Kant’s Aesthetic Theory and the Problem of Particularity Essay example

Kant’s Aesthetic Theory and the Problem of Particularity ABSTRACT: In moving away from the objective, property-based theories of earlier periods to a subject-based aesthetic, Kant did not intend to give up the idea that judgments of beauty are universalizable. Accordingly, the "Deduction of Judgments of Taste" (KU, Â § 38) aims to show how reflective aesthetic judgments can be "imputed" a priori to all human subjects. The Deduction is not successful: Kant manages only to justify the imputation of the same form of aesthetic experience to everyone; he does not show that this experience will universally occur in response to the same objects. This is what I call Kant’s Problem of Particularity. After critiquing Anthony Savile’s attempt to overcome this Problem by linking Kant’s aesthetics to the theory of rational ideas, I elucidate the concept of (the oft-unnoticed) aesthetic attributes (Â § 49) in a way that allows us to solve the Problem of Particularity. The central elements of Immanuel Kant’s faculty-based aesthetic theory are reasonably familiar: In non-aesthetic cognitions, the faculty of imagination serves to synthesize sense intuitions and reproduce them in a manifold that is then "unified" under concepts by the faculty of understanding. The unification of the sensory manifold is thus a cognitive aim (Absicht) with respect to knowledge.(1) A crucial claim of the third Critique is that in conjunction with reflective experience of certain objects, the imagination presents the sensory manifold already unified, as it were, without the use of a concept. This harmony of the two faculties accomplishes that cognitive aim in a sort of unexpected way, and is the occasion of "a noticeable pleasure."(2) It is on the basis of this ple... ... aesthetic Ideas is built right into the concept. CJ, 186. (35) CJ, 196. (36) CJ, 145-6. Kant discusses the case of a young poet who will not be convinced by others’ disapprobation of his poem. And Kant seems to applaud this stubbornness, since it is incumbent on the individual to arrive at his own, autonomous judgment of taste. This implies that there may often be disagreement over such judgments; on our scheme, this would be explained by the fact that if the work is indeed beautiful, then those who think otherwise have allowed other interests or prejudices to impede the production of an Idea in them. It is another question, one I shall not address here, whether this neglect is somehow culpable. See the important footnote to the Deduction, CJ, 155. (37) CJ, 189, my emphasis. (38) CJ, 183. (39) CJ, 166-167. (40) Savile, 174. (41) CJ, 156.

Genetic Testing - Are the Benefits Worth the Risks? Essay -- Explorato

Genetic Testing - Are the Benefits Worth the Risks? In 2001 The Human Genome Project was completed giving us the make up of the entire human genome. Science can now tell what color your eyes are, what gender you are, and what diseases you have just by extracting one strand of DNA. The question I propose to you now is; do you really want to know? Is it a good thing to know that you will get a disease that will eat away your mind, and cripple you till you wither away at the early age of 43 (Huntington Disease)? Genetic testing is the new wave of the future. Geneticists can now tell possible carriers of the gene for Huntington’s disease their true fate, not just give them odds. Now that we can tell people what genes they will or do have, do we allow people to selectively decide when and whatever they want to know? Do we test the unborn, and if so, then can the parents abort if they are unhappy with the results? How far do we let things go? Is genetic testing really a good ethical procedure? But what if it could also prevent and he lp cure disease? There are many issues involved with genetic testing. I will discuss the reasons the medical professions are for and against genetic testing also the concerns bioethicists have in that testing could be used for inappropriate reasons. Interest in genetics has grown universally, and with good reason. For me it is very personal. As a biomedical engineering major at State University, I could one day be behind genetic developments and I will want to know the ethical concerns with it. As for other students, it is just as important they keep up to date with what is going on because they could very well be faced with the decision of whether or not to take a genetic test. It coul... ...cal Journal 325.7368 (2002): 784-784. Chapman, Audrey R... "Genetic Engineering and Theology: Exploring the Interconnections." Theology Today 59.1 (2002): 71-86. 2/24/04. http://rapid.library.../>. Greengard, Samuel. "Genetic Testing." Workforce 76.7 (1997): 38-44. 3/22/03. http://0-web4.epnet.com.catalog.library.colostate.edu/>. Hensrud, Donald D. "Genetic Effects." Fortune 145.11 (2002): 194-194. 2/21/03. http://0-search.epnet.com.catalog.library.colostate.edu/>. Johnson, Dan. "Ethics in the Genetic Age." Futurist 34.6 (2000): 13-14. Parker, Michael, Anneke Lucassen. "Working towards ethical management of genetic testing.." Lancet 360.9346 (2002): 1685-1685. Vastag, Brian. "Experts Wrestle with Social, Ethical Implications of Human Genome Research." JAMA 285.6 (2001): 721-722. 3/15/2003. http://0-jama.ama-assn.org.catalob.library.colostate.edu/>.

Title Acceptation to the Crucible :: Essay on The Crucible

Title Acceptation of The Crucible "A vessel of a very refractory material used for melting and calcining a substance that requires a high degree of heat." "A severe test." "A place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development." All of these definitions lead up to one word. Crucible. Author Miller incorporates this word in his play, The Crucible. The aforementioned definitions play a large part in The Crucible's symbolism, characters, and plot. "A place or situation . . . " is the definition mostly used in the play's plot. The change of the village is shown when Danforth states that ". . . a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between. This is a sharp time, now, a precise time--we live no longer in the dusky afternoon when evil mixed itself with good and befuddled the world."(94). This comment shows that the village has indeed gone through a change and that good and evil are, from this point forward, seen as black and white. There is a distinct separation Bremmerman 2 between the two that has not been there before. The concentrated forces at the center of this change are the young girls led by Abigail Williams. The closeness of the girls is played out at the end of Act One. Abigail onsets the anarchy when she cries "I want to open myself! . . . I want the light of God . . . I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osbourne with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!"(48) The other girls then mimic her cries of accusation by screaming out the names of those they had seen with the devil. With all of these accusations the chaos begins and Salem Village will never be the same. Among the characters in the play the most prominent meaning for crucible is "A vessel of a very refractory material . . ." After the questioning of the Proctors Reverend Hale points out to John that "no crack in a fortress may be accounted small."(67) This observation may also be made in reference to John Proctor's crucible. The crack in his crucible is Abigail Williams and she will, in the end, be the reason that Proctor can no longer take the heat. Just as a crack in a fortress will lead to the tumbling of the building a crack in a crucible will lead to an inability to contain heat.

Solution To Solve The Plastic Waste Problems Environmental Sciences Essay

The intent of this undertaking is to supply a executable solution to work out the fictile waste jobs and assist occupants in the Mekong Delta countries to better the conveyance substructure. Specifically, this undertaking is aimed to utilize fictile waste as an alternate building stuff for constructing roads in the Mekong Delta countries. The modified-plastic route is designed to run into specific demands that were set to do certain the route would be suited for the local environment and have an economic public presentation. In this undertaking, Group F chose fictile waste as the mark. It is because fictile waste such as plastic bags and plastic bottles is non-biodegradable in the natural environment. As a chief pollution, fictile waste is harmful to the environment. Maltreatment of plastic and deficiency of recovery has resulted in many environmental jobs. Besides, recycling plastic waste is non popular in Vietnam which is a immense squander. Based on this information, Group F decided to happen a feasible manner for recycling fictile waste. The usage of fictile waste in route building is an environment-friendly engineering. â€Å" In recent old ages, applications of plastic wastes have been considered in route building with great involvement in many developing states. â€Å" [ 1 ] This sort of engineering has become progressively popular around the universe. In legion states, particularly in developing states, the conveyance and logistics systems are under high strain from additions in population and trade. So does in Vietnam. Thus, bettering the substructure in the Mekong Delta countries is besides really of import. Hence utilizing modified fictile waste to construct roads is an effectual method to work out these jobs. Using fictile waste in route building can be a good solution. Harmonizing to several field trials, â€Å" the plastic wastes used after proper processing as an additive would heighten the life of the roads and besides work out environmental jobs. † [ 2 ] It follows that utilizing fictile waste i n route building is a feasible solution to equilibrate the environment and development. Implementing this undertaking can both increase the recovery rate of plastic wastes and better the populating criterion in Vietnam, particularly in the Mekong Delta. The aims of the undertaking were to assist the local people cut down the plastic waste, work out the traffic jobs, and increase the sustainable development. This paper provides background information and describes the methods and tools used to construct a route from plastic wastes. As good, the paper provides the processing strategies for the plastic wastes and shows a route theoretical account made from fictile waste. The feasibleness and economic efficiency of the design is besides discussed in this paper. The recommendations and future work are provided in the concluding parts.Background:In this subdivision of the study, background information refering the undertaking will be provided.Vietnam and Mekong DeltaSocialist Republic of Vietnam which is called Vietnam for short is a Southeasterly Asiatic state and locates on the Indochina peninsula. â€Å" Vietnam covers a entire country of 331,210aa‚ ¬A? . [ 3 ] And has a population of 87,840,000 in the twelvemonth of 2011. [ 4 ] In recent old ages, Vietnam ‘s economic system has made a batch betterment. After the economic reforms, this state has become one of the universe â €˜s fastest turning economic systems. Harmonizing to an economic statistic, â€Å" Vietnam ‘s one-year GDP growing rate is 8 % between 1990 to 1997 and about 7 % from 2000 to 2005. † [ 5 ] In malice of crisp velocity development, Vietnam is confronting several jobs such as pollution, lodging deficit, out-of-date substructure and so on. Mekong Delta is one of the illustrations. Harmonizing to the AusAid study, the â€Å" Mekong Delta is celebrated as the â€Å" rice bowl † of Vietnam it contributes up to 90 % of the state ‘s rice exports. † [ 6 ] In recent old ages, the economic system has been improved significantly ; nevertheless, there are still tonss of jobs to work out. As mentioned before, Mekong Delta is besides confronting the same challenges as the whole state. Now, pollution is a serious job. Waste such as chemicals, human wastes, effluent and plastic wastes has harmed the local environment and people ‘s wellness. Additionally, with the growing of population and economic system, out-of-date substructure can non fulfill people ‘s demand. The traffic system in the Mekong Delta is under utmost emphasis. It is necessary for the native abodes find a manner to work out these two jobs. As one unit of the international assistance undertakings, the AusAID besides realized this issue. There is a transit betterment undertaking to assist the Mekong Delta to better the conveyance substructure. This undertaking has an estimated entire cost of US $ 306 million with programs to upgrade 325km of roads through this undertaking. [ 7 ]Technology used in the undertakingPresents, plastic merchandises are about everyplace. As a inexpensive and effectual stuff, plastic is widely used both for agribusiness and industry. Using fictile merchandises increased people ‘s life criterions. However, this convenient stuff is non environment friendly. The most important ground is most of the plastics are non-biodegradable. They can last for a long clip in the geological environment. In add-on, the traditional intervention for fictile waste such as landfill and incineration is a threaten for people ‘s wellness and the environment. How to cover with fictile waste is a challenge for sustainable development. Recycling is a good manner of work outing the job. Scientists and applied scientists have developed a new attack to alter the waste into roads. Using plastic in route building is non new. For a long clip, people use PVC or HDPE to fabricate pipes in route building. However, utilizing fictile waste as natural stuff for route building is a different technique but surveies have shown this technique has great possible and can convey many benefits. An initial survey that conducted in 1997 to prove for strength and lastingness of roads from fictile wastes proved that â€Å" the lastingness of roads laid with fictile waste mix is found to be better than the conventional 1s. † [ 2 ] The overall procedure of edifice plastic waste roads includes two parts, explicitly the first portion is â€Å" readying which includes segregation, cleansing, shredding, and aggregation. The 2nd portion is field test † . [ 8 ] At foremost, the fictile waste such as bags and bottles are separated and cleaned. Then, the plastic wastes are shredded into little pieces or pulverize signifier. After roll uping, the on-size plastic waste pulverization will be added into the hot sum which is kept at 170AA °C. After the chopped plastic waste are aa‚ ¬Aâ€Å"softened and coated over the sum, aa‚ ¬A? [ 8 ] the hot bitumen is added and should be good assorted. Then, this hot mixture is ready for being laid on the route. The laying procedure is similar to the manner pitch roads are laid. This engineering has many advantages. The usage of plastic waste for route building can non merely cut down the demand for bitumen and increase the strength and public presentation of the roads, but besides protect the environment every bit good as create extra employment chances. Besides, utilizing fictile waste for route building can cut down the demand of bitumen and besides cut down the cost of puting the roads.Literature Review

Fast Food and Vending Machines Aren’t the Problem Essay

There has been an ongoing debate as to whether schools should be allowed to subsidize and sell fast food in the cafeterias as well as the use of vending machines in schools. I believe that it is when people who prepared the food started to lose sight of proper nutrition and portioning that made the problem. In some schools, vending machines are also part of the money-making machine that helps fund a schools various academic and day to day activities. At the Old Orchard Beach School, it has been reported that: The team implemented Tulane University’s CATCH nutrition education curriculum and wrote school vending policies that led to the removal of sodas and junk foods, and replaced them with water, 100% fruit juices, and healthier snack options. The vending machine signage was changed to advertise water instead of soda pop. The vendors were very cooperative in making the changes, and vending revenues have remained the same. Students have also taken an active role by writing their own nutrition policies, such as policies regarding foods served for classroom parties. At the Vista High school, Enid Hohn is the Director of Child Nutrition Services for Vista School District. He has learned to use the â€Å"necessary evil† to the benefit of his students and the school system. In 2005, with the support of the School Superintendent, he converted the junk vending machine at the Vista High School into a healthy, popular, moneymaking machine for the school. He relates the success story of his pilot project this way: The Principal was not very enthusiastic about this change. He indicated that he had been receiving $600. 00 per month ($7,200. 00 per year) in vending commission and was not interested in losing it. CNS gave him a $10,000. 00 signing bonus to offset his fears. We had difficulty getting students interested in signing up to try all the free food and beverages so we set up sample tables in a room close to the eating area and coerced students to come in and help us. We conducted food testing for three days and involved about 100 students. Once that was done it was important to set up focus groups with various students. Once school started we determined there was a need for additional machines due to the popularity of the Healthy Alternative Vending Program and the volume of items students were purchasing. (qtd. in Healthy Vending: The Vending Challenge paragraph 16) I am arguing that school vending machines should be allowed to sell fast food that fall under specified criteria controlled by the Child Nutrition Services of each school district based on the above information. The school earns the funding they need while staying within the guidelines of proper health and nutrition, while the children nutritious food without knowing it. Certain school districts argue that selling junk food and sodas in vending machines which are easily accessible to students in between classes since these are mostly located in the lobby cause deterioration in the student’s over all performance. It makes him sluggish, gives him a shorter attention span and prevents him from concentrating. Jeffrey Koplan, vice president of for academic health affairs of Emory University has stated that: Obesity may be a personal issue, but at the same time, families, communities, and corporations all are adversely affected by obesity and all bear responsibility for changing social norms to better promote healthier lifestyles. We recognize that several of our recommendations challenge entrenched aspects of American life and business, but if we are not willing to make some fundamental shifts in our attitudes and actions, obesity’s toll on our nation’s health and well-being will only worsen. (qtd. in National Effort Urgently Needed to Combat Childhood Obesity; Actions Required by Schools, Families, Communities, Industry, and Government paragraph 2. ) In addition, the National Effort Urgently Needed to Combat Childhood Obesity; Actions Required by Schools, Families, Communities, Industry, and Government, report also warned parents and schools alike that: By the time they are 14 years old, 52 percent of boys and 32 percent of girls are drinking three or more eight-ounce servings of soda a day. It would help for us to remember that vending machines don’t stock themselves, we do. This whole argument will prove to be a farce if the parents of the children can’t or won’t supervise the children or serve a nutritionally balanced meal at home. I refer you once again to the opinion of the National Effort Urgently Needed to Combat Childhood Obesity; Actions Required by Schools, Families, Communities, Industry, and Government report: Parents can exert a profound influence on their children by promoting healthy foods and an active lifestyle from an early age and serving as role models. Parents can encourage their children to develop a healthy, varied diet by introducing new foods in a persistent but non-coercive fashion. Studies show that repeated exposure is most critical during the early years of life and that it can take five to 10 exposures to a new food before a child will accept it. (qtd. in National Effort Urgently Needed to Combat Childhood Obesity; Actions Required by Schools, Families, Communities, Industry, and Government paragraph 5 I therefore, would like to reiterate that, there is no real reason with which to ban junk food and vending machines in schools. Instead, schools should learn to package â€Å"healthy† junk food. Learn how to use these things in order to promote good health and proper nutrition. The students will certainly be much more receptive of this approach. Works Cited: 1. Enid Hohn, R. D. , Director of Child Nutrition Services. Healthy Vending: The Vending Challenge. November 2006. November 13, 2006 2. National Effort Urgently Needed to Combat Childhood Obesity; Actions Required by Schools, Families, Communities, Industry, and Government. September 30, 2004. November 13, 2006. 3. Schools and School Districts That Have Improved School Food and Beverages and Not Lost Revenue. November 2006. November 13, 2006. 4. Bruce Buchanan. Getting to Wellness. October 2005. November 13, 2006.

Discount rate

The rate used to discount future cash flows to their present values is a key variable of this process. A firm's weighted average cost of capital (after tax) is often used, but many people believe that it is appropriate to use higher discount rates to adjust for risk or other factors. A variable discount rate with higher rates applied to cash flows occurring further along the time span might be used to reflect the yield curve premium for long-term debt. Another approach to choosing the discount rate factor is to decide the rate which the capital needed for the project could return if invested in an alternative venture. If, for example, the capital required for Project A can earn five percent elsewhere, use this discount rate in the NPV calculation to allow a direct comparison to be made between Project A and the alternative. Related to this concept is to use the firm's Reinvestment Rate. Reinvestment rate can be defined as the rate of return for the firm's investments on average. When analyzing projects in a capital constrained environment, it may be appropriate to use the reinvestment rate rather than the firm's weighted average cost of capital as the discount factor. It reflects opportunity cost of investment, rather than the possibly lower cost of capital. An NPV calculated using variable discount rates (if they are known for the duration of the investment) better reflects the real situation than one calculated from a constant discount rate for the entire investment duration. Refer to the tutorial article written by Samuel Baker[3] for more detailed relationship between the NPV value and the discount rate. For some professional investors, their investment funds are committed to target a specified rate of return. In such cases, that rate of return should be selected as the discount rate for the NPV calculation. In this way, a direct comparison can be made between the profitability of the project and the desired rate of return. To some extent, the selection of the discount rate is dependent on the use to which it will be put. If the intent is simply to determine whether a project will add value to the company, using the firm's weighted average cost of capital may be appropriate. If trying to decide between alternative investments in order to maximize the value of the firm, the corporate reinvestment rate would probably be a etter choice. Using variable rates over time, or discounting â€Å"guaranteed† cash flows differently from â€Å"at risk† cash flows may be a superior methodology, but is seldom used in practice. Using the discount rate to adjust for risk is often difficult to do in practice (especially internationally), and is difficult to do well. An alternative to using discount factor to adjust for risk is to explicitly correct the cash flows for the risk elements using rNPV or a similar method, then discount at the firm's rate. Discount rate The rate used to discount future cash flows to their present values is a key variable of this process. A firm's weighted average cost of capital (after tax) is often used, but many people believe that it is appropriate to use higher discount rates to adjust for risk or other factors. A variable discount rate with higher rates applied to cash flows occurring further along the time span might be used to reflect the yield curve premium for long-term debt. Another approach to choosing the discount rate factor is to decide the rate which the capital needed for the project could return if invested in an alternative venture. If, for example, the capital required for Project A can earn five percent elsewhere, use this discount rate in the NPV calculation to allow a direct comparison to be made between Project A and the alternative. Related to this concept is to use the firm's Reinvestment Rate. Reinvestment rate can be defined as the rate of return for the firm's investments on average. When analyzing projects in a capital constrained environment, it may be appropriate to use the reinvestment rate rather than the firm's weighted average cost of capital as the discount factor. It reflects opportunity cost of investment, rather than the possibly lower cost of capital. An NPV calculated using variable discount rates (if they are known for the duration of the investment) better reflects the real situation than one calculated from a constant discount rate for the entire investment duration. Refer to the tutorial article written by Samuel Baker[3] for more detailed relationship between the NPV value and the discount rate. For some professional investors, their investment funds are committed to target a specified rate of return. In such cases, that rate of return should be selected as the discount rate for the NPV calculation. In this way, a direct comparison can be made between the profitability of the project and the desired rate of return. To some extent, the selection of the discount rate is dependent on the use to which it will be put. If the intent is simply to determine whether a project will add value to the company, using the firm's weighted average cost of capital may be appropriate. If trying to decide between alternative investments in order to maximize the value of the firm, the corporate reinvestment rate would probably be a etter choice. Using variable rates over time, or discounting â€Å"guaranteed† cash flows differently from â€Å"at risk† cash flows may be a superior methodology, but is seldom used in practice. Using the discount rate to adjust for risk is often difficult to do in practice (especially internationally), and is difficult to do well. An alternative to using discount factor to adjust for risk is to explicitly correct the cash flows for the risk elements using rNPV or a similar method, then discount at the firm's rate.

Luxor Case Answers

Case question 1 Variable manufacturing costs as a percentage of sales and the markup on variable manufacturing cost to establish the selling prices for each of the three product lines in 2008 en 2010: Compared markup 2008 and 2010: The markup is lower in 2010 because Luxor lowered the selling prices for lipstick in 2009 and for nail polish in 2010. They had to do this because the discount chains continued to put pressure on them to reduce the prices for lipstick and nail polish. Case question 2 The calculation that converts the Wholesale selling price of the 12/31/2008 lipstick inventory shown as $11. 5 million to the â€Å"cost† of $9. million: Case question 3 Assuming the variable manufacturing cost per unit stayed the same in 2009 and 2010, did the sales volume of nail polish (in terms of physical units) increase or decrease after the selling price was reduced in 2010? Explain. Conclusion: The variable manufacturing costs per unit stayed the same over 2009 and 2010. The act ual variable manufacturing costs increased, so it’s clear that the firm has sold more units. Case question 4 The calculation of the breakeven revenue in 2011: The contribution margin % is calculated by multiplying the sales mix with the contribution margin. Case question 5Susan’s proposed budget for 2011 includes a substantial repayment of the bank loan. If the repayment occurs, is the firm likely to break even in 2012? Explain. The loan figures of the company have been stable for the last two years. If the company repays $10 million of the loan with an interest rate of 7%, the firm will save $ 700K a year. If you decrease the fixed costs with 700K, you can calculate the new breakeven revenue: Therefore, it is unlikely that the firm will sell more in 2012. The sales will probably decrease. Our advice is to focus marketing & promotion on the product with the highest contribution margin. Case question 6