Social Policy - Putting People First Essay Example for Free

Social Policy Putting People First Essay For this assignment l have been asked to identify and examine a social policy and to make reference to a political ideology of welfare, discuss the contributions of social work, service user and carer’s experiences to the policy document. To achieve this l will discuss ‘Pettigrew’s model of strategic change’ which will help to summarise the key elements considered when looking at any specific policy. (Public Administration Management, 1999, pp. 494-507) Firstly to discuss the context, the governmental approach with New Labours/Third Way philosophy behind the policy â€Å"Putting People First†, the principles and why it was implemented, how this fits with what we know about New Labours commitment to finding solutions to societal issues from a socialist type theorist view. Also to discuss the Process, how it was put together and implemented. But most crucially l will discuss the Content, the implications to service user’s and carer’s experiences to the policy and its impact, in conjunction with the social work contribution to the policy and its own implications to welfare provision. Old age, seen as a burden viewed by governments as a cost to society, a value of each person has been imposed by way of what a local authority is willing to pay, â€Å"Older people are seen as past their best, no longer productive, no longer contributing to the economy and therefore a burden, a drain on the states resources† (Thompson, 2006, p.100). Demography along with increased expectations, put demands on an already faltering, aged service, people living longer with complex needs due to new technology, plus services out of touch with the needs and expectations of today. A well educated generation with the aptitude to convey their requirements, rather than the acceptance of being grateful for whatever they can get. In an age of 60 being the new 40, people wanting, expecting and hoping for a new type of consideration in regard to any help they may need. Using these arguments government issued statements that social care as it stands could not possibly continue and if not redressed, would not survive; something had to change. Driven by figures forecast that social care costs in the future were to rise and by â€Å"2022, 20% of the English population will be over 65 and by 2027, the number of over 85yr olds will have increased by 60%†(Department of Health, 2008,p.1). â€Å"Intolerance of inequality was the prevailing mood and New Labour policies reflected this†(Blakemore Griggs,2007, p.274), rethinking the aged Old Labour ideology of state provision and a well-known system of need, assessment, criteria and services provisioned on the outcome of eligibility, and provisioned by a limited statutory service were not reflecting good practice in terms of equality. In recognition of the rising cost of old age, New Labour in 2007 introduced the Putting People First policy as a â€Å"shared vision and commitment to the transformation of adult social care† and stated that it was to â€Å"set the new direction for adult social care for the next ten years or more† (DH) (2008), and has even been suggested by Alcock 2008 as being the most sweeping transformation of adult social care since the 1990’s community care act. Putting People First superseded the government white paper â€Å"our health, our care, our say – a new direction for community services (Department of Health, 2006), which gave an insight of what was to come and shared with it some of the radical thinking behind the governments new ‘third way’ philosophy. Putting People First was designed to implement a new way of delivering services through commissioning, personal budgets, recognising and utilising alternative methods of care provision such as family care, community support groups, voluntary sector and partnership working. These commissioned services can be partly funded via alternative funding streams such as lottery, voluntary and charities so reducing the states contribution. â€Å"Ultimately every locality should seek to have a single community based support system focussed on the health and wellbeing of the local population. Binding together local Government, primary care, community based health provision, public health, social care and the wider issues of housing, employment, benefits advice and education/training† (Department of Health, 2008, p.2), working collectively in four areas; â€Å"Universal Services, Early Intervention Prevention, Social Capital, Choice Control†(Department of Health, 2008 p.17). To illustrate where this policy fits with New Labour/Third Way, we can return to â€Å"early academic development of social policy and where Britain was closely allied to the political development of Fabianism† (Alcock, 2008, p.2). Fabians were â€Å"politicians and academics† who concerned themselves with â€Å"influencing governments† through â€Å"academic research and analysis† into how this should influence welfare reforms whilst pertaining the government’s responsibility (Alcock, 2008, p.2). Labour following WWII introduced much Fabian inspired reform’s using academic knowledge and research on social problems, closely followed by the Beveridge report and substantial change within state provision. Going against right wing critics who argued against state provision, and the New Right/Neo Liberalism who said that â€Å"state intervention merely drove up the cost of public expenditure†, furthermore developed a country who had â€Å"no incentive to protect themselves† consequently become totally reliant on government meeting all need (Alcock, 2008,p.9). Tony Blair became labour party leader in 1994, and continued along a political path instigated by the previous party leader John Smith who had â€Å"commissioned a review on social justice to look at past approaches to social policy†, where three methods became apparent: â€Å"The deregulators who favoured private markets over public provision†; â€Å"The levellers – supporters of old style social democratic justice† but the favoured style of social policy were the; â€Å"Investors who linked social justice to economic growth within a market economy† (Alcock, 2008, p.190). The â€Å"investor approach became central to the third way rhetoric† (Alcock, 2008, p.190) and won an election in 1997 for a New Labour who had discarded many of the state welfare commitments of â€Å"Old Labour approach of tax and spend in dealing with public services†(Blakemore Griggs, 2007,p.266). This third way was to recognise the more â€Å"complex make-up of modern societies†, from this â€Å"What Counts is What Works† was drawn from work by Anthony Giddens â€Å"a close advisor to Blair† (Alcock, 2008, p.10). â€Å"Giddens views about social policy involved a reformulation of the goal of equality in terms of exclusion and inclusion† two terms used widely by New Labour, both driving home some suggestion of concern with â€Å"citizenship, community† and â€Å"poverty†. (Alcock, Daly Griggs, 2008, p.205) Alcock (2008) suggests the Third Way or middle way rhetoric was a common sense way of keeping all political theorist’s happy. But continues on to say that some key themes are apparent such as shifting welfare towards an activist style of provision, sharing responsibility, improved choice using alternatively funded providers, â€Å"extending the conservatives strategy of building a market in welfare provision† (Blakemore Griggs, p.268), but â€Å"rather than being a distinctive path between different trajectories, is instead a pick-and-mix assortment of different ideas†(ed Ellison Pierson 2003, p.73). Both Blair and Giddens disputed this middle ground ideology of pleasing all, but rather a response to a â€Å"changed world† with â€Å"traditional values† (Hudson Lowe, 2004, p.44) New Labour continued with the ideology of â€Å"service user participation, community based care, and a mixed economy of provision delivered via social care makers† as the way forward, with an emphasis on â€Å"accountability and performance whilst encouraging â€Å"participation† and â€Å"choice† for purchasers of services (Blakemore Griggs,2007, p.276/77), and â€Å"invested considerable faith in the value of more informed approach to policy making, viewing it as central to improving the quality of public services†(Hudson Lowe, 2004, p.222). This rethink of â€Å"community care towards social care† (Blakemore Griggs, 2007,p.232) from central government produced a set of guidance to every local authority to assess and procure their own individual responses on how to implement the titanic changes required in changing the face of service delivery long-term to â€Å"fit services around not people round services† (Alcock, Daly Griggs, 2008 p.279). There were huge expectations on individual councils to develop ways of implementing service user and carer involvement more than ever before; their vision being, that service users and carers were to be empowered to contribute at the earliest stages of the way services were best delivered within local authorities. On the back of Putting People First came a grant allocation and background papers with guidance to be considered when implementing the policy were all produced to steer the implementation of service delivery, one being, â€Å"Personalisation†(Department of Health, 2008), which took the idea of Putting People First further, and brought together Primary Care Trusts and social care into jointly funding a ‘personal budgets’ or ‘individual budgets’ with a â€Å"full range of relevant local statutory, voluntary and private sector organisations to be fully engaged†(Department of Health, 2007). Putting People First and Personalisation policies are intended to take people with needs through a hugely diverse process of self assessment, where the social worker is led by the citizen, recognised as a lead player in establishing their own person centred plan of care, where â€Å"the individual is best placed to know what they need and how needs are best met† (Carr, 2008, p.3). Having been fortunate to experience implementation of direct payments for many years first hand, l can only praise the opportunities it has created within a learning disabilities team. Initial concerns regarding any security experienced within old fashioned service style was soon forgotten as the person emerged with newly found control over their lives, fortunately with few drawbacks; administration being one, reduced by regular reviews along with some form of Brokerage system. Also providing continuity and matching people in terms of personalities, with the assurance of knowing who will come into their home and at time to suit the person, not the care provider. As for Personalisation l can only imagine how positive this next stage can be devoid of issues with institutionalised social workers, deskilled and pressurised to be inventive with huge funding panel limitations. Individual budgets present a Resource Allocation Process, from a combination of funding streams, allocated via self assessment and support plan with assistance from a professional. This optimistically changes the role of social work from being a gatekeeper and provider of services to a broker, navigator, designer and risk assessor who advocates a person’s wishes from a resource allocation process (Carr, 2008, p.17), enabled to find â€Å"new collaborative ways of workingtailored specifically to meet individual needs† compared to the sticky plaster approach (Carr, 2008, p.3). Putting People First is seen by some as an â€Å"opportunity to return to the traditional social work, of enabling people to achieve potential† (Carr, 2008, p.16). Social work has to be diverse in its approach as this impacts, which ever political party is in power, which ever political ideology is favoured at any one time the social worker â€Å"moves backwards and forwards like some never ending contest between two evenly matched tug-of-war teams†, however this does not suggest that the social worker remains â€Å"power-neutral†, for a social workers powers are exercised on behalf of the state they â€Å"reflect a view which are fundamentally political in their determination† (Drakeford, 2010, p.304). We may consider whether all wish to be empowered in this way, changing the way services have been provisioned could we be taking away the proverbial security blanket. It is recognised that â€Å"families provide a far greater proportion of care and emotional and financial support† (Hill Irving, 2009, p.262) and it is for the â€Å"social worker to recognise and support carers in their role, and help with enabling maintenance of a life beyond caring†(Carr, 2008, p.3), PPF recognises this by delivering the tools to ensure a carer is â€Å"encouraged to play an active part† by being in control of what works best for them not prescribed by local authorities (Barton, 2010, p.410). Beveridge â€Å"didn’t anticipate the tumultuous decline in heavy industry† and the subsequent â€Å"rise in paid women’s work† (Hill Irving, 2009, p.265), sadly informal care continues to be â€Å"seen at the top of this mixed economy of welfare† (Hill Irving, 2009, p.190). It is vital in recognising the â€Å"power differential between carers and professionals, meaning the carer’s perspective can easily be overlooked†, â€Å"in addition to their motivation being driven by love, duty and a sense of enduring commitment but are sometimes compelled to take on this role against their wishes (Barton, 2010, p.410/13). All this puts further strain on carers, trying to juggle a life other than caring; Putting People First seems to have acknowledged this by including the ‘individual budgets’ to carers. By looking after the carer, valuing their expertise, and offering alternative solutions, thus prevents hospital admissions and residential care, both of which come at a much higher cost to the economy. We have taken a look at the impact of a political ideology, how this is developed into policies which impact on society, but also how the changes in societal discourses forces governments into making sweeping changes across provision. For me ‘sharing responsibility’ basically sums up the Putting People First policy, for those who receive help to be considered active, valued and empowered citizens, accredited with the ability to take responsibility of amalgamating services to meet individual needs. This new commissioning type of services by local authorities will inevitably force its way into social work, consequently social workers being privatised and commissioned by local authorities, again taking responsibility away from the state. However we have to be sceptical regards the costs – both in financial terms and the personal impact of this direction, as funding is reduced, how much of this shared responsibility will actually fall on the unpaid carers. And to reflect Hudson Lowe’s (2004) argument around â€Å"rational choice theory† and whether a society is able to develop a â€Å"collective action† due to a self-absorbed nation and what â€Å"sense of duty† is evident in â€Å"society to exist at all† (Hudson Lowe, 2004, p190), this may become apparent as we move towards a society who can make best use of social capital. References Alcock, C, Daly, G Griggs, E (2008): â€Å"Introducing social policy†, 2nd ed. Essex: Pearson Education ltd Alcock, P, (2008): â€Å"Social Policy in Britain† 3rd ed. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan Barton, R. (2010): â€Å"The carers perspective† in Davies, M. (ed.) The Blackwell Blakemore, K Griggs, E, (2007): â€Å"Social policy an introduction†, 3rd ed. Berkshire: open university press Drakeford, M. (2010): â€Å"Social work and politics† in Davies, M. (ed.) The Blackwell Carr, S. (2008) personalisation : a rough guide (ed) social care institute for excellence, London Companion to Social Work. Oxford: Blackwell publishing Ltd Ellison, N Pearson, C, (2003): â€Å"Developments in British policy 2†, London: Palgrave Macmillan Hill, M Irving, Z, (2009): â€Å"Understanding social policy†, 8th ed. West Sussex: Blackwell publishing Hudson, J Lowe, S, (2004): â€Å"Understanding the policy process†, Bristol: The Policy Press Department of health Think Local Act Personal – Debbie’s story HM Government (2008)[online]. London: National Health Service. [Accessed15.03.2011]. Available at: http://www.thinklocalactpersonal.org.uk . Department of health Putting people First A shared vision and commitment to the transformation of Adult Social Care. HM Government (2008)[online]. London: National Health Service. [Accessed15.03.2011]. Available at: . Department of health Think Local Act Personal- social care transformation. HM Government (2008)[online]. London: National Health Service. [Accessed15.03.2011]. Available at: http://www.thinklocalactpersonal.org.uk . Department of Health (October 2008) Putting People First Transforming Adult Care [online]. London: National Health Service. [Accessed 15.03.2011]. Available at: . Department of health Putting people First – Working to make it happen. HM Government (2008)[online]. London: National Health Service. [Accessed15.03.2011]. Available at: . Department of Health (January 2006) Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services[online]. London: National Health Service. [Accessed 15.03.2011]. Available at: . Public Administration Management: An Interactive Journal(1999) 4, 4, pp. 494-507 Thompson, N. (2006) Anti-discriminatory Practice.4th ed., Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Hepatitis causes and effects

Hepatitis causes and effects Abstract Hepatitis, one of the major incurable diseases, still exists nowadays endangering many peoples lives. It has many types i.e. Hepatitis A, B, C, D, E and G. The nature of Hepatitis is viral which is caught by either through body fluids or improper personal hygiene in addition to other causes which remains unknown. This disease leads into serious physiological effects such as fatigue, jaundice and serious liver complication like liver Cirrhosis. Psychosocial effect which is another outcome of Hepatitis includes social withdrawal, anxiety, depression and suicidal tendency. Despite of the extensive researches to find a cure for Hepatitis, there is still no effective treatment for it so the responsibility of avoiding this infection is both on government and individuals. Hepatitis is one of the most fatal diseases which was discovered in the early eighties; it can be defined as an inflammation of the liver organ. Hepatitis is derived from the Latin words Hepat which means the liver and itis inflammation. The usual cause of Hepatitis is a virus that invades the body through blood stream. This virus could get into the body either through body fluids or improper personal hygiene, leading to serious physiological and psychosocial effects. There are several types of Hepatitis, such as A, B, C, D,E and G. A, B and C viruses are the most common types of Hepatitis and all these viruses can cause similar problems and have similar symptoms, but they spread in different ways and have different effects on the body. There are several modes of transmission including contaminated body fluids, improper personal hygiene in addition to idiopathic causes. Contaminated body fluids include saliva, blood, feces and urine. Blood transfusion is the most common method, where the blood is transferred from an infected patient to another patient what would be called Horizontal Transmission. Another method is the Vertical Transmission which occurs when a pregnant woman pass it to her fetus. Furthermore, contaminated needles shared by the drug abusers or in medical accidents such as needle pricks† is another way emphasized by (Nowak and Handford, 2004, p.379). Having unprotected sex and multi-partners are other ways leading to this disease according to Nowak and Handford (2004) whom reported that Sexual transmission does occur, particularly among the homosexuals. Note also that 20% of infected heterosexuals pass the virus to their spouses.(p.380). All of the above mentioned causes can lead to Hepatitis B a nd C which are the most dangerous ones. The second major cause of Hepatitis is poor hygiene, for instance, personal and general. To start with contaminated water such as sewage lanes, rivers and public toilets are places of great risk for caching Hepatitis A especially to those who live nearby. This type of Hepatitis is usually transferred by feces according to Fiore (2004) HAV is primarily transmitted by the fecal-oral route, either by person-to-person contact or by ingestion of contaminated food or water (p.705-15).Moreover, unwashed vegetables and shellfish, such as clams and oysters may be contaminated by sewage to become sources of infection to humans. Also, personal hygiene is another element for contacting hepatitis and can occur by sharing razors, toothbrushes and towels, and leads to Hepatitis B and C. Despite previously discussed causes of this disease, there is still a great sector of hepatitis which remains unknown. Statistics shows that approximately 30% of hepatitis B infection are of unknown origin.40% of Hepatitis C cases are idiopathic (Nowak and Handford, 2004,p.379-80). Where another article points that sources is unknown but could be considerable; 50% of reported patients with hepatitis A do not have an identified source of infection (Fiore, 2004, p.706). But McHutchison Bacon (2005) emphasized in their diagram of Figure 2: Sources of Infection for Persons With Hepatitis C that only 10 % of Hepatitis C infection are unknown(p.S287). There are many effects of this disease which lie under the two categories: the physiological effects and psychosocial effects. Where the physiological effects contain all the symptoms of Hepatitis, the psychosocial effects indicate the emotional and social consequences of being a Hepatitis patient. The symptoms of the various forms of hepatitis are similar and they are caused by the damage in the liver. The most noticeable symptom is jaundice which causes a yellowing of the skin. Other symptoms associated with hepatitis include fatigue, general body pain, nausea, mild fever, and loss of appetite. As the infection spreads in the liver, the organ becomes enlarged. It may cause pain in the abdomen and in worst scenario can lead to liver Cirrhoses which mean total liver damage and eventually death. It takes seven to eight weeks after exposure to the Hepatitis virus for the symptoms to appear. A patient with Hepatitis is not only predisposed to physical symptoms, but also to emotional and social problems. These complexities include depression and social withdrawal as each one leads into the other, added to that depression and anxiety which commonly occur together. Anybody who suffers from Hepatitis will be anxious and this anxiety may lead in to depression in sever cases, for example when a patient suffers from Hepatitis and he knows it is a serious illness defiantly he will not stop worrying, these worries can make the person preoccupied with his illness and lead him to depression. Moreover, a Hepatitis patient social withdraw as a result of being unable to find a partner who is willing to live with this fatal disease. It is also hard to make people understand the nature of this serious disease and make friends and families accept and accommodate it. All this may drive the patient to be lonely and tempt to be suicidal. To sum up, Hepatitis is still one of our life time mysteries to be solved. The spread of this disease is mostly due to the natural or hygienic causes in addition to some percentage of idiopathic causes which is still unknown. Like any other illness, Hepatitis has many drawbacks which could be listed under two categories physiological and psychosocial. Unfortunately, despite the advanced field of medicine Hepatitis remains un-ended and research continues in order to find the ultimate treatment for it. Until a final cure is found, precautionary steps should be taken by both government and individuals. The government is responsible to ensure infection control awareness over this disease through its health system. But it is a personal responsibility to prevent oneself from this disease as well as any other disease by following the simple rules of hygiene and ensure to get proper health care from reliable health establishments only. References Fiore, E. (2004). Hepatitis A Transmitted by Food. FOOD SAFETY, 38(1), 705-715. McHutchison, J. G., Bacon, B. R. (2005). Chronic Hepatitis C: An Age Wave of Disease Burden. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MANAGED CARE, 11(10), S286-295. Nowak, T. J., Handford, A. G. (2004). Pathophysiology :Concepts and Application for Health care Professionals (Third ed.). NY: Mc Graw Hill. Prevention, C. f. D. C. a. (2009). Disease burden from viral hepatitis A, B, and C in the United States [Electronic Version]. Retrieved 9 Dec 2008 from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/resources/dz_burden02.htm.

The Prophet Amos Essay -- social issues

The Prophet Amos Amos is recognized as the first of the Israelite prophets whose words were recorded on a scroll. He was not a prophet all his life and never prophesied professionally. Amos earned his living as a â€Å"herdsman and dresser of sycamore figs.† (Amos 7:14) Since he already had an occupation he did not have to prophesy for money. He prophesied because God had called him to do so. Amos was not a poor sheep herdsman. The word herdsman, used to describe his occupation, was not the common Hebrew word used to refer to shepherds. The Hebrew word used described the vocation of a Moabite king, King Mesha. The Hebrew word means sheep-master, and refers to the owners of a special breed of sheep, famous for their wool. Amos may have been one of the more important men in his region, Tekoa. Tekoa was a village about ten miles south of Jerusalem. It was situated atop a large hill some 2800 feet above sea level. Therefore, Tekoa was strategically located. It was fortified and walled. â€Å"Tekoa is mentioned elsewhere, in 2 Chronicles 11:6, as one of several cities that King Rehoboam (Solomon’s son and successor) rebuilt and fortified after the breaking away of the ten northern tribes and founding of the northern kingdom of Israel (in 931).† (Miller p.45) Like many other prophets Amos was called directly by Yahweh through some divine intervention. Yahweh â€Å"took† him from his flocks and said, â€Å"Go and prophesy to my people Israel.†(Amos 7:15) He also saw five visions. Throughout the third and fourth visions God’s voice claimed, â€Å"I will forgive them no longer.† (Amos 7:8; 8:1) He was referring to the people of Israel. The Book of the Prophet Amos begins with a short description of the prophet. This is followed by his words. He begins by condemning several nations, Israel’s neighbors. Finally, and most importantly, he goes on to condemn Israel. This condemnation of Israel would come as a surprise to listeners in Amos’ time, because the people of Israel were the chosen people. Amos goes on to list some of the sins of Israel. The underlying theme behind many of the sins was that the wealthy and powerful were alienating the poor and the weak. Amos lived during the long and prosperous reign of Jeroboam II. During this time many people became very wealthy. There were, however, some who remained poor. The wealthy exploited the weakness and vulnerability of the poor.... ...ust society. In our interactions with our families we should avoid unkind words and insults. We must treat family members with respect and caring. In school and in our community one can use his or her talents to tutor a friend so that he can achieve success. Community service at a local school or hospital can be a way to help those in our community who need help or are less fortunate. In these acts of compassion and caring we live the word of God. The Book of Amos, the teachings of Jesus through the Gospels and the Church’s Constitution all make one thing very clear. Our actions and social institutions should all benefit the human person and respect human dignity. These actions and institutions should be â€Å"founded on truth, built on justice, and animated by love.† (Huebsch p. 144) Bibliography Heubsch, Bill, and Paul Thurmes. The Constitutions. Allen: Thomas More Publishing, 1997. Mays, James Luther. Amos. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1969. Miller, John W. Meet the Prophets: A Beginner’s Guide to the Books of the Biblical Prophets. Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1987. Rad, Gerhard von. The Message of the Prophets. New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1962.

Edward Saids Orientalism Essay -- History Colonialism Orientalism Es

Edward Said's Orientalism Western civilization, generally speaking, is extremely egotistical and has the view that Western culture is superior to all others. They believe they are more civilized and more educated than the rest of the world and because of this, stems the idea that it is the duty of Western civilization to take other, less developed societies under their wing. These concepts of supremacy and domination are closely related to Said's ideas of Orientalism. In his book, Orientalism, Edward Said explains in detail exactly what he believes the word Orientalism means. He tries to prove his concepts through the words of statesmen, including Britain's Evelyn Baring Cromer. Cromer's words reflect the concepts introduced by Said. According to Said, one definition of Orientalism is that it is a "style of thought based upon an ontological and epistemological distinction made between 'the Orient' and the 'Occident'." This is connected to the idea that Western society, or Europe in this case, is superior in comparison to cultures that are non-European, or the Orient. This means that Orientalism is a kind of racism held toward anyone not European. Said wrote that Orientalism was "a Western style for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the Orient." This Western idea of the Orient explains why so many European countries occupied lands they believed to be Oriental. This first concept of Orientalism is blatantly reflected in the words of Evelyn Baring Cromer. Cromer was England's representative in Egypt between 1882 and 1907. He believed in European supremacy and called Egyptians, and all other people he considered Oriental, subject races. He justified European occupation in Egypt with this idea of superio... ...e. This idea is shown through Cromer's words as well. Two quotes perfectly show what Said is trying to get across to the reader. Cromer states: I content myself with noting the fact that somehow or another the Oriental generally acts speaks and thinks in a matter exactly opposite to the European. From this quote he concludes: Europe is always in a position of strength, The Oriental is irrational, depraved, childlike, "different", thus the European is rational, virtuous, mature, "normal". Cromer believes that the Orient would be nothing without Western Civilization. He embodies everything Said means by the term Orientalism including having a superiority complex and over generalizing a large group of people into one category. Cromer clearly is the epitome of what it is to be an Orientalist since he obviously agrees with what Said means by Orientalism.

?Letter to Americans? by E. P. Thompson :: essays research papers

â€Å"Letter to Americans† by E. P. Thompson Dated back in 1986, â€Å"Letter to Americans† is as if it’s written in the last three-four years. In it E. P. Thompson explains why he is anti-American in his beliefs. First off, he starts with that he is in two minds about this state of his. Even his friends doubt he is anti-American, thinking he is joking. We also read how the author traces American ancestry on his mother’s side- he goes back to his great-great-grandfather who lived in Lincoln times. Most of his ancestors are white Protestants from the upper class. Second of all, Thompson presents his idea (which he defends throughout almost the whole text) that â€Å"military† troubles had started a long time ago. He gives examples with the Middle East, Ireland and even England. One of the strongest parts is the questions-passage: the sender asks Americans what made them change, why the national-exaltation†¦ He doesn’t look for the answers. Terrorism is the next problem that is discussed in â€Å"Letter to Americans†. Thompson gives an interesting example with the death of an American serviceman which was highly noticed and at the same time the death of sixty-three other lives (non-American) is left almost unmentioned. E. P. Thompson doubts the moral of war. Or he doubts the moral of anti-terrorist war. In the next lines we read how disappointed he is that he’s half-American. But he also doesn’t like being half-English after the â€Å"heroine† is â€Å"walking tall†- Margaret Thatcher is accepted as a betrayer of national honour. The author doesn’t forget to mention the relationship between USA and NATO. He thinks that Americans welcome NATO as a weapon for America’s affairs, not of the world’s. In his final words, it is suggested that either Europe should invite USA to leave NATO or Europe should expel America from it. It is somehow strange for today’s reader to find out that the situation with America’s foreign affairs hasn’t changed much. As some clever people have said, â€Å"The History book on the shelf is always repeating itself.† Even after nineteen years, Americans think of themselves as citizens of the strongest nation in the world. Even after the September the 11th. Even after Iraq. And Afghanistan. The next worst thing that could happen to the new American history was Bush’s re-election. I doubt so many American people are that dumb†¦ I lived in USA and most of the people I met there don’t like his deeds.

Philosophy: Skeptism Essay

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. It is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational argument. The word â€Å"philosophy† comes from the Greek (philosophia), which literally means â€Å"love of wisdom. Skepticism is a philosophical attitude that, in its most extreme form, questions the possibility of obtaining any sort of knowledge. It was first articulated by Pyrrho, who believed that everything could be doubted except appearances. Sextus Empiricus (2nd century AD), skepticism’s most prominent advocate, describes it as an â€Å"ability to place in antithesis, in any manner whatever, appearances and judgments, and thus †¦ to come first of all to a suspension of judgment and then to mental tranquility. † Skepticism so conceived is not merely the use of doubt, but is the use of doubt for a particular end: a calmness of the soul, or ataraxia. Skepticism poses itself as a challenge to dogmatism, whose adherents think they have found the truth. Sextus noted that the reliability of perception may always be questioned, because it is idiosyncratic to the perceiver. The appearance of individual things changes depending on whether they are in a group: for example, the shavings of a goat’s horn are white when taken alone, yet the intact horn is black. A pencil, when viewed lengthwise, looks like a stick; but when examined at the tip, it looks merely like a circle. Skepticism was revived in the early modern period by Michel de Montaigne and Blaise Pascal. Its most extreme exponent, however, was David Hume. Hume argued that there are only two kinds of reasoning: what he called probable and demonstrative (cf. Hume’s fork). Neither of these two forms of reasoning can lead us to a reasonable belief in the continued existence of an external world. Demonstrative reasoning cannot do this, because demonstration (that is, deductive reasoning from well-founded premises) alone cannot establish the uniformity of nature (as captured by scientific laws and principles, for example). Such reason alone cannot establish that the future will resemble the past. We have certain beliefs about the world (that the sun will rise tomorrow, for example), but these beliefs are the product of habit and custom, and do not depend on any sort of logical inferences from what is already given certain. But probable reasoning (inductive reasoning), which aims to take us from the observed to the unobserved, cannot do this either: it also depends on the uniformity of nature, and this supposed uniformity cannot be proved, without circularity, by any appeal to uniformity. The best that either sort of reasoning can accomplish is conditional truth: if certain assumptions are true, then certain conclusions follow. So nothing about the world can be established with certainty. Hume concludes that there is no solution to the skeptical argument—except, in effect, to ignore it. Even if these matters were resolved in every case, we would have in turn to justify our standard of justification, leading to an infinite regress (hence the term regress skepticism). Many philosophers have questioned the value of such skeptical arguments. The question of whether we can achieve knowledge of the external world is based on how high a standard we set for the justification of such knowledge. If our standard is absolute certainty, then we cannot progress beyond the existence of mental sensations. We cannot even deduce the existence of a coherent or continuing â€Å"I† that experiences these sensations, much less the existence of an external world. On the other hand, if our standard is too low, then we admit follies and illusions into our body of knowledge. This argument against absolute skepticism asserts that the practical philosopher must move beyond solipsism, and accept a standard for knowledge that is high but not absolute.

Brian Eno Essay

We all know that everything has started to change in music with the recording technology. What we qualified something really important in music in the past, such as history, time and place etc. , today, in a sense, they start to lose their â€Å"value†. Before explaining the idea of Brian Eno, i want to mention what we discuss before him. Previously, we discussed Benjamin, Gould who supported the opposite sides of one point and i think the main point of these discussions is ‘the aura of the music has started to destroy with the recording technology’, accordingly, ‘time and the place’ have started to lose their value too. Of course, Brian Eno discussed the time line, while he was mentioning his idea. Brian Eno is an English musician, composer, record producer, music theorist, singer and visual artist. On his essay, ‘Studio as a Compositional Tool’, he mentions that an artist can start his composition in a recording studio without having any idea about creating his work. In other words, starting a work in scratch , starting a work without an available idea and at this moment ‘the time line’ appears. If an artist has a specific idea to create his work, this idea evolved slowly. So, music comes into exist. In a way, the artist has got a direction and he knows what he can do, and also he can guess the finished product before he starts his composition. By this way, two things become important; the beginning of the work and the end of the work. Time line becomes important in this style of production. On the other hand, Brian Eno approaches it differently. An artist does not have to have a specific idea before going to recording studio, he does not have to carry his idea to the future. He can start to create his work with observing its transformations at the very moment in studio. For this idea, people are not able to know what the product will be in the end. So, the artist has not any concern to assimilate his work to his idea. The product started progress at the moment and it will end up like that. Trying to create a work with an available idea is different from creating a work without any available idea. According to Brian Eno, people do not have to have a specific idea to create a composition. The beginning of the work can give the artists an idea and they can develop it, transform it while observing its progression. The sounds are changing and when an artist listens them, a new idea can come  into his mind and he can intervene in it. It goes like this. There is a thing people are not able to know: the result of this product, just like life. People born, grow up, while they are growing up, they learn something, they make mistakes and they try to fix them, they try to do not make these mistakes again, these actions continue to happen but they do not know what will happen tomorrow. They do not know what happens next. Time passes, time goes on but where it goes? We do not know. In addition to this, do we have to know? I do not think so. While the classical compositions are formed, the artist has an idea in his mind before forming it and the composition is formed with this direction, this idea. In other words, the artist knows what it is going to be at the end. Apart from that, the artist should know the history of music, he is able to play at least one instrument, he should also know writing scores. So, he should know how to transform his idea into object technically but people do not need this. Of course the artist should know something, he has knowledge about music a little bit, but it is not the only thing to create a composition. The artist also must not have idea about his work before starting his work like how classical compositions work. The artist has no idea about the result of his product when he starts his work without any idea. Because of this situation, he does not have any connection with the past. There are only an artist and a studio and this artist tries to produce a product at the moment contrary to classical composition style. â€Å"Being there at this moment â€Å" is really important. While mentioning to create a work at the exact moment, there is a painter , who is Jackson Pallock. Of course, he might have idea, when he painted his paintings but if you look at his paintings, you can easily see the action and it is not possible to decide these ideas before starting to paint. The exact moment is more important than the idea at his works. Here comes again this situation: â€Å"Being there at the moment.† Just like what Eno is doing. He is also affected by him. In classical composition, we can mention the relation between the artist and the product. There is another thing; when an artist started his work with a specific idea, there is a risk to fail because, you have things to compare ,  you have chance to compare your idea and your product. But according to Brian Eno, there is no place for failure because, the artist does not have enough thing to compare, he does not have an idea, he has only product. When classical composition finishes, the performer and the acoustical environment, the concert hall are also affected the composition. By this way, it is so hard to know exactly the idea of the composer. The performer cannot give the feeling or the environment does not give the same sound. With the recording technology, something has started to change in a good way. In recording studio environment, people have chance to interfere in the acoustic environment. Of course there is certain limits but people are able to do it. Because of this situation, the limits are more larger than the times before the recording. People are able to change the sounds with the recording tech, they do not have this chance to do it with their acoustic instruments. On the other hand, many people, who have not enough ability to play an instrument, have chance to make music and this is really good development. Just like, what Brian Eno said: â€Å" I can neither read nor write music, i cannot play any instruments.† The technology makes it possible, makes the limits more larger, gives a change to come into existence for â€Å"different music†. It is so nice, and it is eccentrical. *Music is all around us, all you have to do is listen. *