To What Extent Was the Effectiveness of Transition Strategies Essay

To What Extent Was the Effectiveness of Transition Strategies Dependent on the Initial Conditions of the Transition Economies - Essay Example The changing economic landscape in the last century has brought with it considerable political and social change. In terms of theoretical and scholarly research some of the most prominent considerations have been in terms of the shift between developing, emerging, and first worlds. Within this context of understanding one recognizes that a central area of concern has been transition economies. Transition economies are those where a nation is shifting from a centrally planned economy to a free market. Within the modern world environment this has become a highly complex notion as nations such as China have seemingly transcended traditional bounds of the centrally planned economy and combined state-sponsored industries with aspects of the free market. Still, to a large degree the traditional structural boundaries of the transition economy still hold. This essay considers the extent that the effectiveness of transition strategies is dependent on the initial conditions of the transition e conomies. Russia While the subject of transition economy strategies is complex and multi-varied, one of the central understandings is that there has been considerable difference regarding success among these transition countries. One recognizes that while there may be no objective or prescriptive approach to successful transition, one of the most thematic elements has been that the most successful transition economies have been linked to the success of the initial conditions of the transition economy. This is a complex notion that demands deconstruction. One of the major considerations in these regards has been the Russian transition approach. While theorists disagree as to the original state of the Russian centrally controlled government, to a great degree the original conditions were stark. Following the Cold War with the United States and Western powers, Russian experienced a state of considerable economic decline. To a great degree it seems that many of the earlier challenges carried over to the post transition period. As one might expect countless literature has been written on Russia’s transition, still there are a number of notable considerations. Roland (2004) links one of the primary challenges to the lack of structure in Russia’s original socialist system. While one would consider that a centrally controlled system would have stringent controls, it appears that to a degree this didn’t occur in Russia’s socialist practice. It is noted that the government had only centrally planned for approximately 100 goods, when in reality there was over 12 million that needed to be accounted for (Roland 2004). The cumulative effect particularly in Russia, but also in many other socialist economies, was that there emerged a market where quality products were not a concern, because the market consistently had shortages. This structure extended to workers as the seller’s market ensured they were always well employed. When the transition period arose t hese issues came to the forefront, as entrenched enterprises and workers viewed the changes as a threat. Crime and Corruption One of the major problems that arose in transition economies, particularly in Russia, was organized crime. While the emergence of these crime institutions surely had a complex array of reasons, it seems fairly plausible that the dissonance created in the transition between the earlier seller’s market period and the later free market may have contributed to a higher propensity of individuals willing to participate in such activity. These occurrences attest to a level of carry over from dysfunctions in the pre-free market economy that would indicate that the original state of the economy has a direct impact on transition strategies. Boerner & Hainz (2009) support the notion that inefficient pre-liberalization economic states directly contribute to later era corruption practices. Specifically, â€Å"

Slump Test With Relevant British Standards

Slump Test With Relevant British Standards Describe the slump test in accordance with relevant British Standard and indicate why it is an important test. How would concrete workability be determined if the concrete is required to be very dry? In accordance with relevant British Standards (BS EN 12350-2:2009), the slump test is important as it determines the consistency of fresh concrete. The fresh concrete is compacted into a mould in the shape of a cone. When the cone is withdrawn upwards, the distance the concrete has slumped provides a measure of the consistency of the concrete. This is the basic principle of the slump test. The sample of the concrete is obtained in accordance with BS EN 12350-1(British Standards Institute, 2009a). When undertaking the task of the slump test, the mould and base plate are dampened and the mould is placed on the horizontal base plate. During filling of the mould, it is held firmly against the base plate by clamping in place or by standing on the two foot pieces. The mould is filled in three layers, each approximately one-third of the height of the mould when compacted. Each layer is compacted with twenty five strokes of the tamping rod. The strokes are uniformly distributed over the cross section of each layer. For the bottom layer the rod is slightly inclined and positioned approximately half the strokes towards the centre. The first layer is compacted throughout its depth, taking care in not striking the base. The second layer and the top layer are compacted throughout its depth, so that the strokes just penetrate into the immediately underlying layer. In filling and compacting the top layer, the concrete is heaped above the mould before tamping is started. If the tamping operation of the top layer results in subsidence of the concrete below the top edge of the mould, then more concrete is added to keep an excess above the top of the mould. After the top layer has been compacted, the surface of the concrete is struck off by means of a sawing and rolling motion of the compacting rod (British Standards Institute, 2009b). Subsequently, the spilled concrete is removed from the base plate. The mould is removed from the concrete by raising it carefully in an upwards direction. Immediately after removal of the mould, the slump is measured and recorded by determining the difference between the height of the mould and that of the highest point of the slumped test specimen as shown in figure 1. The consistency of a concrete mix changes with time. This is due to hydration of the cement and loss of moisture. Thus, tests on different samples should be carried out at a constant time interval after mixing, if comparable results are to be obtained (Wikipedia, 2010a). The test is only valid if it yields a true slump. This is the slump in which the concrete remains substantially intact and symmetrical as shown in Figure 2(a). If the specimen shears, as shown in Figure 2(b), another sample is taken and the procedure repeated. If two consecutive tests show a portion of the concrete shearing off from the mass of the test specimen, then the concrete lacks the necessary plasticity and cohesiveness for the slump test to be suitable. This is why the slump test is important and appropriate for concrete mixes of medium and high workability concrete. There are other tests to establish workability of concrete. If the concrete is required to be very dry, then this will depend on the water/cement ratio (w/c) of the mixture which has a control over the final properties of the concrete. Selection of a w/c ratio gives the engineer control over two desirable properties. These are strength and workability. A mixture with a high w/c will be more workable than a mixture with a low w/c i.e. it will flow easier. The less workable the mixture, the stronger the concrete will be. The water/cement ratio needs to be about 0.25 to complete the hydration reaction. Typical values of w/c are between 0.35 and 0.40 because they give a good amount of workability without sacrificing a lot of strength (Concrete, 2010). The vebe test is appropriate for concrete mixes of low and very low workability. This method is a mechanised variation of the slump test and determines the workability of concrete. The concrete is subjected to vibration after removal of the slump cone. It is then mounted upon a vibrating table operating at a fixed amplitude and frequency. The time to complete the required vibration gives an indication of the concrete workability. The vebe test is done in accordance to BS EN 12350-3:2009 (British Standards Institute, 2009e). Workability of fresh concrete and the fluidity of the concrete at different water/cement ratio will affect the casting and finishing of the concrete specimen. Strength of the concrete will also be affected. Concrete workability can be determined by many methods. This includes confined flow test methods e.g. compacting factor test, free flow test methods. These methods include slump test and vibration test methods e.g. the vebe test as previously mentioned (ELE International, 2010). (816 Words) In concrete mixing, describe briefly the mixing procedure. Why concrete is being mixed in dry state for 60s first, then after water is added and further mixed for 90s? Concrete is formed by mixing cement, coarse aggregate, fine aggregate and water. This is with or without the incorporation of admixtures and additions, which develops its properties by hydration of the cement. Mixing the water with the cement glues the aggregate together, fills voids within it, and allows it to run more easily. The object of mixing concrete is to coat the surface of all aggregate particles with cement paste and to blend all the ingredients of concrete into a uniform mass. This uniformity must not be disturbed when discharging from the mixer (Neville, A. M, 1981a, p226). With concrete, there is an inclination on site to mix it as quickly as possible. It is therefore important to know what the minimum mixing time necessary to produce a concrete uniform in composition and of satisfactory strength. The time varies with the type of mixer and number of revolutions which is the criteria for adequate mixing and not essentially the mixing time. The are three main options for mixing concrete. These options are mixing by hand, which is probably only suitable where less than about  ¼m ³ of concrete is required; using a cement mixer, which is generally suitable where between about  ¼m ³ and 2m ³ of concrete is required; and finally buying in ready mix for jobs requiring more than about 2m ³ of concrete which is best and cost effective to buy in a lorry load of ready mixed concrete. The above quantities are only rough guidelines (Practical DIY, 2010). With mixing concrete, the mixing procedure includes the loading method, the discharge method, the mixing time, and the mixing energy. The loading method includes the order of loading the constituents into the mixer and also the duration of the loading period. The duration of this period depends on how long the constituents are mixed dry before the addition of water and how fast the constituents are loaded. The loading period is extended from the time when the first constituent is introduced in the mixer to when all the constituents are in the mixer. Dry mixing is the mixing that occurs during loading but before water is introduced. Wet mixing is the mixing after or while water is being introduced, but still during loading. This means that materials are introduced any time during the loading period: all before the water, all after the water, partially before and partially after. The loading period is important because some of the concrete properties will depend on the order in which t he constituents are introduced in the mixer. The discharge from the mixer should be arranged so that it increases productivity and it does not modify the homogeneity of the concrete (Concrete-Catalog, 2010). Figure 3 shows the relationship between the range of strengths of the specimen made from the given mix after a specific mixing time. Figure 3 is based on Shalons tests. It shows how compressive strength is affected by the mixing time. It also shows the minimum, mean and maximum values (Neville, A. M, 1981b) Figure 4 shows the same tests but plotted as a coefficient of variation against mixing time. From the graph it shows that mixing for less than sixty seconds and ninety seconds produces a noticeably more variable concrete. Prolonging the mixing time beyond the values results in no significant improvement in uniformity. (Neville, A. M, 1981c) This would suggest why the mixing process is no less than sixty seconds and ninety seconds for each process e.g. when mixing the dry state for sixty seconds then adding water and mixing for a further ninety seconds. Figure 5 shows the results of Abrams tests. It shows how the average strength of concrete also increases with an increase in mixing time. The rate of increase falls quickly beyond one minute and is not significant beyond two minutes with sometimes a slight decrease in strength been observed (Neville, A. M, 1981d). This would suggest why concrete is mixed in dry state for sixty seconds first as the strength falls quickly beyond this and why after water is added it is mixed for a further ninety seconds. This is because the strength increase would not be significant beyond this time with a slight decrease in strength observed as stated earlier. The influence of mixing time from thirty seconds to one minute permits a saving in the cement content of as much as thirty kilograms per cubic metre. This was calculated by Shalon which shows how within the first minute the influence of mixing time on strength is of significant importance. This would assist the fact why the concrete is mixed for sixty seconds first. Thus saving cement content which would have an effect on strength as well as cost. With the concrete being mixed in a dry state for 60 seconds, then water added and further mixed for 90 seconds, there are no universal rules in the order to add the water and concrete. This can depend on the properties of the mix and the mixer. The mixing time is from the time all the solid materials have been put in the mixer. When a dry mix is used however, it is necessary to feed some water and the coarse aggregate as otherwise the surface does not become adequately wetted. If the coarse aggregate is not present to begin with then sand or the cement could become stuck in the mixer. If the cement or water is fed too fast then balls may form. Normally, a small amount of water should be fed first followed by the materials. These are, if possible fed simultaneously into the mixer. The greater part of the water should be fed during the same time if possible with the remainder fed after the solids (Neville, A. M, 1981e). With stiff mixes, it is found to be suitable to feed the sand first, part of the coarse aggregate, cement, then the water and lastly the remainder of the coarse aggregate to break up any round masses of mortar (Neville, A. M, 1981f). (1,022 Words) Describe different ways to be applied to cure concrete on site Curing concrete on site can be done using many methods. These include retaining formwork in-situ, constant fog spraying, ponding, polythene sheet, steam cure, hydrothermal processes and surface applied materials. Fogging during and after placing and finishing also helps minimize plastic cracking in concretes with very low water-cement ratios. This is especially around a water-cement ratio of 0.30 or less (Curing Concrete, 2010). Ponding as a curing method is easily done. A waterproof wall is needed to form around the concrete, using either the form the concrete was poured into, or a wall of sandbags. Once the wall is formed, the concrete is flooded with water. The added moisture from the flood will keep the concrete from drying out before the bonding process is completed (E-How, 2010). Airtight polythene sheeting is an efficient way of preventing moisture loss. It should be placed on a concrete slab as soon as the concrete is hard enough to prevent surface damage or marking. With sprayed membranes, these are designed to form a superficial seal on the concrete, preventing water evaporating. Although some prevent subsequent adhesion of screeds or applied finishes (BRMCA, 2010a). Steam curing is a process for hardening concrete that involves exposure to warm steam. Steam curing requires a fraction of the time involved with traditional curing and quickly strengthens the products so they can be used immediately (Wisegeek, 2010). (218 Words) Why is curing important? Curing is important to prevent concrete from drying out too soon. Well cured concrete is stronger, more resistant to chemical attack and traffic wear. It is also more watertight with curing. It withstands freezing and abrasion better with the processes of curing. Most curing is done by using polythene sheeting or a sprayed membrane. Leaving the formwork in place is also possible, except for slabs, where the large surface area will soon dry if left unprotected. Curing should always start before the concrete begins to dry out and continue for a period depending on the strength gain of the concrete. Poor curing will result in poor concrete, lower strength, lower durability, dusty surface and a weaker surface (BRMCA, 2010b). To obtain good concrete it must be cured in a suitable environment to allow the concrete to achieve its strength. Hydration and hardening is critical for the first three days. Curing is important In order for sufficient heat and humidity to be maintained within the mix during hydration. Curing allows concrete to achieve its strength, minimise cracking, minimise shrinkage and prevent losses of water. Well cured concrete has better surface hardness and therefore is more watertight. Concrete needs to be cured under controlled temperature and humidity in order to obtain good concrete (Wikipedia, 2010b). As previously discussed, sufficiently cured concrete will exhibit greater durability, wear resistance, and gain strength faster. Cured concrete will also have better resistance to freeze thaw damage. Improperly cured concrete can be subject to plastic shrinkage cracking (loss of moisture from fresh concrete) and drying shrinkage (loss of moisture from concrete that has set) among other undesired side effects (All Concrete, 2010). Curing is of particular importance on horizontal surfaces; dry, hot or windy conditions; wear resistant floors; and high strength floors. Abrasion resistance is dependent on good curing but also relies on other factors (Newman, J and Choo, B, 2003). (301 Words) Discuss the use of recycled concrete aggregate in concrete Recycled concrete aggregate is aggregate resulting from the processing of inorganic material previously used in construction and principally comprising crushed concrete (British Standards Institute, 2006). The process of recycling of concrete is a fairly straightforward process. It involves breaking, removing, and crushing existing concrete into a material with a specified size and quality. The quality of concrete with recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) is dependent on the quality of the recycled material used. If there is reinforced steel and other embedded items, these must be removed, and care must be taken to prevent contamination by other materials that can be difficult, such as asphalt, soil, chlorides, glass, paper, plaster, wood etc. The removal of the contaminants is done through selective demolition, screening, air separation and size reduction which is done in a crusher to aggregate size. After this, the crushed concrete can be used as new concrete for pavements, sidewalks, curbs, gutters, structural grade concrete and also bituminous concrete (Concrete Technology, 2010). The use of recycled concrete material (RCM) as an aggregate substitute in pavement construction includes its use in granular and stabilized base, engineered fill and Portland cement concrete pavement applications. Other applications include its use as an aggregate in flowable fill, hot mix asphalt concrete and surface treatments. To be used as an aggregate, RCM must be processed to remove as much foreign debris and reinforcing steel as possible as discussed previously. Reinforcing steel is sometimes removed before loading and hauling to a central processing plant. Most processing plants have a primary and secondary crusher. The primary crusher breaks the reinforcing steel from the concrete and reduces the concrete rubble to a maximum size of 75 mm to 100 mm. As the material is conveyed to the secondary crusher, steel is removed by an electromagnetic separator. Secondary crushing further breaks down the RCM, which is then screened to the desired grade. To avoid inadvertent segregation of particle sizes, coarse and fine RCM aggregates are stockpiled separately (TTHRC, 2010). Recycled concrete aggregates can be used in many things. With bitumen bound materials, recycled concrete aggregate can be used in a variety of base course and binder course mixtures. In concrete, recycled concrete aggregate is permitted for use in certain grades of concrete. In pipe bedding, a suitably graded recycled concrete aggregate is used. In hydraulically bound mixtures (HBM) recycled concrete aggregate can be suitable for use in HBMs with suitably graded recycled concrete aggregate used as a subbase. In capping, recycled concrete aggregate is suitable for capping applications and embankments. Suitably graded recycled concrete aggregate can also be used as fill (Wrap, 2010). With regards to RCA properties, research carried out in Australia indicates that in general, recycled concrete can be used as natural aggregate in ready mixed concrete with satisfactory performance for low grade concrete. There are also marginal differences in compressive strength and a 10% reduction in strength characteristics. The issues are due to drying shrinkage which is higher compared with natural aggregates as well as a 10% difference in tensile properties (Guy R. Woolley, 2000). Waste arising from construction and demolition constitutes one of the largest waste streams within the European Union and many other countries. Construction demolition waste has become a global concern which is why a sustainable solution is needed. This is why recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) should be promoted, although the aggregate for concrete applications must meet the requirements set in relevant specifications for its particular use. Recycling and reuse of demolition waste may not always be economic or practical and in some cases may be impacted by the external issues i.e. regulatory and planning controls. If the construction industry and its need for aggregates are considered, then recycling of concrete would give both economic and environmental benefits as well as making the construction industry more sustainable (M C Limbachiya et al, 2004). (673 Words)

A Critique of Thank You for Smoking? :: Critical Essays

A Critique of â€Å"Thank You for Smoking†¦?† Peter Brimelow’s â€Å"Thank You for Smoking†¦?† had me interested from the title alone. This essay lists a few of the benefits that can occur from smoking. Bimelow is aware of the many dangers of smoking as he acknowledges â€Å"the Environmental Protection Agency has claimed that ‘second hand smoke’ is a significant risk for nonsmokers and the Food & Drug Administration is making noises about regulating nicotine as a drug† (The Genre of Argument 141). Brimelow’s essay gives some reasons why and how smoking can be beneficial in some small ways. The message Brimelow is trying to get out is that, â€Å"smoking might be, in some small ways, good for you† (141). Brimelow uses words and phrases such as â€Å"might be† and â€Å"some† to narrow down his major claim. Brimelow’s major claim that smoking can be healthy in some ways. In some studies, certain cancers have been shown to appear less in sm okers than nonsmokers. This leads us to believe that smoking may be beneficial in some ways. I think this essay is successful because of the evidence presented along with the narrow major claim. The author’s purpose in this essay is to show how smoking can be beneficial in some ways. Brimelow presents his credibility with studies from the International Journal of Epidemiology, New England Journal of Medicine, and Journal of the American Medical Association (Brimelow 142). He notes that smoking can both calm and stimulate people. Smoking has been shown to calm people while driving if they take long puffs. Smoking has also been shown to stimulate if taken in quick, short puffs. Brimelow reiterates this by telling us that â€Å"Current understanding is that nicotine is ‘amphoteric’ –that is, it can act to counter both conditions, depending on how it is consumed† (142). This is a reason how smoking can be beneficial. I would not think smoking could be beneficial in any way. However, Brimelow achieved his purpose in this essay and may have changed my mind. He used reliable resources for his evidence with studies that astonished me. I did not know some studies have shown some cancers to occur 50% less in smokers than nonsmokers. He gives a valid argument with these studies along with a theoretical example which I am still thinking about. A Critique of Thank You for Smoking? :: Critical Essays A Critique of â€Å"Thank You for Smoking†¦?† Peter Brimelow’s â€Å"Thank You for Smoking†¦?† had me interested from the title alone. This essay lists a few of the benefits that can occur from smoking. Bimelow is aware of the many dangers of smoking as he acknowledges â€Å"the Environmental Protection Agency has claimed that ‘second hand smoke’ is a significant risk for nonsmokers and the Food & Drug Administration is making noises about regulating nicotine as a drug† (The Genre of Argument 141). Brimelow’s essay gives some reasons why and how smoking can be beneficial in some small ways. The message Brimelow is trying to get out is that, â€Å"smoking might be, in some small ways, good for you† (141). Brimelow uses words and phrases such as â€Å"might be† and â€Å"some† to narrow down his major claim. Brimelow’s major claim that smoking can be healthy in some ways. In some studies, certain cancers have been shown to appear less in sm okers than nonsmokers. This leads us to believe that smoking may be beneficial in some ways. I think this essay is successful because of the evidence presented along with the narrow major claim. The author’s purpose in this essay is to show how smoking can be beneficial in some ways. Brimelow presents his credibility with studies from the International Journal of Epidemiology, New England Journal of Medicine, and Journal of the American Medical Association (Brimelow 142). He notes that smoking can both calm and stimulate people. Smoking has been shown to calm people while driving if they take long puffs. Smoking has also been shown to stimulate if taken in quick, short puffs. Brimelow reiterates this by telling us that â€Å"Current understanding is that nicotine is ‘amphoteric’ –that is, it can act to counter both conditions, depending on how it is consumed† (142). This is a reason how smoking can be beneficial. I would not think smoking could be beneficial in any way. However, Brimelow achieved his purpose in this essay and may have changed my mind. He used reliable resources for his evidence with studies that astonished me. I did not know some studies have shown some cancers to occur 50% less in smokers than nonsmokers. He gives a valid argument with these studies along with a theoretical example which I am still thinking about.

Critically analyze Brandom and Haugeland’s views regarding Cartesianism

The concept of Cartesianism is that every and/or any thing that can be doubted must be discarded, and ideally formulated anew in order to be cemented in truthfulness. Doubting is the first way of determining whether something is useful, and if it isn’t, you discard what you know and basically reinvent it in such a way that is useful. We apply this Cartesianism in a social context when we look at society, politics and the interactions of people on any communicative grounds.This would include linguistics, thinking and any other forms of interaction that form any kind of groundwork for social and societal interaction. Using Cartesianism, we can draw distinctions between such things. We will look at the notions of language, reasoning and thinking, in terms of the works of two philosophers, Robert Brandom and John Haugeland, with the emphasis on comparing and contrasting their unique views. Brandom: Freedom, Norms, Reason and ThoughtRobert Brandom’s views on personal freedom were rooted in the difference between how he perceived his forerunners on the subject matter; he compared and contrasted Kant and Hegel in his work ‘Freedom and Constraint by Norms’. In this work, he critically observes the foundation from which Kant and Hegel analyzed the ideas of personal freedom, as expressed – or refuted – by norms. In order to set out these principles – freedom and norms – we must first define them. Brandom had this to say about Kant’s viewpoint:One of the most suggestive responses to the first set of concerns has been developed by the Kantian tradition: the doctrine that freedom consists precisely in being constrained by norms rather than merely by causes, answering to what ought to be as well as what is. (1979, p. 187). We assume the fact here that norms are things which become established over time by society/community, and that they determine and decide how things should be done, by the individual and by the community.Where Kant pragmatically argued that society used norms to determine the individual’s actions, Brandom also included how Hegel proposed a different approach, from a different angle: The central feature determining the character of any vision of human freedom is the account offered of positive freedom (freedom to) – those respects in which our activity should be distinguished from the mere lack of external causal constraint (freedom from) †¦ (1979, p. 187). Brandom furthers his argument by taking his proposed solution into the domain of the linguistic.He argues that the basis of norms, with regards to their use in regulating society and the individual’s role therein, requires creative expression from individuals in order to promote the Hegelian concept of idealistic, ‘positive’ freedom. Ultimately, Brandom proposes a post-Hegelian solution, one which builds on Hegel’s initial statements and ideally assists the advancement of ind ividuals within a communal setting. In ‘A Social Route from Reasoning to Representing’, Brandom further explores the generally held principles that individual beings are capable of reasoning and reasonable thought processes.Because of this inherent trait, fostered in the upbringing of each individual, truth by inference or deductive reasoning becomes a cornerstone of the thoughts and actions of every individual. The exploration of the difference between actually thinking and thinking about something is established and represented by the accepted standard that individuals move in social circles, and so influence each other’s ideas and notions of reason. Common ground is found in these motions, or as Brandom qualifies, â€Å"the representational dimension †¦ reflects the social structure †¦ in the game of giving and asking for reason.† (2000, p. 183). Haugeland: Truth, Rules and Social Cartesianism John Haugeland approaches the idea behind the soci al establishments in much the same way as Brandom. He explores the same set of topics in his work ‘Truth and Rule-following’, where he mentions the idea of norms as being bound to rules and how the social circle comprised of unique individuals see such institutes. These rules are divided into factual and governing, with factual being held as understood and upheld by all and governing as normative; â€Å"how they ought to be† (Haugeland, 1998, p. 306).Haugeland also argues that these norms are upheld by a communal motion to associate and create similarities between individuals: conformity. He further proposes that social normativity can be grounded in biological normativity – the same principles and arguments can be applied, but only insofar as human beings are capable of reason, and that a biological body by contrast follows certain predetermined, preprogrammed sets or rules, while a reasoning mind can necessarily adapt around or expand on conditions and w ork beyond them, as a biological preset cannot.This supports the idea of governing norms being changeable, separate from objective truth. Also, social norms are enacted through the input of others, in a sense promoting a system where one member of the community checks up on the others, and vice versa. Haugeland’s case is concluded with an emphatic argument for the similarity and union between norms of reason (governing norms) and objective truth (factual norms) boiling down to being the same thing: both are in fact changeable, if in different, subjective ways.With ‘Social Cartesianism’, Haugeland explores the work of three other philosophers, objectifying the reason for his assumptions based on the use of philosophy in language, which all three works – the works of Goodman, Quine and Wittgenstein/Kripke – explore in some form. The reason for this analysis is Cartesian in origin. The first work, by Goodman, is an argument based on defining predicates – accepted rules – and testing the limits of their acceptability, in true, doubtful, Cartesian style.The work of Quine focuses on the elements of translation, of taking personally accepted norms and placing them over a culture with differing norms, thereby defining that culture according to our own way of doing things. Lastly, the debate ventured by Wittgenstein/Kripke is one of skepticism that proposes that all norms are social, not private: â€Å"In sum: if meanings must be normative, but individuals can’t impose norms on themselves, then private, individual meanings are impossible† (Haugeland, p. 219).Haugeland extrapolates that each one of these arguments is fundamentally flawed, based on the conclusion he draws regarding each of the three works’ shortcomings: they all fail to account for the real world, the world that everyone lives in and is affected by. Brandom versus Haugeland Perhaps the most obvious similarity between Brandom and Haugela nd’s individual accounts and reasoning is the fact that they approach the same kinds of topics: social situation, individuality, freedom, language and thought.Despite various approaches and held viewpoints, both are compelled to a certain Cartesian way of doing things, of discarding everything or anything that is not beyond doubt and recreating these things anew by using sound reasoning. Brandom is fond of referencing Kant and Hegel and placing them in opposition against each other, most notably in stating their viewpoints from necessity and polarity: Kant held the view that norms dictated freedom and individuality, whereas Hegel was more positive in expressing his views on freedom ultimately determining norms.In a similar fashion, Haugeland approached the subject of norms and normativity, and how they affected individuals, both linguistically and thoughtfully. We will look at the comparison of norms and normativity first, and then spread outward into linguistics and thought. The view of normativity being a deciding factor, most notably on a linguistic basis, for representing the two polarities of norms and facts, is upheld by both philosophers.Brandom sees norms as something which is instituted based on reason, on the idea that they are something that is held by a communal mindset and imposed on the individual. Facts in turn are things which are accepted as a given by not only individuals but also by the community. Focusing on linguistics, Brandom draws on translation, on the action of placing or transposing one set of accepted norms – from, say, one community’s point of view – onto another community’s point of view. Note here that Haugeland also referenced the idea of translation in his critique of Quine’s work.This poses the first real contrast between Brandom and Haugeland’s points of view: Brandom poses the idea that translation promotes assimilation: By translating, rather than causally explaining some per formance, we extend our community (the one which engages in the social practices into which we translate the stranger’s behavior) so as to include the stranger, and treat his performances as variants of our own. (1979, p. 191). The act of making something your own, drawing something or someone in from outside your boundaries, speaks of a shift of norms.Logically it can be argued that assimilating something new forces your way of thinking about something to be altered to accommodate what is new, even if what has been absorbed becomes a representation of something completely new and different. In this we see Brandom’s shift to the Hegelian idea of the novel, the new, being created in a positive sense in order to advance and enhance the communal whole. Haugeland contrasts by referencing Quine: â€Å"†¦ although the translations are different, there is no fact as to which of them is the ‘right’ one, because there is no ‘objective matter to be right or wrong about’.† (cited from Haugeland, ). Haugeland would seemingly disagree with Brandom’s use of translation as a means of successfully integrating norms, of taking norm and transforming it into fact. Translation still argues for something similar, not new: it presupposes a universal component that stretches through all languages. Judgment is another key concept, one bound to reason and thought. Brandom cites Kant once more in bringing to the fore the sense that one must act from thought, and that judging and acting requires a commitment, â€Å"staking a claim – undertaking a commitment† (1979, p. 164).Brandom repeats the basis of linguistics, of the game played between people, based on inference and the inherent ability to deduce and conclude. An individual can naturally deduce something spoken or gestured from another individual by making a commitment to do so. This commitment relies heavily on the shared understanding between individuals, th e factual norms that are referenced again and again as a means of achieving the communal awareness of similarity. Haugeland agrees here; linguistically, words must have a normal, generic meaning in order for the speaking individual to be understood.There must be common ground. He continues by saying that â€Å"meanings, by their very nature, are normative rules,† and emphasizes this dilemma by citing this example: And the essential problem is that individuals cannot impose norms on themselves. For that would be like taking a dictator, with absolute legal authority, to be bound by her own law. But she can’t really be bound by her own law since, given her authority, if she changes her mind and does something different, that just changes the law – which is equivalent to saying that the law did not bind her in the first place.Similarly †¦ an individual cannot, on his own authority, bind himself by his private norm. (Haugeland, , p. 219). The crux of this compar ison between Haugeland and Brandom is that both agree on the fact that law, in a sense, and rules, must be used to bind a norm, albeit a governing one – a norm based on reason. A person cannot be subject to his/her own norms, therefore the norms must be implemented from outside the individual; from the communal.Coming back to the linguistic component again, we can logically assume that language as a means of communication forms a regulating basis here. The words, actions and judgment of others forces a certain conformity, a means whereby an individual can operate and coexist within a community. Thought has always been at the core of the human need to define him/herself. The adage cogito ergo sum (I think therefore I am) has been advanced to more complex statements. Rene Descartes advanced dubito, ergo cogito, ergo sum (Latin for I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am) (Persaud, p. 259).Cartesian philosophy dwells deeply on thought processes, so it should be unsurprising t hat both Brandom and Haugeland spent some thought on the dynamics of applying Cartesian methods on the thought process. Haugeland praised Descartes’ input, going further than the original assumptions made by Descartes and stating that â€Å"The determinacy that matters here concerns not the formal reality of those ideas †¦ but rather their objective reality (roughly their intentional content as representations. ) (Haugeland, , p. 224). In other words, Haugeland implies that human individuals in isolation, as subjectively separate, is fairly unimportant.What matters ultimately is the collective, the union of all individuals in an objective community, not necessarily defined by the community but by their place in it, and their unique contributions to it. Brandom seems to agree by stating: The social dimension of inference [deduction] involved in the communication to others of claims that must be available as reasons [common ground] both to the speaker [individual] and to the audience [collective, community], in spite of differences in collateral commitments, is what underlies the representational dimension of discourse [communication]. (2000, p. 183).Summed up, the previous statement can be matched to Haugeland’s assumptions: the community is not the only important thing, but in order for norms, rules and laws to make sense regarding thought, language and freedom, the community or collective needs to operate on a standard of shared understanding, so that each unique individual can still function and interact with others despite the individuality. Conclusion Through using Cartesian principles regarding the discovery of usefulness, we have come to the conclusion that, with regards to using doubt as a means of determining an outcome or a reality, pragmatism is in fact a necessary element.Reality, as Haugeland would have us believe, is not simply determined by the individuals, communities and their norms only, but rather arises from the world we live in first, before casting a shadow of effects over the individual and the rest. We have argued that Brandom and Haugeland, though often different in their modes of expression and discourse, are nevertheless in agreement on many of the key aspects regarding norms, whether factual or governing, subjective or objective.At the end, Cartesian doubt influences thought, and thought influences language and interaction between people, yielding a collected sense of understanding and finally yielding a system of laws, rules and judgments that govern and regulate society and community. However, in conclusion it is perhaps better to emphasize Hegel’s idealism – as opposed to Kant’s pragmatism: that freedom be positive, to allow for creativity within the system and to not be bound by external causes such as rules and laws only. References Brandom, R. B. (2000). A Social Route from Reasoning to Representing.Articulating Reasons: an Introduction to Inferentialism. Cambridge , Harvard University Press. Brandom, R. B. (1979). Freedom and Constraint by Norms. American Philosophical Quarterly, Volume 16, 13, 87-196. Haugeland, J. (). Social Cartesianism. 213-225. Haugeland, J. (1998). Truth and Rule-following. Having Thought: Essays in the metaphysics of mind. Cambridge, Harvard University Press. Persaud, R. (2002) Ten Books. The British Journal of Psychiatry, Volume 181, 258-261, Retrieved May 17, 2008, from http://bjp. rcpsych. org/cgi/content/full/181/3/258.

Inclusion Is Thought To Be A Complex Education Essay

In general, inclusion of kids with particular educational demands in mainstream schools is an of import issue and all European states now have statute laws promoting inclusive educational scenes. ( Evans & A ; Lunt, 2002 ) . Even though inclusion has obtained assorted significances throughout the old ages, since the debut of the term in Warnock Report ( 1978 ) but besides through many Codes of Practice, the significance of effectual inclusion is still unclarified. ( Nind & A ; Wearmouth,2006 ) . So, it seems necessary, harmonizing to Unicef ( 2012 ) , to know apart inclusion from two other footings. First, segregation in which students are distributed to particular schools harmonizing to their damage. Second, from integrating in which pupils can be placed in mainstream schools but in separate, particular demands ‘ schoolrooms and be portion of this educational seeting every bit long as they adapt to its environment. Nevertheless, inclusion has a more embracing significance as i t proposes the suspension of all boundaries and a common assimilation of societal, cultural, curricular individuality of the kid but besides of the whole system. ( Nowich,2008 ; G, Richards et Armstrong 2011 ) . UNESCO refers this assimilation by stressing the duty of the society to offer instruction to everybody and by specifying that inclusion as a â€Å" procedure of increasing engagement in acquisition, civilizations and communities and cut downing exclusion within and from instruction † ( Unicef 2012,4p ) . This combination of increasing entree and besides of extinguishing exclusions led Booth ( 2003 ) to believe inclusion as an eternal process. However, it is something more than puting all kids, including those with SEN, in the same setting.It is, in contrast to integrating, the version of school to childrens ‘ demands. ( Heat et al. 2004 ) . However, it is non easy to comprehend the term of inclusion in theory but besides in practice.That is why Giddens ( 1994 ) refers to an â€Å" Utopian pragmatism † that many desire but few truly believe it can go on ( Croll & A ; Moses, 2000 ) while Slee ( 2004 ) metaphorically says that inclusion has become â€Å" jet lagged † in order to exemplify the assortment of definitions existed for inclusion throughout the years.Indeed, inclusion is hard to be understood and identified because of its diverseness and the deficiency of a planetary significance as in many states it is confused with integrating ( Armstrong,2005 ) . What is of import to comprehend is that we should see inclusion in a wider context in order to accomplish it.This agencies that if the purpose of extinguishing unintegrated instruction is successful, it is merely because society believes in inclusion and topographic points accent on persons ‘ rights and non on their acquisition troubles ( Thomas, 1997 ) . So, it is a affair of handling all kids every bit and non merely in the same manner ( Wedell, 2008 ) . This can be managed through a transmutation in the whole society and its rules and afterwards in every smaller context such as the educational 1†¦ . On the other manus, SEBD is besides considered a obscure term and hard to be understood because of deficiency of lucidity and the diverseness of their features. Consequently, inclusion of kids who are labelled as holding SEBD raises many treatments throughout the old ages. ( Cole & A ; Knowles 2011 ) .Nevertheless, it was non until 1981 through the Education Act that emotional and behavioral troubles ( EBD ) as a term was introduced and accepted for the first time.The old Educational Act ( 1944 ) had instigated the term â€Å" maladjusted † by doing a more medical attack of these troubles whereas in the 19th century, these students were confused with delinquents or â€Å" mental defectives † . ( Cole & A ; Knowles 30p. ) However, despite the abolition of †maladjusted kids † as a definition, the Education Act continued to advance integrating and non the inclusion of people with particular demands in general†¦ ..Besides, this advancement from covering the se pupils as being maladjusted or holding emotional upsets to kids with multiple troubles was besides considerable for switching off from the medical theoretical account and traveling towards the societal 1†¦ †¦ Many research workers argue that there is non a globally accepted definition for kids with emotional and behavioral troubles ( see e.g Benett & A ; Aalsvoort, 2005 ) even though many alterations in policy have been made through governmental paperss in order to advance inclusion of these pupils in mainstream schools ( Goodman, 2010 ) . It is used as a â€Å" quasi-official term † that concerns pupils ‘ behavior described as â€Å" riotous † , â€Å" exlcuded † , â€Å" disputing † or â€Å" at hazard † ( Clough, Garner, Pardek, Yuen 2005 p.7 ) . Despite the vagueness and the multiple definitions existed, there have been many governmental alterations that increase the opportunities for pupils with SEN such as those characterised as holding SEBD to be portion of mainstream instruction. ( Goodman & A ; Burton 2010 ) . For case, SEN Code of Practice explains SEBD as: â€Å" a acquisition trouble where kids and immature people demonstrate characteristics of emotional and behavioral troubles such as: being withdrawn or isolated, interrupting and disrupted ; being overactive and deficient concentration ; holding immature societal accomplishments ; or showing disputing behavior originating from other complex particular demands † ( DCSF 2008, paragraph 49 ) . Indeed, it is an imprecise term, as Goodman and Burton note, that is connected with many different behaviors, internalizing and projecting but besides with other troubles such as the job in acquisition or the hyperactivity. However, one of the most of import issues that might be raised is how teaching and inclusion can be effectual when the significance of umbrella footings such as SEN or SEBD have so many premises. ( Campbell 2002 ) .Furthermore, contemplations should be made about how to gain the purposes of inclusion and why all these barriers for its accomplishment exist.Is it appropriate to speak about a spread between theory and pattern? Jull ( 2009 ) summarises that inclusion of kids with SEBD faces many jobs in execution because of deficiency of educational and administrative administration but besides because of the behavior itself of pupils as the chief trouble to accomplish inclusion.Indeed, kids with SEBD are at great hazard of being excluded ( DfeS, 2004 ) as their antis ocial behavior is thought to be a great challenge ( White Paper 2010 ; Green Paper, 2007 ) . The troubles briefly outlined above high spot the complexness of inclusion of kids identified as holding SEBD in UK context as there is a scope of issues, challenges and quandary being raised. As a consequence, after analyzing these barriers, I will propose possible ways frontward to get the better of them. Furthermore, I will reason that despite the jobs and contemplations, inclusion can be achieved but in order to be effectual, a whole transmutation must be occurred in society and educational scenes. Therefore, I will do connexions to my ain personal experience in Greece as a six months volunteer instructor of handicraft and linguistic communication to striplings and grownups with high-functioning autism and Down syndrome who besides faced emotional and behavioral diificulties.