Neanderthals Essays - Stone Age, Human Evolution, Hominini

Neanderthals Neanderthals I have never really had an interest in religion and the beliefs it is made of. This all leaves me confused at times. Religion explains the creation of humankind, since I have no religious beliefs then where does this leave me in thought about where I came from? Actually it left me no where. I have just recently taken an anthropology class the second semester of my freshman year at Montgomery College. I am just know gaining a belief in where and when man was created. Just think, most people are instilled with religion early in life, mostly by their parents or the schools that there parents make the attend at an early age. I have always been to stubborn to listen to anything my parents had to say, leading me to find out things for myself. I have only been able to listen and understand things that I like and listening to my anthropology teacher was something that I could understand and enjoyed listening to. He was the one who first introduced me to Neanderthals. Many Anthropologists believe that Neanderthals were in fact a direct ancestor to modern man. Thus giving Anthropologists an idea of where we started out. On the other hand some Anthropologists think that the Neanderthals had no relation to modern man. Through the research that I have done, there is little info that supports that Neanderthals were in fact ancestors, but there is a definite larger amount of info that supports that they are not ancestors of man. Most of the information that supported that Neanderthals were direct ancestors has been found to be incorrect through research and technology. In 1856 at the Feldhofer Cave, Germany, Neanderthal Man introduced himself to the world indicated by Turnbaugh, Jurmain, Nelson, Kilgore in the seventh edition of Understanding Physical Anthropology and Archeology. Named after the valley in which he was discovered (Neander Tal), this hominid would send anthropologists mad for over 100 years. They were initially though of as dim-witted brutes with clubs and beast like characteristics. French Paleontologist, Marcelin Boule was the creator of this misconception about the Neanderthals. Boule declare that these hominids were unintelligent due to their low-browed brains and that the only thing that they could make is their tools and not much else. Boule believed that the beast walked bent need and head projecting forward with his big toe similar to a chimpanzee. Later it is learned that in fact his misconception about the beast steered him wrong in his examination of the elderly hominid. Actually the bones that he examined was crippled and had suffered from arthritis, over looked by Boule. Some Anthropologists believe that it is almost impossible to miss the evidence of arthritis on the old mans bones because it is so obvious to see. Either way, Boule's analysis left a permanent scar on the Neanderthals image that would not be changed until many years later (307). In recent years researchers have successfully extract and sequence DNA from a Neanderthal fossil. A small piece of bone from the humorous was removed from the original Neandertal Vally fossil and compared to numerous other DNA samples. Definite proof can not be determined from one sequence of an individual, in fact new data leading in favor of Neanderthals: showing that they were a branch of the human family, not a direct ancestor. The results from the tests indicate that the Neanderthal DNA is considerably different from the other DNA that was tested. The other DNA that was tested was from Humans as well as chimpanzees. From the result of these DNA tests, researchers stand by the view that "Neanderthals exist as a species independent from early modern man". Thus living up to the name of Neanderthals as an evolutionary dead end (Science 176-178). "Mitochondria is an important cell that finally determined the relation between man and Neanderthals" (Newman 1999). There is also a "cultural contrast between the Neanderthals and Homo sapiens (early modern man)" indicated by Turnbaugh, Jurmain, Nelson, Kilgore in the seventh edition of Understanding Physical Anthropology and Archeology. These differences set them apart in a way that tells us how they lived and defines the difference in the two. Tool technology on the behalf of the Neanderthals was less advanced. Flake tools were used for specific and few operations. Bone, antler, and ivory were used infrequently. Most tools had only one or two parts. While the Homo sapiens were using a wide verity of stone tools. Using bone, antler and ivory as often as possible. As well as having many more tools with two or more parts. Hunting is another

Commemorating September 11, 2001 essays

Commemorating September 11, 2001 essays September 11, 2001 is an unforgettable day, forever etched in the minds of people around the world. The effect was so extreme, that the whole nation, our community, my family, and myself, personally, have been greatly impacted. As for the whole country, the economic was down terrible. Businesses in America are like a train. When one car is off the track or fails, the whole train would have an accident. For example, after September 11, 2001, people are nervous while they are traveling on airplanes. Because of that, people tend to travel less. Tourist attractions have lost their profits heavily, especially here in the Sunshine State. In our state, nearly a majority of our businesses depend significantly on tourism. To name just a few, Busch Gardens, Disney World, Sea World, Universal Studios, are all indirect victims of September 11. The damage has not stopped at attractions. Uncountable numbers of businesses go bankrupt or they cut down a significant number of their employees. So, in general, everybody is affected by the events of September 11 either indirectly through businesses, or directly through their relatives and friends, who were victims of the tragedy. Secondly, many communities are not living the way they used to. They have to live in the fear of terrorist attacks. For example, they have high alert for anthrax in the mail. In many airports, the process to board the planes is more difficult than ever. Airport security workers have to search and look for any possible signs of terrorists. However, in order to do the work, they are invading our time and privacy, which are the most valuable things in our life. That is one reason for travelers not to travel by airplane, along with the possibility of plane crashes. Everybody knows that the extensive security precautions are not fair to good people, but what else can we do to save the innocent people? The government already takes action to protect citizens as ...

Boardman Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Boardman Management - Case Study Example The word processing software should be effective for future strategic growth of the company and its development. The main will cover: service provision, planning, inventory and customer relations. This initial section of the management audit examines the major parts of the service function and its relation to other functional areas. The opening section is related not only to planning and service delivery, but also to inventory and purchasing. Similarly, it can be related to the sale and distribution of service4. Overall, this beginning overview section is an integral part of the materials- and information-flow evaluation (Phillips 2002). The second step is to inform Smith Systems Consulting about current software nad its applications. The evaluation of the IT group starts with examining the competency of its management. Important questions relating to long-range plans are set forth for evaluation, followed by analogous questions on short- to medium-range plans. Ultimately, these short- to longrange planning questions evaluate the caliber of the IT planning group and their ability to undertake their assigned tasks. Is it flexible enough to meet changing conditions as well as ensure efficient and economical operations Building upon these subsections, the adequacy of leadership by the IT group is assessed. Specifically, questions are asked to determine if IT planning management provides the necessary leadership to achieve desired organizational goals. Complementary to the leadership subsection is the capacity of the group to communicate important information to departments for economy and efficiency in ongoing operatio ns. The third step is one of the most important. The Baderman Island resort should explain its strategic goals and aims, and vision of future. This step is important because it will help Smith Systems Consulting to understand the gap between current word processing software and future needs of the company. The main focus of the next subsection is on the effectiveness of the IT for meeting organizational goals. For the most part, questions are asked that relate to the capabilities of the service facilities to provide efficient and economical service provision. Going beyond the organization structure, leadership, or lack thereof, in the management function is analyzed in the next subsection. Questions relating to the degree of teamwork between service management and its subordinates are asked. Overall, leadership of service delivery supervisors focuses on the economy and efficiency of operations within the various service work centers. Translating the long-range plans into a shorter time f rame, typical questions are raised concerning the adequacy or short- to medium-range inventory plans to meet the requirements of the web-based marketing as well as the need for protection against inventory stockouts. In addition, there are questions evaluating the compatibility of the inventory structure with short to long-range plans. Complementary to this subsection is one on communication, whose purpose is to determine if proper information is forwarded to management for keeping service under control. In the final subsection, the degree of control over service delivery is examined. If an out-of-control condition exists, appropriate management action can be undertaken so as to restore the service delivery situation to normal (Phillips 2002). The next step is to evaluate budget

Money and capital market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Money and capital market - Essay Example This form of policy gives the bank an opportunity to avail massive liquidity. This policy is very effective in addressing frozen liquidities that are experienced across the globe especially in the United States of America where money transfer between banks has been witnessed during a financial crisis. This is a step to mitigate the effects liquidity shortage could have as far as solvency problems is concerned. Liquidity policy response is also beneficial in many ways. It does not only offer solutions to short term money problems in market rates. It also helps to ease pressures at the markets as far as funding is concerned. This is a step towards ensuring that funds are supplied for long term benefits as well. Further, central banks help by enlarging the eligibility base as far collateral lending is concerned. In exceptional cases, central banks increase their lending bases to non depository financial institutions and banks as well (Stein, 2011, p. 4). Finally, central bank uses the l iquidity response policy to establish felicities for lending to enhance the market repose between banks. Liquidity response policies to the economic crisis have been seen to be essential in nurturing good communications among different countries of the world. In addition, central banks have also assisted many institutions within a country as far as emergency assistance concerning money is concerned. Swapping of money among banks has been also witnessed in Europe in 2011 in response to an economic crisis within the European Union. Monetary policy response also helps to determine the levels of interests’ rates. Subsequently; good interest’s rates create stable prices in an economy. For example in 2011, European countries adjusted the interest’s rate of their currency to avoid financial crisis. This way, the frameworks under which markets operate become favourable (Monetary policy report, 2011, p. 2). In addition, the decisions are transmitted to financial markets, as well as the actual economy, which increases the efficiency of the economy. Central banks have responsibilities to adjust the policies related to money to prevent the risk of economic instability. This way, the monetary policies are very important in dealing with problems related to inflation as the macroeconomic environments are usually kept in stable conditions. Ultimately; the possibilities of the financial crisis are greatly reduced. Fiscal policies are also handy in addressing economic policies. This is usually seen by the initiatives a particular government puts into place so as to deal well with the financial crisis within a nation. Fiscal policies are suitable in propagating a real economy from an economic crisis (Miriam, 2011, p.3). This form of policy involves a lot of interventions by the government in addressing the challenges an individual institution faces as far as the financial crisis is concerned. Other initiatives are also taken by governments so as to boost dom estic economies. Improving housing markets; for example, is very useful in boosting the local economies. In addition, supporting the growth of domestic industries rather than the individual ones is also a step towards increasing the growth of domestic economies in Australia as at 2012. Finally; monetary policies reforms as a way of dealing with the financial crisis are one of the options that are necessary. Such reforms can restore confidence within markets resulting into a financial

Kurt Vonnegut During World War II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Kurt Vonnegut During World War II - Essay Example After the war, Vonnegut attended the University of Chicago as a graduate student in anthropology and also worked at the City News Bureau of Chicago. He described his work there in the late 1940s in terms that could have been used by almost any other City Press reporter of any era: "Well, the Chicago City News Bureau was a tripwire for all the newspapers in town when I was there, and there were five papers, I think. We were out all the time around the clock and every time we came across a really juicy murder or scandal or whatever, they’d send the big time reporters and photographers, otherwise, they’d run our stories. So that’s what I was doing, and I was going to university at the same time." Vonnegut admitted that he was a poor anthropology student, with one professor remarking that some of the students were going to be professional anthropologists and he was not one of them. According to Vonnegut in Bagombo Snuff Box, the university rejected his first thesis o n the necessity of accounting for the similarities between Cubist painters and the leaders of late 19th Century Native American uprisings, saying it was unprofessional. He left Chicago to work in Schenectady, New York, in public relations for General Electric, where his brother Bernard worked in the research department. Vonnegut was a technical writer but was also known for writing well past his typical hours while working. While in Schenectady, Vonnegut lived in the tiny hamlet of Alplaus, just across the Mohawk River from the city of Schenectady.

Theatre Essay: Site Specific Performance

Theatre Essay: Site Specific Performance Site Specific Performance: How has the nature of site-specific performance as a hybrid art-form influenced approaches tosite-specific work in Britain over the last decade? SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION Site-specific performance emerged out of the radicalartistic milieu of the late 1960s and early 1970s that also gave birth tosite-specific work generally. It represents perhaps the most ambitious andrevolutionary re-interpretation of theatre and performance devised in thetwenty-first century. Site-specific performance has influenced site-specificwork in Britain in the past ten years in many ways. This dissertation examinesthree especially strong influences: (1) site-specific performance and its useof audience (2) site-specific performance and its internal debate as to whethersite-specific art is site-exclusive or site generic, and (3) site-specific practitionerstheory of the selection of sites. Before these three principal investigations arediscussed the dissertation briefly reviews the history and origins ofsite-specific performance and its key practitioners. The first major section of this dissertation investigatesand analyses the relationship between site-specific performance and itsaudience. The questions and debates that have arisen from the novel andintimate participation between site-specific performers and their audienceshave had considerable influence upon site-specific work as a whole. Site-specificperformance understands the audience as a vital element of the total productionand not merely as paying members of the public who are isolated from thecreative process. Many performances depend intimately upon the energy andmutual fascination of the subject that exists between performers and audience.Often the audience are part of the performance itself. This intimacy points toa basic philosophical and professional principle of site-specific performancethat reacts against the perceived coldness, frigidity and eliteness oftraditional theatre buildings and instead maintains that theatre andperformance ought to be a socially-levelling ent erprise. The dissertation thereforeasks the prominent questions: Can audience self-identity be altered by aperformance? And: Can original and multiple spectator identities be created bysite-specific performances? The answers to these questions have beeninfluential throughout the whole of the site-specific world. The second-subsection of this section explores therelationship between site-specific performance and the community from which itsaudience is drawn. The success of site-specific performance theorists andpractitioners in showing the great extent to which the community in which aperformance is situated affects the ambiance and attitude of the audienceechoes throughout the site-specific world and informs it of vital lessons. Thisinvestigation of community and audience also highlights how site-specific performancecan work to bring theatre to the masses in an inclusive format that protestsagainst the elitist forms of the past. The final sub-section of this sectionreviews some of the problems variability and limitations of audience forinstance experienced by site-specific performers with respect to audienceand then suggests how these may teach valuable lessons to the rest of thesite-specific world. The second major section of the dissertation examines thekey debate in the literature of site-specific performance as to whether suchperformances should be site-specific or site-generic. That is, whether suchperformances should be free to tour and travel or not? The answers anddiscoveries furnished for this question by site-specific performers arerelevant and influential upon this same debate which penetrates the whole ofthe site-specific community. This debate reaches to the philosophical centre ofsite-specific performance and threatens to bring about a fundamental changewithin the genre. At the heart of the issue is the question of whether aparticular performance, conditioned as it is by the particular environment inwhich it is created, can be moved either physically or spiritually to anothersite. Vehement arguments have been made on both sides of the debate, with manypro-tour performers refuting Richard Serras famous dictum that to removethe work is to destroy it.The dissertation considers as one solution the theoretical postulate of apure model of site-specific performance from which various performancesdeviate in healthily diverse ways. The dissertation then considers in depth theproposal of Wrights Sites whether that the solution to this dilemma mightdepend upon a change in terminology and vocabulary of site-specificperformance. Such a shift of terminology provides site-specific performancewith a greater subtlety of definition and self-identity and therefore overcomesthe apparent impasse suggested by the site-specific site-generic dispute. The final major sub-section of the dissertation considersthe use of space by recent site-specific performers and the influences ofthis use upon site-specific work as a whole. The space within which atheatrical performance may take place was given its most radical revision andprogressive drive in the twentieth- century by the practitioners ofsite-specific performance. Space, in terms of performance, had before theadvent of site-specific theatre been confined near exclusively to traditionaltheatre buildings and to their conventional shapes. The outstanding achievementof site-specific performance has been to vastly extend the range and types of spaceand venue in which a theatrical performance can take place. The dissertationconsiders the implications for performance of such a radical break with thepast, as well as looking at the notions of uninhabitable space and culturalspace. The discoveries made about space by site-specific performers arerelevant for the whole of site-specific work i n Britain. The dissertation concludes with an evaluation and summing-upof all the previous discussion and with an analysis of the future influence ofsite-specific performance upon site-specific work as a whole. SECTION 2: SITE-SPECIFICPERFORMANCE HISTORY It is important to know something of the history ofsite-specific performance when seeking to determine its influence uponsite-specific work in the past decade in Britain. Such a glance at the historyilluminates the evolution of ideas within the genre and shows how they came totake their present form in the twenty-first century. Site-specific performance originated as an outgrowth ofsite-specific artwork movement that began in the late 1960s and early 1970s.Site-specific artwork was a form of art that was created to exist in a certainspace and was conditioned in form by the environment and space of that place.At the centre of the site-specific artwork movement was an attempt to take artout of what was perceived to be the affected and pretentious atmospheres of thegalleries and theatre buildings and to transpose them upon a wider variety ofoutdoor and indoor venues. One useful definition of site-specific performanceis that of the Dictionary of Video Art which states Locations andenvironments may have some kind of drama or meaning for ordinary people butthis has no significance for the bourgeoisie until interpreted by theheightened sensibilities of the director.In other words, the purpose of site-specific performance and its reason forexistence is to make the public aware of the artistic merits of ordinarybuil dings and spaces that have always been of interest to ordinary men butpassed over by the elitist and institutionalised artists of the past. Site-specificperformance often involves a (more or less) political decision to workagainst the dominant discourse of London, its theatre buildings, and itstheatre tradition.Site-specific performance is about a fundamental reorientation of space awayfrom its traditional understanding in British theatre. Site-specific performance has emerged out of this generalartistic milieu in the works of artists and directors such as Peter Brook,Ariane Mnouchkine, Deborah Warner, Gof Brith, Janet Cardiff and in festivals orproduction companies such as Grid Iron, Wrights Sites and the EdinburghFestival. Other recent practitioners include Mac Wellman, Meredith Monk andAnne Hamburger. From the first list two names in particular have been pivotalto the development of site-specific theatre: Peter Brook and Deborah Warner. PeterBrook was one of Britains greatest theatre directors and much of thisgreatness came from his radical style and use of stage both of which are seenas pre-cursors of modern site-specific performance. Brook was deeply influencedby the Theatre of Cruelty by Antonin Artaud and this lead to dramaticproductions such as Jean Genets The Screens in 1964 and Peter Weisss Marat/Sadein 1964 a huge success after its sharp and revolutionary break withtheatre style to that time. Brook brough t a new philosophy to the theatre thatimbued it with a new sense of potential and manipulation of space andenvironment shown well in his productions of Senecas Oedipus and TheEmpty Space. More recently, Deborah Warner has made further developed theseearly origins of site-specific performance with radically different productionssuch as Titus Andronicus (1987), Richard II (1995) and JuliusCaesar (2005). SECTION 3: SITE-SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE: AUDIENCE (A) Audience: General Perhaps the singlegreatest contribution of site-specific performance as a hybrid art-form tosite-specific work as a whole has been the radical transformation andre-constitution of the concept of audience and of how audiences experience liveperformance. When site-specific art first emerged in the late 1960s it appealedto audiences primarily because of the novelty of the form and the novelty ofthe viewing experience. Nonetheless, site-specific art, whilst novel in itself,did not go make any profoundly novel contributions to the nature, identity andconstitution of its audiences. Site-specific work had no yet developed asite-specific critique or paradigm, and this was left in large measure to thepioneers of site-specific performance. The great advantage and breakthroughachieved by modern site-specific performance is that it draws the audience ofinto an intimate participation with that performance; the audience become anessential part of the performance itself. Notable historical examples haveincluded Sirens Crossings Trace and Flight (2000), Wrights SitesThe Quay Thing (1998), Anne Marie Culhanes Night Sky (1997) and TheWhalley Range All Stars Day of the Dummy (1999). Consequently, withsite-specific performance, both performers and spectators reach a profounderdepth of empathy and understanding with the performance that they havewitnessed, than with traditional theatre and even from site-specific work as awhole. In this sense, site-specific performance represents an evolution of thegeneral site-specific art-form towards a level of greater spectator-involvementand identity.The philosophy and theory that underpins this evolution has much to do with areaction against the perceived coldness and unnaturalness of the traditionaltheatre (where the audience are always separated from the performers) and itstendency to promote the values and aims of elite members of society above theaspirations of the ordinary citizen. Site-specific performance however can besaid to be an equalizing art-form: it holds as a basic philosophicalprinciple the belief that the members of the audience are of equal importanceand significance for the meaning and successful execution of a particularperformance as the performers themselves. As such, site-specific theatre andperformance have taught and continue to teach practitioners of site-specificwork generally be it site-specific conceptual art, community art,installation art, public art etc., that the greater the participation andsense of involvement of the audience, the greater will be the efficacy of thatperformance upon both performer and viewer. Site-specific work therefore hasmuch to learn from the techniques, literary interpretations, scene-designs andso on of site-specific performers. This use of audienceby site-specific performers has achieved for the first time, according to FionaWilkie, the sense of a collective audience identity, a knowing audiencethat constructs itself appropriately as an interpretative body via a cumulativeframework of contemporary framework experiences.Thus, site-specific performance asks of the audience members themselves certainbasic existential and artistic questions. For instance: how is an audiencessense of self forged? How and in what ways is an audiences purpose decided?The extent to which site-specific performance achieves this intensive audienceself-interrogation is perhaps unrivalled in all twentieth-century performance art-formsand promises to be one of the few genuinely unique artistic discoveries ofrecent years. Traditional theatremaintains a clear space between audience and performer no matter how elatedor ecstatic a spectator may feel during a traditional performance he is alwaysnonetheless still a mere spectator with no direct influence upon the directionor outcome of the performance. Site-specific performance radically reverses theaudience situation and role and instead makes them central actors in theperformance itself. Site-specific performance also raises the questions of: Canaudience self-identity be altered by a performance? And: Can original andmultiple spectator identities be created by site-specific performances?On the first question it is noted by authors such as Williams and Kwon that theunique process of audience participation in site-specific performance oftenleaves the audience with changed perceptions of identity once the performanceis completed. On the second question, it is also clear from the growingliterature that now surrounds site-specific performance that the form ha s thepotential to create new audience identities as well as to leave differentgroups of the audience with different identity perceptions at the end.From these various observations of audience participation in site-specificperformance it is evident that site-specific work has benefited and learnt anenormous amount about the role of audience and its possible stages oftransformation. Moreover, the far more diverse nature of members ofsite-specific performances alters the mood and atmosphere and perceptions ofthat audience. Rather than being an elite experience attended by only one classof people with, broadly speaking, a single artistic attitude and expectation,the audience is instead a diverse melting-pot of different classes andprofessions of people. (B) Audience Community Site-specificperformance has also raised for general site-specific art the notion of theimportance of the community in which a particular performance or art exhibittakes place. One particular site-specific performance company, The Olimpias,base their work upon questions of site ownership and in line with the theme ofdisability. According to Petra Kuppers, company director, site-specificperformance ought to be attentive to the local community and its ways of inhabitingits environment the company (The Olimpias) work with the community to takenew forms of site, re-interpret the site, keep its history and presence alive.Community then is a crucial extension of the audience and the site factorsinvolved in a site-specific performance. It is the community about a specificwork that is most intimately affected by a performance since that performancethrows new light on and reinterprets that communitys existence in a particularway. Site-specific performance can help to re-invigorate and breathe life intoa community by making it more aware and perceptive of the sites that itoccupies. So too the site-specific performances of Wrights Sitesis interested in the place and in the people who meet us in this place. Thecompany Welfare State International have also expressed a commitment todrawing in local energies and leaving behind a residue of skills and confidenceafter the companys withdrawal .For many companies then site-specific theatre is a performance that takes placein the living space of a particular community and is enacted alongside andwithin the working life of the community. Thus there is an experientialauthenticity that is unique to site-specific theatre. (C) Issues WithAudience Nonetheless, somewriters such as Jan Cohen-Cruzhave argued that taking theatre from established buildings in specific placesto a specific-site does not necessarily create a more intimate audienceenvironment or sense of identity or multiple identities. On this Cohen-Cruzstates: Space is always controlled by someone and exists somewhere, so itis inevitably marked by a particular class or race and not equally accessibleto everyone. one must question whether access to a broader audience really isa difference between performance site-specific and in theatre buildings.Cohen-Cruzs quotation is useful because it sounds a note of caution tosite-specific performers who automatically assume that by merely creatingsite-specific performance of any sort they will immediately achieve a deeper ormore profound sense of audience participation and diversity than would be foundin a traditional theatre. Site-specific performance is a relatively newart-form that is treading into new territory especially with respect to theunderstanding of audience participation and identity. It is therefore to beexpected that a certain exuberance and robust enthusiasm amongst its performersmay sometimes lead to idealizations of the potential of the art-form; that is,a tendency to assume that site-specific performance is a panacea for all limitationsexperienced by traditional-theatre audiences in past centuries. It is prudenttherefore to agree with writers such as Fiona Wilkie that the potentialaudience range and diversity of a site-specific performance is decided not byonly by the nature of the genre itself but by the particular features of thesite itself. Access to such site-specific performances depends nearly entirelyupon the location and type of site chosen for a particular performance.If, for instance, the site chosen for a particular performance is an abandonedwarehouse or factory floor close to several housing estates or residentialareas then it is likely that that performance will be accessible to many peoplewho would be traditionally excluded from a theatre experience. If, however, asite-specific performance is held in a country-estate or at the top of acommercial tower-block then it is far less likely that the audience thatattends will be as diverse and kaleidoscopic as at the performance of in theabandoned factory or warehouse. For instance, the site-specific performancecompany K neehigh Theatrehave reflected how their performance of Hells Mouth in the ClayDistrict of Cornwall a poor and dilapidated area encouraged a far broadersection of the community to attend than would have done the traditionaltheatre. In Kneehighs words: In Hells Mouth last summer, bikers from thearea performed the English/Cornish skirmishes in the Mad Max style Cornwall ofthe future. This theme and reasonable ticket prices, encouraged a stronglocal percentage of audience, who would not normally see the companys work ortheatre of any sort.So too the breadth of the audience of any site-specific work will be determinedalso by the theme and nature of the performance. A site-specific performancethat deals with an esoteric or abstruse subject will not guarantee for itself abroad audience simply by virtue of the fact that it is a site-specific performance. Several site-specificperformance companies have sought to maintain the diversity of their audiencesin the following ways. The Lions Part company, for instance, seek to escapethe bureaucracy of the theatre buildingby providing free access to all performances and free financially also. InFiona Wilkies eloquent phrase: The notion of the performance moves away from thehigh-brow associations of the theatre and closer to reaching a publicwell-versed in the popular culture of gigs, festivals and celebrations. Itemphasizes the significance of the spatial encounter and is conceived as awhole experience for the spectator Wilkie here identifiesa key strength of site-specific performance: its ability and capacity tosynthesize myriad different forms of contemporary art, culture and society andto fuse them into a relevant and meaningful whole. Moreover, site-specificperformance has the unique advantage of being able to manipulate space inwhatever way it likes. A traditional theatre is severely limited in the sensethat its performance can only take place within the predetermined and setdimensions of the theatre building; these dimensions remain the same for everynew production no matter how different such productions might be from eachother. The space and dimensions of a site-specific performance are howeverdetermined and limited only by the space and dimensions of the site itself andthey therefore have a far greater range and flexibility than traditionaltheatre. For instance: a windmill, an abandoned factory, a coffee shop, adoctors surgery, a former nuclear silo all offer different and uniqueexperiences of space for the audience. So too, a site-specific performance mayeven have two separate audiences: one that pays admission and is conscious ofthe performance and another that attends the event for free and is an integralpart of the performance itself. To take an example: when Grid Iron held thesite-specific performance Decky Does a Broncoin numerous childrens playgrounds some audience members bought tickets whilstthe children (attending free) that played in the playground were urged tocontinue their activities and so became part of the setting and the performanceitself. Ben Harrison, director of Decky Does a Bronco, recalls howchildren came to and fro different parts of the performance depending upon thelevel of excitement raised for them by a particular moment or scene from thatperformance; when bored the children would retire to the quieter parts of thepark. In Harrisons useful phrase, this double audience adds to thecomplexity of the event. SECTION 4: SITE-SPECIFICPERFORMANCE: SITE-SPECIFIC ORSITE-GENERIC? Site-specificperformance has contributed significantly to the site-specific as a whole onthe pressing question of whether site specific art should be site-specific or sitegeneric. That is, whether site-specific work should remain rooted in at theexact site of its creation or whether the idea created in a particular site maybe transferred to other similar sites. This question is perhaps the mostvociferously argued debate in site-specific work at present. At stake is thephilosophical and intellectual basis of the movement itself. Site-specific workemerged in the late 1960s as an art-form that made a unique use of site andsite features to influence the shape and form of the design: these sites wereusually highly different or unique from all others and so each sculpture,art-work or performance had its own unique characteristics. Traditionalsite-specific artists of this old-school therefore refute the idea that theidiosyncratic features of a particular site can simply be uprooted andtrans ferred to another site no matter how similar to the original. In RichardSerras famous phrase to remove the work is to destroy the work.In other words: once a site-specific art-piece has been torn from its originalcontext it loses the one thing that made it powerful and unique. Nonetheless,in recent decades such notions of the immovability from and inseparability of asite-specific work from its original setting have been assailed by artistsdriven by market forces and institutional changes in attitude. In one criticswords: Site specificity has become a complex cipher of unstablerelationships between locations an identities in the era of late capitalism.Miwon Kwons work One Place After Another: Site-Specific Art and LocationIdentityis of enormous importance in elucidating the contours and features of thisshift in the direction of site-specific art. The internal movementsof site-specific performance have done much to inform and influence the widersite-specific art of the last decade. In site-specific performance the keyquestion of recent years has been: Can site-specific performance travel? Or:Does Site-specificity mean site-exclusivity? Within the site-specificperformance community this debate as to exclusivity of site has been arguedwith near equal tenacity by both opponents and supporters. Thus, in many ways,the debate appeared recently to have come to a standstill. One way found by site-specificperformers to step beyond this impasse has been to define levels ofsite-specificity. For instance the company Red Earthhas stated: Someprojects are completely site-specific, i.e., they could not take place anywhereelse without losing a strong thread of meaning and connection; while other moreflexible projects may work around a certain sense of place, i.e., the spirit orconcept at the heart of the project would work in several but not all -locations. This quotation then suggests that the term site-specifichas a degree of inherent relativity and flexibility. At one end of thespectrum, the term stands for certain performances that are absolutely rootedin the exact and unique site and community features in which they are set; forsuch performances there is no possibility of moving their ideas to differentsites. At the other end of the spectrum, certain performances can be moved fromsite to site if they preserve or enhance the spirit or primary idea thatbegan the original performance. Between these two poles are various types ofsite-specific performance whose transferability rests upon ambiguous or dubiousprinciples. Justin McKeown of the Whalley Range All Stars suggests that thisrelativity should be defined in terms of site-specific performances that are directlyderived from a chosen siteand therefore have to remain at that site indefinitely, and on the other handbetween performances that can be transferred since they acknowledge and expandupon the inherent meanings within a site. Paul Pinson, of Boilerhouse,has argued further that the relativity of site-specific performance isconditioned by the way that the company engages with the space that it occupiesat a particular site. Pinson suggests further that a performance can bepartially site-specific and partially of another genre and that this hybridity thereforejustifies a company to tour its performances. Pinson states: You canrecreate a work in response to a number of different sites, which is totallyvalid in itself and is an element of site-specificity but is different frommaking a piece of work in response to one specific site. The site-specific or site-generic debate and is plethora ofinterpretations have raised questions about the present purity ofsite-specific performance. Above all: is it possible for theoreticians andpractitioners of site-specific performance to find or derive a pure model ofsite-specific performance, against which hybrid forms of this model might becompared? That is: can one set up construct an ideal paradigm of site-specificperformance and then show how variations of this paradigm are beneficial intheir individual ways? Miwon Kwon has suggested that one definition of thispure model might be To make a truly site-specific piece means it sitswholly in that site in both its content and form, otherwise if moveable, itbecomes more about the site as a vehicle.Variations from this pure model are healthy natural growths from themother-model; the work of site-specific theoreticians is to define thesevariations and to ascribe to each of them independent areas of operation. An alternative to this model of deriving variations ofsite-specific art from a pure or perfect model is to invent a new terminologyfor the art-form. Wrights Siteshave suggested that the terms In theatre building, Outside theatre,Site-Sympathetic, Site-Generic and Site-Specific beused to describe the various degrees of theatre performance. The first two ofthese are clearly beyond the pale of any generally accepted definition ofsite-specific performance. Interestingly however Wrights Sites propose athree-fold division of the genre of site-specific performance. The advantage ofsuch a hierarchy is that it allows greater freedom and subtlety of descriptionwhen deciding to which exact genre a performance of site-specific work belongs.The term site-specific is accordingly reserved for performances that have aprofound and absolute relationship with the specific site in which theperformance is prepared and enacted. Such performances work only at one site,never tour or travel, and do not use pre-existing props or scripts.Nonetheless, one major problem of such a terminology is the difficulty ofassigning the large number of performances that seem to fall between thecategories of site-generic and site-specific. These disputes about definitions and terminology that havearisen in the particular field of site-specific performance are or considerablerelevance and have been of considerable influence upon similar disputes insite-specific work generally. The central question of the debate cansite-specific performance tour is equally relevant to all others types ofsite-specific work, be it sculpture, community art, painting and so on. Byadopting a similar terminology to that of site-specific performancesite-specific work generally might clear up many of its own internal disputes. SECTION 5: SITE-SPECIFIC:TYPES OF SITE Internal debates within the literature of site-specificperformance as to what kind of site to select for its performances hashad considerable influence over similar decisions within site-specific workgenerally. What then can site-specific work generally learn fromsite-specific performance? Above all, perhaps, is the extensive andcomprehensive analysis and exploration of the medium of space undertaken byleading site-specific performers. Richard Schechnerhas stated that theatre places are maps of the cultures where they existand Hetheringtonthat Certain spaces act as sites for the performance of identity. Artisticmanipulation of space is vital to successful site-specific performance, and theunique development in this quest has been the exploration of alternatives typesof space and site in which to perform site-specific theatre. Theatre had forcenturies been largely confined to theatre buildings of one sort or another;the advent of site-specific theatre saw the use of a plethora of differentvenues for performance from coal mines, to hospital wards, to libraries, tocoffee shops and so on ad infinitum. These ventures into alternativesites for performance raised amongst scholars of site-specific performance thekey questions: What are the consequences of such diverse selection of sites?What association will each site bring to the site-specific genre? What are thecommon themes that bind such eclectic choices of venue? On the last question,some attempts have been made by figures such as Hetheringtonto classify these venues in groups: for instance, parks and childrens playareas can be classed with beaches as public spaces. Cohen-Cruzhas argued that such spaces allow site-specific performers to use space that isnormally thought of as publicly inhabitable to entice passers-by to attendthe performance therefore symbolising for the performers the theme of makingperformance accessible. The spaces found in venues such as museums, churchesand galleries are used somewhat differently however. In contrast to p

Free Narrative Essays - Why Cant We All Just Get Along?

I recall an incident back in my elementary school days, when I was on the playground during an afternoon recess. My friends and I were intensely involved in a emotional game of basketball. I had been playing miserably, so after my fourth brick, I spiked the ball, super bowl touchdown style against the solid pavement. It began a long process of ricocheting off the walls of the coverd area and amidst it's air born flight it somehow managed to collide with the jawbone of a rather thuggish looking 5th grader. At this time, an ominous dark cloud of rage began spouting from the disgruntled upperclassmen's nostrils. A large crowd began chanting, "fight! fight! fight!" that was slowly forming around us like vultures circling to pick at the bones of the unfortunate loser. Realizing that the odds of me emerging alive from this mess weren't very good, I began to think of a strategy that would enable all my major organs to remain intact. I decided to use humor to defeat this barbaric beast. I must have ridiculed and made fun of myself over 200 times. I told him that even if he passed out, in a full body cast , and suffered from leprosy, he still could wipe the floor with my feeble body. I told him if he didn't disfigure me, that I would offer to be his own personal reusable toothpick for as long as he wished. Violence and nonviolence are two very effective ways to solve problems, but for people like me whose brains are stronger than their fists, nonviolence seems much more practic... ...y major origans. After the crowd began laughing at my foolish self- directed jokes, the enraged 5th grader quickly switched from steaming in anger to chuckling along with the rest of the observers. Eventually he lost interest and went along his way, just in time for me to sharpen my basketball skills before the bell rang. Much like the example of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, I too had the choice of taking one of two roads. I knew that taking a violent stand would only lead to a dead end. I chose the road in which many of the most memorable leaders have taken, a road that has been traveled by few. The nonviolent road. There are many ways to solve a problem. As a wise man once said, "A coward strikes with his fist, a warrior strikes with his mind."

Propaganda

Propaganda: It's here to stay When the word ‘propaganda’ is used, negative connotations are generally brought to mind. People think of politicians using propaganda to force their agenda on others or to slander their opponent’s name as in the new election coming up between Obama and Romney. Yet is this all propaganda really is? Or is there something more that is never discussed about propaganda? This essay will be summarizing and discussing three from Orwell, Lutz , and Woolfolk about propaganda and the English language.The reader will gain a better understanding about what propaganda really is and how it is used and how to avoid getting tricked by it. The first article by George Orwell is out of his book of 50 essays entitled â€Å" Politics and the English Language. † George Orwell is an English journalist and novelist, who wrote such famous books as 1984 and Animal Farm. His article begins by talking about four parts of writing that are misused in the Eng lish language. The first topic discussed is dying metaphors.Orwell says, â€Å"A newly-invented metaphor assists thought by evoking a visual image, while on the other hand a metaphor which is technically â€Å"dead† has in effect reverted to being an ordinary word and can generally be used without loss of vividness. † If someone does not understand a metaphor because it is one that is not used anymore, it loses its effect and should not be used in writing or in propaganda (Orwell). A perfect example is the metaphor of the Hammer and the Anvil. When this metaphor is used most people think it means that the anvil gets the worst of it, when really it is the hammer that always breaks on the anvil.It is a metaphor that has lost meaning because hardly anyone uses an anvil anymore, causing this metaphor to be technically â€Å"dead†. The next subject discussed is verbal false limbs. Orwell says verbal false limbs â€Å"save the trouble of picking out appropriate verbs and nouns, and at the same time pad each sentence with extra syllables which give it an appearance of symmetry. † A few examples Orwell gives include our phrases ‘such as’,’to make contact with’, ‘play a leading part in’, and ‘be subjected to’.The problem is using these phrases takes out simple verbs that give meaning to a sentence and add extra fluff to them in order to sound â€Å"better† (Orwell). When writing it is important to avoid these verbal false limbs so the reader can truly understand what you are trying to say. The third item discussed is pretentious diction. Words such as ‘promote’, ‘constitute’, ‘exploit’, ‘utilize’are used to dress up simple statements and make the person saying them sound dignified. It also is used to add scientific terms to a biased judgment. It is a common trick we see in propaganda all the time.You will see such things as â€Å" It is inevitable if you elect Obama, our country will fail. † The word’ inevitable’ is an example of pretentious diction (Orwell). It is taking a scientific term and adding it to a biased opinion in order to convince the voter that voting for Obama is bad. The fourth item discussed is meaningless words. These are words that are used in which the definition of is unclear. You see this in political ads words such as fascism or socialist. These words are used, but do the readers really know what the author is trying to say by using them. Another one common in political ads is the word ‘patriotic’.Do we have a real definition of what it means to be patriotic or is that a word that is just thrown around. Orwell says that words such as these need to be used carefully and taken out of writing if unneeded. As Orwell ends this article he gives six rules of writing to avoid these crucial mistakes seen in the English language today. The rules are as follows â⠂¬Å"(1) Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print. (2) Never use a long word where a short one will do. (3) If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out. (4) Never use the passive where you can use the active. 5) Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent. (6) Break any of these rules sooner than say anything barbarous. † These rules may seem easy enough but if you grew up writing today it will be harder than you think to change habits and stick to these rules. If you can stick to these rules you will become a better overall writer (Orwell). The second article we will discuss is Doublespeak by William Lutz. William Lutz is an American linguist who specializes in the use of plain words and avoiding doublespeak or deceptive language.Lutz begins talking about how language is a human tool and may be the most important of all the human tools. Yet like any tool, it can be used to build society but can also be used to destroy it (Lutz 25). One quote that Lutz says describes this perfectly, â€Å" Language can easily distort perception and influence behavior and thus be a tool, or weapon, for achieving the greatest good or the greatest evil. † Lutz goes on to talk about how language is power and whoever controls language controls society (Lutz 26). There are four kinds of doublespeak that Lutz talks about the first being euphemism, which is designed to avoid reality.When different words are used to make a situation sound better, this is euphemism. Lutz brings up the subject in 1984 where reports on human rights would remove the word ‘killing’ and replace it with ‘deprivation of life’. This helped the government avoid the subject of government sanctioned killings that happened in other countries that the United States had supported. This is a prime example of doublespeak, using different words to misl ead the reader as to what has really happened. The second type of doublespeak discussed is jargon.Jargon is used all the time by doctors and lawyers; it is speech used that only those in a specialized group can understand. When used in these groups it is not considered jargon because all members understand what is being said. Yet when jargon is used with members outside the group it is then considered doublespeak as all members do not fully understand what is being said (Lutz 27). When companies use lawyer terms to describe something that has happened in their company to the public it is considered doublespeak; they know most people do not understand what they are saying and could use it to cover up what is really happening.The third type of doublespeak that is mentioned is gobbledygook. This is the practice of piling on words, the bigger the better to purposely overwhelm the audience as to what is actually being said. This is common when something bad happens in our economy. Politi cians use big words in long complicated sentences so that their readers do not really know what is going on. The fourth type of doublespeak discussed is inflated language. This is the process of making ordinary words seem fancy and better than what they are.This is often used in advertising to make a product sound better than it is in order to make the audience want to buy it. For example, a used car may be described as experienced (Lutz 27). This is one of the most common ways you see Doublespeak in America today, whether it be in advertising for a product or for a politician. Lutz then discusses how doublespeak is used in politics. â€Å"Political language is the language of public policy and power. Our direction as a nation is defined for us by our elected leaders through language,† says Lutz. Therefore if our leaders are not always honest and pright, we the people do not have the proper knowledge and understanding to make the decisions we need to make. This language has b een distorted in the past such as in Vietnam instead of calling them bombings they called them â€Å"protective reaction strikes. † Orwell said, â€Å"This language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind. † This is why you have a negative reaction when you hear the word propaganda. It's always easier to remember the bad things that have happened and forget the good things (Lutz 29).Not all propaganda is used to mislead or hurt people. It can be used to get people to vote for something that is good and truthful or convince people to recycle. Yet the things that have happened in the past will always give propaganda a bad reputation. The third article is â€Å"Propaganda: How not to be bamboozled† by Donna Woolfork Cross. Donna is an American writer known for such novels as Pope Joan. Woolfork says that propaganda gets a bad reputation because people simply don't understand what it really i s. It is a means of persuasion that can be used for good or evil.Propaganda is used to tell people what toothpaste to buy, the type of movies to see, and the one most people think of, and who you should vote for in an election (Woolfolk Cross 1). Cross says, â€Å"People are bamboozled mainly because they don't recognize propaganda when they see it. † Cross gives thirteen different ways to recognize propaganda. The first is name calling; this is a simple one to understand. It is when someone or group says something bad about another person or group. You see this in political ads all the time or you might hear a politician referred to as â€Å"foolish† or â€Å"fascist†.This is used to make the reader not think but just believe what is being said. Cross then talks about glittering generalities, this is simply the opposite of name calling, it is using terms to make someone look good, it is used to make you want to vote for someone in an election. A political ad ma y say â€Å"Vote for Romney; It's the American way. † This sounds good but when actually examining what they are saying what does it really mean (Woolfolk Cross 2)? The next issue Cross discusses is the plain folks appeal. This is where a politician wants the viewer to think he is a person just like them.A good example is when you see presidents going around to blue collar workers and shaking hands and working with them and kissing babies (Woolfolk Cross 2). They want you to believe that they are the same as you so you will vote for them. Cross also talks about the Argumentum Ad Populum; this is simply telling the people what they want to hear. This can happen in elections as well; you will hear politicians say you all are â€Å"good tax-paying Americans† or â€Å"the backbone of America. † These phrases are things that all people want to hear and our used to distract the voter from what is really being said (Woolfolk Cross 3).The next use of propaganda is the A rgumentum Ad Hominem. Cross says, â€Å"Argumentum ad hominem means â€Å"argument to man† and that's exactly what it is. When a propagandist uses argumentum ad hominem he wants to distract our attention from the issue under consideration with personal attacks on the people being involved. This happens often; if the issue being discussed by a politician is health care reform, then another politician may make an attack about that politician’s bad family life. His bad family life has nothing to do with health care reform, yet things like this will distract potential voters from what is actually being said.The next item discussed is Transfer; (Glory or Guilt By Association) this is simply associating something that is good with the issue at hand even if it has no relevance to that situation. The next propaganda technique is bandwagon. We have all heard the term bandwagon fan to describe someone who likes a certain sports team only because they are doing well. The same ap plies in propaganda; it is used to convince people to like something because it is the popular thing to do (Woolfolk Cross 4). This happens with fashions and is used by getting celebrities to endorse a product.Cross then talks about faulty cause and effect relationship. This is where propaganda says one thing causes another thing to happen even if it really did not. You see this in politics all the time, sense Obama has been in office our unemployment rate has gone down. Now this may be true, but was it caused by Obama or were there other factors in place? It is used to convince people to believe something without actually checking the facts. The next propaganda item discussed is false analogy. An analogy is a comparison between two ideas, events or things (Woolfolk Cross 6).A false analogy is simply comparing two things that really have nothing to do with each other. It is often used in politics to link one thing with another that really has no reason to be associated with the othe r thing. The next propaganda technique, begging the question, this is a common technique used in politics. You may see a political ad that says, â€Å"No true American could turn down proposal 4. † This is forcing the viewer to say do I not want to be a true American (Woolfolk Cross 6). It's basically answering the question for a person instead of letting them answer it for themselves. The 11th item discussed is the two extremes fallacy.This is where you make a situation seem like there are only two options to choose from, either black or white. This forces the viewer to choose one side when really there might be a multitude of options to choose from. The next propaganda technique is card stacking. It's a easy technique of showing only what you want people to see. It's used where politicians only want you to see the good parts of their plans and not the negatives such as raising taxes, they will show you all this great things that will happen but not where the money is coming from (Woolfolk Cross 7). The last propaganda technique is called the testimonial.This is where you get someone who is famous or loved to endorse a certain product or person, even if they are not an expert in the field. You see professional athletes endorsing medical products, even though they are not a medical expert. Woolfolk lays out all thirteen examples of propaganda to show people what to look out for. In conclusion, propaganda is misunderstood. Propaganda itself is not a a negative thing, it is just a means of persuading someone that can be used either for a positive effect or a negative one. Yet in today's society propaganda is used for many different reasons.This is why it is important to understand what propaganda really is. Orwell, Lutz, and Woolfolk give good insight into how propaganda is used and how to avoid being confused by it. After reading this you will have a better understanding of propaganda and how to identify it, and how to understand what the author is reall y trying to say. It will make you a better thinker, and help with important decisions that you have to make. Sources: 1. Lutz, William . â€Å"Doublespeak. †Ã‚  Public Relations Quarterly  . 33. 4 n. page. Web. 2. Orwell, George. â€Å"Fifty Orwell Essays . †Ã‚  Gutenburg. n. page. Web. 13 Sep. 2012.

Essay on Texting Essays

Essay on Texting Essays Essay on Texting Essay Essay on Texting Essay Texting Helping or Hindering In the essay Does Texting Affect Writing written by a student from Marywood University the question was asked if how students communicate is being effected by texting. The author made a very good argument that she believed it didnt. She went through great research to answer the question that we have all asked at one point in time. This process was done through speaking with teachers, friends and students to see if texting affected their ability to write in school. I would have to agree I dont elieve that texting is the reason for poor communication among kids today, that it has its purpose and place. I am on that text a lot and would say that through texting I have improved my writing ability. I often catch myself in texting actually spelling and using correct grammar when sending a message. In the article written the first thing the author points out is not that texting itself is not the problem, but that the language or abbreviations that were being used. That it could have a impact on a persons ability to communicate when writing. In an article ritten in USA Today entitled Texting, Testing Destroys Kids Writing Style The author blames the use of acronyms and Anthony Fulton: There are a few clarity issues (l am on that text a lot), but your position is still clear. shorthand in text messages for students inability to spell and ultimately write well. It was also mentioned that emotions through text could not be effetely conveyed without the use of symbols and smiley faces. The teachers interviewed also felt as if we were raising a whole generation without proper communication skills. This sparked a whole new debate on texting and its use amongst students in school. Many said that the perceived declined in writing abilities was due the increase of texting. To gain a more personal prospective the Author interviewed two former teachers and seven students to get their prospective on this. To allow the students to have their own opinion a list of questions was asked, such as how long they had been texting, how often they texted; what types of abbreviations they used most often and how ften they used them; and whether they noticed themselves using any type of text speak in their formal writing. The same questions were posed to the two teachers. It was a surprise to the author how different the responses of the teachers and students were. To help better understand all the data collected the author had to do more research and gather some twenty writings of some papers from a first year writing course. The objective was to see if students texting writing carried over to their formal writing. After analyzing the samples, the conclusion was made that texting had minimal impact on a students writing ability and actually improved it. That students understood that it was a time and place for the texting language they used. That each person interviewed agreed and understood this. That to compensate for the language. This allowed their points to be conveyed at the same time maximizing the time they had. Teachers felt that it allowed them to actually broaden how they communicated and actually helped. Anthony Fulton: The summary is accurate and objective. I would have to say that from personal experience the language I use in text have their proper places it should not and would not be used to communicate in my formal writing. For example, though we will say lol is not appropriate in a conventional learning environment that for sake of time in texting world it serves its purpose. That texting has not hindered my writing but has had a positive impact on how I write Work Cited Bullock, Richard. The Norton Field Guide to Writing. 3rd Ed. New York: Norton, 2013. Print.

Evolutionary Psychology As A Unifying †Research Paper

Evolutionary Psychology As A Unifying – Research Paper Free Online Research Papers Evolutionary Psychology As A Unifying Research Paper In this essay I will assess evolutionary psychology (E.P) as a scientific research programme. I will outline the concept of a scientific research programme and the utility of discussing E.P in this manner. I will also give an outline of the origins of E.P, discussing on the one hand its fundamental principles and their auxiliary hypotheses and on the other the earliest work done in this spirit. I will discuss certain ambiguities and weaknesses present in the programme, those concerning reverse engineering, modularity, adaptation and the Environment of Evolutionary Adaptedness (E.E.A). I will complete the discussion of Archer’s claim by assessing criticisms of E.P and their motivation, and providing some warning comments about progress and degeneration. E.P as a Scientific Research Programme Archer (2001) presents the hierarchical theoretic structure of E.P. as outlined by Buss (1990). His basic claim is that the fundamental principles of E.P are not being tested in empirical research; the role of these fundamental principles (the first and second level) is to generate ‘novel hypotheses’ (the second and third level) which are then empirically tested. To understand fully what is being claimed one needs at least a brief gloss on work done in Philosophy of Science in the latter part of the twentieth century. In his Conjectures and Refutations Karl Popper made what many consider to be a key move in the justification of scientific method. His suggestion was that science follows a ‘hypothetico-deductive’ system. Rather than being an attempt to prove theories inductively from set of relevant observations, a more stable characterisation (which would also account for the success of scientific theories) would be as follows: hypotheses are deduced from theories; these hypotheses generate predictions which are submitted to rigorous tests; any observations which violate these predictions refute the theory via a retransmission of falsity under the logical law of modus tollens. Theories are conjectures which stand only until falsified; the wider the range of predictions and the more rigorous the test, the better the theory. (Popper, 1972) One problem noted by one of Popper’s students, David Miller (in his Critical Rationalism), is the lack of any theory of verisimilitude. Given that there is no way of identifying a specific set of all the hypotheses a theory may generate in potentia there is no way of knowing which un-refuted theory is objectively better, and thus closer to the truth, than its contemporaries. (Miller, 1994) An alternative view presented by Kuhn in his Structure of Scientific Revolutions is that ‘normal science’ consists of ‘paradigms’, which are themselves dependent upon historical factors such as their socio-political context. Unfortunately Kuhn’s use of the ‘paradigm’ is fairly ambiguous and whilst it is useful for talking about dramatic changes in accepted scientific thought e.g. the ‘Williams revolution’ in evolutionary biology, it is unclear whether it can be specifically applied to E.P. Kuhn recognising this ambiguity changed the term to disciplinary matrix or matrices (Kuhn, 1970, 1977). However, some e.g. Buller Hardcastle (2001) read ‘paradigm’ as a shared and unquestioned framework of theory, methodology, and exemplars (specific explanations that serve as models for further scientific research) and believe E.P may be represented in this way. I am unconvinced that they have wrestled with the ambiguities a nd will argue that a Lakatosian ‘scientific research programme’ (S.R.P) is closer to Archer’s representation of E.P as a â€Å"research agenda† and can better account for the diversity within the field (Archer 2001, p414). Imre Lakatos, also a student and colleague of Popper (but sympathetic the idea that history is a key factor in considering the nature of scientific research), proposed the idea that an S.R.P is characterised by a continuity which ties together its members: the metaphysical ‘hard-core’. The hard-core is metaphysical in the Popperian sense that it is not subject to refutation by empirical testing. Within the hard-core are the central theoretic principles from which auxiliary hypotheses are deduced. In E.P. the hard-core, at the very least, certainly comprises the principle that species evolve through genetic inheritance, mutation and differential selection: Darwinian evolution. It would also include certain Neo-Darwinian ethological principles such as Trivers’ theory of reciprocal altruism, Hamilton’s theory of kin selection and Maynard Smith’s application of ‘game theory’ to evolution. The inclusion of these is indicated by the words imme diately following the title quote â€Å"natural selection has made us this way† (Archer 2001, p414). Note that these theories are empirically testable, however what is important in the context of E.P as an S.R.P is that they are tested elsewhere (they are the auxiliary hypotheses of other S.R.P’s); the experiments conducted under the banner of E.P serve to test the auxiliary hypotheses which form a protective belt around the hard-core (Archer 2001, p415). This, I hope, will add some depth to Archers comment that it is a â€Å"fundamental misconception† about E.P research to believe â€Å"that in each case the evolutionary view is being tested† (Archer 2001, p416). The auxiliary hypotheses are interpretations of the hard-core with specified empirically observable predictions from which experiments may be constructed. If the predictions are falsified by experimental observations the relevant auxiliary hypotheses will be discarded as false interpretations of the core. A degenerative S.R.P is one which is continually forced to discard auxiliary hypotheses, thus reducing the range of empirical prediction and continually reinterpreting the hard-core. A progressive S.R.P is one which continually increases the range of empirical prediction through the survival of auxiliary hypotheses and the generation of novel hypotheses from the former. The Santa Barbara School and the early auxiliary hypotheses In the light of this discussion we can more clearly discern what might be characteristic features of E.P and see whether it does what Archer proclaims. Here I will examine the claim that the early writings and mission statements of Leda Cosmides and John Tooby provides the â€Å"defining features of the field† (Laland Brown (2002)). Together with Donald Symons, who brought them to the University of Santa Barbara, this group of researchers will be referred to as the ‘Santa Barbara School’ for the sake of convenience. Cosmides Toobys views on the nature of E.P seem to be in the same spirit as Archers rather general statement (serving as title for this paper), as shown the following quote: â€Å"Evolutionary psychology is an approach to psychology, in which knowledge and principles from evolutionary biology are put to use in research on the structure of the human mind.† (Cosmides Tooby, 1997) One noteworthy disparity between the Santa Barbara School and Archer (and perhaps also Buss, see Laland Brown (2002) p158) seems to be the extent to which they emphasise a computational theory of mind. Archer uses the word mechanism freely but without committing himself to any clear statement of his stance upon the functionality of the mind. Cosmides and Tooby on the other hand clearly emphasise that they take mind to be an information processing machine consisting of circuits operating programs which manifest adaptations: â€Å"When evolutionary psychologists refer to the mind, they mean the set of information-processing devices, embodied in the human brainthe programs comprising the human mind were designed by natural selection to solve the adaptive problems faced by our hunter-gatherer ancestors.† (Cosmides 2001) Thus we should exhibit evolutionary adaptations in our behaviour and cognitive abilities. An apparent thesis of the Santa Barbara School is what might be called hyper-modularity. Fodor originally introduced the idea of modularity to the Philosophy of Mind in arguing that the areas of mind involved in perception have certain pointed and discrete functional properties and are thus domain-specific whilst the rest of the mind may be a domain general problem solving machine (Fodor, 1983). A crucial feature of these modules is informational encapsulation; the module is only privy to the very specific information related to its function and does not access information processed in other parts of the brain. The Santa Barbara School adopt the idea of domain-specific modules whilst seemingly rejecting the idea that the mind may be domain-general. It is useful to understand this as a reaction to what they referred to as the Standard Social Science Model (SSSM), which retained what they considered a dogmatic view (inherited from the 17th and 18th century empiricists) of the mind as w hite paper to be written upon by social cultural and physical experience and so must be domain general (as it begins with no information regarding the problems it may face). A quote from Symon illustrates their view: â€Å"It is no more probable that some sort of general-purpose brain/mind mechanism could solve all the behavioural problems an organism faces (find food, choose a mate,select a habitat, etc.) than it is that some sort of general-purpose organ could perform all physiological functions (pump blood, digest food, nourish an embryo, etc.)† (Symons, 1997 as cited in Buller Hardcastle, 2000) To understand what problems these domain-specific modules have adapted to solve one must be familiar with the environment in which they evolved. Evolution takes a long time, only comprehensible in terms of thousands of generations. Cosmides and Tooby suggest, following Bowlby, that we have not significantly evolved since the time when our hunter-gather ancestors roamed the African Savannah in roughly the Pleistocene period; this would be the Environment of Evolutionary Adaptedness (E.E.A) and only in reference to this, rather than our post-agricultural/technological-revolution modern day world, may we understand present day adaptations. Thus we have a stone-age mind in a space age world, but â€Å"the past explains the present† , and we must reverse-engineer to understand a particular trait or disposition (Cosmides Tooby, 1990; Pinker, 1997 cited in Archer, 2001). Cosmides (1989) doctoral dissertation provides an illustration of the methods proposed above. Following the principle of reciprocal altruism and the idea that its effective function requires an ability to detect cheats to the rules of reciprocation (i.e. in solution to the free-rider problem), Cosmides designed a series of elegant experiments using the Wason selection task to test the hypothesis that humans possess a cheater detection module adapted to solve this problem. The data showed that even where subjects had training in formal logic 75% failed the task when in an abstract form, whereas 75% got it right when it was presented in a social form in which subjects had to detect cheats to a social rule (both tasks had the same logical form). This indicated that the subjects possessed a cheater detection module that was not party to the subjects knowledge of logic in a separate stream of the brain. In sum, we have a number of auxiliary hypotheses detailed above that have been interpreted from the hard-core which we established earlier. These are that the mind functions as a computer with discrete domain-specific modules, we will exhibit evolved adaptations in our behaviour and cognition our adaptations were selected for in an environment vastly different from that which most of us currently live in to understand these we must focus upon the E.E.A I shall give brief criticisms of each of these. Ambiguities, weaknesses, criticisms of E.P, degeneration and progress. I shall not address the concept of a computational theory in general but rather the specific modularity thesis. There are two initial points: firstly a modular theory of mind does not necessitate a mind composed of entirely domain specific modules – as Fodor (1983) suggests, there may be informationally encapsulated modules which do not interact with the rest of a domain general mind; secondly whilst Cosmides early conclusions at least require some domain-specific/informationally encapsulated modules there is little to suggest that this precludes them being a part of a domain-general mind. In fact there seems to be evidence that some psychological traits are domain-general, and when pushed upon the matter Cosmides and Tooby agree, pointing to their own recent work which indicates just this, making it somewhat ambiguous what their stance is. Work done by Ramachandran and others has shown that hand-gesturing in babies comes before the use of language, gesticulation experiences are reported by phantom limb patients when communicating, blind persons use the same gestures in the same manner as sighted persons, sighted persons still gesticulate when talking to blind persons and subjects recall details of a story better when allowed to gesticulate. All of which indicates that gesticulation may not be a culturally learned behavioural trait but rather a tool for the speakers language use. This is in turn would indicate that there is a dynamic interaction between brain areas involved in language and those involved in motor control; this is a direct criticism of Pinkers arguments that there are discrete language modules and of hyper-modularity in general (Badcock, 2000, pp23 25). Adaptations are a point of controversy within Darwinian theory. Darwins own comments seem to suggest that an adaptation selected to solve a specific problem may be an illusion or very heavy interpretation of what is really just an amalgam of surviving parts (see quotation in Badcock pp 22 23). Also Williams warns against regarding something as an adaptation prematurely, stating that the criterion for regarding a feature of an organism as adaptive (and if so what it was originally adaptive to) are far too unclear, as such he warns that we should only regard something as adaptation when we have exhausted all other possibilities. There seems to be a problem here for the reverse engineering thesis that presumes we can glean semantic properties (the why) rather than just causal properties (the how) from our analysis of whether a particular behaviour or ability is adaptive (Badcock, 2000, pp18 19). Having anything interesting to say about the E.E.A may be precluded by the difficulty of being able to say with confidence that something is an adaptation rather than an epiphenomenon of other other unnoticed adaptations. This aside it is not particularly clear what exactly the E.E.A is; denoting a general time-period and place does not get us far in having a working model. Cosmides and Tooby (1990) have attempted to provide something more definitive: â€Å"it is a statistical composite of the adaptation relevant properties of the ancestral environments encountered by members of ancestral populations, weighted by their frequency and their fitness consequences.†(as cited in Laland Brown 2000 pp179) Yet this does not denote a particular ancestral population or even a particular time period which would mark key stages in our evolution of certain adaptations (Laland Brown, 2000) The idea of an E.E.A and focus on the general hunter-gatherer concept also gives a misleadingly static view of evolution in the surrounding time periods. In addition, to say that we are maladapted to our current environment is akin to saying that the hunter gatherers, being originally vegetarians, were maladapted to theirs. It seems a moot point to argue focus upon one environment rather than another. A few things must be noted in conclusion. Firstly very few of the criticisms above are decisive or even arguments. To do this effectively one would have to level each against all the diverse work done in the field. But the line of attack is clear; if the auxiliary hypotheses cannot achieve the generality they purport or worse still their predictions are disconfirmed then they will have to be reinterpreted in order that the programme may survive. If reinterpretation persists then the field should be considered degenerative. But if it can field all the criticisms and make new predictions, progress must be noted. One thing that is omitted above is a proper treatment of the diversity of research done in this field, as I have tried to look at the bigger picture. The picture is overall a highly deterministic one and rejecting this aspect is a common motivation for some of the more valid criticisms. Rose Rose point out that there is no account taken of plasticity and the dynamic complex nature of living systems (Archer, 2001 pp428 429). And as a final note, volitional action is still considered one of the things that makes us human, our behaviour seems under-determined by genetic mechanisms, something may be being left out. Bibliography: General note to reader: Where philosophical literature has been cited, exact page references have been omitted intentionally, in the belief that all references made are simply interpretations of their work. If my interpretation is deemed correct, the insight belongs to the referee, if deemed incorrect then I am simply mistaken. Archer, J. et al. (2001) Evolving Theories of Behaviour, in ‘The Psychologist’, 14(8): 414 431. Badcock, C.R. (2000) Evolutionary Psychology: a critical introduction; Blackwell, Polity Press Buss, D.E. (1990) – Evolutionary Social Psychology: prospects and pitfalls; in ‘Motivation and Emotion’, 14: 265-286. Buller Hardcastle (2000) Evolutionary Psychology, Meet Developmental Neurobiology: Against Promiscuous Modularity; in ‘Brain and Mind’ 1: 307–325: Netherlands, Kluwer Academic Publishers. Cosmides Tooby (1997) Evolutionary Psychology: a primer: (psych.ucsb.edu/research/cep/primer.html) Copyright John Tooby and Leda Cosmides, Updated January 13, 1997 Cosmides, L. (1989) The Logic of Social Exchange: has natural selection shaped how humans reason? Studies with the Wason selection task; in Cognition 31: 187-276 (2001) Interview with Alvaro Fischer and Roberto Araya for the Chilean newspaper El Mercurio (psych.ucsb.edu/research/cep/ledainterview.htm); part of a project entitled New Paradigms at the Beginning of the Third Millenium. Fodor, J. (1983) The Modularity of Mind: an essay on faculty psychology Cambridge, Mass. ; London : MIT Press Hume, D (1975) Enquiries Concerning Human Understanding and Concerning the Principles of Morals; L.A Selby-Bigge: Third Edition, Oxford, Clarendon Press. Kuhn, T. S (1970) The Structure of Scientific Revolutions; Second edition: Chicago, University of Chicago Press. (1977) The Essential Tension. Selected Studies in Scientific Tradition and Change. Chicago: University of Chicago Press . Lakatos, I. (1976) Proofs and refutations: the logic of mathematical discovery; edited by John Worrall and Elie Zahar. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Laland Brown (2002) Sense and Nonsense: evolutionary perspectives on human behaviour; Clarendon, Oxford University Press. Miller, D. (1994) – Critical Rationalism: a restatement and defence; Chicago: Open court Popper, K. (1972) Conjectures and Refutations; Fourth Edition: Routledge Kegan Paul Limited Research Papers on Evolutionary Psychology As A Unifying - Research PaperThree Concepts of PsychodynamicEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenResearch Process Part OneGenetic EngineeringOpen Architechture a white paperInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesStandardized TestingAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaRelationship between Media Coverage and Social and

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