Explanatory synthesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Explanatory synthesis - Essay Example Social psychology challenges the most basic assumptions of human behaviour and nature, and to a big extent the predictability of the social world. Psychologists look at the different kinds of situations in the world in a very distinct and different way from that of other people and they apply the beliefs and insights of psychology to the unfolding social events around them. Individuals respond differently to social influences by either choosing to comply, identifying, complying or internalizing. Compliance is seen as a form of agreement to the particular situation at hand, but deep from within the person might be in no way convinced. Situations in a big way determine the kind response a person will extend to particular situation. In the text, Ross argues that the type of information about personality that most of the people would possess before predicting personality proves to be of relatively little value. Research has indicated that when faced in certain situations such as these, i t is not possible to predict with accuracy how particular people will respond. Situational behaviour in relation to an individual’s actions can be demonstrated in the parable of the Good Samaritan. The story is about a Jewish man who was travelling to Jericho, but bandits attacked him and left him lying half-dead by the roadside. A priest passes him and offers him no help, until a Good Samaritan whose stereotype hated the Jews stopped by and offered the man assistance. The study experimenters of social philosophy recruited 67 students from the Princeton Theological Seminary, telling them that it a study about religious education and vocations (Hoyk, Hersey 49). Unknown to these participants, they were to be subjected to their own personal Good Samaritan attributes. The requirement was that they would fill questionnaires on their personality then walk to a nearby room to give their talk. On the doorway, a man was lying doubled over with his eyes closed and coughing. All the pa rticipants would not escape the site of the distressed man and the biggest question was, would they be willing to offer any assistance to the man? In their assumption, the experimenters thought that it would be dependent on how much the participants were hurried, and thus devised a way of manipulating them, by giving each a map and one of the instructions which either stated that the participant was late and had been a few minutes late. Another stated that the assistance was waiting for the participant, yet the other stated that it would take another few minutes before the interviewers were ready, but had the option of proceeding over. This created conditions of high, medium, and low hurry and thus some students left the office thinking that they needed to be quick, others less while the rest felt relaxed. Each of the three conditions were was also divided into two, half of them were required to give a talk on the Good Samaritan and the other half on prospects for seminary graduates . This helped the experimenters to assess both the effects of hurry and the talk they were to give on students’ helping behaviours. The outcome of the experience was classified into two classes, which included in a hurry and could not stop and judge on context. From the results, only 40% of the students offered some form of assistance to the people, with a few stepping over the apparently injured man, but it was evident that the amount of hurry they were in had a

Paper review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Paper review - Essay Example The article also emphasizes on the motivation of employees in the workplace in order to achieve organizational success. To bring a sense of direction in the article, the introduction then discusses about the social change brought about by innovation. This change affects individual behavior in an organization as well as the organization’s work design. Individuals, therefore, have to change their attitude and behavior in order to successfully utilize innovation. The study in the article develops a model about the influence of the social environment on the adoption of innovation. Other previously formulated innovation-acceptance models have also been referred to. The study in the article has three listed specific objectives. Generally, the broad objective is to analyze the impact of social factors on the adoption of innovation at the individual level. The specific objectives seek to look into the impact of peers and the social network as well as the moderating effect brought about by age and gender. The research methodology is also well laid out. Data was collected from the entire management personnel at the University of South Australia. Online survey questionnaires were used as the primary procedure for data collection during the study. Microsoft outlook was also used because of its relevancy in the field of study. The types of questions used in the questionnaires were well varied to involve a wide scope of study and a pilot study is done to pre-test the study instruments. The measurement of constructs was done through modified measures that suited each particular construct in the study. Statistical analysis was then done in order to test the model. The results obtained from the study show the important role that the social network plays in the formation of attitude towards innovation. Apparently, positive attitudes influence the usage and adoption innovations, especially in the workplace.

Directors Duties under the Companies Act 2006

Directors Duties under the Companies Act 2006 Executive Summary This paper explains about the directors’ duties that is implemented in the Companies Act 2006. It is significant that every director have to act within the legal principles in order to prevent any dispute from company’s interest with their personal interest. In the Companies Act 2006, there are several duties that every director has to act with the duties that are provided in Section 171 to Section 177. However, the directors did not put the duties into practice when carrying their responsibility as a director in a company. As a result, it has caused a great impact to many aspects such as employment rate, economy and others. Question 1 Introduction: Directors’ Duties in Companies Act 2006 In this modern globalization, every company must have at least one director for non-public listed company and at least two directors for public listed company as it had mentioned under the Companies Act 2006 in Section 154 (Davies, 2007). The reason of having a director in each company is to represent the company to act due to the ‘artificial’ legal entities of the company. In a company, the directors are the persons who represents its owners to manage and solve the problems of a company. According to the Cornell University Law School (2015), the directors of a company are called as fiduciaries because they are owing the fiduciary duties of the company while the people who owes the fiduciary duties is called as principal. Fiduciary duty is a legitimate obligation where it act exclusively in another party’s interest, which is the company where the fiduciaries are representing of. In the legal systems of United Kingdom, fiduciary duty is the most rigorous duty of ca re and duty of loyalty because the fiduciaries have to obey the duty that had implemented to prevent themselves from any irreconcilable circumstances with their principals or with different fiduciaries’ customers. In order to prevent conflict of interest, the Companies Act 2006 has implemented several fiduciary duties to the company’s director that has mentioned in sections 171 to 177. Directors’ duties in Companies Act 2006 In the Company Act 2006, there are several directors’ duties that are necessary for a director to act when carrying the responsibility of its position in a company, which is duty to act within their powers, duty to exercise independent judgement as well as duty to avoid conflicts of interest. 2.1 Duty to Act within Powers This is one of the most important duties that every directors of a company should act on. This duty requires the directors to perform their authority accordingly with the rights they have assigned by the company and utilise it in a proper purpose to give the best interests to the company. It is stated in the Section 171 of Companies Act 2006 that: A director of a company must act in accordance with the company’s constitution, and only exercise powers for the purposes for which they are conferred. Davies (2007) explains that the directors of the company are required to take after all the directions with reference to how the company’s undertakings ought to be sorted out and regulated that are set down in the company’s constitution in order to agree with any constraints that is set down in the constitution on what exercises an organization might legitimately participate. In the Section 171 (b), he explains that the directors’ powers should be utilized just for the proper purposes doctrine. This is to deal with the directors’ affairs by implement those powers that the company wish in order to avoid any conflicts with the company. Unfortunately, the directors have abuse their powers and their acts are not in line with the company’s constitution. This matter is clearly seen in the case of Hogg v Cramphorn Ltd[1], where it concerns about the distribution of shares by the directors of Cramphorn Ltd in order to avoid a take-over in the honest belief as they believe that the take-over would not be in the interest of the company and they want to protect their position as a director in the board of directors. As a result, Mr Hogg, one of the shareholder of the company sued the directors for being misused of their powers accordingly and the new distribution of shares was not legally distributed, so the court announced that this distribution of new shares are invalid (Lawteacher, 2015). However, there’s a case in Western Australia, which is Whitehouse v Carlton Hotels Pty Ltd[2] where Mr. Charles MacDonald Whitehouse is being sued for issuing the shares to his son in order to prevent his former’s wife or daughter to take over the company when he dies. In this case, the High Court of Australia held that Mr Whitehouse does not breach the directors’ duty although he distributed it for improper usage and therefore, the appeal is dismissed with costs (UnistudyGuides, 2013). 2.2 Duty to Exercise Independent Judgement Besides that, the directors must practice this fiduciary duty by using their power autonomously without influence by the other interests. In order to prevent the breach of this duty, the directors have to practice the duty in the Section 173 of Companies Act 2006, whereby they have to act: in accordance with an agreement which has been duly entered into by the company; or in a way authorised by the company’s constitution. In this fiduciary duty, it does not mean to give powers on the directors to delegate or avoid them from utilizing the power that is given by the company’s constitution to delegate. According to the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (2015), the directors have to ensure that they will give the best interest entirely for its own company and shareholders instead of their own interests offered by the third party. Also, the directors of the company are allowed to consult other professions for the legal advice but, the final decision has to be judge independently by themselves. It is clearly seen in the case of Fulham Football Club Ltd. v Cabra Estates plc[3] that the directors did not exercise their powers accordingly with its independent judgement. This is happened where the Hammersmith and Fulham Borough Council consented to an agreement to expand the Craven Cottage, the football ground for housing purposes and assure that they will not restrict the advancement at a later date or bolster a compulsory purchase order. As a result, the directors of Fulham Football Club were held that they breached the duty of exercising independent judgement because they had not restricted the future exercise of their discretion accordingly (Quizlet, 2015). As mentioned in the AustLII (2015), the directors of the organization in the case of Thorby v Goldberg[4] was held by the High Court of Australia that they did not fetter on their discretion upon the interest of the organization in entering into a contract. 2.3 Duty to Avoid Conflicts of Interest Moreover, this directors are put into practice with this duty in order to dodge in a circumstances where a director can obtain either a direct or an indirect benefits from the conflict with the company’s interests. In conjunction of this, the Section 175 of Companies Act 2006 has clearly mentioned that this duty is not violated if: the situation cannot reasonably be regarded as likely to give rise to a conflict of interest; or the matter has been authorised by the directors. Based on the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (2015), the breach of this duty is applied when the directors take advantages from the third party in terms of property, unofficial information and opportunities. At the same time, it is not a breach of duty in a circumstance that it is arise unreasonably or it has been approved by the directors. Unfortunately, the directors always face the conflict of interest with the competitor, major shareholder, or a supplier and it has been increasing from years to years. This is because the Act does not explained clearly on what is â€Å"interest† or the â€Å"conflict of interest† means. This issue has showed clearly in the case of Boardman v Phipps[5] where Mr Broadman and Tom Phipps buy the company shares with the acknowledgement of Mr Fox as they believe that they could turn the company around. Nevertheless, Mr Broadman and Tom Phipps did not entirely acquired to all beneficiaries and they have made a great pr ofit with Mr Fox. As a result Johnn Phipps has sued them for breaching the duty to avoid conflicts of interest (Webstroke Law, 2014). In Australia, the directors are also charge for breaching this duty, which is stated in the case of Chan v Zacharia [6]where the High Court of Australia was held that Dr Chan has breached the duty. This is because Dr Chan acted in his personal interest instead of legitimate the interest of the partnership as a whole (Oxbridge Notes, 2014). Conclusion: Prevention rather than cure? In conclusion, it is essential for every directors to act within the directors’ duties that is stated in the Companies Act 2006 to ensure that they do not breach the duty when carry out their responsibility to a company. There are several duties that is important among all of the directors’ duties, which is the duty to act within powers, duty to exercise independent judgement as well as duty to avoid conflicts of interest. It is mentioned in the LawTeacher (2015) that those directors who have breached the duties will caused the company to have financial losses and at the same time, the directors will also be charged for such as imprisonment, fines, and commercial consequences. The directors will also be barred from its position under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 in the Section 6 if they breach the directors’ duties. In order to prevent the breach of duties rather than cure it, the Corporate Governance is a better system than the directorsâ€⠄¢ duties where the Cadbury Report 1992 states that it is a system where the companies are controlled and directed accordingly (SA Technical, 2012). This has led to more sharpness to the director’s responsibilities where they have the executive responsibilities and monitoring role to prevent the breaching of their duties as a directors. [1] Hogg v Cramphorn Ltd. [1967] Ch 254, Chancery Division [2] Whitehouse v Carlton Hotels Pty Ltd. [1987] 162 CLR 285 [3] Fulham Football Club Ltd. V Cabra Estates plc [1992] BCC 863 [4] Thorby v Goldberg [1964] HCA 41; (1964) 112 CLR 597 [5] Boardman v Phipps [1966] UKHL 2 [6] Kak Loui Chan v John Zacharia [1984] 58 ALJR 353

Jackie Robinson: Breaking the Racial Barriers Essay -- Robinson Histor

Jackie Robinson: Breaking the Racial Barriers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On July 23, 1962, in the charming village of Cooperstown, New York, four new members were inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame. As they gathered around the wooden platform, the fans reminisced about America’s national pastime. Edd Roush and Bill McKechnie, sixty-eight and seventy-four years old respectively, were two of the inductees that day (Robinson 142). They were old-timers chosen by the veterans’ committee. Bob Feller and Jackie Robinson, both forty-two, were youngsters by comparison. According to the rules of the Hall of Fame, a player must be retired for five years before he can be considered for induction. Both Feller and Robinson were elected in the first year they were eligible (141).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As Robinson received his plaque to take his place among the greats in the Hall of Fame, he said, â€Å"I’ve been riding on cloud number nine since the election, and I don’t think I’ll ever come down. Today everything is completeâ€Å" (Robinson 142). After the induction ceremony, an exhibition game between the Milwaukee Braves and the New York Yankees was to take place at Doubleday Field, where the sport had its beginnings. A sudden thunderstorm delayed the game, and after an hours wait it was cancelled. At this same time, picketers in the streets of Harlem were carrying signs saying, â€Å"Jackie, we love you as a ballplayer, but not as a spokesman for the Negro raceâ€Å" (143).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Just two days earlier at a banquet in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, many people had paid $25 a plate to show their admiration for Jackie as both a ballplayer and a representative of the Negro race as well. Some of the most distinguished figures in the nation were present this day and their praise was loud and long (Mann 187). Jackie had accepted without hesitation a challenge to break a prevailing color barrier in the national sport of America with complete knowledge of how much depended on him. Few men had ever faced such competitive odds when becoming a player in organized baseball. Despite criticism and opposition, Jack Roosevelt Robinson had truly come a long way from his poor beginnings as the grandson of slaves in Cairo, Georgia, to breaking the racial barriers in major league baseball by becoming its first black athlete and achieving hall of fame status. Jackie Robinson’s childhood was a struggle in family and financ... ...s and coaches can now be found in the dugout and a few black managers on third base. However, the great Dodger would most likely have kept pushing to see more racial diversity in baseball, particularly among the executive ranks. The Hall of Fame second baseman was never satisfied with second best. Works Cited Bontemps, Arna. Famous Negro Athletes. New York: Dodd, Mead and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Company, 1964 Brown, Avonie. â€Å"Jackie Robinson, Dodgers #42.† The Afro-American   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Newspaper Company of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Baltimore, Inc., 1997.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.afroam.org/history/Robinson/intro.html Robinson, Jackie. I Never Had It Made. New Jersey: The Ecco Press, 1995. Smith, Robert. Pioneers of Baseball. Boston: Little, Brown, 1978. â€Å"Soul of the Game.† The Sporting News, 2000.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.sportingnews.com/features/jackie/ TIME. Great People of the 20th Century. New York: Time Inc. Home   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Entertainment, 1996 Walker, Sam. â€Å"How Blacks View Sports in Post-Robinson Era.†(cover story)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Christian Science Monitor   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1997: 1 Young, A.S. â€Å"Doc.† Negros Firsts in Sports. Chicago: Johnson Publishing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Company, Inc., 1963

Meaningful Social Studies Essay

The democratic principles and ideals of citizenship reinforces effective social studies. By focusing on rights, responsibilities, and respect, a solid base of social studies knowledge and skills develops civic competence. The foundation of four core disciplines, or strands, from the social sciences are: geography, civics, economics, and history. They are the Louisiana framework for social studies. Each of these disciplines offers a distinct perspective for examining the world. Within these strands, other social sciences, such as anthropology and sociology, are incorporated.  §103. Louisiana Content Standards Foundation Skills The Louisiana Content Standards Task Force has developed the following foundational skills which should apply to all students in all disciplines: Communication, Problem Solving, Resource Access and Utilization, and Linking and Generating Knowledge. Through research, activities, discussions, and real-life experiences, children can and will learn that diversity can be positive and socially enriching. A pluralistic perspective involves students’ building unbiased, open-minded views towards diversity among their fellow human beings. Teachers of this generation have the combined blessing and challenge of helping students make the most of a world that is rapidly changing. Students must develop the perspective that cultural and philosophical differences are necessary and desirable qualities of a democratic community (NCSS, 1994). I chose the concept of â€Å"Problem Solving† for Grade 6-8th in which I will be teaching in the near future. Problem solving identify an obstacle or challenge and uses the application of knowledge and thinking processes which include reasoning, decision making, and inquiry in order to reach a solution using multiple pathways, even when no routine path is apparent. Bringing students into contact with other people’s various views and conflicting values is very important. In the school and local community, therefore, problem solving/inquiry problems are most often found. Questioning and cooperative learning are two strategies that are frequently used to support meaningful learning. Questioning. This is where all learning begins. The types of questions teachers use guide students’ engagement in the lesson (Harvey & Goudvis, 2000). The amount of time a teacher waits between asking questions and calling on students for responses, or responding to answers, affects student responses (Rowe, 1996). On average, teachers wait less than a second before calling on a student or responding to a student’s comment, this has been proven by classroom research. If the teacher wait 3 or more seconds before calling on a student or acknowledging a response, this can increase the length of student responses, the number of appropriate responses, and the cognitive level of the responses. Questions should be planned in advance, relate to the lesson activities, and are written into lesson plans. The Learning cycle lessons begin with questions that all students have a chance to answer. All answers are accepted by the teacher even though some answers may explain more than others. In the class such questions engaged by all of the students. In every learning cycle a central key question is planned for the exploratory phase. In a lesson focusing on the concept of presidential elections, for example, the teacher may ask the key question â€Å"What do you have to do to be elected president?† This is an open question that involves each student in thinking about the main idea of the lesson. Development phase, questions focusing student inquiry on the main concepts, skills, and attitudes of the lesson is done during the lesson. During the lesson development, many questions are narrow or closed. Questions are used to help students apply the concept in a new context, during the expansion phase of the lesson. On open questions, the emphasis is greater although some closed questions may be used. Effects of Emphasizing Student Control What students learn is influenced by how they are taught, the quality of individual and social processes occurring in the classroom, and the perceptions and understanding of social studies as a subject to be taught and learned (NCSS, 1994b). Matching Instructional Strategies to Student Needs One aim of education is to help students be self-directing (NCSS, 1994a, pp. 11–12). The amount of student control during the learning process, is a key factor. The categories, in order from least to greatest student control, are expository, guided discovery, and inquiry and problem solving/decision making. An appropriate instructional strategy is chosen by the teacher that matches the student’s level of social studies content, skill, attitudinal objectives, and developmental needs. These instructional methods are very effective and appropriate in helping students attain a particular level of learning objective. Expository, or Direct, Instructional Methods: Lower Student Control Students are provided with little control over the direction or extent of the learning process using the Expository instructional methods, or direct instruction method. Activity lessons using expository methods include the following characteristics: * The teacher controls the situation, providing adequate directions and motivation. The teacher provides ample opportunities to practice the skill in a wide variety of situations. * The teacher supplies immediate and continuous feedback focusing on correct answers. * The teacher uses lecture and closed, narrow questions to control the learning situation but must provide extensive and adequate directions for the student. Expository Guided Inquiry/Problem Solving Discovery and Decision Making Expository methods require external motivation and careful classroom management. Only lower levels of learning: recall and memorization are produced by these methods. Development of the affective areas of attending and willingness to receive information is facilitated by Expository methods. These methods are occasionally useful in the lesson development phase of the learning cycle in which the teacher explains the key idea of the lesson and the lesson focus involves the need for recall (Rosenshine, 1986). Guided Discovery Instructional Methods: Mixed Teacher and Student Control Students are involved in activities related to a concept and form an understanding of them when using guided discovery instructional methods before they are offered or explained by the teacher. A problem to investigate is created by the teacher and he/or she determines procedures and materials needed, but students collect and analyze data and evaluate the results as they relate to the problem. Guided discovery has four characteristics. 1. Students are provided with the time and opportunity to study relationships in data and form a new idea. 2. Students use several activities focusing on one concept, generalization, value, or skill. 3. Students’ main role is to investigate and discover answers to the questions posed, discussing and displaying data to do so. 4. The teacher provides directions and asks questions that help students begin activities with the learned resources selected. From data students can learn inquiry skills such as inferring, predicting, organizing, interpreting, and draw conclusions. Inquiry and Problem-Solving/Decision-Making Instructional Methods: Greater Student Control Inquiry involving significant student control over the direction the lesson takes, is the third social studies instructional method. The Students create a problem to investigate, determine procedures and materials needed, collect and analyze data, and evaluate results. These lessons have five characteristics: 1. Students are competent in basic social studies inquiry skills. 2. Students select problem areas to investigate. 3. Students work in groups, orally reporting the results of investigations. 4. The teacher guides students in defining the problem to investigate and in helping to identify resources. 5. A safe and supportive classroom environment is maintained. Activities using the Inquiry method are intrinsically motivating because students direct their own learning. A first-grader even is likely to use higher thought processes during an inquiry. For example, a young student’s social studies project could involve making a drawing showing where items in her personal materials basket (scissors, glue stick, crayons, etc.) should be placed. After the student lists three or more problems with the basket, such as the glue stick always falling over, the drawing is made. This allows the student to ask questions, communicate information, make inferences, and build prediction. Facts may form the basic content of the narrative, when writing stories about the experience, but students also often make inferences and construct generalizations. In inquiry and problem-solving/decision-making method activities, students are involved in practicing the full range of inquiry skills. Key social studies ideas and skills are carefully selected and is needed because inquiry methods reduce the amount of material covered to a greater extent than other instructional methods. Meaningful learning of generalizations and higher-order inquiry skills, as well as improved long-term memory and transfer of learning, occurs. Problem solving and decision making is what inquiry focuses on mainly. Students plan how they can participate and work together (Dunfee & Sagl, 1967; Meyerson & Secules, 2001). Conclusion By building on a core of effective practices in teaching and by designing activities and lessons with learning objectives in place, teachers encourage students to use their strengths and to respond successfully to challenges. They support students as active learners in meaningful activities. Focusing on helping young students identify multiple perspectives on issues and problems is a major learning outcome related to global issues. So also is discussing what are good and positive actions, moral positions, and appropriate behaviors. References Research & Evaluation Strategies for Early Childhood Education. Research In Early Childhood Education in Handbook Research on the Education of Younger Children. Springer (2007). Retrieved from http://ww.library.gcu.edu.2048/login?qurl.http$3A2F%2F% www.credoreference.com/entry/sprihsei/table_of_contents. Social Studies Content Standards – Division of Adminstration www.doc.louisiana.gov/osr/28v121/28v121.pdf Sunal-Szymanski, C. & Haas, M.E. Social Studies for the Elementary & Middle Grades: A Constructive Approach, (4th Ed.). Published by Allyn & Bacon copyright (2011) by Pearson Education, Inc. The Evolving Role of Teachers In Effective Schools in Springer International Handbooks of Education: International Handbooks of School Effectiveness and Improvement.

Aristotle on the Soul Essay

Aristotle’s notion differs from the usual conception of a soul as some sort of substance occupying the body, existing separately and eternally. To him, the soul is the essence of a living thing. The soul is what makes an organism an organism at all by actualizing its potential for life, and it’s constituted by its capacity for activities essential to that specific type of being. His investigation into the nature of the soul demonstrates basic principles of his philosophical theories at work, including Hylomorphism, potentiality and actuality, and his four causes. His use of these theories in analyzing and teasing out the complexities of the soul make for a cohesive and comprehensive study, easily amenable with his other works. In this paper I will analyze his notion of the soul as described in De Anima, recounting how he came to define the soul, the explanation of the soul, how the souls of different kinds of ensouled beings differ, and his unique concept of how the soul is related to the body. Aristotle begins Book 1 of De Anima by stating that since the soul is a principle of animals, and here I will interpret animals to mean more broadly beings, describing its essence has implications beyond its obvious scope. In unfolding the nature of the soul, it is possible to determine which attributes belong to the soul alone and which belong to the organism in virtue of having a soul (Aristotle, De Anima 402a). So besides exploring the nature of life, his analysis will also seek to answer the question of whether all mental states (of the soul) are also material states of the body, or whether some attributes of the soul are unique to it. In doing so, we are confronted with the interesting implication of Aristotle’s position on the mind/body problem, to which I will get to later on. Returning to the question at hand (what is the soul? ), Aristotle starts his investigation by use of his explanatory theory of Hylomorphism, which states that substances are compounds of matter and form, and change occurs when form actualizes matter (Shields). There are three sorts of substances; form, matter, and the compound of form and matter. Matter is potentiality and form is actuality. Form actualizes matter, which possesses the potential to be what it is. So using Aristotle’s example of a bronze statue, the matter, in this case the bronze, only actualizes it’s potential of being a statue when it acquires the form, or the shape and features. Of interest is the third kind of substance, compounds, which make up living beings. The body is the substance as matter, so the soul is the substance as form or shape. Here we get to Aristotle’s preliminary definition of the soul as the actuality of a natural body having life potentially (Aristotle, De Anima 412). It is in virtue of this form, the soul, that makes an organism alive. Without the soul, the body would only have the capacity for life potentially, and so the soul is the essence (the form) of living things. This preliminary definition is taken a step further when Aristotle identifies the soul as the â€Å"first actuality of a natural body that is potentially alive† (Aristotle, De Anima 412a). He claims that the actuality that is the soul is like the actuality that is knowledge, in that we speak of it in two ways. We can distinguish between a state of knowing x and a state of attending to the knowledge of x, where the latter is more of an active process. The passive of state of knowing x is the first actuality, first because it must necessarily come prior to attending or remembering that knowledge i. e. potential precedes actual. Similarly, the soul of a sleeping person is like the passive state, the first actuality, while the soul of an awake person is like the active state. The soul must be the first actuality, for if not we would be forced to say a sleeping animal lacks a soul, a conclusion we do not want to make (Aristotle, De Anima 412a-412b). First actuality seems to correspond to a capacity to engage in the activity of the second actuality, and in this way is a kind of potential to exercise some function, like the ability to engage in thought. Aristotle makes this clear when he states that, â€Å"If the eye, for instance, were an animal, sight would be its soul† (Aristotle, De Anima 412b). Sight is the capacity of the eye for seeing, where sight is the form and the eye is the matter. The first actuality is the capacity for seeing, and the second actuality is seeing, actively exercising the potential ability. So it seems that beyond defining the soul as the ‘first actuality of a natural body that is potentially alive’, we can say the soul is a set of capacities that characterize living things. These characteristic capacities are different in different beings, and we will see that it is by these that Aristotle creates his hierarchy of ensouled beings or the degrees of souls. I will return to this distinction later in this paper, when describing how the souls of different ensouled beings differ. At this point we have a definition of the soul, but as Aristotle stresses throughout his various works, we must determine the cause or explanation in order to truly grasp the essence, and therefore get at complete picture of his view of the soul. The definition just given explains the what, but a full account must explain the why. He states in the Physics, â€Å"for our inquiry aims at knowledge; and we think we know something only when we find the reason why it is so, i. . , when we find its primary cause† (Aristotle, Physics 194b). His criteria for an adequate definition, one that is sufficient for knowledge, rest on his theory of causation and explanation. The four causes include the material cause, formal cause, efficient cause, and final cause. Material cause is what something is made of, the formal cause is the form or pattern of which a thing is what it is, the efficient cause refers to the agent of change or rest, and the final cause is the intended purpose of the change or the reason why a thing is done (Shields). We must, therefore, determine why the soul is what it is in virtue of these four general causes. The soul is the principle and the cause of the living body, for it is in virtue of the soul that the body is alive, and thus it plays an explanatory role. It is the cause of the living body in three of the four ways, as â€Å"the source of motion, as what something is for, and as the substance of ensouled bodies†(Aristotle, De Anima 415), corresponding to the efficient cause, the final cause, and the formal cause respectively. It is the source of motion in that it causes growth and decay in the organism. The soul is also the cause of the living body by being the final cause, as the body is merely an organ for the sake of the soul, aimed at the soul. And finally, the soul is the formal cause of the living body for it causes life by being the form and actuality of what is potentially. The body makes up the fourth cause, the material cause, by being the matter that makes up a living organism (Aristotle, De Anima 415). I will use Aristotle’s example of the nature of a house as described in Book One, when he is discussing the importance of form, in order to better illustrate the necessity for analysis of a concept under his theory of causation and explanation. To merely define a house as stones, bricks, and timbers, is not to capture its full essence. A house is stones, bricks, and timbers (material cause), built into an enclosed structure (formal cause), fashioned together by a carpenter (efficient cause), in order to provide shelter from the elements (final cause). We can describe the what, but without further details about the explanation, we don’t really know the nature of a house. Similarly the soul is why, it gives the explanation for, the life activities of a living body. At this point Aristotle’s notion of the soul is quite clear; it is the first actuality of a natural body that is potentially alive, it is a set of capacities for life-giving and defining activities of organisms, and it is the form, the source of motion, and the means (it directs) to the end of the living body. Souls of different living beings are differentiated by their capacities to engage in the activities characteristic of that type of organism, which comprise their livelihood and survival. It is these differentiating faculties that make up the soul. Among these faculties are the nutritive and reproductive, perceptive, locomotive, and the capacity for thought and understanding. Aristotle claims, â€Å"the soul is the principle of the potentialities we have mentioned—for nutrition, perception, understanding, and motion—and is defined by them† (Aristotle, De Anima 413). There are three types of souls, arranged in a nested hierarchy, so the possession of a higher soul entails possession of all that are below it. The lowest, or most basic, in this hierarchy is the nutritive soul. All living things possess the capacity for self-nourishment, for without this they would not live. Next is the sensitive soul, which is possessed only by animals. The highest type of soul is the rational soul, belonging only to humans. These three souls are differentiated by their function, corresponding to the ensouled being in possession of the soul with the power to exercise that function. While the animal soul possesses the nutritive and the sensitive, and the human soul the rational as well, each has but one unified soul with a various sets of capacities (Shields). The nutritive soul is the potentiality held by all living things to preserve it and equip it for life. The function of this soul is the use of nourishment and generation, or reproduction. Generation is the most natural function, as it is a means for a living being to participate in the future (the â€Å"everlasting and divine†) by producing something else of its own sort. The use of nourishment allows the being to preserve itself, only existing while it is nourished. Nourishment allows an organism to grow as well as decay, according to its form. Since all living things possess the nutritive soul, all living things have the capacity for self-nourishment, growth, decay, and for reproduction. Further, since all nourishment involves digestion, and digestion involves heat, all beings contain heat (Aristotle, De Anima 415-416). The sensitive, or perceptive soul, distinguishes plants from animals. Perception is a type of alteration, in that a suitable sense-organ in perception is affected or changed by an external object. The external object acts as the agent, possessing the qualities in actuality that the sense-organ possesses potentially. Aristotle describes that it is through an intermediate condition, such as air, that sense organs receive the forms or qualities of the objects of perception, not the matter, when involuntarily acted upon by the external object. Thus, the sensitive soul has the capacity to receive sensible forms, resulting in perception. The sense-organs become like the agent after being affected, or receiving the qualities (Shields). Again, we can see Aristotle returning to his theory of Hylomorphism in describing perception as the change in the sense-organ as a result of the acquisition of form. The potential of the sense-organ is made actual in virtue of the external object which possesses the form in actuality. Aristotle states that every animal has the sense of touch, but not all possess the sense of sight, hearing, taste and smell. Animals are further distinguished along these lines; while each possesses a nutritive and a sensitive soul, there are various degrees of complexity of the latter soul corresponding to the activities of the animal. Aristotle continues further that the possession of the perceptive soul implies that the animal has the capacity to desire, and desiring includes appetite, emotion, and wish. He also determines possession of this soul entails the ability to feel pleasure and pain and it is in virtue of this soul that some animals possess the power of locomotion (Aristotle, De Anima 413-415). The rational soul, perhaps the most difficult section to interpret of De Anima, is essential and indicative of humans alone. It is in virtue of the rational soul, the intellect, that we come to know and understand things. The intellect is the seat of thought and thus reason. Thinking is similar to perception, as it involves the reception of form by a suitable capacity. However, while the object of perception is external and is the composite of form and matter, the object of thought is within the soul and is form alone (Shields). While hard to follow, I believe the objects of thought are the forms of forms; they get their intelligible forms in virtue of the sensible forms sensed in perception. Aristotle discusses the concept of â€Å"appearances†, which are different from perceptions and beliefs, for appearances exist while we sleep, with no external stimuli actualizing the ‘sensation’, and beliefs involve conviction, while appearances do not. Appearances are images resembling objects of perception (Aristotle, De Anima 428). It is helpful to think of appearances as the representation of reality we see in imagination. I believe Aristotle is claiming that it is these appearances that are the objects of thought. In intellection, the mind is made to be like the object of thought through reception of its intelligible form. The intellect is pure potentiality, it potentially has all of these objects of thought, and only in thought do these intelligible forms become actualized in the mind (Shields). As Aristotle’s philosophical worldview rests on a Hylomorphic principle, it is difficult to see how the alteration, bringing the intellect from potentiality to actuality in thought, comes about. In perception, this is in virtue of an external object that acts as an agent for change in the sense-organ. But what is the agent of change in intellection? Aristotle divides the intellect into the active and passive intellects. The active intellect acts as the agent of change; when the mind thinks the active intellect actualizes the intelligible forms in the passive intellect. The passive intellect stores the concepts of knowledge and intelligible forms in potentiality, to be recalled by the active intellect during thought. This means however, that the actual must precede the potential, contrary to what was discussed above. The nature of the active intellect is its activity, so it must be unremittingly active in order to cause the passive intellect to act and us to have thoughts and reason. If it is continuously active, this part of the rational soul must be eternal and thus stands in stark contrast with the rest of the souls Aristotle posits, but this controversial point is something I will not take up in this paper (Shields).