Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 8

Business Law - Essay Example This paper finds that implied terms, as it has long been considered to be integral component of the structure of employment contract, plays vital role in the formation of terms and conditions that are applicable to the employment contract. The research is structured considering the doctrine of precedence and the employment relationship. An employment contract forms to be the basis on which an employee is employed under an employer. If there is no employment contract, the employee cannot be categorized to be an employee (Bell, p. 27). The employment contract is legally binding relationship between an employer and his employee that defines the structure and contents of the relationship between each of them and it strengthens all the claims to employment tribunals and litigates legal risks and liabilities (Leighton, p. 11). Recruitment, one of the fundamental functions of HRM, is a basic step to create an employment contract and relation between employer and employee and this, if conducted effectively, can ease the procedure of forming employment contract by including relevant terms and contents in it. The contract of employment is very similar to any other legal contract in many aspects. Generally, a contract of employment will be expressed in writing, but this not the case always as in the case of other contracts (Bell, p. 28). It is legally and strongly advisable to the employer to issue a written contract so that it will help mitigate all legal risks associated with employment and also to avoid misunderstandings between both the parties. There can be temporary of full time employment contracts as well in which contract is agreed between the parties that it will end within a specific period of time or it is of unlimited duration (Macdonald, p. 36- 37). The contract of employment may consist of a number of terms and conditions and these can either be expressed or implied. Expressed terms are those that both the parties

Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete - Essay Example Two-point load test was used to examine the bending moment of the bars while the cubes were subjected to compression tests for estimating their compressive strength. The flexural strength was also quantified. The effects observed on the steel fiber and steel bar reinforced beams and cubes were compared with those of beams and cubes made with plain concrete. The observations and comparisons are discussed. Introduction High durability and strength are an important prerequisite for concrete structures as they are continuously exposed to various forces, both static and dynamic (Elavenil & Knight 2007). Therefore, considerable research in recent years has focused on enhancing these properties in concrete. The use of fibers for reinforcement in concrete has been shown to improve its behavior. Reinforcement with fibers improves the toughness of concrete under any kind of loading as the fibers increase the strain experienced at peak load and enhance energy absorption (Van Chanh 2005). While several fibers such as glass, steel, cellulous and synthetic fibers are used for concrete reinforcement, the effects of reinforcement using steel fibers is explicitly discussed here. Special emphasis is given to the mechanical properties and performance of SFRC as compared to plain concrete. ... Hence, a large amount of energy has to be absorbed before there is complete separation of the concrete post-cracking. The material properties of any fiber reinforced concrete will vary with the dosage of the fiber, the geometry of the fiber and the different combinations of fibers used (Ross n.d.). Aims and Objectives The aim of this investigation is to examine the effects of steel fiber reinforcement on the mechanical properties of concrete. For this purpose, both steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) and plain concrete have been compared. The beams and cubes examined in this experiment are made of: 1. Steel fiber HE (Hooked End) reinforced concrete at a ratio of 20 kg/m3 2. Steel fiber HE reinforced concrete at a ratio of 40 kg/m3 3. Steel fiber XR reinforced concrete at a ratio of 20 kg/m3 4. Steel fiber XR reinforced concrete at a ratio of 40 kg/m3 5. Plain concrete 6. Normally reinforced concrete with two 6mm diameter bars 7. Normally reinforced concrete with four 6mm diameter bars As the main aim of this study is to compare the performance of SFRC and plain concrete, it can be subdivided into the following objectives for ease of study: Studying the flexural strength of both SFRC and plain concrete beams Studying the compressive strength of both SFRC and plain concrete cubes Comparing the flexural and bending failures The performance of the different beams and cubes made with SFRC is also compared based on the distribution of fiber in the concrete, and based on the shape of the fiber, i.e. HE and XR. Literature Review Influence of Fibers on Mechanical Properties of SFRC There are different types of steel fibers sold under various commercial names. Based on their manufacturing process, they are divided into

Radiation Exposure In Intraoral Radiography Health And Social Care Essay

Radiation Exposure In Intraoral Radiography Health And Social Care Essay Dental radiography is one of the most frequent types of radiological procedures performed. One of the projections that have been done in the dental radiography is the intraoral radiography, which means the film is put inside the patients mouth. The intraoral can be divided into four, which are bitewing view, periapical view, occlusal view and full mouth series. There are conventional intraoral radiography and another one, with the advances in technology, the digital intraoral radiography is been developed. In this new imaging modality, the radiographic film is replaced by a sensor for the X-rays. The signal temporarily stored within the sensors is transferred to the computer, which displays an image that may be filed, interpreted, manipulated and quantified. The digital intraoral radiography is divided into two, which are two fundamentally different concepts for direct digital image acquisition, the CCD-based (charge-coupled device) and the Storage Phosphor systems. The intraoral radiography is said to have a low exposure dose received by the patients. According to the several sources that can be trusted, the exposure dose received by the dental patient equivalent to a few days worth of background radiation environmental radiation exposure or similar to the dose received during a cross-country airplane flight. Digital dental radiography is more preferable because although film has been an inexpensive and reliable image receptor in dental radiography for a long time, the advantages of digital dental radiography over film include providing a lower radiation dose, a swift availability of radiographs, the possibility of image enhancement and no need for film processing chemicals. DOSES IN INTRAORAL RADIOGRAPHY In digital intraoral radiography, the mean exposure time and radiation surface dose for the PSP is greater than that for the CCD system by a factor of 2.45. However, there was also a significantly higher repeat rate using the CCD system compared to the PSP system. Therefore, despite the CCD system requiring more repeat exposures, the radiation received by the patient is less. CCD systems showed a larger dose reduction in comparison to PSP imaging plates. Another study reported that the dose reduction as a result of shorter exposure times exceeded the increase in doses as a result of the greater number of radiographs with both digital systems. However, with the CCD sensors the dose reduction per exposure was almost cancelled out by the increase in the number of radiographs taken. Although the patient exposure associated with dental radiography is relatively low, intraoral radiography should be optimised in order to keep the radiation risk as low as reasonably achievable, something that is widely known as the ALARA principle but at the same time, produce a best quality of image. Any radiological procedure should be justified and modified in order to keep the radiation risk as low as reasonably achievable, especially to the children. Compared to adults, children are more sensitive to the radiation exposure. Dose assessment is recommended to be performed on a regular basis to ensure that patient exposure is always kept within the recommended levels and at the same time, the malfunction of the equipment also can be detected. All radiological procedures carried out on children must adapt to special radiation protection measures, which aims at recognising and implementing possible dose reduction strategies in order to eliminate unnecessary and therefore unjustified radiation exposure. Over the past 20 years both the X-ray units and the X-ray receptors used in dental radiology have been evolved. Modern dental X-ray units incorporate high frequency generators, operate at higher tube potentials and produce X-ray spectra that have higher mean energy and therefore are more penetrating compared to those produced by older dental X-ray units. These improvements have contributed in the reduction of the radiation dose to the e ntrance skin surface of the patient and the enhancement of image quality. According to Hart (2009), the new adult reference dose for intra-oral radiographs (2.3 mGy) is 40% lower than the 1999 value (4 mGy), probably owing to the use of faster film-screen and digital systems. This is the first time that a national reference dose for intra-oral radiographs on children has been recommended (1.5 mGy), and it is, 35% lower than the corresponding adult value. Some studies show that there is a large dose variation between different X-ray units used for the same radiographic projection and it is relatively low. However, although radiation exposure from intaoral radiography is considered to be low, the patient may have a chance to undergo repeated dental radiological procedures. Therefore, the accumulated effect of the radiation exposure should be taken into consideration. Salivary gland and the thyroid gland are among the organs at risk in dental radiology. Salivary gland, which often lies within the primary beam in intraoral radiographic projections has been shown to receive dose from 0.02 mGy up to 0.1 mGy per examination. As stated by Looe et al. (2006), dose received by the thyroid gland, mainly due to scattered radiation, is comparably less than those received by the salivary glands. On the other hand, the thyroid gland is one of the most radiosensitive organs for children and dose imparted on the thyroid gland should be minimised whenever possible. Diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) have been introduced by the European Union in the Medical Exposure Directive (MED) (97/43/Euratom). The directive requires the member states to promote the establishment and the use of DRLs and to ensure that implementation guidance is available (Poppe et al., 2006). A good practice is established when the required levels are not exceeded. The DRL is very important because inadequate techniques or machine malfunctions in the case where they are consistently exceeded can be detected during the examination, so that appropriate corrective action could be undertaken. Patients increased their chance to be subjected to unnecessarily high-radiation doses due to unsatisfactory equipment or inadequate techniques. To establish the DRLs, entrance surface dose (ESD), dose area product (DAP) or other dose-related quantities may be used. In the intraoral radiography, DAP has been chosen as the measurement quantity as it could be measured without the patient in place and the field size of the beam is directly reflected on the measured value. Rectangular collimator is preferable compare to the cylindrical collimator because the rectangular one can fit the size and shape of the film better, eventhough most X-ray units in intraoral radiography is equipped with cylindrical collimators. Furthermore, the introduction of DRLs has lead to DAP meters being installed as an integral part in radiology equipment used for the automatic registration of patient dose. The DAP meters could also be a possibility for panoramic units. It is completed with the advent of digital radiography and the use of automatic exposure control for these examinations, so, such equipments would allow easy monitoring and follow-up of i ndividual patient doses. It has been suggested that this dose area products are closely correlated with effective doses under specific circumstances because DAP are directly measurable or indirectly accessible from exposure. In instance, Poppe et al. (2006) stated that the measured DAP values for maxillary molar examinations range from 3.8 to 134.8 mGy cm2. The minimum dose measured for non-digital systems was 17.4 mGy cm2 and the maximum value measured was 134.8 mGy cm2. The highest third quartile value was calculated for occlusal examinations, whereas the lowest value was calculated for mandibular incisor examination. Moreover, there is a large difference between patient exposures among different dental facilities. Sometimes, the differences are up to a factor of 35 for the same examination. This s due to the inconsistencies of radiological practices performed in clinical routine such as different X-ray units, exposure techniques, film speed or even inadequate exposure setting and film developing procedures, and further. It can be seen that many dentists do not preferable using the dose-optimized programmes for the faster films. In addition, the correlation between DAP and tube loading may also be used as a rule of thumb in determining the imparted dose on patients. Thats why it is necessary to have the DRLs laid out as guidelines. In intraoral radiography, periapical is the most commonly performed and usually two to four teeth are shown on the image providing full tooth structure, including pulp, root and gum anatomy. On the other side, bitewings are taken to show the upper and lower teeth together on a single image while occlusal radiography demonstrate the dental arches at right angles to the occlusal plane. Although DRLs are useful in optimising radiological procedures by identifying inadequate exposure techniques, they still got the disadvantage. The problem is, they are lacking information in the risk associated with the radiological procedure. So, the other alternative is by using the conversion coefficient. It is used to estimate effective doses from DAP values have been published for common radiological procedures, including in intraoral radiography. In intraoral radiography, basically, thyroid gland and brain tissue receive only a small fraction of dose caused by scattered radiation within the phantom except for occlusal examination of the maxilla where high dose was measured at the brain tissue. So, we can say that overall skin dose is also relatively low as only a small fraction of skin was exposed directly to the x-ray beam. Moreover, salivary gland which often lies within the primary beam is exposed to high dose during intraoral examinations. This gland received highest dose followed by the red bone marrow. Then, the mandibular angle also was exposed to a high exposure during most of the dental examinations. Doses measured at the thyroid gland and brain tissue were only attributed to scattered radiation and therefore considerably low. However, only low dose was recorded at the third cervical vertebra mainly due to scattered radiation. The other factor that determines the exposure dose in the intraoral radiography is the type of film. It is remarkable that several facilities using an E or F speed film have higher doses than other facilities using the less sensitive D-speed films. For example, in the category of dentists using X-ray units operating at 65 kV, the lowest dose measured using D-speed film is 3.5 times lower than the highest dose measured using E or F speed film. However, the exposure time for the digital radiographic systems was set to 10-50% of that of E-speed film in most cases of intraoral radiography. However, in some clinics and hospitals, working with faster film type or higher tube voltage is not always associated with lower exposure. Many precaution measures could be taken at no cost to reduce the patient exposure by choosing the appropriate exposure parameters. Operators of X-ray units shall pay special attention to ensure that the right radiological equipment and techniques are used when performing radiological procedures on the dental patient. When using the faster film types, the operator should reduce the exposure time, so that the level of radiation exposure received is not beyond with the acceptance level of radiation exposure in intraoral radiography. Still, it is very important for the technologists to be informed about the necessity and importance of reducing the exposure times when working with the faster film types The quantitative aspects of radiation doses is needed to observe and determine the necessary radiation protective measures and at the same time, can help the general public to allay radiation fear in dental radiography. Because, it is afraid to develop certain disease and the highest risk in intraoral radiography is leukemia and thyroid cancer, even in doses as low as 500 mSv. On the other hand, even low doses of radiation can cause changes in the DNA of the cell that may not be lethal but that could cause the mutations that could lead to cancer. Most of these DNA changes are discovered and repaired before they cause problems, but the repair mechanism is not perfect and some of the changes may persist and accumulate. Non-repairable damage is more likely to occur with higher doses or dose rates but there is a chance that even a single small hit of radiation could produce a mutation that could cause cancer. The more radiation a person is exposed to, the more chances he has of receiving a non-repaired DNA injury. Similar surveys conducted in dental radiographic facilities over the last 10 years have demonstrated a trend for reduction of the ESD, with the use of faster films and digital receptors, as well as with modern x-ray units and rectangular collimation. The emphasis should be increased to the structures located in the oral region, particularly the salivary glands. At the gonadal areas, the gonads are not in the line of exposure, especially during intra-oral or panoramic radiography. However, the dose to the genetic cells results from scattered radiation in dental radiography. Scatter radiation during dental radiography may result in exposure of the dental personnel in the area. A dentist or dental auxiliary may accumulate perceptible amounts of radiation doses from his repeated exposure to scatter radiation. The precaution also must be highlighted to the pregnant women because the excessive exposure dose received by the pregnant women may result in spontaneous abortion, congenital abnormalities, microcephaly and decreased mental efficiency. From the study by Brooks (2008), shown that the doses actually used to obtain dental radiographs are frequently higher than what can be obtained in ideal situations. For example, a recent study done in Spain that measured entrance doses in several thousand dental offices reported that there was frequently no difference in radiation dose with different films and in different locations within the mouth. According to the revised recommendations for calculating effective dose, dental radiography involves 32% to 422% more risk than that previously thought. Therefore, efforts should be made to reduce dose as much as possible but not at expense of image quality and diagnostic accuracy. In addition, different groups of teeth need different exposure times for obtaining quality diagnostic information. Moreover, the patient dose is determined not only by the amount of radiation per exposure, but also by the number of radiographs taken. A recent study shows that the total number of radiographs taken by dentists using digital radiography was significantly larger than the number of radiographs taken by film users. The number of radiographs taken by dentists using solid-state systems compared to film-users while phosphor plate users took 32% more radiographs. The main reason when taking more radiographs is to achieve better diagnostics and description about certain condition of the patient. Eventhough it provides better diagnosis, positioning errors occurred more often in digital radiography than in film-based radiography. This is due to the stiffness of the digital sensors that is significantly more difficult to position in the patients mouth, rather than the positioning film and more uncomfortable for the patient although. CONCLUSION In conclusion, digital intra-oral radiography is a well-accepted diagnostic tool in dental practice. However, some of the claims made by manufacturers of digital systems, are not valid to their full extent. For instance, the dose reduction per exposure is real, but it is still to be determined what the actual dose reduction is because of the fact that dentists tend to make more radiographs when using a digital system. Sometimes, the importance of the level of exposure dose received by the dental patient is underestimated. Due to this, it could lead to the poor characteristics of x-ray device, inadequate film processing conditions and outdated techniques used. Regular quality control of dental x-ray units can eliminate deficiencies related to equipment. Inadequate technique is a more significant problem, because dentists and radiology technicians are insufficiently educated in the field of radiation protection. Because of that, it is best to select the imaging technique that will provide that information with the lowest radiation dose. To obtain that, dental equipment must stay in good condition, including film processing apparatus and solutions, and use good technique to avoid retakes. In addition, using fast film or digital imaging and small collimation, whenever feasible, will also keep the radiation dose as low as reasonably achievable, or ALARA which is a goal worth pursuing. in general, both entrance and effective doses are reduced when higher film speed (E-speed or F-speed instead of D-speed) or digital imaging is used. In addition, rectangular collimation of the beam also reduces the effective dose because less tissue is exposed in total. There are no such things as necessary routine radiographs the way there are required. Instead, dentists must make radiographs only when they think they are necessary to make an accurate dental assessment or diagnosis to reduce the number of X-rays taken to the minimal needed for dental health. Efficient implementation of the basic principles of radiation protection, particularly which the practice optimization through the quality assurance program, is the only adequate way of reducing the patient dose and at the same time, preserving the quality of diagnostic information.

Is Death Responsible for Diversity? Essay -- Philosophy Essays

Is Death Responsible for Diversity? Some of the hardest questions we struggle to answer in life surround the phenomenon of death. What happens when we die? Is there something beyond death? Is one way to go better than another? Is it possible to escape death? Why do we die, anyway? Why couldn't we just live forever? One explanation for death may come from the story of evolution. To explore this question, let us imagine a hypothetical situation, a world in which nothing dies. (We will imagine also, for now, that organisms would continue to evolve along the same trajectory as they do at present.) Every organism that has ever existed in the past would exist now, along with every organism present and every organism that has yet to exist. Not only would the world contain these organisms, but all potential organisms. "However many ways there may be of being alive, it is certain that there are vastly more ways of being dead or rather, not alive." – Richard Dawkins (p 104, Dennett) All the representations of the ways of being 'not alive' would be there, including those that we could not possibly fathom, those that are not necessarily contingent to our present environment. What this signifies, this absence of death, is a lack of natural selection. When nothing can die, everything is selected for, nothing is selected against. No death implies; no tests, no judgments of fit or unfit, no randomness or weeding-out of the genome, no consequence to anything that is potentially detrimental to the species. This hypothetical situation is a look at the unchanging set of all possible options, every combination of DNA that could potentially give rise to life. Every possibility is valid. This version of the world could only exist if we ign... ...t and habitat. The world would be just one big niche, where anything goes, anything is possible. If we do away with natural selection, then we must consequently do away with change, with evolution, with boundaries. "Whenever a species acquires a new capacity, it acquires, so to speak, the key to a different niche or adaptive zone in nature." (p 208, Mayr) The key merited is contingent to the change only because the niche is 'locked' before the change occurs. The boundaries we see are what create the selection pressures that cause organisms to change and are often products of selection pressures themselves. There is a direct relationship between these phenomena. If we have change (evolution) and niches, then death and natural selection are mandatory. Sources Mayr, Ernst. What Evolution Is. New York; Basic Books, 2001. Dennett, Daniel. Darwin's Dangerous Idea.

Organic vs. Conventional Grown Food Flavor Essay

Ever wonder what truly goes in to the food that is produced and sold in our grocery stores. You would be surprised as to what is used to grow the food we eat. Conventionally grown foods can use trace amount of nicotine and arsenic to keep food pest free. Conventionally grown food can be pumped with hormones that allow the crops and animals to grow larger or produce more fruit and vegetables. By using all of the artificial products in conventionally grown food we change the flavor, size and color of fruit, vegetables and animals, including their byproducts. People may not realize what is used to grow these huge vegetables and chicken breasts. Organically grown food is not only tastier but also has more health benefits when compared to conventionally grown food. We will discover the benefits and disadvantages to both organic and conventionally grown food. This will provide the reader with tools to make a decision on to whether to use organic or conventionally grown food. In order for food to be called organic, it must be grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. Although organic foods carry very minute levels of toxin naturally present in them, they are not harmful to us at these levels. By not using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, organic foods can naturally develop the nutrients and vitamins that a person needs to maintain a healthy, well balanced diet. Keeping these foods the way they naturally grown allows them to develop larger and more full of these valuable items that would be reduced because of the many chemicals and pesticides used to grow the convention foods. As to whether organic food is tastier, is up to the individual. Many professional chefs and home cooks prefer to use organic food when possible because they feel the flavors are stronger and taste more natural. Organic food is richer in color; therefore making the dishes not only taste better but help also to create a more appealing presentation. To them organic food has a fresher taste and a more natural flavor because the food is allowed to grow naturally and develop the way it would occur as nature intended it to. Organic food does cost more because of the time it takes to prepare the soil and let the food grow as nature intended. This cost more in labor and time so that the price for these can be inflated. When you take into consideration the health benefits of not putting in harmful chemicals and better taste of the food, they outweigh the cost of purchasing these products Conventionally grown foods are grown with a large amount of chemicals and pesticides that can be harmful to consumers in the long wrong. Now there are arguments that the levels of these products are so small that they are not harmful to consumers; but there are plenty of signs to the contrary. Look at how rapidly and early boys and girls are maturing compare to those of the past. This can be accounted for or â€Å"blamed† on the amount of hormones fed to animals to grow them larger and enhance them, so that they produce more by products, such as eggs and milk. The chemicals used to grow larger crops and protect them from rotting and pest also has negative effects. It has caused a rise in allergies that was just not prominent twenty or thirty years ago. The shorten times of growth that conventionally grown foods have can stunt the development of vital nutrients that they would produce if they were to be grown in the normal periods they would have. This can really have a negative effect on having a balanced diet because consumers will have to add supplements, like synthetic vitamins, to get their daily nutrient levels. Again, as to whether conventionally grown food taste better or worse, is up to the individual but most professional chefs feel it does not taste as fresh or has natural flavors like those in organic food. The flavor in conventionally grown food is not as developed because it has shortened growth time. Fruit, vegetables and animals need time to naturally develop and grow as nature intended them to so they can develop all of the good stuff we love. Conventionally grown food does cost less because it is grown so fast and in mass quantities without care for the environment or any harmful effects to the consumers. The short-term side effects are not as bad to the long-term side effects that will be passed on to generations upon generation. Saving a dollar at the risk of a person’s health seems to me to be a very large risk that is not necessary. Organically grown food is a much better choice because more naturally nutrients, better developed flavors and appearance even if the cost of purchasing them is higher. Conventionally grown food is the exact opposite. The chemicals and hormones are resulting in early development in our children and an increase in the levels of people with allergies. Professional chefs prefer organic food to conventional food because it develops the flavor profiles of their dishes more and improves the appearance of it as well. Just because the cost of conventionally grown food is lower than that of organically grown food, the disadvantages of them are much higher. Risking the future of our children is simply not worth saving a few dollars. It is up to the individual as to where to choose organic food but choosing it will provide the tools for a brighter tomorrow and a healthier today. We need to teach our children healthier ways to eat and live, if we expect them to grown up and live productive lives.

Evaluate the Strengths and Weaknesses of Reason as a Way of Knowing

There are four main ways of knowing – reason, perception, language and emotion. However each one of them have their own strengths and weaknesses and only by knowing them will we be able to better use these ways of knowing to gain knowledge. This essay will seek to examine the strengths and weaknesses of reason as a way of knowing. Reason is often seen as one of the most powerful ways of knowing – for it ‘seems to give us certainty’ (Lagemaat, 112). Reason uses logic to form arguments and conclusions.A benefit of reason using logic in reason is that it allows us access to innate or a priori knowledge – knowledge we cannot access any other way. One definition of A priori knowledge is innate knowledge that is not derived from experience but rather, are universal rules that we apply. (Cahn,Eckert,Buckley). There are several different forms that reason takes but these are mainly inductive and deductive reasoning – which will be discussed later in t he essay. A major strength of reason as a way of knowing is that the information we gather from using it is certain.This is a great strength because we are provided with a strong prediction model that we can build knowledge upon, thus providing us with information that we can believe to be true. We look to how this is applied in an area of knowledge the natural sciences. Take for instance the concept of neutralization reactions in Chemistry. In theory we know that a base would react with an acid to produce salt and water – a hypothesis that, up till this point, has been proven to be true – to form a salt and water. If we are presented with the following argument:All bases react with acids to form salt and water. Unknown sample X reacted with an acid and formed salt and water. We can conclude that unknown sample X is a base. We used deductive reasoning to arrive at the conclusion above. Deductive reasoning provides us with a conclusion that is absolutely certain. The wa y deduction works is that we go from general premises to a specific conclusion (Langemaat, 234). Like the example above, so far we have seen that all acid-base reactions produce water and salt thus we believe sample X is a base as well.At this point in time, there is no dispute against the law of the acid-base reaction and this will remain a law of chemistry. This certainty reason provides is an extremely important strength as this shows that reason allows us to create strong foundations that can be expanded upon. However with this certainty that reason brings, it has its weaknesses too. The first weakness of reason as a way of knowing is that it is limited. While we realise that unknown sample X is a base, this is all we know of it.This is where the weakness of deductive reason lies, it provides us with an extremely certain conclusion so that we can build upon our foundations that have been set but at the same time, we are limiting our knowledge to just this small scope. Also, the certainty of the conclusion depends on the truth of the premises. How can we prove that these premises are true? We believe that the premises are true because they have not been renounced as of yet. However if they were in fact wrong, our conclusion would be false as well resulting in a completely false argument.From this we can see that while reason can provide us with very certain conclusions, it limits us to building knowledge upon a specific foundation and the truth of the conclusion is based on the truth of the premises. The next strength of reason helps us generate laws to explain abstract concepts and gain this knowledge in areas that our senses cannot reach. This is a very important strength of reason as it shows how detached reason is from the empirical and sense perception. We look to the natural sciences once again – the concept of temporary dipole attraction between diatomic molecules.If we have the following argument: I, Br and Cl form temporary dipoles I, Br and Cl are group VII halogens Therefore, all halogens form temporary dipoles. This example shows how definitions and laws in the natural sciences are formed and how we use reason to do so. The example above uses induction, a method of reason that involves going from the specific to generate a general conclusion. This is how laws of the abstract are formed in science – we are unable to use sense perception or empirical knowledge, since we cannot see dipoles, to formulate these laws, we use reason to arrive at these conclusions.However, this is where the weakness of reason comes in as well. The problem with using induction is that these conclusions could have been arrived at in an incorrect way. The fact that these conclusions drawn are that of something abstract, how do we prove for sure that it is not another variable that affects it? Furthermore, what happens when in the future, when something that is not a halogen is discovered to form a temporary dipole. What happens to our d efinition of what can form temporary dipoles then? This is the weakness of reason in the natural sciences.Many times, Science applies inductive reasoning and even if a hypothesis is subject to uncountable experiments and stands irrefutable at this present time, it might not be true in the future. Since the natural sciences are a combination of the math and empirical, we cannot solely rely on our a priori knowledge. Science’s discoveries are often based on observations and this flout’s the rules of rationalism. When our senses are involved, our ability to reason might be compromised and lead to false premises and thus false conclusions.However, this is where experimentation comes in to prove as far as we can the extent of scientific truth and discovery. Therefore when it comes to the natural sciences, reasoning has its strengths in clearly defining and classifying various concepts that are senses cannot reach. However, reason falls short in the test of time, where we do not know what future results might yield as well as the possibility of mixing our senses into our premises, leading to false concepts to begin with.Thus, we can conclude that reason is limited in science by time and the extent of knowledge we already have. Even though reason might follow a logical flow, one may still arrive at false conclusions due to problems in our web of coherence. This is a major weakness of reason as we jump to hasty conclusions and cause us to make fallacious statements. For example, in the area of knowledge of the human sciences, analysts have been trying to identify patterns in human behaviour and events. Take for instance in a certain country, crime rates reach an all time high.Analysts would be looking for the factor that caused this and if at the exact same time there was a decrease in abortions, they might form this argument Crime rates increased Abortion rates decreased Therefore the decrease in abortions caused the increase in crime rates. This is an example of a fallacy called ‘post hoc ergo propter hoc’ where (wikipedia). This fallacy occurs when we assume that event A is the cause of event B just because B comes after A. The example above is guilty of committing this fallacy of ‘post hoc ergo propter hoc’ as it quickly concludes based on two events that happened at the same time.The analyst may argue that he used logic to reason out this relation but in actual fact there might have been many other factors that contributed to this increase in crime and violence. This example illustrates the weakness of reason as even though this is a sound argument, its premises are not the cause of each other and thus the argument is invalid. To conclude, we can see that reason has a significant role in many of the areas of knowledge but also presents many shortcomings, especially when experience and other factors come in. We are empirical creatures and it is difficult to always think rationally and logically.As Thom as Aquinas once said, ‘Most men seem to live according to sense rather than reason. ’ Perhaps this then is the major weakness of reason as a way of knowing – it cannot exist alone but needs to coexist with the other ways of knowing. Works Cited Cahn, Steven M. , Maureen Eckert, and Robert Buckley. Knowledge and Reality: Classic and Contemporary Readings. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2004. Print. Alchin, Nicholas. Theory of Knowledge. London: John Murray, 2003. Print. Lagemaat, Richard Van De. Theory of Knowledge for the IB Diploma. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2005. Print.