Problems in Group Interaction and Ways to Overcome It Essay Example

Problems in Group Interaction and Ways to Overcome It Essay [pic] FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION AND ASSESSMENT ____________________________________________________________ ____________ COURSE CODE : OUMH1303 COURSE TITLE : ENGLISH FOR ORAL COMMUNICATION SEMESTER : SEPTEMBER 2011 NAME OF STUDENT: EVA KOAY ASSIGNMENT TITLE: You are an employee of Softskills Training Consultant, a company which conducts soft skill training. You have been asked to give a speech entitled â€Å"Problems faced in group interaction and ways to overcome these problems† to the employees of Santander Bank. ___________________________________________________________ ____________ TABLE OF CONTENTS TOPIC PAGES |Index |Description |Page No. | |(1) |Introduction |1 | |1. 1 |What is Group Interaction? | | |1. 2 |The importance of learning skills | | |1. 2. 1 | | | |2. | | | |2. 1 | | | |2. 2 | | | |2. 3 | | | |2. 4 | | | |2. | | | |3. 0 | | | |3. 1 | | | |3. 2 | | | |3. 3 | | | |3. | | | |3. 5 | | | |4. 0 |Conclusion | | Good Afte rnoon , Dear Bankers, Ladies and Gentlemen, WELCOME TO THE TALK Today, the topic I am going to share with you is, â€Å"Problems faced in group interaction and ways to overcome these problems† 1) INTRODUCTION 1. 1 What is Group Interaction? How do we define ‘group’? Groups are commonly found in which people or working people are together to form a whole. Groups signify the collectivity of friends in circles, families, communities and co-workers. Groups are an essential part of our community life. As they can be in a small group of two or three people or in a large number of people. Groups that are interacting and interrelating with each other. Group interaction in general can be defined as a group of people interrelate and interact together to target the tasks or resolving conflict of issues at in order to reach a good understanding in communication, building team rapport and spirit. We will write a custom essay sample on Problems in Group Interaction and Ways to Overcome It specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Problems in Group Interaction and Ways to Overcome It specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Problems in Group Interaction and Ways to Overcome It specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Organizations, school or societies which organize or form a group of students , committees or co-workers to interact and work together for any meetings, events or in any kind of discussions for the purpose of reaching a better understanding by discussing together in team to target the unsettling issues or to cater to any key tasks in their organizations. In order to reach a better understanding and interaction, it is good to have the groups to interact with good and effective skills, brainstorming and share experience, seek explanation and find solutions to resolve the issues together in order to obtain good decisions . . 2 The importance of learning skills The importance of learning skills determine the effectiveness of interaction in groups for an end result of attaining solution. Learning of interaction skills are important steps that enables the ability to speak comprehensibly and convincingly and to listen the needs and analyzing response of others, by exchanging ideas and shari ng of experiences. These are the fundamental skills in carrying out the knowledge of communication theory and process in interaction. . 3 How learning these skills will benefit your audience in order to work effectively in a group By learning up effectively in groups motivate us to ask and respond to each other, elaborate and support each other’s opinions, enunciate own thoughts, brainstorming and share experience to reflect own knowledge. A member of the groups in general will open up the discussion issues, suggests the members to provide their ideas and opinions, seek explanation and find solutions to resolve the issues. Discussions would conclude well if the whole process of group interaction is managed well. Active group participation will also benefit the members of the group in building team spirit. Nevertheless, the benefits of group interaction would very much depend on the well managed teams and their cooperation. Besides, learning the skills will help the group to be more productive and completed their tasks effectively. Effective skills will help the group to generate and develop a good and effective interaction. 1. 3. 1 Instill individual responsibility and accountability Effective skills will help to instill individual responsibility and accountability as groups will reach an understanding in what they need to do, what are the next steps to carry out and how would they complete within the deadline, each of them hold responsibility and accountable for their own tasks. 1. 3. 2 Positive feedback Focusing and listening well on people’s ideas and comments in one the skills in interaction which help the group members to receive and provide feedback about others’ opinions, questioning of doubts. This will help to open up the members for improvement. Problem solving: Group members help the group to develop and use strategies central to their group goals. As such, they can facilitate group decision making and deal productively with conflict. In extreme cases, they know when to approach the professor for additional advice and help. †¢Management and organization: Group members know how to plan and manage a task, how to manage their time, and how to run a meeting. For example, they ensure that meeting goals are set, that an agenda is created and followed, and that everyone has an opportunity to participate. They stay focused on the task and help others to do so too. †¢Knowledge of roles: Group members know which roles can be filled within a group (e. g. , facilitator, idea-generator, summarizer, evaluator, mediator, encourager, recorder) and are aware of which role(s) they and others are best suited for. They are also willing to rotate roles to maximize their own and others’ group learning experience. â€Å"This paper presents a model of collaborative learning designed to help an intelligent collaborative learning system identify and target group interaction problem areas. The model describes potential indicators of effective collaborative learning, and for each indicator, recommends strategies for improving peer interaction. This collaborative learning model drove the design and development of two tools that automate the coding, and aid the analysis of collaborative learning conversation and activity. Empirical evaluation of these tools confirm that effective learning teams are comprised of active participants who demand explanations and justification from their peers. The distribution of conversational skills used by members of a supportive group committed to their teammates learning is compared to that of an unfocused, unsupportive group. The results suggest that structured, high-level knowledge of student conversation in context may be sufficient for automating the assessment of group interaction, furthering the possibility of an intelligent collaborative learning system that can support and enhance the group learning process. † |Available: International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education (IJAIED) 12 (2001) 40-62 | |(http://aied. nf. ed. ac. uk/members01/archive/vol_12/soller/full. html) | |Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC), University of Pittsburgh. | |[| |p| |i| |c| |]| â€Å"To function successfully in a small group, students need to be able to communicate clearly on intellectual and emotional levels. Effective communicators: * can explain their own ideas * express their feelings in an open but non-threateni ng way * listen carefully to others ask questions to clarify others’ ideas and emotions * can sense how others feel based on their nonverbal communication * will initiate conversations about group climate or process if they sense tensions brewing * reflect on the activities and interactions of their group and encourage other group members to do so as well â€Å"Regular open communication, in which group members share their thoughts, ideas, and feelings, is a must for successful group work. Unspoken assumptions and issues can be very destructive to productive group functioning. When students are willing to communicate openly with one another, a healthy climate will emerge and an effective process can be followed. † â€Å"Skills for a Healthy Group Climate To work together successfully, group members must demonstrate a sense of cohesion. Cohesion emerges as group members exhibit the following skills: * Openness: Group members are willing to get to know one another, particularly those with different interests and backgrounds. They are open to new ideas, diverse viewpoints, and the variety of individuals present within the group. They listen to others and elicit their ideas. They know how to balance the need for cohesion within a group with the need for individual expression. # Trust and self-disclosure: Group members trust one another enough to share their own ideas and feelings. A sense of mutual trust develops only to the extent that everyone is willing to self-disclose and be honest yet respectful. Trust also grows as group members demonstrate personal accountability for the tasks they have been assigned. # Support: Group members demonstrate support for one another as they accomplish their goals. They exemplify a sense of team loyalty and both cheer on the group as a whole and help members who are experiencing difficulties. They view one another not as competitors (which is common within a typically individualistic educational system) but as collaborators. # Respect: Group members communicate their opinions in a way that respects others, focusing on â€Å"What can we learn? † rather than â€Å"Who is to blame? † See Constructive Feedback in the process section for more details. † Available: (Online)http://cte. uwaterloo. ca/teaching_resources/tips/teamwork_skills. html Individual responsibility and accountability: All group members agree on what needs to be done and by whom. Each student then determines what he or she needs to do and takes responsibility to complete the task(s). They can be held accountable for their tasks, and they hold others accountable for theirs. †¢Constructive Feedback: Group members are able to give and receive feedback about g roup ideas. Giving constructive feedback requires focusing on ideas and behaviours, instead of individuals, being as positive as possible, and offering suggestions for improvement. Receiving feedback requires listening well, asking for clarification if the comment is unclear, and being open to change and other ideas. †¢Problem solving: Group members help the group to develop and use strategies central to their group goals. As such, they can facilitate group decision making and deal productively with conflict. In extreme cases, they know when to approach the professor for additional advice and help. †¢Management and organization: Group members know how to plan and manage a task, how to manage their time, and how to run a meeting. For example, they ensure that meeting goals are set, that an agenda is created and followed, and that everyone has an opportunity to participate. They stay focused on the task and help others to do so too. †¢Knowledge of roles: Group members know which roles can be filled within a group (e. g. , facilitator, idea-generator, summarizer, evaluator, mediator, encourager, recorder) and are aware of which role(s) they and others are best suited for. They are also willing to rotate roles to maximize their own and others’ group learning experience. As an instructor, use some of these strategies to encourage students to develop an effective process within their small groups: †¢Design the group task so that the students must work together. Group members will be more motivated and committed to working together if they are given a group mark; if you choose to evaluate in this way, be sure to make your expectations extremely clear. See the CTE Teaching Tip sheet â€Å"Methods for Assessing Group Work† for additional ideas. †¢Once students are in groups, have them develop, as one of their early assignments, a group contract in which they articulate ground rules and group goals. See Teaching Tips â€Å"Making Group Contracts† for details. Be sure that groups discuss how they will respond to various scenarios such as absentee or late group members and those who do not complete their assigned tasks. †¢Distribute a list of decision-making methods and strategies for conflict resolution. The CTE Teaching Tip sheet â€Å"Group Decision Making† is a good place to start. Have each group articulate, based on this list, a set of strategies for decision making and conflict resolution; this list should become part of the group contract. You may also want to offer yourself as an impartial arbitrator in emergency situations, but encourage students to work out problems among themselves. †¢Provide students with guidelines for running a meeting, such as setting and following an agenda, specifying time limits, and monitoring progress on the agenda. Consult the CTE Teaching Tip sheet â€Å"Meeting Strategies to Help Prepare Students for Group Work† for additional suggestions. †¢Teach students effective methods for giving and receiving feedback. For sample methods, see Teaching Tips â€Å"Receiving and Giving Effective Feedback. Create an assignment that involves them giving feedback to group members, and make it part of their final grade. †¢To help students recognize and make the most of their own and one another’s preferred roles, outline with them a list of team roles (see Teaching Tips â€Å"Group Roles† for one such list), have them determine which role(s) suits them best, and give them time to discuss within their groups how their particular role(s) will complement those of other group members. Requiring them to rotate their roles helps them to expand their skills set. 2. 0Problems faced in group interaction

The Impacts of Introducing an E-Commerce System to an Organisation Essay Example

The Impacts of Introducing an E The Impacts of Introducing an E-Commerce System to an Organisation Essay The Impacts of Introducing an E-Commerce System to an Organisation Essay The impacts of introducing an e-commerce system to the organisation are followed: Organisation can carry out their business without concerning about time and distance. Customer just can log in to organisation’s website whenever they wish to and purchase in single mouse click. Organisation eliminates processing errors; make it faster and convenient for the visitor. Organisation can sell their services/products directly to customers while cutting the costs of traditional retailing method. E. g. E-tailer does not have to spend so much on an expensive high street company. Organisation can reach much wider customers; which means organisation can sell their products/services worldwide rather than being limited to one place. Requires low running cost compare to introducing business on land based. Helps organisation to reduce the delivery time, labour cost and the cost incurred in various area such as document preparation, error detection and correction, reconciliation, mail preparation, telephone calling, supervision expenses etc. The risks of introducing an e-commerce system to an organisation: Risk to organisation information and intellectual property from internal staff and trading partners. It is difficult to control how sensitive information will be handled by third parties or contract workers. Hacker exploitation could cause errors in software applications design, technical implementation or system operation. System could be subject virus attack which may cause non-deliberate alteration on organisation images or web messages. Hence organisation will face embarrassment and damage to business reputation. Credit card payment fraud. Malicious attack from inside or outside the organisation. Technical failure or infrastructure failure which could put halt on the business. Organisation could lose customers hence revenue until system get back on running.

Management - Public Personnel Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management - Public Personnel - Assignment Example These resources can either be local based, state based or internationally based. The functions of public personnel today can be extensively classified into 4 different areas namely: planning, sanctions, acquisition and development. To be effective, theses functions are implemented through different organizations such as state, federal, local government and NGOs (Disalvo, 2010). Four trends affecting Public Personnel Today The four trends that affect the performance of public personnel today are governance changes, economic changes, technological changes in the work environment and the role that is played by citizens in the process of governance. First and foremost, the changes experienced in the economy have resulted in paradigm shift from national to global, production to delivery of service and finally from public commitment to limited commitment. For instance, in the majority of the urban areas, more than half of the human resources are from private organizations and not the gover nment agencies. Also, in most of the states, the number of employees within the private security organizations far outnumbers those of the local police departments. On the second point that affects the changes in the governance structure, the government is being redefined and this redefining includes, changing the perception of the government relationship with its citizens including focusing attention on the citizen whereby the citizen is regarded as a customer. It also involves the creation of a government that requires less to operate but does more in terms of service to its citizens and its general performance. Thirdly, we look at the effect of technology and the workplace. Technology and the workplace environment are a source of concern in the area of public personnel. The area of Public personnel has been widely impacted by the changes that have been experienced in the field of Information Technology. From the introduction of concepts such as cyberspace to the creation of the m any platforms with which communication can now take place, advancements in this field have impacted greatly in public agencies. The way that employees of public agencies carry out their day to day functions has greatly changed due to the impact of information technology. It has also resulted in diversity among the employees and affected their work ethics and other previously held values. Finally, we look on the aspect of the role played by citizens in their governance; it is evident that citizens are now playing a vital role in governance. This is because citizens are do not only perform the role of being recipients of government services, but they are also actively involved in governance by making contributions to policies and other legislation that will directly affect their lives. This participation by citizens also ensures that the values of democracy are upheld by the government (Robinson & Kary-Siobhan, 2002). Four strategies needed to create a diversified workforce Diversity in the human race is a fact that cannot be understated in any form. When we come to the workplace environment, diversity can be seen in terms of age, gender, nationality, and race etc. It is imperative to understand this diverse nature in the workplace and this implies recognizing and also encouraging this fact in addition to appreciating the uniqueness of everyone in such an environment. The strategies needed for the creation of a diversified workplace include: increase in the

Were the Puritans Puritanical (Carl Degler) Essay

Were the Puritans Puritanical (Carl Degler) - Essay Example believed it would anger God if one dressed differently to their station in life; it would be like lying to God to dress extravagantly when one was a member of a lower class. Many of the people who were in the upper-class of Puritans could and would wear gold, silver, and lace. Whilst this is true, most of the other restrictions on dress were to preserve the modesty of the wearer, although it was not as dull, plain and conservative as the stereotype. Women were expected to cover their head and most of their body. As previously mentioned, the Puritans placed a great value on the pure things in life, and part of this belief was an understanding of the Bible as more-or-less literal. In this case, they believed that man should not have too much fun, enjoyment or laughter in this life in case it hinder his ability to experience these things in the next, and sex was part of this. Sex was part of this, but it did not mean that sex was banned in society. The Puritans knew that people of both genders have sexual desires, and they also knew that these needed to be fulfilled. All the Puritans asked was that sexual intercourse be undertaken prayerfully with recognition that it is God that has bestowed these pleasures on them. However, it is worth noting that they did believe in having sex with respect and not enjoying it to excess. The central view of human nature in the Puritan faith is that it is prone to sin and this is an inescapable factor of life. Everything that comes from the body is sinful or disgusting. They believed that because of this tendency to sin, they must be controlled by a strong hand that helped them to curtail these sinful lusts and become more like God and live a purer life. The reason that they broke off from the English church is that they believed that this was corrupt, and they needed to escape this to try and counterbalance some of the things that human nature provoked. In life, the Puritans were expected to avoid sin as much as possible and

A Walk in My Shoes Essay Example for Free

A Walk in My Shoes Essay My name is Jr. I hope you enjoy reading as I take you on a journey and a walk in my shoes. Join me as I walk you through my adolescent years up to adult hood. After reading you will be able to see how I developed socioemotionally and became who I am today and why I am the way I am. I will share some of my favorite memories along with some not so fond memories, which changed who I would become as a Father. I was born and raised on the south side of San Antonio, Texas. I am fourth generation Texan, The Sanchez family settled in Eagle Pass, Texas dating back to before Texas became a Republic in 1836. The south side of San Antonio is predominantly Hispanic. Plus I went to a predominantly all Hispanic Catholic School, mainly due to location. Growing up I had little to no interaction with any other races. I feel this gave my classmates and I a feeling of belonging. As I have learned since we all shared the same race, culture, and religion this also helps young people with identity formation. We not only embraced our Mexican heritage we also embraced our Texan heritage. I grew up learning both Spanish and English. Studies show that youths with a positive ethnic identity who also embrace the American culture have more positive outcomes (Umana-Taylor, 2006). My Family growing up was very close. It seemed we always had aunts and uncles living with us at some point in time. I did not mind as I was always looked after and they were excellent role models and provided emotional stability. I am the oldest of four and we are spaced about 4 years apart. My baby sister, the youngest of my siblings came to us when I was about 15. My Father was very strict growing up. It was the typical wait until your dad gets home of scenario. He was a hard working man, and a great provider to his family. He worked two jobs for over twenty years. He put me and my sister and brother through Catholic private school. My father barely graduated high school and was very proud to have graduated. He wore his High school graduation ring until the day he died. If this does not tell you why he sacrificed working two jobs for twenty years I will tell you. There was nothing more important in my dads eyes than going to school and getting a good education. He did not want his kids to have to work as hard as he had to, he wanted a better life for us. Where would I be without my mother. My mother is truly an amazing woman. I know everyone must think their mom is pretty great; unless you can tell me that your mom can go from working a 8-12 hour day, come home feed the kids, help with homework and finish laundry all in one night, than I would say you have a great mom. What sets my mom apart from other moms is she can Cook, garden, fix you’re a/c unit, retile your floor, install your carpet, change out your oil, alternator, pumps, fix your toilet, you name it my mom can do it. So how about that for some motivation, drive, will to do better. When I say I learned my hard work dedication and will to always strive to be the best from my parents, you can see, I truly mean it. My Father was a great provider and like I mentioned before he wanted the best for his kids. I remember him helping me learn to ride a bike, swim, drive a car and even ride a motorcycle. Which are all key points in a child’s life. My mother also worked very hard and late hours. I was cared for by my grandmother whom I grew very attached to. I know it’s not nice to say but I don’t think it was a big secret, I was her favorite. Going to private school definitely positively impacted my life. It is there I would like to say I met my second family. I went to the same school with practically the same students, teachers, nuns and priests from pre-k to 8th grade. It is there I felt safe, I never had to worry about drugs, fights or any negative influences. I played a few sports growing up, like soccer, baseball, volleyball, and most importantly basketball. I also became an alter boy for about 4 years. The church taught me moral character and to love everyone as we are all children of God. My parents were very lively and loved spending time with each other. They seldom ever left us out, we went right along wit them. So this meant if they were going to a dance, so were we. I loved watching my parents dance. We went to many weddings, quinceaneras, and school dances. Another favorite pass time was going to the lake, or the beach, amusement and water parks. I have a lot of fond memories of growing up with my grandmother. I use to love going to her house in the summers, because that meant great cooking, anything we wanted of course and playing with my cousins. My grandmother did not have a very big yard but it was amazing the things we would come up with playing outside. I mentioned before I played basketball. Well I grew up the shortest in class every year but what I lacked in height I made up for in speed. My dad encouraged me like no other, he taught me not to let the bigger kids beat me, he would always say, do not let them eat your sandwich. I never really understood that until I got older. I think what he meant was if you let people take what is yours you will go hungry. This inspired me some how and I collected a lot of sandwiches, because I was feared on the court, fear I would steal the basketball. I continued to play basketball until my 8th grade year. Our team won City champs two years in a row, plus one first place in every tournament for three years. Talk about building up self esteem. Another memory that sticks out in my head is the day I had enough guts to get up and learn how to dance. My mom taught me well. I enjoyed dancing so much I learned how to swing dance, lindy hop, country dance and tejano dance. My dad bought me my first car, it was a 1972 Volkswagen beetle. It was not in the best of shape but little by little my dad helped me fix it right up. All said and done it had a midnight blue metallic clear coated finished paint job with centerline rims, Pirelli tires and smoke black tented windows. I bought my first Harley Davidson when I was about 25 years old. My father always had a motorcycle until I was about the age of 15. I would say about 1 month after I bought mine, he went and bought himself one. For the first time, in a long time he was back on a bike and we were riding together. As a teenager I was pretty active. We moved from the south side of San Antonio to the outskirts of the southeast side of town. This was about the time I graduated from 8th grade. My life was about to change as I knew it. See, up to this point I only knew and interacted with Hispanics. The High school in my district in our new neighbor hood was well versed and predominately white. It is here I would truly feel and learn what assimilation was. There was a mix of races, homosexuality and people of different religious back ground. I did not fully grasp the concept of racism, to me everyone was equal. This was a very tough adjustment for me, especially since I gravitated to the basketball players, which I had always fit in with. I could not fit in with the basketball players they were much to tall, and a lot better skilled than I was. I did however end up getting picked up for the football team, but stopped playing after my sophomore year. I turned my focus to soccer. By the end of my junior year my dad had his first heart attack and I no longer wanted to play sports. I started working to help pay for things that my parents could no longer support me with. I kept some money and gave some to my parents. Without sports I quickly started falling into the wrong crowd. It was not long until I figured out I was headed on the wrong path and with some guidance from my cousins I snapped back into reality. I enjoyed going to clubs and dancing with girls, showing them all the fancy moves my parents had shown me. I can remember dancing until 2 a. m sometimes. This was not a popular decision with my parents of course. In my lifetime I have held many jobs. My first job was with a pharmacy drug store called Eckards. This introduced me to the cruel world of dishonest people. I eventually had to quit this job as I was accused of taking money from the register. I did not take any money from the register but on camera it looked like I took money from the guy that was over paid and whom owed me money, he took the change from a mystery shopper gave me what he owed me and stuck the rest in his pocket. I was very trusting and naive, I never did question what was going on. So I hit the streets, pizza hut delivery that is. I did that for a few weeks but very quickly was introduced to more than what I care to share about from transvestites to abuse. I did not do that job very long. I went to work for West Telemarketing where I found a comfortable, professional, and challenging job as an ATT representative. I am not going to lie to you this job was boring but I was really good at it, and made a lot of money as a senior in high school. After High school I partied a lot with friends and tried going to a local community college. I also tried to move out of a perfectly good home that I had with my parents. My mother cried for a long time the day I told her I wanted to move out. As it turns out, my mom was right this was not a very good idea and I probably would have done better in community college had I listened to her. I found what I thought was going to be my future in working for Pace Foods. I quickly moved up from learning how to run every machine in the place to being selected as a on the job trained mechanic in about one year. This job found me. I did not choose it. I will never forget my Tio Polo cornering me one afternoon at his house after a night of drinking. He shot it to me strait and gave me the best advise of my life, God Bless His Soul. I joined the Coast Guard at age 20. In the Coast Guard I have had many jobs. I have been a deck hand, a painter, and even a boat rescue swimmer. I really got my calling as I chose to be a corpsman in the Coast Guard. I have done everything from pharmacy, lab tech, x-ray tech, and a physical therapy technician. As I matured in my job I was trained in tactical field medicine and a swat team member. After that I was appointed as a Clinic supervisor. Currently I am running my own clinic as I am the only medical provider for over 60 people. In the Future I would like to make E-7 a rank not easily attained. I would like to finish my degree and retire in San Antonio. I have two kids an ex-wife and the woman of my dreams my wife. My second marriage has worked so well partly because we come from similar religious back grounds and we both believe in making things work. I can honestly say we don’t always see eye to eye, but our Love for each other pushes us past any short falls. I have a son from a previous marriage and she has a daughter from a previous marriage. We currently do not have one together. I hope to instill hardworking ethics and strong leadership to my children. Throughout my life I learned some of the most important things. There are many different walk of people in this world and everyone conforms to whom they were brought up to be. Individually it is our job to note all our differences, along with each persons strengths and weaknesses. I tend to follow my parents footsteps in working hard for what I have and raising my kids with strong moral and respective manners. I hope they grow up to have the respect that I have for my elders. The purpose of such rites is to show society that it has a new adult and to impress on the former youth that he or she is now an adult and expected to act as such. Social scientists like Kottak (2008) believe that rites of passage create new adult identities and allow elders to be looked at as sources of wisdom and role modeling for adult thinking and behavior.

Analysis of Human Perception Essay -- essays research papers

When it comes down to our understanding of the world it is ultimately the result of our sensual means of perception. In other terms, can we really trust the truth, or anything that we know of scientifically? What does it mean to know something is true and also why it is important to distinguish between what you know and do not or cannot know? It is very difficult to be able to believe everything you hear, unless you experience it for yourself. Let?s say the perception is like viewing through goggles. If the tint of the goggles is green, the world appears green, if it?s black the world too 'becomes' black. You want to see poverty, you can. You want to see or feel corruption, and you can get that. If you want to see happiness you can see that too. Throughout the thousand of years, people?s opinions of perception have changed dramatically. My definition and opinion of perception is how I distinguish life. What is significant to me, and what do I not care for? My perception was defined by how I was raised in society. I think it is important to have a strong educational background, and have a close relationship with my family, and friends. To other individuals, they may think my perception isn?t correct, they could presume that working hard for money is significant to them, and family or friends is just a minor thing in life. Life is all in the matter of how each individual perceives it. Also it can be different for each person, as mentioned above, depending on his or her lifestyle. It is the substantiality of opinion of what you believe is true. At one point in time, people didn?t require evidence in order to consider something. The world was naive, and di... ..., geographer, astronomer, and astrologer who lived in the Hellenistic culture of Roman Egypt.? (Ptolemy, Encyclopedia) Ptolemy assumed that the earth revolved around everything, and continued to believe this fact, until Eratosthenes proved him wrong. ?He is noted for devising a system of latitude and longitude, and for being the first known to have calculated the circumference of the Earth.? (Eratosthenes, Encyclopedia) All in all, perception has grown an incredible amount. Perception can be taken any way by any person, but my following examples are good ways of looking at how it can only be believed if you have evidence, or how perception has changed dramatically throughout the years. I thought this topic was very interesting to research, and it never dawned on me how I interpreted perception, until I had to write about it.

Plato and Moral Authority

Kathryn Kelsven Dr. David Sgarlatta Humanities 253 December 21, 2012 Comparing Two Readings After reading Plato’s Apology and Leviticus 17-27, I found several differences in the way people are judged for the crimes they have committed as well as, by what are actually considered crimes or sins. I want to explore these differences by asking two questions to each reading: What kind of behavior constitutes as a sin or a crime? What is the source of moral authority behind laws and legal judgments? In Plato’s Apology, what constitutes as a sin or a crime?Socrates was accused of being a â€Å"doer of evil, and a corrupter of the youth, and he does not believe in the gods of the state, and has other divinities of his own† (Apology 1). These are all things that Meletus has brought Socrates to court for. These are all these that are considered to be a crime to Meletus and the Athenians throughout Apology, as Socrates proves this by continuously taking each item he is accus ed of and asking Meletus and the Athenians if they believe it to be true. In Leviticus 17-27, what constitutes as a sin or a crime?Throughout the reading there are several different times where the LORD speaks to Moses and tells him to let the people know that if they do not follow his command then they are disobeying him. In Leviticus chapter 22:1-2, it states. † The LORD said to Moses, â€Å"Tell Aaron and his sons to respect the sacred offerings which the Israelites consecrate to me; else they will profane my holy name. I am the LORD. †(Leviticus 22). Here, disrespecting a sacred offering is considered a sin. There are also many other examples of what is considered a sin.In chapter 19:4, â€Å"†Do not turn aside to idols, nor make molten gods for yourselves. I, the LORD, am your God. †(Leviticus 19). In this case, you should not worship idols or make idols because that would be going against the LORD who is your God. Also in Chapter 17:3-4 it says, †Å"Any Israelite who slaughters an ox or a sheep or a goat, whether in the camp or outside of it, without first bringing it to the entrance of the meeting tent to present it as an offering to the LORD in front of his Dwelling, shall be judged guilty of bloodshed; and for this, such a man shall be cut off from among his people. (Leviticus 17). In this section, anyone who does not first present his killing as an offering is automatically considered guilty for bloodshed and is cut off from the people. All of these examples show what are considered sins in Leviticus, and there are many more. In Plato’s Apology, what is the source of moral authority behind laws and legal judgments? Socrates is brought before judges. After asking Meletus what he means by calling him an Atheist, Meletus says, â€Å"I assure you, judges, that he does not believe in them; for he says that the sun is stone, and the moon earth. (Apology 3). Meletus is trying to prove to the judges, being the ones that w ill make the ultimate decision of what happens, that Socrates does not believe in any gods. In the very beginning of all of this, after Socrates makes his opening statement, he says, â€Å"Tell the judges, then, who is their improver; for you must know, as you have taken the pains to discover their corrupter, and are citing and accusing me before them† (Apology 1). Again the judges are to be told something in order to prove a point.This all shows that in Plato’s Apology the judges are the moral authority behind laws and legal judgments. In Leviticus 17-27, what is the source of moral authority behind laws and legal judgments? In each chapter we see that the very first statement is always â€Å"The LORD said to Moses† (Leviticus 17-27). This statement is not only at the beginning of every chapter but it is also throughout the chapters. Each time this statement is made it is followed by a law that the LORD is giving to the people. There will also follow some sort of punishment if that law is not followed. The LORD said to Moses,†Tell the Israelites: Anyone, whether an Israelite or an alien residing in Israel, who gives any of his offspring to Molech shall be put to death† (Leviticus 20). This is a perfect example. The LORD tells Moses what the law is and then follows up with how the people will be punished if not to follow the law; in this case they will be put to death. The LORD is clearly the one and only one to be of any kind of authority when it comes to laws and legal judgments. Both of these readings have very different ideas as to what a sin or a crime is, as well as who is the authority on the laws that have been made.Leviticus is based on there being one authoritarian who decides the laws and decides your punishments if you disobey those laws. In Leviticus you have no way to argue against you convictions. What the LORD says, goes. Also, in Leviticus there are several different criteria for what is considered a sin as com pared to Apology, where there are just a few things brought up that are considered to be a sin or a crime. Apology is based off convincing the people or the judges of what is right or wrong and letting them decide your fate. You have a chance to fight for yourself and prove yourself to be innocent.