Potassium Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Potassium - Essay Example Hyperkalemia is the increased serum levels of potassium in excess of 5mg/100 ml. Potassium is critical for the functionality of the heart, muscles and nerves, thus an increased level of potassium would result in muscle weakness, oliguria, respiratory distress, decreased contractility of the heart and hyperreflexia or flaccidity of the skeletal muscles. Hyperkalemia is caused by dysfunction of the kidney, adrenal gland disease or cell shift of potassium, from cells to blood circulation. Hypokalemia is the low concentration of potassium in the blood; less than 3.5mg/100ml. Hypokalemia is caused by insufficient dietary consumption of potassium, gastrointestinal fluid loss and urinary loss especially when one is on diuretics. Hypokalemia presents with signs and symptoms of muscle weakness, abnormal heart rhythms, tremor, flaccid paralysis hyporeflexia and constipation (Jung et al., 2009). A nurse must be very vigilant in monitoring for signs of hyperkalemia and hypokalemia to enhance early management of the condition. This would include the action of the nurse to periodically monitor vital signs, heart rhythm, cardiovascular status and the abdomen for signs of distention, bowel sounds and pain. The nurse would then notify the physician of the abnormal findings that are an indication of either hyperkalemia or hypokalemia. The physician would the order appropriate medication for the treatment of the condition. During the course of management, the nurse would engage the patient and the family on health education in relation to the condition as a means of preventing reoccurrence of the condition (Porth, 2011). Alderman, M. H., Piller, L. B., Ford, C. E., Probstfield, J. L., Oparil, S., Cushman, W. C., †¦ Davis, B. R. (2012). Clinical significance of incident hypokalemia and hyperkalemia in treated hypertensive patients in the antihypertensive and lipid-lowering treatment to prevent heart attack trial. Hypertension, 59,

In Arthur Millers play the crucibl Essay Example for Free

In Arthur Millers play the crucibl Essay In Arthur Millers play the Crucible, Reverend Hale changes as the plot unfolds. When Reverend first arrives in Salem he is certain he will use scientific methods to find witches. As the court hearing begins to unfold, Reverend Hale opposes the actions being taken, thus begins using his own judgments. Hale attempts to save the guiltless when he realizes they were convicting innocent people. The plot takes place in 1619, in a small town named Salem. The town was young; being only 40 years old was very religiously strict. A group of teen girls were caught dancing naked in the woods. They started making accusations of witchcraft across the town. Reverend Hale, who was a witch expert, was called from a near by town to put a stop to the matter. One reason Reverend hale changed as the plot unfolds is because he at first believes that he will be using scientific methods to find witches. Hale firmly follows the law to sustain order. By keeping to his books he prepares himself to pay no heed to conclusions. He trusts his books to keep control over the problems arising in Salem. all the invisible world, caught defined, and calculated. In these no fear now-we shall find him out if he has come among us, and mean to crush him utterly if he has shown his face. (Miller, 39) One reason Reverend Hale changed as the plot unfolds is because he at first believes that he will be using scientific methods to find witches. Subsequently Reverend starts to evolve his thinking during the trail and starts going by his own judgment. He pleads with the judge to let Proctor return, only to be rejected by him. Hale fought against the judges verdict realizing it was unjust. Hale then decided to leave the court. I denounce these preceding. I quit the court. (Miller, 115) Subsequently Reverend starts to evolve his thinking during the court hearing and starts going by his own judgment. Then at the end, Reverend changes even more when he realizes they were accusing every one of witchcraft and tries to save the innocent. Reverend declares he will not take a life of an innocent person I am a minister of the Lord, and I dare not take a life without there be proof so immaculate no slightest qualm of conscious may doubt it. (Miller, 99) He realizes that it is not the convicted people, but that of a hunt to find a cause for there problems. He encourages Mr. proctor to confess to witchery. Also pleading with Procters wife, he protests the foolishness of admitting to something you did not do. Finally Reverend Changes for the better realizing that not everyone is a witch and attempts to save the innocent Hale changes from being in favor of the witch trails to opposing it due to the amount of unnecessary convictions with sentences of death. He finds that, when you stop accusing people every for every incident and mishaps, many of the folks are innocent. It is hard to believe that many innocent people were killed during the Salem witch trials. Certainly nothing like that will ever happen today. Reverend Hale changes as the scheme unfolds in Arthur millers play, the crucible. Work Cited Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York Penguin, 1952 Jonathan Schneider Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section.

Reimbursement Issues For Nurse Practitioner Health And Social Care Essay

Reimbursement Issues For Nurse Practitioner Health And Social Care Essay The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 was unquestionably a frontward step for advanced practice nurses (APNs).   Payment is remarkably allowed for all settings as long as no other provider fee or other facility fee was being paid in relationship to the assistance supplied by the APN.   The various constraints on settings for services provided by the advanced practice nurse were totally removed from the guidelines (Bardach, 2006). The regulations for reimbursement of APN services typically changes based on the category of setting. Within the office setting, the permissible reimbursement to nurse practitioners is only 85% of that of a physician. This same reimbursement is acceptable only if billed straight under the nurses name and provider number (Fishman, 2002). The decrease in conversion factor for Medicare for reimbursement has affected rural clinics. This paper will discuss some pressing issues regarding reimbursement for nurse practitioners. I. Crucial Areas for Reimbursement that Nursing Practitioners Should Know 1. An advance practice nurse (APN) should be responsible and aware of the reimbursement process. APN must have read the participation contracts involved. They must determine the following: Does the plan credentials the APN and assigned a provider number. What are the claim submission requirements?   It could be direct billing or billing which is conducted by a supervising physician. And what are the time frames for submission. Can appeal mechanisms for claims denial be conducted? What are the covered services? Is it reimbursement methodology capitation or fee for service, etc? 2. An APN must familiarize documentation requirements in order to support the Certified Performance Technologist or CPT. Last 2001, the Office of Inspector General had conducted reviews on nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist and assistants of physicians. This is to comply with the Health Care Financing Administration or HCFA rules and regulations. (Cooper, 2000) II. Understanding the Reimbursement Procedure In order to better understand the underlying reimbursement issues in nursing practitioner, we must first have a clear grasp on the reimbursement process itself. In 1965, two methods, the Medicare and Medicaid of Social Security Act were amended by the Congress. These two will be discussed thoroughly in the next sections of the paper. With the first method, Medicaid, 100% of the physician rate is reimbursed. This will only apply if the incident to criteria are met. The phrase incident to refers to the services provided by nursing practitioners where a physician is actually present, or available for consultation. In order to verify the presence of the attending physician, the patients contact, appointment schedule or a documentation of the medical records can be used. The local Medicare will give the nursing practitioner a unique identification number (UPIN) for his or her bills. For a direct reimbursement, a practitioner must undergo an application process conducted by the payer. With the second method, Medicare, the nursing practitioner receives 80% of the fee that is set by the practice. Or they also have the chance to receive 85% of the Medicare physician fee schedule. One disadvantage of this method is that it reimburses the lowest charge possible. Citing an example, a practitioners bill for his or her services is $120 and Medicare only allows $100, the practitioner will only reimburse $85, which is 85% of the Medicare allowable. (Rapsilver, 2000) II. General Issues There are various notable issues connected to the reimbursement for services provided by the APNs. They are expected to take possession and responsibility of the procedure on the reimbursement. The APNs should first begin with comprehending their involvement contracts with health care plans to ascertain the following items (Fishman, 2002): if the said health care plan will give credit to the nurse practitioner involved and will consequently assign a provider number, if there are any appeals procedures for denials of claims, if it is possible to review the comparison of fee for service versus the plans reimbursement methodology capitation, etc., if claims such as billing under the administering physicians name or direct billing ask for requirements to be submitted within a specific timeframe; and, if all specific services are covered On the secondary topic, nurse practitioners should become familiar with various requirements when it comes to documentation to sustain appropriate CPT coding. APNs should refer themselves to the HCFA rules and the Federal register for guidelines (Bardach, 2006).   The nurse practitioner should actively participate on internal audit of documentation to find out if their documentations support the CPT code billed. APNs should responsibly scrutinize an illustration of their assortments against their monthly charges. This guarantees that reimbursements are properly made according to contract and that no charges are being denied. (Kansas Nurse, 2008). III. Medicaid Reimbursement Process Issue The lack of consistent progress in the Medicaid hospital reimbursement processes has left the nurse practitioners confused and disappointed over the past few years. Progress towards simplifying the Medicaid reimbursement process has been slowed by the absence of relevant policies in hospital reimbursement, memberships, and the level of access for the members (Fishman, 2002). The lack of priority and actions from the leaders of healthcare to implement the policies for the Medicaid hospital reimbursement processes resulted to the decline in the productivity of the program and posed major setbacks for nurses. With the necessary improvements not being achieved, the government is left with nothing to use in integrating the needed reforms in the Medicaid hospital reimbursement processes. Suspended reforms for Medicaid hospital reimbursement processes reveal incoordination among various health departments which significantly affected Medicaid members. The adverse effects of the current economic crisis put local governments in a state of uncertainty whether to pursue plans of implementing the new Medicaid hospital reimbursement processes to handle the health needs of their residents (Farley, 2000). Over the past few years, the local governments have been limited with their actions to completely adopt the new Medicaid hospital reimbursement processes. In New York alone, residents that are not yet affiliated with Medicaid have reached a number of almost 4 million. New York, however, is still way ahead in terms of progress as compared to other states in America. Still, according to Bardach (2006), the majority of New York residents are completely dependent to the Medicaid program because: (1) Medicaid assists them in the access of health benefits; (2) Medicaid assists them by means of health insurance. Yet these Medicaid policies also led to New Yorks health issues due to the lack of coordination by the leaders. IV. Medicare Reimbursement Process Issue Many advanced practice nurses inaccurately presuppose that receiving an APN license eliminates all obstructions to getting reimbursements for all their services by the insurance companies.   The primary goal obviously is to achieve direct reimbursement, which basically means being able to bill in the APNs exact name and not that of the or under the physician.   This is because being billed under a doctors name austerely propagates the invisibility of the nurse practitioners (Fishman, 2002).    To accomplish this goal of straightforward reimbursement, advanced practice nurses have to be empanelled by a reimburse-er or have to get a provider status.   The methodology for Medicare had primarily implicated achieving a PIN or a Provider Identification Number, which has now transformed into the new NPI or the National Provider Identifier (NPI).   Ã‚   In reality, as an example, Medicare already was issuing PINs to advanced practice nurses in Illinois two years before the APN regulations for practice were written.   Comparatively, Medicaid in Illinois was also agreeable to directly reimburse advanced practice nurses even before Medicare (Bardach, 2006). The frequent misconception of many advanced practice nurses about Medicare is that if a contributor gets a Medicare number, he or she will be reimbursed mechanically by every other insurance corporation, including PPOs and HMOs.   That is very wrong since insurance companies create or develop their own precise policies.   It can then be said that what one company permits, another one might not (Fishman, 2002).    V. Private Insurance In the United States, there are many private insurance plans that exists. Due to this, the guidelines for advance practice nurses are highly variable. There are times that the plans include the nurse provider in the preferred provider network. But there are also times that the nurse provider is considered outside the preferred provider network. So in general, less coverage is then afforded for the services rendered by nurses. These phenomenal places burden on those who have minimal resources. The number of networks that seeks to include practitioners among their credential providers is increasing. When discussing about the reimbursement issues, the fact that advance practice nurses always receives less payment that physicians arises. Advance practice nurses have been taught how to provide high quality care which is equal to the care provided by physicians. Because of this, they should be paid an equitable fee for the services they have rendered. Efforts are now exerted in order to fix these inequities. (Lundy) VI. Why APNs Do Not Receive Equal Reimbursement The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission or MedPAC examined the payments differencials between the clinicians and physicians. Why does this two groups do not get equal reimbursements? The MedPAC conjured that there is actually no analytical foundation that can support this. So in order to answer this question, the Commission investigated if these two groups, physicians and non-physician providers produces the same products or different products. According to the Commission, the Medicare must set the service payment equal to the cost incurred in efficiently rendering the service. Whenever the physicians and clinicians have provided the same service, then the payment for the low cost provider must be applied for all service providers. In many cases, there are many distinguishable differences between the services rendered by physicians and clinicians. Citing an example, according to reimbursement data, clinicians who are not physicians demonstrates a less complex evaluation and management services than physicians. Other specializations and surgical services are not included in the scope of practice of certain clinicians. Adjustments and changes for these types of billing codes include differences in resource costs. Since the nature of billing codes is imprecise, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services were not able to distinguish the different categories of clinician who provide similar services. They have this assumption that physicians are much prepared to diagnose and treat patients that have severe illnesses. But, contrary to this, anecdotal reports stated that other clinician sometimes spend more times in checking and treating patients with severe illnesses or who are in critical conditions, which made the physicians to care for a greater number of patients with lower acuity. Whenever a physician and other clinician bill for the same service, it is very difficult to tell of the physician saw a more complex patient. Due to these uncertainties in comparing their services, the Commission is reluctant in altering the payment differential. And certain policies even on the same company might be allowed in one state but not in another state.   As point of the matter, if one company has three product lines such as HMO, fee-for-service or indemnity, and PPO, then it may also have three dissimilar guiding principles for nurse practitioners (Bardach, 2006).    Consecutively, to ultimately become a credentialed contributor for each insurance plan that patients are secured with, a nurse practitioner must then submit an application for provider category with each and every insurance company, including Medicare and Medicaid. From that discussion, every provider must be familiar with some fundamentals about Medicare. First and foremost, there is Medicare Part A, which actually covers skilled nursing home, hospital, and home health charges; and then there is Medicare Part B, which then envelops most outpatient services, the care patients in particular obtain from doctors offices (Fishman, 2002). When it comes to the incident to billing, the Commission decided to consider that services rendered by clinicians who are not physicians but billed as incident to must be paid 100% of the physician fee schedule. The Commission have stated that the incident care fee is predicated upon the care or service provided by the team, with the non-physician giving the direct patient care services and the physician taking responsibility to the over-all welfare of the patient. They concluded that the team approach to care provides value which warrants payment at the full rate. (Edmunds, 2002) V. Conclusion Reimbursement issues have become challenge to nursing practitioners. Among the critical areas that NP should know are the following: the reimbursement process, contracts and the documents required. They are expected to take possession and responsibility of the procedure on the reimbursement. The APNs should first begin with comprehending their involvement contracts with health care plans. Secondly, nurse practitioners should become familiar with various requirements when it comes to documentation to sustain appropriate CPT coding. APNs should responsibly scrutinize an illustration of their assortments against their monthly charges. VI. Preparing for Future APN Reimbursement Being part of the healthcare system, Advance Practice Nurses (APNs) continue to search for greater quality, effectiveness and effeciency in delivering care. Many organizations and institutions like Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are taking the lead in identifying and validating indicators of high quality health care aiming to streamline delivery of care and to reduce convulated health care costs. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Composite Measures a reimbursement coding category that is currently being validated to deliver quality measures which can lead to desired patient results for chosen chronic diseases or conditions. (Kennerly, 2007) Establishing these new standards are based on the assumptions that by using them will cause a consistent high quality of outcome for the majority of patients and there will a great decrease in health care cost. The CMS is currently focusing on reforming quality reimbursement sytems which can save money while rewarding those care providers for their quality performance. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Pay-for-Performance led to determining the importance of implementing a common set of clinical standards for medical care. This means a providers performance and reimbursement is now and in the future will depend on and be judge against a national standard for care rather that past provider;s performances. (Kennerly, 2007)

Variety of Love Relationships in Shakespeares As You Like It Essay

The Variety of Love Relationships in Shakespeare's As You Like It  Ã‚   One of the main concerns of man throughout the centuries has probably been to define the concept of love and to understand the complexities that govern love relationships among people. William Shakespeare seems to have been fully aware of the need and interest in love, since his work transcends time and place. Love is the central concern in As You Like It. This comedy presents different attitudes towards love, which may be derived from the conversations among its characters and from the romantic attachments portrayed in it. By comparing the different love relations in the play, one may further appreciate important facts about the concept of love. Moreover, love is also depicted as the force that rules over all kinds of human ties other than the romantic ones, namely familial bonds and friendship. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the concept of love portrayed in As You Like It, and to explore the different varieties of love relationships among its characters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A reading of As You Like It may lead us to an understanding of the concept of love as embodying different ideas, which might be observed through the characters of the play. These ideas, love's wealth, love's truth, and love's order, are expressed in the characters' perceptions of love and in the way they relate to one another.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the interpretations attributed to the concept of love in this comedy, and often portrayed in Shakespeare's plays, is that of love as a kind of richness, as a commercial enterprise in which men and women trade. Under this light, the bond beaten lovers gains a mercantilistic value and may thus be regarded as a kind of contract... ...portrayed in Shakespeare's   As You Like It, and   to examine the love relationships in it. Through a careful observation of the characters' perceptions about love, and of the way they engage in love relationships, we may conclude that the concept of love may be attributed different meanings, depending on individual and personal beliefs. Our conclusion may be derived from the various types of comic relations: familial, sexual, romantic, and friendship. Works Cited and Consulted Howard, Jean E., "Intoduction to As You Like It." The Norton Shakespeare Ed. Stephen Greenblatt, et.al. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997. Shakespeare, William. As You Like It. The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W.W. Norton Company, 1997. Sparknotes. As You Like It, by William Shakespeare. 8 Nov. 2004 http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/asyoulikeit/

Should Compulsory Military Service Be Abolished?

Should compulsory military service be abolished ? (ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY) The problem of compulsory military service has always been a controversial issue. Some people strongly support this idea while others are definitely against it. Although it has been claimed that the military service should be compulsory because of its benefits to governments, compulsory military service shouldn’t be abolished because of its limitations to citizens. It is commonly maintained that compulsory military service affects government’s economy in positive way, yet military service is cheaper than mandotary in long-term.Supporters of compulsory military service believe that mandotary military service is a must for countries to develop their economy. The choices of developing countries could be a good example for benefits of compulsory military service. Developing countries mostly prefer compulsory military service to grow their economy. Portugal is one of the these countries. Since Portugal m oved on to free military service there is a rapidly increase in civilian wages. However United States shows that countries can have both powerful economy and strong military power despite using free military service.According to Chapman, the cost of a volunteer is more expensive than full-time soldiers. (2002) Another argument widely claimed against abolishing compulsory military service is based on the assumption that young people could improve themselves physically and psychologically, pn the other hand it may cause harmful consequences on many sensitive young men. Proponents of compulsory military service claim that personality of young men would be developed during military service.They think that military service would make young men disciplined and principled. Laar stated â€Å"During the course of compulsory military service, a number of skills required for civilian life are acquired. † (2011) According to Kelty, Kleykamp and Segal, military service is an experience th at turns youth to adults. (2010) Nevertheless, compulsory military service may cause permanent problems in young people’s character and their lives. Forcing sensitive young men to strict the rules may lead to terrible damage to their psyche or even suicide.Citizens aren’t free to choose how they live in the countries using mandotary military service. They would be forced to something against their plans and they can’t live their lives how they wish. Other frequently heard arguments in support of compulsory military service is its necessity to protect national security against threats, yet it is unnecessary to maintain large armies because the strength of the country doesn’t depend on the manpower of an army; it is related to skills and knowledge of experts who are specially educated.A common claim is that compulsory military service is necessary to protect national security against threats. They think that the increased number of soldiers helps to fight a gainst terrorizm. It can frighten enemies to have a great number of soldiers. However, maintaining large permanent armies is not essential in our age because technology is developed. Nucleer weapons are one of the high-tech weapons and they can be operated by a small force.Professional soldiers are specially educated to operate complicated missles of an intercontinental range so the number of the soldiers is not so important. For exapmle Turkey is one of the countries that have increased number of soldiers but they can’t eliminate terrorizm in many years. In conclusion, best opinion would be forming smaller professional armies consisting of young men who like military life and who can easily adopt to hard conditions. Everyone should be granted freedom of choice and not forced to do something against his plans or nature.

Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and Advertisements

Julian Figueroa (#30973127) 1 An Allegory of Advertisements How does Plato’s allegory influence the way we consume art today? Every minute of every day, millions of people are exposed to advertisements. They plague televisions, streets, radio waves, and all means of communication. These advertisements employ many methods of persuasion and their influence is irresistible. Just like prisoners in Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, we are told every day to invest our time and interest into the subject of these advertisements, and to accept the forms of reality they serve us.Whether it be a commercial for a must-have new car, to a spot featuring desirable fast food, or to magazines with photoshopped models; we are seduced to accept these false forms of reality. In actuality, the car is hardly distinguishable from models in the years past, the food is not near as glossy and fresh as the commercial depicts, and the bodies of models have unfeasible proportions. Like the prisoners in the cave, we still accept these forms to be reality, even though they are imitations and falsities of their actual subjects.Puppeteers, like prisoners, are still within the boundaries of the cave, and some believe in their imitations whilst others know the falsehood they are presenting; just like advertisers of today. Even philosopher-kings must be part of the cave in certain ways, as they contribute their own forms of imitation to the prisoners, akin to puppeteers. The Allegory of the Cave has an abundance of meaning to our generation and future generations to come, as the themes and elements it contains relate directly to our society’s consumption and production of promotional media.In Plato’s allegory, several metaphors are summoned to illustrate the effect of education on the soul. The allegory starts with the description of a cave; a place containing prisoners, shadows, puppeteers and fire. The prisoners are bound to look at the shadows, cast upon the wall by the fire and the objects utilized by the puppeteers. There is an exit to the cave, which is illuminated by the light from the sun outside. The outside represents true knowledge whereas the inside of the cave represents ignorance; a reality other than the truth.Plato considers the puppeteers to essentially be artists; using their creations to depict a false reality for the Julian Figueroa (#30973127) 2 prisoners. However, those who free themselves from the cave are the only ones who can realize true form. Those who do this are labeled as the philosophers. For the purposes of this essay, only the aspects of art and art interpretation in the allegory are important. What makes the allegory decisive in comparing it to our consumer-producer society is that the metaphors Plato uses directly correlate to the mantras of advertising.Notwithstanding, for any of this argument to be relatable to Plato’s allegory, which primarily focuses on artists and their creations, one must first know wha t makes promotional media a form of artistic expression. Let us assume Plato’s definition; that art is a poor imitation of reality. He views the creators of art, or as he sees them, imitators â€Å"by nature third from the king and the truth† (Republic, 597e). Artists in publicity take this notion and exaggerate it to the furthest degree. For instance, what makes us want a Burger King burger over any other local burger joint product?The answer to that is clear; advertising. Without its advertising in mass, one wouldn’t be able to distinguish a Burger King product over any other competitor’s. On the contrary, we are drawn towards their burgers because of their glorious depictions in media. From passing the giant billboards of lucious burgers, to seeing a family enjoy them on a television commercial; we are told to believe that these titillating combinations of veggies and protein are absolutely marvelous. These advertisements are nothing but mere deception s of reality.The billboards show us enlarged, crisp patties and fresh vegetables, when in reality, there is no guarantee of such a thing. Therefore they are what Plato defines as art; imitations of reality. Another example would be political commercials, which skew the truth in a variety of ways. From showing an out of context quote from their opponents, to showing themselves speak to a crowd with uplifting music in the background, politicians use the art of media to manipulate the public from seeing the truth. Advertising is a very sharp form of communication from puppeteer to prisoner; and it directly relates to Plato’s allegory.Most of us accept these false forms of reality regardless. Millions of people watch misleading commercials for a product, but they still purchase it in the end. Millions of people knowingly vote for politicians who offer false promises and deceptions, but they still return to vote for the same people in future elections. Like the repetitious cycle o f puppeteers feeding prisoners art in the allegory, Julian Figueroa (#30973127) 3 consumers of today lust for producers to fill their fair supply as well. So how do we exit this cycle? Through education and enlightenment.Plato believes that any ruler of men must pursue in â€Å"calculation, geometry, and all the preliminary education required for dialectic† (536d). He also believes that â€Å"no free person should learn anything like a slave. † (536e). Therefore, one must exercise in their own free will to truly become educated. Plato believes that to be truly educated, one must question and study the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence. By doing this, along with decades of physical training, mathematical science, dialectic training, and political discovery, one then becomes a philosopher-king; the third human element in the allegory of the Cave.However, unlike the puppeteers and the prisoners, the philosopher-kings reside outside the cave, and they harness the ability to see true forms, not mere shadows. So if we live in a society of art production and art consumption, who are the modern day philosopher-kings? There is no simple answer to that question, and this is where Plato’s allegory begins to cave in on itself (pun intended). Plato is a philosopher himself, and by channelling his ideas through Socrates in The Republic, he creates a forum. Socrates starts the allegory of the Cave with the word â€Å"imagine† (514a).The definition of the term â€Å"imagine† is to believe something unreal or untrue to exist. Therefore, Socrates is envisioning an imitation of reality with his allegory, making him an artist. Based on his definitions, Socrates (and therefore Plato) dips his feet back into the cave. If all philosophers followed the same methods of Plato, in terms of creating art forms of philosophy, doesn’t that mean that we are all either puppeteers and/or prisoners? If, in conclusion, philosophers subject their knowledge in an understandable format to puppeteers and prisoners, they are essentially creating art; which means nobody is truly free from the cave.Yet, to generalize philosophers exactly as puppeteers would also be incorrect, contrary to the Allegory. As discussed previously, philosophers only dabble in the art of imitation. This does not make them true puppeteers. Whereas philosophers are able to educate without false forms of reality, true puppeteers are only showing imitation. So what forms do puppeteers accept to be true? Imitation or reality? Relating back to the â€Å"Burger King Theory†, do the Julian Figueroa (#30973127) 4 puppeteers knowingly accept their imitations?Most likely not, as they are aware of the flaws in their advertisement. If a Burger King representative accepted their imitations as reality, they would probably be tempted to eat burgers everyday and eventually die from malnutrition or diabetes. Rather, these representatives are still tru e puppeteers and are therefore still in the dark among the prisoners. So what reality is accepted from the puppeteers? If we look at the representatives of, say Ford, for example’s sake, we find that they reject their own imitations of reality, or art, but that they still consume in similar ways to prisoners.A representative of Ford may make the commercials for the newest model of truck, but does that dictate that they necessarily drive one? Not at all. At the same time, it is not an impossibility either, and their experience as an advertiser, or artist, may even lead them into believing that it is necessary to buy the newest model every year. After all, they are surrounded with their advertisements constantly, influencing them even more so than a consumer, so couldn’t they eventually accept them to be correct?Unless one becomes a monk and sanctions themselves completely away from society, which Plato would most likely condemn, one will always be a target of advertisem ents. Therefore puppeteers must be partially prisoners in that regard, as they will fall target to other puppeteer’s or even their own shadow imagery. This concept works symbiotically with the notion that philosophers are partially puppeteers; as Plato concedes to enjoying the influence of children’s tales on youth, stating that mothers â€Å"will shape their children’s souls with stories much more than they shape their bodies by handling them. † (377c).He openly admits to enjoying some forms of art, and accepting them even if they â€Å"are false, on the whole, though they have some truth to them. † (377a). Hence, he is also as prisoner in that regard, akin to a puppeteer. This draws yet another parallel to art consumption in our modern day society; even a philosopher in our day and age must appreciate certain things to survive, and may be drawn towards imitation of reality through advertisement; car commercials, food spots, or anything. With the acceptance of this concept, the consequence is that everyone in our modern society still resides at least somewhat within the boundaries of the Cave.Is this not true? Can anyone truly claim in this era that they are free from advertisements? Julian Figueroa (#30973127) 5 Can we go one day without seeing a commercial and not remotely showing interest, even in our subconscious? In some countries around the world, it is not even an option to reject an imitation of reality. For example, citizens of Australia are forced by law to vote, and in that sense, it is impossible not to be persuaded by inevitably deceptive political advertisements. The relation of things such as politics, billboards for burgers, and car commercials to the allegory of the Cave is certainly an odd concept to comprehend.Nevertheless, it proves that many of forms of misleading advertising can harken back to the shadows created by the backlit fire and sculptures in Book VII of Plato’s Republic. Society has alwa ys revolved around art producers and art consumers, just like the puppeteers and prisoners in the cave. Advertising and its respective forms encompass many lessons that we have learned from Plato’s allegory, and perhaps one day humanity will recognize the seemingly inescapable cycle of art production and consumption we are all enveloped in.Only then can we fathom escaping the cave and becoming true philosophers, by having the ability to distinguish imitation from actuality. In conclusion, it is safe to say that there are major implications of the allegory of the Cave on advertisements in our modern society, and thus Plato’s piece will continue to be purposeful for such media centuries to come. Texts: Plato. Republic. Trans. G. M. A Grube. Indianapolis, USA: Hackett Publishing, 1992. Print.