Enter Golden Gator Essay Example for Free

Enter Golden Gator Essay One evening, zoo officials and animal experts alike captured a 3-foot alligator at the Presidios Mountain Lake. With the help of an expert alligator trapper, they were able to snare the 2-year old alligator by rod, reel, and hook. However, it did elude them a lot of times over. Many wondered how he even got to the lake on the first place. Some assumed that someone may have left him there, or was able to seek refuge and survive by eating fish, frogs, tadpoles, and insects. The little alligator found a new home at the San Francisco zoo, according to the zoos general curator, David Robinett. He added that the gator will be quarantined for 30 days. Furthermore, mice will be added on his diet during that said time period. The presence of the gator at the Bay area, especially on the mountain lake, aroused the curiosity of the people. It seems that gators tend to be more adaptive to colder conditions as opposed to their tropical cousins, the crocodiles. In a Name the Gator contest sponsored by the San Francisco Examiner

Deontologial Theory Essay -- essays research papers

ETHICS Deontological Theory Historically ethics was studied from a philosophical aspect and viewed as the science of morals. Ethics had been defined as the principles of moral conduct that govern our behavior. Our ethical behavior is developed from various factors, to include our environment, family and beliefs. The origins of ethics can be traced back to the fifth century, BC ( Banner, 1968, pg.67). Plato, Socrates and Aristotle are among the early teachers of ethics.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  These teachers along with many other philosophers developed and taught numerous ethical theories based on their beliefs. Ethical theories that have evolved through the years include, but are not limited to:  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Greek ethics of Plato, Socrates and Aristotle focused on moral virtues.  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Christian ethics of St. Augustine focused on divine revelation.  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The consequential ethical theory of Bentham theorized that the consequences of one’s behavior are crucial when making moral decisions.  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The non-consequential ethics of Kant which viewed an individual’s duty and moral obligation as paramount when faced with an ethical challenge. Contemporary philosophers define ethics as a philosophical examination of the principles of right versus wrong, and view morality as the practice of these principles (Souryal, 1998, pg.17). The study of modern ethics and human behavior is a continuum of the examination of many of the same theories studied by earlier philosophers. One such theory is the deontological theory. This ethical theory is based an individual’s actions and not the consequences of the actions. Deontological is derived from the word deontos, the Greek word meaning duty or obligation. There are two sub-categories of the deontological theory. The â€Å"monistic† sub-category bases morality solely on one virtue. Examples of the monistic category of ethical theories are hedonism and Kant’s duty theory. In the theory of hedonism, pleasure is the only good, and in Kant’s theory on ethics, one’s duty or moral obligation is the sole virtue or value of goodness. The â€Å"multiple† sub-category of ethical theories has a minimum of two values of goodness, such as a woman marrying an intelligent and handsome man. The multiple values of goodness ... ...he human relations aspect of our jobs. Finally, as rational and intelligent individuals we must focus on the beneficial aspects of all-ethical theories and attempt to minimize the non-beneficial components of each theory. We must analyze the ethical dilemma and demonstrate the courage and moral virtue to apply the correct ethical theory that would result in the morally correct resolution to any given ethical dilemma. It is imperative that as rational and thinking human beings we consider the ramification of our actions and conclusively make the morally correct decision when faced with an ethical dilemma in law enforcement. References Albert, Ethel, M., Denis, Theodore C. Denise & Peterfreund, Sheldon P. (1988). Great Traditions in Ethics. Belmont, California: Wadsworth, Inc. Banner William A. (1968). Ethics: An Introduction to Moral Philosophy. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons. Shapiro, David A. (1999). Choosing the Right to Do. San Francisco, California: Berrett- Koehler Publishers. Souryal, Sam S. (1998). Ethics in Criminal Justice: In Search of the Truth. Cincinnati, Ohio: Anderson Publishing Co.

Beauty Lies in the Eye of the Beholder

McNulty, J. , Neff, L. , Karney, B. (2008). Journal of Family Psychology. Beyond Initial Attraction: Physical Attractiveness in Newlywed Marriage, 22(1), 135-143. â€Å"Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder†. A famous statement that normally holds true. However, how long will this beauty last in the beholder’s eye? Will physical appearance affect a relationship over time as the relationship deepens and develops? A study was conducted by James K. McNulty, Lisa A. Neff, and Benjamin R. Karney attempting to answer how physical appearances continue to affect established relationship.The study was published in the â€Å"Journal of Family Psychology† in 2008 titled Beyond Initial Attraction: Physical Attractiveness in Newlywed Marriage. The primary reason for the study was to expand on prior studies of physical attractiveness which suggested that physical attractiveness should be connected with more positive outcomes in marriage. Apparently, many studies of physical a ttractiveness came about to support or over- throw two poets recognition on the period of physical attractiveness.Poet John Keats believes that the benefits of beauty are everlasting while poet G. B. Shaw believes that beauty is destined to fade over time. Different theories were also taken into consideration. Equity and similarity theories predict that attractiveness should be connected with greater levels of satisfaction and vice versa. Evolutionary perspectives and normative resource theories suggest that the gender of the more attractive partner should play an important role in determining the effects of different attractiveness.The author had cited clear review of literature and the problem was clearly visible to the average reader why the researchers felt this study needed to be done. With that said, this research tested hypothesis about whether physical attractiveness continues to influence relationships after marriage or fade with time and experience. The focus of the study was to obtain observer ratings of physical attractiveness, observer ratings of behavior, and self reports of satisfaction from a sample of recently married couples.Relative levels of attractiveness were then analyzed in order to understand the impact of each spouse’s attractiveness on how they compare with one another. Only newlyweds were selected for this particular study. The couples had to be recently married, were relatively around the same age, and were selected within the first 6 months of both partner’s first marriage. The selected 82 eligible couples went through a formal laboratory session and questionnaires before any experiments were conducted.To conduct the ratings of physical attractiveness, the researchers had to use the Quality Marriage Index, a six-item scale asking spouses to rate general statements about their marriage. Higher scores would reflect greater satisfaction with the relationship. To conduct ratings of behavior, trained raters had coded vide otaped discussions of support topics based on The Social Support Interaction Coding System. Every behavior such as speaking, turning, and gestures were recorded and analyzed.To conduct self reports of satisfaction, researchers rated the facial attractiveness of each spouse from the recorded videotapes. From a scale from 1 to 10, higher ratings indicated more attractive faces. The results of the study reflected the researchers’ expectations in newlyweds. According to the tables and data, both husbands and wives had relatively high level of marital satisfaction, there were more positive behaviors during their social support interactions, and their facial attractiveness were at the attractiveness scale.Further analyses were conducted on levels of physical attractiveness connected with outcomes of established relationships. Regression models were drawn separately for husbands and wives and the results indicated that the absolute levels of attractiveness were associated with both satisfaction and behavior. Surprisingly, findings shows that more attractive husbands tended to behave more negatively in an established relationship but neither the husbands’ nor wives’ supportive behavior was related with their partners’ attractiveness.Results indicate that relative attractiveness was a better predictor of behavior; thus, the analyses were consistent with the predictions derived from evolutionary and normative recourse theories. Both husband and wives behave more positively when the wives are more attractive than the husband, but more negatively when the husbands were more attractive than wives. It is believed that physical attractiveness is less important to the wives; thus, attractiveness may only affect them through the effect on husbands.The current study is consistent with Poet John Keats’ view where the attractiveness that brings people together will continue to influence relationships even after marriage. However, the way physica l appearances affects the relationship seems to change over time. The recommendations for the current study were to a call for additional research in the area. It is suggested to use larger samples with varying attractiveness. More variables in other indicators of attractiveness are definitely recommended as well. This was a very in-depth research project.For the most part it was well written and well organized. The methods use to gather the data for the study was clearly explained. The instruments and development were explained and all possible tests were given. The findings were well organized, sectioned, and reported objectively. The conclusions of the study were based on the findings and logically stated. The article did get a little complicated in the reporting of data due to the complicated statistical procedures used. Overall, it was a very interesting, significant contribution to the field of research in family psychology.

Candide a Candid Satire - 941 Words

Candide is a humorous, far-fetched story satirizing the optimism promoted by the philosophers of the Age of Enlightenment. Voltaire uses satire as a means of pointing out injustice, cruelty and bigotry that is commonly found in the human society. Although the tale seems light and comical, Voltaire has more serious intentions behind the laughable plot line. Candide can therefore be classified as a satire because it combines humor and wit to bring about a change in society’s view on matters such as religion, war, and the level of optimism one must contain. Throughout the book, Candide, the main character, is introduced to a number of religious characters including the Protestant minister, the Grand Inquisitor, and the Jesuit Baron.†¦show more content†¦Pangloss, Candide’s mentor, to represent the illogical beliefs of Leibniz and his followers. Dr. Pangloss teaches Candide that they are living in the â€Å"best of all possible worlds† and â€Å"there is no effect without a cause†. Candide, very naà ¯ve and impressionable in his youth, regards Pangloss as the greatest philosopher in the world, similar to the way many of Leibniz’s followers may have acted. Voltaire then creates the character Martin, a pessimist, to accentuate the flaws in this ridiculous philosophy. Martin tries to convince Candide that there is little virtue, morality, and happiness in the world. Candide begins to believe this after encountering one terrible disaster after another, such as the brutalities of war and the injustice of religious groups. One way Voltaire illustrates the irrationality of Pangloss’ philosophy is when Candide is reunited with the diseased and dying Pangloss, who had contacted syphilis. Candide asks if the Devil is at fault. Pangloss simply responds that â€Å"the disease was a necessary in this ‘best of all possible worlds’, for it was brought to Europe by Columbus’ men, who also brought ch ocolate and cochineal, two greater goods that well offset any negative effects of the disease† (17). Candide begins to realize the ludicrousness of what Dr. Pangloss is saying and eventually abandons his belief in optimism. At the end of the book, when asked what is optimism, Candide replies, â€Å"Alas†¦it is a mania for sayingShow MoreRelatedEssay on Use of Satire to Attack Optimism in Voltaires Candide1358 Words   |  6 PagesUse of Satire to Attack Optimism in Voltaires Candide       In its time, satire was a powerful tool for political assault on Europes corrupt and deteriorating society. 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