Plato - Understanding Essay Example for Free

Plato Understanding Essay Knowledge and opinion essentially form the entire dialogue of Plato’s Meno. Throughout the dialogue Socrates and Meno are on the search for whether virtue can be taught. From Socrates and Meno’s search for virtue, the importance of understanding knowledge and opinion becomes evident. Socrates and Meno’s search for virtue results in three themes. These themes are the relationship of knowledge, opinion and the helpful importance of teaching. Understanding knowledge, opinion and teaching’s importance help create the understanding of why knowledge is beneficial and pursued in life. Knowledge, according to Socrates, is recollection. Socrates shows this by saying, As the whole of nature is akin, and the soul has learned everything, nothing prevents a man, after recalling one thing only—a process men call learning—discovering everything else for himself, if he is brave and does not tire of the search, for searching and learning are, as a whole, recollection (81d). Teachers play a role in developing knowledge so it can become recallable. Today almost every person in this world in one way or another is schooled and taught things by a teacher. Years continue to go by with teachers playing an impact in almost everyone’s lives because they are benefiting people’s growth in knowledge. Teachers not only help us gain knowledge but even with things that cannot be taught, teachers can still play a role. In the Meno it is concluded that virtue is one of those things that cannot be taught. Teachers are also actually helpful in the pursuit of things that cannot be taught. Different ways teachers can help in the pursuit of knowledge of things that cannot be taught is by asking questions, or encouraging questions to be asked. What this allows is those to pursue knowledge faster and more successfully than they would in most cases alone. So regardless whether it is something that can be taught or not, teachers play a key role in gaining knowledge. Gaining knowledge is something that is desired by each one of us. All of us because of our human nature have a desire to know things. Sometimes that desire is so we can feel superior to another, sometimes it is to answer ones own questions about life itself, and sometimes it is to simply better ones everyday life. From these desires of wanting to know things it is obvious we as humans desire knowledge. But where exactly does this desire to know come from? This desire stems from opinion. Humans are opinionated and often feel very strongly about one’s opinions. Knowledge and opinion relate and there is a key difference essential to understanding knowledge. As Socrates pointed out knowledge is understood to be something that is true and can be recalled upon over and over knowing it is always true. However, the ability to be recallable is where opinion differs from knowledge. Opinions can in fact be true (true opinion) and be as useful as knowledge; however, there remains one distinct difference between the two. That difference is opinions can leave one’s mind. Opinions need to become tied down and become knowledge to avoid being forgotten. Socrates shows through an example of what happens if opinions are not tied down. Socrates refers to a beautiful work of Daedalus to show the importance of knowledge. Socrates explains that opinions if true are good only as long as they hang around in one’s mind. As soon as the true opinion escapes one’s mind it is no longer valuable. So if Socrates can tie the beautiful work of Daedalus it becomes more valuable just as knowledge becomes more valuable than true opinion because it is tied down forever with no potential of being forgotten (98a). Understanding this difference between knowledge and opinion is essential because it gives the reason as to why knowledge is pursued. Besides knowledge and opinion’s difference they also relate to one another in the pursuit of knowledge. Acquiring knowledge begins with opinions that are gained through different experiences. Before opinions become knowledge they can be stirred up through questions. In the Meno, Socrates does a demonstration that stirs up different opinions in a slave boy. Socrates asks the boy different questions and because of the questions asked the boy actually gets the questions correct without any knowledge of the answers. This example from the text shows two things regarding knowledge. First, this example shows that opinion precedes knowledge. The slave boy had true opinions about the questions Socrates was asking because he was answering correctly, but he did not have knowledge yet. Secondly, this example shows how teachers, in this case Socrates, help the pursuit of knowledge. By asking the proper questions opinions can be stirred up and start to become knowledge. When opinions are true they can become knowledge through an account of reason or proof that the opinion is indeed the truth. Once this happens the opinion turns into knowledge and that knowledge will now remain with no threat of being lost. Acquiring knowledge is essential in life and the pursuit of knowledge is in human nature. Throughout our entire lives knowledge is constantly pursued. Understanding knowledge and opinion’s relationship allows this to be reasoned. With knowledge being distinguished from true opinion by being recallable teachers play an important role. Teachers help by asking the right questions which then speeds up the knowledge gaining process. So with these three relationships it is more understood as why knowledge is beneficial and constantly pursued through life.

Leaders of the Nation of Islam Essay -- Black Muslim Malcolm X Elijah

Leaders of Nations The Nation of Islam impacted many African American people during its time. This Black Muslim nation demanded adherence to basic teachings, which included racial separation, white devilry, and the coming Armageddon. None of these basic teachings supported James Baldwin’s perceptions, which pitied whites for their inability to see through the color curtain and embrace differences that whites and blacks held together to create a better, inexorable, and supreme nation. Leaders such as Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X provided the vision of the Nation of Islam. These moguls proved to be two of the most powerful leaders of their time. They paved their way through history and rightfully landed a spot belonging to the Islam nation. Even after death, Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X still influence people in communities around the world to look beyond themselves and conquer a solution to the problems that societies still face. However there were some that did not concur with the Nation of Islam, and one of these people was James Baldwin. Although Baldwin, like a lost child, is not confident as to where or to whom he belongs to in life, Baldwin is certain that a black nation separated from all other races will only separate blacks from the future of a better nation and keep them from further developing as a community. Born in Georgia on October 7, 1897, the first leader of the Nation of Islam was a man named Elijah Muhammad. He has often been portrayed as a saint by his peers, but during World War II, Elijah Muhammad expressed support for Japan, on the basis of its being a nonwhite country, and was jailed for sedition. On August 24, 1946 Muhammad was released from prison in Milan, Michigan. Accord... ...We Need Not Look for Another. Phoenix, Arizona: Truth Publications, 1971. Harris, Robert L. "Malcolm and the Cross." Rev. of Malcolm and the Cross: The Nation of Islam, Malcolm X, and Christianity, by Louis A DeCaro Jr. New York University Press 1998. Hoffer, Eric. "The Negro Is Prejudiced Against Himself; The Negro Is Against Himself." New York Times 29 Nov. 1964, sec. M: 27-35. Kihss, Peter. â€Å"In Return for Years of Slavery, Four or Five States.† New York Times 23 Apr 1961: 1. Kihss, Peter. â€Å"Negro Extremist Groups Step Up Nationalist Drive.† New York Times 1 March 1961: 2. "Man of Myth and Fact: Elijah Muhammad." New York Times 29 June 1964: 32. Trinklein, Rhaya. The Official Website of Malcolm X. 24 Nov. 2003. CMG Worldwide. .

Pricing Strategies of Hyundai

1 March 2006 Immediate Release Hyundai Launches Family Pricing Strategy and Standardises Parts Prices The cost of owning and servicing a Hyundai has never been cheaper for Kiwi motorists from this week. Hyundai Automotive New Zealand has announced a revolutionary new parts policy that will see genuine part prices across Hyundai’s model range standardised, and in many cases becoming considerably cheaper. Known as the Family Pricing Strategy, the policy sees the price of regular maintenance genuine Hyundai parts standardised across models, and is the first step toward standardised service costs. Surveys by Hyundai revealed the company already had competitively priced genuine parts, having similar prices to the aftermarket competitors and in many cases beating them. Hyundai New Zealand Aftermarket Manager Peter Tolley said getting the company’s spare parts aligned across the model range was the first part of the company’s strategy to keep ownership costs as low as possible for all Hyundai vehicles. It would also ensure customers have the reassurance of genuine Hyundai parts which come with a 12 month, 20,000km warranty. The â€Å"grey†parts market is a worldwide problem for the motor industry because many parts are substandard and unsafe. To combat this Hyundai Motor Company has been keen to get involved in this local initiative. â€Å"Working closely with Hyundai Motor Company and its suppliers has meant that we are able to offer some substantial reductions in pricing to benefit the New Zealand consumer,† stated Mr Tolley. â€Å"We expected customers to benefit from some substantial parts savings, particularly on the larger vehicles such as Terracan, Santa Fe and the new Grandeur† said Mr Tolley. You will see genuine components like front brake pads drop from anything up to $253 each down to $85 under the Family Pricing Strategy. Simple components like oil filters on our petrol engines will drop from up to $38 down to $15. 75. These savings are genuine, long term and will lead into very competitive servicing costs for our customers. † Mr Tolley said Hyundai was going to g reater lengths than any other vehicle manufacturer with this new pricing strategy. Low ownership costs with Hyundai were already almost a given, due to the extremely high level of quality and reliability in new Hyundai vehicles, said Peter Tolley. Surveys such as the prestigious JD Power Vehicle Quality survey rated the Hyundai Sonata as one of the world’s top three reliable cars in 2005. The US based Total Quality Index survey confirmed the Hyundai Tucson as the world’s highest quality small SUV for 2005. The results come from polling a massive 40,000 buyers of models throughout the USA. With results like this backed up by competitive parts pricing, New Zealanders can be sure they will see Hyundai as an extremely good value, high quality, low cost vehicle for many years to come. † â€Å"Putting it simply, we are confident that over a complete ownership cycle, no car will show a better â€Å"complete cost of ownership† than a Hyundai. † This has already been shown to be the case with Hyundai’s Getz, which in 2005, won the Be st Small Car Award in the annual Australia’s Best Cars awards scoring the top ‘well above average’ ranking for among other things, Pricing, Running & Repair Costs and Warranty.

Military Conscription (Persuasive Essay) - 805 Words

Military Conscription Conscription, or more boldly the draft, has not been in place for some thirty years. While some people cringe at the thought of reinstating the draft, others have different views. This short paper will speak of those different views and the reasons why conscription of military service may not be such a bad idea after all. Having young men or even women drafted in the military would benefit everyone. The soldiers would benefit from gaining the knowledge and on-the-job training for a career when they get out and the militaries would not be suffering from the shortage of troops as they are today. It is a win-win situation! Having served in a country where conscription is the law (and still is today), most South†¦show more content†¦You as the parent know you cannot afford to send all the children to college. Wouldnt it be nice to be able to secure your childrens future? If it were a requirement for men and women to join a branch of the Armed Forces upon graduating from high school, their dreams could become reality! Young people could receive training and money to go to college and fulfill those dreams. If the draft were reinstated there would be more troops to support the current crisis in Iraq. There would also be less turn around of the same troops redeploying to remote parts of the world. Many soldiers are gone from their families for a year, only to return to remote parts of the world after being home for a few months. Think also, the possibility of forcing young criminals between the ages of 18 and 25 to join the military. Maybe due to joining the military, these young criminals would be reformed into honorable, self-respecting individuals or become leaders of our great nation. In addition, if military conscription were implemented, the tax payers would not have to pay for the juvenile criminals to be locked up in maximum or minimum security centers. I served in the United States Army for almost seven years. I loved every minute of it. Well, I might not have enjoyed every minute, but I enjoyed the majority of my time served. The knowledge, insight, training, education and experienceShow MoreRelatedHitlers Promises to the German People2269 Words   |  10 PagesThis essay intends to explore Hitler’s promise of a better future to the German people, and how important it was to the growth in Nazi support up to 1933. This essay will discuss how accurate the view that this promise was what caused the support for the Nazis to grow. There are many things which affected the growth in Nazi popularity and this is what will be discussed in this essay. In 1928 there was a low support for the Nazi party, they only held 12 seats in the Reichstag, but by 1930 the NaziRead MorePropaganda Effects of World War One Essay examples3323 Words   |  14 Pagesto defeat their enemies. This concept of Total War altered the direction of humanity and governments understanding in their allocation of resources. This essay will examine the relationship between propaganda used during World War I, its effect on the masses and the absolutely essential need for the success of such campaigns in obtaining military victory. While leaflet propaganda used during the war will be the main focus, considerations will be given to other forms to illuminate the necessity ofRead MorePropaganda Effects of Wwi3372 Words   |  14 Pagesto defeat their enemies. This concept of Total War altered the direction of humanity and governments understanding in their allocation of resources. This essay will examine the relationship between propaganda used during World War I, its effect on the masses and the absolutely essential need for the success of such campaigns in obtaining military victory. While leaflet propaganda used during the war will be the main focus, considerations will be given to other forms to illuminate the necessity ofRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesPHILADELPHIA Temple University Press 1601 North Broad Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122 www.temple.edu/tempress Copyright  © 2010 by Temple University All rights reserved Published 2010 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Essays on twentieth century history / edited by Michael Peter Adas for the American Historical Association. p. cm.—(Critical perspectives on the past) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-1-4399-0269-1 (cloth : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-1-4399-0270-7