Jurgen Habermass Concept of Public Sphere :: essays research papers

Jurgen Habermas's concept of Public Sphere Jurgen Habermas developed the concept of Public Sphere, an open network to facilitate exchanges, as a part of a larger project dealing with the paradoxical consequences of rational western capitalism. The project is deeply rooted in Weber's reflections on the role of religion (Calvinism) in the development of capitalism in the North-Atlantic Rim, and the Marxist critique of such reflections as laid out by the members of the Frankfurt School (Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer). Adorno and Horkheimer, however, found themselves at a deadend when they were unable to de-reify their own concept of culture. It is precisely there where Habermas breaks away from the concerns of the Frankfurt School and begins his own reflection that, on the one hand, de-reifies the concept of culture (culture uiltimately is a product of institutions and human interaction and not a variable with life of its own, as Adorno and Horkheimer assumed at some point). Habermas stand on the development of capitalism leads him to recapture an insight from the old Marx: capitalism, with all its contradictions and fallacies, has the seed of its own transformation (destruction for Marx) in the form of the exchanges that it encourages, but mostly because of its very need of rational domination. If rational domination is required (as opposed to traditional or charismatic), then it is necessary to discoursevely build the agreements that the law embodies. If so, then institutions like the Parliament are unavoidable and with it some discussion of public issues and concerns. Habermas finds the origin of such discussions and concerns in the emergence of coffee-houses all over Europe during the Enlightenment era. Of course, participation in such activities was heavily restricted by class and in some cases (the European Jewish populations are a perfect example of it) by race and/or ethnicity. Habermas finds that even if such restrictions exist, the drive of the Enlightenment project will be enough to allow for progressive openings, that over time will prevent against discrimination. Habermas is well aware of the limitations of his model.

Advantages of Using Ict as a Tool for Teaching and Learning Process

Advantages of using ICT as a tool for teaching and learning process in higher education institution. ICT defined as information and communication technology (ICT) the hardware and software that enables data to be digitally processed, stored and communicated. ICT can be used to access, process, manage, and present information model and control events, construct new construct new understanding and communicate with other. In the context of learning process, ICT may be referred as a necessary tool for any student who desires further learning shortly after the internet explosion of the 1990s.ICT was immediately integrated into educational field. Even though symbolized advancement in human knowledge was seen as a setback by many educator and instructors at the university. There are many advantages of using ICT as a tool for teaching and learning. The advantages such as ICT can be used at anytime, anywhere, access to remote learning resources and it help to prepare individual for the work p lace. First of all, the advantage of using ICT as a tool for teaching and learning process in higher education learning is anytime and anywhere. Dr.Ken Olson, President of Digital and Equipment Corporation who said he had prescribed a time when computers will weigh no more than one and a half tons. One defining feature of ICT is the capability to transcend time and space between time. ICT make possible asynchronous learning or learning characterized by a time lag. For example, internet can be accessed 24hours per day for seven days per week. ICT based educational delivery such as educational programming broadcast over radio or television also dispenses with the need for all learners and instructors to be in one physical location.In addition, certain type of ICTs, such as teleconferencing technologies, enable instruction to be received simultaneously by other learner at higher learning institution. In a nutshell, we can see that using of ICT tools in higher learning institution give many advantages. The advantages in information technology have heavily influenced especially in teaching and learning process. In 2000, most excellent student of National University of Malaysia used ICTs tool as medium to excellent were stated and published in Berita Harian newspaper.All the benefits can lead many student to excellent in their study and at the same time they can diverse their knowledge in their study and provide so many resources if they really want to do some research about their study. They also can communicate better with their lecturers or instructors through the web cam on their computer. Internet services provide â€Å"Skype† to make people easier to communicate with each other. They can ask their lecturers or instructors about so many question and clarify better about their assignment or lecture syllabus. The most important thing it’s a free services.

My favorite quotation of St. Augustine

â€Å"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page. † ? Augustine of Hippo. This was my favourite quotation of St. Augustine, through my high school years we are taught about his life, journeys and teachings. I have live a Augustinian life, being a follower of Christ he is the one behind all of my success and failures. I may not be one of the best students from my batch but at least once I have proven that I give my best. Yes, I have proven myself and before that happens I almost failed, lost hope and even give up but courage to prove myself become my persuasion for not giving up to achieve all the success in education and in life. A teacher told me about inventing or improving a scientific investigatory project, which me and my group mates once studied and improve. While doing this we struggle searching for parts and materials we need to complete our product. It’s almost two weeks before the deadline but there is still a part of our project missing. We almost lost our hope submitting our project but yet my classmate broke her calculator and we’ve found the exact material that we need to complete this project. After inserting the material needed, finally it worked. Then, we have a week to finish the paper and ask some people to react about our said project. Some questioned it and some thought that it was amazing and good because we can lessen the use of electricity and benefit the solar heat from the sun. On the day of the submission we have to face our teacher and defend our product made, who would thought that we’ve got the highest grade among the class and have the chance to compete in the congress? We never did, it was one of the successful moments for me in my secondary level. In the science congress, we tried our best to win, impress the judges and encourage the audience to see our product and vote for it. Our competitors also has cool, different and creative inventions or innovations. Though we never succeeded on to win the science congress, I still felt happiness and contented just by submitting our project and getting those grades. This is one achievement, I think I had not because I’ve got a high grade, but because I have work on it hard and make everything in it creative and different. I want to achieve more, and I think by entering the University this institution will help me gain more achievement and train me more to become creative. I could tell also that it is not just pure creativity that we need in order to finish one project, it could also be team work. Life could be a tough road to travel through but if we don’t face the tough road we can never extend our talent and creativity. Our day to day experience is a daily lesson we must understand. We may give up but we can never achieve success if we easily loose hope.

Scientists Take An Organic Approach To Improving Machines

Naturally occurring chemicals are being used to develop state-of-the-art microprocessors capable of replacing much bigger computers, for dimes on the dollar! Researchers headed by a team of scientists from the Netherlands’ University of Groningen, Netherlands have developed a way to alter the chemical composition of silicon dioxide, which could mean a revolution in the manufacturing industry. The discovery is the latest in the budding field of organic electronics that are gaining acceptance due to their multifold superiority over electronics made from artificial substances. These electronics are being seen as the biggest developments in the field of electronics since the invention of micro chips. Researchers from the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials at the University enlisted a team of industry-insiders from the Philips Research Laboratories, The Dutch Polymer Institute of the Netherlands as well as the Enikolopov Institute of Synthetic Polymer Materials in Moscow Russia. Their combined efforts have materialized in the form of ‘self-assembled-monolayer field-effect transistor’ or SAMFET. SAMFET is the newest innovation in organic electronics, a newly emerging kind of electronic circuits which are constructed using only chemicals that occur naturally, such as silicon. Bottom-up organic electronics is a hot topic nowadays among electronic engineers and industrialists alike because, this technology allows the building of highly complicated circuits at a fraction of the cost of conventional circuits. Besides the economy, such circuits are also proving to be much more energy efficient than their predecessors. So the hype around the invention of this kind of ‘self-assembled-monolayer field-effect transistor’ or SAMFET is well-earned! Although the technique used to create SAMFET’s is complex, thankfully it is much more easily comprehendible. Researchers have basically developed a way to control the shape and proximity of atoms within a given sample of silicon dioxide. This allows them to mold molecules of the substance into a very compact and tightly packed formation. The molecular arrangements are organized in tiny layers sandwiched between another substance such as titanium. The ability to regularize the size and form of the molecules, together with the capability of cramming together millions of molecules more closely is the key element in this technology. This is so because the arrangement of the layers within a microprocessor is what allows complicated processes to be controlled by a microprocessor smaller than a matchbox! Electric pulses that pass through these layers are controlled with the circuits that are made of these SAMFET’s. Since the new innovation has allowed the packing of many more molecules into every layer of electronic circuits; many more commands to control and direct the currents can be programmed into an organic circuit as compared to a conventional electronic circuit made of synthetic materials. The developers explain that this innovation has been developed from the same liquid crystal technology that is used in television screens. LCD televisions are able to display better contrast and detail because of the fine crystals and their uniform distribution. In other words, they use the same technology as SAMFET’s albeit at a less complex scale. The newly developed silicon compound is sandwiched in layers of titanium for durability and strength. The titanium would normally restrict the flow of current but the inventors have come up with another ingenuity to overcome that problem. Contact points that link the different layers of silicon dioxide inside each microprocessor, are made of gold. Gold, one of the best conductors of electricity; allows small electric signals to pass between layers without much resistance against the current. Additionally due to the proximity and evenness of the molecules of silicon and other compounds within the layers, the smallest pulses of electricity can pass through it without any significant loss of energy. Experiments have been conducted to compare the performance of conventional microprocessors to those built using this newly developed technology. Inventors Simon Mathjiseen and Edsger Smits They say results indicate that their components can not only transfer electric currents through more elaborate formations; they can achieve this task with smaller currents because very little energy is wasted in the process. This allows them to build ever more complicated circuits. SAMFETS are structured to minimize resistance against electric currents, and since there are no moving parts, power is not wasted in transportation or heating. In turn, one microprocessor can perform much more elaborate tasks to help build multi-purpose machines that can carry out operations that would previously require many different machines. Simply put; a smaller, more efficient machine can now perform tasks that would have required an entire sequence of machines and robots. For manufacturers this means a ton of savings in their processes. This is so because at the moment even the most technologically advanced assembly lines contain many different machines, and materials have to be shifted between them many times before the final product is made. By combining many processes into a fewer number of machines, manufacturers can save money on the purchase and maintenance of equipment, and on the cost of human resource that is used to monitor and control these assembly lines. The developers of this strategy are confident they have discovered the building blocks to a new era of technology, one where the size†¦ of the circuit, does not matter! Instead, by increasing the density of molecules inside the layers that make up micro chips, more complex programs such as those used to control robots or entire assembly lines can be programmed into the same sized chip. Coupled with the energy efficiency, which means a lower cost of operating such electronics; these compact processors are being hailed as a much needed boost to the manufacturing and electronics industries. Under the current economic recession, many factories across the globe are looking to cut costs of production. SAMFET technology seems very promising in this regard because it allows manufacturers to use smaller, smarter electronic components. Not only can they save on human resource costs, but also on the cost of running these processors which act like the brains of the assembly line. All that remains to be seen now is how soon this technology can go into mass production.

Politics of the Developing World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Politics of the Developing World - Essay Example On the other hand, the south comprises of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Political Economy This is a term used to describe the relationship between the state, the legal system, and the economy. In general, terms it captures the interplay between the three facets in a way that determines the stability of countries and the economic structures. Development refers to the growth of a country in terms of matters of economy, governance, and human development. The term embraces such areas as the growth of GDP, economic growth in relation to the improvement of infrastructure, healthcare, education systems, and other indicators of growth. New International Economic Order The term describes a combination of proposals created by developing countries in the 1970s with the objective of improving their economies. The proposals included the improvement of trade terms through favorable tariffs and enhancing development assistance. Walt Rostow (1916-2003) He was a renowned American economist and an acclaimed political thinker. Rostow was a staunch defender of capitalism and policies of a free enterprise in the twentieth century. Rostow played a significant role in determining US foreign policies particularly with regard to Asia. Raul Prebisch (1901-1986) Prebisch was a renowned economist from Argentina remembered for contributing to the development of structuralist economics. He developed a trade-focused approach on matters of development and recommended preferential treatment for some countries in trading matters. Hans Singer (1910-2006) Singer was a German development economist. He believed that terms of trade generally do not play to the advantage of primary producers. He advocated for the increment of foreign aid to poor countries. Hegemonic Stability Theory The theory was developed for understanding international relations. The leadership of a hegemon in whatever form eventually results in the deployment of its influence on economic systems. The theory is largely attribut ed to Robert Keohane although various theorists who gave it varying interpretations developed it. Joseph Stiglitz (1943-Present) Stiglitz is an American economist well known for his strong support of globalization and the creation of free market economies. Much of his contribution in economics are in the areas of income distribution, international trade, corporate governance, and other areas that relate to modern economies. Section B 1). Different Interpretations of Poverty The United Nations approach to poverty was largely focused on the aspects of unemployment, equality, and poverty. On the other hand, the Bretton woods institutions focussed largely on the aspect of economic development as the key driver of development or the elimination of poverty. The United Nations was cognizant of the fact that economic growth does not necessarily translate into development. The difference between the two systems is mainly focused on the human factor at the core of the developmental initiative s. The IMF and World Bank kind of development was largely hinged on the development of free-market economies, which would spur economic growth and eventually lead to the elimination of poverty. 3). Realism, Institutionalism, and Structuralism The realist view, as understood within the framework of the International Political Economy (IPE) was based on policies that supported the use of tariffs to shield weak and infant economies.

Political Consensus Decision-Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Political Consensus Decision-Making - Essay Example Perhaps the most notable instance this mode of political consensus has been implemented is in wartime situations. Within the United Kingdom the 20th century witnessed a major instance of wartime consensus proceeding World War II where it’s argued that consensus politics culminated in the Labour party’s victory. This essay considers that the idea of a wartime consensus culminating in Labour’s election victory fades the closer you get to it. The popular perspective had considered that following World War II the political situation in Britain was such that an overwhelming consensus resulted in the election of the Labour Party. Recognition of this perspective takes into account historical perspectives on the Labour Party. While the Labour Party has been in existence since the early years of the 20th century they assumed great control during the period surrounding World War II. In 1940 the Labour Party returned to government as a part of the wartime coalition; during this period Clement Attlee was appointed the Lord Privy Seal (Pimlott 1994, p. 225). Following the end of the war, the Labour Party contested the 1945 general election and won a large-scale victory. Clement Attlee then assumed control and one of the most radical government’s in British history was instituted. It is this victory that many have contested was the result of wartime consensus. ... mplements a number of notions within this spectrum of investigation, perhaps the central thorough-put of his argument is the contention that rather than constituting an actual consensus, this notion has been constructed by individuals attempting to establish a mythic ‘golden age’ of British history. As noted, this perspective has been embraced by a large number of theorists (Rollings 1994; Kelly 2002; Ellison 1994). The broad spectrums of these theoretical perspectives have considered a variety of ideological differences that occurred between the main political parties during this period. Rather than constituting a golden age of consensus politics, Pimlott (1994, p. 231) notes that there was considerable Conservative hostility towards universal welfare benefits. Kelly (2002, p. 21) considers that in 1956 Anthony Crosland made a large-scale plea for the left to oppose conservative ideas; this is believed to demonstrate a general lack of qualitative accord among political perspectives during this period. Pimlott has extended the situation through metaphorical notions. He states (1988, p. 232), â€Å"sandbagged in their electoral trenches, early postwar voters can be seen as the anonymous infantry of two implacably opposed armies in an era of adversarial politics, with the middle-way Liberals floundering in no man’s land.† To a large degree what Pimlott has established with these notions is a mode of myth-making that seemingly implements higher degrees of fact-based understanding. While Pimlott’s perspectives have gained widespread support there also exists a strong contingent of theorists who hold to the consensus perspective (Kavanagh 1994; Addison 1992). Paul Addison is the theorist perhaps most identified with consensus notions of post-war politics (Addison

The Film Doctor Zhivago Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Film Doctor Zhivago - Essay Example Primarily, an entire social order is devastated and another of a cruel, forceful system is created to replace it. But such events are merely shown in a handful and violently acted parts that are shoved abruptly through a scene of the personal tragedy and afterward are as hastily inhibited. The greatest portion of this film is dedicated to the romantic view of the emotional connection and personal miseries of a few bourgeois who are inhumanely troubled and damaged by the larger forces of change. It seems that this tragic love story is the theme upon which the film has decided to resolve the pressures of personal drama and spiritual tension that overwhelmed the Pasternak narrative. I felt that the movie has taken for granted the massive disorder of the Russian Revolution for the sake of displaying the ordinariness and triviality of a hopeless love affair. Â  An entire social order is devastated and another of a cruel, forceful system is created to replace it. But such events are merel y shown in a handful and violently acted parts that are shoved abruptly through a scene of the personal tragedy and afterward are as hastily inhibited. The greatest portion of this film is dedicated to the romantic view of the emotional connection and personal miseries of a few bourgeois who are inhumanely troubled and damaged by the larger forces of change. It seems that this tragic love story is the theme upon which the film has decided to resolve the pressures of personal drama and spiritual tension that overwhelmed the Pasternak narrative.