Moral Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Moral Philosophy - Essay Example In history, one can view applied ethics through the decisions of governments as they were influenced due to the religious mores of their time. On a more general level, which deals with history—the Ottoman Empire, which used to span the globe—effected the territories it owned with its prevailing religion. Constantinople, at the end of his life, professed the Christian faith. However, the name of the city Constantinople was later changed to Istanbul after the geopolitically-defined, mainly Muslim, country of Turkey came into prominence. Applied ethics can be seen all over the world, not to mention a lack of application of ethics in world history. For example, when Hernan Cortes and his men came to Mexico, the land of the Aztecs—to hoard gold and other valuables—the Aztecs thought this was fulfilling a prophecy that their great leader would come from far away. Instead of admitting that Cortes was not the leader he was who they thought, Cortes took advantage o f the fact that the Aztecs thought he was a holy figure, and consequentially took the wealth of the Aztecs, his men raping their women and killing a lot of people, including roasting the Aztec leader Cuauhtemoc over a fire pit and pouring boiling oil over his feet. The point is, types of domination like this went on all over the world. Christopher Columbus never indeed â€Å"found† the New World, but he found plenty of island natives in the Caribbean whose peaceful lives he ruined by the ruthless plundering of himself and his men. There is evidence of all of these types of cruel inhumanity present in all of history—and it is not just limited to the Europeans, although they were a major cause for discontent the world over. If one thinks about it, in world history—the British Empire once spanned a majority of the globe. The French and the Dutch also had colonialized several countries in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Due to these white peoples taking over indigen ous nations’ peoples and forcing their values, religion, language, and culture upon them—they were forced to either change or die. So, these people adapted. More about evolution and ethics will also be discussed in the last section of this piece. III. MoralityMorality became politically-correct (or ‘PC') after the civil rights movement in the ‘60s in the United States, because it meant that any kind of oppressed people (not just Blacks) could basically rise up and say that they weren't going to take being discriminated against anymore. Of course, this has led to postmodernist thinking, that everyone is equal and everyone's perspective has to be right because no one is wrong; we all worship the same God even though some of us may not call God God, nor does everyone

How does Brian Friel establish the theme of language Essay Example for Free

How does Brian Friel establish the theme of language Essay How does Brian Friel establish the theme of language and its effects on communication, power and identity in Act one? In the play Translations, language and its effects is clearly one of the central themes. This is evident because the characters all show what language means to them ranging from Hugh who uses his knowledge of languages as a form of power over the British to Owen who does not show any concern for his language and identity and allows the British to call him Roland. Furthermore the title of the play Translations is ironic because although one of the themes of the play is keeping your identity the book itself looses its identity. This is because although the play is written by an Irish author and set in Ireland, it is written in English. Thus the title foreshadows the outcome of the play. One of the ways Brain Friel establishes the theme of language is by using Sarah as a device to convey the bare minimum of language. Her limited knowledge of language limits her communication. However this could also be a benefit to her as she is able to have secrets without being expected to share them. Sarah is first introduced in the play by the stage directions which say Sarah shakes her head vigorously and stubbornly this is because Manus wants her to speak so she has an identity in the world. This could foreshadow that the Irish, who do not want to speak English will be forced too for there own good as it will help their country prosper. The character Sarah can be interpreted as the symbol of Ireland due to the play opening with her trying to claim her identity by saying My name is Sarah. This achievement of Sarah saying her name at the start of the play shows just how powerful language can be as just a few words can turn you from someone who is unknown to a person who has status in the world. Manus understands this and reacts by saying nothingll stop us now. This can either be interpreted as nothing will stop Sarah from learning Gaelic now or that the now in the quote refers to all of Ireland and that as long as people are still learning Gaelic the British will not stamp out their language. The character Manus is Hughs eldest son and is a teacher at Hedge School. The relationship that Manus has with his father is made very clear by Brain Freil when Hugh first enters the play as he treats Manus like a slave by handing him his hat and coat as, if to a footman. Brain Friel shows that due to Manuss lack of communication with his father and his willingness to do all the things his father asks of him, that he has become a servant. Out of all the characters in the play it is only Manus who really sees the British as an enemy in the First Act. This is likely to be because Manus clearly loves his country and his language and sees these two things as part of his identity. Also although the play is not overtly political, political issues do run under the surface. For example when Dan Doalty moves the Britishs poles Manus says this is just a gesture to indicate a presence. However when analysing Doaltys character it can easily be seen that it is highly unlikely he was doing it for this reason and was more likely just looking to make fun of the British. Furthermore Manus is the only one who sees Owens job as traitorous to Ireland. All the other characters do not even mention it. However although Manus feels this way about Owen, he himself is guilty of betrayal as he ignores Sarah when she tells him that she said her name. As Sarah symbolises Irelands identity ignoring her is like a betrayal to Ireland. The character Jimmy, although contributing to the comedy in act one when Doalty and Bridget are making fun of him. I believe also that this represents just how different the British and Irish culture was in the nineteenth century as his character reveals that in Ireland even the most poor man can speak Greek and Latin. In England it is most likely only the richer upper class people would be able to speak these languages revealing that language doesnt represent status in Ireland. Furthermore Jimmys character is also the only character that stays true to his identity as he is unable to speak English and shows know signs of wishing to learn English I have only Irish. However although Jimmy shows know signs of wanting to learn English his love of Latin and Greek have caused him to be unable to communicate properly with other characters as they only speak Gaelic. Thus Jimmy portrays what could happen to Ireland if they do not learn English as they will be cut off from the world. Additionally Jimmys character also uses his knowledge of languages as a power over the British as he mocks captain Lancey for not being able to speak Latin Nonne Latine loquitur?. Brain Friel also shows that due to Jimmys reading of Greek stories such as the Odyssey he has created an alternative reality for himself in which figures of myth are as real to him as the people he sees everyday. This is revealed as he imagines situations when he would have to choose between Athene, Artimis and Helen. Due to these fantasies Manus calls Jimmy a bloody dangerous man suggesting that living in the past is dangerous. Thus foreshadowing that Manus, who does not embrace the English language in his country, may be dangerous as he is still living in the past The characters captain Lancey and Yolland although both working for the British army have very different views on what they have been ordered to do in Ireland. This is apparent by the way that they act when they first meet the Irish people. Captain Lancey who clearly symbolises England as his manner is polite and imperative, is very patronising when he talks, thinking that if he just talks slow and loud as if to a child the Irish will some how be able to understand him a picture- you understand picture?. However even though he uses this patronising tone it is clearly unjustified because when jimmy asks him Nonne Latine loquitur? he mistakes it for Gaelic showing that he is not as intelligent as them. Furthermore the language used by Lancey although already in English is very political and imperialistic and it is likely some British people wouldnt understand what he was saying. In comparison Yolland although a soldier has few characteristics normally associated with the military as he is shy and awkward. This is shown when Yolland says I I Ive nothing to say really -. The quote reveals that he is not uncomfortable being in Hedge Schools as he stutters. Furthermore unlike Lancey, Yolland is uneasy about not being able to speak Gaelic as he says Sorry sorry when he cant understand Maire. Additionally Yolland shows very clearly that he values language and identity as he wishes to learn Gaelic. The strong-minded, strong bodied women Maire is a very pragmatic character as she will do things to better herself. This is shown by her willing to embrace the future and learn English so that she can move to America as it is the land of opportunities. This reveals that learning English to Maire is a form of power as it will allow her to escape her poor life in Ireland. However although she desires this, there is a clear uncertainty in what Maire wants as she speaks approvingly of modern progress but on other occasions finds comfort in the belief that things will never change. This is shown when she talks about Baile Beags potato crop never failing. The repetition of the word never suggests that her willingness to embrace the future is idealistic and selective showing that she wants some things to change while finding a misplaced assurance in the belief that somethings will never change. This could suggest that although she is willing to give up part of her identity, she is comforted by the fact that it is unlikely to happen. The character Owen is Hughs youngest son an presents a striking contrast to Manus, as he is lively and charming. Furthermore although Owen is the son who left his father to pursue his own ambitions he is treated more warmly then Manus. This could be why Owen and Manuss relationship is uneasy. Owen can either be interpreted as a traitor or as a pragmatic character like Maire. This is because although Owen is helping the British standardise Irish place names, he could just be doing this as he believes embracing English is the only way Ireland will prosper. However due to Owen allowing the British to call him Roland, which is a common British name it is likely that the former is true. This is further apparent as when questioned by Manus about why the British call him Roland he replies with Its only a name. Its the same me isnt it?. This quote reveals that Owen places know value in his identity. Owens translation of what Lancey is saying on pages 31/32 also show how Owen uses his ability to communicate with the English as power over the Irish. This is because his mistranslation of what Lancey is saying to the Irish allows Owen to make it seem that the British are in their country to help them, not remove their language. The character Hugh although conveyed as a figure of dignity in Baile Beag is ironically a heavy drinker and is shown little respect by characters such as Daolty as he mocks him behind his back by impersonating the way he acts. Hugh, who is fluent in English, Latin, Greek and Gaelic is very critical of the British language referring to it as a language for traders. Furthermore the distain with which he speaks of Lancey for not knowing any Gaelic, Latin and Irish shows how he uses his knowledge of languages as a weapon against the British as he is able to show his superior intelligence. In conclusion Brain Friels uses characters, dramatic setting and many other devices to show how language plays a key role in this play. Furthermore his use of characters in the play to convey the bare minimum of language (Sarah) and the height of language (Hugh) add to the effect of how he uses language.

Special Education Essay -- Educacional Policies, Non Discrimination

According to the democratic theory postulated by Amy Gutmann, citizens should be entitled to make rules that govern educational policies at national levels. These policies should reflect the ongoing scrutiny of the liberal principles of nonrepression (education may not proscribe deliberation pertaining to any particular set of rational ideas) and nondiscrimination (parents nor educators may espouse practices that may deter children from partaking in a democratic education). Importantly, the discretional power of these citizens should be constrained by those fundamental principles of nondiscrimination and nonrepression. The realm of special education and its historical background in conjunction with the many facets of nondiscrimination should be the focal point. Thus, it is my hope that this paper will give students, parents, and educators the knowledge and insight into the issues i.e. court cases, which surround nondiscrimination and its key ideologies in the domain of special education reform. To understand how special education reform emerged, we need to bethink some of the first federal laws of the United States that were designed to assist people with disabilities. Specifically, there was a federal law passed by the Fifth Congress dating back to 1798. This law authorized a Maine Hospital Service later known as the Public Health Service to bestow medical services to disabled sailors (Braddock, 1987). Unfortunately, up until World War II there were only a paltry number of federal laws able to assist persons with disabilities. Only war veterans with service-related disabilities were allowed assistance (NICHY, 1997). This purported that, for nearly all of United States history, institutions i.e. schools were permitted to... ...cided in its ruling that all students including those with disabilities be provided a publicly supported education. The court also adjured that the board of education allocate its funds equitably so that all children receive a free and appropriate education. Lastly, the court ordered the board to provide due process safeguards in the event the school attempt to alter a child’s educational status i.e. reassignment, transfers, suspension, and expulsion. In response to the seminal cases elucidated above, specifically PARC and Mills and impending litigation, Congress began passing new laws to further augment the rights of those students with disabilities. These new laws, most notably, utilized many of the legal principles that were integrated in those preceding suits insofar that students would be entitled a free and appropriate public education. Special Education Essay -- Educacional Policies, Non Discrimination According to the democratic theory postulated by Amy Gutmann, citizens should be entitled to make rules that govern educational policies at national levels. These policies should reflect the ongoing scrutiny of the liberal principles of nonrepression (education may not proscribe deliberation pertaining to any particular set of rational ideas) and nondiscrimination (parents nor educators may espouse practices that may deter children from partaking in a democratic education). Importantly, the discretional power of these citizens should be constrained by those fundamental principles of nondiscrimination and nonrepression. The realm of special education and its historical background in conjunction with the many facets of nondiscrimination should be the focal point. Thus, it is my hope that this paper will give students, parents, and educators the knowledge and insight into the issues i.e. court cases, which surround nondiscrimination and its key ideologies in the domain of special education reform. To understand how special education reform emerged, we need to bethink some of the first federal laws of the United States that were designed to assist people with disabilities. Specifically, there was a federal law passed by the Fifth Congress dating back to 1798. This law authorized a Maine Hospital Service later known as the Public Health Service to bestow medical services to disabled sailors (Braddock, 1987). Unfortunately, up until World War II there were only a paltry number of federal laws able to assist persons with disabilities. Only war veterans with service-related disabilities were allowed assistance (NICHY, 1997). This purported that, for nearly all of United States history, institutions i.e. schools were permitted to... ...cided in its ruling that all students including those with disabilities be provided a publicly supported education. The court also adjured that the board of education allocate its funds equitably so that all children receive a free and appropriate education. Lastly, the court ordered the board to provide due process safeguards in the event the school attempt to alter a child’s educational status i.e. reassignment, transfers, suspension, and expulsion. In response to the seminal cases elucidated above, specifically PARC and Mills and impending litigation, Congress began passing new laws to further augment the rights of those students with disabilities. These new laws, most notably, utilized many of the legal principles that were integrated in those preceding suits insofar that students would be entitled a free and appropriate public education.

Poverty in India vs Poverty in the United States Essay

According to the general description of poverty, a person is considered poor if he or she finds it difficult to meet the minimum requirement of adequate living standards (Economy Watch). At present, inequality and poverty have been undoubtedly existent for the largest part of the world’s nations and people. Poverty has diverse characteristics, varying across time and from place to place. Unfortunately, the more global and profound causes of poverty are time and again less examined. With this concern, this paper examines and summarily compares the causes of poverty between two diverse nations, the United States and India. Poverty in India Since India’s independence, the problem of poverty in the country has remained a prevailing concern. In 2007, government estimates revealed that there were almost 220. 1 million residents in India living below the poverty line or unable to meet the basic standards of living (Economy Watch). Nearly 15 percent of the urban population and 21. 1 percent of the entire rural population of India lives in this difficult financial and physical dilemma, and this condition is aggravated by few job opportunities in the urban areas and low wages, which are usually paid in grains (Economy Watch). Several factors are to be blamed for India’s poverty problem. For instance, the Indian family unit is on average tremendously large, which further intensifies the effects of poverty. Moreover, rural populations are mostly dependent on agriculture, and have a high level of reliance on primitive techniques of agriculture, such as the monsoon season and rain patterns. Accordingly, improper irrigation facilities and inadequate rain can evidently cause no, or in a few fortunate cases, low production of crops. In addition, the caste system still prevails in India and this significantly causes poverty in the country’s rural areas. Like the movie â€Å"Slumdog Millionaire,† when the 18 old Jamal Malik was having an answering streak on the game show â€Å"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,† those associated with the show as well as the public, questioned how some boy who grew up in the slums of Mumbai is performing extremely well than others who are wealthier and more educated than him. Apparently, people from the lower castes are normally discriminated and deprived of several opportunities, causing inequalities and ultimately growing poverty to the enormous population. Poverty in the United States In 2005, the United States Census Bureau confirmed that there are about 37 million â€Å"poor† Americans. Apparently, some of these impoverished communities in the country have been the result of deindustrialization; as various blue-collar jobs that necessitate little education but paid well have been outsourced. Moreover, low-income Americans generally believe that too many immigrants, too many single-parent families, as well as excessively few jobs, medical bills, and drug abuse are the common causes of poverty in the country. However, on a closer look on the millions of people classified as â€Å"poor† by the Bureau reveal, only few of them fit the global description of poverty. Although material destitution does occur in the country, yet it is limited in severity and scope, as most of them survive in material conditions that would be considered as well-off or comfortable just a few generations ago. Taken as a whole, the common poor American has a microwave, a clothes washer and dryer, a stove, a refrigerator, air conditioning, and a car. Moreover, America’s poor can afford medical care, and an adequate house that is not overcrowded. Conclusion/Recommendation The term poverty is a multifaceted concept seeing that it is exceptionally complicated to draw a demarcation line between poverty and affluence. However, with a few apparent distinctions, poverty as a whole in India and the United States is principally a consequence of unemployment and low productivity. Then again, while poor Americans’ life is considered impoverished, yet it is far from the popular images of the dreadful poverty in India as conveyed in the movie â€Å"Slumdog Millionaire. † Nevertheless, in order to truly eradicate the problem of worldwide poverty, greater private and public organizations partnership along with efficient and committed bureaucratic machinery is required to take on the alarming problem. Reference Economy Watch. (n. d. ). Poverty in India. Retrieved June 8, 2009, from http://www. economywatch. com/indianeconomy/poverty-in-india. html

Adolescence and Mental Disorders

Mental health refers to a psychological and emotional state. It is how people think, feel, and act as they face life’s situations. It affects how people handle stress, relate to one another, and make decisions. Mental health influences the ways individuals look at themselves, their lives, and others in their lives. Like physical health, mental health is important at every stage of life. All aspects of our lives are affected by our mental health. Caring for and protecting our children is an obligation and is critical to their daily lives and their independence. When untreated, mental health disorders can lead to school failure, family conflicts, drug abuse, violence, and even suicide. Mental health problems and mental illness for children and adolescents refer to the range of all diagnosable emotional, behavioral, and mental disorders. They include. But are not limited to: depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, conduct, and eating disorders. Serious emotional disturbances for children and adolescents refer to the above disorders when they severely disrupt daily functioning in home, school, or community. According to studies by Health N. I. (2003), in early to middle childhood, mental illness affects about 1 in 10 children. In adolescent years, the number doubles to 1 in 5 young people. During adolescence, many biological changes are taking place as the child becomes an adult. Many of these changes are physical but emotional, social and psychological changes take place as well. Adolescence in itself brings on emotional highs and lows similar to the symptoms of bi-polar manic depressive disorder. Therefore proper diagnosis of some mental illnesses, unless somewhat severe, can go unnoticed and undetected. In children and adolescents, the most frequently diagnosed mood disorders are major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, and bipolar disorder. Because mood disorders such as depression substantially increase the risk of suicide, suicidal behavior is a matter of serious concern for clinicians who deal with the mental health problems of children and adolescents. The incidence of suicide attempts reaches a peak during the mid-adolescent years, and mortality from suicide, which increases steadily through the teens, is the third leading cause of death at that age (CDC, 1999; Hoyert et al. , 1999). Although suicide cannot be defined as a mental disorder, the various risk factors, especially the presence of mood disorders, that predispose young people to such behavior are given special emphasis in this section, as is a discussion of the effectiveness of various forms of treatment. The evidence is strong that over 90 percent of children and adolescents who commit suicide have a mental disorder. Bipolar manic-depressive disorder is a mood disorder in which episodes of mania alternate with episodes of depression. According to the surgeon general, frequently, the condition begins in adolescence. The first manifestation of bipolar illness is usually a depressive episode. The first manic features may not occur for months or even years thereafter, or may occur either during the first depressive illness or later, after a symptom-free period (Strober et al. , 1995). The clinical problems of mania are very different from those of depression. Adolescents with mania or hypomania feel energetic, confident, and special; they usually have difficulty sleeping but do not tire; and they talk a great deal, often speaking very rapidly or loudly. They may complain that their thoughts are racing. They may do schoolwork quickly and creatively but in a disorganized, chaotic fashion. When manic, adolescents may have exaggerated or even delusional ideas about their capabilities and importance, may become overconfident, and may be uninhibited with others; they start numerous projects that they do not finish and may engage in reckless or risky behavior, such as fast driving or unsafe sex. Sexual preoccupations are increased and may be associated with promiscuous behavior. Reactive Depression, also known as adjustment disorder with depressed mood, is the most common form of mood problem in children AND adolescents. In children suffering from reactive depression, depressed feelings are short-lived and usually occur in response to some adverse experience, such as a rejection, a slight, a letdown, or a loss. In contrast, children may feel sad or lethargic and appear preoccupied for periods as short as a few hours or as long as 2 weeks. However, mood improves with a change in activity or an interesting or pleasant event. These transient mood swings in reaction to minor environmental adversities are not regarded as a form of mental disorder. All in all, I have concluded that it is definitely more likely for mental illness symptoms to surface during

Definitions and Examples of English Usage

Definitions and Examples of English Usage Usage refers to the conventional ways in which words or phrases are used, spoken, or written in a speech community. There is no official institution (akin to the 500-year-old Acadà ©mie franà §aise, for example) that functions as an authority on how the English language should be used. There are, however, numerous publications, groups, and individuals (style guides, language mavens, and the like) that have attempted to codify (and sometimes dictate) rules of usage. EtymologyFrom Latin,  usus  Ã‚  to use Observations This usage stuff is not straightforward and easy. If ever someone tells you that the rules of English grammar are simple and logical and you should just learn them and obey them, walk away, because youre getting advice from a fool.  (Geoffrey K. Pullum, Does It Really Matter If It Dangles? Language Log, Nov. 20, 2010)The thoughtful, nondichotomous position on language depends on a simple insight: Rules of proper usage are tacit conventions. Conventions are unstated agreements within a community to abide by a single way of doing thingsnot because there is any inherent advantage to the choice, but because there is an advantage to everyone making the same choice. Standardized weights and measures, electrical voltages and cables, computer file formats, the Gregorian calendar, and paper currency are familiar examples.  (Steven Pinker, False Fronts in the Language Wars. Slate, May 31, 2012) The Difference Between Grammar and Usage In this book, grammar refers to the manner in which the language functions, the ways that the blocks of speech and writing are put together. Usage refers to using specific words in a manner that will be thought of as either acceptable or unacceptable. The question of whether or not to split an infinitive is a consideration of grammar; the question of whether one should use literally in a nonliteral sense is one of usage.  (Ammon Shea, Bad English: A History of Linguistic Aggravation. Perigee, 2014) Arbiters of Usage The present-day scholarly concept of usage as a social consensus based on the practices of the educated middle class has emerged only within the last century. For many people, however, the views and aims of the 17th-18c fixers of the language continue to hold true: they consider that there ought to be a single authority capable of providing authoritative guidance about good and bad usage. For them, the model remains that of the Greek and Latin, and they have welcomed arbiters of usage such as Henry Fowler who have based their prescriptions on this model. In spite of this  ... no nation in which English is the main language has yet set up an official institution to monitor and make rules about usage. New words, and new senses and uses of words, are not sanctioned or rejected by the authority of any single body: they arise through regular use and, once established, are recorded in dictionaries and grammars. This means that, with the classical model of grammar in rapid decline, the us ers of English collectively set the standards and priorities that underlie all usage.  (Robert Allen, Usage. The Oxford Companion to the English Language, ed. T. McArthur. Oxford University Press, 1992) Most of the little manuals which pretend to regulate our use of our own language and to declare what is and what is not good English are grotesque in their ignorance; and the best of them are of small value, because they are prepared on the assumption that the English language is dead, like the Latin, and that, like Latin again, its usage is fixed finally. Of course, this assumption is as far as possible from the fact. The English language is alive now- very much alive. And because it is alive it is in a constant state of growth. It is developing daily according to its needs. It is casting aside words and usages that are no longer satisfactory; it is adding new terms as new things are brought forward; and it is making new usages, as convenience suggests, short-cuts across lots, and to the neglect of the five-barred gates rigidly set up by our ancestors.  (Brander Matthews, Parts of Speech: Essays on English, 1901) Usage and Corpus Linguistics English is more diverse than ever in all hemispheres. Research into new Englishes has flourished, supported by journals such as English World-Wide, World Englishes and English Today. At the same time, the quest for a single, international form for written communication becomes more pressing, among those aiming at a global readership...Many kinds of resource have been brought to bear on the style and usage questions raised. The Cambridge Guide to English Usage is the first of its kind to make regular use of large databases (corpora) of computerized texts as primary sources of current English. . . . The corpora embody various kinds of written discourse as well as transcriptions of spoken discourseenough to show patterns of divergence between the two. Negative attitudes to particular idioms or usage often turn on the fact that they are more familiar to the ear than the eye, and the constructions of formal writing are privileged thereby. Corpus data allow us to look more neutrally at the distributions of words and constructions, to view the range of styles across which they operate. On this basis, we can see what is really standard, i.e. usable in many kinds of discourse, as opposed to the formal or informal.  (Pam Peters, The Cambridge Guide to English Usage. Cambridge University Press, 2004) Linguists and Usage As a field of study, usage doesnt hold much interest for modern linguists, who are drifting more and more toward qualitative psychology and theory. Their leading theorist, Noam Chomsky of MIT, has acknowledged, with no apparent regret, the pedagogical irrelevance of modern linguistics: I am, frankly, rather skeptical about the significance, for the teaching of languages, of such insights and understanding as have been attained in linguistics and psychology ... If you want to learn how to use the English language skillfully and gracefully, books on linguistics wont help you at all.  (Bryan A. Garner, Garners Modern American Usage, 3rd ed. Oxford University Press, 2009) Correctness In the past, unproven ideas about the Standard have often been used to forward certain social interests at the expense of others. Knowing this, we do not describe the misuse of the conventions of punctuation in some students writing as a crime against civilization, although we do point out the mistakes. What interests us far more is that these apprentice writers have interesting ideas to convey, and manage to support their arguments well. They should be encouraged to turn to the task of writing seriously and enthusiastically rather than be discouraged because they cannot punctuate a restrictive clause correctly. But when they ask, Does spelling count? we tell them that in writing, as in life, everything counts. For academic writers, as for writers in a wide variety of fields (business, journalism, education, etc.), correctness in both content and expression is vital. . . . Language standardization may have been used as a tool of social oppression, but it has also been the vehicle of broad collaboration and communication. We are right to treat usage both warily and seriously.  (Margery Fee and Janice McAlpine, Guide to Canadian English Usage, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, 2007)   Usage is trendy, arbitrary, and above all, constantly changing, like all other fashionsin clothing, music, or automobiles. Grammar is the rationale of a language; usage is the etiquette.​  (I. S. Fraser and L. M. Hodson, Twenty-One Kicks at the Grammar Horse. The English Journal, Dec. 1978)   E.B. White on Usage as a Matter of Ear We were interested in what Dr. Henry Seidel Canby had to say about English usage, in the Saturday Review. Usage seems to us peculiarly a matter of ear. Everyone has his own set of rules, his own list of horribles. Dr. Canby speaks of contact used as a verb, and points out that careful writers and speakers, persons of taste, studiously avoid it. They dosome of them, because the word so used, makes their gorge rise, others because they have heard that we sensitive litry folk consider it displeasing. The odd thing is that what is true of one noun-verb is not necessarily true of another. To contact a man makes us wince; but to ground a plane because of bad weather sounds all right. Further, although we are satisfied to ground a plane, we object to garaging an automobile. An automobile should not be garaged; it should either be put in a garage or left out all night.The contraction aint, as Dr. Canby points out, is a great loss to the language. Nice Nellies, schoolteachers, and underdone g rammarians have made it the symbol of ignorance and ill-breeding, when in fact it is a handy word, often serving where nothing else will. Say it aint so is a phrase that is right the way it stands, and couldnt be any different. People are afraid of words, afraid of mistakes. One time a newspaper sent us to a morgue to get a story on a woman whose body was being held for identification. A man believed to be her husband was brought in. Somebody pulled the sheet back; the man took one agonizing look, and cried, My God, its her! When we reported this grim incident, the editor diligently changed it to My God, its she!The English language is always sticking a foot out to trip a man. Every week we get thrown, writing merrily along. Even Dr. Canby, a careful and experienced craftsman, got thrown in his own editorial. He spoke of the makers of textbooks who are nearly always reactionary, and often unscholarly in denying the right to change to a language that has always been changing ... In this case, the word change, quietly sandwiched in between a couple of tos, unexpectedly exploded the whole sentence. Even inverting the phr ases wouldnt have helped. If he had started out, In denying to a language ... the right to change, it would have come out this way: In denying to a language that has always been changing the right to change ... English usage is sometimes more than mere taste, judgment, and educationsometimes its sheer luck, like getting across a street.  (E.B. White, English Usage. The Second Tree From the Corner. Harper Row, 1954) Pronunciation: YOO-sij

Stability Essays

Stability Essays Stability Essay Stability Essay Stable. Strong oxidizer contact with combustible material may cause fire. Incompatible with combustible materials, and strong reducing agents.ToxicologyHarmful if swallowed. May cause reproductive disorders.AimThe aim of this experiment is to determine the crystallisation temperature of the solution potassium nitrate at different concentrations and use information to find out the standard enthalpy of potassium nitrate.Equipment and reagents* Boiling tubes* Dark card* Bunsen burner* Thermometer* Weighing scale* Burette (50cm3)* Clamp* Stand* Potassium nitrate* Deionised water/ distilled waterSafety* Wear goggles for eye protection at all times.* Laboratory coats must be worn at all times.* Wear gloves to avoid chemical contact to skin, potassium nitrate.* Long hair was tied back when Bunsen burners were used.Procedure1. 10g of potassium nitrate were weighed out and placed into a boiling tube, and then the exact mass was noted in a result table.2. Exactly 8.0cm3 of deionised water was added to the boiling tube containing the potassium nitrate. This was done by using a burette.3. The tube was then heated gently until the crystals were dissolved and then the heat source was removed.4. The tubes were allowed to cool for safety reasons. The temperature at which the crystals were first appeared was noted. A dark card was used for this purpose. The results were recorded.5. A further 25cm3 of distilled water was added and steps 3-4 were repeated.6. A further 25cm3 of distilled water was added and steps 3-4 were repeated again.7. A further 25cm3 of distilled water was added and steps 3-4 were repeated again.In my own opinion I think the above procedure will be a suitable method as it will not take a lot of time to perform and also it is quite simple to carry out. However, it could be a bit imprecise as we have to watch and determine when the crystals of potassium nitrate forms and reforms, then try to read the temperature of the thermometer. This difficulty could result in a slight inaccurate measurements as valuable seconds are wasted between seeing the crystals reforming and reading the measurements on the thermometer, which means that the temperature would have increased further from when crystals first formed as the Bunsen burner would still be heating the boiling tube.Alternative methods1. compare my results with other class students or with txt books results:AdvantagesdisadvantagesThis would be an appropriate way to check if my results are rational. As if I had extremely different results to numerous other students, then It would be unlikely that all of them would be wrong.It is impossible to be 100% accurate in measuring temperature and reagents, therefore the results will differ slightly between students.2. Perform the experiment several times for each volume of water and take an average.AdvantagesdisadvantagesThis method would be a lot more precise.It would take too long to carry out3. Guess the crystallisation temperature.Advantagesdisad vantagesFor this method there wouldnt be any calculations other than for the enthalpy, therefore this method would be straightforward.This would be very inaccurate.I think my method didnt need to be altered in any way to adapt to the experiment because the method I used went easily.ResultsVolume of watercnR.In cnCrystallisation temperatureReciprocal of absolute temperature 1/T(cm3)(mol dm3)(R = 8.31 Jmol-1 K-1)( 0C) T(K)(K-1)8.012.3620.9062 3352.98 x 10-310.89.8919.0456 3293.04 x 10-312.08.2417.5347 3203.13 x 10-314.07.0616.2442 3153.17 x 10-3Table of values for the line of best fit.R.ln SReciprocal of absolute temperature 1/T(R = 8.31 J mol-1 K-1)(K-1)Y 1 and X121.350.00290Y 2 and X215.000.003255The estimation of S (the intercept) was noted from these pairs of values.If Y 1 = mX 1 + c and Y 2 = mX2 + cThen (Y 1 c) / X1 =( Y 2 c ) / X 2X2Y1 X2c = X1y2 X1cc = (X2Y1 X1Y2) / (X2 X1)The gradient, m = (Y1 Y2) / (X1 X2)The expression gradient = H was used to find H, the enthalpy of solution of potassium nitrate.Intercept = S = 73.2 J mol-1 K-1Gradient = H = 17.9 K j mol-1By comparing the values I obtained from my results to those of the line of best fit I was able to estimate the SD of the values I had calculated for S and H the following table shows the results.R.in cn1/T values (a)1/T values calculated from best fit line (b)Difference for each 1/T value, as a fraction of the best fit value.(a-b)/bDifference2(R = 8.21 Jmol-1 K-1)K-1K-120.900.002980.0029250.01883.5344 x10-419.040.003040.003033.300 x10-31.089 x10-517.530.003130.0031135.461 x10-32.9822521 x10-516.240.003190.00319-6.2696 x10-33.93 x10-5CalculationsMolar mass (KNO) =K= 39N= 14O= 3 X16= 39 + 14 + 48= 101.11gNumber of moles :Amount = mass = 10.00 = 0.0989 mol dm-3Molar mass 101.11Concentration:Concentration = amountVolume(a) 8 cm3 : C = 0.0989 = 12.36 mol dm-38/1000(b) 10 cm3 : C = 0.0989 = 9.89 mol dm-310/1000(c) 12 cm3 : C = 0.0989 = 8.24 mol dm-312/1000(d) 14 cm3 : C = 0.0989 = 7.06 mol dm-314 /1000R.In cn:(a) 12.36 mol dm-3 : ln (12.36) = 2.514= R X ln (concentration)=8.31 x 2.51=20.90(b) 9.89 mol dm-3 : ln (9.89) = 2.2915= R X ln (concentration)=8.31 x 2.29=19.04(c) 8.24 mol dm-3 : ln (8.24) = 2.1090= R X ln (concentration)=8.31 x 2.11=17.53(d) 7.06 mol dm-3 : ln (7.06) = 1.954= R X ln (concentration)=8.31 x 1.95=16.24Crystallisation temperature in KelvinK = (0C ) + 273(a) 620C : 62+ 273 = 335K(b) 560C : 56 + 273 = 329K(c) 470C : 47+ 273 = 320K(d) 420C : 42+ 273 = 315KReciprocal 1/T(a) 20.90 : 1/335 = 2.98 X 10-3(b) 19.04 : 1/329 = 3.04 X 10-3(c) 17.53 : 1/320 = 313 X 10-3(d) 16.24 : 1/315 = 317 X 10-3GradientY = mx + cm = (y2 y1)(x2 x1)m = 15.00 21.350.003255 0.00290m = -6.35 .3.55 x 10-4m = -17,887.32394 Kj mol= -17.89 Kj molH = 17.89 Kj molS = (0.003255 x 21.35 0.00290 x 15.00)(0.003255 0.00290)S = 0.06949425 0.04353.55 x 10-4S = 73.223= 73.2Differences for each 1/T valueD = a-b / b(1) D = 0.00298 0.002925 = 0.01880.02925(2) D = 0.00304 0.00303 = 3.300 x 10- 30.00303(3) D = 0.00313 0.003113 = 5.461 x 10-30.003113(4) D = 0.00317 0.00319 = -6.2696 x 10-30.00319Differences2(1) (0.0188)2 = 3.5344 x 10-4(2) (3.300 x 10-3)2 = 1.089 x 10-5(3) (5.461 x 10-3)2 = 2.9822521 x 10-5(4) (-6.2696 x 10-3)2 = 3.93 x 10-5? (difference) 2 = 4.33 x 10-4Standard deviationSD = V? (- X X) 2 = V 4.33 X 10-4 = 0.01n 4S : % error = 73.2 + 0.01% error = 0.01 x 100 = 0.01%H : % error = 17.9 + 0.01% error = 0.01 x100 = 0.06%17.9DiscussionOn the whole I believe that my experiment went quite well because everything was conducted according to plan. I discussed my experiment and my results with my lecture and were said to be reasonably accurate. I also believe that any inaccuracy in my results was due to inexperience and human error, when measurements of weight, temperature and volume were made. My final results were obtained using results from a line of best fit placed on my graph this could have also caused a slight of inaccuracy in my results. These results could have been imprecise as extremely small numbers were used which were difficult to plot correctly on the graph and I had estimated where the points were to be placed. Also I had to estimate where to place my line of best fit. Additionally the inaccuracy could have been due to the thermometer I used, as there was a small gap between seeing the crystal and recording the temperature. For this reason I couldnt be as accurate as I would have been liked to be as because you had to be very quick in reading the temperature which was constantly changing. Furthermore, it was quite difficult to distinguish between small particles that had formed and air bubbles in the solution. Plus, it was hard to actually say what amount of particles formed, was the right amount to take the solution off the heat source and note the results.In my own opinion I think that my method was a suitable one because it gave me accurate results and didnt take up too much time to proceed.ImprovementsThe improvements that could have been made to make my experiment more accurate are to be more careful in measuring reagents and also to use a more accurate thermometer. In addition, a larger scaled graph could have been used as results would have been plotted more accurately.Confidently in future I would be more experienced in carrying out the experiment and would be more precise at spotting the crystals when they form.Conclusion and % errorThermometer 0.10620 : % error = 0.1 x 100 = 0.2%62560 : % error = 0.1 x 100 = 0.2%56470 : % error = 0.1 x 100 = 0.2%47420 : % error = 0.1 x 100 = 0.2%42Average % error = 0.2%Burette 0.1cm38cm3 : % error = 0.1 x 100 = 1.3%810cm3 : % error = 0.1 x 100 = 1%1012cm3 : % error = 0.1 x 100 = 0.8%1214cm3 : % error = 0.1 x 100 = 0.7%14Average % error = 1.3 + 1+ 0.8 +0.7 = 0.95%4Weighing scales + 0.01g% error = 0.01 x 100= 0.1% Show preview only

When Are the 2015 AP Test Dates

When Are the 2015 AP Test Dates SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you took an AP test back in 2015, you might be wondering when exactly you took that exam. Or perhaps you just want to know how AP test dates change each year. Check out our table below to get the AP test dates for 2015, andread on for our exclusive tips and advice for prepping for AP tests- no matter what year you take the tests. 2015 AP Exam Dates The tables below show the 2015 schedule for AP Exams. Note that many of the most popular tests, such as Calculus AB/BC, English Language, Chemistry, and US History, were offered during the 8 am slot. (The two exceptions are Psychology and Statistics, which were offered in the afternoon.) Week 1 May 4 (Monday) May 5 (Tuesday) May 6 (Wednesday) May 7 (Thursday) May 8 (Friday) Morning (8 am) Chemistry Calculus AB English Literature and Composition Computer Science A German Language and Culture Environmental Science Calculus BC Spanish Language and Culture United States History Afternoon (12 pm) Psychology AP Seminar Japanese Language and Culture Art History European History Chinese Language and Culture Physics 1: Algebra-Based Physics 2: Algebra-Based Week 2 May 11 (Monday) May 12 (Tuesday) May 13 (Wednesday) May 14 (Thursday) May 15 (Friday) Morning (8 am) Biology United States Government and Politics English Language and Composition Comparative Government and Politics Human Geography Music Theory World History Microeconomics Afternoon (12 pm) Physics C: Mechanics French Language and Culture Statistics Italian Language and Culture Latin Spanish Literature and Culture Macroeconomics Afternoon (2 pm) Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism Source: Bulletin for AP Students and Parents, 2014-2015 How to Stay Focused During the AP Exam Period Looking at these tables (or, more specifically, the tables for your particular AP testing year) can be overwhelming. If you're taking more than one AP test, it can be tough to manage your time during May and feel prepared for each test. I’m used to stressful AP weeks. For my last three years of high school, I had multiple exams every May. Sophomore year I had three in a week, junior year I took two tests in two days, and senior year my tests stretched all the way from the first day of testing to the last day. So how do you cope? My biggest piece of advice is to memorize your AP test schedule now so you're mentally prepared for what May will be like. For example, if you realize you’re going to have three tests in three days, plan to get all of your studying done before April ends so you can focus on feeling rested and ready in the days before all those tests. For most people, May means flowers and good weather. For you, it’s stress and prep books. Or say you're taking AP Chemistry, which (hypothetically) falls on the first Monday, and AP Human Geography, which (also hypothetically) falls on the last Friday. In this case, you should plan to do some intensive Chemistry studying in April so you’re ready to roll by the first test day- though you'll want to also keep studying for Human Geography. You could use the first two weeks of May to wrap up your Geography studying since it will be the only test you have to focus on. In short, it all depends on your particular exam schedule.Consult our other AP exams guide to learn more about the next AP test dates. Preparing for the AP Tests in May: 6 Essential Tips Once you know what the AP test dates are for your testing year and when your particular tests will be administered, use these six tips to help you prepare effectively for AP exam period. #1: Plan Ahead and Use High-Quality Resources First and foremost, make sure that you've learned all the major concepts and taken at least one practice exam for each subject before May. This should eliminate any need for panicked, last-minute cramming between AP tests! But what's the best way to learn major concepts? Besides using notes and homework assignments from your AP class, it's a good idea to useofficial prep materials.This way, you can be sure that you're working with AP questions and practice tests that are extremely similar to the real deal. For practice questions, use your test's Course Description PDFand itsFree Response questions (available for free for each AP test on the AP Students website). You should also utilize anyofficial full-length tests you can find for free online. If you're OK with spending a little money, you can also get practice AP tests by buying official prep booksvia the College Board store (though I recommend buying through Amazon, which typically offers them and other prep books at much lower prices). Some of these prep books are complete guides, whereas others are actual previously released exams. #2: Use Your Time Wisely If you have one exam that you know is going to be the hardest for you, considerprioritizing any extra time you have in May toward that test. That said, make sure you put in the time starting now to really devote yourself to mastering the main concepts and getting practice in so you don’t feel super-stressed come May. #3: Time Yourself on Practice Tests When doing practice sections in April and/or May- either multiple choice or free response- make sure you are timing yourself strictly so you are prepared for actual AP test timing. The exact test time will be written on the practice test and on your test's page on the AP Students website. #4: Remember to Rest If you have multiple exams in a week or two days in a row (or two in a day!), limit heavy studying during that time and instead make sure you’re getting enough rest instead. First of all, you won’t be able to do much quality studying in an afternoon after an AP test if your brain is already fried from taking an actual exam. Even if you can get yourself to focus, it’s just as important the night before a test to get enough rest so you’ll have plenty of energy the next day. Besides, you should have completed all your major studying way earlier than the night before the test! Don’t let this be you the night before your AP test. #5: Be Self-Reflective If tests make you super-stressed and anxious and you study like crazy (that was me!), actively make time for some fun and relaxation during the AP testing period. After all, 30 minutes of exercise or a full night’s sleep will likely benefit you more the night before test day than will going over a concept for the 10th time. But if you're having a hard time staying focused and studying, especially near the end of the school year, work in some short daily studying,such as vocab review or multiple-choice practice. This will help you feel mentally prepared for the test, even if you’re burned out. #6: Think About the Big Picture Take some time to remind yourself of your goals. Whether that’s acing AP Calculus BC so you never have to take calculus in college, or getting top scores so you can be competitive for the Ivy League, keeping your goals in mind will help you stay motivated up until test day. It can be tough to keep your motivation up during May, but it’s important to keep in mind the long-term impact exams like these can have on your academic future. Remember, you’ve already put the time in by taking the AP class all year long and studying. Does the AP Schedule Stay the Same From Year to Year? The AP test schedule doesn't change all that much from year to year, so the most recent year’s test schedule will always be a decent predictor of future AP schedules, especially over the next year or two.But you can’t do long-term planning with it. The 2015 AP schedule above is already getting a bit old, so I don't advise using this to predict AP schedules in the coming years. Rather, it's best to refer to our guide on AP test dates, which we update with each new testing year. If you're curious about how much the AP schedule changes, check out the schedule from 2014 to see how it changed in 2015. All changes are highlighted in yellow: Week 1 (2014) Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Morning (8 am) Chemistry Computer Science A Calculus AB English Literature and Composition English Language and Composition Environmental Science Spanish Language and Culture Calculus BC Afternoon (12 pm) Psychology Art History Chinese Language and Culture Japanese Language and Culture Statistics Latin Studio Art Week 2 (2014) Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Morning (8 am) Biology United States Government and Politics German Language and Culture Macroeconomics Comparative Government and Politics Music Theory United States History World History Spanish Literature and Culture Afternoon (12 pm) Physics B French Language and Culture European History Italian Language and Culture Physics C: Mechanics Human Geography Microeconomics Afternoon (2 pm) Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism Note that Computer Science A, Spanish Language and Culture, Calculus AB/BC, and English Literature were still offered during the first week in the morning, but they shifted around between Tuesday to Thursday. Similarly, Art History, Chinese, and Japanese are still in the first week afternoon slot, but shifted between Tuesday to Thursday. The biggest moves were English Language, German, and Statistics. English Language moved to the second week, whereas German moved up to week one. Statistics, meanwhile, moved later to Wednesday in week two. Note that only three exams were substantially pushed around the schedule, which is why you could have used the 2014 schedule as a decent predictor for 2015. (As a brief note, Studio Art now uses a digital submission format, so it has been taken off the exam schedule.) However, if you go back five or 10 years, AP test dates begin to change more- and the exams themselves change. Some tests are added (such as the Physics exams) and some are taken away, such as French Literature and Studio Art. Therefore, if you’re trying to predict the AP test schedule years in advance, it'll be hard to be accurate. What’s Next? Want to know more about AP tests? Get the rundown of how long AP tests areso you can learn how to deal with time pressure on exam day. Also, learn when the upcoming AP test dates are so you can prepare ahead of time. Need help with studying for the SAT or ACT?Get started on your prep by settinga target SAT or ACT score that's perfect for your dream schools. Hoping to nab a perfect SAT or ACT score? Our guides toscoring a 1600 on the SAT and a 36 on the ACTteach you everything you need to know to be successful on test day. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Supply Chain Management Principles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

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GAAP versus IFRS Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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Company case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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Human Resources Management - Stress in Work force and the Employee Essay

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( Employement relation module) How does the living wage relate to the labour movement and how does the labour movement relate t - Essay Example Background As the living wage movement has matured, it became more aggressive and sophisticated. Typical cost of living requires the work of at least $ 8.50 an hour if the employer provides certain health benefits or about $ 10 if no health benefits are provided. Capitalizing on the high cost of living in the region of Santa Cruz wage campaign living wage has won a record $ 11 per hour for health insurance or $ 12 without (Elmore 2003). Many regulations required additional standards, such as paid leave and hiring local people. Living wage advocates are also included language intended to protect workers from the city, where contracts from hand to hand and to prohibit retaliation by employers against employees for asserting their rights under the order. However, other orders require companies to publicly report their employment, wages and benefits and to engage in the details of expenditure on urban public service contracts and economic incentives for development. Less frequent but per haps more promising, a handful of living wage ordinances include language intended to facilitate the trade unions. ... Unfortunately, it is a language of the map noted verifies walks fine line and vulnerable to legal challenges under the National Labour Relations Act. The campaign also sought new ways to extend the coverage of living wage ordinances. While the limited coverage of many previous decisions to those employed by city contractors, is now almost a third of the minimum subsistence laws on the books cover a city service contractors and firms receiving economic development assistance of the City (Mincer 2006). A handful of these laws are another step forward, extending the minimum subsistence requirements for contractors and lessees of these subsidized companies (I think the difference in the shopping centre was built with government subsidies or reduced tax office tower cleaning contractor). More recently, the campaign of Berkeley and Santa Monica have broadened the concept of a living wage even further, demanding a living wage by major employers located in highly developed areas of the water front tourists. Opposition As successes such as these mountains, it becomes inevitable opposition. The main players among the interests of business against the cost of living will not be a surprise to readers here. They have a food service and hospitality that benefit low-wage labour - including the National Federation of Independent Business and National Restaurant Association - and the local chambers of commerce. Before the victory in Santa Monica, great plot hotels sought to crush the living wage effort to promote the initiative false "living wage" ballot that would have covered almost no work and are included in the small print that prohibits future living

Plato - Socrates Essay Example for Free

Plato Socrates Essay Apology, in greek, means ‘to give defense’ (###). In Plato’s Apology, Socrates is blamed for numerous acts and elegantly defends himself in front of the court. To start off, he was first accused of studying astrology and demonology and passing his knowledge and beliefs to other people. His first response to this was blatantly asking who has heard him speaking of such acts: â€Å"†¦should tell each other if anyone of you has ever heard me discussing such subjects to any extent at all† (19d). He also claims that if anyone has heard of him charging fees for his teachings, that that is a lie as well. Socrates continues by saying that god at Delphi claims that he is the wisest man in Athens, and he challenges anyone who believes they are wiser. Even though Meletus refuses to believe the words that Socrates speaks, he continues to listen as Socrates further explains his viewpoint. Socrates continues by saying that the reason behind his unpopularity lies behind his ability to analyze others. He criticizes the politicians, the poets, and the craftsmen for their apparent wisdom. Socrates first examines the Politicians, saying that â€Å"†¦I found that those who had the highest reputation were nearly the most deficient†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (22a) meaning that they possessed little to no wisdom. Next, Socrates examined the Poets. He simply stated that the poets had no clue what they were writing about. He believes that their poems come from sheer inspiration and natural talents, and their wisdom has nothing to do with it. Finally, Socrates speaks about the craftsmen. He shares his belief that the craftsmen are very wise, but they only possess knowledge of their crafts. Secondly, Socrates was accused of corrupting the minds of the young. Meletus originally claimed that only Socrates is guilty of corrupting the minds of the youth. Socrates asks Meletus a few questions such as: Who improves the young? In which Meletus responds by telling Socrates that the law is held responsible for improving the law. Socrates then follows up by asking who contains the knowledge of the law? : Where Meletus answers with the jurymen, audience, members of council, etc. Socrates then summarizes all of the premises for Meletus by concluded that everyone in Athens besides Socrates improves the young. Socrates continues his argument with an analogy. He uses an anaglogy involving a horse trainer. He states that there are very few horse trainers who are experts in their field, and their job is to improve them to the best of their abilities. If an ordinary person, one whom isn’t trained on horses, were attempt to train a horse, they would simply only make matters worse. What Socrates is trying to say here is that ther are very few ‘trainers’ that train people, and contrary to Meletus’s beleifs, Socrates is one of those trainers. Socrates quickly turns the boat around towards Meletus and claims that he has never given any thought towards the youth. He then continues to upgrade his argument by saying that most people, if not all, would rather live in a town full of good people rather than bad: â€Å"Do not the wicked do some harm to those who are ever closest to them, whereas good people benefit them? † (25c). This quote shows how he agrees with the previous statement that most people would rather live with good people. He states here that bad people will harm the ones that are closest to them, whereas good people will only bring them goodness. Socrates then follows up on his argument by repeating Meletus’s thoughts that he, Socrates, intentionally corrupted the minds of the young. He concludes by saying that, usually, when people harm another person, a harmful return should be expected. Therefore, if he intentionally harmed the youth, then he would be expected to be harmed as a result. He asks Meletus â€Å"†¦namely that if I make one of my associates wicked I run the risk of being harmed by him so that I do such a great evil deliberately, as you say? † (25e). Here, Socrates explains that if he were to harm another person, then he would be subjected to harm himself, and what person would subject themselves to harm in the first place? Socrates finalizes his attack on the second charge by saying that he’s either innocent of corrupting the youth, or he did so unintentionally. If he was found guilty, however, then he should rather be taught than to be subjected to the court. `In my eyes, Socrates argument was relatively strong here. During his speech, Socrates quickly turns to focus of his argument to the inconsistency of the charge and his belief in new spiritual things. He addresses Meletus’s belief in spiritual things by saying that it is a contradiction to atheism. Socrates justifies his beliefs by saying that you can’t believe in human activities but not believe in humans, or believe in flute-playing but not believe in the existence of flutes. Therefore, Socrates concludes by saying that you can’t believe in spiritual activity but not believe in spirits. He also makes his argument stronger by mocking the court in a sense with strong irony. In the beginning of The Apology, Socrates was being charged of impiety, using rhetoric to potentially acknowledge the truth behind the lies of the law. Reading about Socrates, it is clearly shown that he is quite fond of exposing the truth, making him a prime example of a rhetorician. In order to turn his case around in the court, Socrates uses rhetoric to defend himself. Since he saw no way out of the situation, he decided to complement his character and keep to his traditional ways. However, towards the end of the argument, Socrates seems to lose focus and his argument becomes less and less stable. In Crito, Socrates was given the death sentenced, and when the opportunity arised for an escape, he refused. Crito gave him numerous reasons as to why Socrates should escape. First, Socrates would be abandoning his wife and children. Secondly, people are willing to pay his way out of jail, that way he wouldn’t be in debt. Also, if he didn’t escape, Crito worries what people would think of Socrates’ companions. He is worried that the situation would reflect badly on them, that they did nothing to help Socrates escape. As well as deserting his wife and children, Crito believes that Socrates will also be deserting himself. After all he has believed in and persevered through, Crito doesn’t want Socrates to give up now. Finally, People are willing to risk themselves to help him escape from prison. Crito thinks that since Socrates has so many reasons to escape, that he should quickly act upon the situation. After Crito delivers his five reasons as to why Socrates should escape, Socrates states two different premises as to why he should stay in jail and accept his punishment. First, he defends himself against Crito’s speech. He first questions whether or not he should remain in prison and accept all punishments against him, or agree with Crito and escape. He states that if he were to escape from prison, then he would be saying that it is acceptable to perform injustice acts. He then corrects the statement by saying that no matter what the issue is, it’s unacceptable to wrong against any man. Following up, Socrates states that if one were to agree over something, then under no circumstances should that agreement be broken or cheated on. While Socrates is living in Athens, he is agreeing to all of the rules and regulations that the law presents. If he doesn’t agree with the laws, then he has the choice of leaving in pursuit of a new city or challenge the law itself. If he doesn’t perform either of these acts, then he is subjective to the laws of the city. Socrates then combines all of these premises to come to the conclusion that he should accept his punishments and refrain from escaping. Socrates then lays out his second premise by first stating that if he were to escape, he will then destroy the Law of Athens and the City, something that he promised not to break upon living in the City. At the age of consent, Socrates turned into a man, thus agreeing to the rues and regulations of the city. The law originally allowed his parents to wed and deliver Socrates, and then in turn allowed Socrates to wed and have children. So far, the Law of Athens have done nothing but help the upbringing of Socrates and his children. However, he then states that if the Law and the City’s ruling was unjust, then if Socrates were to escape, he wouldn’t be breaking the Law of Athens. The problem here is that the only way Socrates would be able to prove his ruling unjust is if he was on an equal footing with the Law of Athens or if he did not promise to abide by the Law of Athens and all of its rulings. If he was on an equal footing with the City, then whatever the city would do to Socrates, Socrates could do the city, which is inaccurate. After all, the city is responsible for the upbringing of Socrates and his family. Since he isn’t on an equal footing, and he did promise to follow all of the rules and regulations of the City, Socrates concludes by saying that the ruling of the jury was accurate. Socrates addresses the first three arguments of Crito by saying that they are irrelevant to whether or not his escaping is right or wrong. Secondly, Socrates says that although that remaining arguments are valid, the do not give good enough reasons. In Crito, the city is wronging Socrates by order of execution. Therefore, by complying to the wrong accusation, is Socrates committing an unjust act as well? With all of the arguments Socrates has made so far (one has to keep his promise, one should follow the rules of the Law, one should never commit wrongdoing), he cannot admit it. Another validation issue in Socrates’ argument is the potential contradiction with The Apology. In The Apology, Socrates states that under no circumstances will he obey any order to stop philosophizing: â€Å"Gentlemen of the jury, I am grateful and I am your friend, but I will obey the god rather than you, and as long as I draw breath and am able, I shall not cease to practice philosophy.. † (29d). Another example that seems to be contradictory in his beleifs in Crito is the story of Leon form Salamis. Socrates was ordered to bring in Leon for a possible execution, but instead headed home. â€Å"Then I showed again, not in words bu in action, that, it if were not rather vulgar to say so, death is something I couldn’t care less about, but that my whole concern is not to do anything unjust or impious† (32c-e). Here, Socrates shows how he refused to do something that he believes to be unjust. Relating this back to his situation in Crito, Socrates was being punished for being unjust, thus putting him in the same position as Leon. In Crito, he shows his obligation to obey the Law of Athens, even if that meant he was going to stop philosophizing as well as being wrongfully executed. In Phaedo, Cebes and Socrates have a long a thorough conversation of the existence of the soul. Cebes’s argument is that the soul is recycled through different bodies. However, the more times the soul is reused, then more it is damaged. Cebes believes that when the soul eventually runs out, it will result in the death of a birth. He finishes his argument by telling Socrates that unless you can prove that the soul is immortal, every man must be fearful of his soul and what will happen to it if it is reensouled. Thus, if anyone was to face death with confidence would be considered unwise. Socrates follows up with his New Method of Hypothesis. Here, he states that everyone is participating in a certain form, whether it’s the form of tallness, the form of beautiful, etc. : â€Å"I assume the existence of a Beautiful, itself, of a good and a Great and all the rest† (100b). He believes that the form of Beautiful is made up of participates, and that they all come together to create the form. Socrates also comes up with the Exclusion of Opposites. Here, he states that everything that is condisered a ‘universal fact’, will never have both itself and it’s opposite simultaneously. Socrates uses the example of the Form of Tallness, saying that one can’t possess both the Form of Tallness and the Form of Shortness. What he means here is that you can’t be both tall and short at the same time. He continues on by saying that certain states of affairs have opposites, but their character is made up of the opposite that they possess. As his argument goes on, Socrates states that the soul brings to body life as well as anything that it possesses. If this is true, then that would mean that the soul is immortal, always reensouling another body. This is unlike what Cebes said, since he was convinced that the more times the soul possessed a new body, then the sould would become weaker and eventually cease to exist. Following up on Socrates’s argument, if the soul never dies, then that you mean that it is imperishable. In conclusion, Socrates can say that the soul is abiding.

Islam and terrorism

Islam and terrorism INTRODUCTION When the terrorists attacked the United States on the morning of September 11, 2001, they set in motion a sequence of events that demonstrated unequivocally the power and influence ofterrorism. Less than two hours of unimaginable violence by nineteen terrorists led to repercussions felt around the world. Beyond the death and destruction that the terrorists caused more than 3,000 people were killed in the suicide attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. They also inflicted a deep psychological wound upon United States and the rest of the world.[1] Although the United States had experienced major terrorist attacks on its soil in the past, including the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center and the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, the September 11 attacks were beyond most peoples worst nightmare. Hijacked planes crashing into U.S. landmarks and live television coverage of the twin towers of the World Trade Center collapsing images that will likely be etched in ones mind forever. The tragedy of September 11, 2001, has revealed the roots of deep planetary contradictions that threaten the world community and indeed life itself on planet Earth. This act of unprecedented terror against thousands of innocent people ought, at last, to start humanity thinking about the stark incompatibility of modern achievements in the areas of scientific knowledge, human rights, and the establishment of human moral standards with ideological, nationalistic, or religiousfanaticism in any form. Lately, most of the terrorismseems to be about Islam, and it all seems to be the same. By all accounts the specter of jihadism looms large. Even if we suspend the belief for a moment and simply cast aside all those terrorist groups that clearly have nothing at all to do with the Islamic religionthe Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, the FARC in Colombia and the IRA in Ireland (to name but a few)we are still left with a slew of seemingly similar groups all motivated by and distorting Islam to suit their own ends[2]. The anatomy of propaganda The document found in a suitcase belonging to leading September 11, 2001, terrorist Muhammed Atta further strengthens this belief. The suitcase document is reproduced below and analysed in the ensuing paragraph: Pray during the previous night. Remember God frequently and with complete serenity. Visualize how you will respond if you get into trouble. Read verses of the Quran into your hands and rub them over your luggage, knife, and all your papers. Check your weapons, perform ablution before you leave your apartment, and remember God constantly while riding to the airport. Take courage and remember the rewards which God has promised for the martyrs. [3] The suitcase document is remarkable for four reasons. First, it embodies a classic ascetical strategy for applying formulaic principles to intended actions. Second, it shares much in common with repetitive techniques for self-hypnosis. Third, it bears a striking resemblance to mainstream traditions such as Catholicism in ascetical manuals like The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola or The Rule of St. Benedict that says, keep death daily before ones eyes. Whether or not such manuals threaten human freedom depends, of course, on the various contexts in which they have been presented. If in the wrong hands they can function as formulas and meditations both for indoctrination and for fighting holy wars. Fourth, the document from the suitcase directly connectsreligiousformulas and meditations with intentions to perpetrate mass murder. Practical checklists of objectives, terrifying in magnitude, are interwoven withreligiousstatements and then repeated and applied as mantras of s elf-indoctrination. Religion The Terrorists Best Weapon Whileterrorism even in the form of suicide attacks is not an Islamic phenomenon by definition, it cannot be ignored that the lions share of terrorist acts and the most devastating of them in recent years have been perpetrated in the name of Islam. This fact has sparked a fundamental debate both in the West and within the Muslim world regarding the link between these acts and the teachings of Islam. Most Western analysts are hesitant to identify such acts with the bona fide teachings of one of the worlds great religions and prefer to view them as a perversion of a religion that is essentially peace-loving and tolerant. Western leaders such as George W. Bush and Tony Blair have reiterated time and again that the war againstterrorismhas nothing to do with Islam. It is a war against evil[4]. Modern International Islamistterrorismis a natural offshoot of twentieth-century Islamic fundamentalism. The Islamic Movement emerged in the Arab world and British-ruled India as a response to the dismal state of Muslim society in those countries: social injustice, rejection of traditional mores, acceptance of foreign domination and culture. It perceives the malaise of modern Muslim societies as having strayed from the straight path (as-sirat al-mustaqim) and the solution to all ills in a return to the original mores of Islam. The problems addressed may be social or political: inequality, corruption, and oppression. But in traditional Islamand certainly in the worldview of the Islamic fundamentalistthere is no separation between the political and thereligious. Islam is, in essence, both religion and regime (din wa-dawla) and no area of human activity is outside its remit. Be the nature of the problem as it may, Islam is the solution.[5] The role of religion of Islam needs closer examination since the majority of terrorists of contemporary times are practising the religion of Islam. One of the enduring questions is what religion of Islam has to do with this. Put simply, does religion of Islam cause terrorism? Could these violent acts be the fault of religion-the result of a dark strain of religious thinking that leads to absolutism and violence? Is religion the problem or the victim? When one looks outside ones faith it is easier to blame religion. In the current climate of Muslim political violence, a significant sector of the American and European public assumes that Islam is part of the problem. The implication of this point of view is the unfortunate notion that the whole of Islam has supported acts of terrorism. Most Muslims refused to believe that fellow members of their faith could have been responsible for anything as atrocious as they September 11 attacks-and hence the popular conspiracy theory in the Muslim world that somehow Israeli secret police had plotted the terrible deed. Recently, however, Islam and fundamentalism are tied together so frequently in public conversation that the term has become a way of condemning all of Islam as a deviant branch of religion. But even in this case the use of the term fundamentalism allows for the defenders of other religions to take comfort in the notion that their kind of non-fundamentalist religion is exempt from violence or other extreme forms of public behaviour.[6] CHAPTER II METHODOLOGY Statement of Problem Terrorism has been a persistent feature of warfare and the international security environment for centuries. The magnitude and impact of terrorism has not remained consistent but rather has ebbed and flowed over the course of time. Today terrorism has emerged as one of the most significant international and regional security issues. The terror attacks of Sep 11 have brought about a lasting change in the way contemporary society perceives the religion of Islam. The perception of the people all across the globe has been that Islam is source of violence. Scope Islam is a vast religion and consists of various facets. The dissertation would aim to study the historical perspective of terrorism, conceptualise terrorism and then determine how religion is used as a motivator for terrorism before studying the Quranic interpretations associated with the violence and finally aim to answer the question Is there a link between Terrorism and Islam. The scope does not cover the causes and motivators of terrorism like cultural conflict, globalisation, and economic disparity e.t.c. but is limited to investigate the general belief that Islam is associated with the terrorism. Methods of Data Collection Data for this research has been collected from the following sources: Books, journals, periodicals and studies on the subject. Authenticated information from selected web sites. A bibliography of the books, periodicals and web sites referred to is appended at the end of text. Organisation Of The Dissertation Topic is intended to be dealt in the sequence enumerated below: Introduction Methodology The Genesis of Terrorism A historical perspective. Conceptualising terrorism Definitions. How religion is used as a motivator for terrorism. Interpretations of Quran and Terrorism. Conclusion Is there a link between Islam and terrorism? CHAPTER III THE GENESIS OF TERRORISM A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Introduction The terrorism is as old as the human civilization. Although the use of violence has been integral to the human beings in the entire process of evolution. Zealots of Judea. The earliest known organization that exhibited aspects of a modern terrorist organization was the Zealots of Judea. Known to the Romans as sicarii, or dagger-men, they carried on an underground campaign of assassination of Roman occupation forces, as well as any Jews they felt had collaborated with the Romans. Eventually, the Zealot revolt became open, and they were finally besieged and committed mass suicide at Masada fortress. The Assassins. The Assassins were the next group to show recognisable characteristics of terrorism, as we know it today. A breakaway faction of Shia Islam called the Nizari Ismalis adopted the tactic of assassination of enemy leaders because the cults limited manpower prevented open combat. Their leader, Hassam-I Sabbah, based the cult in the mountains of Northern Iran. Their tactic of sending a lone assassin to successfully kill a key enemy leader at the certain sacrifice of his own life (the killers waited next to their victims to be killed or captured) inspired fearful awe in their enemies. The Zealots of Judea and the Assassins were forerunners of modern terrorists in aspects of motivation, organisation, targeting, and goals. Although both were ultimate failures, the fact that they are remembered hundreds of years later, demonstrates the deep psychological impact they caused. The period between 14th and 18th century was of relative calm. From the time of the Assassins (late 13th century) to the1700s, terror and barbarism were widely used in warfare and conflict, but key ingredients for terrorism were lacking. Until the rise of the modern nation state after the Treaty of Westphalia[8] in 1648, the sort of central authority and cohesive society that terrorism attempts to influence barely existed. Communications were inadequate and controlled, and the causes that might inspire terrorism (religious schism, insurrection, ethnic strife) typically led to open warfare. By the time kingdoms and principalities became nations, they had sufficient means to enforce their authority and suppress activities such as terrorism. The French Revolution. The French Revolution provided the first uses of the words Terrorist and Terrorism. Use of the word terrorism began in 1795 in reference to the Reign of Terror initiated by the Revolutionary government. The agents of the Committee of Public Safety and the National Convention that enforced the policies of The Terror were referred to as Terrorists. The French Revolution provided an example to future states in oppressing their populations. It also inspired a reaction by royalists and other opponents of the Revolution who employed terrorist tactics such as assassination and intimidation in resistance to the Revolutionary agents. The Parisian mobs played a critical role at key points before, during, and after the Revolution. Such extra-legal activities as killing prominent officials and aristocrats in gruesome spectacles started long before the guillotine was first used. The 19th Century Narodnya Volya. The terrorist group from this period that serves as a model in many ways for what was to come was the Russian Narodnya Volya (Peoples Will). They differed in some ways from modern terrorists, especially in that they would sometimes call off attacks that might endanger individuals other than their intended target. Other than this, they showed many of the traits of terrorism for the first time. These traits included clandestine tactics, cellular organisation, impatience and inability for the task of organising the constituents they claim to represent and a tendency to increase the level of violence as pressures on the group mount. Internationalisation of Terrorism Modern Terrorism. The age of modern terrorism might be said to have begun in 1968 when the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) hijacked an El Al airliner en route from Tel Aviv to Rome. While hijackings of airliners had occurred before, this was the first time that the nationality of the carrier (Israeli) and its symbolic value was a specific operational aim. Also a first was the deliberate use of the passengers as hostages for demands made publicly against the Israeli government. The combination of these unique events, added to the international scope of the operation, gained significant media attention. The founder of PFLP, Dr. George Habash observed that the level of coverage was tremendously greater than battles with Israeli soldiers in their previous area of operations. At least the world is talking about us now.[9] Cooperation. Another aspect of this internationalisation is the cooperation between extremist organizations in conducting terrorist operations. Cooperative training between Palestinian groups and European radicals started as early as 1970, and joint operations between the PFLP and the Japanese Red Army (JRA) began in 1974. Since then international terrorist cooperation in training, operations, and support has continued to grow, and continues to this day. Motives range from the ideological, such as the 1980s alliance of the Western European Marxist-oriented groups, to financial, as when the IRA exported its expertise in bomb making as far afield as Colombia. Current State of Terrorism The roots of todays terrorism began to grow in 1990s. The largest act of international terrorism occurred on September 11, 2001 in set of coordinated attacks on the United States of America where Islamic terrorists hijacked civilian airliners and used them to attack the World Trade Center towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, DC. After September 11, it is very easy to be nostalgic about the 1990s. In fact, the post Cold War decade was a very chaotic period. Americans were absorbed by domestic issues and lulled by the fact that the Cold War was over[10]. Summary There were two great forces at work through the 1990s. First, there were the forces of integration, including global economic growth, cross-border development, the communications revolution and the spreading of democracy. The power of these forces was captured in the popular phrase, The End of History. Thats what seemed to be happening after the fall of the Berlin Wall and all of the other great events that were affecting world history. But there was also a second set of equally powerful forces-the forces of disintegration-including religious and ethnic conflict, an ever-widening North-South gap, religious fundamentalism (Islamic and otherwise) and terrorism. The power of these forces was captured in the phrase, the Clash of Civilizations. While I disagree with the ultimate conclusion of Samuel Huntington, the author of that phrase, that the clash is inevitable, Huntingtons words nonetheless capture the import of the forces that were producing post-Cold War conflicts. CHAPTER IV CONCEPTUALISING TERRORISM A few terms that are important to the study of violence in Islam are: terrorism, religious terrorism and Islamic terrorism. A discussion of these terms will permit a comprehensive analysis on the way in which the use of violence sanctioned by the Quran and its interpretations amounts to Islamic terrorism. Terrorism Terrorism is a non-political act of aggression in which the extent of violence used is outside the realm of normative behavior[11]. Terrorists use or threaten to use this violence against combatants and non-combatants to achieve political, social, economical or religious change within a given community. These reforms appeal to the terrorists and do not represent popular opinion of the society from which terrorism arises and terrorists are no respecters of borders[12]. Thus Omar Abdullah, the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir says that there are no well defined or internationally accepted criteria to designate an organization as terrorist. However the UN Security Council has, on occasion, adopted resolutions putting in place specific sanctions and measures against individual countries orcertain terrorist organizations[13]. According to Kofi Annan the Ex Secretary General of the United Nations, the manifestations of terrorism are limitless. The only common denominator among different variants of terrorism is the calculated use of deadly violence against civilians[14]. Terrorists are those who violate the right to life, liberty and security[15] vested in each civilian by the UNs Universal Declaration of Human Rights Resolution: 217 A (III). Thus the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) of the United Kingdom defines terrorism as a movement in which terrorists directly challenge the authority of democratically elected governments to manage their countrys affairs peacefully, according to the rule of law and internationally accepted fundamentals of human rights[16], to satisfy their own liking. Religious Terrorism Religious terrorism occurs when the use of terrorism is systematized by an ideological and fanatical interpretation of a religious text. Religious terrorist groups functioning in the absence of this pretext, create junk terrorism[17]. According to Charles Kimball, religious terrorism functions on the basis of five essential principles. These are: means justify the end, holy war, blind obedience, absolute truth claims and the ideal times. Kimball explains that truth claims are essential points in a religion at which divergent interpretations arise[18]. Extreme interpretations of truth claims provoke the ideology upon which religious terrorism is based. However the authentic religious truth claims are never as inflexible and exclusive as zealous adherents insist[19]. The staunch truth claims professed by religious terrorists, allow them to use religious structures and doctrinesalmost like weapons[20] for their movement. In the process, religious convictions that become locked into absolute truths can easily lead people to see themselves as Gods agents. People so emboldened are capable of violent and destructive behaviour in the name of religion[21]. This conviction creates fanatical interpretations and ideologies that give rise to religious terrorism. Nancy Connors Biggos[22], states that foreign observers are unfamiliar with the extreme interpretations of religious terrorists. Thus scholars often dismiss the rhetoric of religious terrorism as one that is devoid of any strategic motivation. This creates a dearth of quantifiable data that can be used to assess religious terrorism. However Biggo explains that the lack of understanding or data cannot dismiss the fact that religious terrorism is systematized by extreme interpretations of a religious text. Therefore Wener Ruf, states, where God was pronounced dead all notions of morality have been turned into nihilism[23]. Islamic Terrorism Islamic terrorism is a movement in which the violence caused by terrorism is derived from and used to preserve extreme interpretations of the Quran, in an Islamic community. An in-depth discussion of the how Islamic terrorism is invoked from the Quran, will be discussed in a separate chapter. However, preliminarily speaking Islamic terrorism exists where there is a controversy over sacred space[24]or a Kuranic tenet has been violated. Participants of this movement call for unquestioned devotion and blind obedience[25] to the word of God in order to ameliorate un-Islamic conditions. Islamic terrorism is itself a controversial phrase, although its usage is widespread throughout the English-speaking world. Ordinary Muslims who have nothing to do with terrorism find it reprehensible because it forces upon them a label simply because they, too, are believers of Islam. In fact, the common Muslim believes that you are making him a racial hate target by using the word Islam with terrorism. Bernard Lewisbelieves that the phrase Islamic terrorism is apt, because although Islam, as a religion is not particularly conducive to terrorism or even tolerant of terrorism. In his own words: Islam has had an essentially political character from its very foundation to the present day. An intimate association between religion and politics, between power and cult, marks a principal distinction between Islam and other religions. In traditional Islam and therefore also in resurgent fundamentalist Islam, God is the sole source of sovereignty. God is the head of the state. The state is Gods state. The army is Gods army. The treasury is Gods treasury, and the enemy, of course, is Gods enemy. CHAPTER V RELIGION AS A MOTIVATOR FOR TERRORISM The overwhelming problem in the world today, everyone knows, is terrorism, where people in the name of religion kill each other, kill others just to go to heaven, and thinking only they will go to heaven. . Introduction. The dynamics whereby religion becomes a motivator for terrorism is complex but highly understandable. What terrorists groups using this dynamic have begun to understand is that most ordinary citizens are not highly interested in politics nor dedicated to working for social change. Many ordinary citizens are however interested in religion as it relates to their personal lives and morals and because of this they can be emotionally manipulated when they learn of social injustices particularly if they view them through the lens of religious rhetoric. This is specifically true in todays world of instantaneous news coverage where it is possible to whip up political and religious outrage over events that are seen to be bordering on religious threshold. This is certainly true in the case of al Qaeda and its loosely affiliated groups within what is now commonly referred to as the global salafi jihadist movement[26]. Religious Brainwash. Following the Afghan war in which Islamic peoples from many nations came together to successfully throw out the Russian infidel, Osama bin Laden and similar groups have successfully managed to continue to widen their global appeal by showcasing social injustices against Muslims. This helps to create within a wide group of otherwise less connected Muslim ethnic groups identification with the victims and with each other as a caring and responsive community for their Muslim brothers. Typically, these groups make use of the human rights abuses occurring within the Israeli/Palestinian and Russian/Chechen conflicts and now also include the occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The making of a Terrorist. While instantaneous and repetitive satellite coverage of worldwide events is enough to show injustices and to even create identification with victims sharing similar ethnic or religious backgrounds it is not sufficiently enough to fuel terrorism. However, with the addition of religious rhetoric it is transformed into a potent mix. This transformation is achieved via the following means:- Great Moral Wrong. First the event is presented as a great moral wrong, a threat to religious morality or purity and as one that must be corrected. The message, which is crafted for unhappy persons, social outcasts or those who are already suffering from religious guilt, is framed as one of good and evil and the listener is admonished to be on the side of good. Mind of God. The second tactic in which religion is used to motivate terrorism is convincing the person that it is possible to know the mind of God. For this purpose scriptures are used, and misused, to clearly identify the social wrongs as evil, immoral or impure. Once identified as threats to morality, this tactic is used to take it a step further with additional scriptures that are used to justify violence in order to destroy the evil. In this way religion is co-opted as the means to morally justify violence in the pursuit of social change. While the world debated about the first strike in the Iraq War (to be carried out by the U.S., Great Britain and their coalition forces), moralists all over the world debated about the doctrine of just wars, thereby holding forth about the mind of God on these matters. Overcoming Guilt. Thirdly, because nearly all religions hold human life as sacred and forbid murder the scriptures are used to break down these prohibitions against taking innocent human lives. Islamic rhetoric for example refers to the infidels, nonbelievers, defiled, impure, outsiders, and sinners. In this manner the intended terrorist act in ways that take innocent human lives without suffering guilt for having done so. Common Cause Fourthly, by using religion as a motivator the terrorist group creates a sense of cohesion and belonging to a higher cause. They prey upon individuals who are alienated and disenfranchised. When these individuals find a cause to belong to, especially when it espouses religious rhetoric of brotherhood, love and hope for the future life they can become powerfully motivated to act in behalf of the group simply for the sense of identity.[27] Heroic Martyrdom. The One of the ultimate uses of religion to motivate terrorism is to hold forth a view of the afterlife, promising rewards in the hereafter for sacrificing oneself in the here and now. This is a particularly potent tactic used with those who feel guilty about their actions in this life and uncertain of their standing with God, and with those marginal members of society who suddenly find themselves centered in a group with a purpose. The Muslim interpretation of afterlife while dying for jihad states that the Prophet will be waiting to welcome the martyr with thousands of virgins lined up for his pleasure. Referring to afterlife one martyr also states, I will have God welcome me with open arms. I will be a true hero in the sky.[28] Between the two recent wars in Chechnya (1994-96 and 1999) similar means were used to convince vulnerable Chechen individuals to sign on the new Chechen jihad which began making use of suicide terrorism in 2000. During this time period terrorist sponsored schools used were opened in the capital Grozny which recruited young boys and girls who lost their fathers in the Russian/Chechen conflicts promising their widowed mothers a good education for their sons and daughters. Unknown to their families these vulnerable young students were indoctrinated into militant Islamic ideas foreign to Chechen experiences of Sufi Islam and some became convinced that the price of belonging to higher glory is to be willing to sacrifice oneself for the group. In the words of a hostage who conversed with one of the Chechen terrorists :- He explained to me that while his greatest dream was to continue his education and go to university and that while he wished to live, even more important for him was to die a martyr. He had become totally convinced that martyrdom was his highest calling in life.[29] Conclusion. Religion has always been used as a means of constructing social justice, expiating wrongdoing or sins, and of modulating emotional states. These means however can also be used to manipulate vulnerable individuals into taking social actions that they might otherwise never have considered or consented to take part in. For instance a colleague in Chechnya reports that the children who attended terrorist based schools were taught to rock and chant repeating Koranic verses that invoke jihad, ideas that their masters consider important to instil. This practice can easily make use of inducing a suggestive hypnotic state; a light trance in which susceptible children who have already reason to want to avenge a murdered parent might be induced to do so. People interacting with such persons mentioned that these young terrorists were brainwashed, rocking, singing and praying often, and readily embracing death.[30] CHAPTER VI QURANIC INTERPRETATIONS AND TERRORISM Approximately fourteen hundred years ago, Prophet Muhammad, the last in the line of the prophets of Islam, received revelation from God known as the Quran, which is the Final Testament. He came with a message of peace and reconciliation, mercy and compassion. Yet, ever since the beginning of the call of Islam, its image and that of Muslims has been subject to distortion, misconceptions, and misinterpretations. This chapter aims at establishing the link between Quran and the distortions in its interpretation which has manifested itself in the form of jihad or the holy-war. Quran and Sanction of Violence The Quran permits violence as an act of defence waged to protect the Shariat in an Islamic community. The Shariat can be explained as a system of ordinances outlined in the Quran and Hadis[31] through which God lays down for mankind the rules of conduct[32]. The Shariat is the guidance for all walks of life individual and social, material and moral, economic and political, legal and cultural, national and international[33]. Muslims are advised to closely follow the Shariat to acquire the well being that God has envisioned for the Islamic community. Preservation of the Shariat is an obligation of every able-bodied individual[34]. Oppression, despotism, injustice and criminal abuse of power[35] of the Shariat by Muslims or non-Muslims[36], must be punished. Quran and Jihad The Quran identifies three main kinds of Jihad that can be used for the punishment of oppression and injustice. These are: internal[37], external[38] and inter-communal[39]. The Quran permits the use of violence as an optional method for all three forms of Jihad but it limits the use of violence in internal[40] and external Jihad. It expands on its doctrine of Jihad and violence, mainly in the context of inter-communal conflicts. In these cases, Muslims can individually determine the nature and extent of Jihad based on the freedom of interpretations, and the geopolitical conditions in which the conflict arises. However the most essential prerequisite in the Qurans discourse on violence is that, force should be used only when the Shariat has been violated and needs to be persevered as the very