...of the Human In response to Ray Kurzweil predictions of a world “in which humans gained near immortality by becoming one with robotic technology,” Bill Joy expresses great alarm and distress at the notion that the contemporary definition of the “human” may transform. Even though this definition has transformed with various evolutions that have shaped or, perhaps more accurately, reshaped human biology, psychology, sociology—and yes, even technology—Joy’s pessimism towards this version of a future appears to stem from its underlying principle—that technology will eventually surpass human faculties and capabilities and ultimately, not transform us into a new species of sentient beings, as per Kurzweil’s predictions, but replace us as the supreme beings of this planet. The question then is: does technology have the ability to replace us? Any investigation regarding technology in contemporary society will reveal an impressive catalog of the progress technology has made. And while the same investigation will yield an equally long list of improvements and advancements that yet to be made, Joy’s fears resonate with the fact that any such investigation will also reveal how increasingly reliant we are on technology and suggest that one day, when technology does develop sentience and it exists independent of humans may very well cease to exist. However, as technological experience and human-based experience become one and the same, perhaps it is not Joy’s extinction of the human race...
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...emerged to combine the power of online social networking with shopping. This study examines an emerging area in E-commerce, i.e., social commerce. Extending the online consumer behavior typology, this study categorizes online consumer behaviors into three types: transactional, informational, and social. While traditional E-commerce supports the transactional and informational aspects of online shopping, social commerce fulfils the social aspects of shopping, and potentially enhances the informational aspect as well. This research examines the online shopper as a prospective user of an emerging social commerce platform, the social shopping website, which are sites designed specifically to support social interactions while online consumers shop. The study augments the Technology Acceptance Model with constructs that enhance the specificity of the model to the social shopping application of social commerce. The model was empirically tested and supported. The results provide empirical evidence to support the importance of distinguishing the social aspect of shopping from the information and transactional aspects, as well as the potential advantage to using technology to promote social interactions on E-commerce sites. Implications and future research are discussed. Keywords: E-commerce, internet, shopping, social networking Ecommerce and the Internet Social networking and ecommerce continue to gain popularity under the media spotlight. Seeking to...
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...to see aspects of human experience in new ways. Mark Raphael Baker, in his 1997 historical memoir, The Fiftieth Gate, deliberately chooses a fragmented, polymorphous structure united within an overarching narrative to embody how the disparate aspects of past human experience can be understood through the symbiotic reconciliation of the once polar oppositions of history and memory. Like Baker, Joe Kubert, in his graphic novel, Yossel April 19, 1943, deliberately chooses a raw drawing style and fictionalised recreations of silenced voices of the past to embody the subjective reality that is omitted from documented history. Both...
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...MANAGEMENT 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) Empirical Approach Human Behaviour Approach Social System Approach Decision Theory Approach Mathematical Approach Socio-Technical Systems Approach Systems Approach Contingency Approach Operational Approach REASONS & PROBLEMS 1) Semantic problems in management literature. 2) Contributions from different disciplines. 3) Misunderstanding of principles. EMPIRICAL APPROACH • • • – – – – Study of managerial experiences and cases(mgt) Contributors: Earnest Dale, Mooney & Reiley, urwick. Features Study of Managerial Experiences Managerial experience passed from participationer to students for continuity in knowledge management. Study of Successful & failure cases help practicising managers. Theoretical research combined with practical experiences. • – Uses Learning through experience of others • – – Limitations No Contribution for the development of management as a discipline Situations of past not the same as present. HUMAN BEHAVIOUR APPROACH • – – Organisation as people a) Interpersonal Behaviour Approach - Individual Psychology b) Group Behaviour Approach - Organisation Behaviour • – – – – Features Draws heavily from psychology & sociology. Understand human relations. Emphasis on greater productivity through motivation & good human relations Motivation, leadership, participative management & group dynamics are core of this approach. HUMAN BEHAVIOUR APPROACH Contd.. • Uses – Demonstrates how...
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...were set upon the discovery of the relationship between biology and philosophy. The birth of psychology is a direct result of these two studies combining to make an intriguing study of human behaviors, emotions and reactions. Psychology became equally important to other studies when it became apparent that it reflected both biological aspects as well as aspects of philosophy. Combined, these two studies allowed the discovery that people exhibit behaviors and emotions for many reasons. Human’s exhibit behaviors(s) in reaction to environmental factors, taught behavior, natural instinct, as well as an array of other scenarios trigger such behaviors. “Humans are complex creatures whose psychological experience lies at the intersection of biology and culture”(Kowalski & Westen, 2005). Psychology was (in some perspectives) stumbled upon in very early biological studies. It was observed that patients with head trauma injuries were test subjects to the identification of the correlation between the human brain and physical responses. This discovery opened the door to the study of human psychology. The finding that the human brain interacted with the body in producing reactions and actions led to an entirely new world of study filled with fascinating aspects, now known as psychology. The foundation of psychology is built largely upon philosophy and was rooted from such philosophers such as Aristotle and Descartes. Psychology has been traced...
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...psychological, emotional, and yes, spiritual too. By the last I mean an inner experience and longing to be connected with the Cosmos. This longing expresses itself in a variety of ways, in most instances as a religious call. Evolutionary biologists and cultural psychologists may explain this away in the paradigms that are satisfactory for understanding the observed world. For practitioners, however, religious yearning derives from an external intangible source that is not directly amenable to empirical verification. If there can be neutrinos and dark energy that defy easy detection even through powerful and sophisticated instruments, one could argue, why can’t there be other intangibles whose existence is beyond meters and scopes? The matter continues to be debated, but this is not our concern here. No matter what the source, this heart-felt beckoning and fulfilling framework almost defines the religious person’s existence. There are many in our group who are religious persons. Religion informs and inspires the values and visions that are part of one’s existence. It provides a backdrop for one’s life, present and future, terrestrial and beyond, real and visualized. The spiritual yearning has taken concrete forms in human history as different religions with deep historical, geographical cultural links. Though its essence transcends such links, it is through these that the religious experience becomes meaningful, enriching, and relevant in its observance. There have...
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...symbols of human unconsciousness. He finds the very intimate relationship between symbol, unconsciousness and dreams. In his essay “ The Importance of Dreams”, Jung describes that man produces symbols unconsciously and spontaneously, in the forms of dreams. He says that dreams are outlet of unconsciousness. He describes that how human incompetence to define and inability to explain certain things which is beyond human reasoning always expressed using different varieties of symbols such as natural symbols, cultural symbols and religious symbols. Jung’s idea is valid because things beyond the range of human understanding stores unconsciously without our conscious knowledge in human psyche which is revealed to us in a dream as a symbolic image. Jung believes that human unconsciousness exists and it expresses itself through our dreams using symbolic language. He asserts that “whoever denies the existence of the unconsciousness is in fact assuming that our present knowledge of the psyche is total. And this belief is clearly just as false as the assumption that we know all there is to be known about the natural universe” (192). Jung is right here because human race doesn’t know all about the natural universe. Human psyche is part of nature and nature is limitless and infinite. Thus defining nature and psyche is just the belief that human describes and explains any psychic events as best as it can be but that is not the whole truth. As it is well known that human minds never...
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...Human Nature Human nature is an intangible idea that no one seems to agree of that which it consists, yet many seem to agree that it does exist. Some philosophers will debate that human nature is inherently good while others will deem human nature as inherently evil. Others think that human nature is to seek the greatest good, happiness, or a moral life. So what makes us human? What separates us as a species yet unites us as well? When searching for universals of humans, many physiological aspects of life can be cited. Human mortality is a largely recognized aspect of being a human. However anything with life, whether it is a plant, animal, man or other, is mortal and has a beginning and an end. So while mortality is something that is found in all humans, it is not exclusively a human quality. We need nourishment to grow and live, but again, so do most other things that have life. We are physically similar, meaning that while there are differences among us, we are all the same species; just as any other species is similar to others in their own species. However, I would consider these qualities as nature, not just human nature. Human nature I believe is something that goes beyond our physiological side. Before I present my argument, I must first define human nature. According to the Oxford Dictionary, human nature is the general psychological characteristics, feelings, and behavioral traits of humankind, regarded as shared by all humans. In...
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...Introduction to Human Personality What is a person’s personality like? Is it because of their personality that they behave the way they do and react to situations the way they do? Researchers have seek to answer whether or not people have a choice in building up their own personalities as well as why people have such varying traits in their personalities. Until recently, psychologists, theorists, philosophers very little progress in answering some of the most basic questions in human personality. The renowned psychologist, Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939) began by listening to the thought process of his patients so that he could determine the cause of the patient’s symptoms. Through this simple method, it eventually led to a more scientific method that allowed him to formulate hypothesis and verify them against clinical experience, in which led him to evolve the first modern theory of human personality. Some theorists have tried to develop comprehensive theories about personality, while some simply focused on the variety of aspects that of human personality. Although there are various views of human personality, there is a belief that human personality is regarded as a pattern of “relatively permanent traits and unique characteristics that give both consistency and individuality to a person’s behavior” (page 1) Personality Personality traits are unique to each individual and are a main contributing factor in an individual’s behavior, the stability and consistency...
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...tradition as well, and in Chinese literature in particular. This essay discusses how some common Chinese stories exemplify vital aspects of the humanities and consequently increase our understanding of culture. First, what are the humanities? According to Stanford University, “The humanities can be described as the study of the myriad ways in which people, from every period of history and from every corner of the globe, process and document the human experience. Since humans have been able, we have used philosophy, literature, religion, art, music, history and language to understand and record our world” (Stanford University). Often, humanities classes focus on these topics – yet all too often, students learn a narrow view of the humanities, one that seems to assume the world began in Greece and ended in America. Although people often viciously criticize the humanities, since the correlation between studying them and earning a big paycheck is a difficult logical leap for some people, the humanities are something of a mode of thinking, a way of processing and documenting the universal aspects of the human experience (Stanford University). Therefore, they can improve people in terms of their critical thinking, ethics, and understanding of logic. Logic, ethics, and critical thinking are essential skills in every single career, and enrich one’s experience as a...
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...Imagination Bauman states that sociology is “first and foremost, a way of thinking about the human world” (Bauman 1990, p. 8). And all the material for sociological discoveries is made from the ordinary human experiences. “Anything sociology talks about was already there in our lives” (Bauman 1990, p.10). Bauman proves the impossibility to study sociological miracles with complete fairness, as a sociologist at first, part of this ordinary human world. And he also emphasizes the fact that “sociological discourse” is “wide open”. Bauman believes that thinking sociologically would make us more “sensitive” to our lives and the lives of other people to help us understand the different aspects of human experiences in happiness, sadness, desire, disappointments, misery etc. This essay is an attempt to understand what thinking sociologically really is by reviewing Zigmunt Bauman’s book “Thinking sociologically” which was first published in 1990. The sociological imagination is the concept of being able to “think ourselves away” from the familiar routines of our daily lives in order to look at them anew. Mills defined sociological imagination as “the vivid awareness of the relationship between experience and the wider society” (Crossman 1991, p.1). I am going to summarize the first couple chapters of the book to further see the qualities of a human’s everyday life experience. Hopefully this will create an interest to read this book, because it is easy to understand and carries...
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...Every human being passes through the different stages of lifespan. Lots of changes take place throughout the development period. Human life begins with the birth; it goes through infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Development occurs in different perspectives of life. Some common developments are physical, psychological, cognitive and social-cultural. There are several theories by different theorist which define the human development and its stages, when human being comes up with different characteristics. To discuss on the essay whether or not ‘early life experiences and social development impact on adults and to explain ‘to what extent culture impacts on development OR a particular aspect of development’ three different theories by Erik Erikson (1902-1994), Robert Havighurst (1900-1991) and Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) are going to be highlighted. Question 1 As concerned to the first question, early life experiences and social development certainly impact on adults. Erikson’s psychosocial theory describes the development throughout the human life. He has categorized his theory in eight stages and they are infancy, early childhood, late childhood, school age, adolescence, young adulthood, adulthood and maturity. Each stage deals with different central tasks which are related to both positive and negative aspects of life. On the other side, Havighurst says development occurs through the learning. He has divided his theory into six stages and they are infancy and...
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...Reflection Paper on the Nature of Human Being, Reason for Being My concept of the “Nature of Man” is a combination of the different discipline of knowledge. First of which is that Man is a rational being. He has the capacity to think and reason which makes him distinct and superior from other living creatures. He is always drawn to finding reasons for his behavior and answers to his very existence. Man being rational also comes with his ability to learn. Even without formal education and training, he is endowed with a highly sophisticated tool to learn things and adapt in his environment. As oppose to what some philosopher’s claim, Man is born with innate tendencies and inherent characteristics from his parents that is waiting to be realized with stimulation from the environment. The combination of genetic, environmental and cultural factors are important component in the development of his Personality. Man is not only a thinking being. He also has the capacity to feel different range of human emotions. He has the capacity to love and care. The capacity for fear and anger. To experience joy, happiness and grief. We need to experience and feel different range of human emotions as these gives color to our very existence. But problems come when we are unable to manage our emotions. When there is imbalance between our thinking and feeling. Man is also a spiritual being. It is the spiritual side that connects man to his creator, his relationship...
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...and earth who work together, so that we can see that system consist of elements that work together to form a whole and if one element is missing or not working, then the overall combination cannot be called as a system. 2. Buckley System is a whole that functions as a whole by virtue of interdependence of its parts. 3. H. Kerzner System is a group of components consisting of humans and or non-human who organized and arranged so that the components can act as a unity in achieving its objectives, common goals or outcomes. This meaning implies the importance of aspects arrangement and organizing the components of a system to reach the common goal, because if there is no proper coordination and synchronization, then the activities of each component, sub–system, or areas in an organization will be less support each other. Furthermore, understanding of system is in fact also used to show a lot of things like: a system that is used to indicate a set and the set of objects that are merged or combined by a mutual connection form or interdependence in regularly; a set of parts that combined naturally or by human resources to become an integrated unity. In general, within the scope of the understanding of system...
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...The inexorable human psyche controls and shapes the world we live in. Our perceptions and experiences influenced by society, mold our mentality and in turn governs our actions. In his timeless novel, Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad accurately illuminates the conflicting range of the human psyche in order to showcase the sordid side of human nature that people and society often strive so hard to suppress and ignore through the barbarous events that occurred within Marlow’s journey in the Congo. The novel begins with Marlow discussing his journey into the Congo as he is traveling up the Thames River, symbolizing the mental journey that individuals take in attempt to achieve self-discovery and fulfillment. Marlow stated, “One ship is very much...
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