Edmund Husserl's Cartesian Meditations (topic upon your own decision) Essay

Edmund Husserl's Cartesian Meditations (topic upon your own decision) - Essay Example Edmund Husserl's is one such philosopher who lived in the more modern world. His work was concerned about phenomena and how the human mind interacts with it. In his book titled Cartesian Meditations: An Introduction to Phenomenology, Edmund Husserl (1960) introduces a number of significant philosophical thoughts. One of the most prominent of these is transcendental phenomenology in which the author gives a new way of analysing phenomena. This kind of thinking looks at phenomena from a different point of view. Although Edmund’s views can be seen as having been inspired by Rene Descartes, a French philosopher and mathematician in the 17th century, Edmund’s theories on phenomena seen to be developed in contrast to what Descartes developed. This can be particularly seen in his transcendental phenomenology which tries to see phenomena in a very different way. Unlike Descartes, Edmund and his school of thought argued that phenomenal can be seen in different dimensions (Husser l, 1960). In fact, Edmund argued that it is possible to take a phenomenal and strip it down to its very essence. In other words, transcendental phenomenology as developed by Edmund postulates that with regard to phenomena, there are those elements which are essential for that phenomenon to exist and there are those which are merely conceptual as conceived by human beings. To be able to separate the essential from the conceptual, Edmund used eidetic reduction. Eidetic Reduction Eidetic reduction is a process by which phenomena can be stripped to its basic essential aspects, without changing it. Eidetic reduction is a conceptual tool that can be used to understand Edmund’s transcendental phenomenology as a way to understand phenomena. Eidetic reduction can be traced back to Descartes. Descartes used a block of wax phenomena as a way to explain the layers of phenomena. For example, the wax can be experienced by the five senses in regard to its shape and the space it occupies, th e smell it exudes, the texture, its opaqueness etc. However, by heating up the block of wax, these properties of the wax can be changed without changing it into another object. In other words, once the wax has been heated up, it will lose its texture, its shape, space and its opaqueness will be changed to transparency. Yet, even after all these characteristics have been changed, the wax will continue to be wax. This means that the block of wax is perceived in two particular ways. The first is one the essential properties of the wax and the second one are the perceived or non essential properties of the wax. Edmund argued that the same can be applied with regard to people’s thoughts. In other words, people’s thoughts can be seen to have both the essential aspects of phenomena and other aspects of phenomena which are more conceptual or perceptual. Using eidetic reduction however, Edmund argues that these thoughts can be stripped down to their basic or essential details. The importance of this kind of stripping is that it leads to a more practical reality, as opposed to when phenomena is understood while it is still shrouded in non-essential properties. Edmund was an essentialist in that he believed that phenomena should be understood in its very essence without being affected by the other factors. However, with regard to ph

Perils of Addiction Exposed in Stevensons Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Essa

Perils of Addiction Exposed in Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde  Ã‚   The values, standards, and expectations of the upper-middle class in the 19th-century Victorian society were conservative and strict; the pressure to earn prestige and achieve upward mobility in social rank required men to sustain an image of propriety and respectability in public.   These obligations often created a longing to divert from the personality facades they had to keep, and from the ideal behavior and polite manners that were expected of bourgeois society men.   Some would fulfill their wishes by leading a secret double life that allowed them to temporarily escape from societal responsibilities and restrictions.   In more private settings, men would partake in sinful pleasures, such as alcohol or drug abuse, and they were free to behave more loosely than they could under the rigid public persona they were forced to hold in order to protect their reputations. In the introduction to the Oxford edition of Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Emma Letley describes the desire to escape from the "Calvinistic confines of nineteenth-century bourgeois" society, and relates that Mr. Stevenson himself "would use a benign doubleness to deal with the pressures of high bourgeois existence" and assumed an alias to become one of the "heavy-drinking, convivial, blasphemous iconoclasts. . ." in order to "full-bodiedly enjoy those pleasures denied to [him] and Dr. Jekyll."   (Introduction, x).   With the knowledge that Stevenson resorted to alcohol in order to escape the pressures and demands that fell upon him due to his social class, it is interesting to examine his novella, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, as a commentary about the evils of addiction to alc... ...hat he can finally recognize the severity of his weakness to his drug.   Dr. Jekyll's plight, therefore, could be an exploration of the destructive behavior brought on by addiction, and an underlying moral message is embedded in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - the implication that addiction will inevitably lead to evilness and the destruction of productive lives. Works Cited Showalter, Elaine. "The Not So Strange Addiction of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." The Haunted Mind in Victorian Literature. Eds. Elton E. Smith and Robert Haas. Landham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1999. Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. First Vintage Classics Edition. New York: Vintage Books, 1991. Veeder, William. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde after One Hundred Years. Eds. William Veeder and Gordon Hirsch. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1988.

Thirteen Days vs. the real Cuban Missile Crisis

The year is 1962 and American surveillance planes discover that the USSR is in the rocess of placing nuclear ballistic missiles in Cuba. The missiles have a said they are capable of reaching the majority of the United States Air Force bomber bases effectively crippling their ability to retaliate. It Is a race to find a means of removing the missiles before they become operational. Thus the problem for the President is to decide whether to use force or diplomatic means to keep the missiles un-operational.Initial diplomatic attempts to come to a peaceful conclusion fail and the Secretary of Defence proposes a naval blockade which they call a â€Å"quarantine† nd if the Soviets ignore the blockade, the Navy will forcibly remove the ships from going to Cuba. This would quickly escalate the situation which Is clearly what the Secretary of Defence wanted but the President with help of his Special Assistant; Kenneth O'Donnell, realized that an invasion of Cuba by Americans would lead to the Soviets invading Berlin effectively causing a World War Ill.In the end through unique communication methods between the US and the Soviets the Soviets agree to remove the mlsslles from Cuba providing the us promises never to Invade Cuba as well as remove missiles from Turkey. One of the most criticized aspects of the movie Is that Kenneth O'Donnell; who was Special Assistant to the President had a very influential and substantial role in the movie. Quite often he is found dissuading President Kennedy from the so called solutions from the Secretary of Defence and his entourage.He is always reminding Kennedy of the repercussions of the actions that Secretary of Defence Robert McNamara proposes. At one point Kenneth said in reference to surveillance flights and the rules of engagement; that if a plan were shot at, the site would be bombed, â€Å"This is a setup. The chiefs want to go in. They need to redeem themselves for the Bay of Pigs. † This seemed quite reasonable a s the Bay of Pigs was an unsuccessful attempt at military invasion of Cuba and those in charge needed redemption.Unfortunately; although Kenneth O'Donnell appeared a great protagonist, he did not have that kind of role In the crlsls In reality. Following the release of the movie the actual former Secretary of Defence; Robert McNamara, said â€Å"For God's sakes, Kenny O'Donnell didn't have any role whatsoever In the missile crisis; he was a political appointment secretary to the President; that's absurd. It may seem as though McNamara could have Just been bitter about the way he was portrayed in the movie but the conclusion he came to was generally what all those involved in the crisis thought about O'Donnell's role. Although McNamara pointed out that the role 1 OF2 O'Donnell played was slmllar to lea Sorenson saying â€Å"It was not Kenny O'Donnell who pulled us all together†it was Ted Sorensen. Ted Sorensen was President Kennedy's Special Counsel ; Adviser and it makes muc h more sense for him to have taken on the role O'Donnell portrayed as President Kennedy once called him his â€Å"intellectual blood bank. † leading one to believe that the President must have had reat faith in Sorenson. President Kennedy asked Sorenson to take part in foreign policy as well as being a member of Excomm (The Executive Committee of the National Security Council) during the Crisis.All of this would lead one to believe Sorenson must have played the role of O'Donnell in reality. So why didn't the producer Just stick with that in the film? It was because the appearance of Kenneth O'Donnell is much more appealing to the average American. He is the perfect protagonist, Just an average middle class American trying to do the right thing. That is why he was given this role and it is understandable why this trade off would be ade for entertainment purposes as Thirteen Days is a movie and not a documentary.

The Movie Exhibition Industry 2011 Essay - 1196 Words

MGMT-780-623 - Week 3 Assignment The Movie Exhibition Industry: 2011 SWOT Analysis Strengths Internal – new digital technology with 3D optional feature, buildings (whether rented or owned) are large (most are multi and megaplex style) External – leverage in both the concession industry and the distribution industry Weaknesses Internal – rely on concessions and advertisements, concession pricing, experience largely the same as every competitor External – content, consumer income, marketing of movies relies on studio production companies, split sales with distributors Opportunities Internal – content choices, experience, concession options External – growing middle class, rebound from recession Threats Internal –†¦show more content†¦Strategically choosing content that people can identify with or that tells a particularly interesting or horrific true story can do just as well as the big Hollywood productions. Independent films are becoming increasingly more popular and often rival mainstream movies at the box office when they are coupled with decent funding and distribution.1 The Indie Film Movement of the 1990’s is still strong and many artists seek to escape from the control of studio production. This means more content is available than ever before and this means more choices for the exhibitor. A second way for a company to create a competitive advantage in the movie exhibition business is to offer an outstanding customer experience. Customer experience is something that is intangible and cannot be easily duplicated by competitors. Let’s examine the current experience for a customer in a movie theater. The ticket price is high, the concession offerings are few and over-priced, the seats are uncomfortable, the advertisements before a movie can sometimes last 15 or 20 minutes, the other patrons as well as the staff are often rude, the glow of cell phones is almost impossible to ignore, and most movies are all special effects with nearly no substance. Why on earth would anyone pay to go to the movies? I have not paid to go to the movie theater in several years. Not because I can’t afford to go, but because of the terrible experience I have while I’m there. For me, spendingShow MoreRelatedThe Movie Exhibition Industry 20111172 Words   |  5 PagesBusiness Strategy 491BMAL November 10, 2013 The Movie Exhibition Industry: 2011 What can exhibitors do to improve their performance? To reverse the downward trends in attendance? To improve their profitability at a time when the studios, relying on the box office more than ever, are increasingly looking internationally? 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