United States history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

United States history - Essay Example The issue of democracy in America in general is one which has been debated on and about for ages, and the matter of whether or not capitalism has played a larger role in the defining of American foreign policy when compared to democracy is one which is incredibly significant and relevant overall.There are many different factors which need to be taken into consideration in order to be able to properly determine the answer to this posing, and this particularly in regards to the reasons that America became involved in foreign affairs in the late 19th century, as well as the motivations for their entering both world wars and the progress of the Cold War, for instance. All of these issues have great influence on the matter of whether democracy or capitalism should be considered as being more important in the defining of American foreign policy, and thus they all must be thoroughly addressed and discussed. The aim of this paper is to consider all aspects of both democracy and capitalism wh ich are two tremendously dynamic and substantial subjects on their own, and to compare their similarities and differences in order to be able to properly determine which has played more of a role in creating and defining American foreign policy since the 1800s. We will be able to do this by discussing the previously mentioned issues as well as any and all other key and related factors relevant to this case. This is what will be dissertated in the following. The term democracy is one which is typically used in the context of a political state however the principles are also applicable to numerous other groups and organizations. There are several different forms of democracy, with the most major being: representative, liberal, direct, socialist, anarchist, tribal, and consensus. The representative, liberal, and direct forms of democracy are the most well-known, and they are considered as follows: representative democracy is the form of democracy which involves the selection of government officials by the people, and one characteristic of representative democracy in particular is that of the fact that while the representatives are elected by the people, to act in their interest, they retain the freedom to exercise their own judgment as how best to do so; liberal democracy is a form representative democracy with free and fair elections along with the protection of minorities, the rule of law, a separation of powers, and protection of liber ties; and the direct form of democracy is one which is largely referred to as being "a political system where the citizens vote on all major policy decisions. It is called direct because, in the classical forms, there are no intermediaries or representatives. All direct democracies to date have been relatively small communities, usually city-states. However, some see the extensive use of referenda, as in California, as akin to direct democracy in a very large polity with more than 20 million potential voters" (Wikipedia, 2007). Capitalism, on the other hand, is a term which generally refers to an economic system in which "the means of production are mostly privately owned and operated for profit, and in which distribution, production and pricing of goods and services are determined in a largely free market. It is usually considered to involve the right of individuals and groups of individuals acting as 'legal persons' or corporations to trade capital goods, labor, land and money" (Boyer, Clark & Kett, 2002). The first actual theories of capitalism came about in the context of the Industrial Revolution, and this followed the social theorist Karl Marx in particular, and these theories were generally used to criticize the concept. The

Perception Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Perception - Research Paper Example Many individuals mistake these two separate entities as one in the same. This paper will distinguish the difference between the two and provide clarity of each one’s function. This paper will also define how we as individuals acquire a cultural sense of sensation and perception through our experiences. This paper will define terms that will help you understand the history behind the functions of sensation and perception. The research in this paper will define abnormalities that can affect sensation and perception and the effects of those abnormalities as well as medical research and breakthroughs. Perception and Sensing of Our Everyday Environment Perception and Sensation though working together are different entities performing different functions. The functions performed by both perception and sensation are important to the interpretation of how we experience everyday life in the world around us. Sensation and perception are answerable to the brain. The brain is like a telep hone pole and sensation and perception are some of the wires plugged into it to communicate. Perception and sensation to diffuse the confusion honed by most must be described and defined individually. Let’s begin by first defining sensation and describing sensations functions. Myers (2009) observes or defines sensation as the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment. So what does this mean in laymen’s terms? Basically sensation is the signal we send to our brain that represents our physical experiences in this world we live in. Sensation receptors are recognized by the brain through receiving input up to the brain, which the brain interprets and sends out. There are several interpretation methods that we know as the senses. The five senses are vision, hearing, tasting, touching and smelling. These five senses are used on a daily basis and play very important roles in our everyday lives. Witho ut the use of the five senses, the function of sensation would not exist in our world. Vision is the way we see and interpret the world around us. Vision occurs through the eyes. The eyes have several components that receive and send out light to form visual images. The eye contains several parts, the cornea, the iris, the pupil, the lens, the retina, the fovea, the rods and cones, and the optic nerve to name a few. For the sake of the length of research I will only cover a few parts to give the summarization of the eye’s function and how it transmits to the brain. The parts of the eye that will be discussed are the retina, the rods and the cones and the optic nerve. The â€Å"retina is the light-sensitive inner surface of the eye, containing the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information† (Myers, 2009) The â€Å"rods are the retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray; necessary for peripheral and twilight vision, when cones don’t respond† (Myers, 2009) The â€Å"cones are retinal receptor cells that are concentrated near the center of the retinal that function in daylight or in well-lit conditions. The cones detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations† (Myers, 2009) The â€Å"optic nerve is the nerve that carries neural impulses from the eye to the brain† (Myers, 2009) So basically when putting all these functions together here is what happens. Once light enters the eye through the cornea, the retina processes the light through