Reflection in Iris Murdochs Under the Net - 2313 Words

Reflection in Iris Murdochs Under the Net In her novel Under the Net, Iris Murdoch examines the nature of reality through the thoughts and relationships of the novels main character, Jake Donaghue. A recurring theme in the novel is the idea of reflection, in both senses of the word: Jake is continually thinking about ideas, and he is also forever trying to see himself as he really is. Many of the instances of reflection in the novel occur near rivers or are connected in some way to currents. As we shall see, Iris Murdoch uses reflections in Under the Net to represent the mirror opposites of reality and appearance. The Novel As Reflection In examining Murdochs use of reflections in Under the Net, it is perhaps useful to†¦show more content†¦We should note that it is her reflection and not Sadie that Jake sees: [T]he curious fantasy came to me that if I were to look under the drier at the real face and not at the reflection I should see there some terrible old witch (p53). The relationship between appearance and reality is a central theme in the novel, and Jakes search for the truth includes the desire to learn if one can ever truly know another person. Jakes fear of intimacy is due in part to his concern for the truth; he states that although he once briefly thought of marrying Anna, he has never wanted a communion of the souls because it is already hard enough to tell the truth to oneself (p31). Jake nevertheless again comes to care deeply for Anna, and in a frantic search of Paris, he finally finds her at the citys fireworks celebration: The river was black now under the night sky and glassy, a black mirror in which every lamp raised a pole of light and the conflagration in the sky above dropped an occasional piece of gold. The line of people on the other bank was clearly reflected in it. Annas image was quite still beneath her. I wondered if in the river...my own reflection was as vividly shown. (191) Anna does not see Jakes reflection, however, and he leaves Paris without having talked to her. In a comic distortion of reality, Jake believes that Hugo loves Anna, while in fact Hugo loves Sadie, Anna loves Hugo, and Sadie loves Jake; their relationshipsShow MoreRelated Form Versus Chaos Essay2882 Words   |  12 Pagesand the private conscience, and that until we bridge it we will never be safe from the murderous madman or the anonymous technician† (10). The ideal, a harmony between the collective conscience and the inner self, is to not lose personal freedom under the of society. The opposite occurs in Sartre’s play â€Å"No Exit†Ã¢â‚¬â€each character is partially illusioned from specific reality, in other words, his or her private conscience, as the collective conscience closes upon the individual. It is similar toRead MoreExploring Corporate Strategy - Case164366 Words   |  658 Pagesreverse a decline? KPMG (A) – managing change in professional services. Xerox – difficulties with leadership at the global giant. UNHCR – managing change in a global not-for-profit organisation. Burtons (A,B,C) – three stages of a retailer’s development under different leaders. Key: ââ€" Ã¢â€"  = major focus ââ€"  = important subsidiary focus Introduction to strategy Business environment: general Five forces analysis Capability analysis Corporate governance Stakeholder expectations Social responsibility Culture Competitive

The Amazon Tribe Like The Wari Culture - 1431 Words

Starting with the meaning of Culture; is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, defined by their beliefs, behaviors, language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts. To me it was interesting to read the three books and learned about how Conklin, Hutchinson, and Basso studied the concept of the different cultures. In Consuming Grief, Beth A. Conklin, studies the history of the Amazon Tribe like the Wari culture. Conklin talked about the concept of Cannibalism which was something new for me to learn about how people are eating human flesh. People in the olden days used to practice cannibalism during the famines, in the besieged cities. Some of the primitive tribes believed that by eating the flesh of enemies, they could acquire their abilities. On the other hand others believe in cannibalism as a religious ritual or burial rites, or a way for the family to get rid of their loss easily, quickly and as a kind of exaggeration in hurting the enemy, w here the winner will eat the flesh of the vanquished. And some people thought that eating the dead body was considered a sign of respect and compassion for the dead person. Cannibalism existed only in the past until the 1960s among the Indians of the western Amazonian rainforest. In Sharon Hutchinson, Nuer Dilemmas: Coping with Money, war and the State, she lays out the concept of the expansive background of blood, cattle’s and cash as well as the change of importance over time in the southernShow MoreRelatedShould Religion Be Banned?1258 Words   |  6 PagesHas somebody ever offered you to taste â€Å"Long Pig?† If so, you may have been offered human meat. Most people think that getting a taste of our supposedly â€Å"pork-like† species is outrageous, but have never considered that it might be a religious norm still practiced today in many tribes. Can one guess which widely practiced religion believes in consuming the offspring of their god, despite the obvio us indication of its evilness in its Holy Scripture? If Roman Catholicism comes to mind, that is absolutelyRead MoreLanguage Is An Innate Function Of Human Nature1955 Words   |  8 PagesThere is much discrepancy among linguists regarding the origins of language. Most linguists argue that only specific influences gave rise to the language system that exists today. Some linguists, like Noam Chomsky, argue that language is an innate function of human nature while others, like Daniel Everett, posit that language is solely a cultural product. As a result of this debate, the question arises: What are the true origins of language? The human need to communicate and to express ideas is a

Keeping FIT Through Gym

Question: Discuss about the Keeping FIT Through Gym. Answer: Introduction The issue of weight status and body image perceptions has for a long time shaped the societys attitude and view of particular people. Recent developments have created a community that largely appreciates the importance of keeping fit through constant exercises. Consequently, most people have enrolled for gym sessions in a bid to help stay strong and prevent illnesses and disorders associated with unfit bodies. In this regard, medical aspects such as the BMI have been taken seriously by people who wish to live up to the standards and perceptions of the community at large. Technology has played a big role in the exercising program through inventions of machines and equipment that help keep track of performance records and health situations of the individuals (Brown and Graham 2008). Nevertheless, the aspect of sexual orientation also comes at play and has been largely used as a focus point towards certain behaviors witnessed in the gym. Thus, it is important to understand the concept o f keeping fit through analyzing and evaluating attitudes and perceptions of the society at large. Individual body satisfaction An individuals body satisfaction is usually reliant on various aspects such as their sexuality, gender and narcissism. Studies have shown that gay men tend to focus on improving their appearance and in most cases, are less satisfied with their bodies as compared to straight men. Consequently, they spend more time in the gym to enhance their outward appearance and their perception of each other. However, straight men were revealed to focus less on their appearances and tend to work out basically for fun. Brown and Graham (2008) explain that the new generation of models has enhanced men to seriously take the subject of body consciousness. The authors conducted studies with body satisfaction, narcissism and gender orientation as the main variables. The studies were based on proven hypotheses which explained the high femininity scores of gay gym men as compared to their straight counterparts. Moreover, these men would also score lower with regard to their body satisfaction since they are driven by the urge to be perfect. They tend to have little appreciation for their bodies and, hence, strive to make it perfect as they wish (Oakes et al. 2015). The study explained narcissism among the gym males through considering authority, self absorption, superiority and entitlement. These personal styles would be measured on a narcissistic personality inventory and would be used to quantify the effects of the variable (Cunningham et al. 2014). The study, consequently, realized that gay gym men are mostly affected by opinions, attitudes and perceptions of the society. Additionally, the group tend to have less appreciation of their natural bodies and, therefore, work extra hard in their work out sessions. They aim to have narcissistic comments such as I am better than others in order to be easily appreciated. However, their straight counterparts engaged in the work out sessions mostly for fun. Even though the societys perceptions have an effect on their behavior in the gym, it is not as severe as the one witnessed by their gay counterparts. They also tend to appreciate their natural bodies. The adolescent stage The adolescent stage is an important cycle in the growth of an individual. It is at this stage that an individual begins to witness significant changes in their body resulting in different reactions from the teenagers. In most cases, they usually exhibit little appreciation and regard for their whole body system resulting in most of them subscribing to gym membership. Moreover, the stage also enhances peer pressure and the desire to be like certain individuals in the society at a given time. There is, hence, need to properly care for the population and see to it that the effect does not affect the teenagers. During the stage, girls may be faced with weight issues while the boys desire to develop abs and a particular physical stature. The society encourages this through the media, in particular, which continues to advertise the perceived perfect bodies associated with models. Hormonal growth in the body system may bring about increased eating behaviors amongst the teenagers resulting in weight gain. The problem may be made worse as the teens are usually faced with cases of ridicule by the community members and their peers. The increase in weight is also accompanied by physical inactivity, therefore, making the individual prone to various diseases and illnesses. The teenagers need to be reminded of the need to engage in healthy exercise activities as well as trying to keep up with the society standards and expectations. Nevertheless, they also need to be mindful of their health and wellbeing while taking into consideration the overall impacts of their behaviors (Dragan 2013). The hormonal changes witnessed should be carefully regulated to reduce the impact and effect they have on the behavior of the teens. Ultimately, self control should be exercised in the gym when countering the aspect. The elderly people in the gym In the course of fitness and intense work out sessions, the elderly have not been left behind and have been seen to be actively involved in the programs. They, however, depict different characteristics and require specialized observations when undergoing the sessions. It is important that the elderly people master the techniques and complexities of the gym equipment to enhance their full capacity. Technology, in particular, has been difficult for them to master especially with the recent development of smart gyms. The problem has made it difficult for the elderly to completely take advantage of the equipment. Companies manufacturing the machines have also taken little consideration of the needs and wants expressed by these people. Consequently, it creates the need to come up with proper measures which suggests a more nuanced concept of mastery as a way to address the challenges in designing for elderly users. Culen et al. (2013) explain the aspects of a smart gym with regard to consideration of the impacts and effects they have to the elderly people in the society. The changing demographic development with an increasing elderly population has spurred technological development aimed at technical support for elderly people living longer at home independently (Culen et al. 2013). Developments have been made towards the enhancement of smart gyms at homes and even in the social gatherings. In Norway, for instance, the houses have been fitted with sensors responding to fire, water, light as well as temperature changes. Additionally, the elderly people are provided with tablets which keep track of appointments with the gym instructors. It also allows them to maintain a particular diet which helps in their overall improvement and enhancements of workout sessions. Thus, it is important for other gyms to take into consideration the need for such equipment. It is vital that the elderly people gain access to these services and to allow them to keep fit through work out sessions (Flint and Reale 2016). Moreover, there can also be the introduction of smart houses which can be made available for leasing to allow the elderly in the society access to better methods of keeping fit. Importance of gym membership Gym membership is another important aspect in enhancing the quality of services received by the members. The instructor should try to ensure that there is consistency in the members and the overall creation and maintenance of a rapport between them. The members should be encouraged to develop interpersonal skills that help in their daily interactions. (Leeman and Ong 2008) explain that to maintain current gym members, the operator needs to capitalize on attitudes which favor gym membership. This is according to the theory of reasoned action which focuses on a persons intention to behave in a certain way. In this regard, a person may have a particular intention to behave in a given way especially when in a restricted setting but may not actually go through with it. Thus, their attitudes as well as subjective norms of influential people in the setting need to be analyzed to be able to predict the actual behavior. The attitude of the gym member will depend on their evaluation of a belief as well as the particular strength it draws. The operator needs to make the members understand the belief of working towards a healthy body and mental system. This will be through enforcing the belief of a fit body enhanced through work outs. Additionally, it is also imperative that a sense of continuity is exercised by the members to ensure a continued rapport. This can also be ensured by engaging in team building activities before beginning the particular sessions. The strength of the belief should be reiterated by the gym operator and ensure that the members show utmost consideration for it. A greater strength of the belief will make the people easily believe the concepts and enhance their commitments (Leeman and Ong 2008). The subjective norm has the normative belief which is what one thinks of the societys expectations as well as their motivation to comply. Ultimately, it is the motivation which will deci de the achievement of the member. The operator should try to enhance this motivation through constantly reminding the members of their gym goals and objectives. The goals need to be SMART to allow their easy and considerable achievement. The theory of planned behavior also applies in the given situation to assist in the continued participation of the member. It helps the operator easily predict the behavior of the member and try to enhance and integrate it with the overall achievements exhibited by the gym (Leifman et al. 2011). The theory explains that intention is influenced by how difficult the task is perceived to be and whether the person expects to successfully complete the behavior. This should be taken seriously by the operator to allow the members understand the importance of engaging in activities designed for their wellbeing as well as their physical and mental stature. Dealing with temptations in the gym In the course of one exercising in the gym, the member is bound to face various temptations that inhibit their full concentrations. Such temptations may be in form of their smart phones or unhealthy foods in the area. It is, therefore, important that the members take up various precautionary methods which make them easily deal with the temptations faced in the gym room. Concentration needs to be at optimum level to allow them to achieve their overall gym objectives in the particular period (Vartanian and Lovak 2015). The operator also needs to enhance rules and regulations that will make it easy for the members to overcome the temptations. Self control is an important attribute in the gym and needs to be properly exercised by the members. The trait should be gradually introduced in the system to allow the psychological aspect associated with it to be properly integrated. The trait takes effect on the mind of the individual and needs to be clearly controlled by the member and the operator (Kaushal and Rhodes 2015). The rules set in the gym, additionally, should not be strict that would lead to a controlled system. Studies have shown that such a scenario has the possibility to backfire on the members attitude and perception of the system as a whole (Mor et al. 2015). Milkman et al. (2013) explain that the members with a particular urge to achieve the goal and objective are more likely to overcome the temptations. Moreover, the members who accept their lack of self control can be easily helped and ensure they are successful. The members need to be walked through the whole process of self control and the need to properly focus on their overall goal and objective as well as reiterating their commitment to the gym. Indeed, past research has demonstrated that people value mechanisms that prevent their future selves from making unwise decisions such as procrastinating, thus, any move to help in the current situation is greatly appreciated and valued by the members (Voelker et al. 2015). The operator, therefore, can try to engage in productive behavior that would help the members subsequently engage in productive behavior at all times. Other ways can be used to curb the problem instead of making the offender pay or punish them. Moreover, temptation bundling may be particularly effective if complementarities exist between a temptation item and the healthy behavior it is bundled with (Milkman et al. 2013). Thus, the members can be encouraged to listen to music while exercising to help enhance their mood. Barriers to work out sessions However, there can be various barriers which can affect the overall commitment of an individual to the whole work out exercise. In the case of overweight people and those with obesity, the issue of stigma can be a problem and possibly affect their determination or commitment towards a given exercise action (Ingledew et al. 2009). In the current society, such individuals are usually faced with problems and mockery due to their current status and the community in which they belong in. They are faced with ridicule in schools, employment areas and even in their particular romantic relationships. This piles pressure on the numerous health problems and risks they face such as the type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The societys involvement in the aspect may cause the individual to develop stressful behaviors and possibly engage in overeating and even drug and alcohol abuse. In some cases, it may even be difficult for the people to engage in communal activities as they fear being judged and ridiculed by the people involved. Their physical presence and nature may tend to reduce over time and lead to cases of solitude and loneliness. Children in schools, for instance, become reluctant to engage in physical activities at school because of teasing that they might experience due to their weight. Adults may tend to go for work out sessions and enroll in gyms to ensure that they deal with the problem of overweight and obesity. Research and studies have shown that those who have faced problems of stigmatization in the past tend to put in extra effort when in the gym. The motivating factor which is a desire to overcome the stigma and ridicule in the society causes them to be actively involved in the duties and ultimately make them achieve their goal and objective. The aspect, therefore, becomes a blessing in disguise to their achievement. The internal attitude of the affected individual is also important as it will help dictate the dietary behaviors and commitment of the particular individual (Schrider 2016). It will also help dictate how the affected people will behave towards the society as a whole. Conclusion Ultimately, the issue of gym sessions and work out programs lies with an individual. It is, nevertheless, important that the individual engages in proper healthy behavior through looking at specific aspects affecting them as well as the societys view on the issue. The perception and attitude of the society is important in the issue since they determine the individuals behavior in the aspects. However, the role of the society should not be overestimated and made a basis for decision. The community as a whole needs to be actively involved through the reduction of possible cases of stigma. Such people need to be encouraged to take up active sessions to make it easy for them to fit in the society. References Brown, J. and Graham, D., 2008. Body satisfaction in gym-active males: An exploration of sexuality, gender, and narcissism. Sex Roles, 59(1-2), pp.94-106. Culn, A.L., Finken, S. and Bratteteig, T., 2013. Design and interaction in a smart gym:cognitive and bodily mastering. In Human Factors in Computing and Informatics (pp. 609-616). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Cunningham, G.B. and Melton, E.N., 2014. Signals and cues: LGBT inclusive advertising and consumer attraction. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 23(1), p.37. Dr?gan, A.A., 2013. Segmenting and Profiling Fitness Club Customers: A Case study. Review of Management and Economic Engineering, 12(1). Flint, S.W. and Reale, S., 2016. Weight stigma in frequent exercisers: Overt, demeaning and condescending. Journal of Health Psychology, p.1359105316656232. Kaushal, N. and Rhodes, R.E., 2015. Exercise habit formation in new gym members: a longitudinal study.Journal of behavioral medicine,38(4), pp.652-663. Ingledew, D.K., Markland, D. and Ferguson, E., 2009. Three levels of exercise motivation. Applied Psychology: Health and Well?Being, 1(3), pp.336-355. Leeman, O. and Ong, J.S., 2008. Lost and Found Again: Subjective Norm in Gym Membership. DLSU Business and Economics Review, 18(1). Leifman, H., Rehnman, C., Sjblom, E. and Holgersson, S., 2011. Anabolic androgenic steroidsuse and correlates among gym usersan assessment study using questionnaires and observations at gyms in the Stockholm region.International journal of environmental research and public health,8(7), pp.2656-2674. Milkman, K.L., Minson, J.A. and Volpp, K.G., 2013. Holding the Hunger Games hostage at the gym: An evaluation of temptation bundling. Management science, 60(2), pp.283-299. Mor, Z., Parfionov, K., Davidovitch, N. and Grotto, I., 2014. Gym exercising patterns, lifestyle and high-risk sexual behaviour in men who have sex with men and in heterosexual men. BMJ open, 4(11), p.e005205. Oakes, K., Siek, K.A. and MacLeod, H., 2015, May. Musclememory: identifying the scope of wearable technology in high intensity exercise communities. In Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Pervasive Computing Technologies for Healthcare (pp. 193-200). ICST (Institute for Computer Sciences, Social-Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering). Schrider, L., 2016. Anti-Fat Attitudes and Weight Bias Internalization: An Investigation of How BMI Impacts Perceptions, Opinions and Attitudes. Vartanian, L.R. and Novak, S.A., 2011. Internalized societal attitudes moderate the impact of weight stigma on avoidance of exercise. Obesity, 19(4), pp.757-762. Voelker, D.K., Reel, J.J. and Greenleaf, C., 2015. Weight status and body image perceptions in adolescents: current perspectives. Adolescent health, medicine and therapeutics, 6, p.149.

Reason and emotions in justifying moral decision Essay Example

Reason and emotions in justifying moral decision Paper To do so, we can use reason or emotion as a way of knowledge to justify our actions. When using reason to justify a moral judgement, there may be separate reasons for people to have an argument. If it is based in fact, the argument is open to settlement by evidence, though the evidence may be very difficult to obtain and interpret. However, if it is based in principle, it is very hard to use evidence to solve the dispute as everyones principle differs from each other. Making such a distinction is important as arguments of principle and arguments of evidence are solved differently. We will write a custom essay sample on Reason and emotions in justifying moral decision specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Reason and emotions in justifying moral decision specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Reason and emotions in justifying moral decision specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Thus, morality may come down to just a personal opinion. In this case, the prospects of finding the correct form of morality are and trying to persuade someone that one course of action is morally better than the other, is like trying to convince them that apple taste better than oranges. After making a vital distinction between principle and evidence, the choice of premises when justifying a moral judgement is also equally important. In most situations involving ethics, we would usually choose to act in self-interest but there are situations [ethical egoism], there are times when we sacrifice ourselves for the sake of others. This notion is known as altruism, which is opposed to that of ethical egoism. There are many people who do sacrifice their own interest to help others. However, the root of the problem is that if we see altruism as being an excellent thing then we can be egoistic by being altruistic. It provides no guide to action and seems little use as a moral theory. Although we would certainly want to take others welfare into account, it does not seem reasonable to live totally for others. So we need to find a way of balancing our needs with those of other. Utilitarianism allows both altruists and egoists to attempt to maximise someones utility. Utilitarianism states that we are all equally valuable- that all utility are equal and it takes sheer prejudice to take ones own point of view as the standard judgement. The idea of moral duty is a choice of premises as well, which needs to be scrutinised carefully as it is dangerous to answer questions with reference to other schools of ethical thoughts. We may end up following these schools of thought rather than trying to develop fully the duty theory. Thus we must acknowledge that reason alone can never motivate actions. People who can agree how to act in specific cases, yet have no agreement on principles, prove that we have far missed something in our search for ethical truth. Emotions is necessary in justifying a moral decision as good utilitarians have to weigh the pros and cons and decide if there is a net gain of happiness and if they feel that it is right to do so. The notion that character(rather than the outcome or duty) can matter seems to be reflected in the idea of intention as an important factor in moral decisions. This approach is known as virtue ethics, which is a set of philosophies that hold moral life should be concerned with cultivating a virtuous character, as opposed to following the rules of action. This means that a decision can be moral even if the outcome is a bad one and irrespective of ideas such as duty. One situation where the use of reason and emotion may come in is when a teacher miscalculated a students test marks, giving her more than what she was supposed to get. The student realises this and the extra marks had allowed her to pass her test. However, she also knows that she should be honest and inform her teacher about the error. This is a moral decision which the student has to make. She reasons that if she tells the teacher, she will be living up to her morals, but her if she does, she will fail the test and she will be upset. In this case, reason and emotions are both factors that will contribute to her moral judgement. In the end, the student decides to tell the teacher of her error as she felt that it was logical and morally right to do so. Although she failed the test, she had a net gain of happiness as the teacher had praised her for being an honest student. Reason and emotion are both equally necessary in justifying a moral decision. Utilitarian, duty-based and virtue-based theories of ethics all rely on both reasons and emotions to differing degrees. Each system has its own flaws and despite the reams of profound books we can turn to, we will still be doubtful if any of these systems will pose severe difficulties and if a compelling theory would arise. However, theories are only guidebooks and do not make a moral decision as this is what humans do. As it is hard for a human not to have any emotions, justifying a moral decision would require both the use of reasoning and our emotions play a role in decided what we feel like doing. 1573 words 3 http://www. scu. edu/ethics/practicing/decision/framework. html 1 http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/logic-inductive/#1 2 http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Emotion Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledge section.