St. Anselm of Canterbury Essay -- essays research papers

In the following I intend to prove that the ontological argument is in and of itself, insufficient in proving that God exists. There are a few problems with the argument that I will be discussing in detail in an attempt to illustrate exactly why ‘The Ontological Argument’ is unsatisfactory. The Definition of ‘Greater’ St. Anselm of Canterbury defined God as â€Å"that-than-which-a-greater-cannot-be-thought† (Bailey, 2002). The problem with this definition is that the term ‘greater’ is surely up for interpretation. The term ‘greater’ requires a comparison between itself and one or more things, which could pose a problem for Anselm’s argument; however Professor Thorp states that the only difference between these two things is that one exists in the mind, while the other exists in the mind and in reality. If we understand that a God that exists in the mind and in reality is greater than one that merely exists in the mind then we must understand that God exists. We need to examine this, however, much more closely to discover the problem with this statement; and I will do so using an example given to us by Professor Thorp. During the discussion of the Ontological argument, the professor asked us whether we would prefer ‘a real beer’ on a hot day, or ‘an imaginary beer’. The real one is preferable and it is greater than the imaginary one. But what type of beer was each person in the class imagining? There are multiple brands of beer available and it is quite possible that many people throughout the room were picturing a different beer. Which real beer was greater? This is not a question that I can answer because it lies in a matter of preference. We experience a similar problem when we think of ‘a real God’, and ‘an imaginary God’. Perhaps I perceive God in a specific way, and to me, he is a being â€Å"that-than-which-none-greater-can-be-thought† (Bailey, 2002). This proves that my perception of God exists for me, but what of everyone else’s perceptions of God? We must recognize a problem with this, in that everyone may perceive a ‘greater’ God in a very different way. We know that there are different perceptions of the ‘greater’ God because we have evidence of it in the various religions and the contrasting views of their God. With this in mind, all Anselm is able to prove with his argument is that every person’s individual perception of God does exist, but no on... ...comprehend or imagine Him. Because of this, God cannot be ‘thought’, he can merely be defined as infinite. Since we cannot comprehend God in our thought, he no longer exists in our minds as an entity, but merely as a definition. Thus, since he no longer exists in our minds, there is no obligation to understand that he must exist in reality; an implication made in Anselm’s argument.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anselm’s Ontological argument is insufficient in proving that God exists. For the reasons above and further objections from various philosophers, I do not believe that Anselm can argue the existence of God with his current premises as they stand. I must say that despite my objections to Anselm’s Ontological argument, I respect his work done, and the tremendous thought process that must have occurred to conjure up such a case as was presented. It is definitely much easier to prove a mortal wrong than it is to prove the existence of something so great and so unknown. Anselm’s Ontological argument while intriguing does have some problems in my opinion that take away from its validity; but needless to say it is in and of itself quite astounding.

Book of Negroes Essay

As an old woman, Aminata Diallo is brought to London, England, in 1802, by abolitionists who are petitioning to end the slave trade. As she awaits an audience with King George, she recounts her remarkable life on paper, beginning with her life in Bayo, in western Africa, prior to being abducted from her family at age 11, seeing the death of her mother and father, and being marched in a coffle of captives to the coast along with others from her village. Chekura, a boy of similar age who assists the slave catchers, is at the last minute abducted himself and forced to join Aminata on the slave ship. Despite suffering humiliation, witnessing atrocities, enduring squalor and languishing in starvation, Aminata survives the passage to America because she is able to apply the knowledge and skills passed on to her by her parents, especially the ability to â€Å"catch† babies and to understand some African languages. In South Carolina, Aminata is auctioned off to an indigo plantation, along with a man from her village who has lost his senses during the ocean crossing. She learns the language of the â€Å"buckra† through the teachings of Georgia, an American-born slave, as well as from Mamed, the overseer of the plantation. Daily, Aminata must navigate the new dangers of disease and the eye of the plantation master while she searches for a way to return to her homeland. As she carries Chekura’s child, she is warned that Master Appleby could take it away at any time. Sure enough, at ten months, Aminata’s son, Mamadu, is sold by Appleby and Chekura also disappears. Stricken with grief, Aminata falls into a depression and refuses to work on the plantation. Appleby sells her to Solomon Lindo, the indigo inspector of the region, and she departs for a new life in Charles Town where Lindo promises to treat her as a â€Å"servant† rather than as a â€Å"slave† in that she works for wage and pays rent to Lindo. During rioting in New York City that coincides with the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, Aminata is presented with an opportunity to escape and does so, while Lindo is forced to flee back to the Carolinas. Aminata quickly makes new friends and connections and supports herself by catching babies and working at a tavern, all the while helping others by teaching them how to read and write. Following the surrender of the British, former slaves who have worked for one year or more behind the lines for the British are offered asylum in Nova Scotia. These people’s names are recorded in a ledger called The Book of Negroes, penned in part by Aminata because of her knowledge of many languages. Aminata and Chekura reunite and are given passage aboard the ship Joseph, but Appleby returns for one final act of vengeance against Aminata: he makes a claim to her, separating her from Chekura once more. While Chekura continues to Nova Scotia, Aminata must stand trial, and it is Solomon Lindo who ends up setting her free. Aminata lands in Shelburne, Nova Scotia, on the last Loyalist ship, and she has to use her talents as a baby catcher, reader and teacher once again to survive, for the sake of herself and her unborn child, as she prepares for the journey to reunite with Chekura in Annapolis Royal. However, her inquiries come up empty. May, their three-year-old child, is abducted by the Witherspoons, a white couple who had befriended Aminata, and Aminata returns to a life without hope. When the opportunity arises for Aminata to cross the ocean again to begin a colony in Sierra Leone, Africa, she is shocked to learn of Chekura’s death and decides to make the journey to her homeland. The struggle to maintain the colony of Freetown under the control of the Sierra Leone Company is complicated by its proximity to Bance Island and the slave trade. Relations with the local Temne are strained, and tempers flare when slave coffles are marched directly in front of Freetown. Longing to see her beloved Bayo village, Aminata agrees to travel back to Bance Island to secure passage into the interior. However, one month into her journey inland, she learns of the betrayal that she is to be sold back into slavery; she flees for days until she finds sanctuary in a village. Realizing that she will never return to her true home, she leaves for London to join the abolitionists to end slavery. She writes an account of her life that is shared in Parliament, and she meets with King George III and Queen Charlotte Sophia. Because of the attention from the newspapers, Aminata’s long-lost daughter, May, finds her after an eighteen-year separation and takes care of her in her old age as the struggle to end slavery continues in Parliament.

Patrocinio green card, copatrocinadores y sustitutos

Para Inmigracià ³n es patrocinador el ciudadano o el residente permanente que solicita los papeles para un familiar para que à ©ste obtenga la tarjeta de residencia, tambià ©n conocida como green card. Las personas que patrocinan a sus familiares adquieren unas responsabilidades que duran por aà ±os. La ley permite al patrocinador buscar co-patrocinadores o sustitutos cuando no ingresa la cantidad mà ­nima exigida ni tiene patrimonio suficiente. Puntos Clave: Patrocinio de la tarjeta de residencia Para sacar la tarjeta de residencia por familia es necesario el patrocinio de un familiar.Tipos de patrocinio:Patrocinador: ciudadano o residente que pide a familiarCo-patrocinador: puede ser un familiar pero no es necesario. En este caso, patrocinador y co-patrocinador son responsables conjuntamente del migrante pedido.Patrocinador sustituto: cuando el patrocinador fallece. Solo se admite familiares del migrante o representantes legales del mismo. Obligaciones legales del patrocinador El ciudadano o residente que se convierte en patrocinador es responsable econà ³micamente frente: el gobiernola persona patrocinada, es decir, el inmigrante que ha obtenido la green card porque fue pedida por el patrocinador. Esto quiere decir, por un lado, que si el inmigrante patrocinado recibe un beneficio pà ºblico calificado como means-tested por el gobierno federal, estatal o local, entonces la agencia del gobierno puede reclamar el costo al patrocinador. Y si este no paga, puede demandarlo en corte. Tienen consideracià ³n de beneficios means-tested, entre otros, los siguientes: los cupones de alimentos  (food stamps, en inglà ©s o SNAP), los Ingresos Suplementarios de Seguridad, conocido como SSI por sus siglas en inglà ©s, Medicaid, TANF y el seguro mà ©dico estatal SCHIP. Por otro lado, el inmigrante patrocinado puede exigir al patrocinador que lo mantenga. Y si no cumple, puede demandarlo. Cabe destacar que esta obligacià ³n puede continuar en el caso de green card por matrimonio incluso despuà ©s del divorcio de la pareja.  ¿Por quà © el patrocinador tiene esta obligacià ³n? El patrocinador tiene esta obligacià ³n porque durante el proceso para patrocinar a su familiar firma el documento I-864, tambià ©n conocido como affidavit of support o declaracià ³n de mantenimiento. Este es un documento imprescindible. Si no se firma, no puede seguir adelante la tramitacià ³n. Es necesario destacar que es, en realidad, un contrato entre el patrocinador y el gobierno. Por lo tanto, cualquier acuerdo privado entre el patrocinador y el inmigrante patrocinado a este respecto es nulo. En otras palabras, el patrocinador siempre responde ante el gobierno por los gastos pà ºblicos que el inmigrante cause por utilizar algà ºn beneficio de los considerados como means-tested. En los casos de peticià ³n con ajuste de estatus, el affidavit of support se firma en ese momento. Sin embargo, en los de peticiones a travà ©s del procedimiento consular, esta declaracià ³n de sostenimiento se firma en el momento en el que asà ­ lo solicite el Centro Nacional de Visas (NVC, por sus siglas en inglà ©s).  ¿Cuà ¡nto dura la obligacià ³n del patrocinador? Esta obligacià ³n dura hasta que el inmigrante patrocinado se convierte en ciudadano estadounidense a travà ©s del proceso que se conoce como naturalizacià ³n o hasta que el inmigrante los 40 crà ©ditos cotizados, es decir, en la mayorà ­a de los casos eso significa llevar aproximadamente 10 aà ±os trabajando. La obligacià ³n del patrocinador deja de existir en el caso que llegue antes  de los 2 anteriores.   Es importante tener en cuenta que en el caso de patrocinador que solicita la green cad para el cà ³nyuge, el divorcio no pone fin a la obligacià ³n, sino que continà ºa hasta que se produzca la naturalizacià ³n del inmigrante o los 40 crà ©ditos cotizados.  ¿Quà © son los co-patrocinadores? En los casos en los que el ciudadano americano o un residente quiere pedir los papeles para un familiar pero no tiene ingresos y/o patrimonio suficiente para el affidavit of support es posible tener co-patrocinadores. La ley permite 2 supuestos. En primer lugar, otro miembro de la familia que reside habitualmente en el mismo hogar que el ciudadano o residente que solicita los papeles. Y en segundo lugar, otra persona que no tiene que ser pariente. Estos son los casos que se conocen como joint-sponsor, por su nombre en inglà ©s. A la hora de firmar el affidavit of support hay que fijarse porque hay variaciones segà ºn la categorà ­a de patrocinador que presenta los papeles, miembro del hogar el patrocinador o co-patrocinador que reside en otro hogar, sea o no pariente. En el caso de que se patrocine a un inmigrante que emigra acompaà ±ado por su familia, puede haber 2 joint-sponsor. En todo caso, cada uno por separado debe ingresar o tener patrimonio suficiente para patrocinar. En los casos en los que se utiliza un joint-sponsor, el patrocinador, es decir, el que pide los papeles para su familiar, debe tambià ©n firmar su propio documento de affidavit of support. Y tanto el patrocinador como el joint-sponsor son responsables econà ³micamente del migrante pedido. Patrocinador sustituto Cuando un ciudadano o un residente solicita los papeles para un familiar y despuà ©s fallece, el proceso puede continuar si se dan 3 requisitos: El documento de peticià ³n que se conoce como I-130 se aprobà ³ ANTES del fallecimientoEl Servicio de Inmigracià ³n y Ciudadanà ­a (USCIS) admite que continue la tramitacià ³nOtra persona se compromete a responder econà ³micamente por el inmigrante y firma el affidavit of support. Esta persona serà ­a el patrocinador sustituto. Sin embargo, no cualquier persona puede ser patrocinador sustituto sino que la ley pide que entre à ©ste y el migrante se dà © alguna de las siguientes relaciones: cà ³nyuge, padre, madre, suegro, suegra, hermano/a, hijo/a, yerno, nuera, cuà ±ado/a, abuelo/a o guardià ¡n legal del inmigrante. Requisitos para ser patrocinador,  co-patrocinador o patrocinador sustituto Tanto el patrocinador como el joint-sponsor tiene que ser mayor de 18 aà ±os, ciudadano o residente y residir en los Estados Unidos o uno de sus territorios, como por ejemplo Puerto Rico.   Si el ciudadano no se encuentra en esos momentos en Estados Unidos, deberà ¡ probar que su estadà ­a en otro paà ­s es temporal y que conserva el domicilio en el paà ­s. Frecuentemente, los ciudadanos estadounidenses que residen fuera del paà ­s y deciden regresarse con sus cà ³nyuges extranjeros se encuentran con el problema de que no pueden probar ingresos suficientes para patrocinar, ya que USCIS pide que los ingresos se produzcan en EE.UU. y que se puedan probar mediante la presentacià ³n de las planillas tax returns. Aunque pide un mà ­nimo de un aà ±o y un mà ¡ximo de tres, deberà ¡ presentarse uno, dos o tres segà ºn lo que resulte mà ¡s conveniente segà ºn las circunstancias personales del patrocinador de la green card. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.