Friday, November 8, 2019
Symptoms And Factors Of Chlamydia Essays - Health, Medicine
Symptoms And Factors Of Chlamydia Essays - Health, Medicine Symptoms And Factors Of Chlamydia Symptoms and Factors of Chlamydia The sexually transmitted disease caused by microorganisms that live, as parasites within a cell would commonly be known as Chlamedia. These microorganisms have properties in common with both viruses and bacteria, and cause infection in humans. The causes and risk factors of the Chlamydia infection is caused by the organism Chlamydia trachomas. It is to be the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United states with an estimated 3,000,000 to 4,000,000 people per year. (Even with the 2,000,000 people of gonorrhea, reported and unreported) The spread is higher among lower society groups and among teenagers. Chlamydia is very important because of the consequences of untreated infection. The importance of genital chlamydia infections is without symptoms until complications appear. Chlamydia: In men, chlamydia produces symptoms similar to gonorrhea. Chlamydia (female): Infection with chlamydia frequently leads to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) which can cause scarring of the Fallopian tubes and sterility. An estimated 20% of women who get PID will be infertile. Tubule wounds also increases the likelihood of a bad pregnancy (tubule pregnancy). If women are infected with chlamydia while pregnant the infection can cause premature labor and delivery. Plus the infant have a chance of Developing chlamydial conjunctivitis (eye infection) and a 15% chance of developing chlamydial pneumonia. A meaning of chlamydial infections do not cause symptoms; but when they are present; it is similar to those of gonorrhea. In men, this may include burning with urination, discharge from the end of the penis, tenderness or pain in the testicles and lower abdomen and fever and. Women may also have urinary burning, increased frequency, and a mild urethra discharge. Infection of the female reproductive tract can include the Bartholin ducts, vagina, cervix, endometrium, and fallopian tubes. Chlamydia can also cause rectal infections. There are three strains of chlamydia that are responsible for another sexually transmitted disease, and is called lymphogranuloma venereum. This disease is seen more in under developed countries but has gone worldwide. In the United States it is seen mostly in homosexual men. For the reason that Chlamydia infections is often found in conjunction with gonorrhea. People who are get with gonorrhea should also be evaluated for chlamydia infection. The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends annual chlamydia screening for all sexually active adolescent girls and for other females who may be at high risk for the infection. People that are 25 years old don't use contraceptives all of the time and have new or multiple sex partners. They probably have signs of a possible cervical infection have previously had an STD. Females who are at risk because of their age and sexual activity need to get screened at least once a year. Other chlamydia experts have recently questione d whether that is even a lot. Based on a study experts had conducted in 1998, colleagues at Johns Hopkins University recently recommended a twice-yearly screening of sexually active female adolescents. In tracking more than 3,000 sexually active Baltimore high school girls for three years, they found that more than a quarter of them tested positive for chlamydia at least once in that time frame. By keeping with this test screening was recommended for pregnant women, also, because of the risk that their babies will become infected with chlamydia at birth. No screening was given to males. Because it could have been overlooked. There is a lot of chlamydia in men that we're missing, and they are a major reservoir of infection. Said the experts. We're really only putting a band-aid on the problem because, even if we're screening the women, some are going back to their partners and getting reinfected. There has been major progress in the treatment of chlamydia with antibiotics over the past few years. Common side effects of these treatments include diarrhea (7%), nausea (5%), abdominal pain (5%), and vomiting (2%). Once again a person can get and spread chlamydia through unprotected vaginal and anal sex. Preventing chlamydia means approaching sexual relationships responsibly: limit the number of your sex partners, use condoms, and if you think you are infected, avoid any sexual contact and visit a local STD clinic, hospital, or your doctor. Bibliography The Food and Drug Administration. FDA Consumer
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
5 Examples of How Hyphens Help
5 Examples of How Hyphens Help 5 Examples of How Hyphens Help 5 Examples of How Hyphens Help By Mark Nichol Confusion about whether or not to use a hyphen remains one of the most common mechanical problems in writing. Here are five sentences in which hyphens are erroneously omitted. 1. ââ¬Å"The head on crash sent three people to the hospital.â⬠This sentence creates the unfortunate impression that a human head is somehow responsible for a car accident: The phrasal adjective ââ¬Å"head onâ⬠should be hyphenated before the noun it refers to (but, like all the other examples in this post, should left open when it follows the noun): ââ¬Å"The head-on crash sent three people to the hospital.â⬠2. ââ¬Å"Itââ¬â¢s unfortunate that she didnââ¬â¢t make better informed decisions.â⬠One could refer to informed decisions that are better, but thatââ¬â¢s not quite what is meant here. The reference is to decisions that are better informed, so the phrasal adjective should be hyphenated: ââ¬Å"Itââ¬â¢s unfortunate that she didnââ¬â¢t make better-informed decisions.â⬠3. ââ¬Å"His report suggested a less than careful analysis of the facts.â⬠What kind of analysis being discussed? One that is less than careful. So this combination of words should be hyphenated: ââ¬Å"His report suggested a less-than-careful analysis of the facts.â⬠4. ââ¬Å"She showed excellent time management skills.â⬠This sentence can be read only as intended, but because ââ¬Å"time managementâ⬠is not awarded status as a standing phrase by being honored with a dictionary entry, it should be treated like any other temporary phrasal adjective: ââ¬Å"She showed excellent time-management skills.â⬠5. ââ¬Å"By observing quality of care measures at that point, they could predict with 77 percent accuracy who would drop out of high school.â⬠The issue is not care measures and their quality; it is measures of quality of care, or ââ¬Å"quality-of-care measuresâ⬠: ââ¬Å"By observing quality-of-care measures at that point, they could predict with 77 percent accuracy who would drop out of high school.â⬠Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How Many Tenses in English?8 Types of Parenthetical PhrasesLetter Writing 101
Sunday, November 3, 2019
Terrorism in Southeast Asia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Terrorism in Southeast Asia - Essay Example In spite of that fact if US being the most powerful state on the planet up till now, as well as that US has its assertive role in the region, the regions and the countries that have been facing the terrorism have not exactly been backing the US in case of the terrorism. It is to be seen as to why that is he case. Now the case has changes to some extent as we shall see in the case of Indonesia (Capie 2004., pp 1-3). South East Asia has been having periodical episodes of terror campaign as well as the episodes of political violence. Both scenarios are related ad counted in the terrorism heading. The terrorist activities include the communists group that is based in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines. The activities are linked against the socialist regimes in these countries. In many cases, the terrorist activities have been directed against some states. As it happened in case of Christian anti-separatist groups in the southern Philippines who were opposing Muslim secessionists and militia groups in East Timor, Papua and various other parts of Indonesia. There have been some developments taking place after the war in Afghanistan in the era of 1980s. In this war, US supported mujahhedin guerillas fought against the soviet occupation forces. Since the 1980s, there have been changes in the face of the terrorist groups and the terrorism in the region (Manyin 2003., pp 12-17). Analysis The role of Afghans has been central to the development of the terrorist networks in south East Asia since many years. There are approximately 230 million Muslims in south East Asia, which is just the 20% of the total percentage of the Muslims in the whole world. This 20% of the Muslim population has moderate views about other religious groups. However, the extreme forms arose from other parts of the world including Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The terrorist groups in these areas were making an appeal to the people to join them. The appeal was strengthened and heightened when there was a recruitment process that went on to recruit the people to fight against the resistance forces of Soviet Union in Afghanistan. Many powerful leaders of the Islamic groups based in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia joined the terrorist groups and were trained, and they served in Afghanistan. After this recruitment stage, there was a boost in the Islamic resistance in Afghanistan on a large scale. This added a lot to the new changes in the face of the Southeast Asian Islamic separatism. The funding was also being gained from stronger movements that were based on an international level having strong financial backgrounds. The role of socio economic factors The socio economic status has further added to the activities of the fundamental Islamic groups in Southeast Asia. All the Islamic movements need to have autonomy. Nevertheless, their mission of gaining autonomy has been under resistance. The resistance has been shown by many central governments. Alternatively, in some cases, the autonomy has been gained but it has been used or implemented in an ineffective way as in the case of southern Philippines. The madrasaas The world saw Asia drown in the financial crisis in the year 1997. Since than there has bean a pressure on the regional
Friday, November 1, 2019
B-Corp Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
B-Corp Business - Essay Example In order to become a B-Corp, there exists the whole certification process named ââ¬Å"B-Corp Certificationâ⬠. This certification implies the process of validating the companyââ¬â¢s social and environmental performance which is measured through the special impact assessment framework (Bcorporation.net, n.d.). The process of certification has three stages: meet performance requirement; meet legal requirement; and make it official (Bcorporation.net, n.d.). The companyââ¬â¢s performance is assessed based on the overall impact which it has on the stakeholders. This assessment is lasting for 1-3 hours, depending on the companyââ¬â¢s size, location, and sector in which it operates. Then, one of the B Lab staff members appoints an Assessment Review session in order to clarify questions and enable the company to refine the answers (Bcorporation.net, n.d.). In case the companyââ¬â¢s score is between 80-200 points, the B Corp team members provide the applicant with information on how to submit supporting documentation. When Assessment review stage is completed, the company has to complete Disclosure Questionnaire, where it informs about any sensitive practices, sanctions and fines related to this company or its partners (Bcorporation.net, n.d.). While the majority of such disclosures are not essential, there are cases when there are material disclosures which require more attention. In this case, the companyââ¬â¢s management will need to provide more information on this issue. Decision about acceptance and membership/participation of the company in the B Corp community is made by the B Labââ¬â¢s Board of Directors and Standards Advisory Council (Bcorporation.net, n.d.). The B Corp Certification process should be completed every two years. As it has been already mentioned the B Corp community is comprised of more than 1000 businesses. These companies operate in 60 different
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Influence of bullying on society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Influence of bullying on society - Essay Example Human beings develop or grow by observing the surroundings and so they are called as social animals. Bullying is not what which is imbibed by birth, the situations and people around them make children harass whoever comes in contact with them. Children at young age don't have that much understanding to differentiate between genders or elderly people, teachers, family members and friends are the easiest scapegoats. The beginning of bullying may start from people surrounding the child start interfering in their matter and trying to alter their thoughts and at the same time molding them in a way what their parent or guardians need their wards to grow. This noble effort may be a good weapon to blend their children into a multi-talent adolescent, but it may have serious consequences if the child is already preoccupied by thoughts of his own. At this time if someone tries to interfere with their thoughts and intentions, emotions that may burst paving a way of bullying whoever tries to bother them. Children at tender age can't differentiate between teaching and strict discipline. Their lies a very thin line between teaching and discipline. If the child experiences this he/she may get disturbed and may get averse to the situations and will react unruly. The g... One of the reasons for children and adolescents is suspected weakness in themselves or in others. They try to cover up their weaknesses by aggressive behavior and showing the power personally. If a student is found weak mentally or in aspect of human or common intelligence then the surrounding adolescents whoever are aggressive in nature start bullying. This can be a stepping-stone to the child or adolescent to start bullying their immediate or fellow students and their teachers. Children bullying at tender age may just tease their fellow student, neighbors and teachers but when they grow up with such mentality, bullying altogether take a different meaning and as it expands, date violence, sexually harassing girls. The very beginning of bullying at tender age should be checked and corrected so that it may not continue up to adult hood. Not checking and correcting at tender age is also a specific reason for adolescents and adults bullying, once children and adolescents taste the sarcastic magic of bullying, it entices and tempts them to whip out their natural behavior by replacing aggressive and power full behavior in to their character. The combination of power and aggression makes them fell supreme. Generally adolescents look to their peers for help all times. If their peers are noble enough then such behavior made declaim in adolescents. But if they are not, then adolescents become most notorious and when they continue to grow which such behavior up to adult hood then bullying will be key component of sexually harassment, gang attacks, date violence critical assault, marital violence, child abuse, work place harassment and elder abuse, another
Monday, October 28, 2019
Sexual Harassment Paper Essay Example for Free
Sexual Harassment Paper Essay Define sexual harassment as the term is used legally. ââ¬Å"Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature that tends to create a hostile or offensive work environment.â⬠(sexual harassment. (n.d.) Wests Encyclopedia of American Law, edition 2. (2008). Sexual harassment comes in several different forms from words to touching to gestures something that is present from one person to another person sexually that is not wanted by the other person. This normally makes one person feel uncomfortable in the workplace causing an employee to not feel comfortable at work which all employees have the right to feel comfortable and safe in the workplace. Explain how sexual harassment differs from gender discrimination. Sexual harassment is the act of sexual advances from one person or group of people to another person or group of people whereas gender discrimination is when a person is not afforded the same opportunities as another solely based on the gender male or female. Gender discrimination is unlawful and protected under the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ââ¬Å"It shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employer -(1) to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individualââ¬â¢s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin; orâ⬠(Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 SEC. 2000e-2. [Section 703]) Provide the legal definition of quid pro quo (also known as vicarious liability) sexual harassment. Provide one example of a behavior which could be found to be quid pro quo sexual harassment. According to The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, ââ¬Å"EEOCs Guidelines define two kinds of sexual harassment: quid pro quo, in which submission to or rejection of [unwelcome sexual] conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individual,( The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission N-915.048 1/12/90) An example of this would be when a person sexually harassment another employee but the employee that isà receiving the sexual harassment does not do anything about it when they allow this to happen where as another employee would not allow and this employee is then promoted to a better position due to allowing the sexual harassment to go on this person was granted special rewards for allowing the sexual harassment or even acting on the sexual harassment to be promoted, this can also work the opposite way as well say the employee that was sexually harassed file a complaint confronts the person doing the sexual harassment then this person is not promoted or given a raise that is due based on them not allowing the sexual harassment to continue. Provide the legal definition of hostile environment sexual harassment. Provide one example of a behavior which could be found to be hostile environment sexual harassment. The 2nd kind of sexual harassment defines by The U.S. Equal Employment Op portunity Commission is hostile environment, in which unwelcome sexual conduct unreasonably interfer[es] with an individuals job performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment. ,( The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission N-915.048 1/12/90) In the hostile environment the person receiving the sexual harassment feels they must allow this to continue and/or comply with the sexual requests all to keep the job they have and/or to continue to receive raises and promotions, even though the employee does not want to do this they have the feeling of pressure and fell they have no other options. List the factors which contribute to a determination of whether behavior is sexual harassment. 1.The victimized employee alleging sexual harassment must be a member of a protected classââ¬âthat is, a man or a woman. 2.The complaint must be gender relatedââ¬âfor example, a female must assert that there would have been no harassment if she were not a woman. 3.The employee must not have consented to the sexual advances or participated in the hostile work environment. 4.The harassment must be based on sex. 5.The conduct complained of must have had a deleterious effect on the employeeââ¬â¢s job. 6.The harassment must have occurred during the scope of employment. (Moran 2011 pg 276.). The 1st factors is speaks to the person needs to be in a protected the class the protected classes are man and woman. The 2nd factor needs to show that gender played a factor had the person not been that gender then it would not of been sexual. The 3rd needs to show that the person receiving the ha rassment did not agree to the sexual harassment. The 4th needs to showà that the harassment is sexual in nature. The 5th needs to show that sexual harassment affected the insured job in some way. The 6th will need to show that sexual harassment took play while the insured was employed with the employer. Explain what situations are considered severe or pervasive and why these terms are important. ââ¬Å"seâ⬠¢vere adjective \sÃâ¢-ÃËvir\: very bad, serious, or unpleasant : causing a lot of physical pain or suffering : very harshâ⬠(Severe. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster.com) ââ¬Å"perâ⬠¢vaâ⬠¢sive adjective \pÃâ¢r-ÃËvà -siv, -ziv\ : existing in every part of something : spreading to all parts of somethingâ⬠(Pervasive. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster.com) Some situations that are considered severe and pervasive are touching, joking, commenting, distribution of sexual materials, (Moran 2011) when the items are not warranted and it is asked to stopâ⬠¦. Both of these terms are important together to make the determination if the situation meets the minimum to be determined as sexual harassment. Give the main legal reason why every company should have a valid written policy against sexual harassment (besides the fact it is the right thing to do.) The main legal reason is so that it is clearly spelled out in black and white for all employees to see so that at no point can anyone ever say they were not aware of the policy or the rules that guide this policy. The employer needs to put all the steps clearly stated as it rest for the employer to make all attempts that this does not happen. Case Analysis: I have chosen case BURLINGTON INDUSTRIES, INC. v. ELLERTH to discuss here. The facts: Kimberly Ellerth was an employee at Burlington Industries where she was employed for 15 months as a salesperson. Ted Slowik was a mid-level manager over Ellerth with authority to hire and promote with approval from high management. Ellerth alleges that Slowik subjected her to sexual harassment with repeated boorish and offensive remarks with remarks as threats towards less advancement. Ellerth had never reported any incidents prior to filing suit and did receive 1 promotion during her employment as Burlington. The issue: The issues are since it was never reported can Burlington be held liable for something they were not aware of and could Ellerth claim be categorized as quid pro quo harassment and should a claim he vicarious liability or negligence. The decision: It was determined that Ellerth has only a hostile work environment claim as the threats from Slowik were never carried out. An employer is negligent, and therefore subject to liability under à §219(2)(b), if it knew or should have known about sexual harassment and failed to stop it. Negligence sets a minimum standard for Title VII liability; but Ellerth seeks to invoke the more stringent standard of vicarious liability. Section 219(2)(d) makes an employer vicariously liable for sexual harassment by an employee who uses apparent authority (the apparent authority standard), or who was ââ¬Å"aided in accomplishing the tort by the existence of the agency relationâ⬠(the aided in the agency relation standard). Given the Courtââ¬â¢s explanation that the labels quid pro quo and hostile work environment are not controlling for employer-liability purposes, Ellerth should have an adequate opportunity on remand to prove she has a claim which would result in vicarious liability. Althou gh she has not alleged she suffered a tangible employment action at Slowikââ¬â¢s hands, which would deprive Burlington of the affirmative defense, this is not dispositive. In light of the Courtââ¬â¢s decision, Burlington is still subject to vicarious liability for Slowikââ¬â¢s activity, but should have an opportunity to assert and prove the affirmative defense. I {agree or disagree} with the courtââ¬â¢s decision becauseâ⬠¦ I agree with the courtââ¬â¢s decision due to Ellerth not reporting the incidents. I also agree since no actions were taken by Slowik on the threats made but since I Slowik was n a position of management over others Burlinton does have some responsibility for placing this person in a position of authority. Appendix A good sexual harassment policy will include the following sections, and I have also explained why those sections should be included. A good sexual harassment policy should include the following Statement that shows the employer is trying to combat and prevent sexual harassment from happing in the work place. An explanation of sexual harassment, outline some issues, use explanations, try to paint a clear picture what is wrong. Outline the Employers Responsibilities under This Policy make it clear what the employer will due when this brought up including termination. Outline the steps/process to include mediation, grievances, EEO processes and who can be notified of this issue also list some people in upper management so an employee does not feel they have to tell local management if it involves local management. Demonstrate that it is the employeeââ¬â¢s responsibility to reports these event even if they donââ¬â¢t involve them. Provide additional resources regarding sexual harassment and work to reiterate that all actions taken within this policy are confidential. References sexual harassment. (n.d.) Wests Encyclopedia of American Law, edition 2. (2008). Retrieved February 16 2014 from http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/sexual+harassment Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Retrieved February 16 2014 from http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/titlevii.cfm The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission N-915.048 1/12/90) Retrieved February 6 2014 from http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/sexualfavor.html The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission N-915.048 1/12/90) Retrieved February 6 2014 from http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/sexualfavor.html Employment Law for DeVry University [VitalSouce bookshelf version]. Retrieved from http://devry.vitalsource.com/books/9781256431671/id/ch11lev1sec1 Severe. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved February 16, 2014, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/severe Pervasive. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved February 16, 2014, from http://www.merria m-webster.com/dictionary/pervasive
Friday, October 25, 2019
Philosophy Essay -- essays research papers
Relativism -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first clear statement of relativism comes with the Sophist Protagoras, as quoted by Plato, "The way things appear to me, in that way they exist for me; and the way things appears to you, in that way they exist for you" (Theaetetus 152a). Thus, however I see things, that is actually true -- for me. If you see things differently, then that is true -- for you. There is no separate or objective truth apart from how each individual happens to see things. Consequently, Protagoras says that there is no such thing as falsehood. Unfortunately, this would make Protagoras's own profession meaningless, since his business is to teach people how to persuade others of their own beliefs. It would be strange to tell others that what they believe is true but that they should accept what you say nevertheless. So Protagoras qualified his doctrine: while whatever anyone believes is true, things that some people believe may be better than what others believe. Plato thought that such a qualification reveals the inconsistency of the whole doctrine. His basic argument against relativism is called the "Turning the Tables" (Peritropà ©, "turning around") argument, and it goes something like this: "If the way things appear to me, in that way they exist for me, and the way things appears to you, in that way they exist for you, then it appears to me that your whole doctrine is false." Since anything that appears to me is true, then it must be true that Protagoras is wrong [1]. Relativism thus has the strange logical property of not being able to deny the truth of its own contradiction. Indeed, if Protagoras says that there is no falsehood, then he cannot say that the opposite, the contradiction, of his own doctrine is false. Protagoras wants to have it both ways -- that there is no falsehood but that the denial of what he says is false -- and that is typical of relativism. And if we say that relativism simply means that whatever I believe is nobody else's business, then there is no reason why I should tell anybody else what I believe, since it is then none of my business to influence their beliefs. So then, why bother even stating relativism if it cannot be used to deny opposing views? Protagoras's own way out that his view must be "better"... ...th recognizing the self-contradictory and self-defeating character of relativism is that it does remove the easy out. We may know thereby that there are absolute and objective truths and values, but this doesn't tell us what they are, how they exist, or how we can know them. In our day, it often seems that we are still not one iota closer to having the answers to those questions. Thus, the burden of proof in the history of philosophy is to provide those answers for any claims that might be made in matters of fact or value. Socrates and Plato got off too a good start, but the defects in Plato's theory, misunderstood by his student Aristotle, immediately tangled up the issues in a way that still has never been properly untangled. Most philosophers would probably say today that there has been progress in understanding all these issues, but then the embarrassment is that they mostly would not agree about just in what the progress consists. The relativists still think that progress is to return to what Protagoras thought in the first place. What they really want is that easy out, so as not to need to face the awesome task of justifying or discovering the true nature of being and value. Philosophy Essay -- essays research papers Relativism -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first clear statement of relativism comes with the Sophist Protagoras, as quoted by Plato, "The way things appear to me, in that way they exist for me; and the way things appears to you, in that way they exist for you" (Theaetetus 152a). Thus, however I see things, that is actually true -- for me. If you see things differently, then that is true -- for you. There is no separate or objective truth apart from how each individual happens to see things. Consequently, Protagoras says that there is no such thing as falsehood. Unfortunately, this would make Protagoras's own profession meaningless, since his business is to teach people how to persuade others of their own beliefs. It would be strange to tell others that what they believe is true but that they should accept what you say nevertheless. So Protagoras qualified his doctrine: while whatever anyone believes is true, things that some people believe may be better than what others believe. Plato thought that such a qualification reveals the inconsistency of the whole doctrine. His basic argument against relativism is called the "Turning the Tables" (Peritropà ©, "turning around") argument, and it goes something like this: "If the way things appear to me, in that way they exist for me, and the way things appears to you, in that way they exist for you, then it appears to me that your whole doctrine is false." Since anything that appears to me is true, then it must be true that Protagoras is wrong [1]. Relativism thus has the strange logical property of not being able to deny the truth of its own contradiction. Indeed, if Protagoras says that there is no falsehood, then he cannot say that the opposite, the contradiction, of his own doctrine is false. Protagoras wants to have it both ways -- that there is no falsehood but that the denial of what he says is false -- and that is typical of relativism. And if we say that relativism simply means that whatever I believe is nobody else's business, then there is no reason why I should tell anybody else what I believe, since it is then none of my business to influence their beliefs. So then, why bother even stating relativism if it cannot be used to deny opposing views? Protagoras's own way out that his view must be "better"... ...th recognizing the self-contradictory and self-defeating character of relativism is that it does remove the easy out. We may know thereby that there are absolute and objective truths and values, but this doesn't tell us what they are, how they exist, or how we can know them. In our day, it often seems that we are still not one iota closer to having the answers to those questions. Thus, the burden of proof in the history of philosophy is to provide those answers for any claims that might be made in matters of fact or value. Socrates and Plato got off too a good start, but the defects in Plato's theory, misunderstood by his student Aristotle, immediately tangled up the issues in a way that still has never been properly untangled. Most philosophers would probably say today that there has been progress in understanding all these issues, but then the embarrassment is that they mostly would not agree about just in what the progress consists. The relativists still think that progress is to return to what Protagoras thought in the first place. What they really want is that easy out, so as not to need to face the awesome task of justifying or discovering the true nature of being and value.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)