National Strategy for Counter-terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

National Strategy for Counter-terrorism - Essay Example The (FID) foreign internal defense are terms used in programs that are meant to either reduce or suppress the favorable conditions that would promote the insurgent conditions, in this overview the response and detection of potential acts or threats describe the principals of counter-terrorism. This paper argues that the overarching goals articulated in the National Strategy for Counterterrorism increase U.S. military involvement in the types of small wars. Small wars from the view of many theorists can be described as strife between irregular and regular forces, this definition extends even to the encompass regular troops in different event or cases that demand their presences and responses like in variable context like in roles of national interest ,politics or culture. If the so-called small wars are analyzed from the political perspective, it is evident that the opponents whenever decide to stand their ground rarely succeed in direct pitched battles. As opposed to traditional rebe llious tribesmen, the modern arenas of warfare record some irregularities in their adversaries. As compared to the past, the sole means was through psychological and political warfare. In this general understanding, success in small wars therefore must include effective means of undermining legitimacy of the adversaries. This means that small wars have to include strategies ranging from peacekeeping, response, small-combating units, and operational as means of survival (Caraccilo 3). The small wars information is a remarkable modern counterinsurgency, counterterrorism, peace operations and other irregular operations remarkable anticipation. In some cases like the argument passed by the United States on the Marines that best strategy was to separate and intervene between warring factions through their negotiations and eventually reach an amicable settlement that does not involve fighting. The best strategy in other situations was to impose order, intervene and create new governments. In the latter, instance the fact that the overarching aim in the interests aligned new polity with the U.S. Nevertheless, the marine asserted that the sole purpose should be on the protection of the citizens and people through the government. These strategies in relation to terrorism are driven by extreme ideologies that often have global implications and possible new realities. These ideologies and violence embracing from the divergent responsible groups can achieve a reach globally. This new reality’s impact is that there are diverse effects from the terrorist attacks on the country’s interest regardless of where there are issues or attacks occur (Ravndal 7). The National Strategy for Counter-terrorism articulate overarching goals of the countries involved, such as the U.S. military and its involvement in counter-terrorism strategies as described in article 8905. It shows that the effects of the small wars and the new realities brought in by terrorist attacks on the country. As such, the country is forced to constantly intervene in the interference. This causes drastic and negative effects since the contemporary conduct of the military activities that take place in contested social norms and legal terrains, the engagement of military forces in armed conflicts conventions, antiterrorism, counter-conspiracy, enforcement of peacekeeping, law enforcement or stability operations result to deaths and even destruction of property. Through this, there is a dense mixture of law through

Lasting Impression Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Lasting Impression Company - Case Study Example pply for the installation of newer presses that would enable the company to meet its goals and also produce prints than the previous versions by the older presses. At the current moment, the company has considered the sale of the older presses in favor of acquiring newer versions. However, in this case, two versions of presses are available from which each, A and B, have differing output qualities. For example, press A is considered to be highly automated and selling at $830,000 with an installation fee of 40,000 while press B has a purchase price of $640,000 with an installation fee of 20,000 considering it is not as sophisticated as press A. Analytically, press A is of higher value than press B due to its capabilities in producing prints of higher quality. However, when considering its value after five years after purchase, it will have depreciated to less than 50% of the current purchase as it would be legible to trade at $400,000 which is $15,000 less than the 50% mark on its current value. When considering press B, its current value is $640,000 and will be valued at 330 after five years before taxes. Considering the current value and the future value, press B would be of higher value considering the current rate of depreciation. After depreciating to $330,000, press B would have depreciated by 48.4275% which is higher than the depreciation of press A of 51.8072%. When considering the initial investments, operating cash inflows, and terminal cash flows of each of these presses, press A has higher investment as it has a purchase price of $830,000 and an installation fee of $40,000 making its total investment $870,000. On the other hand, press B has a smaller investment budget as it trades at $640,000 and has an installation fee of $20,000 making its total investment $660,000. With reference to the operating cash inflows, press A seems to have a higher cash inflow considering it is in its best functionality for the five years before it is considered a candidate

Machiavelli Lao-Tzu Essay Example for Free

Machiavelli Lao-Tzu Essay Lao-tzu was an ancient Chinese philosopher from 6th century BC, the author of Tao-te Ching, and Machiavelli was an Italian philosopher who lived 2000 years after Lao-tzus time, author of Prince. They are both philosophers but have totally different perspective on how to be a good leader. While both philosophers writing is instructive. Lao-tzus advice issues from detached view of a universal ruler; Machiavellis advice is very personal perhaps demanding. Both philosophers idea will not work for todays world, because that modern world is not as perfect as Lao-tzu described in Tao-te Ching, and not as chaotic as Machiavelli illustrated in Prince. Perhaps Lao-tzu and Machivellis political system will not work for todays world, but some of their philosophies are still exist in some of modern issues. One of those issues is gun control, which has become a dividing line in America. Lao-tzu advised in Tao-te Ching weapon are the tools of violence; all decent man detest them. Weapon are the tools of fear; a decent man will avoid them except in the direst necessity and, if compelled, will use them only with the utmost restraint. On the other hand Machiavelli wrote in Prince, Francesco Sforza became Duke of Milan from being a private citizen because he was armed; his sons, since they avoided the inconveniences of arms, became private citizens after having been duke. For, among the other bad effects it causes, being disarmed makes you despised; this is one of those infamies a prince should guard himself against (page 36) in which he pointed out that taking arms from a people can make a difference between a prince and a citizen. To gun control activists, the issue is about crime and the regulation of the weapons used to commit crimes. In their opinion, law-abiding citizens should have no need for guns, which is similar to Lao-tzus idea. However in opposite, the nations powerful gun lobby, the National Rifle Association, argues that gun control is a violation of freedom and rights to protect themselves, which correspond to Machiavellis idea. I think that if American government take either sides, will end up in total chaos. Gun control, which means law-abiding citizens lose their right to protect themselves, and outlaw, will be the only one legally own firearm. But if there are totally no gun control, a five year old boy can bring a gun to school, and shoot at teacher as he please, even thought that he doesnt know better. Machiavelli wrote A prince, therefore, must not have any other object nor any other thought, nor must he take anything as his profession but war, its discipline; because that is the only profession which befits one who commands; He discussed that a Princes duty is war and only war. This lead to the second issue, war, which existed as long as the existence of human kind, as I am writing this essay there are still wars going on all over the world. According to Machiavelli war should be the only thing on a princes mind, because if a prince give more thought to personal luxuries than war he could lose his state and position. Lao-tzu states in Tao-te Ching The master doesnt try to be powerful; thus he is truly powerful. The ordinary man keeps reaching for power; thus he never has enough. I have to disagree with both philosophers idea, because I think that war can be looked at as a human evolution, in the ancient world war was fought for land and freedom. In modern world, war was fought for gross of economy. War is something that just happens, its not necessary and cant be avoided. Look into American History From Civil War to Vietnam War to Desert Storm, which cost billions dollars and millions lives, will the war ever end? We all know, the answer is no. As long as human lives, the war will never end. Perhaps Lao-tzu and Machiavellis political view is totally opposite, at the end they all have a common goal is to create an ideal political system. The constitution among other things would not allow that sort of government today. The times have defiantly changed, but the need for the higher forms of thinking amongst society has not.

Fatigue Cracking of Pavement

Fatigue Cracking of Pavement Introduction to fatigue cracking of pavement Fatigue or alligator cracking is the most common type of pavement distress, it is infact the major one. This is the type of distress in which series of interconnected cracks appears due to the fatigue failure of the HMA surface when the pavement experience repeated traffic loading. These type of cracks later allow moisture infiltration into the pavement, the road surface gradually gets more rough, the infiltrated moisture then again accelerate the existing cracking which in worst case may end up being a small to large sized pothole. In other words, as the traffic loads get repeated on the pavement, fatigue cracking starts to initiate at the bottom of the flexible layer, which accounts for the tensile strains at the bottom of the HMA layer (Huang 1993).   Researchers suggested that, for the M-E structural design process of pavement, this tensile strength must be kept in limit in order to check against fatigue cracking (Shook,1982). Figure 1: Schematic diagram of Fatigue Craking Mechanism in Pavement Cross Section (Priest et al., 2006) Apart from the repeated stresses incurred upon the pavement surface, fatigue cracking may take place due to aging, temperature changes or inadequate drainage. The effects of these factors are really complicated which my lead to undesirable changes to asphalt, associated with the poor durability properties of the HMA layer. (Finn 1967). Though due to previous research, it was believed that, most of the cracks initiates at the bottom and then make its way to the top of the asphalt layer, which is also termed as bottom up fatigue cracking, recent studies shows that, in most cases, cracks initiates at the pavement surface on the wheel path and then make its way down to the bottom (Myers and Roque, 2001). Federal Highway Administrations Distress Identification Manual for the Long-Term Pavement Performance Program mentioned about three levels of severity for fatigue cracking, which are high severity fatigue cracking, moderate severity fatigue cracking and low severity fatigue cracking. High severity fatigue cracking is the ultimate stage of fatigue cracking. When the pavement has been stressed to the limit of its fatigue life, it is no longer attractive and is barely functional. This stage is called high severity of fatigue cracking. In this case, the cracks are formed in large areas and there are several pieces of loose surface asphalt. Pavement in this condition needs repair immediately. Moderate severity fatigue cracking is the stage when distinguished the arrival of connecting cracks are well recognized. The cracks tends to increase gradually and lower layers of road materials become evident. Heavy traffic load usually break the surface asphalt layer in pieces. Low severity fatigue cracking usually indicates an area of asphalt having only small cracks with very few or none of them connecting to display the zig zag alligator type shape. Also the cracks are not evidently removing lower layers of the road materials. (Miller, 2003) Figure 2: Fatigue Cracking in Pavement (Priest et al., 2006) Over the years, the researchers are trying to come up with a simple and standard fatigue testing procedure as till this date, there is no such standard test for fatigue cracking, as different states are evaluating performance against fatigue cracking differently. Tangella et el (1990), came up with an equation to measure the fatigue life, which also accounts for the varying temperature and loading frequency. Nf= k1 (1/ÃŽÂ µt)^k2 (1/E)k3 Where, Nf= Number of load cycles until fatigue failure ÃŽÂ µt= Applied horizontal tensile strain E= HMA mixture stiffness K1,k2,k3= Regression constant In their study, they emphasized on the flexural fatigue test, diametral fatigue, and tests employing fracture mechanics principals, as the most promising test procedures to characterize fatigue cracking. Later till this period, there are different test procedures such as, Overlay (OL) test, Indirect Tension (IDT) test, Direct Tension (DT) test, Semicircular Bending (SCB) test, are most commonly used to categorize fatigue cracking in the lab. In addition, comparison with the observed result with the field cores is also important. Hajj et al. (2005) emphasized on the mechanistic analysis to understand the interaction between structure, stiffness, and laboratory testing so that a balance can be made for the given field and traffic conditions on a per-project basis. They concluded that, as the field pavement has stiffer structure which will generate lower strains under traffic therefore a longer fatigue life will be observed in the field. Therefore, an overall study is required to charac terize fatigue cracking of the pavement. References: Huang, Yang H. Pavement Analysis and Design New Jersey: Prentice Hall,1993 Shook, J.F., F.N. Finn, M.W. Witczak, and C.L. Monismith. Thickness Design of  Asphalt Pavements The Asphalt Institute Method, Proceedings, 5th International  Conference on the Structural Design of Asphalt Pavements, Vol.1, The Netherlands,  1982, pp. 17-44. Miller J.S., Bellinger W.Y. Distress Identification Manual for the Long-Term Pavement Performance Program (Fourth Revised Edition), Technical Research Report FHWA-RD-03-031. Federal Highway Administration 6300 Georgetown Pike McLean, VA 22101-2296, 2003. Priest A.L. Timm D.H. Methodology And Calibration Of Fatigue Transfer Functions For Mechanistic-Empirical Flexible Pavement Design, NCAT Report 06-03. National Center for Asphalt Technology, Auburn University, Alabama, 2006. Tangella, R., J. Craus, J. A. Deacon, and C. L. Monismith. Summary Report on Fatigue Response of Asphalt Mixtures. TM-UCB-A-003A-89-3, SHRP Project A-003-A. University of California, Berkeley: Institute of Transportation Studies, 1990 Hajj, E. Y., P. E. Sebaalay, and D. Weitzel. Fatigue Characteristics of Superpave and  Hveem Mixtures. Journal of Transportation Engineering, ASCE , 2005, pp. 302-10.

The Possibility Of Necessity :: essays research papers

<a href="http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/">Sam Vaknin's Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Foreign Affairs Web Sites Some things are logically possible (LP). Others are physically possible (PP) and yet others are Physically Actual (PA). The things that are logically necessary (LN) are excluded from this discussion because they constitute a meta-level: they result from the true theorems in the logical systems within which LP, PP and PA reside. In other words: the LN are about relationships between the three other categories. The interactions between the three categories (LP, PP, PA) yield the LN through the application of the rules (and theorems) of the logical system within which all four reside. We are, therefore, faced with six questions. The answers to three of them we know – the answers to the other three are a great mystery. The questions are: Is every LP also PP? Is every LP also PA? Is every PP also PA? Is every PP also LP? Is every PA also LP? Is every PA also PP? Every PP must be also LP. The physical world is ruled by the laws of nature which are organized in logical systems. The rules of nature are all LP and whatever obeys them must also be LP. Whatever is PA must be PP (otherwise it will not have actualized). Since every PP is also LP – every PA must also be LP. And, of course, nothing impossible can actually exist – so, every PA must also be PP. That something exists implies that it must also be possible. But what is the relationship between necessity and existence? If something is necessary – does it mean that it must exist? It would seem so. And if something exists – does it mean that it was necessary? Not necessarily. It really depends on how one chooses to define necessity. A thought system can be constructed in which if something exists, it implies its necessity. An example: evolutionary adaptations. If an organism acquired some organ or trait – it exists because it was deemed necessary by evolution. And thought systems can be constructed in which if something is of necessity – it does not necessarily mean that it will exist. Consider human society. There are six modes of possibility: Logical (something is possible if its negation constitutes a contradiction, a logical impossibility). Metaphysical (something is possible if it is consistent with metaphysical necessities) Nomological (something is possible if it is consistent with scientific laws)

Essay --

In 12 different states, former ex-felons even after serving their term have a large chance on losing their voting rights for good; don’t you think that is too harsh? 19 states give the ex-felons a chance to redeem their rights after their term of incarceration, parole, and probation, while another 19 states give their rights back after their term is up. In this case you can conclude that no matter how large or small the charge, the ex-felon was convicted of that their rights for voting should not simply be given back to them after their term, although the ex-felons should have the right to earn back their legal, vote it should not be that easy. The NAACP is talking to the U.N. to make sure all former convicted felons in the United States can vote. They are currently trying to recommend ways to U.S. authorities on the topic of restoring all citizens’ voting rights. The NAACP states that â€Å"nearly 6 million citizens are barred from voting because of previous felo ny convictions† (Jamey Keaten) and that number is too high. The government officials in charge of the rights of ex-felons need to create a solution to allow majority of the former convicted inmates to vote again under certain circumstances and rules. The rights of ex-felons should be reestablished after their term is complete to a certain extent, maybe a jury of U.S. authorities can vote on a guideline or format regarding the voting rights of these ex-inmates that would fall under being uneducated or unserious, they could follow these rules and if deemed eligible to vote by the council they receive back their voting rights. The other ex-inmates who have committed less severe crimes should be given an opportunity to earn back their vote in all 51 states as well. Just becau... ...re there for a reason and aren’t right-minded. This opinion is very tempting to support, anyone can see where they are coming from when they are explaining why they do not agree on voting rights and that’s because they have a very plausible reason not to. Former ex-felons should be granted the right to vote after their term is up to a certain extent. The U.S. states are split on their point of views of voting rights and the U.S. should have a national law regarding voting rights of former felons. Ex-felons should have to take an IQ test and post a reasonable score and follow mandatory guidelines after they are released from prison to ensure that they are responsible and smart enough to cast a reasonable vote. This rule would benefit the candidates in voting’s, help provide more accurate results, and give the ex-felon a sense of dignity and self-importance.

Aquinas and Dante: Perfecting Human Reason

Julia Caldwell Professor Albrecht Development of Western Civilization 2, February, 2013 Aquinas and Dante: Perfecting Human Reason Aquinas and Dante: Perfecting Human Reason Despite the fact that Dante’s reader doesn’t encounter St. Thomas Aquinas within the Comedia until Paradise, the beliefs and teachings of Aquinas are woven throughout the entirety of the famous poem. St. Thomas Aquinas’s cosmology and theology are used as the foundation for Dante’s Comedia, and for this reason it is no surprise that the experiences of the Pilgrim symbolically reflect many of Aquinas’s teachings.The Pilgrim’s experiences on his journey through the afterlife reflect what Aquinas called the, â€Å"two-fold truth concerning the divine being, one to which the inquiry of reason can reach, the other which surpasses the whole ability of human reason† (Summa Contra Gentiles, Handout I, 4). Dante also illustrates Aquinas’s conclusion that man’s reason tends toward the source of ultimate true while mans will tends toward the ultimate good. The reader is able to see how Dante’s will and reason search for, and ultimately attain, fulfillment in the vision of the Divine Essence.Both Aquinas and Dante emphasize the necessary union between human reason and divine faith as a means of attaining this fulfillment. As the instiller of these inclinations, only God Himself can satisfy them. Aquinas demonstrates this idea through his explanation of the natural and the divine law as they pertain to the Eternal law. Dante demonstrates this idea through the Pilgrim’s interactions with his guides and the culmination of his ascension in Paradise. Just as with body and soul, matter and form, there is a harmonious relationship between reason and faith; yet the agents within these partnerships are not equal.Both Dante and Aquinas acknowledge that human reason can assist the individual in understanding God and coinciding oneâ€℠¢s will with His will, but they both conclude that this secular-based reasoning is subjugated by and therefore must be perfected by theology. In Dante’s Virgil the reader finds human reason personified. Being the shade of a renowned and wise philosopher, Virgil is a perfect candidate to guide the Pilgrim through hell and purgatory. In his own lifetime Virgil lived as a pious man and therefore attained the imperfect Earthly happiness that can be acquired through natural powers.However, as Aquinas states, â€Å"every knowledge that is according to the mode of created substance, falls short of the vision of the Divine Essence,† therefore Virgil is unable to reach fulfillment since he cannot ascend to Paradise (Summa Theologiae, Handout II, 12). Instead, like many of his pagan contemporaries, Virgil is doomed to spend eternity in the underworld’s Limbo. He will forever yearn to know the ultimate happiness and the ultimate truth that are only found in God. As Virgil puts it himself, â€Å"In this alone we suffer: cut off from hope, we live in desire† (Inferno, 20).Dante provides Virgil as a means of illustrating the incompleteness of human reason, whereby observing Aquinas’s warning. When describing the home of philosophers within Limbo Dante writes, â€Å"we reached a place spread out and luminous† (Inferno 22). It is fitting that this realm be characterized by light because as Aquinas states, â€Å"[natural reason] is nothing else than an imprint on us of the Divine light† (Summa Theologiae, Handout II, 13). The knowledge possessed by the philosophers comes from God Himself, or the Eternal Law.Having never embraced the faith of God through the implementation of the theological virtues, however, Virgil is an imperfect soul. Much like Virgil, human reason is guided by the light of the Eternal Law, but is unperfected without the divine law. It is this very imperfection of Virgil’s nature that makes him the perf ect guide for the initial stages of Dante’s journey. In Virgil Dante finds a guide capable of explaining and illuminating the conceptual and rational worlds of Hell and Purgatory, but also in Virgil Dante is able to see the limits of human reason without the theological virtues.With Virgil as his guide, the Pilgrim is â€Å"guided by the light of natural reason† (Summa Contra Gentiles, Handout I, 2). Along his journey, however, Virgil comes to realize that his wise guide is not all-powerful. When the pair arrives at the gates of Dis in Canto 8, the Furies slam the gates of the city shut despite Virgil’s pleas. It is only when a holy messenger from Paradise arrives that the Furies surrender to God’s will and allow Dante and Virgil to enter. Taking this event metaphorically, reason is unable to go on further without grace. As the pair travel within the realm of Purgatory it becomes clear that Dante’s uestions are becoming more of a challenge for Virg il. When Virgil is trying to explain why his shade casts no shadow, his reasoning can only goes as far as to say that his condition is, â€Å"willed by that Power which wills its secret not to be revealed† (Purgatory 207). Dante goes on to describe Virgil’s countenance as having â€Å"anguished thoughts† (Purgatory 207). Virgil’s struggle to explain the dynamics of the afterlife as the pair comes closer to Paradise reflects Aquinas’s conclusion that â€Å"[the] human intellect is not able to reach a comprehension of the divine substance through its natural power† (Summa Contra Gentiles, Handout I, 3).Furthermore this instance exemplifies Aquinas’s conclusion that human reason is able to recognize effects but is unable to explain the Ultimate Cause of these effects without faith (Summa Contra Gentiles, Handout I, 9). Virgil can see that he has no shadow, but he cannot explain the source of the original cause. Since Virgil never believe d in the faith of the divine mysteries while he was still on Earth, his intellect is unable to grasp an understanding of God’s will. In conclusion, because Virgil doesn’t use faith to perfect his reason, his own will can never be aligned with the will of his Creator.Virgil specifically alludes to the fault in his faith when he distinguishes between pagan and Christian prayer. He admits that his own prayers, along with the prayers of all pagans, â€Å"had no access to God† (Purgatory, 225). Unlike pagan prayers, which according to Virgil in the Aeneid are powerless in a universe predestined by the Fates, Christian prayers are an embodiment of human participation with the true divine. By taking part in prayer, the individual takes part in the theological virtues that â€Å"are infused by God alone† and â€Å"direct us aright to God† (Summa Theologiae, Handout II, 11).It is only through the participation in these theological virtues that an individual can be guided toward God Himself. These virtues are the perfecting agents by which the human will and intellect are pushed toward their â€Å"last act† (Summa Theologiae, Handout II, 8). This last act is the attainment of happiness in the vision of the Divine Essence. Rather than try to explain concepts beyond what his reason can grapple with, Virgil asks his pupil to wait for Beatrice to answer his questions on this subject: â€Å"Do not try to resolve so deep a doubt; wait until she shall make it clearer—she, he light between truth and intelligence† (Purgatory 225). In this statement Virgil admits that Beatrice, as â€Å"the light†, is more capable of illuminating matters of the divine than the poet. Once the pair reaches the top of mount Purgatory, Virgil tells his young friend, â€Å"you’ve reached the place where my discernment now has reached its end† (Purgatory 351). Virgil has taken the Pilgrim as far as reason can dictate; now Dant e requires a guide of theological proportions to guide him in a realm where reason is blinded.When Dante reaches the top of Mount Purgatory, he has been cleansed of every perversion of the will. The feelings of admiration he felt for Virgil have been replaced by the intense love he feels for his new guide, Beatrice. He now desires conceptual knowledge less and instead begins to explore understanding through his senses. This tradeoff is necessary in this new realm where observations may not be fitting to human concepts. This necessity is made clear when Beatrice beings to explain to Dante the divinely ordained distribution of power amongst the stars (Paradise Canto I).Before she lays out the complicated plan she warns Dante, â€Å"even when the senses guide, reason’s wingspan can sometimes be short† (Paradise 399). This is a reminder to Dante that his experiences in Paradise will not be as easily digested and picked apart as his experiences in Hell and Purgatory. In the former realms, human reason could essentially provide explanations without needing the aid of theology. This is also a cue to Dante’s readers that they are not mentally capable of understanding the phenomena he is about to experience, so they must rely on faith.In a larger context, humanity must rely on its faith in God to have any earthly understanding of what heaven is. Donning red, white, and green, Beatrice symbolically represents the theological virtues, including faith. Dante initially relies on the eyes of Beatrice to reflect the heavenly bodies, since the brightness of Paradise overwhelms his eyes (Paradise 393). This can be metaphorically applied to the idea that humans must rely on the assistance of God, through belief and participation in the theological virtues, to begin to understand God’s mysteries.In the same way Dante initially owes his sight of Paradise to the eyes of Beatrice, humanity owes perfection of its reason to the theological virtues. As Aqui nas chimes, â€Å"the theological virtues direct man to supernatural happiness† (Summa Theologiae, Handout II, 11). Through keeping faith in the mysteries while on Earth, a soul will be ready to behold them in the afterlife. In this way, both Dante and Aquinas emphasize how important it is for Christians to believe in the mysteries of the divine even when they transcend human reason.Even having beheld the beauty of the Divine himself, Dante is unable to relate the experience in words to his readers. Though he has seen the mysteries of God with his own eyes, the Divine Essence’s unparalleled nature transcends human explanation and human understanding. In this way Dante illustrates Aquinas’s conclusion that while on Earth we must rely on what we believe not what we actually see and understand. Aquinas says, â€Å"although human reason cannot grasp fully the truths that are yet above it†¦if it somehow holds these truths by faith, it acquires great perfection for itself† (Summa Contra Gentiles, Handout I, 6).In this way Aquinas clarifies the relationship between faith and reason. Without faith, reason remains unperfected and vulnerable to falsehoods. With faith, however, reason aligns itself with truth and thus aligns itself with the will of God. Individuals who perfect reason with faith are guided along the path towards salvation, just as Dante experiences. Following this path, one is able to arrive at the end toward which all humanity tends, prepared and deserving of the vision of the Divine Essence. It is only at this moment that the individual achieves the desires of both reason and will: truth and happiness.