Analysis of Canadas Healthcare System

Analysis of Canadas Healthcare System INTRODUCTION Canada is a developed country located in the northern part of North America. In 1867, it became a self-governing state while retaining its tie with the British crown. When it comes to economic and technology, Canada is developing in parallel to its neighbour to the south, which is the United State of America. It is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, with a democratic constitutional monarchy as their form of government. In the past years, Canada’s politics faces the challenges of reaching the population’s demands for quality improvement in education, social services, economic competitiveness and health care. The health care system in Canada is funded publicly and delivered on a provincial or territorial basis, within a guidelines set by the federal government (Canadian Health Care, 2007). Every Canadian citizens are provided with preventative services and medical treatments from general practitioners at the same time having access to hospitalisation, dental surgery and other medical services. However, in the past few years Canada’s Healthcare System is facing controversy because of it’s soaring costs. INCREASING COST OF UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE IN CANADA According to a latest study (Esmail N., Palacios M., 2013), conducted by the Fraser Institute with the title â€Å"The Price of Public Health Care Insurance: 2013 Edition†, the average Canadian household now pays approximately $7,860 in taxes for health care insurance., which is 53.3% higher than of in 2003. Over the past decade the cost of healthcare in Canada doubled and is believe to exceed the $200 billion budget mark. Canada’s health care costs continue to grow at a faster rate than the government’s revenue, largely driven by spending on prescription drugs. In the last five years, however, growth rates in pharmaceutical spending have been matched by hospital spending and overtaken by physician spending, mainly due to increased provider remuneration (Marchildon G., 2013). In addition, this trend is also caused by what the health system spends on doctors, which rose by an average of 6.8 % every year. Of that value, 3.6% was caused by the increase in physician’s fees. Other driving factors for the increase in healthcare costs are population growth, aging population and increased health care demand. Consequently, this rise in Canada’s universal health care costs is said to be the reason why the government has limited ability to provide other services such as education, transportation and pension benefits. Increased health care costs will results into higher labor costs, which might cause companies to hire lesser workers, produce less output, or raise their prices. The high expenditure for health causes the budget for other government programs and priorities be restricted. EFFECT ON CANADA’S ECONOMY The abrupt rise in health care costs and insurance can affect several parts of the economy. The rise in health care costs can cause job growth to slow down because it costs companies more money to add new employees. Wage increases have also slowed for current employees, since companies must spend more money on health care premiums. The public sector includes the federal, state and municipal governments. The public sector is dealing with costs rising more than revenues. This places a high degree of examination on discretionary health care spending. Companies are faced with rising health care spending often cut other expenses, such as reducing health care benefits, requiring employees to pay a larger share of their health care benefits, or reducing wage increases. Furthermore, increasing health care costs can cause Canada’s goods and services to be less competitive in the international markets. If all other factors remain constant, the increasing health care costs will most likely be reflected in final product costs and depending on how rapidly costs rise in other countries; this may result in more expensive goods and services. IMPACT ON NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL HEALTH CARE POLICY The soaring cost of healthcare is a burden to a country in so many ways. For the community, this increase means that there is less money in their savings and triggering hard choices in balancing food, rent and needed care. For small companies, it will make it harder for them to add new employees, more difficult to maintain coverage for retiree and makes them not competitive globally. The effect of it in the local government is it will lead to higher medicare cost thus reducing funding on other priorities such as infrastructure, public safety and education. The government’s activities to lessen the burden of high health care cost includes funding and facilitating data gathering and research to regulating prescription drugs and public health while continuing to support the national dimensions of medicare through large funding transfers to the provinces and territories. The governments collaborate through conferences, councils and working groups comprised of ministers and deputy ministers of health. Nongovernmental organizations at both federal and provincial levels influence policy direction and the management of public health care in Canada. One of the policy is that only physicians are legally allowed to prescribe a full range of pharmaceutical therapies. However, in recent years, a number of provincial governments have changed their laws and regulations in order to permit some providers, including nurse practitioners, pharmacists and dentists, to have limited authority to prescribe pharmaceutical therapies within their respective scopes of practice. Policy makers should develop funding strategies that will contain the cost of delivering health care and providing economic stimulus to increase provincial and territorial revenues or income, while maintaining the delivery of quality healthcare services to all Canadians. POLICY INTERVENTION SOLUTIONS EDUCATION AND TRAINING In addressing the issue of expensive cost of healthcare, one of the possible solution is the population-wide health education about prevention and any other relevant information about health. The government can launch self-care programmes that would lessen the demand for consultation and hospitalisation. Self -care programmes includes the â€Å"patient as the expert† approach, home self-monitoring techniques and the use of latest gadgets and technology such as mobile phones, computers and telemedicines. In general, these self-care programmes trains and empowers the people to be involved in their own care and be able to manage their own condition. It also includes interventions that imparts knowledge and skills to the people to participate in decision making, to monitor and control the disease and the change in behaviour thus decreasing the chance of seeking expensive medical services. TAX BENEFITS AND PAYMENT TO CAREGIVER In Canada’s Economic Action Plan (CEAC, nd), the government is committed to recognised the sacrifies that many citizens exerts to take care of their children, spouses, parents and other family members with health issue. In support of this objective, Budget 2011 introduced a new Family Caregiver Tax Credit to provide tax relief to those who care for an infirm dependent relative .This initiative provides tax relief to those who care for an infirm dependent relative, including, for the first time, spouses, common-law partners and minor children. Same with direct payments from government, such as agriculture subsidies or social security benefits, tax benefits and payment are given directly to the citizen in exchange of accomplishing a desired behavior. As a result, tax credits permit individual discretion on spending rather than the government dictating spending priorities for each person. The availability of tax credits is probably most beneficial to people with lower incomes,because low income families often cannot give up a salary to provide full-time care, nor do their jobs offer flexibility that would allow them to mix caretaking and working. A tax credit for individuals is a simple concentration of funds from the whole economy onto a specific population segment, assuming the tax credit is paid for with general revenues. In this manner the government’s expenditure on universal healthcare is somewhat reduced. In addition to that, there is a lesser need for aged care facility, disability care or hospital care since caregiver can perform home care. RESPITE CARE Caring for a disabled or old family member can be challenging, potentially impacting caregivers’ health, mental health, work, social relationships, and quality of life. To alleviate caregiver stress, enable caregivers to better cope with the demands of caring for a loved one, and improve caregiver and care recipient outcomes, many interventions have been developed. A short-term break for people and their carer/support person is called Respite Support. This short-term break is usually done away from home and overnight. Respite services are equipped to meet the needs of a disabled person while away from home and their usual support, and aim to create a positive experience for the person. Carer Support enables a usual caregiver to take a break from supporting a person by providing an alternative carer. Moreover, respite care is a vital part of the overall support that families need to keep their family members with a disability or chronic illness at home. Respite care is temporary care to persons with disabilities or special health care needs, including individuals at risk of abuse or neglect, or in crisis situations. Respite care can be an effective cost-saving measure that Canada’s government can venture more. In US, there is an estimated 50 million family caregivers nationwide that provide at least $375 billion in uncompensated services —an amount almost as high as Medicare spending and more than total spending for Medicaid, including both federal and state contributions and both medical and long-term care ($311 billion in 2005) (Gibson and Hauser, 2008). BUSINESS REGULATIONS COMBINING WORK AND CAREGIVING Caregiver can be defined as a person or individual who provides care or assistance to a member of the family in their home or the care recipient’s home who has a mental or physical disability, is chronically ill, old or who is on a palliative care. Caregiving is a difficult task but family members tend to naturally take care of their love ones and resort to medical institutions when the burden is too much. These caregivers might find it hard to balance their work and their family obligation. The government can addressed this issue by mandating businesses to allow employees to take medical leave to take care of a disabled or sick relatives. After the medical leave, the employee should be restored of the original job or to an equivalent job. By doing this business regulations, there is less demand for health services, nursing homes, disability services thus helping the government saved the cost for healthcare. REFERENCES Canadian Health Care (2007), Introduction. Retrieved from:  http://www.canadian-healthcare.org/ Esmail N., Palacios M., (2013), The Price of Public Health Care Insurance: 2013 Edition, Fraser Institute. Marchildon G. (2013), Health Systems in Transition: Canada Health System Review, University of Regina, Canada. CEAC, (n.d.), Family Caregiver Tax Credit: Canada’s Economic Action Plan, Retrieved from:  http://actionplan.gc.ca/en/initiative/family-caregiver-tax-credit Gibson, Hauser (2008), Valuing the Invaluable: A new look at the economic value of family-caregiving, Public Policy Institute, Washington. Analysis of Canadas Healthcare System Analysis of Canadas Healthcare System Canadian Health Care Canada is regarded as having one of the best health care services systems in the world. All Canadians residents are eligible to health care irrespective of income and health. However, like any benefit, there are a few exceptions that are governed in the policies of the provincial or federal governments. Although this system benefits Canadians immensely, there are still some people debating that by privatizing health care, better health care services would be available. However, another aspect of this is that the premium health care services would be only be affordable by the wealthy. The Canada Health Act was passed in 1984 by the parliament. This act established its principles on 5 main criteria: 1. Accessibility: all insured Canadians should have reasonable access to all health care services, as well as all health care providers must be equally compensated for the services provided. 2. Portability: any insured Canadian that moves to a different province is permitted to health care coverage for a territorial determined waiting period. 3. Universality: all Canadians insured by the Canada Health Act are eligible to equal levels of health care. 4. Public administration: all of the administration of health services needs to be done on a non-profit basis by a public authority. 5. Comprehensiveness: all health care services determined by the provinces require to be insured. The province and territories manage and provide the required health insurance to all its residents. In order to be eligible for health care benefits, the residents need to apply for a provincial health card. Once, the health card is issued, the individual is eligible to receive free health care for all necessary health services as listed by the province they reside in. There is a maximum waiting period of 3 months in being able to receive health care, for new residents. Some provinces provide additional health care services in addition to what is listed in the Canadian Health Care Act; however they are not required to provide any additional services than what is stated in the Act. For any additional health care service, like dental or optometry, people usually get private insurance, or employers give additional insurance to their employees. Health care funding is provided by both provincial and federal taxation from both individual and corporate income taxes. Additional financing is also obtained from sales taxes and proceeds from the lottery. Additional funds are delivered to the provinces by the federal government through the Canadian Health and Social Transfer. The funds are paid by cash contributions and tax transfer and to the provinces. The Canadian Health and Social Transfer is a transfer of funds from the federal government to the provinces for post-secondary education, health care, and social assistance. The provincial governments are not required to show the use of the transfer income; therefore the percentage used for health care is unknown. Although provinces may choose to spend this transfer as they choose, they have to follow the Canadian Health Act and they cannot impose any residency restrictions for the social assistance.   If these two conditions are not met the cash transfer to the provinces can be reduced. The Canadian Health and Social Transfer is distributed to the provinces at an equal per capita entitlement, but the cash transfer, which is dependent on the conditions set by the federal government, will vary across provinces. In order to receive an equal average of entitlements, provinces that have higher earnings will get more tax transfers, whereas the other provinces will receive more cash transfers. Critics of the health care system state that there should be a record of the federal governments contribution towards health care. Recommended solutions to this are to either separate the Canadian Health and Social Transfer into three separate parts, showing amounts for health, post-secondary education and social assistance or to separate the health care portion from the latter two portions. Since 1984, there have been numerous changes to the Canada Health Act, and it will continue to evolve as the requirements of the society change along with the advancements in the world of medicine. Regardless of what number of commentators has to say about the health care system, it is still viewed as the most successful and valuable health care systems of the modern era. Bibliography The Canada Health and Social Transfer. (2000). Retrieved from http://www.lop.parl.gc.ca/Content/LOP/ResearchPublications/tips/tip55-e.htm Canadian Health Care: Health Care and Politics. (2007). Retrieved from http://www.canadian-healthcare.org/page10.html Canadian Health Care: Canada Health Act. (2007). Retrieved from http://www.canadian-healthcare.org/page2.html Canadas Health Care System. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hcs-sss/pubs/system-regime/2011-hcs-sss/index-eng.php Canadas health care system. (2016). Retrieved from http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/health-system-systeme-sante/system-systeme/about-apropos-eng.php

John Locke and Immanuel Kant Essay

We are here concerned with the relationship between the human mind, somatic-sensory perceptions, objects of perception, and claims of knowledge arising from their interaction, through the philosophies of John Locke and Immanuel Kant. Confounding the ability to find solid epistemological ground, philosophers have, generally speaking, debated whether ‘what’ we know is prima facie determined by the objective, as-they-are, characteristics of the external world 1(epistemological realism) or if the mind determines, as-it-is, the nature of objects through its own experiential deductions (epistemological idealism). The purpose of this paper is to use the synthetical approach of Immanuel Kant, who utilizes a logical schematization of cognition along with experience (transcendental idealism), in the attaining of knowledge, to criticize Locke’s claims against innate ideas, and subsequently, origin and attainment of knowledge. In the first part of this paper, I will explain the major differences which distinguish epistemological realism and idealism. This disambiguation of philosophical jargon is to allow the reader to understand why the debate exists, how it impacts what human’s claims as ‘knowledge’, and whether or not the debate has any contemporary philosophical importance. This last feature is a relevant aspect of the debate since ‘knowledge’ applies to a great many areas of human life, including, but not limited to, the sciences, morality and ethics, and aesthetics. In the second part of this paper, I will outline Kant’s idealism, otherwise known as, transcendental idealism. This section will lay out the terminology in Kant’s epistemology which will act as a backdrop for comparing and contrasting the theory of Locke. This section will also describe the foundation of Kant’s epistemological claims. As mentioned in the introduction, the mind, the somatic-sensory perceptions, and objects of perception are to be accounted for in the debate between idealism and realism. Thus, the second part of the paper will conclude with an understanding of how knowledge arises under the rubric of Kant’s transcendental idealism. The third part of this paper is then dedicated to providing an account of Lockean innate knowledge and its place in our epistemological enquiry. It is presumed that several deficiencies, to be discussed, are apparent in Locke’s epistemological realism without the use of innate ‘ideas’. These deficiencies, however, are percolated only in light of the Kantian juxtaposition for which this section serves the purpose. In the final part of this paper, I will conclude that while Locke’s epistemological theories h ave had a great influence on the progress of epistemology, especially as a critique against rationalism, the idea of no innate ideas impressed upon the mind prior to experience ultimately leads Lockean realism to base claims that all knowledge arises solely from experience as inexhaustively question-begging without Kant’s transcendentalism. Dealing with the problems of realism and idealism can be seen in humans as young as three years old. Although it may not be so apparent to parents at the time, when a child asks, â€Å"How do you know that? ,† they are challenging the method in which a person uses to ‘know’ what they know. However, children, like philosophers, might not be satisfied with the first answer and continue with a meta-inquiry: â€Å"How do you know that? † While this interrogative approach to understanding the world can be frustrating it does illuminate a particular problem in reasoning, generally. That is, at some point we are forced to answer, vacuously, â€Å"I know, because I know. † However, the persistent child philosopher can rebut with, â€Å"How do you know that you know? † The problems intrinsic to the line of questioning above demonstrate a broad epistemological problem. To solve the problem philosophers have sought out ways in order to make ‘what we know’ or explaining ‘how we know’ a bit more reliable or certain. That is, to provide an answer to our inquisitive three year old that breaks the meta-inquiry of knowable certitude. Knowledge, however, is a little tricky because there is an identity problem between the world and the ideas, or thoughts, in our minds. In making claims of knowledge we must presume certain things are true. To say that you know something assumes that you (1) believe the world represented in your mind is exactly as it is whether you perceive it or not and what we have to say about the world must correspond to the way the world is perceived, (2) the world gives us information about objects, which can be accurate, but our minds are the final decision makers about the nature of those objects which can lead to skepticism, or (3) there is nothing stable about the appearances of the world as presented to our minds, and what we know is solely the product of collective reflection, otherwise known as reasoning. In the context of my thesis, it could be argued that if a set of instructions were provided, such as innate ideas in the mind, these three broad, epistemological viewpoints would be narrowed down to one. The first assumption, (1), is the philosophical position known, broadly, as epistemological realism. The second assumption, (2), is more of a dualism in that it is believed there is enough perceived objectivity in the world to have some certain knowledge of it, but it is still subjected to our experiential bias (intuition plays a more integral role in this doctrine). This is a kind of realism in that certain properties about the objects we perceive are unalterable or indisputable since they would retain those characteristics whether or not they are observed. The third position is epistemological idealism. This position holds, generally, that knowledge is not a product of the nature of objects, but instead, derived from the nature of the mind. In other words, the certainty of knowledge is granted through the nature of the mind found within the species deliberating over certain claims. As mentioned, the debate between idealism and realism does have, beyond satisfying the curiosity of toddlers, implications in other areas of philosophy. It is not the focus of this paper, but an example that illustrates potential problems is that of ethics and morality. In epistemological realism, it may be the case that certain acts produce pain in humans, but there is nothing, it is alleged, which a person can point to in the world that would verify this (kind of) pain as bad, good, rightly, wrongly imposed. In other words, epistemological realism holds that we can know facts about the way the world is because our mind is receptive and capable of reproducing them accurately in our minds, but it is another thing to try to extrapolate from these facts/experiences a particular value/meaning to attach to prescriptive claims. In the extreme case, an epistemological realist might claim that all rules of morality are completely made up and merely appeal to our feelings about facts, but we cannot know for certain. As for idealism, morality appears as a less problematic discourse since the very proprietor of knowledge is that which is arbitrating over moral disputes. However, the kind of facts and/or values which moral claims arise, for idealists, are of a strictly theoretical nature and can be said to carry as much empirical or logical certainty as those doubted in the case of realism. At best they are egocentric and/or egotistic. Even in contemporary debates, which diverge subtly from the philosophies this paper examines, the entailment of moral truths from realist or idealist doctrines remains unsolved. In some cases, such as Marxist philosophy, there can be a real confusion about which doctrine actually prevails. The Communist rule of Stalin and Mao is arguably a perversion of epistemological realism for what was actually and indiscernibly expressed as an idealist project. It was in the Critique of Pure Reason that the philosopher Immanuel Kant attempted to settle the problem of epistemological certainty and skepticism. Recalling the relationship between the mind, objects of the world, our perceptive apparatuses, and knowledge, Kant opens up the Critique of Pure Reason with two allusive statements[1]: (1) â€Å"†¦no knowledge our ours is antecedent to experience, but begins with it. † (2) â€Å"†¦though all of our knowledge begins with experience, it by no means follows that all arises out of experience. † Situating these two phrases within the context of realism and idealism requires parsing out the some key phrases within these statements. The first key phrase or term is â€Å"begins. † Kant tells us that â€Å"knowledge begins with experience. † That is, in order to say â€Å"I know,† one must first have an object which makes some kind of sensory impression on the mind. [2]â€Å"For how is it possible,† Kant asks, â€Å"that the faculty of cognition should be awakened into exercise otherwise by means of objects which affect our senses†¦so to convert the raw material of our sensuous impressions into a knowledge of objects? † It is, therefore, objects in the world that first supply us with the â€Å"raw material† for ‘beginning’ the process of attaining knowledge; the term ‘process’ is important here, because the two statements above allude to two different kinds of knowledge. It is not the case, claims Kant, all knowledge is a direct derivative of compounding impressions of raw data. For Kant, and this point lays the foundation of idealism, the mind plays a much more integral role in determining how those impressions are arranged in pre-conscious faculties. This difference plays an important role in the realism/idealism debate since the relationship between the minds’ functioning and knowledge claims depends upon disassociating two different kinds of demonstrations: (1) a method of proving what is known, (2) the acquisition of knowledge. More specifically, the debate between realism and idealism must in some ways reconcile itself with knowledge claims that are a priori and/or a posteriori. The former refers to rationalized knowledge which is universal, necessary and independent of experience (though this last condition, as we will see, is not so clear in Kant’s idealism). The latter is empirical knowledge which is acquired directly through our sensory perception and is validated by the relationship between what is stated and the way the world appears to be. For example, the claim that ‘snow is cold’ is a posteriori since the concept of ‘cold’ is not directly related to ‘snow’ independent of human experience. What is a priori knowledge is the fundamental subject of Kant’s transcendental idealism. According to Kant, a priori knowledge is not just about a method of proof, but also about how we attain a priori knowledge. As mentioned above, Kant is concerned with not only the knowledge that comes from experience, but also knowledge that arises from experience. That is, Kant seeks to settle how a priori knowledge, knowledge that lends epistemological certitude regarding to certain claims, is attained and verified without relying on facts about an external world. It is here that we see explicitly how a priori knowledge and epistemological idealism are integral and linked to the realism/idealism discussion; a priori knowledge is attained through a logical rationalization of concepts about objects that does not require a direct experience of them. In other words, a priori knowledge is knowledge which, according to Kant, begins with experience, but does not necessarily arise from that experience. To unpack this influx of these epistemological connections, it will be instructive to begin with what Kant calls the Transcendental Aesthetic. There is, states Kant, an arrangement to the mind which makes experience possible. This arrangement, or what Kant calls ‘schematism’ not only makes experience possible, but it also limits the scope of possible experiences. To refocus, Kant’s position is that space and time are the two most fundamental conditions for having an experience. All objects which are presented to the mind are done so, necessarily, in time and in space. It is important to recall that objects of perception/experience make impressions on the mind which is done through any or all of the five senses. This means that space and time, in order to be objects of the external world, must possess the property of being sensible. But if space is the condition for which objects are experienced, then space can only exist because space exists (this kind of paradox is addressed in the Antinomies). The same applies to time. Kant, therefore, purports that space and time are mere formal conditionings of objects via the minds operation providing, at the same time, the possibility of experience and experiential limitations. The upshot for Kant is that he loses nothing with this claim. The reality of space and time, as external objects, would lend no more validity to knowledge claims since the properties of space and time are necessary conditions for experience. Thus, making knowledge claims do not change whether space and time are properties of realist or idealist doctrines. In addition, Kant avoids the paradoxes which arise from claiming space and as objects of external reality by placing them as antecedent conditions for experience, as is needed, in the mind. This leads us to what Kant calls ‘synthetical’ claims a priori. By placing objects in space and in time there are going to be properties pertaining to the relations of objects to other objects and properties of objects that will follow the logic of being so represented. When Kant says that knowledge can arise from experience he is referring to the synthetical claims a priori which are determined by the logic of space and time as formal conditions for experiential representations. This is how Kant is able to famously answer how ‘every change has cause’ is necessary without realist fact. Kant admits that change is something that must be experienced, but change is an experience in space and in time. Since time is represented as a succession or the proceeding of an object through/from time t1 to time t2, and change is a relation of cause and effect, and since a cause cannot be its effect (see the paradox of space and time being the conditions of their own existence above), then once we are able to experience an event as ‘change’ in relation to an object (in time and space), we can, and with no further experience, strictly use the concepts of ‘cause’, ‘event’, and ‘change’, to make the a priori claim that ‘every change has a cause’; note, not just a change, or some changes, but every change has a cause. In other words, because of Kant’s transcendental idealism, we are logically justified in attaching certain knowledge of properties and relations in and between objects beyond what is provided by what we know a posteriori. It is through this understanding of Kant’s transcendental idealism that we are to understand and address John Locke’s assertion that the mind, when it first is developed, is nothing more than a blank slate, or ‘tabula rasa’. Locke’s task in Book I [3]â€Å"how men, barely by the use of their natural faculties, may attain to all the knowledge they have, without the help of innate impressions; and may arrive at certainty, without any such original notions or principles. † In Kantian language, impressions are those images that are implanted in the mind by sensuous perception/experience. The concept of innate, for Locke, then, must refer to impressions which are found in the mind before the Kantian impression. That is, as an ‘impression’ for both Locke and Kant, if it is innate, then the impression exists prior to sensual experience and provides some kind of information. This is the opposite of tabula rasa. In the beginning of Book I, Locke does not refer to innate knowledge, which would be the product of extrapolating statements from information; information, in this case, simply refers to facts or what Locke refers to as ‘simple ideas’. On one level there is a similarity between Kant and Locke. Locke goes on to state that [4]â€Å"it would be impertinent to suppose the ideas of colours innate in a creature to whom God had giveth sight, and the power to receive them from external objects. † For Kant, the recognition/knowledge of a color would require, first, that the eye experience what color happens to be. Thus, claims regarding color fall within the realm of a posteriori knowledge. In addition, the perception of color and the conception/idea of color are limited to the mode of experience one can have for color. One cannot hear, taste, or feel the color green, which, a priori, would require the mind to be further equipped with the innate condition/information of predetermining how to file color when it is sensed. In other words, the brain must already know that the concept ‘green’, if it is innate, is a concept pertaining strictly to sight. However, these are not the claims for which Locke is contesting for the proof that innate principles do not exist. More controversially, and, I believe, in opposition to Kant’s transcendental idealism, are the claims that ‘whatsoever is, is’ and ‘it is impossible for the same thing to be and not be’ cannot be shown to be necessarily true based on innate principles. It is in this claim that we find evidence for epistemological realism in Locke’s philosophy; for if it was to be true that ‘whatsoever is, is’ for Locke, then the claim must correspond necessarily to the way the world is through experience. In other words, it must be a fact that ‘whatsoever is, is’ as a result of experiencing the ‘whatsoever’. This being the case, Locke goes on to detail the [5]â€Å"the steps by which the mind attains several truths. † Like Kant, Locke claims that it is through sensory perception that the mind is imprinted with particular ideas. Unlike Kant, however, Locke claims that it is â€Å"by degrees† does there become a habitual familiarity which accompanies these ideas to be stored in the memory. The scene is analogous to what we assume to be the learning pattern of a baby; that through the incremental addition of experiences and seeing particular relations exposed in those experiences, the mind is furnished with the materials which become the objects of reflection. This being the case, it would seem that knowledge is perhaps not really knowledge at all, but an imitation of habitual experiences. But as Hume correctly pointed out, there is no certainty in consistency, and reasoning based on such a consistency. This justifies, tentatively, skepticism toward Locke’s claim that certainty can be attained without innate principles. Another criterion for innate principles, according to Locke, is that one must be aware of them as something knowable in order to prove their existence. Locke mentions how clinically insane and infants are unable to articulate what they know and how it is they know it. Locke gives the example of an infant not knowing [6]â€Å"that three and four equal to seven, till he comes to be able to count to seven. † This examination of Locke’s claims puts forth the question of whether or not a person ‘knows’ that three and four equal seven, or if a person is simply countenancing facts from his or her experience which is guided by epistemological realism. From a Kantian perspective, the matter is more about dealing with quantity (three, seven, four), the relationship between concepts (plus, equals), and the knowledge which can arise from predetermined, logical schemata in human cognition (four and four is greater than seven if three and four equal seven). It is not that Kant would assert that a language-less baby unexposed to elementary mathematics can know that three and four equal seven. Further, a baby would also not be able to articulate, even if its mind were furnished with the knowledge that ‘whatsoever is, is’ since a baby simply lacks the language to be able to say so. Inverting Locke’s challenge to see if the claim ‘whatsoever is, is’ can be assented to by babies and the mentally handicapped presents a fundamental problem his argument: the burden of proof is on Locke to provide valid counterfactuals to a baby and/mentally challenged persons. In other words, we should take Locke seriously when he moves beyond a simple imitation of what the world shows him and demonstrate when ‘whatsoever is, is not’ and ‘it is possible for something to be entirely red and entirely green at the same time’. Then Locke must move to show how these claims are grounded in a realist epistemology. This criticism bolsters the Kantian project in that transcendental idealism not only presents the possibility for experience, but also limits experience at the same time. A feature Locke is lacking. Without innate ideas, or some kind of cognitive structure which makes sense of perception, Locke must, in order to remain consistent, assume that there is a possibility that something can be simultaneously all red and all green and that we could perceive it when it does happen. Kant is essentially claiming that if there is an experienced contradiction such as, ‘something is simultaneously all red and all green’, then we can be pretty sure that the source of this confusion lies in our cognitive faculties and not in the world. It is not quite so clear with the Lockean project, however. Lockean realism takes for granted that the mind is representing an accurate portrayal of the world even in the case of a contradiction. This kind of reliance does not provide any kind of certainty or attainment of truths as Locke claims. On the contrary, what we would know is simply a regurgitation of experience thus creating confusion on where the source of a contradiction lies in the case one is presented in experience. In conclusion, when we compare the progress of epistemology as a historically situated study, then we come to see John Locke as an influential philosopher who challenged the rationalist doctrine which denied experience and empirical facts as integral to what we count as knowledge. It is that very project, however, that led John Locke and epistemological realism down a path of incoherency when both promised certainty through observation without grounding any source for that certainty. For its faults, which are not mentioned here, Kantian transcendentalism has been shown to be a more tenable answer to the idealism/realism debate as it has been contrasted with John Locke’s realism.

New Step by Step Roadmap for This I Believe Essay Topics List

New Step by Step Roadmap for This I Believe Essay Topics List Get the Scoop on This I Believe Essay Topics List Before You're Too Late The cost of an essay is dependent upon the total amount of effort the writer has to exert. Thus, the essay for our staff it is simpler than ever. No matter whether you would like to understand how to compose a three paragraph essay of 5 paragraph paper, an introduction stays the same. Don't neglect to get a Kibin editor review your final paper to be certain it's on the right path. Each of these varieties of paper is owned by the category of informative essay. Having highlighted the above, the following advice will allow you choose a topic for writing university essays that are of high quality and relevant in the contemporary region of specialty. Explaining how to spend less by employing open-source texts and internet textbook rental websites would result in an extremely informative essay. Make sure there's tons of material available that you research. Gossip, Lies and This I Believe Essay Topics List Your essay might incorporate the explanations for teen pregnancy and talk about the present rates of teen pregnancy and potential solutions. It's recommended that you ask your teacher in the very first place for any sort of queries. Therefore, students must work very difficult so as to think of a practical solution for virtually any issue. The Fundamentals of This I Believe Essay Topics List Revealed Last word of advice is to seek advice from your teacher b efore the last decision about this issue selection for argumentative essays. Okay, now you have the fundamentals about how to opt for an informative essay topic, let's dig into some amazing ideas! You're able to easily buy unique college essays and don't neglect to tell friends and family about it. So should you need to employ college essay writer online, we're just the people that you will need to contact. Following are a few of the suggested sociology essay topic for those students that are unable to choose a great topic for their assignment. Today, most college students find it difficult to compose an essay on a particular topic. To think of a superior bit of writing, one must be craft a great introduction since it is the very first thing a reader reads after the subject of the war essay. You may also choose any latest research work that's a little controversial to allure the readers to compose argumentative essay. Who knew essay writing may be so tough. Your writing has to be brief and concise. The 30-Second Trick for This I Believe Essay Topics List Differences between different social classes are closely associated with inadequate revenue distribution in the nation. Though it is founded on a real story, it's fictionalized, making it simpler to swallow than a pure account of the Holocaust and its horrors. Money is an essential portion of our life, so it's good to understand how to manage it. Identify the Little Things Make a list of as many little things as you can imagine that will perform a part in aiding you to realize your desired outcomes. Characteristics of This I Believe Essay Topics List An excellent essay should have essential points. With endless possibilities and a deadline just around the corner, it's no surprise that you have turned to Google for a small inspiration and tips on getting the ideal paper topic. A great idea is to select a topic which you know a lot about. Luckily, you've come to the perfect place to discover the greatest remedy to every single academic writing problem that you're currently facing with your essay. For this reason, you've got to be really careful whilst comparing them because they both have the exact same meaning. It's recommended that you just select the topic that it is possible to deal with, for instance, if you're not t sketching the personality characteristics then you need to better not elect for it. You will likely be supplied a small quantity of time to deliver your speech, so avoid topics which are too complicated. First and among the most important steps towards a prosperous result is choosing one of several good informative essay topics. Drafting and planning along with researching should be done in order to have a simple writing. Thus, you've got to be quite careful whilst recommending the ideas. You will have to read and research a lot to collect the required info, but you are going to learn a lot from the procedure. Research-based topics require students to assemble information till they write.

Taking a Look at the Death Penalty - 1029 Words

The death penalty has been around for decades, and since the beginning it has been a major topic of discussion. It’s been very controversial because there are religious issues and moral issues in some people’s minds. The death penalty is a topic that has always had moral principles and ethical issues. There’s really no in between with what people believe, they are either fully for the death penalty, or completely against it. However, both sides have completely ethical reasons as to why they believe what they do. People supporting the death penalty claim that it is deterrence because it prevents future murders, while other people believe that if someone takes a life then they should give their life. People against the death penalty feel it is immoral, and an unfair and unreasonable punishment. Meanwhile people who agree with the death penalty have proven this to be cost effective and ethically correct with deterring criminals from committing future murders. â€Å"It costs approximately $90,000 more a year to house an inmate on death row, than in the general prison population or $57.5 million annually.†(Death Penalty Focus). Tax payers are paying that $90,000 for inmates to live a decent life. They have a roof over their heads, and they have food in their stomachs. Tax payers give their hard earned money out to these inmates who put society’s life in danger. Tax payers are doing their jobs to feed their families and keep a roof over their heads have to pay for inmates in jail.Show MoreRelatedTaking a Look at the Death Penalty1195 Words   |  5 PagesDeath Penalty Many criminals who commit murder are sentenced to death for the crimes they have committed. The death penalty is a highly controversial practice and the question that must be raised is: Should society continue to use the death penalty as a punishment for heinous crimes? Currently, this turbulent topic continues to be argued. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, there are already eighteen states that have abolished this archaic form of justice. Our society is movingRead MoreTaking a Look at the Death Penalty1013 Words   |  4 Pages Death Penalty should be allowed under circumstances also known as capital punishment, where congress or any state legislature recommend the death penalty for murder and other capital crimes. Majority of the states are favor in death penalty, roughly around 32 states are favor and 18 states are against death penalty. In most cases, many argue that death penalty has violated the 8th amendment, where it bans cruel and unusual punishment. Therefore, they would go against death penalty. However, withoutRead MoreTaking a Look at the Death Penalty694 Words   |  3 Pagesgenerations to come. This is where the death penalty comes into place. What type of feelings would you encounter knowing your children were in danger on a daily basis? We are capable of putting certain people away for our safety. The death penalty may be expensive, but it should stand nationwide on the grounds that it lowers crime rates and it is justified. The death penalty is too expensive to enact. Every case having to do with the penalty of death costs an extra chunk load of money, trialsRead MoreTaking a Look at the Death Penalty1168 Words   |  5 PagesDeath Penalty To have a loved one taken away in such a cruel manner to have a memory that haunts you every living moment. The death penalty would not merely add up for what has happened to you or family. The death penalty should be illegal for many reasons such it is immoral, it doesn’t ensure closure for the victim or the victim’s family, and although some people think that the death penalty will deter crime it really is ineffective overall. Many people think it is right to kill someone forRead MoreTaking a Look at the Death Penalty659 Words   |  3 PagesThe death penalty occurs when someone kills another human being for money, ether intention, knowing or even recklessly. â€Å"The death penalty violates the right to life as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the right to be free from cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.† (The Ultimate Denial of Human Rights) in this world, no one has the right to take another human being’s life, every human being is entitled to life. According to Reggio, the death penalty startedRead MoreTaking a Look at the Death Penalty918 Words   |  4 PagesThe death penalty is one of the oldest punishments in the world. It has many kinds and always appeared with blood and fright in the history. As the world developing, we got stuck in a problem, that whether we should abolish the death penalty. We have many arguments about the death penalty at present. There are more than 140 countries abolished it. Also the 58 nations with 65 percent population still used it, like China, America, Japan. Many lawyers, judges, politics and scholars also have their ownRead MoreTaking a Look at the Death Penalty614 Words   |  2 Pages Capital punishment or the death penalty is a legal process where a person is put to death as a punishment for a crime that person has committed. Forms of Capital punishment has been around for hundreds of years. Execution of criminals have been used by almost every society that has ever exis ted. People were executed for all types of crimes from being accused of witch craft to lying. In some cases a vast amount of people were put to death with capital punishment. In the 20th century tens of millionsRead MoreThe Death Penalty Is The Punishment Of Execution1247 Words   |  5 PagesWhat is the death penalty? The death penalty is the punishment of execution, administered to someone legally convicted of a capital crime. In the reading selection â€Å"The DEATH PENALTY in AMERICA† Bedau says that â€Å"The history of the death penalty in America can be useful if roughly divided into six epochs of very uneven duration and importance (3)†.The author is saying that the history of the death penalty can be usefully if it is separate into different time period. The author says â€Å"first, from theRead MoreThe Ethics of Capital Punishment Essay1608 Words   |  7 PagesCapital punishment is known to some people one of the cruelest punishment to humanity. Some peop le believe giving a person the death penalty does not solve anything. While others believe it is payback to the criminal for the crime they have committed. There have been 13,000 people executed since the colonial times, among 1900 and 1985 there were 139 innocent people sentence to death only 23 were executed. In 1967 lack of support and legal challenges cut the execution rate to zero bringing the practiceRead MoreCessation of Life: Who are we to choose?- A look into the Death Penalty686 Words   |  3 Pagescrime, sometimes the only justice seems to be an eye for an eye. And most of the time those victims look to our court systems to provide that justice. But is death the answer? I believe that with human fallibility and the fallibility of our court system as variables, that a sentence that cannot be overturned should not be passed down in any case, especially when that sentence is as irreversible as death. In an editorial from USA Today found on deathpenaltyinfo.org, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor is