Sunday, January 26, 2020
Changes in Marriage Equality Laws
Changes in Marriage Equality Laws Compare and contrast how your views of a traditional nuclear family, cohabitation and sexuality might differ from those of your parents. The ever changing world as we know it has led to differences in lifestyles and contemporary views towards how families should be run in modern society but the core values of family life still remain the same. Families are still mediums whereby people can enjoy security, companionship and a refuge from an often harsh and uncaring world. Structures of families have changed along with society in general but the traditional nuclear family of mother, father and children still remains an ideal. Many variations of the traditional nuclear family have arisen in the years since world war 2 that have changed the current generations views to that of our parents and grandparents generations. In previous generations the mother was expected to look after the household and not partake in paid employment while the father was considered the bread winner and sole source of income for the family. This perception of the nuclear family has changed vastly due to major changes in social structure, education, the feminist movement etc. These forces have changed how we view the modern family along with the increase in cohabitation, decline in marriage, rise in divorce rates and the prolonged postponement of union formation. Single-sex marriages, single-parent families, cohabitation and single living have increased in regularity. Increases in the rate of divorce has lead to a growth in the popularity of cohabitation whereby more couples live with each other before marriage, somewhat as a testing period, and couples are marrying later in life. Marriage has become less relevant in our generation compared to the golden age of marriage during the 50s and 60s where marriage was an important institution in society. Changes in laws such as those concerning same-sex marriage have led to this attitude. In the last two decades there has been a dramatic increase in cohabitation in the US. Between 1970 and 1994, the number of unmarried couples living together rose from about 500,000 to almost 3.7 million. Between 1965-74 just 11% of marriages were preceded by cohabitation whereas between 1980-84 44% of all marriages involved at least one spouse who had cohabited (1). Cohabitation has been prevalent in previous generations where couples were unable to marry due to the fact that they werent able to afford marriage or were not lawfully able to marry. Couples also believe that it is easier to end a cohabiting relationship than it is to end a marriage. For one tenth of cohabiters, cohabitation is a long term relationship which does not lead to marriage (1). In the space of a couple of decades cohabitation has nearly replaced marriage as the regular choice of a first union. In France, a massive rise in cohabitation occurred between 1965 and 1995 when the proportion of couples starting their union by cohabitation increased from 10% to 90% (2). During the 1990s marriage was still the superior marker for first union entry in the south of Europe whereas in juxtaposition most western and northern European countries and the United States cohabitation had surpassed marriage as the preamble for first partnership. The mean age for which people enter marriage has increased for many reasons. The prolonging of many transitions to adult life(finishing education, leaving the parental household, starting a first job) along with the rise in young adults entering unions without marriage has added to the mean age. Nowadays marriage is no longer seen as the singularly appropriate avenue for childbearing. People who decide to have a child do not feel rushed into marriage and being pregnant is not seen as a determinant for marriage. This attitude can be compared to those of prior generations where pregnancy before marriage was frowned upon and unmarried cohabitation did not last very long due to social pressure. In our parents generations the normal route of marriage followed by childbearing has been steadily replaced by a number of different pathways: in some countries, the sequence of cohabitation followed by marriage and then childbearing has become the most common path, while in other societies, cohabitation first followed by first or second birth and then marriage has become the most popular pattern and an increasing number of couples with children opt to not marry at all (3). In the United States the number of children born to parents who cohabitate nearly doubled between 1984 and 1994, growing from 6% to 11% (4). In recent times marriage instability has increased, this along with less-stable living arrangements have led to an increase in the numbers of single parent families and a high frequency of single motherhood across Europe. In Europe a substantial percentage of children are exposed to living with a single parent before reaching the age of 15. The total exposure ranged from 11-18 percent in Southern Europe (Italy and Spain), Belgium, Poland, and Slovenia; to 39-41 percent in Austria, Germany, and Latvia; and, outside of Europe, to a very high level of 52 percent in the United States (these figures are period life table estimates based on the FFS data). In agreement with the evidence provided by the census data in Table 6 above, the authors argue that, while the pace of family change has varied across countries, the shift of childrearing from married parents to single mothers is universal in Western societies, and has been proceeding faster than the shift to cohabiting parents and stepfa milies (5). In our parents and grandparents generations there was a fundamental belief that marital union should be between a man and a woman. Same sex couples were shunned and granted none of the rights that were enjoyed my heterosexual couples. Throughout the world same sex couples and those in support of equal rights for same sex couples have campaigned for what they feel are basic human rights that should apply to everyone; the right to have their relationship recognised lawfully and the right to marry. Homosexuality has gradually become decriminalised since the 60s in most countries but is still criminal in some countries run by religious laws. Pressure from these groups seeking equality for same sex couples and recognition of their union along with the increase in cohabitation has led to law reforms that allow these couples to achieve a specific legal status when the register their partnerships. Although same sex couples are gaining momentum in their continuous battles to secure recognition there are still pockets of resistance and intolerance. The introduction of civil partnership to the United Kingdom has granted same sex couples more rights including employment, pension and inheritance related rights. This increase in rights is a stark contrast compared to the limited rights allocated to same sex couples in our parents and grandparents times. References Cohabitation: A Snapshot by Hilda Rodriguez, 1998 Cohabitation is here to stay by Touleman, 1997 Children born outside marriage in France and their parents: recognitions and legitimations since 1965 by Munoz-PÃÆ'Â ©rez, F., and F. Prioux, 2000 Larry Bumpass, 2002 Shifting childrearing to single mothers. Results from 17 Western countries by Heuveline, P., J. M. Timberlake, and F. F. Furstenberg, Jr., 2003
Friday, January 17, 2020
Evil Lives are meaningless lives? Essay
Profound though it may seem we often ask this very basic question: What is the meaning of our life? This is one question that has existed for a long as humanity has. It is one mystery that has fascinated many of the great philosophers. Although many will find it absurd, pretentious even, that we want to answer this question, Julian Baggini thought otherwise. This is proven by his treatise in the book entitled What’s It All About: Philosophy and the Meaning of life.            Indeed, while many people will shy away from bursting forward with this question, Mr. Baggini was brave enough to try to answer it. He attempted to break down several issues plaguing people – some of which are helping others, serving humanity, being happy, becoming triumphant – and successfully delivered his views without making his ideas sound so ostentatious and metaphysical.            The essential issue in the book actually deals with the question of whether there is a profound and mysterious meaning to life. It also asks what the ultimate purpose of our existence is. Mr. Baggini argues that there really is no single meaning to our existence. He says that every little thing that we do has meaning in itself so it is pointless to look for one whole package of meaning. Indeed, the first-two chapters examine if and why the existence of God should make a difference into determining the meaning of our life. The remaining chapters then evaluate the claims of some people as to what they find significant in their life.            By planting his feet firmly on the ground and dealing with specific issues, I think that Mr. Baggini effectively shows us that the quest for the meaning of our existence is right here with us everyday. We don’t need to travel to far places to look for it. We don’t need to serve in the UNICEF to render ourselves useful to humanity. Most importantly, we don’t need legislation to render ourselves empowered. The answer we have always been looking for in our life is in our own hands. It is how we cope with our everyday existence that will truly define the life that we have lived. The outside forces are just mere accompaniment, whereas our actions and reactions are the essential factors that will judge us in the end.            Corollary to this, the meaning of our life cannot be found in books and idealistic treatise. We don’t need to look for its meaning in our neighbor’s house; it is right at the tip of our nose. Mr. Baggini shows us that we can value happiness even as we accept that it is not everything. We can see the value of success without drowning ourselves in it. We can even shout â€Å"Carpe Diem†to the whole world even as we help others lead fruitful lives. In the end, it is still love that powerfully motivates us all. Indeed, Mr. Baggini shows us that the search for meaning is very personal and within our power to find. He supports his stand by drawing from actual experiences drawn from real life of real people.            In many ways, those who have read this book will deduce that Mr. Baggini qualifies himself as a modern-day heir of Bertrand Russel. In his own way, he shows us that we can find the meaning of life if we can only be more philosophical and rational.            In the Chapter 4 of the book subtitled Here to help, Mr. Baggini discusses the proper place of altruism if we are to pursue meaningful lives. â€Å"If the meaning of life is to help others, then only those doing the helping can lead meaningful life. The people being helped are thus mere instruments to the end of giving purpose to the altruists.†(65)  Of course, Mr. Baggini does not brush off altruism as a useless virtue. It is still needed if we have to co-exist peacefully with others. However, he emphasizes that altruism should be put in its proper perspective and that people should make sense in defending values which go beyond itself. Altruism in itself is a virtue but it should not used to define one’s life. It is just but one part of our existence, not the whole of it.            In Chapter 7 subtitled Becoming a contender, Mr. Baggini writes â€Å"To raise a happy family, or live your life pursuing your passion, no matter which recognition you get, should be seen as a success.†(123) This in itself shows the kind of philosophical sense that Mr. Baggini follows in this book. He does not aim for huge successes but makes one feel that no matter how small the achievement is, it is still worth noting because it has helped one become the kind of person that he is today. It is therefore important for us to do our best in every thing we do because these small things can also enrich our life. Indeed, it does not matter whether the good deeds we have done are great or small. The most important is we did it. This is what life should be all about.            In Chapter 9 subtitled Lose yourself, Mr. Baggini emphasizes that we don’t need a Maya Angelou or a Deepak Chopra to lead us to the real meaning of our life. He strongly criticizes the promises of religious and ideological beliefs; consequently convincing us that we really don’t need vast esoteric knowledge or a time-tested guru to find the meaning of our life. Here, Mr. Baggini argues that we just have to look into our self and we will find everything that we have always been looking for. Resorting to ideological beliefs may only pose greater danger of losing one’s proper perspective, thus, this is highly discouraged. Apparently, Mr. Baggini believes that each person is unique and lessons learned from one’s experiences may not be uniform for everyone.            Mr. Baggini’s main purpose for writing this book is actually to show us that philosophy – rather than our average New Age psychobabble  is a better tool to analyze life’s little mysteries with. This is the reason why he purposely puts forward a largely down-to-earth approach to the issues being raised in the book. In a world where existentialism has morphed into an alienated version of the â€Å"I and me†culture, utilitarianism offers rational discourses where once we had heaven for guarantor.            Like the movie Dead Poets Society, Mr. Baggini encourages us to seize the day. Each day is a chance for us to define the life we lead. It is therefore essential that we have to live our life to the fullest everyday. Of course, he admits that defining our life this way is not an easy task but there is nothing impossible if we only go back to our very selves. In this aspect, Mr. Baggini dislikes paradox and hyperbole and anything too extreme.            What’s It All About: Philosophy and the Meaning of Life ends up being a rational and secular inquiry into the meaning of life. Although it is obviously a prà ©cis of Mr. Baggini’s personal views on life, he hopes that this is something many philosophers would mostly agree. Several times in the book he would refer to past experiences as he draws lessons from them. In spite of his bold statements, however, Mr. Baggini takes a cautious approach. This stance disappoints because at the end of the book, there is little to disagree with. His supposition that the meaning of life is really â€Å"quite humdrum†only sums up his attitude to the question. In this aspect, he shows that life is just a mirror that reflects back the image of whoever seeks its meaning.            To his credit, Mr. Baggini tries to sum up the meaning of life in fewer than 200 pages – a big achievement in itself. However, it is also because of this that his argument suffers greatly; being that its supporting discourses have been so squeezed together. This problem is apparent in the chapter on the loss of selfhood, where he points out that New Age ideas are quite â€Å"nonsense.† He says that anyone who professes to lose his ego during meditation is being self-righteous.  Anyone who professes to lose his ego during meditation is being smug and self-righteous.            Mr. Baggini then saves the best for last when he declares that â€Å"we should forget about the meaning of life and just get on with it.† The analysis made on life stems from a rationalist and humanist perspective. As I said earlier, he proceeds to his main thesis with utmost caution even as he answers each question thrown his way with distinctive directness. The outcome of this is that the readers are left to form their own conclusion based on the framework that Mr. Baggini has constructed. Each reader will be able to form his own meaning to life – one that will be personal, more meaningful and sociologically moral.            If a reader has majored in philosophy, this book will be viewed as a bit simplistic. However, for ordinary readers like me, it makes for an easy comparison of the various isms in life. Sure, it does not dole out definitive answers to specific questions. Still, it’s a good read for someone who is literally searching for a meaning of his existence. For me, Mr. Baggini’s insistence that our life should be led on an everyday basis is congruent to the fact that we should live it in peaceful co-existence with our neighbors. Doing otherwise (or by being evil) will render our life meaningless. In a nutshell, Mr. Baggini offers us ideas about life that are balanced, good and practical. The bottom line here is that living itself, for its own sake, is what truly the only thing that gives life meaning. All the other ascriptions are, at best, plain spices to make the journey fun and enjoyable.  References: Baggini, Julian. (2005) What’s It All About: Philosophy and the Meaning of Life. Granta Publishers, Inc. Williams, Peter. (2003) Sorting the wheat from the chaff http://www.damaris.org/content/content.php?type=5&id=319
Thursday, January 9, 2020
How to Classify Chemical Reaction Orders Using Kinetics
Chemical reactions can be classified based on their reaction kinetics, the study of reaction rates. Kinetic theory states that minute particles of all matter are in constant motion and that the temperature of a substance is dependent on the velocity of this motion. Increased motion is accompanied by increased temperature. The general reaction form is: aA bB → cC dD Reactions are categorized as zero-order, first-order, second-order, or mixed-order (higher-order) reactions. Key Takeaways: Reaction Orders in Chemistry Chemical reactions may be assigned reaction orders that describe their kinetics.The types of orders are zero-order, first-order, second-order, or mixed-order.A zero-order reaction proceeds at a constant rate. A first-order reaction rate depends on the concentration of one of the reactants. A second-order reaction rate is proportional to the square of the concentration of a reactant or the product of the concentration of two reactants. Zero-Order Reactions Zero-order reactions (where order 0) have a constant rate. The rate of a zero-order reaction is constant and independent of the concentration of reactants. This rate is independent of the concentration of the reactants. The rate law is: rate k, with k having the units of M/sec. First-Order Reactions A first-order reaction (where order 1) has a rate proportional to the concentration of one of the reactants. The rate of a first-order reaction is proportional to the concentration of one reactant. A common example of a first-order reaction is radioactive decay, the spontaneous process through which an unstable atomic nucleus breaks into smaller, more stable fragments. The rate law is: rate k[A] (or B instead of A), with k having the units of sec-1 Second-Order Reactions A second-order reaction (where order 2) has a rate proportional to the concentration of the square of a single reactant or the product of the concentration of two reactants. The formula is: rate k[A]2 (or substitute B for A or k multiplied by the concentration of A times the concentration of B), with the units of the rate constant M-1sec-1 Mixed-Order or Higher-Order Reactions Mixed order reactions have a fractional order for their rate, such as: rate k[A]1/3 Factors Affecting Reaction Rate Chemical kinetics predicts that the rate of a chemical reaction will be increased by factors that increase the kinetic energy of the reactants (up to a point), leading to the increased likelihood that the reactants will interact with each other. Similarly, factors that decrease the chance of reactants colliding with each other may be expected to lower the reaction rate. The main factors that affect reaction rate are: The concentration of reactants: A higher concentration of reactants leads to more collisions per unit time, which leads to an increased reaction rate (except for zero-order reactions.)Temperature: Usually, an increase in temperature is accompanied by an increase in the reaction rate.The presence of catalysts: Catalysts (such as enzymes) lower the activation energy of a chemical reaction and increase the rate of a chemical reaction without being consumed in the process. The physical state of reactants: Reactants in the same phase may come into contact via thermal action, but surface area and agitation affect reactions between reactants in different phases.Pressure: For reactions involving gases, raising pressure increases the collisions between reactants, increasing the reaction rate. While chemical kinetics can predict the rate of a chemical reaction, it does not determine the extent to which the reaction occurs.
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
Police Brutality And Modern Law Enforcement - 1635 Words
The purpose of this paper is to describe the problem of police brutality in modern law enforcement. Despite all of the advancements in contemporary policing, there are still flaws in the system. Many of these problems are found in civil rights, corruption, police-community relations, and police brutality. Even though all of these items are closely related, police brutality is currently the biggest issue throughout the United States and continues to shower the news headlines on a continual basis and cause uprisings among citizens throughout the country. Despite all of the advancements in modern policing, there are still flaws in the system. Many of these problems are found in civil rights, corruption, police-community relations, and police brutality. Even though all of these items are closely related, police brutality is currently the biggest issue throughout the United States. By describing police brutality and giving examples, one will be able to understand why it is such a problem in law enforcement today. We will also discuss ways in which police brutality is being corrected and prevented in police departments through internal and external control mechanisms, legislative control, and court control. Police Brutality Police brutality is basically any force that exceeds what is necessary to accomplish a matter that requires regulation. There is a fine line between apprehending a citizen and abusing their rights. Officers are only allowed to do what isShow MoreRelatedPolice Brutality Is An Epidemic1394 Words  | 6 PagesPolice Brutality Cases â€Å"When you have police officers who abuse citizens, you erode public confidence in law enforcement. That makes the job of good police officers unsafe.†(Berry) Recently police brutality has become an alarming issue in society. At the end of 2015, thousands of deaths resulted in accusing victims dying in police custody. 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