Ethics †Terms to know Essay

Worldview–The way the world is seen & made sense of; framework of individual understanding. e.g. Deism – God abandoned creation Nihilism – Reality has no value; traditional values unfounded Existentialism – Life has no meaning but what we give it Eastern Pantheism – Polytheism, i.e. Hinduism Naturalism – Secular humanism / modernism; God is irrelevant–nothing exists but natural world New Age Pantheism – All is one; no distinction between plants, people; all are God Judeo-Christianity – There is only one God who created universe; God is involved w/ creation Post Modernism – God is dead; truth is a social construct; relativism prevails Ethics–The explicit, philosophical reflection on moral beliefs and practices. (The difference between ethics and morality is similar to the difference between musicology and music. Ethics is a conscious stepping back and reflecting on morality, just as musicology is a conscious reflection on music). Descriptive Ethics–Stating actual moral beliefs. Normative Ethics–Study of what is really right or wrong. Metaethics–Study about field of Ethics. Metaethics Theories Objectivism–There are correct and incorrect answers. Subjectivism–There are no correct or incorrect answers. Absolutism–All moral rules hold without exception–there is only one truth; opposite of relativism, contrasts with consequentialism. Rights–Justified claims upon other(s) for actions or non-actions. Negative Obligation (Right)–An obligation to refrain from something or entitlements to do something without interference from other people. See also autonomy. Positive Obligation (Right)–An obligation to perform / provide, etc., or entitlements that obligate others to do something positive to assist you. In rem–Universal rights (obligations fall on all moral agents). In personam–Restricted rights (obligations fall on selected individuals). General Obligations–moral requirements of all moral beings. Role-related Obligations–moral requirements of specific roles, e.g. MD, priest, etc. Strong Paternalism–Forced acts of beneficence on person able to decide. Weak Paternalism–Forced acts of beneficence on person unable to decide. Negative Paternalism–Refraining from doing something to/for someone. 4 Main Ethical Principles / Values Nonmaleficence–Do no harm; (Primum non nocere – first, do no harm); a negative right. Beneficence–Do good; promoting the welfare of others; actively avoiding harm; a positive right. Autonomy–Non-interference with other’s choices and freedom to make choices / self determination. Justice / Social Justice–Equal treatment for all. Ethical Systems Theories (*Related concepts) *Consequentialism–The end justifies the means; the rightness or wrongness of any action depends on its consequences. *Utilitarianism (act)–To act in a beneficial way based strictly on the good consequences for the most people; case-by-case analysis of each act. *Utilitarianism (rule)– To act in a beneficial way (with good consequences for the most people) based on moral rules; categorical imperative? Deontologism–It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game; some actions are right or wrong regardless of their consequences; contrasts with consequentialism. Relativism–it all depends–all points of view are equally valid. Also: When in Rome, do as the Romans do (cultural relativism). Beauty is in the eye of the beholder (personal relativism). *Doctrine of Double Effect–intention is everything; concerns only intended means or ends, not actual means or ends even if predictable (i.e. chemo side-F/Xs). Patient Relationship Models Engineering Model–Just the facts, ma’am; healthcare professionals as scientists presenting facts–patients make decisions based on these facts. Paternalistic Model–Do what I say; decisions are made by healthcare professionals. Contractual Model–Let’s make a deal; healthcare professionals give information–assist patients in decision-making by making recommendations. Confidentiality–Not divulging information which another has revealed on condition of secrecy; patient’s right to privacy (of information). Deontological Argument for the Obligation of Confidentiality–Respecting confidentiality respects patient autonomy. Consequentialistic Argument for the Obligation of Confidentiality–Respecting confidentiality protects and promotes well-being of patients. 3 Accepted Exceptions for Divulging a Patient Confidence–Patient not competent, required by law, protect public interest. Truth Telling (Veracity)–Obligation to tell the truth. Consequentialistic Case for Telling and Withholding the Truth–Do what will most benefit/least harm patient; truth-telling / withholding truth context dependent. 3 (actually 4) Possible Exceptions to the Truth-Telling Rule–Family request, patient request, for the good of others (less so now), avoiding disastrous consequences (extreme cases). 5 Elements of Informed Consent–Competence, information disclosure, understanding, voluntariness, and authorization.

Critical Review †On Becoming a Leader by Warren Bennis Essay

Everywhere you trip is where the treasure lies. While looking for a book for my class assignment I bumped into tremendous amount of them talking about leadership. Why there are so many? Why has leadership received so much attention? Which one I have to pick? Why we study leadership at all? Isn’t it what coming with years of experience? Many people believe that a leader is an aggressive person who â€Å"inspires† others to work hard to accomplish important tasks. Then why those publications take a colossal part in the market of popular books? Is leadership a learned behavior? â€Å"On Becoming a Leader† by Warren Bennis is the book I picked, intrigued by the front cover announcement â€Å"The Leadership Classic†. Warren Bennis’s approach in this book can be described as a â€Å"leadership by looking around†. He discusses the essence of leadership and how individuals become leaders by examining numbers of successful leaders. Presence of these examples is very helpful, because we can integrate those leadership qualities into our own lives. In the very beginning of his book Bennis said â€Å"leadership is like beauty: it’s hard to define, but you know it when you see it† . This statement is reflective throughout the book in those examples. In the introductions – one written for the original publication and one a few years later – Bennis states his premises about leadership. He believes that everyone has the capacity for leadership . Why he wants us, his readers, to be so confident? He acknowledges that there are no rules and predictable patterns in leadership, but still encourages us to take risk, make mistakes, and express ourselves to become a successful leader. He firmly believes leaders are made, not born . Learning and developing abilities are more important that the ability one was born with. Those who took risk, made mistakes, and reflected to own failure – understood, thus, learned from the experience, and become leaders. â€Å"On Becoming a Leader† is based on the assumption that leaders know who they are, what their strengths and weaknesses. Bennis’s position is that â€Å"becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself† . The statement seems very simple, but it is difficult indeed. What he really means is that no one can teach how to become ourselves, how to take charges, how to fully-express ourselves. Leaders are those who were able to accomplish those tasks. In the first section of the book Bennis argues that a lack of leadership is one of the greatest dangers to society. He claims that America lost its way – â€Å"We forgot what we were here for.† Certainly, there are not enough leaders in organizations, but the world isn’t that bad. The world changes drastically. Most of the CEOs in America do not know how to use computers. Does it make them bad leaders? We always need competent leaders of any types and levels. Bennis’s leaders are those who adapt changes. Very critically Bennis claims that â€Å"after World War II, America was chiefly notable for its bureaucrats and managers, its organization men, its wheeler-dealers who remade, and in some cases unmade, the institutions and organizations of America, in both the public and private sectors . By this statement, Bennis encourages us to master the context , to take another look at what good leaders are. Bennis sets three reasons why he believes leaders are important. First, leaders are responsible for organizational effectiveness. Second, in the world of constant changes, leaders must provide stability to an organization. Finally, leaders are the only ones to build integrity and trust within an organization. Nevertheless leadership is a complex process and most people fail to master the context. Bennis gives very interesting example of a leadership failure – â€Å"Ed†; he had fantastic management skills, but never really understood what it takes to be an effective leader. Unfortunately, most of us tend to function on Ed’s level. He failed because he was not able to make people willing to follow him. Leaders like him lack most important qualities such passion, integrity, trust, curiosity, daring and guiding vision. Often, these qualities are subjected in stress, hard work, and adversity. â€Å"Ed† is a perfect image of a good manager, but not a leader. Bennis very clear define this difference – â€Å"The manager does things right; the leader does the right thing.† In the next section of â€Å"On Becoming a Leader† Bennis describes the necessity of self-knowledge for future leaders. Norman Lear, producer, screenwriter and director, is frequently referenced by Bennis. Using his character, Bennis contends that self-knowledge is best achieved by the four lessons. 1. you are your own best teacher 2. accept responsibility 3. you can learn anything you want to learn 4. true understanding comes from reflecting on your experience Explore these lessons to become a successful leader. Bennis also discusses the problem of diminishing cultural awareness and how it holds back the emergence of leadership. To become a true leader, one must know the world as well as know oneself. He explains the benefits of expanding the limits of our world by traveling to other countries and learning new cultures. We need to develop respect for diversity, and those who are inherently curious will become true leaders. Finally, Bennis talks about learning through adversity. What can be better than to be able to transform the experience into wisdom? Some of the best learning and creative, innovative ideas come from having to work through crisis. The more obstacles and deterrents you come across, the more you learn and the better you evolve into a more effective leader. However, not all can survive from failure, and very often physical boundaries stifle leadership capabilities. Furthermore, Bennis compare leadership skills with the acquisition of good â€Å"people skills†. He argues that outstanding leaders are able to express concern and respect for fellows. It is not necessary to be a charismatic leader to inspire trust and loyalty in his/her followers. But how make someone to trust you? How to convict someone that following is the best thing to do at the time? Bennis claims that all this can not be taught, but it can be learned. Human sensitivity, tact, compassion, and diplomacy would make one a good leader. More importantly, he supports it with examples of Barbara Corday and Herb Alpert , outstanding leaders exercise empathy when working with colleagues and other leaders. Regarding empathy, Bennis remarks – â€Å"I’ve known leaders who have had none of it and nevertheless were leaders, but those who have had that quality have moved and inspired me more† .  Leaders are the ones who support those whom they lead whether through the use of empathy or through other means. According to Bennis, only leaders who have these qualities can be expected to be America’s future leaders. Finally, while Bennis stresses that all human beings have the ability to lead, his choice of â€Å"outstanding leaders† is quite selective. Rather than selecting leaders from various industries and even countries, Bennis choose high-ranking leaders in large corporate and governmental positions. Those are CEOs and presidents, lawyers, movie directors. It was hard to associate some fields such entertainment industry with traditional fields of leadership (i.e. military, sports). In his book, Bennis encourages us to travel, learn others cultures, but his list of â€Å"outstanding leaders† composed primarily of native born leaders from the United States . In addition, this endless list of characteristics and qualities presented throughout the book is absolutely overwhelming. Even though, I believe this book should be at the top of the reading list in any serious study of leadership. The book is of value to a wide spectrum of people. Those who are currently at a leadership position will be inspired to be better leaders. Those who are â€Å"followers† will gain a better understanding of how crucial is their own role, as well as better understanding of what their own leaders are facing. I personally started to think that I can be a better person, leader in my own life. It does motivate and help to evaluate ourselves. I also feel that I will come back to this book and read it again to discover entirely new insights. Perhaps the reason that this book is simple and so adaptable is author’s belief that anyone can be a leader. Think about that: â€Å"it’s much easier to express yourself than to deny yourself.† And of course, Bennis’s advice is well-taken: we can all be leaders in whatever we do.

Themes from Robinson Crusoe

Themes from Robinson Crusoe One theme from the novel Robinson Crusoe is that one should follow their dreams and go for what they want, even if others do not think that it is the right thing to do. Robinson Cruse's father really wanted him to be a lawyer, but Robinsons dream was to go out to sea. At first he wanted to make his father happy and was willing to do what he said, but then he realized Just how unhappy he himself would be if he did not become a sailor. So he did what he thought was right, and even though there ere many hard times, he got through them all because he knew he was doing exactly what he wanted to do.Another theme from this novel is that you should have persistence, and to never give up on yourself, even in the toughest times. Robinson Crusoe faced many hardships out at sea, and his family was not even around to help him out. But he put on a brave face and handled the problems as well as he could, and everything turned out okay. If Robinson had chosen the life of a lawyer, as his father had wished, he might have been in danger a lot less often, but e would never have known what it was like to follow his heart.I believe that Robinson Crusoe did the right thing, choosing the option that would make him happy instead of his family. Your family can be there to help guide you through life, but ultimately, it will have to be you who decides what you want to do. Robinson Crusoe is a very exciting book with many unexpected twists and turns. Robinson has many adventures, and even though he runs into trouble more often than not, he is a great character who can deal with his problems courageously.

Intercultural Communication and Ecclesial Intergration African Research Paper

Intercultural Communication and Ecclesial Intergration African American - Research Paper Example A decade later, the African slaves were taken to New York, known as New Amsterdam by then (African American History Timeline, n.p.). By the year 1690, all the colonies of USA had African slaves. The African slaves in USA were later given American citizenship when USA became independent in 1776. In the year 1739, the African slaves at Stono, in North Carolina revolted against the oppressions that their masters subjected them to. This revolt is known as Stono revolt (African American History Timeline, n.p.). This revolt, however, did not stop the oppression of the African slaves by their masters. The importation of African slaves was banned by the USA Congress in the year 1808. In the 19th century, many Africans immigrated to American in USA in search of greener pasture; many of the African immigrants later became American citizens. The African immigrants, therefore, constitute a significant percentage of African Americans. Although Catholicism was brought to America in the early 16th century by the Spanish explorers, African American Catholics, however, could not be identified and defined as a distinct group of Catholics in the United States until in the mid 19th century (Fisher, 52). This fact can be attributed to the oppression and the marginalization that the Africans had experienced in the USA. In the mid of 19th century, the slaves of the Catholic planters were baptized into Catholicism in the Maryland state (Fisher, 52). The formation of the first African American Catholic community in USA can be attributed to the migration of slave owners from Maryland to Kentucky in the early 19th century. With the migration of slave owners in the early 19th century, the African slaves formed their community in the Nelson County area. With the formation of a community of African American slave community, the African American Catholics became a distinct group of American Catholics. The African American Catholics, therefore, gained prominence in the early 19th

Design for manufacturer Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Design for manufacturer - Coursework Example Stereomicroscopes are used to examinespecimens under bothreflectedandtransmittedlight. Stereomicroscopes are used for imaging three-dimensional objects1. A Stereomicroscope providesgoodgroundsfor three-dimensional visualization of thesamplebeingtested, in thiscase, theprototype Acrylic displayhence an excellentqualitycontrolinspectiontool. Reducing complexity of the Acrylic displayunit is a costeffectiveproductionmethod. Unnecessary complexity is a majorcause of hiking costs of production. Production of standardunits would seetherealization of mass production at a lowcost. Reducingprototypedevelopmenttime is also a costeffectiveproductionmethod. Thedevelopmenttime can be reduced by putting 3-D digital prototyping technology at work that will speed up the prototyping process and foster more innovation. More technology can also be offered to reducethecost of production. Technology allowsdesignersandotherproductionpersonnel to work as teams, interactingquickly. Cooperation and working as a team give room to the achievement of the best possible solution. According to Evans & Lindsay (2013), surface hardness is the measure of how a material is resistant to changepermanently in shapewhenapplied a compressive force. Classification of surface hardness measurement can be into three methods, includingscratch, indentation, and rebound. Scratch is themeasure of howresistant a material is to permanent deformation due to friction from a sharpobject. Themostcommontestforscratch is Mohs scale. Mohs scalecharacterizesthescratchresistance of variousmaterialsusingthe sclerometer. Indentation hardness measurestheresistance of a material to deformation due to a compressioneffect of a sharpobject. Rebound hardness is themeasurestheheight of the rebound of a materialwhen an objectis released from thehigherground onto thematerial. A stereoscope is the device used to take measurements for the rebound2. Elasticity is thetendency of a material to return

Should Society recognize animal rights, even to the extent of Essay

Should Society recognize animal rights, even to the extent of disallowing the use of animals in scientific and medical experiments - Essay Example But in the context of pain suffered by animals, Gallistel (1989) has advocated the unrestricted use of animals for research purposes, especially in the study of the nervous system. He points out that studies on the nervous system may involve the destruction or stimulation of a part of the system to examine the ramifications of use of certain drugs and could cause pain and temporary distress to the animals used. He argues that restricting research on animals would restrict the progress in human understanding of the nervous system. It would interfere with the process of providing a moral and scientific basis for the amassing of knowledge that produces tangible benefits for the nervous ailments of humans and benefits in treatment. He contends that the suffering of a few animals cannot be accorded greater importance than the benefits that are provided to the human race. It is also argued that since animals do not possess a sense of moral values and reason, they are inferior beings as com pared to humans and therefore, their interests must be subordinated to that of human beings. In a similar vein, H Tristam Englehardt Jr believes that â€Å"morality is a human construct and that secular moral authority is grounded in consent†¦[and he]†¦..claims that animals have "rights" granted them by humans (since only humans are "ends in themselves"), but the "rights" so granted are to be used for human welfare, including the "right" to be hunted, skinned, eaten, used for entertainment, etc† (Haack, 2007). Hence, Gallistel and Englehardt are of the view that animals may have rights, but those rights are to be subordinated to those of humans and the animals can only enjoy rights to the extent that humans permit them to have those rights. Therefore, even in instances where they suffer pain, this pain is justified on the basis that their rights are

To make argument about your own academic experience to an academic Term Paper

To make argument about your own academic experience to an academic audiene - Term Paper Example Ideal may differ from person to person. Something which is ideal to me may not be ideal to others and vice versa. During my management I did my specialization in marketing. Lot of people did their specialization in finance. I think marketing as a subject/course is more ideal than a finance. Before discussing why marketing is more ideal than finance lets first understand what does an ideal college experience means. An ideal college experience means an experience in discovery. It can be related to a particular subject or also personal discovery of self. So an ideal course can be new ways of learning, learning new values, learning new ways of solving a problem or addressing an issue. It is not mere reading a book, remembering a subject and then writing the same in the exam. It is about applying your knowledge and tools to think critically. It is about handling different situations in different ways and finding solutions for all kind of problems Marketing as a subject has got very little to do with theories and concepts. Yes, theories and concepts are important but not from a reading or remembering point of view but from the point of applying it in day to day life. Marketing is about thinking and applying the concept learns during the lecture to handle tricky situation. It is about creating different, new and innovative methods to sell you product or services. It is about creating ideas and strategies. ... That is something a student needs to decide. This is where a student is really tested as in how good is his ability to think and rationalize. Advertisement is a part of marketing. Creating an ad for a particular product or service is a challenging job. That is where the analytical skills of a student is tested. You can judge how creative a student is. Marketing research is also a part of marketing where a student analytical skill is tested. Marketing has got to do with lot of group activities. Where a students learns how to work in a team. He learns the ways to respect you superior and work with you subordinate. Finance on the other hand involves more of theories than practical. Lot of reading is involved in finance. You need to be thorough in the concepts and you need to remember lot of definition. Practical knowledge and activities are very less in finance. Calculation and analytics are important elements of finance but other than that not a lot of all round skills of student is te sted in finance. Further finance has got to with numbers and application of numbers. But when it comes to practical application of finance it definitely is bare minimum. Finance is a very important department in corporate and is essential for any organization. But in studies it has very little do when it comes to group work or applying it in practical purpose. It is mostly theories and concepts and less of practical, creativity and inter-personal skills. Finance is far from being an idea subject because it is one dimensional and does not focus on most of the skills that a student needs to develop. So when you compare a marketing and finance as a subject you will agree to the fact that marketing

Women in Fashion Photography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Women in Fashion Photography - Essay Example The essay "Women in Fashion Photography" discovers the Women in the Fashion Photography. Fashion photography is more than a photograph showing the clothes,accessories or the model, it is the creation of a fantasy. It embodies the fashion atmosphere of the moment and the mood of the time in a single image. It is an image that conveys a particular lifestyle,and is different from catalogue photography, which is intended to directly sell clothes. In a catalogue shot, a woman is shaped closer to real proportions in realistic settings, in keeping with the intent of direct marketing, and she looks, albeit a little blankly, at the viewer. In a whole lot of fashion photography, however, the idea is far beyond clothes, it is about a particular fashion orientation, and so the model is fantastical in keeping with the image to be conveyed. She often looks away from the camera, in affected disdain for the women who are looking at her from across a magazine page, unendowed by her attributes that ar e matchless in drawing the â€Å"male gaze†.Good fashion photography is more like a short film, it needs an ambience and a dream, a concept that evolves, and originality and good co-ordination between a whole team of creative people, where the entire look is contrived to a particular attitude or aesthetic. The make-up artists and lighting effects contribute as much to it as the model who provides a blank canvas for the image, and the photographer, who provides the eye through which it is to be viewed. "We're all brought up on fabulously glamourous Vogue models, and we don't realise that they don't look like that in real life. It is just that the photographers are terribly clever. Women are constantly presented with a false image of beauty that nobody can attain, not even the most beautiful, unless you've got an entourage of make up, wardrobe and hair backing you upI really resent the pressure put on women to alter ourselves" ( Donohoe, 2001) As fashion photographer Cecil Beaton once summed it up, "Fashion photography is an insidious profession.... It is up to the fashion photographer to create an illusion... it makes the observer see what he should see." With few exceptions, it is not true to life, as documentary or journalistic photographs usually is, nor is the persona projected real, as in the case of portrait photography. The female body is mainly intended to seduce, to arouse envy and a desire in the audience to become like the woman in the photograph by evoking the feeling one will experience when one uses the featured product. The body in all its glory is made to represent the things the audience does not have, but needs to acquire in order to be as fashionable as the model, and thus encourage the audience to become consumers. With the advent of technology, a majority of fashion photos that portray women with "perfect" bodies are enhanced by modern technology to achieve the effect. "Photographs are airbrushed or otherwise altered to remove any lines, bumps, or lumps - anything less than "perfection." If the ideal of beauty is physically unattainable, then consumers will never be able to attain the image they want, and therefore there will be an endless demand for new beauty products. This is the reason for the incredible proliferation of the weight-loss, fashion, and cosmetics industries, which are among the largest and

HR Strategies for Employees Commitment and Engagement Essay

HR Strategies for Employees Commitment and Engagement - Essay Example In this quest, it has been an observation that besides external factors such as market environment, social and cultural influences etc, human resource management (Brewster, 2003, pp. 16-27) has become an imperative tool for employers to ensure their survival and more importantly, their organisational success in the market. In this regard, human resource managers are now having a greater responsibility of ensuring higher productivity and better performance of employees in the organisation. Moreover, a huge number of researchers and experts have carried out studies to understand the role and impact of HR management and strategies on employees’ productivity and performance. Such studies have indicated that various factors play a crucial role in increasing productivity and enhancing performance of the workers, and particularly, employees’ commitment and engagement dominate the list of factors. As the result, recent developments (Brewster, 2003, pp. 16-27) in the field of HR M are now looking towards different human resource strategies that can facilitate organisations in gaining commitment and engagement of their employees. ... On the other hand, employee commitment also falls in the psychological state of an individual; however, the level of commitment determines connection (Guirdham, 2002, pp. 339-345) of the worker with a particular job/task besides his/her presence during it. Experts (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2002, pp. 192-199) have indicated that besides engagement, commitment provides a psychological environment to the employees to acquire an identity in relation to the organisation without which the engagement remains temporary and does not transform into commitment that is essential for organisational success. The paper will now include discussion on various strategies that the human resource managers can employ to ensure both engagement and commitment of employees in their organisation. DISCUSSION Goal-setting It is an observation that organisations always expect maximum performance from the employees; however, they overlook the importance of goal setting and alignment in this process. Experts (Csikszen tmihalyi, 1997, pp. 29-35) have shown that it becomes very challenging for individuals to ensure their engagement to a task if they are unable to match their skills with the task. In this regard, the foremost HR strategy should be identification of an achievable and unambiguous goal since HR departments often forget to focus on these two characteristics of a job, which results in anxiety and subsequently, lack of motivation and engagement with the task. Beliefs and values play a significant role in every society, and therefore, during the setting and alignment of a goal, it is imperative for HR department to ensure sharing of beliefs and values of the organisation with the job task. HR managers often perform this step after selection of the employees; however,

History of the Panama Canal and its long-range consequences of Research Paper

History of the Panama Canal and its long-range consequences of American acquisition and ownership of the canal on Panama - Research Paper Example This paper purports to analyze the history of the Panama Canal and implications of its construction and ownership by the USA. The author believes that the construction of the Panama Canal was driven mainly by the greater geopolitical considerations of the Roosevelt Administration. The further analysis will aim at expounding and broadening exactly this point. 2. General Body a. Early History Even though the existence of narrow isthmus between the Atlantic and the Pacific had been known since 1513, when the expedition of Vasco Nunez de Balboa saw the Pacific for the first time1, no serious attempts to dig a permanent waterway through the isthmus were made by the Spanish authorities. Nevertheless, the use of the Panama Isthmus for the transportation of the loads of gold by land from the Spanish colonies of South America to the Atlantic coast foreshadowed the future role of the place as an important transportation hub2. i) The Scottish Attempt The unlikely competitors to the Spanish pred ominance in the region were actually the first to conceive the possibility of using the Isthmus of Panama for the purposes of interoceanic trade. The desperation of the Scottish traders at their country’s inability to compete efficiently with the greater maritime powers led them to contemplate the prospects of establishing trade colony near the Isthmus in order to engage in lucrative transit trade with the countries of Far East, shipping their goods from one ocean to another3. Unfortunately, this so-called ‘Darien scheme’, which consisted of brief attempt at establishing a settlement a two additional failed expeditions in 1698-1699 was doomed to failure from the very outset: not only were the merchants that provided initial capital for this venture unable to sustain long-term expenses4, but also the harsh natural conditions of the place led to the virtual epidemic among the settlers, and in the end this colonial adventure turned out to be a manifest failure. For the next century, there were no comparable ambitious projects for exploiting the narrow Isthmus of Panama in interoceanic trade. The first scientifically grounded proposal for the construction of the Canal that was to unite two oceans was expounded by famous scientist and traveler Alexander Humboldt5. From his travels in Central America, he came to believe that it was possible to start the construction of permanent waterway in nine locations, including Panama, though he evidently thought that the territory of Nicaragua was more suitable for such an endeavor6. Humboldt’s judgment on the feasibility of interoceanic canal project marked the beginning of ‘Panama fever’ that was to reach its peak in the second half of the nineteenth century. ii) The Panama Railway The first involvement of the USA in the affairs of Panama and its attempts to secure the territory there for its commercial purposes dates back to this period as well. While it was Thomas Jefferson who first among American statesmen envisaged the possibility of inter-Isthmus canal as early as 17887, the USA was for the first time involved in the canal project in 1826, when the government of Grand Colombia asked both the USA and Great Britain to

Maternal Behaviors and Their Effect on the Unborn Child Essay Example for Free

Maternal Behaviors and Their Effect on the Unborn Child Essay Pregnancy can be one of the most magical times in a woman’s life. There is nothing quite like taking care of the little person that is growing in the womb, and knowing that everything you do is going to have some kind of effect on that little person. For a vast majority of women, pregnancy is a magical time, one filled with awe and wonder. Pregnant women tend to take better care of themselves, making sure that they are providing the best environment for their growing child. Some women, however, do just the opposite and do not take care of themselves and thus harm the unborn child in their womb. There are several things that can have an adverse effect on the growing child. One of them is the mother’s nutrition. This is an easily adjustable factor, but one that some women don’t actually think about. When a woman becomes pregnant, according to www.americanpregnancy.org, she needs to consume roughly 300 more calories than normal in order to have a healthy pregnancy (http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/pregnancynutrition.html). This will provide the extra nutrition that the fetus needs. If a mother does not consume enough calories, she is putting her child at risk of being malnourished. A poorly nourished infant is more likely to get sick, as they do not have the ability to fight off illness as well as a properly nourished child. There is also a possibility that undernourishment can have an impact on the mental development of a child (Feldman, 329). Proper nourishment is vital to proper development both in the womb and once the child is born. Another behavior that can have an adverse effect on the growing child is alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Alcohol is a teratogen, which is known to be harmful to human development (http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/alcohol.html). Consuming alcohol during pregnancy can cause the unborn child to have fetal alcohol syndrome, or FAS. This condition causes the child to be of below-average intelligence, have facial deformities, and growth delays (Feldman, 309). According to www.marchofdimes.com, alcohol can also cause the baby to have sucking and sleeping problems, behavior problems, and speech and language delays (http://www.marchofdimes.com/pregnancy/alcohol_indepth.html). Even if a mother doesn’t drink every day, even a small amount of alcohol can have adverse effects. Fetal alcohol effects is another condition that a child can develop. With FAE, the child may have some, but not all the symptoms of FAS (Feldman, 329). When my husband and I were foster parents, it was suspected that our foster son had FAE. He did not have growth delays, necessarily, as he was the average size of a child his age, but he did have some intellectual delays, speech problems, and some behavioral issues. Over all, he was a wonderful child, he just needed some extra care and attention in certain areas to compensate for the places he lacked. Drug use is also a behavior that can cause adverse effects on an unborn child. According to www.marchofdimes.com, about 4% of women use illegal drugs during their pregnancy. These include marijuana, ecstasy, heroin, and other amphetamines. To me, that is a staggering number of women. There are many problems that a child faces if the mother used drugs during pregnancy. Premature birth and withdrawal seem to be the most common. There is also the possibility of birth defects, such as heart defects and cleft palates. The symptoms and long term effects of drug use vary depending on the type of drug that the mother used. Some drugs are by far worse than others, but all of them carry a risk. All of the drugs tend to carry a risk of learning disabilities, behavioral issues, and attention problems. There are even some legal drugs, things that you can buy over the counter that can have an adverse effect on an unborn child (Feldman, 329). Aspirin is one such drug. Using aspirin, because of its blood thinning properties, can harm the child and cause excessive bleeding during childbirth (http://drugs.about.com/lw/Health-Medicine/Womens-Health/Medications-to-Avoid-During-Pregnancy.htm). It would be advisable to consult with your doctor before taking any kind of medication while pregnant because any of them can have an adverse effect on the baby during different stages of pregnancy. I know for me personally, I don’t like taking anything other than my prenatal vitamins during pregnancy, because I’m fearful of what effect it could have on my child. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I almost refused to take Tylenol when I had a headache, because I was afraid it would do some harm. I’ve not been quite that way with my son, but I still avoid most medicines because I don’t want to risk doing any harm. Pregnancy is nothing short of a miracle, and should be treated as such. Providing a healthy environment for the baby to grow is of utmost importance, especially for the well-being of that child. Anything and everything that a mother does during her pregnancy has an effect on her unborn child. Getting proper nutrition and not using or abusing drugs or alcohol will help the mother have a healthy pregnancy and thus a healthy child. References: Feldman, Robert S. (2011) Essentials of Understanding Psychology, 9th Edition http://drugs.about.com/lw/Health-Medicine/Womens-Health/Medications-to-Avoid-During-Pregnancy.htm http://www.marchofdimes.com/pregnancy/alcohol_illicitdrug.html http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/pregnancynutrition.html

Importance of libraries Essay Example for Free

Importance of libraries Essay The definition of a â€Å"good time† is different for everyone, but for me its reading a good book, fiction, non-fiction, biographies, history, religious books, comics anything . When I came to America in July 2013, I was fascinated to see a lot of different things and one of them were libraries, since I have a passion for reading books, I try to read one whenever I have free time, there were a lot of books ranging from the ones for small kids to those for adults. Sometimes I thought about becoming an author and sometimes a librarian. That’s why for my Senior Project, I will be exploring my passion of reading and libraries by showing the importance of libraries. I did not have any knowledge about the libraries in the US and I was very interested in doing it, I did research, surveys and volunteer work. My first objective was to learn the system of the library. In the 18th century, when the people first realized that there should be a way where people can gain knowledge, acquire information about anything they are interested or simply read because they like it that’s when the first library started operating in America. However, at that time many people donated a lot of money so that the libraries will be build and many donated all of their books so that other people will be able to gain knowledge from them. There was no need for a system back then as there was not much variety of books, but as time passed there were more and more discoveries, inventions and a lot of other knowledge which came, books increased and as the advancement went on and on, people realized there should be books for different age levels and that in order for the library to keep running without any sort of problems like stealing of books, proper organization of books and the supply of books. The need to check and arrange the large varieties of books was fulfilled by a librarian. There are many different systems of classification of books in a library which vary from library to library. Classification serves two main purposes in the library, to arrange books in a logical manner on the library shelves and to group like subjects together, They are classified either by numbering or on the basis of the author’s name alphabetically. The Dewey Decimal Classification System is the most widely used method for classifying books in the library. This system is a general knowledge organization tool  that is continuously revised to keep pace with knowledge. It is named after Melvil Dewey, an American Librarian who developed it in 1876. This system is a numerical scheme for the arrangement of subjects of nonfiction books, and it classifies books by dividing them into 10 main subject groups that are called categories. Each category is represented by figures beginning with 000 and going on to 999. In other words, it is a system of numbers used to mark and arrange mostly non-fiction books. As I started volunteering in Columbia Pike Library, there were different sections for children, teens and adults. Since I mostly work in the children’s section, this is the type of classification I learned about in children’s section. Since children are the ones who are in the process of learning how to read, their books are classified on a deeper level than that of teens and adults. They are classified on the basis of their leve l of reading like J, JE, JP, the â€Å"J† stands for juvenile which are mostly board books. The next are the â€Å"JP† (juvenile picture books) these books which are generally shelved on the basis of the author’s last name then â€Å"JE† (juvenile easy readers) these are for beginning readers, JP (juvenile fiction) these books harry potter, the non-fiction books are the juvenile non-fiction and juvenile biographies. The same goes for CDs and DVDs for children as well, they are also arranged as J/CD/DVD. The adult and teens section is comparatively less categorized and simply classified into fiction and non-fiction. The technological and management skills required for running a library are getting higher that’s why it has become necessary to acquire a master’s degree in Library science. From Ferguson’s careers in focus:- â€Å"Most acquisition librarian positions require a master’s degree in library science (M.L.S) a master’s degree in information service or a master’s degree in science of information.† Ac quisition librarians are responsible for building and maintaining a library’s collection of books and periodicals (e-publications) so they need a master’s degree in science information . I did a survey on the type of books preferred by teens the most, the options were fiction, nonfiction, history and biography. There were 0% votes for both history and biography non fiction had 33.33% vote and fictional books had 66.67% vote. Fiction got the majority votes. My second objective was to research about developing recommendation of books based on different age groups, The reason I did this objective was to develop a sense of recommendation or to be able to give an  opinion to people about any kind of book. My consultant asked me to make lists of books by searching for them in amazon because they have the latest books and they also have a better search engine then the library’s catalog. By doing this objective I learned how to research about books in order to suggest them to someone or to update the library. My consultant asked me to make lists of books for aged 2-3 or any other group by searching from the catalog or sometimes making a list of books for children th at were published after 2009 from amazon, and then give it to her so that it can be used to update the library. The best website to find the ideal book for any age group is amazon, this I learned from experience, after searching the books for hours and not being able to find the desired ones, the easiest method is to use the â€Å"advanced search† by putting in the desired requirements, I was able to easily find the books and then searched for them in the library’s catalog to check whether they were there or not. My consultant gave me several projects about making bookmark bibliographies one of them was about creating bookmark bibliographies for kids and teens about other countries and religions since books give children an idea about the other parts of the world, these books were mostly about their culture, food, religion and daily activities. â€Å"If we wish to create a lasting peace we must begin with the children.†-Mohandas Gandhi I personally liked this project a lot, because kids and teens should explore other parts and regions of the world by reading books like pic ture books, religion, food and culture, because I feel that the media and the internet seem to create a very negative influence on people all around the world, about their neighbouring countries and about all the other countries around the world, children should read and know about other cultures of the world so that their would be more peace in the future. It is better to have an idea about something before believing anything about it which the TV shows. My third objective was reviewing practicality of normal libraries and virtual libraries. Virtual libraries or digital libraries are a great source of information and learning, while many predicted that as digital libraries will begin, that will be the end of the normal libraries and that all the shelves of the public libraries will be sweaped clean, but it did not. While many people who want to save their time and effort prefer digital libraries, there are many people including myself who prefer reading the old fashioned  way. In my survey of virtual libraries vs. normal libraries, 13 people responded to the survey, out of which 8 prefered virtual libraries and 5 preferred normal libraries, there was a 38.46% vote for normal libraries and 61.54% vote for virtual libraries. The results surprised me because I thought people will choose normal libraries, because even though a virtual library sounds good, it is difficult to access virtual library and some require membership too. I researched about the advantages and disadvantages of normal and virtual libraries. My second survey was to find out the biggest advantage and disadvantage of virtual libraries. The advantages included Immediate access to resources, Information updated immediately, No physical boundaries, Support different learning styles, Accessible for the disabled.Information retrieval,Teaching tool for information literacy, Storage of information, Networking capabilities (provides links to other virtual libraries) and Directs students to relevant resources. Out of 12 people, 7 chose Immediate access to information making it 58.33%, 3 people chose information updated immediately which made it 25%, one person chose support different learning styles and one person chose directs students to releva nt sources making each of them 8%. These results were very predictable because no doubt the biggest advantage is immediate access to information. The disadvantages included Restricted by copyright law, the requirement for internet access and that skilled professionals are required to organize,maintain and help students. Out of 12 people 5 chose requires internet access, 4 chose that skilled professionals are required for help and 3 chose restricted by copyright. So in the disadvantages the need for internet access seemed to cause the most problems. So my overall conclusion from my surveys is that even though normal libraries will not end, there are many who prefer digital libraries over normal ones, the biggest advantage is the immediate access to resources as there is no need to go to the library and if it is checked out, there is no need to wait for it the because the virtual libraries gets rid of that long process and the biggest disadvantage is the requirement for internet access, it is no doubt that internet has made the life of people unimaginably easy but not everyone can afford this luxury. My fourth objective was to research about the history of the libraries in the US. It is due to the founding fathers of America like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson that the system of  library began the US. The first public library came in the 18th century after some time, lots of people contributed millions of dollars so that education could be given to all for free. In 1731, Benjamin Franklin and his friends operated library company of Philidelphia. Andrew Carnegie gave millions to bring books and information to the people. From Gail Sakura’s Library of Congress â€Å"Thomas Jefferson had retired from the presidency and was living at Monticello, his home in Virginia. He offered to sell his personal book collection to the library of congress as a quick way to quickly replace the library’s losses.† The library of congress was set on fire on August 24, 1814. Some assume that the British had done it. Due to the efforts of our leaders, today the library of congress is the world largest library. It contains 100 million items, including 29 million books and pamplets, 53 million manuscripts and 4 million maps and atlases which are shelved in three buildings in Washington DC. My fifth objective was to volunteer at Columbia Pike Library. I started doing it in October and I will continue to do it after Senior Project .I worked in the children’s section where putting books back on the shelves, finding books for them and displaying them is the most important thing to do I also painted the walls of the library once and I decorated it by paper cutouts of different animals for the children. Sometimes on the weekends there is a story time in which teachers and students or parents and children come to the library, at that event I come earlier then usual and along with the other voluntee rs arrange the cookies and tables for the children and after they are done with it. I help to clean up the mess. My biggest obstacle was finding a job or volunteer work at a library, because since I just came in july and had never done volunteer work before, I was nervous and furustrated. I struggled hard to find a job, sometimes by searching on google and sometimes by going there like I went to Aurora Hills Library since it was close to my house but there was no volunteer work being offered at that time. I was not able to work at the school library, because they had another girl working there whose senior project was also on libraries. I thought about changing my Senior project but finally in October with the help of a friend of mine I was able to contact Barabara Dean the incharge of the Arlington Public Libraries and she asked me to contact Ms.Desiree Fairooz who was the incharge of Columbia Pike Library, she even gave me her e-mail address, and through that I was able to  finally start volunteering. My new skills are that I learned about the history of Library system in the US, I got to k now about virtual libraries and the qualifications required to become a librarian. I learned to make bookmark bibliographies and I learned how to do surveys, which I am sure I will need to do later in college and then in my career. I was thinking about printing out copies and then giving them to people but then my teacher told me about an online survey that was very useful, I just sent the link to my friends and I was able to get the results I needed, I am currently working on learning to make pamplets for the library. This project will help me by giving me volunteer hours which will help me get accepted in my desired college, because they require volunteer hours, The new skills I learned like making surveys, pamphlets and bookmark bibliographies will help me in college and later on in my life too, also the way the project is organized in a step wise manner with its deadlines, has shown me that putting everything till the last minute is not the solution, we should make achieve our targets by setting up a timetable and follow it. Works Cited Library and Information Science, Second Edition (Fergusons Careers in Focus) Ferguson. 2nd ed. N.p.: n.p., May 1,2011.. Sakurai, Gail. The Library of Congress. New York: Childrens, 1998. Print. Null, Kathleen Christopher., and Barb Lorseyedi. How to Write a Research Report. Huntington Beach, CA: Teacher Created Materials, 1998. Print. [emailprotected] E-mail. Www.yahoo.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Jan. 2014. . http://akaleidoscopicworld.blogspot.com/2008/03/advantages-disadvantages-of-virtual.html http://www.collegeonline.org/library/adult-continued-education/librarians-needed.html http://mypages.iit.edu/~smart/halsey/lesson1.htm

Fitzhugh And His Defence In Cannibals All Philosophy Essay

Fitzhugh And His Defence In Cannibals All Philosophy Essay George Fitzhugh, in his defense of slavery in Cannibals All! represents a truly conservative ideology. Fitzhugh articulates the necessity of slavery as an absolute good, not merely a political reality. In doing so, Fitzhugh decries the supposed better lives of ?free labors? by attacking the notions of natural right and liberty and the belief in consent of the governed. Fitzhugh reverts to an Aristotelian view of natural inequalities ? some men are meant to be slaves and others to be masters ? and praises slavery and feudalism as a benefit for both the aristocracy and the masses. Fitzhugh represents an attack on the basic principles of modern liberalism, as well as a rejection of the new ?isms? of his day (notably socialism and abolitionism), which would lead to the abandonment of all social institutions (marriage, government, etc). Fitzhugh embraces Aristotle?s concept of the origins of government, and rejects the Lockean social contract (6-13). Fitzhugh further rejects the institutions of the North and praises the institution of slavery throughout the south. Aristotelian Fitzhugh prefers Aristotelian, classical political theory to modern, liberal political thought. Fitzhugh asserts that inequality and slavery is natural ? i.e. that aristocracy is a natural instititution. Some men are better than others; equality is a fraudulent concept. Fitzhugh rejects any notion of natural liberty, as there was no state of nature outside civil society. Hobbes, Locke and the liberal tradition are wrong ? there is no state of nature, men do not exist individually, but only in society. Government are always instituted by force, not by consent; there is no social contract. Men are by nature social, as Aristotle states, thus there is no such thing as a state of nature absent society. Thus, there is no natural right, men only exist under the rule of government and society. Government are not made by consent, as Locke claims, but by ?birth and nature?. Restrictions on liberty exist to ?preserve the human hive.? Liberty does not exist in the civil society either; men are ruled by government for ?security.? Liberty is neither attainable nor desirable (71-78). Liberty leads men to harm others just to ?be just to himself? ? but men are not selfish, but social, longing for social institutions (228). Fitzhugh affirms that man is by nature social and loves first his family, then his slaves, then his countrymen (36). Fitzhugh denies the principle of the Declaration that government ?derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.? Only the elites were consulted in forming the government ? all governments are instituted by force and continued by force. Good republics are governed by a small group of elites ? much as the southern states are governed. Only a limited few in North are truly granted consent ? consent government is the equal of anarchy (243-246). Slavery Good Following Aristotelian and classical premises, certain men are by nature superior ? they are meant to rule and be masters. The mass of men are meant to be slaves. Any notion of equality is false, men are not by nature equal, some men have genius while most men mediocre. This is certainly true when comparing whites to Negroes, or when comparing laborers to capitalists. The purpose of society is to provide not liberty, which ensures the destruction of men in a Hobbesian state of war, but to provide security to men, which demands a state of slaver. Only a handful of men are meant to rule; the notion of self-government has been tossed out the window ? the masses are not fit to rule, or even to be consulted as to rule. Men of genius are fit to command, the masses are meant for imitation and slavery; mediocrity must be ?chained down?. ?Liberty for the few, slavery for the masses? (63). Elites should rule, and impose strict restrictions on liberty for the protection of society. Elites certainly possess liberty ? the liberty to govern men to provide for their best interests. The ruling class takes upon themselves the making of all decisions as to the best interest of the people. Men have a natural right to be ?taken care of and protected? ? i.e. to be slaves. Only one man in twenty is fit ?for liberty and command? (67-69) It is the duty of society to protect the weak; thus it is the duty of society to enslave the weak. Blacks are weak because they lack the means to support themselves in infirmity, and that they lack the wits and abilities to survive in free competition (187). Liberty is a terrible thing for blacks; they must be protected by the institution of slavery. The competitive, individualistic state of nature a state of war and the masses are not fit for competition. Inferior men must be protected by elites, this can only be done when they submit all their ?liberty? to masters ? that is, submit to slavery. Scripture supports slavery, recognizing that slavery is ?promotive of men?s happiness and well-being?, and instills morality (30). Slavery is a police institution, protecting slaves from the tyranny of husbands and parents. The Bible defends the institution of white slavery, thus it must be either untrue, or else slavery is an absolute good and not a violation of natural liberty (if such a th ing even exists). Fitzhugh supports the notion that slavery is an absolute good. Slavery serves to make men moral and intelligent, and is preserved by a love of the slave for his master and the master for his slave. Slavery promotes the good of the slaves, because masters love their slaves as they love their families; whereas there is no such attachment among laborers and capitalists (200-206). A society based upon slavery is necessary to protect men from a Hobbesian ?war of all against all?; liberty is undesirable as it will bring harm to the weak (218-19). Slavery serves the best interest of the slaves ? a society based on liberty and competition would overwhelm them, much worse than a kind, loving master would. Elite masters will protect, teach, and ensure the morals of the masses. Poor better off in Aristocracy/Feudalism than Liberalism Fitzhugh teaches that the feudal state was superior to the modern state in protecting the interests of the masses ? i.e. the poor. He believes Southern society is akin to the feudal society, and thus superior to the Northern way of doing things. The Reformation, in trying to grant liberty to the mass, in reality harmed the poor. The institutions of aristocracy, feudalism, and church power over land protected the poor and provided them ?true liberty.? By attacking these institutions, the reformers ?impaired the moral, spiritual, and physical well-being? of the masses (107). ?There was no pauperism in Europe until feudal slavery was abolished? (210). Feudal lords protected their serfs and provided for their needs. In the modern state, competition leads to nothing but the oppression of the weak by the strong. The rise of modern science teaches that men have a right to private judgment; this leads to the concept of human individuality and to the notion of a social contract. Doctrines of Laissez-Faire, free speech and press, human equality, and liberty of action descend from this notion. This philosophy results in ?the supreme sovereignty of the individual, and the abnegation of government? (53). All power is deferred from govern ment to individual men; given Fitzhugh?s view of natural elites, it is his contention that the few will dominated, and destroy, the many. Fitzhugh decries the abolitionist movement as in favor of abolishing all institutions, not just slavery, in favor of individual rule. Abolitionism mean the abolition of government, of marriage, of family, of church, and of property (85). It is this characterization of abolitionism that demonstrates ?the failure of free society?, thus free institutions, liberty under law, does nothing to promote the public good (99-100). The right of private judgment leads to the institution of ?no government (132). ?All modern philosophy converges to a single point ? the overthrow of all government? (190). Liberty demands the end of private property; the socialists recognize that this is the logical end to modern liberalism ? they are either right, and all must be abolished, or liberalism is wrong and liberty is undesirable (222). Fitzhugh, as stated previously, believes the latter; liberty is destructive of security for the masses. Only elites should be granted liberty ? the liberty to rule over and enslave the masses in order to protect them. Comparison of North and South Having demonstrated that modern liberalism is based on flawed logic, and that slavery is an absolute good, Fitzhugh seeks to demonstrate that Southern institutions are superior to Northern capitalism. In the South, slaves are well provided for by kindly, loving masters, while in the North, wage labor is treated appallingly by wealthy elites. That is, he has first attacked the ideology behind Northern thought, and is now attacking the institutions of the North, in defense of Southern slavery. Southern slavery is superior to Northern capitalism. Slaves ?keep more of the products of their labor? than wage laborers; and slave masters care for the needs of slaves far beyond what capitalist ever would do. White ?slave-holding? is characterized by making others work for you, and paying as little as possible; while Southern slave masters work ?as hard as their slaves.? Negro slaves are happier and freer than wage-laborers; northern whites are slaves to money, their liberty limited by their need for wages. The northern capitalist views ill treatment of labor as a ?moral good? and thus cannibalism is the name of the game. Slave masters do not enjoy the luxury of northern capitalists; they must labor with their slaves to preserve their estates. Slave masters protect and improve the conditions of the slaves, by ?enforcing morality? and educating them by merely being around them (15-30). Men are happier in slave states than in the North; they are well cared for and not starving (234) . Fitzhugh?s contention is that Southern slave masters must work to maintain their estates; as slaves are part of their household, their interests lie in the protection and well being of slaves. The natural relationship of master and slave is similar to that of the family, masters are loving toward their slaves ? which is evident in the kindness of Southern slave masters. Northern capitalists desire nothing but to profit by the exploitation of laborers. Southern slave masters exhibit kindness for the slaves, educate them and teach them morals, and protect them as any natural aristocrat would. Fitzhugh?s analysis of the Southern slave holder, or of Northern capitalism, may not be an accurate portrayal of 19th century life, but it is based more on political theory than on current events. Fitzhugh maintains than natural aristocrats, elites blessed with superior wisdom and abilities, must govern the mass of men for their own protection. Self-government and liberty harm the masses and undermine security; liberty is reserved for the elites, aristocratic institutions are superior to democratic. Slavery is justified, not as a necessary evil, but an absolute good, as slavery allows masters to protect and provide for the well-being of slaves. Northern capitalism, based on liberal traditions, exploits the masses, and has failed. The only progress for liberalism is, as socialists and abolitionists advocate, the destruction of government, property, family, and all institutions ? which will only lead to greater oppression. The only solution is slavery ? allowing elites to rule over sla ves. This serves in sharp contrast to Lincoln, who holds the Declaration and the principles of Locke and the founding fathers as absolutely good. Slavery is evil in that it denies equality and liberty to all men. Slavery has been tolerated only as a necessary evil. Freedom is always preferable to freedom, regardless of intellectual ability. Lincoln Abraham Lincoln?s speeches and public documents can best be characterized by two key tendencies. First, Lincoln, in the wake of radicals (such as Fitzhugh) in the South and in the North in abolitionists, takes a position that is both moderate, and based on pragmatic concerns. Second, and building upon his pragmatism, Lincoln points to the principles of the founding fathers, i.e. the spirit of the Declaration of Independence, and the supremacy of the Constitution in justifying his positions. Lincoln?s proposed limits on the expansion of slavery into territories is a moderate position; based on his resistance to abolition ? both for practical reasons and because of the views of the founders, and his view that slavery is a wrong ? based on the principle of equality and natural right espoused in the Declaration. Lincoln?s approach to the slavery issue, and the preservation of the Union, demonstrate his belief in moderate, gradual, and legal approaches to the problems, as well as his utmost commitment to the ideals of the framers of the Constitution. Spirit of Founders ? Liberty and Equality Lincoln believes that the US is a truly great experiment that will demonstrate that a people can govern themselves. To demonstrate the success of such principles, the Union must be preserved. (Address to Young Men?s Lyceum, 1838). Slavery undermines the example of the notion of self-government, denying the republicanism of US institutions to a substantial proportion of the population. Both enemies of free institutions and true advocates of freedom will point to the US example as hypocritical (Speech on Kansas-Nebraska Act, 1854). No founding father denied that the Negro was to be included in the Declaration of Independence. ?Inferior races? are equal in regard to natural rights (Fifth Lincoln Douglas Debate, 1858). Lincoln believes strongly that the privileges of government, and the notion of self-government should be extended to all who pay taxes or serve ? i.e. all white men and women (Letter to the Sangamo Journal, 1836). Lincoln mocks the view of Stephen Douglas and other Democrats on their notion of self-government. Lincoln claims self-government is the right of the people to govern themselves while characterizing Douglas? view of self-government as the right of a man to enslave another without interference. Thus, popular sovereignty becomes ?the right of people to govern niggers? (?House Divided? Speech, 1857; Speech at Edwardsville, IL, 1858). Liberty refers to the right of each man to do with his body and the products of his labor what he will (Lockean and Jeffersonian principles), not the right ?for some men to do as they please with other men, and the product of other men?s labor? (Address at Sanitary Fair, 1864). Lincoln reaffirms the notion of the natural rights over life, liberty, and property, and attacks the premise that men should naturally rule over other men ? equating this feudal, classical notion with Douglas and the Democrats. Slavery, for Lincoln, is an absolute wrong, not such more in the moral terms of abolitionists, but in the principles of the founders. Slavery violates the principle of civil liberty of the Declaration. Lincoln maintains that there is no moral right for one man to enslave another (Speech on Kansas-Nebraska Act, 1854). The founders, and the spirit of the Declaration, abhorred slavery as an institution, but accepted in as a necessity. Lincoln attacks the view that slavery is right in principle. He contrasts, in opposition to Fitzhugh, northern laborers and slaves: northern laborers may work for wage one year, may work for themselves another, and may hire others to work for him in another. Northern laborers are free to choose their occupation, to acquire wealth, and to improve their condition. Slaves are denied this liberty. (Speech at Kalamazoo Michigan, 1856). While Lincoln denied that Negroes were equal in intellect and moral attributes to whites, he rigorously defends their equality of rights. Lincoln defends the natural right of blacks, and specifically, their right to ?life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? as written in the Declaration (Speech on the Dred Scott Decision, 1857). ?There is no reason in the world why the Negro is not entitled to all the natural rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence, the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (First Lincoln Douglas Debate, 1858). Lincoln holds that slavery is not ?better than freedom? and that government was created to secure the blessing of freedom ? for all men (Speech at Edwardsville, IL, 1858). The Declaration and Constitution, while securing property rights, suppose ?superior devotion to personal rights.? Individual liberty trumps property rights ? the right of a man to be free is greater than the right of a man to hold another man as property (Letter to Henry Pierce and Others, 1859). For Lincoln, the founders held the principles of liberty and equality dear, and applied them to all men. Slavery undermines these principles, and was only tolerated for the necessity of the institution in Southern states; the founders intended for the containment, and eventual, gradual extermination of slavery. These principles of the American founding provide the ultimate example for the world of a nation built on liberty and self-government. Should the American experiment fail, the cause of freedom would suffer a great setback. Thus, from his exemplifying the ideal of the founders, Lincoln derives his approach to the slavery issue and the view of the importance of the preservation of the Union. Moderation of approach Lincoln?s approach to issues, while building on the ideological background of the founders, is strictly pragmatic. Lincoln still maintains that slavery is a necessary evil, and believes that only moderate approaches, not radical change will be effective. Slavery can only be abolished gradually, and can only be limited from expansion at present. Moderation is necessary to preserve the Union. Lincoln responds to radicals from both the South, but particularly the North (see for instance Thoreau and Emerson), that government serves the purpose both of redressing wrongs, and providing public goods. That is government serves needs that individual persons cannot provide for themselves, but not more than that; ?that if all men were just, there would still be some, though not so much, need of government? (Fragment on Government, 1854?). The rule of law is a consistent theme in Lincoln?s writings. When the law is ignored, and people lose attachment to government, civil society breaks down. Lincoln denounces mob rule and articulates the view that the ?sober judgment of courts? should govern. Bad laws do exist, and should be repealed, but until they are, they must be respected. Rule of mobs is detrimental to society and will tear apart any government (Address to Young Men?s Lyceum, 1838). His approach to slavery is constrained by law ? using ?every constitutional method? to prevent the spread of slavery. (Speech at Edwardsville, IL, 1858). Lincoln?s view on the Dred Scott decision demonstrates this view ? he claims not to resist the decision, but that the decision has not become ?settled? as precedent yet (Speech on the Dred Scott Decision, 1857). Lincoln does not hold the Dred Scott decision to be binding, or ?the word of the Lord?, but that it may yet be reversed.? His approach to the Dred Scott case is to acknowledg e it as law, but to attempt through legal means, to reverse it and reduce its applicability to other cases (First Lincoln Douglas Debate, 1858). Approach to Slavery Lincoln?s positions on the current laws and the Dred Scott ruling demonstrate his commitment to the spirit of the Founding and his moderate, pragmatic approach. Lincoln advocates neither the immediate abolition of slavery (prior to the war), nor resistance to the interpretation of the court ? but only to attempt to change the law through political solutions. Lincoln?s approach to slavery concurs with the abolitionists on some points, but with the Southern interests on others. Lincoln supports the Fugitive Slave Law and opposed abolition of slavery in Southern states (prior to the Civil War), but opposes the extension of slavery in US territories. In this approach, he acknowledges the necessity of preserving slavery: slavery has been introduced in the South, and the Southern states are dependent upon it, slavery is a necessary evil. Likewise, Lincoln points to the founders in his position: the founders acknowledged the necessity of slavery, but wished for its gradual extinction. The founders, like Lincoln, could not immediately eliminate the practice of slavery where it existed (the South) but attempted to limit it to where it currently was, banning the African Slave trade and opposing the extension to new territories. Thus, slavery was tolerated, but only in that it was necessary, and ultimately, wrong (Speech on Kansas-Nebraska Act, 185 4). Slavery is viewed by Southerners in terms of dollars and cents, the institution is justified only as what it means for their economy (Speech at Kalamazoo Michigan, 1856). Lincoln believes he cannot, under the constitution, nor should not for pragmatic reasons, interfere with slavery in Southern states (First Lincoln Douglas Debate, 1858). Lincoln?s singular tool for opposition of the extension of slavery is for Congress to prohibit slavery in all the US Territories . Thus, the territories, when applying for statehood, may choose whether to permit slavery, without being corrupted and dependent upon slavery. Likewise, in the District of Columbia, slavery should only be abolished gradually, with the majority of the residents consenting, and with compensation for owners (Second Lincoln Douglas Debate, 1858). Though the federal government has the prerogative to prevent the extension of slavery into federal territories, the institution of slavery within the states of the south remains a state issue (Address at Cooper Institute, 1860). Similarly, Lincoln does not support Negro citizenship ? i.e. allowing blacks to vote, serve on juries, etc, but merely the n atural rights (as opposed to civil rights) that the Declaration declares for all men (Fourth Lincoln Douglas Debate, 1858). Lincoln believes that abolition of slavery will occur slowly, and only at the prerogative of states. During the Civil War, Lincoln advocates for the plans to abolition slavery in the border states, but only gradually, with compensation for slave holders, and at the direction of the states (Message to Congress, 1862; Appeal for Compensated Emancipation, 1862; Annual Message to Congress, 1862). Lincoln believes the founders view has been abandoned; the founders held a principle of ?the equality of all men?, and began ?practical progress toward the equality of all men.? The view of all men as equal had been replace by the view that ?all states are equal?. (Speech at a Republican Banquet in Chicago, 1856). The alteration of laws since the founding, and particularly the Dred Scott decision, have continued to restrict the rights of blacks. Freed slaves have lost the right to vote they once had in several states, and constraints on emancipation of slave owners have made continual bondage almost unalterable. ?Our Declaration of Independence ? is assailed, and sneered at, and construed, and hawked at, and torn, till, if its framers could rise from their graves, they could not recognize it at all? (Speech on the Dred Scott Decision, 1857). Lincoln?s fear is that a ?second Dred Scott decision? will declare that slavery cannot be banned by any state. This fear is based on the nature of the Dred Scott ruling: that the right of property in a slave is affirmed in the Constitution, and that no laws may destroy the right of property in a slave. If these two premises are true, then states cannot ban slavery within their limits without violating the Constitution. However, Lincoln holds that these premises are false: that the Constitution does not affirm the right of property in a slave; as demonstrated above, Lincoln holds that the framers permitted slavery only as a necessity where it was already long-established. Lincoln?s approach to this disagreement with the court was political ? the ?second Dred Scott? decision will never occur if the Republican Party is elected, but will certainly occur if the Democrats retain power. Thus via election, the Republicans can affect the makeup of the court and maintain the vision of the foun ders (Fifth Lincoln Douglas Debate, 1858). Thus, in his approach to the Slavery issue, Lincoln reaffirms his commitment to the intent of the founders, as well as the moderation of his approach, consistent within legal bounds and pragmatic concerns. Preservation of the Union While Lincoln maintains that he has no desire to interfere with slavery in Southern states, he does mandate the use of force to preserve the Union. The Union of the United States is ?perpetual?. No government ever has in its law a means for its extermination. The Constitution serves to make a ?more perfect union?; secession of states is inconsistent with the Constitution. The minority has no right to secede from the government, or else the government serves no real purpose, and can never be maintained ? it devolves to anarchy. Lincoln maintains that the laws of the Union must be executed throughout the States, thus justifying the use of force to execute the laws (First Inaugural Address, 1861). States have status only ?in the Union?, not as separate institutions. There exists no principal by which the states may secede from the Union. States remain part of the United States, and thus it the duty of the federal government to uphold the law and ?republican form of government? within the states? (Special Message to Congress, 1861). Lincoln articulates the need for war based upon these principles of preserving the union. The importance of a perpetual, democratic nation is the crux of his justification of military action. The Civil War is to ensure ?that government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth? (Gettysburg Address, 1863). ?The nation is worth fighting for, to preserve such an inestimable jewel? (Speech to 166th Ohio Regiment, 1864). Thus Lincoln reverts to the importance of the principles of liberty, equality, and self-government of the founding, and the importance of the continuation of the democratic experiment. Lincoln?s wartime approach to slavery continues his tendency toward the founding principles and toward moderation. He proposes first that slavery, as a necessary evil, be abolished only gradually (at one point stating over 37 years), with compensation, and at the direction of states (Message to Congress, 1862; Appeal for Compensated Emancipation, 1862; Annual Message to Congress, 1862). His Emancipation Proclamation abolishes slavery only in areas that are in rebellion against the Union ? thus serving military goals of winning the war more than a goal of immediate abolition. Lincoln later support a Constitutional Amendment prohibiting slavery as, in his view, the only way to ensure the continual preservation of the United States is to eliminate the cause for civil war. Thus, sudden elimination of slavery serves the pragmatic concern of preservation of the Union (Reply to Committee of National Union Convention, 1864; Proclamation Concerning Reconstruction; 1864). Like he pre-presidency stance on slavery, Lincoln?s desire to preserve the Union and his actions during the Civil War demonstrate his commitment to the founders? principles of liberty, equality, and republican government as well as his pragmatism. The Union is worth fighting for, as the principles of the founders must endure in a ?perfect.? Lincoln?s actions toward slavery reflect his belief in the validity of the Constitution and his pragmatism. Initially indicating the desire for gradual abolition of slavery in border states, and at state prerogative demonstrate his belief in the limits of the Constitution and the consistency of moderation in his proposal; mirroring the pragmatic approach of the Emancipation Proclamation. His eventual belief that slavery must be exterminated nationally only evolves from his commitment to the preservation of the union, and the pragmatic belief that the Union can only ensure its perpetuality if slavery, and the conflict surrounding it, is ended for a ll time.

Eclecticism: The Melting Pot of Education Essay -- Eclectic Teaching

Eclecticism: The Melting Pot of Education "Plasticene and self-expression will not solve the problems of education. Nor will technology and vocational guidance; nor the classics and the Hundred Best Books" (Aldous Huxley, English novelist, essayist, critic). If this is true, what will solve the problems of education? Hundreds have tried to answer that question and yet have said the same things over and over. A pure philosophy has never solved the problem of what to do about the education of the masses or the education of the individuahls, and because of that fact, I have not chosen any specific philosophy. I can only be described as eclectic, for I have taken different pieces from each of the five major philosophies and blended them into a personalized viewpoint. By drawing from the views of the great minds from the past, I have pieced together a way to describe what was already there: my point of view. Although I am eclectic, I have very strong opinions about what should be taught, and that is where I gather from the Essentialists. One of the basic beliefs of the Essentialists is that every child should, upon graduation, possess a basic body of knowledge. Included in this body of knowledge are such things as writing, reading, measurement, and computing. I agree that the child should have a basic body of knowledge, but I do not concur that it should be merely enormous rather than practical. In addition, I agree with the Essentialist beliefs that the program should be academically rigorous; that the teacher should model the correct behavior and instill such things as respect for authority, perseverance, dependability, dutifulness, consideration for others, and practicality. Traditional values and morals should be upheld ... ...hese various viewpoints has not influenced me to join a particular one, on the contrary they have strengthened my belief that no one person is right and only in a vast collection of cooperating educators and thinkers will the best environment for learning be achieved. Works Cited Donald Simanek's Pages, http://www.lhup.edu/-dsimanek/eduquote.htm Bagley, William C., Education and Emergent Man, Thomas Nelson and Sons, New York, 1934. pp 188-189. Adler, Mortimer J., et al., The RevoJution in Education, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London, 1963. pp. 96. Dewey, John, Dewey on Education: Appraisals, Random House, New York, 1966. pp. 132-133. Kneller, George. F., Existentialism and Education, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1967. pp. 97. Skinner, B. F., The Technology of Teaching, Meredith Corporation, New York, 1968. pp. 148.

Lesson Plan :: essays papers

Lesson Plan Student Arrangement- The class will be set up in centers for the duration of the lesson. Center one will be set up on the left side of the room. Center two will be set up on the right side of the room. Center three will be set up in the middle of the room so both teachers will be close to the center and able to see what is going on. I. OBJECTIVES Center One The students will be introduced to measuring cups by correctly stating the relationship between the different cup sizes when asked. The students will also learn how to follow recipe directions by correctly creating a ladybug cookie and copying the recipe. Center Two The students will be able to sing the ladybug song. The students will learn how the ladybug defends itself by singing the lyrics and creating a group poster. Center Three The students will create their own 3D ladybug with construction paper. II. MATERIALS Center One ï‚ · Measuring cups ï‚ · Water ï‚ · Empty Container ï‚ · Marker Board ï‚ · Vanilla Wafers ï‚ · Mini Chocolate Chips ï‚ · Red Frosting ï‚ · Thin Black Licorice ï‚ · Green/Red/White Construction Paper ï‚ · Black Marker ï‚ · Scissors ï‚ · Glue Center Two ï‚ · Copies of I’m a Little Ladybug Song ï‚ · Pencils ï‚ · The Ladybug and other Insects by Celia Godkin Center Three ï‚ · Instructions for Creating Ladybug ï‚ · Red/Black Construction Paper ï‚ · Scissors ï‚ · Glue III. PROCEDURES A. ANTICIPATORY SET I will tell the class as a whole that today we are going to be doing something different. We will be working in centers and in each center you will have the opportunity to be creative and artistic. I will then divide the class into three groups according to student’s behaviors and abilities. (Each center will also have an anticipatory set. It will be labeled number one in the teaching/learning set.) B. TEACHING/LEARNING SET *Tia and Fred will be in one group and Sam and Sue will be in another group to insure more teacher attention. *Harry will be wearing a FM monitor connected to the teacher who is instructing him. *Tia and Sue will be in close proximity to teacher to allow for assistance. Center One 1. I will start the center by asking the students if they have ever helped their mom make cookies at home. I will then tell the children that they will be making cookies but we first need to look at the math skills that go into making cookies.

Quest for Freedom in The Yellow Wallpaper :: Yellow Wallpaper essays

Quest for Freedom in The Yellow Wallpaper    The short story "The Yellow Wall-Paper" written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a cry for freedom.   This story is about a woman who fights for her right to express what she feels, and fights for her right to do what she wants to do.   The narrator in this short story is a woman whose husband loves her very much, but oppresses her to the point where she cannot take it anymore.   This story revolves around the main character, her oppressed life, and her search for freedom.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are many male influences in this woman's life and although they may mean no harm, push her over the edge.   The main character's husband, John, and her brother are well-known physicians.   They use their power to control the main character, perhaps subconsciously, to feel what they think a woman should feel.   For example, the woman tells the men she is sick but they believe differently. "John is a physician, and perhaps- (I would not say it to a living soul, of course, but this is dead paper and a great relief to my mind-) perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster.   You see he does not believe I am sick!"(507)   The men are under the impression that what they say goes and therefore the woman has no choice but to follow.   "He knows there is no reason to suffer and that satisfies him."(508)   This quote illustrates that the men are in control.   If they strongly believe nothing is wrong, then nothing must be wrong.   It is a feeling of self satisfaction the men feel when they are superior to the woman.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The main character knows John loves her, but it is the oppression she feels that bothers her so.   Her husband expresses his love for her but at the same time imposes his will on her.   He hinders her from having her own thoughts. "...He is very careful and loving, and hardly lets me stir without special direction..."(507)   The last few words of this quote show how John did not let her have any freedom because he was always there.   John acts as if he knows what the main character feels at all times. Quest for Freedom in The Yellow Wallpaper :: Yellow Wallpaper essays Quest for Freedom in The Yellow Wallpaper    The short story "The Yellow Wall-Paper" written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a cry for freedom.   This story is about a woman who fights for her right to express what she feels, and fights for her right to do what she wants to do.   The narrator in this short story is a woman whose husband loves her very much, but oppresses her to the point where she cannot take it anymore.   This story revolves around the main character, her oppressed life, and her search for freedom.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are many male influences in this woman's life and although they may mean no harm, push her over the edge.   The main character's husband, John, and her brother are well-known physicians.   They use their power to control the main character, perhaps subconsciously, to feel what they think a woman should feel.   For example, the woman tells the men she is sick but they believe differently. "John is a physician, and perhaps- (I would not say it to a living soul, of course, but this is dead paper and a great relief to my mind-) perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster.   You see he does not believe I am sick!"(507)   The men are under the impression that what they say goes and therefore the woman has no choice but to follow.   "He knows there is no reason to suffer and that satisfies him."(508)   This quote illustrates that the men are in control.   If they strongly believe nothing is wrong, then nothing must be wrong.   It is a feeling of self satisfaction the men feel when they are superior to the woman.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The main character knows John loves her, but it is the oppression she feels that bothers her so.   Her husband expresses his love for her but at the same time imposes his will on her.   He hinders her from having her own thoughts. "...He is very careful and loving, and hardly lets me stir without special direction..."(507)   The last few words of this quote show how John did not let her have any freedom because he was always there.   John acts as if he knows what the main character feels at all times.

Human Development Index

What is HDI? HDI (Human Development index) is a way of measuring development by combining indicators of life expectancy, educational attainment and income. The breakthrough for the HDI was the creation of a single statistic which was to serve as a frame of reference for both social and economic development. The HDI sets a minimum and a maximum for each dimension, called goalposts, and then shows where each country stands in relation to these goalposts, expressed as a value between 0 and 1.It is also used to distinguish to a large extent, whether the country is a developed, a developing or an underdeveloped country, and also to measure the impact of economic policies on quality of life. NEED FOR HDI ————————————————- The HDI was created to emphasize that people and their capabilities should be the ultimate criteria for assessing the development of a country, not economic gro wth alone. The HDI can also be used to question national policy choices, asking how two countries with the same level of GNI per capita can end up with such different human development outcomes.For example, the Bahamas and New Zealand have similar levels of income per person, but life expectancy and expected years of schooling differ greatly between the two countries, resulting in New Zealand having a much higher HDI value than the Bahamas. These striking contrasts can stimulate debate about government policy priorities. ————————————————- CALCULATION OF HDI 1) Life expectancy index (LEI) = (LE-20)/(83. 4-20) 2) Education index (EI) = v(MYSI*EYSI)/ 0. 951 3) Income Index (II) Log (GNIpc)-log(100)]/ [Log (107721) – log (100)] LE: Life expectancy at birth MYS: Mean years of schooling (Years that a 25-year-old person or older has spent in schools) EYS: Expected years of schooling (Years that a 5-year-old child will spend with his education in his whole life) ————————————————- GNIpc: Gross national income at purchasing power parity per capita COUNTRY| GDP RANK| HDI RANK| HDI| India| 4| 134| 0. 571| U. S| 1| 4| 0. 910| U. K| 8| 28| 0. 863| China| 2| 101| 0. 87| Pakistan | 29| 145| 0. 50| Oman| 77| 89| 0. 705| India ranks a low 134 among 187 countries in terms of the human development index (HDI), which assesses long-term progress in health, education and income indicators, said a UN report released on Wednesday. Although placed in the â€Å"medium† category, India's standing is way behind scores of economically less developed countries, including war-torn Iraq as well as Philippines. India’s ranking in 2010 was 119 out of 169 countries Sri Lanka has been ranked 97, China 101 and the Maldives 109.Bhutan, otherwise respected fo r its quality of life, has been placed at 141, behind India Pakistan and Bangladesh are ranked 145 and 146 in the list of countries that is headed by Norway and in which the Democratic Republic of Congress is at the bottom. The other two countries in South Asia, Nepal and Afghanistan, occupy ranks 157 and 172. According to the â€Å"UN Human Development Report, 2011: Sustainability and Inequality†, India’s HDI is 0. 5 compared to 0. 3 in 2010. COMPONENTS OF THE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEXThe education component of the HDI is now measured by mean of years of schooling for adults aged 25 years and expected years of schooling for children of school entering age. Mean years of schooling are estimated based on educational attainment data from censuses and surveys available in the UNESCO Institute for Statistics database and Barro and Lee (2010) methodology). Expected years of schooling estimates are based on enrolment by age at all levels of education and population of official school age for each level of education.Expected years of schooling are capped at 18 years. The indicators are normalized using a minimum value of zero and maximum values are set to the actual observed maximum value of mean years of schooling from the countries in the time series, 1980–2010, that is 13. 1 years estimated for Czech Republic in 2005. Expected years of schooling are maximized by its cap at 18 years. The education index is the geometric mean of two indices. The life expectancy at birth component of the HDI is calculated using a minimum value of 20 years and maximum value of 83. 4 years.This is the observed maximum value of the indicators from the countries in the time series, 1980–2010. Thus, the longevity component for a country where life expectancy birth is 55 years would be 0. 552. For the wealth component, the goalpost for minimum income is $100 (PPP) and the maximum is $107,721 (PPP), both estimated during the same period, 1980-2011. The decent stand ard of living component is measured by GNI per capita (PPP$) instead of GDP per capita (PPP$) The HDI uses the logarithm of income, to reflect the diminishing importance of income with increasing GNI.The scores for the three HDI dimension indices are then aggregated into a composite index using geometric mean. The HDI facilitates instructive comparisons of the experiences within and between different countries. FACTORS AFFECTING HDI There are various factors that affect the economic development of any economy like health, education, per capita income, gender inequality, deforestation, population, pollution levels, literacy rate, infant mortality rate etc. Let us see a few of them one by one and try to find where India lags behind majority of the economies and why there is a mismatch in India’s growth and evelopment. A) Education index Education is an important indicator of a nation’s wellbeing, standard of living and is a measure of the economic development and quality of life which further helps in determining whether an economy is developed, developing or underdeveloped. India’s Shortfalls The Indian government has been lethargic in this aspect and has failed in ensuring a better education framework. Here, the government alone is not to be blamed. A majority of Indian population tend to neglect primary education. Poverty has been a major cause leading to lower literacy rates in India.Poor parents in underdeveloped states and backward regions make their children work to support the family financially. Girls in rural areas are forced to stay back at home and do daily chores. Also, education funding in rural areas is quite low. Uneducated parents don’t find it important to educate their children and this vicious cycle continues leaving the whole community uneducated. The government is not spending enough in education. Currently around 4% of GDP is being spent on education much lower than the target of 6% of GDP.Lower enrolment, high dropout rates, teacher absenteeism, poor instruction qualities, poor infrastructural facilities like classrooms, libraries, low encouragement and gender inequality are the root causes of low education index in India. About 30% of the world’s illiterate population belongs to India. COUNTRY| EDUCATION INDEX| India| 0. 450| The U. S| 0. 939| The U. K| 0. 815| Pakistan| 0. 386| China| 0. 623| Oman| 0. 539| SCALE| EDUCATION INDEX| Very High| 0. 894| High| 0. 715| Medium| 0. 561| Low| 0. 392| B) Health Index 2% of India’s children below the age of three are malnourished, almost twice the statistics of sub-Saharan African region of 28%. Although India’s economy grew 50% from 2001–2006, and its child-malnutrition rate only dropped 1%, lagging behind countries of similar growth rate. Malnutrition impedes the social and cognitive development of a child, reducing his educational attainment and income as an adult. These irreversible damages result in lower productivi ty. Infant mortality rate Approximately 1. 72 million children die each year before turning one.The under five mortality and infant mortality rates have been declining, from 202 and 190 deaths per thousand live births respectively in 1970 to 64 and 50 deaths per thousand live births in 2009. However, this rate of decline is slowing. Reduced funding for immunization leaves only 43. 5% of the young fully immunized. Infrastructure like hospitals, roads, water and sanitation are lacking in rural areas. Shortages of healthcare providers, poor intra-partum and newborn care, diarrheal diseases and acute respiratory infections also contribute to the high infant mortality rate.Inadequate safe drinking water Access to protected sources of drinking water has improved from 68% of the population in 1990 to 88% in 2008. However, only 26% of the slum population has access to safe drinking water,  and 25% of the total population has drinking water on their premises. This problem is exacerbated by falling levels of groundwater caused mainly by increasing extraction for irrigation. Insufficient maintenance of the environment around water sources, groundwater pollution, excessive arsenic and fluoride in drinking water pose a major threat to India's health. Rural healthRural India contains over 68% of India's total population with half of it living below  struggling for better and easy access to health care and services. Health issues confronted by rural people are diverse and many – from severe malaria to uncontrolled diabetes, from a badly infected wound to cancer. Postpartum maternal morbidity is a serious problem in resource-poor settings and contributes to maternal mortality, particularly in rural India; however, Misoprostal has been identified as a cost-effective maternal mortality intervention for home births. A study conducted in 2009, using multinomial logistic regression methods, found that 43. % of mothers reported to have experienced postpartum morbidities six weeks after delivery. Rural medical practitioners are highly sought after by people living in rural India as they more financially affordable and geographically accessible than practitioners working in the formal public health care sector. The  National Rural Health Mission  (NRHM) was launched in April 2005 by the Government of India. The goal of the NRHM is to provide effective healthcare to rural people with a focus on 18 states which have poor public health indicators and/or weak infrastructure. COUNTRY| HEALTH INDEX| India| 0. 717| The U. S| 0. 923| The U.K| 0. 949| Pakistan| 0. 717| China| 0. 843| Oman| 0. 836| SCALE| HEALTH INDEX| Very High| 0. 946| High| 0. 838| Medium| 0. 784| Low| 0. 611| C) GDP per capita (PPP) It is defined as GDP divided by the total population of a country. Per capita income is often used as a measure of the wealth of the population of a nation, particularly in comparison to other nations. The very fact that India in spite of being the 4th larg est economy stands 140th in terms of per capita income indicates that the income is distributed unevenly where a very percentage of the population is rich while majority is poor. COUNTRY| GDP per capita($)|India| 2933| The U. S| 41761| The U. K| 32147| Pakistan| 2369| China| 6200| Oman| 23333| COUNTRY| INCOME INDEX| India| 0. 508| The U. S| 0. 869| The U. K| 0. 832| Pakistan| 0. 464| China| 0. 618| Oman| 0. 778| Poverty in India  is widespread, with the nation estimated to have a third of the world's poor. In 2011,  World Bank  stated, 32. 7% of the total Indian people falls below the  international poverty line  of  US$  1. 25 per day (PPP) while 68. 7% live on less than  US$  2 per day. Lack of a market economy & over government regulation and red tape, known as License Raj is the main cause of poverty in India.While other Asian countries like China, Singapore and South Korea started with the same poverty level as India after independence, India adopted a soc ialist centrally planned, closed economy. Another cause is a high population growth rate, although demographers generally agree that this is a symptom rather than cause of poverty. While services and industry have grown at double digit figures, agriculture growth rate has dropped from 4. 8% to 2%. About sixty percent of the population depends on agriculture whereas the contribution of agriculture to the GDP is about eighteen percent.The surplus of labor in agriculture has caused many people to not have jobs. Farmers are a large vote bank and use their votes to resist reallocation of land for higher-income industrial projects. D) Gender Inequality Index There is strong evidence to suggest that India is a country of high concern in relation to missing women. The 2011 Census found a worrying trend in child sex ratios with only 914 females for 1,000 males, a drop from 927 in 2001. Using data from the 2011 Census in India, after adjusting for excess mortality rates in girls, the estimate s of number of selective abortions of girls rose from 0 to 2 million in the 1980s, to 1. to 4. 1 million in the 1990s, to 3. 1 to 6. 0 million in the 2000s. The study shows that the problem is in fact growing amongst the middle class which suggests that missing women cannot be attributed to poor socio-economic status. The male/female sex ratio for the total population in 2012 is 1. 08. According to data from the 2006-2007 Demographic and Health Survey for India, 41. 5% of girls and 45. 3% of boys under the age of two had received all their vaccinations. Under-five mortality rates were higher for girls than for boys (79. 2 per 1000 live births for girls, 69. % for boys), while malnutrition rates were equal or slightly higher for girls. Given that in most contexts, rates of under-five mortality and malnutrition are higher for boys than for girls, this would indicate bias towards sons in regard to early childhood care. Gender-disaggregated data in regard to child labor was unavailable. Primary and secondary school enrolment and attendance rates are lower for girls than for boys indicating some son preference in regard to access to education. COUNTRY| GENDER INEQUALITY INDEX| India| 0. 646| The U. S| 0. 311| The U. K| 0. 216| Pakistan| 0. 611| China| 0. 224| Oman| 0. 09| Conclusion â€Å"Economic growth† and â€Å"development† of any economy should go hand in hand unlike Indian economy where there is a huge contrast in this regard. India should focus on primary education, basic healthcare, gender equality and other social, environmental and economic aspects to ensure sustainable development. India has been very slow in reacting to the transformation of economy restructuring. Masses need to be educated about family planning, importance of education, gender inequality especially in rural areas so that they don’t take much time to adapt to an environment which is essential for development.Educational institutes should be set up on a large scale f ocusing more on basic education. Healthcare sector needs to be given prime importance. We need to take advantage of the technology available to us. Corruption is the biggest hindrance coming in the way of development and thus should be kept in check. India has till date come up with many schemes and programs for the poor section but has repeatedly failed to implement them effectively. So, while economic growth is vital to the economy, human development is to be given equal importance which decides or shows the true picture of the economy. Human Development Index What is HDI? The Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite statistic used to rank countries by level of â€Å"human development†, taken as a synonym of the older terms â€Å"standard of living† and/or â€Å"quality of life†, and distinguishing â€Å"very high human development†, â€Å"high human development†, â€Å"medium human development†, and â€Å"low human development† countries. HDI was devised and launched by Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq, followed by Indian economist Amartya Sen in 1990. The HDI is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education, and standards of living of a country.It is a standard means of measuring well-being, especially child welfare. It is also used to distinguish whether the country is a developed, a developing or an underdeveloped country, and also to measure the impact of economic policies on quality of life. There are also HDI for states, cities, villages, etc. by local organizatio ns or companies which have interest in the matter. The HDI formula result is a number from 0 to 1, 1 being the best outcome possible. Components of HDI What does HDI tell us?The HDI was created to emphasize that people and their capabilities should be the ultimate criteria for assessing the development of a country, not economic growth alone. The HDI can also be used to question national policy choices, asking how two countries with the same level of GNI per capita can end up with such different human development outcomes. For example, the Bahamas and New Zealand have similar levels of income per person, but life expectancy and expected years of schooling differ greatly between the two countries, resulting in New Zealand having a much higher HDI value than the Bahamas.These striking contrasts can stimulate debate about government policy priorities. What are the criteria for a country to be included in the HDI? The Human Development Report Office strives to include as many UN member countries as possible in the HDI. To include a country in the HDI we need recent, reliable and comparable data for all three dimensions of the Index. For a country to be included, statistics should ideally be available from the relevant international data agencies. India’s position in the worldIndia ranks a low 134 among 187 countries in the list that is headed by Norway and in which the Democratic Republic of Congo is at the very bottom in terms of the human development index (HDI). India's ranking in 2010 was 119 out of 169 countries. According to the â€Å"UN Human Development Report 2011: Sustainability and Inequality†, India's HDI is 0. 5 compared to 0. 3 in 2010. Comparison of India with few other countries Countries| Per Capita income in US $| Literacy Rate| Life Expectancy in years| HDI Rank| India| 1600| 74%| 67. 1| 134|US| 48,147| 99%| 79| 4| Canada| 51,147| 99%| 80. 7| 6| Germany| 40,631| 99%| 79. 4| 9| Nepal| 650| 68. 2%| 66. 5| 157| Pakistan| 1250| 70%| 66 . 3| 145| Growth Pattern of India Factors responsible for growth of India The then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, along with his finance minister Manmohan Singh, initiated the economic liberalization of 1991. The reforms did away with the Licence Raj, reduced tariffs and interest rates and ended many public monopolies, allowing automatic approval of foreign direct investment in many sectors.Since then, the overall thrust of liberalization has remained the same, although no government has tried to take on powerful lobbies such as trade unions and farmers, on contentious issues such as reforming labour laws and reducing agricultural subsidies. By the turn of the 20th century, India had progressed towards a free-market economy, with a substantial reduction in state control of the economy and increased financial liberalization. This has been accompanied by increases in life expectancy, literacy rates and food security, although urban residents have benefited more than agricultural reside nts.Also the boom in IT and other industries in services sector helped India to achieve economic strength whereby foreign currency started pouring in into the market. This was supported by the availability of skilled labours, talented brains and large young population. Growth Pattern of Nepal Nepal’s economic growth continues to be adversely affected by the political uncertainty. Nevertheless, real GDP growth is estimated to increase to almost 5 percent for 2011/2012. This is a considerable improvement from the 3. 5 percent GDP growth in 2010/2011 and would be the second highest growth rate in the post-conflict era.Sources of growth include agriculture, construction, financial and other services. The contribution of growth by consumption fueled by remittances has declined since 2010/2011. While remittance growth slowed to 11 percent (in Nepali Rupee terms) in 2010/2011 it has since increased to 37 percent. Remittances are estimated to be equivalent to 25-30 percent of GDP. In flation has been reduced to a three-year low to 7 percent. The proportion of poor people has declined substantially in recent years. The percentage of people living below the international poverty line (people earning less than US$1. 5 per day) has halved in only seven years. At this measure of poverty the percentage of poor people declined from 53. 1% in 2003/2004 to 24. 8% in 2010/2011. With a higher poverty line of US$2 dollars per-capita per day, poverty declined by one quarter to 57. 3%. However, the income distribution remains grossly uneven. Growth Pattern of Canada Factors responsible for growth in Canada The Canadian economy improved dramatically after 1896, and from that year until 1914, Canada had the world's fastest growing economy. The west was settled, the population grew quickly.The cause of this boom is debated. Whether the settlement of the west was a cause or effect of the boom is one of the most important issues. Globally the economy was improving with the end of the Long Depression. The last semi-humid farmland in the United States was exhausted, leaving Canada with the best unexploited farm land in North America. Technological changes from the steel plow to combine harvesters played an important role, but perhaps the most important development was the practice of dry farming that allowed farmers to profitably grow wheat on the semi-arid southern prairies.The most noted expansion was in western Canada, but at the same time Central Canada was undergoing a period of significant industrialization. While western and central Canada boomed during the pre-World War I years the economies of the three Maritime Provinces grew far more slowly. Investors from US and UK helped fuel country’s economic growth. Growth pattern of USA Factors responsible for growth in USA In the early years of American history, most political leaders were reluctant to involve the federal government too heavily in the private sector, except in the area of transportatio n.In general, they accepted the concept of laissez-faire, a doctrine opposing government interference in the economy except to maintain law and order. This attitude started to change during the latter part of the 19th century, when small business, farm, and labor movements began asking the government to intercede on their behalf. By the turn of the century, a middle class had developed that was leery of both the business elite and the somewhat radical political movements of farmers and laborers in the Midwest and West.Known as Progressives, these people favored government regulation of business practices to, in their minds, ensure competition and free enterprise. Congress enacted a law regulating railroads in 1887 (the Interstate Commerce Act), and one preventing large firms from controlling a single industry in 1890 (the Sherman Antitrust Act). Many of today's U. S. regulatory agencies were created during these years, including the Interstate Commerce Commission and the Federal Tra de Commission. Electrification in the U. S. started in industry ca. 1900 and by 1930 about 80% of power used in industry was electric.Tractors began being mass-produced. In the 1980s, Japan was accelerating its speed and catching up to the USA. In the face of competition from Japan, Americans did not give up hope, but acted with a great sense of urgency. Ronald Reagan called on the industrial association and think-tanks to discuss countermeasures. Through investigation and analysis, they found that the computer and communications industries were beginning to show vitality and had large market potential. In the future, it was possible that they would develop into the world's largest industries.Therefore, the Reagan administration declined to adopt a short-term, profit-oriented competition strategy; rather, it adopted methods that allowed universities to work collaboratively with enterprises to co-develop the computer and communications industries. During the Clinton administration, a large investment was made in building up the world’s internet highway. Growth Pattern of Pakistan Growth Pattern of Germany Factors responsible for growth of Germany Germany's economic growth stemmed from a number of causes. One of the main physical reasons behind economic growth was the sophistication of infrastructure.Between 1845 and 1870 5000 more miles of rail had beenbuilt and in 1850 Germany was building her own locomotives. This increase of rail transport created a huge demand for coal, iron and buildings, therefore industry began on a plant style level. All of this increased the amount of labour needed. The labour need was fuelled by a population growth. From 35 million people in 1840 Germanygrew to 49 million people in 1875 creating a young dynamic workforce,full of innovated ideas for the new industry. Not only was the workforce gained from a population increase, urbanisation also added to the need.People working in factories grew from 4% to 10%. Banks, particular ly investment banks gave a great stimulus to industrialization. It was a combination of commercial enterprise, investment, and investment trusts backed by large central banks. The second industrial revolution was promoted by a number of important factors. Most important of these was probably the scientific-technological developments at the end of the century. Another factor which propelled German industry forward was the unification of the monetary system, made possible in part by political unification.Another economic factor was the increased markets,domestic and overseas. Comparison of growth patterns Why HDI of India is low? While we are steadily increasing our investments in health and education, we have been let down at the most basic level: female mortality rates. Our maternal mortality figures are 450 deaths per 100,000, which is the worst in south Asia. Our adolescent fertility rates also let us down, as do figures for female education. Yet, a quick stroll through the HDI fi gures does show some improvement across sectors in most parts of the country.The stumbling blocks are Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, parts of West Bengal and even Maharashtra. Quite obviously, in our race to get ahead, we have forgotten the basics. It has taken us over 60 years since the Constitution was adopted to pass the Right to Education Act for free and compulsory secondary education to all, even though it has long been a part of our Directive Principles. Our dropout rate is high and the girl child is the first to lose the race to school. More painful is the rich-poor divide.Our cities may be full of state-of-the-art hospitals, ready to cater to medical tourists, but village after village in India does not even have access to primary health care. We supply doctors all over the world but are unable to service our own needy. It is almost as if we have got so used to being a poor country that we hardly notice it any more. But as the Sensex and the economy show, India is no longer an ultra-poor country in the aggregate. But we still have a shockingly large proportion of poor people who are being deprived of just about everything.This HDI report is just one more reminder of how far we have to go. It tells us where our priorities should be. India has made huge strides in the field of education and water supply system but the biggest block in the human development indices for India is in the field of sanitation where 58 per cent of open defecation in the world takes place in India. A mere expenditure of Rs 2000 crore (Rs 20 billion) in the field of sanitation is being made while the budget for water supply was Rs 20,000 crore (Rs 200 billion). AgricultureSlow agricultural growth is a concern for policymakers as some two-thirds of India’s people depend on rural employment for a living. Current agricultural practices are neither economically nor environmentally sustainable and India's yields for many agricultural commodities are low. Poorly maintained irrigation systems and almost universal lack of good extension services are among the factors responsible. Farmers' access to markets is hampered by poor roads, rudimentary market infrastructure, and excessive regulation. Agricultural output of India lags far behind its potential.The low productivity in India is a result of several factors. According to the World Bank, India's large agricultural subsidies are hampering productivity-enhancing investment. While overregulation of agriculture has increased costs, price risks and uncertainty, governmental intervention in labour, land, and credit markets are hurting the market. Infrastructure such as rural roads, electricity, ports, food storage, retail markets and services are inadequate. Further, the average size of land holdings is very small, with 70% of holdings being less than one hectare in size.The partial failure of land reforms in many states, exacerbated by poorly maintained or non-existent land reco rds, has resulted in sharecropping with cultivators lacking ownership rights, and consequently low productivity of labour. Adoption of modern agricultural practices and use of technology is inadequate, hampered by ignorance of such practices, high costs, illiteracy, slow progress in implementing land reforms, inadequate or inefficient finance and marketing services for farm produce and impracticality in the case of small land holdings. The allocation of water is inefficient, unsustainable and inequitable.The irrigation infrastructure is deteriorating. Irrigation facilities are inadequate, as revealed by the fact that only 39% of the total cultivable land was irrigated as of 2010, resulting in farmers still being dependent on rainfall, specifically the monsoon season, which is often inconsistent and unevenly distributed across the country. Corruption Corruption has been one of the pervasive problems affecting India. A 2005 study by Transparency International (TI) found that more than half of those surveyed had firsthand experience of paying bribe or peddling influence to get a job done in a public office in the previous year.A follow-on 2008 TI study found this rate to be 40 percent. In 2011, Transparency International ranked India at 95th place amongst 183 countries in perceived levels of public sector corruption. In 1996, red tape, bureaucracy and the Licence Raj were suggested as a cause for the institutionalised corruption and inefficiency. More recent reports suggest the causes of corruption in India include excessive regulations and approval requirements, mandated spending programs, monopoly of certain goods and service providers by government controlled institutions, bureaucracy with discretionary powers, and lack of transparent laws and processes.The Right to Information Act (2005) which requires government officials to furnish information requested by citizens or face punitive action, computerisation of services, and various central and state governmen t acts that established vigilance commissions, have considerably reduced corruption and opened up avenues to redress grievances. The number of people employed in non-agricultural occupations in the public and private sectors. Totals are rounded. Private sector data relates to non-agriculture establishments with 10 or more employees. The current government has concluded that most spending fails to reach its intended recipients.A large, cumbersome and tumor-like bureaucracy sponges up or siphons off spending budgets. India's absence rates are one of the worst in the world; one study found that 25% of public sector teachers and 40% of public sector medical workers could not be found at the workplace. The Indian economy has an underground economy, with an alleged 2006 report by the Swiss Bankers Association suggesting India topped the worldwide list for black money with almost $1,456 billion stashed in Swiss banks. This amounts to 13 times the country's total external debt. EducationInd ia has made huge progress in terms of increasing primary education attendance rate and expanding literacy to approximately three-fourth of the population. India's literacy rate had grown from 52. 2% in 1991 to 74. 04% in 2011. The right to education at elementary level has been made one of the fundamental rights under the eighty-sixth Amendment of 2002, and legislation has been enacted to further the objective of providing free education to all children. However, the literacy rate of 74% is still lower than the worldwide average and the country suffers from a high dropout rate.Further, there exists a severe disparity in literacy rates and educational opportunities between males and females, urban and rural areas, and among different social groups. Infrastructure In the past, development of infrastructure was completely in the hands of the public sector and was plagued by slow progress, poor quality and inefficiency. India's low spending on power, construction, transportation, teleco mmunications and real estate, at $31 billion or 6% of GDP in 2002 had prevented India from sustaining higher growth rates.This has prompted the government to partially open up infrastructure to the private sector allowing foreign investment, and most public infrastructure, barring railways, is today constructed and maintained by private contractors, in exchange for tax and other concessions from the government. While 80% of Indian villages have at least an electricity line, just 44% of rural households have access to electricity. Some half of the electricity is stolen, compared with 3% in China. The stolen electricity amounts to 1. 5% of GDP.Transmission and distribution losses amount to around 20%, as a result of an inefficient distribution system, handled mostly by cash-strapped state-run enterprises. Almost all of the electricity in India is produced by the public sector. Power outages are common, and many buy their own power generators to ensure electricity supply. 6] Substantia l improvements in water supply infrastructure, both in urban and rural areas, have taken place over the past decade, with the proportion of the population having access to safe drinking water rising from 66% in 1991 to 92% in 2001 in rural areas, and from 82% to 98% in urban areas.However, quality and availability of water supply remains a major problem even in urban India, with most cities getting water for only a few hours during the day. Economic disparities A critical problem facing India's economy is the sharp and growing regional variations among India's different states and territories in terms of poverty, availability of infrastructure and socio-economic development. Six low-income states – Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh – are home to more than one third of India's population.Severe disparities exist among states in terms of income, literacy rates, life expectancy and living conditions. The five-year plans, especially i n the pre-liberalization era, attempted to reduce regional disparities by encouraging industrial development in the interior regions and distributing industries across states, but the results have not been very encouraging since these measures in fact increased inefficiency and hampered effective industrial growth.After liberalization, the more advanced states have been better placed to benefit from them, with well-developed infrastructure and an educated and skilled workforce, which attract the manufacturing and service sectors. The governments of backward regions are trying to reduce disparities by offering tax holidays and cheap land, and focusing more on sectors like tourism which, although being geographically and historically determined, can become a source of growth and develops faster than other sectors.In fact, the economists fail to realize that ultimately the problem of equitable growth or inclusive growth is intricately related to the problems of good governance and tran sparency. HDI for Indian states State| HDI| Rank| Maharashtra| 0. 689| 12| Madhya Pradesh| 0. 375| 33| Kerala| 0. 921| 1| Reasons for low HDI in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra as compared to Kerala: Life Expectancy: The life expectancy in MP is 56. 5 years for male and 56. 2 years for females averaging around 56. 4. The life expectancy in Maharashtra is 64. 5 for males and 67 for females averaging to 65. 8 years for the total population.The life expectancy in Kerala is 73. 5 years. As an important component of HDI life expectancy should be higher, but here it is low as compared to Kerala. Literacy rate: The literacy rate in MP is only 64. 11% which is very low. More than that literacy rate of women is very low. The literacy rate in Maharashtra is 77. 21 % whereas in Kerala it is 90. 92 %. Literacy is reasonably a good indicator of development in a society. Spread and diffusion f literacy is generally associated with essential trait of today’s civilization such as urbanization , modernization, industrialization, communication and commerce.Standard of living: The main factors influencing standard of living are poverty, physical infrastructure, regional imbalance. Poverty is very high in MP. Also the physical infrastructure is very poor. Poverty is high I Maharashtra because of high population. The physical infrastructure varies from region to region. In cities like Mumbai and Pune the infrastructure is world class, but in other regions of the state the infrastructure is not so good which shows regional imbalance Poverty in Kerala is very low. All over Kerala the physical infrastructure is good, there is no regional imbalance. Human Development Index Introduction: The Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite statistic used to rank countries by level of â€Å"human development† and separate â€Å"very high human development†, â€Å"high human development†, â€Å"medium human development†, and â€Å"low human development† countries. The Human Development Index (HDI) is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education and standards of living for countries worldwide. It is a standard means of measuring well-being, especially child welfare. It is used to distinguish whether the country is a developed, a developing or an under-developed country, and also to measure the impact of economic policies on quality of life. There are also HDI for states, cities, villages, etc. by local organizations or companies. Background: The origins of the HDI are found in the annual Human Development Reports of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). These were devised and launched by Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq in 1990 and had the explicit purpose ‘‘to shift the focus of development economics from national income accounting to people centered policies’’. To produce the Human Development Reports, Mahbub ul Haq brought together a group of well-known development economists including: Paul Streeten, Frances Stewart, Gustav Ranis, Keith Griffin, Sudhir Anand and Meghnad Desai. But it was Nobel laureate Amartya Sen’s work on capabilities and functionings that provided the underlying conceptual framework. Haq was sure that a simple composite measure of human development was needed in order to convince the public, academics, and policy-makers that they can and should evaluate development not only by economic advances but also improvements in human well-being. Sen initially opposed this idea, but he went on to help Haq develop the Human Development Index (HDI). Sen was worried that it was difficult to capture the full complexity of human capabilities in a single index but Haq persuaded him that only a single number would shift the attention of policy-makers from concentration on economic to human well-being. Data collection: Life expectancy at birth is provided by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs; mean years of schooling by Barro and Lee (2010); expected years of schooling by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics; and GNI per capita by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. For few countries, mean years of schooling are estimated from nationally representative household surveys. Many data gaps still exist in even some very basic areas of human development indicators. While actively advocating for the improvement of human development data, as a principle and for practical reasons, the Human Development Report Office does not collect data directly from countries or make estimates to fill these data gaps in the Report. Dimensions and calculation: Published on 4 November 2010, starting with the 2010 Human Development Report the HDI combines three dimensions: 1. A long and healthy life: Life expectancy at birth 2. Access to knowledge: Mean years of schooling and Expected years of schooling 3. A decent standard of living: GNI per capita (PPP US$) The HDI combined three dimensions up until its 2010 report: 1. Life expectancy at birth, as an index of population health and longevity 2. Knowledge and education, as measured by the adult literacy rate (with two-thirds weighting) and the combined primary, secondary, and tertiary gross enrollment ratio (with one-third weighting). 3. Standard of living, as indicated by the natural logarithm of gross domestic product per capita at purchasing power parity. New methodology for 2010 data onwards: In its 2010 Human Development Report the UNDP began using a new method of calculating the HDI. The following three indices are used: LE ¬-20 1. Life Expectancy Index (LEI) = 63. 2 vMYSI . EYSI 2. Education Index (EI) = 0. 951 ln (GNIpc) – ln (163) 3. Income Index (II) = ln(108,211) – ln (163) Finally, the HDI is the geometric mean of the previous three normalized indices: HDI = v LEI . EI . II 2010 report: The 2010 Human Development Report by the United Nations Development Program was released on November 4, 2010, and calculates HDI values based on estimates for 2010. Criticisms: The Human Development Index has been criticised on a number of grounds, including failure to include any ecological considerations, focusing exclusively on national performance and ranking (although many national Human Development Reports, looking at subnational performance, have been published by UNDP and others—so this last claim is untrue), not paying much attention to development from a global perspective and based on grounds of measurement error of the underlying statistics and formula changes by the UNDP which can lead to severe misclassifications of countries in the categories of being a ‘low', ‘medium', ‘high' or ‘very high' human evelopment country. Other authors claimed that the Human Development Reports â€Å"have lost touch with their original vision and the index fails to capture the essence of the world it seeks to portray†. The index has also been criticized as â€Å"redundant† and a â€Å"reinvention of the wheel†, m easuring aspects of development that have already been exhaustively studied. The index has further been criticised for having an inappropriate treatment of income, lacking year-to-year comparability, and assessing development differently in different groups of countries. Economist Bryan Caplan has criticised the way HDI scores are produced; each of the three components are bounded between zero and one. As a result of that, rich countries effectively cannot improve their rating (and thus their ranking relative to other countries) in certain categories, even though there is a lot of scope for economic growth and longevity left. â€Å"This effectively means that a country of immortals with infinite per-capita GDP would get a score of . 66 (lower than South Africa and Tajikistan) if its population were illiterate and never went to school. † He argues, â€Å"Scandinavia comes out on top according to the HDI because the HDI is basically a measure of how Scandinavian your country is. † Economists Hendrik Wolff, Howard Chong and Maximilian Auffhammer discuss the HDI from the perspective of data error in the underlying health, education and income statistics used to construct the HDI. 18] They identify three sources of data error which are due t o (i) data updating, (ii) formula revisions and (iii) thresholds to classify a country’s development status and find that 11%, 21% and 34% of all countries can be interpreted as currently misclassified in the development bins due to the three sources of data error, respectively. The authors suggest that the United Nations should discontinue the practice of classifying countries into development bins because the cut-off values seem arbitrary, can provide incentives for strategic behavior in reporting official statistics, and have the potential to misguide politicians, investors, charity donators and the public at large which use the HDI. In 2010 the UNDP reacted to the criticism and updated the thresholds to classify nations as low, medium and high human development countries. In a comment to The Economist in early January 2011, the Human Development Report Office responded[24] to a January 6, 2011 article in The Economist which discusses the Wolff et al. paper. The Human Development Report Office states that they undertook a systematic revision of the methods used for the calculation of the HDI and that the new methodology directly addresses the critique by Wolff et al. in that it generates a system for continuous updating of the human development categories whenever formula or data revisions take place. The following are common criticisms directed at the HDI: that it is a redundant measure that adds little to the value of the individual measures composing it; that it is a means to provide legitimacy to arbitrary weightings of a few aspects of social development; that it is a number producing a relative ranking which is useless for inter-temporal comparisons, and difficult to compare a country's progress or regression since the HDI for a country in a given year depends on the levels of, say, life expectancy or GDP per capita of other countries in that year. However, each year, UN member states are listed and ranked according to the computed HDI. If high, the rank in the list can be easily used as a means of national aggrandizement; alternatively, if low, it can be used to highlight national insufficiencies. Using the HDI as an absolute index of social welfare, some authors have used panel HDI data to measure the impact of economic policies on quality of life. Ratan Lal Basu criticises the HDI concept from a completely different angle. According to him the Amartya Sen-Mahbub ul Haq concept of HDI considers that provision of material amenities alone would bring about Human Development, but Basu opines that Human Development in the true sense should embrace both material and moral development. According to him human development based on HDI alone, is similar to dairy farm economics to improve dairy farm output. To quote: ‘So human development effort should not end up in amelioration of material deprivations alone: it must undertake to bring about spiritual and moral development to assist the biped to become truly human. [31] For example, a high suicide rate would bring the index down. A few authors have proposed alternative indices to address some of the index's shortcomings. However, of those proposed alternatives to the HDI, few have produced alternatives covering so many countries, and that no development index (other than, perhaps, Gross Domestic Product per capita) has been used so extensively—or ef fectively, in discussions and developmental planning as the HDI. However, there has been one lament about the HDI that has resulted in an alternative index: David Hastings, of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific published a report geographically extending the HDI to 230+ economies, whereas the UNDP HDI for 2009 enumerates 182 economies and coverage for the 2010 HDI dropped to 169 countries