Mancuse Illustrations

Today technology has taken over just about every aspect of our daily lives. According to some this is a good thing because it makes our lives easier and more efficient. For others it is not so great for some of the same reasons that its proponents support it. Technology, and more specifically technological progress have lead us down a road full of contradictions, which is especially true in the area of liberty. It has programmed us to believe that there is another set of primary needs that join the likes of food, clothing, and shelter. If we continue down this road there will come a day when the wireless phone will join this list. Has there been an increase in the scope of societies control over the individual by way of technology? I believe, as does Mancuse, that as opposed to controlling social forces by way of terror, which was used in totalitarian governments of the past, we now use technology. How is technology used to accomplish this? Technology promises greater efficiency and an increased standard of living. These are two things that cause us to become slaves, because things are never efficient enough and we always want more money. Therefore, we can begin to see how in our society the technical apparatus becomes totalitarian. Mancuse illustrates this point by explaining how technology determines not only the socially needed occupations, skills, but also â€Å"individual needs and aspirations.† It is one thing for socially needed occupations to be affected; however, when our private existence threatened the issue becomes totally different. Does technical progress destroy the opposition between public and private existence? I would say that it most certainly does. Our private space has been attacked and arguably destroyed. Mancuse argues that due to the effects of mass production and scientific management we react in a mechanical fashion. This is perhaps most evident the way that technical progress manipulates our â€Å"needs†. Simply because progress is made, it does not mean that it has become a fundamental need. Mancuse breaks up our needs into both true and false. The false needs are the ones that are being imposed on the individual by particular social interests. One might argue that we should be able to distinguish between the two. However, this is very difficult when they are seen as â€Å"desirable and necessary to the prevailing societal institutions and interests.† As the title of the book suggests we are becoming, if we are not already, one-dimensional. We are losing our private self. We can only operate in a way that has been manipulated through the exploitation of technical progress. How does technology promote social control? â€Å"Social control is anchored in the new needs which it has produced.† In addition to this statement we can also look to one of the greatest of all evils, the division of labor. The division of labor turns the individual into a mere cog in the great machine that is our society. There is no better example of the mechanization of the human being. There is no soul in this type of system, which means that there can be no true gratification. Furthermore, it creates a sense of everyone having to be the same, which is exactly how people are controlled. Any type of refusal to go along with the group is looked down upon, causing some to simply get back in line and others to feel impotent. This is further proof that we have lost our private space. Is technology acting independently? Mancuse argues that one-dimensional thought is â€Å"systematically promoted by the makers of politics and their purveyors of mass information.† I believe that what Mancuse is trying to get at here and in the rest of the chapter is that this closing of a dimension is being done behind our backs. For example, the American Revolution occurred because of the colonists feeling that they were being treated unfairly. They knew that they were not properly represented in parliament so they reacted. In the case of losing a dimension things become much more abstract. We have been and continue to be duped by the makers of politics. Unfortunately, these people are not operating in a way that provokes revolution as opposed to the actions of Great Britain towards the colonies. Overall, I believe that we as an industrialized society have tricked. Tricked into believing that we need certain things. Tricked into giving up our private selves. Tricked into allowing technology to dominate us. Most of us have truly become one-dimensional men. There is no longer a distinction between public and private because we all act the same. We are just parts of a machine that could not work without us, but we are blind to what has happened because it was all done in a way that does not provoke.

Intermediate accounting II Essay

The action by Coca-Cola Company and Marriott Corporation to form separate companies and transfer their debts to them is geared towards posting a good position in their financial records. Owning less than 50% of the other company makes it an associate company rather than a subsidiary. Consequently the Coca-Cola Company or Marriott Corporation world not include the associate’s accounts in their consolidated accounts, thus the debts transferred to these associate companies will not affect the groups’ consolidated accounts in a negative way. According to accounting practices the accounts of an associate company are not consolidated in the holding company’s consolidated accounts. The investment made by the holding company is reflected in its accounts as an asset. The Coca-Cola Company and the Marriott Corporation would thus post a good position in their financial records because the debt they transferred to the associate companies would not be reflected instead their investment in the associate companies is reflected thus further making their position favorable. These actions are appropriate for the Coca-Cola Company and Marriott Corporation as posting a favorable position will enable them attract investors, loan financing and increase their reputations. However, this treatment does not post a honest economic reality to the investors and customers. According to generally accepted accounting principles a company is supposed to make full disclosure of all information relevant for a third party to make informed decision about the company as explained in Investor words.com website (http://www. investorwords. com/2108/full_disclosure. html) and in Gaap handbook of policies and procedures,1999 ( Siegel,Qureshi, 1998). The Generally Accepted Accounting Principles should be amended so as the holding companies can be forced to reveal in their financial records, their share of liability held through the associate companies. This will ensure that their records post an honest economic reality of their operations.

The Clouds as Mental Therapy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Clouds as Mental Therapy - Essay Example The researcher will strive to bring the concept of aesthetic healing whereby the city residents can heal their disturbed mind through nature therapy. In this project, the researcher wishes people can look at the sky and engage their mind by thinking about the artwork that brings the shapes of the clouds. Actually, an installation made in clouds shape, and recap about their childhood which let them have a breath and break from their routine tasks. Unfortunately, modern people forget about their childhood where they had a dream and passion for the world. In the current world, people get obsessed with the new idea and they have a fixed mind that the new idea can change the world. In order to unburden ones with tired mind and body, the researcher is going to give them a break and mental relief within their imagination. The clouds are marveling; that nature and artwork so mysterious such that when one sees the installation done in a cloud shape, they can play around within their mind like what we did in our childhood. Finally, one would have a mental relief that most of the city dwellers desperately need.

Archaeology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Archaeology - Essay Example The white conquers spreading of disease and war is thought to have driven the royal family and servants from Machu Picchu. This is a fascinating subject that can be researched with pleasure. Machu Picchu is an abandoned Inca site. Although it is thought that Hiram Bingham (2004) â€Å"discovered† the city, a few others had been there before (219). MacQuarrie (2008) reports Bingham found the engravings of â€Å"M. Eugene de Sartiges, 1834†, â€Å"Jose Maria Tejada, Marcelino Leon, 1834†, â€Å"Jose Benigo Samnez, Juan Manual Rivas Plata, Mariana Cisneros, 1861†, and â€Å"Pio Mogrovejo, July 4, 1885† (384). Bingham was the first to bring attention to the city. Machu Picchu is located between the ridges of Machu Picchu (hence the name) and Pisac in the South American country, Peru according to D’Altroy (2003:127). The find of an intact abandoned Inca site was a major discovery for archeology and architectural studies. Machu Picchu allowed for the study of the Inca way of life and architectural ways. Bingham according to Burger and Salazar (2008) removed artifacts from the site to examine at Yale University (2). Machu Picchu has been explored by many more scientists and tourists since Bingham’s discovery in 1911 of the site D’Altroy (2003) (21). The majestic Inca site has been an uncovered jewel ever since. The Incas were a South American people before the Spanish conquest. D’Altroy (2003) explains Incas did not have a written language, but did have an oral history that has passed traditions down through the generations (121). Without the oral traditions, little or no knowledge might have been known about the Incas. The Spanish records after the Spanish expedition into also provide an insight into the Inca way of life, but only from an invader’s perspective Burger and Salazar 2005:2). Incas did share their oral traditions with the Spanish, but