Philosophy and Heraclitus Essay Example

Philosophy and Heraclitus Paper Ancient Greek philosopher: Heraclitus Heraclitus was born in Ephesus. He belonged to an aristocratic family but refused to have a political life. His writing style is unusual, in that many of the surviving fragments are written in short and often cryptic phrases. He was known as the weeping philosopher. He was also referred to as the riddler or the obscure one, due to the puzzling nature of his writings, as well as the mocker or the reviler of the mob, due to his dislike for those who were not open-minded. Heraclitus has a huge contempt for humanity and politics. Therefore, towards the end of his life he left the city and went to live in isolation in the mountains in which he fed on plants and herbs. This caused him to contract dropsy which forced him to return to the city for treatment. He asked the doctors in a riddling way if they could change a rainstorm into a draught. When they failed to understand him, he buried himself in a byre, thinking that the dropsy would be vaporized by the heat of the dung. His attempt was not successful and he died at the age of sixty Heraclitus did not belong to a school of thought. We will write a custom essay sample on Philosophy and Heraclitus specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Philosophy and Heraclitus specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Philosophy and Heraclitus specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer He had independent thinking and actually criticized many philosophers. He developed many important philosophical ideas that are still admired today. Among his most important ideas are flux and Unity of opposites. Heraclitus is called a monist (because he believes fire is the underlying principle) and an elitist (he believes most people are stupid). Heraclitus is said to have influenced Parmenides, Empedocles, Democritus, Plato, and the Stoics. Heraclitus said: You cannot step into the same river twice, for fresh waters are ever flowing in upon you. This statement is the essence of the concept of flux as it means that the river is always different every time you step into it. He looked at everything being in the state of change and that only change is permanent. He told people that nothing is the same now as it was before, and thus nothing what is now will be the same tomorrow. With this he planted the idea of impermanence into Greek thought, and indeed, after Heraclitus Greek philoso phy was not the same anymore. (Thomas K. ). Another influential idea is the unity of opposites. Heraclitus believed that opposites are the same and cannot exist without each other. He thought that opposites are identical. For instance, to Heraclitus, hot and cold are the same. Heraclitus saw unity as being harmony. To modern people, it seems silly to assume that opposites are identical but to the Greek, it completely makes sense. Hot and cold can both be expressed as a level of temperature, dark and bright as a degree of light. This is why opposites cannot exist without each other because when you say something is hot, it should be hot in comparison with something colder. The ideas of flux and unity of opposites are somehow connected to each other. It is sometimes argued that Heraclitus quote: You cannot step into the same river twice, for fresh waters are ever flowing in upon you. Is actually referring to the unity of opposites because the river is the same but at the same time it is different because new fresh waters flow on it. To conclude, Heraclitus was a very independent thinker and a huge critic of everything around him. His puzzling writings and deviant thoughts made him popular and influential among the later philosophers. His ideas of flux and the unity of opposites are still admired by todays philosophers. Unfortunately, not all his writings survived the years and only fragments of his writings exist. As much as we write about Heraclitus and try to understand him, in the end Much learning does not teach understanding. References: 1. website name and author are unknown, http://home. wlu. edu/~mahonj/Ancient_Philosophers/Heraclitus. htm 2. Thomas Knierim, Heraclitus,http://www. thebigview. com/greeks/heraclitus. html, 3. N. S. Gill, About. com, http://ancienthistory. about. com/od/philosophers/g/Heraclitus. htm

Obesity Nutrition and Foods Essay

Obesity Nutrition and Foods Essay Obesity: Nutrition and Foods Essay Kristy Bryant-Berg Writing 122 November 4, 2013 Obesity: Who is Responsible? America is one of the most obese countries in the world, and this has continuously become worse over the past 30 years. Eating healthier and exercising frequently can decrease the percentage of obesity in America, but does everybody have that opportunity? Low-income areas are filled with families who need to find ways to support themselves with the least of money they can, so they purchase what’s cheap, and what’s cheap is junk food. Whether it’s junk food in the grocery store, or junk food through fast food industries, these unhealthy options are the only options for many families due to the in-prices when compared to healthier options. The origin of this problem can be explained through subsidies, and they also provide the solution. The government needs to subsidize healthier crops, and not so much crops involved in processed foods, because it would allow a more equal opportunity for purchasing healthier items. Once these healthy options are readily available a nd affordable for all Americans, they are given the responsibility of managing their own health. By changing what is subsidized, it would provide cheap but healthy options for those who previously couldn’t afford it, especially for those in low-income areas. Families located in these low-income areas are, in a way, forced into obesity. Fast food franchises aggressively target these cities (Critser 42), offering abundant meals for a fraction of the cost that a full meal at a grocery store would cost. This leaves heads of households with the choice of purchasing a small amount of healthy food and risking their families being hungry, or supplying their families with plentiful meals that has high risks of heart disease and diabetes. Fast food companies aren’t concerned with the effects of their product, they care about maximizing their profit, and these inner cities and their increasing need for cheap meals is what fuels the fast food industry (Critser 42). Much of what we subsidize now, such as corn and soybeans, is used in processed foods, including fast food. The Un ited States Department of Agriculture supports these subsidies, yet at the same time promotes healthy eating habits. What needs to happen is the government must â€Å"begin subsidies to those who produce and sell actual food for direct consumption† (Bittman). Ironically, consumer habits essentially control what is subsidized because the government subsidizes what is highest in demand. Americans seem to have developed a thirst for unhealthy food items over the past few decades. By giving into this thirst, they’ve inadvertently changed the ways of the food industry. The Farm Bill is what determines what foods and crops are to be subsidized, and it is determined by the demand of consumers in America. In her discussion of the Farm Bill, Alice Waters states, â€Å"Between 1985 and 2000, the price of sugary and high fat foods declined nearly 25 percent, while the cost of fruits and vegetables grew by almost 40 percent† (Waters 31). While this statistic is alarming, it is not surprising. She proceeded to explain â€Å"†¦the farm bill offers little, if any, support to the California farmers who produce nearly half of our nation’s fruits, nuts, and vegetables†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Waters 31). An immediate question to this stat ement is why aren’t these farmers receiving more support if they’re supplying a sizable amount of the nations fruits and vegetables? These farmers still have to make a living, so they must sell their products at a higher price to stores, and the stores then sell it at an even higher price in order for them to make a profit. It’s a vicious cycle, but can be fixed if we begin subsidizing these farmer’s healthier crops, rather than crops such as corn and soybeans. While corn and soybeans appear to be a type of healthier crop, it is the way they are used in the production of foods that promotes unhealthy eating habits. Mark Bittman stated in his

How to Complete a Personal Narrative Essay

How to Complete a Personal Narrative Essay How to Complete a Personal Narrative Essay In most of the cases, an assignment to write a personal narrative essay is quite challenging and students don’t know where to start. It is quite complicated, because you not only need to reveal your inner self but also remain honest and possess good writing skills. Remember that your narrative essay should always be written in a first person, using the past tense. Make yourself comfortable and continue reading to learn everything about a narrative essay! Choosing a topic When writing a narrative essay, you will need to describe and analyze a certain story from your personal experience. That is why it won’t be possible to use outside information or a research to decide which topic is the most suitable. Your story should be creative, interesting, simple and stirring up various emotions. That is why the best topic for a narrative essay is the one, which has dynamics, emotions and personal approach. Just take some time and think of the things you want to share with the world. You will definitely have an outstanding experience to share! Remain simple Many students are tempted to use complicated words and a huge vocabulary, not knowing that readers easily loose interest to such an essay. That is why it is better to use simple ideas, like starting with a quote or limiting the size of your sentences. Your vocabulary should be understandable and your language – readable. Don’t neglect the structure of your essay and it will definitely pay you back with great reviews and interest of the audience! Your story should match the task When you need to write a narrative essay, you start remembering tens of situations and stories you want to share with the world. However, it is important to choose a story, which will correspond with your assignment. Listen carefully to your tutor’s recommendations and select a topic, which gives answers to certain questions. For example: Â  How the situation helped you to change? Â  How did you overcome such a situation? Â  What did you learn from your mistakes? Every story provides a lesson and you are always welcome to share this lesson with the audience! Pay attention to details It is not enough to choose a story you want to share, as you also need to pay enough attention to its plot and structure. If you want to make your story smooth and interesting, try to answer following questions: Â  Where did your story start and where did it end? Â  What are the most important elements or characters of your story? Â  Who or what had an impact on the story? Â  What details you want to include to your text? We have also created a list of useful tips you may need, when completing a narrative essay: Â  Always stick to the point and never forget about the main aim of your story; Â  Follow a proper structure: your essay should have a beginning, a climax and conclusions; Â  Add emotions and colors to your text to engage the reader; Â  Make conclusions and mark the lessons you have learned; Â  Try to make your story short, not missing important details; Â  Your story shouldn’t be too formal if else is not indicated by your tutor; Â  It is useful to have both a protagonist and an antagonist in your text. Always revise your texts Many students neglect this important step, thinking that mistakes, both grammar and lexical ones, are not important and tutors will only evaluate the plot itself. However, such mistakes can greatly lower your grades, so you need to revise your text multiple times before the delivery. Make sure you have stated your story loud and clear, and provided every paragraph in an understandable manner. Every section should be readable and smooth, using academic language. In addition, you should also check your punctuation to make sure your sentences are understandable. Following all these tips will guarantee a great result and you will be able to provide an outstanding narrative essay for a minimum time!

Parkinson's Disease Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Parkinson's Disease - Term Paper Example Parkinsons disease is found all over the world and all different races. Parkinsons is the 4th leading cause of death for older adults and rising. The symptoms of Parkinsons disease are numerous. The first which is usually the "tip off" is shaking of a limb especially if the body is at rest. Other systems are sleep disturbances, slow movement, not being able to move, personality changes, rigid limbs, speech impairments, sexual difficulties, dementia, and depression. People with this disease usually walk with a shuffling gait, and a stooped posture. The severity of Parkinsons tends to worsen over time. There is no definite answer what causes Parkinsons but there are many theories. Many believe that it is a genetically inherited disease that is passed on from generation to generation. There are also connections with the illegal drug MPTP, and many of the people who get Parkinsons are people that got a server cause of influenza during an epidemic in the early 1900s. This disease might also because by chemicals or other types of pollution that were unaware of or that were unaware that were in feting are selves. Parkinsons disease has no confirmed date of when it was first found but researchers have documents of what they think is Parkinsons disease as far back as 3,000 BC. There is no definite cure for Parkinsons disease. Doctors usually prescribe levodopa which increases dopamine levels in the brain. In server cases some patients get brain surgery and implants have been done or used. A surgery which takes dopamine-producing tissue is transplanted into the brain is now being tested. If the surgery works it will prevent the dopamine-producing brain cells from dying. The 4 major symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are "Tremor" which is the rhythmic back and forth motion of the hands and fingers, "Rigidity" or a resistance to movement, in which there is a stiffness of the muscles. "Bradykinesia" (Brady-slow, kinesis-movement) or the slowing down and failure of

IMC PLAN - PURINA PRO PLAN Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

IMC PLAN - PURINA PRO PLAN - Assignment Example Purina Pro Plan had already run few successful campaigns too in the market, and this drive also has a potential to gain probable customers and can increase sales. Purina Pro Plan is a trustworthy brand from the experts’ point of view and has apparently an image of healthy and nutritious pet food over pet keeper’s mind, providing complete range of cat and dog food. The idea to generate this campaign is that people find difficulties in carrying their pet in flight, a campaign of Purina Pro Plan is offering a two-way fare on International travelling with the validity of 45 days. The company will print two series of code; one in descending order and other one in ascending order. Every pack will have a hidden code. For example: any customer has 67899 and other will have 99876. A person has to post their pet’s picture with his pet food pack, using hashtag #mypurinastarpet and code number. When two people can match their inverse series they can claim with picture and code number to the company and then both pet keepers can have a two-way international ticket for their pet with validity of 45 days. Communication and continuous interaction between the company’s personnel and Purina Pro Plan buyer will increase the visibility of a Brand in the market, it will help to retain brand loyalty and Potential buyers will switch to this Brand. The company is going to run its Advertisements via traditional and nontraditional ways, Internet marketing through social media ads, direct marketing and fliers in college and university campuses and bus stops, teaser advertisements on TV and radio. In nontraditional, Picture booth will be placed at bus stops, public places and at veteran hospitals. The company’s personnel will look over sales, before the campaign start and compare with every passing month. Social engine optimization tool will be used on regular basis to check the users’ response. In case of low engagement, more attractive ads and content will

Myth and Thomas Jefferson Essay Example for Free

Myth and Thomas Jefferson Essay Essay: Topic: Compare and Contrast â€Å"Thomas Jefferson’s first inaugural address† (Chapter 15 in Readings in United States History) and â€Å"Hope and Heritage: Myth and Thomas Jefferson†, (Chapter 14 in Readings in United States History) â€Å"Do you want to know who you are? Dont ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.† (By Thomas Jefferson). Thomas Jefferson, who was born on April 13 1743 and died on July 4 1826, was the son of a wealthy uneducated planter from Western Virginia. He was the first to go to College in his family and he attended the College of William and Mary. He was dreaming about a society where men would be judged by what they have accomplished and by their taste .He was the third president of the United States of America (From 1801 to 1809) and also the first United States Secretary of State (From 1790 to 1793 ).He was much more: founder of the University of Virginia. Philosopher, cofounder of the oldest political party in the nation, coauthor of the Declaration of Independence. In this essay, we are going to compare and contrast â€Å"Thomas Jefferson’s first inaugural address† (Chapter 15 in Readings in United States History) and â€Å"Hope and Heritage: Myth and Thomas Jefferson†, (Chapter 14 in Readings in United States History). In his book â€Å"The Jefferson image in the American Mind (1960), the writer Merrill Peterson is basically showing how American’s people see Thomas Jefferson. They have always seen him as a particular man, a symbol for the United States of America .Therefore, many people took their time to find out something wrong about that man. The man who started criticizing him as probably the writer Leonard Levy’s in his Book â€Å"Jefferson and Civil Liberties: The Darker Side†. In Chapter 14 â€Å"Hope and Heritage: Myth and Thomas Jefferson†, Gordon Wood really talks about Jefferson’s personal life. Thomas Jefferson is described as someone who had passion for partisan persecution, someone who didn’t care about the civil liberties,  someone who thought he was morally perfect and used to judge people around him. In the chapter, they are comparing him to his friend James Madison. Thomas Jefferson wasn’t thinking about the country like Madison when he was taking decisions. While taking his decisions, he was mostly concerned about what his French friends would think of it than the needs of the American population. The main portion of Jefferson’s life, was his fight to abolish slavery. As it is written in this chapter, Thomas Jefferson hated slavery. He worked really hard to eradicate it in New Western territories. But apparently, he was never able to set all his slaves free. Many recent historians claimed that Jefferson’s acting toward Black people was very disgusting, revolting. Especially for someone who claimed that he wanted to eradicate slavery. During his life, he wanted to make sure that the eradication of slavery will be accompanied by the deportation of Back people of the country. For him, Black people living in a white’s man America was totally unbearable. He was â€Å"Racist†. In his mind, Black men were extremely inferior to White Not only in Body but also in mind. People were surprised to see hear him talk about freedom and control Black slaves at the same time. Most people started to think that he was a hypocrite. In 1802, James Callender, a political pamphleteer and journalist pointed the fat that Tomas Jefferson maintained Sally Hemings a Black Slave as a mistress and fathered her with various children. This was barely believable because everybody knew him as a man who always suppressed his passions. In addition to that, Thomas Jefferson was a man of the eighteenth century, an intelligent man, conventional, and enlightened. But he also had his own weaknesses. Jefferson was fully part of the Enlightenment in the United States of America. His desire to know everything and his open-minded character put him on the top of the American Enlightenment. Unlike in Chapter 14 (Hope and Heritage: Myth and Thomas Jefferson), Chapter 15 (First Inaugural Address, 1801) is basically Thomas Jefferson’s speech which marks the abolition of one of the worst period in the United States of America. The First Inaugural Address of Thomas Jefferson is lionizing the most important election in the history as Thomas Jefferson was succeeding to John Adams as president. During 1790s, some divisions were created between the Federalists (Hamilton and Adams) and the Republicans (Jefferson and Madison) due to the opposition to Hamilton’s financial policies and polemics over foreign policy. Thomas Jefferson was  the first President to take office in the new capital city of Washington. In his speech, Thomas Jefferson says â€Å"Every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle. We have called by different names brethren of the same principle. We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists.† He is basically telling his Fellow-Citizens that even though there are some differences, both Federalists and Republicans are serving the same constitution and following the same principles. What is different is the way each of them interprets and apply it. He is calling for Union. Jefferson wants a government when no one will injure another; where each citizen will work. In his partisanship, the First Inaugural of Jefferson mingles the American past of Washington and some heroes into his different principles .By making his party’s victory a victory for all the country, the speech sets the standard for inaugural addresses. In Conclusion, we were ask to compare and contrast â€Å"Thomas Jefferson’s Inaugural Address† (Chapter 15 in Readings of the United States History) and â€Å"Hope and Heritage: Myth and Thomas Jefferson† (Chapter 14 in Readings of the United States History).We can undoubtedly say that Thomas Jefferson was a great Leader. It is therefore all the more important to see and distinguish where he had success and also where he failed. Whenever something is great, people will always try to find out the Bad in it and that’s what happened to Thomas Jefferson. But it doesn’t change anything to what he has accomplished for the United States of America. Till today, no other figure in the American history as reached that standard.

Tax Dollars Should Fund Religious Schools Essay -- Argumentative Persu

Tax Dollars Should Fund Religious Schools The issue of whether or not to use tax dollars to provide private schools with vouchers has been controversial for many years now.   Many people feel that it is our governments obligation to provide private institutions with the proper funds, while others believe that if private schools inherit our tax dollars then it is violation of our constitution as it promotes a particular religion.   I think it is our government's responsibility to provide each and every school with tax dollars, regardless of its orientation.   Many reasons, especially popularity and success rates provide substantial evidence that private schools should be funded by government vouchers. The main concern of those who oppose the use of government money for private schools is whether or not it would be constitutional.   In the past, many Supreme Court cases have proven that school vouchers for private schools are constitutional.   For example in Board of Education vs. Allen it was established that providing funds for private schools does not violate the Establishment C...