Humes Skeptical Empiricism and Lockes Empiricism Essay Example for Free

Humes Skeptical Empiricism and Lockes Empiricism Essay Empiricism claims that knowledge is gained largely by experience, observation and also sensory perception. Human knowledge and ideas are gained empirically and through experience. Locke and Hume are empiricists who have different views about human knowledge perception. Therefore, empiricism is a theory of knowledge that arises from evidence gathered through experience of sense. It is a field that complicates views which predominates human knowledge as it emphasis on the role of experience, evidence, perception, and formation of ideas. Hume’s skeptical empiricism was Marjory on external world being rationally unjustifiable. Hume argued that in keeping with empiricism views, all knowledge derives from sense of experience. Through this he divided human knowledge in to two categories that is; the relations of ideas and matters of fact. Therefore, for Hume an impression corresponds roughly with sensation. A person’s ability to remember and imagine such impressions is known as having ideas. Therefore, Hume argued that ideas are the faint copies of sensations. Through his skeptical arguments, he explained that all knowledge cannot be established by reason. Through out his argument, he added that inductive reasoning is required to justify circular arguments about a certain issue. The premises for the principle of inductive reasoning can be reached and justified through circular argument. He concluded that such things as beliefs in an external world in the existence of the self were not rationally justifiable. Therefore, his skeptical arguments cast on the legitimacy of inductive reasoning allow many skeptics who follow it to cast similar doubts. Locke on the other hand, held that some knowledge could be arrived at through intuition and reasoning alone. Locke expressed his ideas on issues regarding to mind and white paper which leads to proper reasoning. According to Locke, the mind is like a white paper on which the experiences leave their marks. Therefore, according to his argument the predominant sources of ideas and knowledge are sensation and reflection of information. The information could ultimately lead to the internalization of knowledge making it seem innate recall of information. In this case the empiricism denied that human beings have innate ideas and anything is understandable without ideas. According to Locke’s argument, any knowledge that needs to be properly inferred or deduced should be gained ultimately from one sense based on experience. Therefore, according to Locke’s position understanding is set of propositions present to consciousness. However, the central point is missed in his argument that faculties are innate but not conscious propositional knowledge. These assumptions of cognitive transparency were challenged by Hume who argued towards positive cognitive faculties. Hume argued that there are certain traits or characteristics that could not be traced back to experience. Therefore, through his argument he contrasted Locke. The main difference between the two is seen in the point that understanding is a product consisting of propositions. It is also assumed as a process where by power of making inferences requires an explanation. According to Locke’s argument, the human minds resort to reflection on information which leads to decision making process. Reflection in this aspect could ultimately lead to internalization of knowledge making it seem innate upon recall of the information. On the contrary, Hume agued that new ideas are simply as a result of improvements made to existing ideas gained through impressions and sensations.

The South Could Not Win the Civil War :: American America History

The South Could Not Win the Civil War "The South could never have won the Civil War," is a true statement, reflecting the various ways in which the Southern states attempted to fight a losing battle from the beginning. The economic dependency of the South on cotton on slavery was obvious, whereas the North had diversified and sufficiently. The advantage also lay with the North for reasons such as better communication and transportation, and even more soldiers. The leadership in the North under Abraham Lincoln was far superior to the less savvy Jefferson Davis. It is also a fair argument to say that the just cause always overcomes, and morally, slavery was not just at all. In the 1850's the North was more populous and urban, due to all the Irish and German immigrants that traveled to the states. By1860, 9 out of the 10 biggest cities were in the North. The North also had 70% of the railroads, and more telegraph lines to send messages instantly. The North had a lot more industry also, with its 10,000 factories that brought in $1.5 billion dollars in goods compared to the South's 20,000 that brought in $155 million.(Source 1) The South did, however, have more slaves and more cotton. This was not any sort of military advantage, and merely made it more obvious to the North how desperate the South was to keep its peculiar institution running. Additionally, the first attack at Fort Sumter was poorly organized and was expected by the North. Lincoln had wanted to attack, but waited so as to retain the sympathies of any Northern moderates. The South's attack played into what he wanted. Once the war began, the military expertise of Ulysses S. Grant for the North made it an uphill battle for the South. His military skill alone was enough to give Robert E. Lee's forces in the South serious problem, but the Union army also greatly outnumbered the South's troops. Though Lee would prove to be a worthy general, his strategic downfall at Gettysburg would begin the inevitable loss for the South. (Source 2) In conclusion, it was obvious from the beginning of the Civil War that the South would not win the war. This having been said, Robert E. Lee was a fine general, but was simply without enough soldiers to lead a successful uprising.

The Dimensions of Inter-Professional Practice

Abstract The essay examines a situation encountered by the student during her placement on a hospital ward: the regular ward meetings to discuss patient care and progress. The essay reflects upon the experience using the reflective cycle model proposed by Gibbs. It also draws upon SWOT analysis and the PDSA cycle model for nursing practice. While rooted in the student’s experience, the essay also looks at relevant theoretical concepts including those of multidisciplinary teamwork and patient-centred healthcare. 1. Introduction This essay aims to consider a situation I have encountered during my placement, using principles of reflective practice to outline an appropriate change to established procedure which, I feel, will benefit service users and staff. I want to discuss ward reviews, and show how these can be improved by extending the range of people who attend these reviews. I want to use principles of reflective practice and evidence-based practice to examine this area. The essay will use Gibbs reflective cycle as a structure within which to understand a situation I encountered, and plan for change. The essay will also look at some relevant theory, including notions of interprofessional team work, change theory and team dynamics.The current situation will be discussed in terms of these. I will also draw upon the PDSA cycle model for nursing practice (NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement 2012 [online]), which provides a way to structure and implement change. I will also use a tool widely used in business called ‘SWOT’ analysis, which helps in change planning by formalising the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in a given situation, and which is also useful for healthcare (Marquis and Huston 2009). Gibbs (1988) model of reflective practice will also be influential. The essay will be structured according to this 6 sta ge cycle, from description of event through evaluation and analysis to action and further reflection. While there are several different models of using reflectivity in practice including Bortons’ (1970), Kolb’s (1984) and Johns’ (1995), I use Gibbs model as it seems to best express the dynamic process of learning and change for me.These tools will be used to demonstrate the things I feel are inadequate with the present situation whereby a limited number of healthcare professionals attend ward reviews, and suggest a change whereby key workers also attend, offering a deeper perspective on patient needs. The nomination form, which assesses my placement, is included in the Appendix. 2. The Situation: Description The situation in question occurred when I was on placement. The hospital at which I was working, like others, carried out regular ward reviews. In these, the patient was discussed. A number of key staff involved in patient care were involved, and the aim was to review the patients care, treatment and prognosis. At the hospital where I carried out my placement, the members of staff who were involved were the consultant, the occupational therapist and the review nurse, sometimes also a student attended. The patient did not attend this meeting. I attended a number of these reviews. In general, all members of the team who attended were respected and respectful, and took care to listen to what each person had to say. One person led the meeting, making sure all were included and also ensuring that discussion did not go on for too long. Realistic goals and a date for the next meeting were set at the end, and the items discussed were formalised in writing. 3. The Situation: My Feelings I had two sets of feelings. On the one hand, I felt pleased that everyone who attended the meetings seemed to have the best interests of the patient at heart. Where there were disputes it was regarding what would work best for the patient. Also, I was pleased with how professionally staff members conducted themselves, I seldom witnessed rudeness or ‘shortness’ when one person spoke to another. People took turns and really seemed to listen. In part, I felt, this was due to the way the meetings were led, which was very sensitive. However, on the other hand, I felt quite annoyed and disappointed that not all staff who were involved in patient care were included in the meetings. I felt that a whole side of the patient’s experience was being missed out. The staff who attended seemed to understand the patient’s condition only generally, from their records and discussing the situation, not through contact with the patient daily. The holistic side of patient car e, understanding what the patient was feeling, seemed to have been missed out. 4. Evaluation In terms of the ‘SWOT’ framework, widely used in business but also useful for understanding healthcare (Williamson et al 1996), I evaluated the experience as follows. As Gibb’s evaluation stage is concerned mainly with what is good and bad about the experience, I have omitted the ‘opportunities’ and ‘threats’ from this analysis, as they will be covered later.StrengthsGood communication between team members Respectful awareness of other points of view Developed clear goals and actions to followWeaknessesPatient seems to lack a ‘voice’ Those involved in caring regularly from patient are not included in the review Those who know the patient well are not included in the review Lack of holistic and person-centred care 5. Analysis The following sections looked at what happened, how I experienced it and what sense I made of it within my own parameters. In order to make wider sense of the situation, I need to draw upon notions of interprofessional teamwork, user perspectives and team dynamics, all concepts central to the current health service. Interprofessional teamwork, also known as multidisciplinary teamwork (MDT), has been part of healthcare policy in the UK since 1997 (Davis 2007). As an approach, it means professionals from a range of disciplines involved in patient care meeting to discuss and agree on care plans for patients (Hostad 2010). There are a number of benefits, for example multidisciplinary teamwork seems to meet user needs better, and to deliver better outcomes. However, there are also some drawbacks including the time needed for teams to work effectively, and difficulties with perceived status differences (Housley 2003).For effective MDT, the ways in which team dynamics work has to be unde rstood. There are many attempts to understand how people work together, both generally and in the healthcare context, for example Bale’s (1950) model. Maslow’s model is also influential in healthcare. He suggested that all human’s need to be respected by others in order to feel valued, and have a need to feel part of a group, and want to have their social and emotional needs met within the work context (Borkowski 2009). The notion of incorporating user perspectives is also very influential in the NHS currently, as ‘patient-centred healthcare’. This was introduced in the late 90’s, and involves patients being involved as much as possible in decisions which are made about their care. The relationship between healthcare professional and patient is no longer one in which the professional is at the top of a hospital hierarchy, but one of partnership in which mutual respect and communication exist (Chambers et al 2003) Overall, I feel that both MDT and patient-centred healthcare could be improved here through including the key workers, or support workers of the named patient. The key worker acts as a co-ordinator on behalf of the patient, keeping the patient informed of what is going on and co-ordinating care and ensuring continuity of treatment (NICE 2004). Support workers or healthcare assistants act in a supporting role to other professionals, and are very ‘hands-on’ in well-being and looking after the patient.Both these professionals have much closer contact with the patient and as such have important insights into the patient’s situation. Multidisciplinary teamwork emphasises including all viewpoints relevant to the situation, and I feel that these workers would add valuable insights to enhance the teamwork. In addition, how can patient care be really holistic and patient-centred if the meetings do not include those people who get to know patients as individuals, understa nding their feelings, hopes and fears Including support and key workers would allow those people who are not involved in daily care to really understand how the patient is feeling.In addition, if support and key workers were present at the meeting, it would be much easier and quicker to feedback to the patient what is going on with their care. As it stands, patients hear second hand. 6. Conclusion Gibbs suggests reflecting upon what else I could have done here. Given that I was on placement, I feel that the opportunities for changing the situation are practically limited. At the time, I felt it was not appropriate for me to speak up and question the accepted meeting structure. Later, however, I did question whether I should have mentioned this to my supervisor on the ward. I felt that the emphasis on MDT meant that I would be heard sympathetically, even though I had very little experience. If I was able, I would change the meeting structure to ensure that either a support worker or a key worker was included as a matter of principle. I feel that the existing meeting structure is very good, and that if it was part of protocol that staff closely involved in the patient’s care were included, they would be welcomed into the meetings, their opinions heard and the patient’s viewpoint better understood. This would, I feel, ensure that the care delivered to the patient was more truly patient-centred and holistic, as it would take into account not only quantitative data about their condition but also their feelings and emotions. In addition, I feel wider meetings would be more reflective of multi-dimensional teamworking, as they currently don’t include all staff perspectives. It also seems that including key and support workers is more ethical. All hospitals have detailed code of conducts which set out the ways in which they expect their staff to behave, and the care of the patient is generally the first priority in these. Working as a team is also one of the central tenets of most ethical codes in UK hospitals (Melia 2004). 7. Action Plan Here I draw upon the PDSA model to suggest a way to structure the change:PlanDiscuss and agree new format for meetings (including key worker or support worker) Inform key / support worker and other staff of new meeting formatDoCarry out a series of 4 pilot meetings over agreed time period Agree and implement mechanisms for review of new meeting format (gather data from key/support workers, staff already included, and patients)StudyAnalyse data collected, assess changes against clearly defined criteria (for example, do patients feel more informed, happier; did key/support workers feel included; did other staff value new structure) What worked wellWhat worked less well?ActPlan new meetings on basis of what was learnt during study phase. If including key/support workers beneficial, change meeting structure so that they are now part of meetings. Ensure that repercussions of this are understood, for example allowing them extra time for preparing for meetings. References Borton, T (1970) Reach, Teach and Touch, Mc Graw Hill, London. Gibbs, G (1988) Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods, Further Educational Unit, Oxford Polytechnic, Oxford. Johns C (1995) Framing learning through reflection within Carper’s fundamental ways of knowing in nursing Journal of Advanced Nursing, 22, 226-234 Kolb, D A (1984) Experiential Learning experience as a source of learning and development, Prentice Hall, New Jersey Marquis, B L and Huston, C J (2009) Leadership roles and management functions in nursing: theory and application (6th edn), Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Melia, K M (2004) Health care ethics: lessons from intensive care, SAGE, Thousand Oaks, CA NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement (2012) ‘Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA)’, [online] (cited 14th February 2012), available from http://www.institute.nhs.uk/quality_and_service_improvement_tools/quality_and_service_improvement_tools/plan_do_study_act.html NICE (2004) ‘Improving Outcomes Guidance for Supportive and Palliative Care’, National Institute of Clinical Excellence 2004, London. Williamson, S, Stevens, R E, Loudon, D L (1996) Fundamentals of strategic planning for healthcare organizations, Routledge, UK Appendix CLIENT – INCLUDE NOMINATION FORM HERE Assignment In writing the 1500 word reflective commentary focussed on service improvement you should consider/address the following: The context and setting for your placement. Your reflective commentary should focus either on a service improvement initiative that you have identified with your mentor, or on a service improvement that has previously been implemented in your practice area. You should examine this initiative in terms of the inter-professional team and identify actual or potential ways that inter-professional working can facilitate its implementation. You should also discuss potential barriers to implementation. You MUST include the Service Improvement Activity notification form with your assignment including a discussion of future plans in terms of the service improvement initiative. An evidence based model of reflection or reflective writing should be used. You should offer a rationale to support what you have used (fixed resource sessions on the use and application of reflective models and writing are included in the delivery of this module). You should also demonstrate the use of the PDSA cycle in terms of service improvement. For assessment purposes you are not expected to move beyond the planning stage of the PDSA cycle. As this assignment is a reflective commentary your reflection must be supported and referenced by using appropriate sources (as per learning outcomes). You may wish to use a structured reflective model e.g. Gibbs’, Rolfe et al or John’s; or you may wish to write in a reflective style, encompassing reflection on action e.g. Schon or Borton. This is your choice but either way you must show evidence you have done this. A reflective commentary requires that you use subheadings. The structure of this piece of work can be informed by using either learning outcomes or the stages of a reflective model to do so. If you say you are going to use a model of reflection, then you must demonstrate clearly that you have done so. Which ever process you use must be briefly explained and rationalised within your introduction. Ensure that you have supported your assignment with appropriate, contemporary and relevant sources, including published literature, professional standards key texts and policy. You need to apply theory to practice and use paraphrasing to demonstrate understanding of the sources you have used. Make sure you address the relevant learning outcomes for this piece of work (l,2,5) in this commentary: Learning outcome one requires you to analyse the unique role of the nurse within the inter-professional team and also to apply this to your experience in your placement area. For example, do nurses in your placement area require any additional skills or knowledge to work with the client/patient group Learning outcome two requires you to evaluate the contribution of all members of the inter-professional team in providing holistic care to clients/patients. For example, which guidelines and policies inform holistic care in your placement area and how did this impact on practice in your areaHow did the team work togetherWhat quali ties did you note in the team and how did this impact on care delivery Learning outcome five asks you to reflect on learning and transfer newly gained knowledge. For example, what did you learn and how will what you learned in your placement help to prepare you to be a registered nurse

The Battle of Coral Sea Essay - 1035 Words

The Battle of Coral Sea was the first major sea battle between allied fleet forces, including those of the United States and Australian Navies, and the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II. Pivotal in terms of allied naval fleet operations during the war, the Battle of Coral Sea was also the first naval battle that featured opposing air craft carriers in close proximity to each other, resulting in air battles initiated by sea, rather than from traditional land bases. The following provides relevant details. The plan calling for expansion of Japanese forces throughout the Pacific theater was developed by the IJN and Japanese Army. As detailed by Stille, â€Å"This called for a series of sequenced operations designed to bring key†¦show more content†¦This had the effect of reducing the contingent of allied aircraft carriers in the Pacific by half. Hence, when the Japanese launched their next offensive in the Southern Pacific, the IJN fleet would now be augmented w ith carrier support, while U.S Naval forces suffered from a reduction in the same support vital to their mission of defending a major Japanese offensive (Stille 8). Prior to the upcoming Coral Sea battle, a number of Japanese military messages had been intercepted by the U.S. Navy signals intelligence unit. The first, dated March 28, 1942, was encoded as stating â€Å"The objective of MO will be first to restrict the enemy fleet movements and will be accomplished by means of attacks on the north coast of Australia.† (â€Å"Battle of the Coral Sea†) Subsequent messages were intercepted that provided allied forces with updated details concerning IJN fleet progress, as well as elements of IJN plans that included battleship and carrier logistics. This resulted in the U.S. Navy’s deployment of a cotillion of numerous warships and support craft, and also the carriers Lexington and Yorktown (â€Å"Battle of the Coral Seas†). In the upcoming battle, these ships w ould do battle against a superior IJN force comprised of far more battleships, submarines and support craft, as well as aircraft carriers. While the events leading up to the battle have beenShow MoreRelatedThe Battle of Coral Sea1033 Words   |  5 Pages Battle of Coral Sea War has always been a negative social issue among the citizens of America. Some believe we should be involved in everything so we can to show our dominance around the world and others see it as a big problem. War World Two is a different story. After we realized that Hitler was close to succeeding in his plan of imperialism most people were on board to going to war. The Battle of the Coral Sea was fought in May 1942. 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