Leadership theme in Othello

William Shakespeare is one of the most profound writers that ever existed; his books have touched almost all aspects of life. I was drawn by Othello because of the natural skill and brilliance the author used. How Shakespeare builds character of the protagonists and antagonists is out of this world; the sequence of scenes and vocabulary in use is also unparalleled. Not only in Othello but also in his other plays. Love and romance is one of the themes that his plays revolved on; we can say he used it as device to attract more readers and viewers, but if we look at it as a non marketing tool we can also say that he centered in it to confuse the authorities of England that were ruthless when it came to dealing with anti government policies, e.g colonialism. I solely deployed the review method of research as it would give me the filtered thoughts of professionals on the matter. That said, neo-classic literature critics have come to a truce that Othello is a play that lays bare the qualities of a true leader and how the leadership can influence the political and economic sector. These traits can be laid bare if one deciphers the underlying message in the characters actions and words. All characters have different traits so I paid keen attention to the protagonist and antagonist; Othello and Lago. Their smooth distinction and how ones opinions and suggestions could affect the other lays bare the desirable and undesirable traits in leadership. The main purpose of this review is to try and show Shakespeare's honorable audience that there is more to his plays than just love themes. Leadership theme in OthelloI will have to begin this introduction by a praise to the play master himself; William Shakespeare. At the beginning of the play the writer portrays Othello as a very indecisive man and still hard lined to his shortcomings. Later on, the character takes a paradigm shift and he is able to be adored by the audience. This is made possible by his selfless actions capped with eloquent enticing skills. Lago who is the villain is seemingly attached to the main character, staying true to his malicious cause; he leads to the memorable demise of Othello. How this two interact should be an eye opener for leaders to be cautious and very selective of the company they keep and how that company influences his thoughts and delivery when in and out of duty. At the onset of the play we might have a likable feeling towards Lago but when detailing on the triggers of his actions we will see that he was created to clearly show shortcomings of any leader and what happens to them if they pushed to the breaking point by wrong influences. Lago's treacherous act were driven by human desires; he wanted Cassio's post as a lieutenant and that was his reason for spreading the rumor to his boss that his wife was having a secret affair with his enemy. We must also marvel at how Lago drew the equation and fixed Brabantio in it as he knew how much he detested the affair Othello had with Desdemona. The obvious notion that Lago had was that Othello would kill his competition. In contrast of notions and deeds, we see that Othello had positive thoughts and his dear friend and he even defended when need arose. Their relation only proves how any person can be vulnerable to deceit and self destruction. It is sad that Othello let Lago control his thoughts and deeds. The sequence of the scenes and how Othello behaves in different surroundings also profiles him as a very noble person. The scenes shift between being tense, romantic and spiteful, despite this we realize that protagonist behaves benevolently in most of them until the point he felt that he could take it no more; thanks to Lago. When cruising through the scenes, we realize that Lago has somewhat become the central character as when he is not there, his shadow is seen in how Othello behaves. The level of contact and communication between these two characters even surpasses how the protagonist relates to his own wife; Desdemona. The underlying message here is that the theme of leadership is the one that is on emphasis. The post Othello holds in the society and his racial background also gives the dynamics how leadership selection and election should be. The cases presented to the senate show a leader should behave and how cases should be handled. I think the last scenes were scripted to intentionally lean on the romantic theme so that the audience attention doesn't waver or as had said before; so that the authorities couldn't smell malice in the writing. Materials and methodsThe materials used were the play; OTHELLO written by William Shakespeare and the online articles that supported the analysis that leadership theme was central in the play in question. To get a clear view of the topic I had to keenly analyze the scenes in the play, notice the mood how the protagonist and antagonist behaved in them. I also used psychology scholarly articles to justify if the characters actions came out naturally or if there was a modicum of restraint and moderation despite the outward triggers to behave wildly. I gave an economic touch to this research by stating if the traits portrayed were beneficial or detrimental if possessed by leaders in organizations. Results obtainedThere was mixture of both bad and good qualities when Othello was the man in question. Among the good traits he possessed that made an astounding leader and likable characters were;Taking responsibility, he proved this when Lago came to warn him about the vengeful search that Brabantio had launched on him. Brabantio had an obvious dislike for Othello as he thought that he had used charm and voodoo to woe Desdemona, we can say that Brabantio used this claim on our protagonist as he was not from a white descent. Despite the warning and imminent threat of destruction that the latter faced, he stood firm to his ground as swore not to flee; a matter which he fulfilled (pluckrose-2017). He was ready to face the consequences if need be because he believed that what he did was true. He showed respect to his foes and elders whenever he was addressing them, such a scenario were when he was presented to the senate to answer a case where Brabantio had accused him of charming his daughter. He praised the senators by referring to them as his very noble and approved masters. The word masters is emphasized cause it meant that despite his post, he still acknowledged that he fell under the laws of the land.He was a peace maker; this was evident when an infuriated Brabantio approached him with his swordsmen. Instead of reacting in panic, fear or anger, he diffused the tension with a joke and proved he was a peace maker. It is evident that he had skills in war and he would have opted to use them in that moment if he was a selfish and ruthless leader. He opted not to because he knew there are civilized ways of solving matters.His composed and eloquent character made him stand out in all the scenes, the writer made it appear like he was the most learned person in the whole play. He maintains his composure When being presented at the senate for heinous claims and still achieves a rhyme when speaking, he says signor†¦masters..daughter†¦and her in one sentence. We see some senators showing admiration to the protagonist.Jealousy and gullibility are some of the negative traits that Othello exhibits. He lets Lago's words get into his and hood his judgment. He tends to lay so much trust in the antagonist that he doesn't bother verifying the authenticity of the words; a matter that culminated to his tragic demise. The jealous he feels for the rumored relationship between his wife and Cassio prove him emotionally weak, also a matter that leads to the tragic end of the play.He thought Self depreciation warranted him to depreciate Cassio's abilities. He acknowledged his own weaknesses and assumed that his love opponent that was a much lesser man than him. This is a very worrying trait for a business leader to posses as it doesn't lead to solving of a problem. He was overconfident in his doings and words. He used outrageous words to demean Cassio and filled his head with ideas that Cassio was lesser man hence could not compete with him in any way. It is by this assumptions that he starting plotting to kill his wife and her purported lover.He was emotionally weak. This trait was not evident at the beginning when he stayed to meet eye to eye with Brabantio but when he let Lago get into his head he lost his entire cool and behaved like an uncivilized moron by ending his own life. Discussion and conclusionFrom the above results we notice that all men can be vulnerable to bad influence, if only Othello had kept Lago a little bit far from him they he would have maintained his reputation as a perfect leader. The positive traits that have elaborated can help the managers in decision making and situation handling in the corporate world (stein-2005). A leader must learn to be responsible and accountable for his own actions when he feels that what he did was right. Even if he is wrong, he must judge himself harshly as failure leads to experience. From Othello's descent we learn that race does not determine ones traits, Othello was not a pure white man but he proved to be wiser and more composed than Lago. With inference from the original text and the examples I used, we reach a conclusion that leadership is truly the main theme in the play and that love is only used as style to attract the audience and capture its attention. ReferencesAn online article written by Helen Pluckrose on 19th January 2017Evolution psychology in the humanities: Shakespeare's Othellohttps://areomagazine.com/2017/01/19/evolution-psychology-in-the-humanities-shakespeare-othello/Scholarly journal by M Stein written in 2005The Othello conundrum: the inner contagion of leadershiphttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0170840605055339

Analyse the Pricipal Causes of the Spanish Civil War

Analyse the principal causes of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) Many historians have said that the Spanish Civil war was fuelled by political, economical, international ambitions and social conditions. The combat which was happening between socialism and fascism that dominated Europe, around the time of the war, only made matters worse. Spain was a monarchy in 1920 when King Alphonso XIII was in reign. The monarchy collapsed during 1931 due to the fact that the Spanish people detested the King and the dictatorial regimes which he supported.The monarchy was overthrown by the republicans once the downfall of General Miguel Primo de Rivera’s government came on the 29th January 1930. The Wall Street Crash is what led Rivera and his dictatorial regime to downfall it was only normal for King Alphonso XIII and the monarchy, which were in support of Rivera’s regime, to be targeted and overthrown. Where Spain stood politically, economically and socially reveals the prime cause s of the Spanish Civil War.Throughout this essay I will be analysing the principal causes of the Spanish Civil War by looking at the political, economical and social causes which contributed towards the war. After the monarchy was overthrown, the 2nd republic was created. The 2nd republic consisted of liberals and communists, also known as the left wing. This caused tension between the left and right wing due to the fact that the right wing mostly consisted of fascists and conservatives. The left wing however, realised that they did not possess all the power by simply leading the 2nd republic.The right wing consisted of the army and the Catholic party CEDA. The army was used to being in power especially when they were under the reign of King Alphonso XIII (because of his dictatorial means) so when the new government (led by Manuel Azana) decreased the army’s political importance and their costs were cut it only angered the right wing even further causing more of a tension bet ween both wings. CEDA, the right wing party, dedicated to protecting the authority of the Roman Catholic Church and landlords, was led by Gil Robles and had the support of many Spaniards from the upper classes.The government started addressing and attacking churches and land owners claiming that they had too much privileges in the society, the government only did this once they realised the power CEDA possessed and the influence and support that it has. The attack was seen as a means to alter and redeem some of the power which CEDA possessed, however this was a fail. This is when the fight between fascism and socialism began to take place; building up, along with other causes, to the Spanish Civil War.Spain’s economy was very poor and the Wall Street Crash only made it worse for Spain. Spain had an underdeveloped industrial sector that made them suffer economically. Industrial workers could not get jobs and the threat of inflation only made matters worse. The government wasnà ¢â‚¬â„¢t in support of peasants or landlords and this widened the gap between the poor and the rich. It became evident to the poor that the government were not supporting them resulting in the government losing support. All these issues were making Spain more and unstable both socially and economically.Spain suffered from agricultural poverty, land was owned by the wealthy and the wealthy preferred to benefit from their own wealth rather than grant land to peasants. The government introduced the Agrarian law of 1932 which was the distribution of land among peasant, this process however was failure and the government then introduced the Cases Viejas revolt during 1933, this however led to the suppression of members of the right wing by the government and this suppression lost them a great deal of support.Due to the great deal of support which the government lost, over the accusations of government troops killing 25 people in search of anarchists, Azana resigned from Prime Minister an d the elections which were called in November 1933 were won by CEDA. The most vital issue which caused social unrest was the independence which Basque and the province Catalonia region were demanding. These regions were culturally and ethically different from the rest of the country hence why they wanted to separate themselves and constitute their own government.This did not go down well with the army, who were in the right wing, due to the fact that they preferred the idea of unity instead of the idea of autonomy. The army’s state of thinking almost reflects Spain’s old-fashion social structure where the rich had the â€Å"bread† and left the peasants with â€Å"crumbs†. Wealthy landlords and ‘aristocracy’ had extensive political influence and used it in favour of themselves.The right wing, specifically CEDA and the army were representing the upper class as well as defending the Roman Catholic Church; the army played more of a role in taking full advantage of its power rather than defending the Roman Catholic Church or representing the upper class. The left wing, however, were willing to give Basque and Catalonia their independence. They were following in the footsteps of the British government in the sense they wanted everyone to be equal in the eyes of the law.The right wing did not accept any changes made after the monarchy was abolished as they were clear representatives of the privileged and the rich; this difference in interest between the two parties caused some social instability. To make matters worse the radical left wing had carried out and displayed many acts of violence, weakening the already feeble country. Overall, the difference of interest within the left, right wing and the radical left contributed to the arrival of the Spanish Civil war.The society was unsure and had little faith in Spain due to its poor and failing economy. The social tension which arose from Basque and Catalonia’s demand for independence, only added to the many other problems that Spain was already struggling to handle. The social, economical and political causes of the Spanish Civil war has been analysed in the essay and it can be summed up that the main causes was the social instability and the difference of interest between the political parties. BIBLIOGRAPHY http://ibhistory. wikidot. com/4

E two Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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Social and Family Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

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Malcolm X Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Malcolm X - Essay Example Malcolm X’s growing up years led to his new way of resolving the difficulties of growing up in an unfair world. With the murder of his father at the young tender age of 6, Malcolm X realized the unfairness of the world (Goldman 162). Malcolm X believed his grandmother was raped by a White person (Goldman 27).His growing up as a criminal charged for larceny and other law violations indicated life was an uphill struggle to survive. To survived, Malcolm X had to do whatever is possible to survive in a crime-laden community. Malcolm X offers a unique way of finally resolving the racial issue. Malcolm X felt that one of America’s main problems is the African American people, including the continued discrimination of the African Americans (Goldman 9). Instead of trying to be equals in our American society with the Caucasians, Malcolm X highly recommended separation. Malcolm X recommended African Americans should live in a society filled only with African Americans. In the same manner, Malcolm X insisted the White Americans should live within a community that excludes African Americans. This concept shows that African Americans can truly live in equality if they exclude the White Americans from African American community. Going further, Malcolm X even recommended that all African Americans should return to their own home country, Africa. In Africa, the majority of the citizens belong to the African race. Thus, the small number of Caucasians living within the African communities cannot oppress or dis criminate against the more numerous people of African race. Malcolm X espoused the African Americans have the right to protect themselves against threats to their lives and property (Goldman 4). Such espousing included protecting themselves against Caucasian (White people) threats. Such powerful concepts prove that people should to succumb to the pressures of society, especially pressures bordering on harassment and unlawful

River in Siddhartha Essay Example for Free

River in Siddhartha Essay Siddhartha many times in the book, and has many meanings. In the first chapter, Siddhartha visits the river to bath and to make holy sacrifices. â€Å"The sun browned his slender shoulders on the river bank, while bathing at the holy ablutions, at the holy sacrifices. †(pg3) When Siddhartha left Govinda behind, Siddhartha meets with the river again, and crossing this river led him to a new beginning. â€Å"During the night he slept among the boats on the river, and early in the morning, before the first customers arrived in the shop, he had his beard shaved off by the barber’s assistant. He also had his hair combed and rubbed with fine oil. Then he went to bathe in the river. †(pg52) Moving into the town on the other side of the river, Siddhartha got caught up with having money, just like everyone else in the town. â€Å"He was not long in Kamaswami’s house, when he was already taking a part in his master’s business. Daily, however, at the hour she invited him, he visited the beautiful Kamala, in handsome clothes, in fine shoes and soon he also brought her presents. (pg66) After getting tired of the materialistic lifestyle, Siddhartha crossed the river again, he lets go of all the memories he had on the other side of the river. He started to let go, by giving away his fine clothes. So crossing the river again gave Siddhartha a fresh start. â€Å"Will you accept these clothes from me, which I find a nuisance? I should prefer it if you would give me some old clothes and keep me here as your assistant, or rather your apprentice, for I must learn h ow to handle the boat. †(pg103) Staying with the ferryman, next to the river, was one step closer for Siddhartha to find Nirvana. Whenever Siddhartha meets with the river, it represents rebirth and forgiveness. In this novel, they use the river as a symbol for the stream of life and unity. When Vasudeva teaches Siddhartha to listen carefully for one last time, he hears voices which he always heard before, but this time they sound different, he heard the whole of a thousand sounds, the sound of Om. The river taught Siddhartha unity, that how he left his father and his father was hurt, Siddhartha’s son left him, which left him hurt by the loss. And that the agony is experienced again and again throughout a lifetime.

The Vision of the Researcher as a Neutral Social Scientist Essay Example for Free

The Vision of the Researcher as a Neutral Social Scientist Essay The approach to any of the social scientists has always been one of detachment.   Any researcher or scientist in any of the fields of Social Science will emphasize the need for the scientist to maintain a neutral stance and maintain a certain level of distance from the research subjects.   Recently, there have been schools of thought that challenge this perception, arguing that once a researcher has been â€Å"captured† he becomes a participant in the â€Å"fierce fight to construct reality† (Latour and Woolgar, 1979, pg 31). Other schools of thought criticize the vision of the researcher as a neutral social scientist by insisting that there is no way that a researcher can maintain neutrality in this field (Mulkay, 1983).   These criticisms on the vision of the researcher as a neutral social scientist now raise a relevant issue in this field pertaining to what is necessary to become an effective researcher. This discourse will therefore seek to resolve the issue regarding the neutrality of researchers in social science by first identifying the particular needs of social science as a discipline and then by analyzing the traits that have made the researcher effective.   The next segment will discuss the relevance of maintaining neutrality as a researcher or social scientist. The analysis portion will attempt to shed light on the criticisms raised regarding this issue and to show how they may be effective traits or characteristics of researchers.   Finally, this study will attempt to synthesize the proper traits that make for an effective researcher given the complexity of the issues surrounding the current discipline of social science by proposing that the neutral approach may not always be best suited for every study in this field. The Social Sciences   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Social Sciences are basically characterized as academic disciplines that study and examine the human aspects of the world.   While social sciences studying subjective, inter-subjective and objective or structural aspects of society, the scientific method, including quantitative and qualitative methods is often used in this field.   Thus social science had a need for theoretical purity which was addressed by the scientific method (Sasson, 1997).   The triumphs of mankind in the field of natural sciences such as biology and physics planted the seed for the idea that human society and actions could be studied under the framework of the â€Å"scientific method†.   The prominence of this idea soared as it provided hope that a complete understanding of the nature of humans was possible and that the affairs of human beings could now be more rationally controlled.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the greatest problems of the field of social sciences lies in the fact that there have been problems delineating the role of social scientists due to the nature of their work and the relative significance of the field that they are studying (Sasson, 1997).   The role of the researcher in social sciences has been affected by the perception of people that social science does not provide a clear line as to the role it plays, whether as a pure researcher, a technocrat or as a public moralist.   This is the source of most of the controversies regarding the vision of the researcher as a neutral social scientist. The Researcher   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A researcher must possess certain traits and characteristics to preserve the theoretical purity and integrity of any scientific work under the scientific method.   This trait however is made most difficult to possess because of the human tendency to create bias or to completely detach oneself from other social beings.   There are however certain guidelines and rules that are helpful in delineating the role and setting the amount of â€Å"acceptable† involvement that an effective researcher may have with the research subjects.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As mentioned in the previous section, there have been problems with regard to the role of researchers and thus creating controversy over their neutrality.   For the purposes of this section, the role of a social scientist as a pure researcher and what makes him effective will be briefly discussed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An effective researcher is able to properly understand the qualitative and quantitative approaches to empirical research.   Ideally, an effective researcher is able to come up with conclusions or theories regarding the action of humans in society by simply just â€Å"crunching the numbers† (Chubin, 2003, pg 75).    The quantitative was seen as the more accurate method as it was in line with the principle of the scientific method and since it principally worked by gathering data through objective methods.   This enabled researchers to provide relevant information concerning relations, comparisons, and predictions.   This was the initial attempt at removing the investigator from the investigation, or in this case, detaching the researcher from the research subject (Smith, 1983).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As the social sciences began to expand and it became apparent that the scientific method of employing a quantitative approach was not enough, more and more disciplines in the social sciences began requiring that the interview become a more interested part, or more involved in the research study that had to be conducted (Jacob, 1988).   This led to the emphasis now on maintaining the neutrality as a researcher. Relevance of Neutrality as a Researcher   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As previously mentioned, the most important aspect of being an effective researcher lies in being able to maintain total or at least an acceptable level of impartiality with regard to the subject matter as well as the research subjects.   More often than not, most researches become drawn into the conflict because of the nature of man as a social being (Wolcott, 1990).   Social Sciences, as the name implies, demands a certain level of interaction between the researcher and the subjects for the study which has in turn led to the criticism that it is impossible to attain total impartiality in the field of Social Sciences.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Participant Observation is one of the key tasks in the social sciences and it deals with involvement in the development of the research object or study.   The problem here is that more often than not these acts are considered as acts of intervention on the part of the researcher and tend to affect the credibility and integrity of whatever research is being conducted (Hacking, 1983).   There for the relevance of such neutrality becomes apparent because for a researcher to be able to maintain a certain level of credibility and assume a certain moral standard, it becomes necessary to adopt a position that is neutral to the issue and neutral with the subjects of the study. Criticisms against Neutrality   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The foremost criticism against the neutrality of social scientists and researches is that the so called neutrality of any social scientist or researcher in the field of social sciences is a myth particularly when it comes to controversies surrounding the issue (Scott, 1990).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Neutral researchers of the social sciences†, according to Scott, Richards and Martin (1990), â€Å"will be always be thought of by participants as being on the side of the underdog† (pg 480).   Regardless of the fact that the researcher is neutral, whatever work he accomplishes, he will always been drawn into a debate concerning his topic (Collins, 1979). One field of social science where this has been prevalent is in controversy analysis.   While according to a study on this issue, â€Å"the disadvantage of studying controversies is that it may give an unrealistic picture of the day-to-day operations of normal science,† it cannot be denied that this is a growing field of interest and has also invited the participation of researchers of the social sciences in an attempt to further understand human behavior (Mulkay 1983). There is impossibility in keeping the neutrality that a researcher is required to possess particularly in this field.   Though a researcher may insist on his neutrality, the problem arises once the researcher is drawn into a debate surrounding the controversy and the neutrality that is demanded can no longer be maintained. What this school of thought therefore proposes is that in order for a researcher to maintain his impartiality particularly in this field or in other fields in the social sciences which require intervention and interaction, a certain level of acceptable â€Å"partiality† must be allowed for.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The next criticism is one against the utter impossibility of conducting experiments without any degree of interaction between the researcher and the subjects of the study in order to prevent any biases and involvement (Ribes, 2005).   The degree of intermingling and cross disciplines among the social sciences and even natural sciences today has created a problem for the researcher to maintain the vision of his neutrality (Bowker, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It has been accepted that Participant Observation is relevant in the conduct of research in the social sciences and that it does allow for a certain degree of involvement.   The problem now lies in the significance of the study as a totally neutral research study can quickly become a very biased study depending on the degree of relevance it has to society.   An example of this would be research on certain factors in society that contribute to violence. Too much intervention and involvement can lead to too much media participation that the sample becomes unusable.   Since social sciences deal with people, any intervention can be seen as contaminating the samples since people become aware of the study and may no longer react naturally.   It is clear however that there is a need for intervention because of the cross disciplines that have been developed over the years and it cannot be denied that such are more effective and accurate at coming up with ground breaking studies (Ribes, 2005).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The other major criticism is that social scientists are unable to clearly research anything without any biases because of the strong link or bond between social scientists or researches and the state (Baritz, 1960).   Relevant historical accounts state that even as early as 1662, England and France have utilized the services of social researchers to further the ends of the state (Popper, 1945).   The state is therefore theorized by some to be the father of social scientists and researchers and as such the social sciences cannot exist without the state.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This attack on the neutrality of researchers of the social sciences uses the findings that there has constantly been state support for the social sciences and as such these researches owe a certain allegiance to the state and cannot be considered as purely impartial because of this so called â€Å"intrinsic link† (Popper, 1945).   The strength of this argument lies in the assumption that without the state, no society can exist and therefore leading to the conclusion that social sciences cannot exist without society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While there may be logic to this argument against the vision of the researcher as a neutral social scientist, emotionally detached and socially separated from their research subjects, this is the   weakest argument as such because it basis most of its arguments on unproven relationships.   The arguments presented in this criticism clearly show the bias of the researcher with regard to the issue and subject matter. This criticism, however, lends strength to the main flow of this discourse.   This shows that it is in the nature of the researcher as a human being to create certain assumptions and bias that make it impossible to maintain total impartiality and neutrality with respect to the field that he is currently involved in.   Secondly, this also shows how letting go of one’s neutrality in favor of bias and disposing of the scientific method can lead to very faulty assumptions and poorly conceived arguments. It is because of these reasons that lead to the findings that theory that the vision of the researcher as a neutral social scientist, emotionally detached and socially separated from their research subjects, cannot be totally abrogated and must be accepted to a certain degree while allowing for the field to progress given the various advancements in the field of social sciences. Application of Contemporary Social Theories   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In analyzing the criticisms against the vision of the researcher as a neutral scientist, it is relevant that this be analyzed in the context of contemporary social theories.   The first contemporary social theory that is relevant in this case is structural functionalism and how it shows the difficulty in maintaining a certain level of detachment from the subject of the study.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Structural Functionalism basically tackles the relationship of social activity of human beings to the overall social system that exists in their society (Barnard 2000).   The relevance of this theory in formulating the basic guidelines in guiding researches to maintain a neutral stance lies in the fact that all human beings, researchers included, belong to a basic social structure from which it is impossible to detach oneself from.   The fact that integral units of every society work together unconsciously towards the maintenance of overall social stability means that a researcher is also unconsciously involved in the social issue which he is studying (Barnard 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another theory of significance in this discourse is the views of contemporary feminism.   â€Å"Contemporary feminism†, according to Grosz, (1994), â€Å"is the negation of factors such as: relationship of gender, sexuality, and the daily lives of specific women to collective needs, capital, labor, and their relation in the mode of production.† (pg 153)   Essentially, the contribution of this contemporary social theory is that it provides a solid framework for establishing a method by which a researcher is able to maintain academic credibility and integrity by being able to participate objectively in the studies being conducted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The method by which contemporary feminism has disconnected itself from the struggles of changing the social relations that affect women’s lives should serve as a model by which a researcher should also be able to disconnect himself from not only the subject matter of the study but the other factors as well (Grosz, 1994).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   These two perspectives on contemporary social theories then provide the backbone for the argument in the next segment which will show how a researcher can still be effective as a neutral social scientist. Effectiveness of a Researcher as a Neutral Social Scientist   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This discourse has so far shown that the traditional method of maintaining total impartiality is very difficult if not impossible to achieve.   It defies that characterization of man as a social being and goes against the natural order of humans as social beings.   This leads one to the conclusion that there are positive points that one can learn from the criticisms.   It is therefore relevant at this point of this study to assess the validity of such criticisms and if possible synthesize the main points of the arguments to form a single guideline regarding the role of researchers and in the vision of maintaining not only the â€Å"perceived† neutrality but also the reliability and integrity of any work by a researcher in the field of the social sciences.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first key to being an effective researcher therefore lies in the ability to abide by the principles of the â€Å"scientific method† and in being able to conduct the research, analyze the data and properly maintain a certain distance from the subject matter (Scott, 1990).   Yet, it has been proven in this discourse that intervention is relevant and thus total neutrality cannot be maintained by the researcher.   This leads to the second key to the success and effectiveness of the researcher.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A researcher must therefore maintain the vision of impartiality and neutrality despite the participant observation that is required in the pursuit of certain studies (Collins, 1979).   While the researcher may be linked with and interact with the subject of the study, detachment is not totally necessary to maintain that neutrality that is required (Ribes, 2005).   This problem is also resolved in controversy resolutions and debates which, as previously mentioned, reveal whatever biases may have existed and at the same time this may also improve the integrity and credibility of the research project in question.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is therefore clear that the vision of researchers as a neutral social scientist emotionally detached and socially separated from their research subjects is not required in all aspects of the social sciences and can be accepted within a certain degree in order for this field to be able to advance the current level of understanding on society and of human interactions. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In conclusion, the vision of researchers as neutral social scientist, emotionally detached and socially separated from their research subjects is correctly criticized by most groups for the main reason that the demands of social sciences given all the various technological advances and methods by which impartiality may be threatened.   The danger that the integrity of the social sciences will be deeply questioned by the continued practice of total neutrality is apparent. In order to cope with the ever changing disciplines and to properly apply the deeper understanding of cultures, society and human interactions, it is important to adopt a method that is flexible enough to adapt to the needs of this discipline.   It is therefore important to maintain an acceptable degree of involvement or participation while still being aware of the unintended consequences that it may bring as well as the danger of too much intervention.    References: Baritz, L. (1960) The Servants of Power. A history of the use of social science in American industry, Wesleyan University. Barnard, A. (2000). History and Theory in Anthropology. Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Bowker, G. C. and Star, S. L. (1999) Sorting things out: classification and its consequences. MIT Press. Cambridge, Mass. Collins, H. M., and Pinch, T.J. (1979) The construction of the paranormal: Nothing unscientific is happening. 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Mulkay, M, Potter, J. and Yearley, S. (1983). Why an analysis of scientific discourse is needed. In Science Observed: Perspectives on the Social Study of Science, ed. Karin D. Knorr-Cetina and Michael Mulkay, 171-203. London: Sage.    Popper, K.(1945) â€Å"Much of our social science still belongs to the Middle Ages., The Open Society and its Enemies. Princeton University Press. New Jersey Ribes, D. (2005) The Positions of the Social Scientist: Social and Technical Acts of Intervention Sociology and Science Studies, University of California-San Diego â€Å"Stufying Digital Library Users in the Wild JCDL Workshop Sasson, H. (1997) On Social Science London School of Economics Centennial Address, London School of Economics Press, London Scott, P, Richards, E. and Martin, B. (1990) Captives of Controversy: The Myth of the Neutral Social Researcher in Contemporary Scientific Controversies Published in Science, Technology, Human Values, Vol. 15, No. 4, Fall 1990, pp. 474-494 Smith, G. (1983) An International Review of Research in the Social Dimensions of Science and Technology Volume 13, No. 1 Sage Publications Wolcott, H.R. (1990) Qualitative inquiry in education: The continuing debate. New York. Teachers College Press Pp 121-152.