Js Mill Essays - Classical Liberalism, Libertarian Theory, Rights

Js Mill John Locke believes that man ought to have more freedom in political society than John Stuart Mill does. John Locke's The Second Treatise of Government and John Stuart Mill's On Liberty are influential and potent literary works which while outlining the conceptual framework of each thinkers ideal state present two divergent visions of the very nature of man and his freedom. John Locke and John Stuart Mill have different views regarding how much freedom man ought to have in political society because they have different views regarding man's basic potential for inherently good or evil behavior, as well as the ends or purpose of political societies. In order to examine how each thinker views man and the freedom he ought to have in political society it is necessary to define freedom or liberty from each philosophers perspective. In The Second Treatise of Government, John Locke states his belief that all men exist in a state of perfect freedom to order their actions and dispose of their possessions and person as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of nature, without asking leave or depending upon the will of any other man. (Locke 4) Locke believes that man exists in a state of nature and thus exists in a state of uncontrollable liberty which has only the law of nature to restrict it, which is reason. (Locke 5) However Locke does state that man does not have the license to destroy himself or any other creature in his possession unless a legitimate purpose requires it. Locke emphasizes the ability and opportunity to own and profit from property as being necessary to be free. In On Liberty John Stuart Mill defines liberty in relation to three spheres; each successive sphere progressively encompasses and defines more elements relating to political society. The first sphere consists of the individuals inward domain of consciousness; demanding liberty of conscious in the most comprehensive sense; liberty of thought and feeling; absolute freedom of opinion and sentiment on all subjects, practical or speculative, scientific, moral, or theological. (Mill 13) The second sphere of Mill's definition encompasses the general freedoms which allow an individual to freely peruse a ...life to suit our own character; of doing as we like... (Mill 13). Mill also states that these freedoms must not be interfered with by fellow creatures, so long as what we do does not harm them... (Mill 13), no matter how odd, offensive and or immoral they may seem to others. The final sphere of Mill's definition of liberty is a combination of the first two. He states that ...the freedom to unite, for any purpose not involving harm to others: the persons combining being supposed to be of full age, and not forced and or deceived. (Mill 14) Locke and Mill's definitions of freedom must be qualified. Since the definitions they present in their respective literature are distinct from one another, when each philosopher refers to freedom or liberty they are not citing the same concept. This distinction is necessary when comparing their positions regarding the amount of freedom man should have in a political society. What one philosopher considers an overt an perverse abuse of liberty the other may consider the action completely legitimate and justifiable. John Locke believes that men should be virtually unrestricted and free in political society. Locke's rational for this liberal position lies in the twin foundation of man's naturally good inclinations and the specific and limited ends Locke believes political societies ought to have. According to Locke the only freedoms men should lose when entering into a political society are equality, liberty and executive power they has in the state of nature into the hands of society. (Locke 73) In Locke's ideal society this fails to limit or remove any freedom from the individual, it only removes the responsibility of protecting these freedoms from the individual and places it on the state. John Stuart Mill believes that man's should be strictly limited in political society. Mill differs from Locke in the basic principle that individual who enjoy the benefits of living in political societies owe a return for the protection society offers. Mill believes for society to function properly conduct of

Pronounce the Spanish R

Pronounce the Spanish R The Spanish letter R is easy to pronounce but is often mispronounced by English speakers. Here are some tips for getting it right. Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 10 minutes Heres How: Keep in mind that there are two R sounds in Spanish: the single R sound and the double R (or RR) sound.Keep in mind that the single R sound is used whenever the single R appears in a word, except when its at the beginning of a word or after an L, N or S, when the RR sound is used.Keep in mind that the Spanish R doesnt have the distinctive R sound of English. Think of it as a separate letter entirely.Remember that the single R is pronounced with a single flap of the tongue against the roof of mouth.Say these words rapidly as you would if they were English words, and with the accent on the first syllable: peddo, pahdah, cahdah.Congratulate yourself. You have approximately pronounced the Spanish words pero (but), para (for) and cara (face).Note similarly that in English many words that have T or TT between vowels have the same sound, which is different than the T in today. Examples are cattle, bitter and attic.Practice using the same sound in other positions. For example, to say primo ( cousin), rapidly say pdee-mo, but pronounce the d by hitting your tongue against the roof of your mouth. Again congratulate yourself. Youre on your way to learning this sound.You can hear the r pronounced by native speakers in our audio lesson on pronouncing the r . Words spoken in that lesson are pero (but), caro (expensive), primo (cousin), tres (three), seà ±or (Mr.) and hablar (to speak).You can also get advice from About.com readers on pronouncing the r. Tips: Try to imitate the sound of the R as it is pronounced by native speakers.Dont even be tempted to pronounce the R as it is pronounced in English.

Darwin and Evolution Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Darwin and Evolution - Assignment Example Prior to Darwin, though some naturalists had speculated about modification of species, they failed to explain why and how species change. They also believed that evolution began with the special creation of only a fixed number of species. Partly influenced by Thomas Malthus' essay on the Principle of Population and stimulated by a letter from Alfred Russel Wallace, in 1859 Charles Darwin discussed in detail the evolution of species through natural selection in his famous work titled On the Origin of Species, which totally revolutionized the previous concepts of evolutionary biology. Natural selection refers to a process in which species compete and struggle for their survival according to the limited resources and conditions of their natural environment with different adaptive abilities. As individuals in a population are not same due to difference in inherited characteristics, nature only selects those individuals that are best suited to the environmental conditions, and thus rest o f the population dies over time. As all the offspring in a population acquire characteristics from their ancestors, produced more than nature can support and have different reproductive characteristics, only those organisms will survive that are better adapted to the living conditions. This means that organisms with higher reproduction ability will remain due to higher probability of their descendants to survive, and other will eventually become extinct due to less survival rate of their offspring with the passage of time. Since environmental conditions are different from place to place, there will be variation in characteristics of species at different locations. Darwin concluded that populations extending over large areas or through migration might have been isolated resulting in variation of their characteristics according to varying environments. Over long periods of time, they may have diverged or evolved into separate species different from each other. For instance, Darwin fou nd that finches he observed on the Galapagos Islands were similar to one another than they were to finches of the mainland. He also noticed that some varieties were only existent on the archipelago islands. So, he proposed that all species might have descended from a common ancestor and increase in number of species occurred through evolutionary natural selection over time rather than special creation. Question Two Darwin and other naturalists believed that variations among individuals of a species were due to mixing of traits from both male and the female. He was not aware of the heredity mechanism and different traits were regarded to be the result of blending of characteristics through generations over time. However, the concept of blending inheritance failed to describe the survival of variety as they descended through generations with time. It also failed to describe the maintenance of specific characteristics in varieties and that how new species would emerge through blending. It was 1866, when Gregor Mendel published his experimental findings on garden peas. To experiment with pure seeds, he selected a self pollinating plant. He experimented with garden peas that were different from each other in many characteristics such as their flowers were either red or white, had green or yellow seeds, and tall or dwarf. After cross-breeding generations having different characteristics, he observed that descendants from each cross possessed characteristics of only one of the parents and blending did not happen. Mendel concluded that instead of blending of certain fluids, heredity from parents was passed on to offspring through independent discrete units, particles or factoren, which were later termed as genes. The characteristic that appeared in a descendant after cross breeding was termed

Assignment on Criminal Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Assignment on Criminal Justice - Essay Example This paper focuses on the Drug Enforcement Administration (hereinafter, DEA) which works under the ambit of the Department of Justice and whose sole responsibility is the enforcement of drug control laws. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with drug control as the only mandate. Why was the DEA created in the first place? The DEA was created in 1973 when the realization came that effective drug control meant not only controlling the demand side, e.g.. criminalization of drug possession and rehabilitation of offenders, but also by controlling the supply. In an effort to streamline the bureaucracy, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) and the Bureau of Drug Abuse Control (BDAC) were abolished and the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD), which was working under the Department of Justice, had enforcement responsibility over drug laws. The Office for Drug Abuse and Law Enforcement (ODALE) and Office of National Narcotic Intelligence (ONNI) were then created to assist in the enforcement of drug laws both at the national and local levels. ... The FBN continued its mandate until a report by the Katzenbach Commission found that, among other things, the enforcement staff in drug control had to be increased and the bureaucracy streamlined. Drug enforcement then became under the Department of Justice and the DEA was created. Lyman (2011), in describing the overall philosophy of the DEA describes it as follows: â€Å"to eliminate drugs as close to their sources as possible and to disrupt the drug trafficking system by identifying, arresting and prosecuting traffickers.† (page 329). Intelligence work is a big part of the tasks of DEA agents, who regularly monitor and conduct surveillance operations on the transportation of drugs into American shores. There is intense pressure to kick the drug problem and resultant from this, â€Å"drug enforcement is commanding a growing share of local police, prosecution and correction resources.† (Kleiman and Smith, 1990: 69). A theory being propounded is that the concentration o f police force in drug enforcement is causing a rise in the spate of crime and that is a constant criticism that the law enforcement sector of the country has to faced. Whilst the DEA is doing its utmost to ensure that it performs its duties efficiently and with judicious use of resources, it also cannot be denied that the drug cartels and the crime syndicates are getting wiser and more able to get around the law. Hence, innovation is an important ingredient in enforcement of anti-drug laws. It must also be understood that policing supply of drugs and curbing demand cannot be seen as independent variables. They must work together. There is growing evidence to the effect that effective drug enforcement increases the price of drugs in the market and suppress use (Caulkins

Issues in International trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Issues in International trade - Essay Example They include consultancy and tourism among others. A product sold in the international market is an export while a product bought from the same market is an import. Trade issues often dominate and are a continuing theme in the international market. The issues include NAFTA, embargoes, sanctions, and the environment, trade deficits, The Euro, tariffs and WTO among others. Some of the issues are discussed as follows: A reduction in trade barriers allowing for integrated global economies and permitting international trade will affect the environment through the expansion of economic activities. It alters the composition and make-up of economic activity by bringing about a change in the techniques and means of production. The course of consideration and for environmental protection was raised by environmental groups on the potential North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). This was just the first of a far cry to other voices opposing international or regional trade on the possible effects it may have on the environment. It is seen that an increase in international trade is detrimental to the objective of preserving a clean, healthy and sustainable global environment. It has been argued that any expansion of market to a global scale, ultimately leads to the environmental pollution and faster depletion of natural resources. These natural resources are scarce in nature. For example, international trade of coal has made it easier for countries to acquire it for economic activities. Coal has been known as a leading environmental pollutant. International trade has facilitated the growth of industries whose primary objective is the export of goods to the international market. For example, the United States has promoted several of such agreements such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the NAFTA. These agreements have led to the rapid growth of industries that have little government oversight and control. These

The Conservation Of Momentum Environmental Sciences Essay

The Conservation Of Momentum Environmental Sciences Essay The conservation of momentum was shown in three types of collisions, elastic, inelastic and explosive. By getting mass and velocities for two carts during the collision the change in momentum and kinetic energy was found. In an elastic collision of equal massess ΔP = Pf-Pi =-8.595 and ΔKE = KEf-Kei = -4.762. In an inelastic collision of equal massess ΔP = -12.989 and ΔKE = -43.14. In an explosive collision of equal massess ΔP = -448.038 and ΔKE = -118.211. This shows that conservation of momentum is conserved in elastic and inelastic equations due to their very low change in momentum; however kinetic energy is conserved in the elastic collision but not in the inelastic collision. In an explosive collision momentum is not conserved since the two objects start at rest with no momentum and gain momentum once moving opposite. Introduction Just like Newtons laws, the conservation of momentum is a fundamental principal in physics that is integral in daily life. However unlike Newtons laws, the conservation of momentum does not seem to be entirely intuitive. If a ball is thrown in the air some momentum seems to be loss to the air. This makes proving the conservation of momentum tricky and difficult to do in a real life setting. To measure the conservation of momentum in the lab, two carts will be used along a frictionless track. This allows calculation to be easier since the vectors will be moving along only one axis. This way positive direction can be movement to the right while negative direction can be movement to the left. One cart will have a plunger which is ejected by a spring that will convert its potential energy to kinetic energy of the cart. This will knock the other cart and its momentum will be transferred either partially or entirely. These velocities of the two carts will be measured by a graphing device. This is shown in diagram 1. Diagram 1. Momentum is produced by mass and velocity, in other words: p = mv. It is important to point out that momentum is not conserved on an object by object basis, however it is conserved for the isolated system. This is shown in the equation: Psystem = P1 + P2. Therefore if momentum is conserved then the initial momentum of the entire system should equal the final momentum of the entire system. Thus this can be shown in the equation where: Psystem, initial = Psystem, final M1 X V1i + M2 X V2i = M1 X V1f + M2 X V2f In the lab collisions will be shown to illustrate the conservation of momentum. In elastic collisions energy is always conserved. Unfortunately for this lab kinetic energy can be converted into heat so that energy is lost to viable measurements. If the energy is conserved, the collision is considered to be elastic, but if the energy is not conserved, then the collision is considered inelastic. Kinetic energy is energy associated with motion where an object with mass and moving with a certain velocity the equation is: KE = Â ½ m |v|2 This allows to find the loss or gain in energy of a system much like for momentum where the change in kinetic energy of a system is determined by the equation: ΔKESYS = KEsys,final KEsys,intial For the two collisions stated earlier if ΔKESYS is equal to zero the collision is considered elastic, however if ΔKESYS does not equal zero then the collision is considered inelastic. There is also another type of collision that will be determined in this lab called an explosive collision. This can be considered the opposite of an inelastic collision since the energy is not conserved because the kinetic energy is transformed for potential energy to kinetic energy. These three types of collisions will be measured in the lab under differing conditions and the change in momentum and kinetic energy of the system will be calculated. Procedure In the lab the momentum and kinetic energy will be calculated by measuring different velocities for the two carts at different masses. Two carts will be set along a frictionless track. As stated earlier this allows for easier calculations since it allows working only in one dimension. One of the carts used has a plunger while the other car is just a regular car. Both carts have different sides which will allow the emulation of the different collision types. For and elastic collision the plunger cart will be placed against the side of the ramp and then set off by a small piece of wood. It will the knock the other cart and emulate a elastic collision because the carts have magnets facing each other that will help conserve energy and momentum by having the opposite sides face each other. Having magnets of opposite charge face each other help keep the collision elastic since major contact between the two carts can convert kinetic energy into heat and will be lost. This will be done in three different ways, first having equal mass carts, second having the plunger cart heavier than the regular cart, and lastly by having the plunger cart lighter than the regular cart. The velocities for these carts will be measured for the different variable for six different trails and averaged. For the inelastic the set up will be identical except to emulate this collision the carts will have Velcro sides that will be facing each other and cause the carts to stick together once they hit each other. This will be done in three different ways similar to the elastic collision, first having equal mass carts, second having the plunger cart heavier than the regular cart, and lastly by having the plunger cart lighter than the regular cart. The velocities for these carts will be measured for the different variable for six different trails and averaged also. For the explosive collision the two carts will be sitting next to each other. The plunger car will have its plunger faced toward the adjacent regular car so when the button is pressed the will move away from each other in opposite directions. This will only be done in two different ways, one way having the carts equal in mass and one ways have one cart heavier than the other cart. The velocities for these carts will be measured for the different variable for six different trails and averaged as well. Results Table 1. Elastic Collision Data Elastic Equal Mass regular car (g) 506.2 plunger car (g) 503.3 v1 (m/2) v1f (m/s) v2f (m/s) Pi = m1vi1+ m2 vi2 Pf = m1vf1 + m2 vf2 Kei = .5m1vi1 + .v5m2vi2 Kef= .5m1vf1 + .v5m2vf2 0.5 0 0.483 251.65 244.4946 62.9125 59.04545 0.494 0 0.482 248.6302 243.9884 61.41166 58.8012 0.574 0 0.505 288.8942 255.631 82.91264 64.54683 0.422 0 0.405 212.3926 205.011 44.81484 41.51473 ΔP = Pf-Pi 0.482 0 0.496 242.5906 251.0752 58.46433 62.26665 -8.595433333 0.516 0 0.498 259.7028 252.0876 67.00332 62.76981 ΔKE = KEf-KEi average 250.6434 242.048 62.91988 58.15744 -4.762437183 Elastic Heavy Int. regular car (g) 506.2 plunger car (g) 1000.9 v1 (m/2) v1f (m/s) v2f (m/s) Pi = m1vi1+ m2 vi2 Pf = m1vf1 + m2 vf2 Kei = .5m1vi1 + .v5m2vi2 Kef= .5m1vf1 + .v5m2vf2 0.412 0 0.501 294.3059 237.5554 84.94838 63.52835 0.502 0 0.59 310.6885 245.6916 126.1154 88.10411 0.321 0 0.466 324.3081 244.3456 51.56687 54.96218 0.462 0 0.544 337.2292 242.4102 106.818 74.9014 ΔP = Pf-Pi 0.51 0 0.602 354.5463 242.5007 130.167 91.72445 -81.71491849 0.486 0 0.52 324.2156 242.5007 118.2043 68.43824 ΔKE = KEf-KEi average 324.2156 242.5007 102.97 73.60979 -29.36021623 Elastic Light Int. regular car (g) 1003.8 plunger car (g) 503.3 v1 (m/2) v1f (m/s) v2f (m/s) Pi = m1vi1+ m2 vi2 Pf = m1vf1 + m2 vf2 Kei = .5m1vi1 + .v5m2vi2 Kef= .5m1vf1 + .v5m2vf2 0.563 0 0.309 468.8014 310.1742 79.76525 47.92191 0.396 0 0.243 495.1158 243.9234 39.46275 29.63669 0.697 0 0.351 523.2297 352.3338 122.2538 61.83458 0.554 0 0.296 563.0325 297.1248 77.23541 43.97447 ΔP = Pf-Pi 0.596 0 0.343 610.7959 344.3034 89.39011 59.04803 -227.7090311 0.493 0 0.278 532.195 279.0564 61.16328 38.78884 ΔKE = KEf-KEi average 532.195 304.486 78.21177 46.86742 -31.34434946 For the elastic collision with equal masses the change in momentum and kinetic energy is every small. Where as in the other two methods the change in momentum is much larger since the masses where different then the change in kinetic energy. Table 2. Inelastic Collision Data Inelastic Equal Mass regular car (g) 506.2 plunger car (g) 503.3 v1 (m/2) v1f (m/s) v2f (m/s) Pi = m1vi1+ m2 vi2 Pf = m1vf1 + m2 vf2 Kei = .5m1vi1 + .v5m2vi2 Kef= .5m1vf1 + .v5m2vf2 0.622 0.292 0.297 313.0526 297.305 97.35936 43.78238 0.481 0.242 0.243 242.0873 244.8052 58.222 29.68293 0.619 0.289 0.289 311.5427 291.7455 96.42247 42.15722 0.602 0.276 0.274 302.9866 277.6096 91.19897 38.17143 ΔP = Pf-Pi 0.51 0.236 0.237 256.683 238.7482 65.45417 28.23227 -12.98885 0.502 0.248 0.249 252.6566 250.8622 63.41681 31.16993 ΔKE = KEf-KEi average 279.8348 266.846 78.67896 35.5327 -43.14626406 Inelastic Heavy Int. regular car (g) 506.2 plunger car (g) 1000.9 v1 (m/2) v1f (m/s) v2f (m/s) Pi Pi = m1vi1+ m2 vi2 Pf = m1vf1 + m2 vf2 Kei = .5m1vi1 + .v5m2vi2 0.495 0.322 0.321 319.6722 484.78 122.6228 77.96833 0.506 0.343 0.342 323.0093 516.4291 128.1332 88.48103 0.497 0.317 0.318 336.2746 478.2569 123.6157 75.8842 0.499 0.312 0.312 352.9982 470.2152 124.6126 73.35357 ΔP = Pf-Pi 0.323 0.211 0.208 367.6309 316.4795 52.21145 33.23065 115.4745216 0.486 0.31 0.308 339.917 466.1886 118.2043 72.10332 ΔKE = KEf-KEi average 339.917 455.3916 111.5667 70.17019 -41.39646683 Inelastic Light Int. regular car (g) 1003.8 plunger car (g) 503.3 v1 (m/2) v1f (m/s) v2f (m/s) Pi Pi = m1vi1+ m2 vi2 Pf = m1vf1 + m2 vf2 Kei = .5m1vi1 + .v5m2vi2 0.575 0.181 0.181 480.8526 272.7851 83.20178 24.68705 0.589 0.172 0.163 506.4235 250.187 87.30267 20.77979 0.555 0.179 0.183 534.182 273.7861 77.51449 24.87125 0.563 0.186 0.186 573.035 280.3206 79.76525 26.06982 ΔP = Pf-Pi 0.367 0.115 0.113 619.6586 171.3089 33.89449 9.736832 -289.887818 0.574 0.178 0.179 542.8304 269.2676 82.91264 24.05466 ΔKE = KEf-KEi average 542.8304 252.9426 74.09855 21.6999 -52.3986526 For the inelastic collision the change in kinetic energy is much larger then it was in elastic collision. This holds true for the other all three methods used. Table 3. Explosive Collision Data Explosive Equal regular car (g) 506.2 plunger car (g) 503.3 v1 (m/2) v1f (m/s) v2f (m/s) Pi = m1vi1+ m2 vi2 Pf = m1vf1 + m2 vf2 Kei = .5m1vi1 + .v5m2vi2 Kef= .5m1vf1 + .v5m2vf2 0 0.482 0.503 0 497.2092 0 122.4709 0 0.448 0.471 0 463.8986 0 106.6245 0 0.489 0.512 0 505.2881 0 126.4901 0 0.438 0.469 0 457.8532 0 103.9089 ΔP = Pf-Pi 0 0.478 0.492 0 489.6278 0 118.7447 488.0378833 0 0.506 0.513 0 514.3504 0 131.0292 ΔKE = KEf-KEi average 0 488.0379 0 118.2114 118.2113751 Explosive- Unequal regular car (g) 506.2 plunger car (g) 1000.9 v1 (m/2) v1f (m/s) v2f (m/s) Pi = m1vi1+ m2 vi2 Pf = m1vf1 + m2 vf2 Kei = .5m1vi1 + .v5m2vi2 Kef= .5m1vf1 + .v5m2vf2 0 0.297 0.615 0 608.5803 0 139.8729 0 0.34 0.618 0 653.1376 0 154.517 0 0.292 0.619 0 605.6006 0 139.6484 0 0.307 0.633 0 627.7009 0 148.5813 ΔP = Pf-Pi 0 0.276 0.574 0 566.8072 0 121.5127 599.3574667 0 0.24 0.581 0 534.3182 0 114.2626 ΔKE = KEf-KEi average 0 599.3575 0 136.3992 136.399151 For the explosive collision the change in momentum is much larger than in the other two collisions. There is no initial momentum for this collision since the two carts started together at rest. Conclusion From momentum and the kinetic energies calculated from the formulas the different trails were averaged to find the initial and final momentum and kinetic energy for each of the eight conditions. They the change in momentum of the system was calculated for the system by subtracting the final momentum minus the initial momentum. This was then done for kinetic energy to find the change in kinetic energy by subtracting final minus initial as well. This produced different values for the different conditions. For the elastic collision the momentum and kinetic energy are supposed to be conserved. As table 1 shows, the momentum and kinetic energy for the equal mass carts is very close to zero, much closer than for the other conditions. For the heavier plunger cart, the initial force had much more inertia and caused the lighter second car to move much further. This is opposite in the other conditions where the plunger cart was much light. It had a harder time moving the second heavier cart. The main difference for the change in momentum and kinetic energy for the two unequal mass cart conditions was due to the fact the final velocity for cart one was never measured properly. It was assumed that the velocity was zero when in fact the plunger cart moved slightly after the collision. The assumption was due to careless human error. For the inelastic collision kinetic energy is not conserved. This is evident very much in the results for the change in kinetic energy. There is a much larger value or this change then in the elastic counterpart since the carts stick together and move as one unit. This close interaction allows for the loss of energy as heat. As for the explosive collision, the change in momentum is by far the largest. Since the system start at rest it is entirely potential energy. When the collision happened the carts move apart and become kinetic energy. Since the final momentum is subtracted by an initial momentum of zero, it is obvious why the change is so large.

The Virtual Neighborhood and Its Social Implications :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

The Virtual Neighborhood and Its Social Implications My own feelings about the "virtual neighborhood" fall somewhere in between those of Jim Dewer and David Noble. I will very briefly make an attempt to sketch out some boundary lines and find myself therein. I distinguish two sides of the issue. One is the concept itself and the other is the proposed list of uses. Admittedly, the two of these are related. The Concept First of all, the "virtual neighborhood" is no real neighborhood and we need to avoid being unduly convinced by a metaphor which is just that, a metaphor, of limited use. A "virtual promise" is no real promise. A "virtual promise" does not hold up in court where contracts have to be demonstrable, e.g., in writing. The word 'virtual' means something idealized by projection and not actualized. Calling the Internet a "virtual neighborhood" is making a claim that we can re-create a familiar experience by projection into an enormous "ideal" electronic experience. Second, let us not forget to check to see whether a metaphor is appropriate. Just because it is a metaphor is no reason to believe it is a useful metaphor --- that is, a "noble falsehood." Does the idea of a virtual neighborhood have some nobility? If we stretch the neighborhood all the way around the world, what features of it can we justifiably expect to carry over into the virtual reality of the metaphor? And what won't stretch? Clearly, actual visualization, moment-by-moment multiple perception, and direction recognition/identification -- essential features of truly human contact -- don't stretch across this medium. We don't get to watch a person's "body language." Is the person uneasy? Confident? Intimacy is something that also belongs to most neighborhoods but doesn't travel well. For one thing, the network is too narrow a channel and it's set up for too much speed. Neighborhoods develop because we watch each other's kids grow up and we borrow each other's lawn mowers. And finally, I do not believe that commitment is something we'll find in the virtual neighborhood. When my virtual neighbor's URL burns down, will I be there with my bucket of fiberoptic? A neighborhood is something complex, something rich. Saying that we can re-create a neighborhood virtually across incredible distances and through a very limited medium has to be, in some real sense, very audacious. This is especially the case, I think, when we claim that intimacy can move without alteration across this medium.