Emile Durkheim and Max Weber

Emile Durkheim and Max Weber The subject of Sociology emerged in the 18th and 19th century a period known as The Age of Enlightenment. Since then, the study of Sociology has contributed profoundly and vastly to the world of history by fostering the formation, development, and shaping of societies. The fathers of Sociology, like Emile Durkheim and Max Weber, have had a weighty contribution in studying the development of societies and the evolution of social thinking. During 1789, the changes in French Society encouraged Durkheim to give Sociology its academic credibility and influence, as he saw Sociology as a distinctive study. His study was methodological, which he made evident in his study of the suicides. Weber formed a new form of conflict theory using Marxs work as his base. His research discussed the search for adequacy at the level of both subjective understanding and structural causality. In this essay, I will be focusing on the works of Durkheim and Weber, and will be explaining how the studied the evol ution of society focusing on different aspects. In Durkheims work, The Division of Labour (1997), he studied the changes in social cohesion amongst societies that evolved from traditional to modern, mainly focusing on individualism (Durkheim, 1997). He believed that the division of labour and economic dependence was the main force for binding people together in modern societies, unlike in traditional societies, where the shared belief would hold the society together (Durkheim, 1997). He explained this by mechanical solidarity and organic solidarity. Nonetheless, he did agree that a shared moral basis was an essential factor in social order, because organic solidarity emphasizes more on individual distinction, rather than common identities (Durkheim, 1997). Therefore, he noticed that, in traditional communities, religion was being replaced by individualism and philosophy. Mechanical solidarity exists in pre-industrial, small-scale societies and individuals are alike because they share the same emotions and same sacred values, hence their properties are communally owned, making the community smaller and traditional (Durkheim, 1997). Therefore, they do not differentiate, which limits job specification in the society. Over time, societies get more complex, this led to an increase in the division of labour and cause mechanical solidarity to be less evident. As a result, organic solidarity is created, forming more modern and large-scaled societies (Durkheim, 1997). In these societies, consensus is created, which means that there is differentiation between individuals, so there was a range of activity and tasks that came across, which strengthens the interdependence amongst them (Durkheim, 1997). In spite of individuals being unlike one another, they need to get on together in order for social life to work. This dependence develops a network of solidarity. Therefore, social order does not rest on uniformity but rather on individual pursuing different, but complementary functions, which encourages individualism and individual talent (Durkheim, 1997). The moral force and consensus amongst others hold the society together and ensures that interdependence remains. It should be considered that Durkheims distinction of these societies was not a simplistic and rigid division, because societies dont exhibit one and not the other. As organic solidarity increasing, societies will still need to have common beliefs because all societies have to have some common set of assumption about the world (Durkheim, 1997). Thus, collective consciousness is vital in a society, because without it, there is a collection of mutually antagonistic individuals (Durkheim, 1997). However, collective consciousness varies in extent and force from one society to another. Mechanical solidarity on one hand embraces individual conscience, and on the other hand, organic solidarity individual scope is higher, because people have greater freedom to follow their own preferences (Durkheim, 1997). Although the division of labour was important to Durkheim, it was not at the basis of his social theory. Unlike Marx, he did not see the economic level of social organization as providing the basis for all others, and he was much more concerned with shared beliefs and norms. He thought that class conflict was a temporary obstacle in social development believing that it acted as a mediator to ensure that modernisation occurred smoothly. Unlike Durkheim, who focused on the society and how that forms the actions, Weber discusses how individual action causes the changes in society. Weber argued that bureaucracies were becoming the organizational model of the 19th Century (Ritzer, 2000 and Weber in Lemert, 1999), which is a large hierarchical organization governed by formal rules and regulations and having clearly specified work tasks (Newman, 2008). This was seen as a leading example of rationalisation, as decisions were based on efficiency and not on tradition; it was an important social development to modernity. George Ritzer (1993) argues that McDonalds is becoming the model for organizations in the 21st Century; the process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as of the rest of the world (Ritzer, 1993). Webers rationalisation discussed regularities and patterns of action within civilisations, institutions, organisations, strata, classes, and groups (Ritzer, 2000). His interest lies on the objectified rationality, which is the action that is in accord with some process of external systematization. Weber argues 4 types of rationality practical, theoretical, substantive, and formal to scrutinize the historical fates of rationalization as sociocultural processes (Kalbery, 1980). Practical rationality is every way of life that views and judges worldly activity in relation to the individuals purely pragmatic and egoistic interests (Kalbery, 1980). Individuals that practice this rationality, merely accept realities, and deal with difficulties in the most expedient way. This rationality opposes anything that threatens to transcend everyday routine. Individuals tend to distrust all impractical values, as well as theoretical rationality. Theoretical rationality understands reality through t he abstract concepts, rather than through action (Ritzer, 2000). Unlike practical rationalists, individuals deal with difficulties as a quest to understand the world as a meaningful cosmos. Substantive rationality discusses how individuals accept the various possible values and attempt to make them consistent (Ritzer, 2000). However, this does become an issue in modern societies as it acts as an obstacle to pursue certain values. For example, being grounded to family values may be difficult for an individual to tolerate the economic pressure and dominance from bureaucratic organisations. Lastly, formal rationality characterises bureaucratic, which leads to universally applied rules, laws and regulations that characterize formal rationality in the West particularly in the economic, legal, and scientific institutions, as well as in the bureaucratic form of domination (Ritzer, 2000), such as the contemporary legal and judicial systems. As society was become more rationalised, Weber noticed that in modern societies, formal rationality played a greater role, thus substantive rationality lead to a decline (Ritzer, 2000). This is because; formal rationality emerged consequently during the time when capitalistic organisations were being developed. Due to the increase in formal rationality, the other forms of rationality are crowded out, limiting the possibility of creative social action (Ritzer, 2000). Durkheim believed that individuals actions are not independently chosen by them but in fact is the choices are planned by society. Using religion as an example, we possess certain values, beliefs and practices which have been learnt over time, because of their existence before. As a result, Durkheim believes that we perform our roles in society as a duty, even though they conform to my own sentiments and I feel their reality subjectivelyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦I merely inherited them through my education (Appelrouth, S. Laura D.E in 2008). For example, the roles we perform as being a sister, or wife, or even mother is more like a duty, and how society expects us to behave and act towards the other. Therefore, the achievement of social life among people, the existence of social order and social solidarity is established by collective standards of behaviour and values (Durkheim, 1964). However, social solidarity is crucial for the existence of society; the specific type or form social solidari ty which resides within a society is not fixed and changes the changing form of society. The members of the society adopt common values, beliefs and tradition, which is created as products of collective interaction. This means that individuals are constrained to adopt their culture in a certain way, because they belong to that culture (Durkheim, 1964). For example, as a member of the audience, individuals feel obliged to applaud at the right time to conform the feeling of collectively. Therefore, the social group is a social phenomenon, as it constrains individual behaviour, which is known as social facts. It is every way of acting, fixed or not, capable of exercising on the individual an external constraint; or gain, every way of acting which is general throughout a given society, while at the same time existing in its own right independent of its individual manifestations (Durkheim, 1964: 13). For example, many people say that society is the reason for their actions, beliefs and knowledge; like society expects one to get married and have children, however not everyone fulfils these expectations, and they still do continue living in society. Nevertheless, the degree of constraint and freedom vary and there is always a degree of choice, but the there is also a degree of constraint, which are social facts. Durkheim (1964) argues that social facts must be regarded as things which can be observed at the level of collectively and not at the level of individual behaviour. He also suggests that one can identify social phenomena by identifying situations of social constraint. Using suicide as an example, we all believe that it is the most individualistic action of all actions (Poilton et al, 1987). However, Durkheim uses his work on Suicide to prove that even in its most solitary and individual of acts, something external to the individual, namely society, has not only been a witness to but also the director of the tragic drama. Webers social action theory explains how individuals in society have the ability to exert control over their own actions, which makes them the active creator of social behaviour, hence opposing Durkheims view about society constructing their action. Hence, according to Weber, society is created by individuals and not the other way around (Weber, 1978 and Whimster, 2000). Individuals in society use their conscious thought to be aware of themselves and others as social beings; they possess their own motives, belief, and reasons, and they control their own actions. Weber discusses 4 types of social action according to the degree of rationality vs. meaningfulness traditional action, affectual action, value-rational action, and instrumental action (Weber, 1978 and Whimster, 2000). Traditional action is an unthinking habitual behaviour. It has low rationality and low meaningfulness (Weber, 1978). For example, the way people eat in different cultures and families vary. Thus, eating with yo ur hands is not considered rude in an Indian family, whereas it would be in a European family. Affectual action is governed by emotions, and thus makes it uncontrollable, similarly to traditional action; it is low on rationality and meaningfulness (Weber, 1978). For example, emotions such as laughing, burping, and anger are controllable, and as a result, the individuals have the ability to exert control. Value-rational action is the characteristic of modern societies and civilisations that have not made the transition to high modernity (Weber, 1978). These actions are high on rationality, but low on meaning, as one is unable to reflect upon the value of actions. For example, in religion, the belief in God is rational as there is blind faith, and people follow certain practices in order to go to heaven. Lastly, instrumental action represents the completion of an individuals ability to reflect upon the ways and purposes of his actions (Weber, 1978). It exists in all societies, but pre dominantly in advanced capitalist societies. For example, in society, in order to earn a PhD degree, one has certain rational acts to achieve that certain rational goal, such as funds and grades. Therefore, Weber argued that the actions of the individuals are not influenced by society, but in fact they have the capability to exert control over their actions, thus they are independent of their own behaviour. In Division of Labour (1997), Durkheim further discusses the reinforcement of suitably modernized societies. He saw that only certain groups would be permitted to regulate economic life by generating the moral standards (Turner, 1993). According to Durkheim, these standards can be established neither by the scientist in his study nor by the statesman; it has to the task of the groups concerned. (Turner, 1993); in other words, it cannot come from outside. However, these groups were non-existent in society (Turner, 1993). Although Durkheim was vague about the groups, he does implicitly argue that the groups would have initially been formed by legislation; once the group is formed, nothing can hinder an appropriate moral life from evolving out of it (Turner, 1993). Nevertheless, Durkheims vague idea about the groups was correct. The governmental regulation of economic life, such as the regulation on the notions of morality and equity, has enormously developed in modern industrialised societies, and the agent is known as the State, not occupational groups (Turner, 1993). As Durkheim failed to realise the ability the State possesses to regulate economic life, he also underestimated the moral power of traditional intermediate groups, which were based upon their religion and ethics (Turner, 1993). He believed that only modern groups could counterbalance the actions of the State. However, Durkheim viewed central State and intermediate groups are the key factors to individual rights (Turner, 1993). Therefore, Durkheim perceives the State as the organ of the society, it is the social brain; the State acts as a regulator. Weber did not see State as the regulator, but in fact, he saw the State as dominator. As we are aware that bureaucracy organisation were being more popular, societies transferred from traditional to modern over a period of time, especially in capitalist societies. Weber saw that there was a new emphasis on materialism and consequently the rise in Protestantism resulted in the formation of The Iron Cage as human society was imprisoned with depersonalisation and increased rationalisation (Weber, 1958). According to Calvinism, known as a rational religious system, people should engage in a disciplined and methodical way of life which would facilitate their path to become richer and work harder (Weber, 1958). This was because they believed that it was the right way to glorify God, as it would be a sign that they are chosen to be saved. Contrary, Catholic doctrine followed the idea that one would obtain salvation by the means of avoiding salvation and adopting an isolated and mainly spiritual life (Weber, 1958). Therefore, the attitude of material wealth to serve God, and wasting time and money being an obstacle for salvation, led to development of the Capitalist system, as it permitted Christians to live luxuriously, thus rational economy was formed in which everything was calculated and designed to maintain the system. However, soon, the reasons for material wealth had been substituted for other reasons, and maintaining the social system was a key priority (Weber, 1958). These meant that people worked and earn more, just so they could spend more. As a results, science replaced religion in order to keep the system working, thus the Capitalist system got out of hand, which linked to secularisation (Weber, 1958). Unconsciously, people were trapped in the system, like a cage, without ways to leave, which subsequently made them slaves of the system, transferring people into money machines (Weber, 1958). According to Weber, peoples ability to control their life was diminishing as they no longer had the option of to be or not to be part of the system; their freedom is limited. Ironically, the bureaucracy aimed to ensure peoples civil liberty, but unfortunately, it resulted in people enslaving them, and indirectly forcing them to support the system. To conclude, it is evident that Weber and Durkheim both focused on different aspects when studying social evolution. Weber focused on the economical aspect, such as capitalism and bureaucracy, and Durkheim on the social, like the workings of society; Weber supported the idea that actions of individuals caused a change in society, but Durkheim disagreed and said that it was the change in society that led to a change in peoples actions. However, they are similar in the way that they both believed that society needed to evolve, and break through the traditional way of life.

Biography of Andrew Carnegie Essay -- Andrew Carnegie Management Wealt

Biography of Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie was born into a poor working class family living in the town of Dunfermline, Scotland, in 1835. His father operated a small hand looming business located in the family home. The Carnegies was literate, well read, and active in the politics of the day. It was a time of repression of the Scottish worker by the Government, the employers, and the culture. Rebellious in thought as well as actively participating in protests was part of the Carnegie family life style. He was exposed to all of Scotland’s dramatic portrayal of Scottish Heroes. He learned the poetry and songs that were filled with the heroics of the underdog and their fight for equality. Andrew Carnegie’s mother was the strong parent in the family. She protected her two sons from associating with any corrupting values. Andrew said, "Yes, mother would have taken her two boys, one under each arm, and perished with them then they should mingle with low company in their extreme youth. There was not a prouder family in the land. Anything low, mean, deceitful, shifty, course, underhand, or gossipy was foreign to the heroic soul [mother]". Andrew idealized his mother, his country and its heritage, and the struggle for fair treatment of the worker. The Carnegie family left Scotland when Andrew was 13, and came to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the urging of his two aunts. His mother was the behind the move and she continued to be a motivator, supporter, and controller of Andrew and his personal interests for the rest of her life. Carnegie arrived in America in 1848, and found the state of official social equality he had been searching for. Although the worker had not gained equality in living and working conditions, at least the laws of this government promoted its attainment. He had been filled with the idealism of a radical reformer in Scotland, but in America he quickly became involved with his own climb to success. His greatest characteristic was his ability to take advantage of any opportunity that was offered to him. His first opportunity to advance was his promotion from a factory bobbin boy to writing entries into his employer’s accounts. At 15, he grabbed at the chance to leave the factory for a job as a telegraph messenger. Andrew made it his concern to learn the name of every business owner in the city. Recognizing these men on the street shortened... ... . . . the ultimate source of Carnegie’s consuming ambition remains elusive. Ultimately human behavior results from the way in which an individual accommodates himself to the contradictions and ambiguities with in himself and his society.. . . . Andrew Carnegie had a personal set of paradoxes. The best his biographers can do is to designate the pressures and document the response . . . . In himself Carnegie knew kindness and cruelty, vanity and shame, generosity and greed, doubt and confidence (Baker 27). Carnegie cannot be understood even with reading all of his writings. He came from a very poor childhood, worked in sweat factories, and yet in his later life, these memories were obliterated by his powerful drive for power and wealth. Swetnam believes that, "Carnegie developed a philosophy of his own. It was made up of his early religious and political training, rugged individualism, desire for mastery and achievement, greed, generosity, and a conviction that the world-and especially those close to him-needed his ideas and guidance. No small element was his struggle of conscience over having indulged in what in 1868 he had alluded to as the ‘worship of the golden calf’" ( 67). Biography of Andrew Carnegie Essay -- Andrew Carnegie Management Wealt Biography of Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie was born into a poor working class family living in the town of Dunfermline, Scotland, in 1835. His father operated a small hand looming business located in the family home. The Carnegies was literate, well read, and active in the politics of the day. It was a time of repression of the Scottish worker by the Government, the employers, and the culture. Rebellious in thought as well as actively participating in protests was part of the Carnegie family life style. He was exposed to all of Scotland’s dramatic portrayal of Scottish Heroes. He learned the poetry and songs that were filled with the heroics of the underdog and their fight for equality. Andrew Carnegie’s mother was the strong parent in the family. She protected her two sons from associating with any corrupting values. Andrew said, "Yes, mother would have taken her two boys, one under each arm, and perished with them then they should mingle with low company in their extreme youth. There was not a prouder family in the land. Anything low, mean, deceitful, shifty, course, underhand, or gossipy was foreign to the heroic soul [mother]". Andrew idealized his mother, his country and its heritage, and the struggle for fair treatment of the worker. The Carnegie family left Scotland when Andrew was 13, and came to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the urging of his two aunts. His mother was the behind the move and she continued to be a motivator, supporter, and controller of Andrew and his personal interests for the rest of her life. Carnegie arrived in America in 1848, and found the state of official social equality he had been searching for. Although the worker had not gained equality in living and working conditions, at least the laws of this government promoted its attainment. He had been filled with the idealism of a radical reformer in Scotland, but in America he quickly became involved with his own climb to success. His greatest characteristic was his ability to take advantage of any opportunity that was offered to him. His first opportunity to advance was his promotion from a factory bobbin boy to writing entries into his employer’s accounts. At 15, he grabbed at the chance to leave the factory for a job as a telegraph messenger. Andrew made it his concern to learn the name of every business owner in the city. Recognizing these men on the street shortened... ... . . . the ultimate source of Carnegie’s consuming ambition remains elusive. Ultimately human behavior results from the way in which an individual accommodates himself to the contradictions and ambiguities with in himself and his society.. . . . Andrew Carnegie had a personal set of paradoxes. The best his biographers can do is to designate the pressures and document the response . . . . In himself Carnegie knew kindness and cruelty, vanity and shame, generosity and greed, doubt and confidence (Baker 27). Carnegie cannot be understood even with reading all of his writings. He came from a very poor childhood, worked in sweat factories, and yet in his later life, these memories were obliterated by his powerful drive for power and wealth. Swetnam believes that, "Carnegie developed a philosophy of his own. It was made up of his early religious and political training, rugged individualism, desire for mastery and achievement, greed, generosity, and a conviction that the world-and especially those close to him-needed his ideas and guidance. No small element was his struggle of conscience over having indulged in what in 1868 he had alluded to as the ‘worship of the golden calf’" ( 67).

Protestant Reformation Essay Essay

Have you aver questioned authority or superior forces than yourself? Martin Luther and John Calvin, two famous theologians deeply questioned their times authority, the Catholic Church. These two had created a new way of thinking and voicing it out, especially when it comes to religion. Questioning the Catholic Church and the works that came with that made both of them landmark points in the world’s history but the question relies on why they attacked the fundamental principles of the church. The strong opposition to selling indulgences and that anyone could make its way to heaven if they had the right amount of money was what ignited the reformation, including Martin Luther 95 theses against indulgences. Later on came John Calvin’s work against the Catholic Church including the Geneva reform and his idea of predestination, the idea that God is willing all of the events that can happen in one’s life. Both of these theologians had intentions of creating a truer version of the Christian religion and created their own form and version of Catholicism, Calvinism and Lutheranism. Some viewed these new branches/forms of Christianity as a new way of interpreting the religion and some; according to Prentice Hall world history thought it would be a chance to â€Å"throw off the rule of both the Church and the Holy Roman Empire.† (Ellis and Esler 64) In a whole, both of their works were a way to challenge and attack the Church and to voice out their ideas, which differed from those of the religious authorities. In this time period, late 15th through the end of the 16th century, the Catholic Church was the predominant authority and religion in most of Europe, it had a set of rules, in theory based on the bible, that everyone had to follow. However, these so called laws from the bible were modified and made to arrange the leaders, especially rich individuals. One of the main laws was flagrantly unequal and people understood that but couldn’t voice it out fearing the superior powers in rule. This law, of course was in the advantage of the most fortunate and the richest. This was the law selling indulgence and paying off your sins, meaning that if you had the right amount of money one could pay its way to heaven. As said earlier, several people believed it wasn’t correct and equal; however the problem they faced in those times was that a wide range of people did not know how to read and had no evidence or proof that what the Catholic Church said was different from what was written in the bible. When well-educated theologians such Martin Luther heard about such law, he found it unacceptable, to demonstrate it, he wrote a set of points against selling indulgences and how indulgences should be. This directly â€Å"challenged the teachings of the Catholic Church on the nature of penance, the authority of the pope and the usefulness of indulgences.† (Theopedia, Encyclopedia of Christianity) Luther posted these points on the Church’s door and it grabbed people attention, nevertheless a wide range of people believed that these points were true. This was the spark of Lutheranism, a new branch of Christianity based on the Martin Luther’s ideas and works. Few years later came John Calvin, a theologian and reformer. Calvin attacked at his turn the Catholic Church. He, very similarly to Luther, believed that selling indulgences wasn’t correct and more importantly he embraced the concept of predestination, the belief that God is wanting and knows everything that might happen in one’s life. He also created a theocracy; a government that was ran by church headmen. Based on his ideas and concepts he created, at his turn, a new branch of Christianity. This was another challenge forwarded to Catholic Church. On the other hand, the Catholic Church did not change any of its laws through out the reformation period. Catholicism compared in numerous ways with both Calvinism and Lutheranism on many subjects. In Catholicism, the bible is one source of truth and church tradition is another source of truth. However in Calvinism and Lutheranism, the bible is the only source of truth. These branches also differ in how the belief is revealed, in Catholicism the priest interprets the bible and people are transmitted that information through Church teachings. On the other side, in the two other branches, people read and interpret the bible for them to find what is written. Catholicism also believes that salvation is achieved through faith and good work, and most importantly that one can pay off its sins with current money; this is way the branches differ. Selling indulgences was the result of needing money to finance lavish pope lives, and the artists they paid to work for them. This meant that the Catholic Church was widely moving away from the original biblical writing and interpreting it differently to finance personal projects. In these cases religion wasn’t respected and that is what mainly sparked these large reforms. In Catholicism, the only way to achieve salvation is through faith and good works. At those times, popes and renaissance leaders took advantage of all of these modified biblical rules and mind washed people to achieve once again personal projects. This branch of Catholicism also gave a disadvantage of unfortunate people, lower classes and poor people. During the reformation times, poor people did not know how to read and therefore could read and have their own interpretation of the bible. Their only way to know what is supposedly written was through the priest’s interpretation and Church teaching. However, as stated earlier these teachings and passing of religious laws were not accurate, they were modified by the priests and upper class barons, which obviously gave them an advantage. Lutheranism was the first branch that appeared. When Martin Luther posted the 95 theses on the Church’s doors, he expected an obvious opposition by the leaders and authorities. When Luther’s ideas started spreading the Church asked him to remove all of his works and let his projects down. Instead â€Å" he developed even more radical and new doctrines.† (Ellis and Esler 63) One of the key factors to the spread of his ideas was the existence Gutenberg’s’ invention, the printing press. It made it possible to print a large amount of copies of the 95 theses. Among his ideas, he stated that salvation could be achieved through faith and faith alone, compared to Catholicism and Calvinism. Martin also said that at the head’s church should be an elected council. Calvinism was also a source of inspiration to all of the peasants that believed that this rule has been brain washing them and in favor of the richest. It ignited revolts all over Europe and results in socio-economic changes; these were mainly present through out Germany. One of the points Luther stressed is that all Christians should have the same and equal access to religion and God. This was an immense attack to the principles of the Catholic Church. What was making the Catholic Church’s head so influent and imposing was being attacked, those times people not accessing accurate information made it possible for the authorities to remain. However, with these new prominent and seemingly fair ideas, the Church was vulnerable to new revolts and opposition. Last, Lutheranism also was a wonderful opportunity to gain power. Small German princes embraced Lutheranism for the simple reason to overthrown the current Catholic Church. On the other side, Lutheranism doesn’t share a lot of details with Catholicism; they both share monotheist views, faith in God and Jesus as well as other broad and large concepts. Lastly, Calvinism came to create a new reformed type of Protestant Christianity. John Calvin, the major author of this new branch was himself a reformer and had lived in various European countries, he was a â€Å"refugee among refugees.† (Vosloo 3) However once in Geneva, Protestant wanted him to lead their people. To do that Calvin created a theocracy, a government led by church leaders. They later on gave birth to Calvinism, which was fundamentally attached to the predestination concept.. To Calvinists, predestination is what rules our everyday life and our future, God knows what we did, do, and will do. They also believe in the idea that God has already determined who would acquire salvation, and that the world contained two different types of people, those who sinned and saints At its turn it was a way to challenge the Catholic Church since it strictly denied the existence of predestination and that there wasn’t such thing. Calvinism was not very far different from Lutheranism, both believed that the bible is the only source of information and that every citizen should read and interpret the bible by his or her own means. In this branch, work and honesty, Calvinism was so strict that anyone that engaged in laughing in church, dancing, or fighting would be heavily fined. Nevertheless, Calvinism expanded through visitors and travelers that came to Geneva to embrace the concept of Calvinism, and then brought it back home. This was so successful that in Scotland a Calvinist rebel defeated the Catholic Queen and gained power. On the other side of the English Canal, violent war was going on between Calvinists and Christians. To conclude, the reformation was a time period of questioning, a time of new reforms and equal laws. Martin Luther and John Calvin were the landmarks in these times and were the ones that ignited the reformation. Creating new religious branches, Calvinism and Lutheranism, which embraced laws that gave an opportunity to the poor to understand the true meaning of the bible. Giving this opportunity to unfortunate people helped start new socio-economic reforms in their favor. It was the fruit of Luther and Calvin’s questioning of the Church and the attack of their principles. By writing the 95 theses against selling indulgences, Luther made people aware that the Church’s laws were not always coherent. The people’s huge uncertainty toward the Catholic Church made it easier for Calvin to impose new beliefs such as predestination and a more refined and clean way of living religion. All three branches of Christianity had both common and non-common points however Lutheranism and Calvinism were much more similar than to Catholicism.

Child LaBOR essays

Child LaBOR essays Child labor is a serious problem in many parts of the world, especially in developing countries. Labor is defined as physical or mental work especially of the hard or fatiguing kind. (Websters Dictionary) Child labor usually means work that is done by children under the age of 15, which restricts or damages their physical, emotional, intellectual, social, or spiritual growth as children. The International Labor organization estimates that there are 250 million children worldwide, between the ages of 5 and 14, who are now working. Africa and Asia together account for over 90 percent of total child employment (Faraaz Siddiqi) Child labor is especially common in the rural areas of these countries. Usually there are no age requirements for schooling or for work. There are many reasons that these children work; poverty, lack of education, lack of knowledge of ones rights and cultural tradition are all contributing factors. These children are often working in severe and hazardous conditions. These children are deprived and mistreated. They are often beat or severely punished for making even the slightest mistakes. They receive low wages and perform tasks that are usually the work of adults. The International Labour Office reports that children work the longest hours and are the worst paid of all laborers. These children can be found working on farms, in factories or mines, and even fighting in wars. Much of the nations farmland is worked by toddlers, yokes teams of three-, four-, and five-year-olds who pl ough, seed and glean fields from dawn to dusk. (Jonathan Silvers) Three types of bonded labor exist in practice around the world. The first type involves a child inheriting a debt carried by their parents. The enslaved parents find no alternative except to essentially turn over the rights of their child to their masters. Another form of bonded labor occurs with a child being used...

Could, Should, and Would

Could, Should, and Would Could, Should, and Would Could, Should, and Would By Mark Nichol Is it a coincidence that the etymologically unrelated but closely associated words could, should, and would look and sound nearly the same? Mostly yes, with a little bit of no. Could derives from the Old English word cuà °e, the past tense of cunnan, meaning â€Å"to be able†; the present-tense form is can. The terminal spelling and pronunciation changed to d in the fourteenth century, but unlike in the case of should and would, which naturally developed their similar appearance (they already rhymed), could was manipulated by the insertion of additional letters to match the other words. (The obsolete character in the Old English form is an eth, pronounced like th. Yes, that means that the word was pronounced â€Å"cooth.† That similarity to couth is not a coincidence; couth, also derived from cunnan, originally meant â€Å"known.† Supplanted by could hundreds of years later, couth reemerged in the late nineteenth century as a back-formed antonym of uncouth meaning â€Å"sophisticated.† Cunning is also related.) Should evolved from sceolde, the past tense of the Old English word sceal, which meant â€Å"ought to† or â€Å"must† as well as â€Å"owe† and shifted in sense while still in its Middle English form so that it referred to the future as well as an obligation; the latter Old English word is the derivation of shall. Would comes from the Old English term wolde, past tense and past subjunctive of willan, meaning â€Å"to will,† and is the past tense of will. The phrases â€Å"could have,† â€Å"should have,† and â€Å"would have† are often contracted (in speech if not in writing) to could’ve, should’ve, and would’ve; slang variants are coulda, shoulda, and woulda. Other contractions based on phrases that bring these words together with not are couldn’t, shouldn’t, and wouldn’t. These contractions sometimes puzzle English-language learners because, for consistency, the latter should be styled could’n’t and so on. Couldn’t’ve and the like are natural progressions of this form but should be reserved for informal writing. Could-have, should-have, and would-have are nouns, usually in plural form, that refer to what could, should, or would have happened under different circumstances than those that actually existed. (Note the hyphens that distinguish these nouns from the verb phrases that inspired them.) Another development is the adjective would-be, which denotes someone who wishes to be or pretends to be something other than what he or she is. Could, should, and would can also confound nonnative speakers because they can be used to refer both to the past (as in â€Å"As I child, I would visit my grandparents every summer†) and the future (as in â€Å"I would do it again if I had the chance†). Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Examples of Passive Voice (And How To Fix Them)60 Synonyms for â€Å"Trip†How Long Should a Synopsis Be?

Mis 2200 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Mis 2200 - Essay Example One should understand this key element of the group’s makeup when outlining the mode and content of one’s presentation. Unlike a standard business audience that often contains employees and business representatives united by common business objectives and appropriate knowledge and experience of the presentation topic, the goal of completing the course is often the common denominator with the classroom audience. For the classroom audience, technical jargon may not be appropriate, and the level of detail presented should be custom-tailored to accommodate the differences in knowledge of the audience. Additionally, as with any audience, the classroom audience appreciates clarity and brevity. Often, a number of students deliver presentations during one class. The ability to communicate in a clear and concise manner when presenting can add impact and interest for the audience. Conversely, presenters who ramble and provide extraneous detail can make a presentation boring and ponderous. Like knowing the audience, the appropriate level of detail presented in a clear and concise manner is critical to delivering a memorable and insightful message. Skills applied in the classroom translate to any presentation setting, and can be a critical part of success in the business world. Particularly in a classroom setting, one should know one’s audience and understand the level detail needed for effective delivery of the material. Clarity and conciseness are vital to successful presentation and the presenter should tailor the delivery of the message to the unique audience in attendance as much as

How is a neuron like atoilet for therhold and all-or none properties Essay

How is a neuron like atoilet for therhold and all-or none properties - Essay Example The neurons are stimulated when they reach a specific level which is known as the threshold. Every neuron has its own threshold on which it can be stimulated. Below the threshold the neuron is not stimulated enough to fire impulses to cause its desired effect. This is known as the all or none property followed by all the neurons of the body. The threshold and the all or none law can be compared to the toilet. When the toilet is in the normal position without any interaction it is known to be in the resting position. This can be compared to the resting membrane potential of the neurons in which the neuron is not firing impulses. Similarly when the toilet has to be flushed the lever is to be pushed hard enough so that the flushing can begin. Same is the case with neurons which have a stimulatory threshold level which can only be achieved if the resting membrane potential has reached the threshold level. As the flush won’t work with the right power the neurons will also not work with the right stimulatory power. When the process of flushing starts it reaches a peak when the water stops being drained after which the water is poured back in the toilet.