What the Mind Is and What It is Not Essays

What the Mind Is and What It is Not Essays What the Mind Is and What It is Not Essay What the Mind Is and What It is Not Essay Countless doctrines have been set forth to shed greater understanding on how the mind works, and the many factors that shape thinking.   The strands of thought among various philosophers, authors, psychologists, sociologists may be similar in some ways, but divergent views largely exist.   Notwithstanding the countless studies made and linked to the mind, not to mention all the present-day discussions and goals of creating a healthy mind, the latter remains an enigma. Across cultures, the nature function of the mind had been the subject of countless debates. Much effort has been expended to shed greater light on cognitive processes and their relationship to the external world. By its very nature, the mind tends to be restless, and it can only be truly understood by studying the various forces that influence or bear impact on it. Pointing out what the mind is – and what it is not – may be the first logical step in that direction. What the Mind Is and What It is Not The mind is usually referred to in many different ways – as a person or animal’s intellectual abilities, cognitive process, or mental skills. Quite often, the study of the mind is linked to the theory of evolution. Some clues on the complexities of the human mind may be obtained by turning to the study of man’s closest living species – the apes/chimpanzees, with their noteworthy social and general intelligence (Gorman, p. 13).   A clear picture of the mind can be initially explored by looking back many years ago and looking at common ancestors. â€Å"Looking at modern apes can tell much about the cognitive abilities of the common ancestor living 6 million years ago† (Gorman, p. 11). Nonetheless, while there may be striking similarities between chimpanzees and men in the way the brain is wired, this is but just a portion, or not really a dominant force shaping the development of   the human mind.   At this   point, it is important to differen tiate the mind from the brain. Theorists aver that while the brain is something that can be dissected and studied under the microscope, the mind â€Å"is an abstract concept that usually refers to the activities the brain generates† (Andreasen, 1984, p. 21).   In essence, the mind is not the brain. The mind, and brain, however, are inextricably linked. While it is easy to understand that man’s behavior, since he first came into existence, can be attributed to the evolution of his brain, â€Å"nothing is known about how the structure of our minds depends on the structure of our brains; nobody even knows which brain structures it is that our cognitive capacities depend on†¦ unlike our minds, our brains are, by any gross measure, very like those of apes† (Fodor, 1998, par. 11) Also, as German philosopher Immanuel Kant puts it, â€Å"the human mind is not passively formed by objects of perception; it actively `forms’ the raw material of objects given in perception. It adds something of its own to knowledge† (Ziniewicz, 1996, par. 3).   Simply put, the mind is not merely what it unwittingly absorbs from all the environmental stimuli or even psychic forces acting on it.   It is not a mere storehouse of data or knowledge, but more of a thinking, analyzing mechanism. While there are so many concepts or data bombarding human beings at different developmental stages, the interaction of genetic and environmental factors largely determine how those information are processed. This is a view supported by many sociologists who have undertaken studies on cognitive development. The various external factors may be closely examined to fully understand how the mind works. The mind may be seen, then, as a dynamic multi-tasker. â€Å"The mind is not a single entity but is composed of a number of faculties specialized for solving different adaptive problems†¦ it is a system of organs of computation that enabled our ancestors to survive and reproduce in the physical and social worlds in which our species spent most of its evolutionary history† (Pinker 2005). Indeed, the interplay of various forces, ranging from biological to psychological, need to be considered to get a better grasp on what the mind is and how it works. There are so many simplistic ways to describe the mind in the context of how it assimilates information, how it processes that information, and how it arrives at solutions to problems and complexities in life requiring attention or action. Like any other system, â€Å"the human mind contains a certain amount of psychic energy†¦ striving to maintain an equilibrium† (Andreasen, 1984, p. 22).   This was expressed by Sigmund Freud, the celebrated Austrian psychiatrist well known for his theories of the subconscious mind.   Psychologist and author Howard Gardner, on the other hand, established that the mind is equipped with multiple intelligences, which   include â€Å"linguistic, musical, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, and two forms of personal intelligence† (Gorman, p. 5). There are many other theories elaborating on the workings of the mind and the many forces that come together to affect and influence people’s modes of thinking and behaving. It is safe to deduce from many given views theories, that the mind is not static.

Abstract Aestheticism in Oscar Wildes The Picture of Dorian Gray Essay

Each character in the novel searches for the elusive goal of happiness, but is never able to a... ..., Sarah. "decadence." In Maunder, Andrew. Facts On File Companion to the British Short Story.New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007.Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Sanyal, Arundhati. "Taboo in The Picture of Dorian Gray." Quoted as "Taboo in The Picture of DorianGray" in Bloom, Harold, ed. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2010. Bloom's LiteraryReference Online. Facts On File, Inc. Shuman, R. Baird. Magill’s Survey of World Literature, Revised Edition, January 2009, p1-2. (WorkAnalysis) Wainwright, Michael, "Oscar Wilde, the Science of Heredity, and "The Picture of Dorian Gray.'"()AUTHOR. English Literature in Transition, 1880-1920, 2011, Vol. 54 Issue 4, p494-522, 29p.(Literary Criticism) Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. A Norton Critical Edition. Ed. Michael Patrick Gillespie. NewYork: W.W. Norton Company, 2007.

Effects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Effects - Essay Example According to the Encyclopedia of Earth (2010), the average Northern American emits an average of 20 tons worth of CO2 equivalent in a year. Latin America hosts the world’s most biodiversity in its forests, the Amazon, which is currently facing a challenge due to the amount of deforestation taking place for the sake of construction projects (Global Change). The problems are not restricted to these two aspects, the industrial revolution and the government policies established to promote the industrial sector causes harmful gases to be released in the air which can be a cause of acid rain. This can cause a number of health hazards for a lot of people and even destroy structures with the passage of time. The effects of climate change and global warming is not isolated in a particular region or continent, it is a global issue and has caused numerous disasters across the world. Over the last 35 years there has been a significant increase in the number of category 5 hurricanes which has been linked to the rising ocean temperatures due to the depletion of the ozone layer (NRDC). The weather extremes have also gone over the edge of the spectrums as droughts have now a higher probability of occurring. Summer temperatures in certain regions such as Australia are already high but due to the steady rise in temperature wildfires are more prone to occurring. Such fires have cost governments across the globe millions of dollars due to the extensive damages. Rainy season is also become a threat as the recent floods in Australia, Brazil, Germany and other countries led to intense levels of flooding and caused a large number of deaths. The effects are not confined to the human population alone but according to the National Resources Defense Council (2011) there could be an extinction of about 1 million species of by the year 2050 if the current trend does not change its course. It has also brought to attention that due to the lesser number of ice floes in the polar caps th e polar bears are drowning as they cannot manage to swim the long distances from one floe to another in search of food or shelter. Forests such as Bermudas mangrove forest are also slowly disappearing as the sea levels continue to rise while glaciers that sustain life are slowly melting. In order to avoid a complete upheaval in the natural order of the world there needs to be serious rethinking in the way of doing certain things. There can be many legislative steps that can be taken to pen out laws at a national and international level to maintain checks and balances on industries and other businesses to curb their output of harmful gases. Governments also need to stop the trend of sustaining themselves on non-renewable resources and look for cleaner and cheaper ways to maintain a steady energy source. Wind, solar and hydra power are renewable and practical especially for developed countries that have the resources and the capital to be able to set up such plants. Even nuclear power would cut down on the waste that is emitted in the air by coal and gas and oil burning but that does come with hazards of its own. Fossil fuels are not only a danger when they are burned but their transportation and extraction itself can be hazardous to the

Social work practice with small system Case Study - 1

Social work practice with small system - Case Study Example Critical analysis of the two parties to the dispute gives Khailia Richards advantage on the case. In line with the ethical principles of social workers, Social Justice must take precedence in resolving this case. Khaila is the biological mother of Isaiah and became a victim of the circumstance from existing socio-economic gap which landed her in crack addiction. It is therefore important to give fair judgment in favor of her without the possibility of social discrimination based on her race, poverty, class, ethnicity among others. In that regard, my client is Khailia Richards. This is due to her vulnerability to unfair judgment based on socio-economic discrimination (Dolgoff, Loewenberg & Harrington, 2009). Multicultural assessment may be carried out through oral interview with individual family members of the parties to this dispute. The obtained data would be taken for analysis to establish the existing differences in the two system patterns. Sound intervention plan would require application of strength perspective versus pathological viewpoint. It is evident that despite crack addiction and abandonment of the baby, Khailia Richards made efforts to come back and find him out. This is the point that her strength of parental feeling and emotional attachment with Isaiah can be built on to draw plans for her in recovering over the incidence. This aspect of emphasizing on strength rather than focusing on problem constitutes strength perspective which very relevant to the case under question. On the other hand, pathological perspective asses the genetic or racial connection with criminal activities. Since Khailia is an African America with significant predisposition to criminal activities, it is important to put in place strategic plan that will help her engage in a serious commitment. The plan for Margaret Lewin’s family would include providing a guidance and counseling session with them on how to

Society Effects On Gender Roles In Malawi Essay examples --

Society Effects On Gender Roles In Malawi Ivy Tech Vocational Collage The seventeenth and eighteenth century was a time of many struggles with many nations. Slave traders, immigrants and Christian missionaries where some of the troubles brought on by changes happening. While it was a time of change the Malawi people came together and formed this alliance of the Nyau . Mostly to form a resistance. Nyau appealed to the people because it brought their culture together instead of the quilted nature of the other cultures. Through the Nayu the Gule Wamkulu was founded they are a society of men . Chinamwali is a female society . In the early twentieth century the Presbyterians and Catholics condemned the Nyau and the Chinamwali as heinous. Asking the native people to denounce both. People in charge of the ceremonies where uncertain of the future. Missionaries where questioning the ritual ceromines and the children not being in school. Giving the opinion that these children are coerced to join these groups a roadblock to their learning keeping them out of school. The government was asked to step in however , decided not to interfere in this matter . Writing on the Nyau subject reports that the researcher Woods (1991/1992) for example ‘illustrates how lineage elders to establish a new hegemony that enabled them to control the lineage when other indigenous forms of authority nearly collapsed during the colonial era. â€Å" Informing the reader that the Nyau was a strong force not easily broken or infiltrated. Through the course of time the Nyau had less of a need . Times had changed slavery was not as prevalent the immigration had elevated, however the missionaries remained , leaving them with... ...art . Often this is done so that the other wives can make money harvesting crops . The husband can take care of the finances. Having many wives can make for having more children which is a status symbol. His wife may become unbecoming so he may aquire another wife. Sometimes a husband will take a luphatho in the form of a basket of maize flour and one chicken which is taken by the wife herself to her parents to ask for the sister’s hand in marriage. If the parents accept the luphatho the formal processes of paying for the bride price is instituted and finally the young sister joins her sister as a second wife. Women are not allowed to marry more than one man. Works Cited Groves, Z. (2012). Urban Migrants and Religious Networks: Malawians in Colonial Salisbury, 1920 to 1970. Journal Of Southern African Studies, 38(3), 491-511. doi:10.1080/03057070.2012.707507

Cvs Annual Report Essay

Executive Summary/Company History/Products and Services CVS/Pharmacy has shown a consistent growth for the last three years. Three years ago CVS/Pharmacy has merged with Longs Pharmacy and Caremark to form the largest retail pharmacy chain in the United States. CVS/Pharmacy- CVS/Pharmacy began operations in 1963, and added the pharmacy department in 1967. In 2007, CVS merged with Caremark Rx, Inc. Finally, in 2008, CVS bought the Longs Drug Store chain. CVS has over 7000 stores(Cvs.com, 2010). At the end of 9 months of 2010, the company has lost 9.25% against 2009 net income. However, the company has increased their assets and liabilities by .1% against 2009 figures(Cvs.com, 2010). As the company stands now in trends, Net revenues for this 7,100-store drugstore retailer were $23.9 billion for Q3 2010, down 3.1% from $24.6 billion in the prior year’s period. Poor performance by the company’s Pharmacy Services segment—its revenues dropped 8.5%, to $11.9 billion—was a major contributor to the company’s woes. CVS’ Retail Pharmacy segment revenues actually increased 4.1%, with total same-store sales climbing 2.5%(Trendwatch, 2010). CVS/Pharmacy is in the process of transitioning their leadership at CEO. Tom Ryan will be stepping down at the end of the year as CEO, and Larry Merlo will be promoted to CEO. Tom Ryan has been the CEO of CVS/Pharmacy Inc. since 1994, and it has been the consistency at the top that has lead to the expansion of CVS/Pharmacy as being largest retail pharmacy chain in the United States. Now that Tom’s tenure is coming to a close, a new dawn is  occurring for the corporation with Larry Merlo taking the helm. Competitor Analysis In the retail pharmacy industry, there are only three pure pharmacy firms: CVS/Pharmacy, Walgreens, and Rite-Aid. Pure pharmacy firms are pharmacy retailers whose business is built around the pharmacy. Wal-Mart, Kroger, and local grocery stores have pharmacies as an extension of their business plan, but it is not the focus of their company. CVS/Pharmacy and Walgreens have been battling over the top position for years, and Rite-Aid has been ranked at a steady third in the market place. Walgreens- Walgreens is CVS/Pharmacy’s chief competitor. Founded in 1901, Walgreens is considerably older. Unlike CVS/Pharmacy, Walgreens began with the pharmacy department. With 6000 stores, Walgreens is smaller than CVS. In 2010, Walgreens has increased sales against last year by 6.4%, and net earnings by 4.2%(Walgreens.com, 2010). Moreover, they have posted 36 straight years of sales gains, and 35 straight years of dividend payments(Walgreens.com, 2010). Finally, Walgreens has posted net earnings for 5 consecutive years. Despite Walgreens smaller size, it has a bigger market share at 31.2% compared to CVS/Pharmacy’s 25%(Wikinvest.com, 2010). The last 10 years has been the first decade that a Walgreens family member was not at the helm of the Walgreens Pharmacy chain. Charles Walgreens retired from the CEO position in 1998, but stayed on a member of the board of directors. Mr. Walgreens will officially retire for the company this year. Gregory D. Wasson is the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Wasson has worked with Walgreens for 31 years. In conclusion, Walgreens & CVS/Pharmacy are the giants in retail pharmacy. Their strengths, weaknesses, successes, and failures have brought them to a virtual dead heat. The purpose of this research is analyze the financial strength of both to determine which is in the best financial health. Common Size Statements We will first compare CVS/Pharmacy and Walgreens through common size financial statements. Commons size financial statements allow for comparisons to be made between companies of different sizes and volumes in order to see the true performance. CVS/Pharmacy has over 7000 stores, and Walgreens Pharmacy only has 6000 stores. The difference in size will have an  impact on expense, revenue, and income. Every company plans to get the most out of every dollar spent. Consequently, we will be comparing the their financial performance from 2007-2009. From the beginning, Walgreens has yielded a better gross profit by an average of 8% over CVS/Pharmacy. Gross profit is the amount left over after cost of goods sold is taken from revenue. Although, both have been steady with their percentage gross profit, CVS/Pharmacy 21% & Walgreens 28%, Walgreens has gained more. However, Walgreens’ celebration is short lived because the balance statement is more than gross profit. In fact the 8% edge in gross profit they gave back in operating expenses. Walgreens’ operating expenses took, on average, 22.5% away from their total revenue. CVS/Pharmacy operating expenses took only 14.5% away from their total revenue. Moreover, other indicators of return on investment to the company are higher for CVS/Pharmacy than Walgreens. CVS/Pharmacy has had a higher operating income than Walgreens since 2007. For the last two years CVS/Pharmacy has posted higher income before taxes than Walgreens. Finally, the biggest trend difference between the two firms is that CVS/Pharmacy’s net income has increased three years in a row, while Walgreens’ net income has steadily decreased three years in a row. As a company, CVS/Pharmacy received a 20% gross profit margin. The next biggest payment went to operating expenses at 14.12%. After the expenses, income before taxes and operating profit account for 13% and net income accounts for nearly 4%. In 2009 alone, Walgreens’ gross profit and operating expenses nearly cancel each other out. There is only a 4% variance between gross profit and operating expenses for Walgreens. Operating profit and income before taxes accounts for only 10% of the revenue, while Walgreens’ net income accounts for barely over 3%. On the key financial statements, Walgreens’ performance has been diminishing over the last three years, and CVS/Pharmacy’s performance has risen. The reason behind the growing strength of CVS/Pharmacy has been the general, consistent financial growth. This will be illustrated by the financial ratios. Liquidity is the firm’s ability to meet its current obligations(Marshall, McManus, Vielle, 2010). Working capital is the excess of a firm’s current assets over its current liabilities(2010). In this case, Walgreens’ has higher working capital than CVS/Pharmacy. On other tests of liquidity,  Walgreens’ out performs CVS/Pharmacy. Walgreens has a higher current ratio, acid test ratio, and they turn over their assets 8 more times a year than CVS/Pharmacy. Although Walgreens has yielded their lowest net income in three years, they have a high comparable liquidity. Moreover, the higher net income for CVS/Pharmacy has not translated into higher liquidity. However, the increased in income has translated into a higher inventory turnover for CVS/Pharmacy. Conclusion The findings of this paper are illustrating the transition in the marketplace between CVS/Pharmacy and Walgreens. For the last 20 years, these retail pharmacy firms have battled for supremacy in the industry. Over the last decade, CVS/Pharmacy has had one Chief Executive Officer, Tom Ryan. However, since Tom Ryan took over in 1999, Walgreens has had 3 CEO changes. The result of inconsistency in their leadership has translated to a lower return on investment. Walgreens has higher liquidity, but they have shown three years of decreasing net income. As a result, they are getting weaker as an organization. However, CVS/Pharmacy has shown consistent growth over the last three years. Their increasing strength has been represented by their purchases of Long’s Pharmacy and Caremark. It is my conclusion that this trend will continue

It´s Not Just Girls Play - 1077 Words

It’s Not Just Girls Play For century’s we have heard the term mean girls, and for most of us we have crossed paths with these types of girls in some form or fashion. Unfortunately the phrase mean girls â€Å"Bullies† has dramatically changed from the most popular girls on campus the girls determine whether your liked or an out cast, has transformed into violent relentless take no prisoner’s type of evil. Girls have new advanced methods of getting at their prey 24/7 via text messaging, Facebook, twitters which all can be accomplished on their cell phones, you know those devices we give are children so that if they have an emergency or if we need to get ahold of them we can. Because of these technologies we have made it easy for these girls to claim their doing no wrong, often they use others girls to inflict their pain also their violence does not include physical infliction. Undeniably this fact is not true. And sadly teachers, school official’s including the bully’s paren ts have the same nonchalant thought process, claiming this is normal behavior â€Å"girls will be girls† they will grow out of it and the one who is being tormented needs to toughen up, but surely if the shoe where on the other foot parents would be saying the complete opposite. Because the intimidators have an overwhelmingly high popularity among other students because of great beauty, strong status in athletic ability and often a result of fear ofShow MoreRelatedPhysical And Emotional And Cognitive Development Essay1340 Words   |  6 Pagescarefully constructed wonderland of tasks and challenges designed to enhance their physical, social, emotional and cognitive development. 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