Kant’s view of freedom Essay Example for Free

Kant’s view of freedom Essay According to The Philosophers lighthouse, Immanuel Kant challenges the idea of freedom generally, saying that it cannot be proven that freedom is inherent in human nature. According to him freedom is a basic concept that must be presupposed for a being to be thought of as rational. He also says that there is a close knit relationship between our thinking on freedom and morality, he says that freedom is present because we have placed upon ourselves moral laws and are confident in their compliance, and that moral laws are present because we have placed upon ourselves the privilege of free will. Therefore, one exists precisely because of the other.   Kant also questions the extent of individual freedom in the presence of a superior power. He was alluding to the argument that complete freedom is to be found within the mental faculty, as one cannot be stopped from thinking within his mind. However Kant challenges this perceived ability of man think for himself, questioning how much and how well man would think, without communicating their thoughts with others. Am much as one might hold an opinion about something, the state might restrict him from expressing this opinion which will negate the purpose of having the opinion in the first place. Therefore as one might argue that their freedom to think cannot be curtailed by a superior power, Kant draws to attention the possibility of the power restricting the individual’s freedom to communicate, which he portrays as having central influence on their thinking. (Cline, 2006) Kant seems to stress here that complete autonomy or freedom is to an extent unattainable, as the one form of personal will that is clearly out of reach of which ever power there might be, freedom of thought, is still under the influence of the same state, albeit indirectly, and concludes with the remark, Freedom is, therefore, only an idea of reason whose objective reality is in itself questionable.   Hegel’s view on freedom Hegel’s take on freedom is that it is the destination of historical human progression, starting with bondage and which is based on rational consciousness. It is where the individuals’ subjective desires are integrated with the desires of the state, where individual will is inferior to that of the state. Hegel demonstrated this theory of freedom by dividing history into three phases, starting with the orient phase wherein only the ruler was free and all other subjects were inferior to him. The people in this period according to him are not aware of the freedom of their spirit, and because of this ignorance, they are not free. Hegel might have been alluding to the emperors of ancient China The second stage, an example of the Greek and Roman civilizations, is where some members of the community, besides the ruler, were free. However in this phase there are certain exceptions to this freedom, citizens are free, slaves are not. The slaves understood this accepted it, as did the Romans. Thus, as in the orient phase, freedom was limited for these people not only because of not having information, but also having the wrong information. The third phase started with the early Christians, who recognized that all humans are free by virtue of being simply human, and through their evangelism spread the knowledge of this ‘freedom for all concept’. This is stage is evident today in contemporary societies, especially democracies which have fundamental freedoms within their constitutions. (Urmson and Jonathan RÃÆ' ©e, 1991) Marx’s view on freedom Marx’s thoughts are predominantly in an economic context, wherein he examines social systems that curtail or encourage personal freedoms. Marx laid out his thoughts in two scenarios.   First, he examines the capitalist society, and its effect on the freedom of the people. According to him, capitalism is a social system that involves workers who ca supply labour and capital owners who employ the workers. These capital owners, due to their economic status also influence the power structure of the state, ensuring that they get the best labour at the cheapest cost from the workers, which in turn means that the workers are completely dependent on the capital owners, as they cannot raise enough to obtain capital of their own. This position taken by Marx portrays capitalism as a social system that is counterproductive as far as propagating human freedom is concerned. He stresses that the workers cannot enjoy any freedom as long as their economic well being is not within their control. The worst evil according to Marx is the illusion that one is actually benefiting oneself when working whereas in reality he is just enriching his employer. Marx then contrasts capitalism with communism, in which the people collectively own the means of production and resources required. He pointed that in this setting one could go about work without the fear of being exploited. Communism, also overcame the problem of monotony characteristic of the capitalist system. (Hallas, 2002) Obstacles to be overcomeKant As mentioned earlier, Kant placed significant importance in the relationship between morality and freedom. Therefore to ensure freedom for all, emphasis is should be placed on the content of our moral codes, its uniformity and objectivity. This is best illustrated when the morals of one community differ significantly with that of another in which there might arise conflict when the more powerful community, either economically or otherwise tries to impose it morals on the other. This would be an infringement of the latter’s freedom. Checks also have to put on the state to guard against its involvement in the private freedoms of its citizens, as Kant acknowledged that the state is in a position of absolute power and can deny its subjects their freedoms. Hegel Hegel’s biggest obstacle to freedom as can be seen in his theory of history is information. True freedom keightwill always prove to be elusive for as long as the person concerned does not understand and appreciate his right to freedom. In most cases that individual’s freedom is being abused there is a lot of ignorance on the part of the abused. This ignorance may be voluntary or induced, is which the superior power will deliberately keep the subjects in the dark to ensure that they never harbor any thoughts of autonomy. Any effort to liberate those suffering oppression should specifically target their education on their right to freedom, as this will ensure that they have the capacity to demand for their freedom.   Marx Kamala Sarup in her article Capitalism Vs Communism: Lessons From History, expresses Marxs case as more complicated as both of his insights have negative and positive elements. On the one hand, capitalism is known to increase the entire community’s wellbeing through the incentive of competition, and one receives benefits proportional to their contribution. When one is working exclusively for one’s sake, he is bound to work harder. To remove the risk of contradiction, even when employed one still enjoys the his entire effort by himself however meager the pay may be. This is in contrast to communism, wherein the production is shared equally among all the people irrespective of their contribution to production, a situation which might lead to some people living off the effort of others. On the other hand capitalism often results in the majority of the resources being distributed amongst a few individuals, a situation that is effectively taken care of in a communist arrangement. The best policy is therefore a mixed society, where all or most of the advantages of both systems can be inculcated.   Ã‚  Conclusion The best strategy according to me appears to be Hegel’s approach. This is because Kant’s method appears to be too vague and technical for common people to grasp whereas Marx’s is filled with contradictions that could potentially complicate efforts to establish freedom for all. In addition, Hegel’s solution seems to answer the questions raised about by the other two theorists or example, informed communities are better placed to evaluate reform and formulate their moral codes, which according to Kant are interdependent with freedom. Informed people can also identify instances when the state infringes in their right to freedom and take the necessary steps to rectify the situation. An informed society will also be able to decide on relative benefits and costs of each of the systems discussed by Marx to come up with one that is comprehensive and takes into consideration the needs of all parties concerned. References Cline, Austin. Your Guide to Agnosticism/Atheism.  Ã‚   http://atheism.about.com/od/weeklyquotes/a/kant01.htm Hallas, Duncan. The legacy of Karl Marx Viewed on 15th March, 2008 http://www.socialistworker.org/2002-2/423/423_08_HallasOnMarx.shtm The philosophers’ lighthouse. Hegel’s thoughts on freedom. Viewed on 15th March, 2008 : http://library.thinkquest.org/18775/hegel/freeh.htm The philosophers’ lighthouse. Kant’s thoughts on freedom. Viewed on 15th March, 2008 : http://library.thinkquest.org/18775/kant/freek.htm Urmson, J. O. and Jonathan RÃÆ' ©e, (1991) ed. The Concise Encyclopedia of Western Philosophy and Philosophers.   London: Unman Hyman. Capitalism Vs Communism: Lessons From History. Viewed on 15th March, 2008   http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0504/S00007.htm

ralph Essay -- essays research papers

Angel In the story â€Å"A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings† by Gabriel Garcia Marquez a man named Pelayo is taking crabs to throw into the sea when returning he finds a man with wings. He then runs to tell his wife of this and in turn they both tell their neighbor who â€Å"knew everything about life and death†(Marquez 84). It was not until the neighbor came that the thought of this man being an angel was even introduced into the story. The thought that this thing was an angel is inconclusive since the only evidence given for this conclusion is that it had wings. The fact of whether or not this creature is an angel is never really stated in the story. From what I gathered from the text I am not sure myself. The part that makes this so hard to believe that this is an angel is that it has no real reason to be there. The only information added in to the story that comes even close to being a viable reason for this to be an â€Å"angel† is that the child of Pelayo is sick and so they think that he is there to take the child from them. When the three had come to the conclusion that he was an angel of death their first reaction was to kill the man. This can be thought of as society’s usual impulse of automatically wanting to destroy the strange or unfamiliar instead of trying to learn from it. Luckily for the man, Pelayo can not bring himself to kill him, this inability to kill the man leads me to believe that Pelayo is the representation of kindness and compassion in this story. This compassi...

Internal Control

What is internal control and why is it important The American Institute of Accountants first defined the term internal control in 1949, followed by further clarifications in 1958 and 1972. In 1977 publicly held companies came under legislation to adequately implement controls to protect their financial information. A report by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations in 1992 and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 are more recent documents defining internal controls. ( Bishop, 1991,p. 117-123; Colbert and Bowen, 1996, 26-35)This essay will describe and explain the internal control and discuss why is it important.There are five points about the importance of internal control, which respectively are Control Environment, Risk Assessment, Control Activities, Communication and Information and Monitoring. There are two definitions about internal control . Frist, internal control the integration of the activities, plans, attitudes, policies, and efforts of the employees of a department working together to provide reasonable assurance that the department will achieve its mission. More simply, internal control is what a department does to see that the things they want to happen will happen and the evidences they don’t want to happen would not happen. Manea Birza,2012,p. 75)Second, the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO)(2005) has claimed that internal control is process, effected by an entity’s board of directors, management and other personnel ,designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the achievement of objectives in the following thing: effectiveness and efficiency of operations and reliability of financial reporting. One of important reason of why is it significant that is control environment.The control environment, sometimes referred to as â€Å"tone at the top†, is the foundation for all other components of internal control. The control environment is influenced by management’s philosophy, opera ting style, integrity, ethical values, and commitment to competence. If this foundation is strong, if the control environment is positive, the overall system of internal control will be more effective, because the control environment component is the foundation upon which all other components of internal control are based, and it sets the tone of an organization.A small business can have unique advantages in establishing a strong control environment. Employees in many smaller businesses interact more closely with top management and are directly influenced by management actions. Through day-to-day practices and actions, management can effectively reinforce the company’s fundamental values and directives. The close working relationship also enables senior management to quickly recognize when employee’s actions need modification. (Ratcliffe, 2005,p209 and Chunk landes,2009,p56) Two of important reason of why internal control is important that is risk assessment.Risk asses sment is the identification, analysis, and management of risks relevant to the achievement of the department’s goals and objectives. Risks include internal and external events or events that may occur and adversely affect oppositions. Once risks are identified, management should consider their impact or significance, the probability of their occurrence, and how to manage them. ( Spencer Pickett and Pickett , 2010)Risk assessment, as it relates to the objective of reliable financial reporting, involve identification and analysis of the risks of material misstatement .Establishment of financial reporting objectives articulated by a assessment process. Risk assessment in small businesses can be relatively efficient , often because in-depth knowledge of the company’s operations enables the owner and management to have first-hand information of where risk exist. In carrying out their normal responsibilities, including obtaining information gained from employees, customers, supplier, and others, these managers identify risks inherent in business processes. ( Ratcliffe, 2005)In this way ,the risk assessment is quiet significant for company or enterprise.Three of important reason of why internal control is important that is control activities. Internal control activities are tools – policies, procedures, techniques, and mechanisms – that help ensure management’s directives are carried out. Control activities help identify, prevent or reduce the risks that can impede accomplishment of the department's objectives. Control activities occur throughout the department, at all levels and in all functions; they include activities such as approvals, authorizations, verifications, reconciliations, documentation, separation of duties, and safeguarding of assets. Root,1998) Many smaller companies use certain compensating controls to achieve the objectives, when resource constraints compromise the ability to segregate duties. They help ensure tha t necessary actions are taken to address risks to a achievement of the entity’s objectives. Control activities occur throughout the organization at all levels and in all functions. (Ratcliffe, 2005 and Chuck Landes, 2009)Control activities are one of most important in internal control.Four of important reason of why internal control is important that is Communication and Information. Information systems identify, capture, and distribute information supporting the achievement of financial reporting objectives. Information systems is small businesses are likely to less formal than in large ones, but their role is just as significant. (Chuck Landes, 2009) For a department to run and control its operations, it must have relevant, valid, reliable, and timely communications relating to internal and external events.Managers must be able to secure reliable information to make informed business decisions, understand their risks, and communicate policies and other important information to those who need it. (Rezaee, 2002)so, it is also integrant for internal control. Finally, monitoring is most significant for internal control’s reason why is it important. The department’s internal control system needs to be monitored to assess whether controls are effective and operating as intended.Monitoring occurs through routine managerial activities such as supervision, reconciliations, checklists, comparisons, performance evaluations, and status reports; monitoring may also occur through separate internal evaluations example internal audits/reviews or from use of external sources example comparison to peer groups or industry standards, surveys. Deficiencies found during monitoring need to be reported to those responsible for the function, with serious deficiencies being reported to top management. (Rezaee, 2002, p. 07) Committee Of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO) of the Treadway Commission have suggested that senior executives have long sought ways to better control the enterprises they run. Internal controls are put in place to keep the company on course toward profitability objects and achievement of its task, and to least loss. (Spencer Pickett, 2005) It reveals the important of monitoring. In conclusion, there are many beneficial point to prove internal control is important because Pickett (2010) consider that the overall purpose of internal control is to help a department achieve its mission and reach certain goals and objectives.An effective internal control system helps a department to promote orderly, economical, efficient and effective operations and produce quality products and services consistent with the department’s mission and safeguard resources against loss due to waste, abuse, mismanagement, errors and fraud and promote adherence to statutes, regulations, bulletins and procedures and develop and maintain reliable financial and management data, and accurately report that data in a timely manner.Therefore, in many countries, internal control is very popular in different company or different government; however, it is not available in all of situations, because whether an organization achieves operational and strategic objectives may depend on factors outside the company, such as competition or technological innovation. These factors are outside the scope of internal control; therefore, effective internal control provides only timely information or feedback on progress towards the achievement of operational and strategic objectives, but cannot guarantee their achievement. ( Rezaee,2002)

Art Conservation and Restoration - 1198 Words

The subject of art conservation and restoration has long been debated in the art world. Experts and historians have never agreed that all art must be salvaged at any cost. This paper will examine what art conservation and restoration is, what is involved in these endeavors, and what has been done over the centuries to many of history’s cherished art pieces. To begin this discussion, it is crucial to understand what exactly art conservation and restoration is and what it entails. Art Conservation/Restoration can be defined as an array of professions dedicated to â€Å"approaching every painting (or artwork) conservatively in that only what needs attention is addressed and nothing excessive is ever performed, all of the materials used are†¦show more content†¦He highly criticized the practice of â€Å"improver† restoration, any procedure that changed the original look of an art object. He preferred to leave a piece untouched, rather than change the look entirely. His contention was: Clumsy restorations only finish the work of destruction. Many people imagine that they do a great deal for paintings when they have them restored†¦Each so-called restoration is an injury far more to be regretted than the ravages of time, for the result is not a restored picture, but a different picture by the hand of a miserable dauber who substitutes himself for the author of the original who has disappeared under his retouching.† Saito continued along this vein by raising another interesting point. â€Å"If the aged look and the damaged surfaces of the art object contribute positively to its overall aesthetic appeal, then restoration ought not to take place† . He continued by citing an interesting anecdote told by Joseph Addison, a well-known 18th Century English author and founder of The Spectator, a daily publication from about 1711 to 1712. Addison described an old man, busy touching up a collection of old paintings. The anecdote is as follows: The old man busied himself incessantly, and repeated touch after touch without rest or intermission, he wore off insensibly every little disagreeable gloss that hung upon a figure. He also added such a beautiful brown to the shades, and mellowness to the colours, that he madeShow MoreRelatedThe Magic of the Conservator: Ensuring Art Does Not Disappear1347 Words   |  6 PagesThe Magic of the Conservator – Ensuring Art Does Not Disappear As with many advances in industry and technology, we can thank war for increasing the interest in research for art conservation. After the Great War, the British Museum unpacked its collections after wartime storage in the Underground railway tunnels. 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