Tale of the Haunted GPS Navigation System The storyteller, who happens to be my cousin, currently works as a math teacher. He is 24 years old and lives at home with his mother and father. His mother, a talented artist, works for the United States Postal Service and his father, who is an electrician, installs security systems for homes and offices. Both of his parents are Korean and although his older brother was born in Korea, he was born in the United States. He is very athletic and enjoys skateboarding and snowboarding. When he was younger he was always the one most willing to take risks in the family. He is also a talented guitarist. He also has deep religious convictions as a devout Christian, when asked what he thinks of ghost stories in general he merely shrugged them off as stories meant for entertainment rather than anything of merit. When asked about the origins of the particular story he said that a friend mentioned it at a party several years ago. The story was told during a snowboarding trip to Vermont this past spring. There were two members in the audience (including myself) and it was told in the room of the Red Oak Inn at around 11:30 PM. My cousin, who was seated on his bed, made eye contact with each audience member as he began his story. A couple was interested in buying a navigation system so they visited several stores in search of the best deal. In most cases the prices were too expensive for them so they went on craigslist and found a great deal on a used GPS system. They received the unit in the mail and wanted to try it out right away. They installed their GPS unit [imitates placing a GPS unit in a car windshield with hands] in the car and turned it on. The wife, out of curiosity, hi... ...of the motivating factors behind their purchase was the fact that the unit was cheap. There have been many cases where items posted on sites such as craigslist or ebay that have very attractive prices turn out to have serious defects or are fake. In this case the couple bought a haunted GPS unit that had killed the previous owner. The story reveals society’s general fear of things that are second-hand or things bought through websites where users, not companies, sell their wares. The story of the haunted GPS unit served as a commentary on the consequences of over-reliance as well as blind trust in not only navigation units, but also technology in general. It also served as a warning against buying items that were at too good to be true prices from websites where the sellers are not reputable companies but users who have no desire to maintain a good reputation.
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Definitions and Strategies of Communication Communication is the nervous system of an organisation. It keeps the members of the organisation informed about the internal and external happenings relevant to a task and of interest to the organisation. It co-ordinates the efforts of the members towards achieving organisational objectives. It is the process of influencing the action of a person or a group. It is a process of meaningful interaction among human beings to initiate, execute, accomplish, or prevent certain actions. Communication is, thus, the life blood of an organisation. Without communication, an organisation, an organisation is lifeless and its very existence is in danger. The term communication has been derived from the Latin word ‘cmmunis that means ‘common and thus, if a person effects communication, he establishes a common ground of understanding. Literally, communication means to inform, to tell, to show, or to spread information. Thus, it may be interpreted as an interchange of thought or information to bring about understanding and confidence for good industrial relations. It brings about unity of purpose, interest, and efforts in an organisation. Definitions: “Communication is the sum of all things, one person does when he wants to create understanding in the minds of another, it involves a systematic and continuous process of telling, listening and understanding.†-Allen Louis Communication has been defined “As the transfer of information from one person to another whether or not it elicits confidence.†-Koontz and ODonell “Communication is an exchange of facts, ideas, opinions or emotions by two or more persons.†George Terry Communication is defined as “the process of passing information and understanding from one person to another, it is essentially a bridge of meaning between people. By using the bridge of meaning a person can safely cross the river of misunderstanding.†Keith Davis The analysis of the above definitions implies that the communication process should have the following characteristics: ).I A two way traffic: Since communication is an exchange of views, opinions, directions etc., it is a two-way traffic, upward and downward. Messages, directives, opinions, etc., are communicated downward, from a higher level to a lower level in the hierarchy of management. Likewise, grievances, complaints, opinions feelings, points of view etc., are communicated upward along the line, from workers (lower level) to management (higher level). George Terry has rightly remarked, “Simply talking or writing without regard to the recipients response, is conducive to misunderstanding.†Thus, communication should be both ways. ).II Continuous process: Communication is a continuous process. More often than not, it is repeated to achieve the desired results. It is not a one time shot. ).III A short lived process: The process of communication is complete as soon as the message is received and understood by the receiver in the right perspective; hence, it is a short lived process. ).IV Needs proper understanding: There may be numerous media of communication but the main purpose of conveying the message is a proper understanding of the message by the other party. For this purpose, it should be clearly and concisely worded. ).V Leads achievement of the organizational objective: Effective communication does this by creating the sense of object orientation in the organization. ).VI Dispels misunderstanding: In this sense, it provides clear understanding between persons and thus builds a bridge of comradrie among people. Answer 1. (b) PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNICATION The following principles can be followed to make the communication system more effective: ().i Principle of clarity: The idea or the message to be transmitted should be clearly worded so that it may be interpreted by the receiver in the same sense in which it is communicated. There should be no ambiguity in the message. For this purpose, the idea to be communicated should be very clear in the mind of the sender. It should be kept in mind that the words do not speak themselves, but the speaker gives them meaning. If the message is clear, it would evoke an appropriate response from the other party. It is also necessary that the receiver must be conversant with the language, the inherent assumptions, and the mechanics of communication. ().ii Principle of integrity: Communication should be aimed at motivating people to take action as agreed upon. In this process, the superiors rely upon the subordinates and under assumption that their integrity is unimpeackable. It is because the integrity of the organisation is related to the level of integrity possessed by the subordinates. No communication may evoke a response from the subordinates if their integrity is doubted. The superiors should trust the subordinates, accept their view points and never doubt their intention, in executing the task entrusted to them. ().iii Principle of informality: Formal communication system is cornerstone of a formal organisation, and it leads to transmittal of messages. But, sometimes, formal communications prove ineffective in evoking the needed response from the subordinates. In such cases, the superiors should adopt the strategy of making use of informal channels of communication: they may contact, if necessary, the subordinates personally or through someone else to persuade them to translate their orders into action. Informal communication at times proves for more effective than formal communication. ().iv Principle of attention: In order to make the message effective, the recipients attention should be drawn to the message communicated. Each one is different in behaviour, sentiments and emotions, which determine the degree of attention. For this purpose, the superior must note that he himself should not expect from his subordinates what he himself does not practice. So, a manager cannot enforce punctuality if he himself is not punctual: “Actions speaks louder than words.†().v Principle of consistency: This principle implies that communication should always be consistent with the policies, plans, programmes and objectives of the organisation, and not in conflict with them. Messages which are inconsistent with the policies and plans of the organisation create confusion in the minds of the subordinates about their implementation; and, such a situation may prove detrimental to the organisations health. ().vi Principle of adequacy: The information should be adequate and complete in all respects. Inadequate and incomplete information may delay action and destroy understanding, and create confusion. Inadequate information also affects the efficiency of the sender and the receiver of the communication. ().vii Principle of timeliness: All messages should be transmitted at the proper time. Any delay in communicating message serves no purpose except to make them merely historical document as it loses its importance after some time. ().viii Principle of feedback: One of the most important principles of communications is the principle of feedback. The communicator must have feedback information from the recipient to know whether the recipient has understood the message in the same sense in which the sender has meant it, or whether the subordinates agree or disagree with the contents of the message. It also helps in understanding attitude of the people. ().ix Principle of communications network: Communications network means the routes through which the communication travels to its destination, the person for whom it is meant. A number of such networks may exist in an organisation at a given point of time; but the management should consider the effectiveness of the communications network in the given situation and its effects on the behaviour of the recipient before it finally chooses the network. The above principles if followed will make the communication effective. An effective system of communication should be installed in the organisation so as to promote better industrial relations. Answer 2. (a) COMMUNICATION IS A TWO-WAY PROCESS Management of an organisation is effective only when its communication machinery is effective. The very existence of management depends upon an effective machinery of communication. Effective communication machinery is important because it communicates, and helps in implementing, the policies and objectives of the organisation on the one hand and also helps in understanding the nature and behaviour of the people at work. Management communication is a two-way process. It means that the management must allow both the parties the management and the subordinates to convey their feelings, ideas, opinions, facts, grievances etc. to the other party. Communication is said to be a continuous process of exchange of views and ideas but it should be both ways down ward and upward. The communication machinery or process should not only provide the manager with a the privilege of communicating orders and directions to the workers to get the work done towards the achievement of organisational objectives as pleaded by the classical theory of organisation behaviour knows as Theory X by McGregor, but the workers also must be given a right to approach the management and communicate their complaints, grievances, opinions, facts, suggestions etc. which may be in response to the orders or directions received from the management, or in the interest of the organisation, contributing to the achievement of its objectives. This two-way traffic is advantageous to both the management and the workers. Managers, very often like that the subordinates must listen to them and follow their orders and directions whatsoever. On the other hand, managers are not prepared to listen to their subordinates regarding what they think about them and of their suggestions, ideas or direction. They are not bothered about their subordinates likes and dislikes and how they can contribute to the organisational objectives. Management in this way cannot be effective. Without giving subordinates an opportunity to be heard their feelings will remain suppressed and they may breakdown at any time. A message can be interpreted by the recipient according to the image of the communicator in the mind of the recipient. If the image is bad the version of the massage may be distorted and interpreted differently. The bad image can be erased through proper communication from the other side which is possible only when there is two-way communication in the organisation. Thus creation of organizational systems allowing two-way traffic will improve the morale of the workers on the one hand because they think that they have a say in the management and will improve the working of the organisation on the other hand because management worker relation develop in a cordial atmosphere. Thus two-way communication is necessary for effective management. Communication is a process that allows organisms to exchange information by several methods. Communication requires that all parties understand a common language that is exchanged with each other. Exchange requires feedback. The word communication is also used in the context where little or no feedback is expected such as broadcasting, or where the feedback may be delayed as the sender or receiver use different methods, technologies, timing and means for feedback. There are auditory means, such as speaking, singing and sometimes tone of voice, and nonverbal, physical means, such as body language, sign language, paralanguage, touch, eye contact, or the use of writing. Communication happens at many levels (even for one single action), in many different ways, and for most beings, as well as certain machines. Several, if not all, fields of study dedicate a portion of attention to communication, so when speaking about communication it is very important to be sure about what aspects of communication one is speaking about. Definitions of communication range widely, some recognizing that animals can communicate with each other as well as human beings, and some are narrower, only including human beings within the parameters of human symbolic interaction. Nonetheless, communication is usually described along a few major dimensions: Content (what type of things are communicated) Source/Emisor/Sender/Encoder (by whom) Form (in which form) Channel (through which medium) Destination/Receiver/Target/Decoder (to whom) Purpose/Pragmatic aspect (with what kind of results) Answer 2. (b) IMPORTANCE OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION In this age of competition communication is the number one problem of the management. Competition, complex methods of production, large scale operations and specialisation in production functions have increased the importance of communication. Without effective communication a manager cannot perform his duties well. Communication is as essential to business as blood is to the human body. Success of the communication system affects the success of business. The following points will prove its importance in business: 1. Smooth Working of a Business Firm Communication is necessary for the successful smooth and unrestricted working of an enterprise. All organisational interaction depends upon working of an enterprise. All organisational interaction depends upon communication. The manager co-ordinates the human and the physical elements of an organisation into an efficient and working unit that achieves common objectives. Be it an activity of purchase or sale or production or finance it is the process of communication that makes cooperative action possible. The internal and external communication process of an organisation decides the various activities to be done and various objectives to be achieved. “Communication is basic to an organisations existence from birth of the organisation through its continuing life when communication stops, organised activity ceases to exist.†2. Basis of Managerial Function Communication plays an important role in discharging the various functions of management. No function of management is possible without the communication process. Its importance in performing the various functions is as follows: Planning: Planning the most important among the functions of management, requires extensive communication among the executives and the other personnel. Communication is important in executing a planned programme and then controlling the activities of the personnel with the help of feedback information. Organisation: Organisation is the second important function of management which decides the various activities of an organisation, divides them into workable units, delegates authority to perform the. For this purpose, communication is a must because different persons, departments and group come to know their powers and jurisdiction only through an effective means of communication. Direction and Leadership: Direction and effective leadership requires an efficient system of communication in an organisation. A good leader can direct or lead his subordinates only when an efficient system of communication is present. It brings both the leader and the subordinates in close contact with each other and removes misunderstanding if any. Motivation: An efficient system of communication enables management to change the attitude of the subordinates and to motivate, influence and satisfy them. Most of the conflicts in business are not basic but are caused by misunderstood motives and ignorance of facts. Proper and timely communication between the interested parties, reduces the points of friction and minimises those that inevitably arise. Co-ordination: The present day big organisations, designed on the basis of specialisation and division of labour are constituted of a large number of people. In order to achieve the desired objective, it is very necessary to co-ordinate the efforts of labour engaged in the various activities of production and the organisation. Co-ordination requires mutual understanding about the organisational goals and the mode of their accomplishment; and the interrelationship between the works being performed by various individuals. Control: Communication aids in controlling the activities of the individuals department and groups. The facts standards and information are communicated to the concerned parties and they perform their respective obligations according to the standards set forth in the plan. 3. Maximum Production at Minimum Cost Every organisation aims at getting the maximum output at the minimum cost and for this purpose it requires an effective internal and external communication system. In the external field, and efficient communication system helps in improving public opinion having contacts with government departments and getting market information in order to achieve the primary goals. 4. Prompt Decision and its Implementation In order to make prompt decisions, fact collecting process is necessary. Information must be received before any meaningful decision and for this purpose communication is a primary requirement. Again to implement the decision effectively its communication to subordinates concerned is essential. Thus, decision-making and its implementation require and effective system of communication. 5. Building Human Relations Man is the most active and effective factor of production and good human relations are the basis of cooperation and industrial peace that requires good working conditions and work-environment. As we have discussed earlier communication is a two-way traffic which helps promote cooperation and mutual understanding between the two partners of an organisation. Efficient downward communication helps the management to tell the subordinates what the organisation wants and how it can be performed. On the other hand upward communication helps the workers in putting their grievances and suggestions and reactions to the policies, before the management. 6. Job-satisfaction and Good Morale Morale is the human element that motivates a man to work in the right spirit. Good communication removes the possibility of misunderstanding among the parties concerned. Workers know what they have to do and how it creates a sense of cooperation among them. It increases the morale of the workers and each worker will have job satisfaction. 7. Avoids Illusion While passing through various stages information may be distorted by interested parties and many create illusion and misunderstanding among persons. Illusion is the great enemy of communication. An efficient system of communication aims at removing illusions and misunderstanding by communicating facts and figures. 8. Contacts with External Parties Communication is essential not only for the internal management of the organisation but it also helps contacts with the outside world. Contact with outside agencies such as customers, associations, other manufacturers, advertisers, suppliers, trade unions, research councils and institutions, etc. are necessary for furthering the interests of the organisation. It increases the goodwill of the firm and helps in creating a favourable public attitude towards the organisation. Answer 3. (a) Broad Categories of communication in an Organisation Communication on the basis of organisation structure may be classified into two broad categories: Formal and Informal. 1. Formal Communication Formal communication is closely associated with a formal organisational structure. The communication flows through formal channels, officially recognised positions along the line in the organisation. In the organisation the path along which a communication is to travel is deliberately created to regulate the flows of communication so as to make it orderly and thereby to ensure that the required information flows smoothly, accurately and timely to the points at which it is required. Very often we hear the term through proper channels which means communication through the channel prescribed in the organisation. It is the path of the line of authority linking two positions in the organisation. It is also known as the chain line of command. Advantages of formal Communication: It helps in maintaining the authority of line executives over their subordinates who are responsible to get the work done by their subordinates and are answerable to their bosses. The responsibility of the subordinates for the activities carried out by them can easily be fixed. An immediate superior has direct contact with the subordinates; so, a better understanding is developed between them and communication is made more effective. Since an executive better informed about the organisation and its problems than the subordinates a better solution can possibly be found easily and good relations between the leader and his subordinates develop. Disadvantages of formal Communication: Every happening in an organisation cannot be foreseen; hence action required for unforeseen events cannot be formalised. It increases the workload of the line superior because all communications are transmitted through tem. Thus, it leaves the superiors with little time to perform other organisational functions well. There are more chances of red-tapism and delay tactics in this method because executives generally overlook the interests of the subordinates. Any information upward or downward favouring subordinates is more often suppressed or delayed by the superiors. (iv). In most of the big organisations contact between the top executive and the subordinates at the lowest level are far remote. Very often they do not recognise each other. This adversely affects the relations of executives and subordinates. 2.Informal Communication Informal communication also known as the grapevine is not a planned or deliberately created channel of communication. It is free from all formalities. No formal organisational chart is followed to convey messages. It is based on the informal relations of the two persons, the sender and the receiver of communication. A general manager may develop contacts with a worker at the lowest level and communicate certain important information relating to him direct to the worker. It is an example of informal communication. It is the result of the natural desire of people to communicate with each other when they come into contact on a regular basis. When interaction takes place among them a small social groups emerges spontaneously and members of the group develop their own communication system known as an informal communication channel or the grapevine. Advantages of informal communication: The communication travels at a faster speed because there is no formal line of communication. It is multi dimensional. As there is no channel of communication, communication may be made on any topic of interest to any person in the group irrespective of his position in the formal organisation. It may go to any extent all limits as to direction and degree of communication is self-impose. It is dynamic and reacts quickly because informal channels have their sanctions in the group and develop within the organisation. At times it may supplement the formal channel. Certain matters which are difficult to communicate through formal channels may be effectively communicated through informal channels. If properly utilised it may clarify the managements points of view to the subordinates which otherwise may not be appealing or it may provide necessary feedback to managers on the possible effects of a decision or action of the management. Disadvantages of informal communication: It very often carries half-truths, rumours and distorted facts at an alarming rate of speed. As there is no mechanism for authentication of the news and views, members of the organisation are likely to be misinformed and misled by informal communications. Sometimes the messages communicated through informal channels are so erratic that any action based on these cannot be taken and if taken it may lead to a difficult situation in the organisation because responsibility for erratic messages cannot be fixed. In informal communication, there are greater chances of distortion of messages. Each person conveying the message may add, subtract, or change the original message according to his motive or interest. There is a chance that by the time a message completes its complex journey, it may be completely distorted. Answer 3. (b) Written Communication Written communication is often resorted to by the management for messages that are lengthy and have to be made permanent. It is also undertaken when oral communication cannot reach each and every person concerned, either due to a large number of communications or duel to long geographical distances between the sender and the receiver. Written communication includes written words, graphs, charts, manuals, reports, diagrams, pictures, letters, circulars etc. Written communication is the most common form of communication used in an organisational set up to be effective, written communication must posses four important characteristics. It should be clear, complete, correct and to be intelligible. Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of signs or symbols. It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and the recording of language via a non-textual medium such as magnetic tape audio. Writing is also a distinctly human activity. It has been said that a monkey, randomly typing away on a typewriter (in the days when typewriters replaced the pen or plume as the preferred instrument of writing) could re-create Shakespeare but only if it lived long enough (this is known as the infinite monkey theorem). Such writing has been speculatively designated as coincidental. It is also speculated that extra-terrestrial beings exist who may possess knowledge of writing. The fact is, however, that the only known writing is human writing. Advantages of written communication: Written communication has the following advantages: Written communications possess the quality of being stored for future reference. Policy matters, service conditions, confidential orders and instructions and many other communications can be effectively and satisfactorily communicated only through written communication because they are necessary for future reference so that necessary action may be taken against the subordinates who fail to follow the communication. It can be used as evidence if any dispute about jurisdiction or bypassing etc. arises. When the sender and the receiver are at distant points, even beyond telephonic range written communication is the only means of communication. Written communication is the only way out in such cases where the message is too lengthy and meant for a large number of persons. Written communication gives more time to the receiver to think, analyse, and then decide upon the right course of action. Written communication is more orderly; and it is binding upon the subordinates and their superiors. Written communication becomes essential to pass on to others correct and accurate information. While writing a message superfluous words and all possible errors can be avoided to make it concise. Answer 4. (a) Effective Communication Barriers These barriers, obstructions and interruptions in communication may broadly be categorized into the following groups: External Barriers Organisational Barriers Personal Barriers External barriers External barriers are those caused by factors other than organisational and personal factors. Such external barriers may be (a) semantic barriers, (b) emotional or psychological barriers. 1. Semantic Barriers Such barriers are obstructions caused in the process of receiving or understanding a message during the process of encoding or decoding it into words and ideas. The linguistic capacity of the two parties may have some limitations or the symbols used may be ambiguous. Symbols may have several meanings and unless the context is known to the receiver he is likely to take the meaning of the symbol according to his preconceived notion and misunderstand the communication. Symbols may be classified as language, picture or action. (i). Language In written or verbal communication, words used are important. A word used in the communication may have several meanings. In a face to face communication, it is easy to seek clarification of words used, if any doubt is encountered. In case of doubt feedback is required. Many words which we use informally may be taken literally in other contexts, non-friendly situations or in written communication. (ii). Picture Picture is another type of symbol. Pictures are visual aids worth thousands of words. An organisation makes extensive use of pictures like blueprints, charts, maps, graphs, films, three dimensional models and other similar devices. A viewer may come to understand the whole story when he sees them. (iii). Action Action is another type of symbol. We communicate by both by action or by lack of it. To do or not to do both have a meaning for the receiver. For example if a subordinate does a good job, patting and non-patting on his back by the superior both have a meaning. Patting may inspire him to do a better job again and non-patting may make him disappointed. In this sense we communicate all the times on the job whether we intend to do so or not. Action or non-action may influence the perception of the receiver. 2. Emotional or Psychological Barriers Personal or emotional or psychological barriers arise from motives, attitudes judgement sentiments emotions and social values of participants. These create a psychological distance that hinders the communication or partly filters it out or causes misinterpretation. The following are some emotional barriers: (i). Premature evaluation Premature evaluation is a tendency to evaluate a communication prematurely rather than keeping an open mind during the interchange. Such evaluation interferes with the transfer of information and begets a sense of futility in the sender. (ii). Loss in transmission and retention When communication passes through various levels in an organisation, successive transmissions of the same message are decreasingly accurate. A part of information is lost in transit it is said that about 30% of the information is lost in each transmission. (iii). Distrust of communicator The communicator is sometimes distrusted by his own subordinates. It happens when he lacks self-confidence or is less competent in his position. He frequently makes ill considered judgements or illogical decisions and then reviews his own decisions when he fails to implement them. (iv). Failure to communicate Sometimes manager do not communicate the needed messages to their subordinates. This might be because of laziness or procrastination on their part or they arbitrarily assume that everybody has got the information or they may hide information deliberately to embarrass the subordinate. Organisation Barriers
12/30/2019 0 Comments Performance Rights Act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 wordsPerformance Rights Act - Essay Example It is actually one of nine bills headed for the same thing but with a little different wordage. The plan is to require all radio performances including terrestrial radio, to pay performance license fees to artists for the broadcast of music (ecoustics.com). At this point in time webcasters , satellite companies, and cable companies all pay artists and others for the right to play recorded music but terrestrial radio is not required to do so. The nine bills that are now in Congress are meant to try to equalize this situation. Some of those bills are HR4788 sponsored by Representative Howard Berman, HR 848 presented by Representative John Conyers and another by Senator Partick Leahy. Senator Leahy states that presently it is very unfair and unjust for the radio companies not to have to pay for recordings. To them, it is there livelihood and it is unjust to not get paid for what they do as artists. The Performance Rights bill is meant to stop that unfairness(ecoustics.com). The Performance Rights bill will close an ancient loop hole in the copyright law that was created and allowed AM & FM radio stations to earn $16 million a year in advertising revenue without compensating the artists and musicians who have brought them the music in the first place. These artists bring the music to life and the music brings the listeners to the radio dial (ecoustics.com). AM & FM radio becau AM & FM radio because of the loop hole is the only platform of music that does not pay the artists and musicians a fee for the use of their music, in fact this is the only country in which this occurs. According to the artists, AM & FM radio have received a free pass. Sam Moore says, that American broadcasters have earned billions of dollars by playing the music created by these artists and all the artists want is to receive what artists in every other country around the world receives when their recordings are broadcast, fair compensation for the performance of their work. All the Performance Rights Act does is to bring the United States into line with other countries in the world. The major provisions of the act include providing a statutory license for making one payment annually under a set rate through negotiations or by the Copyright Royalty Board for all the music they play. This would be in place of the original thought of having to negotiate every copyright owner for each use of their music. This Act would accommodate small broadcasters and others by assuring balance and fairness that is not presently there. More than 75% of all commercial radio stations would pay only $1,000 per year. People like talk radio who only use music incidentally would not have to pay the fee and neither would religious radio. Most of the other 8 amendments read very close to the same way. The Future of Music Coalition has many issues going on at this point and only one of those is the Performance Rights Act. The future of the web and what it means to the music industry is part of their concern at the moment. Many artists are now using the internet to do their own open bookings of live concerts as well as selling merchandise, and booking tours. Almost all of them are building fan bases on the web. The Live Nation and Ticketmaster controversy and merger has concerned many of the artists enough to cause them to find ways to take on some of this business venture themselves. This
Philosophy Paper Essay One of the most heated debates that troubled the church in the Middle Ages was the question of universals. This question goes back as far as Plato’s Forms. It has to do with the relationship between the abstract and general concepts that we have in our minds (what is the relationship between Chair with a capitol “C†and chair with a small “câ€? ). And from this, two radical viewpoints emerged, realists and the nominalists. The realists followed Plato in insisting that each universal is an entity in its own right, and exists independently of the individual things that happen to participate in it. An extreme form of realism flourished in the church from the ninth to the twelfth centuries. Among its advocates were John Scotus, Erigena, Anselm and William of Champeaux. On the opposite side were the nominalists and they held that universals were just names, and therefore, have no objective status apart from that which is fabricated in the mind. Nominalists, such as Gabriel Biel and William of Occam (see O section), said that the individual is the only existing substance. Unfortunately, their treatment of nominalism removed religion almost entirely from the area of reason and made it a matter of faith beyond the comprehension of reason. 1 And here lies the significance of the French theologian Peter Abelard (1079-1142). Between the two extremes, Peter Abelard proposed a more moderate form of nominalism. Though critical of the idea of the separate existence of universals, he nevertheless believed that resemblances among particular things justified the use of universals for establishing knowledge. More specifically, Abelard proposed that we ground the similarities among individual things without reifying their universal features, by predicating general terms in conformity with concepts abstracted from experience. This resolution (which would later come to be known as conceptualism) of the traditional problem of universals gained wide acceptance for several centuries, until doubts about the objectivity and reality of such mental entities as concepts came under serious question. Thomas Aquinas favored a moderate realism which rejected the view that universals exist apart from individual entities in favor of the view that they do indeed exist, but only in actual entities. 2 Anaximander (Milesian School): Anaximander (610-547/6 B. C. ) was one of the three key figures that comprised the Milesian School (the three prominent figures associated with the Milesian School is Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes). Together, they worked on problems concerning the nature of matter and the nature of change, and they each proposed a different material as the primary principal. 3 Anaximander seemed to be quite modern in his view of reality. He believed that the world was cylindrical like a drum, and that the earth rested on nothing. He also invented an undefined non-substance, called the apeiron, a neutral, indeterminate stuff that was infinite in amount. Anaximenes (Milesian School): Anaximenes (546 B. C. ), the other member of the Milesian School, returned back to the idea that everything derives from a single substance, but suggested that substance was air. Though it is likely his choice was motivated by wanting to maintain a balance between the two views of his predecessors, Anaximenes did provide solid grounds for his choosing; first, air, has the advantage of not being restricted to a specific and defined nature as water, and therefore more capable of transforming itself into the great variety of objects around us. Second, air is a more likely source of this variety than Anaximander’s apeiron which seems too empty and vacuous a stuff to be capable of giving rise to such a variety and profusion. 4 Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury: In (452 A. D. ), twenty-two years after Augustine’s death, Rome fell, bringing on a period of conquest and chaos, and degree of order was ultimately realized through the emergence of feudalism. The church, which had managed to survive the social and political upheaval, gradually assumed responsibilities that previously had been relegated to the civil government. This involvement in government led in turn to the secularization of the church. Bishops became ministers of the state, and church dignitaries became warriors. In the tenth and eleventh centuries, many within the church were so involved with the secular world that a movement led to the emergence of the monastic life as a force within the church. Those who wanted to escape the temptations of the secular world and pursue holiness were naturally drawn to the monasteries and among those who followed was Anselm (1033-1109), the archbishop of Canterbury. The greatest Christian thinker between Augustine and Thomas Aquinas was Anselm (1033-1109). He was born to a wealthy family in northern Italy, whom, to their disappointment, left home in (1056) to fully dedicate his life to God. Following a period of travel, he arrived at the Norman Abbey at Bec, where he took his monastic vows in (1060). Within a few years, he became prior of the abbey, abbot in (1078), and then archbishop in (1093), which he held until his death. His writings range from treatises on logic to an explanation of the divine inner logic of the atonement in Cur deus homo. Anselm stood in the tradition of Augustine and Platonic realism. 5 Following the tradition of Augustine, he held that faith precedes and leads to understanding, and, like many other medieval thinkers he drew no sharp distinction between philosophy and theology. In his famous ontological argument for the existence of God, Anselm presents a defense based on the fact that it is self-contradictory to deny that there exists a greatest possible being. 6 He claims that the more universality, the more reality. And from here it follows that if God is the most universal being, he is also the most real; if He is the absolutely universal being, he is also the absolutely real being, ens realissimum. He has, therefore, according to the conception of Him, not only the comparatively greatest reality, but also the absolute reality. A reality in which no greater can be thought. 7 Aquinas, Thomas: By common consent the greatest philosophical theologian of the Middle Ages was Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274). Everything about him was big. In his later years his voluminous writings, massive in scope, won him the title of the Angelic Doctor. His life was dedicated to the intellectual defense and propagation of the faith, as he understood it. It was during his teaching career (1252) in Paris that Aquinas, being drawn into the critical debates of his day, started battling the objections posed against Aristotelianism and its place in the university. By this time, Plato was known only through the imperfect translations of the Timaeus, the Phaedo, and the Meno. Islamic Jewish thinkers were much better acquainted with Aristotle, and for nearly two centuries they had been wrestling with questions posed by Aristotelianism to religious faith. For Aquinas and his Christian contemporaries the issue was doubly acute. On the one hand, there were questions posed by Aristotle’s way of thinking. On the other hand, there were the answers already given by Islamic and Jewish scholars which were hardly acceptable to a Christian thinker. Aquinas decided to face the problem head on. He made his own study of Aristotle, on whom he wrote extensively. He also made his own study of non-Christian thinkers. He subjected all ideas to rigorous scrutiny, giving due recognition to the truth of ideas, wherever they came from, but giving his own evaluation of every issue, point by point. In all, Aquinas produced about a hundred different writings. His work ranged from philosophical commentaries to hymns. 8 Aquinas’ main works are two massive Summae or compends of theology and philosophy. The Summa contra Gentiles was designed as a textbook for missionaries, and the Summa Theologiae has been described as the highest achievement of medieval theological systematization and is still the accepted basis of modern Reformed theology. In Aquinas’ proofs (what later came to be known as the Cosmological and Teleological arguments), certain facts about nature are compelling evidences of God’s existence. He argues, accordingly, that nothing can adequately account for the fact of motion or change. Rejecting the idea that change or motion is simply an ultimate, mysterious fact of nature neither requiring nor permitting any explanation except God, its Unmoved Prime Mover. Furthermore, in his five arguments, Aquinas suggests that the Christian belief in God is completely consistent with the world as we know it. Aquinas’ arguments, known also as the Five Ways are sometimes referred to as the proofs of the existence of God. But this is not necessarily correct because Aquinas did not try to prove the existence of God by rational argument, but to provide a rational defense for an already existing faith in God. His primary reason for believing in the existence in God is God’s revelation of Himself. Aquinas expects his readers to share the same faith. He does not expect that he will have to prove anything to them first. This point is important because many critics accuse believers of grounding their faith in outdated arguments, such as Thomas Aquinas. It is proper, therefore, to respond to such criticisms by pointing out that they are based on a superficial reading and on a serious misunderstanding of how individuals come to faith. 9 The basic principal guiding Aquinas throughout the Five Proofs is the principal of analogy, which holds the world as we know it mirrors God, its creator. The structure of each of Aquinas’ proofs is quite similar. Each depends on tracing a casual sequence back to its ultimate origin and identifying this ultimate origin with God. The first begins with the observation that things in the world are in motion or change. Second is the concept of causation. The third concerns the existence of contingent beings. The fourth deals with human values, and lastly, is the teleological argument, in which Aquinas explains how the world shows clear traces of intelligent design. Natural processes and objects seem to be adapted with certain definite objectives in mind. They seem to have purpose. They seem to have been designed. Arguing from this observation, Aquinas concludes that it is rational to believe in God. 10 Aristotle: Aristotle’s thought, like his mentor Plato, embodied the concept of arete, which taught that human excellence in all things was an important goal that should direct human purposes. For Aristotle, that excellence ideally exemplified the defining quality of human nature, the pursuit of reason. Attracted by science and believing that the universe could be explained, Aristotle greatly valued the work of Thales of Miletus, and accepted his concept that the physical universe operated rationally and in a way that was knowable to human beings. From Anaximander, Aristotle took the view that a balance of force existed in nature that made things what they were. Aristotle was also knowledgeable about the atomic theory of Parmenides and was intrigued by the question of what was stable and what was changing. Indeed, these Greek scientists had a significant influence on Aristotle’s intellectual search to examine and explain reality. 11 For Aristotle, the world in which we live is the world that we experience through our senses. Unlike those who followed Plato, Aristotle believed that we live in an objective order of reality, a world of objects that exist external to us and our knowing of them. Through our senses and our reason, human beings can come to know these objects and develop generalizations about their structure and function. Truth is a correspondence between the person’s mind and external reality. Theoretical knowledge based on human observation is the best guide to human behavior. And, while human beings have various careers, they all share the most important factor, the exercise of rationality. Reason gives human beings the potentiality of leading lives that are self-determined. Congruent with his metaphysical and epistemological perspective, Aristotle’s ethical theory portrays the good life as that of happiness (eudaimonia). He believed that the ultimate good for the human being was happiness, activity in accordance to virtue. The virtuous life is one in which actions are part of a consciously formulated plan that takes a mean, a middle ground course, avoiding extremes. 12 For example, true courage would be the choice that avoids the extremes of cowardice and rashness. And what decides the right course to take is the virtue of prudence (phronesis). Good is the aim of every action but, given the fact that goods can be ordered in relation to one another, there must be a highest good to which practical wisdom directs us. And if the possession of any good is what makes us happy to some extent, the possession of the highest good is the highest happiness, the ultimate goal of all our actions. 13 At this point, it is difficult to resist the thought that Aristotle’s notion of the intellectual life being the gateway to happiness and virtue is not an shallow one. But, though there are some elements in his presentation that are unclear, this much is clear; that this happiness, which is the possession of the good, is ultimately an act of contemplation, or of beholding, the good. But to contemplate the good is to enter into union with it. Therefore, if contemplating on god means entering into union with the life of the gods, this is the highest activity of man and his ultimate happiness. The conclusion of the Ethics is one with the Metaphysics, in which the “divine element†in a man coincides with the “possession†of god by an act of thought, called contemplation, which is the “most pleasant and best†we can perform. In Eudemian Ethics, Aristotle says, What choice, then, or possession of the natural goods – whether bodily goods, wealth, friends, or other things – will most produce the contemplation of God, that choice or possession is best; this is the noblest standard, but any that through deficiency or excess hinders one from the contemplation and service of God is bad; this man possess in his soul, and this is the best standard for the soul. 14 With statements like this one can’t help but wonder what Aristotle’s response would have been if he would have had the opportunity to serve the one true God, who is worthy of such adoration and praise. What’s more, Aristotle categorized virtues as either moral or intellectual. Moral virtue, though not easy to define, is a habit by which the individual exercises a prudent choice, one that a rational person would make. Moral virtues tend to moderation, falling between excess and inhibition. They focus on the concrete actions a person performs and the measured sense he has regarding them: “to feel them at the right times, with reference to the right objects, towards the right people, with the right motive, and in the right way. †A good action thus exhibits due proportion, neither excessive nor defective, but midway between them. This is Aristotle’s doctrine of the mean. Peculiarly, a virtuous action is one that lies between too much and too little. To give another example, in regard to the feeling of shame, modesty is the mean between bashfulness and shamelessness. Not every virtue, however, is a mean, and so not every action is to be measured in this way. Nonetheless, every action should and can at least be measured in its rightness by the virtue of prudence or, in a larger sense, by “practical wisdom. â€15. Furthermore, one of Aristotle’s most significant contributions to the Western world is his Poetics. His earlier works, Physics and Metaphysics contain important statements about art and nature, and Rhetoric, written after Poetics, distinguishes rhetoric as a practical art and has had a strong influence on literary criticism. His Poetics, nonetheless, is particularly important because Aristotle is addressing Plato’s doctrines on ideas and forms he came to disagree with. In Poetics, it was Aristotle’s intention to classify and categorize systematically the kinds of literary art, beginning with epic and tragic drama. Unfortunately, not all of the poetics survived, and it breaks off before the discussion of comedy. Nonetheless, our sense of Aristotle’s method is established. He is the first critic to attempt a systematic discourse of literary genres. 16 Augustine (Saint), of Hippo: One of the greatest thinkers of not only the early church, but of all time is Augustine of Hippo (354-430 A. D. ). His writings laid the foundation not only for Western theology but for later philosophy as well. His three books On Free Will (388-395), set out a doctrine of creation, evil and the human will which was a superior alternative to the type of thinking that had attracted so many to Gnosticism and Manichaean dualism. His response to the Donatist schism in the church set the pattern for the Western doctrine of the church. His writings on the subject of Pelagianism clarified, as no one before him and few after him, the crucial issues in the question of grace and free will. His major theological writings include On the Trinity (399-419), which presented better models for thinking about the Trinity than those of the Greek fathers. Augustine’s book On the City of God (413-416) was a reply to those who blame the church for the fall of Rome, in which it gave both a panoramic view of history and a theology of history in terms of the basic conflict between the divine society and the earthly society. 17 Interestingly, Augustine put forth a theory of time that Bertrand Russell would later pronounce superior to earlier views and much better than the subjective theory of Kant. Augustine’s account of how we can learn language provided Wittgenstein’s starting point for his Philosophical Investigations. In answering skepticism Augustine put forth an argument which anticipated Descartes’ cognito ergo sum without falling into the pitfalls commonly associated with the argument. Furthermore, Augustine believed that philosophical reflection may correct mistaken notions, lead to a grasp of truth, and serve to clarify belief. But rational reflection is not a substitute for the beatific vision of God. For it is the apprehension of God alone which transforms human life and alone satisfies our deepest needs. Though Augustine was deeply influenced by Platonism and Neoplatonism, he never was simply a Platonist. His view of the soul stands in the Platonic tradition, but he repudiated the doctrines of pre-existence and transmigration. Augustine’s view of the transcendent spiritual reality might also be said to have affinities with Plato, but Augustines approach was not an attempt to erect an edifice of Christian theology on either Platonic or Neoplatonic foundations. Rather, it was to state the Christian worldview in a theological and philosophical system that cohered as a unified whole. 18 (B) (back to top) Bentham, Jeremy: In nineteenth century Victorian England two contrasting systems were developed by Jeremy Bentham and Herbert Spencer. Utilitarians Bentham and John Stuart Mill applied naturalistic presuppositions in their worldview. Herbert Spencer applied the concept of evolution. And Ernest Mach prepared the way for logical positivism in his strongly anti-metaphysical scientific approach. The antithesis of the Kantian ideal is utilitarianism, an ethical theory founded by Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832). Bentham was a hedonist. Taking the good to be pleasure, Bentham proposed a new model for morality in his principal of utility, which holds that “Actions are right in proportion to the amount of happiness it brings; wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. 19 Utilitarianism is a form of consequentialism. The ends justify the means since actions are judged on the results they bring, not on the person’s intentions or motives. For Kant, the end result was not important in determining the rightness of an action, rather, it was motive. 20 In its simplest form utilitarianism teaches that the right action is the one that promotes the greatest happiness. Modern utilitarianism dates from Thomas Hobbes in the seventeenth century, but its antecedents date as far back as (341-270 B. C. ) to the philosophy of Epicurus of Samos. The theory of utilitarianism actually held little influence until John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) who popularized the term and produced the classical Victorian exposition of the doctrine. Mill used the principal of utility to critique all social, political, and religious institutions. Anything that did not promote the greatest happiness of the greatest number was to be challenged and reformed. For this reason social and religious institutions that curtail individual liberty should be reformed. This is necessary, argued Mill, in order for freedom of belief, association and expression to be safeguarded. 21. Different conceptions of happiness separated Mill’s version “Better a Socrates dissatisfied than a pig satisfied,†which recognized qualitative differences between different kinds of pleasure, from Bentham’s forthright attempt to reduce all questions of happiness to the mere presence of pleasure or pain. Bentham’s version aims to render the basic concepts of ethics susceptible of comparison and measurement, but this was not the goal in Mill’s presentation of the system. 22 A hedonistic utilitarian like Bentham would say that the sole consideration is the quantity of pleasure that an action produces. A problem with this approach, however, (as if it wasn’t obvious) is that it draws no distinction in principal between an evening spent at the bars or one spent having quality time with your spouse. It all depends upon the tastes of the person. Berkley, George: George Berkeley (Irish, 1685-1753) was one of the three greatest British empiricists of the eighteenth century (Locke and Hume being the other two). Though his father was an Englishman, Berkley always considered himself Irish. He was an early subjectivist idealist philosopher, who argued that all qualities of objects exist only in the mind of the perceiver. His famous theory is often summarized, esse est percipi, “to be is to be perceived,†and is still important to modern apologetics (due to the method he used in demonstrating the necessity of an eternal Perceiver). Berkley’s argument was that the phenomena of visual sensation can all be explained without presupposing the reality of the external material substances. Interestingly, Berkley was also a bishop of an Anglican church, and was the only important philosopher to visit America before 1900. He came hoping to start a missionary training college for evangelizing to the Indian tribes of New England. 23 Berkley disagreed with Locke in that there is a material substance lying behind and supporting perceptions. He also disagreed with his treatment of the representative theory of perception, that material objects are perceived mediately by means of ideas, and the mind does not perceive the material object directly, but only through the medium of the ideas formed by the senses and reflection on them. “If we know only our ideas,†reasoned Berkeley “then we can never be sure whether any of them are really like the material qualities of objects, since we can never compare the ideas with them. †For that reason, he denied the ultimate existence of material substance believing that the Spirit is the only metaphysical reality. 24 (D) (back to top) Derrida, Jacques: Jacques Derrida (1930-2004) was a French literary critic and founder of the school called deconstructionism. His (1966) lecture Structure, Sign, and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences delivered at Johns Hopkins University, played a significant role in ushering American critics into the era of poststructuralism. Particular influences on his thought include Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Freud. He wrote prolifically, and had a great influence on not only literary criticism but in sociology, linguistics, and psychology as well. Derrida regarded philosophical and literary texts as already containing the seeds of their own deconstruction. This means that in any work the author unwittingly includes contradictions, blind spots, and unjustified assumptions. The main purpose and task of the deconstructionist, according to Derrida, is to simply bring these contradictions to the surface. 25 Beginning in the Victorian Age, a paradigm shift slowly spread throughout Europe that set the groundwork for modern theory. Unlike the revolutionary movements of the Renaissance and Romanticism, which were in part reactionary, this paradigm shift that marked a radical break from the past had little precedent. Nonetheless, it marked a rejection of long-held metaphysical and aesthetic beliefs that most theorists from Plato to Coleridge took for granted. Until the modern period, most of the great Western philosophers have been logocentric in their thinking, and Derrida is one of the ones responsible for this definite break from the past, bringing forth the notion that meaning is never fixed. Dr. Louis Markos, a Christian Professor at Houston Baptist University, made some interesting comments on Derrida in one of his lectures on deconstructionism. He said that Derrida reads the history of Western metaphysics as a continual search for a logos or original presence. This logos is sought because it promises to give meaning and purpose to all things, to act as a universal center. Behind this search is a desire for a higher reality (or full presence). Western philosophy since Plato has simply renamed this presence and shifted this center without breaking from its centering impulse. Even Saussure’s structuralism sought a center, and though he broke from the old metaphysic, he still used its terminology and binaries. Furthermore, Derrida deconstructs all attempts to posit a center or to establish a system of binaries. Instead, he puts in their place a “full free play of meaning. â€26 Democritus (see Leucippus): Descartes, Rene: The first great continental rationalist27 was Rene’ Descartes (Frenchman, 1596-1650). For it was he who defined the terms and laid down the agenda for the continental rationalist school of thought. But in a sense, the world that Descartes produced, by the exercise of pure reason, was a fairly straight forward affair – Descartes does preserve “the self†in a recognizable form, as well as both “God†(even though it is not a terribly human sort of God) and the material world in a broadly speaking recognizable form (even though it might be a material world deprived of some of its more vivid and colorful attributes). Nevertheless, the worlds created by the application of the procedure of rationalism start from some self-evident propositions (like Euclid’s geometry) and then carry out processes of absolute, straight forward deduction from these self-evident propositions and what that led to in the case of Spinoza and Leibniz is something very far removed in both of them from the ordinary understanding of the world. To some extant, Descartes, by comparison with them, is in the business of saving the appearances. Whereas both Spinoza and Leibniz say that what the world is really like is very different from what it appears to the ordinary person to be. Nonetheless, there is still in both cases (Descartes and Spinoza and Leibniz) an underlying reality that philosophy can tell us something about reality even if common observation cannot. 28 His two chief philosophical works were Discourse on Method (1637) and his Meditations (1641). His ideal and method were modeled on mathematics. He is sometimes portrayed as the first modern philosopher due to his break with the traditional Scholastic-Aristotelian philosophy and for introducing a new mechanistic science. 29 In refurbishing the medieval proofs for the existence of God he was drawing upon the legacy of the Middle Ages. Like the Medieval philosophers, he was interested in metaphysics, and to the end of his life, Descartes remained a nominal Catholic. But there is a sense in which Descartes represents a new departure. Descartes (so it seems) was interested in God not for his own sake, but the world’s. God is invoked as a kind of dues ex machine to guarantee the validity of our thoughts about the world. 30 Nonetheless, Descartes takes his place as a Christian thinker by resting cognitive truth on the personal truth of God, and laying the blame for error not on God but on the exercise of the human will. Descartes successors eventually lost their reliance for truth. George Berkeley retains it by tracing directly to God all the ideas we receive from outside the mind and Leibniz by making each mind mirror eternal truths in the mind of God. But many Enlightenment thinkers, and many empiricists today who share some of Descartes’ rational ideals or the correspondence theory of truth, talk to truth independently of God as if it were a self-sustaining ideal and as if human reason were a purely objective and impersonal activity. Descartes’ failure was not in the relation he saw of truth to God, but in the lack of relation he saw between man’s rational capacity for knowing truth and his personality as a whole. 31 (F) (back to top) Fibonacci: His real name was Leonardo Pisano (Italian, 1170-1250) but he is better known by his nickname “Fibonacci†(filius Bonacci), which means “son of Bonacci. †A striking example of Fibonaccis genius is his observation that the classification of irrationals given by Euclid in Book X of the Elements did not include all irrationals. Fibonacci is probably best known for his “rabbit problem. †Leonardo Fibonacci began the study of this sequence by posing the following problem in his book, Liber Abaci, “How many pairs of rabbits will be produced in a year, beginning with a single pair? â€32 The analogy that starts with one pair of rabbits who give birth to a new pair from the first month on, and every succeeding pair gives birth to a new pair in the second month after their birth. Fibonacci shows that this leads to the sequences 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, and so on. As one can see, each term is the sum of the two previous terms. For example, 2 + 3 = 5 and 3 + 5 = 8, and the farther and farther you go to the right of this sequence, the ratio of a term to the one before it will get closer and closer to the Golden Ratio. Additionally, this same principal also applies to that of the Golden rectangle. The connection between the Golden Ratio and the Fibonacci series is fascinating, and is very simple to understand. If you take a Golden Rectangle, and cut off a square with side lengths equal to the length shorter to the rectangle side, then what remains is another Golden Rectangle. This could go on forever. You can just keep cutting off these big squares and getting smaller and smaller Golden Rectangles. Consequently, the idea with the Fibonacci series is to do the same thing in reverse. You start with a square (1 by 1), find the longer side, and then add a square of that size to the whole thing to form a new rectangle. Therefore, when we start with a (1 by 1) square the longest side is one, so we add another square to it. As a result, we have accumulated a (2 by 1) rectangle. Then the longest side is 2, so we connect a (2 by 2) square to our (2 by 1) rectangle to get a (3 by 2) rectangle. As this continues, the sides of the rectangle will always be a successive Fibonacci number, and eventually the rectangle will be very close to a Golden Rectangle. To translate in more illustrative terms, the ratio of two successive numbers in the Fibonacci series, as aforementioned, if divided by each number before it, will result in the following series of numbers; 1/1 = 1, 2/1 = 2, 3/2 = 1. 5, 5/3 = 1. 666, 8/5 = 1. 6, 13/8 = 1. 625, 21/13 = 1. 61538. The ratio that is settling down to a particular value is the golden ratio or the golden number, which has a value of approximately 1. 618034. 33 Fichte, Johann Gottlieb: Johann Gottlieb Fichte (German, 1762-1814) was one of the major figures in German philosophy in between Kant and Hegel. He was regarded as one of Kant’s most talented philosophers, but later developed a system of his own transcendental philosophy called the Wissenschaftslehre. Fichte had immense influence on his contemporaries, especially during his professorship at the University of Jenna, a position he held for five years (1794-1799) before taking up a profes.
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