Aristotle Life Of Contemplation Is The Best One Philosophy Essay

Aristotle Life Of Contemplation Is The Best One Philosophy Essay In the writings of Aristotles Nicomachean Ethics and the Book X, he discusses the idea of contemplative life how happiness can be established through virtue. In this paper, I will argue the reasons Aristotle has provided in establishing his theory that a contemplative life is the best life to live, and provide reasons as to why I believe his arguments are compelling enough to be considered truthful. To establish an understanding on Aristotles ideas about contemplative life, we must first recognize the relations he makes between pleasure and virtue. Aristotle refers to the ences to virtue are in relation to virtues linked to the soul instead of the body. He divides the soul into three parts, the nutritive soul, the desiring soul and the reasoning soul. Of the three parts of the soul, only the reasoning soul is unique to humans and thus sets us apart. Reasoning is what sets us apart from all other animals, which leads Aristotle to conclude that reasoning is the function of human life. He goes on to state that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦evidently happiness must be placed among those desirable in themselves, not among those desirable for the sake of something else; for happiness does not lack anything, but is self-sufficientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ And of this nature virtuous actions are thought to be (Aristotle, p.46). Aristotle begins by stating that pleasure à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ is thought to be most intimately connected with our human nature à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ it is thought, too, that to enjoy the things we ought and to hate the things we ought has the greatest bearing on virtue of character (Aristotle, p.43). Aristotle starts to discuss what would be accepted as a good pleasure and a bad pleasure, and believes that there are certain lives we would reject because they are bad no matter how much pleasure it may bring. He continues to conclude that pleasure is due to activity and since no one is continuously pleasedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ human beings are incapable of continuous activity (Aristotle, p. 45). Aristotle comes to the conclusion that If happiness is activity in accordance with virtue it should be in accordance with the highest virtue (Aristotle, p. 47), this brings about the question of what the highest virtue is. Based on his earlier conclusions, pleasure is related to activity and virtue, so the highest virtue must produce the most pleasure; Aristotle believes that the function of man is reasoning and thus continues to conclude that the greatest virtue would be to fulfill the function of man. This concludes that the highest virtue would be reasoning and thus a life of contemplation would be the best life. Aristotle continues to support this conclusion, firstly, this activity is the best (since not only is reason the best thing in us, but the object of reason are the best of knowable objects); and secondly, it is the most continuous, since we can contemplate truth more continuously that we can do anything. And we think happiness has pleasure mingled with it, but the activity of philosophic wisdom is admittedly the pleasantest of virtuous activities (Aristotle, p.47). He believes that contemplation is not only the highest virtue but it is self-sufficient, which he believes is another reason why contemplation is the best type of life, it does not rely solely on intrinsic values that other lives depend on. And the self-sufficiency that is spoken of must belong most to the contemplative activity. For while a philosopher. As well as a just man or one possessing any other virtue, needs the necessaries of life, when they are sufficiently equipped with things of that sort the just man needs pe ople towards whom and with whom he shall act justly, and the temperate man, the brave man and each of the others is in the same case, but the philosopher, even when by himself, can contemplate truth, and the better the wiser he is; he can perhaps do so better if has fellow-workers, but still he is the most self-sufficient. And this activity alone would seem to be loved for its own sake; for nothing arises from it apart form the contemplating, while from practical activities we gain more or less apart from the action (Aristotle, p.47). Aristotle switches focus to the life of the Gods. He states, We assume the gods to be above all other beings blessed and happy (Aristotle, p.48). Aristotle continues in saying that the gods have no need for the things humans fuss about. He sees these actions as trivial and unworthy of the gods (Aristotle, p.48). Still the gods live and must do something to occupy the time, he does not believe that they sleep, and such if they do no worry about human worries and are not in a state of constant sleep Aristotle concludes that they must be in a state of contemplation. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦if you take away from a living being action, and still more production, what is left but contemplation? (Aristotle, p.48). Aristotle argues that the life of reason and contemplation will be the happiest, since the Gods are the happiest of us all, and they a life of contemplation. Therefore the activity of God, which surpasses all others in blessedness, must be contemplative; and of human activities, therefore, that which is most akin to this must be most of the nature of happiness (Aristotle, p.48). When examining Aristotles reasoning behind his belief that the contemplative life is the best life, his explanation for the belief that pleasure is linking to the fulfillment of the function of humans reasoning and thus contemplation is very well thought out and the ideas are very plausible. Aristotles belief is further strengthened by his explanation of the gods and their way of life. Aristotles explanation of mankind and the life of contemplation are very convincing. Hes idea that the functional character of humans is reason, seems to be true, since it is indeed what separates us from all other animals (as far as we know). If that is the difference in which separates humans from animals, and that pleasures are drawn from virtues, then Aristotles link between the function of humans and the highest virtue leads to a contemplative life. It would seem only logical that best life for a human to live would be a contemplative life that is self-sustaining. Aristotle believes that since the gods live a contemplative life that we should as well. He explains that the gods have no need for things that humans worry about, will not the gods seem absurd if they make contracts and return deposits, and so on? Acts of brave men, then confronting dangers and running risks because it is noble to do so? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the circumstances of action would be found trivial and unworthy of the gods (Aristotle, p.48). Aristotle continues to point out that since they do not part-take in these actions that they would only be lift with the action of contemplation. This action would be most worthy of the gods since contemplation is seen as acquiring wisdom, and since the gods are wise and powerful, it would only make sense that the wise are continuously contemplating. Since humans fear gods, we push ourselves to please them, use the gods as an example of how to live ones own life. Therefore it would only be logical that if the gods lived a life of contemplati on, that as the followers of god one would try to live a life of contemplation as well.

Unemployment in Rwanda

Unemployment in Rwanda Rwanda is one of the smallest low income African countries and a post- conflict country that shares boundaries with Uganda in north, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in west, Burundi in south and Tanzania in east, Having emerged from the 1994 genocide and civil conflict and wars which claimed over one million people dead and left the socio-economic infrastructure completely smashed. The country suffered from harsh deficits which includes skilled human capital and this is largely for technical professions (RoR: 2008). According to the 2002 census of Population and Housing, Rwanda`s Population was estimated at 10,4 million and with the population density of 321 persons per square kilometre. The country`s Population grew rapidly from a small size Population of 2 million in 1962 to over 10 million in 2010. The country has a relatively high rate population growth of 2.9% which could carry on the population to sixteen million in the year 2020, if this pace or speed is maintained. The population is predominately young with an average age of about 20 years of old with about 60% of the total population less than 19 years old with significant implications for young people `s unemployment (RoR:2002). The young people in Rwanda represents hope for the future as a resource that holds a big reserve of human energy, and they can play a big role particularly in developing the economy. Rwanda being one of the poorest countries in the world and much of her population is largely dependent on subsistence farming or agriculture in general. The formal industrial and employment is slightly developed and nearly non-existent outside the few larger urban areas basically Kigali main capital city, followed by smaller cities such as Huye, Cyangugu, Ruhengeri, Gisenyi, Gitarama, Kibuye and Rwamagana. Over the past decades ,the youth in Rwanda have depended so much on employment generated by the Public Sector as the sole employer mainly due to ineffective policy framework that would facilitate the processes of generating employment ( RoR: 2005 ). Lack of active government input and facilitation has been one of the top most challenging factors among others. In the process of improving the lives and the standards of the population in Rwanda, the country has embarked on supporting and facilitating the informal sector as a means to generate more employment opportunities to vulnerable people especially the youth and has implemented policies to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other Rural Development Programmes like Vision Umurenge, Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS) and the Vision 2020 as a framework to achieve the overall development in Rwanda ( RoR: 1999). Rwanda is trying to change from an aid dependent country into a middle income country by developing its human capital with skills in different capacities to enhance employment creation for the entire population which is dominated by the youth. The Government of Rwanda established five year action plan for youth employment promotion and the strategies which is meant to help in developing her human capital by empowering the young people in the labour market so as to get decent jobs (RoR:2008). It is in this regard that, the government has developed a number of vocational training institutions in all five Provinces (that makes up Rwanda) purposely to help the young people to gain certain level of skills to enable them become self-employed and make use of their effort in development. Nicola, (2005), argues that vocational education normally is projected to make young people become self reliant. This supports the argument that vocational education for young people is to become creative with necessary skills that enables them to start their own undertakings. However, many studies in developing countries show numerous constraints in vocational training institutions, a situation whereby vocational training graduates hardly succeed when trying to seek economic activities or create employment, (Haan,2006).Yet the main goal of vocational training institutions is to prepare young people to fit in the labour market. Based on the above views, this will necessitate the researcher to draw attention to the perceptions of the trainees from vocational institutions. The case of Rwanda`s vocational education system which lacks a sound and stable standard setting in place, this has created problems of low quality education that is somewhat not relevant to the current labour market which is competitive and tight as a result of large labour force supply in the country. 1.2 Statement of the problem It is claimed that, young people always consider gaining skills as sole source of solving the unemployment problem for them and it is regarded as a form of transition for them to join the independent life style. Sen.(1997), argues that skills and knowledge can enhance human capability, a situation whereby young people can be able to make their own choices to lead lives they have reason to value. A recent initiative of the government of Rwanda to address the rampant unemployment trend in the labour market among the young people is the setting up of Workforce Development Authority (WDA). This institution was set up to improve the standards of vocational institutions in a country and play a regulatory role and working under the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Public Service and Labour but still a lot is missing due to; limited qualified personnel in training programmes, lack of experience for young people seeking employment, Inadequate skills to prepare the young people with enoug h capability upon the labour market standards , poor education system (RoR: 2010). The high rate of unemployment in Rwanda is a result of poor education system which prepares young people basically for white collar jobs which have been declining across time.( RoR: 2002). The country`s formal unemployment rate is 15.5% and this impacts on nearly 696,260 persons (RoR:2005). The government of Rwanda has embarked on increasing expenditure on education sector and this has led to increased labour force supply from vocational training institutions. This has also led to increased demand for jobs within a tight labour market of Rwanda that is actually dependent on public jobs. This has led to a large crowd of unemployed young people based on the fact that the labour force supply exceeded the labour demands in the labour market and as a result of poor education system ,there is often smaller number of young graduates who are able to create their own employment. In Rwanda, the private sector is mainly underdeveloped and this is also one of the major cause of a large crowd of unemployed young people in a country. In this case, the public sector remains the principal employer compared to the formal private sector (segment) yet public sector employs a small fraction of the employable inhabitants (RoR: 2007). The agricultural sector is the largest employer among the sectors in the country, but this sector is largely less productive and this is due to smaller range (size) of land share as per-person in the country, the land is often very small with less than 1 (one) hectare per-person/ inhabitant. This contributes to low output and low incomes to the rural dwellers, who are the majority of whom the young people and women, such people would be employed in other sectors ( RoR: 2002). The economically active and dynamic population that is active is estimated at 4,493,000 and among those 45% are men and 55% are women counter- parts. out of the above population, 2,334,000 are in the age bracket of young people in the country ranging from 15-29 years of age, where as 1,153,000 are under 20 years of age (RoR:2004). Besides that, because of poor education and curriculum systems, the skills and competencies acquired by the young people from the vocational training institutions do not match with the requirements of labour market mainly because VET graduates often lack some confidence to stand on their own capabilities to start self-employment. The issue of self-employment has been worsened by the general lack of active labour market policies in place to facilitate the creation of employment for young people and active youth employment promotion policies in place which can also influence the decisions to avail credits and information pertaining job opportunities for unemployed young people from vocational training who may be troubled by the lack of initial capital to start the entrepreneurship businesses (RoR: 2008). As it was suggested and adopted by UNESCO (1974) in a vital recommendation that, technical and vocational education is an essential component of general education and as a system of preparing for occupational-workers and as a mechanism to shrink the mismatches involving trainings and employment. Many young people are said to be trapped-up and hardly make it to start self-employment in the labour market. Thus, this study seeks to assess the effectiveness of vocational training institutions in building human capital as well as their capabilities in terms of giving the necessary skills and competencies required by young people to be self-employed in the labour market and the necessary strategies to alleviate the above constraints faced by the young people in the labour market. 1.3 Research objective and research questions 1.3.1 Main objective of the research The objective of this research paper is to assess the labour market situation for the young people in Rwanda with reference of Gasabo District in Kigali-City. Emphasis is given to young people who graduate from vocational education and training going into self-employment. It tries to discover the mismatch between skills young people have and the desired competencies for self-employment in the current labour market. 1.3.2 Specific objectives of the research To identify the journeys into self-employment taken by young people from vocational education and training in Rwanda, To find out the perceptions of young people over the challenges they face during the course of training and how well education and training has prepared them for those challenges, To analyse the major challenges the young people encounter when taking their journeys to self- employment, To suggest policy recommendations to be adopted so as to improve the labour market situations for the young people in Rwanda. 1.3.3 Research Questions What are the economic journeys taken by young people from vocational training into self-employment in Rwanda? What are the perceptions of young people over the challenges they face during the course of training and how well education and training has prepared them for those challenges? What are the major constraints the young people encounter when taking their journeys to self-employment? What policy recommendations should be made to encourage an environment of adequate skills and capability desired in the labour market? 1.4 Relevance and justification of the research study The research study is relevant as it tries to make a good understanding of the concepts of self-employment developed by training and a labour market concept which is rather weak among several vocational training institutions in Rwanda. This paper provides response to the common mismatch of skills acquired from vocational institutions that impinges so much on the position of young people in Rwanda`s current labour market. It will also enable the concerned parties to recognize whether self-employment policies and programmes in place are relevant towards addressing the high rate of unemployment among the young people in Rwanda. It will create a platform to initiate debates on youth employment promotion policies which might be useful in addressing the unemployment problem which has affected the young people in Rwanda`s labour market and the world of work in a global perspective. Besides that, this research provides useful literature and knowledge for future reviews based on the theoretical views and opinions of several cited authors from the world of academia that are included in this research paper. This research study is also relevant especially when it seeks to make policy recommendations as an aspect that will help in building institutional capacities and as well as building human capabilities. 1.5 Research Methodology and sources of data. The research is based on both primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected from respondents from the chosen area of study comprising of the beneficiaries of training programmes. The researcher identified young individuals who are graduates from vocational training institutions. The total number of interviewee was thirty five (35) respondents from Gasabo District and Government officials. This helped the researcher to collect data on the quality of the education system provided by the vocational training education institutions in Rwanda and was able to capture information on the perceptions of young people on the standards of the education system provided to them, after they graduate and how it is helpful or inadequate in as far as labour market is concerned. 1.5.1 Sample size and sampling procedures The ideal exercise in a research study is to find data from the whole population. This would guarantee maximum coverage/ treatment of population concerned in the research study. However, due to lack of resources, it was not feasible to study the whole population; In this case, a sample size was then deemed necessary and essential to satisfy the researcher`s study. With the use of purposive sampling method, respondents presumed to have clear/understandable and enough information concerning the economic journeys of the young people into self-employment were consulted. To get rich and enough information about young peoples transition into self employment, I purposively selected thirty (30) self-employed young respondents. For better understanding what the government is doing / planning to encourage self employment to young people in Rwanda, I selected 5 Government officials, two from the Ministry of Public Service and Labour, one official from the Ministry of Youth and two officials from the Ministry of Education and were interviewed. Thus, the sample size of the study totalled to 35 respondents. The selection of 30 young respondents that were interviewed fell in age range of 15-35 years old as being stipulated by Rwandan constitution of 2003-2004 determining who the youth are. 1.5.2 Research techniques Interviews To get primary data, it was decided to interview 35 respondents. Before holding interviews with respondents, the researcher had first to make contacts with the help of telephones calls. Using interview guide, the researcher interviewed 30 young self-employed people in Gasabo District. To know what the government is doing or planning for self employment for young people in Rwanda, 2 officials from the Ministry of Public Services and Labour, 2 officials from the Ministry of Education and 1 official from the Ministry of Youth were also interviewed. Semi-structured interviews each lasting for up 30-35 minutes were conducted. The interview questions varied in form and emphasis based on the interviewee but were based on the research questions mentioned above. In some cases, some prompts were incorporated, for example, around the nature of self-employment and the transition of young people as a starting point for informants giving their views about self-employment as a form of employment in the labour market. With respect to the qualitative practice (Davies: 1997), a mostly unrestricted/open-ended interview timetable was used to guide the conversation and discussion. The interview calendar was purposefully considered to allow informants to articulate/express themselves unreservedly and to raise their personal issues and concerns relating to the transition of young people towards self- employment in the real world of work. The interview schedules helped very the researcher to understand as well as studying the attitudes, values, beliefs and motives the young people have in as far as self-employment is concerned. The study interviews were conducted in English, but in some cases Kinyarwanda (local language) was used, with the interview transcripts which was translated into English afterwards. Desk study For the concern of secondary data collection, a desk study was used. The study concentrated on secondary data from diverse sources, but mainly from the ISS/Erasmus University library, official government publications/documents from Rwanda related to the issue of investigation, Internet sources was very crucial among other sources, Many reports and other relevant sources were also consulted during the research paper writing period. 1.6 Scope and limitations of the research study This research study focuses on the young self-employed people, and who have above average levels of education in Rwanda taking Gasabo District in Kigali-City as a case study. Due to time restriction and inadequate resources/funds, the research study could not cover the entire country, the research was conducted in Gasabo District in Kigali- City. Gasabo District being surrounded by the three Districts that constitute Kigali-City Mayor ship was considered because of the following reasons: Gasabo District is situated in the centre of Kigali-city where most of the commercial activities and many businesses takes palace, and as well government administrative offices and none governmental organization offices are located. The district is presumed to be having somewhat/ fairly well developed infrastructures in place as well as road networks, water, electricity with the planned settlements and more easily reached communities and this can facilitate those who seek self-employment and as well as employment creation per se. In this case the young people after their training may decide to stay around with their relatives while trying to find what to do in their bid to seek self-employment in tight labour market. Gasabo District was chosen because the district is presumed with a big number of young people that are self-employed relatively bigger compared to Nyarugenge and Kicukiro Districts that also make up Kigali-City. Gasabo Districts takes a bigger part of Kigali-city. Pertaining to the limitations, the researcher came across quite a lot of challenges. Which created some unexpected inconvenience in the field during data collection and they may included; Bureaucratic tendencies from some of the selected interviewees especially government officials was the most problem that frustrated the researcher so much. The scheduling of appointments with the respondents was proved to be time consuming and took most of the researchers time. However, to overcome this, several appointments were made and this pro-longed the time of data collection than the earlier planned time. Further to that, with the introductory letter from ISS/Erasmus university stating the intention of the research, several respondents started welcoming the researcher and they could spare 20-35 minutes for discussion during interviews. Language problem also delayed the progress of data collection in the field at several instances. This is mainly for the reason that most of the Official documents are prepared in French and the responses of the young people were given in Kinyarwanda Language. Irrespective of such difficulties and challenges the researcher encountered in the process of data collection, on the other hand, the data collection went well because some friends of mine helped me in translating a number of helpful related materials such as policy documents from French to English and some from Kinyarwanda into English. Samer and Bennell (2001:7) pointed out that there are generally serious inconveniences with the way in which persons are selected and traced, This implies that, the samples size were biased and not really representative of the whole population size of the young self-employed people under investigation. In this case, there could be many other young people who might have come up with different views and responses during data collection. 1.7 The organization of the research paper This research paper is structured into five chapters. Chapter 1 presents a general idea of what this research paper expected to find out and how to tackle it. It includes the general introduction of the research, problem statement of the research, the relevance and justification of the research study, objectives and research questions of the research study. It also highlights the scope and limitations of the research, the research methods and the research techniques that were used in collecting the desired data. Chapter 2 is made up of the conceptual and theoretical framework of the research. This section presents in length and gives a discussion on the concepts used according to a number of scholars. Basically this chapter concentrates rigorously on the associated concepts like: youth, transition from school-to-work, self-employment, competencies, skills, determinants of self-employment, social networks, importance of self-employment and limitations/ barriers that self-employed young people are troubled with and employment search theory. Chapter 3 presents an overview of VET programmes in the Rwandan context by giving the general picture of TVET education system pertaining to vocational education and training provided to the young people in Rwanda (TVET as an umbrella for VET programmes). Chapter 4 presents research findings and interpretations. It starts by presenting the general profile and the structure of Gasabo District as the case study for this research. It evidently shows how the collected data was analysed in connection to research questions, the economic journeys young people take to become self-employed, perceptions and expectations of the young people, forms of economic activities being done by the young people in the context of Rwanda`s labour market, factors contributing to long duration of transition to self-employment among the young people in Gasabo District. Chapter 5 offers some of the critical reflections on the research findings and recommendations and general conclusion that covers a summary of responses to the research questions and objectives of this research study. Chapter 2: Conceptual and Theoretical Framework 2.1 Introduction This chapter presents the conceptual and theoretical frameworks and which also provides a basis for this research. It covers concepts such as; youth in other words who are the young people?, Skills, competencies, self-employment, wage employment, determinants of self-employment, social-networks, importance of self-employment, limitations/ barriers of self-employment and that is also followed be the employment search theory. 2.2 Working concepts and definitions 2.2.1 Youth The concept of youth/ young people varies from one community to another, depending on customs and traditions, social behaviour and location (Curtain: 2001). According to the United Nations (UN), the standard clarity of youth comprises of people aged between 15-24 years old. However, In Rwandan context, with reference to the current constitution version 2003-2004, it defines youth as a fraction of people aged between15-35 year old. 2.2.2 Skills As cited by Awortwe-Abban (2009) in the words of Nelson and Winter in their perspective of evolutionary theory, they defined the concept of skill as a capability for smooth progression of coordinated performance that is normally effective relatively to its objectives, given the context in which it often occurs (Awortwe-Abban: 2009). In this case, individuals or young people may be able to engage themselves in different undertakings whereby, they can be able to discover, consider and at the same time evaluate possible likely changes in their ways of doing things. This concept of skill is applicable to this research study mainly because without provision of proper and adequate skills such as technical skills, business skills and many other skills to young people, entering the labour market could be difficult. This could also be a hindrance to labour supply in any labour market and self-employment opportunities per se. thus, many opportunities could remain idle and untapped mainly not b ecause of restrictions but due of lack of skills desired in the labour market. 2.2.3 Competence This concept of competence refers to a certain level of standardized requirement for an individual to practically perform a specific occupation or a task in a world of work. However, competencies are often judged as a combination of knowledge and skills required for an individual to perform a specific role adequately and professionally (Raven and Stephenson: 2001). This concept is applicable in this research study because, it is part of the training output acquired during the period of career training from vocational training institutions. And once young people are not given chance to learn some of the desired competences which would make them ready to be self-employed, they can always remain unemployed and dependants on the existing employers of the formal sector and informal sector. According to Eraut (2003), competence is defined as; the ability of individuals to perform errands and roles necessary and obligatory to the expected standards while Mandon et al (1998) admittedly, pointed out that, competence refers to the capacity of a person to do something. It should however be noted that competence is viewed as being holistic because it is comprised of the subject matter of knowledge, abilities and qualities of doing work or any activity in a diverse manner. However, for purposes of this study, the concept of competence could imply as the capability to apply knowledge and skills in practice. In this case, lack of vocational based training competencies could hinder the economic journeys that young people make to start self-employment in a tight in labour market. In other words, why the very people who are prepared for self-employment find it so cumbersome join the labour market. In this case, the research findings will provide suitable answers to such alarming is sues. 2.2.4 Self-employment From economic perspective, self-employment is a form of economic activity that provides the opportunity for individuals to improve their quality of life and/or for exploring creative entrepreneurial opportunities (Bryson and White: 1996). They argue that self-employment especially among the young people is considered mostly to be economically vulnerable and this could be a result of lack of improved economic policies and programmes that promote and facilitate self- employment amongst the young people through the provision of access to credit and business development services, networking as well as other forms of support. The young people consider self-employment as their best preference. This is based on the competencies they are given from the training which also allows them to venture into new small economic activities or entrepreneurial activities . There is also a range of motivating factors such as; the desire for self-expression and independence (Bryson and White: 1996 ). The purpose of self-employment as a concept in this study is to address the journeys and transitions that young people take in order to start their own employment that is related to their professions, skills and competences they possess as VET graduates. Despite the fact that, all VET young graduates are trained to be in specific occupations many fail to become self-employed rapidly. This will be evidenced in the subsequent chapters. 2.2.5 Wage employment This is a form of employment where a person receives wages in return for selling his/her own labour. Wage employment also occurs in both the formal and informal economy. Blanchflower (2000) pointed out that, many young people start out in wage employment and switch to self-employment at some point in their career. this could be a reason of financial constraints and it happens when your entrepreneurs wants to build up savings in their first job/employment. The difference of wage employment and self-employment is that wage employment involves less risks than self-employment in the labour market. 2.3 Transition from school-to-work/ labour market Conceptually, the transition from school-to-work is considered as a new development which is associated with change of life in development. In addition to that, it is also seen as a period where by individuals leave formal education and join the labour market. This form of transition takes place at any level of education. The school-to-work agenda gives chance to a number of long standing issues concerning schooling, employment creation and training programmes. These issues are now seen as part of a distinct practice and process. According to (OECD, 1998) the transition from school to work is defined as that period between the end of compulsory education and accomplishment of steady employment opportunity. The success of transition from school-to-work for young people highly depend on how such young people are able to secure economic activities and any other form of employment occupation in world of work that is gainful, which is the principal aim for young people when they finish formal education. For the case of developing countries like Rwanda respectively, the possibilities of employment opportunities are largely embedded in the informal sector, which is predominant in the labour market of Rwanda and this is because there are few opportunities in the formal sector of the economy (Nwuke: 2002). The young people often desire to be helped in taking helpful actions when they are to discover how to make satisfying lives on their own sake. In this case, the school-to-work transition for young people requires steady forms of mentoring and apprenticeship programs to become the core practices in the whole process which pertains school-to-work- transition in the labour market. Active labour market policies can also play an essential role in facilitating the transition school to the world of work. These policies mainly include formal employment and self-employment policies (Higgins, 2001: 110). The relevance of such policies is that they play an imperative role by incorporating the needy young people who fails to be absorbed into the labour market with some skills which enables young people to be more active. Such policies would include individuals capabilities. Blackely, (1990) pointed out that, such policies can facilitate the process of economic journeys by leading to programmes which makes economic journeys for young people successful and productive. 2.4 Determinants of self-employment for the young people Different factors determine self-employment outcomes for young people in both formal and informal sectors in developing countries. For self-employment to prevail in any economic situation, the following factors seem to be crucial: Access to credit and business development services such as basic business skills, business experience and availability of market opportunities play a fundamental role in the establishment and exploitation of gainful employment to young people (Chigunta et al. 2002: 25). Access to finances is a decisive factor for the creation of self-employment to the young people. However, young men and women often faced with the general lack to access credit in order to start their own entrepreneurial businesses and often they do not have collateral securities to have access to credits from formal financial institutions. This has been the case in many countries including the common wealth

An Interpretation of Kant’s Metaphysical Deduction of the Categories Es

In what appears to be an important section of the Critique of Pure Reason, when Kant attempts to show the natural connection between the table of judgment and the table of categories, there is a cryptic little paragraph: The same function that gives unity to the different representations in a judgment also gives unity to the mere synthesis of different representations in an intuition, which, expressed generally, is called the pure concept of understanding. The same understanding, therefore, and indeed by means of the very same actions through which it brings the logical form of a judgment into concepts by means of the analytical unity, also brings a transcendental content into its representations by means of the synthetic unity of the manifold in intuition in general, on account of which they are called pure concepts of the understanding that pertain to objects a priori; this can never be accomplished by universal logic. A79, B105 This paragraph is purported to be the possible key to understanding the argument for the deduction of the categories, and is often referred to as the metaphysical deduction of the categories. Kant will attempt to use the forms of logical judgment to deduce the forms of cognitions in general. The passage contains two sentences, but is nearly unapproachable, even at the level of individual clauses. However, it contains an important step in the argument of the critique, one that not only allows Kant to move between the table of judgments and the table of categories, but also that indicates the transcendental role of the understanding; the way in which intellectual conditions operate to allow the possibility of experience, made manifest by an examination of logic. Points of Interpretation The ‘pu... ...lieve that the first sentence contains premises that imply a conclusion contained in the second sentence. Indeed they are premises about what is known about the understanding a priori, and lead to a conclusion that is not surprising, once the premises are properly understood. 3 I can see why someone might see the first sentence as containing the conclusion of the argument, but they could only be so motivated if they read 'the pure concept of understanding' as the categories in general, but they would seem to be committed to saying that the categories operate in general logic as the analytic unity, which, from my point of view, does not seem like the right reading. 4 The knowledge element of experience is given in judgment form, but I am not sure if Kant wants to admit non-knowledge elements into experience, passions, etc...

Essay --

Desertification is an increasing global issue that has caused many concerns throughout the world. Desertification affects mostly Africa; however it has (and still is) taking its toll on the Arabian Peninsula, southern Asia, Australia, southern South America, and the southwest region of the North American continent (â€Å"Desertification†, 2013). According to â€Å"Desertification: A Forgotten Threat†, every year, some 23,000 square miles of arable and range land are uncontrollably lost to desert, leaving an exceeding amount of consequences for the entire globe to face. As alarming as this fact is, it is important to understand the negative effects that desertification exerts on these affected areas, exactly what this problem is, what it is doing, why it’s happening, why it is important, and what global communities, as well as world leaders can do to prevent it from spiraling out of control in the future. This paper will focus on the physical and economical hards hips due to desertification, the causes of it, the necessary measures that should be taken to prevent it, as well as the importance of spreading global awareness regarding this topic. According to a statement made by UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) on December 10, 1993, â€Å"Desertification is ‘one of the most serious global environmental problems’† (â€Å"Desertification: Not About, 1994). When discussing the topic of desertification, two common questions are, â€Å"What is desertification exactly, and how is it possible for the desert to advance?† Desertification is a term that describes â€Å"the loss of productive land to desert† (â€Å"Desertification†, 2013). It’s a common, innocent public misconception that the desert is advancing; however, this in fact is not the case. When an area u... ...ined areas. Strongly supported by the UN Development Program’s Office to Combat Desertification and Drought, the CCD is the first treaty to demand full participation by local populations. This way, countries can learn from each other, passing on scientific and technical knowledge† (â€Å"Desertification: A Forgotten Threat†, 1999). As one can see, desertification is a serious matter at hand. Creating laws and setting limits to farmers can slow the desertification process slowed down. Actions need to be taken now in order to save the precious land. If nothing is done, the future of important nations will be dark as they are forced to face a myriad of economical and biological hardships. Additionally, there could very well be wars over land and water, causing the affected country to sink deeper and deeper into a viscous pit due to the malicious cycle of desertification.

Discuss Chaucers comic method in the Millers Prologue and Tale Essay

Discuss Chaucer's comic method in the Miller's Prologue and Tale. Combine your personal response with reference to other critical opinion at relevent points in your argument. The Miller's Tale is undoubtedly Chaucer's most crude and vulgar work, but how far did Chaucer intend for there to be a moral to his story? Are we supposed to sympathise with the jealous but 'sely' carpenter when the wife whom 'he lovede moore than his lyf' is unfaithful to him? Should we take pity on Absolon when his 'love-longynge' leads him to the riotous 'misplaced kiss'? We are warned not to 'maken ernest of game' in the Miller's Prologue, and we are also forewarned that the Miller's language and the content of the story may be offensive due to the ' ale of Southwerk'. By this point, it is clear that this is nothing but an amusing story, told purely for pleasure by a drunken and high-spirited miller. Elizabeth G. Melillo agrees in her essay that 'it seems a shame to do anything with the Miller's Tale except laugh heartily! To insert too much intellectual analysis may rob this, the best of 'dirty' stories of its charm.' Chaucer begins by preparing us for the trouble that is to come, by alerting us to the fact that the carpenter has married a woman much younger than him, and that 'his wit was rude' - he is an uneducated and gullible man, with a beautiful young wife. Dissatisfied with presenting us with the bare fact, Chaucer dedicates 40 lines to an elaborate description of Alisoun, in order to emphasise just how attractive she is. As Mc Daniel says, 'She is described in terms of a wily weasel, a vixen, a young calf; animalistic terms that emphasize her youthful sensuality'. By informing us of her 'likerous ye', Chaucer establ... ...ue not to 'maken ernest of game', and not to feel too sorry for the carpenter. The tale ends with the conclusion that 'swyvved was this carpenteris wyf, for al his kepyng and his jalousye'. Chaucer does not want us to take any moral from the tale, but it is packed full of them. It can be seen as a sort of sermon on the sins of pride and jealousy, hidden in the format of a 'naughty story'. According to McDaniel, 'the Miller tells this crude but hilarious story to remind the Host and all the other pilgrims that social pretense is dangerous'. Even though it may be difficult not to pity the carpenter at the end when he is hurt, cuckolded, and taunted, we must refrain from doing it. John Lippitt said that 'the tragic and the comic are not polar opposites, or mutually exclusive, but subtly and sometimes almost paradoxically inter-linked modes of experience'. Discuss Chaucer's comic method in the Miller's Prologue and Tale Essay Discuss Chaucer's comic method in the Miller's Prologue and Tale. Combine your personal response with reference to other critical opinion at relevent points in your argument. The Miller's Tale is undoubtedly Chaucer's most crude and vulgar work, but how far did Chaucer intend for there to be a moral to his story? Are we supposed to sympathise with the jealous but 'sely' carpenter when the wife whom 'he lovede moore than his lyf' is unfaithful to him? Should we take pity on Absolon when his 'love-longynge' leads him to the riotous 'misplaced kiss'? We are warned not to 'maken ernest of game' in the Miller's Prologue, and we are also forewarned that the Miller's language and the content of the story may be offensive due to the ' ale of Southwerk'. By this point, it is clear that this is nothing but an amusing story, told purely for pleasure by a drunken and high-spirited miller. Elizabeth G. Melillo agrees in her essay that 'it seems a shame to do anything with the Miller's Tale except laugh heartily! To insert too much intellectual analysis may rob this, the best of 'dirty' stories of its charm.' Chaucer begins by preparing us for the trouble that is to come, by alerting us to the fact that the carpenter has married a woman much younger than him, and that 'his wit was rude' - he is an uneducated and gullible man, with a beautiful young wife. Dissatisfied with presenting us with the bare fact, Chaucer dedicates 40 lines to an elaborate description of Alisoun, in order to emphasise just how attractive she is. As Mc Daniel says, 'She is described in terms of a wily weasel, a vixen, a young calf; animalistic terms that emphasize her youthful sensuality'. By informing us of her 'likerous ye', Chaucer establ... ...ue not to 'maken ernest of game', and not to feel too sorry for the carpenter. The tale ends with the conclusion that 'swyvved was this carpenteris wyf, for al his kepyng and his jalousye'. Chaucer does not want us to take any moral from the tale, but it is packed full of them. It can be seen as a sort of sermon on the sins of pride and jealousy, hidden in the format of a 'naughty story'. According to McDaniel, 'the Miller tells this crude but hilarious story to remind the Host and all the other pilgrims that social pretense is dangerous'. Even though it may be difficult not to pity the carpenter at the end when he is hurt, cuckolded, and taunted, we must refrain from doing it. John Lippitt said that 'the tragic and the comic are not polar opposites, or mutually exclusive, but subtly and sometimes almost paradoxically inter-linked modes of experience'.

Movie Trailer

A son and his father are sitting at their table the dad pronounces, â€Å"l love Jell-O. † â€Å"Why? ‘ the son asked, â€Å"Well†¦ † The father began listing off the typical dad's life to his son. The camera pans to the son as he visualizes himself in his dad's shoes. The dad tells his son that every morning he wakes up â€Å"with a little less hair† the son is then shown In his dad's clothes staring in the mirror with little hair on top of his head.Then he has to â€Å"drive to work In heavy traffic† says the dad as you see the child nervously driving barely able to see over the steering wheel driving In between two semi-trucks. The dad then explains to his son when he got to work his boss had told him â€Å"the project he had been working on for a year was canceled. † You see the son coloring a picture as his boss takes it away and rips it up, the camera then pans back to the child's distraught face. The dad and the son are back at t he table and the dad states that â€Å"Jell-O pudding makes up for all of that.The son looks at his dad and hands him his pudding, â€Å"here, you need this more than me† (Jell-O pudding) Jell-Co's goal was to achieve the audience of fathers and sons in this specific advertisement. They had shown the father's everyday life through the eyes of his child associating both roles in the commercial. The advertisement proves to be ethos relating the fathers depicted day to a typical fathers everyday life. The Jell-O In the commercial Is used to portray their pudding as a stress reliever and It â€Å"makes up for al of that† relative to the fathers bad day.At the end of the commercial the child hands his father the Jell-O after visualizing the day his dad had at work, this held the audience hostage to the adorable child generously giving his hardworking father his one Jell-O pudding snack using the pathos affect. The sole purpose of the commercial was to motivate the buyer to buy Jell-O products because it relieves all of their stress and puts them in a better mood. Jell-O makes the audience think of their horrible day at work and how they could relate to the ether and son.They do so in the commercial by causing them to feel like they need the pudding to relieve their stress and believe that It actually works. When the father states that â€Å"l love Jell-O† and begins telling his son about his day and because of the connection fathers have with his circumstance they would want to feel the same way the father in the commercial did after eating the pudding. The tone that is portrayed day of work and with the imagery of a child with the leading hairlines, driving wrought traffic and working is quite comical.The horrible day the father had depicted the depressing side of a typical fathers' daily life giving an upsetting tone to the commercial. Jell-O had sold its product effectively to the father and son audience through real life situations but lac ked in visuals of the pudding. The advertiser exceeded in adhering to their targeted audience and including both ethos and pathos effect grabbing the viewer's attention with laughter and misery which is an effective way of eating a buyer to adhere to their product.People may see the product as delicious because the father said he â€Å"loves Jell-O† but, the advertisement does not say why he loves it or shows in detail the product itself to get a visual idea of what the buyers are going to be eating. Overall the commercial was successful in fulfilling their objective of portraying a realistic environment to grab the father and son audience for their product, Jell-O pudding. Works Cited Jell-O pudding. Advertisement. OCW. 4 Jan 2014. Television

Aaliyah – original writing on the life of the singer

â€Å"I don't think about my success. I'm happy that the work I've done in the past has been very successful. All I can do is leave it in God's hands and hope my fans feel where I'm coming from. I took the time to give my all.† – Aaliyah Haughton. As I sit listening to the infectious, sensuous harmonies of Aaliyah's smooth R & B, I wonder why it had to happen. Why did someone so young with such amazing talent, strength and the potential to carry on rising higher and higher, have to be taken from us? The lyrics swirl around in my head, saying more about the real Aaliyah than any media report could ever attempt. Her tragically shortened life followed the message from within one of her most famous songs, â€Å"If at first you don't succeed, dust yourself off and try again.† Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born on January 16th, 1979 in Brooklyn, New York. Her Grandmother would tell stories of how she was special straight out of the womb; born with a full head of hair. Aaliyah lived in Brooklyn for five years until, together with her parents and older brother, she was moved to Detroit where they could be closer to family. Her devoted mother gave up her teaching job to care for Rashad and Aaliyah full time. Aaliyah was introduced to music at a very young age; her mother would play Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and other such legends while she worked around the house. It wasn't long before Aaliyah was joining in, having learnt all the words off by heart. She was just six years old when her talent for singing was recognized by her mother. Before she even started school, the services of a voice coach had been secured for her. Aaliyah spent most of her pre-teen years between singing in school plays and auditioning for various small television projects. At the tender age of only eight or nine she was charming people all around Michigan with her sweet, angelic voice, belting out songs during weddings. Aaliyah sang the very songs she listened to at home, while people sat in awe, eagerly anticipating the time her voice would mature to its full potential. Her first downfall came when she was just eleven years of age. Aaliyah landed a spot on the nationally syndicated talent show, Star Search. She chose to sing ‘My Funny Valentine†, a soul classic that she had often heard her mother singing, ‘That was my Mommy's song and I wanted to be like my Mommy' she said, remembering the experience during an interview. The high hopes she and her family had for victory where shattered when Aaliyah lost, and was ripped apart just as any other child would have been. However, without any falls no lessons could be learnt. With lots of encouragement from her mother, Aaliyah began to understand a prospect of great importance, one that would guide her through not only her musical career, but every aspect of her life. Never give up. It was only a matter of months before the bright, upcoming star was on the rise again. At the time her uncle, Barry Hankerson, was married to Gladys Knight. Some people slated Aaliyah for this, claiming she only got onto the music scene because she knew the right people, but without her outstanding talent, none of her future success would have been possible. Hankerson took his niece to perform with Gladys Knight for five nights at Bally's Las Vegas Casino. Here, the two would duet on Believe In Yourself and Aaliyah would sing solos. Remembering she was still only eleven at the time, she was nervous and hardly moved on the first night. Her aunt helped her, teaching Aaliyah how to work a crowd and loosen them up. Two years later came the meeting that would set Aaliyah's career on fire. Barry Hankerson introduced his niece to R. Kelly, a performer he was managing at the time. Kelly fell in love with her beautiful voice, going on to become her mentor. He ended up writing and producing all the tracks on her debut album, Age Ain't Nothing But A Number. And it wasn't – not many people can boast a completed album at just thirteen years of age. The process of selling the album began but, once again, expectations of Aaliyah were not fulfilled. Many record companies passed on the album – a setback very hard to take at such a vulnerable age. Her confidence was dented but her strength was not; Aaliyah was prepared to give things another go. Hankerson created his own label, Blackground Records especially for his niece. There was no way he was going to give up on her; she was far too special to let go. In 1994 the album was released, catching the world's attention. Her first single, Back And Forth reached number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart, dethroning her mentor. Other singles followed including At Your Best (You Are Love), Down With The Clique, and the adulterated title track. Her sound was new and fresh to the music world, her unique mystique captivating listeners. The artist herself liked to describe her music as ‘street but sweet'. With the success of her debut album Aaliyah's spirits soared. She had kept information about her age (she was just fifteen at the time) concealed, as she wanted her triumphs to be based solely on her talent. She did not seek any advantages because she was, ‘really good for someone so young'. Unfortunately her decision to withhold such facts was taken in the wrong way. Vicious rumors arose, slowing down album sales and threatening to thwart a prosperous career. The provocative nature of Age Ain't Nothing But A Number combined with a little bit of media imagination and the mystery of her age sparked a frenzy of stories about a relationship between Aaliyah and twenty-five-year-old R. Kelly. Tales of marriage and even pregnancy were spread. All were denied. The storm settled and three years passed, leaving many wondering what Aaliyah's next project would be. She teased fans with numerous guest appearances, singing songs from soundtracks and building them up for the time she would truly return, stronger then ever. Aaliyah left R. Kelly behind to prove, more to herself than to anyone else, that she had grown as an artist and could make it without him. Perhaps the rumors that had at one point looked like they could destroy her had in fact been a Godsend. Would Aaliyah have made this choice if tales of something more than a good friendship and working partnership between the two hadn't sprung up? Whatever her reasons, the change was for the best. She teamed up with the then unknown Missy Elliot and Timbaland and, between the three, a new sound was created, once again irresistible to fans. They blended rough Hip-Hop beats with Aaliyah's silky, laid-back vocals, the voice of an angel. The result was a sassy, sexy, sophomore album, One In A Million. The album went double platinum, putting her among the superstars of the music industry and silencing critics in their questions as to whether or not she had been just a ‘one hit wonder.' The first single from the album, If Your Girl Only Knew, went straight to number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart, followed by four other singles including the number one radio play title track. Aaliyah never let the fame go to her head. Between all her musical commitments she still found time for her family, friends and schoolwork. In June 1997 Miss Haughton graduated from the Detroit High School for the Fine and Performing arts, just one A-grade away from a perfect grade score. She had always set her sights so high and her determination paid off. She worked hard through hard times as well as the good, and brought her dreams to life. She truly was one in a million. It was time for Aaliyah to turn her attention to Hollywood. She began by sticking to her music, recording Journey To The Past for the Anastasia soundtrack and then the contagious, Grammy nominated, number one hit song, Are You That Somebody, from the Dr. Dolittle soundtrack. With that track, she really got a taste for the mainstream and took a hiatus from the music world to team up with Joanne Baron, an acting coach. With Baron's help, Aaliyah's talent for acting was revealed and, by 1999, she was flying to Vancouver to shoot her debut film, Romeo Must Die. She starred alongside Jet Li in the adrenalin-stoked/Hip-Hop action flick, in which she was the executive producer of the soundtrack. From this came Try Again, the song that followed the story of her life. The lyrics came straight from her heart, from the lessons she had learnt. These qualities took the single all the way, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, the first single ever to do so based on Airplay a lone. Romeo Must Die sparked rave reviews and her acting skills were soon sought throughout Hollywood. Her next film was the novel-based Queen Of The Damned. Baron recalls the memory of Aaliyah during the audition process, ‘She put her heart, her time, her love and her life into it. She just ripped it out.' It was her second starring role in just her second motion picture, displaying to the world she was more than just a crossover singer/actress. So much more. The release of the completed film was fervently awaited. Little did anyone know that Aaliyah wouldn't be there to witness its success. Whilst shooting Queen Of The Damned, Aaliyah simultaneously recorded her third, self-titled album. She was not put off or daunted by her doubled workload, choosing instead to put her all into both projects, as she had always done. Aaliyah was well aware of her presence, or lack of it, in the music world; it had been five years since the release of One In A Million. She released the dark, feisty, first single, We Need A Resolution, warming fans up, preparing them for what was to come. Aaliyah was released on July 17, debuted at number two in the charts and, in it's first week alone, sold over 200,000 copies. Blackground Records planned to release Rock The Boat and More Than A Woman as back-to-back singles; they were getting heavy rotational airplay and already an awesome response from listeners. It seemed nothing could stop her. It was August the 25th, 2001. Aaliyah had just finished shooting the island themed video for Rock The Boat in The Bahamas. Another video completed; another accomplishment. The set was laid-back and, together with the film crew and dancers, Aaliyah was enjoying herself, chatting, laughing and winding down. Her work done, Aaliyah decided to head home a day early, anxious to be with her beloved family before heading back to promote the album. Her parents and brother had always been there for her and it had been a while since she had managed to get back to them. The arrangements were made; she would leave that day along with eight others. The small Cessna 402 departed from the Marsh Harbour airport, bound for Opa-locka, Florida. It had been airborne for only a short while when, suddenly, it crashed. Six of the eight were killed instantly. Aaliyah was among them. Nobody knows just what it was that made the plane crash that day. Nobody could understand why it had to happen. Why Aaliyah, why someone so talented, so determined, so beautiful? There were so many questions and so few answers. At just twenty-two years of age Aaliyah, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a star, was gone. Disbelief, anger and, most of all, a great sense of sorrow and grief spread with the news. She had lived her life like an angel, fallen from the heavens. Through her life she rose and fell and now she had risen for the final time. We can only hope that, when the time came, she knew how much she was loved. Aaliyah will never be forgotten. Through her music and her memory, she will live on. The album in the CD player draws to a close. It is an album that she never saw released, an album that wouldn't even have been put together if she was still with us; a tribute to Aaliyah, I Care For You. Visions of her float by with the music and songs take on a whole new meaning now she's gone. When Miss You is played, instead of thinking of the singer's lost love, we think of ours, Aaliyah. Every note she sang was a part of her and with every song we understand more about her. She was a star in every sense of the word and I believe she continues to be so even now; still a star, shining brightly down on us. There is no doubt in my mind that this angel lived up to the true meaning of her name, ‘The highest, most exalted one.' The best. Aaliyah.