The weaknesses of the Ontological argument give support to Atheism. Discuss this statement Essay Example for Free

The weaknesses of the Ontological argument give support to Atheism. Discuss this statement Essay Anselm’s ontological argument described in part (a), was refuted in his own lifetime, by Gaunilo, who demonstrated in a reduction ad absurdum of his own, that if the logic of the argument were applied to things other than God, it led to invalid conclusions. Gaunilo didn’t identify any specific fault with the argument, but argued that something must be wrong with it, because if there wasn’t anything wrong, then we can use its logic to prove anything, which we may have no reason to believe to be true. For instance, Gaunilo argued that it’s possible to construct an argument in the exact same form as the ontological argument, that claims to prove the existence of the perfect island: this island must exist for if it did not then it would be possible to conceive of an island greater than that island than which no greater can be conceived, which is absurd. Therefore, if the ontological argument works, then the argument for the existence of the perfect island must work too. They are both logically similar, so they stand, or fall together. However, the argument for the island is clearly spurious, as we have no reason for this ‘perfect island’ to exist. Unless a theist can point to some relevant difference between his argument for the existence of God, and Gaunilo’s argument for the existence of the perfect island, the theist will have to abandon the ontological argument for the existence of God, as well as Gaunilo’s, because if one fails, then they both do, as they are so similar. This weakness of the ontological argument adds fuel to the fire for atheists through Gaunilo putting forward his argument for the existence of the perfect island as an objection to the ontological argument. He knew that they would both fall, which shows that neither argument works which further supports atheists. Another weakness of the ontological argument which gives support to atheists is Immanuel Kant’s objection to it: Existence is not a Predicate. Fundamental to both Anselm’s and Descartes’ form of the ontological argument is that existence is a predicate, an attribute or a quality that can be possessed or lacked. These qualities for example, may or may not belong to a thing or being and their presence or absence is part of our understanding and apprehension of it. Kant observed however, that existence isn’t associated with the definition of something, since it didn’t add to our understanding of that thing. This supports atheism as existence is merely something that we can have or not have, and it is absurd to say what something is like without it existing. It also supports atheism as an atheist would say that we can’t ascribe existence a priori to a definition of a perfect being. Bertrand Russell furthered Kant’s observations, proposing that ‘existence’ was not a predicate, but a term used to solely indicate the instance of something in the ‘spatio temporal’ world. To say something exists only tells us that that thing occupies a space on the earth. For example saying ‘Cows are brown, and exist’ tells us only one thing: they are brown. The ‘and exist’ shows that they are on the earth, however it’s a tautology since to say they are brown, effectively suggests that they exist and aren’t imaginary. Thomas Aquinas had already questioned this aspect of the ontological argument, claiming that Anselm was guilty of making ‘transitional error’ – moving from the definition of God to the existence of Him. He observed that Anselm also was guilty of making an assumption about the definition of God that was not necessarily shared by all believers. This supports atheism because not all believers believed in Anselm’s definition of God, which poses the question, if people have different views on the right or wrong definition of God, what’s to say that they could ALL be wrong, and atheism is the truth in it all? Furthermore, Aquinas said that understanding the term ‘God’ means that God exists in the understanding, not in reality. God’s existence in reality must be demonstrated a posteriori, with evidence or experience. Atheism is supported in this way, as atheists could argue that anyone can believe what they like in their minds, but something has to be evident in material form in reality to be actually real. Overall, the weaknesses generally give support to atheism as they show alternatives and flaws in the ontological argument. The ways in which atheists interpret the critic’s objections leads to further belief that God does not exist. Atheists are supported primarily by the fact that the ontological argument is a priori, so does not rely on empirical evidence, therefore if there was empirical evidence for God’s existence, they might be swayed slightly in their beliefs.

A Womans World Essay -- Feminism Equality Essays

A Woman's World There is a great distance present between woman in education and woman in society. Women in society, specifically the work place, do not reflect the portrayal of women in education. There is a thin line present between the identity of woman and what characteristics are needed to succeed in the work environment. Woman are capable of obtaining the characteristics that lead to success however, many may question where, when and how these traits are taught to women. In " What Does a Woman Need to Know? b Andriene Rich states that woman may need to look farther than what lessons are provided in standard education in order to achieve success in the working environment. " There is no women's college today which is providing young women with the education they need for survival as whole persons in a world today which denies woman wholeness."pg.65 It is a challenge for woman to express their womanly traits in a work place that where these specific characteristics are dined the opportunity for success. Women in education, women in work force, and the relationship between them repeatedly continue to teach women the lessons of survival are not provided in society, and need to come from within. I am presently a preschool teacher. In our school there is a library filled with children's books. Throughout each story I read to these three and four year old children I notice that there is a common message instilled within each story. This message includes a very specific idea of women and the roles in which one is expected to portray. These roles describe woman as a mother or child who is submissive, quit, non-confrontational and usually facing a dilemma that requires help from a male figure. Children are subjected to listen... ...at she is up against and can then begin to learn what tools are necessary in order to over come it. As a teacher I can shamefully say that this is the first time I have ever questioned myself as to the role I play in this situation. I now ask myself what can I do as an educator to better prepare the children? I am now aware of the influence I have, and have already begun to make changes in my own curriculum. It is now a goal of my own to deliver an education to students that accurately relates to the realities of society. Through my own experience's I have learned my own survival techniques and skills needed to achieve success and as a teacher I hope to share this with my students. Work Cited Rich, Adrienne. "What Does a Woman Need to Know?" The Presence of Others. Ed. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewics. Boston: Bedford / St. Martin's, 2000, 65-70. .

Black Men and Public Spaces Essay

In â€Å"Black Men and Public Spaces† Brent Staples reveals his experiences with different individuos in all kind of public areas. Staples talk about how people stereotype black men as a violent and dangerous individuals because of their appearance and the color of their skin. In the past when black men was associated with the word murderer or thieves or rapist or all kind of bad things people were afraid on being next to them. When Staples started the story saying â€Å"My first victim was a woman† and he specify (white) make it seems like he wasn’t the victim of this woman when he follows saying â€Å"After a few more glimpses, she picked up her pace and was soon running in earnest.† What the narrator is doing is letting know that people shouldn’t judge because of the others appearances. In the whole story Staples is leaving the clear concept of people will always see black men as a threat because of his race. The sad part is that the narrator is not saying that this happen long time ago is just like a decade ago when he mention about studying at the University of Chicago and then moved to New York. It make it seems that no matter when or where black men being dangerous or being involved in criminal activity does not leave the world’s general schema, people still see black men related to the word dangerous.The title is ironic because public space is supposedly available to everyone but, socially speaking, that does not appear to be that way for black men, even in today’s society. Staples demonstrates his struggle for acceptances from people whom are scared of him. He goes on to say that he now takes precautions to avoid situations he has experienced. He now whistles melodies from Beethoven and Vivaldi when he takes walks at night because no one will assume a mugger knows classical music. Instead of people crossing to the other side of the street, he’ll keep his distance from those that may seem skittish of him. It seems that he does all this just to fit in to society. None of this will change the way black men are stereotyped. I was walking with my daughter one night around seven pm., and crossing the  street inside the parking lot mall this black woman was speeding like she was on the outside streets, We were slow walking on the street to reach our car and she got so angry and get out of her car and approach to me with the intention clear of fight me, she was a very heavy black young woman maybe on her middle twenties, she was screaming at my face â€Å"Do you have a problem with me?† I said many time no I don’t please leave me alone but my daughter who was fourteen by that time and to innocent of the danger we were on, told her â€Å"You shouldn’t be speeding inside the parking lot and talking on the phone† that was enough to her to start beating up my daughter. This was a really nasty experience that we will never want to repeat and since then we try to avoid on many ways to confront a black person. We call 911 and the police man who came was a black police who said this words â€Å"For people like that woman is that we have bad reputation† I think no matter when or where and no matter the race or color we need to be careful on how to conduct ourselves at public spaces. Stereotypes affect individuals regardless of race, sex, or religion. The narrator tell many time he was mistaken as a criminal for being black and six feet two inches tall with a beard and billowing hair, when he enter to the jewelry and the proprietor excuse himself just to get his enormous red Doberman Pinscher and he has to leave, or when he was mistaking as a reporter for the killer, police officers hauled him from his car at gunpoint. Black men on public space will continue to experience these situations. We cannot change the way people think and judge. Unfortunately the majority of black men, who are criminals, will continue to give a bad reputation for those that are not. We live in a world where we have to be in high alert to maintain unharmed. There’s no reason for anyone to feel the obligation or need to act a certain way so those that are judging them can feel a sense of security, the way Brent Staples did. As long as you know you’re not that type of person, you cannot let someone’s judgment stop you from succeeding and proving that you are not a statistic.

Business Intelligence and Analytics - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1579 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Business Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? Business Intelligence and Analytics Essay Before taking decisions and setting up goals, it is important for an organisation to search and investigate their past performance. This exercise will give an idea of projecting model. For an organisation it is necessary to know their capabilities and how they can use it to make maximum profit needs business intelligence and analytics. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Business Intelligence and Analytics" essay for you Create order In this essay we are discussing how business intelligence and analytics is used in an organisation and their benefits. Business intelligence combines the collection of data and knowledge management with the tools of analytics to make complex data useful for the decision makers. It is mainly deal with large amount of data. This includes data mining, gathering of data, data warehousing and to think about the data . (Negash, 2004, Article 15) Business intelligence is a plan and collection of new processes and ways of performing exploration of data to support decision makers and also facilitate databases that provide organisational societies easy approach to data. (Larissa Terpeluk Moss, 2003) Advantages of using business intelligence in workplace give the opportunity to the managers to eliminate their gut feeling or guess work while making decisions. Gutt feel and experience not always gives positive result, but business intelligence provides the clear framework of what to do i n the business and provide more correct results. It gives quick answers to your business questions without wasting time to go through large data. Another great benefit of business intelligence is, with the help of this tool companies can be able to know their customer needs and their behaviour which they will use to make profit in future businesses. With the help business intelligence companies are capable to modify their predictive models. It increases the efficiency of business, by providing predictive models. It gives insight to your business where your business was, where it is now and where it is going. It helps to manage inventory according to the needs of customers. Business intelligence can also be applied in routine work. Such as revenue assurance, selecting vendors, customer value, order accuracy etc. First example: Bharti Airtel Limited (Telecommunication Company) beliefs that customer is the heart of the business, they focuses on customers and their target is to pr ovide maximum benefits and best services. If they want to give reward to top 20 customers by facilitating them one month free broadband subscription. They have to approach to previous years data. Although it is a big challenge for the company to find out best 20 customers from big data. Firstly, managers have to find out the answers of such simple questions: How many workers a company have or strength of the employees? For each plan, how many customers were opted within last 1 year in different regions? Who are top 20 customers? What is value of each customer? It is very surprising that nobody knows the answers of these questions and even donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have any framework for these questions. BI program not only provide tools to do framework, it also act as a channel for changing the way of thinking of team members. Before finding out the 20 best customers it is important for the managers to differentiate between a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“goodà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“badà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  customer and be able to measure the goodness. Business intelligence works in the way to what sets of data need to be collected, set up the process for the collection of data to find out answers of these questions and make it useful by applying software. It also works to maintain the quality of the data to avoid errors and combined the results into sensible report. By applying these measures manager can easily find out their top 20 customers and broadcast the result. (Loshin, 2012) Second example: In the selection of vendor company needs to fi nd out the vendor who is capable of fulfilling the company needs. This can be achieved by questionnaire based study. A questionnaire was framed and criteria are rated by the different fields of specialization. Each criteria assigned number from 1to 9 and according to number, levels of importance are determined. On the basis of results which would get from the questionnaire, a matrices are produced and priorities are decide. This process is helpful to find out the reliability of the vendor, quality of the product and the vendor experience in same field. (S. Kumar, 2009) Business analytics works on the different methods or processes of organisation use to make effective decisions. Process of analytics consist of a platform of varied techniques and statistics. Accumulating and analysing data can direct the business breakthrough. (Thorland, 23 June 2014) Business analytics perform on past performance analysis, concentrate on two-way analysis, to obtain new perceptions and understa nding, research the unknown and develop new patterns. (Beller, 2009) Human resource is a branch of an organisation who deals with the people of an organisation to enhance their performance, recruiting staff and to give the direction to an employee to work on organisation by applying policies and systems. This branch of an organisation use business analytics in many ways like employee appraisal, incentive schemes, recruitment process, promotions and employee welfare. Example 1.: State Bank of India is one of the biggest bank who work worldwide. This bank applies analytics to HR management to find out the problems and challenges of an organisation by arranging meetings with senior executives. According to their voting, they identifies problem like how to energise the performance of an employee and another problem they are facing is the ageing of top management group needs to be replace by young energetic staff. The HR is not capable to deliver development for the staff and their incentive schemes are not effective. After analysing such fact bank recognise that the people of SBI is the asset for an organisation and on the other it acts as a real problem. Employees had low morale and change must be required. They decide to design induction specifically devoted to create sense of team spirit among employees. Operation was cover the low-ranking executives and clerical staff, which comes around 1,38,000 employees and it was a two day workshop. To find out the accomplishment of the programme, questionnaire based survey of SBI customers was driven and more than 48% customers agreed that there has been an improvement noticed in the employees product knowledge and services. More than 28% of customers believed that employees give more attention than before. (N.Selvam, 2011) Example 2: In 1947, Wipro started as a vegetable oil company and in 1979, Wipro started developing their own computers. Selection process in Wipro is the process to place right person on right job. Human Resource department of Wipro uses analytics in many different ways. Recruitment is one of the process refers to the screening and selection of appropriate candidate according to the job requirements. Wipro is mainly used two sources for its recruitment i.e. internal and external sources. Internal sources means recruitment within the company by doing promotions, internal postings and reference from the employees. External source means outsourcing the employees through advertisements, on campus interview, agencies deal in personnel recruitment. Its recruitment process comprises of three steps i.e. 1) Aptitude test 2) Technical interview 3) HR interview . In aptitude test candidate has to solve 20 questions and there is no negative marking. Each section of test had cut-off. Interview was in two stages, one is technical and another is HR interview. Technical interview focuses on candidateà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s technical knowledge and HR interview focused on candidateà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ â„ ¢s communication skill. After going through all these rounds, company would finalise their selections. In terms of analytics, it is a process to analyse skills and qualities of an individual, which is helpful for the company to effectively work for the achievement of goal. (P.Rao, 2010 Vol -2) Example 3 : Hyatt International is one of the biggest international chain of seven star hotel used business analytics in their HR practices to concentrate on those employee who become key assets and focusing on their development and growth. To do this, we can say that Hyatt focuses on employee needs to be fulfilled which leads to achieve efficient work from the staff members and contribute better results. In hospitality, where people are recruited with the pleasing personality. The process of recruitment is done with the help of software called Taleo and after short listing the candidates called for further rounds. Company organizes the group discussion round so that people having goo d communication skills should be scrutinized and candidates with go getting attitude should be used for multitasking environment for the organization. Through an interview they finalise their candidates. Hyatt also organizes training for senior managers to make sure that everyone is equally treated and avoid conflicts in selection procedure. By applying such practices Hyatt can be able to recruit effective personnel for their hotel which leads betterment of the organisation. In conclusion, if a company needs to receive all the benefits of effective business intelligence, it ensures that they invest their money and time on capable human resources. They also planned such tools which is helpful to analyse their efficiency. Also to make sure that tools and systems designed would analyse both conditions and content of data. Beller, M. J. (2009). Next Generation Business Analytics. Larissa Terpeluk Moss, s. a. (2003). Business Economics. Addisson-Wesley Professional . Loshin, D. (2012). Business Intelligence : The Savvy Managers Guide. N.Selvam. (2011). The role of human resource management in state bank of india. Indian streams research journal . Negash, S. (2004, Article 15). AISeL . P.Rao. (2010 Vol -2). Journal of Indian research . S. Kumar, N. P. (2009). Analytical Hierarchy Applied to vendor selection problem. Business intelligence . Thorland, G. H. (23 June 2014). Business Analytics for managers.

Discuss The Regional Continuity Theory And Elaborating On...

For many years there has been a debate over where modern humans originated from. The first theory, out of Africa, discusses modern humans evolving in Africa. They migrated out to Eurasia and as the time went on their species evolved independently and developed into distinct species. All other human populations were eventually replaced with no interbreeding involved in the process and Homo sapiens had successfully dominated the rest of the world. On the other hand, the second theory, regional continuity, says that our earliest hominid ancestors had departed Africa and spread into other parts of the world later evolving into modern human beings. In this paper I will discuss the Regional continuity theory and elaborating on the Out of Africa theory. Evidence based on fossils, artifacts, and other crucial components will be discussed. Based on the evidence found I will come to a conclusion as to which theory I think best fits the origins of humans. The Multiregional theory believes that our earliest ancestors came from Africa, later settling to different parts of the world. It was believed that after a while Homo Sapiens evolved from distinct groups of Homo Erectus from all over the world. As they spread out there was a â€Å"mixing† of species such as homo Erectus and neanderthals. As time passed we eventually evolved and got to modern humans. There are different traits for each group or people around the world. The pattern of human evolution is described as MultiregionalShow MoreRelatedLibrary Management204752 Words   |  820 Pages. . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Environmental Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Developing Standards and Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Forecasting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Theory Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Management by Objectives (MBO) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Total Quality Management (TQM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Policy Making . . . . . . . . . . . . Read MorePest Analysis of an Educational Institution19905 Words   |  80 Pagespercent in most euro-area countries (for which the figures were reported), for both goods and services. * Anchor currency. The euro plays a role as an anchor or reference currency, notably in acceding and accession countries, Northern Africa and the CFA Franc-Zone. A few countries, mainly in Central Europe and the Western Balkans, are using the euro as a de facto currency, sometimes in parallel to their own national currency. The expanding international use of the euro can be seen asRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pagesthat management education had almost nothing to say about what managers actually do from day to day. He further faulted management textbooks for introducing students to the leading theories about management while ignoring what is known about effective management practice. Sympathetic to Mintzberg’s critique, we set out to identify the defining competencies of effective managers. Although no two management positions are exactly the same, the research summarized in the Introduction highlights ten personal

Essay about On the Existence of God - 1753 Words

Like the British philosopher and mathematician Bertrand Russell, who described himself as an atheist (the absence of belief in God), I have to say, like he did when he was alive, that religion is little more than superstition. Despite any positive effects that religion might have in societies, it is mostly harmful to people. Religions and religious outlook serve to impede human knowledge (science) and to foster fear and dependency on other (clerics) which are supposed to know. Religions are responsible for much of the human war, oppression, and misery that are besetting our world today. Our origin, our growth, our hopes and fears, our loves and beliefs, our purposes in life are but one thing: the outcome of accidental associations of†¦show more content†¦By sacred things he meant things set apart and forbidden—beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community called a Church, all those who adhere to them. For him sacred things are not limited to Gods o r spirits but also to anything declared by a human being sacred. It could be a rock, a tree, a spring, a pebble, a piece of wood, a house, etc., in other word anything capable of influencing for the better the outcome of one’s life. Religion may be seem as outdated and even harmful to the individual or society (to hinder or obstruct the progress of science) while in fact religion, your religion (your beliefs), is the mind differentiation of your inner feeling from the world of fact. Religion begins, I repeat, religion begins in everyone mind when people acquired through their own intellectual awareness a strong sense of differentiation between their qualitative selves from their natural environment, subjective consciousness from objective fact, and thus spirit from matter. Primitive religion had a biologic origin (mind capacity), a natural evolutionary development aside from moral associations (the sense ofShow MoreRelatedThe Existence Of God : God1305 Words   |  6 Pages The existence of God has been in question for as long as mankind has existed and thought logically. Many questions have plagued the human mind in regards to God, and there have been many arguments drawn with the hopes of proving the existence of a supreme being whom we know as God. The â€Å"God† question has been presented to every individual at some point in their lives. It is a topic that will bring forth never-ending questions and an equal amount of attempted answers. Many philosophers have formulatedRead MoreThe Existence Of God1304 Words   |  6 PagesIn this paper I’m going to argue that there exists only one God who is the most beneficent and the most merciful and that Blackburn’s claim for the existence of evil doesn t prove that there does not exist a God who is all knowing, all good and all powerful. Exposition:(349 words) In chapter five, Blackburn expresses his take on the existence of God. He believes that people with religious beliefs have to be evaluated â€Å"in terms of truth and falsity†. He thinks that that it is just the set of ritualsRead MoreThe Existence Of God s Existence1339 Words   |  6 Pagesidea of God. The existence of God is one of the most sought out topic that is frequently inquired. Is there really a God or is God merely a concept humans created to explain the unexplainable? And if God does exist, what makes him different from the rest of us? A well-known philosopher, St. Thomas Aquinas, introduced five proofs including the Cosmological Arguments of God’s existence, as well as explained some divine qualities that are associated with God. The nature of God’s existence is oftenRead MoreThe Existence of God1317 Words   |  6 PagesThe Existence of God For centuries, the idea of God has been a part of mans history. Past and present, there has always been a different integration consisting of the believers and the non-believers of God. The group of those who have faith in God tend to be related to one religion or another. On the other hand, the skeptics find the existence of God somewhat puzzling and try to seek the answers through scientific methods. Even as of today with all the modern technologies and the developmentRead MoreThe Existence Of God2601 Words   |  11 Pagesstatements established about the unseen and natural forces since the beginning of time. It gave rise to questions such as: Do aliens exist? Is there a world of the unseen? Life after Death and the most popular question since the beginning of times, Does God exists? And the answer is ‘yes’. Here is how I will justify my stance. Imagine yourself walking in the middle of a desert, which shows no signs of life regardless of which ever direction your eyes turn to. When, suddenly, you see something reflectingRead MoreGod s Existence Of God936 Words   |  4 PagesNot Be Afraid to Explore More Than One Religion God’s existence sometimes does not exist to certain people. When it comes to the teaching and knowledge about God many people are not aware because they have never been taught about how God appeared on the earth. I choose this topic because I was one of those people who has never really been raised around certain religion nor about the teaching how God came to be. However, I have been taught that God does exist and that his son Jesus are the reason forRead MoreThe Argument On The Existence Of God1629 Words   |  7 PagesThe idea of God has been a part of man’s history for centuries. Since time began there has been various combination of believers, and non-believers. Individuals who believes in God, belong to many different religion. Whereas, skeptics find the existence of God somewhat baffling, and have continually sought answers to His existence through scientific methods. As the world progresses in scientific, and technological advancement, the human race still face s the question of God’s existence. Many philosophersRead MoreAtheism And The Existence Of God Essay1294 Words   |  6 Pagesevident fact that God exists. Whereas some atheists would claim that the theists bear the burden of proof since they are making supernatural claims. In the following essay I will be discussing both opinions on this matter, and perhaps show how the burden of proof lies on both of them and neither of them. I will begin this discussion by defining the recurring terms during the discussion on the existence of God. Traditionally the three attitudes one could hold towards the existence of God are theism, atheismRead MoreEvil And The Existence Of God1147 Words   |  5 PagesThis essay is based on how the problem of evil attacks head on into the existence of god who is all good, all powerful and all knowing. The problem of evil is a wide area that can t be outrun easily. The concept of evil has been problematic to many philosophers. When speaking about evil, we all have the idea that is the absence of good. For some religious people, Evil has been described as a supernatural force, although for others is been described as part of the human nature. Blackburn mainly raiseRead MoreEssay on The Existence Of God908 Words   |  4 PagesPopular Arguments For The Existence Of God The Ontological Argument One of the most important attempts to demonstrate the existence of God is the ontological argument of Saint Anselm, an 11th-century theologian. Anselm’s argument maintains that God, defined as the greatest being that can be conceived, must exist, since a being that does not exist would by virtue of that fact lack an attribute that contributes to its greatness. Critics have questioned, however, whether existence actually contributes

Youth Delinquency And Justice-free sample -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss about the Youth Delinquency And Justice. Answer: Introduction In the modern era, youth delinquency has proved problematic to handle. There are increasing cases of youth offending in Australia and globally. Despite the existence of several policies to suppress the issue, youth delinquency is on the rise. The increasing rates of youth felony have prompted policymakers and scholars to research alternative ways of addressing the issue. However, the deferring views on the cause and ways of controlling youth crime by the policymakers, scholars, and public have complicated the process of finding appropriate solutions. Public comments on the proposed changes by the Queensland parliament explicitly illustrates that the society is far from establishing a coherent strategy to address youth delinquency. The commentaries posted by the public on the article implicitly posit youth offending from the classical theory perspective. The comments illustrate that the public believes that juveniles commit criminal acts out of individual choices and rational consider ations. This position severally challenges academic literature on youth justice as it postulates that there is no significant difference between youth and adult offenders. Public views on youth delinquency significantly rely on the existing implicit theories on youth offending. According to Shoemaker (2010), implicit theories are personal constructions about a particular condition or occurrence that exist in the mind of individuals. These constructions differ according to people. As Cunneen, Whites, and Richards (2015) expound, the implicit theories are characteristically equivocal and inconsistent in explaining an occurrence. Additionally, these personal constructions tend to be descriptive and deductive in their explanation to a phenomenon. As a result, several theories exist on youth delinquency. Each perspective strives to persuade the public that its position is relevant. In spite of these discrepancies, implicit youth delinquency theories are vital in understanding factors that propagate youth offending and direct policy formulation. In the Courier Mail naming and shaming comments,' the main concepts of youth offending reflected by the publics comments conform to the classical and strain delinquency theories. However, the significant percentage of the public founded their comments on the classical youth delinquency theory. According to Cunneen, Whites, and Richards (2015), the classical theory posits that the young people are rational individuals who have free will and ability to make choices. The classical theory suggests that a person engages in criminal acts intentionally after calculating the costs and benefits of such actions. In this respect, the theory rules out the effects of externalities in youth delinquency. As illustrated by the comment of one member of the public, all criminals should be accountable for their actions regardless of their age since they commit crime intentionally. Consequently, a majority of those who commented on the article supported the naming and shaming of the young offenders. Moreover, some even suggested that the delinquent youths should be shamed alongside their parents. According to one of the individuals who commented on the post, naming and shaming the offenders will act as a deterrent measure. However, there are those who argue that naming and shaming the offenders is not a sufficient disciplinary move. Instead, they insist that corporal punishment should accompany the naming and shaming. As depicted by the comments of a section of the public, naming and shaming the offenders without severe punishment could further escalate the rate of youth delinquency. This punitive view summarizes the stand of those who employ the classical approach to youth felony. As Marina and King (2009) expound, studies show that those who use the classical perspective on youth offending are more likely to be punitive than those who utilize the strain theor y. On the other hand, there are those who commented on the post from the strain theory viewpoint. The strain theory employs the positivists school of thought to criminology. In this view, this section of the public argued that social strains such as poor parenting, economic hardships, and ineffective policies motive the youths to engage in criminal acts. The strain theory argues that crime goes beyond free will. The difference between those individuals who applied the classical theory and the strain theory in their comments is that the latter was against the use of coercive force to handle the young offenders. This section of the public indicated that the use of coercive force is one the drivers of teenage delinquency. Moreover, they stated that naming and shaming of the offenders is not the long-term solution. Considering that emotions are one the key drivers of criminal acts, naming and shaming the offenders could inflict more strain on the young people escalating the rate of crim es. As argued in one of the comments, eradicating social and economic inequalities is the only way to address the issue of youth delinquency. Besides, those who argued from the strain theory perspective pointed out that naming and shaming of young offenders could lead to stigmatization. In the modern society, a good reputation is essential for success. Consequently, naming and shaming young offenders could adversely affect their future success as people will have negative presumptions about their behaviors. With psychologists confirming that humans can change their behaviors, it is irrational to condemn young people without solving the social forces that compel them to participate in criminal acts. Academic literature tends to agree and disagree with some of the comments made on the post. Particularly, scholars differ with the comments on the measures which should be implemented to address youth delinquency. From the comments, it is evident that majority of the public prefers the use of punitive strategies to address delinquency issues. However, as Reynolds and Crea (2015) indicate, youth delinquency is a complex issue which is influenced by multiple factors. The complexity of the issues implies that it motivated by free will or by social strain. Interestingly, Maahs and Pratt (2017) posit that public opinion on youth delinquency is not based on scientific research. Instead, it is based on societal assumptions. As a result, these opinions are biased and insufficient in informing policy formulation. According to Maahs and Pratt (2017), the use of imprisonment or punishment as a way to combat youth offending is a strategy that lacks objectivity. In the comments, a significant per centage of the public supported the naming and shaming policy as an effective measure to suppress youth crime. However, this move does not delve into the key external forces that compel the young people to commit criminal acts. Studies also refute the notion that criminal activities are based on personal decisions. A significant percentage of the public posted that the young people engaged in crime intentionally. However, according to Ciardha and Gannon (2012), some of the criminal activities are prompted by psychological distress. Moreover, Ciardha and Gannon (2012) point out that social learning influences some of the offenses. In this respect, it is nature of the society that shapes the behaviors of the young people. This argument challenges the deliberations of classical theories. Instead of the society assuming that youth delinquency is intentional, they should embrace that multiple factors motivate the condition. However, academic literature seems to have significant support for those who commented from the strain theory perspective. According to Hoeve, McReynolds, and Wasserman (2014), the classical theories prove insignificant, particularly in the case recidivism. From the comments, the majority of the people supported the naming and shaming of frequent offenders. However, Hoeve, McReynolds, and Wasserman (2014) advise that instead of punishing recidivists, they should be subjected to psychological screening to establish their mental wellbeing. Notably, studies have established a positive correlation between youth recidivism and mental disorders. In particular, Baglivio et al. (2016) maintain that maltreatment of offenders increases the possibilities of reoffending. This view contradicts public support for naming and shaming of delinquent youths. Naming and shaming of criminals are psychological maltreatments that can have a permanent damage on a persons emotions. Despite its adversities, H oeve, McReynolds, and Wasserman (2014) state that majority of people support harsh punishments for youth offenders since they believe that it deters criminal activities. Furthermore, scholars disapprove the equal treatment of youth and adult offenders. According to Cunneen, et al. (2015), youth offenders are legally incompetent and should not be equated to adults. The public has shown massive support for keeping distinct boundaries between young and adult offenders. According to Farrington, Loeber, and Howell (2017), it is widely accepted that age affects the decision-making ability of individuals. In this view, Young offenders should not be handled as the adult delinquents since they differ in their decision-making abilities. However, Farrington, Loeber, and Howell (2017) agree that this leniency in law has motivated juveniles to commit criminal offenses. Unlike the views presented by the majority of the comments on the article, the public prefers a rehabilitative and a no coercive approach to addressing youth delinquency. According to Pealer, Terry, and Adams (2017), the public understands that young people are still in the developmental stage and their behaviors can be easily altered. In fact, the society has significantly advocated for the abolishment of youth imprisonment. This revelation contrasts the views presented by those who called for harsh punishment for young offenders in the comments section. Conclusively, the comments by the public to the Courier Mail article theorize youth offending from the perspective of classical and strain theories. While a significant percentage of the public posted that youth offenders should be treated equally with adult criminals, this view contradicts the one by academic literature on public opinion on youth crime. However, they both agree that the public tends to support a punitive framework in designing youth justice systems. Moreover, some of the comments agree with scholarly works that youth crime is a complex subject that requires an inclusive policy approach to manage. References Baglivio, M. T. et al., 2016. Maltreatment, child welfare, and recidivism in a sample of deep-end crossover youth. Journal of youth and adolescence, 45(4), pp. 625-654. Ciardha, . C. Gannon, T., 2012. The implicit theories of firesetters: A preliminary conceptualization. Aggression and Violent Behaviour, Volume 17, p. Aggression and Violent Behaviour. Cunneen, C., White, R. Richards, K., 2015. Juvenile Justice: Youth and Crime in Australia. Fifth ed. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. Farrington, D. P., Loeber, R. Howell, J. C., 2017. Increasing the Minimum Age for Adult Court. Criminology Public Policy, 16(1), pp. 83-92. Hoeve, M., McReynolds, L. S. Wasserman, G. A., 2014. Service referral for juvenile justice youths: Associations with psychiatric disorder and recidivism. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 41(3), pp. 379-389. Maahs, J. Pratt, T. C., 2017. I Hate These Little Turds!: Science, Entertainment, and the Enduring Popularity of Scared Straight Programs. Deviant behavior, 38(1), pp. 47-60. Maruna, S. King, A., 2009. Once a Criminal, Always a Criminal?: Redeemability'and the Psychology of Punitive Public Attitudes. European Journal of Criminal Policy and Research, Volume 15, pp. 7-24. Pealer, J., Terry, A. N. Adams, K. R., 2017. Voices from inside the walls: Views of the juvenile justice system from the youthful offenders. Corrections, 2(2), pp. 130-147. Reynolds, A. D. Crea, T. M., 2015. Peer influence processes for youth delinquency and depression. Journal of Adolescence, Volume 43, pp. 83-95. Shoemaker, D. J., 2010. Theories of Delinquency: An Examination of Explanations of Delinquent Behavior. 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