Thomas Jefferson - The Man The Myth And The Morality Essays

Thomas Jefferson - The Man The Myth and The Morality Thomas Jefferson was a man of the greatest moral character who has been excoriated routinely over the last 30 years by historical revisionists and presentists. His commitment to America and his vast contributions to the framing of society as it is today are overlooked in favor of base analysis of his character that, while not flawless, is that of a morally upright person who has deeply held convictions and lives by them. Jefferson was born to a prominent family of Virginia tobacco growers. Plantation life is based largely around the work of slaves, so Jefferson was surrounded by them from the time of his birth in 1743 until the day he died. One of the harshest criticisms of Jefferson comes from the fact that, while he vehemently opposed slavery, was indeed a slave owner himself. As historian Douglas L. Wilson points out in his Atlantic Monthly article ?Thomas Jefferson and the Character Issue?, the question should be reversed: ?...[T]his was of asking the question... is essentially backward, and reflects the pervasive presentism of our time. Consider, for example, how different the question appears when inverted and framed in more historical terms: How did a man who was born into a slave holding society, whose family and admired friends owned slaves, who inherited a fortune that was dependent on slaves and slave labor, decide at an early age that slavery was morally wrong and forcefully declare that it ought to be abolished (Wilson 66). Wilson also argues that Jefferson knew that his slaves would be better off working for him than freed in a world where they would be treated with contempt and not given any real freedoms. Another way that Thomas Jefferson shows his moral character is in his most famous achievement, the drafting of the Declaration of Independence. This document is probably the most important document in the history of the United States, and one of the most important in the history of the world. Jefferson writes that ?all men are created equal? and argues that every man has the right to ?life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.? Jefferson's document shows not only his strongly held beliefs in freedom, but his acceptance of and belief in the views of the Age of Reason. He believed himself to be a person who was doing what was morally right, not for the fame that would eventually accompany it. In fact, he didn't want to write the Declaration to begin with. In 1776, the song ?Not Me, John? shows how Jefferson was pushed into doing it, despite the fact that he would have actually rather gone home to see his wife. When nobody else would do it, he acquiesced and agreed to write it. His quote, ?What will posterity think we were -- demigods? We're men -- no more, no less? (1776), shows how as a contemporary of such philosophical greats as Voltaire and Mill, he did what he did because it was what needed to happen -- not in any way, shape, or form because he wanted to be remembered as a demigod, a status he actually had anyway, according to Wilson, until the 1960's. Another thing that Jefferson's character is criticized for and blown out of proportion is his liaison with a slave, Sally Hemings. Historian Fawn Brodie argues that it was ?not scandalous debauchery with an innocent slave victim, but rather a serious passion that brought Jefferson and the slave woman much happiness over a period lasting thirty-eight years.? True, their affair started when she was only 14 years old, but to criticize this is terribly presentistic. In colonial times, especially in the middle and southern colonies, girls were married off between the ages of 13 and 16; it was not considered defilement and abuse like it is today. In fact, his relationship with Hemings could actually be considered to be a positive thing for him on two fronts: Since she was 52 when he died, Jefferson obviously did not lust after her solely on a physical basis; also, he promised his wife when she died that he would not remarry. He fulfilled his promise only because he found a

Microsoft Case essays

Microsoft Case essays Judges Findings 7 This report attempts to outline some of the underlying principles that are relevant in the Microsoft Anti-Trust Case, in which the United States Department of Justice as well as 19 other US States has attempted legal action against the Microsoft Company in view of Microsofts anti-competitive behaviour. This report includes: Claims from both Microsoft and the Department of Justice and economic findings and arguments that are relevant to principles of network economies, specifically those arguments surrounding the controversy behind the web-browser battle. On the 18th May 1999, The anti-trust division of The US department of Justice (DOJ), followed by several US States, filed their second lawsuit against IT firm Microsoft Corp. This lawsuit accused the software giant of monopolising the market for PC operating systems and leveraging this monopoly power in markets for complimentary goods, including the market for its web-browser Internet Explorer and as a result ultimately hurting the market of which it operates. The three main types of allegations from the Department of Justice included: 1. Monopolization of the market for operating systems for PCs 2. Anti-competitive bundling of Internet Explorer with the Windows operating system. 3. Anti-competitive contractual arrangements with various vendors of related goods. (www.stern.nyu.edu/networks/ms/old.html) Regardless of final outcome, the effects of The US vs. Microsoft have been tagged as being an incredibly important event in the modelling of the information revolution. The results of such a lawsuit will no doubt affect how the industry is managed in the future, and will define the value of Microsoft and the computer industrys rules of competition for years to come. The main attention of the Microsoft Case seems to be heavily based towards the battle of ...

How to showcase your cognitive aptitude in job interviews

How to showcase your cognitive aptitude in job interviews When it comes to hiring, companies are beginning to focus less on resumes and work experience alone to evaluate candidates. Instead, many employers are looking at more data-driven hiring factors, like cognitive aptitude.   Cognitive aptitude is the ability to think, process, and react nimbly to solve problems or learn new information, and it is fast becoming a key metric for many hiring managers. This shift stems from the fact that while resumes can lay out a person’s history in a role or industry, they rarely provide insight into a person’s full potential. Cognitive aptitude delivers this broad perspective, allowing companies to evaluate the long-term potential of an applicant by assessing their ability to learn quickly, adapt, and grow within a role. Some companies achieve this with cognitive aptitude assessments administered before the interview stage. These tests gauge abilities that are relevant to job performance, focusing on the main aspects of cognitive aptitu de, like creative thinking, problem solving, attention to detail and learning ability. But how can you prove that you have these skills if the company didn’t give you an aptitude test? By demonstrating these key components in your interview:Showcasing Your Intellectual CuriosityWhy it Matters: Having the desire to know more about the world around you and how things work creates ever-evolving employees, workers who are always striving to improve both themselves and the business. The intellectually curious will grow with a company and be able to think outside the box to solve any issues that arise in the workplace.How to Show it: Demonstrate a thirst for knowledge in your interview by first researching the company and the role as much as possible. Then, during the interview, ask insightful questions based on your digging.You can also mention a time when you independently learned a new skill. For anyone who doesn’t have a lot of work experience, this can be a great opport unity to bring up hobbies or extracurriculars that aren’t directly related to the job. Maybe you play a musical instrument or enjoy woodworking. Your hobbies provide insight into unique ways that you flex your creativity in everyday life, with the added bonus of making you more memorable to your interviewers.Putting Your Problem-Solving Skills on DisplayWhy it Matters: Being able to think critically and provide unique solutions drives business innovation, which is why problem solving is an invaluable resource for employers. A problem-solver, especially a proactive one, combines creativity, efficiency, and pragmatism to find the best solution for the situation at hand. A great creative thinker can identify the opportunity that lies within the dilemma.How to Show it: Advertise your talent for finding solutions by talking about a previous experience where you overcame an obstacle. Make sure to detail the problem you identified, the way that you worked to improve the situation, a nd how your fix made an impact.   Bonus points if you’re able to quantify your accomplishments in a tangible way.Highlighting Your Attention to DetailWhy it Matters: Identifying the small but vital details that might otherwise be overlooked is a game-changer. It’s a skill that employers look for across all industries because it can make the difference between success and failure of a business. A problem can’t be effectively tackled if you can’t get down to the nitty-gritty; the devil is in the details, but if you hone in on the fine points that others miss, you’ll be highly regarded as a fastidious and dependable coworker.How to Show it: Being detail-oriented coincides with many other traits hiring managers look for: focus, discipline, and work ethic. To demonstrate these traits in an interview, research the company ahead of time and ask detailed questions that show that you took the time and care to familiarize yourself with the company. Call at tention to your meticulous nature by taking care in how you present yourself during the interview. Being neatly dressed, on time, and attentive will go a long way in making a lasting impression. During the interview, make sure you engage in active listening. Make sure you understand your interviewer’s questions and respond with relevant answers.Touting Your Learning AbilityWhy it Matters: Whenever a company brings in a new employee, they invest an incredible amount of money and time in training the new hire and getting them up to speed. Hiring a fast learner means that businesses can hedge their bets when bringing a new employee into the fold, taking comfort in the knowledge that their new hire will swiftly become a productive member of the workforce. Those who learn and apply new information quickly are more able to pick up new skills than others. These are the employees who will be able to grow within a company and adapt to changes and challenges that all businesses invaria bly face.How to Show it: Demonstrating your learning ability is especially important for job seekers who are new to the workforce or entering a new career field, especially if your resume is light. Sometimes you may be interviewing for a job for which you don’t fulfill all of the job requirements. One way to convince your interviewer that you’re up to the challenge is to talk about what you consider to be learning targets for this role if you were to be hired. What skills would you be most interested in acquiring, and how would you go about learning them? Try to think of examples in your past roles or even in your extracurricular activities where you had to learn something new and were able to wield your new skill to reach a certain goal. Highlighting this ability will give your interviewer a vision of how you will fit in and grow within the company landscape, both in the short and long term.Whether you focus on showing off one of these crucial elements of cognitive ab ility or weaving them all together, doing so will demonstrate your full potential as an amazing hire, far beyond the experience listed on your resume. The best way to get your point across, however, is through preparation. Come up with examples and stories ahead of time that reflect these cognitive abilities.   It may take time and effort, but it’s a sure-fire way to impress hiring managers and get you that much closer to landing that sought-after new job.About the author:Josh  Millet is the  Founder CEO of  Criteria Corp., a pre-employment testing company  backed by a Scientific Advisory Board from Harvard and Stanford. He is also the Founder of the recently launched  JobFlare, brain games app  a  brain  games  app that connects entry-level job seekers to jobs via ZipRecruiter based on their cognitive abilities.

Motorsports about formala 1 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Motorsports about formala 1 - Research Paper Example The type of racing is popular in the UK and neighboring countries within the region. What makes the racing interesting to majority of the citizens there are the types of cars presented to compete in different races conducted at different times of the calendar (Mastromarco & Runkel, (n.d.). In fact, speed with which these cars are driven has captured citizens attention because the racing involves highly trained drivers and teams who unlike other ordinary individuals, are able to control the racing cars at speeds which is difficult for common drivers to achieve. Moreover, almost three quarter of formula one racing events are always conducted in the Europe further giving it popularity in the region of the world than in any other regions where motor racing is conducted. The history of formula one racing is traced back to a century back in 1946 when racing of motor cars was first introduced as an idea. Form then to date, formula one has greatly evolved motor racing as sport receiving similar audience as those in football or other related sports. The idea raced in 1946 was matured in1950 when the first motor racing was conducted. After this, several motor racing events were conducted in different parts of the globe and with each New Year, changes were adopted on the nature of motor racing. The effects are seen today as motor racing has become a highly commercialized sport and through it individuals are earning bucks hence turning it as their main source of livelihood. However, in the 50s in spite of motor racing being held at different parts of the globe, very little if no concentration was given towards the sports as it was not commercialized and individuals taking part in the racing activities had little to benefit from the races which were conduct ed. In 1993, motor sport racing was ending toward decline because majority of the individuals who were participating in the race s had diverted their attention to other sports or activities which could

Business Partner Model Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Partner Model - Coursework Example A distinction can be made between â€Å"hard† and â€Å"soft† approaches to HRM, in which the organization may adopt â€Å"hard† approach, whereby employees can be perceived as a resource to be managed just like other factors of production. Conversely, organizations may place an emphasis on a â€Å"soft† approach to HRM in which employees comes out as a valuable asset, whose contribution plays a critical role in the attainment of organization success. The paper explores the efficacy of business partner model in addressing the changes and improvements necessitated by investing in â€Å"human capital.† HR business partnering represents the process in which HR professionals closely work with business leaders or line managers with the intention of attaining shared organizational objectives, primarily with the motive of designing and implementing HR systems and processes that propel strategic business aims (Caldwell 2010, p.49). In the HR business partne r model, the human resource departments play a critical role in strategic planning, especially in attainment of present and future objectives (Ian 2006, p.33). The model does not only concentrate on HR duties such as payroll, benefits, and employee relations, but also add value to the company by directing recruiting, advancement, training, and placement of new and current employees (Lambert 2009, p.7). Business partnering seeks to encourage line managers at diverse levels to take responsibility in managing HR team. Business partner model seeks to enhance the effectiveness of HR and minimize its costs. The ultimate aim of business partnering centers of aligning people strategy more closely with what the business requires. The engagement in training and development can be undertaken with full knowledge of the inner workings of the business (Dowling, Festing, and Engle 2008, p.4). Hence, the strategic orientation that business partner model heralds allows organizations to attain the mo st productive outcome. Some of the key issues encountered in the implementation of business partnering entail absence of clarity regarding the HR’s role, and the lack of a consistent business strategy within which HR can work. HR may be marginalized from real decision making, and the influence of business partnering may differ. Some of the inherent conflicts within the model derive from the fact that the performance of one role may conflict with competing demands yielding to potential role-overload (Ian 2006, p.34). Other possible conflicts emanates from incomplete performance criteria in undertaking a single role, such as being strategic while at the same time responding to line manager’s tactical issues (Lambert 2009, p.8). The implementation of business partner model can herald enhancements on the organization’s bottom line and productivity. The implementation of business partnering can lead to sustained revenue growth, profit growth and cost reduction, and i mproved customer royalty and retention. This hinges on the capability to work smarter (business partnering

Cognitive Dissonance Theory Essay -- Essays Papers

Cognitive Dissonance Theory Leon Festinger shared his brilliance with the world when he, opposing all previous psychological behaviorist work, created the Cognitive Dissonance Theory. In his own words, he quickly sums up this quite complex theory: "If you change a person’s behavior, his thoughts and feelings will change to minimize the dissonance" (Groenveld, 1999, p.1). In order to decode this dense statement, we must first be aware that Festinger held to be true that humans have a deep abiding need in their psyche to be consistent in our attitudes and behaviors; we want to feel in agreement and unified in thought and action. Inner harmony sounds good to everyone, and so it was Festinger’s view that when we feel a disharmony, or dissonance, within ourselves, between two factors, we strive to decrease this tension by either changing our original thought, giving strength to the opposing thought, or letting go of the behavior. All three techniques are in the name of decreasing dissonance because it is threatening to experience such a large crack in our rationale that dissonance often creates. Say I realized the college I am attending is not offering me the classes I’m interested in. I am feeling a post-decision dissonance, now that I’ve chosen my school, within myself due to this logical inconsistency: I value a college that offers classes interesting to me. I am not attending a college that offers classes interesting to me. I really want to work it out because otherwise I feel scattered like a "schizophrenic" as Festinger put it. Since my belief and behavior conflict, I seek to eliminate and reconcile the difference by choosing one of three paths (TIP:Theories, 1999): 1. I can devalue my belief and say, "Classes ar... ...ns that women find they love guys that use or abuse them, which is an unhealthy extreme of the minimal justification theory. It happens very frequently in college. References Griffin, E. (1997). A first look at communication theory. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Groenveld, J. (1999). Totalism & group dynamics [online]. Available: http://www.crl.com/~tzimon/General/cult_tot.html . Kearsley, G.(1999). Cognitive dissonance. Theory into Practice (TIP) Database [online] Available: http://www.gwu.edu/~tip/festinge.htm. Neilands, T. (1995 Dec). The time course of the self-concept threat reduction process among low and high self-esteem individuals (dissertation). [Online]. Available: http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~neilands/psych/research/bigd/ch6.htm. Trenholm, S. & Jensen, A. (1996). Interpersonal communication. New York: Wadworth Publishing Company.

Genesis Essay

Genesis gives me a lot of insight to â€Å"the beginning†. As I have read the Book of Genesis, it gave me total but not complete insight of how things were in the past to get where we are now according to the scriptures. What really intrigues me was how the human identity was formed because many ideas are said that we come from animals and evolved over time another, also is said that we come from the Lord himself, lastly one is said that we come from even nature. This chapter in this book showed me a lot and how the world was created and how things like family, the natural world and the covenant was brought upon us. The book of Genesis refutes the opening verses says that there are many believers and disbelievers of God(s); Such as atheism which believes there is no God at all, Pantheism believes that all is God, Polytheism believes that many god exist, materialism which is matter is eternal, humanism which is man is the measure, and naturalism which is nature is ultimate. O.T Allis says and believes that He (God) is the creator of both! Primeval History shares how Israel’s purpose by going through God’s redemptive program and messianic lineage from Eden to Abraham. The first two chapters of Genesis describe God’s original creation. (Yates, 55) The world is a place that was created by God according to the book of Genesis. The pinnacle of God’s creation was said to be â€Å"Man†. But in the creation it tells us how original creation was impacted so negatively by sin in the world he created. Adam and Eve were a good example of this, it was said to us since we were little that they plagued the world by giving into the devil himself and eating the apple off the tree when God asked them not to. Which they were issued a punishment, which they wouldn’t have eternal life, and they would have to suffer together and grow old and die. They had kids and their (Adam and Eve’s) descendants rebelled against God just like their parents. I believe that this is how human relationships were formed. God had little sorts of ways to manipulate people to bring his word about and how to connect with people. He chose to use the FLOOD to connect with Noah because as sin approached its epic proportions as human race became involved more and more. Noah stood out as a righteous man who walked with God every step of the way, which God went to him and told him to build a arch because he was going to flood the world and everything in it to restore creation. The creation of human government with the power of capital punishment was a deterrent to prevent humanity to regress back to violence. Genesis 1-11 on these topics it mostly shows me that the world mostly grew on Sin. Sin was a big time factor we had growing up from Adam and Eve and their descendants. This teaching regarding Adam and Eve shows how their sinful acts of rebellion against God. This goes to show how people in everyday life disobey God or break the Ten Commandments. Genesis 1-11 teaches me that human relationships should involve man and women. Not man and man or women and women. Adam and Eve were created to show the world a human relationship. Adam and Eve also showed me human Identity they were the first human’s created. Adam was created as a symbol of God himself with the Hebrew word Adam known for â€Å"Mankind† and Eve is known for â€Å"To Live†. Chapters 1 through 11 teach how the world’s creation, the mankind of origins and what the Hebrews thought about in the creation of the world. The story of Adam and Eve tells the myth of the truth about our mankind. The last chapter says that there was only one language that God put in because of what people built in the babel tower. Genesis of the Babylonian Exile, added the story of anthropologists developing languages over thousands of years and created new languages and evolved older languages. Which seemed to develop the story of the Tower of Babel. (Yates, 59) This changes my view of the world because in the first passage it is said that God created heaven and earth. Before he created those things he existed prior to making those two. The book only speaks of one God; it shows the creation of the Lord by making the universe. Since, he created heaven and earth, he must be above his creation. The Book of Genesis is given readers an accurate understanding and interpretation of the world. This should teach individuals how they look at the world. Through all these teachings I understand that the world portrays God in many ways and they do not even know it!