Monthly Archives: January 2017

The Marketing Store London – TMS

Posted: January 26, 2017 at 12:00 pm

ABOUT US

The Marketing Store grows brands. Their reach, their influence, their sales. We help brands like McDonalds, Carlsberg, adidas and more thrive in our new world of mass connectivity and influence.

We believe every transaction has the potential to be a personalised and influential interaction that in turn can inspire many more.

How? Our ambition is to unlock the true potential in everything we do from single channel briefs to large-scale global brand strategies.

Our heritage, our understanding of all engagement is what drives us. Creativity, consumer intelligence and cutting-edge technology offer a set of bespoke participation tools that make meaningful, contagious and measurable connections with the right audiences.

At The Marketing Store we Move Millions.

OUR WORK

OUR AWARDS

THE MARKETING STORE NEWS

Last week saw the release of Santanders

Instagram increases user censorship options, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter are working

New Instagram Stories features, Snapchats World Lenses and new trend prediction tools

Its now been over a week since the election,

We continue our What I Know Now series

To reinforce our commitment to learning

Follow this link:

The Marketing Store London - TMS

Posted in Tms | Comments Off on The Marketing Store London – TMS

Molecular Cloning: Basics and Applications | Protocol

Posted: at 11:59 am

JoVE Science Education Basic Biology Basic Methods in Cellular and Molecular Biology Molecular Cloning

Enter your email to receive a free trial:

A subscription to JoVE is required to view this article. You will only be able to see the first 20 seconds.

Molecular cloning is a set of techniques used to insert recombinant DNA from a prokaryotic or eukaryotic source into a replicating vehicle such as plasmids or viral vectors. Cloning refers to making numerous copies of a DNA fragment of interest, such as a gene. In this video you will learn about the different steps of molecular cloning, how to set up the procedure, and different applications of this technique.

At least two important DNA molecules are required before cloning begins. First, and most importantly, you need the DNA fragment you are going to clone, otherwise known as the insert. It can come from a prokaryote, eukaryote, an extinct organism, or it can be created artificially in the laboratory. By using molecular cloning we can learn more about the function of a particular gene.

Second, you need a vector. A vector is plasmid DNA used as a tool in molecular biology to make more copies of or produce a protein from a certain gene. Plasmids are an example of a vector, and are circular, extra chromosomal, DNA that is replicated by bacteria.

A plasmid typically has a multiple cloning site or MCS, this area contains recognition sites for different restriction endonucleases also known as restriction enzymes. Different inserts can be incorporated into the plasmid by a technique called ligation. The plasmid vector also contains an origin of replication, which allows it to be replicated in bacteria. In addition, the plasmid has an antibiotic gene. If bacteria incorporate the plasmid, it will survive in media that contains the antibiotic. This allows for the selection of bacteria that have been successfully transformed.

The insert and vector are cloned into a host cell organism, the most common used in molecular cloning is E. coli. E. coli grows rapidly, is widely available and has numerous different cloning vectors commercially produced. Eukaryotes, like, yeast can also be used as host organisms for vectors.

The first step of the general molecular cloning procedure is to obtain the desired insert, which can be derived from DNA or mRNA from any cell type. The optimal vector and its host organism are then chosen based they type of insert and what will ultimately be done with it. A polymerase chain reaction, or PCR based method is often used to replicate the insert.

Then by using a series of enzymatic reactions, the insert and digest are joined together and introduced into the host organism for mass replication. Replicated vectors are purified from bacteria, and following restriction digestion, analyzed on a gel. Gel-purified fragments are later sent for sequencing to verify that the inset is the desired DNA fragment.

Lets have a little more detailed look at how molecular cloning is conducted. Before beginning, you will want to plan out your cloning strategy, prior to making any cloning attempt at the bench. For example, any given plasmid vector, will provide you with a finite number of restriction sites to incorporate the insert via the multiple cloning site. Youll need to choose restriction sites that are not found in your insert so that you do not cleave it. You might be left with a situation where you are forced to join a blunt end fragment with one that has an overhang. If so, then using the klenow fragment to set up a blunt end ligation might be your only option to get the insert into your desired vector. Understanding the various molecular cloning tools at your disposal, as well as coming up with a careful strategy before you begin cloning can be an immense time saver.

The source of DNA for molecular cloning can be isolated from almost any type of cell or tissue sample through simple extraction techniques. Once isolated, PCR can be used to amplify the insert.

Once the insert is amplified both it and the vector are digested by restriction enzymes, also known as restriction endonucleases.

Once digested, the insert and vector can be run on a gel and purified by a process called gel purification. With respect to the vector, this step will help to purify linearized plasmid from uncut plasmid, which tends to appear as a high molecular weight smear on a gel.

After gel purifying the digests, the insert is ligated or joined to the plasmid, via an enzyme called DNA ligase.

Generally speaking, it is always a good idea to set up ligations, so that the ratio of insert to vector is 3 to 1, which ensures that only a small amount of vector will self-ligate. Once the ligation has been set up on ice, it is incubated anywhere from 14-25C from 1 hr to overnight.

Next, transformation is performed to introduce the plasmid vector into the host that will replicate it.

Following transformation bacteria are plated on agar plates with antibiotic and incubated overnight at 37C. Because the plasimid contains an antibiotic resistance gene, successful transformation will produce bacterial colonies when grown on agar plates in presence of antibiotics. Individual colonies can then be picked from the transformed plate, placed into liquid growth media in numbered tubes, and put into a shaking incubator for expansion. A small volume of liquid culture is added to a numbered agar plate, while the rest of the culture moves on to plasmid purification. The numbering scheme that denotes the identity of bacterial colonies from which the plasmids will eventually be purified is maintained throughout the plasmid purification process.

A sample of purified plasmid is then cut with restriction enzymes. The digest is then loaded and run on the gel in order to check for the presence of insert, which will verify that the bacterial colony was transformed with a plasmid containing an insert and not self-ligated plasmid. Bacteria verified to have been transformed with an insert-containing plasmid, are expanded for further plasmid purification. Sequencing is used performed as a final verification step to confirm that your gene of interest has been cloned.

Molecular cloning can be used for a near limitless number of applications. For instance, when an mRNA template is reverse transcribed to form cDNA, or complementary DNA, by an enzyme called reverse transcriptase and then PCR is used to amplify the cDNA, molecular cloning can be used to create a cDNA library a library of all of the genes expressed by a given cell type.

Molecular cloning can also be employed to take a series of genes, or gene cluster from one bacterial strain, reorganize them into plasmids that are transformed in another strain, so an entire biosynthetic pathway can be recreated to produce a complex molecule.

Through molecular cloning, a mutant library can be generated by expressing a target plasmid in a special bacterial strain that uses an error prone polymerase when cultured at certain temperatures. The mutations can be characterized by sequencing. Bacteria transformed with mutant genes can then be tested with different drug or chemicals to see which bacterial colonies have evolved to have drug resistance.

Thanks to molecular cloning, reporter genes can be incorporated into DNA plasmids, a common reporter gene is green fluorescent protein or GFP, which emits a green fluorescence when exposed to UV light. A reporter gene can also be inserted into an alphavirus to show infection in mosquitoes and transmissibility in cells.

Youve just watched JoVEs video on molecular cloning. You should now understand how molecular cloning works and how the technique can be used in molecular biology. As always, thanks for watching!

Alphavirus Transducing System: Tools for Visualizing Infection in Mosquito Vectors

Isolation of Ribosome Bound Nascent Polypeptides in vitro to Identify Translational Pause Sites Along mRNA

Optimized Analysis of DNA Methylation and Gene Expression from Small, Anatomically-defined Areas of the Brain

Single Oocyte Bisulfite Mutagenesis

Large Insert Environmental Genomic Library Production

DNA Gel Electrophoresis

Bacterial Transformation: The Heat Shock Method

DNA Ligation Reactions

Restriction Enzyme Digests

Molecular cloning is a set of methods, which are used to insert recombinant DNA into a vector - a carrier of DNA molecules that will replicate recombinant DNA fragments in host organisms. The DNA fragment, which may be a gene, can be isolated from a prokaryotic or eukaryotic specimen. Following isolation of the fragment of interest, or insert, both the vector and insert must be cut with restriction enzymes and purified. The purified pieces are joined together though a technique called ligation. The enzyme that catalyzes the ligation reaction is known as ligase.

This video explains the major methods that are combined, in tandem, to comprise the overall molecular cloning procedure. Critical aspects of molecular cloning are discussed, such as the need for molecular cloning strategy and how to keep track of transformed bacterial colonies. Verification steps, such as checking purified plasmid for the presence of insert with restrictions digests and sequencing are also mentioned.

JoVE Science Education Database. Basic Methods in Cellular and Molecular Biology. Molecular Cloning. JoVE, Cambridge, MA, doi: 10.3791/5074 (2017).

JoVE Immunology and Infection

Aaron Phillips1, Eric Mossel1, Irma Sanchez-Vargas1, Brian Foy1, Ken Olson1

1Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University

Reporter constructs can be incorporated into DNA plasmids using molecular cloning. A common reporter gene is green fluorescent protein (GFP), which emits a green fluorescence when exposed to UV light. A reporter gene was inserted into an alphavirus to show viral infection in mosquitoes and viral transmissibility in cells.

JoVE Biology

Sujata S. Jha1, Anton A. Komar1

1Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Cleveland State University

Here, molecular cloning is used to identify translation pause sites in mRNA in a gene of interest. The DNA template is transcribed and translated in vitro followed by the isolation and characterization of nascent polypeptides newly developed amino acid chains.

JoVE Neuroscience

Marc Bettscheider1, Arleta Kuczynska1, Osborne Almeida1, Dietmar Spengler1

1Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry

This video article shows a step-by-step protocol for examining the epigenetic modifications of genomic DNA isolated from the brains of differentially-aged mice through molecular cloning. Molecular cloning techniques are used to analyze DNA methylation of samples from the brain.

JoVE Biology

Michelle M. Denomme1,2,3, Liyue Zhang3, Mellissa R.W. Mann1,2,3

1Department of Obstretrics & Gynaecology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, 2Department of Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, 3Children's Health Research Institute

The goal of this experiment is to measure DNA methylation in a single oocyte, a female germ cell, with the use of molecular cloning. Nested PCR is used to amplify the regions of DNA followed by molecular cloning to show methylation at CpG dinucleotides, sites where cytosine is next to guanine.

JoVE Biology

Marcus Taupp1, Sangwon Lee1, Alyse Hawley1, Jinshu Yang1, Steven J. Hallam1

1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia - UBC

Here, researchers collected native biomass samples to isolate pieces of genomic DNA and use molecular cloning to ligate DNA fragments of appropriate size into fosmid vectors. Fosmids are cloning vectors that are based on the bacterial F (fertility)-plasmid, which can hold relatively large inserts . DNA from the transformed bacteria is packaged into virus particles to create a phage genomic DNA library.

JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments) is the worlds first PubMed-indexed scientific video journal. Its mission is to advance scientific research and education by increasing productivity, reproducibility, and efficiency of knowledge transfer for scientists, educators, and students worldwide through visual learning solutions.

Follow this link:

Molecular Cloning: Basics and Applications | Protocol

Posted in Cloning | Comments Off on Molecular Cloning: Basics and Applications | Protocol

Real Life Extension: Caloric Restriction or Intermittent …

Posted: at 11:55 am

Can you slow the sands of time? The research say yes but whats the best option? (Photo: Thomas Ellis)

Most people dont want to die.

Since even before Ponce de Leon and his search for the fountain of youth, man has been on a quest to achieve immortality.

Some people think were getting closer. In recent years, caloric restriction (CR) has been demonstrated to increase lab rat lifespans more than 20%. Intermittent fasting (IF), a much lesser-known and more lifestyle-friendly alternative, has shown results that even surpass CR in some respects.

Following up on the popularity of his last post on this blog (The Science of Fat-Loss: Why a Calorie Isnt Always a Calorie), Dr. Eades examines these two options and his personal experiments with both.

If you want to live longer, this two-part article is an excellent place to start for avoiding common mistakes, pain and wasted effort.

###

Dr. Eades:

How would you like it if I told you there was a way to eat pretty much anything and everything you wanted to eat and still maintain your health? Or better yet, what if I told you that you could eat pretty much anything and everything you wanted and even improve your health? Would you be interested?

There is a way to reduce blood sugar, improve insulin sensitivity, reduce blood pressure, increase HDL levels, get rid of diabetes, live a lot longer, and still be able to lose a little weight. All without giving up the foods you love. And without having to eat those foods in tiny amounts. Sounds like a late-night infomercial gimmick, but it isnt.

When I wrote those words as the lede to an article about a year and a half ago, the idea of intermittent fasting was limited mainly to research scientists and faddists. But a number of studies had been published primarily on rodents showing that intermittent fasting led to a host of benefits that not even caloric restriction could claim.

And these werent studies published by no-name scientists laboring in backwater research departments. The lead author on many of these papers was Mark P. Mattson, Ph.D, the Chief of the Laboratory of Neurosciences and Chief of the Cellular and Molecular Neurosciences Section of the National Institute on Aging, a division of the National Institutes of Health. People were starting to take notice.

Before the work on intermittent fasting, the only real strategy for extending the lives of laboratory animals was caloric restriction (CR). If rats or mice or even primates had their calories restricted by 30-40 percent as compared to those fed ad libitum [at pleasure = as much as they want] they lived 20-30 percent longer. These studies are typically done by dividing genetically similar animals into two groups, then giving one group all the food it can eat in a day. Researchers measure the food consumed, then reduce it by 30-40 percent and give to the other group the next day. Each day this drill is repeated with the calorically restricted group getting a reduced amount of food compared to what the other group got the day before.

These CR verses ad libitum-fed studies almost uniformly demonstrate an increase in longevity in the CR animals. The CR animals not only live 30 percent or so longer, they dont develop cancers, diabetes, heart disease, or obesity. And these animals have low blood sugar levels, low insulin levels, good insulin sensitivity, low blood pressure and are, in general, much healthier physically than their ad libitum fed counterparts. But not so psychologically.

As we saw in the Keys semi-starvation study, caloric restriction isnt much fun for humans, and it apparently isnt all that much fun for the animals undergoing it either. When rats live out their ratty lives calorically restricted in their cages, they seem to show signs of depression and irritability. Primates do as well. If primates dont get enough cholesterol, they can actually become violent. But they do live longer. Even though CR has never been proven in humans, based on lab animal experience it does work. So, if youre willing to put up with irritability, hostility and depression, it might be worth cutting your calories by 30 percent for the rest of your long, healthy miserable life.

But could there be a better way?

An enterprising scientist decided to try a little twist on the CR experiment. He divided the genetically-similar animals into two groups, fed one group all it wanted and measured the intake, then fed the other group all it wanted except every other day instead of daily. When the intake of the group fed every other day was measured, it turned out that that group the intermittently fasted group ate just about double on the eat days, so that overall both groups consumed the same amount of food. Animals in the one group at X amount of food per day while the animals in the other group ate 2X amount of food every other day. So both groups ate the same number of calories but the commonality ended there.

The intermittently fasted group of animals despite consuming the same number of calories as the ad libitum fed group enjoyed all the health and longevity benefits of calorically restricted animals. In essence, they got their cake and ate it, too. They got all the benefits of CR plus some without the CR.

Intermittent fasting (IF) reduced oxidative stress, made the animals more resistant to acute stress in general, reduced blood pressure, reduced blood sugar, improved insulin sensitivity, reduced the incidence of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, and improved cognitive ability. But IF did even more. Animals that were intermittently fasted greatly increased the amount of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) relative to CR animals. CR animals dont produce much more BDNF than do ad libitum fed animals.

BDNF, as its name implies, is a substance that increases the growth of new nerve cells in the brain, but it does much more than that. BDNF is neuroprotective against stress and toxic insults to the brain and is somehowno one yet knows how, exactlyinvolved in the insulin sensitivity/glucose regulating mechanism. Infusing BDNF into animals increases their insulin sensitivity and makes them lose weight. Humans with greater levels of BDNF have lower levels of depression. BDNF given to depressed humans reduces their depression. And increased levels of BDNF improve cognitive ability. In short, you want as much BDNF as you can get, and with IF you if youre a lab animal at least can get a lot.

As the animal study data poured in, a few researchers began tentatively studying human subjects. A few studies appeared in the literature, and all showed positive benefits to humans who intermittently fasted. In none of the studies did subjects go completely without food for a day most had one meal per day or ate ad libitum one day and reduced consumption markedly the next.

Even some academic physicians (including Don Laub, my old mentor when I did a plastic surgery rotation at Stanford) put themselves on a modified version of an IF and wrote about it the the journal Medical Hypothesis. Since May 2003, these folks have been on a version of the IF in which they consume about 20-50 percent of their estimated daily energy requirements on the fast day and eat whatever they want on the non-fast days.

Since starting their regimen they have

observed health benefits starting in as little as two weeks, in insulin resistance, asthma, seasonal allergies, infectious diseases of viral, bacterial and fungal origin (viral URI, recurrent bacterial tonsillitis, chronic sinusitis, periodontal disease), autoimmune disorder (rheumatoid arthritis), osteoarthritis, symptoms due to CNS inflammatory lesions (Tourettes, Menieres) cardiac arrhythmias (PVCs, atrial fibrillation), menopause related hot flashes.

It all sounded good. But before I try anything out of the ordinary, and certainly before I suggest it to any of my own patients or readers, I view the idea through the lens of natural selection. In other words, I ask myself if the regimen in question would have been congruent with our Paleolithic heritage. If so, I move forward. If not, I take a long, hard look at all the biochemistry, physiology and pharmacology involved before I make any sort of recommendation.

In viewing IF through the lens of natural selection I came to the conclusion that IF was probably the way Paleolithic man ate. We modern humans have become acculturated to the three square meals per day regimen. Animals in the wild, particularly carnivorous animals, dont eat thrice per day; they eat when they make a kill. I would imagine that Paleolithic man did the same. If I had to make an intelligent guess, I would say that Paleolithic man probably ate once per day or maybe even twice every three days. In data gathered from humans still living in non-Westernized cultures in the last century, it appears that they would gorge after a kill and sleep and lay around doing not much of anything for the next day or so. When these folks got hungry, they went out and hunted and started the cycle again.

If you accept, as I do, that the Paleolithic diet is the optimal diet for modern man due to our evolved physiologies, then you should probably also buy into the idea that a meal timing schedule more like that of Paleolithic man would provide benefit as well.

With this in mind, I recruited my wife into the process and we went on an intermittent fast . It wasnt all that difficult, but I can tell you that the non-eating days were long. And the eating days were spent eating and dreading the non-eating day soon to follow.

After a few weeks, it dawned on me that we werent really following the same IF that all the lab animals were. The lab animals got food for 24 hours then went without for 24 hours. We, on the other hand, got food for about 16 hours (the waking hours) then went without for about 32 hours (8 hours sleeping, 16 hours awake and the next 8 hours sleeping). We decided to modify our fasting strategy

(Continued in Part II)

Related and Most Popular Posts: How to Lose 20 lbs. of Fat in 30 Days Without Doing Any Exercise From Geek to Freak: How I Gained 34 lbs. of Muscle in 4 Weeks The Science of Fat-Loss: Why a Calorie Isnt Always a Calorie Relax Like A Pro: 5 Steps to Hacking Your Sleep How to Travel the World with 10 Pounds or Less (Plus: How to Negotiate Convertibles and Luxury Treehouses) The Art of Letting Bad Things Happen (and Weapons of Mass Distraction)

Posted on: March 2, 2008.

Please check out Tools of Titans, my new book, which shares the tactics, routines, and habits of billionaires, icons, and world-class performers. It was distilled from more than 10,000 pages of notes, and everything has been vetted and tested in my own life in some fashion. The tips and tricks in Tools of Titans changed my life, and I hope the same for you. Click here for sample chapters, full details, and a Foreword from Arnold Schwarzenegger!

Continued here:

Real Life Extension: Caloric Restriction or Intermittent ...

Posted in Life Extension | Comments Off on Real Life Extension: Caloric Restriction or Intermittent …

Recruitment – Wikipedia

Posted: at 11:54 am

Recruitment (hiring) is a core function of human resource management. Recruitment refers to the overall process of attracting, selecting and appointing suitable candidates for jobs (either permanent or temporary) within an organization. Recruitment can also refer to processes involved in choosing individuals for unpaid positions, such as voluntary roles or unpaid trainee roles. Managers, human resource generalists and recruitment specialists may be tasked with carrying out recruitment, but in some cases public-sector employment agencies, commercial recruitment agencies, or specialist search consultancies are used to undertake parts of the process. Internet-based technologies to support all aspects of recruitment have become widespread.[1]

In situations where multiple new jobs are created and recruited for the first time or vacancies are there or the nature of a job has substantially changed, a job analysis might be undertaken to document the knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics (KSAOs) required or sought for the job. From these the relevant information is captured in such documents as job descriptions and job specifications. Often, a company already has job descriptions for existing positions. Where already drawn up, these documents may require review and updating to reflect current requirements. Prior to the recruitment stage, a person specification should be finalized.[2]

Sourcing is the use of one or more strategies to attract or identify candidates to fill job vacancies. It may involve internal and/or external recruitment advertising, using appropriate media, such as job portals,local or national newspapers, specialist recruitment media, professional publications, window advertisements, job centers, or in a variety of ways via the internet.

Alternatively, employers may use recruitment consultancies or agencies to find otherwise scarce candidateswho, in many cases, may be content in their current positions and are not actively looking to move. This initial research for candidatesalso called name generationproduces contact information for potential candidates, whom the recruiter can then discreetly contact and screen.[2]

Various psychological tests can assess a variety of KSAOs, including literacy. Assessments are also available to measure physical ability. Recruiters and agencies may use applicant tracking systems to filter candidates, along with software tools for psychometric testing and performance-based assessment.[3] In many countries, employers are legally mandated to ensure their screening and selection processes meet equal opportunity and ethical standards.[2]

Employers are likely to recognize the value of candidates who encompass soft skills such as interpersonal or team leadership.[4] Many companies, including multinational organizations and those that recruit from a range of nationalities, are also often concerned about whether candidate fits the prevailing company culture.[5]

The word disability carries few positive connotations for most employers. Research has shown that employer biases tend to improve through first-hand experience and exposure with proper supports for the employee[6] and the employer making the hiring decisions. As for most companies, money and job stability are two of the contributing factors to the productivity of a disabled employee, which in return equates to the growth and success of a business. Hiring disabled workers produce more advantages than disadvantages.[7] There is no difference in the daily production of a disabled worker.[8] Given their situation, they are more likely to adapt to their environmental surroundings and acquaint themselves with equipment, enabling them to solve problems and overcome adversity as with other employees. The U.S. IRS grants companies Disabled Access Credit when they meet eligibility criteria.[9]

Many major corporations recognize the need for diversity in hiring to compete successfully in a global economy.[10] Other organizations, for example universities and colleges, have been slow to embrace diversity as an essential value for their success.[11]

Recruitment Process Outsourcing, or commonly known as "RPO" is a form of business process outsourcing (BPO) where a company engages a third party provider to manage all or part of its recruitment process.

Internal recruitment (not to be confused with internal recruiters!) refers to the process of a candidate being selected from the existing workforce to take up a new job in the same organization, perhaps as a promotion, or to provide career development opportunity, or to meet a specific or urgent organizational need. Advantages include the organization's familiarity with the employee and their competencies insofar as they are revealed in their current job, and their willingness to trust said employee. It can be quicker and have a lower cost to hire someone internally.[12]

An employee referral program is a system where existing employees recommend prospective candidates for the job offered, and in some organizations if the suggested candidate is hired, the employee receives a cash bonus.[13]

Niche firms tend to focus on building ongoing relationships with their candidates, as the same candidates may be placed many times throughout their careers. Online resources have developed to help find niche recruiters.[14] Niche firms also develop knowledge on specific employment trends within their industry of focus (e.g., the energy industry) and are able to identify demographic shifts such as aging and its impact on the industry.[15]

Social recruiting is the use of social media for recruiting including sites like Facebook and Twitter or career-oriented social networking sites such as LinkedIn and XING.[16][17] It is a rapidly growing sourcing technique, especially with middle-aged people. On Google+, the fastest-growing age group is 4554. On Twitter, the expanding generation is people from ages 5564.[18]

Mobile recruiting is a recruitment strategy that uses mobile technology to attract, engage and convert candidates. Mobile recruiting is often cited as a growing opportunity for recruiters to connect with candidates more efficiently with "over 89% of job seekers saying their mobile device will be an important tool and resource for their job search."[19]

Some recruiters work by accepting payments from job seekers, and in return help them to find a job. This is illegal in some countries, such as in the United Kingdom, in which recruiters must not charge candidates for their services (although websites such as LinkedIn may charge for ancillary job-search-related services). Such recruiters often refer to themselves as "personal marketers" and "job application services" rather than as recruiters.[20][21]

Using Multiple-criteria decision analysis tools such as Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and combining it with conventional recruitment methods provides an added advantage by helping the recruiters to make decisions when there are several diverse criteria to be considered or when the applicants lack past experience; for instance recruitment of fresh university graduates.[22]

In some companies where the recruitment volume is high, it is common to see a multi tier recruitment model where the different sub-functions are being group together to achieve efficiency.

An example of a 3 tier recruitment model:

View post:

Recruitment - Wikipedia

Posted in Resource Based Economy | Comments Off on Recruitment – Wikipedia

Robots, Automation, EOAT, Grippers, Conveyors, Guarding

Posted: at 11:54 am

Hi Tech Automation is an automation intelligence company dedicated to the total success of its customers, and profitable market leadership.

By maintaining awareness and a strong understanding of technological developments within existing and new markets, we will continually strive to provide state of the art and highly productive and reliable automation solutions.

Developments of links with strong strategic suppliers who work both in local and global markets, will expand our business. We will ensure that all customers are satisfied with our service by delivering total customer support.

Hi Tech Automation will continue to recruit, develop, motivate and reward committed employees through superior leadership, from which we will ensure sustainable natural growth, and profitability.

Our business will be run in a socially responsible way, continually identify and implementing processes and working practices which protect the environment.

LATEST: CALL US ON 01536 312131 OR EMAIL sales@hitechautomation.comFOR OUR NEW MODULAR GRIPPER BROCHURE AND PRICES

Go here to see the original:

Robots, Automation, EOAT, Grippers, Conveyors, Guarding

Posted in Automation | Comments Off on Robots, Automation, EOAT, Grippers, Conveyors, Guarding

Moral nihilism – Wikipedia

Posted: at 11:51 am

This article is about the meta-ethical position. For a more general discussion of amoralism, see Amorality.

Moral nihilism (also known as ethical nihilism) is the meta-ethical view that nothing is intrinsically moral or immoral. For example, a moral nihilist would say that killing someone, for whatever reason, is neither inherently right nor inherently wrong. Moral nihilists consider morality to be constructed, a complex set of rules and recommendations that may give a psychological, social, or economical advantage to its adherents, but is otherwise without universal or even relative truth in any sense.[1]

Moral nihilism is distinct from moral relativism, which does allow for actions to be right or wrong relative to a particular culture or individual, and moral universalism, which holds actions to be right or wrong in the same way for everyone everywhere. Insofar as only true statements can be known, moral nihilism implies moral skepticism.

According to Sinnott-Armstrong (2006a), the basic thesis of moral nihilism is that "nothing is morally wrong" (3.4). There are, however, several forms that this thesis can take (see Sinnott-Armstrong, 2006b, pp.3237 and Russ Shafer-Landau, 2003, pp.813). There are two important forms of moral nihilism: error theory and expressivism[1] p.292.

One form of moral nihilism is expressivism. Expressivism denies the principle that our moral judgments try and fail to describe the moral features, because expressivists believe when someone says something is immoral they are not saying it is right or wrong. Expressivists are not trying to speak the truth when making moral judgments; they are simply trying to express their feelings. "We are not making an effort to describe the way the world is. We are not trying to report on the moral features possessed by various actions, motives, or policies. Instead, we are venting our emotions, commanding others to act in certain ways, or revealing a plan of action. When we condemn torture, for instance, we are expressing our opposition to it, indicating our disgust at it, publicizing our reluctance to perform it, and strongly encouraging others not to go in for it. We can do all of these things without trying to say anything that is true."[1] p.293.

This makes expressivism a form of non-cognitivism. Non-cognitivism in ethics is the view that moral statements lack truth-value and do not assert genuine propositions. This involves a rejection of the cognitivist claim, shared by other moral philosophies, that moral statements seek to "describe some feature of the world" (Garner 1967, 219-220). This position on its own is logically compatible with realism about moral values themselves. That is, one could reasonably hold that there are objective moral values but that we cannot know them and that our moral language does not seek to refer to them. This would amount to an endorsement of a type of moral skepticism, rather than nihilism.

Typically, however, the rejection of the cognitivist thesis is combined with the thesis that there are, in fact, no moral facts (van Roojen, 2004). But if moral statements cannot be true, and if one cannot know something that is not true, non-cognitivism implies that moral knowledge is impossible (Garner 1967, 219-220).

Not all forms of non-cognitivism are forms of moral nihilism, however: notably, the universal prescriptivism of R.M. Hare is a non-cognitivist form of moral universalism, which holds that judgements about morality may be correct or not in a consistent, universal way, but do not attempt to describe features of reality and so are not, strictly speaking, truth-apt.

Error theory is built on three principles:

Thus, we always lapse into error when thinking in moral terms. We are trying to state the truth when we make moral judgments. But since there is no moral truth, all of our moral claims are mistaken. Hence the error. These three principles lead to the conclusion that there is no moral knowledge. Knowledge requires truth. If there is no moral truth, there can be no moral knowledge. Thus moral values are purely chimerical.[1]

Error theorists combine the cognitivist thesis that moral language consists of truth-apt statements with the nihilist thesis that there are no moral facts. Like moral nihilism itself, however, error theory comes in more than one form: Global falsity and Presupposition failure.

The first, which one might call the global falsity form of error theory, claims that moral beliefs and assertions are false in that they claim that certain moral facts exist that in fact do not exist. J. L. Mackie (1977) argues for this form of moral nihilism. Mackie argues that moral assertions are only true if there are moral properties that are intrinsically motivating, but there is good reason to believe that there are no such intrinsically motivating properties (see the argument from queerness and motivational internalism).

The second form, which one might call the presupposition failure form of error theory, claims that moral beliefs and assertions are not true because they are neither true nor false. This is not a form of non-cognitivism, for moral assertions are still thought to be truth-apt. Rather, this form of moral nihilism claims that moral beliefs and assertions presuppose the existence of moral facts that do not exist. This is analogous to presupposition failure in cases of non-moral assertions. Take, for example, the claim that the present king of France is bald. Some argue[who?] that this claim is truth-apt in that it has the logical form of an assertion, but it is neither true nor false because it presupposes that there is currently a king of France, but there is not. The claim suffers from "presupposition failure." Richard Joyce (2001) argues for this form of moral nihilism under the name "fictionalism."

The philosophy of Niccol Machiavelli is sometimes presented as a model of moral nihilism, but this is at best ambiguous. His book Il Principe (The Prince) praised many acts of violence and deception, which shocked a European tradition that throughout the Middle Ages had inculcated moral lessons in its political philosophies. Machiavelli does say that the Prince must override traditional moral rules in favor of power-maintaining reasons of State, but he also says, particularly in his other works, that the successful ruler should be guided by Pagan rather than Christian virtues. Hence, Machiavelli presents an alternative to the ethical theories of his day, rather than an all-out rejection of all morality.

Closer to being an example of moral nihilism is Thrasymachus, as portrayed in Plato's Republic. Thrasymachus argues, for example, that rules of justice are structured to benefit those who are able to dominate political and social institutions. Thrasymachus can, however, be interpreted as offering a revisionary account of justice, rather than a total rejection of morality and normative discourse.

Glover has cited realist views of amoralism held by early Athenians, and in some ethical positions affirmed by Joseph Stalin.[2]

Criticisms of moral nihilism come primarily from moral realists,[citation needed] who argue that there are positive moral truths. Still, criticisms do arise out of the other anti-realist camps (i.e. subjectivists and relativists). Not only that, but each school of moral nihilism has its own criticisms of one another (e.g. the non-cognitivists' critique of error theory for accepting the semantic thesis of moral realism).[citation needed]

Still other detractors deny that the basis of moral objectivity need be metaphysical. The moral naturalist, though a form of moral realist, agrees with the nihilists' critique of metaphysical justifications for right and wrong. Moral naturalists prefer to define "morality" in terms of observables, some even appealing to a science of morality.[citation needed]

Visit link:

Moral nihilism - Wikipedia

Posted in Nihilism | Comments Off on Moral nihilism – Wikipedia

How Blockchain is overshadowing Bitcoin

Posted: at 11:46 am

Steve Jobs once said that the ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.

Thats the motto an anonymous person took to heart as he shook up the financial world by creating an unregulated tech-based currency in early 2009. That very currency was developed using another revolutionary technology which is now in the news for its uses beyond trading unregulated online money, and has become a hot topic amongst financial and business executives recently.

Gary Vaynerchuk was so impressed with TNW Conference 2016 he paused mid-talk to applaud us.

Lets discuss what both technologies offer their users, and what the future holds for each.

Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, created and held electronically on your PC or in a virtual wallet. No one controls it or sees it its decentralized so no person, institution or bank controls the currency.

It was the year 2009 when bitcoin burst onto the financial scene, and soon computers all over the world started running sophisticated programs that would mine blocks of bitcoins by solving extremely complex mathematical equations. Mining bitcoin means to discover or verify new bitcoins because unlike traditional currency, bitcoin cannot be printed. Miners make money every time they discover new bitcoins or verify a bitcoin transaction.

There can only be a fixed 21 million bitcoins [to prevent inflation], out of which 15.5 million are currently in circulation, which leaves 5.5 million bitcoins to be discovered. These valued blocks of online information skyrocketed in price as time went on and investor appeal in the new technology grew. Today, January 19th, bitcoin is showing an upwards trend and is trading at US $890.90, below the US $1000 threshold it broke in November 2013.

Figure 1 Bitcoin price between July 2010 and Jan 2017. Source: Coindesk

Trading could be done online anonymously, quickly, without hassle from regulatory and exchange bodies. The ease of use and lack of a trail led to flexibility unheard of in the financial world. But for all its benefits, the currency was overshadowed because of its anonymous, unregulated nature as it became easy for people to use the currency for illicit transactions that would stay off the books, as well as for schemes that swindled people.

Coinbase has been one of the biggest proponents and enablers of bitcoin use. In an era where most traditional financial institutions avoid bitcoin discussions, the company sticks vehemently to its stand on bitcoin, likening the resistance of business executives to bitcoin to how companies once preferred private intranets over the open internet. We all know who won that battle!

While bitcoin had the power to make transactions untraceable, it was another innovation that promised to make every transaction transparent and permanent. Underlying the use of bitcoin is blockchain, which is almost entirely opposite its more famous alter-ego. Blockchain possesses the ability of having permanent records of the transactions the blocks (the name for their portions of value) are used for, and at any time people can see those changes online in real time. It is this transparency that people have hopes in, but thats not the only thing blockchain does differently than the cryptocurrency it drove for so long.

Blockchain can easily transfer everything from property rights to stocks and currencies without having to go through a middle man and clearing institution like SWIFT, while offering the same safety, higher speed and lower costs. Consider it from the financial perspective: billions of dollars are transferred daily in the financial markets, with every transaction being cleared by a middle man. Replacing the middle man with a revolutionary technology that is faster, cheaper and as secure will help save millions for businesses.

To put into perspective just how big the market is now and how big it will become, the World Economic Forum shared some metrics on Bitcoin and Blockchain. It estimates that currently $20 billion dollars worth of Bitcoin exists now on record. The bigger prediction, though, was that by 2027 about 10 percent of the entire global GDP would be stored on blockchains, meaning anyone who wanted to become part of that process still has time to get a piece of the pie.

Because of its cleaner reputation than bitcoin, blockchain has garnered the support of different financial institutions behind its design. Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, and Bank of America have expressed great interest in blockchain by joining a coalition to implement it into banking practices. In addition to those large financial players, Visa, NASDAQ, Citi, and others have also agreed to be clients for blockchain related services and technology. These large, long established institutions feel that blockchain has less of a negative image attached to it than bitcoin, and because of that they seem more open to trying out the technology.

The rush towards blockchain is simple: banks can increase the efficiency of their transactions by using their own permissioned blockchains to record all transactions done by their customers, as opposed to trying to record all that data with different types of software that become outdated every few years.

However, some experts like Don Tapscott [University of Toronto] think that banks should be using blockchain technology not just to increase their banking capabilities, but to completely change how banking computing looks like for the entire industry.

Indeed, outside of traditional banking, blockchain services have allowed users to engage in high value currency transactions already. The processing times on these transactions are very quick, and allow for a high volume of money to be exchanged and recorded.

Major bitcoin players include names such as Bitreserve and Circle.

Bitreserve serves as an online portal to convert currency from one form to another. In the beginning, users had to deposit their currency in bitcoin form, and could then convert their bitcoin into 25 other world currencies or fourdifferent types of valuable metals. Circle at first only allowed use of its transfer services amazingly quick money transfers to anyone, anywhere to be done in bitcoin money, including the process of depositing, holding, and sending of currency.

Many of the companies who started off using bitcoin as their main currency are changing to focus on blockchain as a whole. Bitreserve changed its name to Uphold and has since allowed depositing of currency in any form, and Circle has changed to allow use of credit and debit cards to be used for deposit, holding, and sending of money worldwide.

Many startups that were created with a focus on bitcoin are changing to accommodate alternative currencies and to let others know that they are not nearly as bitcoin dependent as before for what seems to be a similar reason to the one banks use: that bitcoin has a negative connotation to it, and since blockchain is the hot commodity now, it seems like a smarter idea to tie the business to that. They hope that, as more businesses and users adopt the blockchain technology, their use of it will also allow them to gain in popularity and use.

For players in the financial sector, the best thing to do right now would be to seriously consider the advantages of blockchain. While bitcoin is the most top of mind for the general public, blockchain is attracting the biggest forces in the finance sector with its clean reputation. More than that, blockchain offers the opportunity to revitalize modern value transactions as we know it, and those who get their stakes in before that happens will have the best chance to shape what happens after. Its business management 101: first-mover advantage!

Is it crazy to change course of your company to try something so new, something so different from what you have has been accustomed to. Maybe so. But as Steve Jobs very rightly noted when thinking about changing the world, financial or otherwise its usually the crazy ones who do.

Read next: ASUS made a beefed-up Raspberry Pi rival that plays 4K video

Shh. Here's some distraction

See original here:
How Blockchain is overshadowing Bitcoin

Posted in Bitcoin | Comments Off on How Blockchain is overshadowing Bitcoin

Eczema at SkinCareGuide.com

Posted: at 11:44 am

Latest Articles About Eczema

7 Foods that Cause Eczema

Eczema may be caused by a wide range of factors, including foods. Avoiding some foods can prevent the occurrence of eczema in some cases, but when the eczema is hereditary, the food you eat has very little to do with the outbreaks. Learning what foods can trigger eczemas is essential. 1. Dairy Produ ... Continue Reading

7 Foods that Cause Eczema

Eczema may be caused by a wide range of factors, including foods. Avoiding some foods can prevent the occurrence of eczema in some cases, but when the eczema is hereditary, the food you eat has very little to do with the outbreaks. Learning what foods can trigger eczemas is ... Continue Reading

4 Natural Remedies to Soothe Eczema Outbreaks

Eczema is a condition in which the skin becomes irritated, flaky and uncomfortable. Seen in children as well as in adults, this condition's cause is unknown, making its treatment difficult. Though many patients will use steroids, both topical and oral, in order to manage the eczema outbreaks, those ... Continue Reading

4 Natural Remedies to Soothe Eczema Outbreaks

Eczema is a condition in which the skin becomes irritated, flaky and uncomfortable. Seen in children as well as in adults, this condition's cause is unknown, making its treatment difficult. Though many patients will use steroids, both topical and oral, in order to manage the ... Continue Reading

Eczema Natural Treatment: Probiotics

Probiotics as an eczema natural treatment have been touted across many health channels and in the medical community. Probiotics have become popular since they started putting them in yogurts and shakes to help with digestion. Probiotics help to replenish natural healthy flora in the digestive tract, Continue Reading

Eczema Natural Treatment: Probiotics

Probiotics as an eczema natural treatment have been touted across many health channels and in the medical community. Probiotics have become popular since they started putting them in yogurts and shakes to help with digestion. Probiotics help to replenish natural healthy flor ... Continue Reading

Types of Eczema: Venous Eczema

Eczema, also called dermatitis, is any inflammatory skin condition. Venous eczema, which is also known as stasis dermatitis, is a rather common condition affecting the lower extremities of the over-50 age group afflicted with chronic venous insufficiency. Cause of Venous Eczema Normal veins have one ... Continue Reading

Types of Eczema: Venous Eczema

Eczema, also called dermatitis, is any inflammatory skin condition. Venous eczema, which is also known as stasis dermatitis, is a rather common condition affecting the lower extremities of the over-50 age group afflicted with chronic venous insufficiency. Cause of Venous Ecz ... Continue Reading

5 Ways to Prevent Eczema Outbreaks

Dermatitis, also known as eczema, is a skin condition that may cause irritated, dry and itchy skin. The irritation may occur on any area of the body, but is more common on the face, neck, elbows, knees and ankles. There are 2 types of eczema: atopic and contact eczema. Depending on the type, you may Continue Reading

5 Ways to Prevent Eczema Outbreaks

Dermatitis, also known as eczema, is a skin condition that may cause irritated, dry and itchy skin. The irritation may occur on any area of the body, but is more common on the face, neck, elbows, knees and ankles. There are 2 types of eczema: atopic and contact eczema. Depen ... Continue Reading

Eczema Treatment: Oral Corticosteroids

Oral corticosteroids are among the many kinds of eczema treatment medicines aimed at curbing symptoms of an acute eczematous flare-up. Eczema is a chronic skin condition that presents itself in various forms, giving rise to many kinds of symptoms. Typical symptoms of eczema include swelling and crac ... Continue Reading

Eczema Treatment: Oral Corticosteroids

Oral corticosteroids are among the many kinds of eczema treatment medicines aimed at curbing symptoms of an acute eczematous flare-up. Eczema is a chronic skin condition that presents itself in various forms, giving rise to many kinds of symptoms. Typical symptoms of eczema ... Continue Reading

Eczema Treatment: Skin Barrier Emulsions

There are three popular skin barrier emulsions for eczema treatment. Two of the emulsions are over-the-counter products but are highly endorsed by dermatologists for atopic eczema, and the other is available by prescription only. Each contain one of the main properties necessary to help heal breakou ... Continue Reading

Eczema Treatment: Skin Barrier Emulsions

There are three popular skin barrier emulsions for eczema treatment. Two of the emulsions are over-the-counter products but are highly endorsed by dermatologists for atopic eczema, and the other is available by prescription only. Each contain one of the main properties neces ... Continue Reading

Eczema Treatment: Immunosuppressants

Within the niche of eczema treatment, immunosuppressants are commonly prescribed and used to suppress extreme eczema flare-ups. Most eczema sufferers have a few periods of exacerbated symptoms wherein their usual medical aids don't seem to work. At such times, immunosuppressants are recommended. Und ... Continue Reading

Eczema Treatment: Immunosuppressants

Within the niche of eczema treatment, immunosuppressants are commonly prescribed and used to suppress extreme eczema flare-ups. Most eczema sufferers have a few periods of exacerbated symptoms wherein their usual medical aids don't seem to work. At such times, immunosuppress ... Continue Reading

Best Moisturizer for Eczema

An eczema flare up may be caused by different factors and will be manifested through dry, irritated skin. In some cases, you may also experience itchy skin. The need of a quality lotion or cream is essential if you have eczema, as the skin will need to get supplements of natural oils and get a lot o ... Continue Reading

Best Moisturizer for Eczema

An eczema flare up may be caused by different factors and will be manifested through dry, irritated skin. In some cases, you may also experience itchy skin. The need of a quality lotion or cream is essential if you have eczema, as the skin will need to get supplements of nat ... Continue Reading

Types of Eczema: Xerotic Eczema

There are many different types of eczema. One type of eczema that many people suffer from during the fall and winter months is Xerotic Eczema. This type of eczema occurs when the skin becomes abnormally dry and itchy. During the winter months, it is harder to maintain the moisture in the skin due to Continue Reading

Types of Eczema: Xerotic Eczema

There are many different types of eczema. One type of eczema that many people suffer from during the fall and winter months is Xerotic Eczema. This type of eczema occurs when the skin becomes abnormally dry and itchy. During the winter months, it is harder to maintain the mo ... Continue Reading

Need Help?

Get answers from experienced doctors

Ask Now

See more Suggested Doctors

See All Recently Asked Questions

Se All Recently Asked Questions

Continue reading here:
Eczema at SkinCareGuide.com

Posted in Eczema | Comments Off on Eczema at SkinCareGuide.com

Eczema: An Introduction to This Chronic Skin Disorder

Posted: at 11:44 am

Did you know that the skin is the largest and fastest-growing organ in the body?1 It holds fluids in, keeps harmful microbes out and balances your body temperature, and even plays a crucial role in vitamin D production from sun exposure.2 There is no doubt that it is one of your bodys most important organs.

Unfortunately, there are many conditions that can affect your skin health. One example is eczema, a disorder that makes your skin red, itchy and scaly.3 Whats interesting is that it is more common today than it has ever been before.

Scientists believe this is due to a direct connection between a parents health conditions in this specific area and their childs.4

Eczema usually appears in the first 6 months up to 5 years of a childs life. Infants typically develop it on their face, often affecting the cheeks and chin. Yet, it can appear on any part of the body and the symptoms may differ from one child to another.

In most cases, the symptoms will go away as a child grows older, but some children will continue to suffer from it into adulthood. However, adults can also develop this condition suddenly.5

If you think that you or your child has eczema, you are not alone. More than 30 million Americans have this skin disorder, according to the National Eczema Association,6 and at least 17.8 million of them are suffering from moderate to severe eczema.7

Eczema is a resilient skin disorder, typically getting worse the longer you have it. There is no cure for it, but there are ways to manage the symptoms.8

Conventional methods generally involve the use of topical steroids, but be warned that these drugs can cause a variety of side effects such as thinning of the skin, discolorations and unwanted hair growth. Certain topical steroids can even reach your bloodstream, causing adverse effects (especially on children).9

This is why effective natural treatment methods that dont have potential adverse effects are recommended. For instance, a research published in the British Journal of Dermatology indicates that a diet rich in omega-3 fats can help people with eczema, reducing the severity of their symptoms.10 More detailed information on alternative therapies will be covered in the treatment page.

You should remember that treating eczema depends on the particular type and how severe it is. The most common type is atopic dermatitis, a chronic and inflammatory condition. Its cause is still unknown, but it occurs when your immune system goes into overdrive.11 The other common types are contact dermatitis, dyshidrotic eczema, hand eczema and neurodermatitis.

Learn about the different types of eczema, its causes, symptoms and the best treatment options for this condition. Discover how you can control your symptoms through a special diet. Through these articles, you will discover all the essential information you need to treat and manage this skin disorder.

What Is Eczema?

View post:
Eczema: An Introduction to This Chronic Skin Disorder

Posted in Eczema | Comments Off on Eczema: An Introduction to This Chronic Skin Disorder

Key Concepts of Libertarianism | Cato Institute

Posted: at 11:42 am

The key concepts of libertarianism have developed over many centuries. The first inklings of them can be found in ancient China, Greece, and Israel; they began to be developed into something resembling modern libertarian philosophy in the work of such seventeenth- and eighteenth-century thinkers as John Locke, David Hume, Adam Smith, Thomas Jefferson, and Thomas Paine.

Individualism. Libertarians see the individual as the basic unit of social analysis. Only individuals make choices and are responsible for their actions. Libertarian thought emphasizes the dignity of each individual, which entails both rights and responsibility. The progressive extension of dignity to more people to women, to people of different religions and different races is one of the great libertarian triumphs of the Western world.

Individual Rights. Because individuals are moral agents, they have a right to be secure in their life, liberty, and property. These rights are not granted by government or by society; they are inherent in the nature of human beings. It is intuitively right that individuals enjoy the security of such rights; the burden of explanation should lie with those who would take rights away.

Spontaneous Order. A great degree of order in society is necessary for individuals to survive and flourish. Its easy to assume that order must be imposed by a central authority, the way we impose order on a stamp collection or a football team. The great insight of libertarian social analysis is that order in society arises spontaneously, out of the actions of thousands or millions of individuals who coordinate their actions with those of others in order to achieve their purposes. Over human history, we have gradually opted for more freedom and yet managed to develop a complex society with intricate organization. The most important institutions in human society language, law, money, and markets all developed spontaneously, without central direction. Civil society the complex network of associations and connections among people is another example of spontaneous order; the associations within civil society are formed for a purpose, but civil society itself is not an organization and does not have a purpose of its own.

The Rule of Law. Libertarianism is not libertinism or hedonism. It is not a claim that people can do anything they want to, and nobody else can say anything. Rather, libertarianism proposes a society of liberty under law, in which individuals are free to pursue their own lives so long as they respect the equal rights of others. The rule of law means that individuals are governed by generally applicable and spontaneously developed legal rules, not by arbitrary commands; and that those rules should protect the freedom of individuals to pursue happiness in their own ways, not aim at any particular result or outcome.

Limited Government. To protect rights, individuals form governments. But government is a dangerous institution. Libertarians have a great antipathy to concentrated power, for as Lord Acton said, Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Thus they want to divide and limit power, and that means especially to limit government, generally through a written constitution enumerating and limiting the powers that the people delegate to government. Limited government is the basic political implication of libertarianism, and libertarians point to the historical fact that it was the dispersion of power in Europe more than other parts of the world that led to individual liberty and sustained economic growth.

Free Markets. To survive and to flourish, individuals need to engage in economic activity. The right to property entails the right to exchange property by mutual agreement. Free markets are the economic system of free individuals, and they are necessary to create wealth. Libertarians believe that people will be both freer and more prosperous if government intervention in peoples economic choices is minimized.

The Virtue of Production. Much of the impetus for libertarianism in the seventeenth century was a reaction against monarchs and aristocrats who lived off the productive labor of other people. Libertarians defended the right of people to keep the fruits of their labor. This effort developed into a respect for the dignity of work and production and especially for the growing middle class, who were looked down upon by aristocrats. Libertarians developed a pre-Marxist class analysis that divided society into two basic classes: those who produced wealth and those who took it by force from others. Thomas Paine, for instance, wrote, There are two distinct classes of men in the nation, those who pay taxes, and those who receive and live upon the taxes. Similarly, Jefferson wrote in 1824, We have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious. Modern libertarians defend the right of productive people to keep what they earn, against a new class of politicians and bureaucrats who would seize their earnings to transfer them to nonproducers.

Natural Harmony of Interests. Libertarians believe that there is a natural harmony of interests among peaceful, productive people in a just society. One persons individual plans which may involve getting a job, starting a business, buying a house, and so on may conflict with the plans of others, so the market makes many of us change our plans. But we all prosper from the operation of the free market, and there are no necessary conflicts between farmers and merchants, manufacturers and importers. Only when government begins to hand out rewards on the basis of political pressure do we find ourselves involved in group conflict, pushed to organize and contend with other groups for a piece of political power.

Peace. Libertarians have always battled the age-old scourge of war. They understood that war brought death and destruction on a grand scale, disrupted family and economic life, and put more power in the hands of the ruling class which might explain why the rulers did not always share the popular sentiment for peace. Free men and women, of course, have often had to defend their own societies against foreign threats; but throughout history, war has usually been the common enemy of peaceful, productive people on all sides of the conflict.

It may be appropriate to acknowledge at this point the readers likely suspicion that libertarianism seems to be just the standard framework of modern thought individualism, private property, capitalism, equality under the law. Indeed, after centuries of intellectual, political, and sometimes violent struggle, these core libertarian principles have become the basic structure of modern political thought and of modern government, at least in the West and increasingly in other parts of the world.

However, three additional points need to be made: first, libertarianism is not just these broad liberal principles. Libertarianism applies these principles fully and consistently, far more so than most modern thinkers and certainly more so than any modern government. Second, while our society remains generally based on equal rights and capitalism, every day new exceptions to those principles are carved out in Washington and in Albany, Sacramento, and Austin (not to mention London, Bonn, Tokyo, and elsewhere). Each new government directive takes a little bit of our freedom, and we should think carefully before giving up any liberty. Third, liberal society is resilient; it can withstand many burdens and continue to flourish; but it is not infinitely resilient. Those who claim to believe in liberal principles but advocate more and more confiscation of the wealth created by productive people, more and more restrictions on voluntary interaction, more and more exceptions to property rights and the rule of law, more and more transfer of power from society to state, are unwittingly engaged in the ultimately deadly undermining of civilization.

From Chapter 1, The Coming Libertarian Age, Libertarianism: A Primer, by David Boaz (New York: The Free Press, 1998). See also http://www.libertarianism.org.

View post:
Key Concepts of Libertarianism | Cato Institute

Posted in Libertarianism | Comments Off on Key Concepts of Libertarianism | Cato Institute