Month: July 2021

Is Java becoming obsolete ?

Java has been around for a long time, and over the past few years it has undergone significant changes to keep it relevant. It is still the most popular programming language among developers, according to a 2019 report. But it may not hold onto that title forever. While it’s still at the top of lists of programming languages, other languages, like Python, are closing in on it. In fact, it is predicted that in the next few years, Python will surpass Java (and C) as the most popular programming language. And Python is not Java’s only competition. The rise of Kotlin has also taken some of Java’s share away, especially once Google started supporting Kotlin for Android development.

Java happened to be in the right place at the right time, similar to how Python now happens to be in the right place at the right time with the explosion of interest in AI and machine learning. According to Rich Sharples, senior director of product management at Red Hat, when Java was created 25 years ago, it was designed with the network in mind, and had a lot of features for network communications. It also came about around the time that multiprocessor systems were gaining traction and it was one of the first languages to make use of those hardware advances without the developer having to do too much more work. In addition to those features, it also had big backing in the industry, from Sun Microsystems, IBM and Oracle. All of these factors combined to make Java a highly successful language and a top choice for many developers for decades.

The reason that it has stayed so popular is because it still meets the needs of working across networks. And of course, there’s also the fact that it is open source. “Pretty much anything interesting happening in tech is happening around open source. And it was relatively early in mainstream open source as well. So, it’s checked all the boxes from a technical point of view,” he said.

Java was well suited to the environments of its time, but hasn’t really aged well as technologies change. Sharples explained that Java does a lot of “cool dynamic stuff,” but those sorts of capabilities aren’t really needed in technologies like microservices and serverless. According to Sharples, when working in those types of environments, developers tend to just start fresh when they run into an issue. So, all of those dynamic capabilities Java has aren’t really needed anymore. “What you get is a lot of baggage that doesn’t really provide much value in those modern architectures…If you think back, Java was designed to run on big multi-process machines. You could pretty much guarantee that you owned the machine and you could run multiple applications for each JVM (Java Virtual Machine) or app server. That’s just not the world we live in today. So, a lot of those capabilities bring a lot of weight and complexity and offer little value. So, if you look at functions as a service, you don’t see Java mentioned an awful lot.”

But Sharples doesn’t believe Java is going away quite yet. He believes Java will likely still experience growth for many years, or even decades. There are many projects that let Java thrive in today’s environments, such as Oracle’s GraalVM, which allows for interoperability in shared runtimes, and Red Hat’s Quarkus, which is a Kubernetes-native Java framework.

Mike Milinkovich, executive director of the Eclipse Foundation, which oversees Java Enterprise Edition, also believes Java itself is going to evolve to support these technologies. “I think that there are going to be changes to Java that go from the JVM all the way up,” said Milinkovich.

Sharples also believes Oracle has done a pretty good job of “keeping the innovation going without breaking the stability.” Oracle currently has several active projects focused on facilitating innovation for Java:

•Valhalla, focused on introducing value types to Java

•Panama, which is about updating the form function for Java

•Loom, which focuses on scaling Java

•Amber, which is focused on finding ways to simplify the language

•Metropolis, which is trying to see how much of the JVM can be written in Java so that both JVM and Java can evolve faster

“Languages are hard to change, so Java will continue to lead. It will be interesting to see if other languages begin to use the JVM. Not just JVM dialects like Scala and Kotlin but other languages with their own user bases, like Ruby, JavaScript, or Python,” said Mark Little, VP Middleware Engineering at Red Hat.

Tata Consultancy Services(TCS)

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is an Indian multinational information technology (IT) services and consulting company. It’s main headquartered is located in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India and largest TCS campus located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. TCS is the second largest Indian company by market capitalisation. TCS was ranked 64th overall in the Forbes World’s Most Innovative Companies ranking, making it both the highest-ranked IT services company and the top Indian company. TCS  has also became the first Indian IT company to reach $100 billion in market capitalisation.

Tata Consultancy Services Limited, initially started as “Tata Computer Systems” and was founded in 1968 by Tata Sons Limited. It was initially started as taking contracts which included punched card services to sister company TISCO (now Tata Steel), working on an Inter-Branch Reconciliation System for the Central Bank of India, and providing bureau services to Unit Trust of India. TCS established India’s first dedicated software research and development centre, the Tata Research Development and Design Centre (TRDDC) in Pune. In 1981, it established India’s first client-dedicated offshore development centre, set up for clients Tandem. TCS later (1993) partnered with Canada-based software factory Integrity Software Corp, which TCS later acquired. In 2006, it designed an ERP system for the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation. TCS received the 2019 American Business Awards from Four Stevies.

TCS and its 67 subsidiaries provides a wide range of information technology-related products and services including application development, business process outsourcing, capacity planning, consulting, enterprise software, hardware sizing, payment processing, software management, and technology education services. The firm’s also established software products which include TCS BaNCS and TCS MasterCraft.

TCS’ services are currently organized into the following service lines (percentage of total TCS revenues generated by each respective service line is shown below ): 2012-13 financial year data-

Application development and maintenance (43.80%) value

Asset leverage solutions (2.70%)

Assurance services (7.70%)

Business process outsourcing (12.50%)

Consulting (2.00%)

Engineering and Industrial services (4.60%)

Enterprise solution (15.21%)

IT infrastructure services (11.50%)

Cognitive Business Operations

Cloud Infrastructure

Automation and AI

Tata Consultancy Services has 285 offices across 46 countries and 147 delivery centers in 21 countries.

Tata Consultancy Services(TCS) is also located in-

India: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Baroda, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Gandhinagar, Goa, Gurugram, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Bhopal, Indore, Jamshedpur, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Noida, Nashik, Patna,[88][89] Pune, Thiruvananthapuram, and Varanasi.

Asia (excluding India): Bahrain, China, Israel, UAE, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Qatar.

Oceania: Australia.

Africa: South Africa, Morocco.

Europe: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

North America: Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

South America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Uruguay.

TCS is one of the largest private-sector employers in India, and the fourth-largest employer among listed Indian companies (after Indian Railways, Indian Army, and India Post). TCS has crossed more than 500,000 employees as of 8 July 2021.

ISRO to launch geo imaging satellite

This year world is facing the wrath of nature in every possible way from a deadly pandemic to extreme heat waves and what not. It has been tough year for many of us because suddenly all these disaster taking place did not gave any time for recovering, and above all this people are facing loss and losing their hopes.
Specifically talking about India, the COVID waves made Indians witness the worst medical emergencies and people losing life Infront of the eyes. The situation was horrific and shook everyone deep inside. The ongoing situation is all about reducing the chances to enter into the second wave. In the month of May cyclone Taut hit the western shore, the reason behind cyclone formation was increased surface temperature due to global warmimg, even after taking several measures this high intensity cyclone created loss. The continues Cloud burst in the hilly areas is posing another threat , for both hilly and plain areas, cloud burst have further increased the risk of landslides and flash floods. The force has been deployed to rescue people safely out of such areas Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh are worst effected. The rescue process is hampered by bad climatic conditions and hilly terrain due to lost of connectivity it has become difficult to reach people. moreover, this can work as a catalyst for spreading COVID.
The Indian Space Research Organisation has planned to launch a geo imaging satellite this year. the launch is delayed due to COVID 19 situation but, as per Dr. Jitendra Singh the minister of state for science and technology the launch will take place soon. EOS -03 is a geo imaging satellite is specialised in monitoring the geographical changes and climatic movements on regular bases, it will be monitoring the country on regular bases. This will be helpful in keeping an eye upon the natural disasters like landslide, flood etc and for monitoring any climatic situation. Before this ISRO has announced about successful testing of Vikas engine that is for upcoming Gangayaan Mission. The satellite is bild with latest technology to ensure better and reliable results in future. This will add another satellite into the solar system strengthening the satellite network of India, and will further help in preparation of the unforeseen disasters. As now India is facing trouble in terms of the bad climatic condition in the hilly areas and other part of the country. Indian Space Research Organisation has made extensive development in past one year, ISRO play a significant role in India’s Development in space science and technology, it is widely recognised space agency. Such development will help secure better future and enhance the working operations. ISRO has even contributed at the time when COVID was at its peak and ventilators were not available to the people as they were either occupied or unavailable ISRO developed cost effective ventilators and the production was did at large scale to support the people in difficult times. Natural disaster don’t come with warning thus its better to make arrangements before hand.

Is youth forming a new culture?

Today’s Youth is tomorrow’s future and these words matters a lot when we talk about the youth of any country. The way next generation is brought up, what they understand, what they learn and receive from the previous generation is important. As far as the question “is youth forming a new culture” is concerned it is true.
It is observed that the older generation is always quiet concerned about the next generation so they try to bring them up well and try to understand their mindset, thought, ideas and concerns. Well, the youth today is already facing many problem which may have existed in previous generation but, avoided. This generation is experiencing so many changes ups and down in life the older ones often address them as broken and depressed ones. But, this is not the whole truth if the new generation is considered depressed and insecure but, they are also talented, smart and decision makers.
There is a possibility that even the elderly people judge us because the other side says today’s youth is engaged into bad habits like alcohol, drug addiction etc but, it is important to focus on positive aspect where the young people are aware, know what is right and what is wrong and who stand against the injustice. The young people are serving in military and working in NGO, they are building start-ups, they are trying to open up, entertain and working hard to achieve what they want. All the negative part are just the distractions or wrong influence which is due to the bad elements of the society which have always existed be it any generation.
Every new generation brings with it something unique like if we talk about history, we have revolutionaries, leaders change makers because at that time the agenda was different it was about freedom struggle and developing nation free from colonisation. After that, came people who were capable of bringing change in their country for the benefit of people for a new start. Similarly, modern agendas which are focused on modern problems is what the youth is trying to find a solution of modern-day problems which are not as big as a freedom revolution but, closely associated to physical and mental wellbeing. The hectic schedules, balancing between personal and professional life, it is about adapting to new changes and accepting it. Some of the top issues are – body positivity, mental health, adulthood, peace of mind etc and many upcoming issues, the youth is taking part actively and contributing their share in nation development, they know how to take stand and raise their voice in a crowd.
They are definitely bringing up a new culture and the future will see it, It is bright and beautiful.

SAME SEX MARRIAGE

Love comes in all forms. It would be wrong to say that a person cannot marry someone just because they are not from the opposite sex. The world is evolving more than ever and we need to keep up with times. Same-sex marriage is when any person chooses to marry the same sex instead of the opposite. We should not shun this concept anymore.In other words, gone are the days when people had to be ashamed because of their sexuality. In today’s accepting world, we must make way for every human being irrespective of their gender. One needs to realize that there are more than two genders. The society needs to be more inclusive of all kinds of people. It will make the world a happier place when everyone feels they are accepted and appreciated.

 

IMPORTANCE OF SAME SEX MARRIAGE

All of us are human beings at the end of the day. Before labeling each other with the religion we follow or the people we choose to love. Everyone must realize this fact and act like it. Same-sex marriage is more than important in today’s time as the world is progressing.

Moreover, people can finally be themselves and own their individuality. Just because someone does not love a person from the opposite sex, it does not make them wrong. We can love anyone we want.

In addition, it is better to spend the rest of your life with someone from the same sex you love rather from the opposite sex whom you don’t even like. People will obviously lead happy lives with their loved ones rather than being forced to marry someone.

Same-sex marriage gives the other people hope that they can also have a future. In addition, it paves a brighter path for the LGBTQ community. This community has already suffered enough due to discrimination. They deserve to be able to marry whomever they wish irrespective of gender or sex.

 

CONCLUSION

Same-sex marriage in India especially is not encouraged. There are many countries which have stringent laws against it yet the people are open-minded. In India, neither are the laws lenient but the people are also very narrow-minded.

Most importantly, they never give these people a chance to prove themselves. Indian society does not like change. It is not as adaptable as western countries. India still needs time to be okay with the concept of same-sex marriage.

However, not knowing about the concept is a different thing and completely opposing it is different. Not only in India, but in other countries, people do not support same-sex marriage because they think it is against their religion.

Thus, this creates a lot of problems for them. People do not want the LGBTQ community to get the right to marry their lovers. This takes away their very basic human rights. The LGBTQ community has fought for a long time for their rights. Yet there is a far way to go.

When we talk about India, we see how it is on its way of progress. Like how it ended Section 377, which criminalizes homosexuality. However, we still have a long way to go in terms of the LGBTQ community. We must not any form of love be it same-sex marriage or anything else.

Ben stokes takes indefinite break from cricket

England all rounder ben stokes has taken an indefinite break from all forms of international cricket, with immediate effect to focus on on his mental state. As a result he wont be available for the test series against India that is starting from next week. but what caused ben stokes to take indefinite rest?

Ben stokes has spent the majority of the last year in bio bubble with England test and limited overs team. and he is a that kind of player, who you could not afford to miss out from playing 11. He has that kind of effect in game. Than after the national duty ,stokes came for IPL where again he had to live in bio secure bubbles as per guidelines.

Bio secure bubbles are very safe bubbles . it was made to organize sporting events during COVID -19 pandemic with strict quarantine and safety measures throughout that period . it is very easy to say that the players who are in bio bubble do not have to do anything they just have to live like a normal life. but it is not so easy in reality. it is a like a cage , an invisible cage where you can go on a limited space only with strict protocols and guidelines to be followed. these bio bubbles are safe for organizing cricket and other sporting events but they are very irritating and difficult for players.

Recently We also heard that about many incidents in this year’s IPL, that many foreign players did not came to play IPL due to bio bubble fatigue because these players were playing in these bio bubbles for a long period of time and they were not ready to live in these restrictions for 2 months more. And in many bio bubbles , families are not allowed.

“Ben has shown tremendous courage to open up about his feelings and wellbeing. “Our primary focus has always been and will continue to be the mental health and welfare of all of our people. The demands on our athletes to prepare and play elite sport are relentless in a typical environment, but the ongoing pandemic has acutely compounded this.

“Spending significant amounts of time away from family, with minimal freedoms, is extremely challenging. The cumulative effect of operating almost continuously in these environments over the last 16 months has had a major impact on everyone’s wellbeing.”

“Ben will be given as long as he needs, and we look forward to seeing him playing cricket for England in the future,” said Ashley Giles, the Managing Director of England Men’s cricket. (source : https://m.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/118394/ben-stokes-england-cricket-to-take-an-indefinite-break-from-all-cricket-cricbuzzcom)

As a result , ben stokes will miss the upcoming series against India , that will be a huge loss for England test team. There is an uncertainity that whether he will be availabe for ICC T20 WC or not because the time period of his break is not stated. that is going to be held in UAE. but first of all keeping all cricket side, he should take a reasonable amount of break so that he recovers with the mental fatigue as soon as possible.

BOOK REVIEW:HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS

A sleeping evil awakens under the castle of Hogwarts. Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets is the second series of the Harry Potter series. A sequel that gives what we were looking for an solidifies a desire to read the entire series.

Introduction:

In June 1999 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was released. This book is slightly longer than the previous entry clocking in at 341 pages,  J.K. Rowling takes us into another mystery for Harry, Ron and Hermione to solve involving the heir of house Slytherin.

Plot:

The book was started with Harry Back and Privet Drive and it has been writing to his friends but has not been receiving letters back. Now that he has experienced the wizarding world, he wants nothing more than to return to it. However a house elf named Dobby appears and tells him not to go back to the school and that something really bad will happen there this year. Harry finds out that Dobby has been holding back his letters and chases him. This causes him to interrupt the dinner party his aunt and uncle are having when Dobby uses a hover charm to float a cake over one of the guests head and drop it.  This was the cause by which Harry get trapped in a room but eventually Ron Weasly and his two brothers Fred and George come to rescue him and take Harry back. It also allows us to learn more from several new characters that were not touched on very much aside from names in the previous book.

That was the biggest strengths oof this book. It builds very off the previous book with very little recap needed. The section in Diagon alley for this book tacks on the idea more heavily of celebrities in the wizarding world with Gildoroy Lockheart. An author who has achieved many fantastic tasks. We also see the view of another section of the wizarding world for the first time. This is the darker side, the evil side if you will. It introduces some more of Malfoy’s family and also shows how the wizarding world also has political divides. The return to Hogwarts is handled differently than the past book as well.

This book noticeably does less school lessons with more time devoted to moving the plot of the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets. Harry Potter gets himself in trouble being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This spirals downward and leads to detention and eventually isolation with the whole school no longer trusting him. The derogatory term “Mud Blood” is uttered by Malfoy to Hermione and we get once again a better sense of the bullying and political differences of families in the wizarding world.

The conclusion oof the book is the best with comparison to other book. There are some tropes that can be pulled from the fantasy genre here but at the end of the day, the end of the book pays off nearly all the established questions and leaves me asking for more after a satisfying battle that I am trying not to spoil my review.

Conclusion:

The Chamber of Secrets does it is best and good effort of living up to the first ever series of the series. It grows the wizarding world and gives us the reader to be more invested in characters that are not the three main leads. We also get a good idea for where the series is planning on heading in the future as Voldemort is still a major threat to the world. This book meets the goals that J.K Rowling set out to achieve.

Friendship – The unbreakable bond!!!

TRUST, LOVE, LOYALTY. Friendship is the only bond that suits these three words. In love, if there is love and faith, there is no loyalty at all. In family, if there is trust and love, there is no loyalty. But friendship has these three trust, love and faith. All people in this world will definitely have a true friend who care for you all the time. When I told you this, who is the one that strikes on your mind? The one that strike on your mind will be your soulmate forever. This is my trust. Just try this. Let me come to the point. Why we value friendship more than our family? Have you ever thought about it? Okay. Come on! Let me tell you about the non-sinking ship that is friendship.

When you first went to school, you would have cried when your mom/dad left you there. After getting some friends there, you would have definitely not cried. Yes, the bond that makes feel secure and happy beyond parents must be your friends. When you grow up with your friends, you will feel them as your own brother or sister. This gives you a feel to do anything for them. In your 12 years of school life, you might have faced many situations like punishments etc., right? School, where we learned all goo deeds with our friends. There must definitely be some naughtyness. Getting punishments together, picking on your friends as much as you can, irritating them etc. This childhood friendship has given us something, that is possessiveness, ego, love, care. These are the emergence of our own friendship. We always have a thought, my friend must talk to me and should not talk to others. Those possessive bonds are unbreakable.

14 Reasons Why School Friends Are Friends For Life

In your college life, at first, you might have some hesitation to talk to your friends and it will start very formally and after the bond get stronger, these won’t be formal talks even if you imagine it. The life’s adventures can be known with your friends in your college life. These school and college friendship can never be forgotten. It doesn’t matter what the gender is but what matters is friendship!! Friendship has no language, gender, caste etc., It’s just the sink of two hearts. There have always been the cute and lovely friendship between a boy and a girl. Some thought its wrong; what’s wrong with that? They are friends; they know their limits right? So, let’s stop being opposive on friendship between a boy and girl.

How to teach ... making friends | Teacher Network | The Guardian

As everyone know, tomorrow is International Friendship Day. Rather than texting your long distance friends just make it lively. Just do a video call or a normal call. This makes them feel happy for you. And they will know how strong your friendship is!!

HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY!!

When is Friendship Day 2021, International Friendship Day Date

Education System In India…

Education is critical in the growth of a person and the formation of an informed citizen. Education empowers individuals, aids in the suppression of societal ills, and contributes to the overall development of society and nation. Education aids in the unravelling of nature’s mysteries. It helps us to comprehend and enhance the functioning of our civilization. It lays the groundwork for a better existence. Education develops the skills needed to combat social injustice. Every person has the right to an education.

Along with China, India has one of the world’s largest and most complicated educational systems. The National Policy of Education defines the basis for India’s commitment to delivering basic education to its inhabitants. In India, elementary schooling is now required. Only 14 percent of India’s population was literate at the time of independence. After so many decades since independence, the number of literates has more than fivefold grown.

History of Education System:

The history of Indian education may be traced back to the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The Gurukula system is another name for the traditional Indian schooling system. There were gurus back then, who are now known as instructors, and shishyas, who are now known as pupils. Gurus and shishyas lived together in Gurukula under one roof till they finished their study. As part of their education, the shishyas were required to assist the guru with all everyday duties. Gurus taught all topics to youngsters from upper social classes, ranging from Sanskrit to Holy Scriptures and mathematics to philosophy. During that period, the Gurukulas concentrated on the practical parts of life. The children were taught in an open classroom in a natural setting. This early school system in India lasted for many years until the modern education system arrived in the nineteenth century.

Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay introduced the modern education system to our country in the early nineteenth century, during the British period. The primary basis of this updated education system was tests and a well-defined curriculum that prioritised topics like science and mathematics while pushing subjects like philosophy and metaphysics to the sidelines. The open classrooms of the Gurukulas were replaced by brick and mortar classrooms. A more formal relationship between the instructor and the learner replaced the core of the guru shishya tie. Examinations were held at regular intervals to assess each student’s progress. The emphasis of the educational system moved from studying to remembering topics in order to achieve high scores in tests.

Problems of Indian Education System:

Over time, it has been discovered that there are several flaws in India’s educational system. Instead of comprehending the principles, pupils began cramming and memorizing them. Knowledge takes a second seat as high ranks take precedence. Modern parents have modified their mentality appropriately, and their objective is to guarantee that their children get high grades rather than learning from the ground up.

Private schools and universities are quickly expanding in the country, but the outcomes they generate are far from adequate. It has also been noticed that the quality of teachers has worsened with time. Our examination system is to blame for the large skill disparity. Every year, thousands of engineers and professionals are produced in India, yet only a portion of this number is employed. This is due to the Indian test system’s emphasis on high percentages rather than ongoing comprehensive review.

Research and development, which should be the foundation of our system, are given the least attention. Private schools and colleges are more concerned with the number of students admitted than with the quality of their education. This is the primary reason for the faculty’s and instructors’ lack of skills and expertise. The fact that a single professor is assigned to teach numerous courses demonstrates this.

How Can We Improve the Indian Education System?

First and foremost, we must reform the grading system. Rote learning should be avoided at all costs. Teachers and professors should pay greater attention to students’ analytical skills and evaluate them properly. Instead than just getting excellent grades, there should be a greater emphasis on complete evaluation. Workshops for teachers should be held on a regular basis to keep them up to speed on the newest advancements in the education field. Simultaneously, the curriculum should be restructured in accordance with India’s current educational demands.

The payroll structure of the teachers and the faculties especially in the government institutions should be improved. This step will help in motivating the teachers to develop their skills and they will take a keen interest in grooming or shaping up a student’s life and career. The government and other entities who are associated with the education sector, need to understand the importance of quality of education. Education should be a holistic process that must focus on the overall development of the physical, emotional, social and cognitive skills of a child. It needs to be a slow and cyclic process and must take place gradually to help the child develop into an autonomous, independent and knowledgeable individual.

Conclusion:

An educated person is one who can contribute to the advancement of the economic and social growth of the society as well as the country. The actual purpose of education must go beyond simply providing degrees and certificates to pupils. Education is not a means of earning a living; rather, it is a means of liberating one’s mind and spirit.

Moral Philosophy and Ethical Theories

Moral Philosophy is a branch of philosophy that contemplates what is right and wrong. It explores the nature of morality and examines how people should live their lives.

Ethics are the moral principles that govern a person’s behaviour or the conduct of an activity. Morals are concerned with principles of right and wrong behaviour and the goodness and badness of human character. Morality governs private, personal interactions while Ethics governs professional interactions. Ethics and morals relate to right and wrong conduct and are often taught to be the same however they are different.

Ethics refer to rules provided by an external source e.g., codes of conduct in workplaces or principles in religions while Morals refer to an individual ‘s own principles regarding right and wrong. Many morals are common as they stem from basic human emotions.

There are 3 Branches of Moral Philosophy

  1. Meta-ethics

This Branch asks the big picture question such as “What is Morality?” “What is Justice?” “Is there Truth?”

  • Normative Ethics

This branch answers questions of what we ought to do. It provides a framework for deciding what is right and wrong. There are 3 common frameworks;

Consequentialism (Utilitarianism)

Deontology

Virtue Ethics

  • Applied Ethics

This branch addresses specific, practical issues of Moral Philosophy such as war and capital punishment. It also tackles specific moral challenges that people face daily, such as whether they should lie to help a friend or coworker.

The Focus of this article is on the Normative Branch of Moral Philosophy

  1. Consequentialism is an ethical theory that judges whether or not something is right by what its consequences are. For instance, most people would agree that lying is wrong. But if telling a lie would help save a person’s life, consequentialism says it’s the right thing to do.
  • Deontology is duty ethics, so it compares a person’s ethics against some duty or imperative. Deontology emphasizes the character of actions.
  • Divine Command Theory

In this Theory, the action performed is in accordance to the order or decree given by God.

e.g., Sabbath

Virtue Ethics

Virtue Ethics is a philosophy developed by Aristotle and other ancient Greeks. It is the quest to understand and live a life of moral character.

This character-based approach to morality assumes that we acquire virtue through practice. By practicing being honest, brave, just, generous and so on, a person develops an honorable and moral character.

According to Aristotle, by honing virtuous habits, people will likely make the right choice when faced with ethical challenges.

Aristotle and The Highest Good

In book one of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, he claims every action is aimed at some good yet these aims vary between individual and context. 

According to Aristotle the highest good must fit into three criteria:

  • it is desirable for itself
  • it is not desirable for the sake of some other good
  • all other goods are desirable for its sake.

Furthermore, Aristotle later includes that the highest good must be acted upon because if one does not act to achieve any aim then they will never achieve it. In other words, the highest good is a solitary nucleus, which all other goods are acted upon for.

For Aristotle this highest good is happiness or eudaimonia (which translates to living well). He argues this by going through the list of what many may consider the highest good of actions; for example, pursuing wealth, honor, or wisdom. Yet, these do not fit the criteria he is trying to fill. Instead, he examines all these aims and realizes happiness is the highest good because it is what living well consists in and the latter aims are sought because they promote living well, not because they are what living well consists in.

Eudaimonia vs Euphoria

Euphoria can be described as the short spike of happiness that we feel during certain moments while the lasting happiness is called eudaimonia.

Eudaimonia is a more balanced approach where the happiness does not rely on isolated, powerful events but yields from every day events. Little things like conversations, encounters with people, a walk in a park, hearing a bird sing, a train being on time, a drink in a pub, a beautiful sunset. It is a mental attitude to appreciate little things and creates a robust and content state mind.

Bhagavad-Gita: The Philosophical Guide

The Bhagavad Gita is one of the most well-known scriptures in Hinduism. It is a scripture that extends upon the Vedic teachings. The word ‘Bhagavad Gita’ literally translates to ‘Song of God’ and is a dialogue that took place between the Supreme Lord Shree Krishna and His devotee Arjun, when they were on the battleground of the Mahabharat war. Bhagavad-Gita has been a source of perennial wisdom and has inspired many modern thinkers such as Mahatma Gandhi, Carl Jung & Herman Hesse.

One who comes to know the Absolute Truth attains knowledge of everything.

The science of knowing the Absolute Truth is called “Brahma Vidyā.” The purpose of the Bhagavad Gita, above everything else, is to impart Brahma Vidyā, the science of God-realization.

Philosophical Teachings from Gita

  • Gunas
    • According to Gita Prakriti is made up of 3 Gunas. Sattva (Purity), Rajas (Passion and Activity) and Tamas (Ignorance). The balance of these three Gunas in humans decides the character of that person.

    1. Jnana Yog

    Jnana Yog (Path of Knowledge) emphasises on attaining self-knowledge and meta-physical knowledge. According to Jnana Yog we need to continuously seek to achieve knowledge and the answers for all this knowledge that we need to know lie within us. We do not need to seek them in external sources. The concept of Reality of Body and Soul is also explored in Jnana Yog.  It says that all souls (Atman) are a part of Brahman and all creations come from God. The present world is just 1/4th of God’s realm. Something larger awaits in the 3/4th of the other realm and we can go there only when we achieve liberation.

    2. Karma Yog

    Karma Yog (Path of Action) refers to performing one’s worldly obligations and responsibilities without attachments but involving ourselves in it. It advocates detaching the mind from the fruits of actions and doing tasks without having any expectations but staying true to the task and doing it with complete attention of mind and heart. By not having expectations, even from people we free that individual from any burden of dependency and hence make them free to follow their own path.

    Whatever you do with your body – whether you eat, dance, sing or you just sit and breathe – if you do it with involvement and joy, you become a Karma Yogi. – Sadhguru

    3. Bhakti Yog

    Bhakti refers to Path of Devotion. It means to devote ourself to God by constantly worshipping them and keeping them in our mind. Krishna reveals in Gita that he is the Supreme Being who has taken several avatars such as Brahma, Vishnu, Ram, etc.

    Krishna also distinct between positive and negative worship. If one follows a character of negative influence, they too will inculcate their negative attitude and habits. Similarly, when one worships a character of good virtues they will be positively influences and grow in the right direction. Therefore, since God is known to be perfect and the best positive influence Krishna asks to worship God through Bhakti.

    After a soul achieves knowledge of these 3 Yogs and practices them only then one can realise God, Atman and Brahman can become one and attain blissful liberation.

    Twitter will pay hackers to discover biases in its automated picture cropping after being accused of doing so.

    Twitter is running a competition in the hopes of finding biases in its picture cropping algorithm, and the best teams will get cash awards (via Engadget). Twitter hopes that by allowing teams access to its code and picture cropping model, they will be able to identify ways in which the algorithm might be detrimental (for example, cropping in a way that stereotypes or erases the image’s topic).


    Those that compete must submit a summary of their results as well as a dataset that can be put through the algorithm to show the problem. Twitter will then give points depending on the kind of damages discovered, the potential impact on people, and other factors.


    The winner team will get $3,500, with $1,000 awards granted for the most creative and generalizable results. On Twitter, that figure has sparked some debate, with some people arguing that it should include an extra zero. For example, if you discovered a bug that allowed you to execute activities for someone else (such retweeting a tweet or picture) via cross-site scripting, Twitter’s standard bug bounty programme would pay you $2,940. You’d make $7,700 if you could find an OAuth flaw that allowed you to take over someone’s Twitter account.


    Twitter had already conducted its own study into its image-cropping algorithm, publishing a paper in May that looked at how the system was biassed in the wake of claims that its preview crops were racist. Since then, Twitter has mainly abandoned algorithmically trimming previews, but it is still utilised on desktop, and a good cropping algorithm is a useful tool for a firm like Twitter.


    Opening a competition allows Twitter to receive input from a much wider group of people. For example, the Twitter team had a meeting to discuss the competition, during which a team member stated that they were getting queries about caste-based biases in the algorithm, something that software developers in California may not be aware of.
    Twitter is also searching for more than simply unintentional algorithmic bias. Both deliberate and unintended damages have point values on the scale. Unintentional harms are cropping behaviours that may be abused by someone publishing maliciously created photos, according to Twitter. Intentional harms are cropping behaviours that could be exploited by someone posting maliciously intended images.


    The competition, according to Twitter’s announcement blog, is distinct from its bug bounty programme; if you submit a complaint regarding algorithmic biases to Twitter outside of the competition, your report will be closed and tagged as not applicable, the company warns. If you’re interested in participating, visit the competition’s HackerOne page to learn more about the rules, qualifications, and other details. Submissions are open until August 6th at 11:59 p.m. PT, and the challenge winners will be revealed on August 9th at the Def Con AI Village.

    Superstition in India

    Superstition refers to any belief or practice that is caused by supernatural causality, and which contradicts modern science. Superstitious beliefs and practices often vary from one person to another or from one culture to another.

    Common examples of superstitious beliefs in India include: a black cat crossing the road symbolizes bad luck, a crow cawing indicates that guests are arriving, drinking milk after eating fish causes skin diseases, seeing a mongoose symbolizes to be very lucky, and itchy palms mean that money is coming your way.

    Hindus believe that cutting nails and hair on Saturdays brings bad luck.

    Hindus believe that it’s inauspicious to cut hair and nails on Saturday because it angers planet Saturn (shani), which then brings bad luck. However, ask people who cut their hair and nails on Saturdays, and we bet they’ll tell you their hair looked better and their nails neater, and no planet hovered above them with bad luck.

    If a black cat crosses your path, then your tasks get delayed or postponed.

    Poor black cats. They are blamed just for being black (no racist joke here). It’s a popular belief in the west too that, if a black cat crosses your path, it’s a bad omen. For the west, the origin of this superstition came from Egypt. Egyptian culture believed that black cats were evil creatures, whereas the Indian explanation is that black represents Shani and therefore brings bad luck. It is said that if a black cat crosses your path, then your day’s tasks get delayed or postponed.

    Curse of 8

    According to numerology, the number eight is ruled by the planet Shani (again Shani!) and therefore if you’re ruled by the number eight then there shall be lots of obstructions, limitations and frustrations in your way.

    Keeping onions and knives under your bed will drive away bad dreams.

    An onion and a knife is kept under a newborn child’s bed to drive away bad dreams. It is also believed that placing an onion under your pillow while you sleep will bring you great insight when dreaming about who your future partner in life will be.

    Childhood Obesity

    In 2019, an estimated 38.2 million children under the age of 5 years were overweight or obese. Once considered a high-income country problem, child obesity is now on the rise in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in urban settings. Childhood obesity is a complex health issue. It occurs when a child is well above the normal or healthy weight for his or her age and height. The causes of excess weight gain in young people are similar to those in adults, including behaviour and genetics. The rate of childhood obesity has more than tripled over the last four decades—rising from 5 percent in 1978 to 18.5 percent in 2016. But what are the reasons for this rapid increase?

    Fast food Consumption

    Increased fast food consumption has been linked with obesity in the recent years. Many families, opt for these places as they are often favoured by their children and are both convenient and inexpensive. Foods served at fast food restaurants tend to contain a high number of calories with low nutritional values. Though many studies have shown weight gain with regular consumption of fast food, it is difficult to establish a causal relationship between fast food and obesity.

    Sugary beverages

    A study examining children aged 9–14 from 1996–1998, found that consumption of sugary beverages increased BMI by small amounts over the years. Sugary drinks are another factor that has been examined as a potential contributing factor to obesity. Sugary drinks are often thought of as being limited to soda, but juice and other sweetened beverages fall into this category. Sugary drinks are less filling than food and can be consumed quicker, which results in a higher caloric intake.

    Activity level

    One of the factors that is most significantly linked to obesity is a sedentary lifestyle. Each additional hour of television per day increased the prevalence of obesity by 2%. Television viewing among young children and adolescents has increased dramatically in recent years. The increased amount of time spent in sedentary behaviours has decreased the amount of time spent in physical activity. Research which indicates the number of hours children spend watching TV correlates with their consumption of the most advertised goods, including sweetened cereals, sweets, beverages, and snacks. Media effects have been found for adolescent aggression and smoking and formation of unrealistic body ideals. Regulation of marketing for unhealthy foods is recommended, as is media advocacy to promote healthy eating.

    Psychological factors:

    Self-esteem

    Research findings comparing overweight/obese children with normal-weight children in regards to self-esteem have been mixed. Some studies have found that obese children have lower self-esteem while others do not. There is some consensus in the literature that the global approach to self-esteem measurement with children who are overweight/obese is misleading as the physical and social domains of self-esteem seem to be where these children are most vulnerable.

    Eating disorder symptoms

    Traits associated with eating disorders appear to be common in adolescent obese populations. A number of studies have shown higher prevalence of eating-related pathology (i.e. Anorexia, Bulimia Nervosa, and impulse regulation) in obese children/youth.

    Consequences

    Childhood obesity can profoundly affect children’s physical health, social, and emotional well-being, and self-esteem. It is also associated with poor academic performance and a lower quality of life experienced by the child. It has also been linked to numerous medical conditions. These conditions include, but are not limited to, fatty liver disease, Type 2 diabetes, asthma, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, glucose intolerance and insulin resistance, skin conditions, menstrual abnormalities and impaired balance. Until recently, many of the above health conditions had only been found in adults; now they are extremely prevalent in obese children. Childhood obesity has also been found to negatively affect school performance. A research study concluded that overweight and obese children were four times more likely to report having problems at school than their peers. They are also more likely to miss school more frequently, especially those with chronic health conditions such as diabetes and asthma, which can also affect academic performance.

    The growing issue of childhood obesity can be slowed, if one focuses on the causes. There are many components that play into childhood obesity, some being more crucial than others. A combined diet and physical activity intervention conducted in the community with a school component is more effective at preventing obesity or overweight. Moreover, if parents enforce a healthier lifestyle at home, many obesity problems could be avoided. What children learn at home about eating healthy, exercising and making the right nutritional choices will eventually spill over into other aspects of their life. This will have the biggest influence on the choices kids make when selecting foods to consume and choosing to be active. Focusing on these causes may, over time, decrease childhood obesity and lead to a healthier society as a whole.

    NYAY- CAN IT ELIMINATE POVERTY?

    The Nyuntam Aay Yojana is a social welfare program that was a proposed by the Indian National Congress in its 2019 general election manifesto. According to The economic times NYAY is “yet another welfare program for India, but one that is between promising the moon and simply loony”.

    Under this scheme, bottom 20% poorest families who are earning less than Rupees 12,000 per month will get Rupees 6000 per month directly transferred to their bank accounts.

    NYAY promises annual income transfers of ₹72,000 to each of the poorest five crore families comprising approximately 25 crore individuals. If implemented, it will cost the exchequer ₹3.6 lakh crore per annum.

    UPSIDE:

    • It helps poor people in providing nutrition and education.
    • It follows direct cash transfer which eliminates fake beneficiaries.
    • The money will be transferred to the women of the family which will in turn help in empowering women.

    LOOPHOLES:

    • Spending money on development is much more effective than giving out cash directly.
    • Inflation may rise.
    • This scheme should not be as a permanent scheme. If it is, the whole purpose of eliminating poverty will be defeated.
    • There is no incentive to work. And hence NYAY can make people lazy and may stop them looking for work.

    If it is targeted well, and if leakages are avoided, NYAY can bring at least a few people out of poverty. There are more issues that remain unanswered.

    Well there isn’t a definite answer weather it can end poverty or not, but it is in the hands of every individual to kick poverty out of our country as well as the whole world.

    Poverty is not like cancer where every cell must be removed or will come back. Whereas we can consider it like , being overweight or obese. The hard and slow process; victories are partial, sometimes you regress. But keeping up the fight you can definitely succeed. So just working towards poverty each and every day we can eventually overcome it.