Hume and the Utility of Practical Governance Essay

Hume and the Utility of Practical Governance - Essay Example Central to this concept is the implicit consent of the governed, whose accession to this arrangement is assumed to be voluntary. Hume disputed this notion, however, citing, as example, that there is nothing voluntary about an individual who is too poor to leave or seek subsistence anywhere but the nation of his birth. â€Å"We may as well assert, that a man, by remaining in a vessel, freely consents to the dominion of the master; though he was carried on board while asleep, and must leap into the ocean and perish, the moment he leaves her† (Graham 2011, p. 186). Hume’s essay â€Å"Of the Original Contract† argued that ideas about government by consent and the authority of the state must have context and a basis in historical fact to be practical. Hume decried the notion of original contract as put forth by the Whigs, whom he felt offered little concrete evidence and left too much to discretion and interpretation. In his view, it amounted to an invitation to revol t at the drop of the political hat. In other words, such theorizing might encourage citizens to rise up â€Å"whenever (the people) find themselves aggrieved by that authority, with which they have, for certain purposes, voluntarily entrusted (the sovereign)† (Forbes 1975, 93). ... n irresistibly powerful inclination to ascribe â€Å"liberal† or â€Å"conservative† leanings and associations to individuals who operate on the remotest periphery of the political sphere. Thus, it should come as no surprise that writers and historians have for centuries sought to paint Hume with a Tory or Whig brush (depending on their ideological preferences, of course). In light of the evidence, and Hume’s writings, this is a mistaken perspective. The most revealing information concerning Hume’s position on the original contract, and other political theories, came from Hume himself. â€Å"Hume provided an important clue to the proper interpretation of his political writings by referring himself as a ‘philosopher.’ As he pointed out, a philosopher looks at political problems differently than a spokesman for a political party† (Miller 1961). Miller notes – properly – that those who have studied Hume’s beliefs shoul d have concentrated on the â€Å"general principles which underly† the seemingly ambiguous statements Hume makes concerning government (Ibid). Miller makes a compelling argument, concluding that Hume cannot be considered partisan since he wrote as a political philosopher. In this light, Hume’s position concerning the original contract is one of pragmatism and expediency. His opinions are crafted so that they address the practical needs of government as he saw them in his day. 3 In his 1742 essay â€Å"Of Civil Liberty,† Hume is critical of both Tories and Whigs in regard to their treatment of the original contract. He is opposed to extremes, to the Tories’ â€Å"tracing up government to the Deity, (endeavoring) to render it†¦sacred and inviolate†¦, † and the Whigs’ regard of government as absolutely deriving from the consent of the people

Evidence-Based Practice Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Evidence-Based Practice - Coursework Example These questions are meant to elicit a feedback that provides a clear understanding of the current methods that are applied in practice. These questions will inform about the issues that should be addressed or improved to make nursing practice better including patient care outcomes. The spirit of inquiry will also help me access the tools that can be used to enhance evidence-based care within my institution, thereby improving the delivery of care (Stevens, 2013). The second strategy is to use the PICOT clinical question. The PICOT question will feature the patient population, the intervention, comparison, the outcome and the time. The question will provide a means through which I can identify the most relevant information about an issue or problem of concern and enable me search for a relevant intervention in the least time possible. This will ensure that I improve patient care and care outcomes because time will be spent giving patients the best care they can receive and also save on the institution resources because these resources will be used only to implement interventions that have been researched clearly and that they can address the needs of the patient adequately. This strategy entails understanding all of its five concepts and ensuring that they are studied correctly (Dogherty, Harrison, & Graham, 2010). The third strategy entails using the Evidence-based practice (EBP) rounds. This is an effective way of addressing EBP within the institution especially because of the fact that it has a large group. This technique will enable the incorporation of all levels of practitioners and allow them to participate in the change process without discrimination. When the healthcare team discusses issues of patient progress, the EBP rounds will enable the group to discuss supporting evidence related to the change decisions in the institution. I have gained knowledge on the use of EBP and its

Problem Solving Mini Project Report Essay Example for Free

Problem Solving Mini Project Report Essay 1.Introduction NTU students spend lots of time in tutorial rooms studying. However, the chairs in NTU tutorial rooms are uncomfortable. Seat pans and backrests are plastic and tables attached to right armrests are 20cm above the seat pans and too small to place taptops. Students complain about these chairs. According to our group’s survey, 70 of 72 SM2 students suffer backaches after long hours of writing sitting on the chairs. Since tables are fixed, most students are forced to bend down to write on the table for a long time, which puts a great strain on their backs and causes pain. Also, half students interviewed feel the illumination of rooms is inadequate. Therefore, we have modified the TR chairs to solve these problems. 2.Body 2.1 Criteria for solution The modified chairs should meet the following requirements: †¢Tables are adjustable and easy to fold; †¢Backrests support the back of the body; †¢Seatmats are soft; †¢Tables can generate light according to indoor lighting conditions; †¢Chairs are aesthetically pleasing; †¢Cost is low. 2.2 Description of the solution Our ‘wonderchairs’ are like glossy silver eggs made from hard glass-fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP). Chairs have three foldable layers with two wheels at the bottom. The top layer with one side stuffed with rayon can be flipped over as a backrest. The backrest is positioned at an angle of 100 °and stuffed with soft Rayon stuffing which supports the back of the body comfortably. The second layer serves as a table with a 22cm-radius, overcoming the existing defect of being too small which hinders comfortable writing. It can be easily lifted and pushed forward by 20cm by pulling or rotating a lever to suit a student’ personal need so that he can write comfortably on the table. The third layer is a relaxing 24cmÃâ€"24cm seat with a beige corduroy cover and Rayon stuffing. The tables can automatically generate light from LED lamps on the desktop. Lamps are 25cm sticks in a groove on the table when not working. By rotating them 90 °we connect the lamps to a circuit and they start working. Tables consist of three layers. The first is made from transparent GFRP to allow maximum light to pass through and be absorbed and turned into electricity by the photo-voltaic panel in the second layer. The second layer also contains a light sensor detecting lighting condition and accordingly adjusting the intensity of the lamp light. Powered by photo-voltaic panel, the lamp produces proper light according to the indoor illumination conditions. This ensures appropriate room lighting. The third layer is opaque GFRP to strengthen the table. The self-lighting system utilizes solar energy to create light, so it is energy-saving and environmentally-friendly. 2.3 Cost The wonderchairs have low cost and predict great potential for mass use in colleges. One chair: SG$ 1 (Rayon)1 SG$ 1 (Aluminum lever+wheels)2 SG$ 2 (GFRP)3 SG$ 2.5 (solar panel)4 SG$ 0.1 (light sensor)5 SG$ 1 (lamp)6 Total: SG$ 7.51 3 Conclusion Our wonderchairs are targeted at reducing present NTU TR chairs’ discomfort and harm to the human body. Their soft seatmats, supportive backrests and adjustable tables minimize backaches and maximize comfort levels for students. The lighting system provides appropriate light. Their revolutionary egg-shaped design also appeals to students. Moreover, they are cheap enough to be used on a great scale and their use can be extended to homes and offices to benefit more people.

Restriction Enzyme Analysis of DNA

Restriction Enzyme Analysis of DNA Agarose gel electrophoresis is a method used in biochemistry and molecular biology. It is used to separate DNA or RNA molecules by size. Since DNA and RNA have negatively charge, when they go through an agarose matrix with an electric field, they will move from cathode to anode. The shorter molecules move faster and migrate farther than longer molecules; therefore the different sizes molecules can be separate. The most important factor which affects the migration is the length of the DNA molecules. A restriction enzyme, is an enzyme that cuts double stranded DNA following its specific recognition of short nucleotide sequences, is used to cut the DNA into small fragments. The unique recognition sequences are usually tetra- or hexanucleotide palindromes with axes of dyad symmetry. Which means the sequence on one strand reads the same in the reverse direction on the complementary strand, e.g. GTATAC and its complementary strand CATATG. Recognition sequences in DNA differ for each restriction enzyme, producing differences in the length, sequence and strand orientation of the DNA fragments. Plasmid is an extra chromosomal DNA molecule, which is capable of replicating independently of the chromosomal DNA. It is circular and double stranded. Plasmid is usually found in bacteria. The size of plasmid is between 1 to 200 kilobase pairs. In this experiment, a specific recombinant plasmid pBR325 was analyzed, and hence a restriction map would be constructed. METHOD As described in the practical manual RESULTS From the photograph, four unknown plasmid fragments migrated distance could be measured and hence the four fragments size could be found: In lane 2: migrated distance of the fragment was 36.5mm, therefore 11.00 kilobase would be the size of this fragment; In lane 3: migrated distance of the near fragment was 42.5mm, therefore 7.08 kilobase would be the size of this fragment; migrated distance of the further fragment was 66mm, therefore 3.98 kilobase would be the size of this fragment; In lane 4: migrated distance of the near fragment was 40.75mm, therefore 7.94 kilobase would be the size of this fragment; migrated distance of the further fragment was 73mm, therefore 2.82 kilobase would be the size of this fragment; In lane 5: migrated distance of the near fragment was 50mm, therefore 6.31 kilobase would be the size of this fragment; migrated distance of the further fragment was 53mm, therefore 5.62 kilobase would be the size of this fragment; The 4 unknown plasmid size and migrated distance were showed in following table: The size of the plasmid could be found, which was about 11 kilobase. Since the plasmid was only cut by EcoRI + BamHI in about 4:8 ratio of the plasmid, therefore the restriction map for EcoRI + BamHI could be construted: DISCUSSION The nucleic acids migrated from cathode to anode since it had negatively charge. The cutting ratio of three enzymes could be found by the size of fragment as result showed. The last lane, which was the uncut plasmid, was loaded, in order to compare with the EcoRI enzyme cut fragment. The migrated distance of this uncut plasmid was large than EcoRI cuts migrated distance, which could be measured from graph. EcoRI cuts fragment was like uncoiled elastic. It encounters more resistance migrating through a gel because it is spread out and will be in direct contact with more of the gel matrix. Uncut plasmid was tightly coiled, like a balled up elastic. While the molecule may be the same size, the coiling compresses it, allowing it to encounter less resistance when migrating through the gel. This indicated the minimum base pairs of the plasmid. If a hybrid recombinant plasmid was constructed from pBR325 by the insertion of a fragment of DNA at the BamHI restriction site, firstly the total size of the plasmid got bigger. To determine the size of the inserted fragment, EcoRI and PstI were used to cut the plasmid, and result was compared with original plasmids fragment to get the size of the inserted fragment. There was no additional band visible behind the main uncut plasmid band in lane 7. If there ware, they must be the chromosomal DNA bands, the absent of these in lane 2, 3, 4 and 5 was because they were too small, might not be seen, or ran off the gel. The fluorescent bands of the DNA restriction fragments in lane 2, 3, 4, and 5 were several fold brighter than the uncut plasmid band in lane 7. It was because that the DNA fragment are free at both ends and can uncoil and pick up as much EtBr as it fits, whereas the uncut plasmid could not uncoil more than a certain amount without the phosphate chain breaking: for every incorporated molecule of EtBr it had an area of local under-coiling that had to be compensated by another area of over-coiling, this area would not incorportate any EtBr. So the number of EtBr molecules it could pick up was limited because of sterical considerations. Therefore the DNA fragment had less sterical restrictions, stained more than the uncut plasmid.

Helen Keller Essay -- Story of My Life

Helen Keller Helen Keller was an American author who lived to educate and inspire others to become the most unique author of her time. She was a gifted woman who had exceptional writing abilities. She utilized simplistic style to correspond with all varieties of people. She wrote to inspire people and to help disabled people achieve their goals. Her writing style was full of many types of diction, syntactic devices, and patterns of imagery to exemplify her life chronicle. Keller used an unadorned tone with superb expressions and descriptions. Helen Adams Keller was born in the small town of Tuscumbia, Alabama in 1880. When she was nineteen months old she was diagnosed with scarlet fever, which left her blind and deaf for the rest of her life. When she was a child she was put under the care of Anne Sullivan, and she would become her life long friend and companion. Sullivan began to teach her by writing with her finger, the name of objects into her hand. Keller began to learn very rapidly. She started to write very quickly using a ruler to guide her sentences. She learned how to read Braille and then to speak. In 1900, Keller went to Radcliffe College and graduated with honors. She lectured around the world about her life experiences and met many famous people such as Mark Twain. She was an extraordinary woman and one of the most recognized people in history. Helen Keller shows herself as a well educated, persevering, and eager woman. She brought her success through her education, which she was taught at a young age. Keller learned her thirty new words the same day she learned her first. Next, she presented a very strong personality. In her early years Keller states, â€Å"†¦although I find it difficult, I s... ...m her birth and follows on by each of her accomplishments. She wrote her story just how her life happened, she included all of her inspirations and the people that helped her fulfil her goals. Helen Keller wrote her life story as a tool for other people to learn from. She was plagued by disabilities that she had to overcome. Her story is wonderful and her achievements are amazing. Keller let nothing stop her from meeting famous people, to traveling all over the world to talk to people and inspire them. She did many things that even people with no disadvantages couldn’t accomplish. Bibliography Keller, Helen Adams Story of My Life. New York, New York: Bantam Books, June 1990 Herrmann, Dorothy â€Å"Helen Keller.† Famous Women 1990. Yahoo. http://www.charlotte.com/services/books/0920review.htm Microsoft Encarta 97 Microsoft Corporation, 1993-1996

Essay --

Antigone is a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles. Antigone finds out that her brothers Polyneices and Eteocles are dead after killing each other. Antigone decides to bury Polyneices and asks her sister Ismene to help her but she refuses. The Creon, the king of Thebes, refuses to bury Polyneices because of going against the state, while his brother is to be buried in honor because he fought for his state and did what he is supposed to do. So he orders for no one to bury Polyneices. Antigone buries her brother but is caught. Creon sentences her to death for disobeying. After a while and being convinced, he decides to let her go. But before he is able to release Antigone, he finds out that she with both his son Haimon and his wife have killed themselves. A tragic hero should be someone who causes their own downfall and disgrace. By using their greatest weakness without noticing their own errors. But until the biggest catastrophe results, they recognize their wrong judging and all they h ave caused. A sympathetic character is the character that the reader can relate to and understand what they are going through. The character that the reader feels sympathy to and concerned about because they have a sad destiny. Also someone who we later tend to admire for what they have done and dealt with it. Antigone is the most sympathetic character because she cannot do anything about her suffering and what she is going through, while Creon is the tragic hero because he uses his own pride that destroys his own power and life. Creon is the tragic hero because he uses his weakness pride to be looked as a great ruler and try to ignore his wrong judgment. But this makes it worse and causes something he does not want to expect. Creon expects that no o... ...e because even if he has much power as king can have, he is insecure when it comes to choices. He does not have a side where the audience can see he cares, but instead he has self-importance and shows no pity because he is doing his own life. Antigone shows all she has got and takes risks on what she thinks is right out of love. While Creon just care for himself and actually ignores what he is doing right. Having pride as a king leads to destroying his own power. But Antigone is the sympathetic character more than Creon because her life has a fate already planned and cannot do anything about it so instead she defends her beliefs for other people and what they deserve. Creon just has pride with what he is doing to his own family and people to be seen as the best. If there is no knowledge on something done, this could result on causing one’s own destruction of life.

Ethics Dilemma Paper Essay

ETHICS DILEMMA PAPER One of the most difficult things in the criminal justice field is related to ethics in the criminal justice profession. Whether it being a corrections officer, police officer, or a judge. The main goal is to ensure you as a professional are making the right decision for the greater good and that it falls within the guidelines that are set before you in the laws that have been written. In the recent dilemma that occurred in Broward County on February 19, 2014 is an example of an ethics dilemma in the criminal justice field that happens much too often. I will explain to you the nature of the dilemma, the ethical/unethical decision that was made, the outcome of the situation, and suggest some alternative courses of actions that could have taken place instead and why. NATURE OF THE DILEMMA On February 19, 2014 a Broward County Sheriff’s deputy of 20 plus years on the force conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle traveling unlawfully in the HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lane. Once the deputy had the vehicle stopped he was informed by the woman in the driver’s seat that she was recording him conducting the traffic stop. Once the sheriff’s deputy gained knowledge of  this he proceeded to force his way into the woman’s vehicle trying to grab her phone, then pulling her out of the vehicle and dragging her onto the ground causing injuries in several places as another deputy stood by with his gun drawn. All the while this was going on he continued to yell at her stating she was committing a felony and telling her â€Å"I know the law better than you† , and placing her under arrest. The ethical dilemma this situation brings forward is: was the actions taken by this deputy really necessary and justified on an ethical basis? (Miller, 2014). ETHICAL DECISION MADE In this particular situation an unethical decision was made based on the circumstances of the incident at hand. The deputy was committing a crime (felony) himself by unlawfully forcing his way into her vehicle, and detaining her against her will for a crime she did not commit. All for a simple civil infraction (driving in an HOV lane), that could have been handled in a totally different and professional manner. This was the only law the woman was breaking at the time, and the only probable cause the deputy had to go on for the actions that he took. OUTCOME OF THE SITUATION Once the dust settled upon this unfortunate situation, the deputy assumed and thought that the woman was breaking the law by recording the audio and video of the deputy. He assumed that he had to give the woman permission to audio record him. Unfortunately to his disadvantage the Florida courts ruled upholding a â€Å"expectation of privacy provision† (Silverman, 2012) to their all-party law, which the courts ruled does not apply to on-duty police (or anyone in public), as long as you are not interfering with them in conducting their duty. In this particular case the deputy appeared to be uneducated in this revision to the law that the law enforcement agency clearly neglected to educate its department on. ALTERNATIVE COURSES OF ACTION/ WHY According to the situation at hand some of the alternative courses of actions that the deputy could have taken and the woman that was being stopped could have been drastically different. Ethically speaking the deputy could have not taken his actions to the extreme that he did all over the simple recording violation that he thought the woman was committing. His life was not in danger nor was there any indication of any physical threat coming from the woman. The deputy totally handled that situation in a very unprofessional and unethical manner. On the other hand the woman could have easily been justified in using deadly force on the deputy if he was not a law enforcement officer. She would have been justified well within the guidelines of Florida’s Justifiable Use of Force law considering he unlawfully forced his into her car and violently dragged her out. Fortunately for him he was a law enforcement officer or he could have been killed. Another course of action for the sheriff’s deputy and the department could have been to properly educate themselves and their officers of the most current laws regarding these types of situations. In addition to making sure each and every deputy gets a refresher course on the necessary use of force procedures every few years. CONCLUSION In conclusion of this ethical dilemma situation, what I can draw from this is several things. One being always treat people in a way I would like to be treated unless circumstances dictate otherwise; it is the right and ethical action to take. Sometimes we just do not get that luxury of doing such an action when dealing with certain types of people and situations and yes certain actions are necessary. Always take the time to educate yourself on certain laws or information you are not sure of before acting on what you think may be correct. Just like the famous saying, â€Å"Ignorance of the law is not an excuse†, and this is very true but it does go both ways for law enforcement and the public. References Miller, C. (2014). Photography is not a crime. Retrieved from http://photographyisnotacrime.com/2014/02/19/broward-sheriffs-deputy-violently-attacks-woman-recording-traffic-stop/ Silverman, S. (2012). Reason.com free minds and free markets. Retrieved from http://reason.com/archives/2012/04/05/7-rules-for-recording-police