Understanding the Essay: Characteristics and Literary Style
As Ortega y Gasset stated, an essay is a ‘scientific dissertation without explicit proof.’ The term ‘scientifically’ refers to the purpose of reflecting deeply and methodically about reality. Unlike other genres through specialized study, the essay prioritizes personal and self-reflection, waiving rigor and completeness (without explicit proof), with the purpose of making the reader think and suggest new ideas.
Others have defined it as a study being presented with humility, without definitive conclusions,
Read MoreSecure Key Communication: Methods, Protocols, and Security
Secure Key Communications
Three Methods for Secure Key Exchange:
- Trusted Third Party: A central server delegates keys. Every user has a secret key, and the server knows everyone’s keys.
- A → T: { A, B }
- T → A: { Na, Kab, B, {Kab, A}Kb }Ka
- A → B: { Kab }Kb
Problems with Trusted Third Party:
- B doesn’t know who is communicating.
- Replay attack.
- If the server is compromised, it’s a single point of failure, and all user keys are compromised.
- The server can crash due to a denial-of-service attack.
Needham-
Read MoreWaiting for Godot: Absurdity, Time, and Meaning in Beckett’s Play
Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot: An Analysis
Samuel Beckett (1906 – 1989) was an Irish Protestant writer from a middle-class background and assistant to James Joyce. He was educated at Trinity College (Dublin), where he learned French, Italian, and English. He experienced panic attacks from the age of 20 and suffered a mental breakdown in the 1930s. He lived through the Second World War and escaped to Vichy during the French Resistance. From 1954 onwards, he enjoyed the most fruitful stage of
Read MoreProfit Maximization and Competitive Supply Explained
Profit
- Profit is total revenue minus total cost. Total cost includes explicit and implicit costs. Economic profit occurs when total revenue is greater than total cost. Normal profit occurs when total revenue is equal to total cost. Economic loss occurs when total revenue is less than total cost.
- The firm’s goal is to maximize profit. The firm will choose the profit-maximizing level of output where marginal revenue equals marginal cost.
- If the firm is not at the output where marginal revenue equals
Renaissance History, Society, and Culture in Spain
The Renaissance in Spain: History and Society
The Renaissance in Spain, coinciding with the reigns of Charles I and Philip II, spanned the expansive Spanish empire in Europe and America, marking the early stages of its decline. The gradual evolution of society during the Middle Ages culminated in the consolidation of new economic relationships, favoring the settlement of traders in villages, giving rise to the burguesia. The shift in mentality was even more profound: medieval pessimism gave way to
Read MoreUnderstanding the U.S. Political and Administrative System
The Political and Administrative System of the U.S.
What Kind of Government Does the U.S. Have?
The U.S. has a Federal System of government composed of:
- A central (or federal) government seated in Washington D.C.
- The state governments of the 50 states.
How Is Governing Power Distributed?
The governing power is stipulated by the Constitution:
- The Federal government must not interfere with the state governments.
- All states must abide by the fundamental rights and privileges of all citizens.
What Are the Fundamental
Read MoreKey Philosophical Disciplines and Core Characteristics
Philosophy encompasses various fields of study, including the philosophy of mathematics, physics, religion, sociology, culture, and art, among others. Philosophers grapple with a wide range of issues, which have evolved into distinct philosophical disciplines taught at universities.
Main Branches of Philosophy
1. Epistemology
Examines the possibility, origin, and limits of knowledge. It pertains to all acquired knowledge, including scientific knowledge. Epistemology seeks to explain how humans understand
Read MoreThe Great War: Origins, Timeline, and Aftermath
World War I: A Summary
Causes of World War I
- Power Rivalry: Competition among European powers.
- Nationalism and Arms Races: A period of armed peace.
- Triple Alliance and Triple Entente: Complex web of alliances.
- Conflicts: Ongoing tensions between nations.
- England / Germany: Naval and economic rivalry.
- France / Germany: Historical animosity and territorial disputes.
- Russia / Austria-Hungary: Conflicts over influence in the Balkans.
Immediate Cause
- Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand: June 14, 1914, in
Vienna Convention: Key Articles Explained
Key Articles of the Vienna Convention
Article 38 of the ICJ defines the four main sources of law: Treaties, Customary Law, International Customary Law, and General Principles of Law.
Article 2 of the Vienna Convention
(a): “treaty” means an international agreement. To establish a treaty, we must have two or more states and a written document.
(d): “reservation” means a unilateral statement that modifies the legal effects of certain provisions.
Article 3 of the Vienna Convention
Treaties established
Nordic Model: Welfare States, Globalization, and Social Policy
The Nordic Model
The Nordic Model represents a prototype of the welfare state with a societal and universal character. Through public policy efforts involving budgetary, political, and administrative measures, it aims to achieve the welfare of its citizens. Like other models, it has been greatly affected by globalization.
The Nordic countries are regarded as a distinctive group, representative of a social democratic system. This analysis draws on Kosonen Pekka’s (2001) work, “Globalization and the
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