Free Will and Divine Foreknowledge Essay

Augustine discusses a critical issue which is the incompatibility of man’s free will and God’s foreknowledge. So the question is, do we really have free will in spite of the fact that God foreknows everything? If God knows what must necessarily happen next, then how do have the free will to make our own choices? Augustine comes up with a series of arguments to prove that we sin by our own will with no intervention of the divine foreknowledge. Augustine first argued a characteristic of God that He has free will, and that He has foreknowledge of his own actions. Therefore, both God’s will and foreknowledge go along with each other. From this point he then assumes that man’s will and God’s foreknowledge are both compatible. But can we compare God with man? And is this argument convincing enough? More elaboration has to be given in order to make it more convincing. Augustine then proceeds to do so. He states that people who do not believe in the compatibility of free will and divine foreknowledge are those who â€Å"are more eager to excuse than confess their sins† (p. 73). That means that people who always blame others for their own wrong doings rather than admitting it are those who claim that we have no free will and that everything is already known by God, and that nothing can be changed, which they also use as a justification for their wrong actions. These people live their life by chance, leaving everything according to the circumstances rather than trying to take good actions. An example for that is the beggars, who always try to take money from people without giving anything in return or even having a job, although they have the ability to do so. But because of their laziness and their belief that this is what they were created to be, they leave everything to happen by luck and according to God’s foreknowledge that couldn’t be changed (p. 73). Augustine then moves to another point which is the relation between the will and the power to achieve that will. He states that the will itself is within our power. Therefore, our desire to commit certain acts is a power that we own. But if we will something that is not within our power then it is not considered as a will because we can only will what is within our power. Augustine then discusses that if something good happens to us then it is accordance to our will, not against it. So for example, being happy, although God foreknows that you will be so, doesn’t mean that we are happy against our will. Thus, God’s foreknowledge of our happiness doesn’t take away our will to be happy (p. 76). And so, he concludes that if God foreknows our will, then definitely this will is going to occur, and so it will be a will in the future. Consequently, his foreknowledge doesn’t take away our will. And since that what we will is in our power, God foreknows our power and He will not take it away. Hence, we will have that power because God foreknows it (p. 77). So Augustine made it clear â€Å"that it is necessary that whatever God has foreknown will happen, and that he foreknows our sins in such a way that our wills remain free and are with in our power† (p. 77). However, the fact that God’s foreknowledge of our sins is consistent with our free will in sinning still stays questionable. Taking into consideration the fact that God is just, so how does He punish our sins that happen by necessity? Or is God’s foreknowledge not an obligation? The topic is still confusing so Augustine then proceeds to make it clearer. To conclude, Augustine succeeded in coming up with a good argument showing that man’s free will and God’s foreknowledge are both compatible. The sequence of his ideas made his argument understandable and convincing for any reader. As a reader, I’ve always thought about that subject but didn’t receive any answers. However, reading â€Å"On Free Choice of the Will† made everything clear for me and made me well convinced that God’s foreknowledge doesn’t intervene with our own choices that we make. Works Cited Williams, Thomas. On Free Choice of the Will. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company

Asymmetric Synthesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Asymmetric Synthesis - Essay Example Hence, it is undeniably interesting to study the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of cinchona alkaloids , which have also been helpful in man's daily living. This includes its role in the production of food flavorings and medicines for different ailments like malaria. Additionally, the popularity of cinchona alkaloids over the years is also because of its qualifications in the three primary criteria of catalysts, which are as follows: 1) the diversity of reactions that the catalyst can trigger; 2) the accessibility of both enantiomeric antipodes of the catalyst at an affordable cost; and 3) the stability of the catalyst. The research aims to study the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of the popular two pairs of cinchona alkaloids which are enantiomeric in nature: cinchonine and cinchonidine, and; quinine and quinidine. The researcher aims to study the two pairs by isolating them through extraction of the bark of the cinchona tree; a native of tropical regions. Due to their widespread use, all four members are readily available in large quantities from most chemical suppliers. Furthermore, before conducting several experiments for the research, the researcher will gather enough materials documenting the history of cinchona alkaloids. ... erature section of the research, which will include information about cinchona alkaloids from one of the earliest uses of cinchona alkaloids in asymmetric catalysis which was demonstrated by Pracejus in the 1960's to catalyze the asymmetric alcoholysis of ketenes (Pracejus, 1964) to its modern uses. Moreover, the study's related literature will consist of theories proposed about the asymmetric synthesis of cinchona alkaloids by chemists of different ages. One interesting theory which will contribute to the study of the alkaloid's catalytic asymmetric synthesis is that the alcohol is activated via a hydrogen bond with the tertiary amine of benzoylquinine. Addition of the alcohol to the ketene is followed by quenching of the resultant enolate by the chiral ammonium salt. The resultant esters are isolated in up to 76% enantiomeric excess. The research will strive to replicate the experiments conducted to support this theory. Also, with the proliferation of recent publications studying cinchona-ketene systems for asymmetric synthesis (Blake, 2001), the study will investigate different assumptions about the asymmetry in the synthesis of cinchona alkaloids. One of the most noticeable of these recent publications which the researcher intends to focus is Lectka's -halogenation of acid chlorides (Wack, 2001). Lectka stated that the benzoylquinine-ketene system reacts with quinone based electrophilic halogenating reagents to yield activated -halogenated esters with enantioselectivities as high as 99%, and with good yields. The study will try to prove this through catalytic asymmetric fluorination, where cinchona derivatives have already been used, though only stoichiometrically (Muiz, 2001). However, despite the efforts to base certain experiments upon previous studies, the

Medicinal Marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Medicinal Marijuana - Essay Example What if a number of patients have concrete evidences on the medicinal effects of marijuana? Should the government allow them to use it legally to save their life or continue its prohibition? Dr. Andrea Barthwell representing the White House National Drug Control Policy pointed at Dr. Oz’s show that state legalization of medical marijuana will only increase abuse incidences especially with the youth as the most vulnerable sector. On June 29, 2011, the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington sent a memo nationwide stating that the state laws do not spare the patient or other users from federal prosecution when found guilty of abuse (Laitner and Bell, 2011). This memo was sent after Michigan reported a large scale law breaking incidents related to medical marijuana. Arguments against legalization of medical marijuana is sustained by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and by other similar studies of crusaders against marijuana with report stating the adverse effects of smoking marijuana includes disorientation of some brain functions, cardiac vulnerabilities, lung diseases, and addiction (2010). The federal government believes that legalizing medical marijuana will only provide more opportunity for abuse like in the state of California where restrictions on the use of drugs is loose a person can acquire medical marijuana card when a physician recommends it for treatment just for any kind of ailment. As presented at The Dr. Oz Show, medical marijuana across the states where it is legal can be prescribed for a bundle of diseases ranging from life threatening such as HIV, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain due to cancer, and non-life threatening such as headache, anxiety, stress, and insomnia among others (2011). On the contrary, notable medical marijuana advocates present at the Dr. Oz show like Dr. Donald Abrams, Director of the Integrative Oncology Research Program at the University of California, San Francisco, believes on the potential of marijuana to be used as medicine for critically ill patients because of its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant characteristic. Another guest Montel Williams, famous host and author who is a multiple sclerosis patient, revealed that since he used medical marijuana no brain plaque growth has been observed in his brain . Williams shared that the University of Southern California, San Diego published its 2010 study which revealed medical marijuana as one of the top choices of physicians in treating patients suffering from multiple sclerosis and that there are no evidence suggesting smoking of marijuana as dangerous to lungs. Both sides taken considerably, the conflict is two tiers, at the government level and at the physician-patient level. The federal government declares that it illegal to use and distribute marijuana, and the Food and Drug Administration has not approved use of marijuana for medical purposes but many states are legalizing medical marijuana with varying and mostly loose regulations. T he studies done to prove and disprove the medical efficacy and effectiveness of marijuana are done separately by different physicians and patients looking into its different aspects. Such that oncologists like Dr. Abrams looked into how medical marijuana can help alleviate sufferings of terminally ill patients while psychologist and other

Econ Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Econ - Essay Example He is known for his works which include: A Discourse on the Commonwealth of this Realm of England (1549). Sir William Petty considered taxes, land and labor as the most important resources of the growth and acquisition of national income. He came up with several ways to optimize the collection and generation of taxes while being fair to every individual. He believed and recommended that the taxes collected should be just equal to the nation’s expenditure. Petty was against poll taxes and the unequal taxation of the poor excessively (Petty p30). He came up with strategies to raise taxes fairly. He suggested that imports should be taxed, but only in a way that they would be at the same level with the locally produced products. He also began turning his concerns towards income distribution and the relative value created by the contributions; He was talking of diminishing returns on land relative to their distance from the market (Petty p84). This was a result of the initiation of the idea that rent on land was a surplus above wage payments. He also initiated the â€Å"labor theory of value†. This stated that the value of goods produced should have been determined by the number amount of time the labor went into it. The Basic theme of The Discourse on the Commonwealth of this Realm of England was an attack on debasement which Sir Thomas Smith was openly against; this even led to his exile. He claimed that debasement was responsible for social unrest, high prices and inflation, and the biggest losers were fixed income earners. In his works he claimed that the King was one of the biggest losers from the high prices caused by debasement, since it adds immediately to the king’s revenue and before the rise of prices comes, contrarily the king is the prime beneficiary of monetary measures of inflation and debasement (Rothbard p67). Smith was a mercantilist as seen by his

Code of Ethics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Code of Ethics - Assignment Example List the rules and principles that your company will use in decision making. The rules and principles that one’s company will use in decision making conform to the four ethical rules or principles, to wit: utilitarian, moral rights, justice, and practical rules (Jones, 2007, p. 150). Provide a brief explanation of why you selected each rule and principle. The utilitarian rule is chosen because it stipulates following policies that would provide the greatest benefit for the greatest amount of people. Given a scenario that needs decision making, this rule would govern the most viable course of action that would ensure greatest benefits for the stakeholders or inflicting the least harm. Likewise, for moral rights, the company should adhere to â€Å"one that protects people’s rights to freedom, life and safety, property, privacy, free speech, and freedom of conscience† (Jones, 2007, p. 150). Justice, on the other hand, must be promoted within the company by instituting rules, policies and procedures that are fair and impartial. And finally, the practical rules govern a manager’s decision-making where a course of action should be selected with â€Å"no hesitation about communicating to society because the typical person would think it is accepta ble† (Jones, 2007, p. 151). These four rules and principles ensure that the company’s decision-making process conforms to the ethical, moral and legal standards expected by society and acceptable to various

Contract tender process in the work environment Essay

Contract tender process in the work environment - Essay Example It is interesting that computer crime is compared with the crime of serial killing, but computer criminals are more subtle, erratic and evasive. Therefore, it requires serious anti-computer crime control mechanisms to check this devastating crime that has defrauded corporations, societies and individuals to the tune of millions of dollars each year. One issue that has become a disturbing phenomenon to corporate stakeholders, as well as business management process decision-makers and leaders of communities is computer crime. But the impact of this modern-day problem is mainly felt in the corporate world, where organizations stand to potentially lose millions of dollars a year. For the fact that computers are becoming household commodities, and Internet access is ubiquitous and cheap, there is no end to the threats from what is termed the computer criminal. This report would investigate the sources of computer crime, its trend now, the losses it causes many corporate entities, and some of the criminal types behind the ever increasing range of scams. Relevant literature from peer-reviewed sources would be explored in order to elicit vital information about how computer crime has developed to ravage our societies. Findings from these scholastic sources are highlighted and discussed with the view of offering recommendations about the appropriate ways to tackle the endemic problem of computer crime. Experts dealing with this major problem have attempted to give specific definitions of what is a computer crime. This has been made more difficult by the crime type evolution, the fact that over the years, this kind of crime has developed into several interwoven forms comprising all crime types involving the use of computers. It has also been discovered that computer crime is a crime that could be categorized as white-collar: for a computer

IT Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

IT - Assignment Example The basic formats and practices can be duplicated however on the other hand to generalize and say IT no longer enables companies to create a competitive advantage in the marketplace was unsupported. Information technology is an evolving science its full potential still unknown. However with a better understanding of the innovative uses of the science companies have the potential of creating an advantage in the marketplace. The creation and determinant of the effective use of IT is contingent upon a myriad of factors, how a company implements the use of IT in its organizational structure and internal practices, how IT is used in a company’s external marketing campaigns, and whether the value of IT is understood by the leaders and managers as it relates to distinguishing sustainability. Corporations such as Wal-Mart, Hewlett-Packard, United Airlines and other recognizable firms provide the evidence that IT does enable companies to create a competitive advantage. Each of the companies listed has consistently used information technology to distinguish itself in the marketplace. Whereas other firms have implemented similar practices, the firms listed continue to set themselves apart by using IT in innovative and creative ways. An image of IT as a rigid format is erroneous to the contrary information technology presents unlimited possibilities. Leaders within an organization have the responsibility and duty to investigate the application and adaptability of IT practices for the maximum usage. By continuing to develop and implement IT strategies companies can position themselves as leaders within their respective industries. The lack of knowledge of the potential benefits of IT and its application within the organization as well as the benefits in the marketplace can make IT appear to be ineffective and a mundane costly endeavor (Parsons, 1984; Mata, Fuerst, & Bailey, 1995). Business leaders