Law and journalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Law and journalism - Essay Example These are through seeking and obtaining the full permission of the creator, referred to as the rights holder, and strictly adhering to the conditions under which permission is granted. The second and most widely used instance is fair use. The extent to which copyrighted material can be used is dependent on the various elements of fair use. Fair use however must be attributed to the original creator of the original material. Fair use is determined on four main grounds. First, fair use is determined by the purpose and manner of use of a copyrighted material. The reason that applies here is use non-profit or educational purposes. It is legally acceptable to use copyrighted for the reason of advancing knowledge or and advancement of the art by adding substantive new information in a way that completely distinguishes it from the original state and should generally be for the enrichment of the general public. There should be a sense of transformation to the new material and not merely a matter of derivation(Rolph, 45). Secondly, fair use applies when the item used is that which is in public domain, ideas among others. It should therefore be noted that copyright only protects the form, manner and style with which an idea is expressed and not the actual idea.Fair use is also justifiable on basis of the amount and substantiality. This basically encompasses the quantity and percentage of the copyrighted material has been adopted into the new work. A court of law would however determine the substance of the information needed to constitute infringement of copyright. Finally, fair use is determined on basis of the implications of the price of the original material in light development of the new one. As such, use of copyrighted material should be approached with care not to adversely affect the market situation of the original one, specifically the price. Most jurisdictions in the world generally treat copyright infringement as a civil crime, where all the aforementioned

Sentencing Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sentencing - Term Paper Example Contextually, there are various considerations and provisions under the aforementioned clause, wherein courts are required to perform a review of every case in relation to proportionality (Gardner & Anderson, 2011). The major considerations and provisions that are included in proportionality in the US Courts are as follows. The magnitude of the crime committed and the severity of the punishment sentenced Sentences that are enforced for identical criminal acts in similar jurisdictions Sentences that are enforced for identical criminal acts in relation to other jurisdictions Source: (Gardner & Anderson, 2011) The principle of proportionality came into practice following the case rule in Solem v. Helm, 463 U.S. 227 (1983) and subsequently, the Supreme Court of the US implemented the procedures in accordance with which proportionality amid crime and penalty were to be evaluated. The case of Pulley v. Harris, 1984 can also be regarded as a landmark case in the history of developing the pr inciple of proportionality by the US Supreme Court Gardner & Anderson, 2011). ... Contextually, there are certain groups of individuals who cannot be offered with the death punishment sentence. These individuals include defendants who are (i) mentally retarded or insane, or (ii) are juveniles under 18 years of age and (iii) defendants who are found to be guilty in aiding a felony act but restrains from committing a homicide or a similar category of felony themselves (Gardner & Anderson, 2011). For an example, in the case of Graham v. Florida (No. 08-7412) (2010), the delivered judgment advocated that Graham (the defendant) committed robbery and armed burglary crimes. Later, Graham was charged with additional crimes and accordingly, the trial court canceled his probation terms, convicting him with life imprisonment punishment sentence. Graham then appealed and charged against his sentences under ‘Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause’. Contextually, in accordance with the principle of the clause, because Graham was a juvenile, it was ruled that he could not be sentenced with life imprisonment of death penalty without parole in case of non-homicide crime (Cornell University Law School, 2010). The ‘Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause’, under the provisions of the US Supreme Court, also states that mentally retarded people or insane convicts cannot be deemed eligible to be punished with death sentence, but can be or life imprisonment [Ford v. Wainwright (No. 85-5542) 752 F.2d 526, reversed and remanded] (Cornell University Law School, n.d.). As mentioned above, the principle also prohibits the US courts from delivering a death sentence to a convict who is found guilty to aid and/or abet a homicide crime or equivalent criminal offence(s) but is not directly responsible for the committed crime [Enmund v. Florida (No. 81-5321) 399 So.2d

Electronic Wastes Essay Example for Free

Electronic Wastes Essay E-Waste or Waste Of Electronic and Electrical Equipment has been known to contain more than 20 hazardous substances including lead, mercury and PCB’s (Polychlorobiphenyls). In the recent times e-waste has risen through the ranks of most harmful and destructive materials and has become the cause of worry for the entire world. With technology always a blink of an eye away there is always something swankier, better, and fancier than our present monitor, mobile set, and television. Just spare a thought to where all our discarded electronics go to and the mind goes boggling. Well, at the time of manufacturing some precious metals as well as toxic materials are used to prepare most of the flashy gadgets that we use. While during recycling the precious metals are refurbished and reused, the toxic materials on the other hand like lead, mercury and plastic are disposed or burnt. These substances when burned or disposed incorrectly release carcinogenic substances into air which have their own dire consequences. As e-waste is presently concentrated in the informal (unorganized) sector therefore it also results in occupational hazards and loss of resources due to inefficient processes. In Asia alone millions of computers are disposed each month, and add to this some other micro electronics like tube lights, electric bulbs, lightening equipments and the list grows quite fat but what percent of them are disposed properly to facilitate complete recycling or in a way the environment, well, the numbers aren’t very encouraging. Though there are certain plastics which can be recycled up to eight times but they require certain machineries to initiate the process and finish it neatly and completely. Those machineries are quite sophisticated and expensive and are mainly manufactured in china and Japan. Due to these blockages e-waste has become quite an important and at the same time a problematic issue. E-waste as such is not hazardous waste per-se. However, the hazardous constituents present in the e-waste render it hazardous when such wastes are dismantled and processed, since it is only at this stage that they pose hazard to health and environment. Some important constituents of e-waste are given below- ELECTRONIC ITEM CONSTITUENTS 1. Printed circuit boards Lead and Cadmium 2. Cathode ray tubes Lead oxide and Cadmium 3. Switches and flat screen monitors Mercury 4. Computer batteries Cadmium 5. Capacitors and transformers Poly-chlorinated-bi-phenyls 6. Cable insulation/coating Poly vinyl chloride 7. Plastic casings cable Retardant (Source: Power Systems By J. B. Gupta) Most of the constituents stated in the above list are non-recyclable but through efficient use of technology they can be reused up to a certain extent. In today’s hi-tech world one can’t really alienate himself to the latest technology especially in the field of electronics and as it is said, that today’s world is moving at a supersonic speed and if you can’t update yourself to its demands then it is bound to leave you light years away, and also one can’t shy away from the fact that if the waste recycling system works at its present pace then the entire world might soon have to face the fierce fury of the mother nature. Though e-waste recycling is expected to rapidly change with formal recyclers setting up operations but a lot of work needs to be done at the ground level. Recycling operations should engage in dismantling, sale of dismantled parts, valuable resource recovery and export of processed waste for precious metal recovery to countries like Japan and China. But one thing that must be kept in mind during recycling is that the main work is to be done during processing as e-waste is distinct as it is an end of consumption waste while hazardous waste results from a distant industrial process. The e-waste chain is rather complex as it involves multiple players-producers, distributors, retailers, end consumers, collection system and recyclers while hazardous waste chain involves only the occupier/generator and the operator. From the word operator I hazily remember a story I heard in high school about an e-junkyard owner and a chief operational head of an electronics company who handled recycled components department. The owner and the chief had met through an old acquaintance and had kept in touch following their common interests in cricket and chess. The owner was well known in his circle for his sharpness of repartee and tricky common sense something which the chief was unaware of. Once while playing chess with the chief the owner commented that the sales have nose-dived in the recent times due to less number of people now opting for recycling their e-wastes. The chief in turn replied that since he and the owner were good friends so he could help him bag some contracts from his company to recycle the e-waste if only he could beat him at the game of chess. The owner obliged but put forward a small demand that was to be completed if he won. There were no surprises when the owner won but after the game when the chief came to terms with the gravity of the loss he almost fainted. The so called small demand of the owner spilled like hot volcano magma on the face of the chief. The demand was as follows: The owner agreed to play the game of chess but only on one condition that the contract with the company should include a clause indicating the number of e-wastes he would acquire to recycle and then he devised a method to calculate the thus required number. This method involved a chess board on which the number of e-wastes that should be given to him were to be counted. He demanded that firstly he be given only two e-components to be placed on the first square of the chess board. The second lot was to be placed on the second square and the number of e-components he be given, doubled. Therefore on each subsequent square of the chess board the number doubled and at the half way mark the number of e-components reached an astonishingly high figure of fifty million. Fifty million and still counting, the chief has till date not been able to pay for the contracts he had promised to the owner in a light mood. So, what we conclude from above is that there’s no need to panic even in the worst of times. Even if we start investing in e-recycling today we can leave a better future for our coming generations. Also, the governments around the world must ensure that their industries adhere to e-waste (Management and Handling) rules under the environment protection act and put in place an effective mechanism to regulate the generation, collection, storage, transportation, import, export, environmentally sound recycling, treatment and disposal of e-waste. This includes refurbishment, collection system and producer responsibility thereby reducing the wastes destined for final disposal. The different e-waste fractions are processed to directly useable components and to secondary raw materials in a variety of refining and conditioning processes. Solid waste is deposited in a municipal landfill. Systematic gas and water collecting systems are not installed; hence significant emissions to water and air are caused. The site is crowded with informal waste pickers. Works Cited Theraja, B. L. â€Å"Electrical Technology† Volume II. Gupta, J. B. â€Å"Electronic Devices And Circuits† , Katson Books. Gupta, J. B. â€Å"Power Systems† , Katson Books. Technologies Applied in New Delhi. http://ewasteguide. info/technologies_applied_in_new_delh

The Great Gatsby: The American Dream

The Great Gatsby: The American Dream According to Aristotle, there are a number of characteristics that identify a tragic hero: he must cause his own downfall; his fate is not deserved, and his punishment exceeds the crime; he also must be of noble stature and have greatness. These are all characteristics of Jay Gatsby, the main character of Fitzgeralds novel, The Great Gatsby. Jay Gatsby is a tragic hero according to Aristotles definition. In Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby, all the characters are, in one way or another, attempting to become happier with their lives. The characters in the novel are divided into two groups: the rich upper class and the poorer lower class(West egg and East egg) though the main characters only try to make their lives better, the American dream they are all trying to achieve is eventually ruined by the harsh reality or life. The American Dream consists of success, fame, and wealth. Many Americans have the idea of the white collar life; a job, a house, a loving wife, and kids. This is what Jay Gatsy dreams of having with his Daisy. The American Dream changes people in ways that make them for better or drive them towards their fall. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald shows how dreams are destroyed, no matter what the dreams consist of, money, material status, or just simply to be happy. Fitzgerald also shows that the failure of the American Dream is unavoidable in a sense that nothing can be as perfect as one could imagine. Without hopes or dreams life would be empty. The American Dream is something every person works for throughout his or her life. Although the American Dream is admirable, it is impossible to achieve eternal satisfaction. The American Dream is just that, a dream. Jay Gatsby is known as the wealthy man who is trying to move forward to reach The American Dream. His life represents The American Dream in the way that he was corrupted by his love for Daisy while reaching the dream you have to be corrupted by money. Money symbolized by the color green represents wealth which is one of the factors to achieving the American dream. Gatsby is portrayed as the tragic character because for love he was willing to abandon his family and change his lifestyle so he can be finally accepted by Daisy. The shirts symbolize the change in Gatsby from when he was younger to the present. Daisy likes when Tom has shirts because they represent the money they have to buy those shirts and when Gatsby shows her the shirts he had bought for him she is appalled by the difference of what he was in the past that she nearly cries. Gatsby wants a better life and he thinks he can do it if he puts his mind to it, which is also a part of the American Dream. However, Gatsbys dream collapses when he fails to win Daisy and is not accepted by the upper class. All his money cannot help him when old man Wilson fires a gun at him. Gatsby sees himself as a failure when Daisy chooses Tom instead of him. The failure of Gatsbys hoped for life relates to the failure of the American Dream. Without his dream Gatsby has nothing, nothing to keep him going, no direction, and no purpose to live. Myrtle Wilson is a character who fails to achieve the American Dream. Her desire to reach the upper class brought her to a downfall. Though Myrtle Wilson makes an attempt to escape her own class and pursue happiness with the rich, she ends up gaining nothing and eventually dies. She is basically a victim of the group she wanted to join. Myrtle tries to become like Tom by having an affair with him and taking on his way of living, but in doing so she becomes unsatisfied with her life. Her constant clothing changes show that she is unhappy with her life, she changes personalities every time she changes her dress: with the influence of the dress her whole personality had also undergone a change. The intense vitality was converted into impressive hauteur(pg. 35). Myrtle raised her eyebrows in despair at the shiftlessness of the lower orders.These people! You have to keep after them all the time.'(pg. 36). . Myrtle tries to create a new life for herself but eventually falls victim to it wh ile trying to be someone she wasnt. Myrtle felt trapped with her husband and her stature and she pushed harder to attain what she felt would benefit her. In the end though, she dies because of a mistake that she made due to her senses of lust and somewhat greed. Myrtle represents the unfulfilled American dream. Fitzgerald embodied the American experience as success and failure, illusion and disillusion, dream and nightmare. The contradictions he experienced and put into fiction heighten the implications of the dream for individual lives: the promise and possibilities, violations and corruptions of those ideals of nationhood and personality dreamed into being. Jay Gatsby and Myrtle Wilson have both tried to accomplish The American Dream and that led them to their tragic flaw. The American dream represents corruption and lies. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is the American classic of a tragedy that will have the characters live on forever as an example of the wrong impact the American dream can have.

Succinate Dehydrogenase Enzyme In Inner Mitochondrial Membrane Biology Essay

Succinate Dehydrogenase Enzyme In Inner Mitochondrial Membrane Biology Essay Succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) is an enzyme found in the inner mitochondrial membrane, which makes it an easy target to isolate when studying the citric acid cycle. This enzyme is responsible for catalyzing the oxidation of succinate into fumarate and can be used as a marker enzyme during the isolation of mitochondria through differential centrifugation. The isolated mitochondria can be treated with a sodium azide reagent to inhibit the mitochondrion transport of electron in the cell extract. To measure the activity of the enzyme, an artificial electron acceptor (2, 6-dichlorophenolindphenol, DCIP) is used to accept two electrons. Upon receiving electrons, the oxidized DCIP is reduced and the color of the mixture changes from blue to colorless. Spectrophotometry at the 600nm range can then be used to quantify this color change, and give an indication of the mitochondrial content of a given sample. As the The findings show that the experiment mimics Michaelis-Menten kinetic properties Enzymes are regulators of metabolic pathways that lower the activation energy in order to catalyze the acceleration of biochemical reactions [1]. Most enzymes are characterized as showing Michaelis-Menten (M-M) kinetic properties. Simply, enzymes work by binding its substrate reversibly changing its conformation to form an enzyme-substrate complex, and then detach to form free enzyme and product. If there is low substrate concentration, there will be very little enzyme activity and the rate of the reaction will slow down. If there is high substrate concentration, the enzyme will be more active and the reaction will be faster. At a certain point, if the substrate concentration is saturated, the rate of the reaction will not increase [1]. Along with the substrate concentration, these dynamics can be characterized as the M-M constant (Km) and maximum velocity (Vmax). These factors determine the initial velocity of the biochemical reaction and contribute to the understanding of the M-M e quation (in fig.1) However, when a competitive inhibitor is present, the inhibitor can bind to the active site to prevent the normal substrate from binding and forming the product. Thus, both the inhibitor and substrate compete for the active site of the enzyme, which based on the M-M equation, allows the Vmax to stays constant and the Km to change [2]. In the experiment, we will examine activity of SDH, an important component of the citric acid cycle that is responsible for catalyzing the oxidation of succinate to fumarate in the inner membrane of the mitochondria. The enzymatic activity will be determined by mitochondria fractionation from isolated cells of cauliflower by the technique of differential centrifugation. Also, we will determine the effects of enzyme concentration and competitive inhibition on the initial velocity of the reaction by adding the malonate, a classic competitive inhibitor. We will measure the reaction by blocking the electron transport with sodium azide and monitoring the reduction of the DCIP that can be followed by the change in spectrophotometry absorbance reading at 600 nm over time Since the oxidized form of the dye is blue and the reduced form is colorless, the reaction can be reestablished based on the experiment (in fig.2),. Thus, we hypothesize that the reaction will follow M-M kinetics as the abs orbance will decrease when the malonate is added Methods In isolating mitochondria, we removed with a scalpel 20 g of cauliflower from the outer 2-3 mm surface. Then, we grinded the tissue with a pestle in a chilled mortar in 40 ml of ice-cold mannitol grinding buffer for 4 min. We filtered the suspension and squeeze the solution out through four layers of cheesecloth into three chilled 15 ml centrifuge tube. Then, we centrifuged the filtrate solution at 1000 x gravity for 10 min and decanted the supernatant into a chilled 50 ml centrifuge tube. After, we re-spun the filtrate solution at 10,000 x gravity for 30 min at 0-4 °C and discarded the supernatant in the sink leaving the pellet. Then, we added 7.0 ml of icecold mannitol assay buffer to the mitochondrial pellet and scraped and mixed the mitochondrial pellet from the wall of the centrifuge tube with a spatula and vortex thoroughly to re-suspend the pellet in the assay buffer. Until needed, we transferred the mitochondrial suspension to a test tube and stored it in an ice bath. In measuring the activity of SDH, we label 10 test tubes or cuvettes as shown in table 1. We heated 0.6 ml of the ice cold mitochondria suspension in a boiling water for 5 min and placed it in an ice bath to cool. Then, we added correct volumes of azide, DCIP, malonate, and succinate to all labeled test tubes indicated in the table, covered them with Parafilm and inverted to blend the solutions. After, we add specific volume of the mitochondrial suspension to blanks 1-4 and tubes 1-4. Using a spectrophotometer set at 600nm, we blanked and took the absorbance of tubes 1-4 every two minutes until 20 minutes after the first reading. Then, we repeated again by taking the absorbance using only test tubes 5-7 for every two minutes. Results The spectrophotometer results we obtained are presented in Table 2, and shown graphically in Figure 3-7. In Table 2, the first 4 test tubes and blanks we were only able to take 3 readings and the test tubes 5-7, we were able to take 4 readings. The greatest absorbance reading was obtained for test tube 4 at 2.363 abs., which is because malonate, the competitor inhibitor, is present along with the substrate, succinate. In Tube 6, one of the lowest absorbance readings because it is a negative control and does not have any cellular suspension. This is shown experimentally when the reaction mixture will remain the color blue because with the succinate there is no reaction between the marker enzyme and the DCIP. In Table 3, we calculated the change in absorbance from tube 1-4 for every 2 minutes. We also calculated the initial velocity by dividing the change in absorbance by the elapsed time. In Figure 3, the graph shows the initial velocity depends on the enzyme concentration. When the e nzyme concentration is high, it start to rapidly decrease the initial velocity because the ratio of substrate to enzyme will be abnormally low, which will decrease the formation of product. In Figure 4, the graph represent the data in Table 2, where the initial velocity measured by elapsed time. The second highest reading was found for Tube 2 (0.987), which was also in concordance with the class results. This sample contained the heaviest constituents of the cell (mostly nuclei), as well as any unbroken whole cells that may have remained after the mechanical grinding and initial centrifugation at 600x. We found Tube 8 to have the third highest absorbance reading (0.626) and Tube 4 with the lowest (0.483). However, the sample from Tube 8 should have had a lower absorbance value than Tube 4, as was seen in the average class results displayed in Table 1. Tube 8 should contain the majority of the mitochondria (as well as some lysosomes), and Tube 4 should have any residual mitochondria and smaller organelles that did not remain in the pellet after the 12,000x centrifugation. Discussion There are a number of reasons why our findings did not match up with the expected results. Although improbable, it is possible that the 12,000x centrifugation for 30 minutes was not properly carried out, perhaps because the samples were not maintained at a consistent temperature of 0-40C. It is more likely that the re-suspension of the pellet (Tube C) with the mannitol assay buffer was not performed effectively. The pellet clumps may not have been properly dispersed, and so even though more mitochondria may have been present in Tube 8 (as they should have been), they were not free to interact with the other reagents in solution. A third reason may be that too much DCIP was added to Tube 8 (relative to Tube 4), and so there was an excess of the blue DCIP reagent in that sample (and hence a higher absorbance reading due to a lower degree of color loss). Differential centrifugation, when done correctly, is a reasonably effective method for mitochondrial isolation, although separation is achieved based only on size differences of the cell components. When dealing with small organelles, a more appropriate method to use may be sucrose gradient centrifugation, which allows for separation based on size as well as shape, especially when dealing with crude cellular extracts such as cauliflower. Cited Resources Nelson, D.L., Cox, M.M. (2007) Lehninger: Principles of Biochemistry, Fifth Edition, Freeman, New York, NY Gilbert, H.F. (2000) Basic Concepts in Biochemistry, Second Edition, McGraw Hill, New York, NY Figure 1 Figure 2 SDH-FADH2 + DCIP(blue) > SDH-FAD + DCIP (colorless) + 2H+ Table 1 Cuvette Assay Medium Azide DCIP Malonate Succinate Mitochondrial Suspension Blank 1 3.7 mL 0.5 mL - 0.5 mL 0.3 mL 1 3.2 mL 0.5 mL 0.5 mL - 0.5 mL 0.3 mL Blank 2 3.1 mL 0.5 mL - - 0.5 mL 0.9 mL 2 2.6 mL 0.5 mL 0.5 mL - 0.5 mL 0.9 mL Blank 3 3.4 mL 0.5 mL - 0.5 mL 0.6 mL 3 2.9 mL 0.5 mL 0.5 mL 0.5 mL 0.6 mL 4 2.7 mL 0.5 mL 0.5 mL 0.2 mL 0.5 mL 0.6 mL 5 3.4 mL - 0.5 mL 0.5 mL 0.6 mL 6 3.4 mL 0.5 mL 0.5 mL 0.6 mL 7 2.9 mL 0.5 mL 0.5 mL 0.5 mL 0.6 mL Table 2 Trial 1 Trail 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Blank 1 0.04 0.003 0.006 0.008 1 1.10 1.16 1.158 1.112 Blank 2 0.03 0.001 0.004 0.003 2 0.64 0.644 0.648 0.645 Blank 3 0.06 0.002 0.008 0.005 3 0.56 0.06 0.670 0.682 4 2.36 1.85 2.221 2.223 5 0.83 0.73 0.723 0.720 6 0.76 0.73 0.734 0.725 7 0.78 0.72 0.704 0.705 Table 3 Time (min:sec) Tubes 1-4 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Abs (nm) Initial Velocity (à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Abs/min) Time (min:sec) Tubes 5-7 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Abs (nm) Initial Velocity (à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Abs/min) 11:10 -.5505 -.0500 9:10 .1057 .0117 13:10 -.0008 -.00062 11:10 .032 .0029 15:10 .4989 .03326 13:10 .0617 .0047 17:10 .5062 .0298 15:10 .1161 .00774 19:10 -.0533 -.0028 17:10 .0338 .00199 21:20 -.0043 -.0002 19:10 .0784 .0041 23:10 -.1095 -.0048 21:10 .1195 .0057 25:10 .142 .00568 23:10 .0428 .0019 - 25:10 .0781 .0031 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7

Averting Arguments: Nagarjuna’s Verse 29 Essay -- Nagarjuna Verse 29 E

Averting Arguments: Nagarjuna’s Verse 29 ABSTRACT: I examine Nagarjuna’s averting an opponent’s argument (Verse 29 of Averting the Arguments), Paul Sagal’s general interpretation of Nagarjuna and especially Sagal’s conception of "averting" an argument. Following Matilal, a distinction is drawn between locutionary negation and illocationary negation in order to avoid errant interpretations of verse 29 ("If I would make any proposition whatever, then by that I would have a logical error. But I do not make a proposition; therefore, I am not in error.") The argument is treated as representing an ampliative or inductive inference rather than a deductive one. As Nagarjuna says in verse 30: "That [denial] of mine [in verse 29] is a non-apprehension of non-things" and non-apprehension is the averting of arguments or "the relinquishing of all views." "Not making a proposition P" would be not speaking P or silence with regard to P (where P is some opposing view) and, as Sagal argues, not meaning a global l inguistic silence (where P stands for any proposition whatsoever). Such an interpretation would lead to attributing wholesale irrationalism to Nagarjuna-something I wish to avoid. In this paper I examine Nagarjuna averting an argument of an opponent (Verse 29 of Averting the Arguments), Paul Sagal's general interpretation of Nagarjuna, (1) and the former's conception of "averting" an argument. Since I focus my discussion around verse 29, we shall begin with it, then possible interpretations of it, and finally move to considerations of how to best characterize Nagarjuna's "stance" (for lack of a better word) given that verse. Verse 29: If I would make any proposition whatever [P], then by that I would have a logical error [E]... ...ent way (83). (5) See The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way: Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamkakarika, translation and commentary by Jay L. Garfield (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995). (6) Consult, e.g., J. N. Mohanty, "Indian Theories of Truth: Thoughts on Their Common Framework," Philosophy East and West, vol. 30, no. 4 (October, 1980): 439-451, esp. 441. (7) Garfield (note 5), 352: Verse "30. I prostrate to Gautama/Who through compassion/Taught the true doctrine,/Which leads to the relinquishing of all views." (8) Reprinted in Understanding Non-Western Philosophy, 180-181; and World Philosophy, 107-110. (9) David Michael Levin has an interesting, recent interpretation along these lines; see his "Liberating Experience from the Vice of Structuralism: The Methods of Merleau-Ponty and Nagarjuna," Philosophy Today, vol. 41, no. 1 (Spring 1997): 96-111. Averting Arguments: Nagarjuna’s Verse 29 Essay -- Nagarjuna Verse 29 E Averting Arguments: Nagarjuna’s Verse 29 ABSTRACT: I examine Nagarjuna’s averting an opponent’s argument (Verse 29 of Averting the Arguments), Paul Sagal’s general interpretation of Nagarjuna and especially Sagal’s conception of "averting" an argument. Following Matilal, a distinction is drawn between locutionary negation and illocationary negation in order to avoid errant interpretations of verse 29 ("If I would make any proposition whatever, then by that I would have a logical error. But I do not make a proposition; therefore, I am not in error.") The argument is treated as representing an ampliative or inductive inference rather than a deductive one. As Nagarjuna says in verse 30: "That [denial] of mine [in verse 29] is a non-apprehension of non-things" and non-apprehension is the averting of arguments or "the relinquishing of all views." "Not making a proposition P" would be not speaking P or silence with regard to P (where P is some opposing view) and, as Sagal argues, not meaning a global l inguistic silence (where P stands for any proposition whatsoever). Such an interpretation would lead to attributing wholesale irrationalism to Nagarjuna-something I wish to avoid. In this paper I examine Nagarjuna averting an argument of an opponent (Verse 29 of Averting the Arguments), Paul Sagal's general interpretation of Nagarjuna, (1) and the former's conception of "averting" an argument. Since I focus my discussion around verse 29, we shall begin with it, then possible interpretations of it, and finally move to considerations of how to best characterize Nagarjuna's "stance" (for lack of a better word) given that verse. Verse 29: If I would make any proposition whatever [P], then by that I would have a logical error [E]... ...ent way (83). (5) See The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way: Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamkakarika, translation and commentary by Jay L. Garfield (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995). (6) Consult, e.g., J. N. Mohanty, "Indian Theories of Truth: Thoughts on Their Common Framework," Philosophy East and West, vol. 30, no. 4 (October, 1980): 439-451, esp. 441. (7) Garfield (note 5), 352: Verse "30. I prostrate to Gautama/Who through compassion/Taught the true doctrine,/Which leads to the relinquishing of all views." (8) Reprinted in Understanding Non-Western Philosophy, 180-181; and World Philosophy, 107-110. (9) David Michael Levin has an interesting, recent interpretation along these lines; see his "Liberating Experience from the Vice of Structuralism: The Methods of Merleau-Ponty and Nagarjuna," Philosophy Today, vol. 41, no. 1 (Spring 1997): 96-111.

Essay on The White Mountains and My Brother Sam Is Dead :: My Brother Sam Is Dead Essays

The White Mountains and My Brother Sam Is Dead During childhood and adolescence, we are all faced with decisions that will affect our futures. Even a simple choice such as choosing books to read or clothes to wear can make an impact on our lives. The decisions made by Will Parker in The White Mountains and Sam Meeker in My Brother Sam Is Dead, however, are of a much greater magnitude. Their difficult decisions change the lives of many other characters. By choosing to go against their families' beliefs, Will and Sam both become orphans. The two young men are cast out into a dangerous world and have to learn about independence and its hardships. From the very beginning of The White Mountains, Will Parker clearly observes that Capping is a questionable and unethical process: "Why should the Tripods take people away and Cap them? What right have they?" (19) He believes that each person should be allowed to control him or herself and that no machine should be in supreme command. Will's decision to leave home shows this, and his escape to the mountains proves that the Tripods can't make everyone a follower. Will and his friends experience many close calls but are never captured. Will also is tempted to become Capped by the lure of a pretty girl's face (Eloise). He learns that "Before Capping there might be doubts and uncertainties and revulsion. . . . When the Cap was put on the doubts vanished" (133). After hearing this, Will almost gives in to Capping, but then he realizes that in doing so, he would be going against all of his beliefs. In My Brother Sam Is Dead, Sam Meeker clearly shows what he believes by enlisting in the American Revolutionary Army. Even if it means losing his father's love and trust forever, Sam feels that what England is doing to the colonies is wrong. He also knows that if he doesn't fight on the American side, his soul would never rest. Sam Meeker risks everything, including his life, to support and defend the new United States and all of his beliefs. He and the other soldiers could have easily given up and gone home, but they know that by letting the British win, they would show everyone how weak the American army, as a whole, really is. His brave decision to stay does cost him his life, but it also helps to ensure that the Unites States would be free of England.