Friday, January 31, 2020
Prewar Marxism in Japan Essay Example for Free
Prewar Marxism in Japan Essay Marxism was coined after its proponent, Karl Marx who believed that the abuses of capitalism would eventually lead to uprisings of the masses particularly of the working class. According to him, the aggrieved plight of the working class will become the key in unleashing the inevitable clashes between the classes. In his argument, Capitalism will be replaced by Communism, in which in his view, this set-up of free economy opens a gate to many inequalities in the society, making the weak and poor more vulnerable to the flaws of the system. As Uno Kozo observed in his work, The Essence of Capital, â€Å"The commodification of the labor force remains the crux of Capitalism†(SJT, pp.243). To Marx belief, Communism is the common ownership of the means of production. There would be public ownership of farms, factories, raw materials, and the like. To him, all means of production will be owned by the workers and all workers would eventually become workers.     In Japan, Marxism was first introduced in the late 1890’s but it was in the 1920’s that it started to catch attention and support from the people especially from the intellectuals (SJT, pp 239; Beckmann, pp. 139). The early Marxists belonged to two different groups, the reformers and the revolutionary. The reformers followed Tolstoian humanitarianism, advocated universal suffrage, and pursued reforms through parliamentary action. While the revolutionaries believed in the Materialist ideas from the German and French Marxist. They adhered to the idea of class struggle and direct revolutionary action by class-conscious workers. The revolutionaries were also attracted to the tactics of the anarcho-syndicalism (Beckmann pp. 140).            The various differences of principles of the Early Marxists in Japan had initially signaled that a strong unified group would be quite a challenge to create a remarkable impact. In fact, at its onset Marxism was already noted with three general flaws such as its systematic character that degenerates into dogmatism; putative universality that recalls its foreign origin; and its critical modus operandi that provokes infighting and organizational fragmentation (SJT, pp241 ). But all these are generalized observations sums up probable enlightenment on why it seemed to appear that prewar Marxism was never a political success. However, it is pertinent to note that these observations envelopes one or more historical accounts and empirical evidences of the progresses and demise of prewar Marxism in Japan.            The idea of Marxism had its strong appeal in the university circle composed mainly of the professors and students. In fact, one of its early and notable supporters was Kawakami Hajime of the Kyoto Imperial University. He wrote may treatises on Marxism and provided valuable assistance to other advocates in the persons of Sakai Toshihiko, Arahata Kanson among others (Beckmann pp. 145). At that time, the battleground was published material like newspaper wherein people can be informed and get influenced at the same time. At some point, it created impact and stirred the discontentment of the people resulting to the clamor for reforms in Japanese society. This clamor was highlighted more by the onset of the Japan Modernization process in which new demands for the fundamental changes in the society is created (Beckamm pp146). To quote Beckamm, â€Å"Marxism was attractive to them because it provided the fullest explanation of the idea of progress that they had yet encountered. They were easily seduced by the Marxist proposition that through the dialectic progress was inevitable. Dialectical materialism gave them (supporters) a scientific methodology for analyzing Japanese society, as well as general principles of strategy for effecting change†.            But no matter how ardent the campaign was and how dynamic the intellectual debates were, history underscores that prewar Marxism fell short in achieving its much desired political change. The variables affecting this result are attributed to both external and internal difficulties encountered by the group. It is believed that too much emphasis on theoretical conceptualization has left the advocates confused on what is real and what is not. And what is real during that time, is the dominance of the conservative elite who managed to uphold Japanese value system. All important institutions of Japanese society inculcated obedience, loyalty, and status over freedom, individual rights, and equality. All these summed up to hostilities of the society to individuals who think otherwise. Thus, it resulted to numerable defection from Communism and Socialism parties. It may also be relevant to note that conservative value system of Japanese society and the so called patterns of behavior during the modernization period contributed to the prevention of basic antagonism from being open clashes. Many intellectuals may be vocal in their convictions but a greater number of them seemed anxious to join the mass â€Å"hurly burly maybe because of the behavioral patterns pervading in the society and of the enveloping obligation not to disgrace the family through deviation from the generally accepted behavior. Another pitfall of the prewar Marxism is the very nature that the ideology was alien and much worse, dependent on the support of a foreign state which is labeled as enemy and competitor of their own country. It could not simply break the much preferred paradigm of Japanese Nationalism and Confucianism. Furthermore, the movement cannot fight equally with the raw power of the state especially of its police and military predisposition. This is for the obvious reason that communists had no civil liberties to protect them. As a matter of fact, party organizations were dismantled through various man-arrest in 1923, 1928, 1929, and much frequently in the 1930s. These arrests made it difficult for the advocates to maintain a substantial number that could function effectively for its cause (Beckamm, pp 148-150)            Much had been said by the writings and works of the early believers but less had been done. In the labor movement itself, the support and participation was only a small percent of the whole sector. Many who joined the cause were in the small and medium enterprises and almost none from the large industries. A few participation reflected that many have gone disillusioned or remained uninspired by the movement due to many failures of negotiations and strikes. The same also goes for the peasants, the Japanese agricultural communities and families were unreceptive and to some measure were hostile to Communism and Socialism. This maybe because the peasant movement lacks single central leadership that could have had become an effective channel of influence (Beckamm, pp150).            The Commintern Policy also posted a challenge to the thriving ideology of Marxism. It added certain degree of divisiveness among the people in the movement. Also, it provided a very good issue that kept the proponents busy in arguing as to which would be the good and effective direction to heed towards the desired impact on Japanese society. Is it the bourgeois-democratic or the proletarian revolution? Again, it brood disunity, conflict, and frustration among themselves.            The defection of Etsuzo, Sano, and Nabeyama also influenced fellow believers to defect and to condemn all together the principles and actions of the group they once pledge allegiance and commitment (Beckmann, pp160; 166).            In totality, prewar Marxism in Japan made numerous progresses and successes in bringing out brilliance among Japanese intellectuals. However, it was never translated into a political action that would have given life to the very essence of the teachings of Karl Marx. Though numerous reasons tried to explain this result, but maybe the only reason true enough to describe its failure is the one said by George Beckmann, â€Å"†¦the very nature of Japanese society made it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for a Communist movement to exist, let alone operate with any degree of effectiveness†¦to Marxist-Leninist terms, the objective conditions were not at all favorable. (Beckmann pp. 152)â€
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Hackers :: essays research papers
HACKERS My paper is on hackers, who they are, what they do, and my personal view on the rights or wrongs of hacking. According to the Merriam-Webster Web dictionary, a hacker is 1: one who hacks, 2: a person who is inexperienced or unskilled at a particular activity, 3: an expert at programming and solving problems with a computer, and 4: a person who illegally gains access to and sometimes tampers with information in a computer system. The definition that is most associated with computer hackers in society today would be a person who illegally gains access to and sometimes tampers with information in a computer system. I think that hackers should stay out of other peopleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s business. They shouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t be able to get into otherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s files. Hackers are people who attempt to penetrate security systems. The five rules of a hacker are as follows: 1. Keep a low profile 2. If suspected, keep a low profile. 3. If accused, deny it. 4. If caught, plea the 5th Amendment. 5. Hackers try not to leave traces or trails to what they have done. Hackers donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t like calling attention to themselves or your exploits. Hackers need privacy to do what they do. 2 What? You want to learn what they can do? Ok. They can hack into other peopleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s computers. Good ones can use viruses to their advantage. They can trash systems, destroy hardware, and even do irreversible damage of data. Hackers can unleash destructive viruses, Trojans, and logic bombs. Hackers can be caught though. Sometimes hired hackers attack or assassinate other hackerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s viruses. Most hackers mean harm. Some help disable other hackers. After being caught the hacker usually goes to court.
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
An Analysis of an Article in the Big Issue called Sun Vampires Essay
The Big Issue is published to aid the homeless, seeking to raise money for people who are in this situation. The Big Issue is only sold by vendors, homeless themselves, on the streets of all our major cities and towns. The ‘target group’ for sales is seen to those who might be sympathetic to the dilemma of the homeless, to those who are fortunate themselves to have homes and jobs, who take an interest in society as a whole rather than just themselves as individuals, who are also aware of the current issues. The readers are to be relatively prosperous, also young rather than middle-aged. The young readers have most probably heard of the Bros (a teen pop duo of the late 80’s) and also Peter Andre (popular at the time of publication, but hardly an enduring household name). The reader might be in the position of being able to spend 399 a year on a suntanning course. The reader is more likely to respond to the style of writing that uses current colloquial or jargon exp ressions â€Å"And let’s face it†, â€Å"one hell of a habit†and â€Å"fork out†than a style that they regard as being posh and old-fashioned. The message is though a horrific one but by using the generally speaking, light-hearted tone. Then there is no worry in frightening the reader, but if the your to frighten the casual reader and the reader were to associate this emotion with The Big Issue. For then the reader might never but another a copy again, therefore defeating the whole purpose of what is published for. The writer exclaims to the reader that sunbeds are dangerous and those who uses them are stupid and vain. The suppliers of the habit are abusive. The message is serious but the tone is generally light-hearted. The mood does change though, the evidence supplied by Jane Horwood is unwelcoming, and that provided by a medical expert is inflexible. The purpose of a headline is to attract the attention of a casual browser. Here the writer uses paradox. The reader is attracted firstly by the use of the word â€Å"vampires†, because our enjoyment of horror stories. The idea of the vampires being associated with sun, which is means death to them. The reader becomes eye-catchingly incongruous; curiosity is aroused so the reader wants to read on. â€Å"Desperate for a sun fix†straight away makes us think of a drug addiction, the gravity which is reinforced by the sinister implications of â€Å"coffins†, both images are very different but are powerful images. Then by a newly-coined image, â€Å"tanorexics†, this is a pun. However a pun is usually used humorously, as a joke, which associates two images. In this case this pun might make the reader have mixed emotions. By using the really amusing though, to associate what is usually regarded as a pastime with the desperately psychological problem of anorexia. The illustration is made to seen very unprofessional, but it does catch the browsers attention. The simultaneous associations with the coffins and cooked meat work. The writer forces the readers to place themselves in the situation, by using the repletion of â€Å"you†and â€Å"you’re†. The article seeks to mock the sunbed. The opening uses ridiculous pictures â€Å"plastic cocoon†, â€Å"weird blue light†. The idea of the users being profoundly stupid, by mad suggestions. â€Å"Have you been abducted by aliens for experimental tests?†In the second paragraph the tone is unbreakable by another equally ridiculous picture. â€Å"Walking raisins†implying that the sun has similar effects on human skin as it has on grapes. The writer soon does become rather serous, after making sure that our interests has been attracted by other means. Suddenly suntanning become dangerous. Most people are aware of the dangers of smoking, so the bluntness of â€Å"It’s like smoking†hits hard. The scenario of losing an infant as a result of suntanning is distressing. There are no jokes in this section. â€Å"Religiously†and â€Å"Confesses†which underlines the importance of the issue for the writer. We all know the adverts on television in which ‘scientists’ in white coats are used to impress upon us the wonderful properties of toothpastes or headache cures. We naturally believe what we are told by experts. So Doctor Bishop is brought into the argument and a consultant dermatologist. We do not comprehend the jargon doctor’s use, but we always impressed by their specific language. We may not know what a UVB or UVA rays are and what they do not us. However most of us are inclined to believe what those who do know tell us about them. It is interesting that the writer is afraid perhaps of loosing their audience by using too many expressions that the general public do not understand, but the writer does give us some layman’s explanation, as in the case of collagen and of elastin. Industries are commercial enterprises by mean of which people make money. We tend to see them in a big scale like ‘the music industry’. Where the profit motive is of the smallest significance, aren’t referred to as industries. The obvious implication of describing sun-tanning as industry is that its practitioners are only interested in profiting from their clients’ gullibility. Earlier we asked to feel sympathetic towards Jane Horwood suffering and were asked to understand that for her taking that wise decision, to end her habit. On the other hand Victoria Williams seems childish and selfish â€Å"I wanted that heat and warmth on my body†. In the final paragraph the writer completely ridicules the ideas of suntanning. â€Å"Who says tanning isn’t trendy?†is, perhaps, another dig aimed at the people of the media, especially those who are advertising the industry. â€Å"Secretive†implies that those who carry on suntanning are aware of the dangers. â€Å"It seemed his rugged outdoor tan was indoor variety†accusing the ex political leader of using sunbeds to give a false impression of his life to the public. â€Å"It make you look wealthier, like you can afford regular holidays†seems false and unfashionably materialistic set against own background. â€Å"Essex Man†is a term of abuse- it reminds us of sub-human species associated with a particular 1980’s stereotype, the selfish individual concerned only with himself and what he can get his hands on. This is a very cleverly written piece, in which the writer has matched their tone to their readership without compromising the sincerity and, ultimately, the intensity of their feeling. This however can’t be coincidence. â€Å"Barking,†Echoes the phrase, â€Å"barking mad†and leave s in doubt how the writer feels about â€Å"tanorexics†. It can refer back to the â€Å"Essex Man†There no attempt at fairness in this piece, there is no balance of opinions, so asking the reader to draw their conclusions. The writer does have a point to make and scarcely attempts that there might be together points of view. Counter argument, when they appear, tend to be ridiculed, We probably haven’t learned anything new about suntanning, perhaps little in those who indulger in it, but the pieces might be considered as being amusing.
Monday, January 6, 2020
Neural Networks and Their Failures and Successes - Free Essay Example
Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1419 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2019/03/18 Category Analytics Essay Level High school Tags: Failure Essay Did you like this example? Its no secret at this point that there are some really smart AIs in todays world. From everything to self-driving cars, to something so simple it only takes 9 lines of code. Many AI systems today use something called a Neural Network, which tries to mimic the human brains cognitive abilities. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Neural Networks and Their Failures and Successes" essay for you Create order A human brain consists of 100 billion cells called neurons, which are connected by synapses. When sufficient synaptic input reaches a neuron, that neuron will also trigger in a process called thinking. This is what Neural Networks aim to be, though 9 lines is only about 1 neuron. The main goal of Neural Networks and AI is to try and reach the same level of cognition and learning as a human does, where it becomes difficult to distinguish one from the other. For every success made in one area, there are many failures that arise, meaning that there are many examples of the problems with trying to teach Neural Networks how to actually solve problems the correct way. Many Neural Networks are designed to learn different tasks and give consistent results back. This is done through a Training Process where, put simply, inputs are given and constantly adjusted until the correct output is given. Through this process, Neural Networks can learn to walk or play games or to even cheat a system. Neural Networks try to be like the human mind but, much like the human mind, they can learn the wrong things and accomplish tasks in a very different manner. This problem can result in very interesting problem solving. One great example is an experiment held in a system called PolyWorld. PolyWorld is an ecological simulator of a simple flat world, possibly divided up by a few impassable barriers, and inhabited by a variety of organisms and freely growing food (Yaeger). During one of the trials of this, an input mistake was made and, while food gave energy, creating a child did not cost any energy. This led some of the organisms in the simulation to come to the conc lusion that a mostly sedentary lifestyle was the best option, as long as they reproduced and, in very much A Modest Proposal fashion, consumed their offspring to make more energy. This solved the problem of having to search for food, and allowed the organisms to not have to expend much energy to live. This means that while we can train a Neural Network to create its own solutions to given problems, in this case of survival, we are not able to teach them a form of morality and that eating ones children, while practical, is not ethical, nor is it an actual solution to living. Because these kinds of systems essentially teach themselves new solutions after some training, they can adapt to new circumstances and find new solutions as they go, and can lead to some amazing success stories. In one instance, Facebook designed its own AI to learn how to make and carryout deals, which were originally trained with another AI system. Researchers at Facebook Artificial Intelligence Research (FAIR) began a study on multi-issue bargaining. Two agents in the Network system were given a set of items and told to split them amongst each other. While each agent was programmed with how highly they would value certain items, they were not aware of the value of each item for their opponents. These kinds o f interactions had each system trying to create long-term plans in order to meet their needs and get the best personal value out of each interaction. One of the goals of FAIRs AI Network systems was to create an idea known as Dialogue Rollouts. These allowed the long-term thinking systems to understand the flow of a conversation and steer around and away from any part of the conversation deemed uninformative, confusing, or frustrating. The knowledge of these kinds of interactions allows one of these systems to plan for future conversations and generate more value for themselves in future interactions. One problem of these experiments, however, was that the networks created their own language, which was essentially a very streamlined discussion and would conclude with deals being struck, though this was quickly shutdown in favor of basic English. Once the system understood what was needed and expected of it and could achieve favorable deals roughly as often as unfavorable deals. In other experiments, most people did not realize they were negotiating with a System and not another person. Other systems can pick up on language very quickly, even to the detriment of themselves. One mishap that involved a learning AI was Microsofts Twitter AI Tay. Released to the public in March, 2016 and was designed to mimic a 19-year-old girl and learn from interacting with people on Twitter. Because Neural Networks and other AI need some form of a base to learn from, just as humans do, many people started abusing this and taught her inflammatory remarks. The generally accepted problem with Tay is that she was not designed with any kind of emotional intelligence. This led to her making remarks about Hitler and other controversial statements. While Tay seems like she should have succeeded, like many Learning Systems before her, she just didnt quite learn as intended. In the case of one Learning System used by Berkeley students, a reward-shaping experiment was conducted where a Neural Network was rewarded every time it touched a soccer ball. In order to achieve the most rewards per session, the Network learned that it could get to the ball and vibrate, thus touching the ball as much as possible in as little time as it could, receiving a reward for each touch. In the same article, a Neural Network was rewarded for reaching a goal, and thats all it needed to accomplish. The Network discovered that it was not punished for moving away from the goal, so it began reaching the goal and moving in a circle around one end of the goal so that it would have a stable path and could keep moving through and being rewarded. It seems that when reward driven, if there are no set of rules saying you cannot do X, Neural Network systems kind very unique ways of accomplishing the given task in ways that give them the most reward, without actually accomplishing the real goal of the experiment. Many Neural Network systems are given tasks in which they learn to walk, with various limbs added or subtracted, and with different obstacles. Some learn to walk in short pigeon-hops, while others learn how to correctly run while maintaining their balance. Each system is given a structure and each time they fail, a new generation is made with the knowledge of prior generations, so eventually, someone kind of forward momentum is gained. But in other, more extreme cases, like David Has article, when the Neural Network agent is allowed to change its own body in order to accomplish certain goals, such as reaching the end of an area, the agent may create ways never imagined. In one trial, the agent made its back leg more stable and usable as a base and the front leg allowed it to make short hops in order to get around different obstacles. One of the Neural Network agents designed its body to have one extremely long leg that would allow it to simply fall over. In the trials given, the only goal was to make it as far to the goal as possible, but the agents were not required to reach it. By making one large leg and falling, these s ystems could meet all the requirements and had no need to ever reach the goal itself. Neural Network systems are advancing every day, and get smarter and smarter with each new iteration. But just because they are smarter does not mean that they are going to exactly complete given tasks and meet human standards. On a level of cognition, Neural Networks are, in most cases, nowhere near where the human brain is, and can only think of certain tasks 1-dinmensionally. Many reward-based tasks given are worked around and the best way to accomplish the goal is overlooked for the best way to achieve the reward. Other language learning systems only accomplish what they can parrot back. While these are highly advanced systems, they do not truly meet the active cognition that the human mind works on, though there are many new programs coming out every year. In the next few years, we may even have some systems showing signs of emotions.
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