Language and Logical Positivism Essay Example

Language and Logical Positivism Essay Example Language and Logical Positivism Essay Language and Logical Positivism Essay If asked â€Å"What is language? † one would try to define it in his or her own words or possibly look the word up in the dictionary. Language, by definition, is â€Å"the words, their pronunciation, and the methods of combining them used and understood by a community† (Merriam-Webster). Though the association between this word and its simple definition is what would be widely accepted by our society, philosophers or more specifically logical positivists would argue against the simplicity of language. According to the man who pioneered the logical positivist movement, Ludwig Wittgenstein, â€Å"Language is a part of our organism and no less complicated than it† (Wittgenstein). But first, we must have an understanding of what logical positivism is and what this school of philosophy believes. Logical positivists’ view is solely based on something called verification and meaning. To understand what verification and meaning is, there are two other very vital elements in understanding logical positivism: tautologies and empirical statements. Tautologies are statements that are known to be true through logical analysis or the meaning of words. For instance, mathematics would be a tautology because it is a logical truth, as well as an existing statement that would say that water is H2O. On the other hand, an empirical statement is almost the exact opposite. Empirical statements are statements known to be true through observation only. An example of an empirical statement would be to say that a man is wearing a black coat. Surely, a person can observe the statement that that same man is indeed wearing a black coat if he or she actually saw the man. But even if our eyes tell us that it is a black coat, how do we really know if the coat is a black coat or not? Since there is no real way, scientifically nor mathematically, in proving that his coat is actually black, we must assume that the statement is an empirical statement. Now that tautologies and empirical statements are understood, what is the connection to verification and meaning? â€Å"Verificationism  is the idea that a statement or question only has meaning if there is some way to determine if the statement is true, or what the answer to the question is† (Wikipedia). According to logical positivists, a statement must be verifiable to have true meaning. If it cannot be verified, then therefore it must be meaningless. The two types of statements we learned before, tautologies and empirical statements, are forms of how we can determine verification. Now, how can we connect language and meaning to what we have learned about the basics of logical positivism? Since stating earlier that language is much more complicated than it seems, it is starting to prove obvious from how much information has just been said that it is indeed a very complex thing. Language is what gives us meaning; it gives us an understanding and sense of our own reality. Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality† (Edgar Allan Poe). A word would be meaningless if our sense of reality of the word was nonexistent. In every language, there is a list of words that create a vocabulary and the grammatical arrangement of those words into a sentence is the syntax. In what is socially understood and accepted by any society, each and every word has its own definition and that definition is true. Though each definition is true, the combinations of the word into the sentence may not be. If the syntax is incorrect, it will be nonsensical. From what was learned above about tautologies and empirical statements, one can determine whether a sentence is true or false by the rules of logical positivists. Logical positivists, like Rudolf Carnap, believe that it is possible for a sentence to have meaning but that same sentence can also prove to be either true or false. Only a meaningful statement will be able to be proven true or false. If a statement is meaningless, the arrangement and sequence of the words create a statement that will not make sense. There are some cases where the sequence of words can look like a sentence that has meaning at first glance, but it does not prove to be logical. Carnap and other positivists would call these types of statements a pseudo-statement. â€Å"Since the meaning of a word is determined by its criterion of application†¦, the stipulation of the criterion takes away ones freedom to decide what one wishes to mean by the word†¦The meaning is implicitly contained in the criterion; all that remains to be done is to make the meaning explicit† (Carnap). One can have an idea of a certain word through mental images or feelings, but he or she cannot acquire any meaning to the word from just a mental image or feeling. Furthermore, to understand the full meaning of a word, one must determine the word’s criterion of application â€Å"by the relations of deducibility entered into by its elementary sentence-form, by its truth-conditions, by the method of its verification†. This all, in opposition to metaphysicians, is only describing the significance of a word. Put it all together and imagine the significance of a sentence, still in terms of logical positivism. As said before, a sentence can only have meaning if its words are coherently organized in syntax. But positivists seem to argue somewhat against this. In each language, there is a possibility that a sentence can be arranged using perfect grammar and syntax, but not always will it make sense. For example, a person can say â€Å"Bob is make† and have it be perfectly, grammatically correct in syntax. But is it logical? Obviously not, because it does not make any sense. Since natural languages are able to form grammatically correct but illogical sentences, logical positivists believe that grammatical syntax is insufficient. It is suggested that to understand and make sense of a sentence, instead of focusing on the meaning of each individual word, to focus on the syntactical type of each word. Since we now know and understand the logical positivists view on the significance of words and how they are formed to understand the significance of a sentence, we know that the formation and use of words and sentences are what creates a language. But how does language explain our perceptions of reality? â€Å"The limits of my language are the limits of my reality† (Wittgenstein). Everyone’s perception of reality may be different, but how each is perceived, well, that is solely based upon language. It is true that we all have our own perception of reality, and it would be impossible to even experience reality without the understanding of our own language. Our language is what tells us who, what, where, when, why and how. We would not have a sense of self identity if we did not have a language to describe ourselves, for example, a first name or ethnicity. Anything we do would not have any meaning if it weren’t for language. Life would just simply be chaos to us; since, without it, we wouldn’t even know what we are doing. Without language, we wouldn’t even know where we are or how to even describe our locations. We’d be lost in space. Time, therefore, would not even exist without language; time is a key element in our sense of reality. If there is no language, then there is no time; therefore there is no reality, so would we even exist? Without a language to explain why, we would be lacking knowledge. Without knowledge, we would be useless, meaningless beings. Lastly, a natural language can always explain how. A language explains how things work, or how things exist, etc. If we do not have the knowledge of knowing all the how’s, we would probably question our own existence, which again would distort our perception of reality. So, â€Å"the limit can †¦ only be drawn in language and what lies on the other side of the limit will be simply nonsense† (Wittgenstein). â€Å"Philosophy is language idling† (Wittgenstein).

Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Art - Essay Example He is a German painter, sculptor, graphic artist, and poet who spearheaded the principle of Surrealism which embraces unconventional art. One of his works that demonstrated surrealism would be â€Å"Oedipus Rex†, a painting of the hero in the Sophocles’ tragedy. Here one could see a picture of violence, seen through the depiction of the pierced fingers and walnut. The fingers are being speared by a bow-like device used to puncture the feet of birds so as to stop them from flying. However, the fingers do not bleed but the wound looks painful because of the penetration of the sharp object into the hand (Kuspit, D.). With all these said, the meaning of â€Å"Oedipus Rex† painting of Max Ernst is ambiguous, as opposed to the art of the 18th and 19th century. Looking at the painting, I would say that the person whose hand is being pierced is somewhat accepting the suffering he is undergoing despite the pain. Also, the fingers being pierced do not have any traces of bl ood which defies the concept of realism. All these sends contradicting messages that leave its audience wondering what the painter wanted to convey in the piece of art. Deducing Max Ernst’s â€Å"Oedipus Rex† painting and considering the transition of the changes from well-established principles of art to surrealism, I would say that this art attempted to veer away from realism, which is a principle which seeks to represent a subject matter truthfully. I would say so because though at first glance one would be able to immediately see suffering as a main subject in â€Å"Oedipus Rex†, one would start to see the irony of the scene when one looks closely on the details such as the pierced hand and fingers without any blood gushing out of it which is unrealistic. Aside from that, I strongly believe that Max Ernst tried to veer away from the confines of past artistic views of symbolism because he used strange symbols in his painting such as the walnut, birds in a box , bird with a horn, and a window which does not comprise of unified whole meaning. Also, Ernst’s bizarre painting resisted standards of rationality in such a way as the elements used in the painting could mean so many things because of its complexity. However, basing it in the predicament Oedipus was going through, the Sphinx actually refers to Oedipus himself giving the painting much depth as compared to works of art that embraces realism. On the other hand, the walnut refers to Hamlet’s statement, â€Å"O God, I could be bounded in a nut-shell, and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams" (Hamlet, II.2.247). The bird refers to Ernst pet cockatoo when he was a child which happened to die the same night his sister was born (Kuspit, D.). With all the complex symbolism Ernst used, one would only need to dig deeper into the elements of the painting in order to understand what he is trying to say. After studying Max Ernst’s â€Å" Oedipus Rex†, I would say that there is a huge change in his art as compared to the art in the 18th and 19th century wherein there are certain forms and styles being followed as opposed to the free flow of ideas and emotions being depicted in in â€Å"Oedipus Rex†. Though it is harder to understand, I would simply say that aside from it requiring a different kind of intellectual

UC Application - Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

UC Application - - Personal Statement Example Because many businesses are operating in tough economic times, making proper use of financial resources of importance value. Managing financial resources thus interests me given the benefit of using capital in an effective way. In addition, I have an interest of running a successful business that will purchase and sell goods in the international market. This enormous task requires robust financial understanding that I can only earn by enrolling in a financial program. These reasons reinforce my interest in finance major that is offered in your esteemed university. My interest for a financial major is strengthened by experience in a number of positions. In the past, I have worked as a sales person for a trading company where I managed products being sold by the firm. In this position, I learnt various skills required by marketers. During the 2010 summer, I worked as an intern in a Chinese firm. As an intern, my immediate supervisor tasked me with the role of carrying out various finan cial calculations using Microsoft Excel. Further, I learnt how to carry out market research and to use data in making strategic decisions in business. Most important, I learnt how to enter data and analyze them based on certain parameters. Equally important, I had the opportunity of working for an insurance agency. In this firm, I plan and advise clients based on their business proposals. Moreover, my role is to persuade businesspersons to subscribe to our insurance policies to protect their business from various risks. From the above work experiences, I gained many significant experiences that will improve my performance as a financial planner. First, I learnt how to market goods to different businesses with a goal of winning. With a goal of starting an international business, I am now aware of how to win other businesses that may be some of my customers. In the same fashion, I learnt the value of making a sound decision based on data gained from research. Indeed, this critical gai n will improve my ability to operate in the international arena where business intelligence is paramount. Further, I also gained new concepts both in business and in finance that will increase my success in business. With an intention of working an iBank first, before starting my own business, I deem this experiences a great opportunity for me to appreciate the role of business. Given my application for consideration in your university, I intend to use this opportunity as a solid foundation to acquire other advanced financial concepts that will prepare me to excel in business as an astute financial planner. Questions two Being a leader is one of the attributes that defines me. Over years, I have had the opportunity to take on different leaders that have given me the opportunity to serve others, as well as develop myself. During my tenure in De Anza College, I was the president of the Japanese Cultural Club, which had a goal of disseminating Japanese culture, heritage, and value amon g members of the club. My acceptance as the president of the association was because of my cross-cultural ability and understanding of other cultures, as well. With this background, I am looked forward for an opportunity to use the skills I have learnt in contributing to the diversity of the university. Apart from being the president of the Japanese Cultural Club, I also served as chairperson of the Biology club. This is a position that I served because of

Students Own Experiences of Digital Technology and Implications for Research Proposal

Students Own Experiences of Digital Technology and Implications for the Design of University Education - Research Proposal Example In the last decade, higher education in Saudi Arabia has undergone a major transformation. There has been a three-fold increase in the number of universities in the last ten years. Consequentially, postgraduate students have increased in number. Along with this, improvement in the quality of education and making Saudi education come at par with the education of technologically advanced countries in terms of quality has been the major goal of Saudi universities in the 21st century. Several events have recently occurred that have reflected the increased interest of the students in Saudi Arabia in e-learning. In the year 2009, an international conference regarding cyberlearning and distance education was held in Saudi Arabia for the first time in her entire history. This led to the establishment of the Center for e-Learning and Distance Learning. This center was developed in accordance with the plan prepared by the Saudi Ministry of Higher Education that was directed at cultivating a ro bust infrastructure for the promotion of technology led education in the Universities of Saudi Arabia. Taking a look at the recent advancements that have been made in the field of education in Saudi Arabia, it becomes evident that this is a very crucial time for understanding how students’ own experiences of digital technology use in their personal lives influence their perceptions of ideal university education. Young people have conventionally been the primary users of innovation information technology (Rheingold, n.d. p. 97) â€Å"remaining at the top of Internet usage statistics and distinguishing themselves as early adopters of features such as instant messaging, peer-to-peer file sharing, and social networking tools† (Xenos and Foot, n.d.). Thus, the matter fundamentally concerns the youth and hence the future of Saudi nationals. This research will generate this information so that educationalists may be facilitated in adjusting the university education according to the aspirations of students which is conducive to the students’ increased participation and better academic performance. Provision of digital media in Saudi universities will â€Å"enhance their civic engagement, which comprises political activism, deliberation, problem-solving, and participation in shaping a culture† (Levine, n.d., p. 119).

CASE STUDY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

CASE STUDY - Essay Example In 1972 the company reported Net Income of $172.7 million that increased by more than hundred percent to $497.3 million. The financial performance of the company was characterized by steady and consistent growth and rising profitability. AHP increased revenues, earnings and shareholders’ dividends for straight 29 years. The company managed to retain the growth in the range of 10 percent and 15 percent in recent years. This growth was financed by the company through internal means even though it paid roughly 60 percent of the earnings as dividends. The earnings growth of the company boosted the share price of the company by nearly three times. The steady growth in sales and rising EPS made the shares of the company an attractive ‘buy’ among the institutional investors. The low debt exposure of AHP seemed to work in favor of the company as it gained wider acceptance from the institutional investors. To couple with this the steady rise in the return on equity of the company seemed to attract more number of buyers which can be the reason for the three fold rise in the share price of the company. The cash flow position of the company was also very strong as evident from the steady rise in the Cash position of the company. In 1976 the company had Cash of nearly $358.8 million that grew to $729.1 million. Even though the company declared a generous portion of the profits as dividend the cash reserves of the company kept rising steadily. In fact the growth in cash reserves even outpaced the growth rate in sales and profits. This ensured that the liquidity position of the company remained strong. A high liquidity, as measured by a high current ratio, is a good sign as it signifies that the company is capable of taking care of any financial emergency (Siegel, et al., 1997, pp80). Warner Lambert was the only company that was comparable to AHP. Like AHP the former also operated in roughly the same businesses and had a debt

Humane Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Humane Society - Essay Example Local groups handle the actual care giving process such as looking after animal housing, the animal adoption process and even euthanasia when it is required as an act of mercy (Wikipedia, 2008). 3. Relating to the audience: Even in our neighborhoods and cities, shelters are provided for animals and these shelters include municipal and private shelters which provide a wide variety of facilities. From life time care facilities for animals that are without homes to the temporary homes for animals. However, a municipal shelter is run by the government and it is funded by taxpayers such as you and me. The employees of such shelters are civil servants. Their basic function is defined in municipal codes, which means to pick up wandering and irritant animals and then reunite them with their owners. 5. Private shelters: work with funded from private donors and provide a safe home for lost and misplaced animals. Their basic task is to find homes for such animals. Employees of these shelters work as volunteers and may even be professional vets who go about caring for such animals. Many of the private shelters do wonderful work by placing animals in good homes. However, some may have to kill the animals that cannot be adopted since there is never enough room in such places. The animals that have to be euthanized often are those who have constant health situations e.g. diabetes, or a disability which makes them difficult to offer for adoption. 6. These are called â€Å"no kill† Shelters. No Kill is a widespread movement for animal shelter improvement. It is advocated by Winograd with a simple policy of not to euthanize animals. Such kinds of policies are known as â€Å"no kill.† The phrase No Kill is distinct by practices whereby an animal may be killed in order to ease the suffering of the animal or if the animal is unmanageable. However, animals are not killed just because there is not enough room in the shelter (Encyclopedia Britannica,

Affordances of an Educational Technology Tool (Blogs) Essay

Affordances of an Educational Technology Tool (Blogs) - Essay Example As the paper stresses Bogging as an ICT tool in the math classroom and other academic contexts, for that matter, has benefits as â€Å"a method of public discourse of the information society†.The â€Å"blog† as a tool of information and communication technology exhibits strengths in â€Å"the innovative possibilities for interactive relationships between learner and the ICT system†¦the blog is a method of discourse and discussion which opens up new possibilities for illustrating instructional learning tasks and facilitating the understanding and comprehension of mathematical phenomena† . According to the report findings participating in ‘collaborative construction of knowledge’ is an effective strength of blogging. The instructional method of ‘co-operative learning’ is often effectively demonstrated in the ICT learning environment. Blogging offers the opportunities for dialogue and discussion that are both motivational and social in educational context, including the mathematics classroom. Developmental and cognitive elaborations (from teachers and students) provide the opportunities and affordances of learning resources and support, i.e. The ICT collaborative learning camps. 'Collaborative constructions of knowledge’ are the learning outcomes of deductive/inductive logic, blogging of math theories, blogging on cognitive perspectives. ICT, with use of blogging techniques, â€Å"focuses on collaboration through the computer or computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL), assisted by different network-based collaborative tools, wi thin the math classrooms†.