Analysis Of The Article Techniques Of Neutralising...

Wildlife crime is a seriously under-researched topic, even though it can be a highly controversial topic, that has been the focus of the media many times in recent history. By writing the article ‘Techniques of neutralising wildlife crime in rural England and Wales’ Enticott begins to explore and open up this area of criminology, whilst offering a deep insight into how neutralisation techniques can be applied to a wide variety of crimes. Enticott begins his article by introducing the idea of rural crime, and what a focus on rural crime could offer to criminology as a whole. This article focuses on the reasons why farmers throughout England and Wales illegally cull badgers, keyly it draws on the ideas of Sykes and Matza’s (1957)†¦show more content†¦This paper may also be of use to wildlife policy makers, as it explains the way in which farmers, who can commit wildlife crime, feel about committing these crimes and they do it. For those who are particularly interested in the badger and bovine tuberculosis, as the author is, it may also give the, a deeper understanding of how farmers would react to new methods of controlling badgers to prevent the future spread of bovine tuberculosis. It is evident to the reader from early on in the text what Enticott is arguing within this article, the thesis is that farmers within England and Wales deploy multiple neutralisation techniques when illegally culling badgers in order to justify and rationalise their actions. Exploring this thesis is important to the field of criminology as it can be expanded to the whole of wildlife crime, and show why various crimes against wildlife are committed. The article is structured in such a manner that readers are aware of the cultural history of badgers and the disease bovine tuberculosis, as well as key theories before Enticott goes on to analyse. This presentation and explanation of these theories are clear and informative, and the use of appropriate subheadings within the article make it easy for the reader to see the clear structure that the author is following. In the essay, the author supports his points by using evidence from research that was

Security Concerns of Cloud Computing-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Discuss about the Security Concerns of Cloud Computing as well as the cloud computing technologies. Answer: Technology description Cloud computing security controls Cloud computing security controls refer to the technologies that are used to monitor the data which is stored in the cloud. There is an increased insecurity level on the internet as a result of networking. Cybercrimes are growing, and breaches on the data are increasing on the website of organizations. Bringing these technologies into use will help in minimizing these risks thus creating a reliable cloud computing activities. Cloud computing refers to the process which involves the use of remote network servers which are hosted on the internet for data storage, management, and processing. This reduces the dependency of a personal computer to store data for firms. The cloud security controls technology has the ability to safeguard weaknesses which are likely to be used as a way of attack. Nevertheless, they have the potential to reduce the attacks effects. There are several categories of these security measures, and they can be divided into the following: Deterrent controls: they are meant to lower the levels of attacks on the cloud system. Detective controls: these identify the incidents of risk that take place hence providing one Preventive controls: these are intended to prevent activities such as hacking into the system. Cloud security controls technologies came into place due to increased complaints of people invading the private information of some firms with different intentions. Some steal information with the aim of bringing the company down by stealing its financial resources, creative labor forces among several other things. To ensure the efficiency of cloud computing in firms, these technologies are a necessity. Technology solution How will this technology impact the security of the data? The cloud has several complex security challenges which need to be protected at all costs. For instance, if a financial organization, like lets say a bank has some of its data stored using cloud computing, what will happen if such information leaks to the people? Most cyber-attacks do aim at getting financial benefits. If such sites are not protected, there are high chances that hackers will get access to the information. The cloud computing security technology has a positive impact on the data. It ensures the following: Data is safely transferred from devices to the cloud via networks. Security threats and vulnerabilities are detected before they cause damage to the information. Once identified, the necessary approaches can be taken to control the risks. The maximum amount of data is encrypted in a language that others cannot understand. This is increasing the security level during the transfer of data. Even if someone intercepts it on the way, he/she will not be in a position to understand what it means. For the person, the data is meaningless; it only makes sense for the one who encrypted it. Why is this technology needed? There is a number of reasons as to why the cloud security technologies are of great essence to a firm. Some of them include: There is a great need to protect confidential government data, business information as well as regulatory data. Imagine leaking out the Australian army information to the public. There are high chances that it will get into the hands of the nations enemies such as terrorist groups who will use it to attack. Having the documents will inform them of the weaknesses in the government, and they will use this to their advantage. With the aid of the preventive technologies, detective, and deterrent controls, the government is able to manage data security effectively. Auditing of data in the cloud needs to be regulated. If people just have access, they can manipulate the information of the company and lead to losses. Any logging activities get detected by the cloud security control technologies, and they are reported to the primary server where more safety measures can be taken to prevent more attacks. The main objective of the cloud computing security technologies is to ensure that applications, data, and any associated infrastructure to cloud computing is well protected. These technologies are used by the service providers to make sure that most of the time, the kind of infrastructure they are providing to their clients is safe for data storage, processing, and analysis. Without a safe infrastructure, customers are exposed to the dangers of the web which include piracy, cyber crimes like hacking among others. With this technologies, data is often encrypted to ensure that it is private. There are several applications such as Oracle and ServiceNow which are helpful in encrypting data. The good thing with these products/software is that they have the ability to intercept data and replace it with random encryption for security purposes. The diagram below shows cloud data protection and security solution. The following are the Cloud data security capabilities: The cloud data security is able to propagate across several enterprise clouds easily while protecting data. It can support multiple models hence minimizing expenditures. With this kind of protection, the cloud computing security technologies will add several values to the data privacy of the company. This is more especially with companies which intend to allow their employees to bring with them their mobile devices to work as a way of improving the work rate. When companies allow employees to work with their mobile devices, there are increased chances of information leakage. One thing with cell phones is that they can get lost at any time due to their portability. If they get into the wrong hands, information which is supposed to remain private might spread to many people creating a significant threat to the company or concerned clients. To minimize the effects of the mobile devices in the work environment, most firms have adopted cloud computing as a way to keep their data safe. This is because: Cloud computing provides enough space for data keeping. When working with personal electronic gadgets in the firm, it is advisable that the data should remain within the organization. However, some people might be tempted to move out with the information which might be accessed by others intentionally or unintentionally. With networking in place, now all the devices get networked to the cloud where all the information gets stored. To ensure that it is safe, the cloud computing security technologies are employed. They help to regulate data to and from the server. Only people with passwords are able to access the site. These technologies have improved a lot in ensuring data is kept safe. Nowadays, only a few individuals hold information on their mobile devices. By providing backup information, much security is assured. Losing information due to machine breakdown is a kind of insecurity in a firm. When information is lost, there are high chances that your clients will feel insecure with the services provided. As a result, they will shift their attention to other organization. Losing such people is a loss to a business firm with the aim of increasing the sales hence high returns inwards. By providing encrypt data, most people will not be able to understand the message in it until it is processed. This increases the security level of the data in the cloud. In case anybody tries to access it, the detective controls send messages, and the activity can be monitored. Increased security systems in business are what lead to the attainment of organizational goals. It is the priority of every firm to keep the employee's data safe. Customers are obligated to know: That their data is secure. This is what will create a long-term relationship with them. Consumers should be able to trust that the privacy of the data they store on the cloud is high and it is only visible to them whenever they need it. Other cloud security technologies that will impact data security positively include: Cloud Firewall It has the ability to support a distributed environments. Different users are able to operate from different locations, yet the data remains secure. Some of the ways it helps to protect data include preventing data loss through the transfer of files and prevents malware attacks. Through the use of a securely hosted getaway, the cloud firewall assures clients the security of their data. The impact of this kind of protection is that it encourages more people to invest in cloud computing since their data is transferred safely. Cloud Application Security This kind of security technology protects the cloud applications. This is vital to the service providers as well as the customers. Protecting the software should be the priority of the organization. If you cannot provide security to your application, how can you protect the data? Maximum security of information is only available once one is able to protect the software that handles the information. It will not be wrong to say that the one who owns the software is the one who owns the information. He/she can be able to manipulate the data. Without the cloud application security, there will be an adverse impact on the data stored since one might be denied an opportunity to access the software. With no access to the software, no changes can be made. Hence, all the information is lost. It is thereby recommended to keep up to date with the changes in the technology industry Organizational change assessment There are several ways through which the cloud security technology can change an organizations activities and processes. This in most cases will affect the IT department first, then the entire organization. Some of the big changes which can be experienced in the institutions include the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) to the workplace concept. Several companies fear to allow individuals to come with their own devices such as mobile phones, IPads, tablets, and laptops to the work environment to use in accomplishing their tasks. This is due to the issue of internet security. With knowledge of the cloud security technologies and software, these processes will change. The BYOD strategy has several advantages which will ensure the success of any organization that values IT. Such benefits include: Increased work rate. In the case a starting company, IT technologies might be limited. This means that the amount of workload will be minimal. Allowing the employees to come with their technologies to work might help solve the problem before bringing in enough resources to the company. Now, with the availability of these technologies, there assured security for cloud computing which provides them with data storage platform (Alani, p.16). Employees like working with the technologies they understand better. For instance, in a scenario where an organization upgrades all their computers to Windows 10 most employees will be faced with challenges. Some people do not adjust fast to changes; some are only well informed of windows 7. Windows 10 will just be stressing them. One thing for sure about change is that there is no way some sections of the institution will be left without change. The best way to go about it is to educate these people how to adjust. But before then, it will be wise to let them bring what they are familiar with to the office. This will facilitate work output despite change. Most companies fear cloud computing due to the recent mobile insecurities. Several systems and websites have been hacked and brought down, while others infected with viruses (Belussi et al., p.33). This has forced the organizations to look for huge storage facilities to keep their data in. These storages occupy a lot of space in offices thus leading to congestion. Nevertheless, hard drives are prone to tear and wear. After some time, they might lose the data if the drives get spoiled or the premises get invaded. Cloud computing security technologies have changed the way this is done (Messier, n.d). With the assurance of high-security levels, firms have moved to storing their data online. There is no need to keep moving with bulky drives around which can get lost and bring great damage to many. The need to change how to store data comes with the desire to keep track of information permanently. When people store documents, for example, others may come in and misplace them. A misplaced document is as good as a lost document since it cannot help when needed. Technology is moving very fast, and so should businesses do. Documents stored in the cloud do not get lost easily. Nevertheless, they can be tracked easily. With information online, CEOs can access the companys data from their homesteads, assign duties and manage other important things while on seminars outside the country. Internet threats and vulnerabilities bring great harm to the data. For instance, viruses might delete data while it is being transferred to the cloud storage. In fact, most data get lost during transfer. With the help of the cloud firewall, such activities are minimized. The threats get detected before they cause more data loss and are eliminated from the way. Now that IT experts have learned the benefits of the cloud computing security technologies, then it is their responsibility to implement it to the entire organizational processes which involve online activities and transactions. There are reasons as to why implementing these cloud security software will serve best (Cloud Computing Security, P.40). Among them include: Client trust Clients need to trust the safety of the information they provide you with. Secure the firm's privacy Every firm has secrets behind their success which should not be made public. Such include organizational culture and practices. Increase work output Work output will be increased in a number of The first one is that these cloud security technologies will help to reduce virus infection into the system which leads to slow work rates. And secondly, it will allow BYOD model in the organizations. Increase the efficiency and speed of the process. With the ability to support multiple clients, the cloud computing technology facilitates the speed at which an organization produces. Relying on the same server also leads to uniformity (Bhowmik, P.66). Create a source of backup Cloud computing provides a reliable backup platform. With a large capacity to hold information, the entire data of the organization can be backed up. Even if the premises burn down, for instance, only the hardware and infrastructure get destroyed. The data of running it will remain intact for a long time with the security measures in place. How the organization can adopt the changes Change is something which most people fear since it comes with a cost (Barnett, William, Glenn, p.11). However, this should not be a thing to prevent the organizations from switching to cloud computing. The first step is to identify the IT resources of the company and the kind of data which should be given priority. Not all information must be kept in the cloud. For instance, if a company has allowed the use of BYOD technologies, then it is the responsibility of every employee to ensure that the security measures are well-employed in their devices. Employing skilled IT experts will help the organization to install the cloud security software appropriately and ensure a continuous update (Floyd, P.8) There are several models which can be used to ensure that the implementations are made successful. Perimeter security model Using strong passwords is also another way of preventing unauthorized entry into data that is stored in the cloud. Some people use simple passwords like for instance, 1234. This kind of passwords can be easily cracked. In other cases, untrusted employees in the organization just decide to leak out the passwords to their friends. Despite the security measures put in place, they will still get access to the server and destroy the data they intend to. To prevent such from happening with an objective of ensuring that the security measures put in place is effective, organizations should provide passwords to specific people. In any organization, there are often different communication channels. They include upward, horizontal, and vertical communication. The few individuals with access to information will share it with the rest of the team. This is to minimize information leakage. Information is the driving force of a company. Every little piece of detail found in the data stored in the cloud is vital. If taken away, the building block is affected (Information Security, P.51). Therefore, maximum caution must be taken into account when online data storage is considered as an option to back up your information. Especially if dealing with financial statements, keeping watch at all times will serve as the best security (Bishop, P.47). But how will this be possible? Cloud security controls technologies are in place. Make use of the preventive controls to ensure that harm does not come into your data. Use the detective controls to know and counter the risks which might come into your information systems (Rhodes, n.d). And finally, there are deterrent controls and cloud firewall. The deterrent controls will aid in the reduction of the attacks. The cloud firewall will enable a wide area coverage from different users while at the same time ensuring that data transfer i s secure (Jeanes, P.10). Works Cited. Alani, Mohammed M. Elements of Cloud Computing Security: A Survey of Key Practicalities. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2016. Print Barnett, William P, and Glenn Carroll. Organizational Change. Berkeley, CA: University of California at Berkeley, Center for Research in Management, Consortium on Competitiveness Cooperation, 2013. Print. Belussi, Alberto, Barbara Catania, Eliseo Clementini, and Elena Ferrari. Spatial Data on the Web: Modeling and Management. Berlin: Springer, 2017. Print. Bishop, Matt. Information Security. Place of publication not identified: Springer International Pu, 2016. Print Bhowmik, Sandeep. Cloud Computing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017. Internet resource Information Security. London: DISC, 2013. Print Cloud Computing Security. Cisco Systems, 2012. Print. Data Storage. New York, NY, USA: Engineering Information, 2014. Print. Endrijonas, Janet. Data Security. Rocklin, Calif: Prima Pub, 2015. Print Floyd, Peter. Organizational Change. Oxford [England: Capstone Pub, 2012. Print. Jackson, Kevin, Egle Sigler, and Cody Bunch. Openstack Cloud Computing Cookbook: Over 110 Effective Recipes to Help You Build and Operate Openstack Cloud Computing, Storage, Networking, and Automation. , 2015. Internet resource Jeanes, David L. Data Security. , 2014. Print. Messier, Ric. Collaboration with Cloud Computing: Security, Social Media, and Unified Communications. , 2014. Internet resource Poole, Marshall S, and de V. A. H. Van. Handbook of Organizational Change and Innovation. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2014. Print Rhodes-Ousley, Mark. Information Security: The Complete Reference. New York: McGraw Hill Education, 2013. Internet resource Rountree, Derrick, and Ileana Castrillo. The Basics of Cloud Computing: Understanding the Fundamentals of Cloud Computing in Theory and Practice. San Diego, CA: Elsevier Science Technology Books, 2014. Internet resource Senior, Barbara, and Stephen Swailes. Organizational Change. , 2016. Print. Srinivasan, S. Cloud Computing Basics. , 2014. Print Stuckenschmidt, Heiner, and Harmelen F. Van. Information Sharing on the Semantic Web. Berlin: Springer, 2005. Internet resource. Tajts, Tiberiu. Cloud Computing Security. Lexington, KY: CreateSpace, 2012. Print Tipton, Harold F, and Micki K. Nozaki. Information Security Management Handbook: Volume 7. , 2014. Print Vacca, John R. Cloud Computing Security: Foundations and Challenges. , 2017. Internet resource Williams, Mark I. A Quick Start Guide to Cloud Computing: Moving Your Business into the Cloud. London: Kogan Page, 2010. Internet resource Zelkowitz, Marvin V. Information Security. Amsterdam: Elsevier Academic Press, 2004. Internet resource

The Mayans Essays (603 words) - Maya Classic Period,

The Mayans The Ancient Mayan Civilization The ancient Maya were a group of American Indian peoples who lived in southern Mexico, particularly the present-day states of Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatan, and Quintana Roo, and in Belize, Guatemala, and adjacent Honduras. Their descendants, the modern Maya, live in the same regions today, in both highlands and lowlands, from cool highland plains ringed by volcanos to deep tropical rain forests. Through the region runs a single major river system, the Apasion-Usumacinta and its many tributaries, and only a handful of lesser rivers, the Motagua, Hondo, and Belize among them. The ancestors of the Maya, like those of other New World peoples, crossed the Bering Land Bridge from Asia more than 20,000 years ago, during the last ice age. The Maya were the first people of the New World to keep historical records: their written history begins in 50 BC, when they began to inscribe texts on pots, jades, bones, stone monuments, and palace walls. Maya records trace the history of the great kings and queens who ruled from 50 BC until the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. All Maya long count calendar inscriptions fall between AD 292 and AD 909, roughly defining the period called Classic. Ea rlier Maya culture is called Formative or Preclassic (2000 BC-AD 300), and subsequent civilization is known as Postclassic (AD 900-conquest). Protected by difficult terrain and heavy vegetation, the ruins of few ancient Maya cities were known before the 19th century, when explorers and archaeologists began to rediscover them. The age and proliferation of Maya writings have been recognized since about 1900, when the calendrical content of Maya hieroglyphic inscriptions were deciphered and the dates correlated with the Christian calendar. For most of the 20th century, only the extensive calendrical data of Maya inscriptions could be read, and as a result, Maya scholars hypothesized that the inscriptions were pure calendrical records. Because little evidence of warfare had been recognized archaeologically, the Classic Maya were thought of as peaceful timekeepers and skywatchers. Their cities, it was thought, were ceremonial centers for ascetic priests, and their artwork anonymous, without concern for specific individuals. More recent scholarship changes the picture dramatically. In 1958 Heinrich Berlin demonstrated that certain Maya hieroglyphs, which he called emblem glyphs, contained main signs that varied according to location, indicating dynastic lines or place names. In 1960, Tatiana Proskouriakoff showed that the patterns of dates were markers of the important events in rulers' lives. The chronological record turn ed out to serve history and the perpetuation of the memory of great nobles. Subsequently, major archaeological discoveries, particularly at Palenque and Tikal, confirmed much of what the writings said, and examination of Maya art has revealed not only historical portraiture but also a pantheon of gods, goddesses, and heroes--in other words, Maya religion and mythic history. By 5000 BC, the Maya had settled along Caribbean and Pacific coasts, forming egalitarian fishing communities. Certainly by 2000 BC the Maya had also moved inland and adopted agriculture for their subsistence. Maize and beans formed the Maya diet then as today, although many other foodstuffs--squash, tomatoes, peppers, fruits, and game--were supplements. The word for maize?wa?is synonymous with food itself, and the maize god was honored from early times. Sometime around the end of the Classic Period, the Maya were split up into independent city-states. The nobles of these city-states intermarried and waged war on each other. This civil war, along with the recent change in their system of government, led to the decline of the great Mayan Empire and ultimately, its demise. History Reports

When Having an Agent is Not a Good Thing

When Having an Agent is Not a Good Thing In 2007, I was a new author basking in the glow of the success of my first self-published book – a collection of short stories, that had won several awards and some serious press. My head was full of ideas for my next book. After completing the manuscript of my literary novel, I started shopping it around. Imagine my delight when several agents showed interest in it. I soon landed an agent at a very reputable New York agency with a proven track record. The young agent I signed up with was enthusiastic at the prospect of selling both my collection and the new novel I was working on. His head was full of ideas, but then came a series of â€Å"but firsts.† The first few rounds of editing were easy until a bombshell dropped. A senior agent at the agency quit and the bulk of that agent’s high profile clients came to the junior agent who suddenly lost all interest in me. He was no longer as responsive as he used to be, and it would take him days to respond to simple requests. After a few months of dodging my requests to seek updates, he hired an intern to work with me on doing the rest of the revisions. In a few days, I received a marked up copy from the intern that involved cutting 30 percent of my manuscript – to the point that pivotal moments in the story no longer made any sense. I put my foot down and refused to do those edits. The intern quickly backed off and the junior agent took charge again. After a few rounds of reasonable revision requests, I was promised that my book would be shopped around, except it never was. I was told it would be presented at book shows and that too never happened. After 18 months of waiting for my agent to fulfill his side of the obligations, I decided it was time to leave. I thanked him graciously and bowed out of the relationship.   Two months after that, I sold my novel to a reputable small traditional publisher In 2014, researchers from Washington and Lee University used an excerpt of Saffron Dreams to show that reading literary fiction like my novel can actually make someone less racist. The study was published in Basic and Applied Social Psychology. Interestingly enough, the passage that was selected for the study was one that my agent’s intern had marked for deletion. I leave the moral of the story to your imagination.

Inning, Innings, and the Seventh-Inning Stretch

Inning, Innings, and the Seventh-Inning Stretch Inning, Innings, and the Seventh-Inning Stretch Inning, Innings, and the Seventh-Inning Stretch By Maeve Maddox In the games of baseball and cricket, opposing teams take turns batting a ball. A baseball game is divided into nine innings during which each team has a turn at bat. Each half of an inning ends with the third out. (An out occurs when a player strikes out or is tagged between bases.) I’ll let Merriam-Webster explain the cricket term innings: innings (noun): plural but singular or plural in construction :   a division of a cricket match in which one side continues batting until ten players are retired or the side declares; also :  the time a player stays as a batsman until he is out, until ten teammates are out, or until his side declares. Both terms have given rise to figurative expressions. In reference to cricket, the term â€Å"to have one’s innings† can mean simply, â€Å"to have one’s turn at something.† Spoken of someone who dies at an advanced age, â€Å"to have a good innings,† means, â€Å"to have a long and successful life.† Here are some examples of the figurative use of innings: The men had their innings in a revival of George Bernard Shaw’s Don Juan in Hell, performed as a staged reading in the style designed by Charles Laughton in 1952. Berry told the Radio Times: I have no desire to be a centenarian. I think 90 is a great time. Youve had a good innings.† From baseball comes the expression â€Å"the seventh-inning stretch.† The ritual of the seventh-inning stretch is described in a letter dated 1869: The spectators all arise between halves of the seventh inning, extend their legs and arms and sometimes walk about. In so doing they enjoy the relief afforded by relaxation from a long posture upon hard benches. Chicago Cubs fans have been singing â€Å"Take Me Out to the Ballgame† during the seventh-inning stretch since 1982. It’s often referred to as â€Å"the seventh-inning song.† In researching this post, I discovered that some baseball fans are a bit confused about what to call this traditional interlude: Incorrect: The  seventh ending stretch  came and to our surprise an announcement was being made over the loud speakers and a message appeared on the scoreboard. Correct : The  seventh-inning stretch  came and to our surprise an announcement was being made over the loud speakers and a message appeared on the scoreboard. Incorrect: In typical fashion, the third quarter seemed like a seventh ending stretch. Bear and I both took several catnaps due to the lackluster performance of both teams. Correct : In typical fashion, the third quarter seemed like a seventh-inning stretch. Bear and I both took several catnaps due to the lackluster performance of both teams. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Has vs. HadRound vs. Around75 Synonyms for â€Å"Hard†

Make up assignemt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Make up assignemt - Essay Example Jefferson’s choice of the particular words used in the declaration was to express a shared understanding of â€Å"the American mind. â€Å"He showed what amounted to a collective political creed by stating that certain propositions were â€Å"self-evident† truths. The Declaration of Independence states that among the â€Å"truths† that Americans hold to be â€Å"self-evident† is â€Å"all Men are created equally.† (Jefferson,1). This statement related to all people regardless of their gender, occupation or color. It means that we are either created equally by birth or naturally political equals; therefore, no one is by birth a subject of a ruler or is automatically the ruler of others. Political equality thus does not define human equality. We are all created moral equals, and we are of equal value and worth in the eyes of the creator. Jefferson stated, â€Å"†¦all Men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights...† (Jefferson,1). This statement provides evidence that the declaration was a precursor to the bill of rights. Inalienable rights are those that cannot be given up even if there was an alternative to it. According to the concept of inalienable rights section in the Declaration of Independence liberty, life and pursuit of happiness is a right. The existence of unalienable rights does not mean that a person cannot be subjected to attacks, false imprisonments and other forms of oppression. Unalienable rights mean that such rights are not morally justifiable, and therefore we have a ground for moral

Materialism as a Worldview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Materialism as a Worldview - Essay Example Reducing the debate simply to materialism and idealism therefore, the materialist hypothesis is that all existence is an unbroken, material continuum from its origins in ancient Greece to the mind-brain materialism of the modern times (Vitzthum, 1995). Materialism as a worldview appears to be prevalent in society today. Materialism began in the 18th century (McConnell, 2003). The leading scientists of that time suffered cognitive dissonance between the beliefs of the many religious sects which then existed along with their own scientific discoveries (McConnell, 2003). They relieved their discomfort by agreeing among themselves that religion was unnecessary. Unfortunately, the amorality of materialism was so attractive to lesser intellectuals, who lacked the status to question the leaders. The same was true to businessmen, who could use materialism to justify exorbitant profits that it has become a defining feature of the culture (McConnell, 2003). Materialism and its theories can be traced as far back as the poem, The Nature of Things, written in the first century B.C. by Lucretius ("Materialism: what matters," 2007) to the more recent research done by Richard Vitzthum (1996), An Affirmative History and Definition. The doctrine of materialism was formulated as early as the 4th century B.C. by Democritus, in whose system of atomism all phenomena are explained by atoms and their motions in space (Armstrong, 1984). Other early Greek teaching, such as that of Epicurus and Stoicism, also conceived of reality as material in its nature. The theory was later renewed in the 17th century by Pierre Gassendi and Thomas Hobbes, who believed that the sphere of consciousness essentially belongs to the corporeal world, or to the senses (Armstrong, 1984). Later, the investigations of John Locke were adapted to materialist positions by David Hartley and Joseph Priestley. They were a part of the materialist development of the 18th century strongly manifested in France, where the most extreme thought was that of Julien de La Mettrie. The culminating expression of materialist thought in this period was the Systme de la nature (1770), for which Baron d'Holbach is considered chiefly responsible (Armstrong, 1984). In Western civilization, materialism is the oldest philosophical tradition. It reached its full classical form in the atomism of Democritus and Epicurus in the 4th century B.C. Epicurus argued that reality consisted of invisible and indivisible particles of free-falling matter called atoms randomly colliding in the void. Through materialism, everything that happens is explained in terms of the law of nature (Armstrong, 1984). Overview of major beliefs and representative thinkers Materialism is a simple philosophy, having two principles: 1) There is no reality except that which can be defined in terms of the physical concepts of space and time; and 2) As individuals, we have no obligations to other persons except for those obligations that we accept for our own pleasure. This second principle follows from the first (McConnell, 2003). When people use the word "materialism" they usually have one of two definitions in mind. Philosophically speaking,