Nonw Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Nonw - Essay Example For Patricia Muir, the carrying capacity of the earth is the maximum theoretical population size that will remain stable if and only if the supply of resources does not change. However, this is indeed theoretical at best because not only does population size change all the time, but the supply of resources also change independent of population changes. The worst case scenario, therefore, based on Muir’s definition, is that the population size will keep increasing, the supply of resources will keep decreasing, and this will most likely drive the population to instability. Stability, as implied by Muir, is the state where the population may not experience any social or economic problems related to survival and ease of living. Sarah Postel, in her article â€Å"Carrying Capacity: Earth’s Bottom Line,† defines carrying capacity in a rather simple way as â€Å"the largest number of any given species that a habitat can support indefinitely† (4). There is no idea of stabilization driven at here by Postel, as based on her definition, carrying capacity is simply the capacity of the earth to feed a certain maximum number of people, whether or not this will lead to stability. Nevertheless, the definitions of Muir and Postel are far from the reality of the situation for several other factors that affect carrying capacity are not being considered in their definitions. Based on data from Cornell University, the carrying capacity of the earth is estimated to be 10 to 15 billion people, but estimates since 1679 by Anton van Leeuwhenhoek to the present have varied at the range between 1 billion to over a trillion people. The variations are due to the fact that it is admittedly â€Å"difficult to estimate† the human carrying capacity of the earth (The Carrying Capacity). The true reason behind this degree of uncertainty is that the world has been different in different eras in history and humans had different needs and different lifestyles for every part of his history. This is evident during the sudden exponential rise in human population from 1400 to the present while it remained fairly stable centuries before 1400, and no one knows for sure why this happened (Cohen 341). Another reason for the uncertainty in determining the carrying capacity of the earth is that the governments of the world do not exactly know what factors ultimately determine carrying capacity. Among the factors being considered there are food, nutrients, space, technology specifically and the availability of each (The Carrying Capacity). Still, other experts say that the problem is not within the environment but with people’s social, political and economic activities, which are all affected by culture, religion, language, values and ethnicity (Cohen 341). Others like Hardin theorize that the earth actually has its own natural way of correcting its own carrying capacity and the problem is that people’s ethical beliefs, like â€Å"Human life is sacred†

An Economic Analysis of With Honors Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

An Economic Analysis of With Honors - Assignment Example Such is the knowledge that is evident in Simon; he has certainly gathered as a function of his substantially long stay on the streets. In a way, it must be understood that, if properly harnessed, such kind of knowledge can be quite beneficial and can serve as a great source of information to researchers and other learners in the study of society and human nature. Our world requires more than common requisites in life. A mere Harvard education is not a guarantee a better life at all. Important as it is, it is still not a panacea to all the limitations that characterize life. We require more knowledge about the world and ourselves. Unfortunately, much of that information is never found in the libraries at Harvard or anywhere else in the world. It is found through experience in life shared through mutual relationships. It is found through the experiences in the streets, just as Simon seems to have gathered. It is found through relationships with idiots and intellectuals. In the movie, M onty learns a great deal from his predicament and relationship with Simon. He gets to underscore the importance of tolerance in life, which becomes integral economically to him. He changes the topic of his thesis because of his association with Simon and the subsequent transformation of his general world perception. It is imperative to realize that, as it appears in the movie that it is not only socially correct, but economically beneficial as well, to prepare efficiently for adulthood life by learning the basics. Graduating with honors alone by submitting a thesis in time is not a sufficient milestone in the course of life. It demands the knowledge that Simon is unknowingly propagating. The essence of life from a moral perspective is to live with honor and not to merely graduate with honors. Economically, a life with honor creates a sense of respect and enables one to climb very high social ladders in the society. For instance, people who live with honor access leadership positions , which come with money and fame. Therefore, as a recurrent theme in the movie, such an orientation in life can effectively make one realize the very essence of their lives, which can bring economic success and prosperity (Strasburger 54). In the movie, the four students learn new ideas in life and gather integral lessons in life. They learn not to ignore the street people like Simon. Assuming everybody in the world was to learn about these realities, it would translate to a very economically prosperous world that cares for the less fortunate in the society and recognizes that everybody in the world is important in their own right. Indeed, nothing is better than such a realization. It is rather funny in the manner Simon exchanges a page of the thesis with Monty for his daily necessities. That is of very great economic importance. It shows that there is nothing in the world that is given for free at least not even for a Harvard senior like Monty. The moral of the episode lies in inun dating the students with the idea that they should expect circumstances in life where despite their holding Harvard degrees, they have to strive and work hard for the necessities in life. In a way, it seems that the world can be a much better place if the likes of Simon were given the opportunity to display the wide experience they have gathered in their experiences in the world. The Harvard students in the movie appear as students of Simon despite his apparent lack of academic knowledge. Economically, this can