Agent Causation and Dualism Essay - 1633 Words

Agent Causation Dualism The discussion of free will and its compatibility with determinism comes down to one’s conception of actions. Most philosophers and physicists would agree that events have specific causes, especially events in nature. The question becomes more controversial when philosophers discuss the interaction between human beings, or agents, and the world. If one holds the belief that all actions and events are caused by prior events, it would seem as though he would be accepting determinism. For if an event has a particular cause, the event which follows must be predetermined, even if this cause relates to a decision by a human being. Agent causation becomes important for many philosophers who, like me, refuse to†¦show more content†¦As a firm believer in agent causation and a non-dualist, I’m inclined to reject Pereboom’s implication that dualism is a necessity for agent-caused events. I have reconstructed his argument as follows: 1. The basic physical laws are either deterministic or have objective counterfactual probabilities. 2. Actions that are agent-caused are either consistent with Fundamental Physical Theory or inconsistent with Fundamental Physical Theory. 3. Agent-caused actions can’t be inconsistent with basic physical laws. 4. Agent-caused actions are consistent with either a. Deterministic physical laws; or b. Indeterministic physical laws with objective counterfactual probabilities. [From 1, 3] 5. If (a) is true then there must be â€Å"cosmic coincidences.† 6. If (b) is true then there must be â€Å"cosmic coincidences.† 7. There are no cosmic coincidences. 8. There are no agent-caused actions. [From 4-7] Pereboom’s argument is tricky, but there are two places where I believe it can be dismantled, allowing agent causation to retain plausibility without accepting dualism. We must grant premise one on the basis of empirical evidence. This premise may or may not be true, but it can only be determined as a result of scientific study and for the purposes of our argument, it must be taken for granted. Premise two is an obvious logical truth and so its validity isShow MoreRelatedThe Dualists Essay1846 Words   |  8 Pagesthat? However, one theory that has been of interest to many recent scientists and philosophers alike is one that has been around since its conception by a famous mathematician and philosopher named Rene Descartes. This theory is called substance dualism; and accordingly, this theory tries to solve the mystery of how these two complex disparate entities can intermingle to create an interaction that has an effect on the material world. I hope to use the current, up-to -date research by philosophersRead MoreCritically Assess the Claim That People Are Free to Make Moral Decisions972 Words   |  4 PagesIt is because of this that our reason and autonomy, our moral self, can transcend over other causal determinants. Kant argues that by applying reason to decisions we can escape any authority from cause and effect or desires and emotions, we are the agents of our own decisions. Libertarians believe in a forking path of choices rather than the straight road of determinism. Existentialism greatly supports free will, the idea that we are responsible in ourselves for our moral behaviour and it is ourRead MoreThe Nature Of Free Will Essay2312 Words   |  10 Pagesindeed. At best to say that an agent has free will is to say that the agent has the ability and power to choose his or her course of action without constraint. What is so important about whether or not an agent has free will? Perhaps because free will is related to freedom of action and moral responsibility. If actions are a result of rational analysis, then we see that free action depends on free will. At best to say that an agent acted freely is to say that the agent successfully carried out a freeRead More The Biomedical Model of Health Essay1763 Words   |  8 Pagesmodel. Social and historical events and circumstances were an important factor in its development as explanations about disease were being found in biological systems of the body that contradicted the belief that linked causation to divine intervention or superstition. Cartesian dualism and Newtonian physics were influential in the academic world and there was a push to break away from the superstitions of the past. (Albrecht 2003 p: 15; Giddens 2009 p: 391; Barry Yuill 2008 p 31). By 1920 stateRead MoreEssay on Exploring Time Travel3046 Words   |  13 Pagesthan absurdities. Having explained the consistency of time travel with his four-dimensional ontology, Lewis goes on to elucidate how the sequence of stages from which an individual is composed could be reversed in time. This involves reverse causation -- a discrepancy between the direction of cause and the direction of time. Finally he provides a heroic attempt to defuse the threat of empirical paradox which arises because it seems that time travel would involve (or raise the possibility of) changingRead MoreComplexity Science And Systems Thinking4544 Words   |  19 Pagesmutual causality (reciprocal causation) reflects the reliance and effects that occur between the elements of a system, and systems with one another, over time. The holistic, or interdisciplinary, inquiry into the identification and engagement of complexity and systems is prevalent outside the western social and natural sciences. Buddhist philosophy, developed through empirical evidence and later though ontological and epistemological inquiry, is grounded in non-dualism and dependent origination.Read MoreManagement Control and Their Limitations8558 Words   |  35 Pagesproduction of social structures; and †¢ duality or identity of structure and agency as proposed, for example, by Anthony Giddens. Few dispute that social reality is produced by human agents operating in pre-existing structural contexts but they differ on how structure and agency are related i.e. duality vs. dualism Giddens argues that people reproduce, and can transform, systems: not the other way around, i.e. systems lack the capabilities of agency. Systems reproduction presupposes social reproductionRead MoreContemporary Issues in Management Accounting211377 Words   |  846 Pagessetting the Wrm consists of two individuals: a principal and an agent. The principal acts as the owner of the Wrm while the agent acts as a worker. The principal hires the agent, provides the capital (i.e. the production function), and designs the agent’s compensation or employment contract and the managerial accounting system 22 BAIMAN including the monitoring systems, resource allocation procedures, and task allocation. The agent is hired to choose a personally costly action or eVort, which

Ethical Conflicts that can arise within Companies

The problem to be investigated is the conflict that can arise within companies between doing what is right (or moral) and doing what is often viewed as more important the attainment of corporate goals. This conflict is highlighted in the case study involving Fannie Mae (FM). (Jennings, 2009) In this case, corporate executives choose to focus on corporate goals and meeting the market expectations, ignoring any moral issued witch conflicted with the attainment of their goal. (Jennings, 2009) To understand the reasons for the executives actions and learn from their mistakes and misjudgments the following topics are reviewed: 1) ethics and social responsibility, 2) the importance of devolution, 3) the power and value of incentive plans, 4)†¦show more content†¦(Ormiston, 2010) Other examples of the rating firm’s reliance on others would include police reports, watchdog groups and the public media. A rating organization conducting personal interviews of the organizat ion is sure to have been presented a â€Å"one sided† view with the interviewed organization putting themselves in the best manner possible. Devolution In the FM case signals were missed and ignored. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the meaning of devolution is the transferring of rights or powers to subordinate bodies. (Merriam-Webster, 2006) For FM there was no devolution – only centralized control around the goal of Earnings Per Share (EPS) of $6.46. (Jennings, 2009) In the case of the missed items, it is general knowledge that many employees and middle management are busy with their days work. In this rush of the day, it is foreseeable that when something looks as odd as an auditor giving an EPS speech a person might question this practice. Since many employees don’t have a lot of spare time and are only involved in a small piece of the organizations work they likely do not have a â€Å"big picture† concept of the organization. When knowledgeable of problems, proper questioning may not have occurred causing missed signals. If some employees would have known whatShow MoreRelatedBusiness E thics And Explain Its Nature Essay1677 Words   |  7 Pagesthe basic framework to run a business.It also gives the economic, legal and social boundaries within which businessmanmust conduct his business. Code of conduct: Businessman must follow the ethical code of conduct. They must know what to do for the welfare of society and what not to do, and what is right and wrong for the society. Based on moral and social values: Business ethics consists of ethical and social principles to run a business. 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With annual revenue at $700 million and a headcount of over 1,200 employees and contractors, the company has established a code of ethics that is designed to create a culture that fosters the development, passion, and knowledge of its employees. Our team has brokenRead MoreEst1 Wgu - Ethics Program for Nonprofit Management Consulting Services1246 Words   |  5 Pagesanother company. Our clients are placing a high level of trust in us and we must honor that commitment by ensuring no confidential information is disseminated outside our company or to those inside the company who may have a conflict of interest. Above all else we will be professional with our clients and work to the best of our ability to provide them with unrivaled service. Since we specialize in working with nonprofit companies the majority of clients we work with will have an Ethical Code asRead MoreCase Analysis : Business Management1717 Words   |  7 Pagesbehavior have studied ethics either as a subject in a business course or as an entire course. So what do you think went wrong? Though business executives must have gone through an ethical course at one point in their life, they still find themselves being involved in unethical behavior for many reasons. One is conflict of interests. An example is when there is a vacancy in a given business, and a relative of a business executive applies for a chance to fill the position. 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Human resources management involves many crucial jobs, some of which include h andling people in a professional manner, good intuition and adaptability, creativityRead MoreBusiness Law Proposal : Technology Essay1598 Words   |  7 PagesThe competitive environment that is provided by the information technology has created an increase in demand for the products and has made it possible for Gravity technologies to venture into the market to provide the items that are needed by many companies. The innovations in the market are necessitated by the improvement in the business environment, and this has created an opportunity for gravity ventures to flourish in the market as the focus is on selling software and hardware. The hardware thatRead MoreUniversal Human Care Hospital: Corporate Governance and Ethical Responsibility1240 Words   |  5 Pages Corporate Governance and Ethical Responsibility Research Paper Introduction Dr. DoRight has recently been hired as the President of the Universal Human Care Hospital, where he oversees all departments with over 5,000 employees and over 20,000 patients at the medical facility. Dr. DoRight discovers that some patients within the hospital have been dying as a result of a variety of illegal procedures by doctors and nurses, and negligent supervision and oversight on their part. After two years

Poems of Poe dreams, nightmares or reality free essay sample

His proud reserve, his profound melancholy, his unworldliness may we not say his unearthliness of nature made his character one very difficult of comprehension to the casual observer Sarah Helen Whitman Born in the year 1809 on January 19th, Edgar Allan Poe is one of America’s most famous poet, short story writer, editor and critic. Going through his life, one realizes all the difficulties that Poe had face till the time he died at the age of forty. Poe was orphaned even before he was three years old and was taken into the home of a tobacco merchant namely John Allan. The Allan’s never really loved him and later on disowned him. In search of love which he never got to feel by his family, he married his thirteen year old cousin Virginia and within a few years of their marriage she died of tuberculosis. Poe had always been much into drinking and drugs which later intensified even more due to the death of his wife. We will write a custom essay sample on Poems of Poe: dreams, nightmares or reality? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In his life, Poe wrote a number of well-known poems and short stories such as The fall of the house of Usher, The Raven, Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, Ulalume, The Bells and The city in the sea etc. Poe’s writings have inspired and influenced a vast number of modern writers. When one goes through some of his writings (majority of his writings perhaps), one realizes the presence of morbid thoughts, horrific scenes, horrifying characters. While the colossal fame of Edgar Allan Poes famous short stories and poems goes on to underline his artistic brilliance, Poes repute as the master of horror, the father of the detective story, and the voice of The Raven is something of a diverse approval. According to sources, â€Å"contributing greatly to the genres of horror and science fiction, Poe is now considered the father of the modern detective story and highly lauded as a poet. Poe’s verses illustrate an intense faculty for technical and abstract beauty, with the rhyming art to excess, an incorrigible propensity towards nocturnal themes, a demoniac under tone behind every page. There is an indescribable magnetism about the poet’s life and reminiscences, as well as the poem† (Merriman, p.1). As evident, Poe’s poems had a touch of horror and these were basically perhaps a piece of his own imagination or a dream. His life and the set backs he had faced had a major influence on the Edgar Allan Poe wrote. The poet had a vivid imagination and the stories and poems written by him are filled with disaster, horror, fear and thoughtful nobles. In his paranormal fiction Poe frequently brought up topics related to fear deep-seated in individual psychology, physical or mental weaknesses, manias, the damnation of death, intense fantasies, and the heavens as source of horror and motivation, exclusive of troubling himself with such supernatural beings as ghosts, werewolves, vampires, and so on. Because of the heavy losses he faced since the very beginning of his life, the thoughts of this great poet perhaps turned morbid, but all of them were mere thoughts or perhaps dreams of the poet and not reality for the kind of characters that he has come up with do not exist in real life. According to sources, because of seeing his most loved ones die â€Å"dying and death were part of Poe’s life. He used these themes throughout his works, perhaps searching to understand them. He is said to have â€Å"transmogrified† death in his works. He used the style of Gothic fiction with a sense of the uncanny. His tales were called grotesque, arabesque, and terrifying, with recurring themes of being buried alive and coming back from the grave† (Edgar Allan Poe, p.1).

Understanding Crime in Canada

Question: What are the main methods (or tools) that criminologists use to measure crime rates and crime trends? Are crime rates trending upwards, downwards or staying about the same? Which crime categories (if any) are experiencing declines, which crime categories (if any) are experiencing increases, and which are staying about the same? Do the different types of measurement tools provide the same picture of crime rates and crime trends, or are the pictures different, and if so, why? Which crime measurement tool do you think is most reliable, and why? Answer: Like many other developed countries, in Canada also, the crime is measured with the help of a combination of the information provided by the police and reported by the victim. Although, individually each of these sources has its own strengths and limitations but together they are able to provide a much robust measure of crime rate and trends in Canada (Walker, 1999). There are a wide range of measurements used by the criminologists in order to examine statistics related with crime. In case of each of these tools, the respective measurements are derived from different aggregations of the data related with crime. The result is that in several cases, the crime rate in Canada is depicted in a way that is quite opposite to the objective reality. It also needs to be noted in this regard that the crime trends are not static entity and therefore they undergo considerable changes as a result of several social, political and economic factors (Boyd, 2015). There are certain methods that are generally used by the criminologists in order to measure the rate of crime and the trends related with crime. These main methods are the Uniform Crime Report, Crime Severity Investigation and General Social Survey. For example the Uniform Crime Report presents the uniform crime reporting statistics. In case of UCR, all aggregated data is collected. Moreover, UCR is incidence based. However there is a problem related with the UCR. According to this issue, UCR is not capable of accounting for the dark figures of crime. The dark figures of crime are related with the variations that are present between the number of crimes that have taken place and the crimes that have been reported to the authorities. In this way, this figure shows the large number of crimes that have not been reported (Fox, ed. 1981). On the other hand, the General Social Survey is conducted over the telephone. In this survey, questions related with crime or victimization is asked fro m the individuals that have not been reported in the Uniform Crime reports. These crimes include the cases of assault, robbery and sexual assault. In case of the Criminal Severity Index, each crime is measured according to its severity. At the same time, the severity of a crime is also determined on the basis of the sentence pronounced in the case (Kempf, 1990). Canada is facing the problem of high rate of crime. Although, generally the crime rate is going down but there are certain areas in which this rate is increasing. For example, recent trends revealed that there is an increase in violent crimes. On the other hand, the crimes like vehicle theft are witnessing a downward trend, perhaps due to the mandatory measures introduced by the government. In the same way, the recent trends revealed that there has been a decrease in the number of homicides but at the same time, there has been an increase in the cases of assault. Some factors can be cited in support of the decreasing rate of these crimes. For example, significant improvements have been made in emergency medical care. At the same time, the young people have become more risk tolerant. Similarly, as a result of the Internet, young people stay at home more often instead of going out. On the other hand, the rising popularity of Internet has also resulted in the crimes that take place on t he Internet itself (Jones, 2006). It is widely knowledge that the same results are not provided by different types of measurement tools when it comes to the crime rates and trends. The reason is that all these tools measure different things. For example, the Uniform Crime Report is based on the statistics of crime that are available with the police. Therefore the crime rate and trends depicted by the UCR also reflect the attitude and the opinions of the police officers and the policies and procedures adopted by them. For example, sometimes the police officers do not report significant instances of crime if they are capable of dealing with such instances effectively. On the other hand, this problem is effectively dealt with by victimization surveys as these surveys report the crimes in which the police is not involved. At this point, it needs to be noted that a large number of crimes are not reported to the police. In this way these surveys help in providing the vital information related with crime. But at the same ti me, there is also a problem associated with the service because in case of many crimes that have not been reported to the police, the people do not report these crimes during the survey conducted on the telephone (Maxfield, 1995). On the basis of the above discussion, it can be said that the most efficient crime measurement tool which is also the most reliable should have the features of Uniform Crime Report and also that of the General Social Survey. At the same time it is very important that the measurements of crime should include the crimes that have been reported as well as the crimes that have not been reported to the police (Burgess and Akers, 1966). In this way, instead of having different measurements for the crime rate and friends, the focus should be on including everything in a single measurement. It also needs to be noted in this regard that the statistics reported by the police and the victimization data are complementary to each other and if these two sources are used jointly, they can provide a more comprehensive picture of the crime rate and trends in Canada. As a result of the differences that are present in the methodology used by these two types of surveys, it is difficult to make a direct comparison. But it can certainly be said that the ways in which crime is measured in Canada can be improved further. By improving the tools that are used for measuring crime in Canada, the understanding regarding the nature and the extent of crime will also improve (Sampson, Groves and Byron, 1989). With the help of these improvements, and also by including Crime Severity Index to the present measurement tools, it is possible to have a more comprehensive picture regarding the nature and extent of crime in Canada. References Burgess, Robert and Akers, Ronald, 1966, "A Differential Association-Reinforcement Theory of Criminal Behavior" Social Problems, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp.128147 Fox, James A., ed. 1981, Methods In Quantitative Criminology. New York: Academic Press Jones, Stephen, 2006, Criminology. New York: Oxford University Press, USA Kempf, Kimberly, 1990, Measurement Issues in Criminology, New York: Springer Maxfield, Michael G. 1995, Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology. Ed. Earl Babbie. California: Wadsworth Publishing Company Neil Boyd, (2015) Understanding Crime in Canada: An Introduction to Criminology, Emond Montgomery Publications Neuman, Lawrence W., and Bruce Wiegand, 2000, Criminal Justice Research Methods, Allyn and Bacon Sampson; Robert J. Groves, W. Byron, 1989, The American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 94, No. 4. pp.774802 Walker, Jeffrey T. 1999, Statistics In Criminal Justice: Analysis and Interpretation. Maryland: Aspen Publishers, Inc.