The Status of Language in the Development of a Theory of Mind
THE STATUS OF LANGUAGE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A THEORY OF MIND NENE HARRISON MA Linguistics May 1st 2002 Tutor: Neil Smith The study of the development of 'theory of mind' skills in children became popular when the false-belief task was invented in the 1980's, providing cognitive scientists with the focus of a clear experimental paradigm. This tested the ability of the young child to attribute false beliefs to others in order to explain their actions. Researchers then began to investigate the developmental stages through which children acquire these theory of mind abilities. This essay will examine the nature of this acquisition process, studying two opposing views of theory of mind development in the young child; whether it can be explained by the modular nature of the cognitive process, where the ability is innate but must be triggered by input from the child's environment, or whether it exists as a developing theory, a set of causal principles progressively formulated by the child through observation and hypothesis formation. We also consider the role played by the language faculty, particularly the question of whether the acquisition of a natural language is causally necessary for the development of a theory of mind in the young child. A 'theory of mind' refers to the cognitive ability to interpret, predict and explain the behaviour of others in terms of their
Iran Country Study
Kerry Nierenberg AP Comparative Government 7th Hour 3-22-09 Iran Country Study Section I: Les Regles de Jeu * Constitutional Structure - Iran's Constitution was adopted in 1980. It specifically outlines Iran as an Islamic Republic. This means the nation has popular elected Legislative and Executive branches, an established Judicial branch, which is allowed to interpret the Constitution and declare acts of Parliament, the Majlis, unconstitutional. The Constitution, further, requires the government to take place in the market, calling for three distinct sectors: the state, the cooperative and the private. Thus, the government in Iran is required by their constitution to own, or at least partially take a role in, certain sectors of the economy. Currently, Iran has an extensive Social Security network, consisting mostly of pensions for workers. * Electoral Systems - The government of Iran has elections for most of its political institutions: the Majlis, the President, and the Assembly of Experts. In the Majlis, 290 members are elected by popular vote to serve a 4-year term. The President is elected by popular vote to serve a 4-year term. These bodies, in turn, elect candidates or verify appointments for three other institutions: the Guardian Council, the Cabinet, and the Supreme Leader. However, much power rests in the hands of the Supreme Leader who appoints the Judicial
The Foreign Policy of an Islamic Presidential Democracy.
In the Name of God the Merciful and the Compassionate The Foreign Policy of an Islamic Presidential Democracy Lixandru Laura-Madalina SPE II PREAMBLE When one sets to examine the foreign policy-making process in Algeria, attention is often lead astray by this country's tumultuous history, abundant of political and social strife. As stated in the Preamble of the 1996 Constitutional Law, title that the present section borrows, Algerians are a free people, "decided to remain so". Algeria is seen, through their eyes, and not only, as a land of "freedom and dignity". It is for this reason that a case study of the Algerian approach of foreign policy is bound to generate surprising, and often paradoxical results. The permanent features of Algeria's foreign policy have included alignment with neither East nor West, identification with the Third World, advocacy of the political and economic independence of the developing countries, and support for Arab unity and the Palestine Liberation Organization. These issues, however, fully acquire a meaning once one has a grasp of the peculiarities of the Algerian government system. To begin with, every official classification made available describes Algeria as a presidential democracy, a People's Democratic Republic, "one and indivisible". As Article 6 of the Constitution points out, "the constituent power belongs to the People,
Great Depression
Amit Mehta Final Essay Question # 1 The global crisis of the 1930's world depression elicited a multitude of economic and political responses. In their attempts to confront the situation, both the Unites States and Germany utilized generally varying policies. As two different political systems with contrasting historical backgrounds, the economic and social values both countries attested to varied greatly. As a democracy, the United States approached the Depression with great caution and unwillingness to sacrifice the constitutional foundations in search of a solution. However, the German's, who had only recently suffered under the leadership of the newly formed Weimar Republic, chose a far more totalitarian approach to the crisis. Nevertheless, both nations also demonstrated a great many similarities in their approach to the crisis, particularly in their initial support of monopolies and their strikingly similar agricultural plan. Under the National Socialist Party, a new economic order referred to as the "third way," was introduced to the German nation. Declaring it to be distinct from both socialism and capitalism, the institutional structure was to be based upon the goals of ending unemployment, stopping the hyper-inflationary trend, and rearming Germany. There was also a denunciation of liberal capitalism, favoring instead a system of state controlled capitalism.
"Responsible for remarkable and radical reforms." How justified is this verdict on the Liberal administration 1906-14?
Liberalism "Responsible for remarkable and radical reforms." How justified is this verdict on the Liberal administration 1906-14? With the dawn of a new century, attitudes in Britain about the nature of society underwent a profound rejuvenation, as the reformist ideas of liberal thinkers such as Hobson and Hobhouse, supported by damning studies of inner city life by men like Rowntree and Booth, caught hold. This "New Liberalism", as it came to be called, imbued the pre-war government, which established a social safety net and brought in redistributive taxation, in recognition of the fact that true equality of opportunity was inachievable in a society of such social and material disparity as Edwardian Britain. However, social reform was only a priority when it suited the cause of the Liberal Party, and even then it fell well short of the "Nanny State" and encouraged personal endeavour and thrift. the Liberal leadership was far more interested in satisfying traditional - well off - supporters with constitutional reform, than in attracting a working class vote still unfamiliar with Labour. The flurry of social reform bills that went through Parliament during the period were a dramatic new departure, for never before had such a major restructuring of social welfare been contemplated in such a short space of time. This demonstrated a comprehensive change in attitude towards the
When establishing a government, is a realist policy always the best option? When does an internationalist policy stretch itself beyond its capacity and how detrimental is this to a nation's well being?
Tristan Allen Government Political Essay When establishing a government, is a realist policy always the best option? When does an internationalist policy stretch itself beyond its capacity and how detrimental is this to a nation's well being? Should there be a limit to political realism and internationalist policy? Numerous questions arise concerning the morals and ethics of realist policy. Many believe realism is unethical because is primarily a system used by economically developed nations for their own benefit by exploiting and intimidating developing nations. With this belief comes the idea that a realist policy heavily involves other nations, but only the subject nation's interests are considered. Is it possible to conduct a realist government while considering the needs of other nations? When attempting to answer these questions, it is imperative to understand the nature of realism as well its background. After obtaining an understanding of the subject, it is then possible to analyze its effectiveness. Realism is an approach to the study and practice of international politics. By definition, realism is the belief that nation's foreign policy should be based on the realities of human nature and history. Realists believe that foreign policy should be directed toward achieving power, maintaining national security, and pursuing other national interests.1 The
Democracy and Capitalism in the Developing World: Compatible or Conflictive.
GT 64 A: Democracy 1 Theme: DEMOCRACY AND THE ECONOMY Topic: Democracy and Capitalism in the Developing World: Compatible or Conflictive. Democracy and capitalism have been seen as the panacea for the political development in the 21st century. However the form of democracy that is most widely called for is the liberal democracy. Embedded in the liberal democratic theory are the notions of equality and freedom. As a political theory liberal democracy is mostly conducive to the capitalist economic theory. With the existence of capitalism at the heart of the liberal democratic theory the achievement of freedom falls in the face of dire inequalities both in the political and economic sphere. For the developing world this situation is all too familiar, since for the most part they face the dilemma of achieving economic and political development at the same time. Therefore in the developing countries democracy and capitalism exist in more conflict than compatibility and therefore reflect the need for a higher level of political development. The liberal democratic theory embraces the following freedoms: * electoral competition * freedom of belief, expression, organization and demonstration * protection from political terror and unjustified imprisonment * a rule of law under which all citizens are treated equally and due process is secure * political independence and
Utilitarianism: Explanation And Study of Criticisms
Utilitarianism: Explanation And Study of Criticisms The dictionary definition of Utilitarianism is: 'The doctrine that the greatest happiness of the greatest number should be the guiding principal of conduct.' When making a moral decision, we should look at the outcome of an action. Whatever brings the greatest happiness to the most people is the morally 'right' decision. It is a consequentialist principal where the majority rules. It is also relative as each situation is looked at differently and will have a different outcome. Utilitarianism is known as the theory of utility. The meaning of utility is usefulness. Each action is judged by its usefulness in bringing about desired consequences. The word utility was first used to describe a group of social reformers. They attempted to make laws and practices of use-useful to people. One of the earliest Utilitarians to live by this principle was Epicurus - he stated: "Friendship goes dancing round the world proclaiming to us all to awake to the praises of a happy life." Utilitarianism is the view that people should do whatever brings about the most good and the least bad for everyone affected. This is sometimes called "cost-benefit analysis" or "end justifies the means" morality. Usually, the utilitarian thinks "good" means happiness or pleasure. Similarly, the utilitarian calls unhappiness and pain "bad". Problems with
The development of fascist doctrine.
UNIVERSITY OF BUCHAREST FACULTY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE COURSE OF POLITICAL HISTORY MS. PETRESCU CRISTINA STUDENT: GUTAN ANAMARIA SPE II, GR. 2 THE DEVELOPEMENT OF FASCIST DOCTRINE During the years between Italy's entry into World War I in 1915 and the March on Rome in 1922, Mussolini's social and political thought took on the specific doctrinal features that were to characterize Fascism. From 1915 until the founding of the Fasci di combattimento, on March 23, 1919, Mussolini traced the first outlines of Fascist doctrine. The subsequent period, during which the movement was transformed into the Partito Nazionale Fascista saw the articulation of the specific fundamentals of Fascism. The development during this period was continuous and pursued a fairly consisted logic. It was an evolution which did not cease with the accession to power. Nonetheless, it is instructive to focus attention on this initial period of doctrinal development because it enables a more precise and competent assessment of the judgment. Until 1914, Mussolini had had experience with one but complex social and political doctrine, that of Marxism as it was then understood. Mussolini's interpretation of Marxist thought, as unique as it came to be, represented the thinking of a significant number of revolutionary socialists of prewar Italy. Mussolini' s socialism, however, remained socialism only as
Third parties
Because two major political parties have always dominated the political system, peripheral parties are referred to as "third parties". The language of politics uses the term "third party" to refer to all minor or splinter parties, regardless of how many there are. "Third parties," wrote Richard Hofstadter, "are like bees; once they have stung, they die." As history shows, many of the America's founding fathers hated the thought of political parties, quarrelling "factions" they were sure would be more interested in contending with each other than in working for the common good. They wanted individual citizens to vote for individual candidates, without the interference of organized groups - but this was not to be. By the 1790s, different views of the new country's proper course had already developed, and those who held these opposing views tried to win support for their cause by handling together. The followers of Alexander Hamilton called themselves Federalists; they favored a strong central government that would support the interests of commerce and industry. The followers of Thomas Jefferson called themselves Democratic-Republicans; they preferred a decentralized agrarian republic in which the federal government had limited power. By 1828, the Federalists had disappeared as an organization, replaced by the Whigs, brought to life in opposition to the election that year of
