The Issues When Using Qualitative and Quantitative Methodologies in Essay

The Issues When Using Qualitative and Quantitative Methodologies in Research and Is A Comparison between These Two Methodologies - Essay Example Furthermore, it will compare and contrast the two key approaches and its significance to obtain an in-depth understanding to the ideologies. Discussion According to Creswell, a researcher, while developing a proposal, should focus on the three key elements, namely, the philosophical hypothesis about the factors behind the knowledge claims, the general procedures for performing the research with due consideration towards the strategies of inquiry, and the development of comprehensive processes for data collection and data analysis often categorised as research methodology (3-6). The three approaches, i.e. the quantitative approach, qualitative approach and mixed approach include each of these three elements differently for formulating the research methods (Creswell 3-6). Thus, it can be stated that the researcher should emphasise on the three main elements irrespective of whatever approach preferred. Furthermore, the philosophical and social factors should also be considered while dev eloping the processes of analysing the opinions of the respondents to evaluate both the quantitative and the qualitative values of the research. As observed by Shadish, Cook & Campbell, quantitative research were those that raised the perspectives of the positivist (13-19). The research includes real and less accurate experiments which are known as quasi-experiments along with the philosophies of parallel studies which are related to specific single-subject experiments. However, the authors further stated that recently, the strategies of quantitative approach involved various complex experiments with numerous variable factors and conducts such as factorial designs and continuous measure developments. In other words, it can be concluded that researchers have been implementing various methods to the quantitative approach which were further diversified from the traditional process. Moreover, modern researchers have instigated elaborate structural models that have contributed towards th e identification of the collective strengths of the numerous variable factors engaged in a research process (Shadish, Cook & Campbell 13-19). In this respect, Walcott identified 19 strategies that could be implemented for conducting qualitative research approach (4-13). Thereby, the author emphasised more on the ethnographic procedures in which the researcher studies an integral cultural group in a natural situation over a long-lasting period of time principally collecting observational data. Such kind of research processes, are often termed to be flexible and normally evolve around the contextual responses from the respondents encountered in the field of research (Walcott 4-13). Thus, it can be stated that modern day researchers have identified numerous ways for measuring the qualitative value of the research question which have evidently rewarded a wide scope of conducting researches. According to Creswell, a quantitative approach is considered to be a unique framework in which th e researcher attempts to study the positive responses from the respondents for analysing the information gathered (118-178). The author also states that the researcher employs various strategies for performing the enquiry sessions in order to collect adequate information on predetermined processes which are further quantified and thus result in statistical data (Creswell 118-178). Accordingly,

Critical Thinking in 21st Century America Essay Example for Free

Critical Thinking in 21st Century America Essay The intellectual roots of critical thinking date back to the teachings of Socrates, who discovered a method of analytical questioning; known today as â€Å"Socratic questioning,† establishing that one could not rationally justify their assured claims to knowledge. Socrates established that people cannot depend upon those in authority to have sound knowledge and insight. He demonstrated that individuals may have power and high position and yet be deeply confused and irrational. He established the importance of asking questions and thinking deeply before we accept an idea as worthy of belief. Socrates stressed the significance of seeking evidence, closely examining reasoning and assumptions, analyzing basic concepts, and tracing out implications not only of what is said but of what is done. This, I believe, is essential to living a successful and knowledgeable life; question everything and everyone. I strongly agree with Socrates’ idea that we cannot depend upon an individual of higher power to have all-encompassing knowledge and insight solely based on their status. The use of certain words, in just the right way, is enough to make some individuals believe just about anything; most successful lawyers have built their entire careers simply by knowing what to say, how to say it, and when to say it. Although I feel that critical thinking is a necessity throughout life, along with analyzing and questioning everything; I also feel that it is not something that is simply learned. Today, in our contemporary 21st century American society, we are certainly allowed to be and/or trained to be critical thinkers, but it is only certain individuals who will use critical thought to its highest ability to expand their knowledge and open up the mind. These individuals, sometimes rare, have the ability to reflectively question common beliefs and justifications, and use this to carefully distinguish those beliefs that are reasonable and logical from those which lack acceptable evidence or rational foundation to justify a certain belief. Socrates’ practice was followed by many great critical thinkers, such as Plato, Aristotle, and the Greek skeptics, all of whom emphasized that things are often very different from what they appear to be and that only the trained mind is prepared to see through the way things look to us on the surface, misleading appearances, to the way they really are beneath the surface, the deeper realities of life. Critical thinking, amongst many other definitions, is the ability to understand and apply, to infer and to meaningfully investigate given information; the skills needed to see equivalents, comprehend connections, identify problems, and develop justifiable explanations. It identifies bias, and a bias is not necessarily bad; it is simply a preferred way of looking at things. However, critical thinking does not necessarily benefit everyone; it can alter relationships, change attitudes, and cause family and friends to part ways. In light of our readings, many of the individuals we have discussed stress the need for a critical society, but additionally stress that it is not always beneficial, especially for those susceptible to nonsense. John Stuart Mill feared conformism among society as a whole, he saw this as a uniformity which enforced narrow-minded views and illogical rules on those individuals more open-minded and educated. A few years back while researching religion for a paper, I came across Mill’s idea of â€Å"hell belief,† where he argues that the belief in hell is made inconsistently both strong and weak by a total system failure in critical thinking; that hell belief is incompatible with the belief that God is good. He explains that the same mind set that enables them to accept a theory involving these contradictions prevents them from seeing the logical consequences of the theory. Mill’s ideas of â€Å"hell belief† are very similar to those of my own. Many, if not most, people are introduced and expected to abide by a certain religion by the time they speak their first words. Naturally, more often than not, religion and religious values are the first thing that many are taught; however religion allows little, or no room, for critical thinking. Many people carry their religious beliefs and values throughout life, where critical thinkers challenge and question it; they find the stuff that doesn’t quite make sense and demand to know where the logic lies and why exactly they’re supposed to life by these ideas. In Mill’s ideas, people come to believe in it and manage to stay sane about it for the same reason, a lack of critical thinking. In our readings, we see that Bertrand Russell emphasizes the importance of open and free analysis, and the critical need to create education systems that raise open-minded pursuit of knowledge and cautions the dangers inherent in rigid ideologies. I agree with Russell and believe that children should be taught to think critically as soon as they start their education because as adults it is almost impossible to learn, it is not simply a skill you can up and decide you want to possess. If more schools implemented a system that encourages children to keep an open mind and consistently put certain ideas and theories to the test, they would be better prepared for future education, encouraged to socialize with their peers even if they’re not from the same religious or ethnic background, and overall be well prepared for life itself; the habit of questioning everything leads to the development of well-rounded knowledge. When referencing the answers that many of us strive for, Russell explains that if philosophy cannot answer all of our questions, it at least holds the power of asking questions which increase the interest of the world, and show the strangeness and phenomenon lying just below the surface even in the simplest things of everyday life. He identifies a need for a theory of knowledge that will merge what appears to be from what really is, as well as the importance to practice knowledge responsibly. Russell explains to us that in order to make statements or hold beliefs about knowledge, we must be able to substantiate that our knowledge is accurate to reality. Although uncertainty and doubt are Descartes enemy, he wanted to use doubt as a tool or weapon to combat uncertainty. What, if anything, could not be doubted after subjecting all of his knowledge to the acid wash of doubt. The one thing that Descartes concluded could not be doubted was that he was doubting. There has to be an â€Å"I† who is thinking. Descartes famous dictum, Cogito Ergo Sum, means â€Å"I think therefore I am†.

Intravenous Fluid Therapy During Anaesthesia

Intravenous Fluid Therapy During Anaesthesia INTRAVENOUS FLUID THERAPY DURING ANESTHESIA Water, Electrolytes, Glucose requirement, Disposition The intravascular compartment consists of blood cells, colloids, and solutes. Each one of them plays a specific role in the homeostasis. In the perioperative period there are losses and shifts of ECF between compartments. Injury, surgery, endocrine pathology contribute to those shifts and ultimately influence outcome. It is generally accepted that the total body water of a 70kg adult patient is approximately 60-70% of the weight and approximately two-thirds of it is intracellular. The focus of this chapter is the intravascular volume which consists of extracellular volume, plasma, and intracellular volume attributable to erythrocytes, leukocytes, platelets. The plasma, constituting approximately 3 L, consists of inorganic ions, albumin and small molecules. The inorganic ions are found on both sides of the cellular membranes and their concentration is maintained due to an energy consuming process. The Na+/K+ ATP-dependent pump maintains a higher N+ and Cl concentration in the extracellular space while K+ concentration is higher intracellularly. The albumin and other larger molecules are kept in the intravascular compartment by the endothelium cells due to their size. Smaller molecules, however, can cross freely this barrier. The endothelium cells and thus the barrier they provide can be disrupted by injury, surgery, or inflammatory processes. The result Is a disruption of homeostasis with significant deleterious effects on the body. Additionally, disease states can cause disruption of the inorganic ion homeostasis and leading to fluids shifts between compartments leading to edema, poor perfusion, lactate buildup, poor excretion of harmfu l metabolites and causing additional injury. Starlings Equation underscores the important forces (hydrostatic and oncotic) affecting fluid distribution between capillary and interstitial space: Jv = Kf [(Pc Pi) à Ã‚ ­ (Ï€c Ï€i)] Jv net filtration or net fluid movement Kf filtration coefficient Pc and Pi the hydrostatic pressures in the capillaries and interstitial space respectively à Ã‚ ¬ reflection coefficient Ï€c and Ï€i capillary and interstitial oncotic pressure The natural driving force and thus fluid movement is from capillary to interstitial space, where the excess fluid is cleared by the lymphatics. Diseases and trauma, whether due to surgery or otherwise induced and leading to inflammation and release of toxic substrates, disrupts the balance and the function of the endothelium and reducing the reflection coefficient. The increased permeability can lead to changes in the interstitial fluid composition which changes the oncotic pressure difference leading to further extravasation of fluid and resulting in tissue edema. This edema compromises local perfusion and accumulation of toxic byproducts causing a vicious cycle and ultimately death. The osmotic pressure is due to semipermeable membranes. Solutes which freely traverse a membrane dont build an osmotic pressure gradient across the membrane. Glucose is present in the intracellular fluid and serves to provide energy substrate. It is regulated through insulin and maintained at a level between 70 and 90 mmol/L in healthy adults. Increase in the glucose concentration can change the osmotic pressure across the endothelium and cause fluid shifts leading to Our goal as anesthesiologist is to maintain the intravascular compartment and assure adequate delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the organs while maintain good clearance of metabolic byproducts. The following classification of the perioperatively used fluids is ubiquitous: crystalloids and colloids. Crystalloids with ionic solution and osmolality close to that of plasma are deemed balanced solutions. The glucose is used to provide energy substrate and used in hypoglycemic patients or in combination with insulin. Once the glucose is metabolized, the reminder of the free water can be easily distributed along all compartments. Colloids consist of dissolved large molecular substances. They are generally described by their molecular weight or MWw. This property contributes to the oncotic pressure created intravascularly with intact endothelium and glycocalyx. Naturally occurring colloids encompass albumin, immunoglobulins, fresh frozen plasma, and plasma protein fraction. Semisynthetic ones are: gelatins, dextrans, and hydroxyethyl starches (HES). Semisynthetic and naturally occurring colloids have raised the concern of viral and prion transmission, particularly those from bovine origin. While most of the colloids have variable size of molecules, human albumin is more uniform. Gelatins are bovine collagen derivatives. Some preparations can contain Ca or other inorganic ions and those need to be taken into consideration. Dextrans are biosynthesized sucrose derivatives. They are best described by their molecular weight, i.e. Dextran 40 has a molecular size of 40,000 Daltons (Da) and Dextran 70 70,000 Da. Their clearance is highly dependent on their molecular size with smaller molecules freely filtered through the renal glomerulum and larger sizes are metabolized by the reticular endothelial system first and then excreted through the gut. Hetastarches are derivatives of amylopectine. They are divided into high-molecular weight, medium molecular weight and low molecular weight. They can be dissolved into normal saline or balanced solution. All semisynthetic colloids are known to exert an effect on kidneys and coagulation. Thus, there is a maximum dose recommended by the manufacturers. FluidRequirementsandFluidDeficitCalculations Normal Salinevs.LactatedRingersvs. Plasmalytevs.D5W

The Life of Karl Marx Essay -- Biography Biographies Karl Marx Essays

The Life of Karl Marx Karl Marx was the co-author of The Communist Manifesto, along with Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto is a pamphlet that was written to let the public know how the working class was being treated, and to try to get rid of the class system that existed at the time. Marx believed that many of the workers throughout England were not being treated fairly and that something needed to be done about it. Marx explains, â€Å"The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.† 1 He continues on to talk about how while looking at human history you ought to not just look at great individuals or great conflicts, but instead look more at social classes and the struggles in which they go through. Karl Marx led a very long and meaningful life that will always be looked at in great light. The Communist Manifesto and Karl Marx greatly impacted change of society throughout the twentieth century. 2 Karl Marx was born on May 5, 1818 in Trier, Rheinish, Prussia. Marx's father, Heinrich, was a lawyer, and his mother was Henriette Pressburg. He was second of eight children. The family was originally Jewish, which it was reported that he was not practicing Jew. Marx's father eventually changed the families religion to Protestant, so as to avoid anti-Semitism. At the age of seventeen he attended the University of Bonn, where he decided to studied law just like his father. Soon enough his father pulled him out of Bonn because of his poor grades and his injury in a duel. After paying off Marx's debts his parents then made him transfer to The University of Berlin. Here he became a little more interested in his studies and also got to know his professors a little better. One of the mos... ...s outlook, relationships both to other men and to physical nature, with which man is in perpetual physical and technological metabolism.† 8 End Notes 1) Berlin, Isaiah, Karl Marx: His life and Environment (New York: Oxford University Press, 1978). 2) Avineri, Shlomo, The Social and Political Thought of Karl Marx (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1968). 3) "Karl Marx" Education on the Internet and Teaching History Online, <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUmarx.htm> (12 February 2002) 4) "The Karl Marx Page" Sociology at Hewett <http://www.hewett.norfolk.sch.uk/curric/soc/MARX/Marx1.htm> (12 February 2002) 5) Blumenberg, Werner, Portrait of Marx (New York: Herder and Herder New York, 1972). 6) Avineri 7) "The Karl Marx Page" (all pictures from this website) 8) Berlin

The Principal Crusades

The Crusades were a series of Holy Wars launched by the Christian states of Europe against the Saracens and the rescuing of holy places of Palestine from the hands of the Mohammedans. (Alchin 1) There were eight Crusades in number; the first four were sometimes called the Principal Crusades, and the remaining four were the called the Minor Crusades. (Alchin 1) The Principal Crusades, however, were considered to be the most important. (Alchin 1) The Principal Crusades started because of key people or key events, which led to affect history.Every crusade contained key people, which helped spark the crusades, or contained key leaders that were important in conquering them. The first impulse to the Crusade came from an appeal of the eastern emperor, Michael VII to Pope Gregory VII for aid against the Seljuks. (Walker 2) Alexius I, a stronger ruler tan him immediate predecessors in Constantinople, saw the divisive squabbles among the Seljuk chieftain as an opportunity to take the offensiv e. (Walker 2) He, therefore, appealed to Pope Urban II for assistance in raising a body of western knights to help him recover his lost Asiatic provinces. Walker 2) Urban called on all Christendom to take part in the work, promising a complete remission of sins to those who would take the arduous journey. (Walker 2) The leaders of the first Crusade included some of the most distinguished representatives of European knighthood. (Alchin 2) Count Raymond of Toulouse headed a band of volunteers from a Province in southern France. (Alchin 2) Godfrey of Bouillon and his brother Baldwin commanded a force of French and Germans from the Rhinelands. (Alchin 2) Normandy sent Robert, William the Conqueror's eldest son. Waring 167) The Normans from Italy and Sicily were led by Bohemond, a son of Robert Guiscard, and his nephew Tancred. (Alchin 2) All of these men were key leaders in the first Crusade. In 1145, Pope Eugenius III proclaimed a new crusade and in 1147 the second crusade set forth, b ut it showed little of the fiery enthusiasm which the first crusade possessed. (Walker 4) The contagion of the holy enthusiasm seized not only barons, knights, and the common people, but kings and emperors were now infected with the sacred frenzy. (Alchin 11) The key leaders of the second crusade were two monarchs, Louis VII of France and Conrad III of Germany. Alchin 11) Conrad III, emperor of Germany, was persuaded to leave the affairs of his distracted empire in the hands of God, and consecrate himself to the defense of the sepulcher of Christ. (Buddy 11) Louis VII. , king of France, was led to undertake the crusade through remorse for an act of great cruelty that he had perpetrated upon some of his revolted subjects. (Alchin 11) The key men of the third crusade were both distinct leaders. King Richard I of England, who was later given the title the â€Å"Lion-hearted†, was the central figure among the Christians knights of this crusade. Alchin 16) The other was Saladin, c hief of the Mohammedans, who was not lacking in any of those knightly virtues with which the writers of the time invested the character of the English hero. (Alchin 20) At one time, when Richard was sick with a fever, Saladin, knowing that he was poorly supplied with delicacies, sent him a gift of the choicest fruits of the land. (Alchin 20) On another occasion, Richard's horse having been killed in battle, the sultan caused a fine Arabian steed to be led to the Christian camp as a present for his rival. Alchin 20) For two years Richard the Lion-hearted vainly contended in almost daily combat with his generous antagonist for the possession of the tomb of Christ. (Alchin 20) Both of these men contributed to the third crusade. The fourth Crusade was authored by only one person, and that person only had one goal. The young, enthusiastic and ambitious Pope Innocent III sought once more to unite the force of Christendom against Islam. (Cairns 216) No emperor or king answered his summons, but a number of knights took the crusader’s vow. Alchin 24) None of the Crusades, after the Third, effected much in the Holy Land; either their force was spent before reaching it, or they were diverted from their purpose by different objects and ambitions. (Alchin 24) All of these key figures helped spark the Principal Crusades. The results from the key events were the end of the Principal Crusades. These events that follow helped the Christians prevail over the Muslims. Godfrey of Bouillon, Duke of Lorraine, and Tancred lead an expedition to recapture Jerusalem. (Alchin 5) The expedition numbered about seven hundred thousand men, of which one hundred thousand were called knights. Alchin 5) The crusaders traversed Europe by different routes and reassembled at Constantinople. (Alchin 5) Crossing the Bosphorus, they first captured Nicaea, the Turkish capital, in Bithynia, and then set out across Asia Minor for Syria. (Alchin 5) Arriving at Antioch, the survivors captured that place, and then, after some delays, pushed on towards Jerusalem. (Alchin 5) The Siege of Antioch had lasted from  October 1097 to June 1098. (Alchin 5) Reduced now to perhaps one-fourth of their original numbers, the crusaders advanced slowly to the city which formed the goal of all their efforts, Jerusalem. Alchin 6) When the Crusaders were in full view of the Holy City, a perfect delirium of joy seized the crusaders. (Alchin 6) They embraced one another with tears of joy, and even embraced and kissed the ground on which they stood. (Alchin 6) As they passed on, they took off their shoes, and marched with uncovered heads and bare feet before attacking it. (Alchin 6) Then the grand assault came. The first assault made by the Christians upon the walls of the city was repulsed; but the second was successful, and the city was in the hands of the crusaders by July 1099. Alchin 7) Once inside the city, the crusaders massacred their enemies without mercy. (Alchin 7) The fall and massacr e of the city of Edessa sparked the second crusade. In the year 1146, the city of Edessa, the bulwark of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem on the side towards Mesopotamia, was taken by the Turks, and the entire population was slaughtered, or sold into slavery. (Alchin 9) This disaster threw the entire West into a state of the greatest alarm, lest the little Christian state and all the holy places should again fall into the hands of the infidels. Alchin 9) The second crusade, though begun under the most favorable auspices, had an unhappy ending. (Alchin 12) Of the great host that set out from Europe, only a few thousands escaped annihilation in Asia Minor at the hands of the Turks. (Alchin 12) Louis and Conrad, with the remnants of their armies, made a joint attack on Damascus, but had to raise the siege after a few days. (Alchin 12) This closed the second crusade. The capture of Jerusalem by Saladin stimulated the third crusade. Having made himself sultan of Egypt, Saladin united the M oslems of Syria under his sway and then advanced against the Latin  Kingdom of Jerusalem. Alchin 14) The Christians met him in a great battle near the lake of Galilee. (Alchin 14) It ended in the rout of their army and the capture of their king. (Alchin 14) Saladin quickly reaped the fruits of victory. (Alchin 14) The Christian cities of Syria opened their gates to him, and at last Jerusalem itself surrendered after a short siege. (Alchin 14) The news of the taking of Jerusalem spread consternation throughout western Christendom. (Alchin 15) The cry for another crusade arose on all sides. (Alchin 15) Once more thousands of men sewed the cross in gold, or silk, or cloth upon their garments and set out for the Holy Land. Alchin 15) When the three greatest rulers of Europe, King Philip Augustus of France, King Richard I of England, and the German emperor, Frederick Barbarossa heard about the catastrophe; they set out, each at the head of a large army, for the recovery of the Holy Cit y of Jerusalem. (Walker 5) Thus the third crusade began. The crusaders of the fourth expedition captured Constantinople instead of Jerusalem. The crusaders took Constantinople by storm. (Alchin 26) No infidels could have been treated in a worse fashion than this home of ancient civilization. Alchin 26) They burned down a great part of it; they slaughtered the inhabitants; they wantonly destroyed monuments, statues, paintings, and manuscripts—the accumulation of a thousand years—and carried away much of the movable wealth. (Alchin 26) Never had there been such plunder since the world began. (Alchin 26) The results of these events played important roles in the Principal Crusades. The effect of the Principal Crusades had historical implications on society. At the recapturing of Jerusalem of the first crusade, a terrible slaughter of the infidels took place. Alchin 7) For seven days the carnage went on, at the end of it, scarcely any of the Moslem faith was left alive. (Al chin 7) The Christians took possession of the houses and property of the infidels, each soldier having a right to that which he had first seized and placed his mark upon. (Alchin 7) All of this was the affect of the first crusade. At the retreating from the siege of Damascus of the second crusade, the strength of both the French and the German division of the expedition was wasted in Asia Minor, and the crusade accomplished nothing. (Alchin 12) Thus was the end of the second Crusade.In the third crusade, although Richard was unsuccessful in recapturing Jerusalem, he did get Saladin to agree to give pilgrims free access to the city without paying tribute. (Cairns 214) After the truce, Richard set sail for England, and with his departure from the Holy Land the third crusade came to an end. (Cairns 214) Thus was the end of the third crusade. Although the crusaders of the fourth crusade had plundered from the sack of Constantinople, it had a negative effect. Constantinople declined in s trength and could no longer cope with the barbarians menacing it. (Alchin 28) Two centuries later the city fell easily to the Turks. Alchin 28) Their greed and lust for power turned the fourth crusade into a political adventure. (Alchin 28) Thus was the ending of the fourth crusade. These were the historical affects of the Principal Crusades. The trigger of the Principal Crusades was from the emulation of key leaders and the stimulation of key events, which both had negative and positive effects on history. The crusades were great military expeditions undertaken by the Christian nations of Europe. There purpose, to take back former Christian nations from pagans and to restore Christianity throughout them. Works CitedAlchin, Linda. â€Å"The Crusades. † Middle Ages. N. S. , 16 July 2006. Web. 3 Mar. 2011. < http://www. middle-ages. org. uk/the-crusades. htm> Buddy. â€Å"A Brief History of the Crusades. † My Discipleship Journal (2010). Print. Cairns, Earl. Christianity through the Centuries: a History of the Christian Church. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996. Print. Walker. â€Å"The Crusades. † Theology Website. N. S. , 1997. Web. 3 Mar. 2011. < http://theologywebsite. com/ history/crusades. shtml>. Waring, Diana. Romans, Reformers, and Revolutionaries. Petersburg: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc. , 2008. Print.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of Intuitionism Essays

What are the strengths and weaknesses of Intuitionism Essays What are the strengths and weaknesses of Intuitionism Paper What are the strengths and weaknesses of Intuitionism Paper Intuitionism came about as a post-utilitarian perspective, and was largely developed as an ethical theory by Moore, Pritchard and Ross. As the name of the theory tells us it is concerned with humans intuition, Sidgwick came to the conclusion that ethics was not based on a unifying principle but rather on human intuition. Today, an intuitionist is thought of as someone who holds particular views about the way in which we come to find out what actions are right and which are wrong. Apparently, we group basic moral principles because of our intuition. Moral principles are capable of being true and known through a special faculty; moral intuition. W. D. Ross and Pritchard, claimed that they are facts about what is morally right and wrong and that our understanding of these is sufficient to deserve the title knowledge. We know that something is good by intuition: it is self-evident, good is something known directly by intuitionism1 G. E. Moore wrote that what is good, or morally good, cannot be defined by humans, just as yellow also cannot. We all know what yellow is in sensory terms but the only way to describe yellow is to use other colours which does not help someone who is colour blind, Good can be defined no more successfully than yellow. 2 However, we know instantly what yellow is, and we know instinctively what is morally good; they are both self-evident to us. Moore thought that what makes an action good or otherwise are the aims of the person in question when carrying out that action. Moore then went on to make a distinction between the aims and the consequences of an action: the aims are decided intuitively before the action and determine its moral nature. The consequences are determined retrospectively, therefore not determining morality. Harold Arthur Pritchard developed Moores ideas further, he thought that moral obligation just is, and it can be perceived by our intuition. This means that moral obligation is something that a person could just know, it was not quite the same as feeling certain or failing to think or not questioning. The most evident strength of intuitionism is that the Judaeo-Christian tradition teaches that human beings are made in the likeness of God, therefore having his laws written in their hearts. This clearly supports the intuitive approach. The good person knows what is morally good because he/she is designed to know. Paramount to this idea is a) there is an absolute moral code b) that we have the ability to recognise it. Moreover, it is likely in practice that the majority of moral agents act at least partly from intuition on the majority of occasions when they have to make a moral decision. A weakness of the system is to assume that we can know A because of B. We cannot, in fact, say something is right because we intuit it to be that way. An intuitionist would say that humans only have their moral hunches and intuitions to guide them, so we have to rely on this by default. Unlike the scientific world in the world of morals, an intuitive moral decision is often held to be right because the person feels it to be so. This can be seen as a criticism of intuitionism because moral decisions making is more of an art form that an exact science. The apparent weaknesses of intuitionism could be summed up by saying when asking why should I be good? Because you just know you should. Emotivism, as its name suggests, is the moral theory based on peoples emotive responses to other people, events, situations, viewpoints and principles. Emotive response in this context is simply referring to a persons feelings about something. Thus, Emotivism is concerned principally, if not exclusively, with how people feel about something. This can be clearly seen in someone who says abortion is wrong, because according to Emotivism all they are doing is announcing how they feel about abortion. Even if they give a number of reasons why they feel this way, for example it goes against the sanctity of life. All the person is doing is finding other reasons which appeal to their emotions in order to support their initial position. When we remove all the so called rational reasons or arguments for doing A rather than B or believing in X rather than Y, then at root what we are left with is just a personal preference based on feelings of approval or disapproval. This is why the theory is commonly known as the Boo-Hurrah theory; when a statement is approved of the response is Hurrah and when a statement is disapproved of then the response is Boo. The weaknesses of the emotive theory of ethics are as follows; most people believe the need for a moral code. Most moral codes prescribe anti-social acts such as murder, stealing, cheating, deceiving, offending others. Integrity, honesty, loyalty, decency are also common moral requirements. If there is such a thing as a basic moral code, then Emotivism which is relative cannot be an exhaustive or complete system. Also, if everyone operates morally solely on their emotions then there should never be the problem of what to do, they would simply follow their strongest feeling on the issue. However, reality is different. For example; I may have huge sympathy for an elderly patient in pain, imploring me as her doctor to put her out of her misery. I have to force myself against my feelings, reasoning that her life is sacred, and I have no right to play God. Another problem with the relativism inherent in Emotivism is the difficulty of deciding where to draw the line of tolerance. If a Satanist is preaching hatred or murder as a good thing in his eyes should he be opposed vociferously, or in any other way, or not at all? After all, if he feels the emotion of hatred is the best basis of his moral code; from an emotive-relativist point of view I should do nothing unless he actually harms someone. Moreover, Alasdair McIntyre believes that Emotivism is bankrupt as an ethical theory because it lacks any moral absolutes. According to McIntyre the implications of Emotivism on society would be that social relations become manipulative because each person relates to everyone else morally in terms of their own individual emotions, not in terms of absolute moral values. This leads to people being a means to our own ends, instead of being ends in themselves.