Virtu And Fortuna Essays - Italian Politicians, Machiavellianism

Virtu and Fortuna Virtu and Fortuna Under close scrutiny, The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli is seen to be a mind-baffling construct of many levels of meaning, and, many might say, enigmatically so. It is hard to determine where Machiavelli is writing in earnest and where in sarcasm or self-condemnation. As John Plamenatz says, the perverse Machiavelli "likes to make himself out worse than he is. He likes at times to shock his contemporaries..." No doubt he succeeds. The important message here, though, is that the reader can never be positive of Machiavelli's real views. The same is true in considering the significance of the terms virtu and fortuna (and their several translations), so often used by Machiavelli to drive home his points. But by looking at many possibilities for their frequent and seemingly suggestive usages, and at some of the ancient thought with which Machiavelli was supremely familiar, we can arrive at a satisfactory speculation, we can discuss the web weaved by Machiavelli in his profes! sions. The first, most obvious purpose of The Prince is stated by the author himself, addressing Lorenzo de' Medici: If you will read [this book] over and study it carefully, you will recognize in it my most earnest desire that you may achieve that summit of grandeur to which your happy destiny and your other capacities predestine you. And if from that summit Your Magnificence will occasionally glance down at these humble places, you will recognize how unjustly I suffer the bitter and sustained malignity of fortune. Clearly there is a sizeable amount of cajolery occurring here (and also foreshadows the following discussion of fortune and virtue), and this same stroking of Lorenzo's ego continues through the book, with slight references to how fit to rule this prince is, how "virtuous," how fated to be the incredible Prince for whom Machiavelli writes. It could easily be said that with this book the author may have trying to ingratiate himself to all the local nobility; on the other hand, knowing what follows might also suggest that Machiavelli was really attempting to play off the nobility's fears of chaos and insecurity, guaranteeing safety if they read his short piece. The second possible purpose--definitely an outcome--is the creation of a learned historical discourse. I will leave out examples; it suffices to say that The Prince encompasses many centuries of human history, many deeply researched examples of politico-military events, and so on. True, they serve enforce his ideas on "virtuous government," but they also seve the modern historian in his search for original sources. A third possible purpose of The Prince might be to outline the ideal government or, if not the ideal, the most virtuous or the best possible. It is in this purpose, the same goal pursued by countless political thinkers in history, that we extract much of what the current age considers Machiavellian. The lord most would consider ruthless and cold, but whom Machiavelli names a virtuoso, is but one (probably Cesare Borgia, son of Sixtus IV) character in the book. The author's supposedly cruel way of equating bad with good is traditionally what has gotten him into hot water. The fact is, however, that Machiavelli never truly addresses the issues of bad and good, right and wrong, these absolute judgments most people would, I think, claim him to make. Machiavelli, in laying out the "best" government, does so from a completely political and pragmatic point of view, by what works, what is possible, and, really, what for his prince results in the most power and security. The auth! or carries out this investigation using two parameters in particular, the Italian virtu and fortuna. They can be translated in many ways (Robert M. Adams has done it very nicley so I shall not repeat them here) which is part of what gives the book its depth. In general, though, the spirit Machiavelli attaches to these two crucial words resembles the following. Virtu embodies a paragon or paradigm; the virtuous man takes action, he anticipates and exhibits resolve, shrewdness and aptitude. Above all, he commits himself to politically sound, whole-hearted efforts. Politics here reign supreme; while he does acknowledge that there are ideals in the world, he asserts that it is futile to discuss them because

Using Readability Formulas

Using Readability Formulas Any readability formula is one of many methods of measuring or predicting the difficulty level of text by analyzing sample passages. A conventional readability formula measures average word length and sentence length to provide a grades and Observations, below. Five popular readability formulas are the Dale-Chall readability formula (Dale Chall 1948), the Flesch readability formula (Flesch 1948), the FOG index readability formula (Gunning 1964), the Fry readability graph (Fry, 1965), and the Spache readability formula (Spache, 1952). Examples and Observations: Because researchers have been examining readability formulas for almost 100 years, the research is comprehensive and reflects both the positive and negative aspects of formulas. Essentially, research firmly supports that sentence length, and word difficulty provide viable mechanisms for estimating difficulty, but they are imperfect. . . .As with many tools that work with normally developing readers, readability formulas may require some tweaking when the target population includes struggling readers, learning-disabled readers, or English language learners. When readers have little or no background knowledge, readability formula results may underestimate the difficulty of the material for them, particularly for English language learners. (Heidi Anne E. Mesmer, Tools for Matching Readers to Texts: Research-Based Practices. The Guilford Press, 2008) Readability Formulas and Word Processors Today many widely used word processors offer readability formulas along with spell checkers and grammar checkers. Microsoft Word provides a Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level. Many teachers use the Lexile Framework, a scale from 0 to 2000 that is based on average sentence length and average word frequency of texts found in an extensive database, the American Heritage Intermediate Corpus (Carroll, Davies, Richman, 1971). The Lexile Framework circumvents the need to perform ones own calculations. (Melissa Lee Farrall, Reading Assessment: Linking Language, Literacy, and Cognition. John Wiley Sons, 2012) Readability Formulas and Textbook Selection There are probably more than 100 readability formulas currently in use today. They are widely used by teachers and administrators as a way of predicting if a text is written at a level appropriate for the students who will use it. While we can say with relative ease that readability formulas are fairly reliable, we need to be cautious in using them. As Richardson and Morgan (2003) point out, readability formulas are useful when textbook selection committees need to make a decision but have no students available to try out the materials on, or when teachers want to assess materials that students may be asked to read independently. Basically, a readability formula is a quick and easy way to determine the grade level of written material. However, we must remember that it is only one measure, and the grade level obtained is only a predictor and thus may not be exact (Richardson and Morgan, 2003). (Roberta L. Sejnost and Sharon Thiese, Reading and Writing Across Content Areas, 2nd ed. Cor win Press, 2007) The Misuse of Readability Formulas as Writing Guides One source of opposition to readability formulas is that they are sometimes misused as writing guides. Because formulas tend to have just two major inputs- word length or difficulty, and sentence length- some authors or editors have taken just these two factors and modified writing. They sometimes end up with a bunch of short choppy sentences and moronic vocabulary and say that they did it because of a readability formula. Formula writing, they sometimes call it. This is a misuse of any readability formula. A readability formula is intended to be used after the passage is written to find out for whom it is suitable. It is not intended as a writers guide.(Edward Fry, Understanding the Readability of Content Area Texts. Content Area Reading and Learning: Instructional Strategies, 2nd ed., edited by Diane Lapp, James Flood, and Nancy Farnan. Lawrence Erlbaum, 2004)Dont bother with the readability statistics. . . . The averages of sentences per paragraph, words per sentence, and characte rs per word have little relevance. The Passive Sentences, Flesch Reading Ease, and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level are computed statistics that dont accurately assess how easy or hard the document is to read. If you want to know whether a document is hard to understand, ask a colleague to read it. (Ty Anderson and Guy Hart-Davis, Beginning Microsoft Word 2010. Springer, 2010) Also Known As: readability metrics, readability test

Alcohol in India Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Alcohol in India - Research Paper Example Men are ten times more likely to use alcohol regularly as compared to women. Raffensperger further states, â€Å"While alcohol consumption is low overall, it's even lower in women than in men in India†. Social Organizations and Use of Alcohol In India, people are divided into various categories according to their castes. There also exist many subcultures in India. Three most common subcultures in India are Punjabi culture, Bengali culture, and Marwari culture. Alcohol consumption is relatively low in Punjabi culture as compared to other two subcultures. The social class structure, family system, and different subcultures put a significant impact on overall alcohol consumption in India. The social structure of India is a mixture of diverse cultures, religions, and racial groups. Hindu religion, Muslim religion, and Sikhism are the most prominent religions of India. Social structure of India influences the institutions of family, marriage, and caste (Gihar 58). If we talk about social organizations in India, the most common social organizations include Forward class, Backward class, and Harijans. The social class structure of India includes different classes to which people of India belong. Forward class consists of rich people or those belonging to higher castes. People belonging to this class consume the highest percentage of total alcohol consumed by Indian people. Such people generally have fewer tensions in their lives as compared to lower classes. The main reasons for Forward class to consume a high percentage of alcohol include sociability and taste. Consumption of alcohol is not considered bad among higher classes of India. The most common brands used by the Forward class people include Blossom Hill, Smirnoff Red Vodka, and Carling. People belonging to Backward or middle class also use alcoholic drinks but the percentage is considerably low as compared to Forward class or Harijans. In the societies of Backward class people, use of alcohol is not co nsidered a good deed. The family structure of India plays an important role in controlling the percentage of alcohol consumption in this class. â€Å"Most of the families in India are extended families, wherein every member has his/her own role, often influenced by age and gender† (Rampur). Every member of a family resects the norms and values of the family structure. The reason behind low percentage of alcohol consumption in this class is the joint family structure of India. It is very difficult for the adults to use alcoholic drinks in front of their parents or relatives. Children respect their parents and do not do any such thing, which their parents do not want them to do. Harijans or lowest class people are the most alcohol addicted people in India. These people are not financially stable and have many tensions in their lives. They take alcohol in order to forget their problems for a while and to feel relaxed. However, they take low quality alcohol because they are not a ble to buy expensive or high quality alcoholic beverages. Living Conditions, Leisure, and Recreation Living conditions of Indian people and leisure also put a significant impact on overall alcohol consumption in India. Some people belonging to elite class use alcohol as a recreational activity. The people belonging

Artificial Intelligence Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Artificial Intelligence - Term Paper Example Researchers can create systems that understand human speech, compete with humans during games like chase and imitate human thought (Harris, 2010). Origin and evolution of artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence traces its roots to the ancient-classical philosophers who described the human thinking process as a manipulation of mechanical symbols. This gave rise to the creation of a digital computer that was programmable in the 1940s. This machine was based on the conceptual core of mathematical logic. The success of this device acted as an inspiration to scientists and researchers to start engaging in serious discussions on the possibility of developing an electronic brain (Whitby, 2009). It is believed that artificial intelligence originated from proclamations and thoughts of the primordial Greek scientists and philosophers. The Egyptians then advanced it at around 800 B.C. The Egyptians constructed a statue of Amun, the great in the ancient city of Napata. This statue could move its arm and speak to onlookers. Although the statuette was not intelligent, it portrayed signs of intelligence that inspired the Egyptians (Harris, 2010). In the fifth century, Aristotle advanced what was considered as the foundation of artificial intelligence. He introduced a theory called the syllogistic logic that deduced the first formal reasoning system. Later on, other people such as Euclid, Ramon Lull and al-Khwarizmi came up with fresh developments (Whitby, 2009). Al-Khwarizmi invented algebra while Euclid introduced reasoning based on geometry. On his part, Ramon Lull invented a machine called Zairja. This could generate ideas in a mechanical and nonmathematical format. However, between 17th and 19th century, more ideas and descriptions were added to the thinking process. For instance, Descartes initiated the concepts that animals were just complex machines while Thomas Hobbes described reasoning as a process of reckoning. Gottfried Liebniz attempted to liken the human beings’ reasoning to algebraic calculations. He even developed the Liebniz Computer that could divide and multiply. George Boole who invented binary algebra further advanced use of mathematics to reason (Harris, 2010). The 20th century witnessed many advancements and revolutions with equally growing number of additional players in the industry (Lamb 1). The most significant invention of the robot was by Karel Capek in a play known as Rossum’s Universal Robots. The robots were portrayed as unconscious and mechanical beings who could work for humans as slaves (Harris, 2010). However, the most significant effort towards the advancement of artificial intelligence occurred in 1940 when the first electronic computer was invented. With the subsequent advancements in computer science and theory, artificial intelligence developed significantly (McCarthy 1). The leading brains in this field included Warren McCullon and Walter Pitts who sought to assign mathematical descriptions to the brains of humans. In 1955, Norbert Wiener proved that all the intelligent behaviors were feedback mechanisms’ derivatives (Whitby, 2009). The period between 1956 and 1979 was characterized by further advancements in artificial intelligence industry. Several research facilities on artificial intelligence were set up at Carnegie Mellon, MIT and Princeton. The administration of the US joined in during the 1960s and pressed for more developments on artificial in

Business Partner Model Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Partner Model - Coursework Example A distinction can be made between â€Å"hard† and â€Å"soft† approaches to HRM, in which the organization may adopt â€Å"hard† approach, whereby employees can be perceived as a resource to be managed just like other factors of production. Conversely, organizations may place an emphasis on a â€Å"soft† approach to HRM in which employees comes out as a valuable asset, whose contribution plays a critical role in the attainment of organization success. The paper explores the efficacy of business partner model in addressing the changes and improvements necessitated by investing in â€Å"human capital.† HR business partnering represents the process in which HR professionals closely work with business leaders or line managers with the intention of attaining shared organizational objectives, primarily with the motive of designing and implementing HR systems and processes that propel strategic business aims (Caldwell 2010, p.49). In the HR business partne r model, the human resource departments play a critical role in strategic planning, especially in attainment of present and future objectives (Ian 2006, p.33). The model does not only concentrate on HR duties such as payroll, benefits, and employee relations, but also add value to the company by directing recruiting, advancement, training, and placement of new and current employees (Lambert 2009, p.7). Business partnering seeks to encourage line managers at diverse levels to take responsibility in managing HR team. Business partner model seeks to enhance the effectiveness of HR and minimize its costs. The ultimate aim of business partnering centers of aligning people strategy more closely with what the business requires. The engagement in training and development can be undertaken with full knowledge of the inner workings of the business (Dowling, Festing, and Engle 2008, p.4). Hence, the strategic orientation that business partner model heralds allows organizations to attain the mo st productive outcome. Some of the key issues encountered in the implementation of business partnering entail absence of clarity regarding the HR’s role, and the lack of a consistent business strategy within which HR can work. HR may be marginalized from real decision making, and the influence of business partnering may differ. Some of the inherent conflicts within the model derive from the fact that the performance of one role may conflict with competing demands yielding to potential role-overload (Ian 2006, p.34). Other possible conflicts emanates from incomplete performance criteria in undertaking a single role, such as being strategic while at the same time responding to line manager’s tactical issues (Lambert 2009, p.8). The implementation of business partner model can herald enhancements on the organization’s bottom line and productivity. The implementation of business partnering can lead to sustained revenue growth, profit growth and cost reduction, and i mproved customer royalty and retention. This hinges on the capability to work smarter (business partnering

Issue of Cyberbullying Today

Issue of Cyberbullying Today Cyberbullying Twenty percent of kids cyberbullied think about suicide, and one in ten attempt it. Four thousand five hundred kids commit suicide each year (Laird). Cyberbullying is turning out to be a enormous problem effecting many people. There should be a higher offense for a person who cyberbullies someone. Cyberbullying should be a felony, because it has pushed many people into self harm and committing suicide. Bullying is already a major problem in our society today, when it reaches to the internet then it becomes cyberbullying and it ends up affecting more people.When cyberbullying reaches the internet numerous amounts of people are able to read it. Cyberbullying can occur at anytime and it allows people to harass each other which could even end up in people harming themselves.Also you have to include the other emotions people feel when they get cyberbullied such as feeling depressed and empty because of the harassment they receive. They also feel hopeless as if there is no one they can talk to or feeling of hopelessness because you lost the feelings of friendship. A felony is an extreme punishment because if you get a felony you will , lose the right to bear arms, certain employment opportunities, public social benefits and housing, parental benefits, and even the ability to vote. no laws specifically addressed cyberbullying. But legislators have not been blind to the increasing number o f high-publicity incidents, including tragic results in certain cases (suicides and school shootings, for instance) (cyberbullying). 70% percent of students report seeing frequent bullying online (was your visit to nobullying.com helpful?).cyberbullying gets seen by not just the people that it is directed to but cyber bullying can be seen by anyone on the internet. The world is becoming a cruel place to live because everyone is attacking each other instead of building each other up, and now that we have internet it spreads the problem instead of stopping it.This should not be the way we live instead there should be a more serious consequence then just a slap on the wrist. Cyber bullying should be a felony because a felony is a harsher punishment and when people see they cannot take it any further and will hopefully stop.68% percent of teenagers agree that bullying online is a serious problem (was your visit to nobullying.comhelpful?). Most teens agree that cyber bullying is a major issue that needs to be solve and that some actions should be taken into to stop the increase of cyberbullying because cyber bullying h as become too common to not be doing anything about it. 43% of children have experienced bullying online, and 1 and 4 has had it happen more then once(was your visit to nobullying.com helpful?). That on its own tells you that cyber bullying is a huge problem especially since social media has not been out that long this also shows the progression of it has been extremely rapid. People are intentionally bullying people online because they are either cruel and heart less or they are to scared to do it in person but either way it is unacceptable. You shouldnt have to be rude to people all the time or show them hatred over the internet.This is the reason there should be a higher punishment like a felony for this abuse over the internet that possibly everyone in the world can see. Also 80% of teenagers use a cell phone regularly, making it the most common medium for cyberbullying(was your visit to nobullying.com helpful). Most teens now a days have a smart phone and most likely have some sort of social media that they can get on this does not make it any easier to stop cyberbullying from happening. 97.5% have been online in the previous 30 days, 63% have a cell phone, 42% regularly use Instagram, 33% regularly use Facebook, 15% have been the target of cyberbullying in the previous 30 days (boys: 11.8%; girls: 18.5%), 6.3% have cyberbullied others in the previous 30 days (boys: 6.1%; girls: 6.5%)(cyberbullying facts). this shows that most kids are on social media and using internet in some way and 15% of kids were targeted in the past 30 days this is not a good thing thats why there needs to be punishment to those who are doing this. Know that its not your fault. What people call bullying is sometimes an argument between two people. But if someone is repeatedly cruel to you, thats bullying and you mustnt blame yourself. No one deserves to be treated cruelly. (tips to help stop cyber bullying) Cyberbullying is only the bullys fault because they are the ones who keep perusing to be rude and inconsiderate to someone and it is not a laughing matter anymore. They have to be rude and cruel to make one person feel bad about them selves hurt them selves or even bully them to attempt or even commit suicide. It is best to be able to reach out to some one and be able to talk to someone like a counselor, principal, mother figure, father figure just someone that you can tell how you truly feel. Also if someone is being cyberbullied do not just watch the argument unravel take action and tell a teacher parent about what is happening and to the person who was cyber bullied and see if in anyway shape or form you could help them s o they do not have to go through this struggle alone. If cyber bullying happens to either you or someone you know take action to help and stop cyber bullying immediately so it does not progress any further. At the end of the day cyber bullying is not something to joke about of even think is cute and funny this is really serious and needs to stop immediately thats why the law for cyberbullying should be a felony so after people saw what the punishment is they might double think before they are rude to a person so much that they would want to hurt themselves or even commit suicide. Works Cited Cyberbullying. Findlaw, Findlaw, 2016, criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-charges/cyber-bullying.html. Cyberbullying Facts. Cyberbullying Research Center, Cyberbullying Research Center, cyberbullying.org/facts. Tips to Help Stop Cyberbullying. ConnectSafely, ConnectSafely, 4 June 2015, www.connectsafely.org/tips-to-help-stop-cyberbullying/?doing_wp_cron=1485738274.0622389316558837890625. Was Your Visit to NoBullying.com Helpful? NoBullying Bullying CyberBullying Resources, NoBullying Bullying CyberBullying Resources, nobullying.com/cyber-bullying-facts/.

Edgar Allan Poes The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar Essay -- Facts

Edgar Allan Poe's The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar Edgar Allan Poe's The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar is one of his more interesting works. Granted, this is one of his lesser-known works, but nevertheless this short story is clear example of the obsession theme that is so prominent in the majority of Poe's work. In fact, the obsession the narrator in the story closely resembles Poe himself because he was somewhat obsessed or infatuated with mesmerism for a while. This could be one example where Poe allows the reader into himself (as the narrator) or this could be yet another of Poe's tricks on his audience. In either case, this is a fascinating work that combines his trademark Gothic style with numerous customs and ideas of the day in a short yet substantial work. It would be somewhat accurate to call Poe "the inventor of American Gothic." American gothic did exist before Poe, but he was the man who took this genre to its zenith. Poe's stories generally have some element of the supernatural or mysterious in them, a solitary speaker who is normally "not normal" (many ask "Am I mad?" or insist they are not mad), usually set somewhere in Europe in some remote place at midnight. His brand of American Gothic allows for both the supernatural and physiological interpretations. Many of his narrators show some degree of madness and obsession. In fact, obsession seems to be evident in nearly every Poe tale. Poe's concept of madness is two-fold: physiological and mental/ psychological. Roderick Usher in The Fall of The House of Usher is an example of being mad from a psychological condition of his family practicing incest. The narrator in Ligeia is another example of this physical madness, this man was suffering from al... ...ffman, Daniel. Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe. New York: Doubleday, 1972. Howarth, William. Twentieth Century Interpretations of Poe's Tales. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. 1971. Forclaz, Robert. "Psychoanalysis and Edgar Allan Poe: A Critique of the Bonaparte Thesis." Ed. Eric W. Carlson. Critical Essays On Edgar Allan Poe. Boston: G.K. Hall & Co., 1987. 187-195. Gauld, Alan. A History of Hypnotism. Cambridge UP, 1992. Matthews, Terry C., . Writing Scientific Papers. Decatur, Il: Millikin University Biology Department. Ostrom, John Ward. The Letters of Edgar Allan Poe. Vol 2. NewYork: Gordian Press, 1966. 2 vols. Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Facts of M. Valdemar's Case." The Works of the Late Edgar Allan Poe, 1850. The Works of Edgar Allan Poe. The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore. 19 Nov. 2001. 9 Dec. 2001. http://www.eapoe.org/works/tales/vldmard.htm.