Introduction to Sociology Essay Example for Free

Introduction to Sociology Essay 1. The Philippines is one of the third world countries in the world. This means that the country belongs to some of the poorest countries compared to the United States and the United Kingdom. People who live in third world countries are not necessarily all poor. Some of them are also rich and have their own businesses. These people can eat more than three times a day, send their children to private schools, and enjoy the luxuries that their money can buy. However, majority of the people in third world countries are poor. Some are homeless. Many have no source of income and therefore cannot provide for their families. It is not surprising that many people choose to go to first world countries like the United States to work for better opportunities. For Vicky, there is no doubt that the decision to find work in a foreign country was hard. She has her own family with a husband and two children to take care of. She left her family to earn money for the family. Although she did have a job in the Philippines, this was not enough to take care of the familys financial needs. She did not want to be separated from her family but she needed to travel because she knew that if she stayed in the Philippines, her family will suffer. Vicky is not alone in this kind of situation. The Philippines is one of the most known countries who have the greatest number of overseas workers because of the situation in their country. They try to find work not only in the United States but also in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East. Financial need is the number one reason for them to work outside the country. 2. Because Vicky is not a native of the United States, it is most likely that she will experience some difficulties while working here. First, she might encounter discrimination due to her color and race. Although the United States is a very diverse country, discrimination still exists in its society at some point. Vicky might be looked down upon because of her color and her nationality. She might be discriminated because she is not able to communicate in English as fluently as the natives can. The United States government tries hard to make sure that discrimination does not exist in its society today. However, there are still a few who think that they are better just because of their color and race. Vicky might feel discouraged when she experiences discrimination from the natives of this country. She might also have an impression that Americans are not hospitable and welcoming and that working here is not worth it after all. Secondly, Vicky might encounter problems with her immigran t status. There are many employers who do not like to hire people who are not natives of the country because they do not trust them and believe of what they can do as workers. She might also have problems when her visa expires. The United States embassy is quite strict in allowing people in their country because they want to avoid terrorist attacks and other unwanted situations that foreigners can bring in the country. Another difficulty that Vicky might experience is the competition for the employment opportunities. Aside from the competition with the locals, Vicky might also have to compete with the opposite sex for the job that she wants. Some employers prefer to hire males because they believe that males are stronger and much more capable of the work needed to get done. This lessens Vickys chances of choosing a job that suits her the most and the job that she thinks would reward her the most in terms of salary and income. These are only some of the setbacks that Vicky might encounter while working in the United States. When one looks at the situation, it can be seen that Vicky and all other overseas workers are the ones who suffer the most. They enter a foreign country without any familiar face. They have to adapt to certain rules and norms of the countrys society. They have to learn how to get along with strangers just to keep their jobs. They have to endure problems like discrimination and competition. Aside from these things, they suffer from being away from their home and families. They get homesick but do not mind this just to be able to send money to their homeland. They take care of other peoples families and children but are not able to take care of their own children. All these they have to endure just for their families have a better life back in their homeland. 3. People from third world countries will not be able to think of leaving their families to go to another country if there are no available jobs in these foreign countries. Â  In economic terms, there would be no supply of workers if there is no demand for them. Vicky would not have thought of going here if there were no couples who need her services. Americans are very success-driven people, which is why they work hard day and night even if this means having less time for their families. Work is very important for them. At times, one job is not even enough and they search for second jobs to earn for the family. This requires them to look for people who can take care of their children while they are at work. While they certainly can avail the services of day care centers, many parents do not want to leave their children in these centers because of overcrowding and fear of their children contracting diseases from other children. It is also better to hire a private nanny who can focus on their children on a constant basis. Day care centers have limited staff and there are times when the staff cannot attend to the needs of each child because there are just too much of them. Vicky, as a private nanny, can stay at home with them and do other household chores when the child does not need taking care of. Having one private nanny can also mean that the nanny can focus on the childs growth and development at all times. The nanny can act as a second parent to the child when the parents are not at home. Her educational background and previous work experience might also contribute to her employment. Parents would want to hire people who know how to handle their kids and the household when they are gone. They want someone who can be trusted. Vickys experience as a school teacher can help her get employed because this means that she knows how to handle children. In addition, the fact that she is a mother of two children herself means that she has enough experience in taking care of children and recognizing their n eeds and wants. If these dual-career Beverly Hills couples choose to hire Vicky, they would certainly be lucky and benefit from it because of her qualifications. It is not everyday that school teachers from other countries apply for a housekeeper or a nanny. This would also be beneficial for the parents because hiring Vicky would cost less than enrolling their children in a day care center. 4. Transnational migrants are those people who belong to two or more societies at the same time. Although Vicky does not really own any property while in the United States, she can be considered as a transnational migrant because she belongs to two different societies at the same time. She is still a Filipino citizen and will most likely take vacations in the Philippines if her employers allowed it. She still practices the different cultures and traditions of the Filipino culture while in and outside of her home country. This may not be obvious but she nevertheless still does it. At the same time, living and working in the United States requires her to adapt to the customs of the country to fit in. She would learn the language, the government, and the people of the United States. She is employed here and is receiving monetary income, which makes her a part of the society. Even if she does not really want to, she still has to do it because this will make it easier for her to live in a foreign country.

Text & Cases Problem Essay Example for Free

Text Cases Problem Essay 16 to 30 150,000.00 0.94 9,000.00 31 to 45 75,000.00 0.80 15,000.00 46 to 60 45,000.00 0.65 15,750.00 61 to 75 15,000.00 0.50 7,500.00 Over 75 15,000.00 15,000.00 Total 51,750.00 15,000.00 a. Appropriate balance for AFDA is $ 51,750.00 (equals to Allowance Amount in the Aging Schedule) b. Presentation of Accounts Receivable in Balance Sheet: Accounts Receivable 735,000.00 Less: Allowance for Doubtful Accounts 51,750.00 Net, Accounts Receivable 683,250.00 c. Dollar Effect of Bad Debt Expense: AFDA, Beginning Balance 37,500.00 AFDA, Write-Off (15,000.00) AFDA, Movement 29,250.00 AFDA, Ending Balance 51,750.00 Dollar Effect of Bad Debt Expense is $ 29.250.00 (equals to movement amount of AFDA) Case 5-1: Question 1 Stern Corporation General Journal (in USD) Date Account Dr. Cr. 2010 Dec 31 Accounts Receivable 9,965,575.00 Sales 9,965,575.00 31 Cash 9,685,420.00 Accounts Receivable 9,685,420.00 31 Allowance for Doubtful Accounts 26,854.00 Accounts Receivable 26,854.00 31 Accounts Receivable 4,594.00 Allowance for Doubtful Accounts 4,594.00 31 Cash 2,108.00 Accounts Receivable 2,108.00 31 Cash 1,566.00 Accounts Receivable 1,566.00 31 Bad Debt Expense 29,886.00 Allowance for Doubtful Accounts 29,886.00 Case 5-1: Question 2 (in USD) Account Beginning Balance, 2010 Movement, 2010 Ending Balance, 2010 Cash 671,344.00 9,689,094.00 10,360,438.00 Accounts Receivable 988,257.00 254,221.00 1,242,478.00 Allowance for Doubtful Accounts 29,648.00 7,626.00 37,274.00 Sales 9,965,575.00 9,965,575.00 Bad Debt Expenses 29,886.00 29,886.00 a. Accounts Receivable balance as of Dec 31, 2010 is $ 1,242,478.00 b. Allowance for Doubtful Accounts balance as of Dec 31, 2010 is $ 37,274.00 Case 5-1: Question 3 1 Current Ratio Current Asset = 13,574,107.00 = 9.4915 Current Liabilities 1,430,132.00 Current Asset: Cash 10,360,438.00 Accounts Receivable 1,242,478.00 Allowance for Doubtful Accounts (37,274.00) U.S Treasury Securities 274,060.00 Inventories 1,734,405.00 Total Current Asset 13,574,107.00 2 Acid Test Ratio Current Monetary Asset = 11,839,702.00 = 8.2787 Current Liabilities 1,430,132.00 Current Monetary Asset: Cash 10,360,438.00 Accounts Receivable 1,242,478.00 Allowance for Doubtful Accounts (37,274.00) U.S Treasury Securities 274,060.00 Total Current Monetary Asset 11,839,702.00 3 Days Receivable Accounts Receivable = 1,242,478.00 = 45.5071 Days Sales / 365 27,302.95

The Fmcg Sector Is Currently Economics Essay

The Fmcg Sector Is Currently Economics Essay India has a huge untapped market in the rural areas as well which accounts for more than 700 Million consumers i.e. 40 of the total FMCG market. This market provides a huge opportunity for the FMCG sector because of its large market space and low levels of organized player penetration. 7) The FMCG sector has a strong future and will continue to see growth because it depends heavily on an ever-increasing internal market for consumption, and demand for these goods is more or less inelastic irrespective of recession or inflation. Thus, this sector will grow, though it may not be a smooth growth path, due to the present world-wide economic slowdown, rising inflation and fall of the rupee. However, this sector will see strong growth in the long run. 8) Unlike the developed countries where the FMCG sector is dominated by only a few players Indias FMCG sector is highly fragmented with both Organized and unorganized players playing an important role. The governments proposal of allowing 51% FDI in multi brand retail may impact the future of the retail sector to some extent though the impact is expected to be highly positive. Threat of new entrants: Moderate -Low regulatory barriers -Intense competition requires heavy investments in brand building which discourages small players Threat of substitutes: High -Multiple brands positioned with narrow product differentiation -Companies trying to gain market share compete on pricing which increases product substitution Rivalry among competitors: High -Entry of MNCs into the country -Use of extremely aggressive marketing strategies Bargaining power of consumers: Low -High brand loyalty for some products, discourages product shifting -Low switching costs -Aggressive marketing induce customers to switch between products MICHAEL PORTERS 5 FORCE MODEL Bargaining power of supplier: Moderate -Prices are governed by International commodity markets, making FMCG cos price takers -Due to the long term relationships with suppliers etc., FMCG companies negotiate better rates during times of high input cost inflation The above graph is based on the analysis of the sales and profitability of approximately 100 listed FMCG companies across foreign MNCs and large and small Indian players. As can be seen from the graph the average CAGR of the FMCG sector rose from 8% (2001-05) to 17% (2006-10). There has been a drastic increase in the CAGR in the case of foreign MNCs which shows the variety of choices available to the consumers Economy Impact: Favorable economic factors like GDP growth coupled with a rise in incomes, increased participation of women in the workforce and the tapping of rural markets have led to a spurt in the growth rate of the FMCG sector in the past decade. The Indian economy is expected to overtake UK in the coming decade, with GDP growth ranging between 8-10 per cent. India is expected to reach Chinas current population figure of 1.4 billion by 2020. Per capita incomes supported by various government schemes and policies are expected to rise in both rural and urban areas (The UPA govt cash transfer scheme for the poor people, expectations of economic recovery bring with it the hope of increased salaries and more employment opportunities all of which will lead to increase in the per capita income of the country that will have a direct impact on the FMCG sector) Participation of women in the Indian workforce is also likely to rise. Estimates suggest that if it increases to approximately 70 percent (as in the developed nations), it will further boost GDP growth by 2-3 per cent. Favorable government policies such as the introduction of GST can be expected to substantially decrease supply chain costs. FDI in multi-brand retail up to 51% will open up a large channel for sales. Other policy measures such as lower income taxes, the Food Security Act, Right to Education, infrastructure schemes etc have also acted as enablers of higher consumption. Evolving Consumer Profile: India has a comparatively younger population compared to most other countries of the world, who have greater willingness to spend on better quality products which is expected to boost the consumption-driven economy. Young population (below age of 30 years) comprise 59 per cent population currently, and the composition is likely to remain similar over the next decade. Rural markets, given the current low penetration and high untapped potential are expected to bring about super-normal growth for FMCG companies. All these factors will combine to catapult consumer demand for FMCGs to newer heights. Interest rates and inflation and its impact on the FMCG sector: Given the current economic scenario and the average inflation rates at 9.09% in India (2012) it has a taken a toll on the FMCG sector. High prices have led to reduced consumption of FMCG goods leading to fall in demand which has led to lower sales for the companies and affected their profit margins. Also, as a result of inflation prices of raw materials have shot up leading to a spurt in the cost of production for companies which has again had a negative impact on the profit margins. The central banks decision of cut in interest rates has made it easier for the companies to borrow money in the capital markets to further their plans of expansion and diversification but it has not led to any major increase in consumer spending. Major players in the FMCG industry: 1) Foreign Players: Hindustan Unilever Ltd., ITC, Nestle, Reckitt Benckiser, Cadbury, Procter Gamble, Godfrey, Phillips, Henkel, Spic, Johnson Johnson, Revlon, PepsiCo 2) Indian Players: Marico, Dabur, Godrej, Wipro, Amul, Nirma, Britannia 3) Regional or small domestic players: Ajanta, Anchor, CavinKare etc SWOT Analysis of the FMCG sector: STRENGHTS: 1) Favourable government policies in terms of reduced level of taxes, fewer import restrictions on raw materials and technology and reduced barriers of entry of foreign players 2) Low operational costs as labour costs in India are very less 3) Existing and well established brands in the FMCG sector 4)Good supply chain and distribution networks in both urban and rural markets 5) FDI of 51% in multi brand retail will redefine the entire retail sector with new entrants, improvements in supply chain and distribution networks 6) Demand for FMCG products is mostly inelastic WEAKNESS: 1) Counterfeit products: This is a major problem that is hampering the growth of the FMCG industry. Counterfeit products account for an estimated 10-15% of the total size of the FMCG industry which resulted in a loss of INR 45 billion to the exchequer. 2) The scope of investing in technology is less and it is difficult for companies to achieve economies of scale particularly the small sector ones. OPPORTUNITY: 1) The rural Indian market presents a huge opportunity for the FMCG sector as still most of it is untapped and yet to be explored 2) Slow and steady rise in per capita income of the Indian population would lead to increase in demand for FMCG products 3) Burgeoning middle class with a lot of potential to spend large amounts of their income on FMCG products 4) India has a huge domestic market with close to 1 billion population 5) Tremendous export potential THREAT: 1) Increasing rate of inflation which is likely to raise the cost of raw materials thereby increasing cost of production and putting stress on overall industry profits 2) Rise in fuel prices may further lead to increase in distribution costs 3) Declining value of the rupee against other currencies of the world may further reduce margins as cost of importing raw materials will rise 4) Dipping industrial growth and slowing global economy may lead to fall in demand for FMCG products Future of the FMCG sector in India (2020) As per recent estimates the FMCG industry may grow at a base rate of at least 12 per cent annually to become INR 4000 billion industry in 2020. However, if the economic conditions turn out to be favourable and everything goes as expected the sector may even record a 17 per cent growth over the next decade, leading to an overall industry size of INR 6200 billion by 2020. This however depends solely on the future economic scenario. Modern trade is expected to grow very rapidly in the future with its share in total retail projected to reach 11 per cent by 2014 and 30 per cent by 2020 This growth will be supported by: -High economic growth: GDP is expected to grow at 8-10 per cent in the future, boosting growth in all sectors. Increasing incomes: Incomes are expected to continue to rise which should further drive spending. Increasing urbanization: Organized retail will continue to increase presence in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities, which are growing faster than metros. -Improving infrastructure: The government is also focusing a lot on infrastructure development which is expected to improve the supply chain and distribution networks. Key to EDUCORPORATEBRIDGE investment rankings: BUY = Expected to outperform the local market by >10%; O-PF = Expected to outperform the local market by 0-10%; U-PF = Expected to underperform the local market by 0-10%; SELL = Expected to underperform the local market by >10%. Performance is defined as 12-month total return (including dividends). Â ©2011 EDUCORPORATEBRIDGE, India. Note: In the interests of timeliness, this document has not been edited. Other disclosures will come xXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Marie Antoinette Essay example -- Biography Biographies Bio

Archduchess of Austria and Queen of France The future Queen of France was born on All Souls' Day, 2nd November, 1755, in Vienna as the youngest daughter of Maria Theresa and the Emperor Franz Stephan. She was baptized under the names Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna. A glorious future seemed to await the little Archduchess. Not only would she grow up in the bosom of a large and affectionate family, but from the very beginning her mother intended to marry her youngest daughter to the glittering Crown of France. The traditional marriage politics of the Habsburgs would secure her beloved daughter a brilliant position and help guarantee the peace and stability of Europe at the same time. In view of these intentions, it is surprising that not greater attention was paid to the young Archduchess's education, especially since Maria Antonia exhibited little ability or inclination to concentrate, nor any great desire to apply herself to her studies. Music alone was capable of arousing moderate interest in the young princess. She showed some talent here and even played duets with the young Mozart in the Palace of Schà ¶nbrunn. In 1769 the much longed for news arrived from Versailles. After tedious and lengthy negotiations, King Louis XV had requested the hand of the Archduchess Maria Antonia for his grandson and heir, the Dauphin Louis-Auguste. The 14 year old girl, who had hardly been prepared for her new exalted rank, bade farewell to her mother and family in Vienna on 21st April, 1770, and with an impressive bridal train began her fateful journey to the Kingdom of France. She travelled up the River Danube and via Munich and Augsburg, stopping at Gà ¼nzburg, Ulm and Freiburg in what was then still Austrian territory. On 7th May, near ... ...XVI) again............I seek forgiveness from all whom I know for every harm I may have unwittingly caused them.............Adieu, good, gentle sister......I embrace you with all my heart as well as the poor, dear children...." Madame Elisabeth never received the letter. In 1794 she would follow Louis and Marie Antoinette to the guillotine. At 10 a.m. on 16th October, 1793, the "widow Capet" was taken from the Conciergerie prison where she had been held during her trial, and with hands bound behind her, was placed in the tumbrel for her last journey in this world. Marie Antoinette, Archduchess of Austria and Queen of France, went quietly and bravely to her death. A tragic end to a fateful journey begun so promisingly almost a quarter of a century before -- with her bridal train from Vienna to Versailles in 1770. Marie Antoinette was not yet 38 years old.

How much sympathy do you have for the woman in Tony Kytes arch :: English Literature

How much sympathy do you have for the woman in Tony Kytes arch deceiver’ and Tickets please ? In this essay I am going to argue about how much sympathy I have for woman in the 2 stories that I have studied. The two stories I have studied are ‘Tony Kytes arch-deceiver’ and ‘Tickets please’. "Tony Kytes: arch deceiver" was set at the end of the nineteenth century in a rural community which seems unaffected by the Industrial Revolution, remaining traditional in both the way of life and the attitudes of the people. The members of the community are very relaxed in the way that they live, riding around in the carts, being very leisurely, especially the women who did hardly any work other than in the house. "Tickets Please", set 25 years later, has a much more urban setting with a tougher, faster lifestyle, with all the danger and excitement of the tramlines shown in the assertive and self-assured behaviour of the women who work on them. The men were away at war and the women were doing jobs which had previously been thought suitable only for men. They had been given freedom and were empowered and able to take liberties giving them confidence and making them examine their own lives and ambitions. They were beginning to believe that they were equal in status to men, and therefore were no longer acting in such a traditional, gentle, delicate and soft manner. Both stories tell us, that men at this time like to be able to have the prettiest girl, and enjoy being able to choose from several. In "Tony Kytes" it appears very important for the women to be good looking, as they are all mentioned in terms of their looks, being described as "dashing" or "handsome". The women are aware that looks are important and even think that this alone will enable them to find a husband. Tony Kytes the Arch Deceiver" is a funny story of an afternoon when Tony was driving home from the market in his wagon. A pretty girl called Unity to who he was quite close before he met his present fiancà © stopped him and asked him to give her a lift home. They were riding along, having a flirtatious conversation, when Tony saw Milly, his fiancà ©. Fearing her displeasure on seeing Unity riding with him on the wagon, he manages to persuade Unity to hide at the back of the wagon. ‘avoid all unpleasantness, which I know ye can't bear any more than I, will ye lie down in the back part of the wagon, and let me

Mystifying the Senses: Bimodal Speech Perception :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Mystifying the Senses: Bimodal Speech Perception My grandmother, like many elderly people, suffers from hearing loss. Recently however, she has begun to lose her sight as well. Curiously enough, though her level of auditory impairment remains the same since macular degeneration has claimed her ability to see, her hearing seems to have deteriorated further. Could this be simply the result of alienation because of the loss of a further sense? This situation led me to wonder about my own hearing ability. I have often experienced hearing difficulty in settings where I cannot see the person who is talking to me-in a movie theater, or over the telephone. The questions raised here call into question the conventional notion of sensory processing. Distinctive inputs are received by their respective processing organ and the end result is relayed to the brain. How then can we explain a seeming reliance of two different sensory percepts on each other? Is there more to hearing than our ears? Historically, scientific evidence for the existence of sensory integration has long existed, but the first formal theory developed to this effect was stumbled upon by Harry McGurk and John MacDonald of the University of Surrey (1). The scientists were involved in a study of how infants perceive speech by playing a video of a mother talking in one place and playing the sound of her voice in another place. They randomly began to play with the consequences of dubbing an particular audio sound onto the video of the mother saying a different sound (2). They found that when the auditory syllable, "ba-ba" was imposed on the visual syllable "ga-ga", "da-da" was heard. The same occurred when the audio and visual syllables were reversed. Also, "pa-pa" dubbed on "ka-ka" was heard as "ta-ta". When one of the sensory inputs was eliminated by closing the eyes, or plugging the ears, the correct syllable was identified (2). McGurk and McDonald found "Contemporary, auditory-based theories of speech p erception...inadequate to accommodate these new observations" and concluded that there must be some allowance made for the influence of the visual on hearing (2). The conventional theory of the senses is challenged. So, speech perception is bimodal. Of course, as science repeatedly shows, nothing is simple as that. The question remains, how does this integration occur? When does it occur? What neurological systems are involved? It has become generally accepted that audio and visual inputs are received by independent organs (the ears and eyes) and that integration occurs sometime after these two systems have "processed" the input.

Miracles Essay

Examine key concepts of miracles and philosophical reasons to believe in them. Miracle is an event that goes against usual of nature or appearing to break the law of science. Hume defined miracles as a â€Å"violation of the laws of nature† and consequently rejected their occurrence as both improbable and impractical. Many philosophers back this view up to a certain extent, such as Wiles. However Aquinas rejects Hume’s arguments due to the lack of belief of people’s testimonies to be true. Hume (1771-1776) was initially known as an intellectual for his literary works.He was an empiricist, which means that he believed that gaining knowledge from the world from observation and experience is more reliable. Hume’s first argument is the most important point in arguing reasons for believing in miracles. If you interpret the laws of nature to be strict and rigid, then it makes sense that if anything breaks these boundaries, then they should be classed as a miracl e. Hume links the breaking of a law of nature to the ‘Deity', so a miracle has religious meaning. For example it stated in the Bible in the case of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.But this was more of an eyewitness mistake, than an act that violated fixe laws of nature for Hume. Therefore a violation of the laws of nature was an improbable occurrence and is unbelievable. Wiles agrees with Hume’s point that it is more likely the eyewitness was wrong than a miracle occurred. This would make God arbitrary as this would show clear favouritism by creating miracles while others were suffering. Wiles claims that miracles present an obstacle to religious faith: people are being asked to believe in omnibenevolent and omnipotent God who fed 5000 people but does nothing about world starvation today.A God who intervenes selectively would not be worthy of worship because of his failure to act on a wider scale. However Aquinas disagrees with Hume. Around five hundred years earlie r, Thomas Aquinas (1225-1275 CE) married the two ways of knowing: Theology (faith), philosophy (reason) and concluded that both come from God (contained Revelation). He had offered a similar definition of a miracle to that of Hume, defining it as, ‘those things†¦ which are done by Divine power apart from the order generally followed in things'.However, he actually differed from the latter Hume’s definition as he said miracles were also: ‘Those events in which something is done by God which nature could never do. ‘, ‘Events in which God does something which nature can do, but not in that order. ‘ And ‘When God does what is usually done by the working of nature, but without the operation of the principles of nature. ‘ he allowed for the possibility of miracles to occur within the ‘system' of ‘natural activity’. Aquinas also allowed for the possibility that God's activity with the natural realm, may be part of the normal order of things.Similarly, Swinburne also disagrees with Hume’s idea of what an improbable event is. Whilst for Hume this means an event which it would be foolish to suggest occurs at all, such as walking on water, Swinburne argues that miracles are more â€Å"probabilistic† such as picking out a red grain of sand, highly unlikely but not totally impossible. Therefore we are able to claim that it is possible to believe in miracles. Agreements on what constitutes a ‘law of nature’ are that people do not come back to life several days after having died, gravity, orbit of the planets, amputees do not grow limbs.However an argument based on logic and reasoning is John Hick's. He defines natural laws as ‘generalisations formulated respectively to cover whatever has, in fact happened'. In other words natural laws must be widened as and when new discoveries are made. For example the first time when humans were able to walk on the moon (1960) and tra vel in space would been defined as a miracle in the past as it goes against the law of gravity. Thus it is possible to believe in miracles.Hume's second reason for rejecting miracles is presented in his practical argument. He considered levels of education to be a significant factor as miracles were only reported to have occurred by those who were not educated enough to understand the scientific explanation of an event. He also highlighted how the early history of countries is full of miracles and visions due to the ignorant and barbarous populations, such as the very long life of Adam. However as the country becomes more developed and the populations better educated such stories disappear.Therefore for Hume Adam living to 930 was simply a story made up by the uneducated, as living so long would suggest the laws of nature to be false. In conclusion Hume believes that miracles are â€Å"violations of the laws of nature† and that they are only experienced by uneducated people w ho do not understand science. Aquinas and Swinburne rejected this view, believing the laws of nature to be â€Å"corrigible†.Overall it is possible to believe in miracles as we can't argue that they don't exist and we can also reject miracles and say they do not exist as this  would conclude that God is arbitrary and it would violate the laws of nature. To what extent do criticisms undermine belief in miracles? One issue that immediately comes to mind is how one begins to distinguish between a miracle and a coincidence? One could say that the distinction is that the former is always the work of God but then does this rule out the possibility of any coincidences being in some way ‘God's work' as well? Not necessarily. However, in order for a miracle to be validated as such we are usually looking for that which is not of the ‘ordinary’.Thus it seems that in order for one to validate and ‘observe' miracles as supra-natural phenomena they may need to be considered along the lines of the Humean definition as a ‘transgression of a law of nature'. Hume believed that the occurrence of a miraculous event was always a violation of the laws of nature. However, his argument does not preclude the possibility of a miracle occurring and this allows for an interesting development in our understanding of miracles. There can be no satisfactory ‘proof' that a miracle has occurred.No atheist would claim that God has performed a miracle and the testimony of any religious person who claims a miracle has occurred is declared insufficient grounds for belief as they have an a priori interest in proving this to be the case. On the other hand if an atheist were to claim that they had witnessed a miracle then, according to the Humean definition, this may be sufficient grounds to believe a miracle had occurred. People are assessing the same phenomena yet using the word ‘miracle' ro mean different things.The religious person uses it to me an a ‘work of God which transgresses the laws of nature' whilst the rationalist is using it to mean ‘an unusual event which can be explained by rational means'. Disagreements between religious people and rationalists are not about whether a ‘miracle' has occurred, but between their use and understanding of the word ‘miracle' itself. In conclusion criticisms undermine belief in miracles to a minimum extent as we can not fully disprove the existence of miracles and therefore it is possible to believe in them.