Sunday, January 26, 2020

The Corruption In Turkey Politics Essay

The Corruption In Turkey Politics Essay In this report you can read about the corruption in Turkey. The purpose of this report is to show you where corruption in Turkey is taking place and how the Turkish government is fighting it. In chapter two youll find general information about Turkey. The corruption in Turkey, entitled Ergenekon, is described in chapter three. In chapter four the corruption in Turkey is being linked with one of the four syndromes described by Michael Johnston. The conclusion of this report can be found in chapter five. Turkey, as a successor of the Ottoman Empire, is a republican parliamentary democracy established in 29th October 1923 by Mustafa Kemal. Mustafa Kemal was honoured in 1934 by the Turkish citizens with the title of Ataturk, the Father of the Turks. Although Istanbul is the biggest and wealthiest city in Turkey, Ankara was chosen as the capital city of Turkey by Ataturk. Furthermore, Turkey has eighty-one provinces. In 28th August 2007 Abdullah Gul was elected president of Turkey by the National Assembly. A day later he appointed Recep Tayip Erdogan as the Prime Minister of Turkey. Just after two months, 21th October 2007, they successfully set with Turkey the next step towards democracy. In the future the president is going to be elected directly and not by the National Assembly. Going back in time, Turkey became an associate member of the European Community in 1964. In 2005, with Abdullah Gul and Recep Tayip Erdogan, Turkey began accession membership talks with the European Union. Tu rkey is a member of the UN since 1945 and also a member of the NATO since 1952.  [1]   2.1 Population In July 2009 the population of Turkey was estimated 76,8 million. Two-third of the population was estimated between the age of fifteen and sixty-five. More than twenty-seven percent of the population was estimated below the age of fifteen and more than six percent was estimated above the age of sixty-five. In 2008 the urban population of Turkey was estimated around seventy percent of the population. The majority of the Turkish population is Turkish, estimated around seventy-five percent in 2008. Eight-teen percent of the population was estimated Kurdish. With a minority figure the Arabs, Turkmen, Circassians and Greeks are also present in Turkey.  [2]  The EU issued in 2005 that Turkey didnt sufficiently guarantee the freedom of expression in line with the European Convention of Human Rights towards the minorities. According to article 301 of the Turkish Constitution, an insult to Turkish people is no longer used systematically to restrict freedom of expression. It is that articl e which the EU found not sufficient enough. The EU are of the opinion that Turkey must take more measures in line with the European Convention of Human Rights towards the minorities.  [3]  Next to that, most of the people in Turkey are Sunni Muslim. 2.2 Economy In Turkey the state is a major participant in basic industry, banking, transport and communication sector. Textile and clothing are the largest industrial sectors in Turkey. Today thirty percent of the eligible population is employed in the traditional agriculture. At the moment, the most notable progress in the Turkish economy is the rising of the automotive and electronic industries. That is a sign that the Turkish economy is modernizing. The GPD of Turkey grew between 2002 and 2007 with an average of six percent. Despite the strong economy, the GDP in 2008 grew with zero point nine percent and it was decreased in 2009 with five point nine percent, a thirty-four year record low. Explanation for that is the high account deficit en high external debts. The government of Turkey expects with further economic and judicial reforms and prospective EU membership to boost their economy with foreign investors. However, the global financial crisis in 2009 didnt affect the Turkish financial ma rkets. In their history, Turkey experienced in 2001 a financial crises. In that year Turkey implemented reforms in the banking sector which protected them from the global financial crisis in 2009. At the moment Turkeys future doesnt look so bright. The economical experts are expecting a decline in the export sector and because of the current political crisis, al lot of foreign and intern companies are afraid to invest in the Turkish economy. With an estimated GDP worth of 861,6 billion Euros in 2009, Turkey is ranked eighteenth compared to the other countries.  [4]  The top three of that same list is, respectively, dominated by the EU, the United States and China. 2.3 Military In October 2005 a National Security Policy Document was adopted by the Turkish government. That document increased the role of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) concerning the internal security of the state. Today the TSK leadership plays a key role in politics and considers itself the guardian of Turkeys secular state. They demonstrated their power sever times after the adoption of the National Security Policy Document. For example, in April 2007 they warned the ruling party about any pro-Islamic appointments. They are also responsible for limiting the progress of establishing a civilian supremacy over the military, which started in October 2005 after the Turkish government started to negotiate with the EU. The EU is of the opinion that the military power of Turkey must first decrease if Turkey wants to join the EU. The TSK has also been taken an international peacekeeping responsibilities and they took charge of a NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) command in Afghanis tan in April 2007. Furthermore, the Turkish military forces adopted an Aerospace and Missile Defence Concept in 2002 which set new priorities. The priorities included attaining a modern deployable, survivable, and sustainable force structure and establishing a sustainable command and control system. The affects of the Aerospace and Missile Defence Concept looked promising in 2008.  [5]   2.4 Corruption In December 2007 Turkey started, with the help of the European Union and the Council of Europe, the project on Ethics for the Prevention of Corruption in Turkey (TYEC) for a term of two years.  [6]  This project is funded by the European Union and by the Council of Europe. It is implemented by the Council of Europes Directorate of Co-operation. The projects main counterpart institution is the Council of Ethics for Public Service at the Prime Ministry of Turkey. In recent years the Turkish Government has taken a number of important steps in combating corruption. The country ratified the Council of Europes Civil and Criminal Law Conventions against Corruption in 2003 and 2004 respectively and joined the Councils Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) in January 2004. Moreover, in June 2004 the Council of Ethics for the Public Service was established and in 2005 the Regulation on the Principles of Ethical Behaviour for Public Officials, the Code of Ethics, was adopted. Despite t hese steps, corruption remains a serious concern for the people of Turkey. The Turkish authorities acknowledge that corruption is a priority issue requiring comprehensive and serious counter-measures.  [7]  The project will assist Turkey with their efforts in preventing corruption by supporting the implementation of specific measures, and provide support to other related reforms. The TYEC project has four main aims: Support the implementation of the Code of Ethics across the public administration in line with GRECO recommendations; Develop codes of ethics for other categories of officials or holders of public office; Develop systems of monitoring the effectiveness of prevention and other anti-corruption measures; Ensure and enhance coordination of anti-corruption measures. The corruption in Turkey is the continuing interference of judicial and military power in Turkish executive and legislative powers. This is problematic if viewed with historical hindsight. The weakness of the boundaries that divide Turkish powers seems to be confirmed by the Ergenekon trial, which saw more than three-hundred personalities involved in conspiracies aimed at weakening the government and possibly leading to a coup detat. 3. Ergenekon The state is not necessarily innocent, and the people convicted of crimes with political repercussions in the past may well be victims of a deep state operation. That is the main lesson Turkey has learned from the current Ergenekon investigation. The investigation itself is already related to several murders and terrorist attacks of the recent past. Analysts claim that the state and the relationship of the state organs with the society, terrorist organizations and the mafia will create a valuable opportunity to mobilize the public.  [8]  It will also create a political will and determination to reopen old dossiers filled with unsolved crimes and presumably victimized convicts. Allegations that the Ergenekon terrorist organization was behind two attacks, the Council of State attack in 2006 and bombs thrown at the headquarters of the Cumhuriyet Daily in the same year, ascribed to a certain segment of society, have changed the entire view to analyze politically influential crimes. I n this chapter I try to show you the link between Ergenekon and the corruption they caused on the fields of politics, economics and military. First I start with the describing a few cases. 3.1 Crime dossiers The Turkish history is full of crime dossiers, either left open or whose closure was disputed.  [9]  Starting from the infamous Sheikh Said Revolt of 1925, passing through to the Dersim Massacres of 1937-1938, the Taksim Square killings of May, 1977, the serial murders of secular-minded intellectuals in 1990 and more resentful and sophisticated attacks on symbolic names and institutions, question marks were left in the consciousnesses of the people. One reason was the inconceivability of state involvement in these crimes. The army, which still places first in public surveys of the most respected institutions, was not only beyond reproach, it was also unthinkable, unperceivable and unpronounceable to claim that army officers were committing crimes, not for the sake of the country, but for their own and evil interests. Now that the Ergenekon investigation has proven that Turkish officers are not sanctified angels and that they are judicable, detainable, liable to interrogation and arrest, that perplexed public consciousness is asking whether those old dossiers can be reopened and reinvestigated with this new framework in mind. The Istanbul chief prosecutor already announced that Ergenekon suspects would be trailed for their involvement in the Council of State attack of May, 2006, an attack which left a judge dead, and in the throwing of hand grenades at the headquarters of Cumhuriyet Daily. It is suggested that the indictment and subsequent court decision will influence the open cases and may also induce a reopening of closed ones. On top of the list of reopening closed cases are the murder of Necip HablemitoÄÅ ¸lu, the Gazi neighborhood events, the murder of ÃÆ'-zdemir SabancÄ ±, the murder of General EÃ…Å ¸ref Bitlis, the murder of UÄÅ ¸ur Mumcu and the murders that took place in the AdapazarÄ ±-Ä °zmit-Sapanca triangle. The Ergenekon decision will also influence the Ä °brahim Çiftà §i case, already waiting for th e Ergenekon trial to be finalized. Çiftà §i was killed in 2006 in a bombing soon after he confessed to a prosecutor that he killed HablemitoÄÅ ¸lu. The influence of the Ergenekon investigation wont wait for the prosecutors to open some of the older dossiers on their own. Already there are several criminal complaints about detainees of the Ergenekon terrorist organization from the relatives of lost and murdered people. Families of Serdar TanÄ ±Ãƒâ€¦Ã… ¸, a Peoples Democratic Party Silopi district deputy and Ebubekir Deniz already filed a complaint about Brigadier General Levent Ersà ¶z, who is still being sought and is said to have left for Russia before the last round of Ergenekon related detentions. The two were detained by the TSK seven years ago and were never heard from again. Relatives of the people killed during the Gazi incidents of 1995 also filed a complaint recently about Osman Gà ¼rbà ¼z, who was arrested during the Ergenekon investigation. The Peoples Democratic Party was banned from the society and therefore doesnt exists anymore. 3.2 Politics Avni ÃÆ'-zgà ¼rel, a columnist writing on Turkeys recent history is not optimistic. He thinks no one would be happier if real the perpetrators of certain political crimes were revealed.  [10]  Look at the Ä °pekà §i murder. There is already an understanding that this was the job of nationalists. If this explanation proves incorrect, we will lose the entire paradigm. The society may be ready for this, but the state is not, he told Sundays Zaman. According to ÃÆ'-zgà ¼rel, the state is happy with the current state of what is known. Further investigation would not be well received within the state. The state would be ready to claim some of the murders if they were really committed for the sake of the state or the country; But what if an investigation reveals that the real reason was of a financial nature? What if notions like state and nation were used as a disguise for personal interests? he asked. ÃÆ'-zgà ¼rel is not hopeful for the results of the Ergenekon investigat ion and hence does not want to attach additional hopes to it. There is a political will in Turkey, but politics is a politics of bargaining. The AK Party is dealing with a closure case and no one knows what will happen with the Ergenekon investigation if the AK Party is closed. Look at the constitutional amendments on the headscarf issue. There was a political will there, but it didnt help. We should wait and see whether this investigation will reach a meaningful end, he explained. Mithat Sancar, a professor of law at Ankara University, agrees that the Ergenekon investigation is an opportunity to confront the dark past.  [11]  However, he thinks that neither the government nor the courts can do this. The political government will understandably deal with what it sees necessary for its own political interests. Prosecutors and judges are in no position to start an investigation into the events of the past on their own. Such an investigation necessitates a mobilization of democrati c circles, especially the democratic left wing which has traditionally fought with militarism and the deep state, he told Sundays Zaman. According to Sancar, public control over the legal and political processes is also important to guarantee that the political government does not enter into the mistake of bargaining. 3.3 The influence of the military Ergenekon prosecutor Zekeriya ÃÆ'-z is claimed to have came upon significant information about the murder of assistant professor HablemitoÄÅ ¸lu in 2002. ÃÆ'-z is claimed to have received strong evidence that Brigadier Geneneral Veli Kà ¼Ãƒ §Ãƒ ¼k, the prime suspect of the Ergenekon investigation, was involved in the abduction and killing of several Kurdish businessmen in the AdapazarÄ ±-Izmit-Sapanca area within the first six months of 1994.  [12]  The influence of the Ergenekon investigation on a confrontation with historical crimes was not always direct and organic.  [13]  The fact that the KahramanmaraÃ…Å ¸ Massacre, in which over 100 Alevis were killed by alleged nationalists in December 1978, the murder of journalist Abdi Ipekà §i on February 1979, the murder of frontrunner nationalist Gà ¼n Sazak in May 1980 and the Çorum Massacre of twenty-six, unofficially fifty-six, Alevis paved the way for the military coup of 1980 is showing signs towards t hat direction. The link between these events and the Ergenekon terrorist organization doesnt have to be organic. The fact that the existence of a terrorist organization that penetrated into state organs, including the army, and conspired to stage violent coups gives enough material to rethink the KahramanmaraÃ…Å ¸, Ipekà §i, Sazak and Çorum incidents.  [14]  It has to be kept in mind that the prime suspects of the Ergenekon organization were already colonels in the army in the run-up to the 1980 coup and that their involvement in these events may have been more than learning a lesson. In Turkey it is already felt that the plans of the Ergenekon terrorist organization is pushing the country into a period of unrest in order to legitimize a military intervention. Next to that, former military judge ÃÅ"mit KardaÃ…Å ¸ thinks that the political will that would confront the dark events of the past should have been powerful enough to confront Turkeys recent problems, such as the Kurdish issue.  [15]  The prosecution needs to have special support from not only the government but also from the media and the society, he told Sundays Zaman. According to him, the AK Party was and still is strong enough to give that support but, considering previous opportunities lost, there is not enough evidence to be hopeful of its support. It has lost a major opportunity in Ã…Å ¾emdinli. We also dont know whether the AK Party will be closed or not nor what will happen to the Ergenekon investigation if the party is closed. The investigation in itself is an opportunity, but there are reasons to be pessimistic that this opportunity will also be lost, he explained. 3.4 Finances Former mayor of Istanbuls Esenyurt district Gà ¼rbà ¼z Çapan, who is also currently under arrest on charges of being a financer of Ergenekon, was once offered immunity from arrest in Turkey by Ergenekon suspect retired General Veli Kà ¼Ãƒ §Ãƒ ¼k, according to claims of Bertan Zà ¼laoÄÅ ¸lu and Ã…Å ¾erafettin Dà ¼z, who served as the former deputy mayor and an aide to Çapan, respectively, during his term as head of the Esenler municipality.  [16]  Ãƒâ€¡apan was being sought as a suspect in a major corruption operation carried out by the TSK into various municipalities, including Esenler, when he was abroad in Germany. He also owns ten percent of the shares of Cumhuriyet Daily and is currently being charged with financing Ergenekon. Çapan was established as a suspect in the Ergenekon investigations when it became clear that he had meetings with Ergenekon suspects DoÄÅ ¸u Perinà §ek, leader of the neo-nationalist Workers Party and Kemal ÃÆ'-zden, hea d of the Nationalist Industrialists and Businessmens Association. Furthermore, prosecutor Zekeriya ÃÆ'-z, who is the chief prosecutor on the Ergenekon case, has frequently been target of various smear campaigns directed from different segments of society. AydÄ ±nlÄ ±k, Cumhuriyet and Sà ¶zcà ¼ newspapers claimed that in 1998, when ÃÆ'-z served in the Çine district of AydÄ ±n, he tried to extort money from businessman Mehmet Ocak. Metin Uyar, the former head of the Çine Industrial Zone and Ahmet KeleÃ…Å ¸, president of the Çine Drivers and Motorists Chamber, denied any truth to those allegations. The future will hopefully tell us more about the link between Ergenekon and the corruption they caused on the field of economy. Popular history writer AyÃ…Å ¸e Hà ¼r thinks the Ergenekon gang has a distinctive ideological position.  [17]  The ideological tools of the organization are yet to be revealed. So far this has been an operation against a criminal gang, she told Sundays Zaman. According to her, as long as the ideological tools have not been revealed, it is almost impossible to disclose the link between criminal actions of the Ergenekon organization and the earlier political crimes. For that we need a stronger will. Political will is not enough, she said. According to her, the society is not ready for a full-fledged cleansing and there is no real consensus on the nature of the threat. The opposition of the AK Party is undervaluing the operation, whereas we should have dealt with the facts and not with who said what, she explained. 4. The four syndromes According to Michael Johnston, established democracies tend to have mature market economies in which liberalization is largely considered. He also states that there are also reforming democratic societies in which political competition is still emerging or undergoing significant change. Furthermore, he describes that there are countries who are undergoing major transitions in politics and economics. He noted that Turkey is an example of such country. Last, but not least, Johnston also describes that there are undemocratic regimes who are by definition marked by political opportunities. Johnston links those societies with four syndromes: Influence Markets, Elite Cartels, Oligarchs and Clans and Official Moguls. Below you can see a table with an overview  [18]  . In the recent years Turkey made a huge progress in reforming its democracy and economy. That is the reason I agree with Johnston that the corruption in Turkey can be described with the Elite Cartels syndrome. The stronger the economical and state institution, the lesser corruption occurs according to Johnston. In the syndrome Influence Markets the corruption will most likely seen in the economical system. Johnston also recognizes that the stronger a constitution is, the bigger the chance will be that such institution will abuse its power by sealing deals with other powerful institutions. In this chapter you can read what the Elite Cartels syndrome is according to Johnston and why Turkey can be linked with this syndrome. I will close this chapter with the Turkish governments point of view about its future. The other two syndromes have similar corruption cases, but it is likely that in undemocratic regimes the corruption is bigger than in transitional regimes. 4.1 Elite Cartels syndrome In the Elite Cartels syndrome, the corruption is of defensive nature, protecting existing economic, political or policy advantages. Corruption is conducted through networks and elite parties, sometimes seeking each other to become allies for a greater purpose. Looking back to chapter three, Ergenekon can be seen as a network who is extremely powerful. They are powerful because they have, as it is determined by the prosecutors, economical, political and policy advantages. While these advantages are decreasing, still no one really knows how big Ergenekon is. Therefore the power of Ergenekon cannot be underestimated. Prove was found, and mentioned in chapter three, that in the past Ergenekon could operate freely and successfully. Many cases were closed without a legitimate reason and political parties were banned from the society. The AK Party was also close to getting banned from the society. The fact that the closure of the AK Party failed determines the moderate power of the state an d its capacity. 4.2 The governments point of view We hope the shroud of mist over the facts will be dissipated with this operation. We want the Ergenekon indictment to be completed as soon as possible, stated ErdoÄÅ ¸an.  [19]  ErdoÄÅ ¸an also said during his parliamentary group meeting that his ruling AK Party is the only address for Turkeys full membership in the European Union. He noted that Ataturks goal of reaching a higher level of civilization equals integration with the modern world. By making that note he wants to drive his country towards mature democratic society.However, some circles cannot stand democracy in Turkey. Whenever Turkey attempts to stand on its own feet, whenever it musters up its strength, these circles put hurdles before it. The basis of Turkish politics lies in a struggle between those in favour of Turkeys development and those who oppose it. While some want Turkey to become a global power, others want the preservation of the status quo in the country, he stated. With that statement, ErdoÃ⠀žÃ… ¸an confirms the fact that corruption in turkey is of defensive nature. ErdoÄÅ ¸an also noted that a movement which isnt in harmony with the fundamental principles of the constitutional order and which doesnt act in harmony with the basic characteristics of the republic will not be successful in Turkey. With that note ErdoÄÅ ¸an points his finger to the economical and political reforms his government made in the recent years and that Ergenekon should be consider as a dark chapter of the Turkish history. 5. Conclusion Turkey, as a successor of the Ottoman Empire, is a republican parliamentary democracy established in 29th October 1923 by Mustafa Kemal. In July 2009 the population of Turkey was estimated 76,8 million. The GPD of Turkey grew between 2002 and 2007 with an average of six percent. Despite the strong economy, the GDP in 2008 grew with zero point nine percent and it was decreased in 2009 with five point nine percent, a thirty-four year record low. The TSK leadership plays a key role in politics and considers itself the guardian of Turkeys secular state. In December 2007 Turkey started, with the help of the European Union and the Council of Europe, the project on Ethics for the Prevention of Corruption in Turkey (TYEC) for a term of two years. The corruption in Turkey is the continuing interference of judicial and military power in Turkish executive and legislative powers. The weakness of the boundaries that divide Turkish powers seems to be confirmed by the Ergenekon trial, which saw mor e than three-hundred personalities involved in conspiracies aimed at weakening the government and possibly leading to a coup detat. The state is not necessarily innocent, and the people convicted of crimes with political repercussions in the past may well be victims of a deep state operation. That is the main lesson Turkey has learned from the current Ergenekon investigation. The Turkish history is full of crime dossiers, either left open or whose closure was disputed. According to Sancar, public control over the legal and political processes is also important to guarantee that the political government does not enter into the mistake of bargaining. It has to be kept in mind that the prime suspects of the Ergenekon organization were already colonels in the army in the run-up to the 1980 coup and that their involvement in these events may have been more than learning a lesson. In Turkey it is already felt that the plans of the Ergenekon terrorist organization is pushing the country in to a period of unrest in order to legitimize a military intervention. The future will hopefully tell us more about the link between Ergenekon and the corruption they caused on the field of economy, in which there is already made important progress. Anyway, Ergenekon can be seen as a network who is extremely powerful. They are powerful because they have, as it is determined by the prosecutors, economical, political and policy advantages. That is why the Elite Cartels syndrome can be linked with Turkey. The fact that the closure of the AK Party failed determines the moderate power of the state and its capacity. However, ErdoÄÅ ¸an points his finger to the economical and political reforms his government made in the recent years and that Ergenekon should be consider as a dark chapter of the Turkish history.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Macbeth by Shakespeare Essay

Shakespeare’s play Macbeth follows the tragic downfall of a great man. Macbeth was once thought of as noble and valiant but by the end of the play, a dead butcher. The murder of King Duncan marks the beginning of Macbeth’s downfall. This is more a result of Macbeth’s vaulting ambition than his belief in the supernatural. However, it is Macbeth’s belief in the supernatural that makes him continue on the path to downfall and ultimately lose all his honourable qualities. In Macbeth the witches symbolise the supernatural. The weird sisters evoke Macbeth’s ambition; they know how Macbeth will react to their prophecies so they toy with him and deceive him by saying one thing but meaning another. The witches have no conscience; they cause mischief on purpose and enjoy it. The witches provide the foundation for Macbeth’s downfall by telling him that he shalt be king hereafter. When Macbeth hears the witches’ prophecies, horrible imaginings are opened in his mind. Unlike Banquo who dismisses the witches’ prophecies, Macbeth contemplates regicide. The witches plant the seed to Macbeth’s downfall. He wants the witches to stay, you imperfect speakers. Tell me more. This shows that Macbeth believes in the idea that he can be king, and that he perhaps has thought about regicide before. Lady Macbeth is also a large contributing factor to the regicide. If Lady Macbeth was not behind Macbeth plotting the death of King Duncan and manipulating Macbeth into doing The deed, none of the deaths would have occurred, therefore there would be no downfall for Macbeth. Macbeth believes that if chance will have me king, why chance may crown me without my stir, whereas after Lady Macbeth reads the letter Macbeth sends to her, without hesitation, she thinks of regicide. Lady Macbeth knows that Macbeth is too full o’th’milk of human kindness and that she will have to persuade him. Despite Macbeth wanting to proceed no further of this business, Lady Macbeth convinces him by questioning his pride, but screw your courage to the sticking-places, and saying that only when you durst do it, then you were a man. Lady Macbeth sees her femininity as an obstacle towards achieving her ambition, so she calls upon you spirits that tend of mortal thoughts to stop up the access and passage to remorse.After Macbeth is settled and bend up about the murder of King Duncan, he develops a guilt complex which causes  him to see hallucinations. Just before Macbeth carries out the regicide, he sees an illusion of a dagger, he questions is this a dagger which I see before me, or a dagger of the mind, a false creation. Macbeth slowly becomes more and more paranoid. Immediately after the regicide he thinks he hears voices crying sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep. The more paranoid Macbeth becomes the more people he murders, and the more people he murders the more paranoid he becomes, this is one of the reasons for Macbeth’s downfall. Macbeth also murders Banquo, because he suspects Banquo of knowing the truth. However, afterwards at the banquet, Macbeth sees apparitions again, this time the ghost of Banquo. Macbeth develops paranoia, which leads Macbeth to go find the witches again to seek guidance. The loss of Macbeth’s honourable qualities and the reason Macbeth continues on the road to downfall is ultimately caused by his belief in the supernatural. Macbeth’s belief in the supernatural uncovers his fatal flaws. Because of Macbeth’s belief in the supernatural, he goes to find the witches again, and after seeing the apparitions he feels indestructible. Macbeth becomes overly ignorant, arrogant and exceedingly paranoid, he lets his belief in the supernatural get the better of him. Macbeth relies too much upon the witches’ apparitions; he has no doubts and believes I bear a charmed life which most not yield to one of woman born. Macbeth feels that no one can harm him and take his throne, so he tells the servants to bring me no more reports, let them fly all. Macbeth does not care about anything any longer; he truly and completely believes he is invincible. Despite the witches telling Macbeth the prophecies and Lady Macbeth pushing him to murder the King, it was Macbeth that commits the regicide and continues on to the murder of Banquo. Macbeth’s downfall is a result of his belief in the supernatural. His weakness is relying too much upon the witches’ apparitions, which subsequently unveiled all his personality flaws and ultimately caused his downfall.

Friday, January 10, 2020

Phi/105 Letter

Letter to a 20 or 21 Century Philosopher PHI/105 September 23, 2012 Letter to a 20 or 21 Century Philosopher I am writing this letter to John Dewey regarding his theory of pragmatism. I am choosing this theory because it interests me in the scientific aspect of your thinking. I know that you chose to challenge logicians to answer the question of truth. This is a hard thing to sort out and make real and true. Going up against some of the times most logical thinkers and challenging them to come up with true answers was one of your strong points.I know that you were not totally opposed to modern logic as you have stated â€Å"logic based upon the idea that qualitative objects are existential in the fullest sense. To retain logical principles based on this conception along with the acceptance of theories of existence and knowledge based on an opposite conception is not, to say the least, conductive to clearness – a consideration that has a good deal to do with existing dualism be tween traditional and the newer relational logics. †(Qualitative Thought  1930) This statement to me means that you had maybe exhausted the traditional way of thinking that you had imagined.I believe that you had to reach for more answers and different ways to get those answers. Truth is a hard thing to come by and it is not easily obtained. I know that you were a philosopher of science and that you used this to try and understand the world. From you research you did not stretch the truth but rather examined all of the parts that could be explained by science. In figuring these things out you were able to determine if the phenomena that you were examining at the time were actually true or not.I find this interesting because there are many things in this world that are hard to explain. I am sure that there were many questions left unanswered for you because the research technology was just not there for you at the time you were doing your research on different phenomenaâ€⠄¢s. The scientific method that you chose to follow would be a base for all of the scientists that followed your research and I find it amazing that you are still known to this day. I can see now by researching your history why you did not believe in religion. I would have to say this is ecause it is something that could not be proven. The phenomena that a being could exists and create everything is just too impossible to conceive. It is impossible to determine by science even to this day if someone such as this did or could ever exist. There is no scientific method that can prove the truth of this and this is why you did not believe it was possible. I would have to also agree with this point and if there were a way to research it scientifically and prove that such a being or person did exist I would believe that to be the truth.With no truth about certain things it is hard to put any kind of faith in them. The more I think about these things the more I believe the scientific method the best way for me to go about life and think about things. I believe that the other two schools are just as good as yours. I just lean a little more towards science then math or metaphysics. These other two schools are necessary as well for the understanding of almost all things that are explainable. There is no one school that is better than the others and I would have to relate to all three of them.As for the things that are just phenomena I would have to agree with you in analyzing the facts and truths that we are able to prove and believe in rather than just making things up and believing in false truths. John Dewey you are truly someone to look up to and I have found in your readings some truth to this life that we lead. Many things go unanswered but in time many things that were unanswerable will get figured out and the truth shall be revealed. References READING:  Ch. 9 of  Philosophy: The Power Of Ideas. READING:  Ch. 8 of  Philosophy: The Power Of Ideas. http://w ww. infed. org/thinkers/et-dewey. htm

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Ethics, Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility - Ethical Dilemma - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1691 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Ethics Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? Ethics, Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Ethical Dilemma Contents 1.Situation Overview 2.Dilemma Description 3.Position 4.Actions and Origins 5.Conclusion and Further Dilemmas References 1. Situation Overview 5 years ago I worked as a Compliance Officer for one ethical pharmaceutical companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s representative office in St. Petersburg. It was a real challenge for me as I hadnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t such experience before; and for my company as well à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" I was the first Compliance Officer in Russia. On that position my responsibilities included but not limited to the following: Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Ethics, Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Ethical Dilemma" essay for you Create order Internal consultations on business conduct and ethical matters including support for customer facing colleagues in development and adaptation of clinical, promotional and sales activities to the standards of Companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s business conduct and applicable Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs); Providing overall support, monitoring and control over implementation of global compliance initiatives, online trainings on Code of Ethical Business Conduct, FCPA, etc. Providing appropriate guidance and education to employees; development and implementation of appropriate training programs for field force and office colleagues to ensure compliance with ethical standards, Corporate procedures and local SOPs on Compliance; Maintenance, improvement and adoption of the SOPs on Compliance, including Local Procedure on interactions with healthcare professionals and government officials, in line with the applicable legislation, global initiatives, Corporate procedures and industry standards (in Russia it is AIPM Code established by Association of International Pharmaceutical Manufacturers); Participation in periodic local audits, pre-audits, corporate internal audits; tracking and reporting of all gaps identified, due diligence projects; Discovering and resolving of the compliance issues; Support for local compliance investigations (review and evaluation of documents and records, personnel interviews, report drafting); Communicate Companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s business conduct externally to build understanding among customers, competitors, and public; develop a proper compliance communication strategy. So as you can see I was the person wholly responsible for all ethical matters within the Company including everything related to the wide range of ethical dilemmas. 2. Dilemma Description There were a lot of ethical dilemmas that I have faced during my more than one year experience as a Compliance Officer. Obviously most of those situations are still highly confidential so unfortunately I cannot describe them in every detail. But one of these dilemmas was very interesting and didactic à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" that is why I assume it deserves special consideration. One of the main aims of our representative office was clinical trials conduction; mostly they were a part of global researches initiated by Headquarter. Conducting Clinical research is an ethical challenge itself. At all costs the rights, safety and well being of trial participants and the integrity of trial data have to be ensured. Conducting researches in a global setting is a further challenge. There are cultural differences between different geographical areas and regions; some are obvious, like different languages, religions, customs, governments, manner of clothing etc. There are however many subtle dif ferences which can impact clinical research conditions. I was integrated as an external monitor in one of our research teams conducted clinical study A123456 which was in a phase II, open-label single arm study to investigate the efficacy and safety of one of our molecules (B123456) in patients with advanced C123456 disease which has high level of mortality in the population.B123456 should be administered for a total of 10 cycles, the maximum dose being 250 mg bis in die. I discovered that a 26 year female subject, participating in this study, was suspected of having double dosed her study medication, B123456. The double dosage was marked in the patientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s diary. But, regardless of that important fact, she claimed to have abided by the protocol. Several questions required answers: Why did the double-dosing appear in the patientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s diary? Was it a mistake made by the patient? Or was it intended? Did Dr. Ivanov (principal investigator) fail to see the maximum dose of 250 mg bis in die? Or did he à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"empiricallyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ prescribe 1000 mg, thereby hoping to achieve a higher response? What at first glance appeared to be an easy-to-solve case, proved to be otherwise. On further scrutiny, conflicting explanations emerged: the patient took the decision independently, however refrained eventually from taking the double dose; the option had indeed been discussed with the Dr. Ivanov, but was never effected. Therefore it appeared in the diary; the patient would terminate the study and double dose via a compassionate use program, hence again the appearance in the diary. Various stakeholders have been involved in this process. First of all, it was the patient. Then à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" patientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s carers (parents and other relatives). Principal Investigator à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Dr. Ivanov which was friend of mine and there was a potential negative consequences for his professional reputation. All our research team and a lot of external stakeholders. Whole map of stakeholders is below. Actually it was unprecedented ethical dilemma for me. Generally I understood that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"framing a choice as a dilemma between two à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“rightsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  can itself sometimes be a form of rationalization, obscuring the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“wrongà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  that may lurk thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Gentile 2010, p. 176). But there were no alternatives in this case. It was very dangerous and even impossible to keep silent about it. That is why I have decided to start with full investigation of this issue. And I was very limited in time because at least for one of the stakeholders it was a matter of life and death. 3. Position The story is even more so complicated because an additional cycle was initiated since the patient claimed to have lost her study meds; discordant data existed between the Case Report Form and the patientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s diary; drug counts at the pharmacy were done much too late; the patient presented with elevated liver enzymes and it was unclear whether this was related to the dosing error, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Dr. Ivanov would show me a computed tomography later, revealing liver metastasis the size of half the abdomen. Clearly the enzyme elevations were not drug induced.) There was a potential conflict of interests for me. The group atmosphere within the research team was very friendly. We had a long history of close relationships especially with Dr. Ivanov. And further investigation may negatively impact them. On the other hand I was responsible for Good Medical conduction of the study which means control and absolutely clear reporting of the issues highlighted. Initial point for me as for individual is that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"ethics is a branch of philosophy and is therefore concerned with formal academic reasoning about right and wrong, but values are the commonsense, often taken-for-granted, beliefs about right and wrong that guide us in our daily livesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Fisher 2012, p. 150). In terms of values which were in conflict I would like to mention the opposition into myself of two values à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" value of organizational duty and value of patientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s life. Overall the study team including me could not finally decide whether a (deliberate) progressive disease was made by the principal investigator. This caused difficulty during the subsequent assessment of the potential Qualifying Quality Issue that was reported. 4. Actions and Origins I have arranged a face to face meeting with the Dr. Ivanov to enable further discussion. It appeared the patientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s relatives comprised of physicians. Eminent physicians that is, all of whom had an opinion, and that opinion was not supportive of our study. The patient was urged to seek rescue therapy. Or she could double dose in order to hope for a better response. As this was an end-of-life setting à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" and the Principal Investigator recently told the patient she was about to die shortly à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" she confronted him with these options. Dr. Ivanov found himself in a difficult situation. He confirmed both options presented by the patient; however they would imply study termination, as they violated the protocol. Hence the Principal Investigator initially was confronted with an ethical dilemma: continuing the study, or succumbing to the family pressure, which was now transferred onto his shoulders. In the end, we succeeded in convincing the patient and her partner to stay in the study. Eventually, several weeks later, Dr. Ivanov had decided to withdraw the patient from the study due to her rapid deterioration. She died less than two weeks later. Based on the information that I was able to determine from direct physician to physician discussions, the issue was clarified to the extent possible. In consequence, there was no clear evidence of a progressive disease, and therefore the Qualifying Quality Issue was not confirmed. 5. Conclusion and Further Dilemmas A confidential Monitor to Principal Investigator discussion on site was paramount to clarify as far as possible the situation. Unfortunately, after all, the actual dosing remains inconclusive. A final drug count did suggest a double dosing of 16 days. However, did the patient actually do this? Perhaps it was marked in her diary à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"to pleaseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ her family. The only way we would have certainty about it would be if a blood sample were drawn. Thinking about this case could make us contemplate. Does this happen more frequently? How would we as patients react in such a situation? Would we adhere to the treatment in any way possible hoping to be cured? Or would we abandon it and accept our destiny? As a result of the described ethical dilemma I have initiated an update of the existing Standard Operating Procedure on Clinical Trials. The main point I have added to the SOP is related to the Good Clinical Practice Standards further implementation including cl ear reporting by Principal Investigator on all stages of clinical study. This kind of values should not be formulated in isolation, but built as part of the organisationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s overall strategy (Institute for Leadership and Management 2013, p. 11.) This SOP should prevent situations when for some reason or other Principal Investigator faces ethical dilemmas and makes decisions on his own authority. And that should help him to share responsibility and the burden of decision via stage by stage reporting and straight talk with other research team members. References C. M. Fisher, Alan Lovell, NÃÆ' ©stor Valero-Silva. Business Ethics and Values. Pearson Education, 2012 Mary C. Gentile. Giving Voice to Values. Yale University Press, 2010 Institute for Leadership and Management (2013). Added values: The Importance of Ethical Leadership. Available at: https://www.i-l-m.com/~/media/ILM%20Website/Downloads/Insight/Reports_from_ILM_website/Added%20Values%20Report_Final%20pdf.ashx [July 2014] 1