Time And Culture Essay Example For Students

Time And Culture Essay In The Dance of Life: The Other Dimension of TimeAnthropologist Edward T. Hall entitles his first chapter Time asCulture. An extreme stance perhaps, especially given the potency ofnatures rhythms, but it is instructive of the extent to which experiences andconceptualizations of time and space are culturally determined. Unlike the restof natures animals, our environment is primarily man-made and symbolic inquality. As Bronowski observed in The Ascent of Man, instead of being figures ofthe landscape, like antelopes upon the African savanna, we humans are theshapers of it. Geographical space and natural time are transformed into socialspace and social time, around whose definitions human beings orient theirbehaviors. For instance, instead of being governed by the natural rhythms of thesun and seasons, our behaviors are governed by such cultural temporalities aswork schedules, age norms, and by the open hours of shopping malls. We will write a custom essay on Time And Culture specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Culture is a shared system of ideas about the nature of the world and how (andwhen) people should behave in it. Cultural theorists argue that culture createsminds, selves and emotions in a society as reliably as DNA creates the varioustissues of a living body. Culture also creates the rhythms of a society thatecho within the very biology of its members. Observes Irving Hallowell(Temporal Orientation in Western Civilization and in a Pre-LiterateSociety, American Anthropologist 36, 1955), It is impossible to assumethat man is born with any innate `temporal sense. His temporal concepts arealways culturally constituted (pp. 216-7). A 1974 study by William Condonand Louis Sander showed that within a few days, infants flex their limbs andmove their heads in rhythms matching the human speech around them. By the time achild is three months old he has already been temporally enculturated, havinginternalized the external rhythms (called Zeitgeber, meaning timegiver in German) of his culture. T hese rhythms underlie a peopleslanguage, music, religious ritual (the Buddhist mantra, for instance, is notonly ones personal prayer but ones personal rhythm), beliefs about post-mortemfate, and their poetry and dance. These rhythms also serve as a basis ofsolidarity: humans are universally attracted to rhythm and to those who sharetheir cadences of talk, movement, music, and sport. Thus socio-cultural systemscan be likened to massive musical scores: change the rhythm such as putting afuneral dirge to a calypso beatand you change the meaning of the piece. Cultures differ temporally, for example, in the temporal precision with whichthey program everyday events (ask any American businessman trying to schedule ameeting in the Middle East) and in the ways various social rhythms are allowedto mesh.

Free Essays on Fascism

Fascism and its Political Ideas Fascism is a form of counter-revolutionary politics that first arose in the early part of the twentieth-century in Europe. It was a response to the rapid social upheaval, the devastation of World War I, and the Bolshevik Revolution. Fascism is a philosophy or a system of government the advocates or exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with an ideology of aggressive nationalism. Celebrating the nation or the race as an organic community surpassing all other loyalties. This right-wing philosophy will even advocate violent action to maintain this loyalty which is held in such high regards. Fascism approaches politics in two central areas, populist and elitist. Populist in that it seeks to activate "the people" as a whole against perceived oppressors or enemies and to create a nation of unity. The elitist approach treats as putting the people’s will on one select group, or most often one supreme leader called El Duce, from whom all power proceeds downward. The two most recognized names that go along with Fascism are Italy’s Benito Mussolini and Germany’s Adolf Hitler. The philosophy of Fascism can be traced to the philosophers who argue that the will is prior to and superior to the intellect or reason. George Sorel, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Georg Hegal are main philosophers who’s beliefs and ideologies greatly influenced the shaping of Fascist theory. Sorel (1847-1922) was a French social philosopher who had a major influence on Mussolini. Sorel believed that societies naturally became decadent and disorganized. This decay could only be slowed by the leadership of idealists who were willing to use violence to obtain power. Nietzsche (1844-1900) theorized that there were two moral codes: the ruling class ( master morality) and the oppressed class (slave mor... Free Essays on Fascism Free Essays on Fascism Fascism and its Political Ideas Fascism is a form of counter-revolutionary politics that first arose in the early part of the twentieth-century in Europe. It was a response to the rapid social upheaval, the devastation of World War I, and the Bolshevik Revolution. Fascism is a philosophy or a system of government the advocates or exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with an ideology of aggressive nationalism. Celebrating the nation or the race as an organic community surpassing all other loyalties. This right-wing philosophy will even advocate violent action to maintain this loyalty which is held in such high regards. Fascism approaches politics in two central areas, populist and elitist. Populist in that it seeks to activate "the people" as a whole against perceived oppressors or enemies and to create a nation of unity. The elitist approach treats as putting the people’s will on one select group, or most often one supreme leader called El Duce, from whom all power proceeds downward. The two most recognized names that go along with Fascism are Italy’s Benito Mussolini and Germany’s Adolf Hitler. The philosophy of Fascism can be traced to the philosophers who argue that the will is prior to and superior to the intellect or reason. George Sorel, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Georg Hegal are main philosophers who’s beliefs and ideologies greatly influenced the shaping of Fascist theory. Sorel (1847-1922) was a French social philosopher who had a major influence on Mussolini. Sorel believed that societies naturally became decadent and disorganized. This decay could only be slowed by the leadership of idealists who were willing to use violence to obtain power. Nietzsche (1844-1900) theorized that there were two moral codes: the ruling class ( master morality) and the oppressed class (slave mor... Free Essays on Fascism Fascism is looked down upon by most people throughout the world. I personally believe fascism to be an evil approach of control and domination of people. In the anthology titled â€Å"An Introduction to the Politics and Philosophy of Jose Ortega Y Gasset† by Andrew Dobson, Dobson writes an article about Ortega being accused of being a Spanish Fascist. That is a very serious accusation despite the fact that Ortega had written several anti-fascist essays. Dobson writes a few quotes from Ortega that can be accused of Fascist-like remarks, but that is not what Ortega tries to get across. I believe a proper definition of Fascism needs to be stated to show what exactly Fascism is. Fascism is a system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism. One of Ortega’s statements that led to the accusation was â€Å"In a country torn apart by dissentions, force is justified in bringing people together if their prejudices work against ‘historical necessity.’ Against them, the only effective thing is the power of force, grandiose historical surgery.† (p.99) I believe this statement definitely supports a Fascist theme to a degree. On the other hand, Dobson shows an entire letter that was written by Ortega expressing his disgust towards Benito Mussolini and his Fascist ways of government. It is a complete contradiction. Ortega is not attempting to be Fascist at all. When he ma kes comments as shown above, he intends it to rally people together as a country. I agree with Dobson’s interpretation of Ortega’s work. Ortega is simply trying to restore a little morale with his fellow countrymen during World War II. A few years ago, a football coach of mine once said similar things about using force and being brutal, in turn, his remarks inspired my team to go out and win t...

Hum M3 sha Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hum M3 sha - Essay Example According to Branden, values shape individual behavior and are responsible for the social make-up of an individual (34). In addition, they represent the beliefs of what is considered morally correct or upright. Values distinguish between what is good or bad. Values are not in-born, they are learned from peers. Such a learning process explains how human beings acquire values. Animals do not learn, but their actions are shaped by nature and the environment. Values are a significant part of how human beings view emotions. Branden convincingly argue that values are responsible for individual’s self-esteem (40). In addition, self-esteem controls one’s ego, hence shaping thoughts and feelings. An average score of 1.0 in the dominant values indicates a modest perception of power across a broad range of values. On the other hand, a higher score (34) is achieved by assessing cognitive empathy. Such a score is an indication of understanding the thoughts, feelings, and situation of others. The score on cognitive empathy is supported by an almost similar score (32) on emotional empathy to indicate the sensitivity of other peoples’ thoughts, situation, and feelings. The dispositional mood scale indicates a strong personality in that, positive attributes achieve a high score whereas negative attributes achieve a low score (Positive energy 4.5, relaxation 4.4, negative arousal 1.5, and tiredness

Gender Violence Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Gender Violence - Research Paper Example The disparity reveals that women define violence in broader terms than men, thus creating a gap between the genders in the way in which they perceive aggressive acts. This disparity can contribute to social study on the topic of violence between the genders, in particular, violence against women, in learning how best to inform and educate on the topic of violence. In addition, social policy can be framed according to an understanding of these gaps so that more effective results in ending violence against women in order to have a more satisfied population. Differences in the definition of violence between men and women Introduction This study was conducted with the purpose of understanding the ways in which differences are observed in defining violence between men and women. Men, typically seen as a more aggressive gender, provide a contrast to the way in which women see violence. Women typically are put on alert when any aggressive action is made by a man, while men often do not inte rpret an aggressively physical action as violence. This difference may be due to the way in which men engage in sports in comparison to women or through the wider space of vulnerability that women experience in comparison to men. Studying the ways in which men and women perceive violence will allow for a greater framework for society to determine how to respond to physically aggressive actions in society. ... Through examining the results of both the qualitative and quantitative study, a discussion was made about the issue of violence and the way in which it is perceived by both genders. Research questions help to narrow the way in which a study is approached. The following research questions will be used to frame the topic of study: 1. What is the definition of violence for men? 2. What is the definition of violence for women? 3. How does a man respond to violence? 4. How does a woman respond to violence? 5. What factors contribute to the differences about the perceptions of violence between men and women? Through exploring different aspects of these questions by creating a survey instrument that studies concepts that lead towards the answers of the research question, the research can become meaningful in regard to the hypotheses. The following hypotheses provide for a null hypothesis and its alternative for which the research will be conducted. Hypotheses Null Hypothesis: Men and women define violence differently and therefore experience physically aggressive behavior differently. Alternative Hypothesis: Men and women define violence the same and therefore experience physically aggressive behavior the same. Literature Review Anderson and Taylor (2008) suggest that the inequality between genders can be explained through frameworks of sociological theories which include functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction. Anderson and Taylor (2008) state that functionalists belief that male roles as instrumental and female roles as expressive. Functional theory supports static roles for the genders, thus creating conflict with feminists who believe that static roles are limiting to women. The organization of social roles contributes to the inequality

MANAGINGPEOPLE&ORGANISATIONS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

MANAGINGPEOPLE&ORGANISATIONS - Essay Example The transition from bureaucratic phase to post -bureaucratic phase involved diminishing emphasis on formalised internal control mechanism and organization structure. This organizational transformation represents wider cultural, economic and social development along with the fast changing technology, which has also modernized the production techniques. It is very important for the organizations to focus on the outcomes and results as it would help in achieving competitive advantage. The next portion of the study would be reflecting whether the employees only focus on the salary, wages paid etc. It would provide justifications whether to accept this view or not. Empowerment to the Employees in Post-bureaucratic Phase The study tries to show whether getting money at the end of the month is the ultimate goal or objective of the employees and this requires highlighting several factors that are associated with the motivation, goals and objectives of the employees. The reason behind the tra nsitional phase from bureaucratic to post-bureaucratic organizational structure has also been discussed earlier. The transition focused on the work culture, which would ultimately improve the outcomes of the organization (Josserand, Teo and Clegg, 2006). ... This would positively impact the performance of the organization. Empowerment is the most important component in the post-bureaucratic phase. It reflects awarding authority or power to those employees who are lower in the organizational hierarchy. This intention of empowerment in this post -bureaucratic phase has been done for creating a work environment where the employees of the organizations would be the decision makers. This would involve awarding the employees with the authority to make various decisions so that they begin feeling a sense of personal identification and individuality. However, the fundamental concept behind this empowerment was that it would allow the business in flourishing fast. The empowerment would allow the organizational employees in functioning without high managerial governance and would increase the organizational performance. It is so because the human element is highly responsible behind disintegration of the potential. The idea of empowerment is for a llowing the employees to make decisions based on their own knowledge, expertise and experience. This would statistically increase the overall efficiency of the organization. However, empowerment and reward by promoting to higher level hierarchy would enable the employees to implement their leadership skills. These act as high motivational factors for the employees, enabling them to be loyal to the organization and give their best. This gives them a scope to rise in the hierarchy level by proving their excellence. The leadership skills are big reasons of motivation to the employees and they work hard to prove themselves in order to experience this skill. Getting liberty to take own decisions and handle several business situations give them high satisfaction and this

A Response To Peter Singer

A Response To Peter Singer In Famine, Affluence, and Morality, Peter Singer discusses that people are dying in Bengal from a lack of food, shelter, and medical care. Singer discusses in detail how poverty and war have created a large number of refugees that require millions just to keep them alive. Singer claims that countries and nations like Australia and Britain have given a considerable amount of assistance, but what has been given is not nearly enough. Singer believes that we have an obligation to prevent misfortunes such as, starvation or poverty, from occurring so long as it doesnt require us to sacrifice something equally as important. To reiterate, Singers main argument is, if it is in our power to prevent something very bad from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything morally significant, we ought, morally, to do it (Singer, p. 231). Singer responds that starvation in Bengal could be greatly reduced if everyone decided to pitch in. Singer opens his article with his example of a drowning child. To summarize, the scenario involves a person walking by a child who is drowning. Singer questions whether to go in after the child and get our clothes muddy, or to allow the child to drown. The vast majority of people would agree that one would have an obligation to save the drowning child. This can be related to Singers main argument, as one would have the power to prevent the child from drowning and getting ourselves dirty is not sacrificing anything equally significant. Singer also brings to light that whether there were other bystanders around while the child was drowning, even if they werent helping to save the child, one would still be morally obligated to save the child. Singers counter-argument is that we are more likely to help those that are close (the drowning child) then help those that are far away (starving refugees in Bengal). Singers response is that distance is irrelevant in what we should morally do. Sin gers example is simple and purposeful, and it leads us into the rest of his article. Peter Singer discusses a sense of equality, and how if we accept equality as part of our morality, then we cannot say that someone far away is not in need based on proximity and distance alone. After all, someone suffering in Bengal versus someone suffering in California should be viewed the same, right? Singer feels there are human fallacies with regards to the way we think. In his eyes, we are less likely to give to those that are far away regardless of how badly they need it. According to Singer, we need to evaluate how we help others that are far away. However, we need to be morally obligated to our families and our own country (our own poor, starving, homeless, etc), and it makes perfect sense that we will help those that are close in proximity. If we spent all of our extra money on those that live far away and forgot about those in need in our own country, how is that living up to Singers main argument of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦without sacrificing anything more significant? Singer resp onds by stating that donating is not a charity, but a duty. It is our duty to assist those in need. Singer provides a second counter-argument against the drowning child and the Bengal refugees. In the example of the drowning child, there is only one person to help but in the example of the refugees, there are millions upon millions to provide help. Singer responds to this by writing that regardless of whether you are the only one, or there are millions, it doesnt lessen your obligation to help. A third counter-argument presented by Singer regards famine. If everyone who could help, and still live within their means, gave a fixed amount of money in an attempt to prevent the famine then that is all wed be obligated to give. People who could only afford a fixed amount would donate the fixed amount while people who could afford much more than the fixed amount would still only be morally obligated to donate the fixed amount. Singers response is that this is a skewed way of reasoning, because people who can afford more should give more while people who can afford a little only give a little. Singers concept of marginal utility, as written by Singer (1972) himself is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the level at which, by giving more, I would cause as much suffering to myself or my dependents as I would relieve by my gift. (p. 241). Singer continues to say, This would mean, of course, that one would reduce oneself to very near the material circumstances of a Bengali refugee. (p. 241). This relates to Singers main argument because the amount of help that is needed in Bengal and other countries is so great that it is highly unlikely that amount of assistance will ever be provided. In his article, Singer states The traditional distinction between duty and charity cannot be drawn, or at least, not in the place we normally draw it. (p. 235) Singers concept of duty is what we are morally obligated to do, and his concept of charity is giving money to a charitable cause but because of how charity is viewed there is nothing wrong with not giving. His concepts later change in his article when he discusses that his argument cannot support people in developed nations living an affluent lifestyle should enjoy giving money to those in need. If I was able to reach out to Singer and respond to his article, I would tell him that people are not morally required to do as much as he is asking of us. If we did exactly as Singer wanted, and that would be to quit our jobs and work full time to put an end to poverty and starvation, where would that leave us? Everybody involved in this full time effort would drop everything they were doing in order to meet the goal of ending starvation. Critical breakthroughs in science and technology would cease to exist because wed all be pitching in towards the goal. If there was an instance of choosing to do donate to the relief of starvation, which would probably yield excellent results, and choosing to do something that you wanted, which might yield good results, Singer would object and state that choosing to donate to the relief of starvation is our moral duty. Of course, there is no definitive way of knowing whether donating to the relief of doing something that we really wanted would be more or less beneficial than the other. Instead of donating, I might want to research and experiment more into a cure for HIV, while someone else may want to learn a second language or learn advanced physics. The point is that we dont know what everyones exact interests are, and therefore, we cant say whether it would be beneficial to donate over doing something we wanted to do. I would end my response to Peter Singer with an open-ended, yet thought provoking question: With regards to your moral duties, how much are you giving to charity and what have you done to prevent bad things from occurring, Mr. Singer? In conclusion, Singer is correct in his article. Humans should do more than we do to help those in need, regardless of their proximity or distance. However, I think Singer is overly exaggerated in his views and humans should not do as much as he expects us to do. It simply doesnt work.

Beauty And The Beast :: essays research papers

Have you ever heard something go thump in the night? Do you believe in monsters? In the movies "Beauty and the Beast" and "E.T.", the monster like characters the captured the hearts of viewers of all ages. They both involve two characters that are thrusted into lifestyles that they are not used to. The beast and E.T were both unique creatures, had close relationships with humans, and were great works of fiction. In both stories, "Beauty and the Beast" and "E.T.", the main characters are unique creatures are forced into a human society, which does not always accept them for who they are. Society, in general, is against both creatures; school children tease and mock Elliot about his new extra-terrestrial friend, and the townsfolk in "Beauty and the Beast" attempt to kill the Beast for not being human. Nobody relates to either character, seeing as they are both â€Å"freaks† in their respective time periods and locations. Nobody accepts them as being different; both characters are thrown out of society like a couple of lepers for not being like everybody else. Also, they are both in unique situations, the Beast because he used to be a human, and was turned into an evil beast by a magic spell, and E.T. was from another planet, and had no intention of ever coming to earth or meeting Elliot. Both characters are very unique in the society in which they were thrust, and neither one has anyone like him to go to or latch onto for understanding and support. Both the Beast and E.T. found one person on earth who accepts them for who they are. Although the Beast captures Belle, she learns to love him and understand his situation; she becomes his one true friend in a society which hates him for who what they think he is. Elliot discovered E.T. in his closet, and due to the fact he had no other real friends, naturally accepted the alien. From their initial meeting, E.T. and Elliot became the closest of friends in the film; in fact Elliot was E.T.’s only human friend. Other than those two humans, nobody else attempts to understand where either creature comes from, and as a result, no one befriends them. In addition, both E.T. and the Beast come from great works of fiction, having no fact behind their stories but both being created for no purpose other than pure entertainment.