ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction The concept of not knowing in Descartes’ meditation was one of the most influential opinions of all his philosophies. This has been portrayed in its use in modern learning. As a mathematician and a scientist, he came up with experimental works that have been used to date in learning institutions. For example, the experiment on refraction of light shows how a straight stick bends inside a clear glass half filled with water. This is not true in the real sense because when the stick is removed from water it is remains straight (Broughton 198). Descartes disapproves all his findings by saying that the experimental is not true. He demonstrates a state of doubt in all his works. He confirms this by saying that his mind had deceived him. Though he does not believe in himself anymore, his hypothetical work has brought a solution to most problems in the current world. The Concept of False Knowledge and Doubt To Descartes, knowledge is innate. It is not a must that it comes from the mind. It is a representation of an image that is in the mind. He is majoring in avoiding wrong than proving right. His idea is that until one is sure about the truth of any matter, he or she should withhold judgment. Descartes states that it is better to keep mum than to speak false stuff. This helps to nullify the doubts that could be brought by different perception. One should only defend what he strongly believes is true. People should not be moved by mob psychology or peer influence. It is hard to prove what truly exists because perspectives and ideas come from the mind which is corrupt. Hence not knowing or ignorance is fruitful because we do not have any meter to measure reality and perception to ensure truth. All perceptions are prune to doubt. Therefore, we ought to be ignorant such that we would not be caught in an endless regress of justification (Broughton 201). In Plato’s Apology, the notion of not knowing is quite fateful for Socrates. He undergoes judgment in the hands of the Athenian jury (West 50). The events that follow do not help in Socrates acquittal, but lead to his death sentence. He implicates himself in this judgment because of his own responses. Socrates idea of not knowing leads him the fateful verdict which is death. Although death is not fearsome to him, it is not the best decision because his family would lose a great man. Socrates defends his idea with a notion that he is stating the truth. In the parable of the cave the issue of not knowing is not beneficial at all. It is quite unfortunate for the prisoners in the cave to miss out on the great liberty outside the cave. All they know is the small world in the cave. In addition they have been barred from seeing the real world by the chains around their feet and neck. What they see
Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” commences with a comprehensive depiction of the dreadful poverty that was uncontrolled in Ireland during the early 1700s. Taking the posture of a detached and realistic economist, the narrator’s planned solution is to use children as a source, principally as food. Swift discussed the net profit the parents will make each year from selling their children. The utilization of children will reduce the number of “papists who, according to Swift, were “most perilous enemies” and also the “principal breeders of the nation”. I find it sarcastic that the very people who the proposal is presume to help – poor Irish families – fall into both these groups. Ireland is a principally Roman Catholic country, and during the potato famine the only persons who weren’t poor were well-off English gentlemen or landowners. The logical conclusion is that if the suggestion was followed through, the immense majority of the Irish inhabitants would finish existing within a few generations, because no children would be left to grow up and have children of their own. The “advantages” offered by Swift only states the similar idea: deprived people will be able to use their children as a resource. Swift has even premeditated the net profit to be 8 shillings for each child. Changed to US dollars, that would total to around $0.10. Even if we correct it for inflation, it is clear that this is a repulsively inadequate amount to survive on for even just a month, let alone a year. Swift further stated that the country would be capable to save $50,000 in “maintenance” costs if 100,000 children were consumed each year. Orphaned and homeless children are looked after by the local parishes, so it would absolutely advantage the country to have additional revenue. Though, there is no reveal of what the government will do with that extra $50,000, or how it will advantage the poor in any manner. Based on Swift’s essay, the government has performed nothing to ease its citizens during the scarcity, so this is a hesitant advantage to the deprived at best. The new dish will produce commerce for the taverns and attract all the well-off gentle
Introduction To this day, education in Africa remains a highly problematic topic, despite the numerous efforts to address the existing issues, both by European colonists and by the African government. Higher education is fragmented and based on obsolete teaching and learning approaches, whereas access to general education for women is limited in many regions. This paper aims to evaluate the causes and implications of this issue and to highlight the importance of addressing the problem of education in Africa to solve many other local issues. European Colonialism and Education in Africa As Muller and Karle note, historical and political factors have a substantial effect on the structure of educational systems all over the world. 1 It is no exception for Africa: many scholars agree that the European colonial rule has had a massive effect on all aspects of the region’s life, including education. Despite the fact that the assumption that Europeans established education in Africa is wrong – some researchers trace the roots of all levels of education in Africa to the ancient times – the colonialism changed the region’s education system substantially. 2 By establishing a qualitatively new system of learning institutions, colonialists aimed to “produce the elite required for colonial administration.” 3 The innovations brought by the colonists thus included the establishment of European style higher education facilities. Colonial governments were responsible for controlling the institutions, from devising a teaching curriculum to approving graduation; moreover, some of the institutions were the extensions of the French or Portuguese universities and had no autonomy at all. 4 However, the newly founded learning programs did not attempt to undermine the traditional African values and culture; instead, they were focused on developing a learning program that would preserve them. 5 Genova adds that the colonialists blamed the pre-colonial elite for the diminishing of traditions, which is why they were sent to the new educational institutions to study African history and culture, too. 6 Education in Postcolonial Africa Nevertheless, despite the seemingly positive influence of the colonial rule on the education in Africa, the end of the colonial era and the postcolonial attitudes in the society have had an adverse effect on the ed
Introduction Movies are used as an integral part of the study of languages and literature because they encourage critical thinking among the students. The comparison of movies to books is essential in concluding a particular work of literature. Analytical strategies are developed after the exploration of matching and varying texts in both the movie and the novel. The adaptations made in films are assessed when gauging their contributions to the overall story in books. This essay is a comparison of the film, Beloved, to its book version by Toni Morrison. The film compares and differs in different aspects with its book version. Overview of Beloved The novel is a 1987 chef-d’oeuvre by an American writer called Toni Morrison. The setting of the novel is after the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865. The literary text bears inspiration from the story of Margaret Garner, an African American slave, who arrives at the state of Ohio in efforts to escape slavery in Kentucky (Benshoff 183). Besides, Sethe, a protagonist, plays a crucial role in the novel while Beloved is presumed to be her daughter. In 1998, the novel was adapted into a film that was directed by Jonathan Demme. Oprah Winfrey stars in the movie where she doubles as the producer. Awards of the literature work by Morrison include the Pulitzer Prize for fiction among others. Similarities between the book and the movie The novel is characterized by many constant transitions from the past to the present (Higgins 32). Due to setting fluctuations, the various occurrences shift from one location to another. Furthermore, the transitions change the point of view of the involved characters. The movie rhymes with the book by ensuring the incorporation of various flashbacks to match past occurrences. The viewers of the visual displays of the film can note changes in settings through flashbacks. The representation of the characters is done perfectly well in the film to match whatever is written in the book. The dialogues between the characters and role-taking coincide with the imagination that the readers feel when reading the literary texts. Paul D’s characters of friendliness and intelligence are equally represented in the movie ( Beloved). The film confirms Denver’s character by exhibiting characteristics of selfishness, budding maturity, as well as the craving for love. The role of the core character of Beloved is emphasized in the film through various transitions from states of vacant beauty to an angry face and back to the original state (Morrison 13). The sense of the beloved character is also supported through the reincarnation scenarios in the movie that coincide with the description written in the novel. In this regard, the film backs the excellent performances of compelling characters. Op
Introduction The biography of the first president of the United States of America, George Washington is a work of literature that is ideal for children. This biography gives children a chance to understand the roots and background of their country, how it fought for independence, and the men who sacrificed their lives for the sake of the country. The book finally concentrates on the life and experiences of the first founding father of the nation. This biography gives children an insight into the life of the founding father of the United States. Pasty Stevens, a retired teacher, wrote the biography that I found to be most interesting in the year 2001. Pasty was an elementary school teacher in the state of Virginia. Throughout his career, he was keen on ensuring that students have a good understanding of their culture and background so that they have a true sense of belonging, embrace their culture and become true patriots to their nation. With regards to this, Pasty made a lot of historical publications including biographies of influential figures. Spindle Publishers, a company that mainly focuses on publishing children’s materials, published the biography of George Washington. Three informational Books Information books are essential in the growth and development of the cognitive aspect of an individual. They tend to give individuals crucial information that enriches their knowledge. With this information, an individual tends to look at things from a different perspective; an angle that enables him/her to identify and solve problems easily. These books are thus essential to children since they allow them to learn about several factors and phenomena of life. ‘Seasons’ is an information book that talks about the various weather seasons that the world experiences. This book has different chapters that describe each season in detail. With this information, children will be able to know the characteristics of different seasons hence easily differentiate them. Merri V. Lindgren, a renowned meteorologist in New York, wrote this book. It was compiled and published by Cooperative Children’s Book Center in the year 2003. Jones Bill wrote another informative book titled ‘Dance’. This book focuses on the internal and external aspects of the human body and the way they communicate with one another to create awareness for dancing. It was published by Hyperion Publishers in 1998. The last informative book was writte
Introduction Chimamanda Adichies first novel “Purple Hibiscus”, published in 2004, has made a considerable success all over the world due to its deep realism and the wide variety of philosophical and moral questions, raised by the author. She makes the reader to look at the world through the eye of a teenager, fifteen year-old girl Kambili; the task, which is difficult to fulfill, because adults are seldom able to recreate their childhood experiences. Discussion The most dominant motif of “Purple Hibiscus” is the concept of freedom; by contrasting Kambilis and Aunt Ifeomas families, Chimamanda Adichie proves that perception of freedom can vary. Additionally, the author shows the evolvement of the main characters (Kambili, her mother Beatrice and her brother Jaja), paying extra attention to the process of their emancipation. In this respect, it should be also mentioned that the novel is full of symbols, for example, the gorgeous house that the main character lives in. At first glance, it may seem that it is a palace, or a dream, but in fact, it proves to be the prison, governed by Eugene Achilike, Kambilis father. This character is one of the central figures in the novel, his is trying to rule over (such formulation is the most appropriate in this case) other members of the family by stick and carrot; he can be loving and cruel simultaneously. Being a religious fanatic, he wants everyone to follow his example. Every deviation from the rules is severely punished. However, his totalitarian regime is gradually falling into a decline, members of the family are starting to rebel against his rule. The narrator says “Things started to fall apart when my brother Jaja did not go to communion”(Adichie, 4). Yet, this is just the first sign of the mutiny, which is not mature enough. The main characters are still subdued to the rule of Eugene. For instance, Kambilis mother, Beatrice silently tolerates her husband’s tyranny, to some extent, she symbolizes an average Nigerian woman, who is practically deprived of her rights. Beatrice takes her husband’s brutalities for granted, despite Ifeomas advice to leave Eugene. As regards Jaja, Eugene’s son, it should be mentioned, that he is trying to show signs of disobedience to his father, but he is not strong enough to oppose (not only physically but also spiritually) him. The main character and the narrator Kambili, is virtually silent in the presence of her father, she can hardly express her views, knowing that it may result in a fit of her father’s anger. As it has already been mentioned earlier, the novel is full of contrasts and oppositions. The situation takes an unexpected turn, when Kambili is sent to her aunt Ifeomas house, which is entirely different from the luxurious prison, she lives in. The transition is quite noticeable even in the language of the main character. At the beginning of the novel, the narrator speaks in Standard English, but later, she mixes it with Igbo words, which were strictly prohibited by her father. Aunt Ifeoma is a very educated p
Thomas Paine was a deist. He chose to quote the bible in most of his writings because he understood the readers. He knew that in order for his book to receive the attention he needed, he had to choose a means that was receptive to the ears of his audience (Paine and Kramnick 30). A majority of Americans had accepted Christianity as a religion. And many of them knew about Christianity. Since religion was one of the ways one could use to influence the decision, he chose to use the Bible. He shows how King George III was like the Pharaoh of England (Paine and Kramnick 45). He also gives an account of how God created the people and how they requested for a King against his will. In so doing, he is against the establishment of a Kingdom in America. He says that one of the sins of the Jews was to accept Monarchy. Paine goes on to explain that David became a famous and successful ruler not because he was King, but because he was a man after God’s heart. He shows the great power that the King in England wields over them as compared to the Biblical kings. He uses this as an illustration, to make the citizens stop believing that the King had good intentions for America. He goes ahead to explain that with Monarchy, citizens do not have a chance to air their views (Paine and Kramnick 45). The monarch uses its power to influence decisions even if they are unpopular with the subjects. He makes the readers understand that if they accept to establish a Kingdom, then it could set a precedent that the next ruler would be the heir apparent to the King. If they chose elective politics, then it would also set a precedent for the generations to come. Thomas Paine urged citizens to develop patriotism for their country. He said that America was big enough to grow self-rule and stop depending on Britain. They had advanced in the economy and had enough wood to make ships and boats of war. They did not have to hire them from other nations. They could form their strong army that no other country could rival, including Great Britain (Paine and Kramnick 20). Patriots need to know that their colonizers only had a selfish interest in the nation. They chose their best men to fight for a cause that was not their choice. Britain’s enemies were not American competitors. Britain should fight its war and leave America to form its government (Paine and Kramnick 45). Common sense asks the readers to know that the interest of America is in making peace and trading with other nations. It was not to make enemies everywhere, as Britain had caused them to believe. People had coined a statement that because America had flourished under Great Britain, the same was to happen in the future of the nation. Paine argues that it was a fallacy to keep them tied to Britain forever, and yet they had the right to rule themselves. America would have flourished much more if the European power had not come to interfere with their trade. He argues that their goods could find a market and earn America more income than it was because of the customs that it had to pay to Great Britain (Paine and Kramnick 50). The monarch only defends America for the sake of trade and dominion and not bec
Abstract For many decades, many people have maintained that nursing is a field designed for female professionals. Unfortunately, this kind of opinion has impacted the profession negatively. The involvement of males in the area is something that can support the development of the field. This essay presents a proposal for a study project to identify new measures that can address the problem of gender inequality in nursing. Introduction Gender equality is an idea that is supported by many professionals in different fields (Barrett-Landau & Henle, 2014). When there is parity in a nursing environment, learning and leadership practices are correctly executed. Such practices eventually promote performance and eventually ensure quality nursing services are available to every targeted client. Thesis The targeted issue for this research study is how policymakers and leaders in healthcare can identify new measures to attract more male nurses to improve the nature of healthcare delivery (Newman, 2014). The research will go further to examine how the concept of gender equality in the nursing working environment can address the problem of the nursing shortage. Thesis statement: A powerful initiative aimed at attracting more men into the nursing profession will address the problem of inequality in the workplace and eventually minimize staff shortage. Background Information and Problem Statement Pereira (2015) indicates that nursing is a field that has always been targeting women. This is the case because many people still believe “that nursing should be promoted as a natural extension of the woman’s caring nature” (Pereira, 2015, p. 947). The global society has promoted this idea for very many years. More women have been pursuing a career in an attempt to provide evidence-based care to their patients. On the other hand, men have been forced to embrace other scientific fields such as mathematics and engineering. These historical developments have led to numerous problems that make the nursing profession incapable of meeting more patients’ changing needs. Additionally, the absence of men in the profession has led to the current nursing shortage (Pereira, 2015). The nature of education, practice, healthcare delivery, and administration in nursing has been disoriented by this inequality. The current gender issues in the nursing field have impacted nursing negatively. Study Approach A powerful study approach will be used to complete the research successfully. A qualitative study approach will present useful discussions that can be used by healthcare organizations to deal with the current problem of nursing shortage (Barrett-Landau & Henle, 2014). The information will be obtained from peer-reviewed articles from respectable databases such as JUSTOR, Cochrane Library, and ScienceDirect. Articles describing gender equality in healthcare practice will be identified and used to develop the topic. Possible solutions that can deal with the issue of disparity in the nursing profession will be presented. Expected O