Meno and Phaedo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Meno and Phaedo - Essay Example The following will present three succinct (and related) arguments which defend the position concerning the immortality of the soul. The arguments in question, are as follows (1) ‘argument from opposites’ [69e-72e], (2) argument from recollection [73-78b], and finally, (3) ‘the argument from affinity’ [84c-88b]. The focus of this analysis will be on the above three sections, however, both a consideration of some of the objections will follow, and finally, the final or summary refutation provided by Plato’s mouthpiece (Socrates). The first position in question, is the argument from opposites. This is an argument which is based on an inference which is an extension of observation. What we perceive around us, is a process in nature where opposites turn into each other. In this section in question, Plato observes the following opposites which typify this process of â€Å"becoming† [72B], namely, the opposites of ‘small/larger’ [70E]â₠¬Ëœfaster/slower’, ‘waking/sleeping’[71D], and ‘hot/cold’[71B]. As mentioned, these are processes whereby opposites turn into one another. There are, however, some problems with this argument. First, the very notion of ‘opposite’ is problematic. ... in Celsius) between ‘hot’ and ‘cold’, but they are not opposites in the contradictory sense of ‘life’ and ‘death’. In other words, ‘life’ and ‘death’ are binary opposites in the sense that a person is either ‘alive’, or they are ‘dead’. A difference in the sense presented by Plato with respect to ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ or conversely, ‘fast’ and ‘slow’ are not binary opposites – the admit of a middle ground, and moreover, they are united or related in some sense. They are related in the sense of being relative to another. While a tortoise is relatively slow when compared with a hare, a hare is slow when compared to the speed of light. Thus, is the ‘hare’ fast or slow? In normal logic, one cannot predicate real opposites of the same thing, this is the law of non-contradiction [Wagner 28] and this is actually that which brings into question some of what Plato is claiming concerning these opposites. This said, Plato is claiming that â€Å"all things come to be in this way, opposites from opposites† [71A]. Further, he infers that among â€Å"all† of these â€Å"things†, must also be the soul and the body. Thus, if everything turns into its opposite, then, the soul must turn into the body, and the body must turn into the soul. Phrased in terms of a syllogism, (1.) if it can be said â€Å"that to be dead is the opposite of being alive† [71D], and (2) â€Å"all things come to be in this way, opposites from opposites† [71A], then, (3) it can be inferred that the body and soul turn into each other. As has been noted, the form of this argument is an inference, and there are some problems, and second, his very notion of opposites includes ‘contraries’ and not just ‘contradictories’ – that is,

Banking Regulation and Risk Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Banking Regulation and Risk - Coursework Example The debit and credit cards are also offered to the customers depending on the kind of services they need from the institutions. Finance is a crucial sector in the field of financing which is the funding to the customers in order for them to be successful in life. It is also logic that the customers need techniques for them to manage their financial activities. When I say about banking, it is the financial institutions that are working on different kinds of business. For one to understand the challenges and risks of banking, it is good to understand the types of business involved in the banking system. This depends on the type of banks running the business whereby some banks carry out different functions depending on the size of the bank. Some banks are large and offer a large number of services to the customers which have complex functions that are more specialized. It is not all the banks that have same financial activities and functions but they vary depending on the kind of services the customers need. Banking is usually divided in the following types; It is a bank that deals with the maintenance of the country’s economy. Without the central bank the country can not have a stable economy. The banks normally deal with the circulation of the buying and selling currencies in the country and it controls the interest rates of the amounts. The bank also acts as the last resort lender to other banks when they face trouble. It is a bank that is separate from other banks in the country. Retail banks are the banks at the streets where many people in the country access the banks. The banks collect deposits from the customers and give saving facilities to them and they pay interests on the accounts. The banks also lend the customers with money and charge them a certain amount of interest depending on the rates. the banks also provide other services to the customers. This are banks that have