Dylan Thomas, A Refusal To Mourn Analysis

Dylan Thomas, A Refusal To Mourn Analysis Dylan Thomass A Refusal To Mourn The Death, By Fire, Of A Child In London, is a poem about mourning. More specifically, the poems focus is on the speakers predicament of whether or not to mourn Londons Daughter (L 19). A question arises from this predicament. Who is Londons Daughter? Is this a single person, or does she represent a group of people? This poem was published in 1945 at the end of World War Two. This is significant because Thomas was living in London during the Nazi Blitz attacks, which resulted in the deaths of over 20,000 people (Stansky 3). He most likely saw the destruction that resulted from the war firsthand. The poem, then, can be read as a refusal to mourn a singular death. The speaker uses Londons Daughter to represent the many people who died in London during the war. However, it is how the speaker mourns, or his subconscious mourning, that is interesting. By refusing to mourn and questioning his beliefs, the speaker contradicts himself, and demonstrates his in ability to fully register the death of another. At first glance, the reader may think that the speaker is primarily concerned with a childs death. But a closer reading reveals that the speaker is extremely self-centered. The speaker immediately focuses on himself in the poem, rather than describing the child or group of people he is mourning. He is more concerned with his own response to death, rather than the sadness that accompanies death, and the person or persons that have died. In line seven, the speaker says, And I must enter again the round/ Zion of the water bead/ And the synagogue of the ear of corn (LL 7-9). The speaker is resorting to his religious beliefs to find comfort. He refers to a synagogue as a water bead, which could represent a bubble of escape. The speaker finds comfort in this bubble because it gives him meaning regarding death, and it shields him from the unknown. He stuck in his own little world, unable to comprehend this death. But then, he says, Or sow my salt seed / In the least valley of sackcloth to m ourn / (LL 11-12). This is an interesting shift in tone because the first nine lines of the poem portray the speaker as somewhat religious and optimistic. Now the speaker seems angry. Line twelve, least valley of sackcloth to mourn seems to show his lack of confidence in his religion (L 12). He is saying that he will not sow his seed in the valley of remorse, meaning that he is not going to dwell on this singular death. He will not subject himself to mourn. Throughout the poem, we see the speaker questioning his beliefs and his actions. This is not an uncommon response when dealing with loss. People experience a full range of emotions when dealing with death; questioning ones beliefs does not seem out of the ordinary. The speaker, after considering hiding out in his religious bubble, proclaims that he, shall not murder / The mankind of her going with a grave truth (LL 14-15). He is stating that there is no grave truth, and he is not going to keep trying to convince himself that there is an absolute truth. He is saying that to try and impose meaning on her death would be wrong. It would take away from her memory. The speaker does not want to make this death symbolic, Nor blaspheme down the stations of the breath / With any further / Elegy of innocence and youth (LL 16-18). He feels that to glorify death, or overly celebrate it would be disgraceful. The speaker is in denial. At this point in the poem, he seems to lack the capacity to feel for this person. This choice not to mourn seems to be less like a choice as the poem continues. The speakers lacking ability to mourn is demonstrated further when he juxtaposes himself next to the Thames River. He says, Deep with the first dead lies Londons Daughter / à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Secret by the unmourning water / Of the riding Thames (LL 18,22-23). His use of first dead implies that there have been many more, or there will be more deaths. He says that he is not going to spend his time dwelling on this singular casualty when there are so many more deaths to worry about. How could he possibly feel the same emotions for all of the coming deaths? How could he put so much energy and feeling into this one death? He claims that instead of mourning, he will flow like the Thames, ubiquitous and unknowing. He would much rather celebrate life and continuity. However, he contradicts himself yet again, with the final line, After the first death, there is no other (L 24). By stating this truth, he is consciously trying to make sense of death, which seems like an act of mourning. There is a pattern emerging in the poem. The speaker goes back and forth on what he believes to be the truth of the childs death. The speakers fickleness regarding his beliefs takes away from the childs death, and centers the poem on the speaker. From this small sample size, we can draw a conclusion that he does not possess an advanced capacity for mourning. Maybe he can only mourn once, and after that it is only repetition. Humans may not have the ability to fully register the magnitude someone elses pain, and in this case the speaker is only able to understand his own pain and experiences, and therefore is unable to mourn this child. The poem, then, is the speakers account of his desire to mourn, even though he says that he is not going to. The entire poem contradicts itself. The speaker cannot make sense of this death. So instead of trying to mourn, he refuses to, which becomes a subconscious act of mourning.

A Critique Of American Sandwich Essay

The whole article tells a true story that happened when the author was a little kid. The Author moved from Portugal to American along with his parents. With so special family background, the author aspire to American Sandwiches rather than thick sliced ham and vegetables wrapped with large loaf of bread. Actually, it reflects the expectations of author that could be a strong desire to touch American cultures and fit into American social circles. Throughout the articleï ¼Å'Edite Cunha utilize the conversation between his mother and him as well as the mental activities behaved by him to describe his vivid dream of owning the sunbeam bread. The frequent transform of the scenes are better to draw the attention of the readers to focus on the rhythm of the story. I think each person has undergone same experience during his or her early stage of life. Take mine experience as an example, I was born in a remote town of a small city, when I was 10 years old, I moved out of the small town to the central areas of the city. I begun to study with these â€Å"urban kids†Ã¯ ¼Å'it took a quite long period for me to get rid of the loneliness. Because we are wired to feel fear whenever we stepping into an unfamiliar environment, this is why I stick to face the question and become more positive. Currentlyï ¼Å'I am logging for the American lifestyle, observing and mimicking people surround me.

Andrew Grove

Intel Corporation is one of the world leaders in terms of microchip and microprocessor production. They embark on a mission of staying in the top and even formulated a strategy on exploring other forms of markets like that of digital health and wireless applications. They have also been known to forge tie-ups with leaders of the prospective markets they are exploring. They have tied up with search engine Google for the wireless application as an example. Basically, Intel operations are divided into two sections: the communications group, known as ICG or Intel Communications Group; and the other section consists of the Intel Architectural business. The architectural section is responsible for the production of â€Å"platform† boards that consists of chipsets and microchips, which are used in desktop processors; including the Intel Pentium 4 processor and the Celeron. On the other hand, the communications section deal mostly with the production and development of wireless technology. They are mostly concerned with flash memory and cellular base-band technology. Intel is also known for large-scale tie-ups with other firms. Example of such is their tie-up with search engine Google for development of wireless technologies. They are also know to be connected with other firms like Microsoft and Dell. However, competition has been seen to catch up on the leadership oh Intel. Recently, a lot of clamors have been heard in the recent decision of present CEO Paul Otellini unveiled his plan to ship the micro-chip corporation to another industry. While the rest had their problems with it, former CEO Andrew Grove is all praises for it. The present CEO’s vision is to generally change the image of Intel starting from what Andrew Grove practically built. Starting from the scrapping of the famous â€Å"e† trademark of the logo, the company motto and even the brand, the company has been envisioned to undergo a transformation. A lot of managers seem to be against the changing of such things that made Intel a household name. Even the logo has been widely known in all parts of the globe. Meanwhile, Andrew Grove has been vocal about his approval of the said changes. In his opinion, they are of the same line of thinking that the present CEO has, that the company really has to undergo these changes in order for the to tell the world that even Intel is adjusting to the fast-paced growth of the industry and that they, as a company, should be at equal footing with the rest of the companies in the same industry.   He further stresses that it is a imperative for the company to show that the company exhibits a show of risk-taking and result orientation, accompanied also by the value of discipline. Before, under Grove’s supervision and Craig Barrett (Grove’s successor), the company focused on the production of microprocessors and took the lead in that industry for years. They helped give birth to the Information Age by producing more microchips and therefore, producing faster computers and ending in the development of micro processing. However, what Otellini had in mind is far from the former image of Intel, considering that he even wanted to change the logo and company symbol. He wanted to venture into uncharted regions of digital health industry and that of â€Å"platform† inventions. Despite the negative views about Otellini’s decision, Analysts from outside the company have cited other views about the subject, stating the fact that sometimes, change is needed for a big company to maintain solid advantage. They also added that other companies that survived the changes maintained industry leadership, just like what happened to Texas Instruments. However, the other side notes that it is not really that advisable to change their target industry and find a niche in other markets, although they have leadership in the industry they would leave. Adding firepower to the firepower of the critics, Intel’s competitor, AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) Inc., have scored a major point against Intel as it topped the company in terms of consumption as AMD Inc rose to a higher percentage in 2003 and analysts view that it would continue to rise against Intel unless Intel releases a new competitive line of processors in the future.. In the wireless communications field, Texas Instruments and Qualcomm Inc are still standing their own ground against Intel’s advances. Also, the two companies are planning to release their own versions of the platform that they assured, would gain more shares of the market than the new Intel is trying to build a niche on. On the other hand, many people are applauding Otellini’s vision of the new Intel, stating that they have never seen so much innovation in technology with respect to their fields, especially that of medicine. Also, people have actually seen the growth of the company, showing promise for a whole variety of new plans that are underway. Not only did the plans boost company ties with other companies, but also made their partner companies believe in the new flexibility of Intel. They promoted closer ties with cellular phone conglomerates Nokia and Samsung; had present tie-ups with Google; ties with Sony and Philips; and with those ties, Intel was able to produce and release different types of innovative products. There different developments have different market reactions. Some producing great results, others not. However, analysts are right in pointing out that other companies that are industry leaders also experienced changes that looked like they are headed nowhere, although in the end, they have proven that their change would actually pay off. And now, Intel took their lead and eventually took some changes in themselves as well. The problem would be, if they can maintain the positive effects and eliminate the negative effects of the changes. As for their decision of making the company over, It is. The industry’s reaction to it seemed to treat the decision as a smart move as well. Rival AMD Inc made some deals with ATI, and this showed that Intel produced a bigger threat than before. Also, the result of other marketing strategies in the release of the new products proved that Intel can really hold its own against the rivals in the industries that they have entered. They also showed that they can maintain the leadership in their industry, and even remodeled themselves into a more serious threat than that of before. However, not all decisions solely produce good effects. The negative effects therefore should be dealt with accordingly. Otellini did not make a bad move and he assured that he would produce good results which he did, although in the process nearly humiliating the company as he suffered near losses and continue to be behind Texas Instrument in the other fields. Intel not only made a good decision externally but also made breakthrough decisions internally, taking care of their employees better and giving chances to other fields like medicine to be at the same level as that of the engineers, the firepower of Intel before. May be this was a factor in Otellini’s equation that he devised for company growth. All in all, Intel has made a remarkable shift from the way it was thirty seven years ago. It also departed from the household figure that we recognized. Although this a bold move in there part and a rather risky one considering the old model is one of the main reasons why Intel made it to the top. In Otellini’s, and now Intel’s belief, It is one risky move that was designed to maintain leadership and gain advantages in other fields that they would pursue in the future. The market and business world would have to look out as Intel’s new look is bound to stay, and so is their new outlook in the business battles. BIBLIOGRAPHIES Intel Corp. Company Profile. Yahoo! Finance. Retrieved October 26, 2006. (http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/13/13787.html) Intel Corporation. Computer Business Review Online. Retrieved October 26, 2006. (http://www.cbronline.com/companyprofile.asp?guid=E82C088A-0488-4DB5-8953-9E316C2B44D1&CType=Background)

Cosmos Episode 6 Viewing Worksheet - Teacher Resources

The most effective educators know they must vary their teaching style in order to accommodate all types of learners. One fun way to do this that students always seem to like is to show videos or have a movie day. A great science based Fox television series, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, will keep the students not only entertained but also learning as they follow along on the adventures of affable host Neil deGrasse Tyson. He makes the complicated science topics accessible for all learners. Below are questions that can be copy and pasted into a worksheet for use during or after the showing  of episode 6 of Cosmos, entitled Deeper Deeper Deeper Still,  to assess students learning. It can also be used by the students as a sort of guided note taking worksheet during the video to jot down the main ideas. You are free to copy and use this worksheet as you feel necessary to best fit your class. Cosmos Episode 6 Worksheet  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Name:___________________    Directions: Answer the questions as you watch episode 6 of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey    1.   About how many atoms does Neil deGrasse Tyson say that he’s made up of?    2. How many hydrogen and oxygen atoms are in one molecule of water?    3.   Why do the water molecules move faster when the sun hit them?    4.   What has to happen to the water molecules before they can evaporate?    5. How long have tardigrades been living on Earth?    6. What are the â€Å"holes† in the moss called that take in carbon dioxide and â€Å"exhale† oxygen?    7. What does a plant need in order to break water into hydrogen and oxygen?    8. Why is photosynthesis the â€Å"ultimate green energy†?    9. How long can a tardigrade go without water?    10. When did the first flowering plants evolve?    11. What did Charles Darwin conclude about the orchid based on his idea of Natural Selection?    12. How much of Madagascar’s rain forests have been destroyed?    13. What is the name of the nerve that is stimulated when we smell something?    14. Why do certain scents trigger memories?    15. How does the number of atoms in every breath we take compare to all the stars in all the known galaxies?    16. What idea about nature was first expressed by Thales?    17.   What was the name of the ancient Greek philosopher who came up with the idea of atoms?    18. What is the only element that is flexible enough to create different structures necessary to sustain life?    19. How did Neil deGrasse Tyson explain that the boy did not really touch the girl?    20. How many protons and electrons does an atom of gold have?    21.   Why is the Sun so hot?    22. What is the â€Å"ash† in the Sun’s nuclear furnace?    23. How are heavier elements, like iron, made?    24. How much distilled water is in the neutrino trap?    25. Why did neutrinos reach the Earth 3 hours before anyone knew of the Supernova 1987A?    26. What law of Physics made it possible for Neil deGrasse Tyson not to flinch when the red ball came swinging back at his face?    27. How did Wolfgang Pauli explain the â€Å"breaking† of the law of conservation of energy in radioactive isotopes?    28.   Why can we not go further back than 15 minutes into January 1 on the â€Å"cosmic calendar†?    29. About what size was the universe when it was a trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second old?

Juvenal - Roman Writer of Satire

Satura tota nostra est.Satire is all ours. Some of our favorite television shows and movies are satires. This usually biting form of entertainment owes its creation not to the artistic Greeks, who developed comedy, tragedy, lyric poetry, and more, but to the usually thought of as more practical Romans. Roman verse satire, a literary genre created by the Romans, is personal and subjective, providing insight into the poet and a look (albeit, warped) at social mores. Invective and obscenities, dining habits, corruption, and personal flaws all have a place in it. Juvenal was a master of exposing the foibles of society, with elegance. Roots of Satire What We Dont Know About Juvenal While we must always be leery of assuming the persona (the speaker in the poem) speaks for the poet, in the case of the last and greatest of the Roman satirists, Juvenal, we dont have much choice. He wasnt mentioned by most contemporary poets and is not included in Quintilians history of satire. It wasnt until Servius, in the late 4th century, that Juvenal received recognition. We think Juvenals full name was Decimus Iunius Iuvenalis. Juvenal may have come from near Monte Cassino. His father may have been a rich freedman and rhetorician. This deduction is based on the lack of a dedication in Juvenals satires. Since Juvenal didnt dedicate his work, he probably didnt have a patron, and so may have been independently wealthy, but he may have been very poor. We dont know Juvenals birth or death date. Even the period at which he flourished is debatable. It is possible he outlived Hadrian. What is clear is that he endured the reign of Domitian and was still alive under Hadrian. Topics of Juvenals Satires Juvenal wrote 16 satires -- the last unfinished -- varying in length from (xvi) 60 lines to (vi) 660. Topics, as stated in his opening programmatic satire, include all aspects of real life, past and present. In reality, the topics center on all aspects of vice. Book 1 Satire 1 (In English)Programmatic satire in which Juvenal states that his purpose is to write satire in a world where sinners are men of power.Satire 2 (In English)Satire on homosexuality and the betrayal of traditional Roman values.Satire 3 (In English)Contrasts corruption of modern Rome with the older simple way of life still found in the country.Satire 4Farcical political satire about the meeting of an imperial council to determine how to cook an outlandish fish.Satire 5Dinner party at which the patron continually humiliates his guest client. Book 2 Satire 6A wonder of misogyny, a catalogue of evil, eccentric, and depraved women. Book 3 Satire 7Without patronage in high places, intellectual pursuits suffer privations.Satire 8Aristocratic birth should be accompanied by noble behavior.Satire 9A dialogue in which the author assures Naevolus, a male prostitute, there will always be work for him in Rome. Book 4 Satire 10What should be prayed for is a healthy mind and body ( mens sana in corpore sano)Satire 11Epistolary invitation to a simple dinner.Satire 12Description of sacrifice to be made for the safe escape of a man named Catullus from a storm at sea because he jettisoned his treasures. Book 5 Satire 13Consoles Calvinus on his loss -- of money.Satire 14Parents teach their children the vice of greed by their example.Satire 15Mankind has a tendency towards cannibalism and should follow Pythagoras dietary recommendations.Satire 16Civilians have no redress against military assaults. Sources Michael Coffey: Roman SatireWilliam J. Dominik and William T. Wehrle: Roman Verse Satire   Silver Age Roman Satire †¢ Review: Roman Verse Satire†¢ Satires Origins†¢ E-text of J.W. Mackails Latin Literature Part III. Chapter IV. Juvenal†¢ Juvenal Net Links

Trophic Cascade Essay Example

Essays on Trophic Cascade Essay The paper "Trophic Cascade" is an outstanding example of an essay on environmental studies. A trophic cascade is a profound concept relating to ecology. It begins at the top of the food chain and goes all the way to the bottom. An example is when wolves were introduced in Yellowstone National Park in 1995 because wolves often kill other species in order to eat them and those species have eaten other species that are smaller than them. It is all in regards to the food chain and the roles of predator and prey. However, they also give life to many others.   The number of deer increasing before 1995 occurred in Yellowstone National Park because wolves had been out of that habitat for over 70 years. The deer had continued to reproduce and there were not enough other species above them on the food chain. Because of this, the population of the deer increased and they had eaten much of the vegetation. The wolves killed some of the deer but then also changed the behavior of the deer and the places that had lost vegetation started to revive because the wolves had changed them out of that area. The bears also began to kill the baby deer. The wolves changed the course of the river because there was less erosion. More pools formed. The regenerated forest helped to stabilize the banks of the rivers so that there was less erosion and did not collapse. Because of this, the flow of the river was much more on its steady course. The following is a food web of Yellowstone National Park. It includes the roles of each species after the wolves were release d back into the park after 70 years. In order to stabilize the ecosystem in the UAE, wild hyenas were reintroduced. The rare animal was endangered and one female was found on Sir Bani Yas Island. Seeing the female had a young litter, it was obvious that there was a male too though it was not found. The young were raised in captivity. They were then relocated back to the island in 2008 in order to control the population of antelopes and gazelles because the other top predator on the island was the cheetah. Hyenas feed on the carcasses too so if there happened to be an antelope or gazelle that had fallen sick, the hyenas would be able to prey on these animals and continue to keep the population healthy by eliminating the sick animals from the island.

What Does Clifford Consider to Be the Appropriate Ethical Norm free essay sample

I agree with Clifford’s’ evidentialist view to a point, as in theory it is a good one, however, practically I believe it is not a realistic way to live your life, as it would be near impossible to find time to investigate and sufficient evidence on which to base every single belief that you come across in your life. Evidentialism states that the justification for a belief is based entirely on the evidence supporting that belief, therefore defining the epistemic condition of a belief. This can be summarised by the simple thesis â€Å"For all persons S and propositions p and times t, S ought to believe that p at t if and only if believing p fits Ss evidence at t. † Clifford’s evidentialist principle is extremely similar to this thesis, as the main point of his argument is that â€Å"it is wrong always, everywhere and for anyone to believe anything on insufficient evidence† . From this we can see that he believed that sufficient reason and evidence supports a belief and if counterbalanced then one should withhold assent to that belief, rather than risk believing something based upon inadequate information. One aspect that Clifford emphasises more than the ordinary evidentialist thesis does is the severity of the consequence toward the believer of a false belief, as he uses words such as ‘guilty’ and ‘sin’ to describe the transgressions of these dishonourable men whose judgement was not to be trusted. He places importance on challenging beliefs indoctrinated in you from childhood, instead of neglecting doubts and avoiding educating yourself on the opposition of these beliefs- stating that if you do not do so â€Å"the life of that man is one long sin against mankind†. Another important point that he raises is the repercussions that your ‘false’ beliefs can have on mankind, not only the important decisions made by people in positions of power that obviously and directly affect others, such as the two examples given in The Ethics of Belief; but also the small and seemingly insignificant beliefs made by every man, as he expresses that â€Å"every time we let ourselves believe for unworthy reasons, we weaken our powers of self-control, of doubting, of judicially and fairly weighing evidence† the results of this will be a greater, ethical wrong toward society- â€Å"the danger to society is not merely that it should believe wrong things, though that is great enough; but that it should become credulous, and lose the habit of testing things and inquiring into them; for then it must sink back into savagery. The first example that Clifford provides in The Ethics of Belief is one of a certain ship-owner who sold tickets to emigrant families for a transatlantic voyage. The ship was fairly old and had needed repairs in the past but instead of overhauling and refitting the ship, the owner chose to rather save the money and send the ship to sea with the belief that it would be safe and seaworthy. In Cliffo rd’s story the ship sinks and the ship-owner collects the insurance money without any further consequences. Clifford (who himself once survived a shipwreck, and so must have found this behaviour particularly loathsome ) argues that, although the man had convinced himself that no harm would come to the passengers and was sincere in this conviction, it was a result of him suppressing doubts raised about the seaworthiness of the ship and was not based on investigative evidence. Therefore Clifford states that even if the ship had not sunk, the man would still be guilty, as his belief would still have been a false one, even if it had not resulted in the death of many people. The second example that is used is one of a group of men who lay false charges against a group of citizens, accusing them of harmful religious practices and resulting in a Commision being appointed to investigate the claims. It was found that the accused were in fact innocent, something that the accusers could have seen had they investigated the matter themselves. In this example, Clifford emphasises how wrong the beliefs of these men were- although they honestly believed them to be true- as these beliefs were founded on a suspicion and not sufficient evidence. As he does with his first example, Clifford suggests that had the results of the enquiry been different, and the accused been found guilty, it would in no way validate the beliefs of the accusers, as the belief would still be an unjustified one, giving them no right to believe their accusations. In this argument we must also consider the difference between an epistemic and ethical wrong as Clifford is arguing the ethical norm regulating belief formation. Ethical norms are the unofficial rules or laws determined and constructed by the cultural power of a society and often have a moral connotation. Epistemic means â€Å"of, or relating to knowledge† and an epistemic wrong is when something ‘violates an epistemic principle not overridden by any other epistemic principle’ whereas an ethical wrong is more of a breach of morality and the principles between what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’. An example of an epistemic wrong would be â€Å"accepting some proposition on the basis of false, irrelevant or insufficient evidence† , which is one of the main points of Clifford’s argument. An example of an ethical wrong would be to give false information to customers in order to benefit financially. There are three negative consequences for ethical wrongs- ‘the tie to action, the generational wrong and bad habits’ the first deals with the negative results that moral failings can have on the actions of the believer; the second deals with the social dimension of these ethical wrongs which can be inherited by other generations and thus lead to a downward spiral of society along with the third, in which the bad habit of supporting a belief for unworthy reason will create a world in which no-one challenges anything and everything is taken at face value. Clifford argues not only the epistemic importance of inquiring into the validity of all of your beliefs but also the ethical importance in challenging everything. He states that â€Å"we all suffer severely enough from the maintenance and support of false beliefs and the fatally wrong actions which they lead to, and the evil born when one such belief is entertained is great and wide. As a counterargument to Clifford’s Ethics of Belief, a fellow philosopher, William James, wrote The Will to Believe, challenging some of Clifford’s points and I believe that his arguments are valid and provide more of a logical way of looking at belief and the appropriate ethical norm toward belief maintenance. James argues that â€Å"first of all some issues are alive or dead for a person, like live or dead wires for an electrician† meaning that to some, certain choices where two options are provided and neither are acceptable when relating to the believers personal situation are not valid choices, â€Å"secondly, some decisions are forced or avoidable† , such as choosing to turn left or right in your car when getting to a T junction in the road, which is forced, or deciding which ovie to watch- which is avoidable, as you could chose not to watch a movie- â€Å"thirdly some are momentous or trivial† and therefore your decision could be one that would either have a significant effect on the history of the world or the lives of others, such as approving nuclear warfare, or could be a menial choice such as what to eat for lunch. â€Å"Now when Clifford negates all belief without evidence in order to avoid error, he does not recognize that some decisions are forced and mo mentous. Not to make a decision is to make a decision in such a case. Not to choose an option brings about the same loss of the truth or good that could have been experienced. † From this we can see that selection for beliefs is more complicated than it may initially appear in Clifford’s argument and not as simple as just believing anything that has sufficient evidence to support your belief in it. For instance, in some cases one can never have absolute certainty of ones evidence and this makes it fairly difficult to decide when one’s evidence is sufficient or insufficient. Also, an ethical norm is decided on the basis of your moral compass and thus this is very much an instinctual decision, not one made based upon epistemology or knowledge, and this is supported better in James’s argument as he states that â€Å"our passional nature not only lawfully may, but must decide an option between propositions whenever it is a genuine option that cannot by its nature be decided on intellectual grounds† as opposed to Clifford who states that with patient investigation you can find the appropriate evidence on which to assent or dissent to that belief. In conclusion, I believe Clifford’s Ethics of Belief is a valuable insight into an argument that should be seriously taken into consideration when dealing with both the epistemic and ethical norms surrounding formation and preservation of beliefs, especially if those beliefs are significant ones that could have an impact on the course of your or other people’s life. However, I also feel that it is necessary to take into consideration that as beliefs are often a moral issue the choice to believe can be an emotional as opposed to intellectual one. James provides for this impulsiveness in his argument and allows for a less rigid standpoint in regards to the evidence required to provide someone with the right to a belief. Considering both the view of Clifford and of James I feel that one of the common points recognisable in each is the importance of belief and that instead of taking our beliefs for granted we should truly appreciate and make the most of the opportunity given to us when we are allowed the freedom to choose what we truly believe to be true.