Anne Conway’s Critique of Cartesian Dualism :: Dualism Essays

Anne Conway’s Critique of Cartesian Dualism ABSTRACT: I describe and analyze Anne Conway’s critique of Cartesian dualism. After a brief biographical introduction to Conway, I sketch some of the influences on her philosophy. I then describe her non-Cartesian view of substance. According to Conway, there is only one substance in created reality. This substance contains both matter and spirit. A purely material or spiritual substance is, she argues, an impossibility. Next, I discuss several of Conway’s arguments against Cartesian dualism. Firstly, dualism is inconsistent because dualists, while denying that concepts such as divisibility and extension are applicable to spiritual substance, nevertheless use such terms when describing the soul or spirit. They assume that soul or spirit is something particular which can be located somewhere. Secondly, she argues that dualism results in mechanism because it makes too sharp a distinction between body and soul, thus regarding the body as a mechanical machine and the soul a s something which is not integrally related to the body. Thirdly, dualism cannot account for the interaction between mind and body. The two substances of which a dualist speaks are defined on the basis of the exclusion of characteristics. But the two things which have nothing in common cannot influence each other causally. 1. Introduction During his lifetime and in the centuries following, the dualism and mechanism of Descartes' philosophy gave rise to a great number of objections and discussions. In this article, I would like to consider a response to Descartes' views which is somewhat less well-known than others, that of Anne Conway. Conway's reaction to Descartes is interesting because she speaks from out of a metaphysical tradition different from those of many other philosophers who discussed his ideas. (1) In addition, she makes use of a pre-modern, non-abstract idea of spirit, a conceptualisation of spirit which has been lost or sidelined in the philosophical tradition after Descartes. On the basis of an entirely different ontology of matter and spirit from that of Descartes, Conway questions the presuppositions of dualism as well as its abstract view of spiritual substance. In this paper, I will begin with a short biographical sketch of Conway and a survey of some of the main influences on her thought. I will then briefly describe her philosophical system. I will then discuss her critique of Descartes' dualism. Finally, I will consider the question of how her views can be of value to us today.

Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (Book Report) Essay

Mark Twain is often thought of as the most cynical writer in American literature. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court is perhaps one of greatest works. In this amusing story, Twain takes an American entrepreneur from his own day and age, and thrusts him back to the age of King Arthur. The novel is therefore about how a nineteenth-century American industrialist might act if he found himself in medieval England. Mark Twain sees the Industrial Age in which he lived as a rabid attempt to exploit everyone and everything. And, that’s exactly what Hank Morgan, also known as the â€Å"Boss†, does when he gets to Camelot. Hank uses science and technology to exploit Camelot. Threatened with execution, Hank remembers that an eclipse is supposed to occur in the near future, and he uses this knowledge to convince King Arthur and the rest of Camelot that Hank is a stronger magician than Merlin. Once Hank gains King Arthurs trust, he is able to do whatever he wants with Camelot and its people. Hank quickly goes about â€Å"improving† Camelot with industries and technologies that are common to nineteenth-century America. One of his schemes is to â€Å"invent† soap and making it available to all of the people of Camelot (since the people didn’t bathe as frequently in the third-century as they did in the nineteenth). Hank is appalled at how much power that the Established Church has over the people. So he decides that the people need to be educated, which will, naturally, weaken the church’s hold. Of course, being an entrepreneur at heart, Hank can’t help but look on Camelot as an opportunity for exploiting people with his superior knowledge. In a very memorable scene, Hank describes the religious devotions of many of the monks of the time as, a monk who expresses his devotion to God by bowing over and over again, all day long, without stopping. Rather than being impressed by the monk’s passionate display of faith, Hank notes the astounding amount of energy the monk puts out every day. Not to see this wasted, he hooks up a sewing machine to the monk, using his bowing motions to run the machine. In this manner Hank manufactures and sells garments as religious souvenirs, and tells the reader–with not a little satisfaction–about the wild success of these garments. Beyond Twain’s customary critiques on slavery and religion, the book also  offers a somewhat different brand of cynicism Twain’s critique of science and progress. When Hank Morgan arrives in Camelot, it is a fairy-tale city that has long represented both nobility and weaknesses. Then, in his quest to â€Å"improve† the city, he destroys it. Everything that defines the time from the smelly, unwashed people to their superstitions and religious fervor is exploited in the name of progress. Here, then, we see Hank Morgan as an expression of Twain’s dislike with the value of modern progress.

Can Artificial Consciousness be Possible - 868 Words

Can artificial consciousness be possible? In other words, can a machine be conscious and have the same behavior as a human. Artificial consciousness or also can be referred as machine consciousness are machines created by humans that are programmed to have artificial intelligence in the machine’s system. This means that machines are programmed to have the intelligence as a human. However, would it be possible for humans to create a machine that is programmed to have the ability to think, feel, and behave like humans? Through explanations and opinions, philosophers Alan Turing and John Searle give their thoughts if artificial consciousness is possible. Alan Turing was a British philosopher who wrote the paper â€Å"Computing Machinery and Intelligence† that discusses about artificial intelligence and the Turing test. In the paper, Alan Turing believes that machines could think however it is complicated to determine if machines or programmed digital computers have that ability to think just like humans. â€Å"If the meaning of the words machine and think are to be found by examining how they are commonly used it is difficult to escape the conclusion that the meaning and the answer to the question† (Turing 1). According to Alan Turing, he questions if machines can have the ability to think. In order to determine that machines can think, he tested it by having a machine play the imitation game where a machine has to emulate the behavior of a human. In this game, the interrogator asksShow MoreRelatedEssay on Artificial Intelligence1561 Words   |  7 PagesArtificial Intelligence At a time when computer technology is advancing at a rapid pace and when software developers are convincingly hawking their products as having artificial intelligence, the inevitable question has begun to take on a certain urgency: Can a computer think? Really think? In one form or another this is actually a very old question, dating back to such philosophersRead MoreUnderstanding Of Language And Consciousness1287 Words   |  6 Pages1.3 Connectionist understanding of language and consciousness One cognitive attempt to solve the question is, perhaps, connectionism (e.g., Rumelhart McClelland, 1986) on the basis of â€Å"pan-psychism view of consciousness† (Chalmers). The Connectionist model is the idea that humans learn language via gradual inter-networked association of neural units to â€Å"understand† and produce language. That is, human linguistic expression is possible because of the presence of various networks of neural associationsRead MoreRationalism vs. Irrationalism1607 Words   |  7 Pagesthroughtout this essay, will demonstrate why. Through a rationalistic perspecive we observe the mind as active, the emotions passive, and the notion that no material thing can cause an nonmaterial idea; however from the viewpoint of irrationality I will prove that: 1) Emotion is in fact not passive and 2) Intelligence can be created materially. Before going into detail on irrationalism I wish to explore the rationalistic perspective. The rationalist tends to believe in the existenceRead MoreArtificial Intelligence. . Consciousness Is The Outcome1274 Words   |  6 Pages Artificial Intelligence Consciousness is the outcome of billions of years of natural selection and randomized occurrences that gave us life and the ability to be self sustaining, self controlling and self repairing. In terms of evolution we did not start with possessing a consciousness, in fact we developed one in order to became the humans we are today. What if in fact, robotic creation is the same, they are on their own evolutionary track of improvement and progression until a conscious stateRead MoreAdvanced Level Of Technology And The Human Brain999 Words   |  4 Pagescontemplate and entertain the thought of computers actually becoming intelligent through artificial intelligence and eventually out perform the human brain. The problem is not just a struggle between the human brain and the computer processing unit of a machine, but whether or not human engineering and programing is as good or better than mother nature and evolution is or will ever be. The race to develop artificial intelligence that is capable cognitive awareness ultimately turns into a battle betweenRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Searle s Chinese Room 1487 Words   |  6 Pagesto disprove the theory of the Turing Test through his Chinese Room thought experiment. In this experiment, Searle proposes that a man unwittingly communicates to a native speaker through the use of a program. Searle presents the prepositions that artificial intelligence is solely syntactic and do not constitute conscious â€Å"intention†- that the man in the room did not display knowledge yet communicates through rules and functions. Through the Chinese Room experiment, Searle attempts to refute functionalismRead MoreAn Aristotelian Theory Of Consciousness1646 Words   |  7 PagesThe idea of creating a synthetic consciousness has fascinated the human imagination for many a century. These range from the ancient Pygmalion’s Galatea, the mythological golem, Victorian automatons, to our more recent fancies- computers, robots and other Turing machines. Perhaps the reason for this preoccupation with artificial intelligence is actually a quest to better understand our own consciousness. At first sight, the question â€Å"Can a machine be conscious?† appears deceptively simple. HoweverRead MoreA Luxury Theme Park Within The Wild West Where Freedom And Discretion1734 Words   |  7 PagesWestworld. A luxury theme park set in the wild west where freedom and discretion are offered to paying customers. Those who have excessive wealth pay a hefty sum to interact with filled with humanoid-like artificial intelligence and do whatever they please with no consequences. The â€Å"hosts† are highly intelligent 3D printed robots that have high functioning brain capacity that have been created with a sole purpose as entertainment of the customers. AI’s are trained to react with human mannerisms,Read MoreIs It Possible For A Machine?847 Words   |  4 Pages4. Is it possible for a Machine to ‘’think’’? To be ‘’conscious’’? To ‘’understand’’? Explain with reference to your readin gs in the Philosophy of Mind module. The problem of thought associated with a machine raises ethical issues on a scientific perspective. So, how can we engage and act to develop the systems necessary for a peaceful life for human beings and especially in order not to be responsible for a collapse of humanism by wrapping in an autonomous and dense monitoring system throughoutRead More1984 Individualism Essay1207 Words   |  5 PagesTotalitarianism, derived from a society which proceeds without cautiousness towards governmental power, can induce many limitations among citizens and every aspect of their lives including individualism. In George Orwell’s 1984, the artificiality of the dystopian country influenced the protagonist of the novel, Winston Smith, to try and deceive the government in any way possible. Winston and many others view individuality as immensely important, but a large challenge to achieve due to the diminished

The Terrorist Attacks Of The United States - 1409 Words

The 2001 terrorist attack in the United States had negative social and economic effects in the country and generally stirred the peace of the citizens. Terrorism is a major threat to any sovereign country in the world including the United States where. There are other threats that influence the comfort and the interests of the residents of the United States in varying measures (Decker, 2001). The Department of Homeland Security is tasked with the protection of the people from any activity that influences their interests and prosperity in the country and elsewhere in the world. Since the 2001 attack that caused a major drawback in the political and social welfare of the people of America, measures have been taken to provide better†¦show more content†¦The ability to predict the moves of the enemy gives the department the more strength to protect the interests of the people (Department of Homeland Security, 2010). Identifying the level of threats allows the country to accurate ly determine how much ahead or behind the country is compared to the adversaries. The Department of Homeland Security identifies that risk management could improve its activities of providing the people of America with a secure environment (Masse et al., 2007). Vulnerability influences the actions of the department in providing peace to the citizens of the country. The homeland security enterprises include all departments, units and groups of people that are interested in a peaceful and secure environment. While these units aim at achieving a common goal, their activities have not been consolidated at all making the achievement of their objectives much harder (Decker, 2001). The Department of Homeland Security plays a major part in nationwide activities such as monitoring the national boundaries and controlling the immigration of persons in the state. Regional and local roles are played family, community and regional enterprises where the department’s activities are limited t o amendment of laws and supervision. The current state of national security andShow MoreRelatedThe Terrorist Attacks Of The United States2247 Words   |  9 Pagesâ€Å"9/11†-the terrorist attacks that took place on September 11, 2001- many Americans, officials such as the local Police Departments, Fire Fighters, the government and the President of the United States all shared one main priority and thought. That thought, concern and priority was to combat terrorism in the United States and avoid something this immense from happening ever again. Many others prior to 9/11 never thought the day would come in which they would witness such terrorist attacks to this countryRead MoreTerrorist Attacks On The United States1453 Words   |  6 Pages 2001, alleged Al-Qaeda members attacked the United States of America with four passenger planes, Boeing 757s. Two planes flew into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center in New York, one plane flew into the Pentagon, and the remaining plane was possibly targeting the White House but was unsuccessful. People all over America felt an utter shock and disbelief after this tragic event as people demanded answers. After the terrorist attacks, a portion of Americans started to believe inRead MoreThe Terrorist Attacks Of The United States Essay2060 Words   |  9 PagesIntroduction Living the United State when one thinks of a terrorist attacks often their mind will first go to a larger scale attack such as the events of September 11th 2001. â€Å"September 11, 2001 changed the United States forever, the terrorist attack that day marked a dramatic escalation in a trend toward more destructive terrorist attacks which began in the 1980s. It also reflected a trend toward more indiscriminate targeting among international terrorists. The vast majority of the more than 3Read MoreTerrorist Attacks on the United States1994 Words   |  8 Pagesâ€Å"The September 11 attacks changed many aspects of American life and governmental policies† (September 11 Terrorist Attacks on the United States). It all started on September 11, 2001 in New York. 9/11 made history with its tremendous destruction and deaths. Many people were killed in the collapse of the World Trade Center Towers, additionally those who jumped down from stories above and the hundreds who asphyxiated in the massive smoke that had spread from New York to Washington D.C.. Many AmericansRead MoreThe Terrorist Attacks Of The United States Essay2177 Words   |  9 PagesFailures Pre- 9/11 Before the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001 in the United States, the CIA was very aware of Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups who’s aim was to target the United States. The CIA became aware of Al Qaeda when they were tracking Osama Bin Laden in 1991 for financing terrorist attacks. As previously discussed, the CIA followed Bin Laden to Afghanistan where they eventually declared war on him. In 1999 the CIA was aware of and defeated Bin Laden operativesRead MoreTerrorist Attacks On The United States1298 Words   |  6 Pagesaims. There have been numerous different terrorist attacks on the United States in all the years, but 9/11 is by far the worst. On September 11, 2001, around 8:45 a.m., something that will live in the memories of others forever. With around 3,000 fatalities and millions of people affected by this disaster it would be day that is never forgotten. A terrorist group, led by Osama Bin Laden, known as Al Qaeda teamed up with the Taliban to plan these awful attacks. Bin Laden was a millionaire’s son andRead MoreThe Terrorist Attacks Of The United States1968 Words   |  8 Pagesworst attacks the United States has ever experienced. Many factors made the terrorist attacks of September 11th a day that is permanently etched into the hearts and minds of Americans. Nineteen radicals linked to the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda gained control over four airplanes and carried out attacks against targets in the United States on 9/11. (History.com Authors) Their leader, Osama Bin Laden, and his followers viciously opposed the United States. In al-Qaeda’s opinion, the United StatesRead MoreTerrorist Attacks And Its Impact On The United States Of America Essay1295 Words   |  6 Pages11th 2001, a series of ‘terrorist attacks’ struck the main cities of the United States of America. This is more commonly known as 9/11, hence the 11th of September. The story of this incident is that these deadly attacks were performed by Al Qaeda extremists. This event has been recorded in the pages of history as a clear act of terrorism war and has impacted many people’s daily lives, even here in New Zealand. But was it really these extremists who attacked the United States of America, or was itRead MoreTerrorist Attacks On The United Sta tes Of Homeland Security2742 Words   |  11 PagesSeptember 21st, 2001 only eleven days after 911, a day that will go down in infamy because of the terrorist attacks on the twin towers, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge was appointed as the first Director of the Office of Homeland Security. The nation fell to pieces after this horrible attack. Just shy of 3,000 people lost their lives, and thousands of families lost loved ones. Never before had the United States lived in such fear and uncertainty. Something needed to be done, and it had to happen quicklyRead MoreThe Security Administration ( Tsa ) / 11 Terrorist Attacks On The United States1802 Words   |  8 PagesOur society today has transformed in ways that our Founding Fathers would have never expected. Life changing events such as 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States has set the tone in how our government responds to such horror. It has put the entire nation on an edge and citizens feel the insecurity of their gover nment and fear for their safety. Every individual was scrutinized, but some were looked at more closely than others due to their sex, race, and religious background. Government has

Questions based on Investment Example

Essays on Questions based on Investment Essay Questions Based on Investment Answer 1a Money earns interest and money is to inflation that the inflation brings down its future value. Thesetwo are the reasons for applying a discount factor while calculating a present value of any future revenue or income from shares or bonds. Answer 1b (i) Topgrade’s bond have annual coupon of 4% and nominal value is  £75 so annual interest earned will be 75Ãâ€"4/100 =  £3.0, Since it is paid in two equal installments every six months, the interest payment will be  £1.5 (ii) The present value of bond that will be redeemed at  £75 can be calculated as 75/ (1+r) n, where r is discount rate and n are number of years. In our case, discount rate is 3.5% and n=5 as it will be redeemed after 5 years. PV= 75/(1.035)5 = 63.1844 However, the present value of interest streams received must be added in the above. Since interest is received every 6 months, discount rate applied will be 3.5/2=1.75% That can be given as Present value of streams of interest earned 1.5/1.0175 + 1.5/(1.0175)2 +1.5/(1.0175)3+†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.1.5/(1.0175)10 =  £13.65 Total PV of the streams = 63.18+13.65=  £76.83 Current market price of the bond is  £78, which is higher than the total present value of benefits accrued including interest earned hence bond is not worth buying. Answer 1c Recent dividend is  £2 and it is increasing at the rate of 2% hence in next 5 years dividend stream will be 2.04, 2.0808, 2.1224, 2.1648, and 2.2080. The present value of dividend streams applying discount factor of 3.5% can be given as 2.04/1.035+2.0808/ (1.035)2+2.1224/(1.035)3+2.1648/(1.035)4+2.2080/(1.035)5 = 1.97+1.94+1.92+1.89+1.86 =  £ 9.58 Also, the share was sold at  £80 after 5 years Hence, its present value will be 80/ (1.035)5 =  £ 67.39 Present value of the total money received = 9.58 +67.39=  £76.97 The current value of the share purchased is  £76. Thus, it is clear that trading in this share will give a slight benefit of only  £ 0.97. It is not worth buying the share. Answer 1d i) Shares are riskier than bonds. Hence, it needs to apply higher discount rate. ii) Raising the discount rate to 4% will bring down the present value of the future income. In short, the present value will be less than the current purchase price including dividend received for 5 years. Therefore, it will not be worth buying at all. Answer 1e Company details Share price  £ Earnings per share Price-earnings ratio (calculated) Topgrade current financials 76 1.65 46 Topgrade prospective, 2012 76 2.25 34 Source: Table 1 Current price-earnings ratio for Topgrade comes to 46 which is way high than industry average P/E of 25. Share of Topgrade is thus, overvalued. Even from the view point of future (2012) prospects, P/E comes to 34 that is still high. That means that Topgrade share is overvalued from this point of view too. It is not worth buying. Part B Introduction There are various avenues available for investment; however, all pose different risks in reference to the capital invested, income earned and towards it liquidity. Investment avenues are varied and wide, right from government security to deposit in savings account of bank and from investment in prominent shares to fixed coupon bonds. House offers a safest investment with decent returns over time. Renting the house offers another avenue for a regular monthly stream of income. It will be interesting to see the risk profile in view of the five investments options for  £ 30,000 as available. For Investment made  £ 30,000 in a solid saving account from a UK-based building society the Capital risk is minimal as being a saving account and usually deposits to a certain extent are backed by insurance and government body. It offers 0.5% interest; again there is no risk involved on income. Instant access is available so liquidity is excellent; however, given 2% inflation is sure to depreciate the investment. Used as deposit on a house with balance  £ 120,000 being financed from outside source, the associated capital Risk is nil assuming all the mortgage payments are paid regularly. Income will come in terms of house appreciation or rent realized, if not used for a self occupancy. As far as liquidity risk is concerned, it is almost nonexistent. Usually, disposing a house and converting it to cash is not an issue. Investment in UK government bond is not only highly safe but liquidity is also great. There is always a secondary market available to transact for the government bond. There is no risk associated with income too. In fact, it is a safest instrument from all the respects. Since redemption yield is 4%, it is like to give positive return net off inflation (2% current). Investment in the share of Utility Max is highly liquid but the capital risk is higher too. Standard deviation is a measure of volatility and risk related to capital. Higher the standard deviation means higher the volatility in the share price and that indicates higher risk profile of a share. The expected rate of return is 5% which can be said to be moderate for the inflation rate of 2%. For investment in the share of Allnew plc, expected return is 12% but standard deviation is 22%. This is certainly an investment with high capital risk. It provides an avenue for decent return with higher capital risk. As normally the case with all shares, liquidity is excellent. In the event, if inflation shoots up to 10% from 2%, it will have a serious bearing on the investments made on different instruments. For Investment made in a solid saving account from a UK-based building, though risk on capital is nil but investment tends to depreciate by almost 10% (inflation rate) as buying power of pound sterling is reduced substantially in tandem with the inflation. In that sense, the capital is in risk with no return in real terms. Usually, house price and rent both move up in line with the inflation. This is surely a safer investment in the high inflation regime. Capital, and income risk is lowest. Liquidity is excellent. Investment in UK government bond surely will reduce the real capital as return is only 4% and inflation is 10%. The capital is likely to depreciate at the rate of around 6 percent, if inflation continues to hover in that range for a long time. Real return comes to nil. However, liquidity will continue to remain excellent with government bonds. Shares will always remain a high return and high risk investment. In high inflation regime, people tend to go for investment in shares as it can beat the inflation by sufficient margin. So far risk profile is concerned with respects to capital and return both will continue to remain an issue to be taken care of. Conclusion Risk and return from investment go hand in hand. Higher the associated capital risk in an investment means the chance of high return from it. Moreover, it is quite likely that along with inflation share price will firm up for the reason of less available avenues as money will come out of the bond and fixed interest instruments and search for high rate of returns. Inflation increases the capital requirement for any business that also tends to up the share price in the market for the existing businesses as that will come in the way for a new entity as entry barrier; however, that does not lessen the capital risk in an instrument. Reference Present value, online from http://www.financeprofessor.com/financenotes/introductoryfin/presentvalue.htm [Accessed on 7/1/2011]

Oligopoly Market Structure in Australia

Question: Discuss about the Oligopoly Market Structure in Australia. Answer: Introduction All the markets in the world are comprised of four market structures; the perfect competition, oligopoly, monopoly and monopolistic. This paper will cover the oligopolistic market structures in Australia and will be useful in determining the outstanding features of these markets. An oligopoly market is one where the sellers are many but there exist some few giants that dominate the whole market. Some of the features expected to be noted are those of differentiation of products, pricing strategies, the nature of competition, etc. There are different industries in Australia that fall under oligopoly structure. Kitney and White (2013) noted that Australian economy is an oligopoly economy. This paper will also be important to the management of such firms to understand their markets structure. Understanding the structure in which a business falls is important in the decision making especially those that influences prices and output. In our case here, we shall find out that the businesses in oligopoly structures may be employing dishonest strategies that helps them be able to gain some market power. The paper shall also determine whether it is more profitable to run an oligopoly business or the other market structures. It will therefore open the mind of some business owners for better decision making Analysis Huge companies will always exist in an economy since some businesses grow faster and depending on the business owners, expansion is experienced faster in some. In Australia, one of the biggest huge companies is the air transport industry. An economys national productivity is not added by big oligopolies. According to Strong (2016), this big businesses inhibit growth by impeding innovators. When oligopoly firms are left to operate on their own, they usually misuse their market power, another oligopoly industry in Australia is that of the telecommunication industry; the dominance by one company has resulted in the Australian economy experiencing the slowest and costliest system ever. This has inhibited innovation and the growth of businesses. In order to manage oligopolies, the competition regulations has to be well-written and well-regulated. In Australia, oligopolies are regulated by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) (Strong, 2016). The other industries fallin g under oligopoly are the banking and insurance industry (Smith, 2015). Financial resources are some of the barriers that prevents free entrance into an oligopoly markets. There also other government regulations requirements that also act as barriers. The competition on this market is sales-based and not price based (Klijn, 2015). This is because the goods sold by the participant have a high degree of product differentiation. The availability of close substitutes deems it impossible for one participant to raise its own price since consumers will shift their demand to others whose prices are lower. The businesss demand will fall and eventually it will result in losses. To avoid this situation of losing some market share, the participants always avoid raising their prices. However, also, a price decrease does not increase the market share of the firm that uses this strategy since all other firms follows. The firms therefore earn greater profits only by selling more units since they sell at the same price. In an oligopoly competition, the firms decision on its selling strategy affects the decision of all other firms. Thus, there is continuous monitoring of all other participants by every firm. Some of the strategies implemented by the biggest player are aimed at getting some of the small players out of the market. The supermarket industry also falls under oligopoly structure. According to Andrew (2014), the proportion of market share held by Coles and Woolworth is 70 % 80 %. There has been many bad allegations over the operations of the two supermarkets. One is that they are using their market power to buy goods from farmers at very low prices (Andrew, 2014). The Coles and Woolworth has been taken to court owing to some misconducts indicating an abuse of market power. The regulator of National weight and measures fined Coles and Woolworth for the discrepancies between the actual weight of their product and what they has listed on their products. Another example of misconduct by Coles is given by Keating (2014) where Coles is taken to court by Fair Work Ombudsman for unfair treatment of the trolley collectors. Strong noted that all oligopolies are not bad; they are only ba d when they employ poor policies. The greatest problem facing the Australian economy is that the enforcement of competition rules is poor. For instance a firm may undertake an anticompetitive action and be neglectfully be allowed to do so. An example is when a company buys another to slow down competition. E.g. The Bunnings Warehouse purchased the Hardwarehouse. The ACCC permitted this but in the real sense it was meant to reduce competition. The reason why the domination of oligopolies is not good in an economy is that if there is a company tax, only are few companies benefit and thus it doesnt stimulate business expansion (Grudnoff and Richardson, 2017). Recommendations Not only does the domination of oligopolies and poor regulations affect the national productivity, employees, consumers, contractors and the suppliers also suffer. Therefore, efficiency should be improved by equipping the ACCC with the best regulatory tools. The idea of Australia being a home for corporate oligopoly is coming to an end since the digital economy is reducing entrance costs. If entrance costs were reduced and competition regulations enforced efficiently, the oligopoly market structure could be very good for an economy. This market structure is better than the perfect competitive markets since the competition is lower. Conclusion Similar products sell at the same price in an oligopoly market. The participants always avoid price wars. The competition is always on the volume of sales. Oligopoly markets may develop a common strategy (collusion) that will enable them to raise prices together. This is the reason why the regulation by the government is essential in this market. Collusion takes away competition and allows the firm some monopoly power. Future national productivity is determined by small and medium business owners. References Andrew, (2014). Australian Oligopolies. [Online] Blog.adonline.id.au. Available at: https://blog.adonline.id.au/oligopolies/ [Accessed 10 Apr. 2017]. Grudnoff, M. and Richardson, D. (2017). Oligopoly money. [Online] The Australia Institute. Available at: https://www.tai.org.au/content/oligopoly-money [Accessed 10 Apr. 2017]. Keating, E. (2014). Coles admits ethical and moral responsibility to trolley collectors in Fair Work undertaking. [Online] Smartcompany.com.au. Available at: https://www.smartcompany.com.au/business-advice/legal/coles-admits-ethical-and-moral-responsibility-to-trolley-collectors-in-fair-work-undertaking/ [Accessed 10 Apr. 2017]. Kitney, D. and White, A. (2013). We are an oligopoly economy: Robb. [Online] Theaustralian.com.au. Available at: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/companies/we-are-an-oligopoly-economy-robb/news-story/606fcf2f0e789689d39fd40f19b8a1e9 [Accessed 10 Apr. 2017]. Klijn, W. (2015). Study finds Australian oligopoly premium. [Online] Theinstoreport.com.au. Available at: https://www.theinstoreport.com.au/articles/study-finds-australian-oligopoly-premium [Accessed 10 Apr. 2017]. Smith, M. (2015). The death of the oligopoly: Australia's incumbents face new rivals. [Online] Financial Review. Available at: https://www.afr.com/brand/chanticleer/the-death-of-the-oligopoly-australias-incumbents-face-new-rivals-20150421-1mq11b [Accessed 10 Apr. 2017]. Strong, P. (2016). https://www.smartcompany.com.au/business-advice/legal/why-australias-love-affair-with-oligopolies-needs-to-end/. [Online] Smartcompany.com.au. Available at: https://www.smartcompany.com.au/business-advice/legal/why-australias-love-affair-with-oligopolies-needs-to-end/ [Accessed 10 Apr. 2017].

Of Mice And Men Essays (459 words) - English-language Films

Of Mice And Men Essay "Of Mice and Men" was written bye John Steinbeck and is a fictional book. "Of Mice and Men" is a book about two life long friends named George and Lennie. They go to a farm to do some farm work after having to run away from their old town Weed. In their new farm, they meet many people including Curley, a little boxer guy who hates big guys like Lennie, and Curley's wife, who is a tart. Lennie and George have many grand adventures on the farm, but one day while George is out playing horseshoes, Lennie accidentally kills Curley's wife. Lennie runs away but when the guys come back to find Curley's wife dead, George is forced to kill his friend. The four people responsible for Lennie's death are George, Curley's wife, Lennie, and Curley. The person most responsible for Lennie's death is George. The reasons why I think this is mainly because George shot Lennie in the end of the book. Also George left Lennie alone in the barn giving Curley's wife a chance to come and talk to him, and that is when Lennie killed her. George should have given Lennie more instructions on what he was supposed to do while George was out with his friends. The second most responsible for Lennie's death is Curley's wife. The reasons why I think this is because she provoked Lennie into talking to her and into petting her hair. She was lonely and wanted someone to talk to, but she also was very flirtatious with Lennie. When she yelled she scared Lennie which made him hold on to her neck harder. Curley's wife shouldn't have been flirting and seeking other men while she had a husband. The third most responsible person for Lennie's death is Lennie himself. The reason I think this is because Lennie killed Curley's wife, which made George have to kill Lennie. He also has no control over his strength since he was retarded, which is another reason why he died. And more importantly he disobeyed George by talking to Curley's wife, which George told him absolutely not to do. The last responsible person for Lennie's death was Curley. Curley was very mean to Lennie and was picking on him for only the reason that Lennie was bigger than Curley. Curley was also very possessive over his wife, which lead her to look for other men. He treated his wife like a possession, which she also didn't like and made her talk Lennie. In conclusion, the four people responsible for Lennie's death are George, Lennie, Curley's wife, and Curley. As I said before in each of their paragraphs, every person had a little bit to do with his death. Like how George shot Lennie, Curley's wife lead Lennie on, a man too dumb to know what to do, Lennie gave in to the temptations, and Curley lead his wife to lead on Lennie.