Social, Moral, and Political Philosophy Essay Example for Free

Social, Moral, and Political Philosophy Essay Introduction Social, moral, and political philosophies are three branches that share elements, but are different in application. This paper considers what the fields have in common, how they are different, and how they apply to modern life. When thinkers contemplate such diverse ideas such as justice, love, friendship, democracy, and divorce, they are considering concepts that fit in one or more of the three fields of philosophy discussed in this paper. Contrasts and Commonality. When philosophy addresses questions of values there are three branches that work as agents in the effort: social, moral, and political philosophy. Though there is plenty of overlap with the primary concerns of each branch, there is also sufficient difference in their aim. In some cases the three mentioned fields of philosophy share elements so much that it is easy to confuse them, and yet, in some case they are so different as to ask completely different questions about the same circumstances. Social philosophy addresses questions of society and its institutions; concerned especially with determining the features of the ideal or best society (Moore Bruder, 2004). The primary terrain of social philosophy is the exterior of human beings and how it interacts with collectives and the systems created by the collectives. How humans relate to each other, how they collect into organizations, and how those organizations can best be configured; these are the questions for social philosophy. Moral philosophy (ethics) is the philosophical study of moral judgments that identify what is of virtue, just, morally right, good, and also the opposite of each of those concepts. One of the aims of contemporary moral philosophy is to discover some method or style of argument that can help people resolve moral disagreements (Landesman, 2000). Moral philosophy searches the interior of humanity and seeks answers to questions of right and wrong. Pressing questions for moral philosophy ask individuals to affirm or deny abortion, capital punishment, polygamy, illicit drug use, and prostitution. Political philosophy concerns itself with the nature of the state and seeks to assess its justification and proper organization (Moore Bruder, 2004). Rather than seeking the answers to what is moral, right, or just, political philosophy considers which structure works best for the ordering of society, and who should rule within that structure. For example, according to Plato aristocracy is a preferred form of government that is ruled by a philosopher-king (Moore Bruder, 2004, pg. 311). Each of the mentioned branches of philosophy expresses the values that construct the conditions for human life. A healthy, viable society is erected not only by steel and mortar, but also by social mores, concepts of proper interactions, and systems for vetting policy ideas to govern behavior. Social and moral philosophy ask what is right and just with our social institutions, with the expectation that the perfect society is realistically obtainable. Moral and political philosophy work together to first set the foundation for describing the optimal good, and then creating the rationale and methodology for ordering the thoughts, ideas, and justification for state organization and action. The Differences While there is overlap between social, moral, and political philosophy, there are also points where they depart from each other to separate ideological territory. The thing that differentiates each of the mentioned areas of philosophy can be determined by the angle taken on a question. As an example, consider an unmarried couple that has premarital intimate relations that results in a pregnancy. Social philosophy would ask what the couple should do that would result in the best social relations, with the best net effect for society overall. Moral philosophy would search their options and ask if abortion, out-of-wedlock birth, and premarital sex are right or wrong. Political philosophy would ask what laws should be created to enforce the best interests of the state. Applications for Modern Life In modern life there are plenty of opportunities to apply social, moral, and political philosophy. Consider the vexing and ongoing war in Iraq. The war started with a new political theory that was dubbed â€Å"the Bush doctrine,† named after President George W. Bush. For the first time in American history the country was signaling to the world that preemptive aggression against countries thought to threaten American interest was acceptable. The idea of attacking other countries before they attacked first had previously been viewed as contradictory to the essential political tradition in America. Traditional American political philosophy going back to the earliest leaders was nearly isolationist and firmly against needlessly meddling in international strife. Everything changed with the Bush doctrine. Social philosophy considers life in America and Iraq as a result of the war. What type of society would be best in a post-war Iraq? How can the deeply divisive war be moderated in America between individuals who support and oppose the war? Moral philosophy wonders about the rightness of attacking people when they have not been aggressive first; about equivalency of murder and so-called â€Å"collateral damage,† a euphemism for accidental killing of non-combatants; and whether Americans soldiers who fight in Iraq are just warriors fighting for virtuous aims or improper agents of injustice. Political philosophy would strike to the heart of how the decision for the United States to engage in preemptive war should be decided. In a famous quote President Bush announced to the American public â€Å"I’m the decider. † However, the democratic republic and constitutional form of government actually rests the declaration of war in the domain of Congress. Founders of American government purposefully separated the system into three branches in an attempt to create checks and balances. With the actions of President Bush, one would need political philosophy to reason through the ambiguous local of war powers used amongst the three branches of government. If the president is able to use a personal philosophy in order to commit the American military to a long-term war, then the form of government would seem to be aristocracy. If Congress were to use their authority to prevent the doctrine of preemptive war from prevailing, then the form of government would seem to be a republic. If the president and Congress were to observe the polls that reveal a majority of Americans disapprove of the war, and act upon public opinion, the form of government would be democracy. Conclusion Though social, moral, and political philosophies share common elements, they contrast each other by the questions they consider in given circumstances. Social philosophy questions what is best between humans and their collectives. Moral philosophy seeks determinations of right and wrong, justice and injustice, virtue and dishonor. Political philosophy ponders the best way to organize the State. Each field of philosophy shares the net effect of creating structure for how humans exist, behave, and live together. However, the fields differ in that they concentrate in on instance on the experiential nature of human interaction, in another case on abstract concept of rightness, and in another case on the physical structure of the State. Landesman, C. (Winter 2000). Can Moral Philosophy Teach Us Anything?. Academic Questions, 14, 1. p. 50. Retrieved April 08, 2008, from General OneFile via Gale: http://find. galegroup. com/itx/start. do? prodId=ITOF.

High Bypass Ratio Turbofan

High Bypass Ratio Turbofan INTRODUCTION Turbofan engines are basically turbojet engines which are provided with a large fan. These were developed to combine some of the best features of both turbojet and turboprop engines. The major advantage of turbofan engines are that it provides a better fuel efficiency. Most of the airliners today use turbofan engines. (Aviation History online museum c. 2008) Bypass ratio: It is defined as the mass flow rate of air bypassing the combustion chamber to the mass flow rate of air passing through the core of the engine. Figure I: Schematic diagram of Low and High Bypass Turbo fan (Yoon J. 2001) Turbo fan engines may be sub-categorized based on the bypass ratio as:- Low-bypass ratio turbofan A small amount of air bypasses the combustion chamber, through the fan ducts and the fan is of very small diameter. These are compact in nature. High-bypass ratio turbofan The fan in a high-bypass turbofan is much larger to force a large volume of air through the ducts. These can generate more thrust, are better in fuel efficiency and are less noisy than the other engines. (Yoon J. 2001) The three major companies to introduce turbofan engines were General Electric, Rolls Royce and Pratt Whitney. All of these companies introduced there version of turbofan engine one after the other. The first high bypass turbofan engine was developed by general electric the GE-T39 in 1964; this was developed in response to the desire of the United States Air Force. (General Electric Co. 2008) Figure III: Pratt Whitney Turbofan engine (Serra 2008) Currently the turbofan engine market is dominated by General Electric, Rolls-Royce plc and Pratt Whitney. GE Aircraft Engines, a part of General Electric, has the largest share of turbofan engine market. (Opentia n.d.) The major disadvantages of these engines is its complexity to manufacture as it contains a multiple shaft system, the large diameter of the engine and a requirement to contain such heavy front fan blades which make it a bulky machine. (WordIQ n.d.) FUNCTIONS OF THE FRONT FAN The front fan or the inlet cowl plays a multi-functional role in the running of a turbofan engine. These are comparatively larger in size than the other parts of the engine. This variation in size facilitates in the creation of a bypass air flow. The bypass air flow is defined as the air entering the engine but not flowing through the compression stages, it flows out of the engine as a bypass to the engine core. This bypass air flow is designed to develop an additional thrust as it passes from the outer surface of the engine core. This bypass air not only generates the additional thrust but helps in lowering the surface temperature of various parts in the engine as it acts as coolant acting on the external surface engine body. It also helps in reducing the noise created by the engine as it suppresses the exhaust noise. Apart from the above functions, the fan blades play a major role in reducing the speed of the air entering the engine. For better fuel efficiency, the air entering the combustion chamber must be highly compressed (Compression ratio around 15). For this the air must pass through the compression stages at sub sonic speeds. The front fan blades act as an obstruction to the incoming air and reduce its speed. Also, the curvature provided on each fan blade direct the air evenly across the inlet of the engine, increasing efficiency. The air is guided in a manner to provide a radial inlet to the compressor. (Benson Jul 29 2008) IN SERVICE CONDITIONS The front fan blades are subjected to various conditions which they should be able to sustain in order for proper functioning of the engine. The may be classified as:- Temperature: The fan blades are subjected to a temperature range of  ± 60oC. The blade material should remain stable in this range of temperature. Figure III: Turbofan engine temperature and pressure distribution by NASA Pressure: The pressure range for fan blades can be classified between 0.192atm (@40,000ft) to 1atm (@sea level). Stresses: The maximum stress concentration can be observed at the root of the blade. Maximum tensile stresses and laminar shear stress occur at the root of the blade. Maximum tensile stress concentrations, under steady state conditions, are concentrated about the undercut radius on either side of the shear slot key. This is due to the centrifugal loads incurred while the blades are rotating. Icing: Ice may accumulate on the fan blades and on the fan rotor when flying under high humidity and temperature around freezing point. The ice on the surface of the fan blades disturbs the airflow and generates vortices. These vortices can lead to an unstable compressor operation. They facilitate stall and surge. This ice also induces an imbalance which leads to vibrations. Detached ice pieces from this can even create a risk for foreign object damage when they hit the fan rotor and components behind the fan. (Diesinger 2008: 179) OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS The various operational requirements of the material for the front fan blades of a turbofan engines can be summarized as a material with:- Fatigue Resistance Front fan blades undergo cyclic fatigue loads. It has been observed that the fatigue failure has often been a reason for initiation of fatigue crack on the blade surface. Fatigue failure (No. of cycles) à ¢Ãƒâ€¹Ã¢â‚¬  Ã‚  1/ Level of Stress Corrosion Resistant In rainy or overcast conditions, the fan blades must be corrosion resistant to avoid rusting on the blades. The rusting can cause abrasions on its surface which may result as an obstruction in the motion of flowing air. Light in Weight As discussed earlier, the turbofans are one of the heaviest turbine engines and the front fan blades add quite a lot to the weight of the engine due to its size. Hence, it is desirable to have a material which is effectively light in weight. Vibrations The material should be able to withstand vibrations produced in the engine due to the high speed incoming air. High frequency vibrations can cause de-stabilization to the aircraft. Blades The front fan blades must undergo super plastic forming at the tip to retain a blade angle. The blades are provided with a double circular arc blade profile for subsonic compression of the incoming air. After casting the blades should undergo annealing at recrystallization temperature for the removal of residual stresses that may have induced during the forming process. (Babu 2009:110-111) Blades should have sharp edges to be able to crush any particle that comes in way of its operation. This is to avoid any foreign body from entering the turbine and damaging the engine. High stiffness The blade material should have a high stiffness so as to avoid any deformation on its surface in case an object strikes it while in operation. Resistance to cracks The materials of the blades should be resistant to cracks as even on crack initiation the material should resist the developing of the crack. In case if the material is not crack resistant then it might result in quick developing of crack resulting into failure of the fan blades, which can lead to further engine trouble. MATERIAL CHARACTERISTICS Various material characteristics that need to be considered while selecting the material for the front fan blades of a turbofan engine are:- High tensile strength and fatigue strength. Low density. Resistance to corrosion. Sustain temperature range  ±60 oC. High fracture toughness. Damping capability. Hardness: 327-339 HV. (ATSB 2001:15) Avoid any residual stresses as they can lead to cracks. Avoid ice formation by providing sleek surface to the fan blades. (centrifugal action) SUMMARY From the above information we can summarize that the front fan blade plays a very crucial role in turbofan engines. These help in achieving better fuel consumption and hence are of great importance to the turbofan engine. Material selection for the blades should be done carefully considering the requirements such as High endurance Limit, Low density, removal of residual stresses, High fracture toughness, High damping Capability and resistance to corrosion.

Compare and Contrast Kami and Shen, the Japanese and Chinese Words for

Compare and Contrast Kami and Shen, the Japanese and Chinese Words for God The words kami in Japanese and shen in Chinese both are translated into English as the word god. Although they both refer to somewhat similar supernatural elements, they are by no means identical to each other. Chinese shen is an abstract term referring to spirits and relating to abstract thoughts such as the heavens and the afterlife. In contrast, kami are very often related directly to a person or actual object and are worshiped in a hope for more day-to-day help or this worldly benefits. In order to help explain the relationship between kami and shen, I will first explore the similarities between the two terms, then discuss the unique characteristics which define both shen and kami. Motori Norinaga, an eighteenth century Japanese intellectual, said that the meanings of shen and kami "coincide seventy or eight per cent of cases†¦ Ever since ancient times, their meanings have both been expressed in a single character†¦ with no difference being paid to the difference between the two" (qtd. in Xiaolin 1). When the Japanese first borrowed the Chinese writing system to use as their own, they used the Chinese character for shen to express both kami and shin (another Japanese word for spirits, more closely associated with shen.) In all of the Chinese texts that the Japanese imported, shen was translated as either kami or shin, using kami when the spirit was well defined and shin when it was more of an abstract thought. It was not until the Japanese later differentiated their writing from Chinese that the characters for shen and kami became different. The non-differentiation between the two words helps to show their close similarity to each other. Chine... .... Practically Religious. Honolulu: Univ. of Hawai'i Press: 1998. Schipper, Kristofer. The Taoist Body. Berkeley: Univ. of California Press, 1993. Tanabe, George J. Jr. "Introduction: Japan." Religions of Asia in Practice. Ed. Donald S. Lopez, Jr. Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press, 2002. 591-612. Teeuwen, Mark. "Motoori Norinaga on the Two Shrines at Ise." Religions of Asia in Practice. Ed. Donald S. Lopez, Jr. Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press, 2002. 678-693. Teiser, Stephen F. "Introduction: Chinese Religion." Religions of Asia in Practice. Ed. Donald S. Lopez, Jr. Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press, 2002. 295-329. Xiaolin, Wang. "Cultural Differentiation: On shen and Xin in Chinese and Japanese." Trans. Robert Neather. City Univ. of Hong Kong. 17 Apr. 2003. <http://www.cityu.edu.hk/ccs/Newsletter/newsletter3/HomePage/CulturalDiff/CulturalDiff.html>.

Artificial Intelligence :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Artificial intelligence is the study of how to makes computers do things which, at the moment, people do better. This definition is vague because of its reference to the current state of computer science. Artificial intelligence is a combination of computer science, physiology and philosophy. AI is a broad topic including many different fields, from machine vision to expert systems. AI can be described as the attempt to build machines that think and act like humans, that are able to learn and to use their knowledge to solve problems on their own. The element that is common in the fields of AI is the creation of machines that can â€Å"think†. Artificial intelligence has come a long way form its early roots, driven by dedicated researches. AI really began to fascinate researches with the invention of the computers in 1943. The technology was finally available, or so it seemed to stimulate intelligent behavior. Over the next four decades, despite many stumbli ng blocks, AI has grown from a dozen researches, to thousands of engineers and specialists; and from programs capable of playing checkers, to system designed to diagnose disease.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ability to solve any problem no matter how big or small, it measures the intelligence in many different contexts. Intelligent machines cannot really serve any practical purpose unless the computers could cope with the big problem, which people overcome as a matter of routine. AI is a new step that is very helpful to the society. Machines can do jobs that require detailed instructions followed and mental alertness. AI with its learning capabilities can accomplish those tasks but only if the world’s conservatives are ready to change and allow this to be a possibility. There are many capabilities of AI. The more use we get out of the machines he less work is required by us. There would be less injuries and stress to human beings. Human beings learn by trying so we must be prepared to give a chance to AI. There is always that fear if AI is learning based, will machines learn that being rich and successful is a good thing? There are so many things that can g o wrong with a new system so we must be as prepared as we can for this new technology. Research into the areas of learning, of language and of sensory perception has aided scientists in building intelligent machines.

Chitosan and Weight Loss :: Health Diet Essays

Chitosan and Weight Loss Just What They Want To Hear Everyone enjoys a good fatty meal from McDonald's, KFC, or any other fast food restaurant from time to time. Or maybe just a bag of chips, a candy bar, or an ice cream cone. All of these are food items which people consume on a regular basis and are full of fat. For years, the public has worried about the intake of fat from items such as these and has almost obsessed over weight, figures, and fat. With all the hype about liquid diets, diet pills, diet programs, etc. who wouldn't jump at the idea of an all natural solution. The makers of this product has certainly done their share of work to create an image truly appealing to any and all that dream of losing that extra fat. This probable solution is called chitosan and is simply a fat inhibitor which appears to work miracles for those in search of a safe way to lose that body fat. The information surrounding this product is extremely impressive and appears to justify a revolutionary new discovery. However, is this truly wh at it is dressed up to be or is it yet another gimmick? Chitosan: Where did it come from? Regardless of chitosan's miraculous overview, it is a very simple substance which has been around for ages. It is taken from chitin, a polysaccharide found in the exoskeletons of crustaceans. It is processed by removing the shells from shellfish such as shrimp, lobster, and crabs. The shells are then ground into a pulverous powder. This powder is then deacetylated, or basically stripped of specific chemical groups which allows the compound to thus actively "soak up fats." Or so this is what the producers claim. It has been used in the past in the process of detoxifying water. It was simply spread over the surface of water, where it would immediately absorb any toxic substances such as greases, oils, or dangerous heavy metals. The process is so complete that a scum forms over the surface of water and is then easily removed. For this reason, chitosan is extremely popular all over the world in water purification plants. The present form of chitosan has just been introduced recently as a

Citizenship Birthright Under Fire

Citizenship Birthright Under Fire Summary During one morning in Washington, DC, Senator Mitch McConnell who is the Senate minority leader, argued with Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina about the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. The 14th Amendment grants citizenship to anymore born in the United States. Graham spoke out saying the Amendment was a mistake because children of illegal immigrants could become citizens if they were born in the United States automatically.He also stated as well as granting legal status to millions of illegal immigrants, he would also amend the 14th Amendment in order to nullify future unauthorized immigration. Republican and Democratic lawmakers were surprised with Graham’s proposal since he was basically the only Republican to negotiate with Democrats to create an immigration overhaul bill. This debate has been centered on the citizenship clause â€Å"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction th ereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. People against this amendment have argued that illegal immigrants are not under U. S. jurisdiction and therefore America-born children should not be automatically become citizens. The amendment has been practiced since the 1860’s and if the law were changed it would make babies born from Mexican mothers illegally they would become immigrants at birth. Opponents against the amendment say that Mexican mothers would have the babies here in the U. S. so that hopefully the mothers would receive citizenship. The only thing is by law American citizen children must wait until they are 21 years old to apply for legal residency for their parents.About 4 million citizen children have at least one parent who is an illegal immigrant. Even though Graham is pushing to reconstruct the amendment it would be huge political proposition. Opinion I woke up this morning, proud to be an American. I do not usually think w ould if I was born somewhere else or would if my relatives never came over to America? Or even would if the 14th Amendment was never thought of or brought up? I just go about my day as usual. If I really look into it and think about it, if my relatives never came to America, I would not be sitting here in this comfortable chair, typing this paper for my government class.As a matter of fact I, as a human being, would not be here. My grandfather’s roots are from Mexico and my grandmother’s are from Germany. If it was not for the 14th Amendment, they would have not met or have been able to be in this country. People come to America for a better life and opportunity. The U. S. is very diverse with different cultures, religions, and races and yet some people whose ancestors came over here are arguing that it is not fair for other people to have an opportunity to succeed. Yet I sort of see why they are complaining because America gets bigger every year due to people coming o ver

Health care challenges Essay

Our country is set to face a new way of managing health which could potentially change the environment on how nurses deliver care. As our nation prepares for the implementation of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, nursing as a healing profession has to be open to what the future of health management holds. The goal is to have all registered nurses reach a high level of understanding and acquire tools necessary to provide the best possible way at a low cost. It is both moral and professional obligation of our leaders to ensure that highly competent and well trained nurses are available throughout this transition. To achieve this goal, nurse educators are the key players to train both novice and seasoned nurses to the change based on the new policies and evidence-based research. However, our Nurse Educators are overwhelmed with their current workload hence causing faculty shortage in the country. A recent study published on 2011 aimed to explore the relation of nursing faculty shortage to their workload, determine if there are evidences that the faculty workload is not equitable and the implication/effect to the nursing research and nursing academic. According to this study, there are multiple factors that influence the nursing faculty shortage such as lack of interest from the nurses to try academic careers, time spends to clinical practice defers pursuance into academic positions, low salaries, high educational costs, nursing education dissatisfaction and most importantly low institutional funding for additional nurse educator positions. Nancy Falk stated in her article that â€Å"despite current critical shortage and growing demand for nurses and nurse educators, federal funding falls far short of addressing these healthcare workforce challenges. Workforce projections suggest that the US will face a shortage of 285,000 nurses by 2015 and 500, 000 by 2025.† (Mason, Leavitt & Chaffee, 2012, p 58). Also, American Association Colleges of Nursing reported on 2011-2012, that nursing schools turned away 75,587 applicants who are qualified for baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs because of inadequate nursing faculty including clinical preceptors. These challenges ultimately impact the future of patient care if not addressed. Faculty leaders must work in partnership to create a strategy that will help prevent further faculty shortage by focusing on balanced faculty workload to avoid burnout. This article emphasized on the continuous support by government officials especially adequate funding to nursing education. AACN is allocating its resources to protect federal funding for academic development programs, identify strategies to prevent nursing educator shortage. Additional solution is to create a mentorship program for nurse faculty. This strategy was confirmed by various literature and studies to promote nursing faculty recruitment and retention. Mentorship brings encouragement and direction to clinical educators who are new to the role and prevent burnout. Health care system will be lost without nurses in our society. Statistic shows that there are currently 2.9 million nurses in the United States but nurses with special skills such as in education is extremely needed. Nurse Educators, in some ways, affect the lives of everyone. It is through this role where highly competent, compassionate healers such as nurses are produced. â€Å"The future of the nursing profession depends on a steady supply of nurses to provide the quality care to patients† (Cowen & Moorhead, 2011, p. 60)