Philosophy of social science an Example of the Topic Psychology Essays by

Philosophy of social science In the advent of the booming scientific pursuits, there lies what I would call the "gray" areas. These are the arena where constant debates are still on-going. There are the matters where whether or not science could really address the problems of humanity. There also remains the question if whether or not science had caused technology or technology is just another aspect of science. Numerous questions could still be raised concerning science and these questions are usually addressed or discussed in a normal class of philosophy of science. The main aspect that would be raised in this paper is whether or not social science as a branch of science should really stick to the empirical and rational foundationalism that they adhere to or should social science recognize another methodology that would not lead it to becoming a dead-end pseudoscience that others deem it to be. Need essay sample on "Philosophy of social science" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed There are three branches of science, the first and well-known science is the natural science which deals with the physical world, the second is the behavioral science that deals with the behavioral aspect of things that could be found in the world, and lastly the social science. It could be inferred that the natural science would be the spider where the webs could be attributed to its concrete laws and theories as foundations for its studies. The bees could then be the behavioral science where its behavior is a way of telling the concrete interactions that happen in the natural world. The ants could then be attributed as the social science where its behavior could be seen as the interaction among the sociocultural aspect of man as a whole. Our Customers Frequently Tell EssayLab support: I'm don't want to write my paper. Because I don't have the time Specialists suggest: Buy Well-Done Papers Here Social science has a long way to go. It seems that it also has branches of its own, namely anthropology, economics, political science, sociology, and social psychology. It was said that social science is a mixture of the humanities where scientific studies are done in order to address the sociocultural perspective and/or aspect of man (Social science). It would be deduced that most of the skepticism towards this branch is the authenticity that it has concerning it being a branch of science. There are two research methods that the social sciences use. The qualitative research is where the connection between the data and the behavior that people has towards a thing is studied whereas quantitative research could answer that which is empirical in nature. It would seem then that the quantitative research is more inclined into the empirical foundations that it has and the qualitative research would be more inclined to the rational foundations. What could be inferred from this is that social science has a tendency to see itself as a science since it could still pertain to the researches that the natural sciences use. It could be seen that the empirical foundations that the social science tries to use could not help further their studies that is needed but it has become a hindrance for it to fully develop. The empirical and concrete laws and theories about humankind could not be generalized nor would becoming statistically and mathematically correct a way to salvage the science in social science (Flyvbjerg). Some people would usually cling to these believes thinking that as a branch of science they have the better advantage to those that belong to the humanities. In this aspect, they cling to what is scientific in order to have the authority that was given to them as a science. This recognition is yet to be revealed by those belonging to the social sciences especially when some usually turn a blind eye to the clamoring assessments that others had done concerning the arena in mention. It was said that the more social scientists try to do studies like the natural sciences, the more they have not further the developments needed for the branch to progress. It was said that the social science could not have the concrete and predictive results that the natural sciences have especially when the concerns of social science is on the concerns of the social strata that man belongs to. The main difference is that the natural world and its phenomena are different from man and his or her phenomena. This recognition could only mean that the empirical foundationalism that the social sciences are banking on could not work naturally in the area of concern that it takes up. Making a concrete and universal theory could not work for the social scientists since it would mean that man at this point has become a stagnant entity. The dynamics that is in man could not be generalized into a prejudged theory especially when social aspects could be stretched in countless ways. What could then be empirical in this aspect is that the what, where, and when that man could provide but other than that there is no more. What should be seen here is that after this mentality is scraped, one should then see that the rational foundationalism that the social scientists use could be incorporated in what the empirical foundationalism lacks. In Kant's philosophy, an attempted merging of rationalism and empiricism was used as a way to address the growing steam that the two parties have. The qualitative methods that the social scientists use tends to focus on the smaller areas that encompass man's society but this would be the beginning of what could be used as the "ideal" methods that the social scientists use. It was said that the best recourse for social science is for it to generally scrap the idea that the patterns in the natural sciences could be used in the studies. Instead it would appear that that the best way to do it is to create a methodology that would focus more on what is important for the subject-matter. The aspects in the social arena that man belongs makes it hard and diverse but what was proposed by Flyvbjerg is that the social science that matters could make do with the phronetic method and not the epistemic method that mimics the methods in the natural sciences. This phronetic method then would have to start by finding what really matters in society and the after carefully evaluating it, the feedbacks from the people concerned could used to further the research. It would then have to involve the combination of the empirical and the rational. References Social science. (n.d.). Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 08, 2007, from Answers.com Web site: http://www.answers.com/topic/social-sciences Flyvbjerg, B. Social Science That Matters [Electronic Version]. Foresight Europe, 38-42. Retrieved August 8, 2007 from http://flyvbjerg.plan.aau.dk/Publications2006/ForesightNo2PRINT.pdf

Film Studies Coursework Genre Essays

Film Studies Coursework Genre Essays Film Studies Coursework Genre Essay Film Studies Coursework Genre Essay The film that I have chosen is Blazing Saddles directed by Mel Brooks, who is a director that is famous for making comedy films for example, The Producers. So from the outset we can expect this film to fit into his style. This film fits into the comedy/western genre. The film is a parody of the western movie and takes on many influences from famous westerns that can be seen throughout the movie. This film takes western genre norms and gives them a comic twist in order to create the comedy/ western theme. The comedy used is mostly slapstick and visual comedy. A brief synopsis of the run up to this scene would be typical of the comedy/western genre. There are a group of African Americans who are being made to work on putting a railroad through the town of Rock ridge. The problem with this is that the townsfolk will have to leave before the rail road can go through the town. The assistant to the governor appoints one of the slaves as sheriff of the town in a ploy to make the townsfolk so repulsed that they will leave the town, from here the scene commences The first shot we see is a long shot of the street in the middle of the town. From this establishing shot we can see this is definitely a western. There is no road just dirt which is hardened by the horses that are also in the shot. Every store and house is made out of wood which is typical in western films. We can see women in this shot. The women are dressed in dresses that are typical to western movies and very commonly seen, they also wear bonnets with ribbons on them. All these factors are typical in western film. There are two different types of men that we can see in the shot. There is the gentleman who is wearing the suit outside the bank and then the rest of the men are wearing the cowboy style costume. In a typical cowboy costume we see a dust coat, sandy coloured chino trousers, cowboy boots, Stetson hats, chaps, Waistcoats and Spurs worn on the boots. The costume of the cowboy is iconic to the western and the way the costume looks makes the cowboys what they are. : The editing through the first half a minute of this scene is very slow there arent many shots. The editing plays a big part as for the action to go somewhere we need the scene to start of slow and paced so that the action can progress a technique often used in western films. The music that goes along to this scene is specially written for it. The lyrics of the song are very important in putting across the comedy aspect of its genre. The lyrics that go with the establishing shot are, there was a peaceful town called Rock Ridge, where people lived in harmony the instruments that back this up are instruments that would be associated with the western vibe. Instruments such as the acoustic guitar and the clarinet are used. These instruments give the western feel to the scene. Also the fact that the vocals are done by a choir, this we would associate with the choir at the town church which we later see. A tracking shot is used to show the stores and places that are in the town of Rock Ridg e for example, Howard Johnsons Ice-cream Parlour which is made comic by the fact that the sign outside says 1 flavour. The surname Johnson is a running joke as we find out after the song finishes. Everyone in the town is a Johnston which gives the impression that the townspeople are inbred. A little touch that also gives the western genre to this film is the way they have the bars that you ties horses up to, outside every store or house and on some there are horses to make it authentic. The location on the camera goes entirely with the lyrics of the song. When the lyrics are talking about the town itself the camera shots are all of the town and the town folk. When the lyrics then change to talking about the town saloon the camera is now in the town saloon. The town saloon is also iconic in the western and this is why it is included in this scene though the part that makes this comical is the fact that there are cattle just wandering about the barroom and no one takes any notice of them. The camera shot again here shows us the whole of the barroom then cuts to the bartender Anal Johnson the lyrics behind this shot are Behind the bar stood Anal Johnson, he always kept things nice and clean at the moment these lyrics are sang Anal Johnson who we see close up is covered in dirt and sweat and looks altogether disgusting, spits into the glass and wipes it. This gives the scene its comical side as he is the exact opposite of what the lyrics are saying. The barroom itself includes some features strongly associated with western movies for example, the swinging saloon doors. These are essential in a bar to give the film a western feel. Another feature is the small round wooden tables which we often see in westerns being overturned in shoot-outs and bar-brawls. These two things show that the film is western. The music behind the part of the scene in the bar consists of instruments that add to the western feel and that are often maybe found in western bars for example the honky tonk piano. As the scene moves onto the part where the murderers and thieves ride into town the music quickens and instruments change to violins which are often used in high action sequences. The editing becomes much faster which is expected in this scene as the action is now at its highpoint and the editing being much quicker is typical of a western style action sequence. The murderers and thieves who ride into town have a very striking appearance which is common in westerns. They are wearing the darker coloured black cowboy hats and are galloping in on horses. They all have whips and weapons of some sort which shows us that they are the villains in this scene, the fact that their weapons are whips and revolvers definitely gives the western feel to this part of the scene. A comical aspect which is added to this sequence in the scene is the part where one of the villains chases down a man who is on foot and the man jumps through a window to escape then jumps right back out the other one because he is being shot at from inside. This gives the action sequence a bit of a comical twist to it. Another part shortly after this which shows the comedy within the scene is when a man in a suit gets his foot caught on a rope and is dragged through the mud by a horse. He says, Well, thats the end of this suit which is funny because this is supposed to be an action scene where the villains are taking over and this man is worried about his suit. After this a public shower that is covered in a wood box is pulled down by a horse and there is a man left standing covered in soap bubbles trying to cover himself, this is obviously comedy as it is quite random and the audience dont expect it. The next part is a close up shot involving to villains and an old lady who being b eaten up by them. The way they are beating her up is over-exaggerated the punches have fake sounding sound effects this makes the violence cartoon like. She turns to the camera and says, Have you ever seen such cruelty? this again is funny but also we can see clearly from her appearance that this film is a western. Also speaking to the camera breaks the rules of cinema but as the audience we dont see anything wrong with it. She is wearing a material kind of hat round her head, a poncho over her shoulders and a purple coloured dress. This kind of dress is typical of women in western films. After the sequence in the scene where the villains try to take over the town the editing becomes slower again and more zoom and tracking shots are used rather than quick cutting. There is an establishing shot of the typical town church which is often seen in western film, its almost an iconic feature that lets the audience know for definite that this is western. The last verse of the song goes as follows. Now it is time of great decision are we to stay or up and quit? Theres no avoiding this conclusion our town is turning into shit. This verse is comical as the lyrics are now being sung by the town folk in the church. The fact they say our town is turning into shit makes this comical as the audience we do not expect this from the scene that has been set, especially because of the fact it is inside the church. This kind of song is quite typical of songs sang by Frankie Lane they are typical western style songs and the usually describe action that is taking place on the screen or give background on the film films like 3:10 to Yuma have this in them. The song finishes and the priest in the church starts to talk to the crowd. A line that he says gives us notification of the western and comical style themes when he says, Sheriff murdered, crops burned, stores looted, people stampeded and cattle raped. This line gives us a sense of western style as the crimes he speaks of are very much typical of western film the reference to the sheriff shows us that we are clearly in a western. The comical side of this is the way he says that people were stampeded and cattle were raped as this is obviously said the wrong way round yet, the town folk agree with him. This is what makes these lines funny. The priest says that the time has come to act and act fast and then says, Im leaving this is funny because what the audience expect is an emotional and moving speech that lifts the town folks spirits but we dont get this at all. Through the rest of this scene we are introduced to very typical characters that would often be seen in westerns. We are first introduced to the town drunk who is dressed very scruffily in an old shirt and has very long grey facial hair and looks altogether messy. We see this character often in westerns and they are often used as a character that will bring laughter out of their actions. The way this character speaks shows us a lot of the phrases that are used in western film, the language that they speak basically. The thing that makes this funny is the way that this character actually uses nearly every one of the slang words in every sentence he uses. We are then introduced to the business men who wear very clean cut suits and talk normally and clearly. The se business men both have good jobs, one is the owner of the ice-cream parlour and the other is the doctor for the town. The reverend asks the congregation to rise and starts by saying he will read from the book of Matthew, Mark, Luke and duck! at the point when he says duck, a bunch of dynamite sticks are thrown through the window. This is an instance of comic timing on the director part as we can clearly see how it fits with the dialogue in the scene at this point. The dynamite sticks themselves are also an indication of the western genre as these are iconic weapons used in a lot of westerns. Overall I think the scene works well. The camerawork and sound especially make the scene as effective as it is. The editing change in the middle of the scene makes the contrast between the harmony within the town and the action. This directors take on the comedy/western genre is typical to the director himself. The comedy used in this scene is mainly visual as well as some audible comedy that comes through in the song. The visual comedy is also typical to the directors style. I think overall the way the director has taken the western theme and made it comical is well done as we clearly see all the aspects of the western along with the comedy that comes through in the dialogue and visual interactions between characters.

Ethics memo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Ethics memo - Essay Example Instant messaging might be considered as a source of enhancing the productivity of Texas technologies. This is because IM allows the employees to perform multiple tasks in an effective manner. However, a major issue linked with this feature is that the security and privacy risks as well as legal issues of the employers can be made an increased subject of exposure. it should be concern that if no strict policy is not put into practice, the Texas technology would result in a lack of control over their employees and inevitably into a disastrous end for the company. A major concern is that the most of the employers are unaware of the pervasiveness of the use of instant messages within the company. This is mainly because the employees at Texas technology are set up IM accounts without the knowledge of the company. In order to put a stop to this issue within the Texas technology it is important that effective policies should be enforced and the employees should be educated on the matter. Certain guidelines for appropriate and suitable personal as well as business use must be enforced and set so as to ensure that the employees are utilizing the feature of IM in a professional manner at Texas technology. By educating the employees regarding the proper IM usage will lead to minimized employers risk. Due to the fact that the IM accounts are an easy target for hacker penetration, the technology should be in place because this is allow the identity of the person they are in communication with to be confirmed. The employers must be made aware of certain legal issues which result from using the instant messaging within the company. Closing: it can thus be summarized that the use of instant messaging certain employees consider as a type of break can result in disastrous effect for the company. This can be done by appropriate IM management. Defense against liability for the behavior of the employees on IM can be accomplished

Tangle wood Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Tangle wood - Case Study Example The company is a chain of retail stores that stocks various items that include home decor items, electronic appliances, and clothing. The company’s target market consists of the upper class, middle class, and even the budget customers. According to Heneman et al., the company derives its competitive advantage from its outdoor theme and the large camping section in each store, and even the design concepts of each store (34). Since 1975 up to now, the company has witnessed tremendous growth that has enabled it to operate more than 240 stores located across the United States and this growth has equally been represented by an increase in the number of employees as well as the increased profitability of the company. This present case analysis of the Tanglewood Company will analyze the turnover problem that has being experienced in the company. Secondly, it will analyze how this problem might be tackled, the necessary actions that should be taken to solve the problem, and how the av ailable options will be evaluated. Turnover at the Tanglewood stores The human resource department at an organization such as Tangelwood Company is mandated to undertake the task of workforce retention or to ensure that employee turnover is at a minimum level. According to Heneman et al., workforce retention is mainly emphasized in order to reduce cost of continually hiring new workers and to ensure there is continuity in the organization. This is to say that turnover at the Tangleowood stores was a major problem that could possibly affect the quality of service at the stores, since staff had to be hired periodically and even before, they could master their roles well and even get to know the customers, they would leave the company. This high rate of turnover of staffs at the company meant that the store managers had to regularly use financial resources and valuable time to train the new staffs (43-45). Sims was of the view that an organization, which has a high turnover of employee s, is not financially sound or the management and in particular, the human resource management is poor and lacks proficiency. Therefore, a strategic human resource management at the Tanglewood Company would implement appropriate strategies to ensure that employees are comfortable in the work place and every aspect of the stores favors them, which will make them feel encouraged to continue working for the organization (121-125). Solving the turnover problem at Tanglewood Company It has been noted above that there needs to be implementation of appropriate strategies that will ensure staffs are encouraged to work at the Tanglewood stores for a longer duration. With reference to the writings by Sims, it is noted that one of the ways through which to lower employee turnover is by ensuring that the staffs have an opportunity to grow within the company and this is achieved by reserving promotion spots for the company’s current workforce (93). This strategy will encourage the current workforce to stay in the company as they await their chance to be promoted to the next level where the salary and benefits would increase. Heneman et al. supported this strategy by stating that in most cases employees leave a company because of limited opportunities for growth and so they look for other companies that will enable them to grow in terms of their career and even enjoy better remuneration (56-58). The other related strategy is offering training programs to the staffs, which sharpen their skills as well as improve their competency level. Through human resource development, employees become more devoted to the company and they have a feeling that they owe the company, because of the training that it has been offered to them. The other strategic option for solving the turnove

Ping Sweeps and Port Scans Essay Example for Free

Ping Sweeps and Port Scans Essay This report is to provide insight on nefarious computer activities called ping sweeps and port scans as a request from management. I will identify them, explain what they are use for, how they are used and how to stop them from attacking a network. Finally I will discuss how they can be eliminated as security risk. The information in this report is designed to increase the understanding and knowledge of these two activities so that this company’s IT department will be in a better position to recognize them and block potential attacks from their use. According to S. Branch (2012), in his article What is a Ping Sweep he says â€Å"A ping sweep, also called an Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) sweep, is a diagnostic technique used in computing to see what range of (IP) addresses are in use by live host, which are usually computers†. Ping sweeps are not unusual, they are often used by administrators in diagnosing network issues; however, hackers also use ping sweeps to find active computers so they will know where to concentrate their attacks. This can become a serious security breach for an unprepared network. Hackers send not one ping but many packets at the same time. This tends to slow down a network. When the hackers ping sweep finds an active computer it can send request for confidential information. There is no reason to be alarmed by ping sweeps because the solution for stopping them is very simple. The system administrator only need to disable ICMP packets and if the system administrator wants to do a ping sweep, just enable the ICMP packets temporarily. According to S. Branch (2012), â€Å"ping sweeps are older and slower technology, and are not in use as much as in the past†. A port scan attack is a popular reconnaissance technique that attackers use to discover services they can break into according to Yahoo Answers (2007), Author unknown. Yahoo Answers states that â€Å"All machines connected to a network run many services that use TCP or UDP ports and there are more than 6000 defined ports available. Normally port scan does not make direct damage just by port scanning. Potentially a port scan helps the attacker find which ports are available to launch various attacks†. A port scan sends a message  to each port one at a time. The response received back indicates whether the port is being used and if so, the port will be probed for weakness. TCP ports are the most attacked ports because they are connected oriented and give good feedback to the attacker. The most frequent port scan attacks to look for are: Stealth Scan, which is design to be undetected by auditing tools, SOCKS, which allows multiple machines to share a common internet connection, easy access when not configured correctly. Bounce Scans, are systems that they can bounce their attacks through. These systems are FTP server, Email server, HTTP Proxy, Finger and others. These all have vulnerabilities to do bounce scans. They also use UDP ports to find open ports, but it is not often used because it is easily blocked. Port Scan attacks can be reduced or completely solved by deploying Firewalls at critical locations of a network to filter unwanted traffic. There is also Port Scan Attack Detectors (PSAD) on the market for free use. In the fast developing world of computer technologies there will always be hackers and other types looking for ways to still. In the earlier days of computer technology they were not much of a problem if any. Today programmers and system builders program and build their goods with hackers and others in mind. Many security features are built in and other features are discussed and put in place at the beginning of the project. Nothing is foolproof, but if there is a way for them to get in, there is a way to keep them out. References Author unknown. (2007). What is a Port Scan Attack? : Yahoo Answers http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061105020422AAtre1p Branch S. (2012). What is a Ping Sweep? :  © 2003-2013 Conjecture Corporation http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-ping-sweep.htm

The Filmmaking of Michael Moore Essay -- Entertainment

Michael Moore, an Academy Award-winning filmmaker is known for his highly controversial documentaries. He appeals to the newer generation, trying to educate people along with addressing our unresolved social issues in the United States. He gives insight to corrupt things that our government is involved in that citizens do not know about if they do not read or watch the news. Michael Moore proved to be a big-time influence through his work in the movie industry. His main message is to get people to stop following their government blindly, but rather speak out, ask questions, get involved, and most of all shows people’s power to be able change what needs to be changed. He proves being patriotic means taking responsibility and being informed about what’s happening in the media and all of Michael Moore’s films give the audience this. Time magazine named Michael Moore one of the World’s 100 most influential people. Through his Oscar and Emmy awards, he proves even a powerless author and producer with nothing more than a pen and a movie camera can make a tremendous difference. His documentary Bowling for Columbine reiterated that by a determination and persistence that not only him, but patriots can create change. He interviewed some of the surviving victims of the Columbine shootings along with Charlton Heston, the NRA president. He shows the gruesome effect of allowing guns and bullets to be so easily accessible. Kmart was his main destination and he took it upon himself by going right to the top of a major corporate food chain. The documentary was about how he was able to get them to stop selling bullets completely. Getting Kmart to stop selling bullets doesn’t mean that you’re going to prevent kids from going somewhere ... ...own opinion in public, which many people are not courageous enough to do, and for that many respect him. Michael Moore proves that one man can make a difference. He is a great example of exercising our right to free speech and questioning the government. If something doesn’t seem right he is a spokesperson for finding out the truth. Michael was a small town boy who grew up to become one of the most influential documentary film makers of our time. Works Cited Bowling For Columbine. Dir. Michael Moore. 2002. Fahrenheit 911. Dir. Michael Moore. 2004. Penn, Sean. Time.com. 18 April 2005. 8 March 2012 . Sicko. Dir. Michael Moore. 2007. The Oprah Winfrey Show. Michael Moore's Sicko. 1 January 2006. 8 March 2012 .

A Revelation to me Essay

When I was a kid, I got almost anything I wanted. I had travelled to China and seen the Great Wall. I travelled to Brisbane to see the Coral Reef and I even travelled to Italy and saw places like the Coliseum and the Sistine Chapel. However, to me, Singapore was the be all and end all of the world. I had lived there for 11 years and all my wants and needs were met on that small island. I could walk anywhere without worrying about getting kidnapped. I could take a taxi and not worry about the driver cheating you. I could even leave the house 10 minutes for a lesson and not worry about being late. I had a lovely school, a nice group of international friends and moreover a house in a pristine location. All was good. One day, my dad was at work and my brother was at a sleepover. My mother took me to my favorite restaurant at that time†¦McDonalds. I knew something was fishy, because I hadn’t done anything good, but I went along with it. Then she brought me a FULL Meal. Hmmmm†¦suspicious but I again parried it off. Then she upsized it. Ok! Something was wrong. So when I went to the table to eat my Upsized, full meal of McDonalds, I asked my mum â€Å"What’s going on? What’s the special occasion?’ And she replied, â€Å"Nothing Rushad. Can’t we just have a mother, son outing?† I looked at her in the eye and I could tell something was wrong. â€Å"Ok, fine.† She said. Paused. Took a bite from her burger. Swallowed. Then said â€Å"We are moving from Singapore.† â€Å"Don’t lie.† I laughed. â€Å"You can’t be serious! MUM!† But she just shook her head, like a bothered elephant and said â€Å"I’m sorry.† â€Å"But I don’t want to move.† And she told me the words I will never forget: â€Å"Life is like McDonalds. One day you get the Big Mac, whilst others you just get simple Chicken Nuggets. However, sometimes, you only get what’s available and have no say in the matter. Do you think a chicken wants to be killed to fill your stomach? Or a cow slaughtered to fill you up? No, sometimes, you have to accept defeat and walk along the path your life has chosen.† This was a turning point in my life. I realized that in life, you don’t always get what you wanted. Fortunately, some people learn this in simple ways such as not winning the game you wanted, or not getting that pretty girl to go out with you. Unfortunately for me, I learnt this the hard way. Leaving all that I knew behind, to start a fresh life in Jakarta. Sometimes you only want something, like staying in Singapore, because it’s the safe way out. However, moving to Jakarta was a risk and a scary adventure.