Greek Philosophy Essay Example for Free

Greek Philosophy Essay What Is Philosophy? †¢Philosophy : The studies of Greco-Roman thinkers on activities and inquiries. It is also the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct. †¢Philosophy focuses on three main types: †¢Stoicism †¢Skepticism †¢Epicurean †¢Philosophy consists of these philosophical areas: †¢Metaphysics †¢Materialism †¢Idealism †¢Epistemology †¢Empiricism †¢Rationalism †¢Ethics †¢Hedonism †¢Cynicism Three Main Types Stoicism †¢Refers to the knowledge of Aristotle oMind is a blank state, impressions are made by the 5 senses. †¢Stoics deny the metaphysical points of view. oReal objects produce intense feelings. oThe body and soul are pairs that act and react to each other. Skepticism †¢Examines as to what someone should believe- derived from Platos schooling †¢Objections on skepticism: oIts commitment to knowledgeable limitation is nonexistent. oIf knowledge is limited and judgment is not expressed, life is presumed unlivable. Epicurean †¢Formulated by Epicurus who believed philosophy was studied to make the soul happy. †¢Happiness created with less wanting of materialistic things and more peace. Philosophical Areas Metaphysics †¢Branch of philosophy accountable for the study of existence. oAnswers what is? †¢The foundation of philosophy oWithout metaphysics, we would not be able to comprehend the world or act accordingly to it. Materialism †¢Refers to the simple focus of the material world. oEverything in the universe is matter and matters. †¢The philosophy is held by those who believed that material items are accountable for existence. Idealism †¢Stresses the central ideal and spiritual interpretations of experiences. oThey believe world exists as a spirit †¢Two forms: oMetaphysical idealism oEpistemological idealism Epistemology †¢The investigation of grounds and nature of knowledge of the world. oFocuses on the knowledge of differences between truths and falsehood. †¢Fundamental aspect to how we think. Empiricism †¢Theory of experience as primary source to our knowledge of the world. oLearning through perception. †¢Classical empiricism oRejection of innate, in-born knowledge and concepts †¢Radical empiricism oExplains that all our knowledge is derived from our senses. †¢Moderate empiricism oDescribes the exceptions to general empiristic rules. Rationalism †¢Philosophical movement that introduced mathematical methods to philosophy. oCan be understood through mathematical and logical  principles, not sensory experiences. Ethics †¢Branch of philosophy dealing with what is the proper action for humans. oAnswers What do I do? †¢Requirement for human life, decides course of action. Hedonism †¢Doctrine that states that all pleasure is naturally acceptable- good for the soul. †¢Nothing but pleasure is good. Cynicism †¢Described as a way of life, which consists of asceticism, anti-conformism, and anti-conventionalism. †¢Basis of cynicism is the virtue of well being and a happy life. Philosophers Socrates †¢Possibly the wisest sage of all time †¢Contributions to philosophy: oPithy sayings. oSocratic method of discussion oSocratic irony oSocratic method- saying he knows nothing and that unexamined life is not worth living †¢Participated in the military during the Peloponnesian War. oCommitted suicide by ingesting poison hemlock. Plato Fun fact: Plato is not his original name- its Aristocles, but was later changed to Plato by his teachers †¢Considered the most important philosopher to have ever lived- father of Idealism. †¢Thought the human soul contained reason, spirit, and appetite. †¢Student and follower of Socrates. †¢Impacted math, science, morals, and political theories with his  Legacy of the Academy schooling. Aristotle †¢Student of Plato, teacher of Alexander the Great. †¢Wrote on logic, nature, psychology, ethics, politics, and art. †¢Developed deductive reasoning. †¢Basis: Aristotles syllogism †¢Church used Aristotle to explain doctrines in the Middle Ages. Concept of Prime Element †¢Thales Attempted to find naturalistic explanations of the world; identified water as the ultimate principle. †¢Pythagoras Creator of Pythagorean Theorem; believed earth was what encompassed all beings. †¢Anaximenes Explained how air was universally present and is the source of all that exists. †¢Heraclitus Disagreed with aforementioned philosophers and claimed fire was the classical element. †¢Empedocles Created the cosmogenic theory that composed of the four classical elements: water, earth, fire, and air. Bibliography †¢http://www. philosophybasics. com/movements_rationalism. html †¢http://www. importanceofphilosophy. com/Ethics_Main. html †¢http://philosophy. lander. edu/ethics/hedonism. html †¢http://dictionary. reference. com/browse/philosophy%20? s=t †¢http://ancienthistory. about. com/cs/people/p/aristotle. htm †¢http://ancienthistory. about. com/od/platoprofile/p/Plato. htm †¢http://ancienthistory. about. com/od/socratesbio/p/Socrates. htm †¢http://www. historyforkids. org/learn/greeks/philosophy/ †¢http://webspace. ship. edu/cgboer/athenians. html †¢http://webspace. ship. edu/cgboer/greeks. html †¢http://philosophy. gr/ †¢http://philosophy. gr/hellinistic/cynics. htm †¢http://www. newworldencyclopedia. org/entry/Greek_philosophy,_A ncient †¢http://www. livius. org/gi-gr/greeks/philosophers. html †¢http://www. historyforkids. org/learn/greeks/philosophy/ †¢http://www. historyforkids. org/learn/philosophy/epicureans. htm †¢http://www. iep. utm. edu/stoicmind/ †¢http://www. iep. utm. edu/skepanci/.

An Analysis of ?The Meanings of Seneca Falls, 1848-1998? :: essays research papers fc

While being born in the modern times, no woman knows what it was like to have a status less than a man’s. It is hard to envision what struggles many women had to go through in order to get the rights to be considered equal. In the essay The Meanings of Seneca Falls, 1848-1998, Gerda Lerner recalls the events surrounding the great women’s movement. Among the several women that stand out in the movement, Elizabeth Cady Stanton stands out because of her accomplishments. Upon being denied seating and voting rights at the World Antislavery Convention of 1840, she was outraged and humiliated, and wanted change. Because of Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s great perseverance, the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 was a success as well as a great influence on the future of women’s rights. The convention had several attendees with notable assiduousness to the cause. The founders were Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, a highly acclaimed speaker and abolitionist. She was even founder of the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society and its long-term president! Martha Wright, Jane Hunt, and Mary Ann McClintock were all women who worked in anti-slavery fairs that also wanted women’s rights (203). Among other attendees, Frederick Douglass was also present! With the notable group assembled, a road to change was starting to form. The women had very limited rights compared to men of the time. Women had no voice when it came to the law, they were deprived rights of citizenship, and deprived of their property and wages. They were also discriminated when the matters had to do with payment for work and divorce and were declared civilly dead up on marriage (204)! Finally, women were kept out of professions, and were to be kept as a dependent of the man. Half the population had their rights withheld because of the role that they were born into. The Seneca Falls Convention sought out to have these rights changed so that women could have the freedom that they deserved. The outcome of the meeting had a great effect. The movement started at Seneca Falls requested the concepts by demanding legal, property, civil rights, and changes in gender-role definition and the woman’s rights to her own body (205). At the time, it was known that â€Å"all men are created equal†. When the definition is taken literally, the rights of women are demeaned. However, the women believed that as citizens and members of society, they had the rights to be treated equal as any other man.

Organizational psychology Essay

I’m likely to be motivated most by personal growth factors. This is understandable for a person who seeks personal fulfillment and development. I’m achievement oriented and have a preference for an interesting and challenging job. However, all other factors pertinent to work environment are also important to me. There are several formal theories of motivation that help me to increase my own productivity and motivate my colleagues. The two-factor theory divides factors that affect employee performance and productivity into two broad categories, namely motivation factors (encompassing factors related to satisfaction and work content) and hygiene factors (those related to dissatisfaction and work conditions). The focus in the organization should be on enhancing employee motivation to the extent that it provides opportunities for (a) achievement, (b) recognition, (c) responsibility, (d) advancement, and (e) growth in competence. According to the two-factor model, both ‘satisfiers’ and ‘dissatisfiers’ are of value to a person that ranks factors related to the content of work (e. g. recognition and chances to advance) as high as factors related to work conditions (e. g. friendly co-workers and flexible schedule). For me, reward and recognition are less important than the nature of a job. Material needs are less important for me than personal satisfaction or clients’ approval. The most applicable theory in my case is Goal Setting Theory. Goal Setting Theory is the most critically acclaimed theory of motivation. It argues that individuals are motivated to achieve goals they set, and the strength of their motivation depends on goal specificity, goal difficulty, and commitment and feedback. Other moderating factors include self-efficacy of an employee and task complexity. My perception of difficulty of achieving a goal might be too subjective and my reliance on feedback might be less than by other employees, yet I’m very result-driven and challenged by complex yet interesting tasks. My motivation is influenced by the difficulty of goals (such as ensuring high customer satisfaction ratings on big projects were there are many stakeholders), yet goals’ value (excitement from working on a specific type of project delivering good results rather than cash influx) is more important. My superiors have recognized that it is important to give me freedom in choosing projects I’m motivated to work on and allow me to set my own objectives and performance measures. My high appreciation of autonomy and power also suggest that I am more effective as an individual worker than a team player. This is yet another reason why Goal Setting Theory is appropriate for my motivation: it has been argued that workers with higher self-efficacy are more effective in personal goal setting and fulfillment. However, this does not mean that I don’t value team spirit as a means of motivating my co-workers. Our company’s motto is ‘Let’s Build Something Together. ’ Therefore, encouraging teamwork is one of the ways to increase motivation and productivity. Our management succeeded in gathering and developing an outstanding crew by applying several important principles of group work management which I also follow. I foster group cohesion by a variety of methods and believed that sound preparation, ego less teamwork, and original strategizing are the inherent components of success. In my view, the emphasis should have been on team performance rather than individual performance. People, management, and psychology are three important aspects of teamwork. The emphasis on continuous learning makes it possible to stay ahead. When skills and knowledge of all group members combine in a way that exceeds the sum of knowledge of all individual members, the synergy effect can be observed, i. . the system as a whole has certain qualities its elements do not have. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to pay attentive to group cohesion so that exceptional results can be achieved with limited human resources available in each organization. Group decision making means not only working to achieve better solutions but also promote growth of community and trust. Group decision making ensures much higher level of member satisfaction and motivation. Greater commitment is also among important advantages of group decision making. Open, collaborative atmosphere ensures contribution from all levels and no domination, intimidation or judgment from the boss. Participation in problem solving increases acceptance; some even argue that a lower-quality solution that has wide acceptance can be more effective than a higher-quality solution that lacks acceptance. It’s possible to conclude that I’m motivated by complex yet interesting tasks, while teamwork and group decision making are the tools I use to motivate others.

Activities to Practice Decoding Skills for Reading

Decoding skills help a child learn to read and develop fluency in reading. Some of the major decoding skills include recognizing sounds and sound blends, deciphering the meaning of a word through recognition or context and understanding the role of each word within a sentence. The following activities help a student build decoding skills. Recognizing Sounds and Sound Blends Give the Clown a Balloon This exercise helps teach and reinforce that letters can sound different depending on the letters around them, for example, the a in hat sounds different than the a in cake because of the silent e at the end of the word. Use pictures of clowns; each clown represents a different sound for the same letter, for example, the letter a sounds differently in many different words. One clown can represent a long a, one can represent short a. Children are given balloons with words containing the letter a and must decide which clown gets the balloon. Sound of the Week Use letters or letter blends and make one sound the sound of the week. Have students practice recognizing this sound in daily reading, picking out objects in the room that have the sound in them and coming up with a list of words that contain the sound. Be sure to keep the letter or letter blend on the board or in a place that is highly visible in the classroom throughout the week. Understanding the Word’s Meaning Building Vocabulary - Synonym Crossword Puzzle This activity can be used for different ages, using simple words and clues for young children and more difficult for older children. Create a crossword puzzle; students need to find a synonym for the clue. For example, your clue might be blanket and the word covers can be put into the crossword puzzle. You can also create a crossword puzzle using antonyms. Change the Words without Changing the Story Provide students with a short story, maybe a paragraph long, and have them change as many words as they can without changing the meaning of the story very much. For example, the first sentence might read, John went running through the park. Students might change the sentence to read, John moved quickly through the playground. Parts of a Sentence Adjectives Have students bring in a picture of something from home. This can be a picture of a pet, a vacation, their home or a favorite toy. Students trade pictures with another class member and write as many adjectives as they can about the picture. For example, a picture of a pet dog can include words such as: brown, little, sleepy, spotted, playful, and curious, depending on the picture. Have students trade pictures again and compare the adjectives they found. Race to Make a Sentence Use vocabulary words and write each word on two cards. Divide the class into two teams and give each team one set of the words, face down. The first member of each team picks up a card (should be the same word on both cards) and runs to the board and write a sentence using the word. The first person with a correct sentence gets one point for their team.