Argument For The Existence Of God

Argument For The Existence Of God Spinozas Ethics is organised into a deductive format that reveals the necessary connections between the propositions. The geometrical method contributes to a necessary and indubitable outcome that God necessarily exists and this will be an absolute truth. The Ethics geometrical method is based after Euclids work where the demonstration of every proposition uses definitions, axioms and only propositions that have been already established. I will be focusing on whether the definitions are real or nominal as this is the main source of controversy on what the geometrical method contributes to the existence of God. I will be arguing that the definitions are real and constructive therefore the geometrical method contributes to a logical argument for the existence of God. Proposition 11 is the first proposition where God is mentioned and this proposition contains three demonstrations for Gods existence. The first demonstration is the ontological argument which tries to deduce the existence of God from concepts. It states that it is impossible to conceive of God not existing. This is because God is defined as a substance consisting of an infinity of attributes (ID6) and it has already been proven that it pertains to the nature of a substance to exist (IP7). Therefore because of the geometrical method all Spinoza has to do is substitute God for substance to show that God necessarily exists. To say that God does not exist is to say that it is not in Gods essence to exist but this is absurd as we have seen the nature of a substance is to exist and God is a substance. Spinoza has already demonstrated that if things have nothing in common with one and other, one of them cannot be the cause of the other (IP3), in nature there cannot be two of the same substances of the same nature or attribute (IP5) and two substances with different attributes have nothing in common (IP2). Thus it logically follows that one substance cannot be produced by another substance (IP6). As a substance is prior to its affections, this means that they cannot produce a substance. Therefore it pertains to the nature of a substance to exist (IP7). By definition God is a substance which means it pertains to the nature of God to exist so God necessarily exists. As it is evident from this example, the geometrical method allows Spinoza to state Gods existence as an unquestionable matter of fact without room for reasonable disagreement with his logical conclusion. It contributes the ability to show persuasively how one proposition follows from another, leading to clear and distinct necessary truths which are not contingent but are absolute and objective. It shows a rigid mathematical necessity which doesnt rely on our experiences and eliminates human ignorance. Moreover nothing relies on unproven claims or assumptions that might make the argument for the existence of God incorrect. The geometrical method for the existence of God is undeniable only if we agree with the definitions and axioms. If we do then we will find it difficult (but not impossible) to not agree with Spinozas conclusion. I will focus on Spinozas definitions as they are the bedrock of his method. Whether the geometrical method contributes to a logical argument for the existence of God depends on whether Spinozas definitions are nominal or real. Nominal definitions are what is meant by a word or thought in a concept thus they can be nothing about reality. They are merely stipulative, have no truth value and can be arbitrary. Whereas real definitions explain a thing as it is outside of the understanding , they are actually defining something. They have truth values as they are accurate representations of a thing. If the definitions are nominal then the geometrical method for Gods existence is weak as the ontological argument relies on the definition of God yet this definition will not be saying anything about God in reality. But I believe that Spinozas definitions are real definition and define something that actually is. Therefore the geometrical method contributes to a logical argument for the existence of God. One claim by R. J. Delahunty is that the definitions must be nominal not real if they are to be intelligible. Delahunty argues that the definitions have to be nominal because of the form of the definitions, for example By I understand Another claim is mentioned in Spinozas letter to Simon De Vries, which states that the truth of the conclusion that one deduces from the definitions is not changed by the definitions being arbitrary or even false. This could mean that Spinoza is trying to deduce Gods existence from some basic but not certain truths. I will argue against these points as I believe we should not look at the geometrical method of the Ethics in this way as it does contribute to Gods existence. To refute the first claim about the definitions being nominal because of their phrasing I will turn to P. Basile who disputes Delahuntys argument. He believes that Spinoza has done this so that we think understand the definitions in the same way as he does. Basile refers to Spinozas second letter to Oldenburg where Spinoza explains that is possible to use real definitions and still phrase them in the way he does: The definition of God is true appears from the fact, that by God we mean a Being supremely perfect and absolutely infinite. Thus the definition of God as having infinite attributes is not in oppositions to our definition of God. Basile concludes that the second letter suggests Spinozas definitions would be an analysis of the ordinary conception of God as an infinite being. Therefore Spinozas definitions are real and give a clarified version of our idea of God, contributing to a strong argument for the existence of God. To refute the second claim I will refer to Steven Nadler. He believes that this is not the correct interpretation of the Ethics as Spinoza is demonstrating truth; the Ethics is about reality. The definitions are not nominal as the arguments are not that if you assume for the sake of the argument what the definitions mean then God necessarily exists. Rather he is saying that this is how the definitions should be understood, if defined truly therefore God necessarily exists. Spinoza in Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect states that mathematicians know the real definition of a figure when they are able to construct a figure; this is a constructive definition. Spinoza describes the notion of a sphere to a student by saying that a semicircle is rotated around a centre. While a sphere has not actually been constructed in this way, imagining it has can help us understand the mathematical definition of a sphere. If this is applied to the definition of God then it could be seen as constructive because it demonstrates which concepts we need to construct together to achieve a correct metaphysical notion of the Diety, one that is wholly purged of misleading association inherited from tradition, prejudices, or false metaphysics. This idea would account for phrases such as byI understand This would also be compatible with the idea that to understand God is to have clear concepts of a real thing. Thus a constructive definition leads us to understand what som ething is. Just as the semicircle helps us to understand the sphere, the definition helps us to understand God. As the geometrical method uses these constructive definitions, through proposition 11 and the definitions of substance and God, the reader is helped to understand that God necessarily exists. Moreover, Spinoza shows the difference between a nominal definition of a circle a figure in which the lines drawn from the centre to the circumference are equal and constructive as the figure that is described by any line of which one end is fixed and the other movable. The constructive definition not the nominal definition shows us how a circle can be constructed and because of this we can derive at its essential properties. Spinoza believes that this can be applied to reality and that we can have a real idea about something through its causes: Knowledge of the effect is nothing but acquiring a more perfect knowledge of its causes. Henry Allison states that either we find ourselves involved in an infinite regress, which would lead to hopeless scepticism, or the chain of reasoning must be grounded in a single principle. This principle is the causa-sui as everything must be explained by it and its essence must involve existence. Therefore the geometrical method contributes to the definition of God and this definition includes God necessarily existence. In conclusion, I believe that Nadler and Basile arguments for the definition of the Ethics to be real and constructive are correct. As they are real definition, the ontological argument in proposition 11 is based in reality therefore contributes to a logical argument for the existence of God. As the definitions are constructive, the geometrical method contributes to constructing the right concepts together to have a clear concept of a God who exists. Moreover, because the definitions are constructive the geometrical method contributes to us deriving at Gods essential properties of God, one of these being existence.

Strategic Human Resource Management And Challenges Commerce Essay

Strategic Human Resource Management And Challenges Commerce Essay Managers use the term human resource strategies to refer to the specific human resource management courses of action the company pursues to achieve its strategic aims. For example, Dell The essence of Dells competitive strategy has always been to a low- cost leader. Thats why human resource managers use various HR strategies to support Dells low-cost aim Dell deliver most of its human resource services, not through a conventional human resource department, but via the web. A manager tools section on Dells internet contains about 30 automated web applications. This allows mangers to perform human resource tasks that previously required costly participation by human resource personnel. The internet also check job posting, and monitor their total compensation statements. This dramatically reduces the number of human resource people required to administer these activities, and thus the cost of doing so. This is turn support Dells low-cost strategy. Now a days human resource managers face three strategic challenges. 1- One (as at Dell) is the need to support corporate productivity and performance improvement efforts. 2- Employees play an expanded role in employers performance organizations like Toyotas such a high technology team-based production are largely useless without extraordinary high level of employee competence and commitment. 3- The third challenge is that employers see that their human resource units must be more involved in designing not just executing the companys strategic plan. Todays stress on going competitive advantage through people renders such arrangements inadequate. Instead, top management needs the input of the human resource team in designing the strategy, since it is the team charged with hiring, training, and compensating the firms employees. Human resource managers will therefore need a basic functional understanding of how the firm makes money. What activities and process are most critical for value creation as defined by customers and capital markets? Human resource professional need to understand the basis of strategic planning and of the basic business functions such as accounting, finance, production, and sales, so they can take their seat at the table when top management is crafting the firms strategic plan. What factors should management consider in HRM? Recruitment: Recruitment is the process of searching for prospective employee and stimulating them to apply for jobs in the organization. Recruitment Methods:- Internal existing employee Self-Applicant Supervisor/Manager Recommendation Succession planning Using Existing Contracts Unsolicited Enquires Previous Applicant Previous Employees Existing Employees Contracts. External Contacts:- Professional Referrals Job Centers Private Selection Consultants Management Selection Colleges/Universities Resettlement services Temporary Agencies Advertising/Media Press T.V/Radio Cinema/Posters Career Exhibitions Conferences/Open days 2-Job Analysis:- This is the process of getting detailed information about job. Here we give the importance of job analysis according to HRM. The Importance of job analysis to HR Manager. Job analysis has been called the building block of everything that the personnel department does. Some of the human resource activities that use job-analysis information includes selection, performance, appraisal, training, and development, job evaluation, career planning, work redesign and human resource planning. The Importance of Job Analysis to Line Manger:- Manager must have detailed information about all the jobs in their work group to understand the work-flow process. Managers need to understand the job requirements to make intelligent hiring decision. Since the Manager is responsible for ensuring that each individual is performing his or her job manager must clearly understand the satisfactorily, the task required in every job. Job Analysis Information A job description is a list of the tasks, duties and responsibilities (TDRS) that the job entitles. A job specification is a list of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAO) that an individual must have to perform the job. 3- Training and Developing Employees. The process of teaching new employees the basic skills they need to perform their jobs. This might mean showing a new web designer the intricacies of your site, a new salesperson how to sell your firms products, or a new supervisor how to fill out the firms weekly payroll sheets. Here I again quote an example of Wisconsin-based Signicast Corp. Decided to build a new, high- tech plant, or computerized plant. Terry Lutz, the firms president, know signicast would need a new type of employees to run that plant, and new screening and training programs to hire and train them. EXAMPLE The U.S armed Forces are taking army developed video- game-type training programmers called Full-Spectrum Command and Full- spectrum Warrior for training troops in urban warfare. Honda example: When Honda decided to build a new plant in Alabama, it had to hire thousands of new employees in an area where few people worked in manufacturing. Honda and the Alabama state employment agency first screened the applications by eliminating those who lacked the education or experience. And then gave preference to applicants near the plant. About 340 applicants per six-week session received special training at a new facility about 15 miles from the plant, two evening a week. It included classroom instruction, watching videos of current Honda employees in action, and actually practicing particular jobs. Finally HR department do the final screening. They interview the candidates, review their training record, and decide which ones to hire. 4- Performance and pay/Motivation and Incentives: Financial rewards paid to workers, whose production exceeds some predetermined standard. Basically this system was started in late 80s.If any of the worker or employee gives the best of him; he/she should receive some reward in shape of pay increase or incentives. 5-PROBLEM SOLVING GROUPS Being a good manager, he should make some department or group which can help employees problems. These problems can be helping new employees or helping the old staff with legal stuff or work issue. It can be personal issues as well. Like sometimes employees are having bad time in domestic life and cannot concentrate on their work. So these groups can help and guide the employee with more broad vision. 6-IMPLENTATION OF EMPLOYE S SUGGESTIONS In SHRM this factor is very important to listen to the all employees suggestions, whether the employee is new in the company or working in it for long. New comers sometimes bring new ideas with them; it might be from their previous work place or educational institute. And the old worker can help with their experience in the same work place. Good management always keeps on having employees meetings to keep them up to date and listen to all their new and good ideas. 7-Benefits and Services:- Indirect financial and non-financial payments received by the employees for continuing their employment with the company. They include things like health and life insurance, pension, time off with pay, and child care assistance.(Gerry dessler) Verizon Example:- Verizon communication, facing strong competition and the need to reduce its employees after several managers, needed a way to convince thousands of its employees to take early retirement. In this case, Verizon required a plan that was economically sensible, as well as one that complied with different laws that apply to retirement and other benefits. 8-Coaching / Mentoring:- Employees are trained and educated through methods other than teaching classes and seminars. Chief among these are management responsibilities of coaching, mentoring, and building your organization into a learning organization. Find coaching, mentoring, consulting, knowledge management and how to build a learning organization resource. In every company now a days there is new innovations and technologies are being introduced for profit maximization and customer satisfaction, due to that every employee need to be trained and come to know about innovation how to work with this new technology. EXAMPLE: Tesco is one of leading brand in supermarket industry; recently Tesco had introduced self checkout tills. This is a big innovation in supermarket industry and due to that customer who buys only few things has been no need to stand in a long queue he just use these tills, but some time customers dont know how to use it thats why Tesco trained their employees about this innovation for the better service provided to the customers. Creating a Mentoring Culture Build a Mentoring Culture Coaching for Improved Performance Leadership Success Secrets: Leadership Inspiration Group Mentoring Tips for Effective Coaching Mentoring and Baby Boomers: Mentoring Is a Strategic Business Imperative What Do You Mean My Company 9- Team Building / Work Teams Employee contribution, teams, and employee empowerment allow people to make decisions about their work. This employee involvement, teambuilding approach, and employee empowerment increases loyalty and fosters ownership. These ideas tell you how to do team building and effectively involve people. In this concept good or experienced managers built teams in which old and experienced employees leads these teams and these peoples know system of the company and know as well how to do smart work thats why new comers follow these peoples and done better job in few days. CONCLUSION: Strategy Human resource management is relatively a new term in the management but has very many important implications. By the introduction of SHRM the organizations have managed to improve their potentials. The employees and the organizations are connected to each other through SHRM. It has been the want of the organizations to formulate new ways to produce goods and services. It is the duty of the SHRM to find the right person for the right job for the growth of any company. It is the responsibility of the HR department to find the goal achieving people from the market and also train them to gain excellence. There have been introduced new techniques in SHRM which are useful for the HR managers for the uplift and perfection of the organizations. It is the responsibility of the HRM department to find and know the problems of employees and then to solve them. By this way they can retain low employ turnover, attract new employees and also improve of the employ development. In the modern world it is important for each organization to use its full potential. SHRM helps the organization to move forward and move forward quickly

Marriage Essay -- essays research papers

Marriage Marriage is the bond between two people of the opposite sex that have went in front of a minister and exchanged vows. Marriage is different for every one, and I have been influenced a great deal by my parents. My parents have been married for the past 26 years and they will probably stay that way the rest of their lives. However marriage is not what it once was, today you have people getting into a marriage for other reasons than love and knowing that they can get out of the marriage if they feel any anxiety or conflicts of interest. Marriage is a special bond that has been destabilized over the years. Twenty years ago values and beliefs about marriage were very different. People did not think about the easy way out, divorce. My mother and father have been married for the past twenty-six years and the times have not been easy for either one of them, however, they were raised in a way that divorce was not an option. Both my mother’s parents and my father’s parents have or had been married to the same person their whole lives. Parents believe that marriage is the friendship and closeness which two people share for the rest of their lives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I am a product of my parents and I have much of the same values and beliefs that they have. I was engaged to a girl for a year and a half before I came to a realization that she was not the one that I wanted to settle down with for the rest of my life. I think marriage is a life long companionship. I am glad that I did not...

Lord of the Flies :: Free Essay Writer

Lord of the Flies Man must have rules in order to control his savage side. William Golding brings out this theme in the novel Lord of the Flies. When you first read Lord of the Flies you may think it is merely a simple adventure story of boys on a deserted island. But if you take a deeper look into it and consider the statement above you will see that this book is also an attempt to trace the defects of civilization back to the defects of human nature. There are many characters in the story that help prove how man must have rules in order to control his savage side. Ralph is the chief and he represents civilization and its parliaments. Piggy is Ralph’s brain trust and an intellectual. Both Ralph and Piggy represent the struggle for order and democracy. Jack is the spark of wildness that burns hot and close to the surface, which later conflicts with Ralph. From the very beginning Jack seems to harbor emotions of anger and savagery. Simon has them most positive outlook out of all of the characters and is a â€Å"Christ figure.† He is good and pure and insists that they will be rescued. Roger represents pure evil and wrongness. He gets pleasure in torturing pigs and was the first one to intentionally kill another boy when he smashed Piggy with a boulder. Sam and Eric are the twins that do everything together. They represent unity and reliance. Later in the story they reveal Ralph’s hiding place to Jack because the loss of civilization led them to lose any real sense of loyalty to others. These characters assist in showing how the theme is brought out. There are also many symbols in the novel. The conch represents rules, civilization, democracy and order. Piggy’s glasses represent clear-sightedness and intelligence. The state of the glasses represents the status of social order. When they break it marks the progressive decay of rational influence. The island represents the world. The â€Å"scar† represents man’s destruction. The Lord of the Flies represents the Devil and the great danger or evil. The killing of the sow and the hunting of pigs are accomplished in terms of sexual intercourse. The beast that the â€Å"littleuns† are afraid of is created by the emotions that all of the boys on the island are experiencing. The beast represents the evil residing within everyone and the dark side of human nature. Lord of the Flies :: Free Essay Writer Lord of the Flies Man must have rules in order to control his savage side. William Golding brings out this theme in the novel Lord of the Flies. When you first read Lord of the Flies you may think it is merely a simple adventure story of boys on a deserted island. But if you take a deeper look into it and consider the statement above you will see that this book is also an attempt to trace the defects of civilization back to the defects of human nature. There are many characters in the story that help prove how man must have rules in order to control his savage side. Ralph is the chief and he represents civilization and its parliaments. Piggy is Ralph’s brain trust and an intellectual. Both Ralph and Piggy represent the struggle for order and democracy. Jack is the spark of wildness that burns hot and close to the surface, which later conflicts with Ralph. From the very beginning Jack seems to harbor emotions of anger and savagery. Simon has them most positive outlook out of all of the characters and is a â€Å"Christ figure.† He is good and pure and insists that they will be rescued. Roger represents pure evil and wrongness. He gets pleasure in torturing pigs and was the first one to intentionally kill another boy when he smashed Piggy with a boulder. Sam and Eric are the twins that do everything together. They represent unity and reliance. Later in the story they reveal Ralph’s hiding place to Jack because the loss of civilization led them to lose any real sense of loyalty to others. These characters assist in showing how the theme is brought out. There are also many symbols in the novel. The conch represents rules, civilization, democracy and order. Piggy’s glasses represent clear-sightedness and intelligence. The state of the glasses represents the status of social order. When they break it marks the progressive decay of rational influence. The island represents the world. The â€Å"scar† represents man’s destruction. The Lord of the Flies represents the Devil and the great danger or evil. The killing of the sow and the hunting of pigs are accomplished in terms of sexual intercourse. The beast that the â€Å"littleuns† are afraid of is created by the emotions that all of the boys on the island are experiencing. The beast represents the evil residing within everyone and the dark side of human nature.

Oscar Wilde :: essays research papers fc

Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde was born in Dublin Ireland on October 16, 1854. He is one of the most talented and most controversial writers of his time. He was well known for his wit, flamboyance, and creative genius and with his little dramatic training showing his natural talent for stage and theatre. He is termed a martyr by some and may be the first true self-publicist and was known for his style of dress and odd behavior. Wilde, 1882 His Father, William Wilde, was a highly accredited doctor and his mother, Jane Francesca Elgee, was a writer of revolutionary poems. Oscar had a brother William Charles Kingsbury along with his father’s three illegitimate children, Henry, Emily, and Mary. His sister, Isola Emily Francesca died in 1867 at only ten years of age from a sudden fever, greatly affecting Oscar and his family. He kept a lock of her hair in an envelope and later wrote the poem ‘Requiescat’ in her memory. Oscar and his brother William both attended the Protora Royal School at Enniskillen. He had little in common with the other children. He disliked games and took more interest in flowers and sunsets. He was extremely passionate about anything that had to do with ancient Greece and with Classics. Wilde during school years In 1871, he was awarded a Royal School Scholarship to Trinity College in Dublin and received many awards and earned the highest honor the college offered to an undergraduate, the Foundation Scholarship. In 1874, he also won the College’s Berkley Gold Medal for Greek and was awarded a Demyship to Magdalen College, Oxford. After graduating from Oxford, Oscar moved to London with his friend Frank Miles, a well-known portrait painter of the time. In 1878 his poem Ravenna was published, for which he won the Newdigate poetry prize. In 1881, he published his first collection of poetry ‘Poems’, which was well liked by critics. In late 1881, Oscar left to travel across the United States and deliver a series of lectures on â€Å" the aesthetics†, the belief that to create a sense of beauty was more important than anything else. The trip was only planned to last four months but instead lasted nearly a year with Oscar giving nearly three times as many lectures as planned. He met Henry Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes and Walt Whitman, on which he made a good impression. During this time he arranged for his play Vera to be staged in New York.

Prostate Cancer in African American Men Essay

Prostate Cancer is the gland below a man’s bladder that produces fluid for semen. Prostate cancer is common among older men. Prostate cancer is a silent killer, and because it grows slowly, many men have no idea it’s there It is rare in men younger than forty. Risk factors for developing prostate cancer include being over sixty five years of age, family history, being African American, and some genetic changes. There is an estimated of 241,740 new cases and 28,170 deaths from prostate cancer in the United States in 2012 (National Cancer Institute, 2011). Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men, behind skin cancer, and the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men especially in African American men. one out of six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. For example, if you’re at home having a cookout with 11 of your friends, it’s likely that two of you at some point in your lives will be diagnosed with pros tate cancer. and If you’re an African-American man, those odds increase to nearly one in five. Prostate cancer affects African American men twice as often as Caucasian men; the mortality rate among African American is also twice as high. African American men have the highest rate of prostate cancer of any ethic group in the world. In the African American community men are at high risk due to low socioeconomic status, and not getting cancer screening because of no health insurance. With the increased amount of men being diagnosed each year it is shocking that many men still avoid visiting the doctor because it makes them uncomfortable and they are afraid of what the results will be even when some clinics give free prostate cancer screening. While prostate cancer screening test can have abnormal results even when cancer is not present, it is important for men to have prostate screening done.prostate cancer is usually detected through screening, and there are two methods for early detection. The prostate-specific antigen test (PSA) is used, but there are many factors that can inf luence the outcome of the PSA test. Medications such as antihistamines, physical exertion or recent ejaculation can raise a PSA level. Another test for early detection of prostate cancer has been the digital rectal exam (DRE). Although, DRE is a better method for early detection, it is also a hindrance among men, particularly African-American men, to screening and early detection According to American Cancer Society (ACS) and American Urological Association (AUA), the PSA and DRE should be offered annually for all men beginning at age 50. However, they also recommend that African-American men with a family history of prostate cancer should begin testing by age 45. Early intervention is the key to a 5 year survival rate. Prognosis of prostate cancer diagnosed at an early stage is noted as being optimistic. Despite these credible statistics, free prostate cancer screening and early detection remains a problem area for many health care practitioners when it comes to the African American population (Plowden 2009) Madeline Leininger’s Sunrise Model has been used in many studies over the past twenty years. Between 1999 and 2008, over 200 citations of articles were noted using Leininger Theory (McEwen, 2011). She postulated that nurses should attempt to increase knowledge related to the care of people who value their cultural heritage and way of life (McEwen, 2011). The Leininger Sunrise Model of cultural diversity is used to obtain compliance with prostate cancer screening among African-American men; the goal has been to build a relationship of cooperation between clients and health care workers. Educating the men as well as examining their fears and anxieties is useful in removing barriers of resistance and gaining trust, thus empowering the client (McEwen, 2011). The Health Belief Model (HBM) â€Å"postulates a person’s perception of disease threat and benefits of taking action will predetermine taking action† (Rivers, 2009). The HBM is used to determine the African American male understanding of prostate cancer and to identify factors that would motivate that populatio n to seek screening and treatment of prostate cancer. The HBM has been used to design intervention to educate as well as facilitate access to screening and treatment (Rivers, 2009). Leininger’s Theory of cultural care diversity is a middle range theory that is based upon the major concepts of culture, culture care and understanding the differences as well as the similarities to transcultural human care. Her other major concepts of transcultural care are, caring, and ethic views, the system of health care, the professional system of care and culturally congruent nursing care. (McEwen, 2011) The strength of Leininger Theory lies in the fact that it is a holistic theory seeking to cover both the diversity and universality of nursing care concepts. Caring aspects within and between cultures must include the acknowledgement of the similarities and differences. The theory has been widely used within the credibility and confirm ability of data gained from research (McGee, 1994). Because the Leininger Theory places emphasis on cultural s ensitivity and cultural congruence, it can be said that cultural knowledge will improve care. However, because the approach fails to take into account a political and structural inequality of minorities and focuses on differences and deficits, it can be construed that the culture itself is the problem. The possibility of reinforcing stereotypes and increasing the gap between provider and patient may actually make the care aspect less than culturally safe (Orià ¡, 2005). Leininger Theory can be used in a wide range of modalities when considering the problem of prostate screening. When examining the focus of this clinical problem i.e., how to get increased participation from a high risk group to prostate cancer screening, Plowden reached several conclusions that are applicable to today’s practice for advance nurse practitioners. For example, African-American men were more likely to seek screening and participate in the treatment process if 1.) There was a perceived susceptibility to prostate cancer and that threat was perceived as severe in life threatening or disabling . 2.) There were perceived benefits to the screening such as early detection and accurate diagnosis. 3.) There were no perceived barriers. 4.) Sufficient triggers need to exist to motivate behavior (Plowden, 2009). When applying these findings to advanced nurse practitioners’ practices, it can be said that men in the high risk groups must first be educated on the risks of prostate cancer. They need to understand the implications involved with failure to be screened. Early detection and accurate diagnosis are very important to the 5 year survival post diagnosis. Screening is essential to the quality of life for a person diagnosed with prostate cancer. For example, lifestyle changes would have to be made after a radical prostectomy versus a chemo radiation treatment of a localized slow growing tumor. When health care professionals can successfully manage to remove or go around barriers, whether real or perceived, the goal of seeking medical intervention is improved. Health care professionals can attempt to established sufficient triggers so that the behavior can be motivated to attain compliance to screening. The advanced nurse practitioner’s challenge will be to first establish trust and reputation as a caregiver who cares and is approachable; educate the population of the high risk group to the benefits of early detection versus late discovery; provide easy access to screening and the follow up phase of the intervention; and maintain confidentiality. Peer group discussions with professionals have shown to aid in getting better compliance (Plowden, 2009). The African-American males’ decision making process when considering prostate cancer screening is influenced greatly by cultural mores and beliefs. These cultural beliefs often lead to a lower rate of compliance to free screening versus all other races i.e. Caucasians, etc. Leisiniger’s cultural diversity theory can be used to effectively educate and increase compliance by teaching practitioners ways to overcome these cultural barriers. By following the concepts of care, caring, and understanding feelings of self, as well as the feelings of others, it is possible to overcome cultural barriers. Works Cited Cherath, Lata, et al. â€Å"Prostate Cancer.† The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Ed. Laurie J. Fundukian. 4th ed. Vol. 5. Detroit: Gale, 2011. 3578-3584. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 7 Dec. 2012. â€Å"LATEST RESEARCH: Faster Prostate Cancer Growth In Black Men?.† Prostate Disorders (2011): 31. Health Source – Consumer Edition. Web. 7 Dec. 2012 â€Å"Prostate Cancer.† National Cancer Institute. SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2009 (Vintage 2009 Populations), National Cancer Institute. Bethesda, MD, n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2012. .

An Adolescent Ailment

Gun Violence: An Adolescent Ailment BY Arod56 On an unseasonably cold March morning in 1993, high school sophomore Edward Gillom exited his first period classroom and made his way through the crowded hallways of Harlem High School. After engaging in a heated argument, allegedly over a girl, with Ronricas â€Å"Pony' Gibson and Ricoh Lee, Gillom pulled out a . 38-caliber gun and opened fire. Gillom's shots fatally wounded Gibson and left Lee with a non-fatal gunshot wound to the neck (Washington Ceasefire, 2011 pg 1).The shooting in Harlem, Georgia sparked national attention as one of the first high school shootings nd added to the alarmingly high rates of gun violence by adolescents during the 1990s. According to the Virginia Youth Violence Project, forty-two homicides took place in American schools in 1993 (2009 pg/par). While the rate of gun violence in American schools has decreased substantially since the early 1990s, the death rate for adolescents due to firearms in the United States is still higher than in any other industrialized nation (Vittes, Sorenson, &ump; Gilbert, 2003 pg/par).The current generation of American teenagers has grown up surrounded by gun violence: in the ews; in their video games; and in the television programs they watch. In the last twenty years, the United States has seen an upsurge of gun related crimes among adolescents; as a result, political leaders and their constituents have become outraged at how accessible the nation's gun laws make firearms to children and the mentally unstable to obtain, especially considering the dramatic decrease of gun control, which will inevitably lead to increased gun crimes involving teenagers and young adults.Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States once said, â€Å"No free man shall be debarred the use of arms†. The constitutional right to keep and bear arms stems from the right to self-defense, and in the 2008 Supreme Court case District of Columbia v. Heller, the court ruled that â€Å"the Second Amendment protects a pre-existing individual right to keep and bear arms†¦ ncluding, the individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation† (National Rifle Association, 2011 par 4). Although the Constitution gives individuals the right to bear arms, it does not exclude â€Å"prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places†¦ or laws imposing onditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of firearms,† (Romano ;ump; Wingert, 2011 par 13).In recent years here has been much discussion among the nation's lawmakers and their constituents as to whether or not the Second Amendment is still constitutional; the question is whether or not the Second Amendment should be revised, to prohibit the sale of firearms to those who do not meet certain conditions and qualifications, or even removed from the constitution. According to a national survey of 1 ,005 high school students, conducted by Vittes, Sorrenson and Gilbert, â€Å"63. percent of high school students believe that regulating he sale of guns does not violate the constitution† (2003, pg 12). In the same survey, 64. 6 percent responded that they would support stricter laws addressing the sale of firearms, and 82. 2 percent of those surveyed, believe that the government should make and enforce laws making it more difficult for criminals to obtain a gun†even if it means law abiding citizens would have a harder time purchasing guns (2003, pg 9).While the probability ot the Second Amendment being removed trom the Constitution is highly unlikely, the regulations that pro-gun control lobbyists have suggested seem incredibly logical. But despite the seemingly widespread support of stricter gun control, the gun control legislation that many Americans would like to see has yet to be passed by congress. According to the Center for Responsive Politi cs, in 2008 the National Rifle Association, the largest anti-gun control agency, spent 2. million dollars lobbying for pro-gun legislation, which is forty one times more than what gun control lobbyist could spend (Romano &ump; Wingert, 2011 par 7). The Gun Control Act of 1968, which is a revision of the National Firearms Act of 1934, established regulations for the selling of firearms and was passed in an effort to educe the amount of illegal firearm sales, to confine the sales of firearms to the buyer's state and to restrict certain people from, buying, selling, or transporting firearms (National Rifle Association, 2011b pg/par).As a result, national law prohibits the sale of firearms to those whom are currently under indictment for a felony, have been convicted of a felony, an illegal alien, a fugitive from the law, has been dishonorably discharged from the military, addicted to illegal narcotics or are non- residents of the state in which they are trying to purchase a gun (Nation al Rifle Association, 2011b pg/par). Despite these laws, lack of enforcement allowed individuals like Seung-Hui Cho and Jared Loughner, the shooters at the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre and the 2011 Tucson, Arizona shooting, to obtain firearms and take the lives of innocent people.The longer these laws go unenforced the longer gun violence crimes will continue to rise. There have been three noticeable periods in history during which the rates of adolescent gun violence peaked dramatically–1972-74, 1980 and 1992-3, with 1992-3 being the most dramatic increase (Wilkinson &ump; Fagan, 2001 pg 110). During the fourteen year timespan etween 1997 and 2011 there have been one-hundred and eighty-seven shootings on public school property in the United States (The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, 2010).In their study of adolescents and their exposure to gun violence Wilkinson and Fagan stated that, Although violence has been a recurrent theme for decades among urban delinquency, y outh gun violence has become more prevalent and more concentrated spatially and socially in the past two decades. Starting in 1985, gun violence among teenagers rose sharply in prevalence; it diffused quickly through a generation of teenagers; it sustained a high prevalence and incidence for ver 5 years; and it has declined steadily in the past several years.This patter resembles nothing less than the outbreak of a contagious disease (Wilkinson ;ump; Fagan, 2001 pg 109). Although this study was conducted in 2001, its findings remain true, according to the National Institute of Justice since 2002 the prevalence of adolescent gun violence in America has risen steadily since 2000 (2010, chart 1). This â€Å"outbreak† of violence among youth is most prevalent and abundant in urban communities with high rates of low-income families and gang activity like Chicago, Illinois.In their 2009 report on youth violence in Chicago Roseanna Ander, Phillip Cook, Jens Ludwig and Harold Pollack stated that, â€Å"Over the past 50 years, our society has made far less progress in understanding how to protect our citizens from violence than from all manner of disease.