came from, but giving his own evaluation of every issue, point by point. In all, Aquinas produced about a hundred different writings. His work ranged from philosophical commentaries to hymns. 8 Aquinas’ main works are two massive Summae or compends of theology and philosophy. The Summa contra Gentiles was designed as a textbook for missionaries, and the Summa Theologiae has been described as the highest achievement of medieval theological systematization and is still the accepted basis of modern Reformed theology. In Aquinas’ proofs (what later came to be known as the Cosmological and Teleological arguments), certain facts about nature are compelling evidences of God’s existence. He argues, accordingly, that nothing can adequately account for the fact of motion or change. Rejecting the idea that change or motion is simply an ultimate, mysterious fact of nature neither requiring nor permitting any explanation except God, its Unmoved Prime Mover. Furthermore, in his five arguments, Aquinas suggests that the Christian belief in God is completely consistent with the world as we know it. Aquinas’ arguments, known also as the Five Ways are sometimes referred to as the proofs of the existence of God. But this is not necessarily correct because Aquinas did not try to prove the existence of God by rational argument, but to provide a rational defense for an already existing faith in God. His primary reason for believing in the existence in God is God’s revelation of Himself. Aquinas expects his readers to share the same faith. He does not expect that he will have to prove anything to them first. This point is important because many critics accuse believers of grounding their faith in outdated arguments, such as Thomas Aquinas. It is proper, therefore, to respond to such criticisms by pointing out that they are based on a superficial reading and on a serious misunderstanding of how individuals come to faith. 9 The basic principal guiding Aquinas throughout the Five Proofs is the principal of analogy, which holds the world as we know it mirrors God, its creator. The structure of each of Aquinas’ proofs is quite similar. Each depends on tracing a casual sequence back to its ultimate origin and identifying this ultimate origin with God. The first begins with the observation that things in the world are in motion or change. Second is the concept of causation. The third concerns the existence of contingent beings. The fourth deals with human values, and lastly, is the teleological argument, in which Aquinas explains how the world shows clear traces of intelligent design. Natural processes and objects seem to be adapted with certain definite objectives in mind. They seem to have purpose. They seem to have been designed. Arguing from this observation, Aquinas concludes that it is rational to believe in God. 10 Aristotle: Aristotle’s thought, like his mentor Plato, embodied the concept of arete, which taught that human excellence in all things was an important goal that should direct human purposes. For Aristotle, that excellence ideally exemplified the defining quality of human nature, the pursuit of reason. Attracted by science and believing that the universe could be explained, Aristotle greatly valued the work of Thales of Miletus, and accepted his concept that the physical universe operated rationally and in a way that was knowable to human beings. From Anaximander, Aristotle took the view that a balance of force existed in nature that made things what they were. Aristotle was also knowledgeable about the atomic theory of Parmenides and was intrigued by the question of what was stable and what was changing. Indeed, these Greek scientists had a significant influence on Aristotle’s intellectual search to examine and explain reality. 11 For Aristotle, the world in which we live is the world that we experience through our senses. Unlike those who followed Plato, Aristotle believed that we live in an objective order of reality, a world of objects that exist external to us and our knowing of them. Through our senses and our reason, human beings can come to know these objects and develop generalizations about their structure and function. Truth is a correspondence between the person’s mind and external reality. Theoretical knowledge based on human observation is the best guide to human behavior. And, while human beings have various careers, they all share the most important factor, the exercise of rationality. Reason gives human beings the potentiality of leading lives that are self-determined. Congruent with his metaphysical and epistemological perspective, Aristotle’s ethical theory portrays the good life as that of happiness (eudaimonia). He believed that the ultimate good for the human being was happiness, activity in accordance to virtue. The virtuous life is one in which actions are part of a consciously formulated plan that takes a mean, a middle ground course, avoiding extremes. 12 For example, true courage would be the choice that avoids the extremes of cowardice and rashness. And what decides the right course to take is the virtue of prudence (phronesis). Good is the aim of every action but, given the fact that goods can be ordered in relation to one another, there must be a highest good to which practical wisdom directs us. And if the possession of any good is what makes us happy to some extent, the possession of the highest good is the highest happiness, the ultimate goal of all our actions. 13 At this point, it is difficult to resist the thought that Aristotle’s notion of the intellectual life being the gateway to happiness and virtue is not an shallow one. But, though there are some elements in his presentation that are unclear, this much is clear; that this happiness, which is the possession of the good, is ultimately an act of contemplation, or of  beholding, the good. But to contemplate the good is to enter into union with it. Therefore, if contemplating on god means entering into union with the life of the gods, this is the highest activity of man and his ultimate happiness. The conclusion of the Ethics is one with the Metaphysics, in which the â€Å"divine element† in a man coincides with the â€Å"possession† of god by an act of thought, called contemplation, which is the â€Å"most pleasant and best† we can perform. In Eudemian Ethics, Aristotle says, What choice, then, or possession of the natural goods – whether bodily goods, wealth, friends, or other things – will most produce the contemplation of God, that choice or possession is best; this is the noblest standard, but any that through deficiency or excess hinders one from the contemplation and service of God is bad; this man possess in his soul, and this is the best standard for the soul. 14 With statements like this one can’t help but wonder what Aristotle’s response would have been if he would have had the opportunity to serve the one true God, who is worthy of such adoration and praise. What’s more, Aristotle categorized virtues as either moral or intellectual. Moral virtue, though not easy to define, is a habit by which the individual exercises a prudent choice, one that a rational person would make. Moral virtues tend to moderation, falling between excess and inhibition. They focus on the concrete actions a person performs and the measured sense he has regarding them: â€Å"to feel them at the right times, with reference to the right objects, towards the right people, with the right motive, and in the right way. † A good action thus exhibits due proportion, neither excessive nor defective, but midway between them. This is Aristotle’s doctrine of the mean. Peculiarly, a virtuous action is one that lies between too much and too little. To give another example, in regard to the feeling of shame, modesty is the mean between bashfulness and shamelessness. Not every virtue, however, is a mean, and so not every action is to be measured in this way. Nonetheless, every action should and can at least be measured in its rightness by the virtue of prudence or, in a larger sense, by â€Å"practical wisdom. †15. Furthermore, one of Aristotle’s most significant contributions to the Western world is his Poetics. His earlier works, Physics and Metaphysics contain important statements about art and nature, and Rhetoric, written after Poetics, distinguishes rhetoric as a practical art and has had a strong influence on literary criticism. His Poetics, nonetheless, is particularly important because Aristotle is addressing Plato’s doctrines on ideas and forms he came to disagree with. In Poetics, it was Aristotle’s intention to classify and categorize systematically the kinds of literary art, beginning with epic and tragic drama. Unfortunately, not all of the poetics survived, and it breaks off before the discussion of comedy. Nonetheless, our sense of Aristotle’s method is established. He is the first critic to attempt a systematic discourse of literary genres. 16 Augustine (Saint), of Hippo: One of the greatest thinkers of not only the early church, but of all time is Augustine of Hippo (354-430 A. D. ). His writings laid the foundation not only for Western theology but for later philosophy as well. His three books On Free Will (388-395), set out a doctrine of creation, evil and the human will which was a superior alternative to the type of thinking that had attracted so many to Gnosticism and Manichaean dualism. His response to the Donatist schism in the church set the pattern for the Western doctrine of the church. His writings on the subject of Pelagianism clarified, as no one before him and few after him, the crucial issues in the question of grace and free will. His major theological writings include On the Trinity (399-419), which presented better models for thinking about the Trinity than those of the Greek fathers. Augustine’s book On the City of God (413-416) was a reply to those who blame the church for the fall of Rome, in which it gave both a panoramic view of history and a theology of history in terms of the basic conflict between the divine society and the earthly society. 17 Interestingly, Augustine put forth a theory of time that Bertrand Russell would later pronounce superior to earlier views and much better than the subjective theory of Kant. Augustine’s account of how we can learn language provided Wittgenstein’s starting point for his Philosophical Investigations. In answering skepticism Augustine put forth an argument which anticipated Descartes’ cognito ergo sum without falling into the pitfalls commonly associated with the argument. Furthermore, Augustine believed that philosophical reflection may correct mistaken notions, lead to a grasp of truth, and serve to clarify belief. But rational reflection is not a substitute for the beatific vision of God. For it is the apprehension of God alone which transforms human life and alone satisfies our deepest needs. Though Augustine was deeply influenced by Platonism and Neoplatonism, he never was simply a Platonist. His view of the soul stands in the Platonic tradition, but he repudiated the doctrines of pre-existence and transmigration. Augustine’s view of the transcendent spiritual reality might also be said to have affinities with Plato, but Augustines approach was not an attempt to erect an edifice of Christian theology on either Platonic or Neoplatonic foundations. Rather, it was to state the Christian worldview in a theological and philosophical system that cohered as a unified whole. 18 (B) (back to top) Bentham, Jeremy: In nineteenth century Victorian England two contrasting systems were developed by Jeremy Bentham and Herbert Spencer. Utilitarians Bentham and John Stuart Mill applied naturalistic presuppositions in their worldview. Herbert Spencer applied the concept of evolution. And Ernest Mach prepared the way for logical positivism in his strongly anti-metaphysical scientific approach. The antithesis of the Kantian ideal is utilitarianism, an ethical theory founded by Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832). Bentham was a hedonist. Taking the good to be pleasure, Bentham proposed a new model for morality in his principal of utility, which holds that â€Å"Actions are right in proportion to the amount of happiness it brings; wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. 19 Utilitarianism is a form of consequentialism. The ends justify the means since actions are judged on the results they bring, not on the person’s intentions or motives. For Kant, the end result was not important in determining the rightness of an action, rather, it was motive. 20 In its simplest form utilitarianism teaches that the right action is the one that promotes the greatest happiness. Modern utilitarianism dates from Thomas Hobbes in the seventeenth century, but its antecedents date as far back as (341-270 B. C. ) to the philosophy of Epicurus of Samos. The theory of utilitarianism actually held little influence until John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) who popularized the term and produced the classical Victorian exposition of the doctrine. Mill used the principal of utility to critique all social, political, and religious institutions. Anything that did not promote the greatest happiness of the greatest number was to be challenged and reformed. For this reason social and religious institutions that curtail individual liberty should be reformed. This is necessary, argued Mill, in order for freedom of belief, association and expression to be safeguarded. 21. Different conceptions of happiness separated Mill’s version â€Å"Better a Socrates dissatisfied than a pig satisfied,† which recognized qualitative differences between different kinds of pleasure, from Bentham’s forthright attempt to reduce all questions of happiness to the mere presence of pleasure or pain. Bentham’s version aims to render the basic concepts of ethics susceptible of comparison and measurement, but this was not the goal in Mill’s presentation of the system. 22 A hedonistic utilitarian like Bentham would say that the sole consideration is the quantity of pleasure that an action produces. A problem with this approach, however, (as if it wasn’t obvious) is that it draws no distinction in principal between an evening spent at the bars or one spent having quality time with your spouse. It all depends upon the tastes of the person. Berkley, George: George Berkeley (Irish, 1685-1753) was one of the three greatest British empiricists of the eighteenth century (Locke and Hume being the other two). Though his father was an Englishman, Berkley always considered himself Irish. He was an early subjectivist idealist philosopher, who argued that all qualities of objects exist only in the mind of the perceiver. His famous theory is often summarized, esse est percipi, â€Å"to be is to be perceived,† and is still important to modern apologetics (due to the method he used in demonstrating the necessity of an eternal Perceiver). Berkley’s argument was that the phenomena of visual sensation can all be explained without presupposing the reality of the external material substances. Interestingly, Berkley was also a bishop of an Anglican church, and was the only important philosopher to visit America before 1900. He came hoping to start a missionary training college for evangelizing to the Indian tribes of New England. 23 Berkley disagreed with Locke in that there is a material substance lying behind and supporting perceptions. He also disagreed with his treatment of the representative theory of perception, that material objects are perceived mediately by means of ideas, and the mind does not perceive the material object directly, but only through the medium of the ideas formed by the senses and reflection on them. â€Å"If we know only our ideas,† reasoned Berkeley â€Å"then we can never be sure whether any of them are really like the material qualities of objects, since we can never compare the ideas with them. † For that reason, he denied the ultimate existence of material substance believing that the Spirit is the only metaphysical reality. 24 (D) (back to top) Derrida, Jacques: Jacques Derrida (1930-2004) was a French literary critic and founder of the school called deconstructionism. His (1966) lecture Structure, Sign, and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences delivered at Johns Hopkins University, played a significant role in ushering American critics into the era of poststructuralism. Particular influences on his thought include Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Freud. He wrote prolifically, and had a great influence on not only literary criticism but in sociology, linguistics, and psychology as well. Derrida regarded philosophical and literary texts as already containing the seeds of their own deconstruction. This means that in any work the author unwittingly includes contradictions, blind spots, and unjustified assumptions. The main purpose and task of the deconstructionist, according to Derrida, is to simply bring these contradictions to the surface. 25 Beginning in the Victorian Age, a paradigm shift slowly spread throughout Europe that set the groundwork for modern theory. Unlike the revolutionary movements of the Renaissance and Romanticism, which were in part reactionary, this paradigm shift that marked a radical break from the past had little precedent. Nonetheless, it marked a rejection of long-held metaphysical and aesthetic beliefs that most theorists from Plato to Coleridge took for granted. Until the modern period, most of the great Western philosophers have been logocentric in their thinking, and Derrida is one of the ones responsible for this definite break from the past, bringing forth the notion that meaning is never fixed. Dr. Louis Markos, a Christian Professor at Houston Baptist University, made some interesting comments on Derrida in one of his lectures on deconstructionism. He said that Derrida reads the history of Western metaphysics as a continual search for a logos or original presence. This logos is sought because it promises to give meaning and purpose to all things, to act as a universal center. Behind this search is a desire for a higher reality (or full presence). Western philosophy since Plato has simply renamed this presence and shifted this center without breaking from its centering impulse. Even Saussure’s structuralism sought a center, and though he broke from the old metaphysic, he still used its terminology and binaries. Furthermore, Derrida deconstructs all attempts to posit a center or to establish a system of binaries. Instead, he puts in their place a â€Å"full free play of meaning. †26 Democritus (see Leucippus): Descartes, Rene: The first great continental rationalist27 was Rene’ Descartes (Frenchman, 1596-1650). For it was he who defined the terms and laid down the agenda for the continental rationalist school of thought. But in a sense, the world that Descartes produced, by the exercise of pure reason, was a fairly straight forward affair – Descartes does preserve â€Å"the self† in a recognizable form, as well as both â€Å"God† (even though it is not a terribly human sort of God) and the material world in a broadly speaking recognizable form (even though it might be a material world deprived of some of its more vivid and colorful attributes). Nevertheless, the worlds created by the application of the procedure of rationalism start from some self-evident propositions (like Euclid’s geometry) and then carry out processes of absolute, straight forward deduction from these self-evident propositions and what that led to in the case of Spinoza and Leibniz is something very far removed in both of them from the ordinary understanding of the world. To some extant, Descartes, by comparison with them, is in the business of saving the appearances. Whereas both Spinoza and Leibniz say that what the world is really like is very different from what it appears to the ordinary person to be. Nonetheless, there is still in both cases (Descartes and Spinoza and Leibniz) an underlying reality that philosophy can tell us something about reality even if common observation cannot. 28 His two chief philosophical works were Discourse on Method (1637) and his Meditations (1641). His ideal and method were modeled on mathematics. He is sometimes portrayed as the first modern philosopher due to his break with the traditional Scholastic-Aristotelian philosophy and for introducing a new mechanistic science. 29 In refurbishing the medieval proofs for the existence of God he was drawing upon the legacy of the Middle Ages. Like the Medieval philosophers, he was interested in metaphysics, and to the end of his life, Descartes remained a nominal Catholic. But there is a sense in which Descartes represents a new departure. Descartes (so it seems) was interested in God not for his own sake, but the world’s. God is invoked as a kind of dues ex machine to guarantee the validity of our thoughts about the world. 30 Nonetheless, Descartes takes his place as a Christian thinker by resting cognitive truth on the personal truth of God, and laying the blame for error not on God but on the exercise of the human will. Descartes successors eventually lost their reliance for truth. George Berkeley retains it by tracing directly to God all the ideas we receive from outside the mind and Leibniz by making each mind mirror eternal truths in the mind of God. But many Enlightenment thinkers, and many empiricists today who share some of Descartes’ rational ideals or the correspondence theory of truth, talk to truth independently of God as if it were a self-sustaining ideal and as if human reason were a purely objective and impersonal activity. Descartes’ failure was not in the relation he saw of truth to God, but in the lack of relation he saw between man’s rational capacity for knowing truth and his personality as a whole. 31 (F) (back to top) Fibonacci: His real name was Leonardo Pisano (Italian, 1170-1250) but he is better known by his nickname â€Å"Fibonacci† (filius Bonacci), which means â€Å"son of Bonacci. † A striking example of Fibonaccis genius is his observation that the classification of irrationals given by Euclid in Book X of the Elements did not include all irrationals. Fibonacci is probably best known for his â€Å"rabbit problem. † Leonardo Fibonacci began the study of this sequence by posing the following problem in his book, Liber Abaci, â€Å"How many pairs of rabbits will be produced in a year, beginning with a single pair? †32 The analogy that starts with one pair of rabbits who give birth to a new pair from the first month on, and every succeeding pair gives birth to a new pair in the second month after their birth. Fibonacci shows that this leads to the sequences 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, and so on. As one can see, each term is the sum of the two previous terms. For example, 2 + 3 = 5 and 3 + 5 = 8, and the farther and farther you go to the right of this sequence, the ratio of a term to the one before it will get closer and closer to the Golden Ratio. Additionally, this same principal also applies to that of the Golden rectangle. The connection between the Golden Ratio and the Fibonacci series is fascinating, and is very simple to understand. If you take a Golden Rectangle, and cut off a square with side lengths equal to the length shorter to the rectangle side, then what remains is another Golden Rectangle. This could go on forever. You can just keep cutting off these big squares and getting smaller and smaller Golden Rectangles. Consequently, the idea with the Fibonacci series is to do the same thing in reverse. You start with a square (1 by 1), find the longer side, and then add a square of that size to the whole thing to form a new rectangle. Therefore, when we start with a (1 by 1) square the longest side is one, so we add another square to it. As a result, we have accumulated a (2 by 1) rectangle. Then the longest side is 2, so we connect a (2 by 2) square to our (2 by 1) rectangle to get a (3 by 2) rectangle. As this continues, the sides of the rectangle will always be a successive Fibonacci number, and eventually the rectangle will be very close to a Golden Rectangle. To translate in more illustrative terms, the ratio of two successive numbers in the Fibonacci series, as aforementioned, if divided by each number before it, will result in the following series of numbers; 1/1 = 1, 2/1 = 2, 3/2 = 1. 5, 5/3 = 1. 666, 8/5 = 1. 6, 13/8 = 1. 625, 21/13 = 1. 61538. The ratio that is settling down to a particular value is the golden ratio or the golden number, which has a value of approximately 1. 618034. 33 Fichte, Johann Gottlieb: Johann Gottlieb Fichte (German, 1762-1814) was one of the major figures in German philosophy in between Kant and Hegel. He was regarded as one of Kant’s most talented philosophers, but later developed a system of his own transcendental philosophy called the Wissenschaftslehre. Fichte had immense influence on his contemporaries, especially during his professorship at the University of Jenna, a position he held for five years (1794-1799) before taking up a profes.

Examine The Legality Of Military Humanitarian Intervention International Law Essay

Examine The Legality Of Military Humanitarian Intervention International Law Essay The general prohibition on the use of force contained in Article 2(4)  [1]  of the UN Charter forms a cornerstone of public international law. That prohibition is subject to a very narrow category of exceptions, all of which arise from the right to self-defence codified in Article 51 of the UN Charter.  [2]  A more controversial exception to the use of force that has been claimed to arise as a rule of customary international law is that of humanitarian intervention. This essay looks at the arguments in support of the proposition that humanitarian intervention is now established in international law as a lawful exception to the general prohibition on the use of force and assertions against such a proposition. The theoretical debate Ever since the question of the legality of humanitarian intervention first arose, there has been both vocal support and opposition to it. Lauterpacht famously put forward the rationale behind humanitarian intervention. He stated that one had to go back to the purpose of the general prohibition on the use of force, and that was to ensure peace. He considered that ultimately, peace is more endangered by tyrannical contempt for human rights than by attempts to assert, through intervention, the sanctity of human personality.  [3]  He thus considered that humanitarian intervention was justified if a state committed atrocities against its citizens in such a way and to such a degree that it interfered with those citizens fundamental human rights. However, it has always been appreciated that there are problems with the very idea that a state would expend its own resources and risk its own security simply for the good of the citizens of another state. Such a view might be considered to be cynical, but there is no doubt that history has shown that whenever humanitarian intervention is claimed as the legal basis for military force in another country, it is mixed with other reasons why a state would military intervene in another state.  [4]  Furthermore, humanitarian intervention is often put forward as a basis for legality of force without the citizens of the state who have suffered the intervention asking for such intervention to take place.  [5]  One can therefore question the theoretical underpinnings of such intervention. This problem is only exacerbated when one considers that humanitarian intervention is intervention that is undertaken by states on a unilateral basis outside of the precepts of the Security Council. The purpose of setting up the United Nations and the Security Council was to provide for peace throughout the world and engage in military intervention when required, as authorised by the Security Council. The Security Council is thus authorised with powers under Chapter VII of the UN Charter that allows it to authorise military use of force in another country. In doing so, the Security Council is able to take into account the fact that a particular country is facing human rights violations at the hands of its government and/or leaders.  [6]  Thus for example, in 1991, when the oppressive government of Iraq being led by Saddam Hussein took disproportionate military action to repress the Iraqi civilian population, the Security Council passed Resolution 668 under Chapter 7 of the UN Cha rter demanding of Iraq to immediately end the repression and insist that it allowed access to international humanitarian organisations to enter Iraq.  [7]   Any force authorised by the Security Council may be politically contentious, but there is no doubt that it would be lawful under the rules of force in international law. Given that there is such a power in the Security Council, one would question why there was a need for humanitarian intervention.  [8]  Indeed, providing that there is a right for humanitarian intervention available to states that can be exercised independently of the UN and the Security Council would greatly undermine the function of the Security Council as the body entrusted with authorisation of military force.  [9]   Humanitarian intervention is thus a doctrine which has long been debated in the courts. The real debate lies however in the practical instances that have arisen in the past where humanitarian intervention has been alleged as a justification of force. The section below shall go on to analyse these practical instances and asses to what extent humanitarian intervention can be said to now be a norm of international law. Practical instances of humanitarian intervention One major problem that arises when assessing the legality of the doctrine of humanitarian intervention is that one must distinguish between instances where the doctrine is invoked in rhetoric and public relations only and instanced where humanitarian intervention is actually relied on as a legal basis for justifying use of force in another state. The latter is a lot rarer than the former. The problem however is that it is only the latter incidents that is actually evidence of state practise of the right to humanitarian intervention. One of the earliest incidents to deal with the concept of humanitarian intervention commented on by commentators was that of Indian action in Bangladesh. In early 1971, following subjugation to Pakistani rule, Bangladeshi nationals were rebelling and seeking to establish Bangladesh as an independent country. India provided extensive military aid to Bangladesh to allow this to happen, aid without which arguably Bangladesh would not have won the conflict. In public theoretic, India stated thats is actions were based on humanitarian intervention since the Bangladeshis were suffering human rights violations under Pakistani rule.  [10]  This was highly criticised however for the fact was that India in having long-standing conflict with Pakistan itself did have vested interests in helping Bangladesh gain independence.  [11]  Indeed, India did not go on to utilise humanitarian intervention as a legal basis for its action and sought to rely on the doctrine of self-defence instead.  [12]   This pattern was repeated in many more incidents that occurred. Tanzania intervened militarily in Uganda in 1979 to enable rebels there to overthrow the repressive leader Idi Amin.  [13]  In 1978 Vietnam invaded Cambodia stating that it wished to prevent Cambodia from suffering at the hands of its government. Both stated that they wished to help the citizens of the respective countries they intervened in. This was however continuously rejected by the international community, with France and the US specifically stating that human rights violations did not justify the use of force, thus clearly indicating that it was not accepted at that time that humanitarian intervention was considered to be a legal basis for intervention.  [14]   Chronologically, the next major incident of humanitarian intervention that took place was that of Australian intervention in East Timor. Rebels in East Timor seeking to establish it as in independent country were facing repression from the state of Indonesia resisting independence. Human rights violations in the situation ensued resulting in several UN Resolutions calling for peace and eventually in a UN referendum, the results of which indicated that the majority of people wished for independence. The Australian government thus took the lead in providing military assistance to East Timor to repel Indonesian presence and establish an independent state.  [15]  In doing so, the Australian government expressly relied on the right to humanitarian intervention.What must be pointed out however is that the UN was involved in that situation, and most commentators regard that the intervention in East Timor is more akin to an incident where the UN regulates force for purposes of humanitari an intervention rather than when the right is employed unilaterally by a state.  [16]  Thus, the intervention in East Timor was seen to be highly similar to the US intervention in Somalia in 1992 which had been acted upon only after the UN had specifically called for humanitarian intervention.  [17]   Perhaps the most famous incident of humanitarian intervention was that in Kosovo. Kosovo, now an independent country, used to be part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and consisted of a mix of ethnicities, with 90% being ethnical Albanians and the minority being Serbians. In the 1990s the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia started to break up with each different country announcing its independence. The state of Kosovo also suggested breaking off from the FRY, to regain the independence Kosovo once had before Yugoslavia was established in the first place. This was met by much resistance from the Serbians both in Serbia and in Kosovo. A regime of ethnic cleansing of the Albanians in Kosovo started to prevent the calls and efforts by those peoples to make Kosovo an independent country and one of the worlds worst conflicts started, with human rights violations reaching epidemic proportions.  [18]   This matter was brought to the attention of the Security Council, and on 31 March 1998 it adopted Resolution 1160,  [19]  which imposed an arms embargo on the FRY and called for it to work with the Kosovar Albanians to achieve a peaceful solution to the matter. Following this however the violence in Kosovo only intensified and Resolution 1199 was adopted which determined that the situation in Kosovo amounted to a threat to peace and security in the region.  [20]  The problem was however the presence of the veto in the Security Council. Every permanent member of the Security Council has the right to veto any Security Council resolutions made. Russia being a major part of the former Soviet Union that existed was highly reluctant to take any action further to the two resolutions already adopted against the FRY and indicated that it would use its veto if any resolution were attempted to be passed which authorised military measures to be taken against the FRY. There was little cha nce that the Security Council would therefore be able to take action in response to the situation that was ongoing in Kosovo.  [21]   As a result of this, NATO states came together to discuss military intervention in Kosovo. NATO declared that the FRY had not complied with Resolution 1199 and that NATO would therefore institute military action against Russia. Extensive military action was undertaken via an aerial campaign, attacking FRY forces both in Kosovo and in the FRY itself to attempt to stop the attacks that were taking place against Kosovo. The campaign commenced ion 23 March 1999 and did not end several months later, on 10 June 1999 when the FRY forces agreed to a case-fire and signed the military-technical agreement with NATO on 9 June 1999.  [22]   There was no doubt that the military action undertaken by NATO had been successful in bringing peace to the region. Despite the fact that there was no apparent basis at the time for military action, there was no international objection to the force used (other than by the states to whom the military action was targeted against). It was apparently accepted that the action undertaken by NATO was lawful.  [23]  From this, one can deduct that there must have been a valid theoretical underlying to the force taken. It was clear that the action was not authorised under the Security Council resolutions, for while the resolutions were relied on in justifying the military action undertaken, it was always accepted that the resolutions did not authorise military force and indeed did not attempt to do so because of the veto that would be exercised by Russia. There was no question that the Serb forces had carried out an armed attack against NATO countries or anyone in the region of NATO countries and so the doctrines of self-defence or collective self-defence could not be relied on. The only remaining doctrine that could have possibly justified the military force undertaken by NATO forces was therefore that of humanitarian intervention. Indeed, the situation in Kosovo appears to be the one that elevated the doctrine of humanitarian intervention from what was seen to be a less than credible basis of justification of use of force to one that was apparently widely accepted.  [24]   Thus commentators who point out that the doctrine was accepted as applying to the case of Kosovo point to the wide apparent acceptance of the international community that the acts of NATO in Kosovo were legal. In March 1999 the states of Belarus and Russia introduced a draft resolution to the Security Council which stated that the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was illegal. This was rejected by a majority of 12 votes. In 1999, the UN Commission on Human Rights passed a resolution finding that the intervention by NATO had been lawful, with only Russia and Cuba (both communist states) finding against such a resolution.  [25]   Kosovo is therefore at least one incident where the right to humanitarian intervention was both relied on and appears to have been accepted. The difficulty lies in the fact that while the military action undertaken against Kosovo was considered to be morally justified, concerns continue to be expressed by academic commentators that the incident should not be seen to act as precedent, for doing so would effectively widen the category of exceptions that existed in relation to the use of force and undermine the well-established rules of Article 2(4).  [26]   Perhaps the next most famous incident where the right of humanitarian intervention was relied on, but one where the basis of such a right was considered to be much more contentious, was that of Iraq.  [27]  Coalition military intervention in Iraq in 2003 was one of the most contentious use of force that took place and the legality of the war continues to be debated to the current day. Different bases were offered by the coalition states that went to war at different times. Saddam Husseins brutal treatment of his people and the human rights violations that they had suffered were often pointed to when the rhetoric on whether a war should take place was entered into.  [28]  What is notable however was that although apparently doing so in the period preceding the war, neither the US nor the UK legally relied on the doctrine of humanitarian intervention to justify its war in Iraq. Rather, the UK relied on interpretation of Security Council resolutions while the US argued for the r ight of self-defence, both pointing to the fact that Iraq was in possession of weapons of self-destruction (an assertion which was later discovered to be invalid).  [29]  The fact that humanitarian intervention was not relied on despite the fact that Iraq was suffering a humanitarian catastrophe and had been for several years indicates that neither of the worlds leading states considered that the right to humanitarian intervention had established itself as a legal norm and would not, formally at least, be accepted by the international community as a bass for military intervention. Responsibility to protect The humanitarian intervention doctrine has evolved in recent times and international law has come to develop the responsibility to protect doctrine, often referred to as the R2P doctrine. The very existence of this doctrine supports the idea that humanitarian intervention is not only regarded as a moral justification of the use of force in states where human rights violations are being committed, but is a positive duty on the international community to act and intervene in states where there is inadequate respect for human rights. UN Secretary General Kofi Anan brought the tensions that were apparent behind the prohibition on the use of force in Article 2(4) and the fact that intervention was required as a result of increasing human rights violations that were seen around the world to the fore in 1999. At that date, the atrocities in Rwanda were being discussed by the international community, and the committee that had been set up to investigate how the genocide in Rwanda had taken place came back with reports attributing much blame to the UN for failing to take action in Rwanda in what was seen as a preventable genocide.  [30]  Annan therefore requested the General Assembly to answer the question of: if humanitarian intervention is, indeed an unacceptable assault on sovereignty, how should we response to Rwanda, to a Srebrenica to gross and systematic violations of human rights?.  [31]   The Canadian government in response to this question set up the ICISS. In 2001 the ICISS produced a report where the doctrine of the responsibility to protect was advanced.  [32]  In 2004, the High-Level Panel on threats, challenges and changes that had been set up by the UN secretary-General stated that the R2P doctrine was an emerging norm of collective international responsibility to protect.  [33]  The Secretary-General went on to endorse this finding. In a 2005 world summit, the R2P doctrine was expressly accepted and referred to.  [34]   Perhaps the most pertinent recognition of the R2P doctrine is that the Security Council specifically referred to the doctrine in Resolution 1674 (2006) when it was regarding the question of how civilians in armed conflicts should be protected.  [35]  The Resolution referred to the R2P doctrine as a doctrine of international law apparently conferring upon it a status of customary international law or otherwise. The problem with the fact that R2P now appears to be part of international law is the emergence of further questions, namely what the relationship of the doctrine of humanitarian intervention with the R2P doctrine is. Is the R2P doctrine simply any other way of describing humanitarian intervention? Or are the two concepts entirely different? If so, is humanitarian intervention subject to the doctrine of R2P? Debate on these questions commenced ever since the R2P doctrine was put forward and has ensued ever since. One might consider that the R2P doctrine is in fact simply another way of describing the doctrine of humanitarian intervention, and one that seeks to grant the doctrine a more elevated status. The language of responsibility no doubt confers more powers than the language of rights does for while the latter grants states discretion in whether to exercise the particular rights of concern, the former does not. If one were to accept such an argument, then the fact that R2P now appears to be a doctrine of international law means that humanitarian intervention is also a rule of international law and such intervention legalises use of force in other states. However, the ICISSs formulation of the R2P doctrine is on the basis that it is an entirely different concept to the doctrine of humanitarian intervention. The ICISS report thus stated that humanitarian intervention should not be seen to be the prime concern in the modern world where catastrophic human rights violations such as Rwanda were taking place. The Commission argued that there was a need for a new doctrine, which governed the need to intervene in the affairs of states who committed human rights violations. Such a doctrine should not be seen as a right to intervene that was granted to the intervening state, as humanitarian intervention might do, but rather as a responsibility on other states to intervene as a result of the right of the state that was suffering human rights violations to be protected.  [36]   R2P also introduced a new method of dealing with the concept of state sovereignty. As set out above, the doctrine of humanitarian intervention does not tie in well with the concept of state sovereignty, for it effectively allows a sate to intervene in another states affairs on the ground that the former state is of the opinion that the latter states treatment of its own citizen is in accurate. Such a concept can be seen to go against the very idea of equality of states in international law.  [37]  The R2P doctrine proposes to deal with this tension by proposing that the concept of state sovereignty to control its citizens with that of sovereignty as responsibility to protect its citizens. Once again, there was a shift from rights to responsibility. The R2P doctrine effectively re-characterises the conception of state sovereignty as one that is a right of governments to control their citizens, to one where there is a duty on governments to protect its citizens, and rights are gran ted to citizens to be protected. Where these rights were not being complied with and a government was not protecting its citizens and was in fact committing human rights violations against it, then the sovereignty to protect was not being effected and this sovereignty did not exist. As such, any exercise of the R2P doctrine through the use of military force would not contravene any idea of sovereignty.  [38]   Such a proposal can be commended for its view of the principle of state sovereignty. The fact is that the concept of state sovereignty and the idea that a state is able to control its citizens as it wishes is one that while remaining in theory can be seen not to have continued on an international basis. International law has long adjudicated to govern the relationship of a state and its individuals. A prime example of this can be seen to be in international human rights protections which essentially impose standards on states with regards to a states treatment of its citizens which must be complied with.  [39]  The very concept of the international community and of the United Nations necessitates a limiting of the concept of state sovereignty. The reformulation of the concept of state sovereignty from one which sees sovereignty as control to that to protect might be considered to be ingenious in that it resolves the theoretical tensions that exist between the right to military in tervention in states where human rights violations are committed and sovereignty of that state. However, the fact is that the concept of sovereignty as sovereignty to protect still poses the same problems that the traditional concept of state sovereignty controls: Sovereignty to protect allows a third state to intervene in a states matters when protection of citizens is not being undertaken adequately. Which state is to decide however when citizens protection is being undertaken adequately and when it is not? To what extent does the protection of citizens in a state have to be undermined before military action can be allowed in that state?  [40]   Thus, whether or not R2P is the same or a different doctrine to that of humanitarian intervention, the same difficulties that are faced by humanitarian intervention proponents remain, and perhaps the most major of these problems is the wide floodgates the idea of a responsibility to protect opens. Practical incidents have shown how in the past humanitarian intervention has wrongfully been used by states, often on a post-facto basis, to justify use of force and intervention in other states. The R2P doctrine in fact provides for a wider scope of humanitarian intervention for as pointed out above, a responsibility imposes a larger duty and therefore a larger scope of power on states to take action than a right to intervene does, and the R2P doctrine therefore arguably exacerbates the problem that humanitarian intervention traditionally faced. In this vein however it must be noted that the proponents of the R2P doctrine point out that unlike humanitarian intervention, the R2P would impose a duty on states to employ a wide range of measures, along a continuum, to regulate states behaviour. Thus the R2P doctrine envisaged that preventative measures should be used to prevent human rights atrocities, and duties included rebuilding societies that had been affected by human rights violations. Such a doctrine is therefore very commendable in theory.  [41]   Furthermore, it must be pointed out that the R2P doctrine apparently appears to have been envisaged to be utilised within the provisions of the Security Council rather than impose duties or rights on states to act on a unilateral basis to military intervene in other countries. If that is the case, then the R2P doctrine has not really helped towards resolving the questions surrounding humanitarian intervention at all.  [42]   Conclusion The above discussion has shown that there are many questions regarding the legality of humanitarian intervention in international law as a justification for use of force in another state. There is little doubt that in the past the doctrine was not regarded as a valid justification for the use of force. Thus the international community tended to reject attempts by states to justify use of force with the concept of humanitarian intervention, not least because such justification was often posed on an ex facto basis and was usually tied in with some other form of justification that was put forward. The position appeared to change however in the NATO intervention in Kosovo when the international world apparently accepted the legality of the action. The war in Iraq in 2003 however appeared to reverse the position once again, when attempts to rely on humanitarian protection were rejected almost from the outset and indeed the coalition states eventually went on to rely on other basses to jus tify the use of force that was undertaken. The doctrine of humanitarian intervention does have its proponents and certainly is a very attractive concept in international law. In the writers view however the dangers posed by the doctrine outweigh the advantages that it offers. The doctrine effectively widens the scope of exceptions that exist to Article 2(4) and allows states to unilaterally take force. This undermines not only the concept of state sovereignty but also the purpose of the United Nations and the Security Council as being relevant bodies to regulate international peace and security. The R2P doctrine that has been put forward as a doctrine of international law is in many ways preferable to that of humanitarian intervention. The R2P doctrine provides for rights of citizens rather than rights of states and importantly it envisages that military action will be undertaken by the Security Council rather than on a unilateral basis. The writer is therefore of the opinion that the R2P doctrine should be distinguished from the idea of humanitarian intervention R2P should be recognised as a principle of international law and one that allows the Security Council to take military action in state when required. It should not however be seen to extend the doctrine of humanitarian protection. Indeed it is the writers view that humanitarian protection does not exist as a legal right in international law, both in theory and in practise. The doctrine goes against all ideas of state sovereignty and against the prohibition of the use of force in general. Furthermore, states do not appear to have accepted that the doctrine is a norm of law. In this vein, the case of Kosovo can be considered to be an exception in international law.  [43]  In that case, the only reason the Security Council did not take action was because of the presence of the Russian veto, but otherwise there was international consensus that military action should

How Does The Carbon Cycle Work Environmental Sciences Essay

How Does The Carbon Cycle Work Environmental Sciences Essay The carbon cycle can be defined as the continuous biological process through which the carbon is exchanged between the environment and the organisms. It also refers to the thermonuclear reactions which are brought about by nucleus of a carbon -12 atom when it absorbs protons. The sporadic climate changes being experienced in the world today are attributable to the disruption of carbon cycle in one way or the other. Top of the possible causes of this disruption are human activities. Nations are reluctant to accept their share of blame on the whole issue leading to a blame game. Unless the world unites against this common cause, the worst is expected to come. This paper covers the carbon cycle, how it works and how its changing in response to human activities. Carbon is found in the atmosphere in form of the carbon dioxide gas. Other atmosphere gases which contain carbon dioxide include chlorofluorocarbons and methane. The lack or the improper functioning of this cycle can be very dreadful since plants and animals entirely depend on this cycle during their major biological processes. The work of the carbon cycle can be evaluated or assessed in accordance to the different processes that change or move carbon from one form to another. These processes are namely decomposition, photosynthesis, natural weathering of rocks, respiration and the ignition of fossil fuels. During the process of photosynthesis carbon which remains in the atmosphere as the carbon dioxide gas enters into the network of consumers and producers or what is referred to as the ecological food web. After its entry the photosynthetic organisms (algae, plants) absorb the carbon dioxide through the tiny pores found in their leaves. Via photosynthesis the plants can now use the absorbed carbon dioxide and convert it into simple sugars which are essential in the plants growth and reproduction. Plants also pass carbon to the animals especially when the animals feed o the plants since they do not have the ability to make their own food (Ryn and Cowan 87). Respiration process is also found in the carbon cycle but it is unlike photosynthesis because it occurs in the decomposers, plants and animals. The respiration process also produces carbon because the component of oxygen is used in breaking down organic compounds into the carbon dioxide gas and water. Through this process of respiration carbon atoms which start out as the compounds of carbon dioxide are absorbed through the body of human organism and then passed to the atmosphere ready for another recycling. Decomposition happens to be the major process through which carbon is passed to the atmosphere in form of carbon dioxide. This is achieved through the use of decomposers (micro-organisms) which are mainly found in soil and water. These decomposers usually take in dead and waste products which are mainly found in form of rotting remains of animals and plants. At the same time they release carbon dioxide through the process of respiration. As earlier stated, weathering of rocks is the other process through which carbon atoms are released. For example the lime rock (an ocean floor stone formed by marine plankton shells) traps many carbon atoms. These carbon atoms are released sometimes after a million years when the ocean waters recede and the lime rock becomes exposed. Scientifically, its noted that when a lime rock is set out to the natural process of weathering it releases the already trapped atoms becomes a very active part of the carbon cycle once. Human activities/processes also increase the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. One of these activities is the combustion of the fossils fuels. Due to the rapid expansion of industrial revolution many people have been burning the fuels which contain oil and coal to power their engines. The constant production of these fuels has resulted into huge amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Most of the carbon dioxide produced by the combustion of these fuels is however absorbed by plants, oceans and soils thus reducing the increasing effects of global warming (Scienceclarified.com 1). The human activities that influence the carbon cycle Human activities have greatly interfered with the processes involved in the carbon cycle. An example of these human activities is deforestation. Deforestation is the removal of natural occurring forests through cutting and burning of trees in any forested area. People cut trees to use them as fuel, to use the land for pasture, farming and to build settlements. Active deforestation means that there will be no trees which emit oxygen while consuming carbon components (carbon dioxide). This leads to increased carbon dioxide than its consumed thus destroying the carbon cycle. The increase in carbon components in the air results into global warming (excessive heating o the earths and oceans surface). This excessive heating results into dried rivers or decreased volumes of water in the earths surface because the hydrological cycle will be affected by higher rates of precipitation (Miller 217). According to White (1203), the ecologies have greatly been changed by overgrazing, terracing, irrigation and the cutting of trees. For example he says that the Romans used to cut trees to build ships which were used to fight Carthaginians. He also states that the banks on the lower parts of the river Nile are now a human artifact instead of the African jungle which nature could have created instead of man. He also talks of historic ecological change which has been caused by the agricultural invention. Farming prompts deforestation because there must be cutting down of trees to create more space for farming. This ecological change will be contributed by the increase of carbon components in the air since the forest cover is not available. The green house kind of farming is one of the major agricultural contributors to the disruption of the carbon cycle. This is because the green houses emit gases which are not utilized thus bringing about global warming. Some of the gases emitted inclu de the form of carbon referred to as chlorofluorocarbons. It therefore transpires that the amount of the carbon produced is higher than the amounts consumed. Another human activity which has contributed immensely to the disruption of the carbon cycle is the combustion of fuels. This is because of the increased burning of fuels emits huge amounts of carbon components. This will lead to greater volumes of carbon dioxide in the air which will not be consumed thus making the carbon cycle in effective. White (1204) states that by 1925, London had experienced a smog problem which was caused by the continuous burning of soft coal. He also suggests that the current combustion of fossil fuels is high up to the point of threatening to change the worlds atmosphere as a whole. White also suggests that war was another human activity which resulted in to ecological changes including the disruption of the carbon cycle. He asserts that the first cannon were fired in the early 14th century and this affected the ecology because workers were forced to the forests and mountains to scramble for more, sulfur, potash, iron ore and charcoal where by some resulte d into erosion and deforestation. He also warns that a war fought with hydrogen bombs can alter the genetics of life. For example it will affect the processes of the carbon cycle between human beings and plants. According to Mackenzie (1), fishing and whaling activities will affect the global carbon cycle. This is because the continuous removal of the marine biota has resulted into increased atmospheric carbon dioxide. She also suggests that the rise of carbon dioxide or carbon has been caused by progressive fishing which has caused biomass depletion of the worlds ocean. Nowadays, the marine productivity is now relatively lower than it used to be when there was a maintained carbon balance in the ocean-atmosphere. Another form of human activities which have influenced the flow of the carbon cycle is air conditioning and refrigeration. This is because they utilize the carbon available in the air which is in form of chlorofluorocarbon thus inhibiting the continuity of carbon cycle between plants and animals. These human activities are however very important in the world because they reduce the effects of global warming by absorbing the extra carbon available in the air. Another human activity t hat has influenced the carbon cycle is the conversion of wild lands and agricultural lands into settlements. These human settlements are the major contributors to the increased emissions of the global carbon dioxide. They affect the carbon cycle through the direct emissions of the carbon dioxide resulting from combustion of fuels, the alterations of the plant and carbon cycles during the conversion of wild lands to urban and residential land cover and the indirect effects of urban and residential land cover on energy use ecosystem carbon cycling. In human settlements the soil carbon is lost through the soil disturbances caused by the conversion from natural to urban or sub-urban land cover type. The conversion of well settled and managed land cover into human settlements results into higher rates of carbon sequestration and storage due to large inputs of fertilizer, water and organic matter (Pataki et al 1). Works cited Carbon cycle Science clarified. Retrieved on 27th January 2010 from http://www.scienceclarified.com/Ca-Ch/Carbon-Cycle.html Mackenzie, Debbie. THE EFFECTS OF FISHING AND WHALING ACTIVITIES ON THE GLOBAL CARBON CYCLE, 2001. Retrieved on 27th January 2010 from http://www.fisherycrisis.com/strangelove.html Miller Tyler. Living in the Environment: Principles, Connection. Stamford: Cengage Learning, 2008 Pataki, Diane. Human settlements and the North American carbon cycle, 2006. Retrieved on 27th January 2010 from http://www.climate.noaa.gov/ccsp/22_SOCCR_Chapter14.pdf Ryn, Sim, and Cowan, Stuart. Ecological design. Washington: Island press, 1996 White, Lynn. The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis, Vol 155 (number 3767), march 10 1967, pp 1203-1207. Cycle Human Settlements and the North

Discrimination on the Border :: Essays Papers

Discrimination on the Border Introduction For over 250,000 women that work in Mexico’s maquiladora sectors the lack of enforced labor laws is a harsh reality. They are discriminated against because of their gender. The Mexican government fails to recognize and enforce the labor laws that protect women from pregnancy testing and other discriminatory treatment. Unfortunately, this isn’t the only problem. The companies that own these factories are also to blame for their lack of interest in their employees’ rights. The Mexican government fails to recognize the problem and so do the owners of these maquiladoras. Why does Pregnancy Discrimination occur? There are many reasons that pregnancy discrimination occurs. Most of them are financially related. Many employers of maquiladoras say that they do not hire pregnant women because â€Å"they want to avoid the cost of maternity benefits (HRW).† Under Mexico’s federal labor code pregnant workers are allowed 6 weeks paid maternity leave before birth and 6 weeks after. While on maternity leave, women have the right to keep their jobs as well as the other rights they have acquired under their labor contract. Maquiladora operators also claim that women are â€Å"not really seeking work, but company funded maternity benefits (HRW).† Maquiladora employers also state that â€Å"paying for an employee that is on maternity leave and not working isn’t a financially sound arrangement for a company (HRW).† Pregnancy discrimination not only violates Mexico’s Constitution and Federal Labor codes but also many international laws as well. The Mexican government has signed and agreed to follow rules of the International Labor office, which prohibits pregnancy as a form of sex discrimination. Mexico is also a partner in the North American Free Trade Agreement that governs the North American Agreement of Labor Cooperation (NAALC), which obligates Mexico to promote the elimination of sex discrimination (ILAB Press Release). Under NAFTA, Mexico voluntarily signed an agreement to the NAFTA labor rights side agreement. This agreement allows all signatories to have their labor practices reviewed by other NAAFA parties. This also allows all allegations to be analyzed by the NAO and committees to be formed to work with countries to resolve their labor problems (HRW). As it was shown, Mexico has many severe problems with gender discrimination in the maquiladora sector. These women have the right to work and be treated equally without the humiliation of frequent pregnancy testing and the verbal and physical abuse put on them by their supervisors.

Sociological Theory Essay -- Social Inequality Sociology

It is a theme in sociology to discover where and why there are social inequalities, either as a result of class stratification, gender, race, and/or a combination of these factors. Theorist cannot explore, or even attempt to, discuss all of the issues so they develop explanations that, at times, coincide with one another. In dealing with the relationship between two conceptualized ideas, oppression/inequality and individualist/liberal ideology, theorist seem to focus on the cause and effect association that structures these ideas. Focusing on four theorist and their ideas for the production of these relationships we will discover how they intertwine and build on each person’s understanding of one topic, and show how it can branch to cover others, or expose the deficiencies and provide a new perception of the societal structure. After the examinations and suggestions made on how to make the communities we live in more inclusive of those who feel, and in fact are, oppressed ther e are no remedies that can cure the plague of society’s inequalities/oppressions, and whether they are evidence of individualist/liberal ideology does not matter. In T.H. Marshall’s â€Å"Citizenship and Social Class† he assesses the reasons for social inequality by examining the structure and definition of citizenship. He defends his argument by investigating the origin of citizenship in English history. In the beginning of his theory Marshall defines the individual pieces that produce citizenship; civil rights, political rights, and social rights. Civil rights are â€Å"the rights necessary for individual freedom-liberty of the person; freedom of speech, thought, and faith† (Marshall 1995 [1965]. p.94); political rights give permission to be a member of the politic... ...hley W. Doane and Eduardo Bonilla-Silva (eds.), â€Å"‘New Racism,’ Color-Blind Racism, and the Future of Whiteness in America.† In White Out: The Continuing Significance of Racism (New York: Routledge), pp. 271-312. Fraser, Nancy and Lynda Gordon. 1995. â€Å"Contract versus Charity: Why is There No Social Citizenship in the United States.† In Gershon Shafir (ed.), The Citizenship Debates (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press), pp. [XX]. Marshall, T. H. 1995 [1965]. â€Å"Citizenship and Social Class.† In Gershon Shafir (ed.), The Citizenship Debates (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press), pp. [XX]. Young, Iris Marion. 1996. â€Å"Gender as Seriality: Thinking Theoretically about Women as a Social Collective.† In Barbara Laslett and Ruth Ellen Boetcher (eds), The Second Signs Reader: Feminist Scholarship, 1983-1996 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press), pp. 713-738.

Thailand: Analysis of the General Insurance Industry

Brochure More information from http://www. researchandmarkets. com/reports/606283/ Thailand Insurance Sector Description: Thailand is the 2nd largest economy in Southeast Asia, after Indonesia. It ranks midway in the wealth spread in South East Asia and is the 4th richest nation per capita, after Singapore, Brunei, and Malaysia. The Thai economy in 2008 is forecasted to grow at 5. 6% (in the forecasted range of 5. 0-6. 0%). This figure is an improvement on 4. 8% growth in the previous year according to Fiscal Policy Office (FPO), Ministry of Finance.In 2008 accelerated public sector spending led to recovery in domestic demand which is expected to be far more balanced economic expansion. Government policy would then be forced to stimulate the domestic economy. This happens when external demand is likely to be softened from possible global economic slowdown. External stability in 2008 will remain strong with current account surplus estimated to be 0. 5% of GDP (in the range of 0. 3-0. 8% of GDP). In contrast, internal stability in 2008 may have some risk with increasing headline inflation at 4. 5% (in a range of 4. 3-4. 8%).This is mainly due to rising energy and food prices in the world markets. According to ‘The Economist’, real GDP growth will slow down by 1. 15% p. a over the next 4 years (2008-12), as compared to 5. 3% p. a in past 3 years since 2007. This sluggishness of GDP can be attributed to various negative factors, such as political uncertainty, instability of foreign exchange rates, and continuous high petroleum prices in 2006. The Thai insurance industry, along with the wider Thai economy, has now however recovered from the depths of the Asian financial crisis and is experiencing noteworthy growth.The trend is expected to continue as public awareness of the need for insurance increases. Market Performance and Forecast Within a span of 7 years (2000 – 2007), Thai Insurance Sector has experienced a growth of 191% currently valuated at $9,434. 72 million. The Knowledge Centre predicts, the overall market size will increase by 72. 5% further and is expected to touch the highs of $13,012. 75 million by 2011. The life insurance market in Thailand between 2000 and 2007 increased at a CAGR of 16. 57%. The Knowledge Centre envisages that this trend would continue and the market will see CAGR of 5. 5% in 5 years and reach $8,306. 21 million in 2011. The non-life insurance market in Thailand between 2000 and 2007 increased at a CAGR of 10. 73%. The Knowledge Centre also forecasts that the growth will continue and the market will see CAGR of 8. 34% in the next 5 years with the premiums reaching $4,706 million by 2011. Competitive Landscape Some of the top foreign insurance companies in Thailand are ACE, AIG, Allianz, AXA, Generali, ING, Millea Holdings, Manulife, New York Life and Prudential (UK).The market is dominated by AIA, the local name of AIG that accounted for approx. 29% of all of gross premiums in 2007. Thai Life (TLI) is considered to be the second largest player overall with a market share of approx. 14%. The next largest group is considered to be a joint venture between non-life insurer Ayudhya, local conglomerate Charoen Pokphand and Allianz (AACP) with a market share of approx. 14%. Other major players in this market are Ocean Life, Finansa, local associates of AXA (Krungthai) and ING.Non-life insurance sector in Thailand is further sub-categorized under Fire, Marine & Transportation, Hull, Cargo, Automobile, Compulsory, Voluntary, Miscellaneous, Industrial All Risks, Public Liability, Engineering Insurance, Aviation Insurance, Personal Accident, Health Insurance, Crop Insurance and Other Insurance. Some of the top companies in this sector are Bangkok Insurance, Dhipaya Insurance, Phatra Insurance, New Hampshire Insurance, Ayudhya Insurance, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance, MSIG Insurance, Sri Muang Insurance, Siam Commercial Samaggi, South East Insurance, Viriyah Insurance, Synmunkong I nsurance, Krungthai Panich etc.Driving factors – Balanced economic expansion and supporting role of the government – Recent reforms and government’s regulatory initiatives – Re-defined financial practices and strengthening of corporate governance Relaxation of restrictions on directors and senior executives of insurance companies Amendment of clauses governing the evaluation of assets & debts of a life insurance company Merger or consolidation of the large number of local insurers Middle income industrial developing nation Growing interest in Bancassurance Adoption of THBFix and Bibor Establishment of Insurance CommissionMajor trends, issues and opportunities – Mergers and acquisitions in Thailand's insurance industry are likely to drop off – Thailand's economy is slowing as the effects of high oil prices, rising interest rates and longrunning political uncertainty take their toll. – Political uncertainty and instability of foreign ex change rates – Bullish trend in fixed deposit rates – Government regulations laying a strong foundation for future growth – Increase in foreign ownership limits – Move towards a knowledge economy through skills development – Issues in Health Insurance Systems Topics covered in the report Thai economy, its performance, future outlook for 2008-09 – Government’s economic policies, macroeconomic factors, trends and analysis – Economic and Insurance environment in Thailand – Market performance and forecast for Thai Insurance Sector between 2000, 2007 and 2011 – Market performance and forecast for Thai Life Insurance Sector between 2000, 2007 & 2011 – Market performance and forecast for Thai Non-Life Insurance Sector between 2000, 2007 & 2011 – Recent reorganization of financial institutions and setting up of Insurance Commission – Corporate Finance Legislation and other major regulatory development s – Role of Bancassurance Specific regulations and norms by the Thai Government for insurance sector. – Sub-categorization of life and non-life insurance sector – Competitive landscape & market share of companies in life and non-life insurance sector – Company profiles of top players in life and non-life insurance sector Contents: 1. THAILAND 1. 1. THAI ECONOMY 1. 2. GOVERNMENT POLICIES 2. THAI INSURANCE SECTOR 2. 1. MARKET OVERVIEW 2. 2. MARKET PERFORMANCE & FORECAST 2. 2. 1. Thailand Insurance Market 2. 2. 1. 1. Thailand – Life Insurance Market 2. 2. 1. 2. Thailand – Non-Life Market 2. 3. DRIVING FACTORS 2. 3. 1.Recent Reforms 2. 3. 2. M&A or transfer of the business of an Insurance Company 2. 3. 3. Thai Corporate Finance Legislation 2. 3. 4. Role of Bancassurance 2. 3. 5. Recent Regulatory Developments 2. 3. 6. Insurance Commission replaced Department of Insurance 2. 4. TRENDS, ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES – AN ANALYSIS 2. 4. 1. Insura nce M&A likely to drop 2. 4. 2. Pending Legislations 2. 4. 3. Implications for Foreign Insurers 2. 4. 4. Skills development remains a key 2. 4. 5. Issues in Health Insurance Systems in Thailand 2. 5. GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS 2. 6. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE 2. 6. 1. Life Insurance 2. 6. 1. 1.Life Insurance Renewal Market 2. 6. 1. 2. Single Premium Market 2. 6. 2. Non-Life Insurance Market 2. 6. 2. 1. Fire Insurance Market 2. 6. 2. 2. Marine and Transportation Market 2. 6. 2. 3. Cargo & Hull Market 2. 6. 2. 4. Automobile Sector 2. 6. 2. 5. Miscellaneous Insurance 2. 6. 2. 6. Industrial All Risks Insurance 2. 6. 2. 7. Public Liability Insurance 2. 6. 2. 8. Engineering Insurance 2. 6. 2. 9. Aviation Insurance 2. 6. 2. 10. Health Insurance 2. 6. 2. 11. Personal Accident Insurance 2. 6. 2. 12. Other Insurance 2. 6. 3. Company Profiles 2. 6. 3. 1. American International Assurance company (AIA), Thailand 2. . 3. 2. ACE INA Overseas Insurance Company Limited 2. 6. 3. 3. Ayudhya Insurance Public Co mpany Limited 2. 6. 3. 4. Ayudhya Allianz C. P. Life Public Company Limited 2. 6. 3. 5. Bangkok Insurance Public Company Limited 2. 6. 3. 6. Bangkok Union Insurance 2. 6. 3. 7. Charan Insurance 2. 6. 3. 8. Deves Insurance 2. 6. 3. 9. ING Life Limited 2. 6. 3. 10. Indara Insurance 2. 6. 3. 11. Manulife Insurance (Thailand) Public Company Limited 2. 6. 3. 12. MSIG Insurance 2. 6. 3. 13. QBE Insurance (Thailand) Company Limited 2. 6. 3. 14. Sri Muang Insurance 2. 6. 3. 15. The Viriyah Insurance Co. , Ltd. List of TablesTable 1: Macroeconomic Trends: Population (mil. ) vs. Nominal GDP ($ bil. ) – 2002-2011f Table 2: Macroeconomic Trends: GDP per capital ($ bil. ) vs. Real GDP Growth (%) – 2003-2011f Table 3: Growth Trends: Inflation (2002-2008f) Table 4: Key Economic Indicators Forecast – 2007-2012f Table 5: Growth Trend Comparison: GDP Growth vs. Insurance Growth (%) – 2000-2011 Table 6: Thailand Insurance Market Value ($million): 2000-2007 Table 7: Thailand Insurance Market Value Forecast ($million): 2007-2011f Table 8 : Insurance Density: Premiums Per Capita in USD Table 9: Insurance Premium in % of GDP (2001-2011f)Table 10: Growth Trend of Life Insurance and Non-Life Insurance ($Million): 2000-2011f Table 11: Thailand Life Insurance Market Value ($million): 2000-2007 Table 12: Thailand Life Insurance Market Value Forecast ($million): 2007-2011f Table 13: Thailand Non-Life Insurance Market Value ($million): 2000-2007 Table 14: Thailand Non-Life Insurance Market Value Forecast ($million): 2007-2011f Table 15: Thailand Insurance Sector: Projections of Macroeconomic Drivers (2006-2010f) Table 16: Market Share of Top Players in Life Insurance Sector: Comparison between 2006 & 2007 (Million Baht) and their Growth (%)Table 17: Life Insurance Total Premium Growth Year on Year by Company 2006-2007 (%) Table 18: Life Insurance Market Growth by First Year Premium of Top Companies: Comparison between 2006 & 2007 (mn Baht) Table 19: Life Insuran ce Market Growth by First Year Premium of Top Companies: Comparison between 2006 & 2007 (%) Table 20: Life Insurance Premium Renewal (million Baht) and Growth (%) Year on Year for Top Companies (2006-2007)Table 21: Life Insurance Renewal Market Share of Top Companies in 2007 (mn Baht) Table 22: Life Insurance Single Premium Market Share of Top Companies in 2007 (mn Baht & % growth) Table 23: Loss Ratio of Non – Life Insurance Business (2007) Table 24: Marine and Transportation Companies: Markey Share by Direct Premium (Unit: 1,000 Baht) Table 25: Automobile Insurance Top companies by Direct Premium (2007) Table 26: – 2007 Table 27: 007 Table 28: 2007 Table 29: 2007 Table 30: Table 31: Table 32: Table 33: Top Miscellaneous Non-Life Insurance Companies: Market Share by Direct Premium (%) Top Industrial All Risk Non-Life Insurance Companies: Market Share by Direct Premium – Top Public Liability Non-Life Insurance Companies: Market Share by Direct Premium – T op Engineering Non-Life Insurance Companies: Market Share by Direct Premium (%) – Top Top Top TopAviation Non-Life Insurance Companies: Market Share by Direct Premium – 2007 Health Insurance Companies: Market Share by Direct Premium – 2007 Personal Accident Insurance Companies: Market Share by Direct Premium – 2007 Other Non-Life Insurance Companies: Market Share by Direct Premium – 2007 List of Charts Chart 1: Macroeconomic Trends: Population (mil. ) vs. Nominal GDP ($ bil. ) – 2002-2011f Chart 2: Macroeconomic Trends: GDP per capital ($ bil. ) vs.Real GDP Growth (%) – 2003-2011f Chart 3: Growth Trends: Inflation (2002-2008f) Chart 4: Key Economic Indicators Forecast (2007-2012f) Chart 5: Growth Trend Comparison: GDP Growth vs. Insurance Growth (%) – 2000-2011f Chart 6: Thailand Insurance Market Value ($billion): 2000-2007 Chart 7: Thailand Insurance Market Value Forecast ($million): 2007-2011f Chart 8: Insurance Density: Prem iums Per Capita in USD Chart 9: Insurance Premium in % of GDP (2001-2011f) Chart 10: Thailand Insurance Market: Segment Share 2007Chart 11: Growth Trend of Life Insurance and Non-Life Insurance ($Million): 2000-2011f Chart 12: Thailand Life Insurance Market Value ($million): 2000-2007 Chart 13: Thailand Life Insurance Market Value Forecast ($million): 2007-2011f Chart 14: Thailand Non-Life Insurance Market Value ($million): 2000-2007 Chart 15: Thailand Non-Life Insurance Market Value Forecast ($million): 2007-2011f Chart 16: Market Segmentation of Non-Life Insurance (%): 2007 Chart 17: Market Segmentation of Non-Life Companies by Ownership 2007 (%) Chart 18: Comparison of Direct Premiums of Non – Life Insurance Business (2007 & 2006) Chart 19: Direct Premium per Insurance Policy for 2007-2006 (Baht) Chart 20: Comparison of Sum Insured Per Premium of Non – Life Insurance Business Segments (2007 & 2006) Chart 21: Loss Ratio of Non – Life Insurance Business (2007) Chart 22: Market Share of Top Life Insurance Companies by Total Premium in 2007 (%) Chart 23: Life Insurance First Year Premium Market Segment in 2007 by Top Companies(%) Chart 24: Life Insurance Premium Renewal (million Baht) and Growth (%) Year on Year for Top Companies (2006-2007)Chart 25: Life Insurance Renewal Market Share of Top Companies in 2007 (%) Chart 26: Single Insurance Premium Company Segmentation 2007 Chart 27: Fire Insurance Companies – Market Share (%): 2007 Chart 28: Marine & Transport Insurance Segment Share (%): 2007 Chart 29: Cargo and Hull Market: Direct Premium Share (%) in 2006-2007 Chart 30: Marine and Transportation Companies: Markey Share by Direct Premium (Unit: 1,000 Baht) Chart 31: Market Share of Automobile Insurance Sub Sector 2007 Chart 32: Automobile Insurance Top Companies – Market Share by Direct Premium (%) – 2007 Chart 33: Market Share of Miscellaneous Non-Life Sector (%) – 2007 Chart 34: Top Miscellaneous Non-Life In surance Companies: Market Share by Direct Premium (%) – 2007 Chart 35: Top Industrial All Risk Non-Life Insurance Companies: Market Share by Direct Premium (%) – 2007 Chart 36: Top Public Liability Non-Life Insurance Companies: Market Share by Direct Premium (%) – 2007 Chart 37: Top Engineering Non-Life Insurance Companies: Market Share by Direct Premium (%) – 2007Chart 38: Top Aviation Non-Life Insurance Companies: Market Share by Direct Premium (%) – 2007 Chart 39: Top Health Insurance Companies: Market Share by Direct Premium (%) – 2007 Chart 40: Top Personal Accident Insurance Companies: Market Share by Direct Premium (%) – 2007 Chart 41: Top Other Non-Life Insurance Companies: Market Share by Direct Premium (%) – 2007 Authors: Jasvita Anand, Akash Rakyan & Nishith Srivastava Ordering: Order Online – http://www. researchandmarkets. com/reports/606283/ Order by Fax – using the form below Order by Post – print the order form below and send to Research and Markets, Guinness Centre, Taylors Lane, Dublin 8, Ireland. 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Hitting the Wall: Nike and International Labor Practices

It is ironic to see how an organization like Nike would response to its negative labor practices in quite an immature way, especially when it carries a big brand image in the industry and has a lot on stake to lose; with respect to its loyal clientele and future growth opportunities. In my opinion, Nike’s approach was almost prohibitive, specifically for the initial few years. I agree, later on in May, 1998 Knight announced a series of sweeping reforms however; what is shocking to me, it took Nike roughly 18 years to realize that some serious steps are needed to address the allegations and their future steps must go beyond and over than what they had committed themselves to. Nike was pressed by the circumstances to think this way as their bottom line had truly started to suffer. Evidently, since 1980’s the corporation had been plagued by a series of labor incidents and public relations nightmares but what has astounded me is â€Å"despite the criticism; they insisted that labor conditions in its contractors’ factories were not — could not — be Nike’s concern or its responsibility†. Initially, Nike was moving quite fast from one country to another just to accomplish their low cost manufacturing agendas. It is quite relevant, applicable and fair for any organization to outsource where they can save cost but it should not be on someone else expense where the organization is violating human rights and/or the labor is not even making enough to meet their bare minimum necessities. All these bad business practices of Nike got them in mainstream where they were not able to come up with innovative ideas to be in command of this bad publicity. As the matter was heating up Nike did try to address many issues which are surely commendable but the major issue of workers minimum wage was never resolved up until 1998. This is exactly where Nike was getting benefited from (low-wages). In response to the entire kiosk, Nike did draft a series of regulations for its contractors; they also tried to be cooperative with government made organizations, hired an outside firm Ernst and Young in 1996 to audit its suppliers manufacturing facilities, created another labor practices department to keep checks and balances, hired a civil rights leader to do an independent evaluation of their code of conduct and so on so forth. Doing this gave birth to another problem: All these were on Nikes pay roll which dilutes the purpose in itself. In the end Nike’s initiatives were becoming self contradicting. Where Nike has done an awesome job is, when Knight almost surrender Nike and accepted indirectly that their company has been a part of slave wages, forced overtime and arbitrary abuse and also showed his true commitment to abolish all these from Nike’s business. It was not just words at this point but some fundamental changes have been made in their existing policies and also many further effective steps were taken which were relatively appreciable. Nike’s becoming a part of FLA (Fair Labor Association) was the right step in right direction but of course at very later stages. No doubts, Nike could have done many things differently. First, they should not have made a rough statement at early stages that Nike has nothing to do with what goes in their vendor’s facilities. Second, they could have hired a complete NGO to check and evaluate their labor practices overseas. Third, they should have taken the full responsibility right from the beginning for their wrong doing acts instead of defending their image and keep executing their same old policies. Basically, what Nike has done in the end by almost confessing its all wrong doings, is what it must have done way earlier in the game. Doing this should have given a positive spin to the entire situation and must have helped Nike to save its image while making its remarkable name in the industry for using good business practices.