Three Reasons Why Im Attending College Essays -

Three Reasons Why I'm Attending College Three Reasons Why I'm Attending Frontier Community College There are many reasons for my decision to attend Frontier Community College. For example, I wanted to create a positive atmosphere for my family so I would become a better role model for my children. While in the mean time, preparing a solid foundation for my career, and furthering my education to improve my own self-esteem. Creating a positive atmosphere, and being a good role model for my family, I feel is the most important reason for my decision to attend Frontier Community College. Hopefully, with experiencing my struggles, my children will realize it is easier to further their education earlier in life. I found by returning to college at age 35, it's twice the struggle to relearn the basic concepts of learning and preparing yourself for an exciting career. By creating this scholastic atmosphere, I feel my children have a better chance of furthering their education and provide the security they will need later in life. Subsequently, by building a solid foundation for my career, I am able to enhance my financial support for my children to achieve a solid foundation for their careers. Also by establishing a new and exciting career I will be able to earn and receive the benefits of a good job, and better pay, to provide my family with the security that I feel my family needs and deserves. My final, but none less important reason for my decision to attend Frontier Community College, is to further my own education, and to improve myself within the knowledge of a new career. Furthering my education will fulfill my need to learn and achieve the knowledge about the things that interest me most. Also, it will supply me with the feeling to be more comfortable with future situations, and gives me the knowledge and confidence to work under demanding pressures of everyday life. In conclusion to my decision to attend Frontier Community College, I believe it will create a positive atmosphere to help me become a better role model for my children, build a solid foundation for my career, and to further my education to improve myself. These three reasons are only a few of the many reasons why I decided to attend Frontier Community College at this point in my life. Bibliography freshman student/ first year Comp 1 Biographies

Standard English Definitions and Controversies

Standard English Definitions and Controversies In the entry for Standard English in  The Oxford Companion to the English Language (1992), Tom McArthur observes that this widely used term...resists easy definition but is used as if most educated people nonetheless know precisely what it refers to. For some of those people, Standard English (SE) is a synonym for good or correct English usage. Others use the term to refer to a specific geographical dialect of English or a dialect favored by the most powerful and prestigious social group. Some linguists argue that there really is no single standard of English. It may be revealing to examine some of the presumptions that lie behind these various interpretations. The following commentsfrom linguists, lexicographers, grammarians, and journalistsare offered in the spirit of fostering discussion rather than resolving all the many complex issues that surround the term Standard English. Controversies and Observations About Standard English A Highly Elastic and Variable Term [W]hat counts as Standard English will depend on both the locality and the particular varieties that Standard English is being contrasted with. A form that is considered standard in one region may be nonstandard in another, and a form that is standard by contrast with one variety (for example the language of inner-city African Americans) may be considered nonstandard by contrast with the usage of middle-class professionals. No matter how it is interpreted, however, Standard English in this sense shouldnt be regarded as being necessarily correct or unexceptionable, since it will include many kinds of language that could be faulted on various grounds, like the language of corporate memos and television advertisements or the conversations of middle-class high-school students. Thus while the term can serve a useful descriptive purpose providing the context makes its meaning clear, it shouldnt be construed as conferring any absolute positive evaluation. (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, 2000) What Standard English Is Not (i) It is not an arbitrary, a priori description of English, or of a form of English, devised by reference to standards of moral value, or literary merit, or supposed linguistic purity, or any other metaphysical yardstickin short, Standard English cannot be defined or described in terms such as the best English, or literary English, or Oxford English, or BBC English.(ii) It is not defined by reference to the usage of any particular group of English-users, and especially not by reference to a social classStandard English is not upper class English and it is encountered across the whole social spectrum, though not necessarily in equivalent use by all members of all classes.(iii) It is not statistically the most frequently occurring form of English, so that standard here does not mean most often heard.(iv) It is not imposed upon those who use it. True, its use by an individual may be largely the result of a long process of education; but Standard English is neither the product of lingui stic planning or philosophy (for example as exists for French in the deliberations of the Academie Francaise, or policies devised in similar terms for Hebrew, Irish, Welsh, Bahasa Malaysia, etc); nor is it a closely-defined norm whose use and maintenance is monitored by some quasi-official body, with penalties imposed for non-use or mis-use. Standard English evolved: it was not produced by conscious design. (Peter Strevens, What Is Standard English? RELC Journal, Singapore, 1981) Written English and Spoken English There are many grammar books, dictionaries and guides to English usage which describe and give advice on the standard English that appears in writing...[T]hese books are widely used for guidance on what constitutes standard English. However, there is often also a tendency to apply these judgments, which are about written English, to spoken English. But the norms of spoken and written language are not the same; people dont talk like books even in the most formal of situations or contexts. If you cant refer to a written norm to describe spoken language, then, as we have seen, you base your judgments on the speech of the best people, the educated or higher social classes. But basing your judgments on the usage of the educated is not without its difficulties. Speakers, even educated ones, use a variety of different forms... (Linda Thomas, Ishtla Singh, Jean Stilwell Peccei, and Jason Jones, Language, Society and Power: An Introduction. Routledge, 2004) Although Standard English is the kind of English in which all native speakers learn to read and write, most people do not actually speak it. (Peter Trudgill and Jean Hannah,  International English: A Guide to the Varieties of Standard English, 5th ed. Routledge, 2013) Standard English Is a Dialect If Standard English is not therefore a language, an accent, a style or a register, then of course we are obliged to say what it actually is. The answer is, as at least most British sociolinguists are agreed, that Standard English is a dialect...Standard English is simply one variety of English among many. It is a sub-variety of English... Historically, we can say that Standard English was selected (though of course, unlike many other languages, not by any overt or conscious decision) as the variety to become the standard variety precisely because it was the variety associated with the social group with the highest degree of power, wealth and prestige. Subsequent developments have reinforced its social character: the fact that it has been employed as the dialect of an education to which pupils, especially in earlier centuries, have had differential access depending on their social class background. (Peter Trudgill, Standard English: What It Isn’t, in Standard English: The Widening Debate, edited by Tony Bex and Richard J. Watts. Routledge, 1999) The Official Dialect In countries where the majority speak English as their first language one dialect is used nationally for official purposes. It is called Standard English. Standard English is the national dialect that generally appears in print. It is taught in schools, and students are expected to use it in their essays. It is the norm for dictionaries and grammars. We expect to find it in official typed communications, such as letters from government officials, solicitors, and accountants. We expect to hear it in national news broadcasts and documentary programmes on radio or television. Within each national variety the standard dialect is relatively homogeneous in grammar, vocabulary, spelling, and punctuation (Sidney Greenbaum, An Introduction to English Grammar. Longman, 1991) The Grammar of Standard English The grammar of Standard English is much more stable and uniform than its pronunciation or word stock: there is remarkably little dispute about what is grammatical (in compliance with the rules of grammar) and what isnt. Of course, the small number of controversial points that there aretrouble spots like who versus whomget all the public discussion in language columns and letters to the editor, so it may seem as if there is much turmoil; but the passions evinced over such problematic points should not obscure the fact that for the vast majority of questions about whats allowed in Standard English, the answers are clear. (Rodney Huddleston and Geoffrey K. Pullum, A Students Introduction to English Grammar. Cambridge University Press, 2006) The Guardians of Standard English The so-called native speakers of standard Englishes are those people who have somehow espoused a particular set of conventions that loosely have to do with the way English has been codified and prescribed in dictionaries, grammar books and guides to good speaking and writing. This group of people includes a large number of those who, having espoused the conventions, nevertheless do not consider themselves to be excellent users of those conventions. For many of these so-called native speakers the English language is a unique entity that exists outside or beyond its users. Rather than considering themselves owners of English, users often think of themselves as guardians of something precious: they wince when they hear or read uses of English that they consider to be sub-standard, and they worry, in their letters to newspapers, that the language is becoming degraded... Those who do feel they have rights and privileges, who have a sense of ownership of the English language and who can make pronouncements about what is or is not acceptable, as well as those to whom these attributes are accorded by others, do not necessarily belong to a speech community whose members learned English in infancy. Native speakers of non-standard varieties of English, in other words, the majority of native speakers of English, have never had any real authority over Standard English and have never owned it. The actual proprietors may, after all, simply be those who have learned thoroughly how to use a standard English to enjoy the sense of empowerment that comes with it. So those who make authoritative pronouncements about a standard English are simply those who, irrespective of accidents of birth, have elevated themselves, or been elevated, to positions of authority in academe or publishing or in other public areas. Whether or not their pronouncements will continue to be accepted is another matter. (Paul Roberts, Set Us Free From Standard English. The Guardian, January 24, 2002) Toward a Definition of SE From the dozens of definitions [of Standard English] available in the literature on English, we may extract five essential characteristics. On this basis, we may define the Standard English of an English-speaking country as a minority variety (identified chiefly by its vocabulary, grammar, and orthography) which carries most prestige and is most widely understood. (David Crystal, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. Cambridge University Press, 2003) SE is a variety of Englisha distinctive combination of linguistic features with a particular role to play...The linguistic features of SE are chiefly matters of grammar, vocabulary, and orthography (spelling and punctuation). It is important to note that SE is not a matter of pronunciation. . . .SE is the variety of English which carries most prestige within a country... In the words of one US linguist, SE is the English used by the powerful.The prestige attached to SE is recognized by adult members of the community, and this motivates them to recommend SE as a desirable educational target...Although SE is widely understood, it is not widely produced. Only a minority of people within a country...actually use it when they talk...Similarly, when they writeitself a minority activitythe consistent use of SE is required only in certain tasks (such as a letter to a newspaper, but not necessarily to a close friend). More than anywhere else, SE is to be found in print. The Ongoing Debate It is in fact a great pity that the standard English debate is marred by the sort of conceptual confusions and political posturings (no matter how poorly expressed) ...For  I think there are genuine questions to be asked about what we might mean by standards in relation to speech and writing. There is a great deal to be done in this respect and proper arguments to be made, but one thing is clear for sure. The answer does not lie in some simple-minded recourse to the practice of the best authors or the admired literature of the past, valuable though that writing is. Nor does the answer reside in rules for speech laid down by either the educated of any official body held to be able to guarantee spoken correctness. The answers to the real questions will be found to be much more complex, difficult and challenging than those currently on offer. For these reasons they might be more successful. (Tony Crowley, Curiouser and Curiouser: Falling Standards in the Standard English Debate, in Standard English: The Widening Debate, edited by Tony Bex and Richard J. Watts. Routledge, 1999)

7 Sentences Energized by Elegant Variation

7 Sentences Energized by Elegant Variation 7 Sentences Energized by Elegant Variation 7 Sentences Energized by Elegant Variation By Mark Nichol In one of the most recent tugs-of-war between qualitative practice and quantitative practicality, search engine optimization has been eroding the exalted status of time-honored elegant variation, the convention of avoiding wearying repetition of words throughout a sentence or a passage. One of the principles of SEO, the suite of strategies for shaping online content to enhance its searchability, is that keywords, when repeated, strengthen the likelihood that a search will call up a particular piece of content. But let’s not allow that admittedly valid goal to be so scrupulously employed as to deaden the language. Here are some repetition-riddled sentences followed by elegant fixes: 1. â€Å"Finding a job at 55 is much harder than finding a job in your 40s.† Sentences like this aren’t wrong; they’re just a bit flat, and it doesn’t take much to pep them up a bit: â€Å"Finding a job at 55 is much harder than landing one in your 40s.† 2. â€Å"There’s a preponderance of knowledge workers working as contract workers.† Save some work with synonyms: â€Å"There’s a preponderance of knowledge workers employed as contractors.† 3. â€Å"The company is launching a new shelter magazine aimed at women in their 30s, while American Media is developing a shelter magazine for women in their 20s and 30s.† Two pairs of duplicate usage spiff up this sentence: â€Å"The company is launching a new shelter magazine aimed at thirtysomething women, while American Media is developing a home-themed title for those in their 20s and 30s.† 4. â€Å"New Jersey’s cops stopped doing consent searches, in which a cop asks a driver for permission to search the driver’s vehicle.† That sentence sports a tired trifecta. Not only is repetition of cop a cop-out, but it doesn’t take much effort to search for another word for search and summon the drive to replace a repeat of drive: â€Å"New Jersey’s cops stopped doing consent searches, in which a police officer asks a driver for permission to look around in the motorist’s vehicle.† 5. â€Å"He said he was afraid to listen to President Bush’s speech because he was â€Å"afraid Bush would announce he was going to repeal the Fourteenth Amendment.† I’m afraid that the reappearance of afraid is diminished by its previous use: â€Å"He said he was reluctant to listen to President Bush’s speech because he was â€Å"afraid Bush would announce he was going to repeal the Fourteenth Amendment.† 6. â€Å"Administrators requested waivers for regular students, special-education students, adult students, and students in continuation schools.† Send this writer back to school to come up with some other words for students: â€Å"Administrators requested waivers for regular students, special-education pupils, adult learners, and kids in continuation schools. 7. â€Å"When Brubeck chauffeured Milhaud, who didn’t drive, to the 1947 premiere, the composer drove the young musician to, as he said, ‘be true to your instincts’ and ‘sound like who you really are.’† Oh, my. The writer deftly employed chauffeured to achieve elegant variation in the literal sense of operating a car but then crashed farther down the road. Using two meanings of the same word (or even separate tense inflections) is a collision of comprehension: â€Å"When Brubeck chauffeured Milhaud, who didn’t drive, to the 1947 premiere, the composer pushed the young musician to, as he said, ‘be true to your instincts’ and ‘sound like who you really are.’† 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 Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Inquire vs EnquirePrecedent vs. PrecedencePunctuation Is Powerful

Leadership and Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Leadership and Change - Essay Example This study outlines that Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard developed a model known as the Situational Leadership theory. This theory states that there is not only one best way to perform leadership. Leadership style depends upon the situation which arises in the company. A particular leadership style is not applicable in all organizational situations, as different situation demand different leadership style. Effective leadership depends upon the task given, and the most appropriate leaders are the ones who react to the leadership style in accordance with the maturity of the group. Yes, the video was impressive as it acknowledged me with the situational leadership concept. It helped me to understand the reason behind Hersey-Blanchard success. They focused on four leadership behaviors, they are telling, selling, participating and delegating. They even focused on four maturity behaviors. They are competence, willingness, motivation and group competence.

Tourism Operation Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Tourism Operation Management - Essay Example An attempt has been made in this paper to investigate two key challenges relating to management and operations - capacity building, and quality of services - and to make suitable recommendations concerning the possible measures to overcome these challenges. Tourism has emerged as a major business activity world wide. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) reported that tourism operations generated revenues totalling US$4421 billion in the year 2002. According to the Council's estimated projections, tourism business will grow to over US$8614 billion by the year 2012, registered an annual growth rate of 4.5% in global demand (Page, 2003, p. 2). The Council also reported that tourism accounted for almost 8% of employment worldwide, which translates to one in 13 jobs. In the year 2002, tourism-related jobs totalled a whopping 198 098 000 jobs, and according to Page (2003), this is expected to touch the magical figure of 249 486 000 by the year 2012. Stephen Page (2003) noted: "The late twentieth century and the new millennium have witnessed the continued growth of interest in how people spend their leisure and non-work time." Leisure pursuits and holiday tours are increasingly becoming a major non-work activity for millions of people across the globe. This growing interest to travel and holiday has now come to be recognised as a truly international phenomenon, or 'tourism' that motivates people to use their leisure time to visit different localities, landmarks, places and destinations across the globe. Added to this is the growing demand for tours and travels relating to specialized events, such as seasonal pilgrimages to holy sites and shrines. Among the latter, Mecca stands out as perhaps the single biggest spot the world over in terms of the number of tourists and pilgrims that flock to this holy city. Growing Profile of Global Tourism There has been a phenomenal growth in the demand for air travel since the 1960s. According to Page (2003, p. 144), the global airline industry carried 1600 million passengers (many of them tourists) to and from 10,000 airports, with 18,000 aircraft in the skies in the year 1998. Air traffic demand in Europe alone stood at 541 million passengers, and is expected to touch the 1101 million figure by the year 2015. With steadily increasing demand, several carriers and tour operators have even commissioned their own charter planes to woo tourists and to boost their tourism business. Boeing even evolved a hub-and-spokes services facility with point-to-point flight services. According to estimates, Hajj pilgrims to Mecca alone totalled the one million mark every year (2003). Among several reasons for this stupendous growth in tourism operations, the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG), a lobby group in the aviation sector, cited mainly five factors (2003, p. 3): A major downslide in the real cost of a travel Increasing activities in international trade and economic deals that call for frequent

Perceptions Of Male Nurses About Nursing Profession Nursing Essay

Perceptions Of Male Nurses About Nursing Profession Nursing Essay Nursing is feminized profession by its nature, and traditional development of its concept of caring to sick for centuries. Nursing has been stereotyped as a female dominated profession since the time of Florence Nightingale, worldwide (Yang, Gau, Shiau, Hu, Shish, 2004; Saritas, Karadag, Yildirim 2009). Before the Crimean war, men had the responsibility to provide basic care to the wounded. However, from that war to the present, nursing profession began to be dominated by female (Yang et al., 2004). Although the evolution of men into nursing profession has been increased over the past two decades, but still men constitute a small number of the nursing population. It is also noticed that women are moving into previously male dominated professions, such as medicine, law, and business, due to support provided to them to enter in men dominated professions. However, the movement of males into nursing profession is slow because of lack of attention and support given to them to enter into female dominated profession (Meadus 2000). Nursing is a profession established by women that supports the stereotypical feminine image with qualities of nurturing, and caring, in contrast to masculine characteristics of strength, aggression, and dominance (Evans, 1997; Mackintosh, 1997; Maclhail, 1996; as cited by Meadus 2000). Now the question is that, what happened when men enter in nursing profession? Mens choice of nursing as a career is likely to be colored by practical concerns, such as hand some salary, job security, chances of promotion, and family support (Anthony 2006). Furthermore, Anthony (2006) argued that caring is the crucial element of nursing and men should demonstrate caring attitudes, as they are socialized to lack of visible expression of emotions as compared to women, who display caring behaviors and open expression of emotions. In a female dominant profession, being a male faces many problems, however, studies have shown significance advantages for men in nurs ing profession, because men have potentials of high tech specialties in nursing, such as intensive care, operation abilities, and physical strength, which increase the demand of male nurses in this profession (Wang et al., 2011). Purpose of Paper The purpose of the study is to explore the perceptions of male nurses about the nursing profession. Furthermore, to identify the reasons for choosing nursing as a career, and to discover the barriers in practice, and factors that affecting male nurses practices. Research Question My research question is: What are the perceptions of male nurses about nursing profession? Search Methods The search strategy involved four electronic data bases which are; Science Direct, Pub Med, CINAHL, and Google Scholar. Key words, which were used: male nurses, nursing profession, male nurse and nursing profession, and perception of male nurses about nursing profession. General to specific strategy was followed by refining from general to specific, and filtrated according to date and key terms. The search was conducted in light of key terms as general, from 2004 to 2013, and from 2010 to 2013. Fourteen articles were found relevant to my topic. Detail given in the table attached in appendix A. Review of Literature The influx of men in nursing profession has been increased throughout the world, but still men contain very little population among nurses. Canadian Nurses Association (2005) reported 5.6 percent of the nurses in Canada were men, while the Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration of United States (2004) reported; men comprise 5.8 percent of the registered nurses (Twomey Meadus, 2008). There are certain barriers for men while entering in nursing profession. Males have concerns related to stereotyping and role strains, particularly in relation to patient care, as patients expecting female nurses to care for them, which cause difficulty in adjustment for men in nursing profession (Stott, 2004). Few studies have been conducted related to my research question, in which some have highlighted the perceptions of male nurses and student male nurses, and to explore the difficulties for men in nursing profession. In one of the studies, Wang et al. (2011) explored the male student nurses perceptions of the nursing profession and their learning experiences in a baccalaureate nursing program in Changsha, China. They used phenomenological approach and methodological frame work to guide their study. The study participants were fifteen male nursing students of degree program, and male nurses who were recently graduated. In depth interviews were methodology for the collection of data from the participants. Software Nvivo 8.0 was used for data analysis and six themes emerged from the data. The findings of the study revealed that out of 15 participants only one chose nursing as a key profession, while fourteen were assigned in nursing program after failure to get admission in other disciplines. The majority of participants expressed studying nursing as no other option, failure, or an error. They also felt that patients trust on doctors more than nurses, and patients prefer female nurses while giving c are and medicine to them. The participants were uncomfortable with the nursing skills and tend these skills to be feminine, and fit for female to perform. The male nurses worked in hospital with nursing staff having low level of education and they believed that the level of nursing research and practice is also very low as compared to physicians. The male students were uncomfortable in class room because of small numbers and dissatisfied from teaching activities, due to without considering of their learning needs. They have sense of inferiority while facing the society, and felt embarrassed being as a nurse. Some were not interested in bedside nursing and had goals to achieve higher education, and to get management posts. This study is contextual and cannot be generalized because it was conducted in one university and the perceptions explored were from students and novice nurses. In another study, Stott (2007) report the finding of the study that investigated the factors affecting both the academic and clinical performance of male nursing students at a regional Australian university. Descriptive, qualitative design was chosen for the study. The participants of the research were eight male nursing students of undergraduate program at university in Australia. In depth interviews and written narratives in form of diary were used for data collection, and methodology used for data analysis was thematic analysis. The results of the study revealed that male nursing students have certain problems in academic and clinical setting. Different themes were identified from interviews and narratives. The main theme emerged from the data is, sense of feeling of isolation of male students during their study, and they were in ambiguity to continue or switch off the nursing field. Few of the informants described that they felt embarrassed while performing certain skills in clin ical area, as a male. Some were worried, whether it could be possible to fulfill nursing role as caring and role model. The participants also acknowledged that nursing is a caring profession and hence, it is strongly identified with being a female. The students explored the affect of traditional role and expectation of society from them as a male. In such stereotypical views, it would cause problems for them in their practical life. These comments are similar to the findings by Wang et al. (2010) who reported the same queries raised by male nursing students. There are certain limitations in the above both studies. First, both studies were conducted in one university only. Second, the studies explored the perceptions of undergraduate students and novice nurses. These cannot represent the true image of male nurses perception about nursing profession, and hurdles which male nurses are experiencing and are facing in the real scenario. The generalizations of both studies are limited to their specific universities. Despite of certain barriers, men are entering in the female dominant profession. Now the question is that, are men nurses satisfied with their choice of career? In their study, Twomey and Meadus (2008) explore, why men choose nursing profession, barriers experiencing in their practical life, and to identify the factors of male nurses satisfaction. Descriptive study design was used to explore the opinions of sixty two registered nurses through survey. Data were collected using a self-report questionnaire developed by the authors. No reliable instrument for examining mens career choice and barriers specific to nursing was used. The findings reveal that the common purposes of becoming a nurse were job security, career opportunities, and the salary. Only nine participants chose nursing because of caring profession. Common barriers expressed was, being a male in female dominant profession were: sexual stereotypes, female oriented profession, and lack of recruitment strategies. All respond ents stated that there is lack of recruitment initiatives to consider nursing as a career of choice for men. This study has certain limitations, it cannot be generalized due to small sample size, and the study was conducted in only one province of the Canada. The questionnaire should be refined and re tested by using a large sample size. The authors also suggested that further qualitative investigation should be made to identify the career satisfaction among male nurses. Conclusion After reviewing the available literature, nursing profession is feminine in nature. Men constitute very small proportion of nurses population. Since last two decades, male entrance to nursing profession has been increased, despite of challenges face by men in academic and practical settings. It is identified that nursing is not a major career of choice for men. The literature review helped me to identify the gaps. Most of the studies are qualitative, and focused only on male student nurses perceptions towards nursing profession. There is a need to explore the perceptions of registered male nurses about nursing profession, identify the barriers that men are facing, and to elaborate the feelings of satisfaction to choose nursing as a career. Therefore, an exploratory descriptive qualitative nursing design is felt appropriate to explore the issue. Restated Research Question My modified research question after the literature review is; what are the perceptions of male nurses about nursing profession and factors affecting their practices? Philosophical Underpinning The issues of male nurses need to be addressed, as their practices would have direct negative effects on patient care and the profession as well. This study will help to explore the perceptions of male nurses about nursing profession and to identify the factors affecting their professional life. Furthermore, this study will provide a base line data for future recommendations and interventions to overcome the concerns of male nurses.

Plato’s Republic

Thrasymachus takes the cynical but honest view, that there is more benefit in plainly appearing just than there is in actual being just. He does not necessarily refer to hypocritical villains, those who deliberately nurture a veneer of a socially just man in order to reap personal benefit. He could also be referring to those who have convinced themselves that they are good, apart from society recognizing them as good. As an example of the first we could take Moliere’s Tartuffe. He has entered the household of Orgon with deliberate intent to appropriate for himself the property of his landlord. He takes note of the superficial natures of Orgon and his mother, both of them who are fond of shows of piety and uttering platitudes. He tailors his conduct exactly to please these two. He makes sure that religion is always pouring from his lips. His conduct is always immaculate in the presence of them, and he is never short of advice to the others, who hold him is various degrees of suspicion, regarding the pious and just life. Tartuffe is not only a hypocrite but also a calculating villain. He is the sort that works his way to social standing and privilege by express knowledge that the larger part of society is weak to such charms. It is easy to see that anyone in Tartuffe’s position would lose out by trying to be really just to those he encounters. The counter argument to this is that villains like Tartuffe are usually found out in the end, and therefore suffer in the long run, at the hands of the same society. For example, Tartuffe overreaches himself when he tries to seduce the wife of Orgon, while at the same time courting their daughter. When he is found out he loses the favor of Orgon, after which point he resorts to outright villainy. But when Thrasymachus argues for the appearance of virtue he also has the example of Orgon in mind. For Orgon, and even more so for his mother, the appearance of virtue is the most important thing. So important is it to them that they do not realize that they a dealing with appearances. They believe themselves to be virtuous because they abide by the rules of conventional virtue and piety. Orgon is a wealthy man, and it is clear that his wealth is derived through his ability to adapt. He has no concern whether justice is really done, but only that it should appear to be done. He is so blinded by the show of virtue of Tartuffe that he does not even suspect ulterior motives in his lodger wanting to wed his daughter. When the daughter complains he signs away his property to the lodger in a show of defiance. Of course, his blindness is the cause of his ruin in the end, which is shown for dramatic purposes. But the general argument remains, which is that the likes of Orgon prosper is society. He does enquire into true justice, and any effort in this direction would disrupt his social standing from the root. The likes of Orgon happily give charity to murderers. The vanity of giving blinds them to all other considerations. The mistake of Thrasymachus is that he considers contingent benefits and fails to arrive at a comprehensive account. To provide such an account is extremely difficult, and part of the difficulty is that the listener must have an open and enquiring mind to be able to grasp the subtleties of it. This is why Socrates (Plato) provides three different explanations of why the just life is preferable to the unjust one, and the three responses are suited to the three different attitudes of the questioners. The rich Cephalus is smug in his righteousness that he repays his debts, and that he gives to charity. He is confrontational, and therefore it is only possible to contradict his smug assertions bluntly. This is why Socrates merely asks him to consider whether the returning of a weapon to its rightful owner, a murderer, is justice. Thrasymachus is more constructive. He claims that justice is merely what the powerful impose on the weak. To this Socrates argues that all constructive activity has the powerful acting in favor of the weak, not the other way round, as Thrasymachus contends. If justice be admitted to be constructive then Thrasymachus’ is plainly wrong. The more subtle argument concerning harmony is reserved for the honest enquiries of Adeimantus and Glaucon. Justice is introduced now as a harmony in a body, where the ruling part subdues and controls the rest of the body, so that no part is in discord with another. The final notion is not easy to grasp, for it seems to imply that rulers must have complete wisdom in order to rule, for only with complete wisdom will they be infused with the sense of harmony that is required to effect justice. As a first example we take a football team. The manager of the team is the ruling part of this body. If he can effect harmony here, between all the players, and each of them with himself, then the team will win consistently. But this very success is bound to bring problems. If the team is so good that it never loses, then after a point the players lose motivation, they become complacent. Only after a few bad losses are they able to regain their efficient level again. Complacency, however, is the least evil. Success brings in its train a plethora of evils, all capable of disrupting the harmony. The players begin to nurture big egos and there are personality clashes. In dire circumstances they had all stuck together; but with success even the manager is not beyond reproach anymore. Faced with all these problems the manager becomes more and more dictatorial rather than wise, and this in itself is a cause for disruption. The same is true of any organization. A company starting from scratch is fired with a zeal that is conducive to harmony amongst its employees. But we cannot call such a company absolutely harmonious before it begins to reap enormous profits, because harmony must be equated with success. We are applying the word â€Å"harmony† in the strict sense here, meaning that something in harmony cannot have discordant parts. A company that in unprofitable is not in harmony. Only when it has reached the very top of the field can we begin to harbor such notions as perfect harmony. Then again, the higher is aspires the less and less is management able to maintain harmony. Managers themselves start to look after their own instead of the interests of the business. And so we observe in real life that managers award themselves huge pay packets even when the business is floundering. The arguments of Socrates are always in favor of universals and opposed to particulars. Particular justice, or particular virtue, will not always make sense, but this is only because the all-encompassing or universal picture evades us. Socrates confesses that he does not know what justice is, or what virtue is, or what truth is. To know these would mean having a universal idea in the mind, which is not possible. If the arguments of Socrates mean anything, they are means by which one comes to believe in the universal ideal, becomes convinced that it exists. And so one must not despair if injustice or untruth appears to have the upper hand. Skeptics may easily cast doubt on the existence of universals. They might argue along the lines that we have no experience of universals. That all experience is particular and contingent, and that it is pedantic to introduce the notion of universals. They might say that all justice is merely a point of view. Different cultures evolve with different notions of justice, and this is the principle reason why nations go to war with each other, to fight for a particular notion of justice, or for certain ideas about beauty. The skeptics might argue that if there was a universal idea of justice then it would have been discovered by now and nations would live in peace. In response to such arguments Plato would emphasize existence. For example, people use the word â€Å"table† in everyday discourse. It doesn’t seem to spread confusion, but instead facilitates understanding. But this is strange, because there is no standard table in the world. All tables are different from each other. This difference is a source of confusion. And yet people from diverse cultures and diverse walks of life get away by simply mentioning the word â€Å"table†, and things are immediately clear to all parties as to what is being said. Such fluent communication would be impossible if not every mention of â€Å"table† was referring to a standard. And if this standard does not exist in the material world, then it surely exists transcendentally, something which Plato calls the world of ideals. We could not imagine the ideal table, for every effort in this direction would spring up a particular table. But it is an overwhelming certainty that we have language and communication, in the place of confusion and chaos. This is how Plato confirms the existence of universals. What is true of the word â€Å"table† is also true of the notions of justice, virtue and beauty. People hold relative notions of these, not only between cultures, but also between individuals of the same culture. The skeptics point to a cacophony in such matters, but they can never identify chaos. If difference was the norm, and no standard had ever prevailed, we must judge that there has been time enough for all structure to break down. But what we see in human society is miraculous as it is. The most miraculous structure of them all is the Republic. People can always find fault in the way the state is run. But if they could see things plainly, free from every sort of bias, they could not help marvel at the very existence of the Republic. It is a place where individuals meet with common notions of justice, virtue and beauty. So the existence of the state is a testimony that universal justice exists, as do universal virtue and universal beauty. Plato uses the existence of the Republic to prove that universal justice exists, and that the just life is preferable to the unjust one. Plato’s Republic Thrasymachus takes the cynical but honest view, that there is more benefit in plainly appearing just than there is in actual being just. He does not necessarily refer to hypocritical villains, those who deliberately nurture a veneer of a socially just man in order to reap personal benefit. He could also be referring to those who have convinced themselves that they are good, apart from society recognizing them as good. As an example of the first we could take Moliere’s Tartuffe. He has entered the household of Orgon with deliberate intent to appropriate for himself the property of his landlord. He takes note of the superficial natures of Orgon and his mother, both of them who are fond of shows of piety and uttering platitudes. He tailors his conduct exactly to please these two. He makes sure that religion is always pouring from his lips. His conduct is always immaculate in the presence of them, and he is never short of advice to the others, who hold him is various degrees of suspicion, regarding the pious and just life. Tartuffe is not only a hypocrite but also a calculating villain. He is the sort that works his way to social standing and privilege by express knowledge that the larger part of society is weak to such charms. It is easy to see that anyone in Tartuffe’s position would lose out by trying to be really just to those he encounters. The counter argument to this is that villains like Tartuffe are usually found out in the end, and therefore suffer in the long run, at the hands of the same society. For example, Tartuffe overreaches himself when he tries to seduce the wife of Orgon, while at the same time courting their daughter. When he is found out he loses the favor of Orgon, after which point he resorts to outright villainy. But when Thrasymachus argues for the appearance of virtue he also has the example of Orgon in mind. For Orgon, and even more so for his mother, the appearance of virtue is the most important thing. So important is it to them that they do not realize that they a dealing with appearances. They believe themselves to be virtuous because they abide by the rules of conventional virtue and piety. Orgon is a wealthy man, and it is clear that his wealth is derived through his ability to adapt. He has no concern whether justice is really done, but only that it should appear to be done. He is so blinded by the show of virtue of Tartuffe that he does not even suspect ulterior motives in his lodger wanting to wed his daughter. When the daughter complains he signs away his property to the lodger in a show of defiance. Of course, his blindness is the cause of his ruin in the end, which is shown for dramatic purposes. But the general argument remains, which is that the likes of Orgon prosper is society. He does enquire into true justice, and any effort in this direction would disrupt his social standing from the root. The likes of Orgon happily give charity to murderers. The vanity of giving blinds them to all other considerations. The mistake of Thrasymachus is that he considers contingent benefits and fails to arrive at a comprehensive account. To provide such an account is extremely difficult, and part of the difficulty is that the listener must have an open and enquiring mind to be able to grasp the subtleties of it. This is why Socrates (Plato) provides three different explanations of why the just life is preferable to the unjust one, and the three responses are suited to the three different attitudes of the questioners. The rich Cephalus is smug in his righteousness that he repays his debts, and that he gives to charity. He is confrontational, and therefore it is only possible to contradict his smug assertions bluntly. This is why Socrates merely asks him to consider whether the returning of a weapon to its rightful owner, a murderer, is justice. Thrasymachus is more constructive. He claims that justice is merely what the powerful impose on the weak. To this Socrates argues that all constructive activity has the powerful acting in favor of the weak, not the other way round, as Thrasymachus contends. If justice be admitted to be constructive then Thrasymachus’ is plainly wrong. The more subtle argument concerning harmony is reserved for the honest enquiries of Adeimantus and Glaucon. Justice is introduced now as a harmony in a body, where the ruling part subdues and controls the rest of the body, so that no part is in discord with another. The final notion is not easy to grasp, for it seems to imply that rulers must have complete wisdom in order to rule, for only with complete wisdom will they be infused with the sense of harmony that is required to effect justice. As a first example we take a football team. The manager of the team is the ruling part of this body. If he can effect harmony here, between all the players, and each of them with himself, then the team will win consistently. But this very success is bound to bring problems. If the team is so good that it never loses, then after a point the players lose motivation, they become complacent. Only after a few bad losses are they able to regain their efficient level again. Complacency, however, is the least evil. Success brings in its train a plethora of evils, all capable of disrupting the harmony. The players begin to nurture big egos and there are personality clashes. In dire circumstances they had all stuck together; but with success even the manager is not beyond reproach anymore. Faced with all these problems the manager becomes more and more dictatorial rather than wise, and this in itself is a cause for disruption. The same is true of any organization. A company starting from scratch is fired with a zeal that is conducive to harmony amongst its employees. But we cannot call such a company absolutely harmonious before it begins to reap enormous profits, because harmony must be equated with success. We are applying the word â€Å"harmony† in the strict sense here, meaning that something in harmony cannot have discordant parts. A company that in unprofitable is not in harmony. Only when it has reached the very top of the field can we begin to harbor such notions as perfect harmony. Then again, the higher is aspires the less and less is management able to maintain harmony. Managers themselves start to look after their own instead of the interests of the business. And so we observe in real life that managers award themselves huge pay packets even when the business is floundering. The arguments of Socrates are always in favor of universals and opposed to particulars. Particular justice, or particular virtue, will not always make sense, but this is only because the all-encompassing or universal picture evades us. Socrates confesses that he does not know what justice is, or what virtue is, or what truth is. To know these would mean having a universal idea in the mind, which is not possible. If the arguments of Socrates mean anything, they are means by which one comes to believe in the universal ideal, becomes convinced that it exists. And so one must not despair if injustice or untruth appears to have the upper hand. Skeptics may easily cast doubt on the existence of universals. They might argue along the lines that we have no experience of universals. That all experience is particular and contingent, and that it is pedantic to introduce the notion of universals. They might say that all justice is merely a point of view. Different cultures evolve with different notions of justice, and this is the principle reason why nations go to war with each other, to fight for a particular notion of justice, or for certain ideas about beauty. The skeptics might argue that if there was a universal idea of justice then it would have been discovered by now and nations would live in peace. In response to such arguments Plato would emphasize existence. For example, people use the word â€Å"table† in everyday discourse. It doesn’t seem to spread confusion, but instead facilitates understanding. But this is strange, because there is no standard table in the world. All tables are different from each other. This difference is a source of confusion. And yet people from diverse cultures and diverse walks of life get away by simply mentioning the word â€Å"table†, and things are immediately clear to all parties as to what is being said. Such fluent communication would be impossible if not every mention of â€Å"table† was referring to a standard. And if this standard does not exist in the material world, then it surely exists transcendentally, something which Plato calls the world of ideals. We could not imagine the ideal table, for every effort in this direction would spring up a particular table. But it is an overwhelming certainty that we have language and communication, in the place of confusion and chaos. This is how Plato confirms the existence of universals. What is true of the word â€Å"table† is also true of the notions of justice, virtue and beauty. People hold relative notions of these, not only between cultures, but also between individuals of the same culture. The skeptics point to a cacophony in such matters, but they can never identify chaos. If difference was the norm, and no standard had ever prevailed, we must judge that there has been time enough for all structure to break down. But what we see in human society is miraculous as it is. The most miraculous structure of them all is the Republic. People can always find fault in the way the state is run. But if they could see things plainly, free from every sort of bias, they could not help marvel at the very existence of the Republic. It is a place where individuals meet with common notions of justice, virtue and beauty. So the existence of the state is a testimony that universal justice exists, as do universal virtue and universal beauty. Plato uses the existence of the Republic to prove that universal justice exists, and that the just life is preferable to the unjust one.