ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Thomas Hobbes: The Social Contract According to Hobbes, the life of humans, unregulated or at its core, could be described as a one fueled by violence and fear of death. It is a grim view of humanity, but Hobbes does not explicitly state that it is a negative outlook. He describes human life as it is without social regulations: “Hereby it is manifest that, during the time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe, they are in that condition which is called war, and such a war as is of every man against every man” (Hobbes). Hobbes thought that people came out of the state of nature because people were in such a state before any technologies were developed or any progress took place; this state would be filled with fear, aggression, and death. The idea of the social contract implies that since human beings are reasonable, they would create a set of rules or rights that would apply to everyone and be followed by everyone reciprocally. To avoid the state of nature, individuals would need laws or justice that would become a power that can regulate the lives of individuals. John Locke: Private Property Locke’s view of people is more optimistic than Hobbes’, as he believes that the world was created by God for people to use as they please. Locke believed that all individuals had the right to have property if they contributed to it with their labor: “…no man but he can have a right to what that is once joined to, at least where there is enough, and as good left in common for others” (Locke 116). When discussing the use of property, Locke notes that people need to have as much as they could use without wasting it. If the individual’s property went beyond his or her ability to use it, others were allowed to use it. Thus, the property belonged to one if he or she put labor in it, but he or she could not have more than he or she could utilize. I believe that Locke’s ideas do not work today as we see that capitalism allows having more resources (money or property) that an individual can use. Furthermore, illegal ways of obtaining property and concealing it from others are also not discussed by the philosopher. Edmund Burke: Father of Conservative Thinking Burke’s view of change was a specific one: he did not believe that radical or revolutionary change could be useful and instead advocated for step-by-step or gradual change. The problem with radical change is that it rejects the traditions and ideals of the past and eventually leads to violence. Thus, the best change was a change that was tested by time. According to him, the most important principles were that of conversion and correction: “The two principles of conservation and correction operated strongly at the two critical periods of the Restoration and Revolution when England found itself without a king” (Burke 20). The reformation is not possible if some ideas are not conserved and preserved, and revolutions should not be made by “war and inexperienced enthusiasts” but rather by lawyers and politicians (
The moral questions, ethics and meaning of life are all concepts that are closely connected and deal with how people view the value of life, what it means to the whole of human society and individuals. Many ethical and difficult decisions are always questioned, especially ones in relation to euthanasia and if it should be permitted, regulated or forbidden altogether. The argument centers on the positive sides of euthanasia and what makes such actions acceptable, in relation to personal wishes of the individual and lack of suffering. The meaning of life is the most general aspect of judging about the requirements that must be set out by laws and people’s morals in regarding to the voluntary or involuntary taking of that life. In “Moral Dilemmas…Can Ethics Help?” it is talked about letting infants die, if they have problems when being born, to prevent further suffering or giving every effort to make sure they survive but have a limited existence. The discussion focuses on Kant and what would be the morally correct thing to do, in the interests of an infant and the future quality of life they will have. From one perspective, an infant should be treated as an adult and their wishes should be respected, in the want for a happy life. From another, it is possible to see the most good or bad that will come out for the greater society, parents and individuals themselves (Moral Dilemmas…Can Ethics Help, 2). The meaning of life is centered on the pleasures that people will get from being in the world, as all would agree that the negatives and stress is always unwanted, no matter who a person is, from what social class or country. In his essay on “Death”, Thomas Nagel analyzes the issue of death and how people think of it. He says that “If death is a disadvantage, it is not easy to say when a man suffers it” (Nagel, 3). This leads to believe that it would be much better to let things take their natural turn of events and let the infant die, as they will be unable to suffer, in comparison to a life full of pain and limitations. Considering euthanasia, the case of Dr. Freud comes to mind. He was having cancer and was in a lot of pain, thus, he requested his dear friend Max Schur, to inject him with a drug and end his suffering. In his writings, doctor accepted the possibility of euthanasia but only if it is requested by the patient themselves and the person administering the drug has no personal interest, want or need to do so (Freud 98). It is clear that Dr. Freud did not want to suffer any more and made a conscious decision that it would be better to feel nothing, than pain and agony. This sort of thinking is attributed to the infant and it is said that if they could reason as well as an adult can, they would choose death, instead of life in pain. For example, utilitarianism states that people must focus on the greater good for all people and maximize happiness in
Introduction A decade ago, India was one of the worst affected nations of the HIV pandemic with over 5 million people infected with the HIV. Over the years, this situation has reciprocated, and there are currently a little over 2 million infected persons in the nation. The tremendous change in the number of infected people has shocked many people, and research work must be conducted to shed some light on the factors leading to this trend. The research should particularly focus on the female sex workers in the nation because they have a higher prevalence of contracting the virus. Research aims The proposed research aims to highlight the particular factors that led to a decrease in the number of people infected with HIV in India. The research looks to highlight the factors surrounding the decrease in infection rates among female sex workers in the nation. These factors will enable healthcare professionals in other affected parts of the world to use a similar approach in dealing with their high rates of HIV infections. It is apparent that the Indian government had little to do with the reduction of the HIV infection rates because of its limited resources; hence, it is important to dig into the issue to create a better understanding of how the Indian people actualized the reduction of infections. The objectives of the research are as follows:   * What is the current infection rate?   * Which part of the population has the highest prevalence rate of HIV infection?   * To investigate some of the community-based preventive measures.   * How has the number of new HIV infections in India decreased from 1986 to date? Literature review Researchers conducted a study to highlight some of the factors that the Indian community used to lower the rates of HIV infections among people. According to their findings, male circumcision is one of the factors that have led to a decrease in the number of infected people. The research revealed that the low rates of new HIV infection cases among men in India are a result of circumcision. Conclusive findings on the subject reveal that male circumcision protects men from HIV-1 infections. The risk level of infection lowers by about 95% for circumcised men and this could be the reason for the tremendous decrease in the number of new infections among Indian men (Reymonds et al., 2004). Research conducted by Reza-Paul et al. (2008) focused on revealing the community-based interventions in India, which have led to a significant decrease in HIV infections among female sex workers. The researchers selected various sample spaces of female sex workers from Mysore City and engaged them in surveys. The surveys revealed that the community-led interventions were empowering f
Introduction In contemporary studies, some scholars have postulated that the medieval and Renaissance periods can theoretically be described as allegorical and metaphorical respectively. The medieval era, also known as the middle ages, represents the medieval thinking and is termed as allegorical thinking. The Renaissance age, which brought about scientific and artistic revolution, is termed as metaphorical thinking. This paper discusses how, in relation to medieval and Renaissance ages being termed as allegorical and metaphorical respectively, enlightenment can be described as metonymy. The Medieval Period The medieval age lasted between the fifth and the fifteenth century in Europe and it started with the collapse of the Roman Empire. Allegory, from a literary perspective, means drawing ideas from the past to shape the present. During this age, the church was ruling the world, and allegory was an imperative tool in the production of biblical and classical traditions into what would become identifiable as medieval culture. The people of the middle Ages deliberately referred from traditional legacies of the past to shape their present, implying an allegorical characteristic. The allegory used in this period ensured transformational continuity between the ancient world and the new era of the church. Modern scholars clearly distinguish the classical era from the medieval time, but people in the era had different views. Using allegory, they were able to associate themselves with the past and, therefore, did not view classical people as different from them, but a connection between them and the ancient world. The Renaissance Period Renaissance thinking in the Renaissance period is characterized by some modern scholars as being metaphorical. The Renaissance, meaning rebirth, is an era that was marked by scientific and artistic revolutions. A metaphor in literature means using something to stand for another, which is entirely unrelated to it. During this period, people could use art to communicate ideas and views that could be difficult in the normal situations. The use of art, including pictures, poetry, and songs, to represent different ideas in the society leaves no questions that the thinking of the period is metaphorical. Conclusion Western philosophy, logic and intelligence characterize the age of enlightenment. The age is also referred to as the age of thinking and, unlike the previous age, it focused on reason as its core value, without which nothing significant would happen. The period has ten assumptions about education that clearly stress the need of reason to acquire knowledge. When these assumptions are compared with the common hypotheses of education, there is a clear-cut difference. Some of the ideas include the existence of a stable, coherent, and self-importance of reason in acquiring knowledge. Apart from the two, the thinking in the period assumes that when knowledge is obtained through the use of reason, it would last long and bring changes to society. In short, the enlightenment thinking can be described as a metonymy for the reason it has been used to represent thinking and, hence, en
Introduction Childcare refers to the attention accorded the children in their early stages of development with the sole purpose of monitoring and supervising them. Childcare often goes by the title early childhood education relating to the fact that in the process of offering care, knowledge and understanding are imparted on the child as a part of development. Typically in our society setting, this early childhood care is the role of the parents or the legal guardians. Other cases exist however where the role is taken up by the extended family or the child grows up in an orphanage. The process of child development requires understanding of the child, the families they hail from and the community they grow in. this way the interrelation of all the three and how they impact early childhood development is established therefore painting a clear picture of the impingement of varying any one of them. The mode of learning in the early years of a child is considered a determinant in their emotional as well as psychological well being. These experiences are shaped by the natural attributes of the individual children coupled with environments they grow in. The lives of children in their early years revolves around interaction with their families, then as they grow they join child care services where they are exposed to school rules, the larger community which has standards and set out norms. The community set up also includes the geographical appearance of the surroundings as well as the political climate of the region, and finally the cultural orientations of the community and surrounding communities. This particular research lays emphasis on children from low income earning families; these children attend a pre-kindergarten center (Deanna, 2002). Early childhood services are mainly programs designed to influence the child’s development in preparation to joining elementary school. As much as these programs are offered in a school setting today, the focus is on activities and experiences geared towards positively shaping the child’s life. These services are offered in centers known as preschool and pre-kindergarten which offer early childhood education. These centers understand that the process of learning in young children is through play and so the learning is modified into interactive activities. In these centers, teachers who are caring adults take care of the children and offer guidance thus providing an environment that is safe, fostering and exhilarating. In search of the best early childhood service centers for their children, parents consider the ones with well spelt out goals and philosophy and which has a schedule that covers all aspects of development in children. Learning takes place in well structured schedules which take in focus the nature of the young minds of the children which are bound to have a short concentration span. Meals a
Introduction World War I was a global military conflict that took place from1914 to 1918 in Europe. The was sparked by the assassination of the Heir to the Austrian throne, Franz Ferdinand by a Serbian nationalist, Gavrilo Princip on June 28 th , 1914. A chain reaction was set off by when the Austria-Hungary force retaliated against Serbia. This led to the declaration of war. This event was simply an eye-opener that prompted the declarations of war. The real causes of the war were far more complex. These reasons were:   * Mutual Defense Alliance   * Imperialism   * Militarism   * Nationalism Joint Defense Alliance Before World War 1, alliances existed throughout Europe as a result of a joint defense agreement that would pull them together in battles. Russia was an ally to Serbia, Germany to Austria-Hungary, etc. Imperialism Imperialism was brought about by countries taking over other countries, hence increasing their wealth and power. At stake were Africa and Asia as they were reaching in Raw materials. Militarism The military build-up was another cause of war. There was an arms race as countries competed to have a strong military force. Nationalism Some Slavic people wanted to be part of Serbia instead of Austria-Hungary. This was another cause of war. Countries involved in World War 1 The major central powers involved in the World War 1 were Germany, Austria Hungary, and turkey. France, Britain, Japan, and Italy were allied powers that were involved in World War One. The United States joined far much later in 1917. Conclusion During and after World War 1, major technological improvements came into existence. These included: New military hardware, new communication equipment, and better skills associated with this new technology.
In these articles, issues regarding Iran’s nuclear program have been discussed extensively. Iran is committed to establish nuclear program, which according to the government, the program is only meant to produce electricity (Leverett 2009, 1). However, the US administration has opposed development of the nuclear program arguing that Iran intends to use the program to build nuclear weapons. Due to continued resistance by Iran, the US government has proposed negotiations with the Islamic nation in order to reach an amicable solution. This move has been supported by several countries and as a result, Iran has agreed to negotiate with the US in order to establish good international relation. With good international relation, Iran is hopeful that international community will support its plan to develop nuclear program (Leonard 2009, 1). In fact, Iran government has shown its willingness to cooperate if other countries will support it from international pressure. In contrast, Israel has strongly opposed the proposed negotiations by the US saying that negotiations are not necessary. According to Israel, the ultimate solution to this crisis is suspension of all activities aimed at developing nuclear program in Iran, which is a threat to global security and peace (Leverett 2009, 1). Israel has proposed the use of military force against Iran instead of negotiations, which will only postpone this issue further. Because Iran worships the past, it is a bit hesitant to give in to Americans request based on history (Ghaemi 2009, 1). In 1970s, Iran cooperated with international community but it ended up being a disappointed nation. The Islamic nations is worried that history may repeat itself (Leverett 2009, 1). From these articles, it is evidently clear that the US and Iran are different in terms of ideas and culture. This difference may pose a big challenge in success of the negotiations. For instance, the US focuses on the future and that is why the government wants Iran to come clean about nuclear program to make the future better. However, Iran focuses on past and that is why it is committed to develop the nuclear program to compensate the past. By proposing negotiations, the US is “compromising principle for results” while Iran is committed to develop the nuclear program by “willing to sacrifice results to principle” (Ghaemi 2009, 1). From 1970s and during the whole period of tug-of-war between the US and Iran over the nuclear program, relationship between these two nations has been poor (Leonard 2009, 1). In both cases, the US government has portrayed its self-interest and it has always pushed the Islamic nation to the corner by imposing tough sanctions, a move that has been considered unfriendly. In addition, experts have also argued that the US diplomacy is purely based on self-
Introduction NATO refers to the North Atlantic treaty organization. This is military unity or alliance of the democratic states in Europe and the North America. Its headquarters is in Brussels, Belgium in Eastern Europe. It was started by the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on the 4 th April in 1949. It constitutes a system of collective defense responsibility whereby each member state agrees to mutual defense in response to attacks by any external forces. NATO comprises of twenty six members states. Discussion The NATO’s role come responsibility include: as the core, the provision of collective defense or security to its member states through traditional military ways. It has the duty of promoting the development of democracy and stability throughout the region that is through the engagement with the nations of the former Warsaw pact. NATO has also engaged is the use of force to reclaim peace in the war torn states, ensures good governance by ensuring the governments of the members states as well the neighboring states by which there is both political and socio-economical interest. NATO has played a significant role in the Balkans, used military force in Kosovo in the year 1999. NATO still has its mission in the Balkans, Ukraine, the Caucasus and the former Soviet states in the central Asia. Europe as continent comprises of several countries most of them being developed. The western part of Europe is characterized with highly developed nations with the Eastern part characterized with nations that are not that much developed. In terms of development the western countries are in the core of the development regions while most of the eastern countries are in the external periphery. The countries are independent with defined boundaries. The countries are politically stable with quit a number of them having mature democracies. Apart from NATO there are some other affiliations which include political that are for example the European Union, as well as business and social that includes sports association like the UEFA. The countries identify themselves with different ideologies. Some embrace communism which originated from the USSR, and they were part of the union especially countries in the Eastern Europe. While some embrace capitalism especially those from Western Europe. The rest are seen to embrace both the characteristics. With the existence of the dynamic world the changes that occur have been seen to be accommodated comfortably by the European countries. There i