Tok on the Limits of Knowledge Essay Example for Free

Tok on the Limits of Knowledge Essay â€Å"the vocabulary we have does more than communicate our knowledge; it shapes what we can know’. Evaluate this claim with reference to different areas of knowledge. † At first glance this title seems to be ridiculous. Our vocabulary can have complete control over what we can know’. It seems unlikely that there is knowledge that cannot be obtained due to the limits of our vocabulary. However when you look at this in depth it seems to be true. What is vocabulary? Vocabulary are the words we use. Vocabulary has a connection to the word itself and what’s behind it. Say the word cow. The word â€Å"cow† is merely just a noise. But we automatically connect this word to the animal. Every word has this â€Å"magical touch† to it. Thinking about vocabulary this way we can begin to see that knowledge is shaped by vocabulary because the words we have have individual meanings behind them. Without any vocabulary to represent unfound knowledge is there no way for it to be discovered? Different areas of knowledge argue against this idea. Human sciences allow us to perceive and have different observations of vocabulary. If vocabulary can hold different meanings and perceptions to different people and cultures this could potentially allow knowledge to break past the barrier of language. Language also holds its own set of rules. These rules (Context, comprehension, grammar ) can alter the meanings of words to once again allow for different meanings. Language seems to be solid and rule bound. But this is not the case, Language is creative and open-ended. One problem it is faced with is that what one person means when they say something may not be what another person understands when they hear it. This allows for millions of different interpretations. interpretation is very important to the understanding of knowledge. Knowledge runs hand in hand with language, If we fail to interpret On the basis, a general understood meaning allows us to maintain knowledge whereas these new meaning can help us discover knowledge. Language surrounds us wherever we go yet we fail to realize it, yet again it plays one of the biggest roles in human life. We use language in almost everything we do. Language is so important because it allows us to break out of our own self knowledge and enter into the minds and understandings of thers through communication. Communication is the foundation of knowledge. But communication has its flaws that allow knowledge to become hazy and hard to acquire. One example is what one person says might not be what another person understands. This is a huge barrier in communication, which correlates to a huge barrier in knowledge. Think of trying to learn something and h aving no background or understanding of the vocabulary used. You are not able to understand this knowledge because you don’t understand meaning. Meaning is the basis to understanding vocabulary. So to not understand meaning of vocabulary, we cannot learn knowledge. This is one way vocabulary begins to limit what we can know. You might think an easy solution to this problem would be to just consult a dictionary or ask for a further explanation of the unfamiliar vocabulary. Although this seems promising and easy, we do not always get the result we look for. Communication has its way of being interpreted. Different people and different cultures have their own understandings of words. Words have fuzzy undefined edges to them. Try explaining the word love. Without much thought you can understand that what it means to you could be completely different to someone else. Looking at vocabulary this way you can see that it creates a viscous cycle that cannot be conquered. Another problem similar to this one is that vocabulary has words that have something to show for them and some that don’t (denotation theory). An example I used earlier is cow, You can look at a cow. Words like these help communication which makes knowledge seem to have fewer limits, But its words like wisdom, pride, or freedom that bring up issues in understanding knowledge. Look at the word pride. You can look at examples of pride, but it does not represent one singular thing that is understood by everyone everywhere. Once again this creates the viscous cycle I mentioned earlier, Until we learn to have a fundamentally sound definition for these words like these will vocabulary no longer limit our knowledge. Now that we have looked at some problems of vocabulary itself we can begin to apply the problems found in communication that limit what we can know. The poet Robert frost observed that rarely do humans ever say exactly what they mean. What he means is that humans during communication will include five problematic meanings. These five are vagueness, Ambiguity, secondary meanings, metaphor, and irony. These five problematic are a huge limitation on communication, if they are not immediately picked up on during communication our knowledge is greatly impacted. First is vagueness. Consider the word tall. While taken out of context this word has infinite possibilities. Tall means completely different things while talking about how tall you are or talking about how big buildings are in major cities.

Comparing Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea Essay -- comparison compare

Comparing Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea Jean Rhys obviously had Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre in mind while writing Wide Sargasso Sea. Each novel contains events that echo other events or themes in the other. The destruction of Coulibri at the beginning of Wide Sargasso Sea reminds the reader of the fire at Thornfield towards the end of Jane Eyre. While each scene refers to events in its own book and clarifies events in its companion, one cannot conclude that Rhys simply reconstructed Thornfield's fall in Coulibri's. Though they exhibit some similarities, to directly compare these two scenes without considering their impact on the novels as whole works would be ridiculous. Each scene's main importance, and contribution to the overall intertextual meaning, lies elsewhere in the two works, not simply within the confines of the scenes themselves. The similarities between the two fire scenes might lead one to suspect that they are in some way parallel, yet their differences discount this oversimplified view. Both fires are set by arsonists described as insane. Bronte's Bertha is "the mad lady, who was as cunning as a witch" (Bronte 435). Rhys's Antoinette recalls "a horrible noise sprang up" from the attacking freedmen, "like animals howling, but worse" (Rhys 38). This madness, however, serves different purposes for each scene. Bronte uses madness to further degrade Bertha to the level of bestiality and insanity, a theme which she develops from the very moment the character is introduced until her fiery death in the destruction of Thornfield. By reducing Bertha to a single dimension, Bronte uses Bertha not as a character but as a tool with which to manipulate the flow of the plot. Rhys, however, uses madness toward a diffe... ...cott. "Fire and Eyre: Charlotte Bronte's War of Earthly Elements." The Brontes: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. Ian Gregor. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1970. 110-36. Macpherson, Pat. Reflecting on Jane Eyre. London: Routledge, 1989. McLaughlin, M.B. "Past or Future Mindscapes: Pictures in Jane Eyre." Victorian Newsletter 41 (1972): 22-24. Rhys, Jean. Wide Sargasso Sea. London: Penguin, 1968. Sarvan, Charles.  ¡Ã‚ §Flight, Entrapment, and Madness in Jean Rhys ¡Ã‚ ¦ Wide Sargasso Sea. ¡Ã‚ ¨ The International Fiction Review. Vol 26.1&2:1999:82-96. Solomon, Eric. "Jane Eyre: Fire and Water." College English 25 (1964): 215-217. Staley, F. Thomas. "Jean Rhys." Dictionary of Literary Biography, British Novelists, 1890 -1929: Modernists. Detroit: Gale, 1985. Wyndham, F. Introduction. Wide Sargasso Sea. By Jean Rhys. London: Penguin, 1996. 1-15.

American football and good sportsmanship Essay

â€Å"One who plays a sport fairly and loses gracefully† is how The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines sportsmanship. What is a sportsman? The definition seems to have undergone a big change over the years. If children follow the example set by today’s athletes, the definition would equal a sore loser. High school sports should be a fun way to physically express yourself as an athlete, but at the same time learn some of life’s lessons, like sportsmanship, discipline, and respect. In today’s society, winning comes before everything, but if winning requires neglect of good sportsmanship, then nothing is gained in the long run. Sportsmanship matters not only in sports, but also in the rest of our everyday lives. In any competition, whether a job interview, a school science fair, or even a friendly game of cards with some friends, sportsmanship teaches you to win humbly and lose gracefully. Sportsmanship also helps us to understand each other better, because when we get along, we can listen to the other person’s perspective, and see where they are coming from, and avoid a bad, possibly violent situation. Almost everyday on the news violence is reported at a sporting event, evidence of bad sportsmanship. Without sportsmanship there would be no sports, because no one would want to compete with a person who when they lost, would throw a fit, cry, and whine. Young athletes usually learn sportsmanship from an older person, like a parent, sibling, or, probably the most influential role model, a professional athlete on television. Unfortunately many role models now days are planting the idea of gamesmanship, instead of sportsmanship into the heads of young athletes. Gamesmanship is commonly known as the art of winning games, pushing the rules to the limit, and using whatever means, to gain the advantage over your opponent. Coaches are constantly demonstrating how to be a badsportsman. They walk up and down the sidelines screaming at referees, players, and if provoked, the fans. Professional football players should enjoy the game, but dancing in the end zone after every touchdown is not the ideal way for a role model to present themselves. How can children be expected to learn good sportsmanship if their role models are telling them to â€Å"win at all costs† or â€Å"just do what ever it takes (to win)? † Athletes and sports- crazed parents should remember that whatever the situation, it is just a game, because without good sportsmanship in activities, the lessons learned lose their value. Michigan State University’s report, â€Å"Sportsmanship: Building Character or ‘Characters’? † on the Youth Sportsman Institute webpage, explains the basic idea of how the role of children’s participation in sports affects their sportsmanship. The report gives examples of how good sportsmen, and bad sportsmen are viewed by society. The Youth Sports Institute says, â€Å"participation is viewed as a double-edged sword that may have either negative or positive effects on the child†(â€Å"Sportsmanship†,1) and that â€Å"the critical factor in determining whether the youth sports experience has a positive or negative effect on children is the quality of adult leadership†(â€Å"Sportsmanship, 3). The story â€Å"Friday Night Lights†, written by H. G. Bissinger, gives examples of bad sportsmanship, like the Youth Sportsman Institute suggests. â€Å"Friday Night Lights† is a story about a football-obsessed town in Odessa, Texas. The whole story expresses winning or losing the game as a life or death situation. In Odessa, bad sportsmanship isn’t just a problem for the athletes; it is a town-wide disease. The coaches talk bad behind their player’s backs, while the fans litter the head coaches yard with for-sale signs, blaming him for losing the big game. The first instance of bad sportsmanship in the story is where Bissinger describes what was said to Boobie Miles during the previous week’s football game. One of the Cooper Cougar’s players said, â€Å"Com’on, you tough motherfucker, com’on lets see how tough you are! † and â€Å"you ain’t nothin’ but a goddamn pussy! † In the Youth Sportsman Code, these comments would definitely fall under â€Å"the making sarcastic remarks about opponents† and â€Å"the swearing at opponents† sections in the unsportsmanlike category. Bad sportsmanship occurs again in â€Å"Friday Night Lights† when the quarterback throws a bad pass as the last seconds tick off of the game clock. One of his teammates curses him, when the right thing to do would be to say something like, â€Å"good effort, better luck next time†. â€Å"If the team is in a championship game and a star player violates a team sportsmanship rule which requires removal from the game, the rule must be enforced. † (â€Å"Sportsmanship†,3) The Youth Sports Institute says to reinforce sportsmanship behaviors and penalize unsportsmanlike behaviors (â€Å"Sportsmanship†,3). The coaches should have disciplined Boobie when he was angry and threw his shoulder pads against the wall, instead of ignoring him. Another example of bad sportsmanship displayed by the Odessa coaching staff is when they talked bad about Boobie behind his back â€Å"most of the other members of the Permian football staff privately called him lazy, and stupid, and shiftless, and selfish, and casually called him just another â€Å"dumb nigger† if he couldn’t carry that football under his arm. † Coaches should always be positive towards their athletes, regardless of their personal opinion. â€Å"He sat on the bench, his eyes staring strait ahead, burning with a mixture of misery and anger as it became clear that the coaches had no intention of playing him tonight, that they were willing to test his knee out in the meaningless runaways, but not in the games that counted. † Boobie hurt his knee earlier in the season, and was not as fast as he was the year before, so the coaches benched him during the games that counted. The sportsmanlike approach to this is letting all athletes play regardless of their skill, or past experience. Ideally, society wants everyone to be a good sportsman, but realistically, in the heat of battle, with your adrenaline pumping, you will do what ever it takes to win. Until role models realize that they are role models, and start doing what is right, bad sportsmanship will continue to exist. When you do not have good sportsmanship, you will not have fun when you compete in sporting events. Athletes and fans need to remember life is not all about sports. If you give it your all, and lose, you should not get mad at yourself; it is not the end of the world! Go back out there and try harder and maybe you will win next time.

Distribution of Condoms in Public High Schools Essay

Distribution of Condoms in Public High Schools Coinciding with the onslaught of the new millennium, schools are beginning to realize that the parents are not doing their job when it comes to sexual education. The school system already has classes on sexual education; these classes are based mainly on human anatomy. Most schools do not teach their students about relationships, morals, respect, self-discipline, self-respect, and most importantly contraceptives. Everyday students engage in sexual activity, many of them with out condoms. This simple act jeopardizes these students futures and possibly their lives. An increasing amount of school systems are starting to combine messages involving abstinence from sexual activity,†¦show more content†¦Students that are sexually active need to have access to condoms to protect themselves against sexually transmitted diseases. Teens have problems with birth control for several reasons, and because of this lack of birth control teens are more susceptible to pregnancy and sexually t ransmitted diseases. The problem with birth control today is obtaining it in the first place. For most teens getting birth control is an intimidating experience. Girls must have a complete gynecological exam, which most have never had. Girls must also speak with a doctor about wanting birth control. Even if its only a male going to the store to get condoms he has to put up with comments like, Ill have to charge you an entertainment tax. A female goes in and she hears, Hey honey, youre not the one whose supposed to be buying these. She gets embarrassed (health clinic worker). When free condoms are offered to students, they are less embarrassed to receive them. Students with condoms are more likely to use them during sexual activity. Experts say the lack of knowledge on how to use a condom correctly and the lack of motivation to use a condom every time means that condoms fail more often. This could result in pregnancy or the contraction of STDs. Teenagers reuse condoms or they use it with a petroleum-based lubricant which can dissolve the condoms latex. Birth control products are only effective if used properly. Rates of failure for condoms are between 2 percent and 14Show MoreRelatedAccess to Evidence Based Sex Education in American Public Schools999 Words   |  4 Pagessex education in American public schools. Concurrent with access to information and education about human sexuality, schools should also be offering students safe, anonymous ways of receiving condoms. Condoms are crucial for preventing unwanted pregnancy: and it can easily be said that all teen pregnancies in the United States will be classified as unwanted. Moreover, condoms will prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. When they are used properly, condoms can become lifesavers. HoweverRead MoreWrap It Before You Tap It695 Words   |  3 Pagesdating a guy at school for six months. They broke up and she found out she was pregnant. Leann was alone and afraid. She finally called the baby daddy and he was so happy and told her he was going to be there every step of the way. They got back together. LeAnn’s mom soon got over the fact she was going to be a grandmother and accepted it (LeAnn). If condoms would have been offered at her school do you think LeAnn’s story would even exist? The distribution of condoms in school can be a sensitiveRead MoreCondoms At School : Disaster Or Success1194 Words   |  5 PagesCondoms in School: Disaster or Success How would it feel to be a 17 year old teen that is having to go home and tell their parents that they are pregnant, or that they have contracted a sexually transmitted disease (STD)? It does not sound very pleasant, does it? If teens were to have easy access to condoms these things may not be a problem. A condom is a thin latex sheath that acts as a barrier device (Bedsider, 2014). Condoms are used during intercourse as a barrier to protect from unwanted pregnancyRead MoreCondom Distribution in Public Schools Essay1379 Words   |  6 PagesAllowing condoms to be distributed in public schools has had much controversy over the years. Many people learn about safe sex, but there are still many unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases floating around. Some schools across the United States have made it to where students are given condoms in school. On top of other alternatives, such condom distribution programs should be allowed or promoted in public schools to help reduce t een pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseasesRead MoreCondoms a New Diploma Critical Analysis Essay908 Words   |  4 PagesCritical Analysis In the essay â€Å"Condoms: the New Diploma†, by Rush Limbaugh published in his book The Way Things Ought To Be in 1992, Limbaugh talks about how distribution of condoms in schools can lead to teenage promiscuity and encourages sexual activity at an early age. Limbaugh’s use of Reductio ad absurdum counter attacks the opposition’s argument on condom distribution and is effective since it is hard to attack the opposition. Limbaugh attempts to refute his opposition with a reductionRead MoreThe Importance of Sex Education1217 Words   |  5 Pagesthat be keeping it from them, their children are far from safety every day. However, with today’s high birth rates at early ages, the question is no longer â€Å"should sex education be taught?† but â€Å"how sex education should be taught?† With teens engaging in sexual activity, which results in pregnancy and the contraction of STD’s such as HIV at such a young stage, sex education being taught in schools should be of higher demand now than ever before. Sex education is a class that provides students anRead MoreCase Study: Aids, Condoms and Carnival671 Words   |  3 PagesAIDS, Condoms, and Carnival 1. Comment on the Brazilian and Indian governments’ strategies for the prevention of AIDS via the marketing of condoms. I think the Brazilian government’s strategies is good, because they are allowing the prevention of contract AIDS, because they are getting closer to a big part of Brazilian people that could be in high risk of contracting or that are already infected with the incurable ailment; however, its necessary that the government makes another strategy forRead MoreProviding Teenagers Contraceptives in High Schools is the Next Step1102 Words   |  5 PagesProviding Teenagers Contraceptives in High Schools is the Next Step Approximately four million teens get a sexually transmitted disease every year (Scripps 1). Today’s numbers of sexually active teens differ greatly from that of just a few years ago. Which in return, projects that not only the risk of being infected with a sexually transmitted disease (STD) has risen, but the actual numbers of those infected rise each year as well. These changes have not gone unnoticed. In fact have producedRead MoreTeen Pregnancy1023 Words   |  5 PagesDoes access to condoms prevent teen pregnancy? Adolescent pregnancies remain a concern in public health worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) has indicated that annually about 16 million girls between 15 and 19 give birth. Indeed, in many countries policies and programs are developed and implemented for the prevention of teen pregnancy and reduction of risks and consequences it might cause. Furthermore, that a teenager becomes pregnant poses a risk to her health, her life and the fetusRead MoreSchools, Latex, And Safe Sex : The Logic Behind Contraceptive1630 Words   |  7 PagesSchools, Latex, and Safe-Sex: The Logic behind Contraceptive Provision in Schools Many Americans have long and wrongfully assumed that the best approach to decrease teen pregnancy and spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is by committing students to an abstinence-only sex education. However, professionals have repeatedly revealed that while abstinence-only sex education programs have good intentions, they have shown both consistent and positive correlations with pregnancy and STDs. In contrast