Welfare and Three Axioms of Classical Marxist Theory Essay

Welfare and Three Axioms of Classical Marxist Theory - Essay Example In particular, this essay will magnify, in light of the classical Marxist theory, the influence and necessity of state policy in creating and maintaining a balance between capitalistic success and societal equity among existing class structures. Rethinking Welfare produces an analysis of capitalism and welfare in the twenty-first century by exploring three axioms of traditional Marxist theory: "capitalism as a contradictory totality, Marxism as a philosophy of praxis, and socialism as the self-emancipation of the working class" (Ferguson et al. 2002: 25). The first and third components are relevant to this discussion. Socialism is recognized by those working in the classical Marxist tradition as a "system of prioritizing human need over profit, where production is controlled and planned by the direct producers (that is, workers in their factories and offices) and where both these requirements necessitate a system of open and direct democracy- far more democratic than anything seen under capitalism" (Ferguson et al. 2002: 25). It is interesting to note that the authors conclude, "none of the past or present representatives of "actually existing socialism" come close to meeting these criteria" (25). However, the evil capitalist that Marx predicted would become his own 2 gravedigger, did not, in fact materialize and the Soviet Union collapsed under its own weight of oppression, contradicting Marx's prediction of the uprising of the disenfranchised and alienated worker. Capitalism, has for the most part, succeeded in holding its own power, precisely because of Marx's deeper understanding of its evolutionary nature. In his manifesto, Marx (and Engels) predict and support, among other things, the abolition of private property, the replacement of marriage by a "community of women," concentration of political power in the hands of the proletariat and the replacement of the state by "an association in which the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all." (Lewis 1998: 1) These are radical thoughts and dismissed as such by most academics, but, as Ferguson et al point out, there are three important axioms in Marx's theory that have relevance in today's society. Capitalism and "prioritizing human need over profit" are contradictions in terms and ideology. But Marx would argue that the world is a "differentiated unity" and that by virtue of the capitalistic need to employ workers to become and remain profitable, capitalism, operating in a democracy, must address the needs of the workers. The world, through Marx's eyes, is an entity that is at every point interrelated. In strictly economic terms, that is, to maximize profits and accumulate wealth, it is in the best interest of the capitalist to ensure basic welfare services to its workers. In a democracy, it is the state that allows the worker to fight for his right to a decent life-style, and yet, statistics tell us that within the world's powerful democratic states, 3 class distinction is becoming more pronounced and the richer are getting richer by exploiting the poor. If Marx is correct in predicting the success of the working class in overthrowing the oppressive conditions of capitalism, then we should allow the organic progress of capitalism to fulfill its own destiny. History tells us that the worker will never triumph in his pursuit for a healthy and equitable lifestyle. In countries from the Soviet Union to North Korea, wherever private property was abolished, state ownership rather than collective, public ownership took its place. Far from

Music Concern Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Music Concern Report - Essay Example couple of moments, the music seemed to capture cadences of Mexican art in ways that evoke the sensibilities of art as lived and experienced in the traditional forms. The disjunctive chords of the first theme artfully gave way to conjunct chords that morphed into each other in a perfect continuum. Tone, pitch, and rhythm were some of the tools expertly exploited to unite the meaning and beauty of the symphony. There is a sense in which the music achieved some unity in meaning by evoking the emotions of the super-real and somewhat celestial beauties as brought out in the Mexican art forms. Another telling aspect of the maturity of talent as brought out by the ensemble was manifest in the variations in tone and pitch throughout the course of the music. The auditory qualities seemed to mesh into the imaginative element of the audience hence creating a quality of art that was both arresting and relieving in equal measure. Although parts of the themes at the middle appeared to course in disharmony, there is a sense in which much of the performance achieved a harmonious flow that rose and fell with expertly rendition. In a way, the themes explored by the chords brought out multiple messages that seemed to fit into the multi-faceted life and troubled life of the artist. One would feel a connection deeper than the casual meanings as brought out in the fragmented beginnings of the themes. The rising and falling of notes was representative of the different phases that marked the tumultuous social life of the performer including his chequered music career. In a way the main theme appeared to be a cathartic and psychological evocation of the artiste’s inner feeling and a deep search for connection with a world that has often remained strange and aloof for him. There is always a way in which soulful music evokes a sense of yearning for things beyond the physical. Sometimes the music is rendered in such a manner that captures the essence of spiritualism for troubled souls

Subordinate group member Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Subordinate group member - Essay Example ays author Yen Le Espiritu (1995), mainly due to socio-historical amnesia, limited research has been expended on the immigration and settlement history of Filipinos in the US (p.1). Other sources, such as the book The Filipino Americans by Barbara Mercedes Posadas (1999), do not cover Filipino diaspora to the US during the Spanish occupation in the Philippines. Posadas asserts that the first wave of immigration came during World War II. Some Filipinos were enlisted in the US Army and later naturalized and sworn to citizenship. The second wave was during the 1965 liberalization of immigration laws. Many factors such as the Philippine independence from American colonization, access to naturalization, the institution of export labor by the Marcos regime, and the ethnic community expansion among others have contributed to a new face of Filipino Americans (p.26). Perhaps because of limited available publications on their history, Filipino Americans have often been plagued by questions on identity. In many known Filipino American literary pieces, identity is always a central theme. Reshi Hebbar (1998) from the Post Colonial Studies at Emory College notes that renowned Fil-Am authors like Jose Garcia Villa, Carlos Bulosan, Bienvenido Santos, and Jessica Hagedorn wrote â€Å"to exile themselves from the home country or to accept the status of a hyphenated American or to find a bridge between the two.† Maria P. Root (1997), in her introduction to the book Filipino Americans: Transformation and Identity attributes much of the identity confusion explored by Fil-Am writers to the five centuries of colonization that â€Å"ravaged the souls and psyche of the indigenous people of the archipelago dubbed Las Islas Filipinas †¦ regardless of our nativity, language, class or gender† (xi). She affirms that colonization plays a big part in the Fil-Am experience. Currently, there are communities in the US that have helped many Filipino immigrants and descendants cope up with the

Management Seminar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Management Seminar - Essay Example SOX ensure accurate financial statements by eliminating unethical acts in organizations hence increasing the public’s confidence in investment. Therefore, employees are required to report any wrongdoing for the organization to be punished by the federal government. The enforcement of the Act actually resulted to decline in financial scandals. However, 2008 financial crisis proved that any regulation is unable to reduce or control risks. Additionally, due to the cunning nature of organizations, the Act has been greatly challenged. A good number of companies have refused to go public in order, not to comply with the SOX Act. SOX are not necessary for companies because it just limits flexibility of financial management despite the stiff global competition. It also raises costs to organizations in the form of monetary expenses associated with SOX compliance. Since companies are more concerned with public image, they need no strict regulation for them to act ethically. They often have internal controls necessary to maintain the required ethical

Most of the civilizations discussed in this section of class were Essay

Most of the civilizations discussed in this section of class were established on major rivers - Essay Example These were made of perfectly curved blocks whose construction have remained a mystery since it is not known how the builders carried the over five tones of building materials to the top of the building. Another technology included the production of dyes and inks by the use of plants, soot gum, fish and water. There were also water and sundial clocks. The seasonal flooding of the River Nile resulted in the deposition of fertile silt from the deserts thereby promoting agriculture along the river (Spielvogel, 2009). The Egyptians ploughed using human and animal drought machinery. Since the River Nile was prone to seasonal flooding, trenches were constructed to guide water to crops hence promoting basin irrigation. Agrarianism was a major practice in the ancient Egypt. The communities in the Upper Nile however carried out fishing, hunting and gathering as their major economic activities (Spielvogel, 2011). They hunted Zebras and cattle to bring food into the Nile. Agricultural products, game meat and fish were traded amongst themselves on a barter trade basis. The hunters and gatherers exchanged their game meat with farm products from the agrarian communities. This was because there was no trade and cultural diffusion between Egypt and the surrounding countries at that time. The river did not only provide water for irrigation and fish, but also provided a means of transport. The communities around the Nile used boats to travel along the river from one settlement to another (Quie & Bell, 2011). Winds helped boats travel against the river current and along the river. For fear that large boats would capsize; the Upper Nile communities used small boats such as canoes to travel through the region. Egyptian social system was strict and the government was centralized; it was divided into social classes in the order of the Pharaoh, Pharaoh’s family and relatives, nobles, priests, scribes, soldiers, workers, peasants, foreigners and slaves. In

Philosophy of Teaching Essay Example for Free

Philosophy of Teaching Essay Philosophy of teaching is a self-reflective statement of your beliefs about teaching and learning. It discuss how you put your beliefs in practice by including concrete examples of what you do or anticipate doing in class. My teaching philosophy is ‘participatory learning’. It a type of learning process whereby learners are put in the centre of every learning situation, in other words pupils take active part of the lesson presentation. . I hold this belief in the sense that, when children are involve actively in the lesson delivery with the relevant teaching methods and techniques and also appropriate learning materials, it’s inspires them to explore and take up their own responsibility. This belief once again, gives children the opportunities to discuss, talk and ask questions. It also allow the teacher to listen to the children and see how their understanding is developing, it makes learning permanent in any learning situation. Validity of my philosophy To validate my philosophy, James Hartley (1998) said that activity is very important in learning. Learning is better when the learner is active rather than passive; therefore learning by doing is to be applauded. My teaching style can best be described as one that incorporates different methods and techniques that encourages learners to be active participant in the delivering of lesson. By engaging students in variety of activities that address each child’s learning style, I believe that they will achieve academic success and build the self confidence. Learning occurs when a student is fully encouraged in the process, make a personal connection with the information taught and apply the knowledge to variety of experiences. When this happened the child is inspired to become engaged over and over again, make connections and apply his or her knowledge. Application of my philosophy I understand the importance of using participatory learning to appropriately address the different learning styles and needs of students in order to become effective in the near future. Consequently, it is extremely important to determine each child’s dominated learning style and continually monitor each student’s academic progress through a variety of assessment in order to plan instructions that draw upon each child’s strength to improve academic development. With my teaching philosophy in mind, I try my best to prepare my lesson before time, rehearse on my own base on the teaching and learning materials prepared and available. Introduction of which is an important part of lesson delivery is done first based on the relevant previous knowledge of student then proceed to tell them objectives of the lesson and the future benefit of the topic. In doing so the learner become informed of what would be discussed as the lesson proceed, they think critically and consciously about each objectives. For example I taught the topic shapes and space with the sub topic solid shapes. I used variety of relia like Milo tin, milk tins paper boxes, match boxes, etc. During the presentation stage l allowed pupils to have a look at the TLMs. Teacher then assisted pupils to explore the materials and came out with their own findings. Pupils discussed their findings to identify the shapes as solid shapes while teacher served as a facilitator. Teacher also assisted pupils to identify the parts of the various solid shapes talked about. Likewise in all the topics I treated during the program I used methods and techniques that allowed pupils to fully participate in the lessons. Such techniques include activity method, demonstration, discussion, games, etc. As a teacher I only served as a facilitator and guide to all the activities that went on during teaching and learning process. Effectiveness This philosophy â€Å"participatory learning† with the needed teaching and learning materials is very effective as it enhance pupils taking part fully in the lesson that is they communicate, ask questions, write down points and share ideas with friends. Conclusion I will therefore conclude that when a teacher impact knowledge by involving pupils in every activity or lesson, with appropriate, adequate and suitable learning materials using a variety of teaching techniques such as demonstration, dramatization and role play, the teacher will achieve his or her set goals and get the needed feedback from pupils. This also makes learning more practical and permanent.

The Modernization Of China And Its Impact Environmental Sciences Essay

The Modernization Of China And Its Impact Environmental Sciences Essay The issue of global warming started way back in the early 1990s and since then there has been growing international concerns on combating global warming. In a step to bring all nations on board, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) was established in 1992, in Rio de Janeiro (Yu, 2008). The main objective of treaty was to deliberate on reducing green house gases emissions by individual countries worldwide and especially those countries who are the main emitters of carbon. Because of the direct link of this treaty to the economy, many nations are skeptical on signing to the treaty. Yu (2008) asserted that, mitigation of climate change will be achieved by substantial collaboration under the UNFCCC (P.1). Global warming has had a potential negative impact on the chinas environment. It has been found that since 1990, china has experienced environmental degradation due to this global warming. In fact Yu (2008) said that due to the adverse effect on the chinas environment, their leaders have had to rethink more about the issue. There are many effects of global warming such as environmental degradation, sea level rise and severe weather patterns that may lead to coastal flooding. Today China is believed to be one of the worlds polluter of environment owing to its growth in economy boosted by adequate supply coal and oil production (Yu, 2008). Interestingly, global warming is caused by human activities such as: use of oil, fossil fuels, and burning of coal which leads to release of carbon dioxide and green house gases into the atmosphere. The high proportion of this carbon dioxide in the atmosphere generates extreme global warming (Maslin, 2004). Sadly, rise in temperature in the planet-earth- poses a potential threat to the existence of human beings. Negal (1994) observed that the advancement of technology and economic growth and modernization has to a large extend contributed to the global warming. He warns that global warming and unusual weather patterns threaten the very existence of the globe (p.98). Nagel (1994) when writing about Asian development and public policy, describes china as being confronted with two interconnected challenges: maintaining technological advancement while combating ecological catastrophe generated by this technology. The increase in Chinas population over the years has led to the increase in the environmental pollution. According to Nagel (1994), about sixty cities in China have badly been affected by smog and factory emissions (p.199); and some cities in the Northern part projected high levels of carbon dioxide and other pollutants. Because of rising demand for use of coal and oil, China is certainly predicted to have a significant increase in emission of Carbon dioxide. About 12.0 billion tons in 2030, which will be the highest ever attained by any nation have been projected (Lloyed, 2009, p.51). Lloyed warns that, if Chinas projected emission is what to go by, then it will be impossible to control the effects of global warming, however much, other countries try to minimize their emissions. Although china is one of the highly populated countries in the world with over 1.2 billion people, it is also one of the poorest (Harris, 2003). To support this growing population, China increased its industrial growth which translated to increased supply of food and other necessities within the country. According to Harris (2003), issue of global warming in China has aroused due to the modernization of economy and diversification of energy to feed the growing modernization. In respect to this, China increased its energy use by 208 percent between 1970 and 1990, while coal rose by 69.9 percent (Harris, 2003). Eventually, China recorded approximately 13.4 percent of the world carbon dioxide emissions which rated them as the second, after the United States, largest producer in the world. The Chinas policy on energy is informed by the strategy of increasing production and supply. In 1980s, China started facing acute shortage of energy due to its growing industries; other sources of energy that are economical and viable were needed urgently to boost the energy shortage. Therefore they resorted to oil which was easily available and required little amount of capital. To be specific, china uses a lot of coal in their industrial sector as compared to other nations in the world where their alternative sources of energy such as electricity are being used. Harris (2003) says that Chinas energy has been misused by users because of its low price policy of coal, inefficiency of industrial machines such as boilers which burn coal, and poor infrastructure (p.47) The outcome of all this overuse and misuse of energy was a serious environmental catastrophe. Harris (2003)described that China encountered serious water shortages, land degradation, water pollution; but among the most serious environmental problems is atmospheric pollution (p.47). In addition, respiratory complications increased due to pollution of air caused by incomplete combustion of coal from industries. There was also destruction of crops, forest and fisheries accelerated by unprecedented levels of acid rain (Harris, 2003). In conclusion, the Chinas modernization has had adverse impact on global warming. To start with, industrial expansion of China sparked high demand of fuel. In response to this demand, China increased supply of coal and oil. The rise in demand for the use of these carbon emitters fuel has had a devastating effect on China and even global climate change. Carbon dioxide and greenhouses gases which origins from burning of coal and oil, rises the earth temperature. The high emission of carbon dioxide in China has been caused by three key factors: low pricing policy of coal in China which led to the less conservation of energy by industries; low efficiency level of machines used by Chinese industries to burn coal and poor infrastructure. It is predicted that by 2030, China will be the leading producer of carbon dioxide with approximate 12.0 billion tons. The ramifications of this will be felt in so many generations to come. This is a collective responsibility for every nation towards the protection of the future generation. Therefore all nations should commit themselves in reducing the carbon dioxide emission to the environments.